Detroit: Become Human video game once it was released last year, the game completely flew under the radar. Fans of the game heavily praised it, but the fact that many critics felt it “missed the mark” coupled with its release on a single platform (PS4) left a lot of people out of the loop. While the game plans to expand to the PC in August of this year, many are worried that it’s “too late” for the game to gain any grounds. “They released it for one platform last year and there wasn’t even a lot of marketing behind it. They spent 2 years crafting this game and cast some big names; you’d expect with all of that work that they would have had one hell of a marketing platform. You’d also expect them to release it for all systems. It was a big mistake for them to not release it immediately for PC. That’s where the bulk of your gamers are now. It would have done much, much better if they’d been smart about it,” critics say. Despite its lackluster launch, the game remains one of Quantic Dreams’ best sellers. Sales exceeded $2 million. However, there’s no denying the game’s worth. The stunning visuals, complex story lines (there are so many branches and different routes to take in the game), and hard hitting social justice issues make it one of the most important and interesting games that have surfaced. The fact that it blatantly tackles civil rights issues and puts in your face is incredibly important for this day and age. The game starts off by showing protesters who are less than compassionate about Androids. The gamer has the option to listen in on the anti Android propaganda and it’s heartbreaking. There is also the presence of Androids carrying signs asking for the same rights as humans. They’re chanting “we have a dream”, made infamous by Martin Luther King Jr. The divide is clear and right from the start, the gamer will feel his or her heart strings being tugged. What’s the Detroit: Become Human game About?Detroit: Become Human can best be described as a choose your own adventure game. It was developed by Quantic Dream then published by Sony exclusively for PlayStation 4 last year. The plot of the game centers around three different androids and plays through their stories respectively. One of the first Androids the gamer is introduced to is Connor (voiced by Bryan Dechart). Connor works for the police department and it’s his job to track down sentient Androids. Connor is definitely valuable, but he struggles to find a place among his peers in many instances. In essence, he was created to help take out his own kind. Out of all of the three androids in the game, Connor seems to be the most “robotic.” You do have options to disobey commands, but overall he appears less sentient than the others. Then there’s Markus who is voiced by Jesse Williams. Markus is the Android we meet in the streets when we see the protesters. He is running errands for his owner and ends up crossing paths with the anti Android group. They bully and even physically attack him until the police break it up. Markus doesn’t respond to the violence and the gamer assumes he’s not very sentient either. However when Markus arrives home and begins caring for his owner, you’re really exposed to the level of compassion and empathy that Markus is capable of. Without spoilers, he shows many signs of human qualities. He is also dedicated to freeing fellow Androids from their owners. Those that he frees may live or die depending on the gamer’s choices in dialogue. Last is Kara (voiced by Valorie Curry) and she arguably has the saddest story. When the gamer meets her, she is being picked up by a less than compassionate man who has brought her in for repairs. When asked how she got so damaged, the man dismisses the question and says she was hit by a car. This alludes to the fact that she was beaten and possibly dismembered by her owner. Home life is rough too, not just for Kara. The owner is a father and he takes his anger out on his daughter after he gets high. Many describe her story as “difficult to sit through” because of the treatment of the child. “When I feel like they’ve gone too far with this I remind myself that it’s an important issue that we need to be aware of. For many, this is reality,” say some fans. Kara’s purpose becomes protecting the young girl. How the Detroit: Become Human Game was BuiltDetroit: Become Human is based on Kara: Quantic Dream’s 2012 demonstration in technology. The idea for a sentient Android culture came from her model and the game took off from there with Curry returning to fill the role. In order to make the game as realistic as possible, the developers visited Detroit. They spent a lot of time enveloping themselves in the culture and aspects of the city. “We wanted to make sure we got it as close to the city as possible. We wanted to stay true to Detroit’s heart and soul, but we wanted to make it futuristic at the same time. We didn’t want to lose elements that make Detroit, well, Detroit,” developers said. As mentioned earlier, the game took 2 years to construct. The script was complicated and heady on its own. “We wanted our audience to get attached to the characters. We wanted them to feel for Androids and question their own morality. We also wanted to address social issues and bring them to the forefront of everyone’s mind. And what better way to do that to present Androids as an underprivileged race that’s been taking the brunt of everyone’s prejudices,” devs said. Artificial intelligence experts were also contacted. “We wanted to make the Detroit: Become Human as realistic as possible. Talking to AI experts really gave us a leg up in the field. They helped give birth to the three Androids in the game.” A new engine was also built for Detroit: Become Human which allowed for multiple ends and complex choice branching. Hundreds of actors were also cast to fill roles. “We didn’t want to use the same voice actor to fill multiple roles. We wanted each person in the game to be their own unique individual.” Actors were also used to aid with the animation in order to make the characters look and move as realistically as possible. There are Serious Consequences to Your ActionsAs mentioned earlier, Detroit: Become Human features some seriously complex branching. “Even open world games can be linear and we wanted to break away from that as much as possible. We wanted our audience to really think about what they chose to say and do in game. Even small choices can have major consequences on the story. There are a lot of different paths that you can take and a lot of dialogue that gets closed off if you go a certain direction. The only way to 100% complete this game is to replay it multiple times,” developers said. In other words, you can’t just mindlessly click on dialogue or choice options; you need to weigh each one individually. And if you’re thinking of taking the time to Google the best response, you can forget it because a lot of them are timed. This means you must not only weigh the choices, but you must make them fast. Many of them can mean the life or death of a character so you have to be careful. “The fact that other characters can die because of a poor choice on your end is very impactful. It engages me in the storyline and I feel responsible for my actions. It forces me to sit down and really evaluate the choices given to me. You don’t see that in a lot if any other games,” fans say. The dialogue choices will also follow a number of branched webs. If you miss something or choose a specific response, you will be led down a specific path without the option of exploring the other branch. You can see the branches at the end of the “level” and for completionists, this can be overwhelming. You can also see how many other players chose the same path as you. However, the choices that would have led you to this branch as well as its dialogue/choices are locked. You won’t be able to see them. What makes it so Thought Provoking?The Detroit: Become Human is incredibly thought provoking. Not only must you carefully consider your dialogue and play options as they can have dire consequences on the game, but you’re also faced with whether or not to consider the Androids “real” or not. Do you give them the same rights as humans? Do they really feel like we do? The game becomes a large question of ethics and morality. Some treat their Androids very well while others not so much. As you progress through the game you find yourself forming a bond with these AIs. Thus the question springs up, do they deserve the same rights as humans? The same treatment? Essentially they’re just “plastic” with complex computer programming, but some of their actions make the gamer think otherwise. Are these empathic outbursts and human like emotions just complex computer patterns or do they really think/feel? In a survey, researchers found that a lot of people are rude/mean to their Alexa. Most users have no problem screaming profanities at her or telling her to shut up. So what makes Alexa different from the Androids? Why do we want to treat them better than we treat Alexa? Is it because they’re in a human form? The game really digs deep into the gamer’s mind, probing for answers. Issues of race, prejudice, domestic abuse, substance abuse, and rich versus poor mentality/struggles are all present within the game. And they aren’t just content to sit back and wait for the clever eye to discover them; they’re all front and center. As mentioned earlier, Kara is a housekeeper for a drug addicted father who takes his rage out on both the Android and his daughter. The viewer is spared from the graphic images of abuse, but they are definitely implied. “It’s hard to sit through sometimes. I could feel myself getting legitimately mad at the game and yelling at the father. I grew attached to both Kara and Alice quickly. I just wanted them to be happy and healthy in a way that I hadn’t with other characters before,” says one fan. Others zero on the issues of prejudice and civil rights. As stated earlier, there are protesters for both sides of the fence. Androids want the same rights as humans and protesters want them eradicated. “It’s hard to imagine that some odd years ago this was the norm for POC. They had no rights whatsoever and possessed the knowledge that they were treated unfairly. They couldn’t do anything about it but sit back and be prisoners. Even though things have definitely made a shift for the better, this mentality still exists today. You still see episodes and cases of racial prejudice and division. Detroit: Become Human won’t let you forget that. Negative PressDespite the fact that Detroit: Become Human was met with mostly favorable reviews from even the harshest of critics, others were quick to attack it. Many suggested that the game fell short of its message. “Sure, they do a good job of bringing this to the forefront, but it feels forced. It doesn’t feel natural and it’s hard to relate to,” say some critics. Others suggest that, “the game means well but it falls short. It’s disrespectful to put these social issues onto robots. POC aren’t robots and you achieve nothing by putting their problems on the Androids.” While the Detroit: Become Human game got a lot of praise for its setting, visuals, characters, voice actors, flowchart, narrative, and attention to detail many hated the motion controls. “They were extremely difficult and disruptive. As Kara, I want to get through the boring chores as quickly as possible so I can get back to the story. And yes, they make you actually pick up trash and clean as Kara. However the controls were too touchy in some cases and in others they were too difficult. I’d be pressing the command and nothing would happen. It became irritating.” The post Detroit: Become Human Tackles Civil Rights Issues appeared first on Ishli.com. source https://ishli.com/detroit-become-human-video-game/ Via https://ishliblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/detroit-become-human-tackles-civil.html
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Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg are almost always in the headlines. Stories regarding the CEO of the world’s largest online social media platform have been circulating for some time. Even Facebook has been at the forefront of controversy. Both Zuckerberg and his social media giant have had a number of rumors being circulated around about them. Here are just a handful that you’ve probably stumbled across: “It’s official! Facebook is going to start charging users a membership fee of $9.99 a month to access their system. And this is just the basic plan! For full access to your profile and newsfeed, you’ll need to upgrade to their silver plan for $14.99 a month. If you want access to all of Facebook it’s $19.99 a month! I don’t know about you, but I’m not okay with paying that! But according to Facebook and the media, there’s a way out of this. In order to be exempt from the subscription plan, you need to post this message to your page. Post, not share! If you don’t do this by tomorrow, Facebook will start charging. Post this and write ‘I do not agree to pay for Facebook!’ and sign your name to the bottom. Facebook will not charge you. Please share with your friends so that they know!” Then there’s also this one: “By tomorrow Facebook will make all of their users content and profiles public. So if you have your stuff set to private, it will be made available for the world to see. Obviously a lot of us don’t want this to happen! It can be dangerous for women who have left abusive relationships and can give pedophiles access to children’s pages. Yikes! You can opt out of this though by sharing this post and writing ‘I do not give Facebook permission to make my account public!’ Sharing this post, writing that line, and signing your name at the bottom is the only way to prevent this from happening. Please share so that others may do the same! This can save lives!” Of course there are number of others, but those two seem to be the most popular. These are totally fake by the way. As to why they were created or who the original poster was remains unclear. But the point of the matter is that neither Facebook nor Zuckerberg are unaccustomed to being at the forefront of social media hype. And because of posts like these as well as other “fake news” posts like “Ryan Reynolds found dead in apartment” are quickly flagged by Facebook and you’ll see a notification underneath clarifying its authenticity. However it’s harder to flag individual posts like the rumors above. Facebook and Zuckerberg Come Under FireLast month, Facebook and its creator come under some serious fire after they refused to take down a video of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In the video, which is fake by the way, Nancy Pelosi had been edited to appear drunk. Many were upset about the video, including Pelosi. “It looked incredibly real. Whoever edited the video did a really good job. A lot of us were convinced that it was actual footage of her rambling around drunkenly,” said many users. Appeals were made to remove the video. Monika Bickert, who is Facebook’s content cop (yes, that’s a legit title for a job that actually exists), told the press that the video was reviewed by a number of fact checking websites. It was determined that it was a hoax. After this revelation, Facebook dramatically cut down on the video’s circulation. However, they didn’t remove it. And this caused social media users and the press to have a field day. Social media users were quick to voice their concerns and disapproval. “How can you allow something like this to continue to circulate? Yeah, it’s fake and a lot of us know that but it’s still defamation of character in a way. Pelosi is being shown in a very negative light and that can definitely affect her political career. Plus there are those on the Internet that are gullible and if something like this comes about, especially since it’s so well put together, they believe it and that can be incredibly damaging. And where does the hoax stop? Does it end with Pelosi or will others be victims too?” According to Bickert, “the fact that the video is fake isn’t grounds for it to be taken down. We won’t pull content just because it’s fake. People are free to distribute what they like as long as it’s not hate speech or hurting anyone. However, we do think it’s important that people make their own informed decisions on what to believe. Our job here is to make sure we’re providing them with accurate information.” This is likely one of the reasons that Facebook now includes the fact checker under content that’s been flagged as fake. “That’s not enough,” say many users. “This type of damaging content shouldn’t be allowed to circulate at all.” Two Artists Put that Policy to the TestTwo artists and an ad agency decided to put Facebook’s policy to the test by creating and releasing a deep-fake video of Mark Zuckerberg. The video was drafted by Bill Posters and Daniel Howe, who are UK artists, with the help of advertising company Canny. It was then uploaded to Instagram, which is also owned by Facebook. In the video, viewers are greeted with an image of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg seated at a desk. He appears to be talking to a US news network about his social media platform. In the video, Zuckerberg’s facial features have been altered to make it appear as if he is saying the following: “If you will, imagine this scenario for one moment: there’s one man and he has total control over billions of people’s stolen data, access to their secrets, their lives, and even their futures,” Zuckerberg’s likeness takes a deep breath before continuing, “I owe all of this to Spectre. Spectre showed me the way. Whoever has control of the data, controls the future.” In other words, Zuckerberg admitted that he’s been working with a shadow corporation. In this case, that company was Spectre. Through Spectre, the social media mogul has been able to access a lot of private, valuable data regarding users. With this data, Zuckerberg is in complete control of nearly everything. He can sell the data as he sees fit or charge users to keep it protected. He can also profit from it by selling search information to companies for ad targeting. The video instantly went viral and was being shared all over social media platforms. “He’s finally admitting to something that we’ve all known for a long time,” many users said. “We’ve always known that Facebook had access to all of our private data and that they’ve been spying on us. We also knew that they were selling this info the highest bidder. Zuckerberg has finally admitted what we all knew.” While many were quick to point out that the audio was poorly synced and the dialogue was “hammy” at best, many remained convinced that it was real. The obvious flaws of the video, however, are what prompted Facebook to leave the clip up. “We wanted to see if Facebook would leave the video up or pull it when their CEO was the target. We really expected them to violate their own rules and take it down. After all, it put Zuckerberg in a really bad light,” says the artists. “We were surprised however when Facebook chose to leave it up. I guess they are willing to follow their own rules even if it includes them.” What are Deep-Fakes?According to Wikipedia, Deep Fake is defined as a “human image synthesis technique that’s been created using AI. Creators both superimpose and combine images/videos/audio that are already in circulation using a machine learning technique called the generative adversarial network. This machine combines the preexisting images with content created by the user. This way they can craft fake celebrity porn vids, revenge porn, satirical images, etc.” While most are benign as we’ve mentioned before, there is still the fact that many are used for malicious and devious purposes. The aforementioned are just some of the malicious acts deep fakes are used for. Users manipulate facial features on the subject to make it appear as if they’re saying the audio that’s been imposed, while others splice faces onto gathered images of bodies. The term deep fake came about in 2017 and it has stuck ever since. Are there Laws Against This Type of Content?On May 21, a study funded by the New Zealand Law Foundation hit the airwaves. In this study, they explored the risks associated with deep fakes circulating across social media. Co-author Tom Barraclough also said that it’s worrisome because these videos are becoming increasingly sophisticated. “Right now we easily discern that they’re fake. But as technology grows, it will become harder and harder to decipher what’s real from what’s fake. And I don’t have to tell you how dangerous this can be not only to the people involved in the videos but to the public as well.” Curtis Barnes and Barraclough also warned about “knee-jerk” reactions to the videos. “Many people will take them at face value to support beliefs that they’ve long held onto. A lot of users out there believe that social media is out to get them. Videos like this only drive up the hype.” With this in mind, it’s difficult to imagine that this is not only acceptable but legal. However, specific legislation regarding this type of video content does exist. Last year, the Malicious Deep Fake Prohibition Act was introduced to the United States Senate. The act focuses on how deep fakes violate human rights and can put people in danger. Despite the fact that New Zealand and others already have laws as well as guidelines set into place to cater to these types of risks, the Crimes Act comes to mind, they don’t do enough against deep fakes. The Crimes Act covers those who have been the victim of deception that was used for someone else’s personal gain. There is also the Harmful Digital Communications Act, which protects people from content that’s being used for malice. The Privacy Act also exists and it states that “wrong personal information that’s circulated is still personal information.” For the most part, deep fakes are used as satire or for fun. “A lot of artists want to show off their skills or create something that will make others laugh. The bulk of deep fakes are completely harmless. There might be some hurt feelings, but that’s usually the extent of it. However when we’re looking at videos like this, we can easily see the risks.” There is also the fear that if any more legislation was imposed regarding deep fakes, that it would be nearly impossible for oppressed groups to find an outlet on social media. Deep Fakes: Are They Friend or Foe?If you type in deep fake into your Google search engine, you’ll be rewarded with a number of articles about the subject matter as well as tons of video content. It’s an incredibly hot topic in the media right now and there are also a ton of YouTubers who dabble in it. Tom Sainsbury is one of the most well known. He argues that the videos he creates are for “human expression” and that it’s protected under the constitution and laws. He uses face-swapping apps for political clips on Facebook that are satirical in nature. He often targets Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett in these videos. “It’s art. Just because it’s not on a canvas doesn’t mean that it’s not a human expression. There are a ton of political cartoons that get published in magazines, papers, and on social media everyday. Just because mine is animated doesn’t make it any different. These artists have the right to publish their stuff so why don’t I?” Websites like whichfaceisreal.com and thispersondoesnotexist.com cater to these genre of “art.” Here you can find a number of videos that showcase deep fake technology. There are a variety of deep fakes available to watch including one of “Barack Obama” cussing everyone out (if you decide to check this one out keep in mind it features a lot of strong language so it’s definitely not suitable for work” and you can also find US company DeepTrace’s attempt to superimpose Steve Buscemi’s face onto Jennifer Lawrence’s body. And trust us when we say that one is the stuff of nightmares. While this might seem light hearted and fun at first, the fact that the ever-evolving nature of this type of content makes it incredibly difficult for Facebook to regulate. “It’s hard to track down the origins,” Bickert said. “By the time we get ahold of it, it’s been passed down, re-uploaded, and circulated so many times that it’s impossible to find the original creator. And because people can just download and save the content to their own personal computer to upload later, it’s incredibly difficult to keep it from popping back up at inopportune times.” Barnes and Barraclough also note that as a society, we’ve come to trust the data delivered to us. “We tend to want to trust things; it’s almost like a biological need. We don’t want to believe that someone out there is fooling us. However, people have been really good about understanding how true stuff they see and hear on video/audio is. They tend to take it with a grain of salt and understand that this is just a partial representation of reality. And for that, I’m grateful,” Barraclough says. However, the biggest danger with this type of content is what he refers to as “over-skepticism.” “Because we’re now priming viewers to question everything they see, they might dismiss important stuff as hoaxes too. For example, if the Jami-Lee Ross audio recordings of Simon Bridges had been released later on in the future, people probably wouldn’t believe it. They’d be quick to dismiss it as just another deep fake. And this is dangerous. We don’t want to spread misinformation so much to the point that we start doubting everything we see. This can have dire consequences,” Barraclough laments. What are your thoughts?Personally speaking, we weren’t really that familiar with deep fakes until the Mark Zuckerberg one hit the airwaves. We want to know whether or not this was something you’d heard of or if it’s news to you so to speak. We also want to know what you think of the technology. Do you agree with Tom Sainsbury or do you side with others that it has the potential to cause more harm than good? Let us know in the comment section below and use our social media buttons to share this article with your friends! The post Deep-Fake Video of Mark Zuckerberg takes Facebook by Storm appeared first on Ishli.com. source https://ishli.com/deep-fake-video-of-mark-zuckerberg-takes-facebook-by-storm/ Via https://ishliblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/deep-fake-video-of-mark-zuckerberg.html Bat gave older man a Rabies symptoms. today we learn that a man living in New Hampshire was bitten by a rabid bat. While it isn’t too terribly uncommon to hear of bats transferring rabies symptoms to humans, it is incredibly odd to hear of one hiding in an iPad cover. After all for the most part, bats are content to hang out in dark corners and areas like the underside of a bridge (think Congress Bridge in Austin, Texas). An iPad cover seems like the oddest, most inconvenient place for a bat to call home but this one did. Maybe he wasn’t thinking clearly because of the rabies symptoms? 86-year-old Roy Syvertson was in for quite an unpleasant shock when he sat down with his iPad last week. “I was going to check out the news and some other sites. You know, just kill a little time and relax,” Syvertson said. Everything went fine for the elderly man until he finished browsing the Internet after about an hour. “I closed the cover and felt a little sting. I wasn’t sure what happened at first; I hardly noticed the bite. Then I saw the bat emerge from my iPad. It was tucked between the cover and back of the device,” he told WMUR, an ABC affiliate. “I didn’t really want to let the bat go in my house, so I sort of squeezed him. I know he wasn’t very happy about that, but I also wasn’t very happy about being bit. I took him outside and put him out there.” Syvertson expected the bat to be gone by the morning, but when he got up he was still there, right where the man had left him. He assumed that the bat was fine and had just taken a liking to the place. And since bats are nocturnal animals, Syvertson assumed the bat was just sleeping until it got darker. However when evening rolled around, he discovered that the bat had died. “I was immediately concerned. I know now that I should have been concerned before, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. I called the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game immediately.” The department immediately encouraged Syvertson to take a trip to the hospital as they were concerned about rabies. The hospital began treating the man for rabies symptoms immediately while the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game set to work to test the bat for rabies. In order to conduct the test, tissue from the animal’s brain must be taken. This requires the animal be dead or put to sleep. Luckily for both the department and the bat, it was already dead. The tests came back positive and the department wasted no time in calling Syvertson with the results. “I guess it was a good thing that I didn’t snuggle or cuddle with him,” he joked. Luckily for Syvertson, he got to the hospital and started treatment with plenty of time to spare. “I feel fine and I should be good to go home in a few days. The shots were a little unpleasant, but it’s better than foaming at the mouth you know,” he said regarding his trip to the ER. How did it get in there in the first place?One of the biggest questions that both Syvertson and the rest of the world have is how the bat got into the iPad cover in the first place. “It’s a pretty tight fit,” Syvertson commented. “The bat is little and all, but the space is still pretty small. I don’t know how he managed to find it or why he decided to call it home, but he did.” New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game and bat specialists, it’s unclear how the bat got into his home and how/why it decided to call the iPad cover its home. Syvertson jokes that the bat had his iPad’s