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☆ Monkeys killed by soil infection at Hong Kong zoo, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong Reuters —Melioidosis, a bacterial infection, was responsible for killing at least nine monkeys at a Hong Kong zoo, authorities said, as a further two died over the weekend, taking the total to 11 in the past week. Part of the zoo, built in 1860 and the oldest park in Hong Kong, has remained shut since October 14 when authorities reported the first batch of monkey deaths. Autopsies found a large amount of the melioidosis-inducing bacteria in the monkeys organs, which likely came from soil near the monkeys habitat, they said. Visitors look at a buff-cheeked gibbon at Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens after 11 monkeys died of sepsis following melioidosis infection in the past week, in Hong Kong on October 21, 2024. Tyrone Siu/ReutersKevin Yeung, the city’s culture and tourism minister, told local public broadcaster RTHK that works at the zoo required digging up the soil near where the monkeys lived.

Persons: Hong Kong Reuters —, gibbon, Tyrone Siu, Kevin Yeung, “, ” Organizations: Hong Kong Reuters, Authorities, Hong Kong Zoological, RTHK, Workers Locations: Hong Kong, Hong

☆ 9 monkeys who died in Hong Kong zoo had been infected with melioidosis, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG — Nine monkeys who died in Hong Kong’s oldest zoo in two days this week had been infected with an endemic disease, possibly after some digging work near their cages, officials said on Friday. Another possibility is that some infected monkeys had close contact with other monkeys, he said. “The incubation period for melioidosis in primates is about a week and this matched with the period after the soil digging work,” he said. Edwin Tsui, the controller of the center, said the incident only happened in a single zone and its impact on Hong Kong residents would be very low. The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens — the oldest park in the former British colony — fully opened to the public in 1871.

Persons: Kevin Yeung, melioidosis, Yeung, “ We’re, ”, Edwin Tsui Organizations: Culture, Hong Kong Zoological, Botanical Gardens, International Union for Conservation of, Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection, Leisure, Cultural Services Department, Agriculture, Fisheries, Conservation Department, Department of Health Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong’s, Hong, Hong Kong, Central

☆ Nine monkeys die mysteriously at Hong Kong zoo
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG — Zoo authorities in Hong Kong are keeping a close watch on a monkey that is behaving unusually a day after the ninth death this week of one of the animals while hastening tests to find out what killed them. “Government departments will speed up autopsy and toxicological testing,” the government said in a statement, as officials scrambled to pinpoint the cause of the deaths. The ninth monkey, belonging to the white-faced saki species, died a day after Sunday’s deaths of a De Brazza’s monkey, a common squirrel monkey, three cotton-top tamarins and three white-faced sakis, the statement added. Built in 1860, the territory’s oldest park houses about 158 birds, 80 mammals and 21 reptiles in roughly 40 enclosures. “The health conditions of all 80 animals in the HKZBG are normal,” the government said, while officials held an urgent meeting on Tuesday.

Persons: saki Organizations: HONG KONG — Zoo, Botanical, “, Animals Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong

☆ Three Rings, Two College Students and One Big Risk
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Kaitlin Menza | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Meeting someone from a dating app no longer seems like the perilous concept it once did — for most people. The risk assessment was different for Arya Channeng Singh, who was born with spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, a neuromuscular disorder that affects motor neurons and, in her case, requires the use of a wheelchair. Ms. Singh, 24, connected with Logan Alexander Mundy, 25, on Hinge right before Christmas in 2020, when both were on winter break from their undergraduate studies. She was then a junior at Yale pursuing a degree in the history of science, medicine and public health, while he was a sophomore at Princeton studying politics. With pandemic safety in mind, Mr. Mundy suggested they meet for an outdoor date in the botanical gardens of Rutgers University, a midpoint between Ms. Singh’s family home in New York City and his in Howell, N.J.

Persons: Arya Channeng Singh, Singh, Logan Alexander Mundy, Mundy, Singh’s Organizations: Yale, Princeton, Rutgers University Locations: New York City, Howell , N.J

☆ Finally, an answer to a mystery surrounding these 1,000-year-old trees
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A team of international academics successfully sequenced the genomes of each of the eight baobab species, examining their relationship with one another and concluded that they originated in Madagascar. "Avenue of the Baobabs" in Western Madagascar is one of the most spectacular collections of the unusual trees. Gavinevans/Creative CommonsOnly one baobab species is not included in the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species: A. digitata, which populates mainland Africa. The likelihood of finding fossil evidence to rubberstamp the conclusions of the genetic data is slim, Dr. Wan conceded. So perhaps these majestic trees may retain some of their mystery after all.

Persons: ”, Wan Jun, Nan, Wan, Seheno, Andriantsaralaza, “, Dr, Organizations: CNN, Biologists, Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens, University of Antananarivo, Queen Mary University of London, IUCN, USAID Locations: Madagascar, Africa, Australia, Wuhan, Hubei, China, baobabs, Queen, Western Madagascar, “

☆ A miraculous little plant proves life persists after deforestation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Amanda Schupak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —On the western slopes of the Andes in Ecuador, John L. Clark, a research botanist at Florida’s Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, happened upon what he calls a miracle. That he could see it at all, nestled there on a moss-covered rock in a remnant patch of untouched land, was impressive. Back in the lab, Clark and his team confirmed that the little plant was a species new to science, and he and his team named it Amalophyllon miraculum. That’s why we decided to call it miraculum,” research botanist John L. Clark said. To an untrained eye, it’s nearly impossible to see the plant about which he’s so excited.)

Persons: John L, Clark, ”, they’re, Clark “, Laurence Skog, Martin Schaefer, ” Schaefer, E.O, Wilson, “, ‘, ” Clark, Schaefer, Amanda Schupak Organizations: CNN, Marie, Marie Selby Botanical, Smithsonian Institution’s National, of, Jocotoco Conservation Foundation Locations: Ecuador, Marie Selby, Centinela, Washington , DC, Western Ecuador, New York City

☆ I've been to 20 Caribbean islands. Here are 7 mistakes first-time visitors should avoid making.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Mariette Williams | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In fact, tourism is off to a strong start in 2024, with many islands seeing an increase in visitors compared to 2023. However, as someone who's been traveling to the Caribbean for the past two decades, I've observed some common mistakes first-time visitors make. If you're planning a trip to the Caribbean and want to maximize your experience, here are some mistakes to avoid making while visiting. Mariette WilliamsThe Caribbean is full of gorgeous resorts, but one of the biggest mistakes I see first-time visitors make is never leaving the property. Mariette WilliamsFirst-time visitors to the Caribbean may be surprised to find that, for the most part, life seems to move slower on the islands.

Persons: —, who's, I've, Mariette Williams, Mariette Williams There's, Bathsheba Organizations: Service, Business, Caribbean Locations: Caribbean, Falls, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Old San Juan, San Juan, St, Lucia, Dominica, Caicos, Bahamas, Antigua, Croix, Aruba, Kitts, Nevis, Barbados, Grenada, Curaçao, Bonaire

☆ Opinion: A wildfire destroyed the tree I planted seven decades ago — and with it my hope for the future
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Ariel Dorfman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Santiago, Chile CNN —How do we mourn the death of one solitary tree, when whole forests burn down? I planted it almost three quarters of a century ago, when I was just 7 years old. If I never kept that promise to my tree, it was never far from my mind as the years passed. In all likelihood, that tree, planted by me as a child, has now been reduced to cinders. It’s a reminder to pay homage and give thanks to each and every tree that succumbs to this climate debacle.

