Off the Rock and under the radar Feb. 1 – Feb. 8
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, February 8, 2017
The Beachcomber offers this weekly collection of stories from everywhere but Washington D.C., for readers looking to climb out of the rabbit hole for a moment and re-connect to the world.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT…
Mauritius: The fragment of a lost continent has been discovered under the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Believed to be a remnant of the supercontinent Gondwana (comprised of what are now South America, Africa, the Arabian peninsula, Antarctica, Australia and India), geoscientists suggest that the fragment was created when the continent was breaking apart, which started about 200 million years ago. Quartz Africa has the story here.
Switzerland: BBC News Magazine reports that a Swiss man is literally a walking work of art, after his elaborate back tatoo by a famous Belgian artist was purchased by a German art collector. When Tim Steiner dies, the skin will be removed from his back and framed for a permanent place in Rik Reinking’s personal collection. In the meantime, 40-yr old Steiner must display the tatoo by sitting shirtless in art galleries at least three times per year, according to his contract with Reinking.
Worldwide: Did you know that UPS drivers are given specific route instructions to avoid turning left whenever possible? Not only does this practice save on fuel, it also reduces the company’s carbon dioxide emissions by 22,000 tons a year and, enables them to deliver more packages. Quartz has the details here.
PERSPECTIVE
Iraq: New Yorker reporter Luke Mogelson and photographer Victor J. Blue offer a painfully intimate accounting of life with Iraq’s Nineveh Province SWAT team — an elite police unit comprised entirely of men who have either been wounded by, or lost a loved one to, ISIL, and are driven by the need for revenge.
U.S. Colleges: Harvard University received $1.2 billion in donations last year — roughly the same as the GNP of Sierra Leone — but lost $2 billion through investments and spending. Bloomberg has a report on some notable U.S. college financials from the last fiscal year.
MEANWHILE, IN THE U.K….
Brexit: Prime Minister Theresa May’s “trigger” finger is getting itchier even as the wheels of government are moving forward on her end-of-March deadline for invoking Article 50 of the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty, which will formally begin the U.K.’s negotiations to leave. BBC News is providing rolling updates on the story.
ENVIRONMENT
Antarctica: A crack so large you can see it from space in Antarctica’s fourth largest ice shelf is growing at such an alarming rate that scientists expect it to break within the next few months. The New York Times has the story, and explanation of the domino effects after the shelf breaks that will likely lead to rising sea levels.
SCIENCE! To end on a cheerier note…
London: Researchers in England were challenged to create a song scientifically designed to make babies happy. Read about the adorable — and educational — endeavor and listen to the song here (baby not required).
