Curio Cabinet
- By Date
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February 27, 2021
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day : February 27, 2021
turbid \TER-bid\ adjective
Definition
1 a : thick or opaque with or as with roiled sediment
b : heavy with smoke or m...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 27, 2021
turbid \TER-bid\ adjective
Definition
1 a : thick or opaque with or as with roiled sediment
b : heavy with smoke or m...
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Other countries have wider access to cheap, easy, at-home COVID tests. Will more people in the U.S. see that soon? Plus, the state of unemployment claims in ...
Other countries have wider access to cheap, easy, at-home COVID tests. Will more people in the U.S. see that soon? Plus, the state of unemployment claims in ...
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5 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
The Chinese government hasn’t actually forbidden travel this year, but they’re strongly discouraging it.
with PRI's The WorldThe Chinese government hasn’t actually forbidden travel this year, but they’re strongly discouraging it.
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FREEPlay Teaser Curio #275Free1 CQ
In an interview with Esquire magazine titled "What I've Learned," Roy Horn described how rivalry kept his onstage relationship with Siegfried Fischbacher fresh, "Siegfried and I are partners, but at the same time, we are competitors. Each one wants the spotlight. Each one fights for it. Guess who gets it? The cat. Cats always get the spotlight." Siegfried and Roy, masters of the impossible, astonished millions with their magic tricks, and feline friends. Tune in tomorrow to learn more about the original tiger kings, Siegfried and Roy. In the meantime, can you solve this ferocious word ladder?
Can you make a word ladder from TIGER to STAGE?TIGER
Things some sorters make.
American retailer.
STAGEHint: there are two solutions to this puzzle, an 8-step answer, and a 13-step answer. We are looking for the 13-step solution.
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #275" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
[Image description: Curious Teaser Logo, a pink brain graphic overlaid on a blue virtual maze.]
In an interview with Esquire magazine titled "What I've Learned," Roy Horn described how rivalry kept his onstage relationship with Siegfried Fischbacher fresh, "Siegfried and I are partners, but at the same time, we are competitors. Each one wants the spotlight. Each one fights for it. Guess who gets it? The cat. Cats always get the spotlight." Siegfried and Roy, masters of the impossible, astonished millions with their magic tricks, and feline friends. Tune in tomorrow to learn more about the original tiger kings, Siegfried and Roy. In the meantime, can you solve this ferocious word ladder?
Can you make a word ladder from TIGER to STAGE?TIGER
Things some sorters make.
American retailer.
STAGEHint: there are two solutions to this puzzle, an 8-step answer, and a 13-step answer. We are looking for the 13-step solution.
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #275" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
[Image description: Curious Teaser Logo, a pink brain graphic overlaid on a blue virtual maze.]
February 26, 2021
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
What these disappearing features of the American landscape mean to us. And, Texas weather may be back in the mid-70s, but the people there are still dealing ...
What these disappearing features of the American landscape mean to us. And, Texas weather may be back in the mid-70s, but the people there are still dealing ...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day : February 26, 2021
megillah \muh-GHIL-uh\ noun
Definition
1 slang : a long involved story or account
2 slang a : an elaborate, complicat...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 26, 2021
megillah \muh-GHIL-uh\ noun
Definition
1 slang : a long involved story or account
2 slang a : an elaborate, complicat...
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5 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Over the past week, thousands of protesters rallied in rapper Pablo Hasél’s defense while hundreds of artists — including Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar a...
with PRI's The WorldOver the past week, thousands of protesters rallied in rapper Pablo Hasél’s defense while hundreds of artists — including Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar a...
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FREEMusic Song CurioFree2 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Mary J. Blige is known for bringing the house down when she sings, so it's no wonder her performance of Mighty River at the 2018 Oscars was a showstopper. Blige arrived onstage solo, using her powerful voice to lead the soulful piano ballad nominated for Best Original Song from the film Mudbound. Mighty River's themes of love overcoming racial boundaries might have been enough reason for Blige to make a memorable appearance at the awards ceremony, but it was far from the only reason she was there; Blige also played the role of Florence Jackson in the film about two World War II veterans—one black and one white—dealing with segregation and PTSD in Mississippi. Blige was nominated for [Best] Actress in a Supporting Role, becoming the first person ever nominated for both Original Song and Supporting Actress in the same year. Those are definitely reasons enough to bring out the gospel-influenced choir and celebrate with a few choruses of Mighty River!
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Lainey Gossip
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Mary J. Blige is known for bringing the house down when she sings, so it's no wonder her performance of Mighty River at the 2018 Oscars was a showstopper. Blige arrived onstage solo, using her powerful voice to lead the soulful piano ballad nominated for Best Original Song from the film Mudbound. Mighty River's themes of love overcoming racial boundaries might have been enough reason for Blige to make a memorable appearance at the awards ceremony, but it was far from the only reason she was there; Blige also played the role of Florence Jackson in the film about two World War II veterans—one black and one white—dealing with segregation and PTSD in Mississippi. Blige was nominated for [Best] Actress in a Supporting Role, becoming the first person ever nominated for both Original Song and Supporting Actress in the same year. Those are definitely reasons enough to bring out the gospel-influenced choir and celebrate with a few choruses of Mighty River!
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Lainey Gossip
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FREEAnimation Art CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Title: Blind Vaysha
Artist: Theodore Ushev (b. 1968), National Film Board of Canada
Created: 2016
Medium: digital animation
Released in February 2016, Blind Vaysha was a nominee for the Best Animated Short Oscar. The eight-minute film by Bulgarian-Canadian filmmaker Theodore Ushev tells the tale of a beautiful girl named Vaysha with an unusual disability; her left eye only sees a version of the world set in the past, whereas her right eye only sees the future. Torn between two unreliable versions of reality—one nostalgic and safe, another sinister and foreboding—she ponders which to choose to better live in the present moment. The unique narrative's images are made to resemble linocut, a type of relief carving done on a linoleum block. Ushev, who also created the illustrations, has been working with linocuts since age 12 and wanted the digital renderings to stay true to the unforgiving technique. He did so by "carving" away the images using a Cintiq tablet and not allowing himself to use the "undo" command. An estimated 12,000 to 13,000 drawings were created over six months for the final product. Whether it wins the award or not, we recommend seeing it for the impressive and beautiful execution. The sage message about the passage of time won't disappoint, either.
Watch the trailer below.
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Title: Blind Vaysha
Artist: Theodore Ushev (b. 1968), National Film Board of Canada
Created: 2016
Medium: digital animation
Released in February 2016, Blind Vaysha was a nominee for the Best Animated Short Oscar. The eight-minute film by Bulgarian-Canadian filmmaker Theodore Ushev tells the tale of a beautiful girl named Vaysha with an unusual disability; her left eye only sees a version of the world set in the past, whereas her right eye only sees the future. Torn between two unreliable versions of reality—one nostalgic and safe, another sinister and foreboding—she ponders which to choose to better live in the present moment. The unique narrative's images are made to resemble linocut, a type of relief carving done on a linoleum block. Ushev, who also created the illustrations, has been working with linocuts since age 12 and wanted the digital renderings to stay true to the unforgiving technique. He did so by "carving" away the images using a Cintiq tablet and not allowing himself to use the "undo" command. An estimated 12,000 to 13,000 drawings were created over six months for the final product. Whether it wins the award or not, we recommend seeing it for the impressive and beautiful execution. The sage message about the passage of time won't disappoint, either.