Persons: Ariel Dorfman, Ariel Dorfman Les Todd, Salvador Allende, Augusto Pinochet’s, Patricia Araya Organizations: Duke University, CNN, Chile CNN, Nacional Locations: Chilean American, Chile, Durham , North Carolina, Santiago, Texas, Australia, Colombia, California, Hawaii, New York, del Mar, Viña del

☆ Where to see April’s total solar eclipse
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Marnie Hunter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —The total solar eclipse passing over a swath of North America is less than two months away. The August 2017 total solar eclipse is seen from John Day Fossil Beds National Monument near Mitchell, Oregon. There’s a lunchtime Solar Eclipse Watch Party in downtown Dallas on eclipse Monday with live music and food trucks. Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis is located along the center line of the path of totality for the April 8 total solar eclipse. The city’s last total solar eclipse was nearly 100 years ago on January 25, 1925, according to a Rochester eclipse website.

Persons: it’s, Airbnb, “, John, Adrees Latif, Dave Clark, that’s, Clark, Michael Zeiler, GreatAmericanEclipse.com, Jay Anderson, ”, ” Anderson, Cerra, David Esquivel, Esquivel, El, Natalia Silyanov, There’s, Christopher Roth, Anderson, Adam Stiles, Catharines, Geoff Robins, haven’t Organizations: CNN, Reuters, CNN Travel, Planetarium Torreón, Astronomical Society of Mazatlán, Llano Visitor Center, Chamber of Commerce, Enchanted, Natural Area, Natural, ., Dallas , Texas Dallas, Eclipse Watch Party, Dallas, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Arboretum, Botanical, Sixth, Eclipse, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NASA, Indy, Euclid, Great Lakes Science Center, NASA’s Glenn Research Center, Circle, Cleveland Museum of, Wade, Wade Oval, Destination Cleveland, Rochester Museum & Science Center, Niagara Falls Tourism, Niagara Parks, . Parks, Getty Locations: North America, Mexico, Canada, Texas , Oklahoma , Arkansas , Missouri , Illinois , Kentucky , Indiana , Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York , Vermont , New Hampshire, Maine, Texas, Mitchell , Oregon, Torreón, Mexican, Coahuila, That’s, las, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, El Faro, Llano , Texas, Llano, Enchanted Rock, Dallas , Texas, Dallas, Fort Worth, Dealy, Russellville , Arkansas, Russellville, Indianapolis , Indiana Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Cleveland , Ohio Cleveland, Lake Erie, Edgewater, Euclid Beach, There’s, Cleveland, Independence, North Olmsted, Beachwood, Westlake, Destination Cleveland . Rochester , New York Rochester, Rochester, Ontario, Niagara, Niagara Falls, The City, St, ., AFP

☆ My 70-year-old grandma and I started dating at the same time. It brought us closer together.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Liz Brinks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

We shared inside jokes about Grandpa's burial experience, watched Hallmark movies, and went through the Culver's drive-thru daily. I talked with Grandma about dating, being on dating apps, and the struggles of trying to meet people during the pandemic. We started dating at the same timeThat summer, between visits to my grandma, I met someone in Milwaukee, about 114 miles away from my apartment, and things steadily grew from first dates to weekly phone calls and beyond. I shared lots of updates with Grandma as we progressed from Tinder notifications to texts and pictures and voice memos. At the same time as me, my grandma had started seeing someone.

Persons: grandpa, —, Grandma, beau Organizations: Service, Hallmark, Wisconsin Badger Locations: Milwaukee

☆ Novak Djokovic: How a ‘special relationship’ with a tree is helping tennis star’s bid for history at the Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Novak Djokovic has never been afraid to do things differently, so his latest revelation should hardly come as much of a surprise. “There is one particular tree that I have been having a special relationship with for the last 15 years,” Djokovic told reporters earlier this week, when asked about a tree locals have seen him meditating by. “That particular tree, I cannot reveal which one, I’ll try to keep it discreet for myself when I’m there to have my own time. But his love for trees – well, one tree in particular – had somehow gone under the radar until now. The best performance I had during this tournament,” said Djokovic in his post-match interview on court.

