Photo Curio
A picture is worth a thousand words. And a CQ point.
Curio Cabinet
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July 7, 2020
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FREEMind + Body Daily Curio #2067Free1 CQ
There's been a lot of criticism regarding the accuracy and pace of our current COVID-19 testing kits. Fortunately, scientists all around the world have zeroed in on another way to track the spread of the disease—our sewage. Plug your noses because it gets a little, um, filthy. The basis of tracking the coronavirus via our sewage systems lies in how patients infected with the illness "shed" viral substances in their number two. So, theoretically, this shed material builds up in sewage junctures and certain wastewater avenues. And seeing as sewage networks are essentially a web connecting various communities, the traffic of shed COVID material can be mapped back to its various origins. The best part? These sewage tests come back within the next day, while our current testing kits take seven-to-10 days to reach a verdict. Still, there are plenty of variables that can mar these sewage test results, including how other contaminants can alter the presentation of the COVID-19 "shedding" materials. This method also only zeroes in on afflicted communities, not individuals. But have faith! In 1854, epidemiologist John Snow—not to be confused with the fictional Jon Snow—tracked a brutal cholera outbreak in London to a nasty water pump, effectively nipping the scourge in the bud. Hey, these techniques may be unsanitary, but they work. I say we do whatever it takes to finally flush the coronavirus down the drain.
Image credit & copyright: BBC News
There's been a lot of criticism regarding the accuracy and pace of our current COVID-19 testing kits. Fortunately, scientists all around the world have zeroed in on another way to track the spread of the disease—our sewage. Plug your noses because it gets a little, um, filthy. The basis of tracking the coronavirus via our sewage systems lies in how patients infected with the illness "shed" viral substances in their number two. So, theoretically, this shed material builds up in sewage junctures and certain wastewater avenues. And seeing as sewage networks are essentially a web connecting various communities, the traffic of shed COVID material can be mapped back to its various origins. The best part? These sewage tests come back within the next day, while our current testing kits take seven-to-10 days to reach a verdict. Still, there are plenty of variables that can mar these sewage test results, including how other contaminants can alter the presentation of the COVID-19 "shedding" materials. This method also only zeroes in on afflicted communities, not individuals. But have faith! In 1854, epidemiologist John Snow—not to be confused with the fictional Jon Snow—tracked a brutal cholera outbreak in London to a nasty water pump, effectively nipping the scourge in the bud. Hey, these techniques may be unsanitary, but they work. I say we do whatever it takes to finally flush the coronavirus down the drain.
Image credit & copyright: BBC News
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6 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Visitors have been welcomed back to Paris’ Louvre Museum for the first time since March, but the museum’s boss says they still de...
From the BBC World Service: Visitors have been welcomed back to Paris’ Louvre Museum for the first time since March, but the museum’s boss says they still de...
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
The Chinese government has been trying to slash birth rates of the ethnic Uighur population with measures like forced birth control, abortions, and steriliza...
Sterilization abuse of Uighurs in China meets international legal criteria for genocide, experts saywith PRI's The WorldThe Chinese government has been trying to slash birth rates of the ethnic Uighur population with measures like forced birth control, abortions, and steriliza...
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FREEComposition Photo CurioFree1 CQ
There's more than mold growing inside this fridge! 26-year-old Russian photographer Ellen Sheidlin is no stranger to the surreal, and her bizarre-yet-playful pictures have recently blown up on Instagram. In many of Sheidlin's photos, her physical body melds into her surroundings. Such is the case in the photo above, in which Sheidlin poses just behind a miniature refrigerator full of fruits and veggies carved to resemble human organs. The lungs are made of cauliflower with pomegranate seeds, the spine from grapes, intestines from bananas, and the ribcage from a carved melon. Although Sheidlin does use some digital manipulation to create the surreal effects in her photos, she prefers to use practical effects, such as paintings, sculptures, or in this case, carved vegetables, whenever possible. Altered or not, her photos clearly cause her audience to go bananas with glee!
Below: more photos from Sheidlin in which her body fades into her surroundings.
Image credit & copyright: Ellen Sheidlin
There's more than mold growing inside this fridge! 26-year-old Russian photographer Ellen Sheidlin is no stranger to the surreal, and her bizarre-yet-playful pictures have recently blown up on Instagram. In many of Sheidlin's photos, her physical body melds into her surroundings. Such is the case in the photo above, in which Sheidlin poses just behind a miniature refrigerator full of fruits and veggies carved to resemble human organs. The lungs are made of cauliflower with pomegranate seeds, the spine from grapes, intestines from bananas, and the ribcage from a carved melon. Although Sheidlin does use some digital manipulation to create the surreal effects in her photos, she prefers to use practical effects, such as paintings, sculptures, or in this case, carved vegetables, whenever possible. Altered or not, her photos clearly cause her audience to go bananas with glee!
Below: more photos from Sheidlin in which her body fades into her surroundings.
Image credit & copyright: Ellen Sheidlin
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< 1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: No Swan So Fine. by Marianne Moore (read by Melissa Severin).
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: No Swan So Fine. by Marianne Moore (read by Melissa Severin).
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 25, 2017
anathematize \uh-NATH-uh-muh-tyze\ verb
Definition
: curse, denounce
Examples
"A great deal has happened in a very ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 25, 2017
anathematize \uh-NATH-uh-muh-tyze\ verb
Definition
: curse, denounce
Examples
"A great deal has happened in a very ...