Watch the trailer below.
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Academy what? The first ever Academy Awards, which took place in May 1929, attracted only 270 people. Tickets to the event cost as little as 5 dollars (about $70 in today's currency) and the ceremony portion lasted a full 15 minutes. And it wasn't broadcast to outside audiences because winners had already been announced three months prior. Despite lacking the significance and glitz of today's Academy Awards, the event was actually attended by many film industry pioneers of the time, including some that hadn't yet become famous. In the picture above, see if you can spot Walt Disney, the Warner brothers, Charlie Chaplin, or Emil Jannings. The first award for Outstanding Picture (now known as Best Picture) was presented to the producers of Wings, a romance and war film based on World War I. Winners in all twelve categories received a firm handshake from Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Douglas Fairbanks, as well as a shiny gold statuette. That statuette would come to be known as "Oscar": the most coveted man in Hollywood for 92 years and counting.
Image credit & copyright: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Academy what? The first ever Academy Awards, which took place in May 1929, attracted only 270 people. Tickets to the event cost as little as 5 dollars (about $70 in today's currency) and the ceremony portion lasted a full 15 minutes. And it wasn't broadcast to outside audiences because winners had already been announced three months prior. Despite lacking the significance and glitz of today's Academy Awards, the event was actually attended by many film industry pioneers of the time, including some that hadn't yet become famous. In the picture above, see if you can spot Walt Disney, the Warner brothers, Charlie Chaplin, or Emil Jannings. The first award for Outstanding Picture (now known as Best Picture) was presented to the producers of Wings, a romance and war film based on World War I. Winners in all twelve categories received a firm handshake from Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Douglas Fairbanks, as well as a shiny gold statuette. That statuette would come to be known as "Oscar": the most coveted man in Hollywood for 92 years and counting.
Image credit & copyright: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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FREEComposition Daily CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
There are leading ladies, and then there are leader ladies. In 2018, the Oscar for best leading lady went to Frances McDormand for her role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. As opposed to leader ladies, who served as a way for film technicians to assure analog film had been properly processed and exposed. Attached to the film's leader—a piece of film that projectionists used to thread the film into the projector—were three to five frames of a glamorous-looking girl showing a decent amount of skin. These images allowed technicians to make sure the skin tone looked natural and consistent, given the subtle changes in lighting conditions and film stock from scene to scene and movie to movie. Lab workers used the leader ladies to make sure each copy of the negative preserved its true colors; and by assessing the quality of the skin tones, experts could determine the quality of the print. The women—and they were always women, save for the occasional mannequin—posed like movie stars, and were sometimes called "China Girls" because of their porcelain skin tones. Lab workers often had girlfriends, family members, or even reluctant coworkers pose for the images. Since they never were seen by the public, China Girl images inadvertently created a photo-documentation of the styles through the decades. Now, researchers from Harvard and the Chicago Film Society are finally giving them their overdue recognition with an exhibition and online archive. Leader ladies are finally getting a leading role.
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
There are leading ladies, and then there are leader ladies. In 2018, the Oscar for best leading lady went to Frances McDormand for her role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. As opposed to leader ladies, who served as a way for film technicians to assure analog film had been properly processed and exposed. Attached to the film's leader—a piece of film that projectionists used to thread the film into the projector—were three to five frames of a glamorous-looking girl showing a decent amount of skin. These images allowed technicians to make sure the skin tone looked natural and consistent, given the subtle changes in lighting conditions and film stock from scene to scene and movie to movie. Lab workers used the leader ladies to make sure each copy of the negative preserved its true colors; and by assessing the quality of the skin tones, experts could determine the quality of the print. The women—and they were always women, save for the occasional mannequin—posed like movie stars, and were sometimes called "China Girls" because of their porcelain skin tones. Lab workers often had girlfriends, family members, or even reluctant coworkers pose for the images. Since they never were seen by the public, China Girl images inadvertently created a photo-documentation of the styles through the decades. Now, researchers from Harvard and the Chicago Film Society are finally giving them their overdue recognition with an exhibition and online archive. Leader ladies are finally getting a leading role.
February 25, 2021
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6 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
President Joe Biden’s executive order to review supply chains will include everything from semiconductor chips to personal protective equipment. Plus, new ev...
President Joe Biden’s executive order to review supply chains will include everything from semiconductor chips to personal protective equipment. Plus, new ev...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day : February 25, 2021
slipshod \SLIP-SHAHD\ adjective
Definition
1 a : wearing loose shoes or slippers
b : down at the heel : shabby
2 : c...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 25, 2021
slipshod \SLIP-SHAHD\ adjective
Definition
1 a : wearing loose shoes or slippers
b : down at the heel : shabby
2 : c...
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
With the pandemic mostly behind them now, along with a lack of data around the efficacy of Chinese vaccines, many citizens are taking the “wait-and-see” appr...
with PRI's The WorldWith the pandemic mostly behind them now, along with a lack of data around the efficacy of Chinese vaccines, many citizens are taking the “wait-and-see” appr...
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FREEUS History Daily Curio #2190Free1 CQ
Last week, Texas experienced unprecedented power outages amid Winter Storm Uri. This wasn't the first time the system, managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), dealt with freeze-related failure. In 2011, during Super XLV, generators failed, leading to rolling blackouts. Turns out many of those generators had similarly failed in 1989. To understand why these generators failing led to mass blackouts requires some background on how the United States gets energy to consumers. In the contiguous United States, there are three electrical power grids: the Western Interconnection, the Eastern Interconnection, and ERCOT. Formally established in 1970, ERCOT is a nonprofit organization overseen by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Texas Legislature, and an unelected board (one third of whom lived outside of Texas before resigning yesterday). ERCOT covers most, but not all of Texas—parts of the panhandle, like El Paso, and East Texas, receive utilities from nearby states.
Because Texas is "off the grid," that is not connected to the other 47 mainland states, it cannot borrow energy in times of crisis. This design was intentional. During World War II, there was a substantial need for power along the Gulf Coast. Separate utilities in North and Central Texas combined forces to send excess energy to the region. For Texas, this interconnection also offered another opportunity—to evade federal oversight. Several years earlier, in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Power Act to regulate interstate energy commerce. Texas utilities vowed to keep all power created within the state, avoiding federal regulation. Even today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission cannot interfere in the state's energy operations or wholesale electricity sales. This system has always been a point of pride for free-market advocates. In the late 1990s, Texas went a step further in deregulating utilities. The legislature broke up existing utility companies into power generating, transmission and distribution, and consumer-serving companies. Supporters have argued this decision benefited companies and consumers. However, Texas must now reckon with the devastating outcomes of a system that allowed companies to self-regulate. By ignoring recommendations to winterize infrastructure, Texas energy companies prioritized profits over people. Some even cashed in from the surge in demand as people died of hypothermia, burned their possessions to stay warm, and faced food and water shortages. Meanwhile other companies are facing financial ruin.
