This Instagram account belongs to Olya Abramovich. I checked, and the rich Russian oligarch that used to own the Chelsea football club, Roman Abramovich, has a son named Ilya, but no daughters named Olya.
So, Olya Abramovich for your viewing pleasure. And she is pleasurable to the eyes. And she has a reasonable resemblance to Angelina Jolie.
Yes, I am well behind on the news, but I have to report this sad loss of a famous and romantic geological feature.
Italy's famous 'love arch' collapses on Valentine's Day as storm lashes the country
Supposedly, if lovers kissed under the arch, they would be in love forever. Well, maybe love lasts, but coastal landmarks are subject to the forces of wind and wave, and have a finite existence.
The arch, called the Torre Sant'Andrea, was located on the coast of Puglia, locatable as the heel of the boot of Italy. Here's a 'before' picture:
Because of the current World Cup, I was looking at various countries that are participating that would have lighthouses. I checked and discovered that I have never featured a lighthouse from Uruguay, and it has a few -- some very handsome ones, too. So as I catch up to the present time (which might still take awhile) I'm going to do a Uruguay series.
I'm starting off with the Faro de José Ignacio, which I presume is named after a gentleman named Ignacio. Now, remembering that Uruguay is on the eastern coast of South America south of Brazil, this map shows where this lighthouse is. It's up the coast from Montevideo, which is really the only urban center of note in Uruguay.
As is customary, here's the excerpted basics from the Lighthouse Directory:
"1877. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 2 s. 25 m (82 ft) round brick tower with lantern and gallery rising from 1-story keeper's house. Tower unpainted except for three narrow white horizontal bands; lantern and watch room painted with red and white vertical stripes. ... Located on a rocky point in a popular resort area on the coastal road (national route 10) about 55 km (35 mi) southwest of La Paloma."
As is also customary, pictures of this lighthouse are below.
The lists go on ... this one, from Fodor's Travel, lists the 10 Best Burgers in America (like that one hasn't been done before). Still, they are intriguing. The nearest one to Maryland is in Boston, so I'm not taking a road trip just for that purpose. But if you're in the neighborhood and don't mind dishing out some serious cash for fancy ground beef, go right ahead.
The 10 Best Burgers in the United States
The one that intrigues me the most is from Pasjoli, in Santa Monica, CA, and I won't be visiting there anytime soon.
Now, for something simpler and easy to find, I just found out that the Texas Roadhouse franchise has a "Texas Roadhouse Roadkill" dish. A picture of what purports to be the actual restaurant version is shown below. Apparently this one is fairly easy to imitate at home, and some of the picture of the homemade imitations look pretty darned good. It's basically just ground beef, egg, onion, mushrooms, cheese, and a mix of steaky spices. I've never been to the Texas Roadhouse, but I'm tempted to try making this myself. Maybe there should be a "Top 10 Texas Roadhouse Roadkill Copycat Recipes" list.
Just found this out: depending on the weather (specifically the humidity), sweat bees can change color from blue to green.
Sweat bees change color based on humidity levels
I figured that since the video says scientists discovered this in April 2026, there must be a paper about it. So I went and looked ... These Bees Change Color With the Weather and Scientists Finally Know Why. This article has a link to the actual paper in the journal Biology Letters, and I've got that linked below.
Though Albania has a lot of coast on the Adriatic for a small country, as the Lighthouse Directory says, there isn't a lot of information about lighthouses there. I've featured one before this. Most of them are not the traditional tower and light shape that lighthouse fans are accustomed to. At least this one has a tower.
The name is a bit confusing: The Directory uses Kep i Treporteve (kep means cape), but you'll find more pictures of it with Zvërnec, though not many. It's near Vlorë. Here's the map to show where it is. Zoom IN to see the interesting situation of it (and also one of the pictures shows it). Apparently the nearby monastery is also something for tourists to see.
This is what the Directory says about it:
"Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) 2-stage stucco-covered stone tower; upper portion octagonal, lower portion square. The lighthouse is unpainted. A building near the lighthouse may be a keeper's house. ... Located on the northeast side of the entrance to the Gji i Vlorës, about 8 km (5 mi) east of Sazan Island and the same distance northwest of Vlorë."
There are three of the few pictures that are findable of this lighthouse below.
