Curio Cabinet
- By Date
- By Type
September 19, 2024
-
9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Now that the Federal Reserve has started to cut interest rates, are we headed back to a world of cheap money? This morning, we’ll unpack what yesterday’s rat...
Now that the Federal Reserve has started to cut interest rates, are we headed back to a world of cheap money? This morning, we’ll unpack what yesterday’s rat...
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 19, 2024\ap-ruh-BAY-shun\ noun
What It Means
Approbation is a formal word that refers to praise or approval.
// ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 19, 2024\ap-ruh-BAY-shun\ noun
What It Means
Approbation is a formal word that refers to praise or approval.
// ...
-
FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
It might not have killed the dinosaurs, but it killed just about everything else. The Permian extinction was the greatest mass extinction event in Earth’s history, yet the cause of it wasn’t fully understood until now. Also called the Permian-Triassic extinction event or simply “the Great Dying,” it occurred at the end of the Permian period over 250 million years ago. Scientists have known for a while that a series of massive volcanic eruptions spewed greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere at the time, causing the climate to change rapidly. They also knew that this caused the oceans to heat up, killing off most of the late Permian period’s marine life. Around 90 percent of marine life and 75 percent of life on land disappeared, paving the way for an explosion of new species in the Triassic period. Now, researchers from China, the U.K., Germany, and Austria have published a paper placing the blame on a series of “mega El Niños” caused by climate change. Typically, even when global temperatures get warmer, many lifeforms can survive by migrating or retreating to cooler areas. However, when the researchers used a paleoclimate modeling to recreate what the weather would have been like during the Great Dying, they found that there were El Niños constantly disrupting weather patterns, causing cool areas to become warm and warm areas to cool down. As the periods of intense heat and reduced sunlight from volcanic ash in the atmosphere killed off carbon-capturing vegetation, the cycle increased in intensity. Eventually, it got hot everywhere and there was simply nowhere to go to stay cool. Just thinking about that kind of heat sends chills down our spines.
[Image description: A 1984 photo of erupting volcanic vents spewing red lava into the air.] Credit & copyright: NPGallery, Wikimedia Commons. NPS photo, accession number: ba440a24-2eec-4d85-ae08-f38115246835. This image or media file contains material based on a work of a National Park Service employee, created as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, such work is in the public domain in the United States. NP Gallery lists as copyright free.
It might not have killed the dinosaurs, but it killed just about everything else. The Permian extinction was the greatest mass extinction event in Earth’s history, yet the cause of it wasn’t fully understood until now. Also called the Permian-Triassic extinction event or simply “the Great Dying,” it occurred at the end of the Permian period over 250 million years ago. Scientists have known for a while that a series of massive volcanic eruptions spewed greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere at the time, causing the climate to change rapidly. They also knew that this caused the oceans to heat up, killing off most of the late Permian period’s marine life. Around 90 percent of marine life and 75 percent of life on land disappeared, paving the way for an explosion of new species in the Triassic period. Now, researchers from China, the U.K., Germany, and Austria have published a paper placing the blame on a series of “mega El Niños” caused by climate change. Typically, even when global temperatures get warmer, many lifeforms can survive by migrating or retreating to cooler areas. However, when the researchers used a paleoclimate modeling to recreate what the weather would have been like during the Great Dying, they found that there were El Niños constantly disrupting weather patterns, causing cool areas to become warm and warm areas to cool down. As the periods of intense heat and reduced sunlight from volcanic ash in the atmosphere killed off carbon-capturing vegetation, the cycle increased in intensity. Eventually, it got hot everywhere and there was simply nowhere to go to stay cool. Just thinking about that kind of heat sends chills down our spines.
[Image description: A 1984 photo of erupting volcanic vents spewing red lava into the air.] Credit & copyright: NPGallery, Wikimedia Commons. NPS photo, accession number: ba440a24-2eec-4d85-ae08-f38115246835. This image or media file contains material based on a work of a National Park Service employee, created as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, such work is in the public domain in the United States. NP Gallery lists as copyright free.
-
FREEScience Daily Curio #2946Free1 CQ
Next on the auction block: endangered trees. In an effort to safeguard the future of the endangered Wollemi pine, the Botanic Gardens of Sydney in Australia auctioned off saplings to the public. It’s an unusual conservation strategy, but when it comes to the Wollemi pine, “unusual” is the name of the game. These trees first appeared in the fossil record around 90 million years ago, and they were thought to have gone extinct just over two million years ago. But in 1994, a small grove of the rare trees was discovered in the rain forests of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. The exact location has been kept a secret to protect the trees from human contact, which can introduce fungi and other diseases. Even if anyone were to discover the location of the grove, those caught in the protected area can face up to two years in prison and a fine of over $222,000 USD.