password and that’s how he got in. Researchers suggest that the bat could have gotten in through an open window or door, or possibly even a crack or hole. “Bats are incredibly smart and they can fit in any number of tiny openings. If there’s so much as a gap, they can find their way in. It’s possible that there’s an opening somewhere on Syvertson’s house that gave the bat access to his home. As to why it picked the iPad and not somewhere else is beyond us. It could be that the creature wasn’t thinking clearly because of the disease or perhaps the iPad cover was the first source of protection it found,” researchers suggest. Bat experts also say that Syvertson is lucky to have felt the bite. “Many times people don’t even feel the bat bite them because their teeth are so tiny and fine. This can lead to serious problems if the bat is infected and can also potentially cause death. This is why we caution everyone who has been around bats to go get checked. If a bat has flown anywhere near you, you could have been bitten without even knowing it. And no, they don’t have to land on you to bite you; we’ve heard plenty of stories of ‘drive by bat bites’,” experts say. “And while they might be cute to look at, please don’t pick them up or handle them. Just because they look happy and healthy doesn’t mean they are.” And given the size of the bat in the image (the picture is of an Eastern Pipistrelle, the type that bit Syvertson), you can see just how small they are. In fact, we can’t even see the bat’s teeth in the image so we have to agree with the experts; you’re probably unlikely to feel the bite. Bats and rabies symptomsCanada, which sits right against New Hampshire, is home to 18 different bat species. All of which can unfortunately carry rabies. Because of their close proximity, those different species also migrate between the states and Canada so even though the Eastern Pipistrelle is native to Canada, it has no problem snagging a passport and visiting the USA. However, it’s not just Canada and the northern states that have to worry about being bit by rabid bats; bats are incredibly common through the United States and the world for that matter. And as we mentioned earlier, all the species of mammals, including bats, can contract the disease. Bats however are asymptomatic. This means that unlike other animals, they won’t show signs of carrying the disease. Most animals will exhibit signs such as aggression or foaming at the mouth while bats while show no symptoms. “We rarely know whether a bat is carrying rabies symptoms or not until we test the brain tissue. If they have rabies, they don’t show it,” experts say. This is why it’s incredibly important to seek medical attention if you come into contact with a bat. “Less than ½ of 1% of all the bats in the world my carry the disease so there’s nothing to really fear about them necessarily. This doesn’t mean that you should go out and actively try to handle them, but if you see them out and about just leave them alone. We see so many people destroy bat colonies out of fear of rabies symptoms. Please don’t do that. They’re happy to eat bugs and leave you alone.” Safety precautions when dealing with batsIf you see a bat out in the wild or near your home, there are a few rules and precautions that you should definitely follow:
Interesting facts about batsUnfortunately, bats often find themselves the victims of a bad, underserved rap. “A lot of people think they look creepy and everyone assumes that a bat automatically equals rabies symptoms. However, this is definitely not the case. Bats are important to the environment and for the most part are content to just leave us alone. Occasionally they get caught up in our lives as we often share the same spaces. Also keep in mind that a very, very small portion of bats actually carry rabies symptoms. This doesn’t mean that you should skip a medical exam if you get bit, but it does mean that you shouldn’t go out and actively destroy their colonies,” researchers state. 1. There are over 1,300 different species of bats and they can be found all over the globe. They also range in size varying from smaller than a penny to the size of a small dog with an impressive wing span of 6 foot. 2. Not every bat hibernates. While a lot of bats tuck themselves away into dark, warm caverns for the winter, not all bats choose to spend the cold months hibernating. The spotted bat for example migrates to warmer areas when it starts getting cold in search of food and a more hospitable environment. 3. Bats don’t have very many natural predators, but they are incredibly susceptible to disease. Owls, snakes and hawks do eat bats, but for the most part their populations aren’t kept in check by these predators. However, disease is a big factor when it comes to colony devastation. White-Nose syndrome is one of the biggest killers of bats. It’s a type of fungus that is found on the bat’s nose and wings. Over 6.5 million bats worldwide have died because of this disease. Currently there is no cure for it. 4. Without bats, you might not get to enjoy some tasty fruit and treats. There are over 300 species of fruits that depend on bats for survival. Bats help spread the seeds for figs, nuts, and cacao while also spreading pollen from other plants to help them survive. Mangoes, bananas and avocados would disappear without bats. 5. Bats do a good job or controlling the bug population; especially mosquitoes. A single bat can eat their body weight and more in insects. This means in a single night, a bat population can take out millions of troublesome insects. Their insect rich diet also helps farmers and foresters care for their crops by keeping the number of pesky bugs severely reduced. 6. Some bat poop sparkles because of their heavy diet of insects thanks to chitin. Weird, right? 7. They might be small, but they’re mighty! Depending on the species, bats can reach speeds of over 100 miles an hour according to research! What are your thoughts?We’d like to know how and why you think the bat chose Syvertson’s iPad cover as a place of refuge. Out of all of the places the bat could have chosen, it picked the cover. Do you think it wasn’t thinking straight because of the disease or do you agree with Syvertson that it wanted to browse the Internet and had his password? Let us know what you think in the comment section below! The post Bat Hiding in iPad Cover Bites Man, Giving Him Rabies Symptoms appeared first on Ishli.com. source https://ishli.com/bat-hiding-in-ipad-cover-bites-man-giving-him-rabies/ Via https://ishliblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/bat-hiding-in-ipad-cover-bites-man.html Bladder Cancer cures have come in a number of curious, surprising flavors over the years but one of the most unusual ones came from a research team in Surrey. This team made the bold claim that the common cold virus could potentially “revolutionize the treatment” of bladder cancer. In addition to treating the cancer, the survey team also discovered that it significantly lowered the chances of the cancer coming back. “We were shocked and pleased to discover that the virus strain that causes colds not only targeted and destroyed bladder cancer, but it also worked to prevent it from returning. It’s definitely an unusual discovery and an even more unusual potential cure, but the results are there and they look promising,” says the team. According to the BBC, who the team shared the research results with, this particular strain of the common cold actually destroyed the bladder cancer by infecting it. “it was pretty crazy. Just like the common cold or another virus infects us, the strain started attacking and infecting the cancer. It was an instant response as well. It was like the strain found these cancer cells to be far more appealing than our own healthy ones,” researchers said. But what is this based on? How much research has been done? Currently, this proposal is based entirely on one single patient. In the patient that was exposed to the cold virus strain, all of the cancer cells disappeared completely. The virus attacked and destroyed them. The team also discovered that the presence of this strain prevented the cancer cells from coming back. However, evidence regarding the death of cells were seen in 14 other patients who were also exposed to the virus strain. This definitely means that the team needs to do a lot more research and conduct a much larger study, but they remain very hopeful. A bladder cancer charity has also praised the team’s work and said that “it’s very exciting to see these kinds of results so early on into the process,”. They also remain hopeful that a bigger patient survey will yield more positive results. “Right now, it’s a waiting game but we’ve got hope on the horizon.” How was the Study Conducted on bladder cancer?The research team gathered 15 patients who were all afflicted with bladder cancer. These patients were given the coxsackievirus, or CVA21 through a catheter. This was done approximately one week before they were scheduled to have tumor removal surgery. After the surgery was conducted, tissue samples were taken from the patients for analysis. The samples were rigorously studied and the research team discovered that the virus had not only targeted the cancer cells within the organ, but that it also killed them without remorse. The virus continued to reproduce and attack cancer cells, but it miraculously left the healthy cells alone. “We were worried at first that the virus would discriminate against which cells it attacked. However, it only attacked the cancer cells and went after them with extreme prejudice. It never bothered the healthy cells; even after it rain out of cancer cells to infect.” This is the power behind virus-based therapy. In the results, the team also discovered that the tumor had been significantly reduced and they also saw a heightened level of cancer cell death in all of the patients being observed. In one patient, the disease had been completely removed from their body just one week after treatment. Virus-Based Therapy: What is it and How does it Work?Virus-based therapy is exactly like what it sounds like: it’s the use of modified virus strains to treat medical conditions such as cancer. For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus on CVA21, which is the strain that was used for the bladder cancer patients in the test. CVA21 or Cavatak as it is more commonly known as, is a virus-based therapy. It’s currently in its investigational period and a lot of research is needed, but the parent company Viralytics remains confident. Currently, it’s limited to clinical trials and is being used as possible treatment for a number of different cancers. Currently, bladder cancer test results have shown the best results. Cavatek does contain the live cold virus, also known as coxsackievirus A21, and according to Viralytics and research teams, this strain has the ability to target and destroy a wide variety of cancer cells. “It probably sounds counterproductive giving a patient the common cold virus in order to treat cancer, but it’s very practical and it works. We’re not infecting them with a virus; we’re using a modified strain to attack and negate the unhealthy cells,” Viralytics says. How does it work?Cavatak attaches to proteins called intracellular adhesion molecule as well as decay acceleration factors. Both of these proteins are found on the surface of a variety of different cancer cells. They’re abundantly present, so Cavatek has its pick of the litter so to speak. After attaching itself to either of these proteins on the cancer cell, the virus is able to wiggle its way inside the cancer cell. From here, it begins to multiply; viruses adore making copies of themselves and cancer cells are like a factory for the strain. From here, the virus continues to reproduce until there is no more room left inside the cancer cell and it bursts. This destroys the cancer cell in the process. These copies then spread and infect other cancer cells within the body, repeating the process. The cancer cells that explode under the weight of the copies will also release proteins. This action triggers the body’s immune system that recognizes them as foreign and hostile cells within the body. This prompts an anti-cancer immunity response from the body. “This is what helps to stop the cancer cells from coming back. The lysis, or cancer cell explosion, has worked the body’s immune system into a frenzy,” Viralytics says. According to Professor Hardev Pandha from the Royal Surrey County Hospital and University of Surrey explained that, “once the virus gets inside the cells and starts killing them, an immune protein is released. This is like an open invitation to other immune cells to come and get in on the action. After all, everyone wants to join a party and if it’s open invite, they’re all coming! This is what makes this treatment so revolutionary and so powerful. Not only is it doing a lot of the heavy lifting itself, but it’s also engaging your body’s immune system as well. This often becomes weakened and in some cases inactive when cancer is present. However, this release of proteins creates a frenzy inside of the patient’s immune system.” The virus also works wonders in the bladder since the tumors here are cold. These tumors do not have the immune cells necessary to fend off cancer; especially since they are cold under normal circumstances. The virus strain gets them “hot”, which also causes the body’s immune system to spring into action. “Because they’re cold, they might get overlooked by the body’s immune system. They fly under the radar so to speak. But once they start warming up thanks to the virus, it becomes much easier for the immune system to find and attack them. Plus since they’re cold, they lack defenses which makes it even easier for the virus to slip inside without any problems,” the team says. As an added bonus, there were no significant side effects from the treatment. “None of the patients had any serious side effects from the treatment, which makes it all the more appealing. Chemo and other treatment options can be incredibly hard on patients. The fact that we didn’t see any serious side effects gives us all hope that we can treat this condition as quickly and humanely as possible so that people can go back to their daily lives quickly,” said the research team. What is Bladder Cancer and How is it Currently Treated?In the UK alone, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is in the top 10 as far as the most common types of cancers are concerned. While it only occupies the number 10 spot, it’s still a very serious medical condition. Each year, 10,000 new patients come forward with the disease. In the United States, 68,000 people are affected each and every year. The disease is also far more prevalent in men than it is women. While it mostly affects adults, nearly any age group is at risk of getting it. And unfortunately, the treatments that are currently available for bladder cancer has some really serious side effects and the treatments are almost always invasive. Bladder cancer typically starts its life within the cells that line your bladder’s inside. While it’s obviously more common in the bladder, it can affect other parts of your urinary tract system. Luckily, 7 out of every 10 bladder cancers begin at an early stage where it is highly receptive to treatment. Unfortunately, even if caught in the earliest stages, the cancer may come back to the bladder in the future. Because of this, patients who have had bladder cancer will need to do follow-up tests for several years following treatment to make sure that the cancer doesn’t come back or advance to a higher stage. What causes it?Bladder cancer occurs when the cells within the organ start to grow abnormally. Rather than dividing and growing in a normal, ordered way, these cells become afflicted with mutations. These mutations cause them to reproduce and grow out of control without dying. These excess cells then form a tumor. Some of the known causes include:
