Thousands of Snow Geese Fall Dead from Sky in Idaho

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Avian cholera is suspected in the deaths of at least 2,000 snow geese that fell dead from the sky in Idaho while migrating to nesting grounds on the northern coast of Alaska, wildlife managers said Monday.

Dozens of Idaho Department of Fish and Game workers and volunteers at the weekend retrieved and incinerated carcasses of snow geese found near bodies of water and a wildlife management area in the eastern part of the state, said agency spokesman Gregg Losinski.

Avian cholera is believed to be the culprit in the deaths mostly because of the way the birds died, he said.

“Basically, they just fell out of the sky,” said Losinski.

He said biologists were awaiting results from a state wildlife lab to confirm the birds died of the highly contagious disease, which is caused by bacteria that can survive in soil and water for up to four months. (Read more from “Thousands of Snow Geese Fall Dead from Sky in Idaho” HERE)

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Watch: President Obama Reads Mean Tweets About Himself on Jimmy Kimmel Live

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President Obama appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live and spoke about Ferguson, Area 51, and other such talk show silliness.

But the clear highlight of his appearance was when he took part in Kimmel’s recurring bit in which Celebrities read mean tweets about themselves.

The tweets made fun of the President’s gray hair, his general terribleness, and the “Thanks, Obama!” meme. (Read more from “Watch: President Obama Reads Mean Tweets About Himself on Jimmy Kimmel Live” HERE)

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Woman Gets Terrifying Surprise When She Notices Something Odd about Her Banana

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Maria Layton, 43, mum of Siri, aged six and Phoebe aged three, made the frightening discovery after opening the bag of bananas bought from Tesco.

The Tesco bananas were exported from Costa Rica – home of the world’s most dangerous spider – the Brazilian Wandering Spider aka Banana Spiders whose Greek name means “murderess” . . .

Maria, of Westbury-on-Trym, said:” My husband bought the bananas from Tesco. They had been in the house a whole day before I ripped the bag open.

“Siri asked for a banana. The first banana had a funny bit on it, so I got another one for her and that was when I found the massive spider cocoon.”

“There was spider web on the other bananas too. I was so scared – I don’t like spiders at the best of times, but have read about Brazilan Wandering Spiders – and was very frightened about the potential threat to my family.” (Read more from “Woman Gets Terrifying Surprise When She Notices Something Odd about Her Banana” HERE)

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Amazing Baby Speaks at 7 Weeks Old [+video]

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Irish couple Toni and Paul McCann were shocked when their 7-week-old baby boy spoke for the first time.

Mrs. McCann was filming her son Cillian when he spoke for the first time. She reported that he had attempted to communicate for some time before finally uttering the word “hello.”

“I’d read that babies communicate from a young age and to give them space to answer when you talk to them,” Mrs. McCann told the News Letter. “That’s what I was doing that day and because he was so alert and making such good eye contact I decided to video him.”

Cillian can be seen attempting to talk as he moves his mouth in the video. After several attempts, he finally verbalizes his first word. (Read more from “Amazing Baby Speaks at 7 Weeks Old [+video]” HERE)

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Watch: Furious Cat Swipes Owner After She Uses This Translation App

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If you like the idea of having a conversation with your pet cat then you better look away now.

Flam, a cat in Nashville, Tennessee, may well be the first of its kind to have had a conversation with a human being.

But sadly, as documented on video, the little chat didn’t go down that well with the feline.

In the clip is Penny Adams, a professional photographer who volunteers her time at the Cat Shoppe Rescue centre.

Sitting on the floor, she announces to the camera that she is holding a cat-to-human language translator on her phone. (Read more from “Watch: Furious Cat Swipes Owner After She Uses This Translation App” HERE)

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Here’s How Soldiers Reacted to Miniature Drones at an Army Experiment [+video]

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U.S. Army maneuver officials here just finished testing miniature drones and other high-tech soldier kit, much of which is designed to help infantry squads and platoons spot the enemy first.

From March 2 through March 5, soldiers from the Army’s Experimentation Force, or EXFOR, participated in the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment, an annual event aimed at evaluating innovative equipment with the potential to revolutionize infantry combat.