And in case you're wondering clean energy is not to blame for the crisis. Texas only gets 1% of its energy from solar power, 11% from nuclear power, and 17% from wind power. (It turns out wind turbines thrive in cold places...even Antarctica.) The rest of the state's energy comes from natural gas and coal.
[Image description: The three large electric interconnections that span the United States, large parts of Canada, and a small part of Mexico. A very modest amount of power flows among these three regions over direct current cables so that the 60 Hz power is not synchronized among the regions. Hydro Québec, which is not shown, provides power to many states in the northeastern United States.] Credit & copyright: U.S. Department of Energy, 2016.Last week, Texas experienced unprecedented power outages amid Winter Storm Uri. This wasn't the first time the system, managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), dealt with freeze-related failure. In 2011, during Super XLV, generators failed, leading to rolling blackouts. Turns out many of those generators had similarly failed in 1989. To understand why these generators failing led to mass blackouts requires some background on how the United States gets energy to consumers. In the contiguous United States, there are three electrical power grids: the Western Interconnection, the Eastern Interconnection, and ERCOT. Formally established in 1970, ERCOT is a nonprofit organization overseen by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Texas Legislature, and an unelected board (one third of whom lived outside of Texas before resigning yesterday). ERCOT covers most, but not all of Texas—parts of the panhandle, like El Paso, and East Texas, receive utilities from nearby states.
Because Texas is "off the grid," that is not connected to the other 47 mainland states, it cannot borrow energy in times of crisis. This design was intentional. During World War II, there was a substantial need for power along the Gulf Coast. Separate utilities in North and Central Texas combined forces to send excess energy to the region. For Texas, this interconnection also offered another opportunity—to evade federal oversight. Several years earlier, in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Power Act to regulate interstate energy commerce. Texas utilities vowed to keep all power created within the state, avoiding federal regulation. Even today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission cannot interfere in the state's energy operations or wholesale electricity sales. This system has always been a point of pride for free-market advocates. In the late 1990s, Texas went a step further in deregulating utilities. The legislature broke up existing utility companies into power generating, transmission and distribution, and consumer-serving companies. Supporters have argued this decision benefited companies and consumers. However, Texas must now reckon with the devastating outcomes of a system that allowed companies to self-regulate. By ignoring recommendations to winterize infrastructure, Texas energy companies prioritized profits over people. Some even cashed in from the surge in demand as people died of hypothermia, burned their possessions to stay warm, and faced food and water shortages. Meanwhile other companies are facing financial ruin.
And in case you're wondering clean energy is not to blame for the crisis. Texas only gets 1% of its energy from solar power, 11% from nuclear power, and 17% from wind power. (It turns out wind turbines thrive in cold places...even Antarctica.) The rest of the state's energy comes from natural gas and coal.
[Image description: The three large electric interconnections that span the United States, large parts of Canada, and a small part of Mexico. A very modest amount of power flows among these three regions over direct current cables so that the 60 Hz power is not synchronized among the regions. Hydro Québec, which is not shown, provides power to many states in the northeastern United States.] Credit & copyright: U.S. Department of Energy, 2016. -
FREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
While some teens spend their summers prepping for the SATs or playing in the pool, others discover new planets. NASA recently published its findings on TOI-1338 b, an exoplanet or planet outside of our Solar System. 17-year-old intern Wolf Cukier discovered the planet in 2019. The teen was put in charge of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a device used to survey Earth-like planets in the universe. On his third day he discovered the unknown planet. TOI-1338 b is the only planet in the TOI-1338 system, which is 1,300 light years away. About seven times the size of Earth, it orbits its two stars, meaning it is a circumbinary planet. It completes its orbit every 95 days. TOI-1338 b is too far away to get a visual of the surface. Nonetheless, computer-generated images like the one above show the gaseous Neptune-like planet with a pink pastel-colored surface. Is it habitable? Absolutely not, but that won't stop us from wishing we could take our next summer vacation there!
[Image Description: a computer-generated rendering of the pink and purple gas giant planet TOI-1338 b.] Credit & copyright: NASA GODDARD
Written by: Esther P.
While some teens spend their summers prepping for the SATs or playing in the pool, others discover new planets. NASA recently published its findings on TOI-1338 b, an exoplanet or planet outside of our Solar System. 17-year-old intern Wolf Cukier discovered the planet in 2019. The teen was put in charge of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a device used to survey Earth-like planets in the universe. On his third day he discovered the unknown planet. TOI-1338 b is the only planet in the TOI-1338 system, which is 1,300 light years away. About seven times the size of Earth, it orbits its two stars, meaning it is a circumbinary planet. It completes its orbit every 95 days. TOI-1338 b is too far away to get a visual of the surface. Nonetheless, computer-generated images like the one above show the gaseous Neptune-like planet with a pink pastel-colored surface. Is it habitable? Absolutely not, but that won't stop us from wishing we could take our next summer vacation there!
[Image Description: a computer-generated rendering of the pink and purple gas giant planet TOI-1338 b.] Credit & copyright: NASA GODDARD
Written by: Esther P.
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
Regal is as regal does when it comes to Pat McGrath and her makeup work. McGrath recently became the first makeup artist to receive the title of Dame as a Member of the Order of the British Empire. While looking at McGrath's 2016 W magazine cover and editorial work with pop star Rihanna, it's easy to see why McGrath's inventiveness has made her one of the most in-demand makeup artists of the past 30 years. To give Rihanna the bejeweled look, McGrath initially applied a foundation from her own line called McGrath Labs Skin Fetish 003. From there, three-dimensional Cartier jewelry pieces were placed together to create the golden eyepiece. Gold flakes and liquid-appearing makeup effects were added beneath the eye, as well as the red lip color and paillettes. The overall effect is a futuristic baroque look, and definitely one of McGrath's most memorable works. We might even call it one of her crown jewels!
Image credit & copyright: Steven Klein / W Magazine
Written by: Esther P.
Regal is as regal does when it comes to Pat McGrath and her makeup work. McGrath recently became the first makeup artist to receive the title of Dame as a Member of the Order of the British Empire. While looking at McGrath's 2016 W magazine cover and editorial work with pop star Rihanna, it's easy to see why McGrath's inventiveness has made her one of the most in-demand makeup artists of the past 30 years. To give Rihanna the bejeweled look, McGrath initially applied a foundation from her own line called McGrath Labs Skin Fetish 003. From there, three-dimensional Cartier jewelry pieces were placed together to create the golden eyepiece. Gold flakes and liquid-appearing makeup effects were added beneath the eye, as well as the red lip color and paillettes. The overall effect is a futuristic baroque look, and definitely one of McGrath's most memorable works. We might even call it one of her crown jewels!
Image credit & copyright: Steven Klein / W Magazine
Written by: Esther P.
February 24, 2021
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
The latest development in the net neutrality saga. Plus, a milestone in the initiative aimed at reducing the vaccine divide between richer and developing cou...
