Have fun, win prizes, participate in our contests!
Apr 21st, 2021, 2:13 pm
Police respond to report of home intruder, find robot vacuum

Image

Police responding to a report of an intruder at a California home broke down the front door and stormed the house to find the suspected burglar was actually the owner's robot vacuum.

Yana Sydnor said she and her 2-year-old daughter were sleeping at their Natomas home when she was awakened by a sound she thought was an intruder in her home.

"Say about 1 a.m., I hear over my meditation music, 'Boom, boom, boom,'" Sydnor told KOVR-TV.

Sydnor said she texted friends to tell them there was a burglar in her home.

"I was like, 'Hey, someone is in my house,' and they were like, 'Call the police.' I was like, 'Oh yeah, yeah, call the police.'"

Sydnor called 911 and hid in the bathroom with her daughter.

She said she heard police break down her front door moments later, followed by the sound of laughter.

The police discovered the suspected intruder was the family's robot vacuum.

"My son turned on the vacuum cleaner because he didn't want to do chores before he left for the weekend. We hadn't used this vacuum in almost two years. It went down the stairs," Sydnor said.

A North Carolina couple ended up in a similar situation in December 2019 when they heard what they believed to be an intruder in their home.

Thomas Milam of Forsyth County said he and his partner had only had their robot vacuum for three days when they heard the noise inside their home and hid in a closet until police arrived and identified the tool as the cause of the noise.

View news video here:
https://youtu.be/4IDyMbn--x4
Apr 21st, 2021, 2:13 pm
Apr 21st, 2021, 2:22 pm
Anonymous Donor Uses Dogecoin Earnings to Pay Adoption Fees at Daytona Shelter

Image

A donor anonymously paid the adoption fees for all dogs at a Daytona Beach, Florida, shelter on Saturday.

The donor, dubbed Doge Community, won big using cryptocurrency Dogecoin and put some of those funds toward the adoption fees of dogs that were currently ready to be adopted from Halifax Humane Society.

"A generous donor, Doge Community has paid the adoption fees of all dogs in the adoption kennel at the time that were still available," the shelter shared on Sunday along with photos of some of the animals. "Special thanks to Doge Community for their kindness and generosity."

The Halifax Humane Society also clarified that dogs who have been brought to the center since Saturday will have an adoption fee.

"All adopters will still need to qualify for their adoption," the shelter added.

Halifax Humane Society Community Outreach Director Barry Kukes explained in an interview with Fox 6 that the donor "had made a very wise investment in some cryptocurrency and had a windfall and said it changed her life that she wanted to do something nice."

Dogecoin's value increased after it was popularized on Thursday when Elon Musk tweeted a photo of a dog captioned, "Doge Barking at the Moon," and liked tweets related to the cryptocurrency.

Kukes told Fox 6 that the donation came at a time of need as Halifax Humane Society had just taken in 42 dogs from a suspected dog-fighting ring and were tight for space to take in more animals.

"We've got some space now. We're not at total capacity, but it changes almost on a daily basis. They come out as quickly as they come in," he said.

The Halifax Humane Society did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request to comment.
Apr 21st, 2021, 2:22 pm

Image
Apr 21st, 2021, 2:24 pm
Resurrecting an Ancient Fabric More Precious Than Silk That Hasn’t Been Spun for Centuries

In the fantasy genre, it’s popular for writers to invent some kind of special, magical material, such as “Valerian steel” from the Game of Thrones series, or Frodo Baggins’ mithril chainmail in J. R. R. Tolkien’s writings.

Now in Bangladesh, a lost art of weaving that once created the most spectacular fabric the world had ever known is being revived, bit by bit and full of improvisations, to restore a piece of intangible cultural heritage and the national pride of a nation.

The material in question is called Dhaka muslin, and a feature piece by the BBC explains why one would be excused for thinking its story was pulled from The Lord of the Rings.

Described in texts thousands of years old, Dhaka muslin is an ultra fine, ultra soft fabric made from a potentially extinct species of sorry-looking cotton that grows along the banks of the holy Meghna River. The cotton, known locally as phuti karpas, was very delicate, snapped and frayed easily, and could only be finagled under conditions of extreme—sometimes artificially enhanced—humidity.

