What a contrast.
Too many are proud to see the flag waving & brag but fail to put their hands in their pockets.
Well done that man

For some alternate 'arty' fun with a message:


New 'Banksy' artwork appears at Great Yarmouth model village
wrote:

... It would not be the first time Banksy has added his own work to an existing attraction...

All a good fun stir of Art?

Regardless, artfully done!


Have fun!
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Excellent artful fun!


Has Banksy been on an East Anglian seaside 'spraycation'?



Enjoy!
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Good News from the Isle of Man
At last two wasteful/dangerous party objects are banned.
Helium is a finite resource and has a lot of uses that are far more beneficial to mankind than blowing up toy balloons.
The deflated balloons have been consumed by birds and animals with fatal results.
Sky lanterns (very small, uncontrolled paper/plastic hot air balloons with fire at their base) are dangerous in so many ways including setting fire to crops & buildings.

---

Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Absolutely fabulous!


Indian scientists discover 'mermaid' plant species
wrote:

... Scientists from the Central University of Punjab have named the specie Acetabularia jalakanyakae.

Jalakanyaka in Sanskrit literally means mermaid and a goddess of oceans...

... "The newly discovered species is so stunning. It has caps with intricate designs as if it were umbrellas of a mermaid," said Dr Felix Bast, who led the study.

The main feature of the newly discovered species is that the plant is made up of one gigantic cell with a nucleus...

Note: The entire plant is one huge single cell!!!

Tremendous!

And beautiful.


Enjoy!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Not 'news' as such but still, something that can make our world a lot more positive:


The keys to a great conversation


My favorites there:

* are to be present in a conversation (with your full attention);
* and that when you have your mouth open (speaking out), you're not learning...

Enjoy!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

For a completely unexpected bolt out of the blue frozen remote wastes of the far north, we have on the music scene:


Aurora (singer)
wrote:

... Later the family moved farther north in western Norway, to a house in the woodlands of the Os mountains, a remote municipality in Hordaland, near Bergen. Aurora has described this place as "There are almost no cars, and the roads are small and bumpy, and there are lots of trees everywhere; it's very quiet, and the internet is bad." She has also compared it to the fictional land of Narnia. When she attended school, her sisters—Miranda (currently her makeup artist) and Viktoria Aksnes (currently her costume designer)—worried that she could be harassed by other students, due to her personality and "weird" way of dressing. "I used to be terrified of people who wanted to hug me," she said. "I did not like to be hugged as a child. And I used to be terrified of one of my teachers at school, but then I met him a few months ago, and it was really nice. It’s weird how things change."

Aurora is the only musician in her family. She started learning to play piano when she was six...

... a "beguiling mix of sizzling synth-pop, and for want of a better phrase, Nordic-folk"... "dark electro-pop" ... "darkly romantic electro-folk" along with her eccentricity...

... she stated, "I just like to enjoy what is there, and I like to explore. Just love everything around you and you’re loving yourself."

Aurora did not originally expect to perform music professionally, preferring to keep her music private: "I never really wanted to sing, or to be on the stage at all," she said. "I just wanted to write, maybe become a doctor or a physicist or something of that kind."...

... a friend uploaded a track Aurora had recorded ... discovered by a representative of Made Management, a Norwegian management company ... "At first I thought no," she recalls. "But then my mum said I should think about the idea of sharing my music with the world because maybe there's someone out there who desperately needs it. And that could actually be a good thing." In a few hours, both songs received thousands of visits in Norway, which earned Aurora some recognition in her country...

... "I don’t think I was born to be an entertainer, I used to really be afraid of playing live on-stage. Obviously it’s terrifying! But now I look forward to it every time. I’ve learned not focus on myself, cause it’s not about me. Now I only think about giving everyone the best experience. A magic moment."...

Magic indeed, for all around her.

She is beautifully powerfully talented, someone who can hopefully give music and hope to a wide audience.

From an uploaded clip from singing at school, to now catapulted into a worldwide tour!

I wish her good success, and happy fun also!!


Enjoy!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Not the only Norwegian, there is another one, 10 years younger that is pretty good. Angelina Jordan. Won the Norway's got Talent at 8 years old.
If you want to see her in action watch "I put a spell on you" B/W studio version. There is a very good reason for the bare feet.

Wow!

Indeed a wonder on, and very much in, the earth:


Kew Gardens: Royal Botanic Gardens breaks record for largest plant collection


Well worth a visit!

And also very well worth a visit, not too far away: Kew Wakehurst


Enjoy!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Here's a very good reminder of just a very small part of the beauty under our ocean waves:


Ocean Photographer of the Year 2021
wrote:

... The competition, run by Oceanographic Magazine, aims to shine a light on the beauty of the ocean and the threats it faces...

... An exhibition alongside the River Thames, near Tower Bridge, London, will run until 17 October 2021.

Beautiful indeed.

Enjoy!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Very good to share some goodness:


Dalai Lama backs bid to save Edinburgh café he inspired
wrote:

The Dalai Lama is backing efforts to save a Scottish café inspired by a promise a Tibetan woman made him almost 20 years ago.

Reka Gawa, 39, opened the Himalaya Café in Edinburgh after a chance meeting with the spiritual leader at the Scottish Parliament in 2004. He asked her to stay in Scotland to promote their culture.

The landlord is now selling the café but Reka, who currently rents it, hopes to buy it to avoid closure...

