say hello to Binti, the newest and most beautiful member of the Memphis Zoo

The Memphis Zoo has announced its newest edition, Binti, a 15-year-old female hippopotamus. She joined the exhibit’s other resident Splish, a 25-year-old female hippo, early Wednesday morning.
Binti is Swahili for daughter or young lady. Binti follows a long line of hippos at the zoo, which has housed hippos since 1914, the year Splish’s grandfather arrived at the zoo from Hamburg, Germany.

sometimes things look better in scaffolding.

Monday night marked the debut of 488 glowing lamps that now line America's most famous obelisk. Their origin actually dates back to the 1990s, when Michael Graves was commissioned to design a curtain-like scrim for the monument during the structure's previous renovation. That design is being used again during current renovations, a look that stands out especially in daylight. The lamps, activated by sensors, light up from behind the scrim. (via)

"it's like a everyday 4th of july."