Optical Illusion Bike Lane Causes 59 Accidents by Falling

Don't fall for it! 'Optical illusion' cycle lane installed on busy high street has seen 59 people injured by falling in the last year

• The number of falling cyclists in Keynsham High Street, near Bristol, has risen
• Cyclists have blamed an 'optical illusion' caused by kerbs and painted white lines

Cyclists have blamed an 'optical illusion' cycle lane on a British high street for causing them to fall off and injure themselves.

Almost 60 people have been hurt after crashing on Keynsham High Street, near Bristol, since the new street layout was put in place last year.

Riders have blamed the similar appearance of the grey kerbs on one side and the white painted lines on the other for causing an 'optical illusion' that means the path looks level and catches out cyclists who aren't looking closely enough.

It has been revealed a total of 21 people have started personal injury actions against Bath and North East Somerset Council, which spent nine months installing the cycle lane.

And one local councillor has warned that if the situation does not improve, a cyclist could be fatally injured on the tricky section of road.

Dozens of bike riders have been injured after falling off on a new cycle lane in Keynsham, near Bristol

Cyclists say the 'optical illusion' lane is causing people to injure themselves as the kerb on one side and painted white lines are a similar colour

Alan Hale, a councillor for Keynsham South, said figures he had obtained through a freedom of information (FOI) request to the council showed that 59 people had been hurt.

Of these, 21 have sought damages from the council for their injuries, and although seven of these have been rejected the rest remain open and under investigation.

Mr Hale told Somerset Live he had been contacted about people falling 'since day one' but had simply been told by council officers that they were 'monitoring' the situation.

He said: 'There can be no other local authority in the country that has created a development that has succeeded in seriously injuring 59 people at least and have done nothing to address the situation. We are elected to make our community safe, not to inflict significant injuries.

'To make it safe we need the administration and officers to take positive action, not sit on their hands.'

Some work has been done on the cycle lane with the hope of reducing the number of falls. The lane, which had been plain tarmac, was painted red in August in response to - at that time - 46 incidents of people falling.

Mr Hale said: 'At my suggestion they changed the colour of the tarmacadam of the lane but that did not achieve a cessation in injuries, and since then there has been no further action, save the monitoring.'

A total of 21 cyclists have launched personal injury compensation claims against the council after their crashes

Bath and North East Somerset Council spent nine months installing the new cycle lane

Mr Hale has called for the cycle lane to be removed in the interests of public health and safety.

Some locals commented:

The post office - in a picture above - became a first aid point for people injured falling over the kerb. A reader personally saw a poor old man with his head covered in blood and severely shaken sitting on the bench outside the post office.

It's not just cyclists falling off their bikes, but pedestrians tripping and falling too.

A reader today saw a lady slip over the edge. it is a nightmare for the elderly It needs the edge of the curb highlighted in bright yellow

Lots of pedestrians injured themselves because the kerb height is at different levels along the High Street.

It's a trip hazard as in some places the "kerb" is level with the road/cycle track and others it's raised up to a couple of inches above it. It's just not been laid level!.

many people have had minor falls that have not been reported.

Its now a hazard for pedestrians from invisible steps

Escape from Egypt 🐪🗻 moment on the Coconut Whisperer: King Charles's coronation: Life-sized bust of monarch made from 17 litres of melted chocolate

 

King Charles's coronation: Life-sized bust of monarch made from 17 litres of melted chocolate

The chocolatey likeness features the uniform the King is expected to wear, with the epaulettes - a type of ornamental shoulder piece - embellished with Twix, Milky Way, Galaxy and Bounty Celebrations chocolates.

By Tom Gillespie, Sky News, Wednesday 26th April 2023

https://news.sky.com/story/king-charless-coronation-life-sized-bust-of-monarch-made-from-17-litres-of-melted-chocolate-12866230

Chocolatier Jennifer Lindsey-Clarke added the finishing touches to bust of King Charles III

There are many words people use to describe King Charles - honourable, empathetic, dignified, strong, and perhaps now "sweet".

In the days before his historic coronation at Westminster Abbey next week, a life-sized bust of the King has been made from more than 17 litres of melted Celebrations chocolates.

The sugary likeness weighs more than 23kg and took four weeks to create.

It was designed by a team of chocolatiers and model makers who carefully planned how to make the profile view of the King look as much like him as possible.

Different chocolates from the Celebrations confectionery brand have also been added to parts of the bust.

The team studied hours of footage of the King to capture his true likeness

The uniform Charles is expected to wear at the coronation is the same on the sculpture, with the epaulettes - a type of ornamental shoulder piece - embellished with Twix, Milky Way, Galaxy and Bounty Celebrations chocolates.

Maltesers Teasers have been used on the collar, with the medals on the chest of the bust featuring chocolates including Snickers.

The creation is set to go on display at the confectionery firm's headquarters in Slough

Chocolatier Jennifer Lindsey-Clarke constructed the creation, which was made using roughly 2,875 melted Celebrations chocolates.

"The team studied hours of footage of the King to capture his true likeness and the resemblance is uncanny," said Emily Owen, senior brand manager for Celebrations.

The sculpture will be on display at Mars Wrigley UK's headquarters in Slough.

🐪🗻🐪🗻🐪🗻🐪🗻🐪🗻🐪🗻🐪🗻🐪🗻🐪

🐪🗻 This has been an Escape From Egypt  moment on the Coconut Whisperer blog in honor of the former Escape from Egypt channel on the Disqus channel  network 2018-2019 with 34K followers and was the absolute weirdest, wackiest and strangest news channel ever on Disqus !🐪🗻

The easiest way to open a Coconut is to whisper it a joke & it will crack up with laughter

Please Recommend this page and follow us at 

https://disqus.com/home/forum/the-coconut-whisperer/

DUI Troubles: Driver tries to fool police, fails

Urine trouble now! Drugged-driver is caught by police with a 'Screeny Weeny' fake penis filled with 'clean' urine

• The 26-year-old motorist had been pulled over in the municipality of Suderholz, Germany
• A roadside blood test came back positive for cannabis

A drugged-up driver with a fake penis filled with artificial urine has been caught red-handed by police.

The 26-year-old motorist had been pulled over in the municipality of Suderholz in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, for a routine traffic stop on Friday, 21st April.

Officers believed the driver had been taking drugs and a roadside blood test came back positive for cannabis.

But when police searched the vehicle looking for drugs, it became clear that the driver had been hoping for a urine test.

Officers found a fake penis with a push-button trigger fixed to a mini bladder loaded with artificial urine.

Image shows the fake penis. A stoned driver, aged 26, was caught carrying it in his car in the Suederholz municipality, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State, Germany, on Friday, April 21, 2023

Under lab test conditions, fake urine comes back with the same results as pure undoped urine.

Police spokesman Marcel Opitz said in a statement obtained by Newsflash on Monday, 24th April: 'The officers were suspicious that he was under the influence of drugs and the test was positive.'

It is unclear whether the driver is facing additional penalties for trying to fool the testing procedure even though the bogus penis was never used.

The fake penis - known commercially as a Screeny Weeny - is made of silicon and has a small button that triggers the urine function.

Makers call it the world's best fake penis and the synthetic urine is kept in a thermal container in a special pair of pants, so it comes out warm.

Online searches reveal that there is also a version available for women and that they come with artificially created urine that is not distinguishable in the lab from the real thing, according to the seller.

Website kosmickitchen.eu which sells the product online, stated in the item's description: 'In terms of laboratory tests, the synthetic urine is the equivalent of healthy, drug-free human urine.

'The proprietary CleanUrin passes all conventional tests, such as Ratisbonne Adulteration, Adultacheck10, and Adulteration 7SL.'

In another case, driver Simon S., 49, was driving his Audi when he was stopped by cops in the state of Lower Saxony, in Germany, in November 2021.

After immediately noticing his 'dilated pupils, watery eyes and balance disorder', police officers took him to the station for a urine drug screen.

Simon S. then decided he would use an artificial penis to avoid losing his driver's license if he failed to provide a drug-free urine test.

But his scam failed after an officer noticed the 49-year-old man's fake manhood and reported him to his boss.

In the end, the judge banned him from driving for nine months while also handing him a EUR 900 (GBP 787) fine.

Israeli researchers develop drought-resistant tomatoes

Study by Hebrew University team finds that new tomato variety consumes less water while increasing its yield in extreme weather conditions.

Researchers at Hebrew University have succeeded in developing tomato varieties capable of producing a high yield even in extreme drought conditions.

