Fab News Friday

2 minutes ago
4 min read

Wrapping up the week with an eclectic selection of upbeat news nuggets.

Polar bear, seen from below, looking through a hole in the ice — Audun Rikardsen | Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Any Seals Down There?

Now in its 62nd year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has released a sneak peek of the entries from this year's contest ahead of announcing the winners in October. The one featured here is OGN's favourite. It was snapped by photographer and biologist Audun Rikardsen after he noticed a seal hole in the ice in Norway, made by the marine mammals so they can come up from the water for a breath. Around it, he spotted polar bear tracks. Figuring the predator might return, he drilled a nearby hole and sent his camera through it, situating the device beneath the seal-made opening. After about eight hours of waiting, a polar bear approached the hole, setting off a motion sensor on the ice that activated the camera. The animal peered down into the water, hoping for its prey to surface.

Hand of God?

The football with which Diego Maradona scored his famous 'hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup has sold at auction for $3.3m - but had been expected to fetch nearer $10m. Maradona famously punched the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton in Argentina's 2-1 quarter-final win over England. After the game, he told reporters it had been scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God". Maradona later scored what became known as the 'goal of the century' in the same game, dribbling past five England outfield players before slotting the ball past Shilton.

The funniest story OGN came across during the recent World Cup: Japanese Man in US Perplexed by Mexican Restaurant Freebies

Asiatic Lions

Populations living in western India have increased 70 percent over the last decade, while the land they range upon has also been increased. In a large protected area called the Greater Gir Landscape in Gujurat state, the animals now number 891, up from 523 lions in 2015. It’s a spectacular improvement from the 60-80 that existed in Gir in the 1980s. Though almost always thought of as an African animal, subspecies of the lion once ranged across the world. Today, the Asiatic lion only exists in India, so it's good news that its population continues to grow. What's the difference between African and Asiatic lions? Well, African lions are larger, heavier, and feature fuller manes, while Asiatic lions are smaller and uniquely distinguished by a longitudinal fold of skin along their bellies.

Six Word Response

While tech companies are hoping to cash in on AI data centers, some landowners are refusing to sell out. Delsia Bare and her mother Ida Huddleston told the Wall Street Journal that they initially agreed to sell their family’s farmland in Kentucky in exchange for a combined total of $26.4 million. But when they learned that the property would be used for data centers fueling artificial intelligence, they issued a six-word response: “Kick rocks and don’t come back.” The pair, who described themselves as “country hicks,” said the farm had been in the family for 200 years and told the WSJ that she feared being “held accountable” by a higher power if they went through with the deal.

Hyper-realistic oil painting of a gold embroidered curtain hanging in a doorway — Parrhasius No. 34 (Helios), 24×18″, oil on panel

Curtain Call

What if a curtain could hide nothing and still make you want to look behind it? Korean artist Leeah Joo explores that question in Parrhasius, a series of meticulously painted draperies that seem to hover in front of an endless black void. The folds appear tangible. Light catches the fabric as it would in real life. Yet there is nothing behind the curtain. Joo creates these illusions with oil paint, working directly from carefully arranged fabrics in her studio. She paints each composition at a 1:1 scale, allowing the finished work to mirror the physical setup in front of her. The result is a tension between what appears real and what could only exist within a painting. The series takes its name from the ancient Greek painter Parrhasius.

Joey

A startup in San Francisco is matching students in need of housing with boomer homeowners who have rooms to spare. The students trade their time to support retired homeowners who need a little extra help - and get a cheap place to stay.

Fiat 500e in light grey, parked by a swimming pool — Credit: Stellantis

Fiat 500e Wins

A study of new cars found that the compact but stylish Fiat 500e was America’s cheapest car to own and drive, beating out the Honda Civic Hybrid by nearly $1,300 per year. The study looked at the total cost of ownership (TCO) of 50 new cars, and the little Fiat 500e showed that the Italians really do know a thing or two about building affordable cars easily beating the next-most-affordable option, the Honda Civic Hybrid, with average annual costs of just $3,557 compared to $4,833 for the Civic.

"Don't think about the start of the race, think about the ending." Usain Bolt

On This Day

the facade of the Peace Palace in The Hague

28 August 1913: Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands opens the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, an international law administrative building housing the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Built between 1907 and 1913, largely funded by a $1.5 million donation from American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. In addition to the PCA, the site now houses the International Court of Justice (the principal judicial organ of the United Nations), the Peace Palace Library, and The Hague Academy of International Law.