New York and Dublin connect via live stream

The Portal, an installation designed by artist Benediktas Gylys, live streams silent video between New York’s Flatiron South Public Plaza and North Earl Street in Dublin. The installation, sponsored by the Flatiron NoMad Partnership, the New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Programme and the Simons Foundation, allows people in the two cities to look at each other in real-time across the 3,000-mile distance.

The interactions range from rude to polite. The Portal forms an unprecedented visual bridge between New York and Dublin and will continue to connect the two cities 24 hours a day for the next six months.

Tokyo battles crop-destroying raccoon invasion

North American raccoons, a wily invasive species, is causing problems in Tokyo. The number of raccoons living in the wild in Tokyo and its surrounding areas has sky-rocketed in recent years, with 1,282 trapped in fiscal 2022, a sharp increase from 259 caught in fiscal 2012.

Raccoons became popular pets in Japan after animated TV series Rascal the Raccoon in the 1970s. The animals have established a population in the wild after being bought as pets and either escaping or being abandoned. They caused severe crop damage in recent years in the hills to the west of Tokyo, with an estimated $2.8 million in crop damage in fiscal 2022.

The highly-adaptive animals seem difficult to deal with, and have started destroying traps set out by officials.

Five-foot iguana found wandering loose

The Raleigh Police Department, North Carolina, said animal control officers were dispatched on a report of a large lizard on the loose and they arrived to find a five-foot iguana.

Iguanas, native to Central America, South America and some Caribbean islands, established a breeding population in the wild in Florida after being brought over from Cuba in the 1960s, but do not have a wild population in North Carolina.

“The weather may be warm and humid, but this is not Florida,” police said on social media.

The iguana was the second to be found wandering loose in Raleigh so far this year.

A 10-foot-wide house with a hefty price tag

A tiny 1,547-square-foot home in Florida has caused a stir. Standing at just 10-feet-wide, it’s listed for $619,000, surprising many with its hefty price tag. Built on a narrow, but deep, lot in South Jacksonville Beach, the property offers unique features and energy efficiency.

However, its construction was not without controversy. A neighbour, who previously used the lot as a garden, objected to the home’s construction. This led to restrictions on the home’s size.

The home, although narrow, has two bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and a garage large enough for one car. Built-in furniture adds convenience, and there’s even potential for a backyard pool.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 8th, 2024