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"Those Spencer eyes": Princess Di's brother shares rare 120-year-old family photo

<p>Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, has shared a sentimental photo of their grandfather and his siblings in 1902.</p> <p>Charles shared the picture on Twitter and fans of the royal family were quick to note the striking resemblance between Charles’ grandfather and his own nephew, Prince William.</p> <p>“Your Grandfather, Prince William and Prince George look a lot alike! A really charming photo,” wrote a fan, extending their take to Prince William’s nine-year-old son, Prince George.</p> <p>The black-and-white image shows Charles’ grandfather, Albert Edward John Spencer, alongside his great-aunt Lavinia and great-uncle Cecil, dressed up in period suits and a frilly dress for a fancy-dress party. Charles, who lives at Althorp House with his wife Karen and daughter Charlotte, captioned the image, “Love the family photographs I find here at Althorp”.</p> <p>Fans praised Charles for the rare insight into the family, with one tweeting, “wonderful memories to cherish. Thank you for sharing”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Love the family photographs I find here at Althorp. My grandfather (left), my great-aunt Lavinia (middle) and my great-uncle Cecil, about to set off for a fancy dress party in c.1902. <a href="https://t.co/pwQ9NVIt75">pic.twitter.com/pwQ9NVIt75</a></p> <p>— Charles Spencer (@cspencer1508) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspencer1508/status/1613987380591038464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Many were amazed at the similarities to be found between Albert and Prince William, but the fun didn’t stop there, with some even likening Lavinia to the late Diana, Princess of Wales.</p> <p>“Lavinia; I can see Diana in her expression. Great photos! Treasured memories,” wrote one supporter.</p> <p>“Those Spencer eyes,” wrote another, ending their message for the royals with a red heart emoji, a sentiment shared by many.</p> <p>The 9th Earl of Spencer is well known for his Instagram, where he regularly uploads rare pictures of his family and views of his home and its stunning surroundings in Northamptonshire. In an upcoming series helmed by Charles’ wife Karen, on the upkeep and experience of being lady of the house, she joined fans in praising his “ability to tell the history of the family".</p> <p>“Fabulous that you are creating an online journey with your photography finds!!” Praised one fan.</p> <p>“The quality is so good, normally in these old photos they are all cracked and you can’t see the faces very well. Thanks for sharing it’s like taking a step back in history - love it,” said another.</p> <p>The latest snap comes in the wake of Harry’s memoir release and subsequent TV interviews, at a time when fans of the family are more than eager for some positive news, with many sharing their gratitude to Charles for the change in pace.</p> <p><em>Image: Twitter</em></p> <p> </p>

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120-year prison sentence for cult leader

<p>Keith Raniere, who ran a cult-like group that kept women as virtual sex prisoners to service him in upstate New York was sentenced to 120 years prison on Tuesday.</p> <p>Reniere was convicted on federal sex trafficking, racketeering and possession of child pornography charges last year for his role in the alleged sex cult called NXIVM (pronounced “nexium”).</p> <p>The sentence was issued by the US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis, who presided over the six-week trial last year that ended in Raniere convicted on all counts.</p> <p>Acting US Attorney Seth DuCharme said he hopes the sentence will serve as a warning to any aspiring cult leaders.</p> <p>“When justice catches up to you, as it did today, it is severe," DuCharme told reporters outside court in Brooklyn. "Keith Raniere will not be able to victimize people anymore after today's sentence and we’re very grateful for that."</p> <p>Marc Elliot, a former NXIVM member and supporter of Raniere's, said the defendant didn't get a fair trial.</p> <p>"We all should be fighting for due process no matter how much you don't like it or how inconvenient it is," Elliot said. "Because if someone or society ever turns on you, you better hope to God that due process and laws are still standing to protect you."</p> <p>Appearing on Dateline NBC from jail, Raniere apologised for the “tragedy” and “hurt” he caused the victims but also claimed he was not guilty.</p> <p>"I am innocent," Raniere said.</p> <p>"This is a horrible tragedy with many, many people being hurt," he added. "There is a horrible injustice here. And whether you think I'm the devil or not, the justice process has to be examined."</p> <p>NXIVM is the subject of the HBO docuseries “The Vow”, which is set to feature Raniere in its second season next year.</p>

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120 million years ago: Giant crocodiles walked on two legs