The latest development in the net neutrality saga. Plus, a milestone in the initiative aimed at reducing the vaccine divide between richer and developing cou...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : February 24, 2021
fathom \FA-thum\ verb
Definition
1 : to make a searching exploratory investigation : probe
2 : to take soundings
3 :...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 24, 2021
fathom \FA-thum\ verb
Definition
1 : to make a searching exploratory investigation : probe
2 : to take soundings
3 :...
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Experts say that as the US rejoins the UN Human Rights Council, it should hold allies — and itself — accountable for human rights violations.
with PRI's The WorldExperts say that as the US rejoins the UN Human Rights Council, it should hold allies — and itself — accountable for human rights violations.
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FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
Move over Dolly, there's a new clone in town—and she's here to save a species! Born December 10th, Elizabeth Ann is a black-footed ferret unlike any other. Created from the genetic material a ferret named Willa who died more than 30 years ago, Elizabeth Ann is the first clone of a U.S. endangered species in history. Elizabeth Ann was created in a joint effort between five conservation and technology organizations. First, researchers extracted genetic material from Willa, who was frozen upon her death in 1988. They then transferred it into an egg cell which had had its own genetic material removed. The egg was implanted into the uterus of a domestic ferret, which gave birth to Elizabeth Ann. The process took seven years. As lead researcher Pete Gober remarked in an interview with CBS, "It takes extraordinary efforts to put humpty dumpty back together once you let him fall off the wall and get cracked." The "humpty-dumpty" Gober referred to is the black-footed ferret species, which used to roam throughout central North America.
Due to human encroachment, much of the prairie dog population, which black-footed ferrets depend on for survival, was wiped out. Today, only around 350 black-footed ferrets survive in the wild. All naturally-born black-footed ferrets alive today share the same seven ancestors. Such close inbreeding causes homozygosity, a state in which offspring are disproportionately affected by harmful recessive traits that would normally be selected out of the gene pool. Elizabeth Ann's genetic material would introduce much-needed genetic diversity to the species.
Researchers are now theorizing that cloning could be key to saving other endangered species, or even bringing back extinct ones, such as passenger pigeons or even wooly mammoths. To think such big things might be possible thanks to one little ferret!
[Image description: Elizabeth Ann, a cloned back-footed ferret, pokes her head out of a tube. Her fur is light brown and white with a dark brown stripe across her eye-area.] Credit & copyright: CNN
Written by: Maria C.
Move over Dolly, there's a new clone in town—and she's here to save a species! Born December 10th, Elizabeth Ann is a black-footed ferret unlike any other. Created from the genetic material a ferret named Willa who died more than 30 years ago, Elizabeth Ann is the first clone of a U.S. endangered species in history. Elizabeth Ann was created in a joint effort between five conservation and technology organizations. First, researchers extracted genetic material from Willa, who was frozen upon her death in 1988. They then transferred it into an egg cell which had had its own genetic material removed. The egg was implanted into the uterus of a domestic ferret, which gave birth to Elizabeth Ann. The process took seven years. As lead researcher Pete Gober remarked in an interview with CBS, "It takes extraordinary efforts to put humpty dumpty back together once you let him fall off the wall and get cracked." The "humpty-dumpty" Gober referred to is the black-footed ferret species, which used to roam throughout central North America.
Due to human encroachment, much of the prairie dog population, which black-footed ferrets depend on for survival, was wiped out. Today, only around 350 black-footed ferrets survive in the wild. All naturally-born black-footed ferrets alive today share the same seven ancestors. Such close inbreeding causes homozygosity, a state in which offspring are disproportionately affected by harmful recessive traits that would normally be selected out of the gene pool. Elizabeth Ann's genetic material would introduce much-needed genetic diversity to the species.
Researchers are now theorizing that cloning could be key to saving other endangered species, or even bringing back extinct ones, such as passenger pigeons or even wooly mammoths. To think such big things might be possible thanks to one little ferret!
[Image description: Elizabeth Ann, a cloned back-footed ferret, pokes her head out of a tube. Her fur is light brown and white with a dark brown stripe across her eye-area.] Credit & copyright: CNN
Written by: Maria C.
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FREESTEM Daily Curio #2189Free1 CQ
If you watched Super Bowl LV (that's 55), you might have been shocked to see so many people in the stadiums. While there were 25,000 people in attendance—a number substantially above the Center for Disease Control's current recommendations—there were also 30,000 cardboard cutouts designed to space out seats and make the stadium look fuller. Surprisingly, the cardboard cutouts were only one of the many safety measures being used by the National Football League (NFL) during the game. Each of the players was fitted with a contact tracing device designed by the German company KINEXON. The 15.4-gram sensor measures 47 x 33 x 7.55 millimeters, and was placed under the players' shoulder pads. (The NBA has also been using them in players' waistbands.) Equipped with an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer, the devices can produce metrics on players' acceleration, velocity, heart rate, core temperature, and more. While the sensors were designed as a training tool to evaluate players overall performance, they also are effective contact tracers. They generate data regarding how long players are in contact with one another, and at what proximity, with a margin of error of only 4 inches.
Alongside everyday preventative measures like hand washing and social distancing, contact tracing is one of the best ways to control the spread of Covid-19. If infected individuals are identified before they are symptomatic, isolated from others, and given treatment, additional transmission can be prevented. That's why KINEXON is now offering their modified devices to operations around the globe to assist with contract tracing. Of course, despite these measures, the Super Bowl still could have been a Covid-19 super spreader event. Of the 25,000 attendees, 7,500 were vaccinated healthcare workers who received free tickets and 3,000 were regularly test players, personnel, and staff. The remaining 14,500 fans were not required to be tested or vaccinated. Even in the open-air stadium, there was plenty of opportunity for Covid-19 transmission. With fans cheering or shouting, they could spread their droplets. Not to mention the fact that alcohol consumption increases the likelihood people do not follow safety protocols. Only time will tell if the Super Bowl was a super spreader event, especially as gatherings also occurred in bars, restaurants, and private homes across the country.
[Image description: A hand holds the Player Tracking Device.] Credit & copyright: KINEXON.If you watched Super Bowl LV (that's 55), you might have been shocked to see so many people in the stadiums. While there were 25,000 people in attendance—a number substantially above the Center for Disease Control's current recommendations—there were also 30,000 cardboard cutouts designed to space out seats and make the stadium look fuller. Surprisingly, the cardboard cutouts were only one of the many safety measures being used by the National Football League (NFL) during the game. Each of the players was fitted with a contact tracing device designed by the German company KINEXON. The 15.4-gram sensor measures 47 x 33 x 7.55 millimeters, and was placed under the players' shoulder pads. (The NBA has also been using them in players' waistbands.) Equipped with an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer, the devices can produce metrics on players' acceleration, velocity, heart rate, core temperature, and more. While the sensors were designed as a training tool to evaluate players overall performance, they also are effective contact tracers. They generate data regarding how long players are in contact with one another, and at what proximity, with a margin of error of only 4 inches.