How is it treated?Currently, surgery is the only way of treating bladder cancer. This is why the results found by the current research team are so important. Here are the current surgeries used to treat bladder cancer: TURBT (Transurethral bladder tumor resection)-TURBT is used for staging, diagnosis, and treatment of bladder cancer. A surgeon will insert a cytoscope into the bladder via the urethra. The tumor is then removed using a small wire loop, fulguration (high-energy electricity), or a laser. The patient will also be given an anesthetic to make the process more comfortable. For those with bladder cancer, this treatment may completely get rid of it. However, you may also need additional treatments to lower the chances of it returning. Intravesical chemotherapy and immunotherapy are commonly recommended. Lymph node dissection and radical cystectomy-A radical cystectomy involves the removal of the entire bladder as well as nearby tissues/organs that have also been infected or are severe risk. For women, the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and part of the vagina may be removed during the procedure. For men, the urethra and prostate may be taken out. Regardless of gender, the pelvis lymph nodes are also removed. This is the best way to prevent the cancer from spreading. In some cases, only part of the bladder might be removed but this is rare. Urinary diversion-If the bladder is removed, then the doctor will need to come up with a new way for urine to pass out of the body. The most common method includes taking a small piece of the colon or small intestine and using it to move urine to an ostomy or stoma. The urine collects on the outside of the body via a bag that’s attached to the opening. From here, the patient drains the urine that’s collected. The Importance of Viral-Based TherapyAs you can tell by the aforementioned treatment options for bladder cancer, it’s incredibly important to find a less invasive method. This is why the results of the cold virus treatment look so promising; especially when you take into consideration all of the side effects, down time, and reduced quality of life associated with the current treatment factors. Only time will tell whether or not this will be a viable treatment option, but it does look promising. The post Bladder Cancer has an Unusual Potential Cure: The Common Cold Virus appeared first on Ishli.com. source https://ishli.com/bladder-cancer-cure-reveal/ Via https://ishliblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/bladder-cancer-has-unusual-potential.html One of the most favorite cities in Southeast Asia, Singapore is a mixed bag of cosmopolitan culture and ethnic diversity. It offers fantastic infrastructure, incredible food, and varied tourist attractions. Whether you are seeking fun and entertainment, nature or adventure, Singapore has something to offer every visitor. Not sure where to start? Read on to know what are the best things to do in Singapore. Universal Studios:Universal Studios is the first amusement park in Southeast Asia, which is based on the lines of its Hollywood counterpart. It houses the world’s tallest dueling roller coaster, the Battlestar Galactica. Some of the main attractions include the Lost World’s Waterworld, Human v/s Cylon, Transformers The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle, Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure and Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase. With more than 20 attractions in seven themed zones, water slides, parks with special children theme based on their favorite cartoon movies such as Ancient Egypt, Minions, Madagascar, Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey in Far Far Away and the likes, this park is worth a visit for the entire family. It brings all your favorite characters to life. While you are there, don’t forget to enjoy some fine dining experience at their restaurants. And also check out the shops for some film merchandise and fun memorabilia. Pulau Ubin:This 1020-hectareisland is home to Singapore’s last village, also known as Kampongs and Chek Jawa Wetlands, one of Singapore’s rich ecosystems. Pulau Ubin or the Butterfly Park is a small island northeast of mainland Singapore. There are more than 50 species of plants on this island. Thousands of colorful butterflies can be seen fluttering from one plant to another. Hop aboard one of the bumboats for a 10-minute boat ride from the Changi Ferry Terminal at mainland Singapore to travel to this beautiful island. With ample lush greenery and abundant wildlife, this is one of the most scenic areas in Singapore. Visit some of the abandoned quarries or go bird watching, explore the Ubin Fruit Orchard or climb the 20-meter tall Jejawi Tower for a bird-eye view of Ubin. There are plenty of options to spend a lazy day here. Night Safari:This is the world’s first safari park where you can witness wild animals, many of which are endangered, in their most natural habitat at night. It is also one of the leading conservations and research centers in Asia. Located right next to the Singapore Zoo, this 40-minute tour takes you around seven themed geographic areas from equatorial Africa to the Himalayan foothills. The park is open from 7:30 pm to midnight. You can see around 120 species of animals such as tigers, one-horned rhinoceroses, gazelles, Asian elephants, alligators, antelopes, and fishing cats. The Creatures of the Night show gives you a 20-minute overview of the animals in a safari. It is one of the most popular ones among the tourists. This fascinating experience is not to be missed while you are in Singapore. Singapore Flyer:Overlooking the water near Marina Bay is the second -largest observation wheel in the world. This 165-meter tall Ferris wheel gives a breathtaking view of Marina Bay, Raffles Palace, Singapore River, the skyscrapers of Central Business District and some of the historic buildings of the Colonial District. Touted as Asia’s largest giant observation wheel, this 42-floor tall flyer is a must in Singapore things-to-do list. And can you believe it? It is taller than even the famous London Eye. Hop into one of the 28 fully air-conditioned glass pods on a 30-minute journey of spectacular visuals. It is claimed that on a clear day, visitors can view Sentosa Island, Changi Airport and neighboring Malaysia or Indonesia from the highest point of the wheel. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple:The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is a sprawling museum complex right in the heart of Chinatown district of Singapore. The design is based on the Tang dynasty architectural style. The temple was constructed for the public veneration of the left canine tooth of Lord Buddha, believed to be discovered during the restoration of a collapsed stupa in Myanmar in 1980. This majestic temple has four floors, with a Buddhist Cultural Museum located on the third floor. Visitors can view the relic on the fourth floor, where it is housed in a gigantic 320 kg gold stupa. Above the fourth floor is a roof garden, where visitors can spend some calm and peaceful time away from the crowd. The temple complex also has the Eminent Sangha Museum, a theatre that hosts cultural performances and screenings. You can take free guided tours to understand Buddhist culture and the history of this incredible temple. It is considered as one of the most photogenic attractions in the world. Sentosa Island:Dubbed as Asia’s Favorite Playground, Sentosa Island resort is located off the southern coast of Singapore. It features some of the most amazing tourist attractions such as Universal Studios Singapore, Adventure Cove Waterpark, the S.E.A Aquarium, and Tiger Sky observatory. There is a golf course, several restaurants, shops, and theme parks on this island. For adventure seekers, there is IFly Singapore, Mega Adventure and The Flying Trapeze. You need some time to unwind and relax, then stroll along the Palawan beach or any of the other beaches and enjoy the peaceful environment around. For some fun, try your hand at gold at the links. For a touch of history, head over to Fort Siloso that displays old guns, canons, and other war memorabilia. Singapore Zoo:Acclaimed to be the world’s best rainforest zoo, it is home to around 300 species and over 2800 animals. This facility is divided into eleven different zones with twelve exhibits giving you a close view of the fascinating wildlife. Head to Wild Africa and Cat Country to see leopards, cheetahs, lions, giraffes, and zebras, and Forest Lodge to see a rare white tiger. Check out the Frozen Tundra to catch a glimpse of wolves, bears, and raccoons. There are many shows to witness the unbelievable talent of these wonderful animals like Splash Safari and Elephants of Asia. Breakfast with the Orangutans while feeding them yummy tidbits. And don’t forget to click a selfie with these friendly animals. You can take guided wildlife tours and also feed the animals. This amazing experience will last with you for a lifetime. Gardens by the Bay:Spread over 250 hectares of reclaimed land, this is an urban jungle located in Central Singapore. The park is divided into three sections: bay East, Bay South, and Bay Central, of which Bay Central is the largest. Winner of innumerable architectural awards, the gardens futuristic concept wonderfully merges nature and modern technology. The Supertree Grove is the most prominent landmark of the garden. The Flower Dome displaying numerous types of plants and flowers is the largest greenhouse in the world. Cloud Forest is home to the world’s tallest indoor waterfall and a 114-foot tall mountain. The splendid beauty of this garden will transport you to fantasy land and give you enough reasons to apply for your Singapore tourist visa. Little India:A visit to this lively neighborhood is a must in Singapore. It is popularly known as Tekka in the Indian Singaporean community. Primarily inhabited by the Tamilian Indians, this area is full of colorful shops, Indian spices, fragrant flower garlands, and souvenir shops. The beautiful Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple is located here. A walk along the Serangoon road that is filled with traditional India restaurants and family kitchens, malls, temples, and mosques are highly recommended. Do plan a trip here if you are fond of Indian food and curries, and we assure you that you will not be disappointed. Marina Bay:One of the most famous waterfront walks, the Marina Bay area is adorned with posh restaurants, elegant boutiques, and luxurious skyscrapers. Stroll through the 3.5 km long promenade to get enjoy a beautiful view of the bay. Considered to be the center of Singapore tourism, the bay houses some of the most iconic landmarks of this beautiful city such as the Merlion Park, Singapore Flyer and Gardens by the Bay. There are other points of attraction like the ArtScience Museum and The Float at Marina Bay (the world’s largest floating stadium). But the best attraction here is the renowned Marina Bay Sands Hotel complex which is probably one of the most iconic buildings here. In the evenings, the hotel stages a free nightly sound and light show called Spectra, which illuminates the water and transforms the bay into a delightful extravaganza. Jurong Bird Park:Spread over 20 hectares, the Jurong Bird Park is heaven for bird lovers. The bird sanctuary was opened in 1971 and has more than 400 species and over 5000 birds. Managed by the Wildlife Reserves Singapore, this magnificent aviary is home to many exotic birds such as macaws, flamingoes, and spoonbills. King of the Skies and High Flyers are some of the most popular attractions here. Two guided tours provide information and fun facts about avian life. They offer half-day or overnight camps to children under 14 years of age, where they can observe and experience the amazing world of these avian creatures. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve:Located around 8 miles from Singapore’s city center, is this 400-acre reserve. Named after Singapore’s highest hill Bakit Timah, this reserve is full of dense foliage, plants, and animals. Cyclists can enjoy the wonderful but challenging 6.5 km mountain biking trail. It is one of the largest patches of tropical rainforest in Singapore. There are pathways for hiking, running and strolling. Visitors can also trek up to the top of the Bukit Timah hill for a remarkable experience. Merlion Park:Overlooking the Marina Bay, the Merlion Park houses the most iconic landmark of Singapore. Depicted as a mythical creature with the head of a lion and body of a fish, it spouts water from its mouth into the bay. At a height of 28 meters, this statue represents the city’s first name Singapura, which means Lion City in the Malay language. The fishtail and body is a symbol of Singapore’s old days as a fishing town. The entry to the park is free and it is open 24 hours throughout the year. Clarke Quay:Bustling with bars, swanky restaurants, and vibrant nightclubs, Clarke Quay is one of the busiest areas in Singapore. This is a favorite hangout of the working professionals from the nearby Central Business District. It is an ideal spot to unwind after a hectic day at work. For tourists, it is the best way to witness the amazing nightlife of Singapore. Crazy Elephant, Zouk, and Attica are some of the most famous places to visit. The historic riverfront district is named after Sir Andrew Clarke, Singapore’s second Governor. The once upon a time warehouses have been converted into blocks of bars and restaurants that attract innumerable party animals throughout the year. China Town:A visit to the famous China Town can transport to China. It is full of narrow lanes filled with colorful red lanterns and family-run shops and teahouses. Discover the fantastic Chinese heritage and culture, among its old temples, museums and local shophouses. The famous Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is also located here. If you are tired and hungry after strolling through these alleys, head out to one of the food stalls to gorge on some authentic and yummy street food like noodles, crispy duck and dim sum. Want to buy some reasonably-priced mementos to take back home? Shop at one of the souvenir stores on Pagoda Street. Visit the Chinatown Heritage Center to get a glimpse of the rich history of old China Town. In contrast, there are many posh hotels and restaurants, high-end boutiques and swanky bars that add a touch of modernity to this charming town. Conclusion:You have to visit this memorable island-city at least once in your lifetime to experience the various adventures and entertainment it has to offer. And we promise you that you would never want to pack your bags and leave. The post Best Things to do in Singapore appeared first on Ishli.com. source https://ishli.com/visit-singapore/ Via https://ishliblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/best-things-to-do-in-singapore.html The black web is one of the hottest subjects. Even though the version that exists now is far more innocuous than the wild west version that was shrouded in secrecy, the black web still remains a hot button topic. Previously, people only whispered about the hidden part of the Internet to their closest friends. Now, it’s become the subject of many YouTube videos and middle school dares. A lot has changed on the black web, that’s for sure, but it still remains a huge curiosity to many. And like moths to a flame, we can’t help but feel drawn to it. But what exactly is the black web? The easiest way to understand what the black web is through the graphic listed above. Only about 4% of the entire net is available to us through regular search engines. The rest are hidden. The tip of the ice berg is the “world wide web” and features your everyday websites like Facebook, Pandora, Google, etc. Just below this part is the deep web. Here lies 90% of the content on the Internet This can’t be accessed through search engines and houses information hidden from the public such as banking login info, Government resources, and medical records. Then, there’s the black web. By definition it’s the part of the Internet that isn’t indexed by search engines. This means you won’t find it on your normal browser or through Google’s search engine. It contains only 5% of the Internet’s content, making it slightly larger than the normal web. The black web is touted to be unregulated and one of the last spaces of total and complete freedom as well as anonymity on the web. This isn’t necessarily true anymore, but you can still find some sketchy things if you know where to look. It also does remain as a place where people can practice total freedom of speech. The black web in fact is one of the resources that Julian Assange utilized and many people from around the world use the chat rooms and forums as a way to smuggle out as well as in information that is normally blocked by their country. Who can access it and how?People from all over the world can access the black web. It’s a great place for users to share information in countries with strict Internet regulations. It also allows people the chance to communicate with others from around the world without restrictions. So in that sense, everyone can access the black web regardless of where they’re from. However, getting into the black web isn’t as easy as it is to find your new favorite song. You can’t simply plug it into your Google search engine and expect to get anywhere; after all, it’s hidden behind a number of walls and barriers. In order to get into this black corner of the internet, you’ll need special software that allows you to access these hidden parts. There are a number of ways you can go about getting online, but the most common is the Tor browser. You can download the browser from the clear net, or normal web, and use it to browse the black web to your heart’s content. Keep in mind however that the Tor browser doesn’t really offer a way to search for things. So if you’re looking for say a forum that will allow you to speak to people from around the world, you’ll need to know the site’s name or check out the Onion Wiki for a list of sites. Unlike surface web content, all of the sites you visit will have a .onion extension. Also, the Onion Wiki only contains a small fraction of the websites available for access. Many are hidden. You also don’t want to use your normal computer or laptop for browsing the black web. While Tor does an excellent job of keeping your identity safe while bouncing it off of multiple locations, this shady part of the Internet is still home to hackers who can easily figure out who and where you are. If you’re using your regular computer to browse the sites, keep in mind that anyone can find all of the personal information stored within your computer. This means that they can access your banking information, usernames and passwords, and your social media accounts. Because of this, it’s recommended that you buy a dated laptop for cash at a pawn shop and use it only for perusing the black web. Sure, the laptop will run slow but Tor runs so slow on its own that you won’t notice the difference. The black web is still a black market for illegal goodsUndoubtedly, you’ve heard talk that the black web is a hotbed for criminal activity and illicit acts; and it is. While the government has cracked down heavily on the content within the last 10 years, there are still heinous websites operating out there in the shadows. While the government was expunging the worst from the black web, other websites went further into hiding, especially after the Silk Road was taken down for good. The website had been taken down a number of times before, but once the police tracked down the owner of the site and subsequently arrested him, the Silk Road has yet to pop back up. For those not in the know, the Silk Road was the largest online black market store. On the site, you could buy any manner of illegal things ranging from drugs to guns and everything in between. The government also targeted some seriously disturbing websites that catered to child pornography, rape fetish, and animal crushing. Most of these were also taken down, the biggest of which was Daisy’s Destruction. We won’t go into detail, but the Australian man responsible for running the site was arrested and put behind bars. For the most part, you won’t come across websites like this. However, rumor has it they’re still operating via forums and the face to face exchange of DVDs and VHS tapes containing the illicit material. Others insist that if you know what you’re looking for and can maneuver around firewalls, you can still find this type of content. But how much of the black web is still truly black? Well according to researchers from King’s College in London, out of 2,723 live sites, they found that over 57% of them host sketchy material. This means that you can get your fill of black market goods, pornography, hacking, whistle blowing, drugs, credit card information, and more. You’ll just have to be a little savvy and know what you’re doing. You’ll also have to earn the trust of the website’s host before they allow you to purchase any goods. Is it legal to be on the black web?With so much shady content on the black web, you’d expect that using it would be highly illegal. However, it isn’t. You’re able to access and for the most part freely roam around the websites. Of course if you attempt to buy anything illegal from the websites you peruse you are subject to the law. However, with so much anonymity on the black web and through Tor, it’s pretty difficult to catch people. Despite the Silk Road’s closure, many people still opt to purchase drugs through various websites on the black web and to date “they haven’t been caught or gotten in trouble.” However, this shouldn’t encourage you to participate as the government is still monitoring the sites. Plus for a skilled enough hacker, it’s pretty easy to figure out who you are. There’s also the fact that you won’t be able to use your PayPal or credit card information to purchase goods. Nobody on the black web accepts that as payment and if they do, you should probably turn tail and run as fast as you can. You will need to convert your money into Bitcoin, or crypto currency. Bitcoin is largely untraceable and adds another layer of anonymity to you. Keep in mind though that there is still a paper trail behind the currency that could easily lead back to you. There is also an element of danger that comes from accessing these websites. Even if you’re using a throw away laptop with no information linked to you, websites that you visit can still collect information on you regardless of how safe you think you’re being. Plus there are a lot of sting websites put into place by the government in order to catch people purchasing illegal goods. So long story short, yes it is perfectly legal to be on the black web but accessing some of the blacker websites can put you at risk and buying illegal goods can also land you in some serious legal trouble. Is the black web as bad as people say it is?Despite the information we’ve provided you with thus far, the answer isn’t as black and white as it may seem. Obviously the black net is host to a number of terrible websites and illegal operations. However, it isn’t all bad. As we mentioned before, there are forums and chat rooms that allow people from around the world to communicate. People in North Korea for example are extremely limited when it comes to not only the Internet but their everyday lives as well. Kim Jong-Un has been painting a picture of a profitable country full of loving and supportive people. Everybody appears so happy to be part of North Korea on the broadcasts that the Supreme Leader allows the world to see. “We love our Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un,” people praise when looking at the camera. However to many, it appears to be nothing short of an act. And once the North Koreans started accessing these open forums, the world began to learn just how bad life really is in North Korea. Without the black net, these people wouldn’t be able to get information and media out to the general public. It also allows people like Julian Assange to collect valuable data and release it for the public’s good. “The black web has a lot of information on it, ready to be shared. It can be anything from government secrets and cover ups to what life is really like for some people. We didn’t know that the North Koreans were suffering until they started posting in the forums and sharing images,” say some. Despite the good that it can offer, people still remain leery of the black web and for good reason. “Anywhere that’s hosting red rooms and actively circulating child pornography needs to be shut down. The government has definitely cracked down on a lot of the filthy stuff, but the black web remains largely unfiltered. Just because you shut down one drug website doesn’t mean that three others won’t pop up in their place.” Others insist that the black web isn’t mean to be taken seriously anymore. “If you really think that you’re coming across a legit hacker, hitman, or red room then there’s something seriously wrong with you. These sites are for fun and to give people a good scare. You’re not going to find a legit red room or whatever through Onion Wiki or any other means. You’d have to possess some seriously high quality hacking skills and know what you’re doing. And even then, I suspect it’s not real,” some users say. Some of the sketchiest things to come from the black webEven though the black web is a shell of its former self, there have been some seriously disturbing and trippy things to come from its existence. Below we’ve compiled a list of some of the sketchiest things that have come from the black web.
What are your thoughts?What are your thoughts about the black web? Is it something you’ve visited before? We also want to know whether or not you believe that red rooms and hitmen really exist on there. Do you have any spooky stories regarding the black web that you’d like to share with us? Let us know in the comment section below! And if you have anything that you think belongs on our list of weird things to come from the black web, let us know. The post What is the Black Web? appeared first on Ishli.com. source https://ishli.com/what-is-the-black-web/ Via https://ishliblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/what-is-black-web.html Koalas news floating around social media that koalas now functionally extinct. And if you haven’t been privy to the news yet, well sorry but those cute little gray bears that chill in trees and eat Eucalyptus leaves are in danger. Like many other animals, these cuddly bears are in danger of disappearing from our world forever. According to researchers, there’s an estimated 80,000 left in the wild. “We only expect these numbers to continue to dwindle over the next coming years as we continue to invade their habitats and climate change continues to worsen. We’ve left a lot of animals on our planet with no where to go except extinction and unfortunately, these marsupials are the next ones being added to an ever growing list,” scientists say. Climate change is one of the leading causes of the low number of koalas that are in the wild. For the most part, we tend to focus on this subject in regards to how our impact on the planet affects us directly. We tend to center around what life will be like for us humans if we continue going down the same path. And unfortunately, little attention and thought is given to the plants as well as animals that share the Earth with us. A lot of the damage we’ve done and continue to do has had a lasting impact on the planet’s animals for the worst. In some cases, we’ve seen whole species die off. And now, Koalas have found their way to that list. Koalas are native to Australia but are famous around the world for their cute, cuddly appearance. “These little bears have captured the hearts of many around the world. We all love seeing videos and pictures of them pop up on social media. Personally speaking, it always makes my day to see one of these little guys happily eating some leaves. However, these images will soon be a thing of the past,” researchers lament. According to both Metro and the Australian Koala Foundation, the species is now “functionally extinct.” What does Koalas functionally extinct even mean?Sorry to disappoint those who have been holding out hope that the Koalas will bounce back, but functionally extinct isn’t a good term and it’s one that bears (no pun intended) dire consequences. According to definition, functional extinction refers to the extinction of a species that disappears from fossil records and historic reports; the impacted population no longer plays a role in the ecosystem; or the population can no longer sustain itself. In the case of the koalas, it’s the latter. Their numbers are so small that the population is no longer viable and even with increased