> Detached male genitalia was found floating alongside children and other guests in a wave pool at Cedar Point Shores in Sandusky, Ohio. > > The Cedar Fair theme parks have been fixtures in the news over the last few weeks. Just days before completing its merger with Six Flags, the theme park went viral when two camels escaped the petting zoo and terrorized amusement park guests. > > Days later, a woman was attacked by goats that also escaped the petting zoo. > > Now, internet attention has turned to Cedar Point once again. A viral video from the Midwestern theme park shows lifeguards fishing a realistic adult toy out of the wave pool at its adjacent water park, Cedar Point Shores. > > ... > > At first, guests thought the floating item was human fecal matter or a detached body part. Families were disgusted by the implications of other guests bringing the dildo to the water park. Lifeguards giggled as they fished it out.

It's time to see if the polls are right.

Previously: the voting megathread

> Shah’s stature (he is just under 4ft 2in, or 126cm, according to Guinness World Records), combined with his fearlessness, have helped him find a niche in cinema that has led to an absurdly storied career, not to mention an MBE last month for his services to the film industry. > > His favourite experience was working on Superman in 1977. He and his friend Milton Reid (a former wrestler) decided to visit Pinewood Studios one day, looking for work. The director, Richard Donner, showed them on to the Superman set and introduced them to Marlon Brando. “Marlon immediately picked me up and started dancing,” says Shah. “I don’t know why he did that. And I’m going: ‘Marlon, please put me down, I don’t like being picked up.’ He finally put me down and then in walked Reeve, and Donner went: ‘Christopher, I’ve found a stunt double for you!’ and pointed at me. The entire crew were bursting with laughter.” > > Donner wasn’t joking, though. For the movie’s flying scenes, the effects team used an array of stunt doubles of different sizes, down to Shah, so they could realistically portray Superman flying through the back-projected cityscape at all distances. Thus, Shah found himself in the iconic Superman costume (and a Christopher Reeve mask), winched up high in the air on wires and swung around for several days with his fist extended in front of him. “It was really brilliant,” says Shah, smiling. “I felt like: ‘I am Superman now!’” He and Reeve got along well, he says. “I used to smoke cigarettes back then, and Christopher was not allowed to smoke. He would come to me and go,” he lowers his voice, “‘Kiran, have you got a cigarette? Let’s go and find a corner.’” It must have been quite a sight: 6ft 4in Reeve and Shah, both in their Superman costumes, sneaking a smoke like naughty schoolboys. “The tall one and the small one! Nobody took a photograph, luckily.”

> A video has been released purporting to show a non-native black cat running through a field in the semi-darkness. > >Martin Burford, the man who took the video in an unrevealed location on the Gloucestershire-Worcestershire border a year ago, has told Worcester News that it was a “panther”. He claimed there was a thriving population of these cats in the area and that this one had been attacking and killing lambs. > >Leaving aside the issue of exactly what a panther is (the term is vague and refers to one of two species), does the video actually shows a non-native cat such as a leopard or jaguar? > >BBC Wildlife has shown the video to Dr Luke Hunter, executive director of the Big Cats Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), one of the world’s foremost conservation groups – and he says it doesn’t. > >“It’s a moggy,” Hunter says. “The gait is very much a small cat’s, not a leopard or another big cat’s.” > > ... > > “It amazes me that these claims persist,” says Hunter. “If there were big cats in the UK countryside, it would be almost unavoidable that unequivocal evidence would emerge.” > >Some strong evidence – though arguably not conclusive beyond all doubt – did emerge in May when the DNA of a cat in the Panthera genus was found on a swab taken from a sheep carcass in Cumbria. In 2022, a hair found on barbed wire in Gloucestershire was identified as belonging to a leopard.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/14191622

> > The final 7-day ratings for an episode of Doctor Who season 14 are in, with the season finale, Empire of Death, being watched by 3.69 million people across the period. > > > > The episode was originally watched overnight by 2.25 million people, but this didn't account for iPlayer viewings, which as a proportion have been up considerably this season, due to the show's new release schedule. > > > > This 7-day consolidated rating leaves the episode in around the middle when it comes to viewership this season, with it getting more viewers than Boom, Dot and Bubble, Rogue and The Legend of Ruby Sunday. > > > > It got less viewers than Space Babies and The Devil's Chord, which were both released on the same day on BBC iPlayer, and 73 Yards, which was the season's high-mark when it comes to viewership. > > > > Showrunner Russell T Davies and the BBC itself have both commented on the show's recent ratings, with Davies saying that "it's not doing that well in the ratings, but it is doing phenomenally well with the younger audience that we wanted".

