Archives by Year

2020 • 2019

• November 5 ~~~ Once in a Blue Moon, full moon twice in one month – October 2020 sees first Halloween Blue Moon since WWii (by WcP.Photographer)
• October 31 ~~~ “My name is Bond, James Bond.” Thomas Sean Connery, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 25 Aug 1930, died in his sleep on 31 Oct 2020, aged 90, at his home in the Bahamas (by WcP.Movie.Critic)
• October 27 ~~~ Nightmare since March 2011: Japan to release 1.23m tonnes of nuclear polluted water into ocean, radioactive Carbon-14 has a half life of 5370 years, “incorporates into all living matter” (by WcP.System.Thinker)
• October 21 ~~~ New Zealand: life back to normal, “beat the virus again”. France: COVID curfew extended to cover 46 million (70% of 65.3mil population) (by WcP.System.Thinker)
• October 12 ~~~ 13 Sep 2020. West Coast. Portland’ air quality index (AQI) reaches 516 (vs. East Coast: 14) after 100-day chaotic restlessness (by WcP.System.Thinker)
• October 10 ~~~ Human and wildlife in photos: elephants eating man-made garbage on a giant dump; half a million sharks will be gone for vaccine against virus (by WcP.Photographer)
• October 6 ~~~ 2020 Nobel Prize in physics for work on black holes awarded to 3 scientists: Sir Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• September 22 ~~~ “End of watch”: Morton’s father posted a photo of his son with this caption, tribute to fallen heros, firefighters (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• September 12 ~~~ 12 Sep 2020. Pacific Coast. San Francisco’s air quality index (AQI): 186 (Atlantic Coast – Boston: 14). Unprecedented. (by WcP.Watchful.Eye)
• September 9 ~~~ 09 Sep 2020. Bay Area, San Francisco in smoke-choked darkness, a day without daylight (by WcP.Tomorrows.History)
• September 8 ~~~ What’s next? Striking finding. New studies: “inexpensive and widely available drugs to save lives seriously ill with COVID-19” (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• September 5 ~~~ Magical: Thailand theme park’s 30,000-sqm ice sculpture exhibit of mythological creatures uses white sand, melt-proof in 30C (by WcP.Art)
• September 1 ~~~ Charisma. And so cute. Berlin celebrates panda twins (rarely surviving in pairs) turning one year old: “they have grown very dear to us’; US’ newborn panda, mom gives birth at 22 (near record of 23) (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• August 21 ~~~ Super fella! Australian man paddled over, jumped off board, onto the shark, repeatedly punching 9ft shark until it released his wife (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• August 15 ~~~ August 15, 1945. Surrender of Japan, end of World War II (by WcP.Tomorrows.History)
• August 12 ~~~ William English and Douglas Engelbart, co-creators of the computer mouse (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• August 7 ~~~ Congrats! Italy’s oldest student graduates university at 96, a WWII veteran who enrolled in degree study in 2017 (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• July 30 ~~~ Honor, unforgotten: 30 years after handshake, 2 friends split 22-million lottery winnings (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• July 25 ~~~ Mystery, Nature’s Awe. Blue hole, under ocean? Black hole, sky above sky (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• July 20 ~~~ Queen Elizabeth knights 100-year-old WWii veteran for “Captain Tom” for raising 33 million pounds for National Health Service (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• July 18 ~~~ Royal Myrtle (emblem of love) tradition – Princess Beatrice’s stunning bridal bouquet laid on the grave of the Unknown Warrior (by WcP.Observer)
• July 12 ~~~ “Let your smile change the world, but don’t let the world change your smile.” (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• June 24 ~~~ On parade: WWii veterans in their 90s; Belarus swaggers, honor guards sing popular song “Katyusha” (by WcP.Observer)
• June 21 ~~~ Happy Father’s Day. Prince William: “It’s one of the most amazing moments of life, but also one of the scariest” (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• May 28 ~~~ “A Brother may not be a Friend, but a Friend will always be a Brother.” – Benjamin Franklin (by WcP.Poetic.Thought)
• May 6 ~~~ Hope! New Zealand Prime Minister announces NZ has won ‘battle’ against COVID-19 (by WcP.Watchful.Eye)
