Lobster boat captain Craig Stewart and sternman Tim Lovett start work before sunrise and haul traps for hours on end.

Making a living is harder now than ever before, as overhead costs for fuel, equipment, and bait steadily climb, while unprecedented lobster landings over the last several years have sent prices tumbling.

"We're struggling," said Stewart, a third-generation lobsterman who fishes off the coast of Portland."If I come in with 600 pounds, people will see that I made a $1000 for that day. They don't see that I just replaced the engine for $30,000 or that I paid over $300 for bait."

Stewart is one of Maine's 5,900 licensed lobster harvesters, who together haul in roughly 80% of U.S. landings of American lobster, worth more than $300 million.

To experience the life of a Maine lobsterman, we headed to Portland, Me., and spent a day aboard Stewart's 36-foot working lobster boat.

Around 4:30 a.m., sternman Tim Lovett leaves Holyoke Wharf in South Portland to pick up captain Craig Stewart from Long Island in Casco Bay, near Portland.

By 6 a.m., Craig is at the helm. He begins zigzagging in and out of buoys to locate his traps.

Each lobster boat is limited to 800 traps as part of Maine law. A portion of the traps are hauled and set each day.

When a single thief made off with $136 million in jewelry last month in Cannes, France, it may have been the biggest jewelry heist ever.

Meanwhile art thieves are making more money than ever.

All in all, it's been a good year for stealing stuff.

We've rounded up the biggest and boldest thefts of the past 12 months. Thankfully, many of these crimes have been solved or brought to trial.

A $2.6 million diamond necklace vanished from a star-studded party during the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Despite 80 bodyguards, the diamond necklace went missing at the end of the night, The Daily Telegraph reported. At least 20 different models wore the $2.6 million piece, which belonged to a collection from Swiss jeweler De Grisogono.

The theft follows the disappearance of another million-dollar diamond necklace by designer Chopard during the same festival. French police are still investigating both occurrences, although they admit the festival is a favorite for jewel heists.

Postal workers and some of their family members were arrested for allegedly stealing $2.7 million from the Macedonian postal service.

The money had been taken in a series of six thefts at a Macedonian postal service branch in a suburb of Skopje.

The most recent one earlier this month led to the arrest of eight people including the head of postal security, two mailmen, and directors of the Postal Office, the Macedonia International News Agency (MINA) reported. The thieves made out with a combined almost €2 million, which they reportedly used to pay terrorists' "pensions" for fighting against Macedonian police.

An employee at a wine storage company allegedly swiped $2.7 million in vintage blends from his clients' lockers.

The employee in question was George Osumi, from Newport Beach, Calif. He had been working at Irvine's Legend Cellars when he was accused of replacing more than 1,000 bottles of first-growth Bordeaux from clients' private lockers with Trader Joe's Two Buck Chuck, The Huffington Post reported.

Osumi allegedly swapped out the fine wine for a $2 Trader Joe's blend some time between January 2008 and June 2012, prosecutors alleged, and had a friend auction off the expensive ones. Osumi would then split the proceeds with his friend who, had no idea the wine was stolen, the Orange County District Attorney said. Osumi could face 16 years in prison.

European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano just posted a striking photo of the massive wildfires happening in California. It's just one of the many amazing looks the Italian astronaut posts to social media from the International Space Station.

The "Rim Fire" blaze, which has been looming over Yosemite National Park, has already burned more than 300 square miles and destroyed at least 11 homes, according to The Washington Post. It's only 35% contained.

Along with the photo, Parmitano tweeted, "California fires - sometimes it's not beauty that takes our breath away."

Here's what it looks like 263 miles above the Earth in the ISS:

Join the conversation about this story »

The summer is coming to an all too speedy end, which means college students will soon make the mass exodus from their hometowns, vacations, and internships to return for a new school year in the fall.  

For some students, however, picking classes and meeting new people are just part of the already jam-packed celebrity lifestyle. 

We've found the 15 most famous kids in college this semester. These celebrities are pursuing their college degrees, juggling class and exams with the responsibilities of public life.

They're musicians, actors, models and athletes who somehow find a way to balance their college careers with their professional ones—an impressive feat for such young people. They go to school all over America, from New York University to California's University of Southern California.

We've listed them here in alphabetical order. Let us know who we missed!

Callie Bost and Jennifer Polland contributed to this feature.

