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November 12, 2024
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Oil giant Shell has won a landmark case in the Dutch courts, overturning an earlier ruling requiring it to cut its carbon emissio...
From the BBC World Service: Oil giant Shell has won a landmark case in the Dutch courts, overturning an earlier ruling requiring it to cut its carbon emissio...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: November 12, 2024\LAY-byle\ adjective
What It Means
Someone or something described as labile is readily open to change. Lab...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: November 12, 2024\LAY-byle\ adjective
What It Means
Someone or something described as labile is readily open to change. Lab...
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FREESong CurioFree2 CQ
Oi, make way for some punk! On this day in 1977, British punk band Sex Pistols grabbed the number one spot on the UK albums chart with Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. The title, like everything about the Sex Pistols, was meant to be provocative. It succeeded, as the album was banned from plenty of stores and radio stations for being too crass. Yet, most of the album’s songs, including the well-remembered No Feelings, sound pretty tame compared with modern, mainstream music, let alone modern punk. With its surging guitar and rapid-fire vocals, No Feelings is a prime example of classic punk. Its lyrics focus on a self-centered man who proudly screams that he cares about himself and no one else—a glaring parody of how many in “polite society” saw punk artists at the time. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols ended up being the band’s only studio album, the rest of their discography being live albums, movie soundtracks, or compilations. If they were really as selfish as No Feelings made them seem, they probably would have taken up more studio time.
Oi, make way for some punk! On this day in 1977, British punk band Sex Pistols grabbed the number one spot on the UK albums chart with Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. The title, like everything about the Sex Pistols, was meant to be provocative. It succeeded, as the album was banned from plenty of stores and radio stations for being too crass. Yet, most of the album’s songs, including the well-remembered No Feelings, sound pretty tame compared with modern, mainstream music, let alone modern punk. With its surging guitar and rapid-fire vocals, No Feelings is a prime example of classic punk. Its lyrics focus on a self-centered man who proudly screams that he cares about himself and no one else—a glaring parody of how many in “polite society” saw punk artists at the time. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols ended up being the band’s only studio album, the rest of their discography being live albums, movie soundtracks, or compilations. If they were really as selfish as No Feelings made them seem, they probably would have taken up more studio time.
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FREEWorld History Daily Curio #2976Free1 CQ
It’s a sobering historical artifact…and a lovely place for a bike ride. The Berlin Wall, once a symbol of violence and oppression, now serves as a way for people to literally walk through history. Originally built in 1961 by the Soviet-controlled German Democratic Republic, the wall was meant to keep Germans from escaping to West Berlin, which was controlled by the Western Allies. Armed guards once stood upon the wall, violently ensuring that East and West Berlin remained separate. Even families were forcibly separated from one another.
Thankfully, things are very different these days. In the Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg, a green space called Mauerpark now stands in an area that was once a wall-adjacent train station. It’s often filled with picnickers, there’s a weekly flea market, and a unique bike trail, the Berliner Mauerweg, or “Berlin Wall Trail”, is a cobblestone path running alongside where the Berlin Wall once stood. Portions of the wall still stand, though they’re now mostly covered in colorful art. Pedestrians and cyclists can now stroll past them and get an up-close look at history. The trail was the brainchild of Michael Cramer, an avid cyclist who was once a member of Berlin’s House of Representatives. Cramer biked alongside the wall’s Western side before it came down. After its collapse, some in Germany's government wanted to tear down the entire wall, but Cramer was insistent that keeping portions of the wall intact was more responsible. The wall, he argues, could serve as an important reminder to future generations about the temporary power and ultimate futility of division. Some portions of the wall were indeed preserved, and construction of the Berliner Mauerweg began in 2002. The trail was completed in 2006. Plaques with historical information now stand at various spots along the trail, which follows a 100-mile loop around Berlin. Who says you can’t learn history and get exercise at the same time?
[Image description: A portion of the Berlin wall as it exists today, with a sidewalk running nearby and a short, metal fence.] Credit & copyright: BindiS, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.It’s a sobering historical artifact…and a lovely place for a bike ride. The Berlin Wall, once a symbol of violence and oppression, now serves as a way for people to literally walk through history. Originally built in 1961 by the Soviet-controlled German Democratic Republic, the wall was meant to keep Germans from escaping to West Berlin, which was controlled by the Western Allies. Armed guards once stood upon the wall, violently ensuring that East and West Berlin remained separate. Even families were forcibly separated from one another.