> The final 7-day ratings for an episode of Doctor Who season 14 are in, with the season finale, Empire of Death, being watched by 3.69 million people across the period. > > The episode was originally watched overnight by 2.25 million people, but this didn't account for iPlayer viewings, which as a proportion have been up considerably this season, due to the show's new release schedule. > > This 7-day consolidated rating leaves the episode in around the middle when it comes to viewership this season, with it getting more viewers than Boom, Dot and Bubble, Rogue and The Legend of Ruby Sunday. > > It got less viewers than Space Babies and The Devil's Chord, which were both released on the same day on BBC iPlayer, and 73 Yards, which was the season's high-mark when it comes to viewership. > > Showrunner Russell T Davies and the BBC itself have both commented on the show's recent ratings, with Davies saying that "it's not doing that well in the ratings, but it is doing phenomenally well with the younger audience that we wanted".

> A man has been jailed for brandishing a replica of a sword from the Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda on the streets of a Warwickshire market town, which he said was a “fidget toy” to keep his hands busy. > > Anthony Bray, 48, of Nuneaton, was sentenced to four months in prison after being found in possession of a bladed article in public. > > The article in question was a replica of the “master sword” from The Legend of Zelda series which had a total blade length of 6in, Warwickshire police said. > > ... > > Sgt Spellman, of the patrol investigations unit, said: “We take a zero tolerance [approach] to bladed articles in public, and Bray has fallen afoul of this. > > “It is possible to find fidget toys that aren’t six-inch blades. It is possible not to walk down the street holding them out in front of you. With a bit more self-awareness, Bray could have avoided contact with us completely.”

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/14189934

> > Neil Gaiman — the best-selling author whose work includes comic book series The Sandman and the novels Good Omens and American Gods — has denied sexual assault allegations made against him by two women with whom he had relationships with at the time, Tortoise Media reports. > > > > The allegations were made during Tortoise’s four-part podcast Master: the Allegations Against Neil Gaiman, which was released Wednesday. In it, the women allege “rough and degrading sex” with the author, which the women claim was not always consensual. > > > > ... > > > > According to Tortoise’s investigation, K did not file a police report. Scarlett filed a complaint to New Zealand police in October 2022. > > > > Gaiman told Tortoise that the police did not pursue his offer to assist the investigation regarding the complaint, claiming that this showed the lack of substance of the complaint. But New Zealand police told the outlet it made a “number of attempts to speak to key people as part of this investigation and those efforts remain ongoing,” adding that there are “a number of factors to take into consideration with this case, including location of all parties.” > > The Tortoise Investigates series

> Neil Gaiman — the best-selling author whose work includes comic book series The Sandman and the novels Good Omens and American Gods — has denied sexual assault allegations made against him by two women with whom he had relationships with at the time, Tortoise Media reports. > > The allegations were made during Tortoise’s four-part podcast Master: the Allegations Against Neil Gaiman, which was released Wednesday. In it, the women allege “rough and degrading sex” with the author, which the women claim was not always consensual. > > ... > > According to Tortoise’s investigation, K did not file a police report. Scarlett filed a complaint to New Zealand police in October 2022. > > Gaiman told Tortoise that the police did not pursue his offer to assist the investigation regarding the complaint, claiming that this showed the lack of substance of the complaint. But New Zealand police told the outlet it made a “number of attempts to speak to key people as part of this investigation and those efforts remain ongoing,” adding that there are “a number of factors to take into consideration with this case, including location of all parties.”

The Tortoise Investigates series

> Nigel Farage has said he is part of a “similar phenomenon” to the misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, as he claimed that there were forces in society trying to “stop young men from being young men”. > > The Reform UK leader used the last day of campaigning before the general election to appear alongside Derek Chisora, the controversial boxer and Reform UK supporter, in a boxing gym in Clacton, where Farage is making his eighth bid to be elected as an MP. > > Farage used the visit to speak about what he described as the feelings of “emasculation” among young men, saying: “Look at the football. You know, they’re told: Go to Germany. Please don’t drink more than two pints of beer. You what? Don’t chant at the football matches. You what? Oh, and don’t tell jokes that might offend the Germans. I mean, come on. We are trying to stop young men being young men. > > “That’s why Tate got the following he got. So maybe I’m part of a similar phenomenon,” he said. Since December 2022, Tate has been facing charges in Romania of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, which he denies. > > ... > > The Reform UK leader’s comments come against the backdrop of concerns about the rise of role models and influencers associated with a model of toxic masculinity. > > A poll of 200 people by JLP found earlier this week that Reform UK was the top choice of political party among 23% of those aged 16 to 17. However, among young men it was on level pegging with Labour, on 35%. > > ... > > Farage defended his appearance alongside Chisora, who was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence in 2010 after being found guilty of assaulting his then girlfriend.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/14184102

