Russian family discovered in remote mountains after decades

Old News: A Russian family lived decades in the remote tiaga wilderness cut off from humanity

This story goes back some years, but it is still amazing, as reported in Smithsonian

Geologists visiting the remote Siberian taiga wilderness in 1978 discovered six members of a family who had fled civilization for religious reasons and survived over 40 years of famine and hardship.

“When (scientist) Pismenskaya asked, “Have you ever eaten bread?” the old man answered: “I have. But they have not. They have never seen it.” At least he was intelligible. The daughters spoke a language distorted by a lifetime of isolation. “When the sisters talked to each other, it sounded like a slow, blurred cooing…”

Two them had never seen a human being other than their parents and brothers.

Read the entire fascinating story HERE

Old News is a new feature at One Man’s World, with interesting facts and tales you may have missed the first time around.

Clemson Tigers Claw Through Alabama’s Crimson Tide

Clemson tops Alabama with 1 Second Left

“For the ages”

Like many College Football National Championship games, this one wasn’t about synchronized ballets of gridiron grace. It was about tension, and might, and frustration, and determination overcoming each of them, every so often.
But it culminated in a Fourth Quarter for the Ages, as the Clemson Tigers outscored their mighty opponents 21-7 in the finally period, achieving the winning touchdown with 1 second on the clock, to beat Alabama for the first time since 1905, 35-31, and ruining the Crimson Tide’s perfect season.

Last year, the same teams met in the Championship and it was ‘Bama coming in with one loss to spoil Clemson’s perfect season 45-40. This year, Clemson gets only their second national title (1981, 2017) and keeps Nick Saban from tying Bear Bryant’s record of 6 national titles… for now.

Depending on who you ask, Alabama has won 15 or 16 titles since the modern (polling) era began in 1936. But in the world of sports, past glories are for those who fall short, and for 2017 it is the Clemson Tigers who clawed their way to the top and roar alone at the pinnacle of College Football.

 

One Toilet Snake to Avoid

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 4 (UPI) — Animal control officers in Virginia said they visited the home of a shocked resident to remove an unusual intruder — a yellow anaconda in the toilet.

“It’s never a dull day in Arlington County Animal Control!” the Animal Welfare League of Arlington’s Facebook post said. “Last week, our Animal Control team received a call about a snake in the toilet of a local apartment. Officer Brenys White was able to safely remove the snake from the toilet and brought him back to the shelter. We were all in for a bit of a surprise — we were expecting him to be a wild snake or a ball python, but the snake is, in fact, a juvenile Yellow Anaconda!”

The snake measured nearly 5 feet long — not quite the up to 13-foot length of a fully-grown anaconda.

“Luckily, we were able to find a specialist who is familiar with his species and will be able to give him the care that he needs. We highly encourage anyone thinking about having a snake as a pet to do extremely thorough research to determine whether they will be able to adequately care for their snake,” the Facebook post said.

“They need specialized care and housing, and while they are non-venomous, can be dangerous when they reach full size and are not well-socialized. Plus, no-one likes being surprised by a lost and confused snake in their toilet!” the shelter said.