What on Earth is going on here? Jet lightning is what. To wit:

While flying from Munich to Singapore earlier this month, an industrious passenger took images of a passing lightning storm and caught something unexpected: gigantic jet lightning. The jet was captured on a single 3.2-second exposure above Bhadrak, India. Although the gigantic jet appears connected to the airplane’s wing, it likely started in a more distant thundercloud, and can be seen extending upwards towards Earth’s ionosphere. The nature of gigantic jets and their possible association with other types of Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) such as blue jets and red sprites remains an active topic of research.

(Image: Hung-Hsi Chang)

apod


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SukMJCv_lSA

Get your solid pigment core on with this slickly produced feature by German stationery giant Faber-Castell and a more down-to-earth film by the Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company (whose factory is still located near to where the first graphite pencil was invented in the 16th century).

kottke

This morning.

Simmonscourt Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

Democratic Union Party (DUP) Leader Arlene Foster (right) arrives at the Intercontinental Hotel, for a ‘private meeting’.

Ms Foster met Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Government Buildings last night and  as a guest speaker at a Dublin Chamber function last night.

Via RTÉ

She said those who question the stance of her party should check the letter that she and then deputy first minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly Martin McGuinness sent to former British prime minister Theresa May in August 2016, in which they outlined their concerns about Brexit.

Ms Foster said she favours a solution that recognises the constitutional position of Northern Ireland, but also the fact that it has the only land border between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

“I do recognise we have a very short period of time but I very much believe that if there is a determination, a willingness and a commitment, then we can find a way through,” she said.

Foster, Varadkar meet for talks on Brexit and NI (RTÉ)

Sam Boal/RollingNews

This morning.

The Public Accounts Committee heard that there has been non-compliance of procurement contracts worth €5.4million at Tusla.

Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane asked for PAC to write back to Tusla and ask for a breakdown of the €5.4million.

He suggested PAC specifically ask how many contracts were involved, why they were non-compliant and he suggested PAC ask for a report on each incident.

He added:

“Just to make sure that they know that we’re watching this because there’s no point in us just noting it which we do meeting after meeting and the C&AG [Comptroller and Auditor General] notes it. There doesn’t seem to be, I’ve said this time and again, there doesn’t seem to be no real sanction other than they have to watch, that they have to abide by proper competition rules and so on.”

“In any event, non-compliance in its totality, year on year, is a huge amount of money – when you add in all the departments. So I’m recommending everyone on them when it comes up, we write back, we want a report – and broken down by how many contracts, because the €5.4million may be one contract in this case or it may be multiple contracts, multiple and the reason for each and every one as to why it was non-compliant.”

Earlier: How Much?

Director Hideki Inaba’s animated music video for ‘Tape’ by Swedish electronic group Canigou (Emma and Richard Lindström) – a mesmerising otherworldly environment in which fish, jellies and bubbles float and weave.

colossal

This morning.

It’s being reported in The Irish Times that the principal of Blackrock College Dublin Alan McGinty has written to the parents of school’s students, telling them that tomorrow’s school climate change strike is “a tad infuriating” .

He also urged parents to ensure their sons don’t take part in the event.

Further to this…

Geography lecturer at University of Limerick and Green Party local election candidate Breandán Anraoi MacGabhann tweetz:

If any Blackrock college parents still want to let their kids strike, here’s [above] a permission slip.

Dublin school warns pupils off ‘infuriating’ climate strikes (The Irish Times, Colin Gleeson)

Today’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee can be watched in link above or here.

Previously: Fill Your Boots

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