A bit of time ago, I commented about the French Open at the midpoint of the tournament. At that time, I thought that it was unlikely anyone could beat Sabalenka on the women's side. I forgot that Sabalenka is capable of defeating Sabalenka at just about any time, and that's what happened. Still, I expect that the big hitters will show up fine on grass, with her and Rybakina going deep.
Young and up-and-coming Mirra Andreeva stepped in to the power gap, and showed that she's probably going to meet expectations and be a player who makes a lot of quarters and semis and finals in the future. She's young and cute, it will also be interesting to see how she matures as a woman as well as improves as a player.
On the men's side, Zverev took what he was expected to take. His opponent in the final, Flavio Cobolli, benefited a bit from his Italian opponent's sudden sickness, causing him to be unable to play in the semi. So Cobolli played with a lot of energy (important on clay), and gave Zverev some unnerving moments. But in the end, the better player won. Now, Zverev has had some personality and private life concerns, but he's not the first and won't be the last. As a player, he deserved to win this when he had the opportunity, and I'm glad he did.
Now, on to Wimbledon.
In the course of my web wanderings, I have encountered some remarkably appealing photographic accounts on Instagram, with tasteful, artistic, and captivating images of the human female form (and not AI). I decided to occasionally feature sites like that here, with a couple of examples of their work.
Here's the first one: stevejmckee_shoots
Recent research revealed that the whiskers on an elephant's trunk are remarkable sensing instruments, which is why the trunk is capable of such remarkable capabilities.
"To try to figure out why [why the trunk hairs have a stiffness gradient], Schulz worked with colleagues at MPI-IS to 3D print a scaled-up whisker with a stiff, dark base and a soft, transparent tip. Having this physical "whisker wand" prototype helped the researchers develop their intuition for what an elephant trunk feels through its whiskers.
Schulz left the wand with his mentor after a meeting, and a few days later…Eureka! Kuchenbecker carried the wand in her hand as she walked through the halls of the Institute, gently hitting the columns and railings. She recounted, "I noticed that tapping the railing with different parts of the whisker wand felt distinct—soft and gentle at the tip, and sharp and strong at the base. I didn't need to look to know where the contact was happening; I could just feel it."
This Lighthouse of the Week is most peculiar, because the Lighthouse Directory has very little information about it, but websites and pictures and Google Maps call it historic. It certainly has great views, and that's what people visit it for.
It is located on Cantanduanes Island of the Philippines, which is here on the map. I believe the island has been hit pretty hard by a couple of typhoons moving in from the warm Pacific Ocean.
Now, here is all that the Directory has (excluding the photographic information):
"Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; two white flashes every 10 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) square white concrete tower with a stairway spiraling around the tower. ... Located on heights near the village of Bote and the southeastern tip of Catanduanes. Site open and nothing prevents climbing the tower."
With all that, here are some pictures and a video:
Because I am lagging behind the news, I haven't been able to keep up with sports, which is old news if you aren't commenting on it the next day. (I'd like Vegas to beat Carolina in the Stanley Cup Final, by the way, even though I won't get very excited if they do.)
So it's amazing that I can briefly comment on the upset fest at the French Open this year. Rybakina went out really fast (but her game isn't built for clay), to be joined by Gauff and Swiatek, the latter having not found her unbeatable form again ever since she lost it. Hard to see how anybody beats the dominant Sabalenka, but I'd love to see Svitolina do it.
On the men's side, this is Zverev's great opportunity. I was going to say that Casper Ruud was his biggest challenge, but he just lost to Fonseca. Fonseca may be young and brash enough to go all the way. We know Zverev can play on clay -- he was pushing Nadal a couple of years ago before he turned an ankle badly and had to retire. But you can never tell with clay court specialists.
So, that's where we are as Roland Garros goes into Week 2 of the 2026 French Open.
As we go into the World Cup, I thought I'd make a quick comment or two on the Premier League season. As hoped but maybe not expected, Arsenal managed to outlast Manchester City down the stretch to take the Premier League cup. I saw at least one sour-grapes headline about how VAR saved Arsenal's season, but judgment calls will always be judgment calls. So congratulations to the Gunners.