> > The Dartmoor town of Ashburton is famous for many things. > > > >Pivotal in the tin mining industry in the nineteenth century, it is the largest town in the Dartmoor National Park and was recently named one of England’s coolest places to live by a trendy London magazine. > > > >But political history was made in Ashburton, thanks to the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, which was established in 1982 undistinguished rock musician and former DJ David Sutch, known as Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow. > > > > ... > > > > In 1987 the party was at its most active in Devon. Totnes pub landlord Tim Langsford stood against Tory grandee Anthony Steen in the South Hams at the general election and polled 277 votes. Mr Steen won with 34,218. > > > >Alan Hope, who ran the Golden Lion in Ashburton, then became the first member of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party to hold public office when he was elected unopposed to Ashburton Town Council. > > > >He served for more than a decade and became mayor in 1998. The Golden Lion had become the official party headquarters, and was the venue for its lively annual conferences. > > > >Screaming Lord Sutch took his own life in 1999, and Mr Hope later moved to Hampshire, where he became a member of Fleet council – once again uncontested. > > > >In the sixties he had sung with Screaming Lord Sutch, who made him deputy chairman of his new party in 1982. His election to Ashburton Town Council in 1987 caused a dilemma in the party as they had previously been decided that any member who was elected to a public office should be expelled. > > > >That rule was changed at the 1987 party conference. > > > >Mr Hope, who is also known as Howling Laud Hope, is the current leader of the Official Monster Raving Loonies. He and his pet cat, Catmando, were jointly elected as leaders but since June 2002 Mr Hope has been sole leader following Catmando’s death in a road accident. > > > >He competed with a previous feline friend, Mandu, pictured, to be leader when he lived in Ashburton. > > > >To date he has stood for election to parliament more than 30 times without success. The 576 votes he polled while finishing sixth out of six candidates in North East Hampshire in 2019 is his best result to date, along with getting 1.6 per cent of the votes in Leicester South, where he finished fifth and last in 2011. > > > >Other party members have enjoyed success elsewhere, including in Devon.

> The Dartmoor town of Ashburton is famous for many things. > >Pivotal in the tin mining industry in the nineteenth century, it is the largest town in the Dartmoor National Park and was recently named one of England’s coolest places to live by a trendy London magazine. > >But political history was made in Ashburton, thanks to the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, which was established in 1982 undistinguished rock musician and former DJ David Sutch, known as Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow. > > ... > > In 1987 the party was at its most active in Devon. Totnes pub landlord Tim Langsford stood against Tory grandee Anthony Steen in the South Hams at the general election and polled 277 votes. Mr Steen won with 34,218. > >Alan Hope, who ran the Golden Lion in Ashburton, then became the first member of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party to hold public office when he was elected unopposed to Ashburton Town Council. > >He served for more than a decade and became mayor in 1998. The Golden Lion had become the official party headquarters, and was the venue for its lively annual conferences. > >Screaming Lord Sutch took his own life in 1999, and Mr Hope later moved to Hampshire, where he became a member of Fleet council – once again uncontested. > >In the sixties he had sung with Screaming Lord Sutch, who made him deputy chairman of his new party in 1982. His election to Ashburton Town Council in 1987 caused a dilemma in the party as they had previously been decided that any member who was elected to a public office should be expelled. > >That rule was changed at the 1987 party conference. > >Mr Hope, who is also known as Howling Laud Hope, is the current leader of the Official Monster Raving Loonies. He and his pet cat, Catmando, were jointly elected as leaders but since June 2002 Mr Hope has been sole leader following Catmando’s death in a road accident. > >He competed with a previous feline friend, Mandu, pictured, to be leader when he lived in Ashburton. > >To date he has stood for election to parliament more than 30 times without success. The 576 votes he polled while finishing sixth out of six candidates in North East Hampshire in 2019 is his best result to date, along with getting 1.6 per cent of the votes in Leicester South, where he finished fifth and last in 2011. > >Other party members have enjoyed success elsewhere, including in Devon.

> Police are investigating after the suspected theft of a mythical sword that was embedded in a cliff in the hill-top village of Rocamadour, south-central France. > >Durandal was the famed sword of Roland, the protagonist of La Chanson de Roland, an epic poem and the oldest surviving major work of French literature. > > The sword was embedded in a cliff face in Rocamadour (Lot) until it went missing on Saturday, June 22. > > ... > > However, the sword, a popular sight among visitors to the Unesco World Heritage town, was the “umpteenth copy” of the original, Father Florent Millet, rector of the sanctuary of Rocamadour, told ActuLot, confirming there was no historical value to the replica.

