List of All Articles with Tag 'ira'

In schools, trends come and go like clockwork, whether they be related to a toy like fidget spinners or pranks they have seen on the internet. One teacher has opened up about a new and “annoying quirk” that has young people calling themselves “coin boys” and constantly flipping quarters. The anonymous teacher took to Reddit to complain about freshmen they teach participating in the “coin boys” trend. The hilarious post explained: “The newest thing here is a flock of self-proclaimed ‘coin boys’ who carry a quarter on hand at all times and constantly flip it. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “They have their entire personality revolve around coins, coin flips, and chance. When we went around doing an ice-breaker, 4 or 5 of the kids said some variation of ‘I live by the coin and die by the coin’ as their fact.” In the post, the teacher said one of the “coin boys” said he was going to flip a coin that would decide if he was going to do the assigned piece of work or not. The teacher explained: “When I assigned the first assignment of the school year, one of the coin boys was bold enough to say ‘heads I do it, tails I don’t.’ “I told him if he flipped the coin he would be getting a call home on the first week of HS. He flipped it anyway and it came up heads (thank god for that at least). “But then the other coin boy in that class flipped his coin and it came up tails. He said the coin has spoken and he’s not doing it. I say very well, enjoy your 0 and your call home— what a great way to start off the school year and your high school career.” Their post proceeded to go viral across social media, with many finding the post absolutely hilarious and pledging to “stand with the coin boys”. The teacher said they had looked up the trend online but hadn’t seen anything else about it, theorising that it must be a local group of friends who made it up. But, thanks to the viral post, it may have the opposite effect. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A 110-year-old English language question formerly used in Cambridge English exams is absolutely baffling people over a century later. Exams at school and university are typically not things people look back on with fond memories, but it’s something we do in order to progress academically. For those who sat the very long Cambridge exam wishing to become an English language teacher back in 1913, they may well have been haunted by a question that continues to confuse people in the year 2023. In celebration of 110 years of the Cambridge English exam, the question has been released, but can you solve it? The question comes from the June 1913 Certificate of Proficiency in English exam, which was sat by three people and cost £3 at the time. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter It was a gruelling 12-hour long exam and included sections on dictation, translation, and phonetic transcription. Today, more than 6 million people each year take the C2 Proficiency test, as it is now known. Francesca Woodward, Managing Director for English at Cambridge, said in a statement: “From just three candidates, we now open doors for millions of people every year to learn and teach English. "The historical papers from our archives paint a fascinating picture of how much has changed when it comes to learning English with Cambridge.” The question asks the candidates to “correct or justify” four of six different statements and to explain their reasoning. The first statement said: “I hope you are determined to seriously improve.” The second read: “Comparing Shakespeare with Aeschylus, the former is by no means inferior to the latter.” The third says: “I admit I was willing to have made peace with you.” The fourth reads: “The statement was incorrect, as any one familiar with the spot, and who was acquainted with the facts, will admit.” The fifth said: “It has the largest circulation of any paper in England.” And the sixth said: “The lyrical gifts of Shakespeare are woven into the actual language of the characters.” Cambridge highlights that what was deemed the correct English over 100 years ago may be different from now. Here are the answers: 1) This is a split infinitive and should be avoided in formal writing. The correct wordage would be, “seriously to improve”. 2) This statement is incorrect because it is a hanging participle and unintentionally modifies the wrong noun in a sentence. Alternatives that would be correct include, “Shakespeare is by no means inferior to Aeschylus” or “Shakespeare is just as good as Aeschylus”. 3) This statement uses the wrong tense and should read, “to make peace”. 4) Again, this uses the incorrect tense. The words “will admit” should instead be “would admit”. 5) and 6) are correct but candidates would have to explain why no changes are necessary. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A tiny kitten that captured hearts after being found with a disability affecting all his legs has sadly died after contracting an illness. Tater Tot was found when he was just a day old with all four of his legs malformed. His rescue journey was documented online where people fell in love with the sweet kitten and his permanently angry expression. Now, his many fans have been left heartbroken following the news of his death. Tater Tot’s fosterer, Ash Houghton, made the sad announcement in a special Facebook group with his more than 43,000 fans, called Tater Tot and His Spudbuds. Houghton wrote: “Today, our tiny spud, passed away suddenly in my hands. His energy had been slowly decreasing over the last week or so, and we were hoping it was an illness that antibiotics could treat. “He also started showing signs of pneumonia a few days ago, and I had started pneumonia protocol with meds and a nebulizer.” He died on Wednesday 2 August in Houghton’s hands and she thanked people for their unconditional love shown towards her special needs kitten. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter She continued: “This tiny little potato has had such a profound impact on my heart, and I am so unbelievably happy I got to share him with the entire world. “What started as me sharing some photos of the goofy new foster I had turned into an entire community focused on kindness, humor and compassion. “I am astounded at the reach Tater Tot’s story had, and I cannot express to you just how incredible it has been to see how he has impacted the world.” Heartbroken fans took to Twitter to share in their grief. Houghton ended the announcement encouraging people to donate to their local animal shelters in honour of Tater Tot. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman rules that the Foreign Office failed to protect Matthew Hedges.