Alongside everyday preventative measures like hand washing and social distancing, contact tracing is one of the best ways to control the spread of Covid-19. If infected individuals are identified before they are symptomatic, isolated from others, and given treatment, additional transmission can be prevented. That's why KINEXON is now offering their modified devices to operations around the globe to assist with contract tracing. Of course, despite these measures, the Super Bowl still could have been a Covid-19 super spreader event. Of the 25,000 attendees, 7,500 were vaccinated healthcare workers who received free tickets and 3,000 were regularly test players, personnel, and staff. The remaining 14,500 fans were not required to be tested or vaccinated. Even in the open-air stadium, there was plenty of opportunity for Covid-19 transmission. With fans cheering or shouting, they could spread their droplets. Not to mention the fact that alcohol consumption increases the likelihood people do not follow safety protocols. Only time will tell if the Super Bowl was a super spreader event, especially as gatherings also occurred in bars, restaurants, and private homes across the country.
[Image description: A hand holds the Player Tracking Device.] Credit & copyright: KINEXON. -
FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
The Beach Boys had a famously wholesome vibe, but sometimes the gloves came off! Although 1965's earworm Help Me Rhonda went on to become the Beach Boys' second number-one single, the song got off to a rough start. The band first attempted to record it on January 8, 1965, but an interloper took over during their studio session. Murry Wilson, father of band members Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, and uncle of band member Mike Love, showed up to the session seemingly just to disrupt it. Wilson drunkenly yelled at the band, focusing most of his abuse on his son Brian. Brian began shouting back and Wilson eventually left. The Beach Boys re-recorded the song's vocals the next day, and met on February 24 to re-do the song in its entirety before release. Al Jardine, the Beach Boys' lead guitarist, ended up singing lead vocals for the first time on the released version. The song was certainly worth all the trouble. With its boppy beat and repetitious, easy-to-remember chorus, Help Me Rhonda topped the charts for two weeks, beating out The Beatles' Ticket to Ride for the number one spot. Take that, Dad!
Image credit & copyright: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Written by: Maria C.
The Beach Boys had a famously wholesome vibe, but sometimes the gloves came off! Although 1965's earworm Help Me Rhonda went on to become the Beach Boys' second number-one single, the song got off to a rough start. The band first attempted to record it on January 8, 1965, but an interloper took over during their studio session. Murry Wilson, father of band members Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, and uncle of band member Mike Love, showed up to the session seemingly just to disrupt it. Wilson drunkenly yelled at the band, focusing most of his abuse on his son Brian. Brian began shouting back and Wilson eventually left. The Beach Boys re-recorded the song's vocals the next day, and met on February 24 to re-do the song in its entirety before release. Al Jardine, the Beach Boys' lead guitarist, ended up singing lead vocals for the first time on the released version. The song was certainly worth all the trouble. With its boppy beat and repetitious, easy-to-remember chorus, Help Me Rhonda topped the charts for two weeks, beating out The Beatles' Ticket to Ride for the number one spot. Take that, Dad!
Image credit & copyright: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Written by: Maria C.
February 23, 2021
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Two Japanese carriers have have stopped flying aircraft similar to the model that suffered engine failure in the U.S. Also, busin...
From the BBC World Service: Two Japanese carriers have have stopped flying aircraft similar to the model that suffered engine failure in the U.S. Also, busin...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day : February 23, 2021
habeas corpus \HAY-bee-us-KOR-pus\ noun
Definition
1 : any of several common-law writs issued to bring a party before ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 23, 2021
habeas corpus \HAY-bee-us-KOR-pus\ noun
Definition
1 : any of several common-law writs issued to bring a party before ...
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2 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree2 CQ
Host Carol Hills speaks to NASA aerospace engineer Diana Trujillo, who worked both on the robotic arm of the Perseverance rover and hosted the broadcast.
with PRI's The WorldHost Carol Hills speaks to NASA aerospace engineer Diana Trujillo, who worked both on the robotic arm of the Perseverance rover and hosted the broadcast.
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FREEHumanities Daily Curio #2188Free1 CQ
Every year in the United States, we celebrate Black History Month in February. But what, precisely, does that mean? Celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of black Americans as part of the official historical record began with Carter G. Woodson. A historian, Woodson was the second black man after W.E.B. DuBois to earn a PhD from Harvard. As the child of ex-slaves, Woodson witnessed firsthand the impact of slavery on black families, their cultures, and their communities. Yet, these voices were not part of U.S. History–they weren't taught in schools or recognized by historical institutions. In 1915, Woodson created a display about black progress and achievements at an event celebrating Illinois' ratification of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the U.S. Thousands of African-Americans from across the country were in attendance. Inspired by their presence, Woodson established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), and began publishing The Journal of Negro History in 1916. In 1924, Woodson helped his college fraternity Omega Psi Phi, an African-American organization founded at Howard University, promote Negro Achievement Week.
Just two years later, Woodson would take the project nationwide, promoting Negro History Week in a February press release from the ASNLH. In choosing mid-February for Negro History Week celebrations, Woodson acknowledged the traditions of black Americans celebrating Abraham Lincoln's and Frederick Douglass' birthdays (February 12th and 14th, respectively). Both men shaped the outcome of the Civil War, forever altering the history of black Americans. Negro History Week was a runaway success, with the ASNLH opening local branches and providing study materials like teacher lessons, plays, and calendars with important dates.
Woodson himself proved a model worthy of study as well: his intent was to have Negro History Week be a phase of a much larger and substantive change to the way history is taught and its previous omissions of Black achievement. He also famously rejected efforts to commercialize, whitewash, or trivialize Negro History Week just so U.S. companies and grifters could profit off of the popular event, even once going so far as to warn teachers not to invite speakers who had less knowledge of African-American History than the students themselves. Woodson's influence no doubt had an impact on students who would later become leaders and other activists of the Civil Rights Movement. In the 1960s, Frederick H. Hammurabi and the House of Knowledge cultural center for African consciousness in Chicago began celebrating Negro History Month. And in 1970, the Black United Students at Kent State University celebrated the first Black History Month. Under President Gerald Ford, the tradition of issuing proclamations endorsing Black History Month became an annual tradition. If Carter G. Woodson were alive today, we bet he'd be amazed at how far his Black history project has come, and how far still it has to go in transforming the ways history is taught in our country.
[Image description: Black and white headshot of a young Carter G. Woodson]. Credit & copyright: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Written by: Esther P.Every year in the United States, we celebrate Black History Month in February. But what, precisely, does that mean? Celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of black Americans as part of the official historical record began with Carter G. Woodson. A historian, Woodson was the second black man after W.E.B. DuBois to earn a PhD from Harvard. As the child of ex-slaves, Woodson witnessed firsthand the impact of slavery on black families, their cultures, and their communities. Yet, these voices were not part of U.S. History–they weren't taught in schools or recognized by historical institutions. In 1915, Woodson created a display about black progress and achievements at an event celebrating Illinois' ratification of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the U.S. Thousands of African-Americans from across the country were in attendance. Inspired by their presence, Woodson established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), and began publishing The Journal of Negro History in 1916. In 1924, Woodson helped his college fraternity Omega Psi Phi, an African-American organization founded at Howard University, promote Negro Achievement Week.
Just two years later, Woodson would take the project nationwide, promoting Negro History Week in a February press release from the ASNLH. In choosing mid-February for Negro History Week celebrations, Woodson acknowledged the traditions of black Americans celebrating Abraham Lincoln's and Frederick Douglass' birthdays (February 12th and 14th, respectively). Both men shaped the outcome of the Civil War, forever altering the history of black Americans. Negro History Week was a runaway success, with the ASNLH opening local branches and providing study materials like teacher lessons, plays, and calendars with important dates.
