Category Archives: Around the World

Hole-Punch Cloud

Fallstreak Holes

“A fallstreak hole, also known as a hole punch cloud, punch hole cloud, skypunch, canal cloud or cloud hole, is a large circular or elliptical gap that can appear in cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds. Such holes are formed when the water temperature in the clouds is below freezing but the water has not frozen yet due to the lack of ice nucleation (see supercooled water). When ice crystals do form it will set off a domino effect, due to the Bergeron process, causing the water droplets around the crystals to evaporate: this leaves a large, often circular, hole in the cloud.”

Deutsch: Hole-Punch Cloud.

I first stumbled upon this hole punch cloud, which was photographed in Korumburra, Australia, a few days ago. It has a sort of “rainbow” inside, which is explained in this National Geographic article from last year: Explaining Rare ‘Hole Punch’ Cloud With Rainbow in the Middle.

Here’s another great example, a sundog inside a hole-punch cloud (bigger version of the photo).

A Google image search finds lots of other great photos.

Speechless – sprachlos

New York Times: Paris Attacks Were an ‘Act of War’ by ISIS, Hollande Says.

“President François Hollande on Saturday blamed the Islamic State for the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday, as the death toll rose to 127 victims, with 300 others hospitalized, 80 of them in critical condition. He declared three days of national mourning, and said that military troops would patrol the capital. France remained under a nationwide state of emergency.”

The Attacks in Paris: What Happened at Each Location.

Die Zeit: Live Blog zu den Pariser Anschlägen. Anschläge in Paris: Terror in Frankreich – Übersicht über alle Artikel zum Thema.

MetaFilter: In Paris, something terrible is happening.

Adventure of a Lifetime – at 80

MetaFilter: Adventure of a Lifetime (at age 80)

Dale Sanders paddled the Mississippi from source to sea in 80 days, turning 80 years old during the trip and making him the oldest person to have accomplished this journey.

Dale Sanders has a weblog and YouTube channel.

You can watch eleven weekly updates on Vimeo: Adventureitus Productions’s Videos, or use these individual links: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11. The one for week 12 is still missing.

Refugee Crisis

MetaFilter user the man of twists and turns has collected 79 (!) links to articles about the refugee crisis in his post ‘you’re ‘fugees now’ from lots of different sources in different countries.

I’ve only started reading them, and working through all the material will probably take days. Still – recommended!

Some articles are in German or are available online in both English and German:

Die Zeit:
Refugees: Welcome! And Now What? “How many refugees are coming, what they are doing with Europe – and what we are doing with them.
Von Jochen Bittner, Andrea Böhm, Marc Brost, Peter Dausend, Bastian Hosan, Martin Klingst, Matthias Krupa, Jörg Lau, Elisabeth Niejahr, Gero von Randow, Mark Schieritz, Özlem Topçu, Bernd Ulrich und Heinrich Wefing.

Flüchtlinge: Willkommen! Und jetzt? “Wie viele Flüchtlinge auf dem Weg sind, was sie mit Europa machen – und wir mit ihnen.” Von Jochen Bittner, Andrea Böhm, Marc Brost, Peter Dausend, Bastian Hosan, Martin Klingst, Matthias Krupa, Jörg Lau, Elisabeth Niejahr, Gero von Randow, Mark Schieritz, Özlem Topçu, Bernd Ulrich und Heinrich Wefing.

Vision: Our Values, Our Life. “What hopes do young refugees bring with them and what expectations do they have of the German people? Here are six responses.” Von Anant Agarwala, Rudi Novotny, Jeannette Otto und Leonie Seifert.

Flüchtlinge: Was sind eure Werte? “Welche Vorstellungen junge Flüchtlinge nach Deutschland mitbringen. Sechs [Antworten]”. Von Anant Agarwala, Rudi Novotny, Jeannette Otto und Leonie Seifert.

Boston Globe:
The Big Picture: Perilous Crossings.

” “They just keep coming,“ I thought as I stood on the northern shore of Lesbos in Greece. Raft after raft landed up and down the coast of this enchanted island. It was surreal. This set the tone for the next two weeks, following the route of refugees and migrants looking for a better life. I was moved to tears watching a young boy gather as much bread as he could carry at an aid station, and I was truly inspired by the men who dived into the sea when their engine quit, pushing and pulling their raft to the rocky shoreline near Skala Sykamnias. At times they walked for miles in unbearable heat, not necessarily knowing where they were but knowing it was better than the world they fled.–By Boston Globe photographer Craig F. Walker”.