Since their rediscovery, efforts have been made to conserve the few remaining living specimens in the wild, and as of today, there are only 46 adults and 43 juveniles. For the auction, six Wollemi pine saplings propagated from specimens in the wild were put up for sale. Each of the saplings were chosen to be as genetically distinct from each other as possible in the hopes of cultivating a healthy diversity of specimens. Once planted in their new homes, conservationists hope that the saplings can eventually grow to serve as seed banks in case something happens to the wild population. But the trees can’t be planted just anywhere. While they look similar to their more common, cold-climate cousins, the Wollemi pines require warmer temperatures. Ideally, they’ll thrive in temperatures ranging from 41 to 113 degree Fahrenheit. Since they’re rainforest plants, they require frequent watering. Luckily, conservationists aren’t leaving the future of these living fossils entirely in the hands of home gardeners. In addition to the auction, 40 saplings have also been planted in their native habitat in the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens at Mount Tomah. No matter where they are though, these trees won’t ever go out of style—they’re evergreen.
[Image description: A close-up photo of two branches from a type of pine tree related to Wollemi pines.] Credit & copyright: Adrian198cm, Wikimedia CommonsNext on the auction block: endangered trees. In an effort to safeguard the future of the endangered Wollemi pine, the Botanic Gardens of Sydney in Australia auctioned off saplings to the public. It’s an unusual conservation strategy, but when it comes to the Wollemi pine, “unusual” is the name of the game. These trees first appeared in the fossil record around 90 million years ago, and they were thought to have gone extinct just over two million years ago. But in 1994, a small grove of the rare trees was discovered in the rain forests of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. The exact location has been kept a secret to protect the trees from human contact, which can introduce fungi and other diseases. Even if anyone were to discover the location of the grove, those caught in the protected area can face up to two years in prison and a fine of over $222,000 USD.
Since their rediscovery, efforts have been made to conserve the few remaining living specimens in the wild, and as of today, there are only 46 adults and 43 juveniles. For the auction, six Wollemi pine saplings propagated from specimens in the wild were put up for sale. Each of the saplings were chosen to be as genetically distinct from each other as possible in the hopes of cultivating a healthy diversity of specimens. Once planted in their new homes, conservationists hope that the saplings can eventually grow to serve as seed banks in case something happens to the wild population. But the trees can’t be planted just anywhere. While they look similar to their more common, cold-climate cousins, the Wollemi pines require warmer temperatures. Ideally, they’ll thrive in temperatures ranging from 41 to 113 degree Fahrenheit. Since they’re rainforest plants, they require frequent watering. Luckily, conservationists aren’t leaving the future of these living fossils entirely in the hands of home gardeners. In addition to the auction, 40 saplings have also been planted in their native habitat in the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens at Mount Tomah. No matter where they are though, these trees won’t ever go out of style—they’re evergreen.
[Image description: A close-up photo of two branches from a type of pine tree related to Wollemi pines.] Credit & copyright: Adrian198cm, Wikimedia Commons
September 18, 2024
-
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Norway’s electric vehicle policies appear to be paying off. There, nine out of 10 new cars sold is electric. The Nordic nation wa...
From the BBC World Service: Norway’s electric vehicle policies appear to be paying off. There, nine out of 10 new cars sold is electric. The Nordic nation wa...
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 18, 2024\BYE-und-LAHRJ\ adverb
What It Means
By and large is another way of saying "in general" or "on the whole....
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 18, 2024\BYE-und-LAHRJ\ adverb
What It Means
By and large is another way of saying "in general" or "on the whole....
-
FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
They may not be the best-looking creatures, but it’s no skin off their hairless backs. Naked mole rats aren’t just strange looking, they also live, breed, and age differently than almost every other mammal on Earth.
Naked mole rats are neither moles nor rats, though they are rodents. They only grow to be around three inches long, yet they’re more closely related to large rodents like porcupines than they are to rats. Around 31 million years ago, they diverged from other mole rats found in Africa, and evolved into their current, hairless form. Today, they’re the only hairless mole rats in the world. Like other mole rats, naked mole rats are mostly blind and live underground, in colonies of up to 80 individuals. Their social structure is more similar to that of insects like bees and ants than it is to most other mammals. Naked mole rats have just one breeding pair per colony, and workers help take care of the young, just like in an ant colony or beehive.
The strangeness doesn’t end there. For reasons still not fully understood, naked mole rats seem to defy the aging process in several odd ways. First, most female mammals begin life with a certain number of eggs that eventually run out, leaving them infertile. But naked mole rats never run out of egg cells, meaning that they can give birth until they die. Speaking of death, naked mole rats have managed to dodge one of the most common causes of death in other mammalian species: cancer. While the mechanism behind their resilience is still being studied, it may have to do with cellular senescence, a phenomenon in which damaged cells stop dividing—thus stopping them from growing into tumors. This cellular resiliency may also be why naked mole rats never show many signs of aging—they don’t develop arthritis, lose energy, or become confused as they grow older. In fact, naked mole rats’ main cause of death in the wild is predation. No wonder they’re the world’s longest-lived rodents, able to reach 30 years of age. Clearly, beauty isn’t everything!