Justine Bateman

College: University of California, Los Angeles

Year: Sophomore

Though she's not exactly a kid anymore, the 47-year-old Bateman did get famous playing one on TV — the notoriously ditzy Mallory Keaton on "Family Ties."

Now, she's pursuing a degree in computer science at UCLA and even has a blog called "College Life" about the ins and outs of being an undergraduate in her 40s.  

Corinne Bishop

College: University of Southern California

Year: Sophomore 

Jamie Foxx's daughter shares both his original last name and his red carpet spotlight, appearing on her father's arm at multiple premiers, awards shows, and after parties since she was seven. 

Bishop, now 19, is a cheerleader and Public Relations major at USC. 

Justin Combs

College: University of California Los Angeles

Year: Sophomore

The son of Sean "P. Diddy" or "Puff Daddy" Combs, Justin Combs is attending UCLA —on a $54,000 football scholarship.

The son of a multi-millionaire, Combs faced a lot of criticism for accepting the scholarship, but the 5-foot-9, 170-pound defensive back defended his decision to accept the scholarship, tweeting that he "put that work in" and earned the scholarship.

Combs was red-shirted for the 2012 season and didn't see game time, but he has four remaining years of eligibility. 

The Vault is Slate's history blog. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @slatevault, and find us on Tumblr. Find out more about what this space is all about here.

This “Histomap,” created by John B. Sparks, was first printed by Rand McNally in 1931.

The David Rumsey Map Collection hosts a fully zoomable version here.

This giant, ambitious chart fit neatly with a trend in nonfiction book publishing of the 1920s and 1930s: the “outline,” in which large subjects (the history of the world! every school of philosophy! all of modern physics!) were distilled into a form comprehensible to the most uneducated layman.

The 5-foot-long Histomap was sold for $1 and folded into a green cover, which featured endorsements from historians and reviewers. The chart was advertised as “clear, vivid, and shorn of elaboration,” while at the same time capable of “holding you enthralled” by presenting:

the actual picture of the march of civilization, from the mud huts of the ancients thru the monarchistic glamour of the middle ages to the living panorama of life in present day America.

The chart emphasizes domination, using color to show how the power of various “peoples” (a quasi-racial understanding of the nature of human groups, quite popular at the time) evolved throughout history.

It’s unclear what the width of the colored streams is meant to indicate. In other words, if the Y axis of the chart clearly represents time, what does the X axis represent? Did Sparks see history as a zero-sum game, in which peoples and nations would vie for shares of finite resources? Given the timing of his enterprise—he made this chart between two world wars and at the beginning of a major depression—this might well have been his thinking.

Sparks followed up on the success of this Histomap by publishing at least two more: the Histomap of religion (which I’ve been unable to find online) and the Histomap of evolution.

SEE ALSO: China Tried To Build A City To Replicate Paris ... And Here's What It Looks Like Now

Join the conversation about this story »

Burning Man is a week-long temporary community annually established "to guide, nurture and protect the more permanent community created by its culture."

This year 68,000 people from all over the world gathered in the Black Rock Desert to celebrate the 27th Burn.

The Man is central to the endeavor:

"Imagine the man, greeting you, neon and benevolence, watching over the community. You're here to build a community that needs you and relies on you."After "a week in the remote desert cut off from much of the outside world to experience art, music and the unique community that develops," as Reuters describes it, the time comes to burn the Man.

"On Saturday night, we'll burn the Man. As the procession starts, the circle forms, and the man ignites, you experience something personal, something new to yourself, something you've never felt before."So now you know what the burning Man is. However, "trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind."

SEE ALSO: Here's What It Looks Like Inside The Temporary City That 68,000 People Built In The Middle Of The Desert

Join the conversation about this story »

Marc St. Gil was one of about a hundred photographers commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency to document American life in the 1970s as part of the DOCUMERICA project.

He traveled to the areas of surrounding Houston and San Antonio, Texas to document the water and air pollution crisis, but also captured what life was like on ranches and in small towns.

Woodrow Wilson, One of Leakey's Local Characters, in His Pickup. He Never Works, But Sits Staring at the River from 7 A.M until Sunset 06/1972

A Skinned Possum Shown by One of the Oldest Trappers in Texas, the Town of Leakey. Near San Antonio, 12/1973

Fur Skins of Fox, Raccoon and Bobcat Being Prepared for Market in Leakey, Texas, near San Antonio, 12/1973

The Westboro Baptist Church is well-known for loudly making its hateful, virulently homophobic views known by protesting at high-profile funerals, including those of soldiers.

But for family members who have escaped what they call a "cult," the church's silence may be the loudest protest of all.

Just before her 22nd birthday, Lauren Drain was kicked out of the Topeka-based church, reportedly for "questioning elements of church doctrine," according to Advocate.com. Since then, she moved on to become a registered nurse and she joined the NOH8 campaign.

On Sunday, Lauren posted a photo from her wedding to reddit, showing her walking down the aisle not with her father, but with other friends who have escaped the church as well.

"My father is in a cult & wouldn't attend my wedding, so two ex-cult members & close friends who also escaped stepped in to take his role & give me away," she titled the thread.

In an email exchange with Business Insider, Lauren confirmed she did invite her family members, but they did not attend, nor did they even respond.

"When I was ostracized I was given a few hours to pack my life into a few suitcases, dropped off by my father at a motel and told to never return, never contact my siblings and that I was now disowned," Drain wrote in a plea to help other WBC escapees. "Anyone that leaves or is kicked out is banished for life and all ties to your family, friends, community, life are severed and you are truly on your own."

In a comment in the reddit thread, Lauren writes: 

My name is Lauren Drain & I was kicked out of the cult (the Westboro Baptist Church) where the rest of my family, including my 3 younger siblings are still trapped. This is a photo from our wedding last month, none of my family attended but I was lucky enough to have Megan & Grace Phelps-Roper, who also escaped, step in and take the lead roles during the wedding. I'm now doing all that I can to reconnect with my 3 trapped siblings. They are forbidden from speaking to me & all my efforts thus far have been shut down. However, I hope they too escape by any means one day! Here is the wedding highlight video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T_aPOc8pXU or if you want to know more:https://www.facebook.com/LaurenDrain

You can see more from Drain's wedding in this Youtube video.

Join the conversation about this story »

While America celebrates Victory over Japan Day on September 2, let's not forget the suffering of about 110,000 Japanese Americans who were forced to live in internment camps.

Even at the time this policy was opposed by many Americans, including renowned photographer Ansel Adams, who in the summer of 1943 made his first visit to Manzanar War Relocation Camp in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Invited by the warden, Adams sought to document the living conditions of the camp's inhabitants.

His photos were published in a book titled "Born Free And Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese-Americans" in 1944, with an accompanying exhibition at MoMA.

In 1965, when he donated the images to the Library of Congress, Adams shared some thoughts on the project:

"The purpose of my work was to show how these people, suffering under a great injustice, and loss of property, businesses and professions, had overcome the sense of defeat and dispair (sic) by building for themselves a vital community in an arid (but magnificent) environment," he said.

At the outset of World War II, the American government feared subversive actions by the Japanese American citizens and began moving them to relocation camps.

Source: National Park Service.

Manzanar was one of 10 sites where about 110,000 Japanese Americans were forced to live.

Source: National Park Service.

It was an abandoned agricultural settlement that was repurposed as relocation center.

A building in London's financial district ("The City") has been alleged to literally be melting cars on the street via the reflection it creates of the sun.

The allegations were made on the website City AM (via Telegraph):

THE WALKIE Talkie skyscraper in the City has caused extensive damage to a Jaguar parked on a nearby street – as other drivers come forward to say it has also melted parts of their vehicles.  As revealed in City A.M. last week, the building’s unusual shape is reflecting an ultra bright light onto Eastcheap, with those unlucky enough to park below finding the beam is causing serious damage.  Martin Lindsay, director of a tiling company, said he was distraught to see the warped panels along the side of his high-spec Jaguar XJ.  He said: “They’re going to have to think of something. I’m gutted. How can they let this continue?”

The building — technically called 20 Fenchurch — is a 37-story skyscraper due for completion next year.

Some pictures of the building, found on Instagram, give you a sense of its curvature (which might explain the intense light effect?).

Join the conversation about this story »

Humans have remarkable control over their own happiness.

In her book, "The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want," psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky says a person's happiness is 50% due to genetics, 10% due to circumstances, and the remaining 40% is "within our power to change."

But it takes work.

That's why we've compiled 25 different ways to boost your mood. Happiness is different for each person, but hopefully at least one of these methods will help you find your inner sunshine.

Draw pictures of unhealthy food.

Studies have shown that eating high-calorie comfort foods can make your happier. The downside is this will also make you fat.

