There&#8217;s a lot of bull in the news these days, but here&#8217;s a story that&#8217;s actually true: On Wednesday in Nebraska, police pulled over a man for driving down a highway with a gigantic Watusi bull in his passenger seat.
WSAZ 3 <a href="https://www.wsaz.com/2023/08/31/video-police-pull-over-man-with-bull-riding-shotgun/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Norfolk Police Division received a call from a concerned driver about a farm animal in the passenger seat of a car on Highway 275. When authorities found the vehicle in question, the responding officers got more than they bargained for.
“The officers received a call referencing a car driving into town that had a cow in it,” Police Captain Chad Reiman told the local media outlet. “They thought that it was going to be a calf, something small or something that actually fit inside the vehicle.”
Instead, officers met &#8220;Howdy Doody&#8221; — the African bull owned by the driver, Lee Meyer.  The monstrous bovine can be seen here:
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Meanwhile in Nebraska&#8230; 
Police pulled over a man with a bull riding in the passenger’s seat. <a href="https://t.co/5kWanvn5UT">pic.twitter.com/5kWanvn5UT</a>
&mdash; Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) <a href="https://twitter.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1697221550812872840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2023</a></blockquote>
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It&#8217;s not the first time that Meyer has driven with the bull. During Neligh&#8217;s 2019 July 4th parade, Meyer drove what appears to be the same vehicle with the same passenger.
<div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AntelopeCountyNews/videos/681973515600744/" data-width="500" data-show-text="false">
<blockquote class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore" cite="https://www.facebook.com/AntelopeCountyNews/videos/681973515600744/">FAN FAVORITE: The kids went wild when Lee Meyer of Neligh drove his watusi named &#8220;Howdy Doody&#8221; on the parade route!
Posted by <a href="https://facebook.com/AntelopeCountyNews">Antelope County News</a> on Thursday, July 4, 2019</blockquote>
</div>
Wednesday, Meyer was let off with a warning.
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&#8220;There were some citable issues with that situation. The officer chose to write him a warning and ask him to take the animal back home and to leave the city,” Reiman told the press.
Watusi bulls weigh between 1,000 and 1,600 pounds and have a <a href="https://www.thefarmatwalnutcreek.com/animal/watusi-cattle/#:~:text=The%20Ankole%2DWatusi%20is%20medium,remain%20small%20for%20several%20months." target="_blank" rel="noopener">life expectancy</a> of 20 years.

Screenshot/WSAZ 3

WATCH: Police Pull Over Driver With Gigantic Bull In Passenger Seat

WATCH: Police Pull Over Driver With Gigantic Watusi Bull In Passenger Seat

Animals

Farming

Nebraska

Police

U.S.

A Japanese man who reportedly spent $14,000 on a collie dog costume to realize his dream of &#8220;becoming an animal&#8221; stepped out for his first walk in public wearing his new custom-made get-up.
&#8220;Toco,&#8221; as he is known online, shared a video last month of the outing on his YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@I_want_to_be_an_animal/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">channel</a>, which has more than 42,000 subscribers and is called &#8220;I want to be an animal.&#8221;
The YouTuber filmed himself playing on a lawn, rolling around on the street, playing fetch, and even playing with other dogs, all while dressed in his hyper-realistic dog disguise.
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Japanese man who identifies as a dog goes for a walk in public and enjoys being stroked by strangers. 
The man spent over $15,000 on a custom made realistic collie dog costume. 
Weird or cool? <a href="https://t.co/rifdAtp4Jo">pic.twitter.com/rifdAtp4Jo</a>
&mdash; Oli London (@OliLondonTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/OliLondonTV/status/1684860721731977216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“Do you remember your dreams from when you are little? You want to be a hero or a wizard,” Toco <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/28/toco-the-human-border-collie-steps-out-for-first-ever-walk-in-public/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in the video. “I remember writing in my grade school graduation book that I wanted to be a dog and walk outside.”
The viral video of the human &#8220;collie&#8217;s&#8221; outing has racked up six million views so far.
The detailed collie costume was manufactured by the company Zeppet, which said it took 40 days to make and cost about $14,161 or $2 million Yen.
Zeppet <a href="https://www.zeppet.com/ja/dn/?p=8377" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> detailed pictures of the collie costume on the company&#8217;s website.
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&#8220;At the request of a customer, we made a model of a dog suit,&#8221; Zeppet <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1381747/youtuber-who-spent-s14-000-to-transform-into-dog-takes-first-walk-in-public" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on its website. &#8220;Modeled after a collie, it reproduces the realistic appearance of a real, quadrupedal dog.&#8221;
In the video of the dog costume making its first public appearance, onlookers stare at Toco in the dog suit as they pass by on the busy street. Other dog owners even stop to take pictures with him and their dogs.
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Japanese content creator goes viral after fulfilling his dream of becoming an animal. 
Known as Toco, the man spent a reported 2,000,000 Japanese Yen on his border collie fursuit. <a href="https://t.co/vUnEH5ptZ2">pic.twitter.com/vUnEH5ptZ2</a>
&mdash; Pop Crave (@PopCrave) <a href="https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1685189022162030592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The video was filmed last year when he was interviewed by a German television station, Toco said in the caption.
&#8220;I became a collie, fulfilling a dream I had since I was a little child to be an animal!&#8221; Toco said in one of his other videos showing him in his collie costume.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve wanted to be an animal ever since I can remember,&#8221; the YouTuber said in one video posted in June of last year in which he answers several questions about his desire to be a collie.
In that video, he says he would like to go outside as a collie, but does not have the &#8220;courage&#8221; to do so yet.
He also says he decided on being a collie because that is his favorite breed and because collies are not too different in size from humans.
&#8220;Sometimes it is reported that I am tired of being human, but I have never said that,&#8221; he said in the video.
He acknowledges that his desire would likely be viewed as odd by people and says he usually hides it from his acquaintances.
&#8220;For example, if I told the people I work with that I wanted to be an animal and I became a collie, they would look at me funny wouldn&#8217;t they?&#8221; he said. &#8220;I feel a bit of inferiority complex about it so I rarely talk about it with others.&#8221;
&#8220;If anyone notices who I am, please don&#8217;t tell anyone around me!&#8221; he pleaded.