• April 21 ~~~ “One pound of learning requires ten pounds of common sense to apply it.” (by WcP.Common.Sense)
• April 10 ~~~ In “an increasingly challenging time”, Queen Elizabeth II says, “if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome” this disease (by WcP.Tomorrows.History)
• March 22 ~~~ “There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot.” – Plato (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• March 9 ~~~ SpaceX launches Dragon spacecraft to International Space Station with NASA Cargo and Science (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• March 3 ~~~ “The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transforms.” – Lao Tzu (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• February 26 ~~~ UFO footage captured on NASA’s International Space Station live feed (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• February 15 ~~~ “The universe must not be narrowed down to the limit of our understanding…” (by WcP.Philosophy)
• January 31 ~~~ Brexit Day: UK officially withdraws from the European Union on 31 January 2020 (by WcP.Tomorrows.History)
• January 25 ~~~ Mickey and Minnie celebrate Lunar New Year of Mouse 2020 (by WcP.Humor)
• January 23 ~~~ Gladys “Anne” Robson, age 108, former army major and Britain’s oldest female WWII veteran, lived through 20 prime ministers, 4 monarchs and 1st space launch (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• January 18 ~~~ UK poll: British people want Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to stop receiving public funding and out of their Windsor home (by WcP.Watchful.Eye)
• January 13 ~~~ Chinese Wushu martial arts to debut as official 2022 Youth Olympics event; Kung Fu superstar Jet Li on Tai Chi and wellness (by WcP.Observer)
• January 8 ~~~ Austria’s Sebastian Kurz, 33, returns as world’s youngest chancellor, vows to “protect climate and the borders” (by WcP.Observer)
• January 3 ~~~ “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” – Abraham Lincoln (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• January 1 ~~~ Catch up with 2020 in Simplicity and Health (by WcP.Publisher)

• December 31 ~~~ 2019 “the year of the blackhole” – The Science Magazine’s Breakthrough of the Year goes to the Event Horizon Telescope (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• December 26 ~~~ Queen Elizabeth’s speech to Members of Parliament and Lords at the State Opening of Parliament (by WcP.Observer)
• December 21 ~~~ Guilin, China: fisherman partnering with cormorants to catch fish in ancient tradition dating back to 960 AD (by WcP.Art)
• December 16 ~~~ Bananas over bananas? “Concept Art” banana-duct-taped-to-wall sold for $120,000 to $150,000, eaten by performance artist: “it was very delicious” (by WcP.Humor)
• December 11 ~~~ Tesla Cybertruck unveiled: Electric Pickup with stainless steel body, 14,000-pound towing, zero to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds (by WcP.Observer)
• December 6 ~~~ 1688 dams rated in “poor or unsatisfactory” condition across 44 US states and Puerto Rico (by WcP.System.Thinker)
• December 1 ~~~ Amazon: America’s next military giant? The fatal flaw that could make AI weapons useless (by WcP.Market.Watch)
• November 26 ~~~ University of Colorado football team’s 1,200-pound buffalo mascot, Ralphie V, forced to retire for being “too fast” (by WcP.Humor)
• November 21 ~~~ Study finds heart patients’ death rates rise in hospitals hit by Ransomware (by WcP.Watchful.Eye)
• November 16 ~~~ Chicago among largest US cities to see library late fees eliminated, book returns increase 240% (by WcP.System.Thinker)
• November 11 ~~~ Kate Middleton pays tribute to Bletchley Park grandmother with “Codebreakers” poppy brooch on Remembrance Sunday (by WcP.Observer)
• November 6 ~~~ Author of book “Born to Run” races with donkeys: “movement-as-medicine is a biological truth” (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• November 1 ~~~ Siena International Photo Awards 2019 Winners: “Memorial Day” and “Ship Graveyard” (by WcP.Art)
• October 27 ~~~ Siena International Photo Awards 2019 Winners: polar bear photographer, snail greets lizard, mantis vs. butterfly, whale shark beneath (by WcP.Art)
• October 22 ~~~ The New Faces of Japan’s Monarchy (by WcP.Tomorrows.History)