Woodson himself proved a model worthy of study as well: his intent was to have Negro History Week be a phase of a much larger and substantive change to the way history is taught and its previous omissions of Black achievement. He also famously rejected efforts to commercialize, whitewash, or trivialize Negro History Week just so U.S. companies and grifters could profit off of the popular event, even once going so far as to warn teachers not to invite speakers who had less knowledge of African-American History than the students themselves. Woodson's influence no doubt had an impact on students who would later become leaders and other activists of the Civil Rights Movement. In the 1960s, Frederick H. Hammurabi and the House of Knowledge cultural center for African consciousness in Chicago began celebrating Negro History Month. And in 1970, the Black United Students at Kent State University celebrated the first Black History Month. Under President Gerald Ford, the tradition of issuing proclamations endorsing Black History Month became an annual tradition. If Carter G. Woodson were alive today, we bet he'd be amazed at how far his Black history project has come, and how far still it has to go in transforming the ways history is taught in our country.
[Image description: Black and white headshot of a young Carter G. Woodson]. Credit & copyright: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Written by: Esther P. -
FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
Baby animals are always a joy, but even more so when they're helping to save an entire species! On January 6, 2021, an Indian rhinoceros calf was born at the Wroclaw Zoo, in Poland, for the first time in the zoo's 155-year history. The female calf is one of around only 3,600 Indian rhinos in the world, with 2,100-2,200 existing in the wild. Only 66 zoos, worldwide, keep Indian Rhinos, which must be kept indoors, in cold temperatures. In 2020, only 7 Indian rhino calves were born in captivity. Yet, not long ago, the Indian rhino's plight was even more dire than it is today. In the 1970s, due to a combination of lax hunting laws and illegal poaching, Indian rhinos had almost disappeared from their native grasslands in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The Indian and Nepalese governments, in conjunction with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), started a successful conservation program, and the first breeding pair of Indian rhinos were reintroduced to Pakistan's Lal Suhanra National Park in 1982. Today, every new Indian rhino calf brings the species one step closer to full health. If only we could all be considered heroes just for being born!
A baby Indian rhino walks on hay in an indoor enclosure. Credit & copyright: Zoo Wrocław/AP
Written by: Maria C.
Baby animals are always a joy, but even more so when they're helping to save an entire species! On January 6, 2021, an Indian rhinoceros calf was born at the Wroclaw Zoo, in Poland, for the first time in the zoo's 155-year history. The female calf is one of around only 3,600 Indian rhinos in the world, with 2,100-2,200 existing in the wild. Only 66 zoos, worldwide, keep Indian Rhinos, which must be kept indoors, in cold temperatures. In 2020, only 7 Indian rhino calves were born in captivity. Yet, not long ago, the Indian rhino's plight was even more dire than it is today. In the 1970s, due to a combination of lax hunting laws and illegal poaching, Indian rhinos had almost disappeared from their native grasslands in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The Indian and Nepalese governments, in conjunction with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), started a successful conservation program, and the first breeding pair of Indian rhinos were reintroduced to Pakistan's Lal Suhanra National Park in 1982. Today, every new Indian rhino calf brings the species one step closer to full health. If only we could all be considered heroes just for being born!
A baby Indian rhino walks on hay in an indoor enclosure. Credit & copyright: Zoo Wrocław/AP
Written by: Maria C.
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
Songbirds are normally peaceful animals, but when birdseed is involved, all bets are off! American Wildlife photographer Jocelyn Anderson has been photographing birds for years. Two of her photos were even featured in the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards Top 100. In 2020, she became known for her videos and photos of wild birds eating out of her hand. In the photo above, two birds spar over Anderson's outstretched hand, which is filled with seeds, nuts, and pieces of fruit. The smaller of the two birds, a Black-capped chickadee, attempts to fend off a grey-and-orange tufted titmouse, which hangs off the side of Anderson's hand. Such squabbles are just some of the fascinating bird interactions Anderson captures, both on video and in photos. Her technique for luring birds close to her, which is shared on the "How to Hand Feed Birds'' section of her website, takes a lot of patience to master. She suggests placing a chair in a particular spot, then arranging clothes in a chair to approximate the figure of a person, and leaving seed out, in the figure's "hand" (empty glove) to get the birds used to the process. For Anderson, the dedication has certainly paid off!
Image credit & copyright: Jocelyn Anderson
Written by: Maria C.
Songbirds are normally peaceful animals, but when birdseed is involved, all bets are off! American Wildlife photographer Jocelyn Anderson has been photographing birds for years. Two of her photos were even featured in the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards Top 100. In 2020, she became known for her videos and photos of wild birds eating out of her hand. In the photo above, two birds spar over Anderson's outstretched hand, which is filled with seeds, nuts, and pieces of fruit. The smaller of the two birds, a Black-capped chickadee, attempts to fend off a grey-and-orange tufted titmouse, which hangs off the side of Anderson's hand. Such squabbles are just some of the fascinating bird interactions Anderson captures, both on video and in photos. Her technique for luring birds close to her, which is shared on the "How to Hand Feed Birds'' section of her website, takes a lot of patience to master. She suggests placing a chair in a particular spot, then arranging clothes in a chair to approximate the figure of a person, and leaving seed out, in the figure's "hand" (empty glove) to get the birds used to the process. For Anderson, the dedication has certainly paid off!
Image credit & copyright: Jocelyn Anderson
Written by: Maria C.
February 22, 2021
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5 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Houthi militias have renewed their military campaign to take over Marib, Yemen. Nadwa al-Dawsari, a scholar at the Middle East Institute, tells The World wha...
with PRI's The WorldHouthi militias have renewed their military campaign to take over Marib, Yemen. Nadwa al-Dawsari, a scholar at the Middle East Institute, tells The World wha...
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
The Small Business administration is going to open up a special two-week lending window starting Wednesday as part of an effort to aid smaller firms and comp...
The Small Business administration is going to open up a special two-week lending window starting Wednesday as part of an effort to aid smaller firms and comp...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day : February 22, 2021
retarget \ree-TAHR-gut\ verb
Definition
: to direct (something) toward a different target
Did You Know?
The verb r...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 22, 2021
retarget \ree-TAHR-gut\ verb
Definition
: to direct (something) toward a different target
Did You Know?
The verb r...
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FREEAstronomy Daily Curio #2187Free1 CQ
"Any road trip needs tasty snacks, and the same could be said for a mission speeding across deep space"—at least that's what NASA and the Canadian Space Agency are touting with their Deep Space Food Challenge. NASA's Centennial Challenges Program will issue a $500,000 prize for novel and game-changing food technologies to be used in lunar missions. The food production technologies must feed a crew of 4 for a three-year round-trip mission with no resupply. It must also improve food accessibility on Earth while minimizing waste. In Phase 1 of the competition, up to 20 U.S.-based teams will be selected as winners and receive $25,000 each. Additionally, they will be eligible for future phases of competition. The international partners hope winning technology will spice up space cuisine.