Thankfully, things are very different these days. In the Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg, a green space called Mauerpark now stands in an area that was once a wall-adjacent train station. It’s often filled with picnickers, there’s a weekly flea market, and a unique bike trail, the Berliner Mauerweg, or “Berlin Wall Trail”, is a cobblestone path running alongside where the Berlin Wall once stood. Portions of the wall still stand, though they’re now mostly covered in colorful art. Pedestrians and cyclists can now stroll past them and get an up-close look at history. The trail was the brainchild of Michael Cramer, an avid cyclist who was once a member of Berlin’s House of Representatives. Cramer biked alongside the wall’s Western side before it came down. After its collapse, some in Germany's government wanted to tear down the entire wall, but Cramer was insistent that keeping portions of the wall intact was more responsible. The wall, he argues, could serve as an important reminder to future generations about the temporary power and ultimate futility of division. Some portions of the wall were indeed preserved, and construction of the Berliner Mauerweg began in 2002. The trail was completed in 2006. Plaques with historical information now stand at various spots along the trail, which follows a 100-mile loop around Berlin. Who says you can’t learn history and get exercise at the same time?
[Image description: A portion of the Berlin wall as it exists today, with a sidewalk running nearby and a short, metal fence.] Credit & copyright: BindiS, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
November 11, 2024
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: November 11, 2024\AHR-muh-stus\ noun
What It Means
An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting a war, or in other words, ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: November 11, 2024\AHR-muh-stus\ noun
What It Means
An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting a war, or in other words, ...
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
Have you ever burned old documents just to get rid of them? This story might make you think twice before doing that again. In England, the 1834 burning of parliament was so dramatic and intense that it inspired several works of art. And it all happened because of the improper disposal of tally sticks. The piece above, The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834, depicts a burning building across a river. The flames reach into the sky and are reflected on the water below. Painted by Joseph Mallord William Turner, the painting depicts the conflagration that destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster. The fire started because workers dumped massive quantities of tally sticks into a furnace to dispose of them. Used for centuries as a financial record-keeping tool, tally sticks were wooden sticks that were broken in two, with one piece for the debtor (the foil) and another for the creditor (the stock). Because stocks were valuable on their own, people began using them as improvised currency, so much that they eventually had to develop—you guessed it—a stock exchange. Seriously, though, just get a paper shredder—they’re much safer.
The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), 1835, Oil on canvas, 36.25 x 48.5 in. (92 x 123.2 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright: Joseph Mallord William Turner, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of John L. Severance 1942.647. Public domain, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation.Have you ever burned old documents just to get rid of them? This story might make you think twice before doing that again. In England, the 1834 burning of parliament was so dramatic and intense that it inspired several works of art. And it all happened because of the improper disposal of tally sticks. The piece above, The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834, depicts a burning building across a river. The flames reach into the sky and are reflected on the water below. Painted by Joseph Mallord William Turner, the painting depicts the conflagration that destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster. The fire started because workers dumped massive quantities of tally sticks into a furnace to dispose of them. Used for centuries as a financial record-keeping tool, tally sticks were wooden sticks that were broken in two, with one piece for the debtor (the foil) and another for the creditor (the stock). Because stocks were valuable on their own, people began using them as improvised currency, so much that they eventually had to develop—you guessed it—a stock exchange. Seriously, though, just get a paper shredder—they’re much safer.
The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), 1835, Oil on canvas, 36.25 x 48.5 in. (92 x 123.2 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright: Joseph Mallord William Turner, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of John L. Severance 1942.647. Public domain, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation. -
FREEBiology Daily Curio #2975Free1 CQ
Is it all in the hips, or all in our heads? While birthing is rarely a pleasant process for mammals, it’s particularly dangerous for humans. For a long time, this difficulty was attributed to the size of human brains at birth, but new research on chimpanzees suggests otherwise. If there’s anything that sets humans apart from their great ape cousins, it’s that we have the largest, most complex brains among them. While the human brain is resource-hungry and the body it inhabits is frailer than many other mammals of comparable size, these shortcomings are more than made up for by the immense advantage of higher intelligence. It would seem natural, then, that such a brain would come to evolve despite the risk it poses during birth. Then there’s the matter of the shorter, narrower birth canals that humans have as a trade off for being able to walk upright. In order to give birth with these factors, human babies rotate as they exit the womb. One common complication that results from this is shoulder dystocia, or obstructed labor. Without medical intervention, this can be fatal to both mother and child. This combination of large brains and narrow birth canals has been referred to as the “obstetrical dilemma,” and it was thought to be unique to humans.