Persons: CNN — Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, ” Djokovic, I’ll, Jo, Wilfried Tsonga, He’s, William West, –, “, ”, Etcheverry, Adrian Mannarino, Ben Shelton Organizations: CNN, Melbourne, Melbourne Park, Botanical, Getty, Frenchman, US Locations: Melbourne, AFP

☆ How a Friend of the High Line Spends His Sundays
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Alix Strauss | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Alan van Capelle spends a lot of time trying to foster equality and a sense of belonging as the executive director of Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit that oversees the park’s operations. He grew up on Commack, Long Island, and is now living a life he never thought possible as a Jewish, biracial, gay man. “You either died early of AIDS or were alone, abandoned by family,” he said. “I’m living the dream because I never knew I could have a husband and two kids.”Mr. van Capelle was one of the lead architects of the marriage equality campaign in New York, and is married to Matthew Morningstar, 48, an executive vice president at LPL Financial, a financial services firm in Manhattan. They live in a two-bedroom on the Lower East Side with their sons Patrick, 9, and Ethan, 12, whom they adopted at birth.

Persons: Alan van Capelle, ”, van Capelle, “, ” Mr, Matthew Morningstar, Patrick, Ethan Organizations: LPL Locations: Long, New York, Manhattan

☆ Extraordinary photos reveal the secret kingdom of the soil
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It’s a scene most of us might associate with an open savannah in a nature documentary, but photographer Andy Murray is watching the drama unfold from his back garden in Somerset, UK. To Murray, these microscopic soil animals are as fascinating as the lions and zebras you might see on safari – just far more accessible, if you know where to look. “They live in this tiny world; it works like our world, it’s just on a really small scale,” he tells CNN. Andy MurrayYet despite this wealth of life, the creatures living in the soil beneath our feet are relatively unknown. “He captures moments of soil life doing interesting and cool things,” says Anthony, such as laying eggs in a place where we would never expect.

Persons: Andy Murray, He’s, Murray, ”, “, Mark Anthony, Anthony, they’ve, it’s Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Food, Agricultural Organization, Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Research Locations: Somerset, Mexico City, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania

☆ Danelo Cavalcante: Convicted killer who escaped Pennsylvania prison spotted more than 20 miles from search area and changed his appearance, police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Dakin Andone Celina Tebor Emma Tucker | Dakin Andone | Celina Tebor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Danelo Cavalcante, the convicted killer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison, was seen overnight Saturday more than 20 miles from the search area where he was last reportedly sighted, according to state police. Cavalcante fled about two weeks after he was convicted of first-degree murder for the 2021 killing of his former girlfriend, Deborah Brandão, 33, in Chester County. Cavalcante was seen in or around Chester County’s Longwood Gardens – about 3 miles from the prison – several times last week. On Monday, a security camera recorded the fugitive at Longwood Gardens, authorities said. On Wednesday, a trail camera image showed Cavalcante in or around Longwood Gardens, but officials learned about this sighting Thursday evening, according to Bivens.

Persons: Danelo Cavalcante, Cavalcante, ”, “, He’s, Baily’s, van, Dairy, Deborah Brandão, Brandão, Mark Makela, Deborah Ryan, Ryan Drummond, ” Drummond, CNN’s Michael Smerconish, Drummond, Bivens, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, ” Pennsylvania State Police, Ford Transit, Facebook, Cavalcante, Authorities, US Marshals Service, Police, Longwood Gardens Locations: Pennsylvania, Chester County, Phoenixville, ”, West Chester, Longwood, Chester, Longwood Gardens, Brazil, Kennett Square , Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pocopson

☆ Dense terrain and brutal heat have proven challenging in search for convicted murderer who escaped a Pennsylvania prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Aya Elamroussi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Danelo Cavalcante has been on the run since August 31, when he escaped from the Chester County Prison in a rural area some 30 miles west of Philadelphia. Authorities search for Daniel Cavalcante in Pennsylvania's Chester County on Sunday after he escaped from prison on August 31. Kyle Mazza/SOPA Images/Sipa USA/APEscape caught on videoCavalcante, 34, was convicted of first-degree murder August 16 in the 2021 fatal stabbing of his former girlfriend, 33-year-old Deborah Brandão, in Chester County. Prison officials considering security measuresSo far, it has taken authorities more than a week to search for Cavalcante. Earlier this week, Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said prison officials have taken steps to enhance security.

Persons: Cavalcante, who’ve, George Bivens, they’re, ” Bivens, CNN’s Brian Todd, Bivens, Bevins, he’s, ” Bevins, Daniel Cavalcante, Kyle Mazza, Deborah Brandão, Brandão’s, –, she’s, Howard Holland, Holland, Igor Bolte, Bolte, Deb Ryan, ” Ryan, ” Holland Organizations: CNN, Pennsylvania, Police, Authorities, Residents, WPVI, US Marshals Service, Chester Locations: Pennsylvania, Chester, Philadelphia, Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania's Chester County, Chester County, Brazil

☆ As the South Stews, Temperatures Are Set to Rise in the West, Too
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Emily Cochrane | Judson Jones | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When forecasters predicted that oppressive heat would settle over much of the South for days this month, one of the first thoughts for staff members at the Mobile Botanical Gardens was how to protect their most sensitive plants. But with the prolonged heat now stretching toward the weekend, their focus has shifted to the safety of the people drawn to the gardens, particularly tourists unfamiliar with the mental and physical toll of the steamy conditions. “This heat is a different animal,” said Robin Krchak, the gardens’ executive director, who now closes online ticket sales at noon to encourage visitors to come in the relative cool of the mornings. The few employees and volunteers who keep the gardens humming are arriving earlier or cutting their workloads short to avoid heatstroke and heat stress.

Persons: ”, Robin Krchak

☆ Free wellness activities in 5 major U.S. cities—including NYC, Las Vegas and D.C.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

From NYC to Las Vegas, here are five wellness activities you can attend free of charge in some of the travel capitals of America. Yoga in Bryant Park - New York City, N.Y.Every year when the weather gets warm in NYC, Bryant Park hosts free yoga classes for residents and tourists. Seattle Free Walking Tours - Seattle, Wash. In several big cities, you can find free walking tours run by nonprofit organizations. And the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens in Las Vegas is a beautiful one to add to your bucket list.

☆ A Florida Garden Brings Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Work to Life, in Bloom
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Joseph B. Treaster | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This article is part of our Museums special section about how art institutions are reaching out to new artists and attracting new audiences. This is not your grandfather’s artist in the garden, not the usual sculptures and paintings simply set among the plants. The garden’s designers call their work horticultural theater, and they go at it as if they were staging a play. The Tiffany exhibition, “Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature,” runs through June 25. Forty-two works by Louis Comfort Tiffany serve as the reference point for the botanical interpretations, which are sprinkled throughout Selby Gardens, a 15-acre oasis on a peninsula jutting into Sarasota Bay.

☆ How your phone learned to see in the dark
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

While shots like these used to require advanced cameras, they’re now often possible from the phone you already carry around in your pocket. People watch fireworks during a Fourth of July celebration, in this photo taken using the Google Pixel 5 Night Sight setting. “The quality of the lens is still a big deal, and how the phone addresses the lack of depth,” Ray said. The next big thingWhile night photography on phones has come a long way, a buzzy new technology could push it ahead even more. If this technology is added to smartphone photo systems, it could eventually make night modes even more powerful, Su said.

☆ Fact Check-Viral clip shows an election inspector writing their initials on ballots as required by Wisconsin state law, not a poll worker in Pennsylvania ‘rigging’ ballots
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A video that shows an election inspector in Madison, Wisconsin writing their initials on ballots as required by state law has been miscaptioned by social media users. They falsely claim it shows an election worker in the hotly contested swing state of Pennsylvania “rigging” ballots for the U.S. midterm elections. Poll worker marking ballots” (here). The poll worker at the ballot table adds the second set of initials to the ballot just before handing the ballot to the voter. The clip shared on social media shows a poll worker initialing ballots as part of routine inspector duties required by Wisconsin state law and is not evidence of “rigging” ballots.

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