Collie

Man Who Spent $14k To Become Collie Goes For First Walk In Public

Gender

General

Japan

World

Over the last 50 years, federal bureaucrats have managed to recover only three percent of endangered species, despite the expansive authority, powers, and funding granted to them by the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
According to a new <a href="https://www.perc.org/2023/07/26/missing-the-mark/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the conservation nonprofit Property &amp; Environment Research Center (PERC), the lead agencies implementing the ESA, NOAA Fisheries and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), recovered only 57 out of the 1,732 domestic endangered species: or, 3.3%.
The success rate declined further when PERC reviewed recovery data for all listed species in addition to domestic: only 71 out of 2,378 endangered species under that classification recovered, or 2.6%.
FWS projected to recover — or, delist — 300 species by this year. Only 13 recovered according to FWS projections, while 44 had no recovery rate predicted: a 4% accuracy rate.
“This low recovery rate has raised questions about the act’s ability to motivate the actions needed to recover species to the point that they no longer need the law’s protections,” stated PERC.
The 3% success rate has cost American taxpayers billions. 2023 appropriations for EWA efforts <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2617/text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">totaled</a> over $167.9 million alone. (All searchable budgets dating back to 1983 located <a href="https://www.congress.gov/help/appropriations-and-budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>). That’s not including the pervasive “<a href="https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/115th-congress/house-report/1048/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sue and settle</a>” problem: in 2017, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-17-304.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> 141 lawsuits concerning missed ESA deadlines on issuing findings to list potential endangered species.
The House Committee on Natural Resources <a href="https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/115th-congress/house-report/1048/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in 2018 that attorneys fees have ranged over $2 million in those lawsuits, with 10 environmental advocacy groups accounting for 80% of the cases.
The <a href="https://www.fws.gov/law/endangered-species-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESA</a> — passed with bipartisan support in 1973, three years after the first Earth Day celebration — allows the federal government to issue protective measures for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife, and plants, such as preventing development of major public services like dams and pipelines, limit private property owners from using their land freely, and imposing <a href="https://www.fws.gov/laws/endangered-species-act/section-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">punishments</a> of hefty fines and imprisonment.
A PERC spokesperson told The Daily Wire in an email that the current recovery measures have proven burdensome and ineffective.
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“The Endangered Species Act should be guided by what’s best for helping species recover, and the poor recovery rate tells us that it’s falling short of its own goals,” said PERC. “As a former Fish and Wildlife Service administrator once <a href="https://reason.com/2023/02/10/save-endangered-species-from-environmental-regulations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lamented</a>, ‘The incentives are wrong here. If I have a rare metal on my property, its value goes up. But if a rare bird occupies the land, its value disappears.’ Addressing that disconnect may help more species recover and thrive.”
PERC added that two-thirds of endangered species are located on private lands: a fact that could be the key to far better recovery rates.
“Improving the incentives for private landowners to restore habitat and perform proactive recovery efforts is important for recovery outcomes, and something we will explore further in a future report,” said PERC.
PERC’s report also observed that 287 species have been on the endangered species list for years, even decades, past their projected recovery dates. PERC estimated that it would take FWS another 70 years to recover those 287 species based on the current recovery rate: about four species per year over the last decade.
This recent analysis of FWS data counters the FWS press release issued in February characterizing the agency’s ESA efforts as a success. The FWS <a href="https://www.doi.gov/blog/endangered-species-act-celebrating-50-years-success-wildlife-conservation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">credited</a> itself for preventing extinction of 99% of listed endangered species: one aspect of the ESA’s two-fold purpose. However, the FWS neglected to disclose the data concerning the other half of its two-fold purpose: its recovery rates.
As part of extinction prevention and recovery, the ESA directs FWS to implement recovery plans. PERC discovered that FWS made “little progress” on its recovery plans. Only six species had 75% or more of actions either fully or partially completed within their recovery plans. 1,025 species had less than 25% of actions either fully or partially completed within their recovery plans.
The lack of recovery plan progress doesn’t correspond with how long a species has been listed as endangered. In fact, PERC found that more than 90% of species listed as endangered for 30 or more years had either fully or partially completed less than 25% of recovery objectives: an average of 10% completion.
It appears the FWS recovery plans don’t translate to recovery rates. The 3% of recovered species, on average, had about 28% of their recovery plan objectives completed when they recovered.
“This suggests that, in addition to the Fish and Wildlife Service making little progress on the actions it has identified in recovery plans, those actions may not capture what is most important for effective species recovery,” stated PERC. “It may also imply that species are often recovering for reasons unrelated to the agency’s recovery efforts.”
The PERC report comes out several weeks after the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held an <a href="https://naturalresources.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=414616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oversight</a> hearing on the ESA. The chairman, Arkansas Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman, declared that the ESA was in severe need of reform due to abuses that resulted in growth of bureaucratic power — especially under the Biden administration. The committee launched an ESA working group to study the act and propose reforms.
“This continues to this day under the Biden administration, which has misused the ESA and has stifled everything from forest management to future energy production through burdensome ESA regulations,” said Westerman.
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PERC’s report includes a dashboard detailing the recovery data of all endangered species.