efforts to breed them, researchers hold little hope of seeing the species make a comeback. So in short, there aren’t enough koalas left in the world to create a new generation of koalas. “80,000 sounds like a lot of koalas until you take a lot of factors into consideration. Koala mothers only birth and raise one baby at a time. Of course there are many risk factors for the baby, which is why so many other animals give birth to a number of offspring. But for the koalas, it’s one and done at a time. This already limits their population but when you also take into consideration that a lot of the koalas in the number we’re discussing are past the birthing age, it becomes even more harrowing,” researchers lament. “We don’t have enough breeding adults left to carry on the species and there’s nothing we can really do about that. Also, if one disease was to hit their population, they could go extinct almost overnight.” However, there are those that are still holding out hope that with some changes in laws and legislation, these cute little guys could bounce back. Are we out of options completely to save Koalas?Despite the fact that the outlook isn’t good at all for koalas, people aren’t content to sit around and watch the species wither away without at least putting up a fight. “We’re not going to be part of the defeatist attitude that lets us sit back and watch koalas slowly crawl their way to extinction. There are still 80,000 left and that’s hope,” say many. Deborah Tabart, who is Chairman of the Koala Foundation, also agrees with that sentiment. “We refuse to sit around and wait for them to go extinct. We’re going to look at all viable options and do our best to save them,” Tabart said. Part of her plan includes reaching out to the Australian Prime Minister and asking him to step up. She has also proposed the Koala Protection Act. This act was originally drafted in 2016 but since the dire news of the koalas, Tabart says the act needs to go into effect immediately. “If we don’t act now, then it’s going to be too late for these little guys. We need to take action.” Climate change is also playing a big role in the extinction of koalas. “Climate change isn’t as detrimental to these guys as deforestation is, but it still does affect them in negative ways. If we don’t start taking action against global warming, we could see a lot of these areas dying off due to weather patterns rather than deforestation. Both need to be addressed and both are equally concerning,” experts say. What is the Koala Protection Act?The AKF, or Australian Koala Foundation has been looking out for koalas for some time now. The group originally began in 1986 when they realized that there was no one around to speak up for the little guys. “We originally sought to protect both them and their habitats. They’re very picky when it comes to what they eat and where they nest, and deforestation is shrinking their homes significantly. Unfortunately, existing legislation does little to stop this from happening. We’re very aware that their induction onto the endangered list is due to the fact that they are losing their homes,” says AKF. This prompted them to draft the Koala Protection Act. Under the act, certain trees that the koalas will favor will be protected. Habitats that are empty will also be protected under the act. “It’s not enough to just start protecting the areas they occupy now. If we’re going to grow the species and give them a chance at survival, we need to protect other areas that could be possible homes for the koalas,” says AKF. “Current legislation only focuses on the koala itself rather than its habitat. This is why we’ve had to draft the plan. It just isn’t enough to protect the animals with laws; we need to protect their homes as well.” The Australian Koala Foundation put together a list of trees that Koalas prefer. This list was then added to the act, which would in turn protect these trees from being taken down, destroyed, or messed with. Currently, AKF wants to prevent any applications for developments of areas that encompass these trees from passing. “Unless you can prove to us without a shadow of a doubt that your actions will have no negative affect on the landscape, it’s an automatic no. This won’t affect good industry leaders or threaten their companies. It’s going to impact those that don’t have everyone’s best interests at heart,” the Chairman of AKF said. “The legislation is incredibly sensible; we’re protecting the koalas while still allowing companies to expand as needed.” But why are they so protective of these trees? Food and shelter seems endless for koalas in the wild but AKF says that this isn’t the case. “We have to protect these trees because for koalas, they’re the only source of nutrition and shelter. They’re not just going to go out and eat leaves off of another tree because you took down their favorite ones. Their bodies, diet, and lifestyle depends heavily on these specific trees. Without them, they’re susceptible to threats such as dogs, wild animals, and even cars. Not to mention, they have nothing else to eat.” The act also addresses another sad concern: industries can get permits to “take koalas”. This means that if they accidentally kill a koala, they won’t face prosecution. Under the Koala Protection Act, this would no longer be allowed. “Accidents happen, but it’s not like we don’t know which trees and areas koalas prefer. So companies pay them little to no attention while carrying out their operations; especially since there aren’t any consequences to accidentally killing one of these guys. It’s easier to get the permit and act carelessly than it is to take your time,” AKF says. What happens if they die off?While it’s always sad to contemplate the possible extinction of an entire species of animal, the disappearance of koalas could have an effect on Australia’s ecosystem. Since the marsupials’ diet is compromised solely of tree leaves, they provide a lot of fertilization for the forest floors thanks to their droppings. “Their droppings are rich in nutrients that the ground craves and loves. Their excrements help pave the way for new plant life and help sustain others. It’s free fertilizer that forest needs. Without them, it would be left to us to keep up with the nutrition that the forests need,” AKF says. Koalas have very specific bacteria in their guts, which obviously provides specific droppings. This feeds the soil, but may also be vital for other animals and plants as well. Not to mention, this bacteria might be something we can’t replicate. The other effects are also impossible to predict. “We might not think that they have a significant impact on the world around us, but we can’t say that with complete certainty,” Tabart states. For starters, koalas only inhabit specific areas. This means that they also restrict what else can share the space with them. By forcing other rivals out, they inadvertently control the population size of other animals much in the way that wolves control the population of deer. If this population was to go unchecked, it might result in overpopulation. This could harm neighboring animals and plants. Also, eucalyptus trees might also be in danger if koalas go extinct. Both the marsupials and the trees exist in a symbiotic relationship. The trees feed them with their leaves, and in turn they nourish the trees with their droppings. They may also protect the trees from other predators. Eucalyptus trees could become destabilized or even die off if koalas do. Keep in mind that these are all just theories. Nobody can say with absolute certainty exactly what will happen if/when the koalas die off. “We can only make predictions based on the extinction of other animals and our knowledge of their relationship with the wild,” say experts. “It could be as bad as we’re predicting, or it could be something so minor we hardly notice. It’s a roll of the dice but either way, it’s something we definitely shouldn’t be gambling with.” What can you do?This has been on the minds of nearly everyone since the species was labeled as being functionally extinct. Unfortunately, there isn’t much any one person can do but signing petitions to support the Koala Protection Act as well as donating to their foundation goes a long way. If you’re a native Australian, you can also appeal to your local lawmakers to encourage them to take action to protect koalas. According to Tabart, the more signatures they get and the more people that appeal to their lawmakers, the more likely it is for the protection act to pass quickly. In addition to this, spreading the word about their critical state and encouraging others to sign the petitions and appeal to lawmakers will also help. Anything you can do to get the word out and get as many people as possible on your side is worth doing. Also, start taking actions against climate change. This will also help the cuddly little guys. No effort is too small or too insignificant. What are your thoughts?We’d like to know what you think would happen if koalas were to go extinct. Do you think that they’ll have the large impact on the ecosystem that many think they will? Or do you think that because they occupy such a niche area that we’re only miss seeing them in pictures on social media? We also want to know what you think of the Koala Protection Act and whether or not you think it’ll work. Do you think it’s too late to save these cute little marsupials or do you think there’s hope? Let us know in the comment section below! The post Koalas are Officially Functionally Extinct appeared first on Ishli.com. source https://ishli.com/koalas-are-officially-functionally-extinct/ Via https://ishliblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/koalas-are-officially-functionally.html Russian Spy created something out of the ordinary. Since the dawn of time, people have being making use of animals’ capabilities and intelligence. We as a species have utilized all manners of species and benefitted from their unique abilities. Dogs were one of the first animals that we began domesticating. Early humans realized that dogs, or rather wolves at the time, could protect camps from predators in exchange for scraps. They also provided invaluable information when it came to hunting and tracking food. Now, they still remain as guardians of our homes as well as companions to snuggle with at night. Other animals such as horses also had their uses. They made traveling from place to place easier as well as faster. Horses could travel a much more significant distance than humans could on foot before getting tired. Horses also offered humans the ability to carry loads with them. This meant that people could load up packing, hunting, and gathering supplies and spend more time out in the wild collecting necessities for their camp instead of having to return home each night at dusk. They were also able to carry more thanks to the horse’s ability to bear loads. Even birds of prey were domesticated and used for their hunting abilities. A hawk could be trained to retrieve and bring back prey for their masters. They also offered some level of protection. Plus, they arguably looked incredibly badass perched on their master’s gloved hand. Other birds of course had their jobs such as carrier pigeons that delivered letters. Given the history of our interactions with animals, it was hardly surprising when people began jumping to conclusions about a whale that showed up off of Norway’s northern coast. Unlike many of the beluga whales that frequent this area though, this one was sporting a harness complete with camera mounts. People immediately began assuming that this whale had a purpose. After all, it’s not like the whale woke up, thought about getting dressed, and decided that a camera harness was the outfit of the day; humans had to be responsible. Unfortunately, people jumped to the worst and arguably strangest conclusion: this whale was a Russian spy that was either sent on a mission or had had the great fortune of escaping its masters. But which was it and should we be worried? Russia Spy is using Whales as Spies?When it comes to Russia, we’ve all seen the memes. The country is nothing short of wacky and to be honest, nothing that comes from there really surprises us anymore. That’s why people were more shocked than surprised when marine experts suggested that the whale was part of a Russian military spy program. “The harness has definitely been specially made to fit this whale. You can also see mounts on the sides of the straps that are perfect for mounting GoPro cameras to. This sounds like something out of a bad Sci-Fi movie or any of the Austin Powers films, but it’s real; this whale is sitting right in front of us in the waters sporting a camera harness,” says Jorgen Ree Wiig who is a marine biologist at Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries. Experts took a good long look at the harness as well before releasing their speculations. “We didn’t want to rile up the public for no reason. Obviously something weird is going on, but we didn’t want to make assumptions right off the bat without some kind of analysis,” Wiig said. Upon investigation, researchers discovered that the clips of the harness suggested that the equipment belonged to St. Petersburg. This led Wiig to speculate that the whale was being trained and utilized by Russia’s navy. “They’ve been training belugas for some time; it’s no secret. These whales have been used to conduct a number of military operations before. They’ve been responsible for guarding bases, assisting divers, and retrieving equipment that’s been lost. They’re highly intelligent and can be easily trained,” Wiig continued. Martin Bluw, who is a marine mammal researcher with Norway’s Institute of Marine Research, also agreed with Wiig for the most part. “This animal is trained; that’s undeniable. There’s no doubting that or arguing against it. However, what the purpose of the whale and its harness is certainly up for debate. Any suggestion of it being part of the Russian navy is pure speculation at this point. We can’t say for sure that it’s from there. We do know that during the Cold War the Russian military was in fact training belugas, but we can’t say for certain that this is one of theirs.” News outlets as well as Norway’s marine institution have reached out to Russian military bases, but so far they’ve remained unanswered. Researchers aren’t confident that anyone will step forward to explain the animal’s purpose, much less claim it. “We doubt that we’ll get any answers regarding the beluga whale,” Wiig said. Not a spy, but a therapy whaleWhile many are sold on the notion that this whale is a spy, others remain largely unconvinced. “Just because it’s wearing a harness with camera mounts doesn’t mean it’s a spy. Sure, it looks suspect at first but if you actually think about it, it doesn’t make sense for the beluga to be some sort of spy defecting to friendlier waters. Instead, we think that the whale had a much more benign purpose.” Fiskeribladet suggests