July 6, 2020
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FREEBiology Daily Curio #2066Free1 CQ
Conventional wisdom has long had it that dogs age seven times faster than humans—until now. In a recent study conducted at the University of California San Diego's school of medicine, researchers proved that it isn't that simple. In fact, a one-year-old pup is actually comparable to a 30-year-old human. Well, sort of. The researchers discovered that and more by tracking epigenetic changes to DNA in humans and 100 dogs as they aged. In particular, the scientists focused on methyl groups. These molecules play several functions involved with bodily development and synaptic growth in the brain. So by tracking how methyl groups accumulate rapidly in genomes, the researchers were able to compare and contrast the adolescent growth spurts dogs and humans experience. It turns out dogs reach the age of "30" within the span of one year. By four, canines are roughly 54 in "human years." Meanwhile, a 14-year-old dog is comparable to a septuagenarian human. But this brings into question the philosophical question of what age means in a developmental context. The study found that although one-year-old dogs were on par with 30-year-old humans, those dogs were still maturing hormonally, which isn't the case with humans at that age. In other words, comparing the developmental ages of two species isn't as easy as juxtaposing one factor. Regardless, the next time the puppy won't stop acting up, remind them they need to act like a 30-year-old adult should!
Image credit & copyright: Antonio Diaz/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Conventional wisdom has long had it that dogs age seven times faster than humans—until now. In a recent study conducted at the University of California San Diego's school of medicine, researchers proved that it isn't that simple. In fact, a one-year-old pup is actually comparable to a 30-year-old human. Well, sort of. The researchers discovered that and more by tracking epigenetic changes to DNA in humans and 100 dogs as they aged. In particular, the scientists focused on methyl groups. These molecules play several functions involved with bodily development and synaptic growth in the brain. So by tracking how methyl groups accumulate rapidly in genomes, the researchers were able to compare and contrast the adolescent growth spurts dogs and humans experience. It turns out dogs reach the age of "30" within the span of one year. By four, canines are roughly 54 in "human years." Meanwhile, a 14-year-old dog is comparable to a septuagenarian human. But this brings into question the philosophical question of what age means in a developmental context. The study found that although one-year-old dogs were on par with 30-year-old humans, those dogs were still maturing hormonally, which isn't the case with humans at that age. In other words, comparing the developmental ages of two species isn't as easy as juxtaposing one factor. Regardless, the next time the puppy won't stop acting up, remind them they need to act like a 30-year-old adult should!
Image credit & copyright: Antonio Diaz/Getty Images/iStockphoto
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Change is in the air for Native American representation in both the arts as well as the football field. Also, we examine how something called forced arbitrat...
Change is in the air for Native American representation in both the arts as well as the football field. Also, we examine how something called forced arbitrat...
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5 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Protests in South Korea were once characterized by intense, often violent confrontations between protesters and police. Today, those kinds of fierce standoff...
with PRI's The WorldProtests in South Korea were once characterized by intense, often violent confrontations between protesters and police. Today, those kinds of fierce standoff...
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3 minFREEAstronomy Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
What's Up for July? How about some moons with those giant planets? Mars after midnight. And are the stars of Mars the same as ours?
What's Up for July? How about some moons with those giant planets? Mars after midnight. And are the stars of Mars the same as ours?
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FREEAesthetic Art CurioFree1 CQ
Title: L'anniversaire
Artist: Marc Chagall (1887-1985)
Created: 1915
Medium: oil on cardboard
Dimensions: 39 x 31 in (99.7 x 80.6 cm)
Current location: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain
What better way to celebrate International Kissing Day than with a painting showing the magnetic force of love? L'anniversaire, by Russian-French artist Marc Chagall, depicts the moment Chagall proposed to his girlfriend, Bella Rosenfeld, after returning home from Russia in 1915. In the painting, both Bella and Chagall are levitating, as if a magnetic force is pulling them up and toward one another. Bella grasps the flowers Chagall has given her as his body twines around to kiss her. His eyes are closed in a reverent expression while hers are wide open, as if in surprise. Chagall was known for his uniquely whimsical avant-garde style, which is on full display in L'anniversaire. He routinely mixed aspects of modern art and Eastern European Jewish folk culture, creating paintings that are surreal and colorful yet relatable. By the 1950s, Chagall had gained a reputation as one of the most important Jewish painters of the century. Pablo Picasso himself once commented that, "When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what colour really is." High praise from someone as colorful as Picasso!
Below: in honor of International Kissing Day, two more paintings that feature kissing; The Kiss by Pablo Picasso, and Pygmalion and Galatea by Jean-Leon Gerome.
Image credit & copyright: The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala Archives Florence/Marc Chagall
Title: L'anniversaire
Artist: Marc Chagall (1887-1985)
Created: 1915
Medium: oil on cardboard
Dimensions: 39 x 31 in (99.7 x 80.6 cm)
Current location: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain
What better way to celebrate International Kissing Day than with a painting showing the magnetic force of love? L'anniversaire, by Russian-French artist Marc Chagall, depicts the moment Chagall proposed to his girlfriend, Bella Rosenfeld, after returning home from Russia in 1915. In the painting, both Bella and Chagall are levitating, as if a magnetic force is pulling them up and toward one another. Bella grasps the flowers Chagall has given her as his body twines around to kiss her. His eyes are closed in a reverent expression while hers are wide open, as if in surprise. Chagall was known for his uniquely whimsical avant-garde style, which is on full display in L'anniversaire. He routinely mixed aspects of modern art and Eastern European Jewish folk culture, creating paintings that are surreal and colorful yet relatable. By the 1950s, Chagall had gained a reputation as one of the most important Jewish painters of the century. Pablo Picasso himself once commented that, "When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what colour really is." High praise from someone as colorful as Picasso!
Below: in honor of International Kissing Day, two more paintings that feature kissing; The Kiss by Pablo Picasso, and Pygmalion and Galatea by Jean-Leon Gerome.
