News Roundup: Secret Messages, Stolen Jewels, and VR for Cows

News Roundup: Secret Messages, Stolen Jewels, and VR for Cows

NFK Editors - December 1, 2019

Teen’s Political Message Spreads Across the Internet

A 17-year-old created one of the internet’s most-viewed videos by hiding a political message inside a video offering beauty tips. Feroza Aziz began her video for the social media site TikTok by talking about how to curl eyelashes. But she quickly changed subjects and began talking about China’s treatment of Muslims.

Ms. Aziz said she made the video look like a beauty video to keep it from getting blocked by TikTok. TikTok is run by a Chinese company. Many people believe that TikTok blocks videos that make China look bad.

A 17-year-old created one of the internet’s most-viewed videos by hiding a political message inside a video offering beauty tips. Feroza Aziz began her TikTok video by talking about how to curl eyelashes. But she quickly changed subjects and began talking about China’s treatment of Muslims.
(Source: Feroza Aziz.)

In the video, Ms. Aziz spoke about the horrible treatment of hundreds of thousands of Muslims who have been put into camps in Xinjiang, China. She posted two more videos encouraging people to spread the word about the situation in Xinjiang.

But as Ms. Aziz’s videos were becoming popular, TikTok suddenly blocked her account. The company later unblocked Ms. Aziz, saying that her account wasn’t blocked because of the video. Ms. Aziz says she doesn’t believe that.

Ms. Aziz’s first video has been seen by over 2.1 million people on TikTok. Even more people have seen it on other social media sites.

Ms. Aziz’s first video has been seen by over 2.1 million people on TikTok. Even more people have seen it on other social media sites.
(Source: Feroza Aziz.)

Treasure Stolen From German Museum Still Missing

Last Monday, thieves broke into the Green Vault museum in Dresden, Germany. The thieves stole jewels that once belonged to Augustus the Strong, a ruler of Saxony (an old kingdom in Germany). The museum describes the missing objects, which are from the 1700s, as “priceless”.

The thieves broke a window to enter the museum. Then they broke into several display cases and quickly grabbed the jewels. The car that the thieves used for their escape was found later. It had been set on fire.

Last Monday, thieves broke into the Green Vault museum in Dresden, Germany. The thieves stole jewels that once belonged to Augustus the Strong, a ruler of Saxony (an old kingdom in Germany). The museum describes the missing objects (above), which are from the 1700s, as “priceless”.
(Source: Saxony Police.)

The police are still working on the case, which they say is similar to a 2017 robbery in Berlin, Germany. A reward of $550,000 has been offered for the jewels.

The museum is worried that the jewels may never be recovered. The value of the items doesn’t come just from the jewels themselves, but from the importance of the jewels in history.

Russia Tries Out Virtual Reality – on Cows

A news report from Moscow, Russia suggests that farmers at RusMoloko Farm are working on an unusual plan to get more milk from their cows. They are giving the cows virtual reality (VR) glasses. Virtual reality glasses show images that seem so real that the mind is tricked.

The farmers are testing two ideas: 1. That virtual reality can calm cows down, and 2. That cows will give more milk if they are less anxious (worried).

A news report from Moscow, Russia suggests that farmers at RusMoloko Farm are working on an unusual plan to get more milk from their cows. The farmers are testing two ideas: 1. That virtual reality can calm cows down, and 2. That cows will give more milk if they are less anxious.
(Source: Moscow Ministry of Agriculture and Food.)

The report says the VR glasses have been adjusted to work well for cows. The cows are being shown images of green fields in the summertime. The farmers report that the devices seem to have improved the “mood of the herd”.

The next part of the experiment is meant to study whether calmer cows actually give more milk.

Some people have wondered whether the story is really true or if it’s just a way for the farm to get some attention.

Sources

www.nytimes.com
www.voanews.com
www.bbc.com
www.dw.com
www.nytimes.com
www.theguardian.com
www.bbc.com
www.engadget.com
www.theverge.com

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Humans are not the only ones who use dating sites and apps to find a mate. Frogs and cows are also finding partners through creative use of technology.

China Cracks Down on Uighurs

NFK Editors - Dec 19, 2018

China has put up to a million Uighur people in special camps in Xinjiang. Most people think the Uighurs are being punished. China says they are being trained.

Thieves Steal Royal Crowns in Sweden

NFK Editors - Aug 6, 2018

Thieves in Sweden have stolen royal crowns from a display case in a church. In a daring robbery, thieves smashed the case and took the treasures away in a motorboat.

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