In space, your sense of taste changes. Astronauts report feeling like they are constantly congested, making everything they eat taste a bit blander. Any food that crumbles is a potential hazard—little crumbs can become wedged in systems with disastrous results. Seasonings, like salt and pepper, come in liquid form. As some of us may have learned from Covid-19 lockdowns, eating the same thing regularly can get tiring. "Food boredom" is a real phenomenon, particularly for astronauts. For example, on the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts can choose from about 200 different items. While that may seem like a lot, remember all food is stored at ambient temperature, and is either free-dried thermostabilized. Sounds tasty? Nonetheless, the ISS has the most diverse space food options because of its location in low-Earth orbit. Astronauts aboard the ISS receive regular supply deliveries, including the occasional bundle of produce.
For this competition, designs must consider deep space conditions. According to Grace Douglas, Sara Zwart, and Scott Smith, these space food must meet the following requirements. First, it must be free from microbiological, physical, or chemical risk. It must also be stable and palatable, able to withstand deep space conditions for years and still taste good. Providing nutritious food that is also varied is important for astronauts to maintain their energy. And finally, making food in space must take up minimal resources. Water, power, and waste is limited, so ensuring food relies on these resources as little as possible is essential. For those of you who've mastered the art of food storage during the pandemic, this just might be up your alley!
[Image description: An astronaut holds a picnic basket with fresh produce. Overlaid is a quote by James Beard, "Food is our common ground, a universal experience."] Copyright by Deep Space Food Challenge."Any road trip needs tasty snacks, and the same could be said for a mission speeding across deep space"—at least that's what NASA and the Canadian Space Agency are touting with their Deep Space Food Challenge. NASA's Centennial Challenges Program will issue a $500,000 prize for novel and game-changing food technologies to be used in lunar missions. The food production technologies must feed a crew of 4 for a three-year round-trip mission with no resupply. It must also improve food accessibility on Earth while minimizing waste. In Phase 1 of the competition, up to 20 U.S.-based teams will be selected as winners and receive $25,000 each. Additionally, they will be eligible for future phases of competition. The international partners hope winning technology will spice up space cuisine.
In space, your sense of taste changes. Astronauts report feeling like they are constantly congested, making everything they eat taste a bit blander. Any food that crumbles is a potential hazard—little crumbs can become wedged in systems with disastrous results. Seasonings, like salt and pepper, come in liquid form. As some of us may have learned from Covid-19 lockdowns, eating the same thing regularly can get tiring. "Food boredom" is a real phenomenon, particularly for astronauts. For example, on the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts can choose from about 200 different items. While that may seem like a lot, remember all food is stored at ambient temperature, and is either free-dried thermostabilized. Sounds tasty? Nonetheless, the ISS has the most diverse space food options because of its location in low-Earth orbit. Astronauts aboard the ISS receive regular supply deliveries, including the occasional bundle of produce.
For this competition, designs must consider deep space conditions. According to Grace Douglas, Sara Zwart, and Scott Smith, these space food must meet the following requirements. First, it must be free from microbiological, physical, or chemical risk. It must also be stable and palatable, able to withstand deep space conditions for years and still taste good. Providing nutritious food that is also varied is important for astronauts to maintain their energy. And finally, making food in space must take up minimal resources. Water, power, and waste is limited, so ensuring food relies on these resources as little as possible is essential. For those of you who've mastered the art of food storage during the pandemic, this just might be up your alley!
[Image description: An astronaut holds a picnic basket with fresh produce. Overlaid is a quote by James Beard, "Food is our common ground, a universal experience."] Copyright by Deep Space Food Challenge. -
FREEAesthetic Art CurioFree1 CQ
With My Cousins nem
DeAnn Wiley (b. 1993)
2020
Digital
Detroit, Michigan"Bubble gum, bubble gum, penny in a packet!" We can just hear the girls in DeAnn Wiley's With My Cousins nem having the best double dutch-time. Wiley, who is currently studying counseling psychology, began her recent digital art series Memories Collection during the covid shutdowns. She took the opportunity to reach out to her mom, sister, and cousins in efforts to recreate scenes from family life in Detroit, Michigan. While the artistic style of With My Cousins nem is similar to two-dimensional collage works—like those of 20th century painters influenced by the geometry of African art—details like the floral clothing prints, dynamic hair styles, and screen door irons proved artistic challenges for Wiley. "I typically shy away from bold patterns," Wiley told us, noting she strove to precisely recreate the looks of objects like her grandmother's rug or screen door. To top off the personal touches, Wiley often uses African-American Vernacular English (abbreviated to AAVE) in her titles, in this case referencing "nem," ("and them") in that so many young cousins hung around grandma's house, the group would be referred to as "nem." If that doesn't sound like a home full of love and memories, we don't know what does.
Below: more of Wiley's art, including Let me just Bump the Ends and Grown Folk Bidness.
Written by: Esther P.With My Cousins nem
DeAnn Wiley (b. 1993)
2020
Digital
Detroit, Michigan"Bubble gum, bubble gum, penny in a packet!" We can just hear the girls in DeAnn Wiley's With My Cousins nem having the best double dutch-time. Wiley, who is currently studying counseling psychology, began her recent digital art series Memories Collection during the covid shutdowns. She took the opportunity to reach out to her mom, sister, and cousins in efforts to recreate scenes from family life in Detroit, Michigan. While the artistic style of With My Cousins nem is similar to two-dimensional collage works—like those of 20th century painters influenced by the geometry of African art—details like the floral clothing prints, dynamic hair styles, and screen door irons proved artistic challenges for Wiley. "I typically shy away from bold patterns," Wiley told us, noting she strove to precisely recreate the looks of objects like her grandmother's rug or screen door. To top off the personal touches, Wiley often uses African-American Vernacular English (abbreviated to AAVE) in her titles, in this case referencing "nem," ("and them") in that so many young cousins hung around grandma's house, the group would be referred to as "nem." If that doesn't sound like a home full of love and memories, we don't know what does.
Below: more of Wiley's art, including Let me just Bump the Ends and Grown Folk Bidness.
Written by: Esther P.
February 21, 2021
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : February 21, 2021
cognoscente \kahn-yuh-SHEN-tee\ noun
Definition
: a person who has expert knowledge in a subject : connoisseur
Did Yo...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 21, 2021
cognoscente \kahn-yuh-SHEN-tee\ noun
Definition
: a person who has expert knowledge in a subject : connoisseur
Did Yo...
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Elected officials in Washington get into the GameStop trading frenzy today. Plus, 861,000 more people registered for unemployment last week. Before the pande...
Elected officials in Washington get into the GameStop trading frenzy today. Plus, 861,000 more people registered for unemployment last week. Before the pande...
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6 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree4 CQ
The generals, most of whom are ethnically Burmese, have immense power but little public support. Their coup has enraged much of the population, from the moun...
with PRI's The WorldThe generals, most of whom are ethnically Burmese, have immense power but little public support. Their coup has enraged much of the population, from the moun...