As an alternative, a study published in the Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science in May 2013 found that simply drawing pictures of foods high in fat, like cupcakes or pizza, and foods that taste sweet, like strawberries, can also boost your mood. The positive reactions were independent of subjects' weight and hunger level.

"These results extend a growing body of biobehavioral research on the positive impact of food images on mood by showing that this impact can be applied to enhance mood when expressing food images through art," the researchers concluded.

Be both an optimist and a realist.

People who have the positive attitude of optimists paired with the rational outlook of realists tend to be more successful and happy, according to psychology researcher Sophia Chou.

That's because so-called "realistic optimists" have the perfect blend of personality types to succeed. Unlike idealists, they are willing to face challenging situations with a clear view of reality, but will use creativity and a positive outlook to try to work their way out of the problem.

Get your hands dirty.

Breathing in the smell of dirt may lift your spirits, according to a study which found that a bacteria commonly found in soil produces effects similar to antidepressant drugs.

The harmless bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, stimulated the release of serotonin in the brain after it was injected into mice. Low levels of serotonin is what causes depression in people.

In a human test, cancer patients reported increases in their quality of life when they were treated with the bacteria.

The findings "leave us wondering if we shouldn’t all be spending more time playing in the dirt,” lead author Chris Lowry of the University of Bristol in England said in a statement.

Each month, artist Bill Guffey invites fellow painters to virtually descend upon a single location via Google Maps' street view, find a perspective that inspires them, and paint it.

This month, he chose to Detroit — which, you may have heard, is not doing so great these days.

(The latest conscience-shocker: the city's fire department has to put up with thieves, as well as drivers who purposefully impede their calls.) 

The rule of the paintout is pretty straightforward: the artists may only use images captured from Google Maps — no outside photographs, including ones posted by users to Google, are allowed (Guffey says he does not post links to the views used by the artists).

Guffey writes:

I was anxious to see what the artists chose to paint this month (Detroit.) Wondering who might jump on the 'dilapidated' bandwagon, and who might look for beauty in an urban, park or industrial setting. The diversity of the submissions didn't surprise me.

Here are some of the works that caught our eye (with links to the artists' websites when available).

Earl Boyer
"Remnant"
Soft pencil on toned gray paper

Nancy Farara
"Dog in the window, Goodrich Street, Ferndale" 
Acrylic on paper

Murilo S. Romeiro
"Alexandrine Street"
Pen and water color pencil

Rick Eakins
"Vermont Street, Detroit"
Oil on canvas

Catherine Hale
"Heading downtown"
Oil on canvas

Janell Nishida
"Detroit Mist"
Watercolor and gouache

Cindy Pickup
"Rosa Parks Transit 34 EB, Detroit"
Oil on wood

Carolyn Owen Sommer
Untitled
Watercolor on Fabriano hot press

Al Woodford
"Rouge River from Fisher Freeway"
Watercolor

Al Woodford
"Last to leave turn off the lights"
Watercolor

(Via Detroit News' Nolan Finney.)

SEE ALSO: 25 Reasons Why Detroit Is On The Verge Of An Epic Comeback

Join the conversation about this story »

The big story today is about a new development in London's financial district dubbed The Walkie Talkie due to its unusual shape.

The combination of its shape (which is curved), its placement, and its height has apparently created a tremendously intense reflection and beam of light that creates extraordinary heat on a nearby block, and one Jaguar owner says his car literally suffered melting damage from having been parked in that spot.

The news was first broken by Jim Waterson at City AM.

Anyway, a photo of the car has been revealed by the BBC, which tweeted out a photo of a clearly warped Jaguar.

A London skyscraper is blamed for reflecting light which melted parts of a nearby car: http://t.co/EbJUqc4wUgpic.twitter.com/sPijHkIoEw

— BBC London Newsroom (@BBCLondonNews) September 2, 2013

BBC reports:

In a joint statement, developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf said: "We are aware of concerns regarding the light reflecting from 20 Fenchurch Street and are looking into the matter.

"As a precautionary measure, the City of London has agreed to suspend three parking bays in the area which may be affected while we investigate the situation further."

Mr Lindsay said the developers had apologised and agreed to sort out the £946 repair costs.

Meanwhile, an Instagram user has found a great shot showing just how white hot the spot on the street seams to get.

Join the conversation about this story »

The Internet has a new hero: Twenty-two-year-old University of Iowa senior Samantha Goudie, who gained a mix of notoriety and awe this weekend after getting arrested with a .341 BAC.