Seals

Bureaucrats Recovered Only 3 Percent Of Endangered Species Under 50 Years Of Endangered Species Act

Environment

Federal Government

Come for Morning Wire’s Afternoon Update’s straight news, but stay for the Rapid Reactions. The following five stories, and more, can be heard on today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update podcast. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/biden-administration-appeal-twitter-threatens-legal-action-afternoon-update-7-6-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to listen</a>. 
1. House Speaker Raises Prospect Of Impeachment Inquiry
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) doubled down on his claims on Tuesday that the Republican-controlled chamber is moving closer toward an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. The Speaker says the inquiry would surround allegations that he accepted millions of dollars in bribes from foreign countries.
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🚨JUST IN: Speaker Kevin McCarthy doubles down on his calls for Congress to begin an impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden: 
&quot;It&#39;s giving Congress the full power to get the information they need. It&#39;s the way people should go about investigating.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Shsn7iBOgE">pic.twitter.com/Shsn7iBOgE</a>
&mdash; Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1683902452595310593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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McCarthy’s remarks come after Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/investigators-obtain-biden-financial-records-showing-transactions-from-ukraine-and-russia-oversight-chairman">released</a> an FBI-generated form last week in which a confidential source told the FBI that Burisma co-founder and CEO Mykola Zlochevsky claimed that he was “coerced” by the Bidens into paying millions of dollars in bribes. In exchange, the then-vice president pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor who was investigating Burisma.
Rapid Reaction: Putting together as strong a case as possible is a wise plan, but at this point, what else does Congress need to begin impeachment proceedings? As The Babylon Bee satirically said, &#8220;McCarthy Says 783rd Impeachable Offense By Biden Will Be The Last Straw.&#8221;
Americans, and more specifically the GOP base, are getting tired of an apparent &#8220;All Talk, No Action&#8221; attitude. However, in this instance, McCarthy and the House Oversight Chairman deserve credit for pursuing this matter.
Yet as The Heritage Foundation&#8217;s Mike Howell said, &#8220;The goal here is the de-weaponization of government, not just exposure, and Congress’ efforts will be judged by that standard.&#8221; It&#8217;s a good standard.
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2. Major Democratic Donor Bought Hunter&#8217;s Artwork
The art gallery where Hunter Biden’s paintings are featured sold one of his works to a top Democratic donor who is a “friend” of the Biden family and was, according to a new report, named by President Biden to a prestigious commission.
L.A. real estate investor Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, who has given tens of thousands of dollars to the political Left, is one of the buyers of Hunter Biden’s artwork. Several months after Hunter’s art went on sale, the president appointed Naftali to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. In addition, according to The Washington Free Beacon, she has visited the White House 13 times, including a meeting with a top White House adviser. The date of her purchase is unclear, though the appointment and all of her White House visits took place after Hunter’s first art show. The White House has maintained that there is a wall between Hunter’s art sales and his father.
Rapid Reaction: The American people aren&#8217;t dumb, but the White House is arrogant. Everybody could see that the White House&#8217;s &#8220;wall&#8221; between Hunter and his dad was bogus. It&#8217;s almost comical that anybody would ever expect Hunter to not benefit primarily from Democratic donors or others trying to curry favor with the president.
Total speculation, but isn&#8217;t the following scenario conceivable: A Democratic donor, or a Chinese official for that matter, pays big bucks for a Hunter original. The buyer&#8217;s name is kept a secret. That buyer hangs it up in their McClean, Virginia, dining room. They then have a dinner party that the hoi polloi like you and I would never get invited to. Swamp creatures see Hunter&#8217;s artwork hanging on the wall, and voila, word gets back to Biden and his dad the identity of the individual who shelled out thousands to his son, and the buyer is then rewarded with certain benefits.
And that would be the complicated version of how the grift works.
3. Biden&#8217;s Dog Goes On Chomping Spree — Again!
President Biden’s German Shepherd “Commander” bit seven people in four months from September 2022 to January 2023. According to the New York Post, one secret service agent was even hospitalized due to the attacks. The president’s previous dog “Major” was also sent away because he, too, kept biting people.
Rapid Reaction: Bad dog or bad owners? Read more <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bad-dog-or-bad-owner-bidens-dog-cant-stop-biting-people-records-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
4. India Bans Rice Exports, Panic In The U.S. Ensues
The country of India <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12331565/Indias-rice-export-ban-triggers-panic-buying-supermarkets-sparking-costs-20-pound-bag-soar-16-50.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> the export of non-basmati rice last Thursday, triggering a panic around the U.S. as shoppers rushed out to buy rice. American Indian-owned grocery stores and markets experienced much of the increased demand, and in turn, prices for 20-pound bags of rice skyrocketed from $16 to nearly $50, with lines around the block. India invoked the ban as an attempt to slow down runaway food inflation.
Rapid Reaction: India&#8217;s leaders are putting India First; it would be nice to have a president who wants to put America First.
5. NFL Player Suspended For Gambling
A <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-suspends-broncos-eyioma-uwazurike-indefinitely-for-gambling-violation-isaiah-wilson-also-suspended/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defensive end</a> for the Denver Broncos has been suspended indefinitely for breaking NFL rules regarding gambling. The league announced Monday that Eyioma Uwazurike bet on NFL games during the 2022 season. Uwazurike played in eight games last season and was expected to push for more playing time this season.
Rapid Reaction: So long as he was betting on his teams to win, is this really so unethical?
To listen to the audio version of Afternoon Update, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-wire/id1576594336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

