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DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Members of the Scream Club Chicago on North Avenue Beach. PICTURE: Screen grab via Reuters TV
• If you ever find yourself at Chicago’s North Avenue Beach on a Sunday evening and hear several people screaming all at once, don’t worry – it’s just a unique group of Chicagoans letting off a little steam. It’s not a protest or performance art – it’s Scream Club Chicago, a new weekly event where people gather to let out whatever’s been weighing them down. The group was founded this summer by Manny Hernandez, a life transformation coach and breathwork practitioner who recently relocated to Chicago from Los Angeles. “I think this is a good way for us to be able to, in a healthy way, release whatever we have going on inside out into the void, and then reducing that pressure that we have inside,” Hernandez explained. The idea was born during a tough moment in June. “I was having a real bad day with my partner,” Hernandez recalled. “We were walking by the lake and I just said to her, ‘Hey, do you want to go scream by the lake?’ And she was like, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’” The couple’s spontaneous scream session quickly grew into something greater. “There were a few people sitting around and I just said, ‘Hey, look, we’re about to scream into the lake, I’m so sorry to bother you. Do you want to join us?’ And they were like, ‘Yes, absolutely,’” he said. “A few people cried and then I looked right at my girlfriend and I was like, ‘I think this is something that we got to start.’ And Scream Club was born.” Since then, the gathering has grown — and kept growing. Every Sunday, Hernandez leads participants through breathing exercises before encouraging three deep, cathartic screams. “Picture us like a pressure cooker,” he said. “Cortisol builds up in our bodies all the time… if you don’t find a healthy way to let it go, then what happens is when the pressure cooker gets too pressurized right, it explodes.” For some attendees, the ritual has become part of their emotional toolkit. “What’s bringing me back out here really is that there are things I’m ready to let go of,” said Alexander Ruvalcaba, a 31-year-old heavy metal musician. “After doing this, I become more happier, a lot happier.” Ruvalcaba said it’s not just the screaming that keeps him coming back — it’s the shared experience. “I get to meet a lot of people who are going through different things and you know, there’s no judgment here. It’s just a few people getting it out of their system.” Hernandez says he’s excited to continue watching his new club grow in hopes of offering more people a unique way to relieve stress. – Reuters TV
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One of the new stamps. PICTURE: Screenshot via Reuters TV
• Britain’s Royal Mail is marking the 75th anniversary of American comic strip Peanuts with a set of eight new stamps depicting Charlie Brown, Snoopy and fellow beloved characters. The designs feature specially adapted Peanuts artworks with some British touches, including Snoopy and Woodstock as guards outside Buckingham Palace. Other designs show Snoopy lying on top of a red post box, Lucy and Linus beside a sandcastle as well as Charlie Brown and Snoopy enjoying tea and cake, Royal Mail said last Thursday. The original strip, drawn by Charles M Schulz, first ran on 2nd October, 1950 and went on to charm millions of people around the world. It continued until 13th February, 2000, the day after Schulz’s death. “For generations, Peanuts has brought laughter, comfort, and quiet wisdom. This stamp collection is a heartfelt tribute to Charles M Schulz’s enduring legacy and the timeless charm of his comic strip,” David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said in a statement. The stamps will go on sale from 24th July. – Reuters TV
• An arcade in The Philippines has won a Guinness World Record after installing the world’ largest claw machine. ‘Claw King’, installed at the PlayFair arcade in Cebu City, measures 49.9 square metres and is 3.88 metres tall, 2.47 metres wide, and 5.22 metres tall. The record surpasses a previous record set by ‘Santa Claw’ in the US state of Ohio. “We’re beyond thrilled to announce that PlayFair has officially earned a Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Claw Machine,” the PlayFair arcade said on social media.
