As the strongest typhoon swept past Taiwan and headed towards the Chinese coast, Shanghai cancels flights, high-speed train and metro services.

Metro services on Line 16 and two other lines will be suspended in the city, the Shanghai local government said on its official WeChat account. Air China Ltd., China Eastern Airlines Corp. and China Southern Airlines Co. were among those announcing cancellations, mainly for flights between Shanghai and Taiwan on Friday, as Typhoon Lekima approached. Taiwanese airlines canceled about 520 international and domestic flights, according to local aviation authorities.

Shanghai also warned some high-speed rail services will be halted on Saturday, the city’s news office said on its WeChat account Thursday.

China’s National Meteorological Center issued an orange alert for Typhoon Lekima along with an orange alert for rainstorm early Saturday, according to statements on the center’s website. The country has a four-tier color-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue. The storm was located in Xianju county of eastern China’s Zhejiang province at around 7 a.m., the center said, with top winds of about 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour.

The Central Operation Emergency Center of Taiwan reported at least one death and four injuries in the wake of the storm. Some islands of Southern Japan were also affected by the typhoon.

China’s National Meteorological Administration forecasts Lekima, which it classifies as a super typhoon, to head north after making landfall in Zhejiang province.

(Image Credit: NOAA)

A prison guard would wake him up by calling someone else’s name every morning for three years. Using a name that was not his, a judge would order him to stand or sit back down (this happened at every court hearing).

Medhanie Tesfamariam Berhe was the victim of what has become one of Italy’s most notorious cases of mistaken identity. Detained in May 2016, he was accused by prosecutors in Palermo of being one of the world’s most sought-after human traffickers, Medhanie Yehdego Mered, aka the General. While the real smuggler lived it up in Africa, Berhe, who had earned his living milking cows and working occasionally as a carpenter, faced up to 14 years in jail.

His ordeal began when a Facebook friend request he had speculatively sent to Mered’s wife, finding her attractive, led investigators to conclude he was the smuggler operating under a new identity.

“More than once I contemplated taking my life,” Berhe, 32, told the Guardian. “When you live through such an injustice and discover you’re helpless to do anything about it, you lose the will to live. Try to see it my way: I wasn’t arrested, I was kidnapped and my three years in jail were like an endless nightmare which all started with a friendship on Facebook.”

See the whole story over at The Guardian.

What are your thoughts on this one?

(Image Credit: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian)

Akram Khan, one of the world’s most respected contemporary dancers, has never shied away from big themes. Nor is he about to shy away from them for his last full-length solo dance performance, XENOS, which is coming to Hong Kong on the 15th and 16th of November. War, colonialism, identity, and what it means to be human — these are the themes Khan will apply as he once again explores the human condition, this time through the story of an Indian soldier drafted to fight an empire’s war.

“I don’t do small themes. I’ve always been interested in accessing and exploring the human condition,” said Khan on the phone from Moscow, before he left for Greece to watch a performance of Until the Lions, another piece he directed and choreographed with his Akram Khan Company. “That’s the basis of all my narratives.”

How did the idea of XENOS came about? Find out on the South China Morning Post.

(Image Credit: SCMP)

Another impact on Jupiter today (2019-08-07 at 04:07 UTC)! A bolide (meteor) and not likely to leave dark debris like SL9 did 25 years ago. Congrats to Ethan Chappel (@ChappelAstro) on this discovery and H/T to Damian Peach (@peachastro) for the report https://t.co/lj38ncBZuI

— Dr Heidi B. Hammel (@hbhammel) August 7, 2019

Jupiter appears to have been recently hit by a meteor massive enough to be seen on Earth. An amateur astronomer named Ethan Chappel captured the moment with nothing more than a background telescope.

Chappel recorded a bright, unexpected flash on the surface of the gas giant Wednesday. Astronomers believe it could have been the impact of a large meteor crashing into the planet. 

Chappel compiled the images into a gif showing the apparent moment of impact with a bright flash in the Southern Equatorial Belt. The flash only lasts a moment before fading, further fueling the idea of a possible meteor.

"Imaged Jupiter tonight," Chappel tweeted. "Looks awfully like an impact flash in the SEB."

Dr. Heidi B. Hammel shared Chappel's findings with excitement. "Another impact on Jupiter today!" Hammel wrote. "A bolide (meteor) and not likely to leave dark debris like SL9 did 25 years ago."

More details of this over at CBS News.

Solar and wind farms are good at generating electricity, given that the sun is up and the winds are blowing. However, when the sun and the wind disappear for days at a time, these farms become less useful. This is the problem the Germans call “dunkelflaute,” which means “dark doldrums.”

For Los Angeles, salt may be a solution.

One hundred miles south of Salt Lake City, a giant mound of salt reaches thousands of feet down into the Earth. It’s thick, relatively pure and buried deep, making it one of the best resources of its kind in the American West.

Two companies want to tap the salt dome for compressed air energy storage, an old but rarely used technology that can store large amounts of power.

More details of this news over at the Los Angeles Times.

(Image Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

We all have our own respective carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted through a person’s consumption of fossil fuels. While most of us have a small carbon footprint, we can even decrease that (and also decrease other people’s carbon footprints in the process) by doing these three things: Swap, Share, and Donate.

One way to do that is through apps and websites. Craigslist, Bunz, Listia and Freecycle allow you to swap or give away just about anything. People often use Meetup to get together and swap records, books and clothes.

Public libraries, bookstores and community groups often also organize book swaps.

[...]

I went to one in Sunnyside, Queens, and saw how volunteers sorted through the unwanted items that donors brought in and placed them on tables for others to take home.

And I saw dozens of people — mostly moms with children in tow, as well as older people — finding and taking items in great condition. They walked away with things like stuffed toys, board games, clothes, books, picture frames, shelves and even bodyboards.

There were 5,064 pounds of unwanted items donated that day, and when the event was over about 81 percent of that volume had been picked up by new owners. Nearly 300 people took part.

What are your thoughts on this one?

(Image Credit: Tumisu/ Pixabay)

The West’s high consumption and dairy produce if fueling global warming, according to a major report on land use and climate change. However, scientists and officials did not state explicitly that everyone should become a vegetarian. They only said that more people could be fed using less land if people cut down on eating meat.

The document, prepared by 107 scientists for the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), says that if land is used more effectively, it can store more of the carbon emitted by humans.

It was finalised following discussions held here in Geneva, Switzerland.

"We're not telling people to stop eating meat. In some places people have no other choice. But it's obvious that in the West we're eating far too much," said Prof Pete Smith, an environmental scientist from Aberdeen University, UK.

The report calls for vigorous action to halt soil damage and desertification - both of which contribute to climate change.

More details of the study at BBC.

(Image Credit: RitaE/ Pixabay)

Everyone of us need sleep. Whether you’re young or old, you need sleep. It is crucial for our health. There are some of us, however, who don’t have good sleep at night. Some of us don’t know how to turn their bedroom into a sleep-inducing environment.

"Sleep hygiene is patterns and behaviors that we have control over to help promote healthy sleep," said Dr. Matthew Schmitt, a board-certified sleep physician at Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta.

"Think of it as putting the oil in the car," he added. "We need good sleep to help restore and revitalize all the important functions in our body."

[...]

"The bedroom is important when it comes to designing your home," Atlanta-based interior designer Nishi Donovan said. "It's often the single sanctuary that you have for peace and privacy in your home."

Here is one of the tips on how to make your bedroom sleep-friendly.

All the rooms in your home have designs that reflect specific purposes. When you walk into the bedroom, you think sleep.

You may sleep better in a hotel than at home because hotel rooms usually lack the usual distraction: clutter.

Check out the other tips over at CNN.

(Image Credit: Free-Photos/ Pixabay)

August 8, 1969. It was 11:35 in the morning when photographer Iain Macmillan took a picture of John, Paul, George, and Ringo as they strode single-file across the “zebra” crossing outside Abbey Road Studios while a cop stopped traffic.

Now, 50 years after that photoshoot, hundreds of fans gathered this Thursday to recreate this “Abbey Road” album photo.

On Thursday spectators snapped photos on cellphones and lookalikes from a Beatles cover band crossed the street in tribute to the original image.

The spot remains a place of pilgrimage for Beatles fans from around the world.

“Every hour of every day there are fans on the crossing,” said Beatles tour guide Richard Porter, who organized Thursday’s commemoration. “I’ve seen lots of different sights on the crossing, too, from couples having their wedding photos taken to people going across naked.”

(Image Credit: AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

It’s easy to get into debt, but difficult to get out of it. Trying to get out of debt will push you to your physical and mental limit. That’s how stressful and exhausting it can be. However, everything will be worth it once you do get out of debt.

Since it is already mentioned that getting out of debt would be tough, it would also be tough to keep yourself motivated. NPR gives six tips on how to keep yourself motivated. Here is one of them:

Set a goal, and make it specific.

[This] was the right strategy, says Ayelet Fishbach, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago.

"What psychologists discovered is that when you set the goal of saving X amount of money, you're more likely to do it than when you say, 'I will just save as much as possible.' "

Check out the other tips over at the site.

What are your thoughts on this one? Are the tips helpful?

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Have you ever wondered how to make a top-notch fly-fishing film? Have you ever tried making one? For world-renowned guide Hank Patterson, “it’s super easy,” and it is “one of the best parts about making a fly-fishing film.”

“Any jackass can do it,” Patterson continues. “I do it all the time. You don’t need any book learning. Or any of them diplomas or certificates or anything like that.”

So what’s the key to making an amazing fly-fishing film?

Find out on Hank Patterson’s excerpt over at Outside.

(Image Credit: BarbaraJackson/ Pixabay)

US researchers have been able to develop a new way to interpret splattered bloodstains, which could potentially enable the police to reconstruct a crime more accurately. The new approach, however, would not use ultraviolet lights, microscopes, test tubes, or any other techniques seen on police television dramas — the new approach will use math.

The team from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Iowa State University have used both mathematical modelling and physical experimentation to produce an approach that, they say, overcomes weaknesses in current crime scene forensics.

The goal of crime scene reconstruction is to work out what happened during a crime. This can be accomplished through a set of techniques called bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA).

[...]

… Current techniques sometimes cannot even tell whether splattered blood is from a shooting or a beating.

The researchers realised that gaining a better physical understanding of the fluid dynamics at play during gunshot spatters could enhance crime scene investigations.

Know more details about this new method over at Cosmos Magazine.

(Image Credit: Pixabay)

Subway has been in a crisis for a few years now. They have been facing a decline in sales, and they had 25% less traffic in 2012. Last year, 1,100 Subway locations closed in the U.S.

Recently, Subway announced its Beyond Meatball Marinara sub, a sandwich they made in partnership with Beyond Meat. The new product would be added to their menu in September, and would be available at 685 locations in the US and Canada for a limited time only.

“Subway appeals to so many fans because we truly offer something for everyone. Our guests want to feel good about what they eat and they also want to indulge in new flavors. With our new plant-based Beyond Meatball Marinara sub, we are giving them the best of both worlds,” said Len Van Popering, Subway’s Chief Brand and Innovation Officer, in a press release.

This is one of the many partnerships Subway has announced in the past few months – seemingly in an effort to come out of recent crisis. Subway is also working with King’s Hawaiian for bread and Halo Top for Subway’s first milkshake offering.

[...]

… With the introduction of the Beyond Meatball Marinara, Subway is the first in this sandwich-focused category to use plant-based meat. They are joining a group of several other QSRs that have recently began testing meat-alternatives — Burger King, White Castle, Carl's Jr., Del Taco, Tim Horton's, and more.

Despite its fall, Subway can get back on it's feet – especially with Beyond's helping hand. Beyond Meat's shares have gained 169.37% since its IPO in May. It has been the stock to watch this year, steadily positive even when the rest of the market goes negative. Beyond Meat was not effected by trade war panic that caused Monday's immense sell-off: the worst stock market drop in 2019. While the Dow fell by 767 points, the Nasdaq Composite by 3.47% and the S&P 500 by 3%, Beyond Meat shares were briefly up in the morning and were down only .66% by close.

Success for plant-based companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods comes with an overall shift in how consumers are eating. According to a NPD Group study that Subway cited, 70% of meat-eaters substitute a non-meat protein in a meal at least once a week. Subway has always aimed to allow their customers to build sandwiches exactly to their liking. What consumers are increasingly liking is meat alternatives.

Hope this move can help Subway get back in the game as quickly as possible.

What are your thoughts on this one?

(Image Credit: Subway/ Wikimedia Commons)

If you say, “Alexa, faint o’r gloch yw hi?”, the smart speaker wouldn’t be able to understand that you were asking for the time of day. Welsh, unfortunately, is not one of the eight languages currently supported by Alexa-enabled devices of Amazon. Welsh language and digital media specialist Gareth Morlais has argued for years that the language gap is disturbing.

In a 2017 presentation, Morlais noted that the Welsh language, then ranked 172nd in the world by number of speakers, was not supported by Alexa, Twitter, or Google’s search interface. At the time, Alexa only spoke and understood two languages: English and German. “The technology actually tells you which language your family can speak at home, which is a horror story,” Morlais said. “What we need to do here is try to shape the technology so that it speaks the same language that we want to speak.”

Thankfully, this doesn’t end here.

Although Alexa still does not speak or understand Welsh, the Celtic language’s presence in tech has increased dramatically within a short period. Google announced in February that it had expanded its offerings in Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive to include Welsh. And Google Translate—infamous since 2009 for its Scymraeg, or scummy Welsh—has, according to the BBC, recently taken a great leap forward in terms of the accuracy and quality of its Welsh translations. Morlais and others attribute this in part to the fact that there are now more than 100,000 articles on the Welsh version of Wikipedia, known as Wicipedia.

Like other language editions, Wicipedia is a separate website with its own content, not simply a translation of English Wikipedia, a distinction that matters for both users and big tech companies. Back in 2017, Morlais observed, “There appears to be an indication that there is a link between the languages with the most Wikipedia articles or pages and the languages that are supported by the digital giants.” Google Translate and other technologies use artificial neural networks to learn from example, training themselves with language data from rich internet sources like Welsh Wikipedia.

The Welsh community is not alone in using wiki-technology to promote its language. This year’s Celtic Knot conference in Cornwall, England, included several indigenous languages with their own Wikipedia editions. The original idea, as the name suggests, was to focus on Celtic languages, including Irish, Scots, Breton, Welsh, and Cornish, which was declared extinct merely a decade ago. But as word got out about a Wikipedia minority language conference, others began to join, representing, for example, the Sámi language spoken in parts of Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Russia; the Berber family of languages spoken in Northern Africa; and the Basque and Catalan communities. (In his 2017 presentation, Morlais noted that Catalan was one of the few minority languages supported by Google search, an accomplishment he linked to the fact that Catalan already had more than 500,000 articles on its language edition of Wikipedia.)

Head over at Slate to know more about this topic.

(Image Credit: Wikimedia Foundation/ Wikimedia Commons)

What happens after we die? This is a question that plagues a lot of people. After all, “we really know nothing about what happens when [we] die,” says University of Alabama former professor Peter Noble. But how is Noble able to say this? It is because he knows firsthand that there are surprises that await scientists as they study the end of life.

 ...he helped discover that long-dormant genes can spring into action hours or even days after an organism dies.

[...]

Noble and colleagues at the University of Washington were testing a technique for measuring gene activity. As a control, they analyzed tissues from recently-dead zebrafish, expecting to see a steady decrease in new copies of genes as cellular activity tapered off. And that’s what they found — with some notable exceptions. After the zebrafish were dead, around one percent of their genes sprang to life, as though the cells were preparing to build something.

The idea that genes would activate after an organism’s death was unheard of, so the researchers wrote it off as a mistake with their instrumentation. But repeated tests, in fish and then in mice, continued to bear out the impossible: genes activating hours, or even days, after an organism died.

The scientists’ findings were met with skepticism, until a group of researchers led by Roderic Guigó at Barcelona’s Centre for Genomic Regulation also found post-mortem gene activity, this time in humans. “We were saved when the group from the Barcelona genome institute covered the paper on humans, because they … proved the same thing,” says Noble.

Head over at Discover Magazine to know more about this study.

(Image Credit: geralt/ Pixabay)