Los Angeles, view from above

Los Angeles, California is the second biggest city in the USA, and, like New York, it can boast a spectacular night view.

Jupiter red spot

This is not an eye, it is the  great red spot on the planet Jupiter. This spot is the scene of a giant storm that has been going on for hundreds of years, and is big enough to absorb three Earths. This close-up photo was taken by NASA.

Annular eclipse

Today many places in east Asia and western America got to see this annular eclipse. Usually when there is a solar eclipse the moon can entirely block the sun, but at the moment the moon is at its farthest from the Earth so it is not able to block all the son and leaves a ring (an annulus) of sunlight around the black centre. It is quite a sight.

Related articles

• VIDEO: Millions see annular eclipse (bbc.co.uk)

Baby Owls

These baby owls, or owlets, are only 4 weeks old. They are Florida Burrowing Owls in a park in Miami, Florida.

Sandwich

How would you like a Ham Portsmouth? Or an Egg & Salad Portsmouth.

A sandwich could have been called a portsmouth, but for a quirk of history.

As many people know the Earl of Sandwich became very hungry in the middle of a card game so he ordered his servants to prepare a bit of meat inside two slices of bread, in order that he could continue his card game without leaving the card table to have a meal. One of his fellow players looked at the snack and decided that he rather liked the look of it, and he too ordered ‘the same as Sandwich’. And so the sandwich was born.

But the Earl of Sandwich is a title, not a name, and the 1st Earl of Sandwich was able to choose his name. He was a sailor and he wanted his name to be that of a famous port. The two biggest ports at that time were Sandwich and Portsmouth. Sandwich was the bigger, so he chose Sandwich as his name. In a twist of fate Portsmouth later became much bigger, and was the base for the British Navy for hundreds of years, so perhaps the earl made the wrong choice.

That was exactly 250 years ago, and while most of the world was celebrating Mother’s Day last Sunday, the folks in the town of Sandwich, Kent had Sandwich Day.

Related articles

• Sandwich celebrates 250th birthday (upi.com)
• The Sandwich Is 250 Years Old Today! (weeklyworldnews.com)
• Sandwich’s 250th birthday (nation.com.pk)
• 7 questions on sandwiches (bbc.co.uk)

Florida map

The US state of Florida has an enormous coastline in relation to its size. It is the 22nd largest state but the 4th most populous.

Shwedagon Pagoda

The Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar is not only one single pagoda, but a whole complex of temples and other buildings. And most of them are so gold.

Bonsai

This miniature tree doesn’t grow like this. It has been carefully tended and cut for many years.

The art of bonsai is a Japanese specialty, and this is the Japanese maple in full leaf.

The Scream

There are four known versions of The Scream by Munch. This is the final one a pastel drawn in 1895.

It is certainly packed with emotion, and I guess many of us have had this feeling many times, but 120 million dollars?

Related articles

• ‘The Scream’ Sold for $120 Million at Auction (economicpolicyjournal.com)
• ‘The Scream’ Fetches Highest Price Ever For A Work Of Art (npr.org)

Freedom Tower

The Freedom Tower is now New York’s tallest building. It is built on the site of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The Manhattan skyline has a new icon.

Ontario map

The province of Ontario in Canada is not the largest province in the country, but it is the most populous, and includes both Canada’s biggest city, Toronto, and Canada’s capital city, Ottawa.

 

Puffer Fish

The puffer fish (or blowfish, or globefish) is probably the second most poisonous vertebrate (the most poisonous being a golden frog).

In Japan, Korea and China it is prepared by specially licensed chefs and is often eaten raw. I once ate it. The flavour was good, but no better than many other fish.

Related articles

• The Toxic Puffer Fish: A Japanese Delicacy (gomestic.com)

Space shuttle’s last flight

The last flight of the space shuttle happened a few days ago as the Space Shuttle Discovery was taken piggy-back by a 747 Jumbo-jet to a museum in Washington DC. Along the way it passed the Washington Monument for this spectacular photo.

Toronto sunset

Sunset is my favourite time of day, and when there is lightning too it can have a stunning effect, like this scene in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.