Joe Biden

Rapid Reaction: Both Biden And His Pup Are In The Dog House

Impeachment

India

Kevin McCarthy

Morning Wire

Podcast

It was once said that there are no such things as bad dogs, only bad owners. That sentiment could help explain why President Joe Biden&#8217;s dogs can&#8217;t stop biting people.
On Tuesday, The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/25/biden-dog-commander-bit-or-threatened-10-people-sent-one-to-hospital/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Biden&#8217;s dog &#8220;Commander&#8221; went on a chomping spree and bit seven people in the four-month period from September 2022 to January 2023. In one ghastly situation, Commander reportedly sent a Secret Service agent to the hospital. Commander, of course, was the dog that the Bidens brought in as the replacement dog for &#8220;Major,&#8221; who was also known for sinking his fangs into members of Biden&#8217;s staff.
The report, compiled with information from Judicial Watch, offers a damning glimpse into the sort of people that the Bidens are.
“These shocking records raise fundamental questions about President Biden and the Secret Service,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said to The Post.
“This is a special sort of craziness and corruption where a president would allow his dog to repeatedly attack and bite Secret Service and White House personnel. And rather than protect its agents, the Secret Service tried to illegally hide documents about the abuse of its agents and officers by the Biden family,” he added.
According to records, one Secret Service agent commented, &#8220;What a joke … if it wasn’t their dog he would already have been put down – freaking clown needs a muzzle,&#8221; after his colleague was bitten on the arm and leg.
As for Biden being a bad owner, readers might remember that time in December 2020 when Biden admitted to trying to chase around and pull the tail of Major while in a bath towel. He made the confession because he hurt his foot in the process.
&#8220;What happened was I got out of the shower. I got a dog and anybody who’s been around my house knows — dropped, little pup dropped a ball in front of me. And for me to grab the ball,&#8221; Biden <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/12/03/biden-says-he-broke-foot-after-shower-when-he-pulled-dogs-tail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN. &#8220;And I’m walking through this little alleyway to get to the bedroom. And I grabbed the ball like this and he ran. And I’m joking, running after him and grab his tail. And what happened was that he slid on a throw rug. And I tripped on the rug he slid on. That’s what happened. Oh man, not a very exciting story.&#8221;
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It&#8217;s not a very exciting story, but it is a weird one. Come to think of it, it sounds more like abuse than anything else. Who pulls a dog&#8217;s tail?
Mike Davis of The Article Three Project aptly summarized the current state of Biden&#8217;s White House:
&#8220;1. 53-year-old loser son and foreign-corruption bagman is frequent overnight guest 2. But refuse to acknowledge 4-year-old granddaughter 3. Allow untrained dogs to repeatedly attack federal workers,&#8221; he tweeted.
&#8220;The Bidens are trash,&#8221; he said bluntly.
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Joe and Jill Biden&#39;s White House:
1. 53-year-old loser son and foreign-corruption bagman is frequent overnight guest
2. But refuse to acknowledge 4-year-old granddaughter
3. Allow untrained dogs to repeatedly attack federal workers
The Bidens are trash<a href="https://t.co/xJ80wK3SHk">https://t.co/xJ80wK3SHk</a>
&mdash; 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrddmia/status/1683854416749662208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden, look at their new dog Commander, after speaking virtually with military service members to thank them for their service and wish them a Merry Christmas, from the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 25, 2021.