<p>Fossilised footprints and tracks provide a direct record of how ancient animals moved. And some preserved behaviours leave us marvelling in disbelief.</p> <p>In research published today in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-66008-7">Scientific Reports</a>, my international team of colleagues and I detail our discovery of exquisitely preserved crocodile footprints, formed about 120 million years ago in what is now Sacheon, South Korea.</p> <p>These trace fossils reveal multiple crocodiles undertaking a very curious behaviour: bipedal walking, much like many dinosaurs.</p> <p>The ancient footprints uncovered resemble those made by humans, as they are long and slender, with a prominent heel impression. But they have additional features, including thick scaly imprints from the sole and toes that are comparatively long with broader impressions.</p> <p>The shape of these footprints compares very well with crocodile tracks known elsewhere, notably <em>Batrachopus</em> tracks from the Jurassic <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10420940490428832">found in the United States</a> – with “<em>Batrachopus</em>” being the name assigned to the tracks themselves.</p> <p>However, instead of being made by quadrupedal, cat-sized crocodiles, the Sacheon fossil tracks are large. With footprints that measure around 24 centimetres long, they come from animals with legs the same height as human legs and bodies more than three metres long.</p> <p><strong>A distant ancestor</strong></p> <p>Today, crocodiles walk on four legs in a wide, squat stance. The Sacheon crocodile trackways we discovered indicate a different pattern of movement. They do not have “handprints”, and the trackways are exceptionally narrow, as if the animals were making the footprints while balancing on a tightrope.</p> <p>This suggests these ancient crocodiles had their legs tucked beneath their body, much like a dinosaur, rather than assuming the typical sprawling posture seen in today’s crocodiles.</p> <p>The tracks could not have been made by dinosaurs. One clear difference between dinosaur and crocodile tracks is that crocodiles walk flat-footed, leaving a clear heel impression. Dinosaurs and their bird descendants walk high on their toes, with the heel off the ground.</p> <p><strong>The devil is in the detail</strong></p> <p>Fossil tracks can be found in many different states of preservation, ranging from excellent to comparatively indistinct. This can make it hard to accurately identify the animals that made them.</p> <p>Often, track sites are either not composed of sediments that help retain the finer features of tracks, or they erode after lengthy exposure to the elements.</p> <p>We know the Sacheon trackmakers were ancient crocodiles because the tracks have been preserved in extraordinary detail.</p> <p>This is due in part to fine, muddy sediment around an ancient lake that was able to hold the footprints while covered by sediment-laden water. Also, the site was freshly excavated for a new rural building development and hadn’t been exposed to erosion.</p> <p><strong>A helpful reference point</strong></p> <p>The perfectly preserved Sacheon tracks became our reference to reassess other unusual trackways that had been described in the area, but were more poorly preserved.</p> <p>Our attention focused on sites at Gain-ri and Adu Island just ten kilometres away from Sacheon, that had eroded trackways within the <a href="https://www.crd.bc.ca/education/our-environment/ecosystems/coastal-marine/intertidal-zone#:%7E:text=The%20intertidal%20zone%20is%20the,high%20and%20low%20tide%20lines.">intertidal zone</a>, between the low and high tide. These narrow trackways with long, slender footprints but no hand prints or tail drag marks echoed the Sacheon crocodile tracks.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10420940.2011.625779">decade earlier</a>, the footprints had been interpreted as made by another ancient animal known as a <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/11/pterosaurs-weirdest-wonders-on-wings/">pterosaur</a>. This ancient winged creature – related to dinosaurs but not officially classified as one – was famed for ruling the skies when dinosaurs ruled the land.</p> <p>Crocodiles and pterosaurs were quite distinct, being predominantly land and air dwellers, respectively. They had very differently shaped hands, but interestingly, the impressions they left with their feet can look very similar.</p> <p>When pterosaurs were on the ground, they typically walked on all fours, using their back feet and hands to support themselves as they moved, just like today’s crocodiles.</p> <p>However, as the “pterosaur” Gain-ri and Adu Island trackways lacked hand prints, they indicate bipedal walking. Thus, the tracks were wrongly ascribed to a pterosaur.</p> <p>When first discovered, pterosaur tracks were known to be very common in South Korea, while crocodile tracks were rare. In the absence of well-preserved footprints, the preferred interpretation was that these tracks were likely evidence of unusual behaviour of the pterosaur, a common trackmaker in the area.</p> <p>With the new evidence from the Sacheon site, it became possible to reevaluate the Gain-ri and Adu Island trackways too, which we now suspect were made by the same crocodile trackmakers strolling around Sacheon 120 million years ago.</p> <p><em>Written by Anthony Romilio. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/120-million-years-ago-giant-crocodiles-walked-on-two-legs-in-what-is-now-south-korea-140335">The Conversation.</a> </em></p>

Travel Tips

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120-year-old great-grandmother claims to be world’s oldest person