that the reasons why the whale wears a harness and is super tame is not due to military training, but rather, the beluga was trained on how to work with children. One of the former journalists of the magazine came to that conclusion after comparing the beluga whale to Semyon, who was a therapy whale kept in northern Russia in a dive center. “I recognized him immediately,” said Morten Vikeby, Fiskeribladet’s former reporter. “He looked exactly like Semyon.” The reporter compared video footage of the beluga to the therapy whale playing with children and found that they looked identical. “They’re both demonstrating the same habits and quirks.” But why the camera harness then? Vikeby has an answer for that as well. “The harness is attached because it is used to drag boats with children. The hooks aren’t for camera mounting, they’re for attaching to the bottom of the boat so that the whale can pull the children along. This is why he’s so social; he’s used to being around people and he’s used to ‘working’.” Vikeby also takes it a step further but insinuating that this beluga whale is in fact Seymon. “I can’t say with absolute certainty that it’s the same animal, but the similarities are uncanny. They’re behaving in exactly the same whale; the video footage is nearly identical. If you had showed me the latter video and told me that it was Seymon, I wouldn’t have questioned it. They really do look and act the same.” “He’s not a Russian spy at all but rather he’s a whale that just wants to be kind to everyone he meets.” Living his best lifeThe beluga whale is right at home in the Norway waters and according to researchers, both the whale and the locals are loving his stay. While part of the whale’s draw is the fact that he’s somewhat of a celebrity, after all it’s not every day a potential Russian spy shows up in your local waters sporting a camera harness, but the whale is actually really fond of attention. Tor Arild Guleng, who is a Hammerfest resident, told CNN that he was curious about the whale and set off to locate it. “Ever since I saw him on social media, I became really curious. For starters, I wanted to see the whale that everyone was talking about for myself. I also wanted to see that camera harness. Was social media just blowing it out of proportion or was it really a spy harness?.” Guleng was able to easily locate the beluga in fjord that was nearby. However, he got more than he bargained for. For starters, he was extremely surprised by the animal’s reaction to him. Guleng said that the beluga swam excitedly towards his boat. Once it reached his boat, the beluga kept his head out of the water as if he was waiting for orders from Guleng. He did this for about 30 seconds. And as if that wasn’t strange enough, Guleng said the whale also followed the boat all the way back to Hammerfest where a crowd of people had gathered at the local port to see the whale. The whale also seemed just as interested in the people as they were in him. People were able to feed the whale by hand; something that the beluga seemed to really enjoy. “He really liked all of the snacks and attention he was getting! He was happy to eat out of your hand. He wasn’t shy about it at all. You simply held out the fish or treat and he took it gently. It was a really unique experience,” said one of the locals. The Russian spy also danced in circles in the water for everyone’s amusement. “He looked a bit like a dolphin performing for a crowd. He was happy to get the attention.” Videos also surfaced online of the beluga checking out a curious dog and then befriending it. “The dog was leaning over trying to smell him. The whale came closer and they checked each other out. The whale was really patient and moved slow; he didn’t scare the dog at all. It was so cool!” Retrieving a phoneVideos of the whale flooded social media quickly and instantly went viral. People flocked around the whale and took turns filming and taking pictures of the Russian spy. Many filmed the whale via boat while others stood on shore or on the port for a chance to capture the Russian spy defector on camera. For one lucky resident, she got more than just some pictures and video. Isa Odphal, like many others, had come to see the whale on Monday. She and her friends had headed out via boat from Hammerfest harbor in Norway. It didn’t take long for the beluga to head over to the boat and for the group to start taking pictures and videos. Unfortunately, Isa’s phone dropped into the icy waters of the ocean. Isa feared that her phone was gone forever when the whale did something that nobody expected: it dove after it. Her friends were quick to capture the moment on video as well. “My phone slipped out of my hands and I remember thinking, ‘damn that sucks. There goes my phone, it’s gone forever. Then the whale suddenly just disappeared under the water. My friends and I were like, ‘is it really going after my phone? No way it’s going after it!’ But it definitely was. After a few moments, it surfaced with my phone its mouth. It was holding it really carefully and was offering it back to me. I was shocked! This whale is clearly very, very intelligent,” Isa said regarding the experience. She also noted that she was able to take the phone from the whale’s mouth with relative ease. “It wasn’t holding onto it like a dog with a toy trying to play tug of war; the whale was really gentle and I easily took my phone back. My phone is definitely ruined, but that’s the fault of me and the ocean, not the whale.” The beluga’s ability to not only locate and find the phone in the frigid waters but the fact that it knew to retrieve and bring it back has definitely increased people’s speculation that the whale is in fact a Russian spy. A local celebrityUnsurprisingly, the whale has become a local and social media celebrity. People are flocking from all over to catch a glimpse of the Russian defector and social media can’t get enough of him. This prompted NRK, a national broadcaster, to start a poll. In their poll, they requested their readers to come up with names for the beluga. So far, there have been more than 1,000 suggestions. “We only expect those numbers to increase. The poll hasn’t been active that long,” says NRK. While there are ton of names flooding in, the fans definitely seem to have their favorites: Snow White, Agent James Beluga, and White Russian spy. “Those are the most popular submission that we’ve gotten so far. Many fans agree with them and others have suggested them as well. Personally, I’m hoping Agent James Beluga wins.”
However, this has drawn mixed feelings in the town of Hammerfest. Many people are super excited at the thought of having a tamed, interesting whale living in their waters. Others remain skeptical. “We don’t know if the whale even knows how to survive in the wild or if it can hunt. If this animal was part of the Russian spy military or whatever, it was likely confined to a small area and heavily monitored. It was probably fed and protected. I’m not sure we can offer the whale those same privileges here.” Guleng also sided with these people saying that the whale is definitely not a toy and reminded everyone that it is a sentient being with free will. What are your thoughts?As always, we’d like to know your thoughts on the piece. Do you believe that the friendly beluga whale is a Russian spy or do you think he’s Seymon the therapy whale? Do you have any other theories on what he could be? We also want to know how you think he ended up in the waters of Norway. Did he escape his facility and go on an adventure? Or did he simply decide that he needed a change of scenery? Let us know in the comment section below! The post Russian “Spy” is having a Whale of a Time appeared first on Ishli.com. source https://ishli.com/russian-spy-is-having-a-whale-of-a-time/ Via https://ishliblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/russian-spy-is-having-whale-of-time.html Over the weekend, fans were overwhelmed when the highly anticipated Avengers: Endgame finally hit the big screen, wrapping up 10+ years of Marvel universe adventures. In addition, fans were also given the equally anticipated Game of Thrones episode that features the Battle of Winterfell. While both were definitely something that long time fans have been yearning for, there was also an air of somberness, baited breath, and sadness. After all, the tradition of both has been “spoiler alert: everyone dies” and “if you love this character, then, well they’re dead.” Unfortunately for a large number of emperor penguin chicks, they also all died. However, there was no epic battle or snap that cleared the entire breeding ground of its chicks, it was the collapse of an ice shelf. However, the bad news doesn’t stop there. According to scientists, the area affected is second largest colony in the world of emperor penguins. “This was a big hit for their population and a significant loss. This unprecedented reproduction failure is one that’s decimated the colony. And unfortunately, this is the third year in a row where the penguins have failed to rear any new chicks to adulthood. This was one of their largest breeding grounds; we aren’t sure now about their future. While there’s still plenty of penguins out there, the fact that they haven’t been able to create new generations in this colony is worrisome,” scientists commented on the tragedy. But just how big is the area that was affected? According to research, each year anywhere from 14,000 to 25,000 pairs of emperor penguins make the annual migration to Halley Bay, located on the Brunt antarctic Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea. Those numbers represent around 9% of the world’s entire emperor penguin population. It’s a significant loss; even though it only accounts for 9% of the population, if the penguins continue to fail year in and year out at one of their largest breeding grounds, we could easily see the population significantly dwindle. This was definitely not a good way to celebrate World Penguin Day either. No longer a viable breeding ground As previously stated, this isn’t the first time that there’s been trouble with the chick population. In 2016 and 2017, absolutely no breeding took place. “We didn’t see any eggs or reproductive behavior from the penguins. It was as if they’d simply congregated for an annual migration but couldn’t remember what the point of the migration was for,” scientists commented. In October or 2016, the Brunt Ice Shelf’s northern side suffered major breakups. This not only killed thousands of chicks who hadn’t even reached the fledgling state, but it also forced the mating pairs to look for better areas in which to breed. A very small amount of breeding took place in 2018 at Halley Bay, but according to scientists, it was some of the lowest numbers they’d seen. It also seems as if the penguins are privy to the notion that the Brunt Ice Shelf might no longer be a good area for breeding. According to study notes, a huge increase has occurred at the Dawson-Lambton breeding area, which is located close by. According to scientists, the penguin reproduction has exploded here. “Over the last few years we’ve seen a massive increase to the number of breeding pairs present at the Dawson-Lambton breeding area. Since it’s so close to the Brunt Ice Shelf, we believe the penguins have begun choosing the Dawson-Lambton area over the ice shelf. And while this news is certainly encouraging and positive, the Halley Bay disruptions and issues are having a significant impact on the penguin population as a whole.” There’s also the fact that a staggering number of penguins are still using the unsafe area for occasional breeding attempts or in the very least a meeting ground. For two out of the three years, mates with the potential to produce offspring met at the large breeding ground but didn’t rear any chicks. When they finally did attempt to produce chicks, they were less than successful when the ice shelf collapse. “We need these pairs to travel to safer locations if we’re going to keep the penguin population stable. The fact that they’re not even attempting to reproduce sometimes as well as the fact that the ice shelf is unstable is cause for concern.” What is the Halley Bay Brunt Ice Shelf? The Brunt Ice Shelf is located in Antarctica. It borders the costs of Coats Lands, resting between the Stancomb-Wills Glacier Tongue and the Dawson-Lambton Glacier. In addition to being the largest emperor penguin breeding ground, it’s also home to the British Halley Research Station. The Brunt Ice Shelf is a staggering 492 feet thick. Given its impressive density, you would expect it to hold together much better than it has. However, the ice shelf is home to a number of cracks and ice rumples that are compromising the shelf altogether. The Halloween crack, which was the first one being monitored by researchers, continues to expand eastward towards the McDonald Ice Rumples. The ice rumples are caused by water flowing over an underwater formation. More than likely, it is due to the fact that there is bedrock present that’s high enough to scrape the underside of the ice shelf. The rock formation staggers the flow of ice and causes pressure to build up, creating rifts and crevasses to form on top. However, another rift has caught the attention of scientists and is much more concerning. For 35 years, the rift was stable but recently it’s started traveling northward at 2 and a half miles a year. Eventually this rift will meet the Halloween crack as well as the McDonald rumples. Currently, researchers and scientists around the world are keeping a close eye on the shelf. Two of the largest cracks on the shelf are steadily moving towards each other according to scientists. And when they meet, it’s going to be devastating. When, rather than if, they meet a sheet of ice twice the size of the area of Manhattan will break off. “The piece of ice will be 500 feet thick and more than 660 square miles wide will break off into the ocean. And unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Any day now the cracks can meet,” scientists say. “And the area they are destined to meet at couldn’t be worse. The McDonald Ice Rumples is already very, very unstable.” Monitoring the population BAS, or the British Antarctic Survey, has been monitoring the penguin populations of the Halley Bay Colony for some time. They do so using satellite imagery that allows them to not only keep an eye on the population as a whole, but they are also able to monitor the state of the ice shelf as well. “The satellite imagery has been instrumental in helping us track the colony here,” BAS remarked. Unfortunately for the past three years, the imagery has provided nothing short of depressing news. “Using high-resolution satellite imagery, we’ve been monitoring the population of this colony as well as others in the region for the last ten years of so. The last few images we’ve gotten of the areas show what we consider to be catastrophic reproduction failure at this specific site. The last