Bad Dog, Or Bad Owner? Biden’s Dog Can’t Stop Biting People, Records Show

Bad Dog, Or Bad Owner? Biden's Dog Can't Stop Biting People, Records Show

Dogs

Drugs

Executive

Politics

Secret Service

White House

A baby girl was rescued by a stray dog that located her in a garbage can after the child was abandoned by someone in the town of Tripoli, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lebanon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lebanon</a>, and her condition is listed as serious, but stable.
The dog was spotted carrying a black trash bag the animal found in the garbage outside a municipal building in the country&#8217;s city on Wednesday, the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2023/07/19/tripoli-baby-found-in-bin-bag-being-carried-by-stray-dog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National</a> reported.
A passerby saw the dog and then heard cries coming from the garbage bag being held in the dog&#8217;s mouth. The person found the baby inside the bag, and took her to a nearby hospital before she was transferred to the Tripoli Government Hospital, the outlet noted.
The hospital hasn&#8217;t provided new information about the little girl, due to the start of the Islamic New Year, after local media described her condition as serious but stable.
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⚠️ Distressing Story: 
A baby has been miraculously rescued by a stray dog after being pulled out of a trash can. 
The incident happened in Tripoli, Lebanon and a passer by heard the baby crying as the dog was lifting her out of the trash. 
The passer by was able to get the… <a href="https://t.co/anuJBtMJic">pic.twitter.com/anuJBtMJic</a>
&mdash; Oli London (@OliLondonTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/OliLondonTV/status/1682016423906779143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Ghassan Rifi, a journalist in Tripoli, questioned the intentions of the person who abandoned the baby.
&#8220;It was not known whether the &#8216;wild lady&#8217; who threw the child and fled to an unknown destination had intended to throw her in the area so that the dogs would finish her off and eat her corpse or to draw attention to her,&#8221; Rifi wrote online in Arabic, the outlet noted.
&#8220;But in all cases, the dog that dragged her was more humane in the face of the brutality and criminality of the one who threw her,&#8221; the journalist added.
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The comments were echoed by others on social media after pictures of the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/20/baby-carried-to-safety-by-stray-dog-after-being-abandoned-in-trash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">child surfaced</a> online with the infant having abrasions and bruises across her body and face.
&#8220;Animals have more compassion than humans,&#8221; one person tweeted.
Another wrote, &#8220;The dog has much more humanity, kindness, cunning, and intelligence than some satanic mutants in human form.&#8221;
While another added, &#8220;Some say that the dog is an unclean animal and, of course, this is not true.&#8221;
There have been conflicting reports as to how old the child is, with speculation ranging from her being barley born to being as old as four-months, the outlet noted.
Police say they are investigating and looking for the individual who abandoned the child.

Baby Feet

Baby Rescued By Stray Dog After Being Abandoned In Trash

Children

Lebanon

A woman in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/south-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Carolina</a> was killed in an alligator attack this week while walking her dog near a golf course, according to local officials.
The woman was killed in the Spanish Wells neighborhood of Hilton Head Island early Tuesday morning.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Spanish Wells security personnel responded to a call about a possible alligator attack near a lagoon bordering the golf course.
The &#8220;69-year-old resident of the community was found at the edge of the lagoon and appeared to be unresponsive,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;Rescue efforts were made and an alligator appeared and was guarding the woman, interrupting emergency efforts. The gator was safely removed from the area and the woman’s body was recovered.&#8221;
The woman was reportedly walking her dog when the attack happened, officials said. They said that this was the second fatal attack that they&#8217;ve had to deal with this year.
Last August, an 88-year-old South Carolina woman fell into a pond while gardening and was killed by a nearly 10-foot alligator that then appeared to stand guard by its prey, authorities said.
The body of Nancy Becker was recovered from the pond just after noon Monday in a pond inside Sun City Hilton Head, a gated adult community in the Palmetto State. Her death is the fourth alligator attack death of the year in the U.S. and the second in South Carolina.
“The alligator was basically holding her hostage, I guess — I don’t know what the appropriate term would be,” Maj. Angela Viens, a Beaufort County sheriff’s spokeswoman, said in an interview, reported NBC News. “It was guarding her and did not want people close by.”
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Fully-grown American <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/american-alligator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alligators</a> can be up to 15 feet long and weigh up to 1,000 pounds.
American Alligators, while dangerous, pose less risk to humans than large crocodiles like the Nile Crocodile in Africa and the Saltwater Crocodile found in Asia and Australia.
Saltwater crocodiles are the largest crocodile species in the world, with full-grown males able to grow up to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7492839/The-biggest-crocodile-caught-Australia-shot-Polish-woman-Krystyna-Pawlowski.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">28 feet</a> and weigh roughly 2,500 pounds. They are <a href="https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/deadliest-animals-to-humans/#:~:text=Saltwater%20crocodile%20(Crocodylus%20porosus)&amp;text=Crocodiles%20as%20a%20group%20are,to%20see%20humans%20as%20prey." target="_blank" rel="noopener">responsible</a> for killing 1,000 people per year.
Greg Wilson contributed to this report.