IShowSpeed fans have gathered outside the Japanese hospital the YouTuber is being treated in to show their support amid his ongoing health struggles. The 18-year-old is currently receiving treatment in Tokyo after sharing footage of himself receiving treatment in hospital with a "deadly headache." The influencer, real name Darren Watkins Jr, was noticeably distressed with one eye closed and the other severely swollen after suffering a severe sinus infection. He told fans: "Right now, I have one of the worst experiences I am having right now. I can't even open up my eyes. I have this thing called a cluster headache. A deadly headache disease. I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't do anything right now. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "It hurts so bad, chat. It hurts so bad. I can't do anything. It hurts. Everything I do, like, something pounding my head every time and I'm so angry.” Now, footage has been shared which shows that the YouTuber is receiving plenty of support from his fans outside the hospital. Crowds of people were filmed chanting his name and singing his ‘World Cup’ song. IShowSpeed previously told fans: "My eye's puffing up. It feels like a stab. It feels like somebody is stabbing my eye with a knife. Boom, boom, boom, boom. And, I have a headache right in this area (the streamer puts his hand on top of his right eye and the temple). It's literally exactly like this. He ended the one-minute video on an ominous note: "I wanted to give y'all boys (an) update because I don't know what's going to happen to me. You know what I'm saying? I want y'all boys to always be right there with me, until I die. It's... I don't know, man. But, when I get back home, I'm going to probably chill from traveling for a bit because... a lot is going on. Bye." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A viral clip of a giant iceberg drifting close to the shores of Newfoundland has left viewers shocked. Footage taken from land showed an absolutely colossal iceberg just off the coast of the Canadian island on the country’s east coast. The clip was first posted on TikTok by @emoinuoinam who revealed the video was taken in Conche, Newfoundland and said the iceberg was “getting closer to the community”. According to National Geographic, the icebergs that drift east towards to coast of Newfoundland are typically bits of Greenland's glaciers that have broken off. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The stretch of water that goes along the east coast of the Newfoundland and Labrador province is known as “Iceberg Alley”. Compared to the previous three years, the size of these icebergs is on the rise. On TikTok, the original clip has been viewed 6 million times and has also been shared across social media platforms. @emoinuoinam Its getting closer to the community! One person wrote: “Omg, it looks beautiful but can be dangerous.” Someone else said: “Oh my goodness that is amazing.” Another shocked viewer asked: “Like what do you do in this situation?” “I am from Newfoundland and that’s a nice break and they always come down like that sometimes smaller sometimes huge,” a local person explained. On Twitter, where the clip was reposted, it has been watched almost 11 million times, stunning plenty more viewers. “I’ll bet the people in that house got a shock when they opened their curtains,” someone guessed. Another said: “Wow, that's stunning. Looks like the backdrop for a great scary movie too.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Iran’s declaration of a two-day public holiday over life-threatening heat, as temperatures in parts of the country are

Just weeks ahead of the one-year anniversary of the mass protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, Iranian authorities are considering a draconian new bill on hijab-wearing that experts say would enshrine unprecedentedly harsh punitive measures into law.

What are the charges, how serious are they and could Donald Trump still run for president from jail?