Image credit & copyright: The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala Archives Florence/Marc Chagall
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< 1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: The Last Time I Slept in This Bed. by Sara Peters.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: The Last Time I Slept in This Bed. by Sara Peters.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 24, 2017
legerity \luh-JAIR-uh-tee\ noun
Definition
: alert facile quickness of mind or body
Examples
The novel's less than ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 24, 2017
legerity \luh-JAIR-uh-tee\ noun
Definition
: alert facile quickness of mind or body
Examples
The novel's less than ...
July 5, 2020
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
The U.K. relaxes some of its COVID-19 travel restrictions. Also, minimum wage increases have already started in some places despite the pandemic. We also tal...
The U.K. relaxes some of its COVID-19 travel restrictions. Also, minimum wage increases have already started in some places despite the pandemic. We also tal...
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
A new report found that Chinese surveillance of Uighurs started much earlier and is more comprehensive than previously thought. The World speaks to security ...
with PRI's The WorldA new report found that Chinese surveillance of Uighurs started much earlier and is more comprehensive than previously thought. The World speaks to security ...
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3 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 1894 Accuracy and story-telling -- a learning experience in four acts. Today, ac...
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 1894 Accuracy and story-telling -- a learning experience in four acts. Today, ac...
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FREEBiology PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
The world's most famous sheep has us seeing double.
It takes a lot for a common domestic sheep to make international headlines! Then again, there was nothing common about the way that Dolly entered the world on July 5, 1996. Dolly was a clone: an artificially-created, genetically-identical reproduction of an existing organism. Although Dolly wasn't the first-ever clone ever, she was the first created from the cell of an adult animal—which, let's just say, caused an uproar.
The term "clone" was coined in 1903 by Herbert J. Webber, a plant physiologist. He derived it from the Greek word "klon", or "twig", using it to describe the process of creating new plants from cuttings. Later, in 1938, embryologist Hans Spemann proposed the idea of replacing the nucleus of an egg cell with that of a different egg cell, creating a new organism. In 1958, developmental biologist John B. Gurdon built on Spemann's method to clone frogs, as did biologists Karl Illmenese and Peter Hope, who produced the world's first cloned mammal, a mouse, in 1981.
In 1995, biologists Keith Campbell and Bill Ritchie of the Roslin Institute successfully created two sheep clones from embryonic cells. This progress excited fellow Roslin Institute scientist Ian Wilmut, and opened the door for a happy accident which would become Dolly the sheep. While trying to make more sheep clones from embryonic cells, scientists on Wilmut's team used some adult cells as a control group. The scientists took cells from the mammary tissue of a six-year-old Finn Dorset white sheep and injected them into unfertilized egg cells from a Scottish Blackface ewe, which had had their nuclei removed. Using electrical impulses, the scientists fused the eggs. They didn't expect any of the adult cells to successfully develop into an embryo. But when one did, they transplanted it into the uterus of a different Scottish Blackface ewe.
Out of 277 cell fusions created by scientists, 29 embryos were implanted into 13 surrogate sheep, and just one developed fully. That one lamb, named Dolly, was born with a telltale white face—proof that she was a Finn Dorset white sheep, despite the Scottish Blackface ewe that birthed her. Dolly didn't receive her famous name, nor was the media informed of her birth, for several months after she was born. So where did her name come from? None other than famous country singer Dolly Parton. As scientist Ian Wilmut (rather unscientifically) put it, "Dolly is derived from a mammary gland cell and we couldn't think of a more impressive pair of glands than Dolly Parton's."
Once the Roslin Institute announced Dolly's birth in February 1997, the sheep became a household name. The original purpose of the Institute's cloning experiments was to find out whether medicines could be produced from the milk of farm animals. But the main media buzz surrounding Dolly was the role of science in everyday life. If sheep could be cloned, why not humans? Could this technology allow entire human organs to be grown, for transplantees? What about cloned animal meat? In 2001, The United States passed a wide-ranging bill banning all forms of human cloning, even "therapeutic cloning," in which cells are harvested from embryos to treat disease. The law was passed largely due to the international conversation about cloning that surrounded Dolly.
Dolly managed to live a normal life with other sheep at the Roslin Institute, despite the hubbub she caused. She even gave birth to several lambs, proving that clones could reproduce. At the age of six, Dolly contracted a virus which caused her to develop lung tumors. There was no evidence that Dolly's condition was linked to her being a clone. In 2003, she was euthanized to prevent suffering. Dolly's legacy lives on in the form of the cloning technology she helped popularize. More mammals have been cloned since Dolly's death, including pigs, cats, and dogs, ensuring that the world will continue seeing double for a long time!
The world's most famous sheep has us seeing double.
It takes a lot for a common domestic sheep to make international headlines! Then again, there was nothing common about the way that Dolly entered the world on July 5, 1996. Dolly was a clone: an artificially-created, genetically-identical reproduction of an existing organism. Although Dolly wasn't the first-ever clone ever, she was the first created from the cell of an adult animal—which, let's just say, caused an uproar.
The term "clone" was coined in 1903 by Herbert J. Webber, a plant physiologist. He derived it from the Greek word "klon", or "twig", using it to describe the process of creating new plants from cuttings. Later, in 1938, embryologist Hans Spemann proposed the idea of replacing the nucleus of an egg cell with that of a different egg cell, creating a new organism. In 1958, developmental biologist John B. Gurdon built on Spemann's method to clone frogs, as did biologists Karl Illmenese and Peter Hope, who produced the world's first cloned mammal, a mouse, in 1981.
In 1995, biologists Keith Campbell and Bill Ritchie of the Roslin Institute successfully created two sheep clones from embryonic cells. This progress excited fellow Roslin Institute scientist Ian Wilmut, and opened the door for a happy accident which would become Dolly the sheep. While trying to make more sheep clones from embryonic cells, scientists on Wilmut's team used some adult cells as a control group. The scientists took cells from the mammary tissue of a six-year-old Finn Dorset white sheep and injected them into unfertilized egg cells from a Scottish Blackface ewe, which had had their nuclei removed. Using electrical impulses, the scientists fused the eggs. They didn't expect any of the adult cells to successfully develop into an embryo. But when one did, they transplanted it into the uterus of a different Scottish Blackface ewe.
