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Animals, Daily Bread, Faraway Places, Nature

Daily Bread for 4.12.25: Taming Pythons in Thailand

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Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a high of 45. Sunrise is 6:17 and sunset is 7:34, for 13 hours, 16 minutes of daytime. The moon is full this evening.

On this day in 1776, with the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.

The real White Lotus in Thailand, Four Seasons Koh Samui, and Anantara Mai Khao Villas aren’t just stunning backdrops for HBO’s hit series — they’re home to Nok, a real-life sustainability manager protecting endangered sea turtles, giant monitor lizards, and native birds. As The White Lotus Season 3 wraps, we uncover the wild side of these luxury resorts and meet the woman fighting to preserve paradise behind the scenes.

Fox takes a drink:

Daily Bread, Faraway Places, Food

Daily Bread for 3.22.25: Pizza Cooked in a Volcano

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Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 43. Sunrise is 6:54 and sunset is 7:09, for 12 hours, 16 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 48.9 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1993, the Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips (80586), featuring a 60 MHz clock speed, 100+ MIPS, and a 64 bit data path.

This Pizza is Cooked in a Volcano:

Domino’s, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut… how about Pizza Pacaya? Cue Beryl Shereshewsky. On Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano, Pizza Pacaya offers a unique cooking and dining experience. Chef Mario David García uses the heat from active lava vents to bake pizzas at over 1,800°F, creating a one-of-a-kind cooking method that only a few lucky tourists can experience.

Euclid dark universe detector delivers ‘spectacular new views of the Cosmos’:

Euclid has spotted 26 million galaxies and more in new observations.

City, Daily Bread, Faraway Places, Sports, Winter

Daily Bread for 3.15.25: Snowball Fighting as a Sport (Winter Will Be Back Soon Enough)

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Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be windy with a high of 67. Sunrise is 7:06 and sunset is 7:01, for 11 hours, 55 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 98.4 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1991,  the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany comes into effect, granting full sovereignty to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Japan’s Intense Snowball Fighting Sport:

Snowball fighting. Where Dodgeball meets the Winter Olympics. Scenes from Elf and Home Alone come to mind. Well, in Japan, they take Yukigassen, which translates to ‘snow battle’, very seriously… Today, over 100 teams from 15 countries travel to the foot of Mount Usu to compete in the World Championships. In this week’s video, with the help of prior champions, The Tobu Raiders, we break down the rules, the gear and the tips you need to become a champion.

Whitewater could do this, properly organized and managed. Much better than Spring Splash. Lots of college towns have spring events, but a winter snowball competition would be something… special.

Cutting ties:

Cats, Faraway Places, Weird Tales

Friday Catblogging: Black Leopards in Britain?

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Embed from Getty Images Getty Images Stock Photo Unexpected, yet possible — tests suggest that there are black leopards in Britain: The suspected sightings are far and wide across the country. In Essex, a fisherman was hissed at by a black leopard (he noticed its rosettes) at 5am as he disturbed it cornering a muntjac…

Daily Bread, Faraway Places, Food

Daily Bread for 12.31.24: Lava Bread

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Good morning.

Tuesday in Whitewater will be cloudy, with occasional snow showers, and a high of 35. Sunrise is 7:25 and sunset is 4:31, for 9 hours, 5 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 0.8 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1999, the first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, resigns from office, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President and successor.

Making Iceland’s Lava Bread:

Siggi Rafn Hilmarsson is an Icelandic baker with an interesting technique. He buries his dough 16 inches underground where it actually bakes from the natural heat generated by Iceland’s volcanic hot springs. Why doesn’t Siggi just use a conventional oven? Come on. His method is WAY cooler.

The Moon Phases in 2025 – Full-year time-lapse:

Watch the moon phases and libration for 2025, as seen from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, in this time-lapsed animation that is set at hourly intervals.

Daily Bread, Faraway Places, Holiday

Daily Bread for 12.24.24: Dining in a Santa Claus Village in Finland

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Good morning.

Christmas Eve in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 32. Sunrise is 7:23 and sunset is 4:25, for 9 hours, 2 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 34.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1814, representatives of the United Kingdom and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812.

Visitors to Santa Claus Village in Finland dine in minus 5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Farhenheit):

Shuffling across icy ground, tourist groups pour into Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle, just seven kilometers north of Rovaniemi.

NASA spacecraft attempts closest-ever approach to Sun:

A NASA spacecraft is attempting to make history with the closest-ever approach to the Sun. The Parker Solar Probe is plunging into our star’s outer atmosphere to try and help us better understand how the Sun works. It is out of communication for several days and scientists will be waiting for a signal, expected at 05:00 GMT on 28 December, to see if it has survived.

Daily Bread, Faraway Places, Food

Daily Bread for 12.14.24: Kakigori

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Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be cloudy, with snowy conditions this evening, and a daytime high of 36. Sunrise is 7:18, and sunset is 4:21, for 9 hours, 3 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 99.2 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1911,  Roald Amundsen‘s team, comprising himself, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting, becomes the first to reach the South Pole.

Kakigori:

Japan’s shaved ice treat is DELICIOUS Kakigori is a traditional Japanese shaved ice dessert dating back to the late 1800s. Originally meant for Japan’s elite. Chefs still abide by ancient methods of preparation, using ice frozen naturally by winter weather. But regardless of the texture, flavor, or weather, kakigori is delicious in every form.

The pride takes a stroll:

Art, Daily Bread, Faraway Places

Daily Bread for 12.1.24: Intricate, and Faraway, Art

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Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 25. Sunrise is 7:06, and sunset is 4:21, for 9 hours, 15 minutes of daytime. The moon is new with 0.3 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1934,  Sergei Kirov is assassinated, paving way for the repressive Great Purge and Vinnytsia massacre by General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin.

Mayuko Ono, Shuji Kajiyama, and Mari Yamaguchi report on the intricate work of a Japanese artist:

TOKYO (AP) — A frog holding a taro-leaf umbrella. A parade of frolicking animals. An Ukiyo-e style Mount Fuji. Giant waves. A Japanese artist who goes by the name Lito carves these delicate designs on fallen leaves, giving life back to them.

The world of Lito’s delicate art, which he began in 2020 and posts on social media almost daily, has won fans from around the world. The leaf art has also given him solace after earlier struggles with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a purpose in life — the joy of making people happy with his art.

He enjoys working at night. From a pile of leaves treated with a wrinkle-free chemical, he picks one and places it on a cutting board.

See Mayuko Ono, Shuji Kajiyama, and Mari Yamaguchi, A Japanese artist finds solace and global fans with intricate leaf-cutting, Associated Press, December 1, 2024.

Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – December 2024: