All posts tagged: fading

May skygazing: A blue moon, fading comet, and a lot of meteors

May skygazing: A blue moon, fading comet, and a lot of meteors

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. May 1 Full Flower Moon May 4 One Last Chance to Catch Comet C/2025 R3 (Possibly) May 5 Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Predicted Peak May 14 May’s Lāhainā Noon Begins May 31 Full Blue Micromoon It’s spring! All is beautiful and full of life, and apart from that one weird smell, all is well in the great outdoors. Along with flowers and seasonal allergies, this month brings us plenty of opportunities for stargazing, from not one but two full moons to a meteor shower and the year’s first Lāhainā noon. May 1: Full Flower Moon The full Flower Moon on May Day? How much more spring-y can spring get? Unsurprisingly, the Flower Moon gets its name from the blooms that burst into life as winter releases its hold on the land. The Farmer’s Almanac attributes the name to several possible North American sources, including the Algonquin peoples of the continent’s northeast and/or the Dakota people of the Midwest. The …

Bellerin’s stoppage-time strike dents Real Madrid’s fading title bid

Bellerin’s stoppage-time strike dents Real Madrid’s fading title bid

Published by Sam Flores

SEVILLE, April 24 : Hector Bellerin struck deep into stoppage time to earn Real Betis a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid on Friday, dealing another blow to Alvaro Arbeloa’s side’s slender LaLiga title hopes with five games remaining. With a game in hand, Barcelona lead the standings on 82 points, eight clear of second-placed Real Madrid. Barca face Getafe on Saturday and could stretch their advantage to 11 points. Real appeared on course for a narrow win after taking the lead in the 17th minute. Federico Valverde let fly from outside the box and Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles could only parry the ball into the path of Vinicius Jr, who reacted swiftly to guide a neat finish just inside the right post. Jude Bellingham nearly made it 2-0 soon after, but Betis gradually grew into the contest and began to threaten. Andriy Lunin kept the visitors ahead before halftime with three sharp saves to deny Cedric Bakambu and two more to thwart Antony. Real resumed control after the break but were wasteful. Kylian Mbappe endured …

Dollar firms as fading Middle East ceasefire hopes lift safe-haven demand

Dollar firms as fading Middle East ceasefire hopes lift safe-haven demand

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK/LONDON, March 26 : The dollar held firm against major currencies on Thursday, as fading hopes of Middle East de-escalation revived the risk of a prolonged energy shock and boosted safe-haven demand. New U.S. jobless claims edged higher last week, signaling a still-stable labor market and giving the Federal Reserve room to keep rates steady while watching war-related inflation risks. Stocks mostly fell and oil prices advanced as investor caution grew over the uncertain trajectory of diplomatic efforts, bolstering the dollar.  Iran’s foreign minister said the country was reviewing a U.S. proposal to end the war but did not intend to hold talks. “The overall tone right now is a tide of sort of disappointment washing across markets as the prospects for a cease fire in the Middle East fade,” said Karl Schamotta, chief market strategist, at Corpay in Toronto. “Traders are still piling into safe-haven trades and bracing for a more protracted blockage in the Strait of Hormuz and for an eventual overheat in major economies as elevated energy prices hit.” The euro weakened 0.14 per …

Target is fading out breakfast cereals with synthetic dyes

Target is fading out breakfast cereals with synthetic dyes

Published by Sam Flores

Following in the footsteps of several national grocery chains, Target will stop carrying breakfast cereals containing synthetic colors by the end of May 2026. The big-box retailer’s decision underscores standards established when it launched its flagship-owned Good & Gather private brand in 2019, according to a February press release. Its house label’s products are formulated without artificial flavors and sweeteners, synthetic colors, or high-fructose corn syrup. In its statement, Target specified that its guest insights and sales-trend data “show a long-term shift toward foods made without artificial additives,” especially for products that are purchased by families for their children. “We know consumers are increasingly prioritizing healthier lifestyles, and we’re moving quickly to evolve our offerings to meet their needs,” said Cara Sylvester, Target’s chief merchandising officer, in the release. “Our new cereal assortment made without certified synthetic colors makes it easier for busy families to make choices they feel good about, and shows what it means to curate a great assortment and lead with merchandising authority.” Several other retailers have also parted ways with products …