• October 17 ~~~ Mexico flies over 300 to New Delhi in unprecedented transatlantic deportation (by WcP.Watchful.Eye)
• October 12 ~~~ Hydrogen-powered zero-emissions aircraft with range of 400 miles or four hours (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• October 7 ~~~ Hariso the Balancing Hound: adorable little dachshund with an amazing talent (by WcP.Humor)
• October 7 ~~~ Homeless man helps woman change flat tire: “I believe in the Golden Rule. Anyone that needs help, I’ll do it.” (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• September 27 ~~~ World longest Viking bridge finally completed after 3 years, 700-metre-long, built by more than 1,000 people the “Viking” way with no machinery (by WcP.Observer)
• September 22 ~~~ 96-year-old WWii Veteran “Hero of Cologne” awarded Bronze Star in surprise ceremony 75 years later (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• September 17 ~~~ “First True Pilgrims”: band of French colonists arrived in the New World 50 years before Mayflower left port (by WcP.Tomorrows.History)
• September 12 ~~~ Britain’s 1st plastic-free nursery replaces artificial toys with wooden ones and bans food wrapped in plastic: higher curiosity and wonder, stimulating youngsters’s creativeness versus simply pushing a button (by WcP.Education.Advisor)
• September 8 ~~~ World largest urban farm to open soon on Paris rooftop with 150,000 square feet of vegetables (by WcP.Observer)
• September 3 ~~~ SOS Amazon: rainforest fires rage as Brazil bans burning for 60 days to reduce spreading damage (by WcP.Watchful.Eye)
• August 30 ~~~ $ and math: average federal deficit to hit $1.2 trillion/year, Social Security Trust Fund on edge of insolvency, to be depleted in 2035 – all checks 23% smaller (by WcP.System.Thinker)
• August 25 ~~~ Photographer spends two years getting “magical” picture of full moon rising above picturesque 1,000ft hill (by WcP.Art)
• August 20 ~~~ “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” – Winston Churchill, August 20 1940 (by WcP.Tomorrows.History)
• August 15 ~~~ Charles Santore (1935 – 2019), illustrator of children’s books, fairy tales, poetry and history (“Columbo”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”, “Paul Revere’s Ride”, Grimm fairytales and Aesop’s fables) (by WcP.Art)
• August 10 ~~~ Team Malizia zero-carbon yacht to sail across Atlantic for UN Climate Action Summit (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• August 5 ~~~ It’s the journey…and the destination. Breathtaking subway lines and stations around the world (by WcP.Art)
• July 30 ~~~ International Friendship Day July 30. “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” – Shakespeare (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• July 26 ~~~ How to tell if you’re debating with a bot? 80% of businesses plan to deploy chatbots by 2020 (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• July 21 ~~~ World’s oldest housing complex where rent has stayed <$1/year for 500 years (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• July 16 ~~~ Toys R Us’ bankruptcy: 33,000 laid-off workers get $60 severence pay each while lawyers get $56 million in fees (by WcP.Market.Watch)
• July 11 ~~~ Going, Going, Gone with the Wind: iconic mansion that inspired the film now up for auction with starting bid of $1 million (by WcP.Movie.Critic)
• July 7 ~~~ Vineyard hotel in Portugal: sleep inside giant wine barrels (by WcP.Art)
• July 3 ~~~ 11-mile border wall panel installation underway in California (by WcP.Observer)
• June 29 ~~~ US business groups “encouraged that President Trump and President Xi agreed to resume trade negotiations” (by WcP.Observer)
• June 24 ~~~ Call for Venice to be put on UN’s endangered cities list after a towering cruise ship collided with a dock (by WcP.Watchful.Eye)
• June 20 ~~~ Infographic: 15 biggest data breaches in last 15 years (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• June 15 ~~~ Swimming Eagle, Diving Whale: bald eagle swims elegantly to shore, beluga whale helps woman retrieve her phone (by WcP.Humor)
• June 11 ~~~ Tired of booze? Sober bars a new trend for alcohol-free fun (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• June 5 ~~~ World Environment Day 2019 turns spotlight on air pollution. Nature’s air filter: tree leaves can capture >50%+ of particulate matter pollution (by WcP.Common.Sense)