The Ferocious Gator

South Carolina Woman Killed In Apparent Alligator Attack

Death

South Carolina

The United States Department of Agriculture <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cultivated-meat-lab-grown-cell-based-a88ab8e0241712b501aa191cdbf6b39a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> Wednesday it approved the sale of “lab-grown” meat for commercial sale.
Two California companies, Good Meat and Upside Foods, are now approved to sell chicken created from animal cells in the United States. The decision makes the U.S. only the second country in the world to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/21/us-approves-sale-of-cell-cultured-chicken-to-two-start-ups.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allow</a> the commercial sale of lab-grown meat, which is also referred to as “cultured” and “cell-cultivated” meat.
“This announcement that we’re now able to produce and sell cultivated meat in the United States is a major moment for our company, the industry and the food system,” Josh Tetrick, the CEO of Good Meat’s parent company, said in a statement. 
The FDA has already given the green light for lab-grown meat for the two companies, and the approval by the USDA means it can now be sold commercially, though the companies will not be bringing it to grocery stores yet due to high production costs. Just one other country, Singapore, allows the legal sale of lab-grown meat, while in March, Italy moved to ban the sale of it to protect its food heritage, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65110744" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the BBC. 
The lab product will be labeled as “cell-cultivated chicken,” CNBC notes. The companies argue that lab-grown meat is a more environmentally sustainable option than animals from farms and ranches. 
&#8220;GOOD Meat is real meat, made without tearing down a forest or taking a life. We’re the first and only company in the world to sell cultivated meat made from cells instead of slaughtered animals,&#8221; Good Meat says on its <a href="https://www.goodmeat.co/newsroom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>.
“This approval will fundamentally change how meat makes it to our table,” Uma Valeti, CEO of Upside Foods, said. “It’s a giant step forward towards a more sustainable future — one that preserves choice and life.”
These statements come despite a <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/lab-grown-meat-carbon-footprint-worse-beef" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preprint</a> study published in May, which hasn’t been peer-reviewed, that found lab-grown meat may actually be worse for the environment than regular meat.
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“If companies are having to purify growth media to pharmaceutical levels, it uses more resources, which then increases global warming potential,” lead author Derrick Risner from UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology said. “If this product continues to be produced using the ‘pharma’ approach, it’s going to be worse for the environment and more expensive than conventional beef production.”
Lab-grown meat, which is not vegetarian, is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lab-grown-meat-moves-forward" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cultivated</a> from animal cells, which Valeti says are “like a starter dough.” The cells are incubated and grown into masses of meat in steel tanks, then cut and made to look like traditional meat, <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/usda-approves-first-lab-grown-meat-sold-public" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox Business. The product will reportedly cost upwards of $20 per pound when it comes to stores. Lab-grown meat is not the same as plant-based “meat” products, such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.
Initially, two restaurants have partnered with the companies to serve the lab-grown food: Bar Crenn, a Japanese-style restaurant in San Francisco, will be serving the lab-grown meat from Upside Foods, and Good Meat’s product will be sold at a Washington, D.C., restaurant, according to the Associated Press.

Fried Chicken

USDA Approves Sale Of ‘Lab-Grown’ Meat

Food

USDA

A South Florida town is under quarantine to eradicate invasive giant African land snails that can grow up to eight inches long and are a danger to agriculture, infrastructure, and even humans.
The slugs were detected earlier this month in Broward County’s Miramar community, with the quarantine being <a href="https://www.fdacs.gov/News-Events/Press-Releases/2023-Press-Releases/Giant-African-Land-Snail-Quarantine-Established-in-Broward-County">ordered</a> on Tuesday by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. 
According to the department, they are “one of the most damaging snails in the world, consuming at least 500 different types of plants” and <a href="https://www.foxweather.com/lifestyle/land-bug-watch-pest-fl-lissachatina-fulica">posing</a> a significant risk to the Sunshine State’s $8 billion agriculture industry. They can also <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12219023/South-Florida-community-ordered-quarantine-amid-invasive-giant-African-snails-infestation.html">chew</a> through stucco, plastic, recycling bins, and street signs, and their shells can blow out tires.
The snails also pose a significant health risk to humans. They <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/20/us/giant-african-land-snails-quarantine-broward-county-florida/index.html">carry</a> a parasite called <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/angiostrongylus/">rat lungworm</a>, which can cause meningitis in humans. The disease <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/parasitic.html">causes</a> membranes in the brain and spinal cord to swell, and parasitic meningitis can infect the eyes, leading to paralysis, coma, or death in serious cases. There is no treatment for this type of meningitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Under the quarantine order, it is illegal to move the snails or “plants, plant parts, plants in soil, soil, yard waste, debris, compost or building materials, within, through or from the defined quarantine area without a compliance agreement.”
The state’s Department of Agriculture is attempting to eradicate the problem using snail bait and a pesticide, which is safe for local plants. 
The snails are native to eastern Africa, and it is unclear how they arrived in Broward County. Authorities have tied the worldwide spread to the pet trade, and it is possible that someone brought snails to the U.S. as a pet, according to The Daily Mail. The importation of the giant African land snail into the country is <a href="https://www.fdacs.gov/News-Events/Press-Releases/2023-Press-Releases/Giant-African-Land-Snail-Quarantine-Established-in-Broward-County">illegal</a> without a permit.
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The last sighting of these snails in Florida was in 2022 when more than 1,000 were seen north of Tampa. An eradication effort that began in the 1960s took at least ten years to complete and cost more than $1 million.

