Archive - Aug 2017

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The son of Cecil the Lion, the beloved animal killed two years ago by a Minnesota dentist, was shot dead near a Zimbabwe park, officials said.

Lion guardians at the Hwange National Park posted on Facebook Thursday that Xanda, a 6-year-old lion with a family of young cubs, was shot dead a few days ago. He was killed not far from where Cecil died.

"Today we heard that a few days ago, Xanda, the son of #CecilTheLion has been shot on a trophy hunt," the post read.

"We can't believe that now, 2 years since Cecil was killed, that his oldest Cub #Xanda has met the same fate," the park's lion guardians wrote on Facebook. "When will the Lions of Hwange National Park be left to live out their years as wild born free lions should."  read more »

Natural paradise: real-life Robinson Crusoe reveals 20 years alone on a desert island after losing his fortune has a surprising upside
David Glasheen, 73, lives happily on Restoration Island, off North East Australia, with his dog Polly. The former millionaire moved to the idyllic island in May 1997 after losing his fortune in the stock exchange crash of 1987.

The ex-gold mining tycoon and property magnate, who at his most successful was worth an estimated £22million, now lives in a wooden beach shack with only his loyal dog Polly for company.

But despite having limited electricity, fresh water and facing regular battles against deadly wildlife, the bearded exile insists he feels safe on the island.

Self-sufficient David, who was born in Sydney’s Northern Beaches to an Irish family, added there is nowhere he’d rather be than on his "heaven on earth" natural paradise.

He said: "I want to die here - where else would I? This is my heaven on earth.
When I came here I was sick of money - money is what makes people sick - and my marriage had broken apart."

The wilderness was named by famous seafarer Captain Bligh, who stopped at the island to restore his crew's health in 1789 after a mutiny on board the ill-fated Bounty.  read more »

"The group plans to use their 40-meter (130-foot) ship to intercept smuggler boats and return them to the Libyan coast guard."

Image courtesy @DefendEuropeID

Total Solar Eclipse

Lunar Eclipse: The moon appeared to turn red due to the way the reflected light is refracted in the Earth's atmosphere.

Blood Moon is sometimes used to describe 4 total lunar eclipses in a row.

People across North America will witness a rare total solar eclipse on 21 August.
The earth, moon and sun will momentarily align, casting a 70-mile wide shadow that will move across the US, from the west coast to the east coast. The millions of people living within this ‘path of totality’ – and the millions of others expected to travel to a location on the strip – will see a total solar eclipse, where the moon completely blocks out the sun, leaving the solar corona visible.
The last time the entirety of the US witnessed a total solar eclipse was 99 years ago.

Total Solar Eclipse 2017: When, Where and How to See It (Safely)  read more »

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Left: Prince Philip in his regalia in 1958. Right: On May 31 2017 after he announced his retirement.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were married in 1957 and have been together ever since.

2003: The Queen can't hide her smiles as her husband dons a uniform for The Queen's Company Review at Windsor Castle.

The Duke of Edinburgh laughed as he spoke with senior officers.

Born at the family home, Mon Repos in Corfu Greece - allegedly on the kitchen table - on June 10 1921, Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark came to Britain when he was just one year old.

The Duke has immersed himself in national life but also served in the Armed Forces, left, in his naval uniform circa 1982; and right, on a boat in Malta in 1949

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