November 7, 2016

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Designs unveiled to light London bridges on River Thames –
Six teams have been shortlisted for a design competition to permanently light up 17 of London’s bridges along the River Thames. The Illuminated River project will see the pedestrian, road and rail crossings between Albert and Tower Bridge lit. More than 100 international groups entered the competition which has raised £10m so far in private funding. The designs are on display at the Royal Festival Hall during November with the winner announced on 8 December. According to the organisers, the Illuminated River Foundation, the project will be funded “from private and philanthropic sources rather than the public purse”. The project has been backed by Sadiq Khan who said it would be a “wonderful celebration” of the river and “a major contribution to the growing importance of London’s night-time economy”. The foundation said they hoped to install the winning design in 2018 depending on whether they could raise more funds and following consultation with local councils and the people who own the bridges. [BBC] See List of the Day
Jubilee BridgeThe Jubilee Bridge by London Timelapse

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UNSATISFYING from PARALLEL STUDIO on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

From west to east, the 17 London bridges and the years they were opened:

  • Albert Bridge – 1873
  • Chelsea Bridge – 1937
  • Grosvenor Bridge – 1859
  • Nine Elms Bridge (in development)
  • Vauxhall Bridge – 1906
  • Lambeth Bridge – 1932
  • Westminster Bridge – 1862
  • Hungerford Bridge – 1864 and Jubilee Bridge in 2002
  • Waterloo Bridge – 1945
  • The Garden Bridge (in development)
  • Blackfriars Bridge – 1869
  • Blackfriars Railway Bridge – 1886
  • Millennium Bridge – 2002
  • Southwark Bridge – 1921
  • Cannon Street Railway Bridge – 1866/1982
  • London Bridge – 1973
  • Tower Bridge – 1894

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November 8, 2016

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Toblerone triangle change upsets fans –
A decision to space out the distinctive triangular chocolate chunks in two Toblerone bars sold in the UK has upset fans who say that they do mind the gap. The product’s makers, US-based Mondelez International, said it had changed the design to reduce the weight of what were 400g and 170g bars. Some consumers have described the move as “the wrong decision” and said the bigger spaces looked “stupid”. Mondelez said the move was down to a rise in the cost of ingredients. In a statement on the Toblerone Facebook page, the company said it had to make a decision between changing the look of the bars or raising the price. [BBC]
TobleroneThe old shaped Toblerone

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The Flying Frenchies Surf and BASE Jump From a Zipline

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How many peaks in a bar of Toblerone?
According to Schott’s Food & Drink Miscellany the sizes and number of peaks for Toblerones are as follows:

Size Tiny Mini 35 g 50 g 75 g 100 g 200 g 400 g 750 g 4.5 kg
Peaks 3 3 8 11 11 12 15 15 17 12

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  • India abolishes larger banknotes in a bold and unexpected move to curb circulation of counterfeit notes and to fight black money. (BBC)(NDTV)
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November 9, 2016

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US election 2016 result: Trump beats Clinton to take White House –
Donald Trump will become the 45th US president after a stunning victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Republican nominee’s victory came down to a handful of key swing states, despite months of polling that favoured Mrs Clinton. The battlegrounds of Florida, Ohio and North Carolina cleared the way for his Brexit-style upset. Global markets plummeted, with the US dollar diving and gold prices surging. Mr Trump’s shock victory in Wisconsin put him over the 270 out of 538 electoral college votes needed to win the White House, after a gruelling and rancorous campaign. The US president-elect took to the stage with his family at his victory rally in a New York hotel ballroom and said: “I just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us on our victory.” [BBC]
Donald_Trump President elect Donald Trump

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Donald Trumps acceptance speech

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Popular vote results in US election

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November 10, 2016

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Cuba announces military exercises following Trump’s win –
The Cuban government has announced it will hold five days of nationwide military exercises to prepare for “a range of enemy action”. Cuba did not link the exercises to the victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump in the US presidential election. But analysts say such exercises have in the past been held at times of tension or to send a signal to the US. During his campaign, Mr Trump said he would reverse the recent thaw in relations between Cuba and the US. Cuba’s Ministry of Defence announced the move in the government-run newspaper Granma. [BBC]