(And may I once again add that penalty kicks are a lousy way to finish a major championship, but I don't think they will ever go away, given how much bettors must love them. I still think a 9-on-9 overtime (8 players and the goalkeeper) would be a LOT more interesting, and give the star players a chance to shine. But nobody listens to me about that. Eze, formerly of Crystal Palace, tried to be way too cute in the Champions League final.)
Crystal Palace started really hot, but ended up where they are usually expected to be, in 15th. They flirted with relegation, but managed to win what they needed to win. Their manager, Oliver Glasner, is moving on, probably to a major club. So next year will probably be like this year -- just hanging on.
The other big stories down the line to the end were the collapse of Chelsea, the resurgence of Manchester United (who is their star player, by the way?) and the survival of Tottenham Hotspur. As others have noted, West Ham United in the Championship puts many smaller teams on the big stage of their massive stadium.
OK, so how do I finish it? How about the Goal of the Season?
A discovery in a dry Oregon cave has been a major advance (backwards) regarding the age of culture and manufacturing crafts in North America. Sewn animal hide and woven materials that were determined to be about 12,400 years old pushed back the time when the early residents switched over from hunting and gathering to a more cultured lifestyle, according to the researchers.
Article: Oldest Sewn Hide Found in USA Rewrites Ice Age Clothing History
Research paper: Complex perishable technologies from the North American Great Basin reveal specialized Late Pleistocene adaptations
The buzz around the Victoria's Secret Angels is not as loud as it used to be, and there are less recognizable VS Angel superstars than there were a few years ago. Several of them dropped out of the VS runway appearances as the brand became more inclusive, and as the recognition that came with being an Angel became a bit reduced. Age, marriage, and changes in career and life goals also reduced their number. I'll comment on the current status of one of the "later" Angels, Barbara Palvin, shortly.)
One of the memorable Angels of the height of the Angel era was Candice Swanepoel. As the Daily Mail article attests, indicates, and demonstrates, Candice is still allied with the Secret, has a swimwear collection with them, and is still eminently suited (ha) to model the suits of the collection.
What's the secret to the Victoria's Secret "killer abs"?" 'I've been doing my own kind of yoga. It's not traditional yoga, but I put on some music and mix in some Pilates and squat resistance stuff,' she told The Cut."
A little more detail might be useful for those wishing to emulate her exercises, and their results.
Speaking of results, here's one of the modeling shots. The exercises appear to work, and she also appears quite memorable. (BTW, she's at age 37 now.)
Well, as you can see, it's late May, and this is the Lighthouse of the Week for mid-April 2026. I am going to catch up, and I have several lighthouses in the queue to help me catch up. This is an outstanding and historic lighthouse to kick off the "recovery" effort.
So, we shall begin with the location of this one. It is on the shore of Lake Ontario, to the north of Oswego.
The Lighthouse Directory has a lot to say about the Selkirk (also called the Salmon River) lighthouse. Below the excerpt, I've included the link to Lighthouse Friends on this one, too.
"1838 (Jabez Meacham). Reactivated (inactive 1858-1989; now privately maintained); focal plane 50 ft (15 m); white flash every 2 s. 32 ft (10 m) octagonal red-shingled tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on the roof of a 2-1/2 story fieldstone keeper's house; 190 mm lens. The tower still has its original (and very rare) birdcage lantern. ... An architectural treasure, this is one of the oldest "integral" lighthouses in the country, and it is the oldest one surviving without significant modification. A historic photo from the Library of Congress shows how little the building has been altered. After deactivation the building was used as a lifesaving station for a number of years before being sold at auction in 1895; the new owners operated it as part of a hotel for many years. Privately restored beginning in 1987, the building is now a guest house (operating April through November) with accommodations available by the day or week. ... Located on Lake Road (county route 5) adjacent to the Lighthouse Marina on the north side of the entrance to the Salmon River in Selkirk."
Salmon River (Selkirk), NY (Lighthouse Friends)
AirBnB page for Selkirk Lighthouse
Here are some pictures:
The really remarkable NASA Earth Observatory site keeps producing top-notch content. This post illustrating the retreat of Hektoria Glacier in Antarctica is another example of their quality.