[Image description: A naked mole rat eating a seed held in its front paws.] Credit & copyright: Trisha M Shears (Ltshears), Wikimedia Commons. The copyright holder of this work has released it into the public domain. This applies worldwide.They may not be the best-looking creatures, but it’s no skin off their hairless backs. Naked mole rats aren’t just strange looking, they also live, breed, and age differently than almost every other mammal on Earth.
Naked mole rats are neither moles nor rats, though they are rodents. They only grow to be around three inches long, yet they’re more closely related to large rodents like porcupines than they are to rats. Around 31 million years ago, they diverged from other mole rats found in Africa, and evolved into their current, hairless form. Today, they’re the only hairless mole rats in the world. Like other mole rats, naked mole rats are mostly blind and live underground, in colonies of up to 80 individuals. Their social structure is more similar to that of insects like bees and ants than it is to most other mammals. Naked mole rats have just one breeding pair per colony, and workers help take care of the young, just like in an ant colony or beehive.
The strangeness doesn’t end there. For reasons still not fully understood, naked mole rats seem to defy the aging process in several odd ways. First, most female mammals begin life with a certain number of eggs that eventually run out, leaving them infertile. But naked mole rats never run out of egg cells, meaning that they can give birth until they die. Speaking of death, naked mole rats have managed to dodge one of the most common causes of death in other mammalian species: cancer. While the mechanism behind their resilience is still being studied, it may have to do with cellular senescence, a phenomenon in which damaged cells stop dividing—thus stopping them from growing into tumors. This cellular resiliency may also be why naked mole rats never show many signs of aging—they don’t develop arthritis, lose energy, or become confused as they grow older. In fact, naked mole rats’ main cause of death in the wild is predation. No wonder they’re the world’s longest-lived rodents, able to reach 30 years of age. Clearly, beauty isn’t everything!
[Image description: A naked mole rat eating a seed held in its front paws.] Credit & copyright: Trisha M Shears (Ltshears), Wikimedia Commons. The copyright holder of this work has released it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. -
FREEActing Daily Curio #2945Free1 CQ
There are stars, and then there are legends. James Earl Jones was the latter. The acclaimed actor, celebrated for his deep, kingly voice, passed away on September 9 at the age of 93. Fans can take comfort in the fact that he left behind an incredible body of work that reaches across generations. Born on January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi, James Earl Jones actually struggled with his speech early in life. As a child, he developed a debilitating stutter that left him too embarrassed to talk around most people. It wasn’t until high school that he found the confidence to overcome his speech impediment with the help of teachers. In particular, Jones credited an English teacher who encouraged him to read his poetry in front of the class. While at the University of Michigan, Jones became interested in acting, and after a brief tenure in the military during the Korean War, he moved to New York to study at the American Theatre Wing. During the 1950s, Jones began performing on stage, making his professional debut on Broadway in Sunrise at Campobello. He won an Emmy in 1963 for a role on the TV show East Side/West Side, and in 1964, he was in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. Throughout the late 60s and early 70s, Jones continued to find roles on stage and screen, winning a Tony Award for his role in The Great White Hope on Broadway in 1969. Then, in 1977, he became a household name after he provided the voice for Darth Vader in Star Wars. Amazingly, it only took Jones around 2.5 hours to record all of his lines for the first Star Wars film. He never actually appeared on screen in Star Wars, but his performance solidified his strength as a voice actor, as did his role as Mufasa in The Lion King. In 2011, Jones received an Academy Honorary Award at the Oscars, making him one of the few people to attain EGOT status by winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Before he passed away, Jones gave Lucasfilm the right to use AI to recreate his iconic voice for the role of Darth Vader. He may be gone, but we haven’t heard the last of him.
There are stars, and then there are legends. James Earl Jones was the latter. The acclaimed actor, celebrated for his deep, kingly voice, passed away on September 9 at the age of 93. Fans can take comfort in the fact that he left behind an incredible body of work that reaches across generations. Born on January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi, James Earl Jones actually struggled with his speech early in life. As a child, he developed a debilitating stutter that left him too embarrassed to talk around most people. It wasn’t until high school that he found the confidence to overcome his speech impediment with the help of teachers. In particular, Jones credited an English teacher who encouraged him to read his poetry in front of the class. While at the University of Michigan, Jones became interested in acting, and after a brief tenure in the military during the Korean War, he moved to New York to study at the American Theatre Wing. During the 1950s, Jones began performing on stage, making his professional debut on Broadway in Sunrise at Campobello. He won an Emmy in 1963 for a role on the TV show East Side/West Side, and in 1964, he was in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. Throughout the late 60s and early 70s, Jones continued to find roles on stage and screen, winning a Tony Award for his role in The Great White Hope on Broadway in 1969. Then, in 1977, he became a household name after he provided the voice for Darth Vader in Star Wars. Amazingly, it only took Jones around 2.5 hours to record all of his lines for the first Star Wars film. He never actually appeared on screen in Star Wars, but his performance solidified his strength as a voice actor, as did his role as Mufasa in The Lion King. In 2011, Jones received an Academy Honorary Award at the Oscars, making him one of the few people to attain EGOT status by winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Before he passed away, Jones gave Lucasfilm the right to use AI to recreate his iconic voice for the role of Darth Vader. He may be gone, but we haven’t heard the last of him.
September 17, 2024
-
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Later this morning, we’ll to get an update on how much inventory businesses built up in July, courtesy of the Census Bureau. Meanwhile, the Logistics Manager...
Later this morning, we’ll to get an update on how much inventory businesses built up in July, courtesy of the Census Bureau. Meanwhile, the Logistics Manager...
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 17, 2024\DAL-ee\ verb
What It Means
The word dally has a number of meanings. To dally can be to physically linger...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 17, 2024\DAL-ee\ verb
What It Means
The word dally has a number of meanings. To dally can be to physically linger...
-
FREEMind + Body Daily Curio #2944Free1 CQ
If variety is the spice of life, then travel is a superfood. Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) have found that traveling isn’t just good for the soul—it’s good for the body. Specifically, traveling for leisure seems to have anti-aging effects. The researchers explained how it works by describing aging as an irreversible process of entropy (a universal trend of everything breaking down toward death or disorder). As morbid as entropy sounds, it’s true that as a person ages, their body slowly breaks down beyond its ability to repair itself. But for some reason, traveling slows down this process (though it obviously doesn’t stop it entirely). One of the researchers, Fangli Hu, believes that it has to do with various responses a body has to new experiences. When dealing with novel settings, the body undergoes a stress response, resulting in a higher rate of metabolism and a stronger immune system. In addition, the body releases hormones that are responsible for tissue repair. Finally, traveling for leisure is just plain good for someone who is chronically stressed out. These small bodily reactions to travel all add up to be an effective anti-aging regimen, preventing illnesses from wreaking havoc, slowing down wear and tear while improving the health of joints and other parts of the body. In short, people end up in what researchers called a “low entropy state.” Travel certainly isn’t a health cure-all, though. After all, venturing to new areas can expose people to diseases that their bodies aren’t used to. Then there’s the fact that not everyone can afford to travel far from home. The good news is that many of the benefits of travel can also be found in more accessible activities like hiking, yoga, and other light exercises. So, even if you can’t afford to fly anywhere for a getaway, you can slow the march of time just by marching out your door.
[Image description: Part of a globe with a few countries visible.] Credit & copyright: NastyaSensei, PexelsIf variety is the spice of life, then travel is a superfood. Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) have found that traveling isn’t just good for the soul—it’s good for the body. Specifically, traveling for leisure seems to have anti-aging effects. The researchers explained how it works by describing aging as an irreversible process of entropy (a universal trend of everything breaking down toward death or disorder). As morbid as entropy sounds, it’s true that as a person ages, their body slowly breaks down beyond its ability to repair itself. But for some reason, traveling slows down this process (though it obviously doesn’t stop it entirely). One of the researchers, Fangli Hu, believes that it has to do with various responses a body has to new experiences. When dealing with novel settings, the body undergoes a stress response, resulting in a higher rate of metabolism and a stronger immune system. In addition, the body releases hormones that are responsible for tissue repair. Finally, traveling for leisure is just plain good for someone who is chronically stressed out. These small bodily reactions to travel all add up to be an effective anti-aging regimen, preventing illnesses from wreaking havoc, slowing down wear and tear while improving the health of joints and other parts of the body. In short, people end up in what researchers called a “low entropy state.” Travel certainly isn’t a health cure-all, though. After all, venturing to new areas can expose people to diseases that their bodies aren’t used to. Then there’s the fact that not everyone can afford to travel far from home. The good news is that many of the benefits of travel can also be found in more accessible activities like hiking, yoga, and other light exercises. So, even if you can’t afford to fly anywhere for a getaway, you can slow the march of time just by marching out your door.
[Image description: Part of a globe with a few countries visible.] Credit & copyright: NastyaSensei, Pexels
September 16, 2024
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 16, 2024\NEB-yuh-luh\ noun
What It Means
A nebula is a large cloud of interstellar gas or dust. In nontechnical u...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 16, 2024\NEB-yuh-luh\ noun
What It Means
A nebula is a large cloud of interstellar gas or dust. In nontechnical u...