Out of 277 cell fusions created by scientists, 29 embryos were implanted into 13 surrogate sheep, and just one developed fully. That one lamb, named Dolly, was born with a telltale white face—proof that she was a Finn Dorset white sheep, despite the Scottish Blackface ewe that birthed her. Dolly didn't receive her famous name, nor was the media informed of her birth, for several months after she was born. So where did her name come from? None other than famous country singer Dolly Parton. As scientist Ian Wilmut (rather unscientifically) put it, "Dolly is derived from a mammary gland cell and we couldn't think of a more impressive pair of glands than Dolly Parton's."
Once the Roslin Institute announced Dolly's birth in February 1997, the sheep became a household name. The original purpose of the Institute's cloning experiments was to find out whether medicines could be produced from the milk of farm animals. But the main media buzz surrounding Dolly was the role of science in everyday life. If sheep could be cloned, why not humans? Could this technology allow entire human organs to be grown, for transplantees? What about cloned animal meat? In 2001, The United States passed a wide-ranging bill banning all forms of human cloning, even "therapeutic cloning," in which cells are harvested from embryos to treat disease. The law was passed largely due to the international conversation about cloning that surrounded Dolly.
Dolly managed to live a normal life with other sheep at the Roslin Institute, despite the hubbub she caused. She even gave birth to several lambs, proving that clones could reproduce. At the age of six, Dolly contracted a virus which caused her to develop lung tumors. There was no evidence that Dolly's condition was linked to her being a clone. In 2003, she was euthanized to prevent suffering. Dolly's legacy lives on in the form of the cloning technology she helped popularize. More mammals have been cloned since Dolly's death, including pigs, cats, and dogs, ensuring that the world will continue seeing double for a long time!
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1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: Theories of Time and Space. By Natasha Trethewey.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: Theories of Time and Space. By Natasha Trethewey.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 23, 2017
toothsome \TOOTH-sum\ adjective
Definition
1 : agreeable, attractive
2 : of palatable flavor and pleasing texture : ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 23, 2017
toothsome \TOOTH-sum\ adjective
Definition
1 : agreeable, attractive
2 : of palatable flavor and pleasing texture : ...
July 4, 2020
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FREEPlay Teaser Curio #244Free1 CQ
If you're like me, you've been hearing premature Fourth of July fireworks going off for weeks. Assuming the amateur pyrotechnics have kept you up at night, I bring dire, REM cycle-spoiling news: a suspicious figure is currently skulking in your neighborhood, and in honor of the U.S.'s sovereignty, they plan to set off the "Big One"—a monolithic rocket that produces a blinding, lingering glare. Come to think of it, it must have already gone off because all we're seeing is stars. Will this formidable rocket's glare ever fade? Somebody bring me my sleeping mask!
This is a common 8-letter English word. (The original word) Like the U.S. flag (Remove the 1st, 2nd, and 8th letter) A schemy intention (Remove the 1st, 5th, and 6th letters) Like certain windows (Remove the 1st, 4th, and 5th letters) Lost luminance What's the original word?
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #244" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
If you're like me, you've been hearing premature Fourth of July fireworks going off for weeks. Assuming the amateur pyrotechnics have kept you up at night, I bring dire, REM cycle-spoiling news: a suspicious figure is currently skulking in your neighborhood, and in honor of the U.S.'s sovereignty, they plan to set off the "Big One"—a monolithic rocket that produces a blinding, lingering glare. Come to think of it, it must have already gone off because all we're seeing is stars. Will this formidable rocket's glare ever fade? Somebody bring me my sleeping mask!
This is a common 8-letter English word. (The original word) Like the U.S. flag (Remove the 1st, 2nd, and 8th letter) A schemy intention (Remove the 1st, 5th, and 6th letters) Like certain windows (Remove the 1st, 4th, and 5th letters) Lost luminance What's the original word?
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #244" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Pubs in England open on Saturday in an easing of lockdown rules. Édouard Philippe, the French Prime Minister, has resigned.
From the BBC World Service: Pubs in England open on Saturday in an easing of lockdown rules. Édouard Philippe, the French Prime Minister, has resigned.
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5 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
In Brazil, the Amazon has been hard hit by the coronavirus. Now, as the dry season begins, people are bracing for a repeat of last year’s Amazon fires. Indig...
with PRI's The WorldIn Brazil, the Amazon has been hard hit by the coronavirus. Now, as the dry season begins, people are bracing for a repeat of last year’s Amazon fires. Indig...
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2 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. Political scientists analyzed congressional tweets and observed how Republicans and Democrats res...
with 60-Second ScienceToday's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. Political scientists analyzed congressional tweets and observed how Republicans and Democrats res...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 22, 2017
yeasty \YEE-stee\ adjective
Definition
1 : of, relating to, or resembling yeast
2 a : immature, unsettled
b : marke...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 22, 2017
yeasty \YEE-stee\ adjective
Definition
1 : of, relating to, or resembling yeast
2 a : immature, unsettled
b : marke...
July 3, 2020
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: FedEx and DHL have reportedly suspended Chinese import shipments to India. Food delivery workers in Brazil protest over pressure ...
From the BBC World Service: FedEx and DHL have reportedly suspended Chinese import shipments to India. Food delivery workers in Brazil protest over pressure ...
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4 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree3 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 1893 Satyendranath Bose, quantum physics pioneer and Indian hero. Today, Satyend...
