Curio Cabinet

Many authors are known for their writing, but few are as known for their convictions. Sinclair Lewis, the first American author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, was born on this day in 1885, but he’s almost as famous for the award that he turned down as he is for the one that he accepted. While he was given the Nobel Prize in 1930 “for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humour, new types of characters,” he once declined a Pulitzer for what he perceived as the Pulitzer Prize Committee’s hypocrisy and moral failings. Lewis had written four books before publishing Main Street, a novel about an intelligent young woman married to a doctor in a small town. Upon release, it received widespread acclaim, and it was under consideration for a Pulitzer Prize in 1921 but was denied. Why? At the time, the Pulitzer Prize for novels were only given to books which represented American life in a “wholesome” manner, and Main Street was far from wholesome. It was a scathing commentary on the romanticized small towns of America, and Lewis himself likened the experience of reading with the “masochistic pleasure that one has in sucking an aching tooth.” Instead, the prize that year went to The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton—and Lewis was well aware of why he was denied the award. So, in 1926, when the Pulitzer jury nominated Arrowsmith, Lewis refused the accept the prize, and in a letter to the Pulitzer Prize Committee, stated, “...the Pulitzer Prize for novels is peculiarly objectionable because the terms of it have been constantly and grievously misrepresented.” Additionally, he criticized the committee for awarding novels not for their literary merit but for conforming to whatever was considered the acceptable standard for portraying life in America. Although Lewis declined the prize money, the committee still decided to name him as that year’s winner. Additionally, the Pulitzer Prize eventually phased out the “wholesome” requirement, perhaps as a result of the nationwide attention his refusal received. It probably didn’t help their case that Lewis went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature just a few years later, which isn’t exactly a consolation prize.

 
[Image description: ] Credit & copyright: Oscar Whiite, Pach Brothers Studio, National Portrait Gallery, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

Even trees deserve to celebrate their birthdays. And they get to, assuming there are people around who observe Tu Bishvat, which falls on February 5 and 6 this year, ending this evening. Tu Bishvat is a Jewish holiday that falls on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Shevat, and it has interesting roots that go back to ancient Jewish farmers. Specifically, it’s part of a custom dictated by the Torah, or first five books of the Hebrew Bible, to farmers growing fruit trees. Although the Torah doesn't mention the holiday specifically, it does state that the fruit of trees shouldn’t be harvested for three years, and that the fruit of the fourth year should be given as gifts to priests in the Temple. Only from the fifth year onward were farmers allowed to harvest the fruit for themselves and eat it freely. In ancient Judaism, fruit trees were considered signs of divine favor, so it’s no wonder they were treated with such respect—in fact, the Torah even forbids cutting down fruit trees in conquered territories during times of war. But trees are planted at different times throughout the year and different seasons. Who can remember exactly when a specific tree is planted if there’s a whole orchard full of them? Well, that’s why Tu Bishvat was established, to simplify the matter. Instead of keeping track of the “birthdays” of each individual tree, the fifteenth day of Shevat was made the birthday of all the trees, so no matter when in the year a tree had been planted, their age was counted on the same day. Of course, few people grow fruit trees in their backyards these days, but the day is still celebrated in a number of ways. Some celebrate by giving their time or money to environmental causes, with many donating money to the Jewish National Fund, an organization that is restoring forests in Israel, where Tu Bishvat is most popularly celebrated. Others might also celebrate by eating the fruits of trees and plants that are traditionally associated with the day, like grapes, figs and olives. That sounds like a great spread for anyone’s birthday!

 
[Image description: Large olive trees grow from brown soil in Israel.] Credit & copyright: IrinaUzv, Pixabay

G’day mate, fancy a stroll in the Outback? The Australian Outback made international headlines recently, when mining company Rio Tinto lost a tiny, radioactive capsule in the expansive region. Luckily, government officials using specialized equipment were able to locate the capsule, but the situation led to many people outside of Australia learning more about the Outback, and just how big it is. In fact, the Australian Outback isn’t just one region. The term refers to any remote, sparsely-populated inland area, though it’s most commonly used to refer to arid regions in eastern and northern Australia, and the center of the nation’s Western Plateau. Four deserts sit in areas that are considered to be Outback: the Great Sandy, the Gibson, the Great Victoria, and the Tanami. The Outback covers more than 50,000 square miles, and includes some of the hottest, harshest environments on earth. In fact, the highest temperature ever recorded in the Outback was a whopping 123.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Yet, amazingly, animals and some humans have managed to thrive there for centuries.
 
The first people to settle in the Australian Outback arrived there from South East Asia around 60,000 years ago. Today, these Indigenous people are collectively known as Aboriginal Australians, though they are made up of many distinct groups. Despite the Outback’s harsh conditions, Aboriginals thrived there, as well as on several of Australia’s islands, like Tasmania and the Tiwi Islands. Those living in The Outback became adept at collecting and storing water. Many also practiced controlled burning of undergrowth, which fertilized the soil and encouraged plant growth, and attracted more animals to hunt. When the first Europeans arrived in Australia, in 1788, around 250,000 Aboriginals lived in Australia, many of them in the Outback. Unfortunately, Europeans brought disease which devastated the Aboriginal population. They also violently drove many Aboriginals from their land on the premise of “terra nullius”, a concept that meant that the land belonged to no one. Only in recent years has the Australian government committed to giving back swaths of land, including some of the Outback, to its ancestral owners. However, only around 5 percent of Australians live in the Outback today.
 