-
FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
There's nothing like home sweet homestead. With autumn just around the corner, we’re looking forward to changing leaves, apple cider, and pumpkin pies. The piece above, American Homestead, shows a family in 19th century attire in front of their house in the autumn. A man is on a ladder picking apples while a woman and three children are on the grass putting them in a basket. Idyllic scenes like this were the bread and butter of Currier & Ives, a printmaking company based in New York City. Founded in 1835 by lithographer Nathaniel Currier, James Merritt Ives joined later on as lithographer and bookkeeper. Currier & Ives considered themselves publishers of “cheap and popular pictures," and indeed, they produced over 7,500 unique images and over one million prints. They're even mentioned in the popular Christmas song Sleigh Ride, as they were practically synonymous with holiday cards. The company struggled financially in the early 20th century as lithographs fell out of fashion in favor of photography, and shuttered their doors in 1907. They couldn't keep up with the times, even if they could help you remember the good times.
American Homestead, Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888) and James Merritt Ives (1824–1895), 1869, Lithograph, hand colored, 8.25 x 12.5 in. (21 x 31.7 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art
[Image credit & copyright: Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. S. Prentiss Baldwin on her 94th birthday 1946.448. Public domain, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation.There's nothing like home sweet homestead. With autumn just around the corner, we’re looking forward to changing leaves, apple cider, and pumpkin pies. The piece above, American Homestead, shows a family in 19th century attire in front of their house in the autumn. A man is on a ladder picking apples while a woman and three children are on the grass putting them in a basket. Idyllic scenes like this were the bread and butter of Currier & Ives, a printmaking company based in New York City. Founded in 1835 by lithographer Nathaniel Currier, James Merritt Ives joined later on as lithographer and bookkeeper. Currier & Ives considered themselves publishers of “cheap and popular pictures," and indeed, they produced over 7,500 unique images and over one million prints. They're even mentioned in the popular Christmas song Sleigh Ride, as they were practically synonymous with holiday cards. The company struggled financially in the early 20th century as lithographs fell out of fashion in favor of photography, and shuttered their doors in 1907. They couldn't keep up with the times, even if they could help you remember the good times.
American Homestead, Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888) and James Merritt Ives (1824–1895), 1869, Lithograph, hand colored, 8.25 x 12.5 in. (21 x 31.7 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art
[Image credit & copyright: Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. S. Prentiss Baldwin on her 94th birthday 1946.448. Public domain, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation. -
FREEEngineering Daily Curio #2943Free1 CQ
A train that doesn’t pollute? That’s the holy grail of the rail! A new kind of train is debuting in Los Angeles County, California—one that runs on hydrogen and emits nothing more than water vapor. Designed by Stadler, a Switzerland-based company, the train is a zero-emissions multiple unit, or ZEMU. The first of its kind in the U.S., ZEMUs will begin carrying passengers commuting from San Bernandino and Redlands on Metrolink, the region’s rail-based transit system, starting in 2025. As part of Metrolink, commuters will be able to transfer to any of the other trains in the system. What sets ZEMU apart is that it uses a hybrid hydrogen-battery system. Instead of burning hydrogen gas, fuel cells split apart the hydrogen molecules and use the energy generated to charge the train’s batteries. In addition, the train is equipped with a regenerative braking system that charges the batteries. Currently, the trains have three passenger cars and need to refuel just once a day, but there’s a catch. Although the technology to produce “green” hydrogen (hydrogen produced with renewable energy) exists, California doesn’t have the means to manufacture enough of it for the trains. That means that ZEMUs will be relying on hydrogen produced from fossil fuels and will therefore contribute to carbon emissions somewhere along the line. However, the trains can start running on green hydrogen anytime that it becomes available, and there will be no emissions along its route, aside from water vapor. Another advantage of ZEMUs over electric trains is that they don't require any track modifications to carry electricity, meaning that only the trains themselves need to be replaced over time. And while trains that run on overhead lines can run all day without refueling, such systems prevent freight trains from sharing the tracks, which isn’t a problem with ZEMUs. It seems these new trains show rail promise.
[Image description: Train tracks surrounded by trees at sunset. There are power line poles in the distance.] Credit & copyright: Krivec Ales, PexelsA train that doesn’t pollute? That’s the holy grail of the rail! A new kind of train is debuting in Los Angeles County, California—one that runs on hydrogen and emits nothing more than water vapor. Designed by Stadler, a Switzerland-based company, the train is a zero-emissions multiple unit, or ZEMU. The first of its kind in the U.S., ZEMUs will begin carrying passengers commuting from San Bernandino and Redlands on Metrolink, the region’s rail-based transit system, starting in 2025. As part of Metrolink, commuters will be able to transfer to any of the other trains in the system. What sets ZEMU apart is that it uses a hybrid hydrogen-battery system. Instead of burning hydrogen gas, fuel cells split apart the hydrogen molecules and use the energy generated to charge the train’s batteries. In addition, the train is equipped with a regenerative braking system that charges the batteries. Currently, the trains have three passenger cars and need to refuel just once a day, but there’s a catch. Although the technology to produce “green” hydrogen (hydrogen produced with renewable energy) exists, California doesn’t have the means to manufacture enough of it for the trains. That means that ZEMUs will be relying on hydrogen produced from fossil fuels and will therefore contribute to carbon emissions somewhere along the line. However, the trains can start running on green hydrogen anytime that it becomes available, and there will be no emissions along its route, aside from water vapor. Another advantage of ZEMUs over electric trains is that they don't require any track modifications to carry electricity, meaning that only the trains themselves need to be replaced over time. And while trains that run on overhead lines can run all day without refueling, such systems prevent freight trains from sharing the tracks, which isn’t a problem with ZEMUs. It seems these new trains show rail promise.
