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Map of America: American Shannon Downey of Chicago, Illinois, loves to embroider. She finds and buys unfinished craft projects at estate sales, which she finishes and donates. She met her match, however, when she bought a huge unfinished quilt and embroidery project of a United States map showing each state’s flower. Not knowing how to quilt, she put out a plea on social media and soon had lots of help. She mailed sections to her helpers, who were asked to mail them back. Downey intends to finish the project that had been started by a woman named Rita Smith, who passed away at age 99.

Long lashes: Two pretty cocker spaniels, who are sisters, are apt to make fashion models jealous. The dogs, Cloe and Nena, have extremely long eyelashes that amaze onlookers. Owner Vittoria Di Castri of Milan, Italy, insists that her pets’ lashes are real. She spends hours grooming the dogs, who love all the attention. Di Castri trims and combs the lashes that can grow more than five centimetres (two inches). The canine pooches have become a social media sensation, and they love to pose for the camera.

Walking backwards: Medi Bastoni, an Indonesian man from Dono, a small village in East Java, was so passionate about a cause that he walked backwards for over 700 kilometres (430 mi.). Bastoni was raising awareness about rainforest preservation. His backwards walk took him to his country’s capital of Jakarta, where he planned to meet with President Joko Widodo. What he wanted from the President was simple: a symbolic seed for a tree, which he would then plant near his village. Bastoni outfitted himself with a backpack full of supplies and a frame that held a rear-view mirror so he could see where he was going.

Petal power: A building in Venezuela can open and close like a flower. The Flor de Venezuela is also known as the Flor de Hanover because it was built for Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. The architect, Fruto Vivas, wanted the building to reflect flowers, so he designed a building that has 16 enormous petals attached to a central stem. Using a hydraulic system, the petals can open and close, which is not only visually appealing, but also convenient if it rains. Once the Expo was over, the building was moved, piece-by-piece, to Barquisimeto in the western part of the country.