However, paleoanthropologists at the University of Zurich believe that difficulty in birthing might predate the large brains of humans. According to their research, chimpanzees also have difficult births, despite not having the same cranial capacity or the ability to walk upright as humans do. Therefore, the researchers believe that the anatomical features that make birthing so difficult could have existed long before humans developed their oversized brains, perhaps in the last common ancestor shared by chimps and humans. Researchers also pointed out that australopithecines, one of humanity’s ancestors, probably dealt with difficult births too. You’d think it would get easier after a few million years.
[Image description: A black-and-white illustration of a chimpanzee walking.] Credit & copyright: Albin Mesnel, Édouard Riou, Edward Blyth, Alphonse de Neuville, Mammalia. Their various orders and habits popularly illustrated by typical species, 1870, Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1929.Is it all in the hips, or all in our heads? While birthing is rarely a pleasant process for mammals, it’s particularly dangerous for humans. For a long time, this difficulty was attributed to the size of human brains at birth, but new research on chimpanzees suggests otherwise. If there’s anything that sets humans apart from their great ape cousins, it’s that we have the largest, most complex brains among them. While the human brain is resource-hungry and the body it inhabits is frailer than many other mammals of comparable size, these shortcomings are more than made up for by the immense advantage of higher intelligence. It would seem natural, then, that such a brain would come to evolve despite the risk it poses during birth. Then there’s the matter of the shorter, narrower birth canals that humans have as a trade off for being able to walk upright. In order to give birth with these factors, human babies rotate as they exit the womb. One common complication that results from this is shoulder dystocia, or obstructed labor. Without medical intervention, this can be fatal to both mother and child. This combination of large brains and narrow birth canals has been referred to as the “obstetrical dilemma,” and it was thought to be unique to humans.
However, paleoanthropologists at the University of Zurich believe that difficulty in birthing might predate the large brains of humans. According to their research, chimpanzees also have difficult births, despite not having the same cranial capacity or the ability to walk upright as humans do. Therefore, the researchers believe that the anatomical features that make birthing so difficult could have existed long before humans developed their oversized brains, perhaps in the last common ancestor shared by chimps and humans. Researchers also pointed out that australopithecines, one of humanity’s ancestors, probably dealt with difficult births too. You’d think it would get easier after a few million years.
[Image description: A black-and-white illustration of a chimpanzee walking.] Credit & copyright: Albin Mesnel, Édouard Riou, Edward Blyth, Alphonse de Neuville, Mammalia. Their various orders and habits popularly illustrated by typical species, 1870, Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1929. -
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Among the many promises President-elect Donald Trump laid out on the campaign trail: clawing back unspent money from the Inflation Reduction Act, which has p...
Among the many promises President-elect Donald Trump laid out on the campaign trail: clawing back unspent money from the Inflation Reduction Act, which has p...
November 10, 2024
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
This was a breakout moment for companies taking bets on the election’s outcome. Betting markets got attention for their early predictions of a victory by for...
This was a breakout moment for companies taking bets on the election’s outcome. Betting markets got attention for their early predictions of a victory by for...
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FREEEngineering PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
What’s a little rain while you’re driving? Terrifying. At least, it was at the beginning of the 20th century. American inventor Mary Anderson filed the first-ever patent for a windshield wiper on this day in 1903. Before then, people just had to make do with wet or muddy windshields. However, Anderson never got to reap the rewards for her world-changing invention.
Born in Alabama in 1866, Anderson wasn’t a career inventor. Little is known about her early life, but as an adult, she was a winemaker, rancher, and real estate developer. By all available accounts, her invention of the first windshield wiper was her one and only foray into the world of engineering or design. But her varied job titles implies that she likely had a keen eye for spotting opportunities, and the inspiration for her invention was no exception. The story goes that Anderson was visiting New York City during the winter and boarded a streetcar on one particularly wet and blustery day. Because of the inclement weather, the windshield of the streetcar kept getting splattered with water and debris, forcing the driver to open a window to manually wipe the windshield clean. Every time he did so, cold wind would blast through the opening, and this didn’t sit well with Anderson, who was used to the balmy Southern weather of her home state. Streetcar drivers weren’t the only ones who had to contend with this problem, of course. As automobiles became more common, the drivers of those vehicles resorted to similar measures or simply drove with their heads sticking out car windows. Inspired by the streetcar driver’s struggle, and perhaps frustrated by the cold ride, Anderson set out to come up with a better solution. In 1903, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded Anderson with U.S. Patent No. 743,801, or Window-Cleaning Device.