The University of Iowa was recently named the number one party school in America by the Princeton Review.

As the Daily Dot points out, Goudie was arrested Saturday afternoon by the Iowa City police department for public intoxication after she tried to rush the field at an Iowa football game. The report noted that she was "unsteady on her feet." 

Goudie live-Tweeted her arrest experience, via her Twitter handle @Vodka_samm. Warning: Some of the language in the following tweets is NSFW:

Just went to jail #yolo

— Samantha Goudie (@Vodka_samm) August 31, 2013

Blew a .341 in jail

— Samantha Goudie (@Vodka_samm) August 31, 2013

My mom had to get me out of jail and had to take a breathalizer #lmao

— Samantha Goudie (@Vodka_samm) August 31, 2013

— Samantha Goudie (@Vodka_samm) August 31, 2013

Goudie has gained thousands of Twitter followers and admirers since her arrest, including many men who have become infatuated with the co-ed after her "legendary" and "epic" drinking:

@Vodka_samm Who knew just 3 numbers could tell me who my soulmate was?! .341 YEE YEE!

— DJ Point N Click (@Point_N_Click) September 1, 2013

Anyone hating on my future wife @Vodka_samm is either jealous or insecure about their own partying abilities #341

— Paul J. Aynilian (@PaulAynilian) September 2, 2013

Hot chick from some history class I had last semester blew a .341 at the Iowa game. People like her are the reason we're #1 #341 @Vodka_samm

— Sam Schwarts (@The_Schwarts) September 1, 2013

We love @vodka_samm #341 #vodkaonvodkapic.twitter.com/FUupBbVSMX

— vodka_kelly (@kellysmith12) September 2, 2013

A girl in Iowa City blew .341. Best news out of Iowa City since basketball season.

— O.G.O.B. (@Capnsissypants) September 2, 2013

Perhaps unsurprising, some people have found Goudie's actions not entirely praiseworthy:

How pathetic are we that we are actually praising a chick for blowing a .341 in jail? If that's what it takes to get ppl to love you.. smh

— Logan Robbins (@LogRobs) September 2, 2013

I can't believe people are supporting that dumb girl that blew a .341. Bitch could've died! #Stupid

— Sandy (@SandyBoxxx) September 1, 2013

Her response?

Did I already tweet this cause haters gon hate and FUCK THE HATERS

— Samantha Goudie (@Vodka_samm) September 1, 2013

Join the conversation about this story »

Everyone hates annoying sales calls, but one British man grew so tired of them he came up with a way to actually make money with every ring, according to the BBC.

Lee Beaumont paid £10 (about $15) to set up a premium phone number — known as an 0871 line in Britain — so every time someone called, they had to pay roughly 20 cents, with his cut being ~11 cents.

Writes Joe Kent in BBC:

He said: "I don't use my normal Leeds number for anyone but my friends and family."

Once he had set up the 0871 line, every time a bank, gas or electricity supplier asked him for his details online, he submitted it as his contact number.

With his new number, he made nearly $500 and ended up reducing his usual 20-30 calls to only 13 in the last month.

Genius? Maybe. For the rest of us in the U.S., of course, there's always the Do-Not-Call registry.

NOW: Read the full story over at the BBC

Join the conversation about this story »

Take the atmosphere of San Francisco's Bay To Breakers 12K run. Mix in the engineering creativity of the Burning Man festival. Put everyone on a bicycle.

Now add beer.

And you've got yourself a party, Fort Collins, CO-style.

Every year this normally sleepy little college town, home of Colorado State University, transforms into the wildest bike festival in the nation, courtesy of the New Belgium Brewery, headquartered here.

It's called the Tour de Fat, named somewhat after the famous Tour de France bike race and NBB's most popular flavor of beer, Fat Tire. All proceeds from beer sales are donated to bicycle-themed non-profits.

 NBB hosts a dozen Tour de Fat festivals in cities across the nation: Atlanta; Washington D.C.; Durham, N.C.; Nashville; Chicago; Minneapolis; Boise; Denver; San Francisco; San Diego and Tempe, AZ.  So there's still time to catch one. 

Mountain Ave is usually a quiet neighborhood street.

On Tour de Fat, men in motley and in gorilla suits start slowly start to arrive.

Soon more costumed people fill the town, riding in the bike parade.