Eventually though, somewhere in the mists of time, ancient Bangladeshi weavers managed to convert this unseemly plant into the height of luxury fabrics, one which adorned Greek statues, Mughal emperors, the aristocracy of Europe, and even the empress of France, Josephine Bonaparte.

Image

ts principal properties were its lightness and transparency. It was termed “woven air” by the Mughal, and described by one Dutch traveler in the 1700s as being “made so fine that a piece of twenty yards in length or even longer could be put into a common pocket snuff box.”

However the subjugation of local master weavers who passed the secret of creating this fabric through the generations by the British East India Company resulted in many of the techniques being lost—even to this day, and the scraggly cotton, no longer needed, receded into the wilds.

The muslin revival
It’s not uncommon that history and progress don’t always march arm and arm, and despite our technological brilliance today, the secrets of those weaver families in ancient Dhaka have not been restored.

Image


One man, however, is on the path of reestablishing the Dhaka muslin trade as the world’s top textile.

Saiful Islam runs Bengal Muslin, a heritage crafting enterprise seeking to adapt the ancient techniques and restore the phuki karpas cotton plant. He got started down this path in 2013 when the company he was working for asked him to adapt an English exhibition on the material for Bangladeshi viewers.

Born in Bangladesh, Islam felt he needed to do his own research, which resulted in several cultural exhibitions, a book, and a film commission, all of which led him and his colleagues to feel that it was perhaps possible—if only they could find the unique cotton—to restart the craft industry around the legendary fabric.

Indeed he did, and Bengal Muslin, his project dedicated to the fabric’s revival, now sells the real deal to buyers around the world, while also attending and hosting numerous events celebrating the craft.

However none of this would be possible if phuki karpas was unlocatable, and Islam had to sequence its DNA from a single pressed specimen from the 19th century kept at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Then sailing up and down the Meghna River, a major feeder for the Ganges, he snapped up anything that looking like the pressed picture, and eventually managed to find a plant that had about three-quarters of the same genetic code—an ancestor, perhaps.
Apr 21st, 2021, 2:24 pm

Twitter: Fatima99@fatima99_mobi
Image
Apr 21st, 2021, 3:08 pm
Great ball of fire seen streaking across Barrie sky
'From my angle, it looked like it went right up Mulcaster Street from the lake heading north,' says east-end resident

Image

Reports of a flash of bright light in the night sky made the rounds on Facebook, Friday night.

If you saw it and thought you were going crazy, there is now a video.

Around 10 p.m., Friday, Mike Pachulski says he was travelling to Barrie from Peterborough when his dash-mounted camera picked up the ball of light streaking through the night sky.

“I actually thought it was fireworks at first, because even though you can’t tell from the video, it looked green to me,” Pachulski told BarrieToday.

Pachulski admits he's a bit of an amateur meteor chaser and was excited to know he caught the footage on video.

Image

It all happened so quickly, but it was moving slowly enough for Pachulski to observe it.

“I remember looking at it and thinking it looked like it was fragmented. I thought it was going to explode at one point,” he said. “It was glowing the whole time and I could really see the smoke coming off it.”

Barrie resident Julie Bateman was lying on her couch just after 10 p.m., Friday, watching television when she saw the meteor out the front window.

“I live in the downtown, old east-end section of Barrie and from my angle, it looked like it went right up Mulcaster Street from the lake heading north,” Bateman said. “I wouldn't say it was moving super fast since I saw it for a few seconds.

"It was a large white fireball with a tail," she added.

Bateman said she has only seen two meteors in her life, with the first being six months ago.

On Friday night, though, at first she thought she was letting her imagination get the best of her when she posted what she saw on Facebook. But others started quickly validating what she had seen, as they saw the same thing.