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 1893 Satyendranath Bose, quantum physics pioneer and Indian hero. Today, Satyend...
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5 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
The Byzantines commissioned it as a Greek Orthodox cathedral. The Ottomans conquered it and turned it into an ornate mosque. Then, secular revolutionaries co...
with PRI's The WorldThe Byzantines commissioned it as a Greek Orthodox cathedral. The Ottomans conquered it and turned it into an ornate mosque. Then, secular revolutionaries co...
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FREESong CurioFree2 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Before the big band sounds of the jazz era, John Philip Sousa was making epic noise with his Marine Band tunes. Born in 1860, Sousa heard patriotic marches all around him growing up in Washington D.C. during the Civil War. As a band member and, later, a Band Leader of the U.S. Marine Band, Sousa's reputation grew as he standardized both the group's performance habits and musical pieces. The 130 boisterous compositions he wrote became so popular at home and abroad, he was dubbed "The March King" (after Strauss' "Waltz King" title). One of his most famous pieces, Stars and Stripes Forever, was actually written when he was touring abroad and feeling a little homesick. Sousa used the sheer volume of horns and cymbals to impart the sense of exuberance he felt when he thought about his homeland. He sure got the point across; Stars and Stripes Forever was designated the National March of the U.S. in 1987. Nearly 200 years after Sousa's birth, we can still hear the fireworks in his music!
Other streaming options
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Before the big band sounds of the jazz era, John Philip Sousa was making epic noise with his Marine Band tunes. Born in 1860, Sousa heard patriotic marches all around him growing up in Washington D.C. during the Civil War. As a band member and, later, a Band Leader of the U.S. Marine Band, Sousa's reputation grew as he standardized both the group's performance habits and musical pieces. The 130 boisterous compositions he wrote became so popular at home and abroad, he was dubbed "The March King" (after Strauss' "Waltz King" title). One of his most famous pieces, Stars and Stripes Forever, was actually written when he was touring abroad and feeling a little homesick. Sousa used the sheer volume of horns and cymbals to impart the sense of exuberance he felt when he thought about his homeland. He sure got the point across; Stars and Stripes Forever was designated the National March of the U.S. in 1987. Nearly 200 years after Sousa's birth, we can still hear the fireworks in his music!
Other streaming options
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
This 'bot is ready to rumble! In 2015, California-based tech startup Megabots, Inc. challenged Japan's Suidobashi Heavy Industries to a giant humanoid mech battle, and in October 2017, the two design teams finally settled the score. Pictured above is the press release photo of Megabots' red, white, and blue "Eagle Prime" in Japan on the day of the brawl. Standing awkwardly at a height of 16 feet and weighing in at 12 tons, the mech suit is an exemplar of screaming American patriotism: its right shoulder is even molded in the likeness of a bald eagle. Suidobashi's less gaudy mech, KURATAS, weighed in at a third of Eagle Prime's weight; it was no surprise then, that Eagle Prime defeated KURATAS with a massive chainsaw attachment. But the victory was overshadowed by controversy: MegaBots' co-founder Matt Oehrlein recently admitted to suspicious journalists that the fight took course over several days of stop-and-go filming. Needless to say, techies and robo-fanatics didn't take the news well, especially considering the fight was edited like a reality tv show. Either way, it's pretty comical watching these two unwieldy titans wallop one another!
Below: KURATAS KOs Iron Glory, Eagle Prime's prototype, in an undercard bout; Eagle Prime swats KURATAS' drone out of the air; video of the fight.
Image credit & copyright: Michael Mauldin / MegaBots Inc. / Reuters
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
This 'bot is ready to rumble! In 2015, California-based tech startup Megabots, Inc. challenged Japan's Suidobashi Heavy Industries to a giant humanoid mech battle, and in October 2017, the two design teams finally settled the score. Pictured above is the press release photo of Megabots' red, white, and blue "Eagle Prime" in Japan on the day of the brawl. Standing awkwardly at a height of 16 feet and weighing in at 12 tons, the mech suit is an exemplar of screaming American patriotism: its right shoulder is even molded in the likeness of a bald eagle. Suidobashi's less gaudy mech, KURATAS, weighed in at a third of Eagle Prime's weight; it was no surprise then, that Eagle Prime defeated KURATAS with a massive chainsaw attachment. But the victory was overshadowed by controversy: MegaBots' co-founder Matt Oehrlein recently admitted to suspicious journalists that the fight took course over several days of stop-and-go filming. Needless to say, techies and robo-fanatics didn't take the news well, especially considering the fight was edited like a reality tv show. Either way, it's pretty comical watching these two unwieldy titans wallop one another!
Below: KURATAS KOs Iron Glory, Eagle Prime's prototype, in an undercard bout; Eagle Prime swats KURATAS' drone out of the air; video of the fight.
Image credit & copyright: Michael Mauldin / MegaBots Inc. / Reuters
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Title: American Flag (Toy Soldiers #12)
Artist: Dave Cole (b. 1975)
Created: 2002
Medium: Wood panel, plastic soldiers, and acrylic paint
Dimensions: 18.12 x 32.88 x 3.63 in (46 x 83.5 x 9.2 cm)
Current location: RISD Museum, Providence, Rhode Island
From soldier to shining soldier, artist Dave Cole embraces and challenges notions of patriotism through his work American Flag (Toy Soldiers #12). After working as a volunteer at Ground Zero on 9/11, the Rhode Island artist began toying with the image of the American flag in his sculptures. To create Toy Soldiers #12, Cole melted hundreds of green plastic army men and painted them red, white, and blue to produce a heavily textured and pointed piece. The juxtaposition of playthings and war imagery was finished just a year after 9/11 when jingoistic political discussions led up to the Iraq War. Cole's work reminds us that our Founding Fathers enshrined the values of thoughtful political dissidence in our Constitution as a means of challenging imperial power. After all, it is usually the little folk, green or not, who suffer the worst of our grand war designs.