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FREEUS History PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
A passionate speaker who minced no words in his quest to empower Black Americans, Malcolm X is one of the most famous civil rights leaders in U.S. history , alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. However, he and King used very different tactics to fight the same injustices. Malcolm was tragically assassinated on this day in 1965, just three years before King's own assassination. He remains one of the most controversial figures of his time.
Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, to activists Louise and Earl Little, he was one of seven children. Malcolm's parents were admirers of Jamaican civil rights activist Marcus Garvey. His father was outspoken about racial equality, and his family was under constant threat from white supremacists—the Ku Klux Klan and the Black Legion (a Klan splinter group) attacked their home on several occasions. In 1931, when Malcolm was six, his father was hit and killed by a streetcar. Though police called his father's death an accident, Malcolm's mother and other Black community members believed he was murdered. In 1938, Malcolm's mother suffered a nervous breakdown and was committed to a mental hospital. Malcolm and his siblings were separated and sent to foster homes.
In spite of the tragedies he'd faced, Malcolm excelled in school. He loved to read, and dreamed of becoming a lawyer. While attending Mason High School in Michigan, a white teacher told Malcolm he could never become a lawyer because he was black. Disheartened, Malcolm dropped out of school. He moved to Boston, then to Harlem, where, around the age of 21, he began committing crimes, including drug-dealing and robbery. When Malcolm moved back to Boston, in 1945, he was arrested for robbery and sentenced to eight to ten years in prison. Malcolm's incarceration proved to be a new beginning.
In prison, Malcolm read about the history of slavery and the United States education system. "You couldn’t have gotten me out of books with a wedge," he later wrote, in his autobiography. His reading guided him to the Nation of Islam, a religious and political movement for Black Americans led by Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm began exchanging letters with Muhammad. He also changed his name to "Malcolm X", later explaining that, "For me, my 'X' replaced the white slavemaster name of 'Little' which some blue-eyed devil named Little had imposed upon my paternal forebears."
After leaving prison on parole in 1952, Malcolm rapidly rose within the ranks of the Nation of Islam, becoming one of its best-known ministers. By 1954, he led the Nation's Temple Number 7, in Harlem. He became known to most Americans in 1957, after he and other Nation of Islam members marched on a New York police station where several of their members were being held. Although the F.B.I. began aggressively tracking Malcolm, his popularity only increased. However, as the American Civil Rights Movement came into full swing in the late 50s and early 60s, and Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as its leader, Malcolm's beliefs faced greater public scrutiny from Black Americans.
At the time, the Nation of Islam held ideas that were troubling to many Americans, such as the idea that Blacks were superior to whites, and that they needed to form their own nation (an idea called Black Nationalism). Because the American Civil Rights Movement focused on integration, Malcolm took issue with it. In several fiery speeches, Malcolm simultaneously sought to empower Black Americans and tear down the idea of integration, even going so far as to call the 1963 March on Washington "the farce on Washington." Malcolm also disagreed with King's non-violent approach to Civil Rights. Nonetheless, in 1964, Malcolm broke from the Nation of Islam because he believed they weren't active enough in promoting civil rights.
In 1964, Malcolm took an extended trip to Africa and the Middle East which seemed to change his view of the American Civil Rights Movement. He later wrote, "the true brotherhood I had seen had influenced me to recognize that anger can blind human vision." Unfortunately, less than a year later, Malcolm X was shot by three Nation of Islam members as he tried to break up a scuffle at the Organization of Afro-American Unity, in Manhattan. Today, he is remembered as a man who spoke plainly about the violence facing Black Americans and the solutions he thought were appropriate, regardless of whether his beliefs made others uncomfortable.
Image credit & copyright: History.com
Written by: Maria C.A passionate speaker who minced no words in his quest to empower Black Americans, Malcolm X is one of the most famous civil rights leaders in U.S. history , alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. However, he and King used very different tactics to fight the same injustices. Malcolm was tragically assassinated on this day in 1965, just three years before King's own assassination. He remains one of the most controversial figures of his time.
Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, to activists Louise and Earl Little, he was one of seven children. Malcolm's parents were admirers of Jamaican civil rights activist Marcus Garvey. His father was outspoken about racial equality, and his family was under constant threat from white supremacists—the Ku Klux Klan and the Black Legion (a Klan splinter group) attacked their home on several occasions. In 1931, when Malcolm was six, his father was hit and killed by a streetcar. Though police called his father's death an accident, Malcolm's mother and other Black community members believed he was murdered. In 1938, Malcolm's mother suffered a nervous breakdown and was committed to a mental hospital. Malcolm and his siblings were separated and sent to foster homes.
In spite of the tragedies he'd faced, Malcolm excelled in school. He loved to read, and dreamed of becoming a lawyer. While attending Mason High School in Michigan, a white teacher told Malcolm he could never become a lawyer because he was black. Disheartened, Malcolm dropped out of school. He moved to Boston, then to Harlem, where, around the age of 21, he began committing crimes, including drug-dealing and robbery. When Malcolm moved back to Boston, in 1945, he was arrested for robbery and sentenced to eight to ten years in prison. Malcolm's incarceration proved to be a new beginning.
In prison, Malcolm read about the history of slavery and the United States education system. "You couldn’t have gotten me out of books with a wedge," he later wrote, in his autobiography. His reading guided him to the Nation of Islam, a religious and political movement for Black Americans led by Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm began exchanging letters with Muhammad. He also changed his name to "Malcolm X", later explaining that, "For me, my 'X' replaced the white slavemaster name of 'Little' which some blue-eyed devil named Little had imposed upon my paternal forebears."
After leaving prison on parole in 1952, Malcolm rapidly rose within the ranks of the Nation of Islam, becoming one of its best-known ministers. By 1954, he led the Nation's Temple Number 7, in Harlem. He became known to most Americans in 1957, after he and other Nation of Islam members marched on a New York police station where several of their members were being held. Although the F.B.I. began aggressively tracking Malcolm, his popularity only increased. However, as the American Civil Rights Movement came into full swing in the late 50s and early 60s, and Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as its leader, Malcolm's beliefs faced greater public scrutiny from Black Americans.
At the time, the Nation of Islam held ideas that were troubling to many Americans, such as the idea that Blacks were superior to whites, and that they needed to form their own nation (an idea called Black Nationalism). Because the American Civil Rights Movement focused on integration, Malcolm took issue with it. In several fiery speeches, Malcolm simultaneously sought to empower Black Americans and tear down the idea of integration, even going so far as to call the 1963 March on Washington "the farce on Washington." Malcolm also disagreed with King's non-violent approach to Civil Rights. Nonetheless, in 1964, Malcolm broke from the Nation of Islam because he believed they weren't active enough in promoting civil rights.
In 1964, Malcolm took an extended trip to Africa and the Middle East which seemed to change his view of the American Civil Rights Movement. He later wrote, "the true brotherhood I had seen had influenced me to recognize that anger can blind human vision." Unfortunately, less than a year later, Malcolm X was shot by three Nation of Islam members as he tried to break up a scuffle at the Organization of Afro-American Unity, in Manhattan. Today, he is remembered as a man who spoke plainly about the violence facing Black Americans and the solutions he thought were appropriate, regardless of whether his beliefs made others uncomfortable.
Image credit & copyright: History.com
Written by: Maria C.