Snow covers camels and deserts

Recently, Saudi Arabia’s deserts were recently covered in a blanket of snow as temperatures plummeted across parts of the Middle East. Bizarre photos show camels covered in snow and the locals — who normally face blistering temperatures — picking up and throwing the snow.

Many seized the opportunity to go sledging down the side of hills, with families gathering together to make the most of the rare phenomenon. Others shared their excitement at the conditions on social media, or posted videos of their vehicles skidding around on the frost. A huge amount of Saudis flocked to the Tabuk region in the north of the kingdom, where the high altitude meant thicker, heavier snowfall.

The man who’s lived in a sand castle for 22 years

For 22 years, beach monarch Marcio Mizael Matolias has avoided high rents in an upscale district of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by living in a sand castle.

But his unusual home has not stopped the 44-year-old, known affectionately by locals as ‘The King’, from pursuing his three passions: reading, golf and fishing.

Matolias has no trouble putting on a regal air and to pose on his throne in front of his castle, sceptre in hand.

However, unlike other monarchs, ‘King Marcio’ is personally responsible for conducting repairs to his palace, whether it’s the dungeons or a door. He also has to constantly water his home to keep it from collapsing. Despite this, Matolias says he would not have it any other way.

Matolias, who is single and childless, said there is just one drawback to his peaceful existence: “The sand holds all the heat, so sometimes at night I cannot sleep here, I’ll spend the night at a friend’s house, but I prefer it here even if I have to lie outside by the sea,” he said.

Museum of Ice Cream fined $1,000 for plastic sprinkles

The City of Miami Beach fined the Museum of Ice Cream, claiming its plastic sprinkles present an environmental hazard.

Guests at the pop-up museum can take photos in a pool filled with tiny plastic sprinkles, which environmental activists say can easily slip into storm drains, travel into waterways and harm marine life.

City officials issued the museum a $1,000 fine and have begun working with the Museum of Ice Cream to ensure the faux sprinkles stay inside the property after activists posted videos about the environmental threat on social media.

Miami Beach spokeswoman Melissa Berthier said the city installed mesh catchers in the storm drains near the museum and has begun conducting regular inspections of the area to check for plastic sprinkles.

Museum of Ice Cream spokeswoman Devan Pucci issued a statement to the Miami New Times, saying the attraction has taken “immense precautions” to be environmentally conscious, including hiring cleaners to sweep around the building.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 10th, 2018