Below: more U.S. flag motifs from David Cole, including American Flag (Bullets) and The Knitting Machine.
Image credit & copyright: RISD Museum, Dave Cole
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Title: American Flag (Toy Soldiers #12)
Artist: Dave Cole (b. 1975)
Created: 2002
Medium: Wood panel, plastic soldiers, and acrylic paint
Dimensions: 18.12 x 32.88 x 3.63 in (46 x 83.5 x 9.2 cm)
Current location: RISD Museum, Providence, Rhode Island
From soldier to shining soldier, artist Dave Cole embraces and challenges notions of patriotism through his work American Flag (Toy Soldiers #12). After working as a volunteer at Ground Zero on 9/11, the Rhode Island artist began toying with the image of the American flag in his sculptures. To create Toy Soldiers #12, Cole melted hundreds of green plastic army men and painted them red, white, and blue to produce a heavily textured and pointed piece. The juxtaposition of playthings and war imagery was finished just a year after 9/11 when jingoistic political discussions led up to the Iraq War. Cole's work reminds us that our Founding Fathers enshrined the values of thoughtful political dissidence in our Constitution as a means of challenging imperial power. After all, it is usually the little folk, green or not, who suffer the worst of our grand war designs.
Below: more U.S. flag motifs from David Cole, including American Flag (Bullets) and The Knitting Machine.
Image credit & copyright: RISD Museum, Dave Cole
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FREEUS History Daily CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Happy Fourth of July! It might interest you to know that Independence Day actually falls on several dates, according to history. In fact, Founding Father and second President John Adams believed that July 2, 1776, would be the date to mark on our calendars. This is because the Second Continental Congress declared colonial independence from Britain on July 2, 1776. Congress passed the Declaration of Independence two days later on the Fourth of July, though it still needed to be signed. Instead, a hasty printing was released and disseminated that night, publicizing the Fourth as the day we claimed our independence. In reality, the Declaration was floating in limbo because the Founding Fathers were spread thin: the British were swarming New York City and the Liberty Bell was ringing in Philadelphia. The night of July 9, 1776, George Washington read one of the copies of the declaration to a rabble of American soldiers and sailors on Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan. In a patriotic frenzy, the militiamen proceeded to tear down a nearby statue of King George III and melt it into 42,000 musket balls. (They called him their "melted majesty".) Still, nobody had signed the bill yet. It wasn't until August 2, 1776, a month later, that the first signature was scrawled on it. The last didn't come until 1781, five years later, when Thomas McKean contributed his signature. By then, the first informal celebration of the Fourth had already happened in 1778, when Washington hooked his troops up with double rations and rum. Congress eventually made it an unpaid holiday in 1830, and then a paid federal holiday in 1938. As for John Adams, who adamantly believed that the second of July was our special day? He died on July 4, 1826, likely hearing fireworks and patriotic calls outside his window. I can't imagine he minded being wrong!
Image credit & copyright: The Library of Congress
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Happy Fourth of July! It might interest you to know that Independence Day actually falls on several dates, according to history. In fact, Founding Father and second President John Adams believed that July 2, 1776, would be the date to mark on our calendars. This is because the Second Continental Congress declared colonial independence from Britain on July 2, 1776. Congress passed the Declaration of Independence two days later on the Fourth of July, though it still needed to be signed. Instead, a hasty printing was released and disseminated that night, publicizing the Fourth as the day we claimed our independence. In reality, the Declaration was floating in limbo because the Founding Fathers were spread thin: the British were swarming New York City and the Liberty Bell was ringing in Philadelphia. The night of July 9, 1776, George Washington read one of the copies of the declaration to a rabble of American soldiers and sailors on Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan. In a patriotic frenzy, the militiamen proceeded to tear down a nearby statue of King George III and melt it into 42,000 musket balls. (They called him their "melted majesty".) Still, nobody had signed the bill yet. It wasn't until August 2, 1776, a month later, that the first signature was scrawled on it. The last didn't come until 1781, five years later, when Thomas McKean contributed his signature. By then, the first informal celebration of the Fourth had already happened in 1778, when Washington hooked his troops up with double rations and rum. Congress eventually made it an unpaid holiday in 1830, and then a paid federal holiday in 1938. As for John Adams, who adamantly believed that the second of July was our special day? He died on July 4, 1826, likely hearing fireworks and patriotic calls outside his window. I can't imagine he minded being wrong!
Image credit & copyright: The Library of Congress
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1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: Christ at Gallipoli. by Geoff Page.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: Christ at Gallipoli. by Geoff Page.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 21, 2017
shofar \SHOH-far\ noun
Definition
: the horn of an animal (usually a ram) blown as a trumpet by the ancient Hebrews i...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 21, 2017
shofar \SHOH-far\ noun
Definition
: the horn of an animal (usually a ram) blown as a trumpet by the ancient Hebrews i...
July 2, 2020
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FREELiterature Daily Curio #2065Free1 CQ
On today's date in 1961, famed author Ernest Hemingway ended his own life. It had been a complicated but epic one—one marked by the publications of the novels The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls, as well as war exploits and globetrotting adventures. But today, we're talking about Hemingway's non-literary legacy: his six-toed cats. The story begins in the 1930s when the writer purchased his home in Key West, Florida, that is known today as the Ernest Hemingway House & Museum. According to legend, Hemingway was drinking himself silly at the local Sloppy Joe's Bar, as he was one to do, when he met an equally inebriated sea captain. The two immediately hit it off and drank into the wee hours of the night, at which point the captain gifted Hemingway a cat named Snow White from his ship. Curiously, Snow White was polydactyl, meaning she had an abnormal amount of toes on her paws (six). The story continues that Snow White became the progenitor of the 40-50 some cats with polydactyly genes currently residing at Hemingway House. That last detail carries some credibility. Hemingway fawned over his cats and named them after celebrities, in spite of his manly persona. Names have included "Hairy" Truman, Marilyn Monroe, and Truman Capote. Today, the caretakers of Hemingway House continue to watch over the residing six-toed cats. In fact, a vet checks up on the cats weekly. The felines are very friendly with the caretakers, and are also given special burials and tombstones in the garden behind the home. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, the caretakers called the cats inside and none were harmed. It's a heartwarming story all around—a fitting counterpoint to Heminway's characteristically tragic endings, both real and imagined.