The study, which was published in the journal PNAS, was led by doctoral student Shai Torgeman and Professor Dani Zamir from the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Hebrew University. Using an in-depth analysis, the researchers identified interactions between two regions of the tomato genome, leading to increased yield. They also found that the new tomato variety consumes less water, and even increases its yield in extreme weather conditions.

According to the researchers, the results prove the effectiveness in the use of wild species for the cultivation and improvement of plants in agriculture. The unique structure of the new population, which enables precise mapping of the genes in tomato and the identification of the mutual effects, has the potential for extensive application in other plants as well for the benefit of increasing future productivity.

Tomatoes grown in open field conditions need protection from pests, fertilization, and must be watered over time. However, severe water shortages around the world require alternative varieties and new cultivation methods that also guarantee adequate profits for farmers.

The researchers crossbred two types of tomato species – a wild tomato from the deserts of western Peru and the cultivated tomato – with the aim of identifying which regions of the genome affect important agricultural traits, such as yields. For over four years, DNA sequencing and extensive data analysis of 1,400 plants has been carried out in Professor Zamir’s lab to date.

"Studies of complex traits in plants, such as yield and resistance to drought conditions, have been based on significantly smaller populations of 200~ species,” explained Torgeman. “This makes it impossible to identify all the interactions (epistasis) between the genes, as well as their influence on important agricultural traits. In this study, we genetically crossed two different species of tomato, and proved that by used of larger population and a genetic map that includes thousands of markers, it is possible to identify areas in the genome that have interaction between them that increases the yield.”

Through the genetic analysis of the tomato varieties, the researchers were able to identify two regions in the genome of the wild species. Individually, each does not affect the crop, but when these genome regions appear together, there is a significant contribution to fertility even in dry conditions. The research findings revealed that the two regions on the different chromosomes resulted in a 20-50% increase in the overall tomato yield under irrigated conditions as well as in drought conditions.

Now, based on the published knowledge, we are cultivating new varieties with the aim of commercializing them on the food market," concluded Torgeman.

tomatoes

Sudan Evacuation Operations

How Britain's elite forces including SAS and Royal Marines rescued UK diplomats and their families from Sudan amid bloody conflict between the country's army and powerful paramilitary group

• Two dozen UK diplomats escaped from the capital of Khartoum earlier today  
• British soldiers accompanied the group on the 18-mile journey to the airfield

British special forces have successfully carried out a high-risk mission to rescue UK diplomats and their families who were trapped in Sudan amid a fierce conflict raging in the country.

Late last night, a team of elite British operatives from the Royal Marines, SAS and Royal Air Force flew into Khartoum aboard an American military aircraft. 

Once they landed, they got hold of several local vehicles and drove into the city.

They sought out around two dozen British diplomats and their families who were holed up an area of Khartoum located in between two warring factions vying for control of the capital. 

The location, near the epicentre of the conflict, proved challenging for the troops to reach and it was feared more soldiers and aircraft would be required for backup if the fighting was too intense.

A team of elite British soldiers flew into Khartoum  and evacuated around two dozen diplomats from the city

Despite this, the team managed to drive the group of around 30 people - including children - to an airfield 18 miles outside of the city, passing through multiple checkpoints.

Once there, they boarded two Royal Air Force transport planes which had arrived from a British military base in Cyprus and took them to safety in the early hours of this morning.

After landing in Khartoum last night, the British soldiers drove to the UK embassy,  which is situated in an area of the city ravaged by fighting.

During the day yesterday, around two dozen British diplomats and their family members had gathered together and awaited the troops' arrival, according to Sky News.

The group, which is estimated to consist of 30 adults and children, was then carefully extracted from the area and taken on the 18-mile journey to the airfield. 

In the event of any fighting or violence, UK defence planners had organised back-up troops and aircraft who, if in need, would move through the checkpoints with force and reach the diplomats.

If this were to happen, the soldiers already with the diplomats would attempt to protect them until further support arrived. 

However, there was little disruption to the journey, allowing the soldiers to drive the group to the airfield, where an aircraft was waiting for takeoff at around 9am UK time. 

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed today the operation to remove British Embassy staff from Sudan involved more than 1,200 personnel from the British Army, Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force (RAF).

This morning, UK Armed Forces undertook a military operation alongside the United States; France and other allies,' Mr Wallace said in a written statement.

'The operation involved more than 1,200 personnel from 16 Air Assault Brigade; the Royal Marines and the RAF. 