[Image description: Train tracks surrounded by trees at sunset. There are power line poles in the distance.] Credit & copyright: Krivec Ales, Pexels -
7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Yesterday, we talked about surveys of farmers, which showed a growing economic pessimism in that sector. Today, survey data from the National Federation of I...
Yesterday, we talked about surveys of farmers, which showed a growing economic pessimism in that sector. Today, survey data from the National Federation of I...
September 15, 2024
-
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Afghanistan is facing a food crisis. Some 3.2 million children under the age of 5 are malnourished, and health services do not ha...
From the BBC World Service: Afghanistan is facing a food crisis. Some 3.2 million children under the age of 5 are malnourished, and health services do not ha...
-
FREEPolitical Science PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
For as much as we hear about voter fraud today (especially during election years) it’s pretty rare in the modern United States; when it happens, it’s usually on a small scale. That wasn’t always the case, though. There was a time when lax regulations made it much easier for large groups to “fix” elections, especially local ones. Yet, it wasn’t Congress or even a state-level lawmaker who took the first step toward stopping such fraud. It was actually a suffragist from small-town Indiana named Stella Courtright Stimson.
Even before she could legally vote, Stimson was heavily involved in local politics in her home town of Terre Haute. In 1909, she was elected to serve on the school board in her town and was part of the Indiana Federation of Clubs, which promoted women’s suffrage. But aside from the greater national issue of the women’s right to vote, Stimson was also concerned with the economic and social development of Terre Haute, where laws were laxly enforced. At the time, Terre Haute had a reputation for being a “wide open city,” meaning that it was unregulated when it came to laws about drinking, gambling, and prostitution. Enabling and profiting from the city’s illicit industries were politicians like city-engineer-turned-mayor Donn Roberts. Roberts first made a name for himself in Terre Haute’s political circles by stuffing ballots and casting illegal votes with packs of men hired for the purpose. On election days, he would go from polling station to polling station to have his men cast fraudulent ballots under pseudonyms. In 1913, Roberts ran for the office of mayor and ensured his own victory using the same tactics. As mayor, Roberts turned a blind eye to the city’s illegal businesses in exchange for bribes.
Stimson was well aware of Roberts’s operation and tried to inform the governor to no avail. Nevertheless, she and other local women gathered at polling stations to hinder Roberts by calling out those who were casting multiple ballots in various disguises or under false identities. They eventually found an ally in Joseph Roach Jr., a special prosecutor appointed to serve in a trial against Roberts in 1914. Although the women had gathered plenty of evidence, Roberts was ultimately acquitted by the jury. Undeterred by the defeat, Roach turned to federal laws and found one based on the Enforcement Act of 1870, which forbade two or more people from conspiring to “injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any citizen in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States.” He then took the issue to U.S. District Attorney Frank C. Dailey, who convinced a federal judge to accept the case.
The trouble was, Dailey couldn’t use any of the evidence that had been used by Roach a second time, so Stimson and the other poll-watchers once again got to work. They found that thousands of fraudulent registrations had been made by Roberts using names of people from other parts of the state which he had tied to random addresses in Terre Haute. In December of 1914, using evidence gathered by Stimson’s volunteers, U.S. Marshals arrested 116 individuals, including Roberts. In United States v. Aczel, all of the defendants were charged with four counts of conspiracy, and 88 of them pled guilty. On March 8, 1915, Roberts and the remaining defendants were found guilty on all charges.
Roberts was sentenced to six years in prison and a fine of $2,000, though he was released early on parole. Although he retained control of the city by proxy via a loyal ally, his greater political ambitions of becoming governor were never realized. Meanwhile, his successful prosecution set an important precedent at the federal level in enforcing election laws, helping to pave the way for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Just a few years after helping to take down Roberts, Stimson and her fellow suffragists won the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment. She and Roach proved that participation in politics and elections weren’t just a right—they were a matter of dedication and civic duty.
[Image description: The Indiana state flag, which is dark blue with stars surrounding a torch and the word “INDIANA.”] Credit & copyright: HoosierMan1816, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.For as much as we hear about voter fraud today (especially during election years) it’s pretty rare in the modern United States; when it happens, it’s usually on a small scale. That wasn’t always the case, though. There was a time when lax regulations made it much easier for large groups to “fix” elections, especially local ones. Yet, it wasn’t Congress or even a state-level lawmaker who took the first step toward stopping such fraud. It was actually a suffragist from small-town Indiana named Stella Courtright Stimson.
Even before she could legally vote, Stimson was heavily involved in local politics in her home town of Terre Haute. In 1909, she was elected to serve on the school board in her town and was part of the Indiana Federation of Clubs, which promoted women’s suffrage. But aside from the greater national issue of the women’s right to vote, Stimson was also concerned with the economic and social development of Terre Haute, where laws were laxly enforced. At the time, Terre Haute had a reputation for being a “wide open city,” meaning that it was unregulated when it came to laws about drinking, gambling, and prostitution. Enabling and profiting from the city’s illicit industries were politicians like city-engineer-turned-mayor Donn Roberts. Roberts first made a name for himself in Terre Haute’s political circles by stuffing ballots and casting illegal votes with packs of men hired for the purpose. On election days, he would go from polling station to polling station to have his men cast fraudulent ballots under pseudonyms. In 1913, Roberts ran for the office of mayor and ensured his own victory using the same tactics. As mayor, Roberts turned a blind eye to the city’s illegal businesses in exchange for bribes.
Stimson was well aware of Roberts’s operation and tried to inform the governor to no avail. Nevertheless, she and other local women gathered at polling stations to hinder Roberts by calling out those who were casting multiple ballots in various disguises or under false identities. They eventually found an ally in Joseph Roach Jr., a special prosecutor appointed to serve in a trial against Roberts in 1914. Although the women had gathered plenty of evidence, Roberts was ultimately acquitted by the jury. Undeterred by the defeat, Roach turned to federal laws and found one based on the Enforcement Act of 1870, which forbade two or more people from conspiring to “injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any citizen in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States.” He then took the issue to U.S. District Attorney Frank C. Dailey, who convinced a federal judge to accept the case.
The trouble was, Dailey couldn’t use any of the evidence that had been used by Roach a second time, so Stimson and the other poll-watchers once again got to work. They found that thousands of fraudulent registrations had been made by Roberts using names of people from other parts of the state which he had tied to random addresses in Terre Haute. In December of 1914, using evidence gathered by Stimson’s volunteers, U.S. Marshals arrested 116 individuals, including Roberts. In United States v. Aczel, all of the defendants were charged with four counts of conspiracy, and 88 of them pled guilty. On March 8, 1915, Roberts and the remaining defendants were found guilty on all charges.
Roberts was sentenced to six years in prison and a fine of $2,000, though he was released early on parole. Although he retained control of the city by proxy via a loyal ally, his greater political ambitions of becoming governor were never realized. Meanwhile, his successful prosecution set an important precedent at the federal level in enforcing election laws, helping to pave the way for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Just a few years after helping to take down Roberts, Stimson and her fellow suffragists won the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment. She and Roach proved that participation in politics and elections weren’t just a right—they were a matter of dedication and civic duty.
[Image description: The Indiana state flag, which is dark blue with stars surrounding a torch and the word “INDIANA.”] Credit & copyright: HoosierMan1816, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
September 14, 2024
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 14, 2024\SUCK-er\ noun
What It Means
Succor is a literary term meaning "something that you do or give to help som...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 14, 2024\SUCK-er\ noun
What It Means
Succor is a literary term meaning "something that you do or give to help som...
-
7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Purdue’s Farmer Sentiment Index hit an 8-year low in August, and half of agricultural economists surveyed by the University of Missouri last month say the fa...
Purdue’s Farmer Sentiment Index hit an 8-year low in August, and half of agricultural economists surveyed by the University of Missouri last month say the fa...
-
FREERunning Sporty CurioFree1 CQ
Is there anything more frustrating than losing on a technicality? Spanish Paralympian Elena Congost was stripped of her bronze for the T12 marathon after she momentarily let go of her tether to help her guide. Runners like Congost with a visual impairment of T12 (visual acuity restricted to less than five degrees or one meter) are required to run with a guide, and keeping them connected is a short tether that both participants are required to hold onto for the entire duration of the race. But just 10 meters away from the finish line, Congost’s guide, Mia Carol Bruguera, began struggling to stay upright due to cramps. Congost says she instinctively let go of her end of the tether for just a second to keep Bruguera from falling, and then went on to finish the race to what she believed would be a bronze medal. Unfortunately, she was disqualified by officials for the technicality, and the bronze medal went to Misato Michishita of Japan instead. Speaking to Spanish newspaper Marca, Congost said, “I would like everyone to know that I have not been disqualified for cheating, but rather I have been disqualified for being human and for an instinct that comes to you when someone is falling and to help or support them.” Medal or not, it’s clear that Congost has a heart of gold.