<p>This Russian great-grandmother is taking the so-called “world’s oldest living person” to task, claiming she’s about 3 years older than the current record-holder, 116-year-old Italian <a href="/news/news/2016/05/worlds-oldest-woman-says-secret-to-long-life-staying-single/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Emma Morano</strong></span></a>.</p> <p>Claiming to have been born in 1896, Tanzilya Bisembeyeva has survived the Russian Revolution, both World Wars and two husbands, all the while working for six decades in the fields. Her family claims the secret to her longevity is: “She never sits still, doesn't smoke and eats only organic produce.”</p> <p><img width="500" height="364" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/21144/oldintext_500x364.jpg" alt="Oldintext"/></p> <p>Bisembeyeva had her first son during World War II, but he sadly did not survive past infancy. She had another child at the age of 53 with her second husband, and two more followed. She has 10 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren, according to <a href="http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/120-year-old-russian-makes-it-to-the-record-books/569332.html" target="_blank"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Moscow Times</span></strong></em></a>.</p> <p>If her claims are true, the 120-year-old will enter the record books as the second oldest person in living memory, after Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment died in 1997 at the age of 122.</p> <p>Who’s the oldest person you’ve ever known? Tell us about them in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/5-traits-linked-to-long-life/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>5 personality traits of those who live longer</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/worlds-oldest-woman-says-secret-to-long-life-staying-single/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>World’s oldest woman has surprising secret to living to 116</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/05/91-year-old-shares-advice-for-staying-young-at-heart/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>91-year-old shares advice for staying young at heart</strong></em></span></a></p>

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NSW farmer set to lead convoy of 120 trucks to help drought-stricken farmers in Qld

<p>A whole lot of hay, hope and a helping hand. Fourth-generation NSW farmer Brendan Farrell has been thinking about his Queensland counterparts, particularly those in the west, where the state's worst-ever drought has hit hundreds. </p> <p>Farrell is set to lead a convoy of 120 trucks travelling more than 1800km north to deliver over 150 trailers full of hay to drought-stricken farmers in Queensland.</p> <p>The act of kindness has required donations of all kinds such as trucks, drivers, and hay, as well as catering and accommodation and petrol money.</p> <p>For each truck there’s an estimated $2000 in fuel needed to complete the journey.</p> <p>Mr Farrell’s message was to make sure everyone knows that the drought is still happening.</p> <p>A record 86 percent of Queensland is currently stricken by drought.</p> <p>The hay will reportedly assist more than 200 drought-affected properties.</p> <p>Donations can be made to the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners via the Rotary Club of Sydney Drought Appeal.</p> <p>This will be the tenth hay run for the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners led by Brendan Farrell.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2015/12/abandoned-puppy-rescued-on-christmas-eve/">Abandoned puppy rescued on Christmas Eve doesn’t look like this anymore</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2015/12/new-twisting-plane-seat-design/">New twisting plane seat design could banish discomfort</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2015/12/6-clever-uses-for-silica-gel-bags/">6 clever uses for silica gel bags</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong> </strong></em></span></p>

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Bride is the 11th family member to wear 120-year-old dress

<p>When Abigail Kingston, 30, from Pennsylvania got engaged she knew she didn’t have to worry about finding the perfect wedding dress – she already knew she would be wearing the heirloom gown that her mother had worn, along with nine other members in their family.</p> <p>The wedding dress has been in the Kingstons’ family for 120 years. It was first worn in 1895 by the bride's great-great-grandmother and then passed from family member to family member, last debuted in 1991.</p> <p>“It's not just the dress that's been handed down,” Leslie Kingston, the bride's mother, tells Lehigh Valley Live. “It's the love. Who would think anything would last that long?”</p> <p>“We're just really happy and blessed we can keep the tradition going,” Leslie Kingston said.</p> <p><img width="549" height="367" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA5LzI0LzE5LzU5NTIyMDYxX0gzLjA4YjczLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/c64bf807/6f0/59522061_H39641800.jpg" alt="LEHIGH VALLEY NATIVE TO BE 11TH BRIDE TO WEAR DRESS" class="for-lightbox"/></p> <p><img width="547" height="365" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA5LzI0LzE5LzU5NTIyMDYxX0gzLmU4YWRkLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/201c92d1/ee3/59522061_H39641830.jpg" alt="LEHIGH VALLEY NATIVE TO BE 11TH BRIDE TO WEAR DRESS" class="for-lightbox"/></p> <p><img width="545" height="816" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA5LzI0LzE5LzU5NTIyMDYxX0gzLjQ2OWRjLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/a35929e5/503/59522061_H39641914.jpg" alt="LEHIGH VALLEY NATIVE TO BE 11TH BRIDE TO WEAR DRESS" class="for-lightbox"/></p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p>

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