They said Trumpism was fading

They said Trumpism was fading

Published by Sam Flores

As 2025 came to a close, mainstream liberal and centrist commentators were boldly declaring, often with visible relief, that Donald Trump’s authoritarian power grab had exhausted itself. The tide, they insisted, had finally turned in favor of American democracy and its resilient institutions. That relief was premature. One month into 2026, Trump is striking back with the strength of a tsunami. The authoritarian tide is rising again — faster than before. It began in earnest on Jan. 3 when the U.S. military attacked Venezuela and abducted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. After bringing the couple to New York, where they have been indicted on drug trafficking and weapons charges and are awaiting trial in a detention center in Brooklyn, Trump and members of his administration began threatening other countries, including Colombia, Cuba and even Mexico. Then the president once again became fixated on Greenland and threatened to take it by force. (He has since appeared to back away from his military threats.) Trump’s lawlessness abroad reflects a profound contempt for the rule …

Democracy is fading in Africa as the world looks away

Democracy is fading in Africa as the world looks away

Published by Sam Flores

For Nick Checker’s first trip to Africa since his appointment as head of the Bureau of African Affairs at the US Department of State on January 6, he traveled to Bamako. The message delivered by Checker, a former CIA military analyst and specialist in the Horn of Africa, is not good news for defenders of democratic values. Although few among them had any illusions about the importance given to governance issues by the US administration since Donald Trump returned to power in early 2025, the American diplomat left no room for doubt. He went to the Malian capital on Monday, February 2, “to convey the United States’ respect for Mali’s sovereignty (…) and move past policy missteps. The United States looks forward to discussing next steps for (…) consulting with other governments in the region, including Burkina Faso and Niger, on shared security and economic interests.” These three neighboring Sahel countries share the fact that they are ruled with an iron fist by military leaders who seized power from civilians. Mali led the way in 2021, followed by …

’A Fading Man’ Film Trailer for IFFR Triangle Love Story With Dementia

’A Fading Man’ Film Trailer for IFFR Triangle Love Story With Dementia

Published by Daniella Wilson

How would you feel if your ex-husband reappeared in your home, having forgotten your divorce? Hanne, played by Dagmar Manzel, finds out in the film A Fading Man (Der verlorene Mann), as her orderly life with partner Bernd, portrayed by August Zirner, is gently upended by her ex Kurt, who, it turns out, now has dementia. The debut feature from German director Welf Reinhart, starring Harald Krassnitzer as Kurt, world premiered in the Tiger Competition of the 55th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). “The three try to make the best of an awkward situation, which becomes even more tangled when efforts to return him to his care home falter and his daughter proves difficult to reach,” reads a synopsis for the film on the IFFR website. “What begins as an involuntary arrangement takes an unexpected turn when Hanne admits to herself that she still loves both men, and Kurt and Bernd, in their own ways, are willing to explore what that might mean. Slowly but with unmistakable intensity, they start to behave as if they were …

Apple’s unrivalled commitment to excellence is fading – a designer explains why

Apple’s unrivalled commitment to excellence is fading – a designer explains why

Published by skeptic

Apple introduced Liquid Glass in June 2025 in a self-declared attempt to bring “joy and delight to every user experience”. The visual design style – which is being applied to all Apple products from iPhone to watch to TV – is named for the company’s new type of screen designed to look like translucent liquid. Standing out by design has been paramount for Apple ever since Steve Jobs co-founded the company half a century ago. He was quick to kill off every uninspired idea, declaring: “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.” Jobs’ leadership style could verge on the tyrannical, yet his approach was essential to Apple’s enduring success, which, more than 14 years after his death, still ranks as the world’s most valuable brand. To Jobs, the twin importance of design aesthetics and user experience (UX) was non-negotiable – both must be perfect for the public to see the product. But the recent history of Liquid Glass – introduced under Jobs’ successor as CEO, Tim Cook – suggests …