• May 31 ~~~ “A leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars” – Walt Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) (by WcP.Poetic.Thought)
• May 25 ~~~ “Beautiful”, “embarrassed”, “patience”… America’s top spelling searches by state, according to Google (by WcP.Humor)
• May 19 ~~~ Italy: most UNESCO Heritage sites in the world – Costiera Amalfitana, Florence, Venice, Rome, Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany… (by WcP.Art)
• May 14 ~~~ Germany begins testing for electric highway for trucks to draw power from overhead cables and feed electricity back into grid when they brake (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• May 8 ~~~ Are you being watched? Airbnb guests worry about hidden cameras, 11 percent said they have discovered one (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• May 2 ~~~ 30×30: A Blueprint For Ocean Protection – scientific study maps out how to protect 30 percent of world’s oceans by 2030 and prevent 6th global extinction event (by WcP.Common.Sense)
• April 24 ~~~ Picture: Camel Races held in Gloucestershire, England (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• April 18 ~~~ Comeback: Tiger Woods claims 2019 Masters championship – his first major title in 11 years, 22 years since his first Masters win at 21 (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• April 12 ~~~ First ever photo of a Black Hole, in a galaxy 55 million light years away from Earth (by WcP.Observer)
• April 8 ~~~ Google’s AI Ethics committee disbanded 10 days after it was formed, Amazon’s SEC petition to stop vote on curbing Rekognition use rejected (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• March 31 ~~~ Uncertain future of retail: after Sears’ bankruptcy, 116-year-old JCPenny shuts down hundreds more stores, Payless ShoeSource announces closure of all 2,100 US stores (by WcP.System.Thinker)
• March 25 ~~~ Mayday call off Norway coast – Viking Sky cruise ship’s 1,300 passengers and crew, one-by-one airlifted to helicopters as heaving waves tossed the ship from side to side (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• March 20 ~~~ Feel lonely or happier when spending more time on smartphone, less conversation with friends and family? (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• March 14 ~~~ “Book of L”, paperback release, Pi Day 2019; hardcover release, 2018 (by WcP.Publisher)
• March 5 ~~~ Sun Of The Sleepless! – Poem by Lord Byron (by WcP.Poetic.Thought)
• February 26 ~~~ Modern luxury 645 ft tall yet tilting and sinking: 58-story SF skyscraper has sunk 17″, tilted 14″, multimillion-dollar condos “nearly worthless” (by WcP.Watchful.Eye)
• February 19 ~~~ 1938 Cost of Living. Tuition of Harvard University: $420 per year; gasoline: 10 cents per gallon (by WcP.Market.Watch)
• February 13 ~~~ NASA officially ends Opportunity rover’s 15-year mission (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• February 6 ~~~ Surfer surfing on and under ice during Polar Vortex, coming out shielded with ice from head to toe! (by WcP.Photographer)
• February 5 ~~~ Churchill said “I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down. Pigs treat us as equals.” 2019: Happy Lunar Year of The Pig! (by WcP.Humor)
• January 28 ~~~ 20 coldest major American cities: Anchorage, Madison, Chicago, Buffalo, Detroit, Denver, Boston… Below-zero record: every state in continental US (by WcP.Watchful.Eye)
• January 20 ~~~ Earth’s shadow sweeps over Lunar surface – total lunar eclipse coincides with 2019’s first full moon: 1/20-21 (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• January 19 ~~~ Evening Star – Poem by Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) (by WcP.Poetic.Thought)
• January 12 ~~~ 5.1 billion scam calls from robots in Nov’18 alone. Inexpensive, auto-dialed, robocalls prey on victims (by WcP.Watchful.Eye)
• January 6 ~~~ First historical landing on surface unseen by those on Earth: China’s Chang’e-4 probe softlands on Moon’s far side (by WcP.Scientific.Mind)
• January 5 ~~~ 1742, a small dining room; 1827, Durgin-Park landmark restaurant; 2019, iconic eateries in Boston closed: $15 wage unaffordable (by WcP.Story.Teller)
• January 1 ~~~ “Intuition is the clear conception of the whole at once.” (by WcP.Life.Coach)
• January 1 ~~~ New Year, New Site (by WcP.Publisher)