In Riviera Maya, travelers can sunbathe and swim at beautiful beaches, snorkel in the world’s second largest coral reef, visit archaeological sites dating back to the 7th century A.D., go shopping, dine in great international restaurants, and party like a spring breaker—all in one day.

This stretch of coastline between Cancun to the north and Tulum to the south is lined with some truly decadent resorts with some truly decadent all-inclusive packages.

For an all-inclusive stay in beautiful Riviera Maya, you can't do much better than these gorgeous hotels. Check out our favorites.

Barcelo Maya Palace Deluxe

The Palace offers a high-end all-inclusive experience on a gorgeous stretch of white-sand beach 15 minutes south of Playa del Carmen.

It's the smallest, newest and most upscale of the properties in the Barcelo complex.

Excellence Riviera Cancun

This adults-only resort lives up to the Excellence name, offering the standard amenities of the luxury chain: multiple attractive pools, numerous dining options, dozens of activities, and a solid spa with beachside treatment huts.

El Dorado Seaside Suites

El Dorado Seaside Suites is an all-inclusive, adults-only resort located on a secluded beach halfway between Playa del Carmen and the famous Mayan ruins of Tulum.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and her husband, Zack Bogue, have bought a $30 million Tudor-style mansion in San Francisco, according to rumors in the city's real estate circles.

If the rumors are true, her new neighbors will include Oracle's Larry Ellison, Apple's Jonathan Ive, and Zynga's Mark Pincus.

But the new "Billionaire's Row" location would mean Mayer will leave her current house in Palo Alto, which features a giant model of a local diner in the backyard. And it would also extend her commute considerably, as San Francisco is further away from Sunnyvale than Palo Alto is.

Take a look at the house in these marketing photos published by realtor Steven Gothelf of Pacific Union International.

It recently sold for about $29.5 million.

It was designed in 1922 by the San Francisco architect Frederick H. Meyer for Stetson G. Hindes.

It has six bedrooms, five full baths, and two half-baths.

Fast food is all about convenience and affordability. 

But there are ways you can make a trip to the local McDonald's or Burger King feel like a VIP experience. 

Two Reddit forums revealed tips from fast food employees and savvy customers. We pulled out the best tricks that could enhance your next dining experience. 

From customizing your Taco Bell order to getting a cheaper "Big Mac," these tips could change your fast food orders forever. 

SEE ALSO: 18 Fast Food Menu Items That Were Sensational Failures

You can incorporate a Dorito shell into your Cheesy Gordita Crunch at Taco Bell.

It's just 30 cents extra for the delicious addition. 

Source: Reddit

You can get a cheaper McDonald's Big Mac.

"Get a McDouble without ketchup and mustard. Instead, ask for lettuce and big mac sauce on it. You have an almost-Big Mac for $1.39," an employee writes.

Source: Reddit

Get a real egg with your McDonald's breakfast.

"McDonald's uses three different kinds of eggs for their breakfast. If you want a REAL egg ask for the egg off the McMuffin," one employee said. 

Source: Reddit

A bombshell architecture story is brewing in London's Financial District.

A new construction at 20 Fenchurch — dubbed the Walkie Talkie building, due to its curved shape — is producing a reflected ray of light so hot, it caused a man's Jaguar to partially melt. Here's a photo of the building. You can see how curved it is, and how bright the reflection is.

Jim Waterson at UK website City AM has been breaking stories on the building left and right.

And is back today with a report on what may be the most ominous aspect of the whole thing: It's not just one spot on a nearby street that's going to get hot. As the days and seasons change, the hot spot is going to move. So it's not like you can just erect some shade somewhere to solve this issue.

Waterson writes:

“I’m flabbergasted,” said Dr Philip Oldfield, an expert in tall buildings at the University of Nottingham’s Department of Architecture, who warned other parts of London could be hit by the light beam.  “At street level it’s unprecedented. The scary thing is that the light won’t always be on that part of the street. The sun angle will change through the next weeks and months – and in the winter the localised hotspot will have moved substantially.”

City AM's Laura Lean also took this incredible photo of a thermometer in the bright spot hitting 70 celsius which is 158 Fahrenheit! (Much thanks to City AM for permission to run the photo)

Meanwhile, if you haven't seen it, here's the Jaguar that the building allegedly melted.

A London skyscraper is blamed for reflecting light which melted parts of a nearby car: http://t.co/EbJUqc4wUgpic.twitter.com/sPijHkIoEw

— BBC London Newsroom (@BBCLondonNews) September 2, 2013

Join the conversation about this story »