US-SCIENCE-HEALTH-ENVIRONMENT-SNAILS

Florida Town Quarantined To Eradicate Snails From Hell

Disasters

Disease

Florida

Quarantine

A male <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beluga-whale-alleged-be-russian-spy-appears-have-ashe-schow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">beluga suspected of being trained to be a Russian spy</a> reappeared off the coast of a yet another country, according to a group that tracks the whale.
Hvaldimir, as the whale is known, swam around <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/norway" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Norway</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isrg8IGi4qs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed up</a> in the waters of neighboring <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sweden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sweden</a> where local authorities are helping to look after the creature, the OneWhale organization <a href="https://www.kron4.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/636386619/sweden-takes-swift-action-upon-arrival-of-world-famous-spy-whale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced in a statement</a> Monday.
“After four years of swimming south down the coast of Norway, Hvaldimir – known worldwide as the ‘Russian spy’ beluga whale – is now in Swedish waters,” the group said.
The whale first made headlines in 2019 when it was spotted in Norwegian waters wearing a harness with GoPro camera mounts and clips that said, &#8220;Equipment off St Petersburg,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/30/europe/russian-spy-whale-sweden-scli-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>.
Norwegian intelligence officials conducted an investigation and told <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65753749" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the BBC</a> the whale was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/norwegians-found-beluga-whale-harness-now-they-ashe-schow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">likely trained by the Russian military</a>. Russia&#8217;s Defense Ministry has denied the existence of programs to train sea mammals for surveillance purposes, even though <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/30/beluga-spy-whale-hvaldimir-sweden-norway/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post notes</a> that it published an advertisement several years back seeking to recruit dolphins.
In the years since Hvaldimir showed up in Norwegian waters, the beluga has become a local celebrity. As reported by the BBC, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65753749" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hvaldimir&#8217;s name</a> combines the Norwegian word for whale, &#8220;hval,&#8221; and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
OneWhale <a href="https://www.onewhale.org/home/?_gl=1*us179h*_gcl_au*MTg3MDY0OTEzOC4xNjg1NTU0NjM1#meethvaldimir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says on its website</a> that Hvaldimir likes to hang around industrial salmon farms, but a &#8220;dramatic&#8221; increase in unregulated tourism aimed at the whale has led to the creature being injured by boat propellers and fishing hooks.
Hvaldimir &#8220;is a friendly, tamed, displaced, formerly captive whale who relies on humans for social interaction. Belugas are highly social whales and he has been living all alone the past four years,&#8221; the group said in its Monday statement.
Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist with OneWhale, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/29/suspected-russia-trained-spy-whale-reappears-off-swedens-coast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Guardian</a> that Hvaldimir, who is believed to be between 13 and 14 years old, is at an age where hormones are &#8220;very high&#8221; and therefore the whale may be searching for other belugas.
Now, according to the OneWhale, there are plans to move the whale north to arctic waters and the group is working with the Norwegian port city of Hammerfest to create a reserve to hold Hvaldimir until he can be released back into a wild beluga population.
“Hvaldimir’s situation remains an extremely vulnerable one as Sweden is a highly populated country, but we are very grateful Swedish authorities have quickly taken action to care for the whale,&#8221; said OneWhale President Rich German.