Scientists are stumped after learning that Antarctica is missing a gigantic amount of sea ice that measures up to four times the size of Texas. It's currently the middle of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, a time when sea ice is expected to expand. However, Antarctica has witnessed a drastic decrease. Sea ice is said to be controlled by a balance between the atmosphere and oceans each year. Dr Steve Rintoul, CSIRO Fellow and Research Team Leader, explained [via the Sydney Morning Herald]: "The factors that influence sea ice include winds from north to south are stronger than usual which pushes sea ice towards Antarctica and restricts how far sea ice spreads. "The warmer water means there is less sea ice, and even things like melting the surface melt can alter sea ice forming." Data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) shows that the ice was more than 2.6 million square kilometres below the 1981 to 2010 average. While it's natural for levels of sea ice to change, Dr Rintoul noted that this is the lowest amount recorded in the last 40 years. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Despite factors such as the atmosphere playing its part, the exact reason behind the decline is baffling scientists. "It is stunning," Dr Rintoul said. "The fact is we don’t know why [we’ve got record low sea ice]. "No one predicted this, we don’t understand why this season is as low as it is." Eric Rignot of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of California, Irvine told Axios that it's too early to determine how responsible climate change is to this year's sea ice decline. He went on to note that when declines started in 2016, researchers couldn't say whether it was part of a larger trend. "Now, we can say with a bit more certainty that this is not anomalous behaviour — it's a change of state," he told the outlet. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The release of Barbie and Oppenheimer films on the same day sparked a "Barbenheimer" meme frenzy - but this has caused upset in Japan as people have responded by posting 9/11 memes. Social media has been flooded with the clashing pink aesthetic of Barbie and the dark aesthetic of Oppenheimer, along with edits that combine the two films which has also resulted in a load of new merchandise and brand collaborations. A US account for the Barbie movie even responded to a graphic of both Cillian Murphy carrying Margot Robbie through a burning city with the caption: “It’s going to be a summer to remember.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, some have expressed how this trend is insensitive to Japan as the memes created are based on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs that took place 77 years ago during World War II, killing an estimated 129,000 to 226,000 people. The Japanese people have since responded to Barbenheimer with their own hashtag #NoBarbenheimer and have now created edits of their own using photos from 9/11 and adding the Barbie aesthetic. "The atomic bomb should not be used as a meme and turned into a comedy," one person said. "Do you know how many people were brutally murdered by the atomic bomb? Will "Barbie" advertise the Holocaust as well? Shame on you." Another person wrote: "It is too gross and absolutely horrifying to find those people making fun of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki AND the official Barbie Movie account approves them. This is totally inhumane!" Warner Bros Japan also noted their disappointment at Barbenheimer tweets. “We find it extremely regrettable that the official account of the American headquarters for the movie Barbie reacted to the social media postings of ‘Barbenheimer’ fans," it wrote. "We take this situation very seriously. We are asking the US headquarters to take appropriate action. We apologise to those who were offended by this series of inconsiderate reactions.” This led Warner Bros US to issue an apology for engaging with the memes. “Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology,” they wrote on their official account. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Island Boys, who went viral in 2021 for their catchy TikTok song, have said their make-out session is "really not disgusting" and not "that big of a deal" because they're twins. It comes after the pair shared a disturbing clip of them kissing last month to mark the arrival of their OnlyFans account. The pair, Kodiyakredd (Franky Venegas) and Flyysoulja (Alex Venegas), have now appeared on Adam22's podcast where they discussed the backlash. Adam asked whether the pair were disgusted by the idea, before sharing that the thought of kissing his friend is really unappealing to him. "We're twin brothers, we came out of the womb together, we grew up together. It's not really disgusting if it's twins," Kodiyakredd responded. "Your friend, you don't really know him like that." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter They continued: "We kind of just made out or whatever, we kissed and then we just like look the other way for a few minutes and couldn't like, look at each other, but it wasn't that big of a deal – just a kiss." The clip was inundated with comments from Instagram users, with one writing: "Florida does not claim or associate with this in any shape way or form…" "Instagram needs a dislike button asap," another added, while a third commented: "Clout is one hell of a drug is all ima say…" Meanwhile, one person penned: "This is what happens when attention and clout becomes more important than anything else to people, they’ll literally do anything to try and maintain the spotlight. If they hadn’t done that Adam wouldn’t even be interviewing them right now." He went on to say "We're still heterosexual," despite Flyysoulja "coming out" during a TikTok Live. According to Dexerto, the viral star turned to TikTok Live where he said: "I’m a top, I’m never a bottom, I’m a top you understand what I’m saying?" "I’m like that, for real. You gotta support me because you feel me: I like men and it is what it is. I’m a top, but I’m a top at the end of the day that’s just what’s going on." "You guys support me, because you feel me," he continued. "I like men. It is what it is. I’m a top. I’m a top at the end of the day. That’s what’s going on." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.