The Sudanese army had on Saturday said Britain was one of a number of nations, including the US and China, that it would be assisting to help remove its officials from the dangerous conditions in the country.

Prospects of airlifting people out of Sudan had been complicated by the fact most major airports have become battlegrounds and movement out of the capital has proven perilous.

US special forces evacuate nearly 100 diplomatic personnel from Sudan as African nation collapses into civil war

• The US military evacuated American diplomats and their families from Sudan 
• The operation, involving six aircraft, was carried out early Sunday morning 
• Other foreign nationals began evacuating from a port in Sudan on Saturday 

The US military evacuated American diplomats and their families from Sudan, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said early Sunday as fighting between rival commanders that has killed hundreds of civilians continued.

The operation, involving six aircraft, was carried out in coordination with the RSF, it said.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement: 'Today, at the direction of the President, the U.S. military conducted a successful operation to safely evacuate U.S. government personnel out of Sudan.'

'This action, led by U.S. Africa Command and conducted in close coordination with the U.S. State Department, demonstrates the Department of Defense's support for our nation's diplomatic personnel,' he added.

We also thank our allies and partners, including Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia, which were critical to the success of this operation.'

The bloody onslaught of urban warfare has trapped large numbers in the Sudanese capital, disabling the airport and rendering some roads impassable.

With the airport closed and skies unsafe, thousands of foreigners - including embassy staff, aid workers and students in Khartoum and elsewhere in Africa's third largest country - have also been unable to get out.

Saudi Arabia has evacuated Gulf citizens from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, 400 miles from Khartoum. Jordan will use the same route for its nationals.

The U.S. Embassy warned Americans that it could not assist convoys from Khartoum to Port Sudan and travel would be at individuals' own risk.

TV feeds showed a huge cloud of black smoke rising from Khartoum airport.

The White House has said it has no plans to evacuate the remaining 16,000 US citizens stuck in Sudan, even as it issued a travel advisory warning of 'armed conflict, civil unrest, crime, terrorism and kidnapping.'

Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state, made clear that they are not about to evacuate American citizens. She said they have been told for months not to travel there and to get out.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman briefed lawmakers on the fighting

Saudi Arabia, the first country to announce the evacuation of civilians, shared footage of Saudis and other foreign citizens from 'brotherly' nations being brought to safety by boat.

Saudi diplomats and nationals had first traveled by land to Port Sudan, the country's main seaport on the Red Sea. 

Saudi Arabia's official Al-Ikhbaryia TV channel shared footage of a boat used in the evacuation of Saudi citizens and other nationals from Sudan

The US Embassy in Sudan said it had 'incomplete information about significant convoys departing Khartoum traveling towards Port Sudan' and that the situation remained dangerous. 

'Traveling in any convoy is at your own risk,' it said.

Aerial view of black smoke rising above the Khartoum International Airport 

Two burning planes at Khartoum International Airport

The Sudanese army is battling powerful Russian-backed paramilitary forces in and around Khartoum.

Prospects of airlifting people out of Sudan have been complicated by the fact most major airports in the country have become battlegrounds.

The military launched strikes from fighter jets and drones at paramilitary positions in and around the capital

The country's medical system was on the verge of collapse, with many hospitals forced to shut down and others running out of supplies

Aid groups have been unable to deliver help to Sudan's overwhelmed hospitals. Hospitals in Khartoum are running dangerously low on medical supplies, often operating without power and clean water

Around 70 per cent of hospitals throughout the country are out of service because of the fighting, the Sudanese Doctors Syndicate said, adding that at least nine hospitals were bombed.

Fires can be seen burning at night after days of heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum

Destroyed military vehicles in southern Khartoum

Different countries have taken different approaches to rescuing citizens. 

Japan's defense ministry has positioned military transport aircraft in Djibouti to prepare for pulling 63 of its nationals out.

Germany reportedly sent three planes, only to abandon the rescue once they were on their way. 

Ties between Russia's shadowy Wagner group and the Sudanese military have been thrust into the spotlight. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as 'Hemedti' and leader of the powerful Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has strong ties to Wagner, which has been operating in Sudan since at least 2017 and has provided the RSF with weapons and training. In return, Wagner has allegedly been allowed to plunder Sudanese mines for gold worth billions.

The northern region of historic Sudan is predominantly Muslim and Arabic-speaking. South Sudan is mostly Christian or "folk religion".