Venus is transitting the Sun today.
On a light news day, I'm happy to give
Diamond Geezer another plug, even though he's an Arsenal supporter. He provides a wealth of links to historical and scientific facts, including the following:
1. These transits happen only 4 times every 243 years.
2. Transits occur in pairs, eight years apart. After 2004, the next transit will be in 2012.
3. These pairs occur alternately 105½ years and 121½ years apart. Before 2004 the last transit was in 1882. After 2012 the next transit will be in 2117.
It should be visible here, but don't stare directly at the Sun.
What is not so rare is the arrival of
the gravy plane. Seven officials from the Bangladesh Maritime and Agriculture Ministry visited Tangerang on Friday to learn more about the satellite town's programme for giving a boiled egg a day to 144 elementary students. I kid you not.
One piece of good news, following my post on May 30th, is that the city administration plans to establish a 500 square-meter
park in every subdistrict, prioritising slum and densely populated areas. That's everywhere then.
Finally, folk are advised to be on the lookout for
mutant frogs, which are evidence of environmental damage. Except that here in Indonesia "people will think mutant frogs are some kind of miracle."
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