The Outback is still home to a surprisingly diverse array of wildlife. Animals that live in the most arid parts of the Outback have special adaptations to manage desert life. These include odd-looking marsupials like the bilby. Bilbies’ name comes from a word in the Yuwaalaraay Aboriginal language meaning “long-nosed rat.” Though they’re not rats, or even rodents, bilbies do have long snouts which allow them to root through underbrush, and large ears which help to dissipate the intense heat of their desert environment. Their bodies are so adapted to desert life that they never need to drink liquid water. Their omnivorous diet, which includes insects, small mammals, plants, and fruits, provides all the water they need. Another, more famous marsupial native to the Outback is the black-flanked rock-wallaby. These small, kangaroo-like creatures make their homes on rock formations in the Outback, using their powerful legs to climb and their strong tails to balance. Like many other Outback-dwellers, they are nocturnal, which allows them to take advantage of lower nighttime temperatures. The Outback is home to many reptiles, like great desert skinks, which build burrows to escape high aboveground temperatures. Even some colorful birds are native to the Outback, like the pink cockatoo. These parrots live in large groups and spend their days sheltering in shady trees, but gather in large flocks in the evenings, often by watering holes. Their powerful beaks are adept at breaking open seeds and nuts, and tearing through thick fruit skins. One of the Outback’s most famous inhabitants is the dingo, an animal which isn’t technically native to Australia. These canines were brought to the continent by humans from East Asia between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago. Nevertheless, they are considered native wildlife under Australia’s Nature Conservation Act of 1992, and are protected in the country’s national parks. As far as we’re concerned, any creature hardy enough to call the Outback home deserves respect.

 
[Image description: A photo of the Australian Outback featuring tufts of grass and a large rock formation with a dead tree in the foreground.] Credit & copyright: lum-box, Pixabay

It's Flashback Friday, and the first day of Black History Month! Enjoy these curios celebrating the history and innovations of Black Americans. The U.S. tax code may be a pain...but it should be an equal pain for everyone! According to tax attorney and investment banker Dorothy Brown, the current U.S. tax code negatively impacts Black Americans, creating situations where they pay more than white Americans with the same incomes. She explains this argument in her book The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans—and How We Can Fix It. Brown has had a storied financial career, and was even a political appointee of former President George H.W. Bush. Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, however, she also weathered a fair amount of racism. According to an interview with Bloomberg, Brown once believed that “the only color that mattered was green,” in tax law.
 

After decades spent studying tax law, Brown came to believe that the tax code actually wasn’t exempt from racial bias. For example, statistically, in Black marriages, both spouses tend to work. Yet people in marriages where one spouse is a high earner and the other stays home pay less in taxes, due to regulations established in the 1930s. Another example: interest paid on mortgages is tax deductible, but homeowners are disproportionately white. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the people who wrote tax laws had race in mind, but according to Brown, “The question of intent is really irrelevant. It’s hurting Black Americans whether Congress meant to or not.” Brown has plenty of ideas about how Congress could deal with the problems creating inequality in the tax code. She believes that all income should be taxable, including gifts, property sales, and inheritances. This would tax income that white Americans statistically see more of than Black Americans. Brown also argues that investment proceeds should be taxed at the same rate as wage income. She would like to see lawmakers add a “living allowance deduction” to cut taxes for those earning below a certain amount. Regardless of how you feel about Brown’s proposed changes, one thing’s for sure: everyone deserves a fair shake when it comes to finances.

 
[Image credit & copyright: stevepb, Pixabay

The historical figure behind this doll was a real-life superhero. Toy company Mattel has released a Barbie doll in honor of the first Black and Native American female pilot, Bessie Coleman. In doll form, she wears an olive-green aviator suit along with a brown leather hat with her initials. “Brave Bessie,” as she was known, spent her life defying racial and gender discrimination. Born in 1892, Coleman grew up in Atlanta, Texas, where she had to quit college because she couldn’t afford more than a semester. Afterwards, she moved to Chicago, Illinois, to live with her older brother, who had served in World War I and had spent much of his deployment in France. He told Coleman that French women were allowed to become pilots. Coleman already had a yearning to fly, but she was unable to find an American instructor willing to teach her. Undeterred, she began studying French and eventually moved to the country for instruction. At the age of 29, she graduated from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, becoming the first Black American to earn an international pilot’s license. After returning to the U.S., she performed as a stunt flier and flight instructor. She refused to perform at segregated events and once forced an event organizer to desegregate one of her shows after learning that they were forcing audience members to use separate entrances based on race. Tragically, Coleman was killed at the age of 34 in a plane crash during a rehearsal, when she was thrown out of a plane after a wrench became jammed in the controls. Today, she is remembered as an inspirational civil rights icon. Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space, even carried a picture of Coleman with her in the Space Shuttle Endeavor on her first mission. Talk about lifting up others.

 
[Image description: A black and white photo of Bessie Coleman in aviation gear standing on the wheel of her plane.] Credit & copyright: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain