Curio Cabinet
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October 15, 2024
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Leaders and officials from India, Pakistan, China and other countries in the region will meet in Islamabad during the Shanghai Co...
From the BBC World Service: Leaders and officials from India, Pakistan, China and other countries in the region will meet in Islamabad during the Shanghai Co...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: October 15, 2024\ren-DISH-un\ noun
What It Means
A rendition, simply put, is the act or result of rendering something. That...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: October 15, 2024\ren-DISH-un\ noun
What It Means
A rendition, simply put, is the act or result of rendering something. That...
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FREEHumanities Daily Curio #2960Free1 CQ
It’s not often that a mystery starts solving itself. Around 100 years ago, two British mountaineers, George Mallory and Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, disappeared during their attempt to be the first to summit Mount Everest. Mallory’s remains were found in 1999, but Irvine's were missing until recently, when his boot and foot were discovered by a National Geographic documentary team. Born on April 8, 1902, Irvine was a young but talented mountaineer serving as the oxygen officer in Mallory’s doomed expedition to Everest. Since the pair went missing during their ascent, they have been the subject of the most famous mountaineering mystery in history: did they reach the summit? When Mallory’s body was discovered in 1999, it shed some light on the matter. Inside one of the mountaineer’s pockets were his dark goggles, indicating that it was dark when he became injured. Missing was a photograph of his wife, which he had promised to leave on the summit. These two bits of evidence suggested that Mallory may have been descending later in the evening, possibly having reached the summit. However, there wasn’t anything definitive to prove the expedition’s success. What might settle the debate once and for all is Irvine’s film roll. Irvine was known to have carried a camera on the expedition, and had they reached the summit, he surely would have snapped a photo or two. Although Irvine’s complete remains are yet to be discovered, a 1933 expedition located his ice ax on the northeast ridge of the Central Rongbuk Glacier. Back in September, the National Geographic documentary team led by filmmaker Jimmy Chin discovered an oxygen tank belonging to that expedition, giving them a clue as to Irvine’s final resting place. Soon after, they found a boot—still containing a sock-covered foot—that had melted out of the glacier. Chine immediately knew who the foot belonged to, because stitched into the sock in red thread were letters that spelled out “A.C. IRVINE.” For now, the remains are in the custody of the China-Tibet Mountaineering Association, though Chin took a DNA sample to confirm that it truly belongs to Irvine. But even that may not be entirely necessary. As Chin told National Geographic, “But I mean, dude. There's a label on it.” After 100 years though, what’s a few more days of waiting?
[Image description: Mount Everest and surrounding mountain peaks.] Credit & copyright: Gavin Challand (Gavidipus), Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Gavidipus at English Wikipedia. This applies worldwide.It’s not often that a mystery starts solving itself. Around 100 years ago, two British mountaineers, George Mallory and Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, disappeared during their attempt to be the first to summit Mount Everest. Mallory’s remains were found in 1999, but Irvine's were missing until recently, when his boot and foot were discovered by a National Geographic documentary team. Born on April 8, 1902, Irvine was a young but talented mountaineer serving as the oxygen officer in Mallory’s doomed expedition to Everest. Since the pair went missing during their ascent, they have been the subject of the most famous mountaineering mystery in history: did they reach the summit? When Mallory’s body was discovered in 1999, it shed some light on the matter. Inside one of the mountaineer’s pockets were his dark goggles, indicating that it was dark when he became injured. Missing was a photograph of his wife, which he had promised to leave on the summit. These two bits of evidence suggested that Mallory may have been descending later in the evening, possibly having reached the summit. However, there wasn’t anything definitive to prove the expedition’s success. What might settle the debate once and for all is Irvine’s film roll. Irvine was known to have carried a camera on the expedition, and had they reached the summit, he surely would have snapped a photo or two. Although Irvine’s complete remains are yet to be discovered, a 1933 expedition located his ice ax on the northeast ridge of the Central Rongbuk Glacier. Back in September, the National Geographic documentary team led by filmmaker Jimmy Chin discovered an oxygen tank belonging to that expedition, giving them a clue as to Irvine’s final resting place. Soon after, they found a boot—still containing a sock-covered foot—that had melted out of the glacier. Chine immediately knew who the foot belonged to, because stitched into the sock in red thread were letters that spelled out “A.C. IRVINE.” For now, the remains are in the custody of the China-Tibet Mountaineering Association, though Chin took a DNA sample to confirm that it truly belongs to Irvine. But even that may not be entirely necessary. As Chin told National Geographic, “But I mean, dude. There's a label on it.” After 100 years though, what’s a few more days of waiting?
[Image description: Mount Everest and surrounding mountain peaks.] Credit & copyright: Gavin Challand (Gavidipus), Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Gavidipus at English Wikipedia. This applies worldwide.
October 14, 2024
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
It’s like looking at a landscape through tears of awe. American painter George Inness was a prolific artist whose style was characterized by reverence for nature. His piece above, Sunny Autumn Day, depicts a grove of trees with red and orange leaves against a blue sky. In the background are some buildings and in the foreground is the faint trace of a walking path. Born in 1825, Inness created over 1,000 paintings in the span of 50 years. Almost exclusively a landscape painter, Inness only briefly received any formal training. Instead, he derived his personal style from careful studies of works by artists like Claude Lorrain, Salvator Rosa, Thomas Cole, and Asher B. Durand. Inness was also inspired by the idea that there was divine influence in nature, and he sought to capture this in his paintings by being as faithful to the subject as possible. The piece above comes from later in his career, when his works were defined by loose brushwork that captured the essence of the scenery while stripping away the extraneous. It’s like a cozy autumn dream, but too vibrant to be just your imagination.
Sunny Autumn Day, George Inness (1825–1894), 1892, Oil on canvas, 31.87 x 41.75 in. (81 x 106 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright: George Inness (1825–1894), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Anonymous Gift 1956.578. Public domain, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation.It’s like looking at a landscape through tears of awe. American painter George Inness was a prolific artist whose style was characterized by reverence for nature. His piece above, Sunny Autumn Day, depicts a grove of trees with red and orange leaves against a blue sky. In the background are some buildings and in the foreground is the faint trace of a walking path. Born in 1825, Inness created over 1,000 paintings in the span of 50 years. Almost exclusively a landscape painter, Inness only briefly received any formal training. Instead, he derived his personal style from careful studies of works by artists like Claude Lorrain, Salvator Rosa, Thomas Cole, and Asher B. Durand. Inness was also inspired by the idea that there was divine influence in nature, and he sought to capture this in his paintings by being as faithful to the subject as possible. The piece above comes from later in his career, when his works were defined by loose brushwork that captured the essence of the scenery while stripping away the extraneous. It’s like a cozy autumn dream, but too vibrant to be just your imagination.
Sunny Autumn Day, George Inness (1825–1894), 1892, Oil on canvas, 31.87 x 41.75 in. (81 x 106 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright: George Inness (1825–1894), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Anonymous Gift 1956.578. Public domain, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation. -
FREEGardening Daily Curio #2959Free1 CQ
Weeds: the bane of every fastidious gardener’s existence—or are they? Many plants are much maligned as unwanted weeds even in their own native habitats, where they can be helpful to local wildlife and soil quality. The University of Oxford is looking to change that by setting up a garden where the plants are pampered rather than pulled. Located within Oxford’s Begbroke Science Park, The Weed Garden is just what it sounds like. Filled with native plants alongside limestone furniture, the garden showcases many species that are considered undesirable today by horticulturalists. But once upon a time, some of these plants were valued for their utility and beauty. Some were used as medicine, while others were used to flavor food. Others, like dandelions, can be safely eaten from root to leaves. The designer of The Weed Garden, Sarah Alun-Jones, explained to Positive News that weeds’ bad reputation is mostly due to the aesthetic standards set by horticulturalists, despite the fact that many popular garden plants were originally developed from wild ones. Of course, the wild counterparts of selectively bred flowers and shrubs do look a little rough around the edges, but they can still play a valuable role in yards. Many gardeners nowadays are actually allowing native plants to grow in their lawns because they can cycle nutrients in the soil while providing sustenance to native insect species and pollinators, creating a healthier ecosystem. As The Weed Garden rehabilitates the image of native plants, it’s also undoing some of the damage done in the past at its home in Begbroke Science Park. Begbroke was once the site of the Weed Research Organisation, which developed herbicides between 1960 and 1985. Still, the Weed Research Organisation never came up with a definition for what a weed actually is, nor has anyone else. According to Alun-Jones, the horticultural definition of a weed is simply “a plant in the wrong place.” In that case, if all the plants in The Weed Garden are meant to be there, is it really a weed garden?
[Image description: A cluster of yellow dandelions with green leaves surrounded by grass.] Credit & copyright: Cbaile19, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.Weeds: the bane of every fastidious gardener’s existence—or are they? Many plants are much maligned as unwanted weeds even in their own native habitats, where they can be helpful to local wildlife and soil quality. The University of Oxford is looking to change that by setting up a garden where the plants are pampered rather than pulled. Located within Oxford’s Begbroke Science Park, The Weed Garden is just what it sounds like. Filled with native plants alongside limestone furniture, the garden showcases many species that are considered undesirable today by horticulturalists. But once upon a time, some of these plants were valued for their utility and beauty. Some were used as medicine, while others were used to flavor food. Others, like dandelions, can be safely eaten from root to leaves. The designer of The Weed Garden, Sarah Alun-Jones, explained to Positive News that weeds’ bad reputation is mostly due to the aesthetic standards set by horticulturalists, despite the fact that many popular garden plants were originally developed from wild ones. Of course, the wild counterparts of selectively bred flowers and shrubs do look a little rough around the edges, but they can still play a valuable role in yards. Many gardeners nowadays are actually allowing native plants to grow in their lawns because they can cycle nutrients in the soil while providing sustenance to native insect species and pollinators, creating a healthier ecosystem. As The Weed Garden rehabilitates the image of native plants, it’s also undoing some of the damage done in the past at its home in Begbroke Science Park. Begbroke was once the site of the Weed Research Organisation, which developed herbicides between 1960 and 1985. Still, the Weed Research Organisation never came up with a definition for what a weed actually is, nor has anyone else. According to Alun-Jones, the horticultural definition of a weed is simply “a plant in the wrong place.” In that case, if all the plants in The Weed Garden are meant to be there, is it really a weed garden?
[Image description: A cluster of yellow dandelions with green leaves surrounded by grass.] Credit & copyright: Cbaile19, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. -
9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Medicare does not pay for general, long-term care. Now, Kamala Harris, the Democrat’s candidate for president, wants to expand Medicare to pay for long-term ...
Medicare does not pay for general, long-term care. Now, Kamala Harris, the Democrat’s candidate for president, wants to expand Medicare to pay for long-term ...
October 13, 2024
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: October 13, 2024\EYE-dee-ayt\ verb
What It Means
To ideate is to form an idea or conception of something.
// Jocelyn used ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: October 13, 2024\EYE-dee-ayt\ verb
What It Means
To ideate is to form an idea or conception of something.
// Jocelyn used ...
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FREEPolitical Science PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
For better or worse, modern American politics are a bombastic affair involving celebrity endorsements and plenty of talking heads. Former President Jimmy Carter, who recently became the first U.S. President to celebrate his 100th birthday, has lived a different sort of life than many modern politicians. His first home lacked electricity and indoor plumbing, and his career involved more quiet service than political bravado.
Born on October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia, James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. was the first U.S. President to be born in a hospital, as home births were more common at the time. His early childhood was fairly humble. His father, Earl, was a peanut farmer and businessman who enlisted young Jimmy’s help in packing goods to be sold in town, while his mother was a trained nurse who provided healthcare services to impoverished Black families. As a student, Carter excelled at school, encouraged by his parents to be hardworking and enterprising. Aside from helping his father, he also sought work with the Sumter County Library Board, where he helped set up the bookmobile, a traveling library to service the rural areas of the county. After graduating high school in 1941, Carter attended the Georgia Institute of Technology for a year before entering the U.S. Naval Academy. He met his future wife, Rosalynn Smith, during his last year at the Academy, and the two were married in 1946. After graduating from the Academy the same year, Carter joined the U.S. Navy’s submarine service, although it was a dangerous job. He even worked with Captain Hyman Rickover, the “father of the nuclear Navy,” and studied nuclear engineering as part of the Navy’s efforts to build its first nuclear submarines. Carter would have served aboard the U.S.S. Seawolf, one of the first two such vessels, but the death of his father in 1953 prompted him to resign so that he could return to Georgia and take over the struggling family farm.
On returning to his home state, Carter and his family moved into a public housing project in Plains due to a post-war housing shortage. This experience inspired him to work with Habitat for Humanity decades later, and it also made him the first president to have lived in public housing. While turning around the fortunes of the family’s peanut farm, Carter became involved in politics, earning a seat on the Sumter County Board of Education in 1955. In 1962, he ran for a seat in the Georgia State Senate, where he earned a reputation for himself by targeting wasteful spending and laws meant to disenfranchise Black voters. Although he failed to win the Democratic primary in 1966 for a seat in the U.S. Congress (largely due to his support of the civil rights movement), he refocused his efforts toward the 1970 gubernatorial election. After a successful campaign, he surprised many in Georgia by advocating for integration and appointing more Black staff members than previous administrations. Though his idealism attracted criticism, Carter was largely popular in the state for his work in reducing government bureaucracy and increasing funding for schools.
Jimmy Carter’s political ambitions eventually led him to the White House when he took office in 1977. His Presidency took place during a chaotic time, in which the Iranian hostage crisis, a war in Afghanistan, and economic worries were just some of the problems he was tasked with helping to solve. After losing the 1980 Presidential race to Ronald Reagan, Carter and his wife moved back into their modest, ranch-style home in Georgia where they lived for more than 60 years, making him one of just a few presidents to return to their pre-presidential residences. Today, Carter is almost as well-known for his work after his presidency, as during it, since he dedicated much of his life to charity work, especially building homes with Habitat for Humanity. He also wrote over 30 books, including three that he recorded as audio books which won him three Grammy Awards in the Spoken Word Album category. Not too shabby for a humble peanut farmer.
[Image description: Jimmy Carter’s official Presidential portrait; he wears a dark blue suit with a light blue shirt and striped tie.] Credit & copyright: Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. Naval Photographic Center. Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.For better or worse, modern American politics are a bombastic affair involving celebrity endorsements and plenty of talking heads. Former President Jimmy Carter, who recently became the first U.S. President to celebrate his 100th birthday, has lived a different sort of life than many modern politicians. His first home lacked electricity and indoor plumbing, and his career involved more quiet service than political bravado.
Born on October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia, James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. was the first U.S. President to be born in a hospital, as home births were more common at the time. His early childhood was fairly humble. His father, Earl, was a peanut farmer and businessman who enlisted young Jimmy’s help in packing goods to be sold in town, while his mother was a trained nurse who provided healthcare services to impoverished Black families. As a student, Carter excelled at school, encouraged by his parents to be hardworking and enterprising. Aside from helping his father, he also sought work with the Sumter County Library Board, where he helped set up the bookmobile, a traveling library to service the rural areas of the county. After graduating high school in 1941, Carter attended the Georgia Institute of Technology for a year before entering the U.S. Naval Academy. He met his future wife, Rosalynn Smith, during his last year at the Academy, and the two were married in 1946. After graduating from the Academy the same year, Carter joined the U.S. Navy’s submarine service, although it was a dangerous job. He even worked with Captain Hyman Rickover, the “father of the nuclear Navy,” and studied nuclear engineering as part of the Navy’s efforts to build its first nuclear submarines. Carter would have served aboard the U.S.S. Seawolf, one of the first two such vessels, but the death of his father in 1953 prompted him to resign so that he could return to Georgia and take over the struggling family farm.
On returning to his home state, Carter and his family moved into a public housing project in Plains due to a post-war housing shortage. This experience inspired him to work with Habitat for Humanity decades later, and it also made him the first president to have lived in public housing. While turning around the fortunes of the family’s peanut farm, Carter became involved in politics, earning a seat on the Sumter County Board of Education in 1955. In 1962, he ran for a seat in the Georgia State Senate, where he earned a reputation for himself by targeting wasteful spending and laws meant to disenfranchise Black voters. Although he failed to win the Democratic primary in 1966 for a seat in the U.S. Congress (largely due to his support of the civil rights movement), he refocused his efforts toward the 1970 gubernatorial election. After a successful campaign, he surprised many in Georgia by advocating for integration and appointing more Black staff members than previous administrations. Though his idealism attracted criticism, Carter was largely popular in the state for his work in reducing government bureaucracy and increasing funding for schools.
Jimmy Carter’s political ambitions eventually led him to the White House when he took office in 1977. His Presidency took place during a chaotic time, in which the Iranian hostage crisis, a war in Afghanistan, and economic worries were just some of the problems he was tasked with helping to solve. After losing the 1980 Presidential race to Ronald Reagan, Carter and his wife moved back into their modest, ranch-style home in Georgia where they lived for more than 60 years, making him one of just a few presidents to return to their pre-presidential residences. Today, Carter is almost as well-known for his work after his presidency, as during it, since he dedicated much of his life to charity work, especially building homes with Habitat for Humanity. He also wrote over 30 books, including three that he recorded as audio books which won him three Grammy Awards in the Spoken Word Album category. Not too shabby for a humble peanut farmer.
[Image description: Jimmy Carter’s official Presidential portrait; he wears a dark blue suit with a light blue shirt and striped tie.] Credit & copyright: Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. Naval Photographic Center. Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. -
9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Later this morning, we’ll get the consumer price index for September. While inflation is way down from its peak in June 2022, consumers are frustrated with p...
Later this morning, we’ll get the consumer price index for September. While inflation is way down from its peak in June 2022, consumers are frustrated with p...
October 12, 2024
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: October 12, 2024\ver-BAY-tim\ adverb
What It Means
Verbatim is an adverb meaning "in the exact words," or in other words, "...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: October 12, 2024\ver-BAY-tim\ adverb
What It Means
Verbatim is an adverb meaning "in the exact words," or in other words, "...
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9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Stocks are increasingly an important source of household wealth. Thanks to the booming stock market, U.S. household wealth surged to a record high last year,...
Stocks are increasingly an important source of household wealth. Thanks to the booming stock market, U.S. household wealth surged to a record high last year,...
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FREESports Sporty CurioFree1 CQ
This fall, there’s a Kraken hockey's gender barrier. The game between the Seattle Krakens and the St. Louis Blues earlier this week was the first North American game of the 2024-2025 NHL season. It was also a significant first of another kind: the debut of the first female coach in NHL history, Jessica Campbell. Campbell was born on June 24, 1992 in Saskatchewan, Canada, and she has been carving her path with ice skates for most of her life. She played hockey alongside male teammates until she was 17, led Canada in the under-18 world championships to gold and went on to lead Cornell University to three Ivy League titles between 2010 and 2014, becoming team captain in her senior year. She then played professionally in Canada and Sweden before becoming the first woman in a coaching position in men’s hockey when she joined the German national team in 2022. That same year, she joined Seattle’s affiliate team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, until she officially signed on with the Krakens as an assistant coach in July of this year. While Campbell made history by being the first female coach in the NHL, she doesn’t believe she will be the last. She told the press, “Hopefully somebody else will have a door held open for them versus them having to push it open and find ways to unlock it. I look at the other women around me and other people in the industry doing their piece and doing a fantastic job of it. And it's part of a movement. It's part of, I think, really important change.” That’s a goal any team can cheer for.
