'It was a little disappointing'

Always take the opportunity to endear people to you and your cause — especially if it costs you nothing

'Almost unheard of'

'Three years ago, the night clerk was accepting ground beef as payment for a room'

'Counterproductive and anti-consumer'

Our “10cc’s Best Song On Each Of Their Studio Albums” list presents our picks for the best song from each individual album. The original 10cc only released four albums, which may be a shock to some people who are not familiar with the history of the band. After the group’s fourth album, the band split up. Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman would continue on as 10cc for almost another 20 years. Still, this was a group that released some fantastic music in the early ’70s that has become a major part of classic rock history. We love all their albums, The post 10cc’s Best Song On Each Of Their Studio Albums appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

The Edinburgh Zoo has shared the first images of an adorable two-week-old Southern pudu fawn, the second smallest deer in the world. It was born to first-time parents Violetta and Evan. The tiny female youngster is doing well and has been named Gia by keepers at the zoo, managed by the Royal Zoological Society of […] The post Edinburgh Zoo Welcomes Adorable South American Deer Fawn the Size of a Bread Loaf–(LOOK) appeared first on Good News Network.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A group associated with big (and smaller) tech companies has filed a lawsuit claiming First Amendment violations against the state of Mississippi. This comes after long years of these companies scoffing at First Amendment speech protections, as they censored their users’ speech and/or deplatformed them. We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here. It might seem hypocritical, but at the same time, even a broken clock is right twice a day. In this case, it is the industry group NetChoice that has launched the legal battle (NetChoice v. Fitch), at the center of which is state bill HB 1126 which requires age verification to be implemented on social networks. NetChoice correctly observes that forcing people (for the sake of providing parental consent) to essentially unmask themselves through age verification (“age assurance”) exposes sensitive personal data, undermines their constitutional rights, and poses a threat to the online security of all internet users. The filing against Mississippi also asserts that it is up to parents – rather than what NetChoice calls “Big Government” – to, in different ways, assure that their children are using sites and online services in an age-appropriate manner. HB 1126 is therefore asserted to represent “an unconstitutional overreach,” and if passed, the industry group said, “may result in the censorship of vast amounts of speech online.” Age verification is a controversial subject almost everywhere it crops up around the world, particularly in those countries that consider themselves democracies. Another state, Indiana, is being sued on similar grounds – violation of constitutional protections – and for similar reasons, namely, the age verification push. This time, it’s not done in the name of Big Tech, but by what some reports choose to dub “Big Porn.” Indiana State Attorney General Todd Rokita is named as a defendant in this lawsuit, brought by major porn sites, industry associations, and marketing and production companies. And while those behind the state law which is about to come into force next month claim it is there to protect minors from adult content (via age verification), the plaintiffs allege that the law breaks not only the First, but also the Fifth, Eighth and 14th Amendments of the US Constitution – and the Communications Decency Act (CDA). If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Indiana and Mississippi Are Sued Over Online Age Verification Digital ID Laws appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

China is Now Threatening to Arrest Foreigners in the South China Sea

The baobab tree looks almost alien in the modern environment, and no wonder, considering these plants first emerged around 200 million years ago when dinosaurs were making their debut. Hailing from the genus Adansonia, they have captivated humans for thousands of years, with records of Homo sapiens’ appreciation for baobab trees dating back 2,300 years to the ancient Egyptians.The baobab treeThere are eight distinct species of baobab tree that can be found in Australia, across Africa, southwest Asia, and Madagascar. One theory as to why they can be found in such a wide range of places is because they existed before the supercontinent Pangea split up – that’s how old they are. All but A. digitata are threatened to some degree, with A. perrieri being critically endangered, which got scientists eager to better understand their genetics in order to safeguard their future. They conducted chromosomal-level genome assemblies for all eight baobab trees to uncover the evolutionary history of the Adansonia genus, including its origin, diversification, and the instances of baobab tree hybrids popping up. It revealed that the species’ niches were shaped by the temperature, altitude, and amount of rainfall of the geographic locations they ended up in. Their distribution has seen them develop different flowering times, which has been a key reproductive barrier, but that didn’t stop hybridization events from occurring among baobabs in Madagascar – a place that’s likely the origin of baobab trees based on gene flow patterns between the plants found here and other species. Unlike cavities formed by wood being taken away, the false cavities of baobab trees are thought to be the natural result of stems growing in a ring-like loop fusing together.Image credit: © 2015 Patrut et al., PLoS ONE (CC BY 4.0)The baobab tree’s unique way of growing is thought to contribute to its incredible longevity, as a radiocarbon investigation concluded that some of the oldest and largest trees develop natural empty spaces between fused stems called false cavities. These girthy trunks can hold a lot of water for surviving the dry season, and the spaces are so big that humans can pose for a photo or even set up a wine bar inside them.As for how long they can live, trees radiocarbon dated along the Lebombo Eco Trail had ages of around 1,400 years, while some estimate they could live to be as old as 3,000 years. When the time finally comes for the baobab to kick the proverbial bucket, they rot from the inside and collapse.The queen of the baobab treesThe giant baobab tree Adansonia grandidieri is known locally as "renala", which is Malagasy for “mother of the forest”. Such trees line the Avenue of the Baobabs, which can be found between Morondava and Belon'i Tsiribihina in the Menabe region of Madagascar.This variety of baobab tree can grow to dizzying heights of 25 to 30 meters (82 to 98 feet), but while some are tall and slim, some resemble "overweight dwarves" with trunks wider than they are tall. They also demonstrate why baobab trees are known as “upside down trees," as their broad and bare trunks look as if they should be buried underground, like a giant tuber. Meanwhile, the wiggly branches at the top of the tree look like roots – especially when the leaves are shed during the dry season and the baobab looks like it’s waving its roots in the air (like it just don’t care).Without their leaves, the baobab tree looks upside down with its roots in the air.Image credit: Gavinevans via wikimedia commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Baobab tree fruitBaobab tree fruit is known as monkey bread and the Ethiopian sour gourd, and it’s a whopper. It can grow to be around a foot long with a woody exterior and squishy pulp-like center. According to Michigan State University, the flavor of baobab tree fruit has been compared to a combination of grapefruit, pear, and vanilla. Baobab tree fruit is prepared by being left to dehydrate under the heat of the Sun, becoming a powder that can be used in drinks, ice cream, and baked goods.The fruit of baobab trees has become a big industry in recent years, as there are several companies eager to buy them, harvest the fruit powder for the food industry, and crush up the seeds to extract oil. The oil is coveted by the cosmetics industry, while the bark is good for making rope, and the fruit is rich in vitamin C.The peculiar flowers of baobab trees are pollinated by nocturnal creatures like insects and bats.Image credit: Daolauong Kamkhom/Shutterstock.comBaobab tree pollinatorsOf course, the baobab tree fruit would be nothing without pollinators. Despite being hermaphrodites, research has shown that baobab trees can’t produce fruits without pollen from another tree, and when they unleash their large pendulous flowers at night, the pollinators only have until the following morning to get in there and do their job.Baobab tree nectar lures in a range of pollinators, but in southern Africa, it’s predominantly insects like the hawk moth, while elsewhere on the continent, bats are the key pollinators. By moving from tree to tree, these nocturnal critters can facilitate fruit production for baobab trees. Just goes to show that whether your might is in your height or girth, even Earth's giants can't get by without a helping hand from the little guys.