Image credit & copyright: Wochit News
On today's date in 1961, famed author Ernest Hemingway ended his own life. It had been a complicated but epic one—one marked by the publications of the novels The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls, as well as war exploits and globetrotting adventures. But today, we're talking about Hemingway's non-literary legacy: his six-toed cats. The story begins in the 1930s when the writer purchased his home in Key West, Florida, that is known today as the Ernest Hemingway House & Museum. According to legend, Hemingway was drinking himself silly at the local Sloppy Joe's Bar, as he was one to do, when he met an equally inebriated sea captain. The two immediately hit it off and drank into the wee hours of the night, at which point the captain gifted Hemingway a cat named Snow White from his ship. Curiously, Snow White was polydactyl, meaning she had an abnormal amount of toes on her paws (six). The story continues that Snow White became the progenitor of the 40-50 some cats with polydactyly genes currently residing at Hemingway House. That last detail carries some credibility. Hemingway fawned over his cats and named them after celebrities, in spite of his manly persona. Names have included "Hairy" Truman, Marilyn Monroe, and Truman Capote. Today, the caretakers of Hemingway House continue to watch over the residing six-toed cats. In fact, a vet checks up on the cats weekly. The felines are very friendly with the caretakers, and are also given special burials and tombstones in the garden behind the home. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, the caretakers called the cats inside and none were harmed. It's a heartwarming story all around—a fitting counterpoint to Heminway's characteristically tragic endings, both real and imagined.
Image credit & copyright: Wochit News
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3 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. The Gross Ecosystem Product, or GEP, tries to take into account the contribution of nature to the...
with 60-Second ScienceToday's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. The Gross Ecosystem Product, or GEP, tries to take into account the contribution of nature to the...
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: The EU drops travel restrictions for some countries, but the U.S. isn’t on the list. Dozens of arrests have been made in Hong Kon...
From the BBC World Service: The EU drops travel restrictions for some countries, but the U.S. isn’t on the list. Dozens of arrests have been made in Hong Kon...
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7 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree4 CQ
The Greek government says it wants to make room for asylum-seekers waiting out their applications in camps on the Greek islands and elsewhere. More than 6,00...
with PRI's The WorldThe Greek government says it wants to make room for asylum-seekers waiting out their applications in camps on the Greek islands and elsewhere. More than 6,00...
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
A picture is worth a thousand words, or in the case of the above photo, a thousand retweets. Shot in 1894 by photographer George W. Bretz, the image shows a young Kiowa tribe girl named O-o-dee. What's making the photo go viral isn't just the buckskin clothing and elk-tooth jewelry of the Black Hills South Dakota tribe; no, it's the rare sight of a smiling subject in a 19th-century photo. At the time, sitting for a photograph often took several minutes because of lengthy exposure time, and a smile could have easily blurred an otherwise presentable visage. Likewise, a lack of access to adequate dental care left many people with less-than-pearly whites to flash at the camera. Bretz's informal style and O-o-dee's cheery look combine to make this pic seem as if it might have been taken with an Instagram filter rather than exposed on an old-timey glass plate. It seems like even a hundred years ago, a photogenic smile could brighten up anyone's day!
Image credit & copyright: Smithsonian Institute
A picture is worth a thousand words, or in the case of the above photo, a thousand retweets. Shot in 1894 by photographer George W. Bretz, the image shows a young Kiowa tribe girl named O-o-dee. What's making the photo go viral isn't just the buckskin clothing and elk-tooth jewelry of the Black Hills South Dakota tribe; no, it's the rare sight of a smiling subject in a 19th-century photo. At the time, sitting for a photograph often took several minutes because of lengthy exposure time, and a smile could have easily blurred an otherwise presentable visage. Likewise, a lack of access to adequate dental care left many people with less-than-pearly whites to flash at the camera. Bretz's informal style and O-o-dee's cheery look combine to make this pic seem as if it might have been taken with an Instagram filter rather than exposed on an old-timey glass plate. It seems like even a hundred years ago, a photogenic smile could brighten up anyone's day!
Image credit & copyright: Smithsonian Institute
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< 1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: An Old Woman's Painting. By Lynn Emanuel.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: An Old Woman's Painting. By Lynn Emanuel.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 20, 2017
holus-bolus \hoh-lus-BOH-lus\ adverb
Definition
: all at once
Examples
If you shout your questions at me holus-bolu...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 20, 2017
holus-bolus \hoh-lus-BOH-lus\ adverb
Definition
: all at once
Examples
If you shout your questions at me holus-bolu...
