Sorry that Aurora Borealis doesn’t start with an F, otherwise my funky alliteration would be complete. Also, other stuff has happened this week, like coyotes.
Happening in the World: With help from amateur fans of the northern lights, a new form of the Aurora Borealis has been discovered! The discovery came from a Finnish-language Facebook group, where Minna Palmroth, a physics professor at the University of Helsinki, realized that some of the pictures the group was getting didn’t fall into the normal categories for the phenomenon. The green horizontal waves running in parallel reminded some observers of sand formations, and thus, they were dubbed ‘the dunes.’ (NPR)
Happening in the US: On Thursday, the House voted to appeal a 2002 war authorization, which would block President Trump from taking military action against Iran without congressional approval. Additionally, it would bar him from using federal funds to mount an unauthorized attack against Tehran. President Trump is proving unwilling to have his war powers restricted by Congress and has vowed to veto the repeal. The vote has passed in the Senate but is predicted to die in the Senate due to the Republican majority. (NYTimes)
Happening in NYC: A coyote was spotted in Central Park earlier this week, and people were wondering how it got there. When asked by the New York Times how it got there, Crystal Howards, a spokesperson for the Parks District said: “It walks there.” However, the good news is that it seems to just be hanging around, as Richard Simon, the head of wildlife unit of the city’s Department Parks and Recreation says they coyote is acting “perfectly normal” and “seems to be fine and isn’t causing a problem.” Pro tip: Keep your distance and it should be fine, they are nocturnal animals and make themselves scarce during the day. (NYTimes)
Happening on Campus: On Tuesday, there will be a screening of “It Will Be Chaos”, an Emmy award-winning documentary portraying the “lives in transit and the human consequences of the refugee crisis spanning the Mediterranean.” The screening begins at 5:30 pm, with a Q&A session with the co-director, Filippo Piscopo. The event is being held in Grace Dodge Hall in Teacher’s College, there will be food and drinks. (Columbia Events)
Documentary of the Week: The Circle, I have become obsessed but then I spoiled the ending for myself so I can’t continue it, it just doesn’t feel right now that I know who wins. For maximum enjoyment, don’t spoil it for yourself.
:o amazing via Wikimedia Commons