Stolen statue of beloved Istanbul cat returned –
A statue honouring one of Istanbul’s most famous felines which went missing earlier this week has been returned after a social media outcry. The bronze sculpture is of Tombili, a tubby cat who became the subject of countless internet memes when a photo of him reclining on the pavement went viral. The statue immortalising his famous pose vanished on Monday night, only a month after being unveiled. Perhaps the guilt was too much for whoever took it, as on Thursday the statue reappeared. Sculptor Seval Sahin shared a photo of herself with it, thanking everyone on social media and the press and TV coverage which she says helped bring about the happy ending. [BBC]
tombili-cat-sculptureThe Tombili cat sculpture

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GoPro: Epic Lines: Speedflying with Jamie Lee — Line 1

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  • Siemens AG announces that it plans to spin off its US$15 billion health care division, making it its own independent company. (Bloomberg)
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November 11, 2016

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New Balance trainer wearers bin and burn their shoes over Trump –
New Balance wearers are binning and burning their trainers after the company’s vice president appeared to praise Donald Trump’s trade plans. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Matt LeBretton said Barack Obama had “turned a deaf ear” to US business. “Frankly, with President-elect Trump, we feel things are going to move in the right direction,” he said. Since then some Americans have been filmed setting their shoes on fire. Others have been returning used trainers to New Balance shops. [BBC Newsbeat]
burnt-new-balance-shoesBurnt New Balance Shoews (@milftears twitter)

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John Lewis Christmas Advert 2016 – #BusterTheBoxer

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November 13, 2016

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New Zealand earthquake: Two dead following powerful tremor –
A powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake has struck New Zealand’s South Island, killing at least two people. The quake hit just after midnight on Monday (11:02 GMT on Sunday), north-east of Christchurch. It was felt as far afield as the capital Wellington on the North Island, 120 miles (200km) away. A tsunami arrived about two hours later. Officials warned everyone along the eastern coast to head inland or for higher ground. Police said one person died in the town of Kaikoura on the eastern coast, which has been cut off by road and where electric power is out and phones are down. Another died in Mount Lyford, a ski resort nearby. It is not yet clear how they were killed. [BBC]

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160 Characters from Victoria Mapplebeck on Vimeo.

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November 19, 2016

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‘Fart’ in parliament: Row blows up in Canada –
A row has blown up in the Canadian parliament – over the word “fart”. When Conservative MP Michelle Rempel accused the government of treating the province of “Alberta like a fart in the room” over jobs, Green Party leader Elizabeth May took exception. However, it was not the accusations of inaction which riled Ms May. “I heard her say a word I know is distinctly unparliamentary, and I think she may want to withdraw it,” the shocked Ms May said. “The word was f-a-r-t,” she continued, spelling it out clearly so as not to repeat the offending term. Ms Rempel, who has represented Calgary Nose Hill since 2011, became equally incensed. “Is my colleague actually serious? I just gave an impassioned speech about Alberta jobs, and that’s what the leader of a political party has to say? No, I don’t withdraw it.” Ms May was not letting it go, however. “Decorum is important, and respect is important in this place,” she scolded. Unsurprisingly, the row has caused great hilarity on social media – especially in light of the political upheaval taking place just across the border. “With all eyes on Trump’s destruction of US politics and civil society, a silent but deadly political scandal in Canada,” tweeted Josh Greenberg, director of one of Canada’s leading journalism schools. [BBC]
josh-greenberg-tweetJosh Greenberg tweet

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STOMP makes rhythm with the Harlem Globetrotters –

Eight performers from the international sensation STOMP took to an outdoor basketball court in New York City’s Greenwich Village with four stars from the world famous Harlem Globetrotters to celebrate the team’s 90th year.

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