July 1, 2020
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FREESports Daily Curio #2064Free1 CQ
You would think giant octopi would be better wrestlers, what with the eight suckered arms and all. Regardless, the July 1963 edition of Skin Diving magazine proved that assumption wrong with its story on that year's World Octopus Wrestling Championships. Believe it or not, octopus wrestling was a craze that originated in the 1940s, and thrived in the '50s and '60s. Even real-deal professional wrestlers would travel to the shores of Tacoma to wrassle mollusks before audiences of at least 5,000. How this "sport" reached such a level of acceptance can be summed up by ignorance. At the time, the octopus—particularly the giant Pacific octopus—was still regarded as a suspicious, murderous villain of the deep: a misconception apparent in how octopus wrestlers regarded themselves. These strongmen would dive 30 to 50 feet into the murky depths, in pursuit of an octopus minding its own business. An axiom of theirs was that either "You're careful, or you're dead." Those "intrepid" wrestlers who dove without a snorkel or breathing tank regarded themselves as purists—heroes of sorts dragging a monster out of its aquatic cave to the beach, to be ogled at by audiences then released or eaten. Another way to earn props from fellow wrestlers was hauling a particularly hefty octopus ashore. But this was all a farce. The giant Pacific octopus is, well, a Pacific pacifist when it comes to wrestling humans. Across the board, the animal is pretty timid. And smart—too smart for it to be ethically put in a full nelson, to say the least. Ultimately, it was this lack of fight that led to a drop in viewership of octopus wrestling in the early '60s. All of the sport's action, if you could call it action, took place underwater. Flash forward to today. The wrestling of octopi is now officially illegal across most of the country, mostly due to our bolstered understanding of the animals' intelligence. Now we just use octopi to predict soccer game outcomes!
Image credit & copyright: Old Book Illustrations
You would think giant octopi would be better wrestlers, what with the eight suckered arms and all. Regardless, the July 1963 edition of Skin Diving magazine proved that assumption wrong with its story on that year's World Octopus Wrestling Championships. Believe it or not, octopus wrestling was a craze that originated in the 1940s, and thrived in the '50s and '60s. Even real-deal professional wrestlers would travel to the shores of Tacoma to wrassle mollusks before audiences of at least 5,000. How this "sport" reached such a level of acceptance can be summed up by ignorance. At the time, the octopus—particularly the giant Pacific octopus—was still regarded as a suspicious, murderous villain of the deep: a misconception apparent in how octopus wrestlers regarded themselves. These strongmen would dive 30 to 50 feet into the murky depths, in pursuit of an octopus minding its own business. An axiom of theirs was that either "You're careful, or you're dead." Those "intrepid" wrestlers who dove without a snorkel or breathing tank regarded themselves as purists—heroes of sorts dragging a monster out of its aquatic cave to the beach, to be ogled at by audiences then released or eaten. Another way to earn props from fellow wrestlers was hauling a particularly hefty octopus ashore. But this was all a farce. The giant Pacific octopus is, well, a Pacific pacifist when it comes to wrestling humans. Across the board, the animal is pretty timid. And smart—too smart for it to be ethically put in a full nelson, to say the least. Ultimately, it was this lack of fight that led to a drop in viewership of octopus wrestling in the early '60s. All of the sport's action, if you could call it action, took place underwater. Flash forward to today. The wrestling of octopi is now officially illegal across most of the country, mostly due to our bolstered understanding of the animals' intelligence. Now we just use octopi to predict soccer game outcomes!
Image credit & copyright: Old Book Illustrations
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2 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. Many species are known to have changed their migration routes in response to the changing climate...
with 60-Second ScienceToday's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. Many species are known to have changed their migration routes in response to the changing climate...
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: China has passed a security law giving it new powers over Hong Kong. Delhi becomes India’s biggest COVID-19 hot spot. Shell warns...
From the BBC World Service: China has passed a security law giving it new powers over Hong Kong. Delhi becomes India’s biggest COVID-19 hot spot. Shell warns...
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
David Petraeus, retired US Army general and former CIA chief, says he wasn't surprised by the reports of Russian bounties for coalition forces. He spoke with...
with PRI's The WorldDavid Petraeus, retired US Army general and former CIA chief, says he wasn't surprised by the reports of Russian bounties for coalition forces. He spoke with...
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
Amid the past month of serious political unrest, EL-P and Killer Mike have arrived to pour gasoline and champagne on the fires. The duo known as Run the Jewels recently released their major label debut album RTJ4, with songs like Ooh La La proving as urgent and volatile as any of the rap duo's previous work. With guest DJ Premier sampling Gang Starr's DWYCK on the track, EL-P and Killer Mike celebrate the idea of a world without money, class divisions, and violence. There's a sharp contrast between the wealth-bragging rap songs of the early aughts and the current political climate, in which Killer Mike has been a vocal advocate of voting rights and investing in black communities. When RTJ4 came out last month, the duo continued their tradition of giving away their music for free online for those who could not afford to purchase it, proving Run the Jewels continue to put their money where their values are.
Explicit content warning: this video contains strong language.
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Run the Jewels
Amid the past month of serious political unrest, EL-P and Killer Mike have arrived to pour gasoline and champagne on the fires. The duo known as Run the Jewels recently released their major label debut album RTJ4, with songs like Ooh La La proving as urgent and volatile as any of the rap duo's previous work. With guest DJ Premier sampling Gang Starr's DWYCK on the track, EL-P and Killer Mike celebrate the idea of a world without money, class divisions, and violence. There's a sharp contrast between the wealth-bragging rap songs of the early aughts and the current political climate, in which Killer Mike has been a vocal advocate of voting rights and investing in black communities. When RTJ4 came out last month, the duo continued their tradition of giving away their music for free online for those who could not afford to purchase it, proving Run the Jewels continue to put their money where their values are.
Explicit content warning: this video contains strong language.
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Run the Jewels
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< 1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey. by Hayden Carruth.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey. by Hayden Carruth.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 19, 2017
glabrous \GLAY-brus\ adjective
Definition
: smooth; especially : having a surface without hairs or projections
Examp...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 19, 2017
glabrous \GLAY-brus\ adjective
Definition
: smooth; especially : having a surface without hairs or projections
Examp...