“It was my dad's birthday, so I thought that maybe I had imagined it since it was the first birthday since he passed away from cancer and I tend to have an active imagination,” Bateman said. “But when I posted about it on Facebook, many of my friends tagged me in posts from other people who saw it, too.”
Apr 21st, 2021, 3:08 pm

Image
Apr 21st, 2021, 3:27 pm
Dog spotted on solo joyride down West Edmonton street: firefighters

A dog’s solo joyride down a West Edmonton street Tuesday afternoon was short-lived after firefighters quickly came to the adventurous pooch’s rescue.

Firefighters were called just after 12:30 p.m. after a witness spotted the dog alone inside a vehicle rolling down the road near Guardian Road and 199 Street. Crew arrived within six minutes and saved the animal.

It seems the wily critter shifted the vehicle into neutral, said Edmonton Fire Rescue Services spokesperson Brittany Lewchuk.

“The dog was rescued and there are no reported injuries to the dog or citizens,” she said in an email.

EFRS did not have information on the breed of the dog or the make of the vehicle.

The car did not crash or cause any property damage.



source: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/dog-sp ... refighters
Apr 21st, 2021, 3:27 pm

Twitter @HgwrtzExprss
Join Mobilism Discord server to get instant updates on contests: https://discord.gg/JqD2wAWSGw

Image
Apr 21st, 2021, 4:42 pm
Endangered Galapagos tortoises hatched – turtle-y awesome good news!
April 10, 2021*

Image
Photo Credit: Auckland Zoo

Four hatchlings, the most ever hatched from a single turtle, are doing well in the Auckland Zoo in New Zealand. Their parents are 50-year-old mom, Chippie, and 49-year-old dad, Smiley. Interestingly, the parents are young in Galapagos tortoise terms. Galapagos tortoises can live up to 175-300 years, according to the Auckland Zoo!

The Auckland Zoo specializes in the care of Galapagos tortoises and has high hopes for these hatchlings. They will reach adulthood in 20-40 years. BTW – Did you know “Galapagos” derives from an old Spanish word for tortoises? Yep.
Apr 21st, 2021, 4:42 pm

Image
Apr 21st, 2021, 5:28 pm
Loch Ness Monster hunters insist huge skeleton found on Scots beach must be a relative

Theories about what animal could have left the incredible remains behind include it being a beached whale or even a cousin to Nessie, Scotland's legendary Loch Ness Monster.

Image

A Scots woman made discovered a huge washed up skeleton on a remote beach of South Uist and her sister took it to Twitter for answers.

Sharing the photo, which was taken by her sister and included her dog, Bonnie, Edinburgh-based Polly Burns wrote: "My sister has just moved to South Uist and has found this skeleton - anyone able to help with ID? Golden retriever provided for scale."

Theories quickly emerged about what animal could have left behind the mysterious bones could have been, with it receiving over 17,000 likes and 1,100 comments.

They ranged from the fantastic, with a cousin of Nessie or even a dinosaur being suggested, to the more mundane (and much more likely), with them being attributed to being the remains of a beached sperm whale.

Polly, who said she can't believe how quickly the post took off, explained: "I’m a marine scientist, and I suspected it was a whale but not an expert in them, so suggested to my sister I’d tweet it to see if I could find any answers through my network.

"I included my university lecturer on marine mammals Ben Wilson - but it ended up getting answers from so many more people than expected!

"I couldn’t believe how many people were seeing and engaging with it."

Responding to the post, one user joked: "OMG No! It's Nessie."

Image

While others added that it could be from a dinosaur or even a mysterious Kraken-like monster.

Someone else simply quipped: "IDK but it looks like the best dang day of that dog's life."

More sensible answers, such as it is the remains of a beached pilot whale were also mooted before a few locals pitched in to confirm that a sperm whale had indeed been stranded in that area last year.

Polly confirmed: "We now know it’s a sperm whale that was stranded last March. It’s great so many people are interested, it’s obviously sparked people’s imaginations!"

Speaking about the incredible photo, Polly's sister Hannah who recently moved to the island with her boyfriend Jon and their dog Bonnie, added: "We’ve only been living on the island for a few weeks and enjoying exploring.