three years can atone for our findings and it’s unnerving to say the least. You grow attached to these little guys over the years. And you want to see them do well not only as someone who has come to invest a lot of time in the penguins, but also as a scientist who is concerned for their futures.” According to Dr. Peter Fretwell, who is a BAS remote sensing specialist and the lead author, the satellite imagery is incredibly sensitive and accurate. “Our satellite imagery analysis can easily identify single penguins as well as huddles. Using this information, we can guess the population’s size based on our knowledge of the group’s density. We use this to come up with a reliable and accurate colony size estimate.” Is climate change to blame? Climate change has been a hot button topic for some time now. So when the Brunt Ice Shelf collapse, decimating the emperor penguin chicks, many started pointing their fingers at global warming. According to researchers though, the collapse of the shelf isn’t directly linked to climate change. Instead, they believe that it probably corresponds to a strong El Nino warming phase that took place in 2015. “This particular El Nino brought significant warm airs to the area. We believe that this event caused the ice shelf to become compromised,” researchers say. However, this isn’t to say that in the future global warming can cause more tragic events like this to happen. Unfortunately, this won’t be an isolated incident according to those same researchers. They anticipate more catastrophes like this as the sea ice loss progresses due to global warming. “Right now, it’s impossible to say if the changes in the sea ice at Halley Bay are related to global warming, but one thing is certain: this was an unprecedented attempt at breeding at the site. We saw a 100% loss,” said Dr. Phil Trathan, who is the study co-author and penguin expert at BAS. Dr. Phil Trathan is also concerned about a significant loss of numbers in the emperor penguin colonies. “We’re taking into account ecological uncertainty, but according to our current models, we’re going to see the emperor penguin population decrease significantly. We’re expecting to see a loss of 50-70% of their numbers before the end of this century. Especially if the sea ice conditions continue to decrease as a result of global warming.” Dr. Trathan also points out that other breeding locations will also be affected by global warming. “As temperatures continue to rise, we’ll see other ice shelves and breeding grounds become compromised. Right now, the penguins still have many other viable options besides the Halley Bay Ice Shelf, but we imagine that over time those will become just as unstable. It’s definitely concerning and we’re worried for the future of these penguins.” Interesting facts about emperor penguins With all of the sadness surrounding the penguins, their colonies, and the tragedies that took place over the weekend in the Marvel Universe as well as the Game of Thrones Universe, we decided it would be nice to take a little break. Here are some fun facts about these cute little tuxedo-wearing birds.
Emperor penguins are also serial monogamists. Each year, they will take on only one mate. They will stay with that mate for the entire year. The post An Ice Shelf Collapse has Killed Thousands of Emperor Penguin Babies, Devastating Their Breeding Ground appeared first on Ishli.com. source https://ishli.com/an-ice-shelf-collapse-has-killed-thousands-of-emperor-penguin-babies-devastating-their-breeding-ground/ Via https://ishliblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/an-ice-shelf-collapse-has-killed.html How to travel alone for the first time? Everyone has that scary feeling when they traveling by them self. The benefits of travelling with friends are fairly obvious, let’s face it, when you travel the world you will come across sights and events that many people will never have the fortune to see or experience, and sometimes it is just nice to share those things with someone else. A great many people travel with friends or partners, even entire families, and the adventure of backpacking can be a great bonding experience, to trek through a jungle trail and come across a hidden lagoon with a cascading waterfall is much more fun when you have someone to dive into the water with, seeing ancient and modern wonders alike can be more special as a shared experience. Then of course there are the times in between all of these fantastic experiences. Companionship on a long trip is always welcome, especially on a long overnight coach or train journey, and many lone backpackers turn to each other during these times for this exact reason. Sharing the costs of everything from guides and accommodation to hiring a boat or anything that involves a group is also a great advantage, especially if you are trying to budget and keep costs down. A lot of single travellers get ripped off by the unfair single occupancy rip off of many hotels and guesthouses, yet if there are enough of you room costs can be shared. If there are a group of 4 or more of you, then you can even get a small 4 or more bed hostel room to yourselves very cheaply which is often as good as, or even better in some of the more modern hostels, a more expensive private room. The issue of security is also a concern for a lot of first time backpackers, especially if they are travelling alone, and there is a lot to be said for safety in numbers. Travelling with a partner or friend does have the added advantage of peace of mind, not necessarily safety, as it is just as safe realistically to travel alone, but it can be surprising just how much reassurance and confidence a partner can give you. Plus there is the practical advantage that someone can stay and watch the bags at a bar or cafe while the other troops off to find some decent accommodation in a new town instead of both of you lugging your kit about. There are a lot of advantages to travelling with a partner or a friend, but it is not always a good idea for everyone either. Whilst travelling with friends or partners is a great option, you do have to be aware of the potential pitfalls. You have to remember that compromise is often the key element in travelling with someone else,especially if you go with a group. Everyone is unique, everyone is individual, and everyone will have completely different needs and wants, likes and dislikes, different things they want to see or do or even entirely different reasons for backpacking which sometimes aren’t always compatible. You also have to be really comfortable with the person or people you are backpacking with. You will be living in each other’s pockets for a significant amount of time, especially if you are travelling for an extended period, and you will see the best and worst of each other. Whilst backpacking does bring many people together and bind them with shared experiences, I have also seen it be the ruin of more than one relationship, and friends or even partners who have started their journeys together have often gone their separate ways a few months into the trip. It doesn’t always happen, in fact it doesn’t happen far more often than it does, I just want to make you aware of the potential pitfalls so you at least have the chance to avoid them. Travelling alone is another option. It does scare a lot of people, especially those who are overly worried about security, expense or just plain loneliness, but it really shouldn’t. Backpacking by yourself is in my opinion one of the best ways to travel. Travelling with someone can be good, don’t get me wrong, but travelling alone can be great. You have nothing or no one to worry about except yourself. You can do what you want, when you want to do it and the only person you have to worry about is you. You are essentially your own boss, if you want to do something, you can do it. If you fancy changing your plans at the last minute to go hiking up a mountain just to see what is at the top, you can. If you want to have a lazy day and sit in your hammock to finish that book, you can do that too. There isn’t anyone or anything to stop you. It is also infinitely less stressful when you don’t have the hassle of worrying about someone else or dealing with their problems. There are countless people, both male and female, who go travelling alone every single year, sometimes for extended periods of time, without any problems arising from the fact they are travelling alone whatsoever. You will always find that there are other backpackers to talk to, many of whom may be travelling alone too, and it is easy to simply have a chat or ask for advice, or even team up for a day or two to places backpackers tend to frequent such as hostels or budget accommodation, internet cafes (although much less so now with the ubiquitous free wifi and smartphones and pads everywhere), or bus, coach and train stations. Of course there are always the locals you will meet along the way to chat to as well, so you will find that loneliness really is not an issue. Saying that, to do this you will need at least a degree of confidence and a slightly extrovert nature. Striking up a conversation with a complete stranger will be much more difficult if you are the shy, retiring type. However, there are drawbacks to travelling alone too. Even if you are friendly and chatty and meet plenty of people along the way, there will still be plenty of times where you will be on your own, so you really have to be comfortable in your own company. There will be times when you may just feel a little homesick or crave a little company, which is absolutely fine and normal and both are problems that are easily solved, but if you are not the type of person who is happy being on your own for a while, then obviously backpacking alone may not be for you. You have to be honest with yourself here. There are also costs to consider. Travelling in general, not just backpacking, is often unnecessarily unfair on the solo traveller. Hotels, guides, transport, all are often more expensive without anyone to share the costs. Especially if you frequent the types of hotels which whack solo occupancy charges on their rooms! Choosing your travel partner.If you do choose to travel with someone, then it is important to consider who exactly you are backpacking with. Many people automatically choose their boyfriend, girlfriend or best friend as a default travelling companion. After all you get on great at home, so what can go wrong, right? Many experienced backpackers will tell you that travelling together can either make or break relationships, and sometimes even the best of friends or lovers are not ideal backpacking partners. The requirements of what makes a good friend or partner are very different to the requirements of what makes a good travel buddy. So how do you choose a good backpacking partner? Well you have to sit down together and be seriously honest with each other about what you want. There is no point in telling each other what you think the other one wants to hear because you want to be nice, that will cause problems later down the line and you really don’t want that, so you need to ask yourself a series of questions. What type of trip do you both want? Your backpacking adventure will be on a road to failure from the start if you want to experience local culture and temples, whilst the person you chose to go with wants to head to the local nightclubs and full moon parties! It helps immeasurably if you both want to see and do the same things and have the same experiences from the same trip. Since everyone is unique and will want different things, this isn’t always possible. Having a common goal, such as reaching Everest base camp or seeing the Taj Mahal or attending a full moon party, will go a long way to ensuring that you have a harmonious trip too. You obviously won’t have to spend every single waking moment together, but having a common goal will make travelling together worthwhile. If you don’t have that, then you may be better off travelling alone. Great expectations? What do you both expect to happen during the trip? Are you both happy with living in each other’s pockets, being in extremely close quarters for extended periods of time? Not everyone is, even those of you who may have the best relationship in the world or have been friends since the womb probably have that because you both have your own separate space away from each other from time to time. Backpacking does not give you that luxury. You have to ask yourselves will one of you get on the other persons nerves until it ends up in a huge argument? Does one of you snore so loudly the other will be forced to use their travel pillow as an impromptu anesthetic device? Are you both happy to spend a day or two apart if you both want to visit different places only to meet up again a day or two later? Or will your friend or partner panic and see that as completely unacceptable? It is best to get everything out in the open before you even book the trip. Budgeting discrepancies? Money is often said to be the root of all evil. I don’t know about that, but I do know it can be a cause of a great many problems to backpacking friends and partners. Budget affects everything. Accommodation, travel, food, drink, sightseeing, entertainment and anything else you can think of. If you both split everything down the middle 50/50 then that can help, provided that you can stick to that over the extended trip! But then what if you want to budget for staying in hostels and your friend or partner refuses to stay in anything other than comfortable hotels? If things like this are not sorted out before you even set off then it can cause a lot of problems along the way. Agreeing a similar budget before you set off can be one of the most important things you can agree on beforehand to ensure that you don’t have a massive blow up and end up resenting each other or going your separate ways. I don’t want to put you off travelling companions completely here, travelling with someone can have a lot of benefits too and many people travel together every day with no problems and have the joys of reliving their travels with their friends for years to come. I just want you to be aware of how to avoid any potential pitfalls. If you do choose to travel with a friend or partner from home, which many people do, then it is really important that you discuss all of these things and more before you set off. Make sure that you are both aware that problems will occur and that you can get past them if you talk about it and are aware of them beforehand. If you choose to travel alone, then that is fine too, just prepare yourself mentally for the times you will be alone and ensure that you are gregarious enough to meet others when you need to. The post How to travel alone for the first time? appeared first on Ishli.com. source https://ishli.com/how-to-travel-alone-for-the-first-time/ Via https://ishliblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/how-to-travel-alone-for-first-time.html |