Record-Setting Retreat of Hektoria Glacier
"A team of scientists published an analysis of Hektoria’s collapse based on a suite of remote-sensing data, finding that its particular geometry enabled the rapid change. Like many glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula, Hektoria starts on land and extends to the sea, with the last section being a thick, floating plate of ice, or “ice tongue.” The researchers determined Hektoria lost both its ice tongue and an area of grounded ice spread over a flat plain—the latter directly contributing to sea level rise. Although Hektoria is relatively small as Antarctic glaciers go, scientists say that similar events at larger glaciers could be much more consequential."Here's a map of where Hektoria Glacier is located.
Surprisingly, when I took a look at my post views from mid-April (the last time I posted), there are tens of them. Now, I don't expect a lot; that's one of the joys of my hard-to-find blog. I can say what I want and whoever finds what I write and post gets exclusivity. I've had a couple of posts that were relatively well-seen, but not many. I might (emphasis on might) start putting links to posts on Twitter (oh, I'm sorry, "X") more.
So where have I been? Nowhere special, but I did go to a conference on small nuclear reactors. Very exciting developments, and this is where I think the industry has to go -- and will go -- because of several necessities. The necessities are the need for more energy, and the need for more non-polluting energy. Even though solar is cheap, wind is cheap, and their growth is strong, these AI data centers need more than that. This is demonstrated by the interest in restarts of old nuclear power plants. But the better answer is a small, safe, and reproducible modular reactor. And they are coming.
So, I will be posting a lot in the next couple of weeks. I have a lot of lighthouses to catch up on, so I'll be posting retroactive Lighthouses of the Week. And I've seen and read a lot during my interim.
So get back on board, I'm typing again!
First, a couple of confections from Bethany Lily April, who has gotten herself into tremendous shape, and new mother of twins (via surrogate) Amanda Cerny.
Coral reefs around the world are beleaguered. Yes, some are in better shape than others, but many are suffering and damaged.
The reason I saw this is that coral reefs attract scuba divers, and scuba divers spend money where they go scuba diving. That's the subject of this paper.
Global economic impact of scuba dive tourism
"Scuba diving is not just an exciting recreational activity—it is also a significant contributor to the global economy. Our study provides the first global estimate of the economic impact of scuba dive tourism, revealing that the sector generates between 8.5 and 20.4 billion USD annually. This revenue supports local economies, creates jobs, and helps promote marine conservation. By highlighting the economic benefits of scuba diving, our research can help guide policies that balance ecological sustainability and economic growth in coastal communities."
So there's a clear vested interest for countries that host coral reefs in having them stay in the best shape possible.
Let's all try to help, shall we?
The nation and island of Iceland is worried about something that could make them much, much colder. ("Coldur" is not actually the Norse god or giant of cold, but he could be. It's actually Skaði, a giantess. You pronounce it.)
If the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) collapses, the result would be a Younger Dryas replay, in which case the North Atlantic and Europe get a lot colder. And since Iceland is smack dab right there in the middle of the North Atlantic, that might not be good at all.
Which is why Iceland considers this problem, which happens to be a consequence of Global Warming, a security problem. A couple of articles about this are linked below; the Washington Post article is probably behind a subscription, but if it's your first of the month, you might still be able to read it.
Washington Post: Why this country declared an ocean current collapse a national security risk
"Sometime over the next 100 years, human-driven warming could disrupt a vital ocean current that carries heat northward from the tropics. After this breach, most of the world would keep getting hotter — but northern Europe would cool substantially, with Iceland at the center of a deep freeze. Climate modeling shows Icelandic winter extremes plunging to an unprecedented minus-50 degrees Fahrenheit. Sea ice could surround the country for the first time since it was settled by Vikings."
"As a first step, Iceland has tried to remind other countries that cutting greenhouse gas emissions reduces the odds of planet-altering crises. At the United Nations’ global climate conference in November, Iceland’s climate minister told delegates that “the risk of large, abrupt change is real,” and that present-day policies could determine whether the next generation inherits “a managed transition or an unmanaged collapse.”
Iceland Review: Scientists Warn Ocean Current Shift Could Alter Iceland’s Climate
"Recent modelling studies examining high global emissions scenarios suggest that the AMOC could weaken substantially and, in some cases, eventually stop.
"Iceland has included the possibility of AMOC disruption in its national security risk assessments and plans to integrate the scenario into its risk management strategy by 2028."