"This was an unexpected find and a really exciting opportunity to learn about the natural history of the islands from locals."
Apr 21st, 2021, 5:28 pm
Apr 21st, 2021, 6:22 pm
Image

It's no secret that small businesses have been shouldering the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic while major corporations have largely benefitted from widespread lockdown measures, and this is precisely why one marketing agency in Toronto came up with a creative way to give local establishments a much-needed boost.

Toronto marketing agency Taxi recently launched Unboxed Local, a new initiative that creates business cards made from used Amazon boxes to encourage local shopping.

"The boxes were found around the city, each one cut and stamped individually," says Alexis Bronstorph, co-chief creative officer at Taxi.

"It's heartbreaking to see the impact these lockdowns have on small business. We knew we had to start the shop local conversation again, or at least keep it going."

According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), Ontario's first two shutdowns resulted in an estimated 74,000 permanent small business closures in the province — with the most recent restrictions expected to cause even more — while Amazon just closed its best year yet with $386 billion in net sales.

Image

This initative therefore aims to help businesses which have been impacted by "The Amazon Effect" by cutting out cards from used Amazon boxes, stamping them with the necessary logo and contact information and handing them out to customers.

Toronto-based book shop Another Story and Sweet Pete's Bike Shop are the first two participants in the marketing initiative, both of which have felt the impacts of evolving shopping habits brought on by the pandemic.

But the program is open to other small businesses as well, and any owners or operators interested in getting a free stamp for their business while quantities last can email [email protected].
Apr 21st, 2021, 6:22 pm

Image
Image
Buzz is the best doggo ever.
Apr 21st, 2021, 7:11 pm
Las Vegas mooted an unusual conservation initiative

Image

It has a hard earned reputation for excess, making Las Vegas an unlikely pioneer of conservation initiatives. However, officials in the city this week proposed banning ornamental grass, with one describing efforts to maintain turf in the desert as “dumb”.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates that ripping up “non functional turf” could reduce water consumption in the city by 15 per cent. The authority proposes replacing thirsty greenery with native desert plants.

It follows previous attempts by officials to get homeowners to part with their turf, including an initiative that paid them $3 (£2.18) for every square foot of sod they tore up.
Apr 21st, 2021, 7:11 pm

Image
Apr 22nd, 2021, 11:51 am
Image

I sometimes get REALLY DEPRESSED reviewing the news these days.
It's always about a global pandemic threatening life as we know it,
protests around the world, stupid politicians, natural disasters,
or some other really bad story.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Welcome to The mobi weekly news magazine
IN OTHER NEWS
THURSDAY APRIL 22

What is it?
Here is your chance to become an "ACE REPORTER" for our weekly news magazine.
It is your job to fine weird, funny or "good feel" stories from around the world and share them with our readers in our weekly magazine

How do you play?
Just post a story that you have come across that made you smile, laugh, feel good...
BUT NOTHING DEPRESSING :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

EXAMPLE POST
Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag
Image
A naked sunbather was seen chasing wild boar through a park after it stole his laptop bag.
Amusing photographs from Germany show the man running after the animal to try and claim the plastic bag back.
But the cheeky boar and its two piglets appear to be too quick for the sunbather, who can't keep up with their speedy little trotters.
As the incident unfolds, groups of friends and family sat on the grass watch on and laugh.
Heads are seen turning in surprise and amusement in the hilarious photographs.
The incident happened at Teufelssee Lake - a bathing spot in the Grunwell Forest in Berlin, Germany.

Rules:
Each Edition of IN OTHER NEWS will be open for 7 days...
You may post One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can enter only once a day
Each news day will start when I post announcing it
OR at:
9:00 AM CHICAGO TIME (UTC -5)
2:00 PM GMT (UTC -0)

on those days I space out and forget to post or can't due to Real Life :lol:
Stories may be accompanied with images - but No big images, please! 800x800 pixels wide maximum
Videos are allowed, but please keep them to under a minute, and post a short summary for those that don't like to click on videos
No Duplicate stories - Where a post has been edited resulting in duplicates, then the last one in time gets disallowed.
And please limit this to reasonably family friendly stories :lol: :lol: :lol:

Reward:
Each news story posted that I feel is acceptable (must be a real story, too few words or simply a headline are not considered acceptable) will earn you 50 WRZ$
If you post multiple stories on any given day, you will only earn 50 WRZ$ for the first story of the Day
All payments will be made at THE END of the weekly news cycle.
Special Bonus - Each week I will award "The Pulitzer Prize" for the best story of the week
The weekly winner of the "The Pulitzer Prize" will receive a 100 WRZ$ bonus
It's just my personal opinion, so my judgement is final

So help bring GOOD news to the members of mobi, and join our reporting team...

IN OTHER NEWS


Image
Apr 22nd, 2021, 11:51 am

Image
Image
Apr 22nd, 2021, 12:01 pm
Landlord evicts tenants for growing cannabis - then takes over the operation
:lol:

A carpenter who evicted tenants from his property after he found out that they had set up a cannabis grow house only to then take over the operation himself has received a two-year suspended sentence.

John Sheahan (48) pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to possessing cannabis for sale or supply and to cultivating cannabis without a licence at his home at Ardglass, Charleville, Co Cork on October 23rd, 2019.

Det Garda Will Hosford said that investigating gardai had uncovered a sophisticated cannabis growhouse with lights and a watering system set up in a shipping container in the backyard of Mr Sheehan’s house.

They discovered 23 mature cannabis plants with a street value of €18,400 in the container. They also found 253 grammes of cannabis herb with a street value of €5,066, giving a total value for the seizure of €23,466.


Mr Sheahan made full admissions when interviewed by gardai. He took responsibility for the growhouse, which was set up in three separate rooms in the container with the third room containing the mature plants.

Polish tenants
Det Garda Hosford said that Sheahan told them that he had rented out the house to Polish tenants only to discover that they had set up a growhouse operation in the container. He evicted his tenants and burned the 33 plants that they had cultivated.

However, some time after this he was approached by a man who offered him €5,000 to resume the growing operation and produce a crop.

As he was under financial pressure at the time he accepted the offer and began growing another crop of plants.

Sheahan told gardai that the crop seized by gardai was his second harvest and that he had already made €5,000 from his first crop.

Defence counsel Alice Fawsitt SC said that her client had co-operated fully with gardai and had made full admissions about his wrongdoing.

Perplexing
Judge Sean Ó Donnabháin said the fact that Sheahan had evicted his tenants for growing cannabis only to go into the business himself was perplexing.

"Was it the way he objected to Foreign Direct Investment? He throws out the developer and then takes over the business himself."

The judge said that the court could not permit Sheahan to make a €5,000 profit from his first crop. He ordered Mr Sheahan to pay compensation of that amount.

Today the court was told that Sheahan had paid the €5,000 compensation. It was agreed that it would be donated to Tabor Lodge, a Cork based addiction counselling centre.

In sentencing Sheahan to two years in jail which he suspended in it’s entirety the Judge said “He may have learned his lesson”.

source https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/lan ... 10692.html
Apr 22nd, 2021, 12:01 pm

Twitter @HgwrtzExprss
Join Mobilism Discord server to get instant updates on contests: https://discord.gg/JqD2wAWSGw

Image
Apr 22nd, 2021, 12:24 pm
Barbary sheep escapes from Puerto Rico's largest zoo

Image

April 21 (UPI) -- Residents of a Puerto Rican town said they are keeping their eye out for an aoudad -- a large wild sheep -- after the animal escaped from a local zoo.

The Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo, Puerto Rico's largest zoo, confirmed the aoudad escaped through a hole in a fence April 15, and has since been repeatedly spotted wandering loose in the town of Mayaguez and the surrounding area.

Locals nicknamed the animal Rayo Velaz, or "Fast Lightning," due to his speedy running. No injuries have been reported from encounters with Rayo Velaz, but he broke a vehicle window with his horns when he was cornered between the vehicle and a wall.

Officials said the fences at the zoo have fallen into disrepair since the zoo closed to the public in 2017 due to Hurricane Maria. They said Rayo Velaz's escape route has been repaired to keep the rest of the zoo's 31 aoudads from getting loose.

Gerardo Hernandez, undersecretary of National Parks of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, said Rayo Velaz has remained nearby the zoo since his escape, apparently wanting to stay close to his herd. He said safe traps have been placed in the area to try to recapture the aoudad unharmed.
Apr 22nd, 2021, 12:24 pm
Apr 22nd, 2021, 1:23 pm
Your gentle reminder that April is a very weird month in Major League Baseball
Apr 21, 2021, 11:20am EDT *

Image
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Last night, the ghosts of 2020 inhabited the body of Connor Brogdon, one of the brightest young bullpen arms on the ‘21 version of the Phillies, and the results were predictably awful.

Brogdon allowed two separate three-run home runs in the 8th inning and turned a 6-4 Phillies lead into a 10-6 deficit, emphatically ending the right-hander’s scoreless streak at 15 1⁄3 innings. It’s hard to get too made at Brogdon specifically, seeing as how it was the first runs he’d allowed since August 20 of last year, but it was horrific loss nonetheless and at 8-9, the Phils fell under the .500 mark for the first time this year.

There are holes on the team the size of winter-time city potholes. I mean, Andrew Knapp played second base last night. That’s not good.

After a 5-1 start, it’s understandable the fanbase is upset. Good teams should not blow 4-0 leads with their co-ace (Zack Wheeler last night) on the mound, and a team that has spent more than $200 million on their roster shouldn’t have this much difficulty fielding a Major League-caliber center fielder, see their lead-off hitting left fielder struggle to hit his weight, and play with such porous defense that any batted ball causes one to cringe in fear.

Most importantly, a $200 million payroll should hit more.

The bats woke up a bit last night but, heading into Wednesday’s game, were still tied for 10th in the National League in OPS (.687), 10th in slugging (.375) and on-base percentage (.312) and had scored just 64 runs in 17 games for an average of 3.76.
But it’s still the first month of the season and, as everyone who has followed baseball for any length of time knows, April is a bit weird. As The Athletic’s Matt Gelb noted...

Good point from a reader: So many odd offensive trends in first three weeks. Phillies have largest YTY increase in GB%. They have five of the 25 biggest dips in average launch angle. Explains 26th in SLG? https://t.co/aXP4N3up6x pic.twitter.com/p9zZvLI0QM

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) April 20, 2021

Maybe some of those numbers will change. They probably will. But throughout MLB, lots of weird stuff is happening.

Of course everyone expected the Atlanta Braves to be 7-10 despite getting MVP-level play from Ronald Acuna and Freddie Freeman. Of course everyone expected that the only team in the division who would have a positive run differential would be the third-place Miami Marlins (+1). Of course everyone expected the New York Yankees to have the worst record in the American League, tied with the Minnesota Twins (another preseason favorite) at 6-10. Of course everyone predicted the Boston Red Sox to be in first place in the AL East and that Gabe Kapler’s San Francisco Giants would be in second place with an 11-6 record.

Everyone expected that Milwaukee’s Omar Narvaez would be tied with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Starling Marte for 5th in the NL in fWAR at this point (0.9); that Tyler Naquin and Ryan McMahon would be tied for 2nd in homers (5 each), that the Dodgers’ top-three RBI men would be Justin Turner, Zach McKinstry!!!, and Corey Seager; that...

Corbin Burnes struck out 10 and walked 0 on Tuesday at the Padres. He's the 1st pitcher since the mound was set at its current distance in 1893 to post 4 straight starts with at least 9 K and 0 BB at any point in the season... and he did it in his first 4 starts of the season! pic.twitter.com/hCV7vzHNE5

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 21, 2021

...that the Bronx Bombers, with Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and the rest of their fearsome lineup, would have combined for 17 home runs so far, with only the Twins and Royals having hit fewer (14 each); that Oakland would start the season 1-7 then go on a 10-game winning streak to share first place with the Seattle Mariners at 11-7.