... Reka decided she would find a way to open a Tibetan café in Edinburgh with a meditation room. In 2006, she left her catering position at the Scottish Parliament, and she established Himalaya Café in South Clerk Street in 2007...

... With help from friends she renovated the café. She said: "They all did the work in exchange for food from me. If you have a good intention in your heart then good things happen."...

... The building which houses the café is now being sold as the landlord wants to retire. Reka said he had given her first refusal to buy the shop...

... Reka added: "I would feel sad if I couldn't save the cafe. It's my life's work and I want to keep my promise to His Holiness."

One I can well recommend to enjoy and experience.



Be beautiful! Be excellent to all!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Just look at what can be build across the millennia for just one part of an old continent:


Africa's iconic architecture in 12 buildings
wrote:

... the team that has recently published the seven-volume Architectural Guide Sub-Saharan Africa. Their in-depth study encompasses buildings from earlier eras, the colonial period - like the recently renovated railway station (above) built in Senegal's capital, Dakar, in 1910 - to more modern masterpieces.

Here are 12 of the most innovative, historic and iconic entries...

Here's looking forward to the world continuing to build cleaner and better! For everyone!

Enjoy!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Here is a hopeful and expanding good move:


Galapagos marine reserve: Conservationists hail expansion
wrote:

Conservationists have welcomed the announcement by Ecuador that it will expand the marine reserve around the Galapagos islands by 60,000 sq km...

... The existing marine protection area around the Galapagos measures 133,000 sq km and was one of the first large-scale marine conservation areas to be created.

It is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. Conservationists hope that its expansion will protect the migration routes of endangered species such as the whale shark and make the reserve more resilient to climate change...

... The fact that they are so rich in commercially important species is also what makes them so attractive to fishermen, say the two scientists, who were part of the team whose research underpinned the decision to expand the reserve.

But Prof Tudhope is confident that the expansion will benefit fishermen, too.

"Marine protection is often identified as a way to support fisheries," he says. "If you manage to get the areas of protection correct, then they act as nursery grounds and then you get a spill-out from these areas that support the surrounding fisheries."

He says he hopes the benefits of protecting such a big area of ocean will become clear and that those who may have been sceptical of the move will see that it has not crippled the Ecuadorean fishing fleet.

For Sarah Darwin, it's simple: "If you can save the Galapagos, you can save the world."

A very good seachange for how we treat our oceans?

With this, and the clear positive advantages seen from protecting the Galapagos Islands and all the surrounding area, indeed we should see a good example to save the rest of our planet.


Here's hoping this positivity will positively help the rest of our world!

Enjoy!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

They missed the buildings in Asmara, Eritrea, like the petrol station and the cinema.

I thought at first they were only listing buildings designed by Africans, but I noticed a Swiss designer in the ones shown.

https://www.wmf.org/project/asmara-historic-city-center

Just for fun...


Furry Tetris and an unabashed abuse of computer power!


Softbody Tetris V29...



Surreal...! (Rendertime: 44 hours)

Enjoy! :-)
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Well this is some good news with an out of court settlement that even stunned the judge.

Nearly $1 billion settlement announced in deadly Surfside condo collapse.

.. Lawyers involved in the class-action lawsuit representing tenants from the oceanfront building in Surfside announced a $997 million settlement had been reached.

Upon the news, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said he was "speechless."

"That's incredible news," the judge said.

"I'm shocked by this result -- I think it's fantastic," the judge told the courtroom. "This is a recovery that is far in excess of what I had anticipated."

Litigation stemming from the catastrophic collapse in June 2021, which killed 98 people, had been moving slowly as the first anniversary approached.....

I must say that it's great waking up in a social democracy again. :-)

From this corner of the upper left coast it looks like the world got a bit better.

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Meanwhile... In other world and the universe news:


World's biggest plant discovered off Australian coast
wrote:

... a seagrass roughly three times the size of Manhattan - has been discovered off the coast of Australia.

Using genetic testing, scientists have determined a large underwater meadow in Western Australia is in fact one plant.

It is believed to have spread from a single seed over at least 4,500 years...

The secrets of the deep ocean
wrote:

Join us as we take a dive down, right down, to the bottom of the ocean...

James Webb Space Telescope in final stretch
wrote:

James Webb, astronomy's new super space telescope, has taken another major step to full operational capability.

The $10bn successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is now fully focused and aligned. Light bounces perfectly off its mirrors to form pin-sharp imagery in all four of its instruments...

... The last instrument to go through this process was MIRI, the Mid-Infrared Instrument whose development was led in part from the UK. There will be elation today across a host of contributing British institutions to see MIRI's first published image.

If the picture looks slightly fluffy compared with those from the other instruments, it's because MIRI works at longer infrared wavelengths. The puffiness that surrounds the stars is the glow from carbon-rich (organic) molecules in the Large Magellanic Cloud. MIRI's particular sensitivity allows it to tease out different features in the field of view from its instrument counterparts.

Scientists intend to use Webb and its remarkable 6.5m-wide mirror to capture events that occurred just a couple of hundred million years after the Big Bang. They want to see the very first stars to light up the Universe. They'll also train the telescope's big "eye" on the atmospheres of distant planets to see if those worlds might be habitable...

Enjoy!

Keep searchin'!!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Just to spread a little local beauty of the world we have around us:


England's Big Picture: 6 June - 12 June 2022
wrote:

Join us as we take a few moments every day to relax and enjoy the beauty of England through the stunning images you send us...

Enjoy!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)