A study published last August found that in nine high-emissions models considered, the circulation weakened and ultimately ceased.
Even if global climate targets under the Paris Agreement are met, researchers estimate the probability of collapse at approximately 25 percent.
Potential impacts for Iceland include significantly colder winters and expanded sea ice. The Icelandic Meteorological Office has indicated that in such a scenario, conditions could change dramatically."
I've still got a few comments (I think) on the Winter Olympics, which I plan to cover this week. Oh, I know, it's been over for weeks and much other sports news has happened since. Actually, not that much -- playoffs are getting ready to start for the NHL and NBA; the Masters (golf) is wrapping up today, there's been some tennis since the Australian, but nothing major as the French Open starts to get on player minds; March Madness is over (just a couple of buzzer-beaters, especially the one that put UConn over Duke); the Frozen Four is over (UDenver won late); NCAA swimming is over (Josh Liendo was spectacular, and Florida gave Texas a bit of a scare, and on the women's side, it was Virginia vs. Torri Huske).
So, the Winter Olympics were quite interesting. Definitely some mental health struggles in sports that are decided by millimeters and milliseconds in many cases, the difference between winning and disaster (Lindsey Vonn in the latter). Tight decisions, such as the ice dancing, where Chock and Bates probably deserved gold, but a French judge might have tilted it just enough for the French pair. Ilia Malinin showed that even perceived locks can falter, but he came back and dominated the Worlds.
So, speaking of ice dancing, I noticed the British pair of Fear and Gibson, particularly because the name of the woman is Lilah Fear, who has a very distinct and pretty look. And I'm showing below that she's also quite athletic.
They finished a disappointing 7th at the Olympics, and maybe a more disappointing 4th at the 2026 worlds, 1.1 points behind the third place USA team (not Chock and Bates, it was Zingas and Kolesnik).
So, as you might expect, a couple of pictures are below. She's got a great smile, clearly.
As I noted yesterday for the Lighthouse of the Week corresponding to two weeks ago (as I type this), there's another Rhode Island lighthouse near the Dutch Island light. This one is the Beavertail Lighthouse (and also Museum), which is on the next island south in Narragansett Bay. It has a bit more history than Dutch Island, and is in better shape, too.
It appears to me that the reason it is called Beavertail Lighthouse is the shape of the end of the island that it is situated on. See if you agree with me with this map view.
The famous Castle Hill lighthouse, which I have visited in person, is just across the water, south of Newport.
As I said, this one has a bit more history. A slightly edited version of what the Lighthouse Directory has is provided below. One thing I find interesting, and undefined, is that this is the fourth oldest light station, but it is certainly (I think) not the fourth oldest lighthouse. I'm not sure of the difference.
"1856 (station established 1749). Active; focal plane 68 ft (21 m); white flash every 6 s, day and night. 45 ft (14 m) square cylindrical granite tower with lantern and double gallery attached to a 2-story stucco-clad brick keeper's house (1856); VRB-25 beacon (2019). The tower is unpainted granite; lantern and watchroom painted black; keeper's house white with red roofs. Fog horn (3 s blast every 30 s) on demand. The assistant keeper's house (1898) houses a museum; the 4th order Fresnel lens used 1907-1991 is on display. ...
This is the nation's fourth oldest light station (after Boston MA, Tybee Island GA, and Brant Point MA). The foundations of the 1749 lighthouse remain visible and were restored in 2013. The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association (BLMA) works for preservation of the light station. ...
The fog signal building houses an aquarium operated by the state Department of Environmental Management. In 2006 BLMA announced plans for expansion of the museum into all six structures on the light station when the station becomes available for transfer. ...
Instead, the house was restored and opened as an expansion of the museum in 2013. In 2014 the fog signal building was restored and replica diaphone horns installed. d In February 2020 the loop road in front of the lighthouse was closed permanently due to beach erosion, but visitors can still walk to the lighthouse from the parking areas in the rear. In 2021 the lighthouse finally became available for transfer under NHLPA and in June 2024 it was transferred to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management as an addition to Beavertail State Park. Located on Beavertail Point on the southern tip of Conanicut Island in Jamestown."
Lighthouse Friends: Beavertail, RI
New England Lighthouses: Beavertail Lighthouse
Pictures and video below.
