TL;DR

> The Colombian navy rescued a man from Dominica who says he survived 24 days adrift in the Caribbean on a sailboat by eating ketchup, garlic powder and seasoning cubes.

> Elvis Francois, 47, had scrawled the word “help” in English on the boat’s hull, which officials said was key to his rescue.

> “At some point I lost hope and thought about my family, but I thank the coast guard. If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be telling the story,” Francois said.

> is scheduled to be operational from the beginning of 2023.

TL;DR

> Finland’s first floating liquefied natural gas terminal was moored Wednesday at the southern port of Inkoo where it will supply gas to the Nordic country that was cut off from Russian gas imports earlier this year amid the war in Ukraine.

> The vessel will reconvert LNG to gas which will then be fed into the Finnish network for distribution. The arrival of the Exemplar will also enable gas deliveries to the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania — and possibly also to Poland through the undersea Balticconnector pipeline between Finland and Estonia that runs near Inkoo.

> Gazprom’s move marked a likely end to Finland’s nearly 50 years of importing natural gas from Russia. The two parallel Russia-Finland natural gas pipelines were launched in 1974.

New advertising slogan:

"The sex dolls so good that the govt. didn't want you to get your hands, or any other part, on them"

Some people may remember last week, when the Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control posted about this on their social media:

https://www.reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews/comments/zgf3x6/officials_grant_california_girls_request_to_keep/

but the girl, Madeline, wasn't actually granted the license until Saturday the 17th. This story shows her reaction and her parents'.

(For anyone wondering. I did message the Mods who confirmed that it was okay to post this part of the story, and that it wouldn't be considered a repost)

I don't know, politics are sometimes like that. I only know that as part of a defense bill there's no way Biden doesn't sign this.

> The House and Senate passed identical versions of the proposed ban as part of a broader defense spending bill that President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law. Once he does, it will be illegal for Americans to buy, sell, transport or even possess foreign-caught fins — something ocean conservation activists have long sought.

I'm not sure that's how attacking someone with a knife is supposed to work...

> Rules are rules. Animal control officials in Southern California have granted permission for a little girl to keep a unicorn at home, provided she follows strict guidelines.

> Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control this week shared a letter it received from a child named Madeline.

> The girl wrote: “Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one. Please send me a letter in response.”

> Director Marcia Mayeda replied with a letter along with a pre-approved unicorn license, a heart-shape license tag and a plush toy unicorn — until Madeline finds a real one. Photos of the license and Madeline’s letter were posted to the agency’s social media.

> The licensing letter included five conditions:

> 1. The unicorn must be cared for in compliance with all animal caretaking regulations set forth in Los Angeles county Code Title 10.

> 2. The unicorn is given regular access to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows.

> 3. The unicorn is fed one of its favorite treats — watermelon — at least once each week.

> 4. The unicorn’s horn must be maintained to be in good health. This requires polishing at least once a month with a soft cloth.

> 5. Any sparkles or glitter used on the unicorn must be nontoxic and biodegradable to ensure the unicorn’s good health.”

> Mayeda commended Madeline for her “sense of responsible pet ownership.”

Castorbeans

No, the grandfather is 76. He's the one who jumped in the pool and got the boy (and snake) out.

We don't learn how old the dad is. He's the one who separated the child from the snake.

The 76 year old is the grandfather actually, the article isn't as clear as it could be. He jumped in first and then the father separated the 5 year old from the snake.

TL;DR

> All of a sudden, Blake said, he saw the snake emerge, and the next thing he knew, the snake was "completely wrapped around" his son's leg and they were spiraling into the pool. He later told Australian news outlet 9 News that the python had wrapped himself "from the bite right up to around his knee joint."

> That's when his 76-year-old father literally jumped in to save the day. Within seconds he was in the pool, grabbing both the boy and the snake, still entwined, and handing them up to Ben. The father separated the two after about 15 to 20 seconds, he said, saying "it was somewhat of an ordeal."

> "I just grabbed it as close as I could to the head, squeezed and pulled," Ben Blake told 9 News.

> The boy was attacked just days before his sixth birthday, his father said, but has been doing OK after his father and grandfather told him the snake was not venomous.

I don't know. The journalists think it is, at least somewhere. They could be wrong.

"Black Friday" = Friday, November 25th

> Among the countries where Amazon will face strikes and protests, according to UNI Global Union: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey and the U.K.

TL;DR

> When Brown University's baseball season starts in February, one of the players taking the field will make history. Olivia Pichardo, a first-year student from Queens, N.Y., will be first woman on the roster of a Division I college baseball team in the U.S.

> Pichardo walked on to Brown's team following tryouts and a grueling assessment process – during which she immediately impressed the head coach, demonstrating her abilities as an infielder, outfielder and pitcher.

> "It's a workout common for baseball and allows us to evaluate athleticism and arm strength, as well as both offensive and defensive skills," said Brown baseball head coach Grant Achilles. "Olivia put together the most complete walk-on tryout I have seen from a player since becoming a head coach."

Mmm gummy bears.

> When Jeff swims, he pulls Johnny. When Jeff runs, he pushes Johnny. And when Jeff bikes, he hauls his son.

> Their bond is as strong as iron — tempered by love.

> "I mean, I'm not a fan of swimming, biking or running, which is perfect for triathlon," Jeff told CBS News, laughing. "This probably wouldn't be in the top 100 things I would select to do. ... I'm not doing it because I love it. This is Johnny's dream and I'm giving him the legs and the power to do it."

Best part of their story to me.

Also "unharmed", thankfully.

Seemed insubstantial to me too.

The "popular drug" is escitalopram / Lexapro.

> In a way, Stine is in a sweet spot with his audience — his original fan base is now old enough to be sharing "Goosebumps" with their own kids. "You get old. That's a tough pill to swallow," he says. "Terrible. But what a thrill. I get to scare a lot of generations, don't I?"

I always enjoy hearing about parents passing down their love of anything to their children, but it's extra great when it comes to reading.

Yes, The Walking Dead: World Beyond.

That's meowtivational for future feline political opportunities.

I posted this there too. I felt a lot of dissonance to see a story that (I thought) would fit in both subs.