This year, the AEWE focused on 75 prototype technologies ranging from network communications gear to loadbearing kit, to sustainment and force protection equipment.

Many showed promise, but it was the pocket-sized Black Hornet and backpack-sized InstantEye unmanned aerial systems that captured the imaginations of 1st Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, the unit that makes up the EXFOR.

Hosted by the Maneuver Center of Excellence, the AEWE puts untested gear into the hands of infantrymen for a short period of intense field exercises. The experiment puts the EXFOR through a series of day and night missions and several fragmentary orders, or FRAGOs, to make test conditions as challenging as possible. (Read more from “Here’s How Soldiers Reacted to Miniature Drones at an Army Experiment” HERE)

Here’s a Reuters review of some European produced military drones:

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“Prom-Munism”: A High School’s Outrageous Theme for Prom

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They’re calling it “prom-munism.” Seniors at an Albuquerque school want their prom to have a Communism theme. Seniors at Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School near I-25 and Paseo del Norte voted online this week for the theme of their prom this year.

“They wanted prom-munism, so that’s what got voted for the most,” said senior Sarah Zachary.

She voted for “A Night in the Reef,” because the prom is expected to take place at the Albuquerque Aquarium on April 25.

“We have a lot of jokesters in our grade, so they wanted it to be funny and a lot of them are really intense with politics,” Zachary said.

However, students who asked to remain anonymous don’t believe Communism is a joking matter. (Read more about the theme for prom HERE)

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Here’s How the Apple Watch Could Create a Trillion Dollar Company

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As Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, prepares to reveal the few details not yet known about the Apple Watch tomorrow – the price, the battery life, when it will hit the shops – some are already predicting a flop.

It will weigh the company down, they argue, and the solid gold version aimed at the very rich will tarnish a brand that promises “affordable luxury”, turning it into the preserve of rich fashionistas who wouldn’t be seen dead with last season’s $2,000 handbag – or $5,000 smartwatch.

“Apple needs a new product to reduce its reliance on one core product, the iPhone,” David Goldman, CNN’s technology editor, said in February. “It won’t find that with the Apple Watch.”

At a mooted starting price of $350, he argues, it’s pricey – but not truly beautiful, uncompelling and, in any event, likely to be updated in a year.

In fact, that $350 price tag makes it the cheapest new category Apple has ever introduced – the original iPod, in 2001, was $399. (There was the $299 Apple TV set-top box, but that was always something of an afterthought.) (Read more about the Apple watch turning the company into a 1 trillion dollar company HERE)

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The Woman Who ‘Dies’ THIRTY SIX times a Year: Amazing Footage Captures Medics Bringing 21-Year-Old Back to Life [+video]

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This incredible video shows the moment a young woman with a rare heart condition becomes clinically dead for a minute before being pulled back to consciousness by medical staff.

Sara Brautigam has regular brushes with death and in one year was pronounced clinically dead 36 times.

The 21-year-old was four years ago diagnosed with Postural orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), a condition which makes her heart stop beating.

She experiences rapid palpitations that regularly cause her heart to stop beating and her blood pressure to plummet to what doctors record as clinically dead.

The alarming video was shot three years ago with the consent of Ms Brautigam who has agreed for it to be released to highlight her condition. (Read more about the woman being brought back to life HERE)

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Health Checks by Smartphone Raise Privacy Fears

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Authorities and tech developers must stop sensitive health data entered into applications on mobile phones ending up in the wrong hands, experts warn.

As wireless telecom companies gathered in Barcelona this week at the Mobile World Congress, the sector’s biggest trade fair, specialists in “e-health” said healthcare is fast shifting into the connected sphere.

“It’s an inexorable tide that is causing worries because people are introducing their data into the system themselves, without necessarily reading all the terms and conditions,” said Vincent Genet of consultancy Alcimed.

“In a few years, new technology will be able to monitor numerous essential physiological indicators by telephone and to send alerts to patients and the specialists who look after them.”

More and more patients are using smartphone apps to monitor signs such as their blood sugar and pressure. (Read more about the health checks possibly being privacy concerns HERE)

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