> I’m going to cut to the chase. John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China is perhaps the greatest B-movie of all time. And seeing as the celebrated cult classic observes a release date anniversary today, I am prepared to loudly and proudly sing its praises. > >Big Trouble in Little China works so well because Carpenter knew precisely what kind of film he was making. He wasn’t trying to create fine art. He was far more interested in serving cinematic comfort food and I am here for it. The beloved director succeeds remarkably in delivering a rip-roaring action spectacle with a hefty helping of imagination, a killer sense of humor, and a dynamite showing from Kurt Russell as lead character Jack Burton.

> It takes a scientific mind to see the grunting hulk of a hippopotamus and wonder whether, given sufficient motivation, such an improbable beast might ever become airborne. > >And so to researchers at the Royal Veterinary College in North Mymms, Hertfordshire, whose painstaking examination of footage of the creatures revealed that when the hefty herbivores reach top speed they do indeed take off. > >Video showed hippos got all four feet off the ground at once up to 15% of the time when thundering along at full pelt, often to chase off hippo rivals. > >The finding plugs a gap in scientific knowledge and places hippos somewhere between elephants and rhinos in terms of the athletic prowess displayed by some of the heaviest land animals when they need to get a move on. > >“I’ve struggled to get any work done on hippos before because they’re so hard to access,” said John Hutchinson, a professor of evolutionary biomechanics who led the research. “They’re incredibly dangerous, they tend to be most active at night, and they spend a lot of their time in the water.” > > After finding no satisfying answer to the question in the scientific literature, Hutchinson dispatched a student, Emily Pringle, to Flamingo Land resort in North Yorkshire, where resident hippos have room to run. She videoed the animals as they moved between their stable and watering hole and brought back the footage for analysis. > > The researchers went through it, and more gathered from YouTube, frame by frame to see whether hippos ever managed to get all four feet off the ground at once. Writing in PeerJ, they conclude that, unlike other large mammals, hippos typically stick to a trotting movement whatever speed they are moving at, but can become airborne in a rush. > > ... > > And yet, further research beckons. Word has reached Hutchinson that pygmy hippos, a different species to the animals he studied, can gallop. It raises the question of whether baby hippos can do the same, suggesting a return trip to Flamingo Land may be in order.

We are past midnight, so all campaigning is over. The polling stations open at 7:00 (and close at 22:00). So it's time for the voting thread.

It's trickier this year because of voter ID requirements but gov.uk have all the details. However, note this: "You can still use your ID even if it has expired." So an out-of-date passport, for example, will work as long as the name is the same and the photo still looks like you. Don't forget that there are other polling stations rules.

There have been problems in some areas with people getting their postal vote on time but if you haven't got yours and you aren't on your holidays, it's not too late. Details on what to do.

Tactical voting can make a difference in some places and there are a number of sites to help with this. They'll largely be similar but check a couple before committing:

• Get Voting - which also has ID info and a boundary checker
• tactical.vote
• StopTheTories.vote
• Win As One has broader aims to change the voting system

If you want your vote to count you can try SwapMyVote.uk.

Other things you can do:

• Offer lifts to people so they can get out and vote - contact your party of choice

If you have any other resources then throw them in below. If you have any questions then ask away and, hopefully, someone can rummage the answer up for you. edit: If I've cocked up, then let me know.

NB: we aren't endorsing any links, so you will have to use your best judgement on who you trust with your details.

> Rishi Sunak has confided to members of his inner circle that he is fearful of losing his Yorkshire constituency at the general election, the Guardian has been told. > >The prime minister, who would be the first sitting leader of the country to lose his seat, told confidants before a Conservative rally on Tuesday that he thought the vote in Richmond and Northallerton was too close to call. > >In 2019, he won the seat with a majority of more than 27,000 and 63% of the vote. > > ... > > No incumbent prime minister has ever lost their seat, and only 12 serving cabinet ministers have lost their seats since 1974, according to the Institute for Government. > >Polls have varied, with most suggesting Sunak should retain his seat even amid a landslide victory for Labour across the country. Savanta and Electoral Calculus analysis for the Telegraph suggested he could lose it, however. > >Conservative activists working in Sunak’s constituency had been particularly alarmed by a drop-off in support among the farming community, some of whom had cited challenges arising from Brexit to their businesses and a failure to control illegal immigration, sources said.