[Image description: An empty track-and-field race track with lanes marked 1-4 visible.] Credit & copyright: Lukas Hartmann, Pexels.
Is there anything more frustrating than losing on a technicality? Spanish Paralympian Elena Congost was stripped of her bronze for the T12 marathon after she momentarily let go of her tether to help her guide. Runners like Congost with a visual impairment of T12 (visual acuity restricted to less than five degrees or one meter) are required to run with a guide, and keeping them connected is a short tether that both participants are required to hold onto for the entire duration of the race. But just 10 meters away from the finish line, Congost’s guide, Mia Carol Bruguera, began struggling to stay upright due to cramps. Congost says she instinctively let go of her end of the tether for just a second to keep Bruguera from falling, and then went on to finish the race to what she believed would be a bronze medal. Unfortunately, she was disqualified by officials for the technicality, and the bronze medal went to Misato Michishita of Japan instead. Speaking to Spanish newspaper Marca, Congost said, “I would like everyone to know that I have not been disqualified for cheating, but rather I have been disqualified for being human and for an instinct that comes to you when someone is falling and to help or support them.” Medal or not, it’s clear that Congost has a heart of gold.
[Image description: An empty track-and-field race track with lanes marked 1-4 visible.] Credit & copyright: Lukas Hartmann, Pexels.
September 13, 2024
-
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Boeing factory workers have voted to go on strike, a move which may threaten the delivery of some aircrafts and delay the product...
From the BBC World Service: Boeing factory workers have voted to go on strike, a move which may threaten the delivery of some aircrafts and delay the product...
-
FREEMind + Body Daily CurioFree1 CQ
Some would say they’re the most important part of a campout, but where did they come from? It’s officially s’more season, and while these ooey, gooey treats are ubiquitous in both the U.S. and the U.K., their origin is surprisingly mysterious.
A s’more is a campfire treat made by sandwiching a toasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate between graham crackers. Since s’mores are so easy to make, it’s equally easy to change their flavor simply by cooking the marshmallow longer, which adds smokiness, or simply by using different types of chocolate (dark chocolate, for example, is more bitter and doesn’t melt as easily as traditionally-used milk chocolate). The word “s’more” comes from a combination of the words “some” and “more”, and dates back to the 1930s.
S’mores individual ingredients were invented at wildly different times. Chocolate, for example, has been around for most of human history, while the roots of the marshmallow plant were used for medicinal purposes long before they gave rise to marshmallows. Graham crackers, on the other hand, have only been around since 1829, when they were created by Reverend Sylvester Graham. The mystery lies in how and when these ingredients first came together to create s’mores. While the first known s’more recipe comes from a 1920s campfire cookbook, the recipe itself states that such “graham cracker sandwiches” were already popular with scouting groups, like Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Does this mean that one of these scouting groups invented s’mores? It’s likely, but we’ll never know for sure. What we do know is that Girl Scouts helped give s’mores their modern name. A 1927 Girl Scout cookbook called them “some mores”, which must have caught on since the first written instance of the word “s’mores” appeared not long after, in 1938. It seems that cookies aren’t the only iconic snacks we have to thank Girl Scouts for.
[Image description: A s’mores against a white background.] Credit & copyright: Evan-Amos, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.Some would say they’re the most important part of a campout, but where did they come from? It’s officially s’more season, and while these ooey, gooey treats are ubiquitous in both the U.S. and the U.K., their origin is surprisingly mysterious.
A s’more is a campfire treat made by sandwiching a toasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate between graham crackers. Since s’mores are so easy to make, it’s equally easy to change their flavor simply by cooking the marshmallow longer, which adds smokiness, or simply by using different types of chocolate (dark chocolate, for example, is more bitter and doesn’t melt as easily as traditionally-used milk chocolate). The word “s’more” comes from a combination of the words “some” and “more”, and dates back to the 1930s.
S’mores individual ingredients were invented at wildly different times. Chocolate, for example, has been around for most of human history, while the roots of the marshmallow plant were used for medicinal purposes long before they gave rise to marshmallows. Graham crackers, on the other hand, have only been around since 1829, when they were created by Reverend Sylvester Graham. The mystery lies in how and when these ingredients first came together to create s’mores. While the first known s’more recipe comes from a 1920s campfire cookbook, the recipe itself states that such “graham cracker sandwiches” were already popular with scouting groups, like Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Does this mean that one of these scouting groups invented s’mores? It’s likely, but we’ll never know for sure. What we do know is that Girl Scouts helped give s’mores their modern name. A 1927 Girl Scout cookbook called them “some mores”, which must have caught on since the first written instance of the word “s’mores” appeared not long after, in 1938. It seems that cookies aren’t the only iconic snacks we have to thank Girl Scouts for.
[Image description: A s’mores against a white background.] Credit & copyright: Evan-Amos, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.