Celebrating the start of the weekend with a global round up of sparkling news stories.
Second Largest
Lucara has unveiled its 2,492-carat diamond. It's the world’s second largest, after the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond. The latter, discovered more than 100 years ago, was cut up and set into the British Crown Jewels. Like many of Lucara’s mega stones, this latest discovery will undoubtedly make its way to Antwerp at some point, to be tackled by the world’s most sophisticated diamond cutters - and polished to sparkling life aided by today’s most up-to-date technology. The stone was unearthed last year by Lucara Diamond Corp - it has been on a winning streak in recent years at its Karowe mine in Botswana, recovering at least six diamonds of more than 1,000 carats each.
Diamond Ring: Thirteen years after it was accidentally flushed down a toilet, an anniversary gift was returned, thanks to some 'needle in a haystack' kind of luck and some detective work.
Lord Howe Island
The ecological renaissance of Australia’s Lord Howe Island is a stunning success. More than 30 species of threatened flora and fauna have recovered since a $15 million eradication program eliminated 300,000 mice and rats five years ago. The island contains a fragile cloud forest ecosystem, where 85 percent of its species are found nowhere else. Among them is the woodhen, which is now numbered at over 2,000 individuals after plummeting to 30 individuals in the 1970s, reports ABC News.
Really Living
Peter Frank is canoeing the Great Loop, a continuous, 6,000-mile waterway that includes parts of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Canadian Heritage Canals, and various inland rivers. Why? The 23-year-old was in a terrible accident as a teen, and now he’s committed to really living. “It’s my form of showing the appreciation for being alive and being able to walk and do the things that I can do,” he said.
Pressure Washer Art
In a creative blend of artistry and engineering, a German cleaning equipment company has used its high-powered pressure washers to create an enormous Godzilla on the Iwaya Kawauchi Dam in Japan. The colossal creation celebrates the dam’s 50th anniversary, turning its wall into an eye-catching canvas that showcases the King of the Monsters. Standing 40 meters tall and stretching 180 meters wide, the Godzilla image is brought to life through the clever use of cleaning techniques. The difference in color between the washed and unwashed sections of the dam wall enables Godzilla to emerge.
Global Solar Milestone
Global solar capacity has hit 2 TW, and installations are accelerating. Around 60 percent is from ground-mounted solar farms, while rooftop solar makes up 40 percent. What’s really astounding about this is the pace of change - it took 68 years for the world to install the first terawatt, and just two more to add the second. We need to install 8 TW by 2030 to keep the world on a 1.5C pathway. Not impossible says the Global Solar Council.
FlyTahoe
A new zero-emission vessel is about to make its US debut on Lake Tahoe: Candela's hydrofoil electric ferry. FlyTahoe, a ferry company specifically set up to introduce the Candela in America, will feature a 30-minute cross-lake service, cutting the travel time in half compared to the daily 20,000 car trips along the same route. This 30-seat vessel, designed to accommodate both skis and bikes, uses hydrofoil technology - computer-guided underwater wings - to fly above the water’s surface. The first Candela hydrofoil was introduced to Stockholm's waterways earlier this year.
“Middle age is when you’re sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn’t for you.” Ogden Nash
On This Day
30 November 1782: Britain and the United States signed the preliminary articles of the Treaty of Paris as part of the Peace of Paris, a collection of treaties concluding the American Revolution.
Today's Articles
Special Met Show: Staff at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art get to exhibit their own art works.
Mood Boosting Video
Wise Words: A collection of some the greatest proverbs from across the globe and throughout history.