This is not to say you should ignore the Phillies’ plight. Injuries and COVID-19 absences have begun to wreak havoc on a roster that was not the deepest in the league to begin with, despite it’s $200+ million payroll. Their star players need to play like stars and, to their credit, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura and Rhys Hoskins, have largely hit as expected thus far. McCutchen and Alec Bohm need to hit, the center field situation needs to be straightened out, the bench needs to come through more often (Brad Miller’s dinger last night notwithstanding), the rotation must gain more depth, and the Phils’ bullpen needs to weather the absences of Archie Bradley and Jose Alvarado better than they did last night.

But it’s important to remember that April is weird, and if you think things are bad in Philadelphia right now, imagine how Braves and Yankees fans are feeling this morning.
Apr 22nd, 2021, 1:23 pm

Image
Apr 22nd, 2021, 1:40 pm
Spectacular Super Pink Moon Set to Rise Next Week—Here’s How to Photograph It in the Night Sky

You’ll want to set aside a little moon-gazing time this Monday evening—as April 26 is set to be the night of the Super Pink Moon.

Image

The best time to see it is as it’s appearing over the eastern horizon. At that point the Moon will appear a deep tangerine, then a steady gold, then pure white as it climbs ever higher in the sky. This is because of Rayleigh scattering—the same phenomenon that causes sunsets to take on reddish tints.

Contrary to its name, this month’s full Moon won’t actually look pink. According to Farmer’s Almanac, it actually gets its name from the North American wildflower Phlox Subulata, also known as creeping phlox or moss phlox, which blooms in spring.

Other traditional names include Sucker Moon, Breaking Ice Moon, Egg Moon, Wildcat Moon, and Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs.

Supermoons are typically about seven percent bigger and around 15 percent brighter than a regular full Moon. And this month’s is special, being one of only two such supermoons for 2021 (the next is in May).

But is the Moon actually closer to us when it’s on the horizon? Is that why it looks so huge? According to NASA, the answer is no. It’s just an illusion.

If you do to want to try taking one of those spectacular photos where the Moon looks ginormous as it rises up above the mountains, a calm ocean, or a prairie field, here’s a NASA-certified tip: “Photographers can simulate the Moon illusion by taking pictures of the Moon low on the horizon using a long lens, with buildings, mountains or trees in the frame.”

Illusion or not, look out at the rising Pink Moon this Monday and you’re sure to see a beautiful, if fleeting sight.
Apr 22nd, 2021, 1:40 pm

Twitter: Fatima99@fatima99_mobi
Image
Apr 22nd, 2021, 2:02 pm
Trading Old Cars for Electric Bikes: France Proposes Handsome Financial Incentives

Image

The French government is planning to give citizens who want to trade in their old cars a $3,000 grant (€2,500) towards the purchase of an electric bike.

The notion has been approved by lawmakers at the National Assembly in a preliminary vote and is part of a more ambitious round of emissions cuts planned for 2040, at which point the French government hopes to have reduced them 40% compared with 1990 levels.

The French Federation of Bicycle Users (FUB) told Reuters that, if adopted, France will become the first country to offer such a trade—all in an effort to reduce the number of cars on the road, especially the ones that produce more emissions.

Electric bikes add power to each rotation of the gears, propelling the cyclist further with less effort than a traditional one, but a good e-bike can also achieve speeds of 20 mph without so much as a single pedal turn simply by using the throttle, making them ideal for city commutes.

The decision by France was hailed by green lobbying and cycling groups, who see bikes as a major solution to combat vehicle emissions. Modern EU and UK emissions standards on cars, especially those registered in major cities, are extremely strict, meaning older models carry an emissions burden much larger than their share of the total percentage of vehicles on the road.

Cycling Industries Europe, a trade association, welcomed the move, with their chief executive saying: “We are seeing a welcome increase in stand-alone incentives for bicycle purchases, but the French Assembly has made it clear—e-bikes and cargo bikes are to be supported as vehicle replacements.

“Every government needs to recognize that it is the cycling industries of Europe that are leading the world in the change to e-mobility.”
Apr 22nd, 2021, 2:02 pm

Image