Anderson’s invention, though groundbreaking for its time, doesn’t resemble the modern iteration much. Her version was still operated by hand (albeit from the inside) and consisted of a single rubber blade to clear the windshield. The device also included a counterweight to keep the blade firmly in contact with the glass, and though it was relatively primitive, it was still pretty effective. Unfortunately for Anderson, automakers were hesitant to embrace her invention early on. Despite several attempts, Anderson was never able to attract investors or have them manufactured for sale due to lack of interest. She may have simply been too ahead of her time. Automakers didn’t start making windshield wipers standard equipment in their vehicles until 1916. By then, Anderson’s patent had expired, keeping her from making any profit from her inventions through licensing. Then again, maybe automakers didn’t adopt her windshield wipers on purpose so as not to pay her any fees, though the actual reason is unclear.
Though her invention may not have earned her any money, Anderson has since been recognized for her contribution. In 2011, over 60 years after her death, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. These days, many improvements have been made to her original windshield wiper. In 1917, Charlotte Bridgewood invented the Electric Storm Windshield Cleaner (U.S. Patent No. 1,274,983), the first to be powered by electricity. A few years later, in 1922, brothers William M. and Fred Folberth invented the simply-named Windshield Cleaner (U.S. Patent No. 1,420,538) which was powered by redirected engine exhaust. However, the version that most windshield wipers are based on today was invented by Robert Kearns in the 1960s. Called Windshield Wiper System With Intermittent Operation (U.S. Patent No. 3,351,836), it was motorized and capable of variable speeds. Who knew there were so many ways to clean a windshield?
[Image description: raindrops on a windshield which has been partially wiped clean.] Credit & copyright: Valeriia Miller, PexelsWhat’s a little rain while you’re driving? Terrifying. At least, it was at the beginning of the 20th century. American inventor Mary Anderson filed the first-ever patent for a windshield wiper on this day in 1903. Before then, people just had to make do with wet or muddy windshields. However, Anderson never got to reap the rewards for her world-changing invention.
Born in Alabama in 1866, Anderson wasn’t a career inventor. Little is known about her early life, but as an adult, she was a winemaker, rancher, and real estate developer. By all available accounts, her invention of the first windshield wiper was her one and only foray into the world of engineering or design. But her varied job titles implies that she likely had a keen eye for spotting opportunities, and the inspiration for her invention was no exception. The story goes that Anderson was visiting New York City during the winter and boarded a streetcar on one particularly wet and blustery day. Because of the inclement weather, the windshield of the streetcar kept getting splattered with water and debris, forcing the driver to open a window to manually wipe the windshield clean. Every time he did so, cold wind would blast through the opening, and this didn’t sit well with Anderson, who was used to the balmy Southern weather of her home state. Streetcar drivers weren’t the only ones who had to contend with this problem, of course. As automobiles became more common, the drivers of those vehicles resorted to similar measures or simply drove with their heads sticking out car windows. Inspired by the streetcar driver’s struggle, and perhaps frustrated by the cold ride, Anderson set out to come up with a better solution. In 1903, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded Anderson with U.S. Patent No. 743,801, or Window-Cleaning Device.
Anderson’s invention, though groundbreaking for its time, doesn’t resemble the modern iteration much. Her version was still operated by hand (albeit from the inside) and consisted of a single rubber blade to clear the windshield. The device also included a counterweight to keep the blade firmly in contact with the glass, and though it was relatively primitive, it was still pretty effective. Unfortunately for Anderson, automakers were hesitant to embrace her invention early on. Despite several attempts, Anderson was never able to attract investors or have them manufactured for sale due to lack of interest. She may have simply been too ahead of her time. Automakers didn’t start making windshield wipers standard equipment in their vehicles until 1916. By then, Anderson’s patent had expired, keeping her from making any profit from her inventions through licensing. Then again, maybe automakers didn’t adopt her windshield wipers on purpose so as not to pay her any fees, though the actual reason is unclear.
Though her invention may not have earned her any money, Anderson has since been recognized for her contribution. In 2011, over 60 years after her death, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. These days, many improvements have been made to her original windshield wiper. In 1917, Charlotte Bridgewood invented the Electric Storm Windshield Cleaner (U.S. Patent No. 1,274,983), the first to be powered by electricity. A few years later, in 1922, brothers William M. and Fred Folberth invented the simply-named Windshield Cleaner (U.S. Patent No. 1,420,538) which was powered by redirected engine exhaust. However, the version that most windshield wipers are based on today was invented by Robert Kearns in the 1960s. Called Windshield Wiper System With Intermittent Operation (U.S. Patent No. 3,351,836), it was motorized and capable of variable speeds. Who knew there were so many ways to clean a windshield?
[Image description: raindrops on a windshield which has been partially wiped clean.] Credit & copyright: Valeriia Miller, Pexels
November 9, 2024
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: November 9, 2024\in-KOH-ut\ adjective
What It Means
Inchoate is a formal adjective and synonym of vague that describes some...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: November 9, 2024\in-KOH-ut\ adjective
What It Means
Inchoate is a formal adjective and synonym of vague that describes some...
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: China has unveiled measures worth $1.4 trillion to tackle a mountain of local government debt, as Beijing steps up plans to suppo...
From the BBC World Service: China has unveiled measures worth $1.4 trillion to tackle a mountain of local government debt, as Beijing steps up plans to suppo...
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FREEBoxing Sporty CurioFree1 CQ
Some people just can’t take it easy. American boxer Ray Charles Leonard, better known as Sugar Ray Leonard, retired for the first time on this day in 1982, but he couldn’t stay out of the ring for long. Born on May 17, 1956 in North Carolina, Leonard is widely considered the greatest professional boxer still alive today. As an amateur, he won gold in the light-welterweight class at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games. As a professional, he won 36 out of 40 matches (25 by knockout), thanks in large part to his superior finesse and footwork. Leonard retired for the first time in 1982, but returned to the ring briefly in 1984 before retiring again. He came out of retirement yet again in 1986 to fight Marvelous Marvin Hagler the following year and emerged victorious with the WBC middleweight title. He retired for the penultimate time in 1991, but came out of retirement for the third and final time in 1997 for one last bout, which he lost. After retiring from boxing for good that same year, he continued to work as a commentator. Today, he continues to make TV appearances and focuses on his philanthropic efforts through the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation, which raises awareness and funding for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Who says a boxer can’t help knock out societal problems?
[Image description: Boxing gloves against a gray background.] Credit & copyright: Mikhail Nilov, Pexels
Some people just can’t take it easy. American boxer Ray Charles Leonard, better known as Sugar Ray Leonard, retired for the first time on this day in 1982, but he couldn’t stay out of the ring for long. Born on May 17, 1956 in North Carolina, Leonard is widely considered the greatest professional boxer still alive today. As an amateur, he won gold in the light-welterweight class at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games. As a professional, he won 36 out of 40 matches (25 by knockout), thanks in large part to his superior finesse and footwork. Leonard retired for the first time in 1982, but returned to the ring briefly in 1984 before retiring again. He came out of retirement yet again in 1986 to fight Marvelous Marvin Hagler the following year and emerged victorious with the WBC middleweight title. He retired for the penultimate time in 1991, but came out of retirement for the third and final time in 1997 for one last bout, which he lost. After retiring from boxing for good that same year, he continued to work as a commentator. Today, he continues to make TV appearances and focuses on his philanthropic efforts through the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation, which raises awareness and funding for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Who says a boxer can’t help knock out societal problems?
[Image description: Boxing gloves against a gray background.] Credit & copyright: Mikhail Nilov, Pexels
November 8, 2024
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
The Federal Reserve cut its short-term interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point yesterday. At his briefing, Fed Chair Jerome Powell stayed away from ...
The Federal Reserve cut its short-term interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point yesterday. At his briefing, Fed Chair Jerome Powell stayed away from ...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: November 8, 2024\FAYN\ verb
What It Means
To feign something (such as surprise, ignorance, or sleep) is to pretend to feel ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: November 8, 2024\FAYN\ verb
What It Means
To feign something (such as surprise, ignorance, or sleep) is to pretend to feel ...
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FREEMind + Body Daily CurioFree1 CQ
Tuesday might have passed, but who says there can't be a taco Friday? Tacos are a simple food with a surprisingly complicated (and contested) history. Were they created centuries ago by indigenous peoples before the Spanish even conquered the Aztec Empire? Or do they owe their invention to the more recent Mexican mining industry?
Tacos are folded tortillas stuffed with a variety of fillings, and all of their ingredients can vary greatly. Tortillas can be made from flour or corn, and can be either soft or fried into a crispy shell. Fillings usually include at least one kind of meat, which can be anything from ground beef, shredded pork, fish, or shrimp. Other common fillings include shredded lettuce, onions, refried beans, black beans, peppers, cilantro, and salsa.
Some food historians believe that tacos were invented by indigenous peoples living in the Valley of Mexico’s lake region sometime in the 16th century. Some evidence suggests that the people there once ate tortillas stuffed with fish caught in nearby lakes. Aztec and Maya peoples might have also consumed tacos, or similar dishes. The origin of the word “taco” probably has its roots in Mexico’s 18th-century silver mining industry. To bust through rock, miners would wrap gunpowder in paper, which they stuck into walls and lit. These charges were called “tacos.” The food was likely named after them since, in the 19th century, one of the first written recipes for tacos refers to them as "tacos de minero", or “miner’s tacos.”
As industrialization took off and more people in Mexico moved to urban areas, food stands and carts known as taquerías began popping up in big cities. They became especially popular in Mexico City, where taquerías serving all sorts of regional taco variations were available side by side. In the early 1900s, refugees fleeing the Mexican revolution began arriving in the U.S., bringing their recipes with them. By the mid-20th century, tacos were a popular food in American cities, and they only continued to spread thanks to their easy-to-find, relatively inexpensive list of ingredients. Today, you can tacos just about anywhere, at just about any time of day or night. Pass the hot sauce!
[Image description: A close-up photo of shrimp tacos in tortillas, with veggies and lime wedges.] Credit & copyright: Los Muertos Crew, PexelsTuesday might have passed, but who says there can't be a taco Friday? Tacos are a simple food with a surprisingly complicated (and contested) history. Were they created centuries ago by indigenous peoples before the Spanish even conquered the Aztec Empire? Or do they owe their invention to the more recent Mexican mining industry?
Tacos are folded tortillas stuffed with a variety of fillings, and all of their ingredients can vary greatly. Tortillas can be made from flour or corn, and can be either soft or fried into a crispy shell. Fillings usually include at least one kind of meat, which can be anything from ground beef, shredded pork, fish, or shrimp. Other common fillings include shredded lettuce, onions, refried beans, black beans, peppers, cilantro, and salsa.
Some food historians believe that tacos were invented by indigenous peoples living in the Valley of Mexico’s lake region sometime in the 16th century. Some evidence suggests that the people there once ate tortillas stuffed with fish caught in nearby lakes. Aztec and Maya peoples might have also consumed tacos, or similar dishes. The origin of the word “taco” probably has its roots in Mexico’s 18th-century silver mining industry. To bust through rock, miners would wrap gunpowder in paper, which they stuck into walls and lit. These charges were called “tacos.” The food was likely named after them since, in the 19th century, one of the first written recipes for tacos refers to them as "tacos de minero", or “miner’s tacos.”
As industrialization took off and more people in Mexico moved to urban areas, food stands and carts known as taquerías began popping up in big cities. They became especially popular in Mexico City, where taquerías serving all sorts of regional taco variations were available side by side. In the early 1900s, refugees fleeing the Mexican revolution began arriving in the U.S., bringing their recipes with them. By the mid-20th century, tacos were a popular food in American cities, and they only continued to spread thanks to their easy-to-find, relatively inexpensive list of ingredients. Today, you can tacos just about anywhere, at just about any time of day or night. Pass the hot sauce!
[Image description: A close-up photo of shrimp tacos in tortillas, with veggies and lime wedges.] Credit & copyright: Los Muertos Crew, Pexels
November 7, 2024
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9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Germany’s coalition government is falling apart after the chancellor unexpectedly sacked his finance minister yesterday. Electio...
From the BBC World Service: Germany’s coalition government is falling apart after the chancellor unexpectedly sacked his finance minister yesterday. Electio...
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FREEAstronomy Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
Who would have thought that carpenters might lead humanity to the stars? Developed by scientists at Kyoto University and logging company Sumitomo Forestry, the first ever wooden satellite has been launched into orbit 250 miles above the Earth. It’s meant to serve a surprisingly practical purpose. With thousands of satellites orbiting around the Earth at any given moment, space junk has never been more of a concern. Not only are satellites leaving behind potentially harmful materials as they fall to Earth, the ever-growing collection of abandoned hardware floating around poses a serious threat to humanity’s future in space. When even small pieces of metal collide at orbital velocity, the result can be catastrophic—more so when passengers are involved. That’s why the scientists in Japan developed the LignoSat, a 4-inch wide, sube-shaped satellite made mostly of wood rather than metal. Launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on an unmanned SpaceX rocket, the satellite is designed to disintegrate harmlessly on reentry at the end of its service life, reducing its footprint on the environment both on Earth and in space. Wood might not be as fancy as space-age aluminum or titanium alloys, but the scientists who designed LignoSat believe that the material is perfectly adequate for use in space, as the lack of water and oxygen in that environment means that it can’t rot or burn. Of course, not everything on the satellite can be made of wood—the internal components in LignoSat are conventional electronics designed to monitor the wood’s condition during its journey—but it does significantly reduce the metal needed with a renewable resource. For now, LignoSat is scheduled to orbit around the planet for six months before it’s decommissioned, but if it proves wood’s mettle as a metal substitute, more wooden satellites could follow. What’s next, log-cabin space stations?