Beluga whale tale

Suspected Russian Spy Whale Spotted Near Coast Of Sweden

Russia

Spying

Sweden

An apex predator is an animal that has no natural predators and sits at the top of their food chain. Animals that qualify are lions, bears, crocodiles, giant constrictor snakes, wolves, sharks, and, of course, humans (unless they get attacked by any one of those other apex predators).
Another animal at the top of its food chain is the orca, also known as the killer whale. They can grow to 26 feet and weigh up to 22,000 pounds, have a maximum speed of 35 mph, live 90 years or more and have a bite force of 19,000 psi (nearly five times that of a great white shark) with 56 three-inch-long teeth.
And they&#8217;re smart: &#8220;Orcas are some of the most sophisticated pack hunters in the world,&#8221; one website <a href="https://a-z-animals.com/blog/orca-vs-great-white-who-is-the-superior-predator/">wrote</a>. &#8220;With their advanced communicative abilities, orcas put other well-known predators that hunt in groups to shame. A pod of orcas can coordinate complicated strategies to isolate, ambush, and disorient prey to ensure an easy kill.&#8221;
Now, apparently, they&#8217;re coming after us. Reports have emerged that orcas are attacking boats, like this one in the Strait of Gibraltar.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Orcas normally never attack boats It is assumed that an Orca was sliced by a ship a few years ago and in excruciating agony attacked the boat Other Orcas were watching and learned to view these boats as a threat and to attack Do not blame the Orcas <a href="https://t.co/SF9wLbmX5M">https://t.co/SF9wLbmX5M</a>
&mdash; GO GREEN (@ECOWARRIORSS) <a href="https://twitter.com/ECOWARRIORSS/status/1662822263215751168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Several reports say a killer whale called Gladis is teaching other orcas to attack yachts and has already struck three boats, sinking two of them. &#8220;Researchers believe that a female orca called White Gladis is seeking revenge after being traumatised by a collision with a boat, or being trapped in illegal fishing nets,&#8221; one report said.
Gladis&#8217; attacks are being copied by younger whales. “A clearly larger matriarch was definitely around and was almost supervising,” Stephen Bidwell, whose boat was attacked by a pod of orcas, <a href="https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fworld-news%2F2023%2F05%2F23%2Fkiller-whale-gladis-gang-orcas-sinking-yachts-gibraltar%2F">told</a> the Telegraph.
“It’s an experience I will never forget,” Bidwell said. &#8220;I kept reminding myself we had a 22-ton boat made of steel, but seeing three of them coming at once, quickly and at pace with their fins out of the water was daunting.”
The attack lasted for more than an hour.
Another hour-long attack left boater April Boyes, 31, in shock — and she captured it all on video.
Boyes said her four-person crew on the 66-foot-long sailboat saw a pod of orcas and turned off the boat&#8217;s engine, but the whales began ramming the rudder and smashing into the hull, Yahoo <a href="https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/video/sailing-crew-rescued-orcas-attack-160600870.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKJaJ7dH89kx5rCBIt59bt9ponbgWUPfSUJsAJ5LlEhtHG95TIBl-2gs30RKb-SI-IFPBQV4AjnyVZMJ4Vvaii0JzWOiViSRlG6i5i_jQ9n9fHalYcZor-KruZco76laLSk0Vv1ac8N_5XWz_W-RsiQb_Zp7dDmP9JFhgtvkGzIW">reported</a>. The crew, again traveling through the Strait of Gibraltar, had to call Spanish authorities, who towed the badly damaged boat back to port.
&#8220;What started off as a seemingly unique encounter ended with orcas breaking off our rudder from the boat, then proceeding to tear bits off the boat for an hour,&#8221; Boyes said.
&#8220;A huge hole in the hull meant we had water ingress to other parts of the boat and the engine room and I can honestly say it was a scary experience. We are all safe, I&#8217;m feeling grateful for the coast guard,&#8221; she said.
A pod of three orcas also attacked and sank another sailboat, breaking its its rudder and piercing its hull. Captain Werner Schaufelberger said he saw the two smaller whales imitating the ramming tactic of the largest orca, the Telegraph reported.
&#8220;The little ones shook the rudder at the back while the big one repeatedly backed up and rammed the ship with full force from the side,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The two little orcas observed the bigger one&#8217;s technique and – with a slight run-up – they, too, slammed into the boat.&#8221;
In all, hundreds of incidents between orcas and boats off the coast of Spain have occurred since May 2020, but most have been minor. Now, orcas have learned how to badly damage boats, even sink them.
Marine biologist Alfredo Lopez Fernandez <a href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/orcas/orcas-have-sunk-3-boats-in-europe-and-appear-to-be-teaching-others-to-do-the-same-but-why">told</a> Live Science that Gladis suffered a &#8220;critical moment of agony.&#8221; &#8220;That traumatized orca is the one that started this behavior of physical contact with the boat,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;We do not interpret that the orcas are teaching the young, although the behavior has spread to the young vertically, simply by imitation, and later horizontally among them, because they consider it something important in their lives,&#8221; Fernandez added.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Viewing Orcas in Strait of Juan de Fuca

Tales Of Ahab: Killer Whales Are Now Ramming, Sinking Boats

Nature

wildlife

A 23-year-old man lost his arm at the start of the week in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida</a> after being attacked by an alligator in Port Charlotte, according to local officials.
The nearly 11-foot alligator, which was later killed, attacked Jordan Rivera around 1 a.m. on Sunday near a pond just outside of the Banditos Bar.
CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-loses-arm-alligator-attack-outside-florida-bar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Rivera was flown by helicopter to Gulf Coast Medical Center where his arm was amputated due to the severity of the injury he suffered.
The Daily Sun reported that a man inside the bar heard the attack happening outside when he sprang into action and helped get Rivera out of the water.
&#8220;He was yelling and swimming toward the shoreline,&#8221; Hidalgo <a href="https://www.yoursun.com/man-loses-arm-to-alligator-in-late-night-attack/article_12ba48f2-f83d-11ed-ad84-abad2cd59783.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;I ran and dragged him up onto the sand. I was scared to get close to the water because it was dark out.&#8221;
&#8220;I was scared for sure,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He was a pretty big guy. I&#8217;m not sure how I did it. I guess my adrenaline kicked in … I don&#8217;t know if it was a mama gator trying to save her young, or a daddy gator trying to feed his family &#8230; but the guy was very lucky.&#8221;
“I didn’t lose my life, I lost an arm, it’s not the end of the world,” Rivera told a news outlet.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says that while alligators are still on the federal endangered species list, they can still easily be found all over the state.
“Alligators occur in all 67 counties in Florida and can be found in practically all fresh and brackish water bodies and occasionally in salt water,” the state agency said. “Although exact population figures are not known, Florida has a healthy and stable population of about 1.3 million alligators of every size. This population estimate is based on an estimated 6.7 million acres of suitable habitat.”
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It is illegal to feed alligators because feeding them teaches them to associate food with humans and thus causes them to lose their fear of people. Despite their numbers in the state, attacks on people remain relatively rare as they prefer to only attack prey that they can easily overpower.
Fully-grown American <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/american-alligator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alligators</a> can be up to 15 feet long and weigh up to 1,000 pounds.
There have been fewer than 450 <a href="https://myfwc.com/media/1776/human-alligatorincidentfactsheet.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recorded</a> alligator attacks in Florida since 1948, with a couple dozen resulting in death.

Memphis Zoo Animals

Florida Man Loses Arm To An Alligator Attack: ‘It’s Not The End Of The World’

Florida Man Loses Arm To An Alligator Attack: 'It's Not The End Of The World'

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