[Image description: A starry night sky.] Credit & copyright: Felix Mittermeier, Pexels
Who would have thought that carpenters might lead humanity to the stars? Developed by scientists at Kyoto University and logging company Sumitomo Forestry, the first ever wooden satellite has been launched into orbit 250 miles above the Earth. It’s meant to serve a surprisingly practical purpose. With thousands of satellites orbiting around the Earth at any given moment, space junk has never been more of a concern. Not only are satellites leaving behind potentially harmful materials as they fall to Earth, the ever-growing collection of abandoned hardware floating around poses a serious threat to humanity’s future in space. When even small pieces of metal collide at orbital velocity, the result can be catastrophic—more so when passengers are involved. That’s why the scientists in Japan developed the LignoSat, a 4-inch wide, sube-shaped satellite made mostly of wood rather than metal. Launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on an unmanned SpaceX rocket, the satellite is designed to disintegrate harmlessly on reentry at the end of its service life, reducing its footprint on the environment both on Earth and in space. Wood might not be as fancy as space-age aluminum or titanium alloys, but the scientists who designed LignoSat believe that the material is perfectly adequate for use in space, as the lack of water and oxygen in that environment means that it can’t rot or burn. Of course, not everything on the satellite can be made of wood—the internal components in LignoSat are conventional electronics designed to monitor the wood’s condition during its journey—but it does significantly reduce the metal needed with a renewable resource. For now, LignoSat is scheduled to orbit around the planet for six months before it’s decommissioned, but if it proves wood’s mettle as a metal substitute, more wooden satellites could follow. What’s next, log-cabin space stations?
[Image description: A starry night sky.] Credit & copyright: Felix Mittermeier, Pexels
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FREEMusic Appreciation Daily Curio #2974Free1 CQ
If you want a rags to riches story with a great soundtrack, there’s none greater than that of Quincy Jones. The celebrated composer, producer, and businessman passed away recently at the age of 91, leaving a legacy that is unlikely to ever be matched. Born on March 14, 1933 in Chicago, Quincy Delight Jones Jr. had a difficult childhood. After his mother was institutionalized due to mental health issues, Jones became involved with gangs, got into fights, and even had his hand nailed to a fence with a switchblade knife. However, he discovered a passion for music at an early age and began playing on a neighbor’s piano. As a teen, he befriended Ray Charles after a chance meeting, and by age 20, Jones was touring in a jazz band. By the 1960s, he was a music executive at Mercury Records and began working as a film composer.
As a producer, he branched out from his jazz roots and worked in a wide range of genres, finding himself just as much at ease with pop stars like Lesley Gore as he was with crooners like Frank Sinatra. Jones also collaborated with Michael Jackson frequently, producing several albums, including the iconic Thriller. Beyond music, Jones was also a prominent figure in TV and film. In 1985, he produced Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple, which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. In 1990, he founded Quincy Jones Entertainment, which produced a number of hit TV shows, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Through his prolific collaborations with some of the biggest musical acts in the world and the 35 films he scored, Quincy Jones helped shape the musical landscape of the last century. By the time he passed, he held 28 Grammy Awards and a slew of other accolades and awards. But even if you’ve never heard his name until now, you have heard his work and will continue to hear it for a very long time.
[Image description: A close-up photo of a record playing.] Credit & copyright: Bob Clark, PexelsIf you want a rags to riches story with a great soundtrack, there’s none greater than that of Quincy Jones. The celebrated composer, producer, and businessman passed away recently at the age of 91, leaving a legacy that is unlikely to ever be matched. Born on March 14, 1933 in Chicago, Quincy Delight Jones Jr. had a difficult childhood. After his mother was institutionalized due to mental health issues, Jones became involved with gangs, got into fights, and even had his hand nailed to a fence with a switchblade knife. However, he discovered a passion for music at an early age and began playing on a neighbor’s piano. As a teen, he befriended Ray Charles after a chance meeting, and by age 20, Jones was touring in a jazz band. By the 1960s, he was a music executive at Mercury Records and began working as a film composer.
As a producer, he branched out from his jazz roots and worked in a wide range of genres, finding himself just as much at ease with pop stars like Lesley Gore as he was with crooners like Frank Sinatra. Jones also collaborated with Michael Jackson frequently, producing several albums, including the iconic Thriller. Beyond music, Jones was also a prominent figure in TV and film. In 1985, he produced Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple, which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. In 1990, he founded Quincy Jones Entertainment, which produced a number of hit TV shows, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Through his prolific collaborations with some of the biggest musical acts in the world and the 35 films he scored, Quincy Jones helped shape the musical landscape of the last century. By the time he passed, he held 28 Grammy Awards and a slew of other accolades and awards. But even if you’ve never heard his name until now, you have heard his work and will continue to hear it for a very long time.
[Image description: A close-up photo of a record playing.] Credit & copyright: Bob Clark, Pexels
November 6, 2024
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Donald Trump has won the race for the White House. What does that mean for financial markets? With Ben Kumar, head of equity strategy at Seven Investment Man...
Donald Trump has won the race for the White House. What does that mean for financial markets? With Ben Kumar, head of equity strategy at Seven Investment Man...
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FREEBiology Daily Curio #2973Free1 CQ
It’s a tiny toad, but it’s making a big splash. Scientists at the Biology Institute of the University of Campinas in Brazil have discovered the second-smallest vertebrate ever. It’s a new species of toad that’s smaller than a fingernail. Also called toadlets, flea toads are possibly the smallest vertebrates in the world. The newly discovered species, Brachycephalus dacnis, is the second-smallest in stature, behind only Brachycephalus pulex, which was discovered in 2011. Flea toads get their name from their ability to jump astounding distances relative to their size. They have other differences that set them apart from larger frogs, too. For one, flea toads bypass the traditional tadpole stage and emerge from their eggs fully developed, a rare trait among frogs. Unlike other frogs that lay hundreds of eggs per reproductive cycle, flea toads only produce two at a time. Then there are some of the more extreme differences in anatomy, like fewer bones, fewer digits, and even missing organs. According to Luís Felipe Toledo, one of the researchers who published a paper on the new species, these adaptations are the result of miniaturization, a process in which a species evolves to be smaller.
Different species of flea toads are much more similar to one another than they are to larger frogs. In fact, they tend to look so much alike that their exact species can only be determined via DNA testing or in-depth analysis of their anatomy. That, combined with the fact that flea toads are very difficult to find in the wild, leads Toledo and other researchers to believe that there may be more species of flea toads than previously thought. Toledo also believes that flea toads may represent the very limit of how small vertebrates can get, and that it’s unlikely that any other undiscovered species in the genus Brachycephalus could be much smaller. That’s not too hard to believe; any smaller and they’d practically be microbes.
[Image description: A tropical rainforest with a palm tree and green vegetation.] Credit & copyright: Ayyuha Sideeq, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.It’s a tiny toad, but it’s making a big splash. Scientists at the Biology Institute of the University of Campinas in Brazil have discovered the second-smallest vertebrate ever. It’s a new species of toad that’s smaller than a fingernail. Also called toadlets, flea toads are possibly the smallest vertebrates in the world. The newly discovered species, Brachycephalus dacnis, is the second-smallest in stature, behind only Brachycephalus pulex, which was discovered in 2011. Flea toads get their name from their ability to jump astounding distances relative to their size. They have other differences that set them apart from larger frogs, too. For one, flea toads bypass the traditional tadpole stage and emerge from their eggs fully developed, a rare trait among frogs. Unlike other frogs that lay hundreds of eggs per reproductive cycle, flea toads only produce two at a time. Then there are some of the more extreme differences in anatomy, like fewer bones, fewer digits, and even missing organs. According to Luís Felipe Toledo, one of the researchers who published a paper on the new species, these adaptations are the result of miniaturization, a process in which a species evolves to be smaller.
Different species of flea toads are much more similar to one another than they are to larger frogs. In fact, they tend to look so much alike that their exact species can only be determined via DNA testing or in-depth analysis of their anatomy. That, combined with the fact that flea toads are very difficult to find in the wild, leads Toledo and other researchers to believe that there may be more species of flea toads than previously thought. Toledo also believes that flea toads may represent the very limit of how small vertebrates can get, and that it’s unlikely that any other undiscovered species in the genus Brachycephalus could be much smaller. That’s not too hard to believe; any smaller and they’d practically be microbes.
[Image description: A tropical rainforest with a palm tree and green vegetation.] Credit & copyright: Ayyuha Sideeq, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.