[Image description: ] Credit & copyright: Tima Miroshnichenko, Pexels
This fall, there’s a Kraken hockey's gender barrier. The game between the Seattle Krakens and the St. Louis Blues earlier this week was the first North American game of the 2024-2025 NHL season. It was also a significant first of another kind: the debut of the first female coach in NHL history, Jessica Campbell. Campbell was born on June 24, 1992 in Saskatchewan, Canada, and she has been carving her path with ice skates for most of her life. She played hockey alongside male teammates until she was 17, led Canada in the under-18 world championships to gold and went on to lead Cornell University to three Ivy League titles between 2010 and 2014, becoming team captain in her senior year. She then played professionally in Canada and Sweden before becoming the first woman in a coaching position in men’s hockey when she joined the German national team in 2022. That same year, she joined Seattle’s affiliate team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, until she officially signed on with the Krakens as an assistant coach in July of this year. While Campbell made history by being the first female coach in the NHL, she doesn’t believe she will be the last. She told the press, “Hopefully somebody else will have a door held open for them versus them having to push it open and find ways to unlock it. I look at the other women around me and other people in the industry doing their piece and doing a fantastic job of it. And it's part of a movement. It's part of, I think, really important change.” That’s a goal any team can cheer for.
[Image description: ] Credit & copyright: Tima Miroshnichenko, Pexels
October 11, 2024
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Chinese police have detained four workers of the Taiwanese iPhone maker Foxconn in circumstances Taipei has described as “strange...
From the BBC World Service: Chinese police have detained four workers of the Taiwanese iPhone maker Foxconn in circumstances Taipei has described as “strange...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: October 11, 2024\SKAYP-goat\ noun
What It Means
A scapegoat is a person who is unfairly blamed for something others have do...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: October 11, 2024\SKAYP-goat\ noun
What It Means
A scapegoat is a person who is unfairly blamed for something others have do...
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FREEMind + Body Daily CurioFree1 CQ
This fancy rice is awfully nice. While rice features most famously and heavily in various Asian cuisines, Europe has come up with plenty of tasty rice dishes too. As if pizza and pasta weren’t enough, Italy is also known for its unique take on rice in the form of risotto. This warm, brothy dish is perfect for fall, but can (and is) enjoyed as both a side and a main course all year long.
Risotto is a dish of rice cooked in broth. Since the broth is added gradually and the rice is stirred throughout the cooking process, risotto has a creamy texture. Meat broth is the traditional choice, but vegetable or fish broth are used in some of risotto’s countless variations. Some of the most common risotto ingredients, regardless of variation, are butter, onions, and cheese. It’s often topped with meat, veggies, seafood, or a combination of all three. One popular variation, risotto alla milanese, uses arborio rice along with white wine, shallots, and saffron, the latter of which gives it a yellow color.
Italy began cultivating its own rice in the 14th century, having gained access to it (and various spices) via trade with the middle east. The Mediterranean’s humid weather was perfect for rice farming, and rice soon became a popular Italian staple. As for risotto, we’ll never know who first prepared it, but by the late 1700s a variation using meat broth, butter, onions and cheese was already popular. As its name suggests, risotto alla Milanese comes from Milan, where centuries of Spanish rule greatly influenced the culinary landscape. Since many Spanish recipes call for slowly simmering food in wine and using spices like saffron, risotto alla Milanese became a much-beloved favorite there. In fact, one of the first written recipes for risotto is a recipe for this particular variation, written in 1829 by chef Felice Luraschi.
Today, risotto can be found at just about any Italian restaurant in the U.S. or abroad. Sometimes it’s served as a first course before a pasta entree, or as a side dish to meat entrees, but risotto alla Milanese is usually served as a meal all on its own. This is one rice dish that plays second fiddle (or Italian accordion) to no one.
[Image description: A blue bowl of seafood risotto topped with scallops and vegetables.] Credit & copyright: Nano Erdozain, PexelsThis fancy rice is awfully nice. While rice features most famously and heavily in various Asian cuisines, Europe has come up with plenty of tasty rice dishes too. As if pizza and pasta weren’t enough, Italy is also known for its unique take on rice in the form of risotto. This warm, brothy dish is perfect for fall, but can (and is) enjoyed as both a side and a main course all year long.
Risotto is a dish of rice cooked in broth. Since the broth is added gradually and the rice is stirred throughout the cooking process, risotto has a creamy texture. Meat broth is the traditional choice, but vegetable or fish broth are used in some of risotto’s countless variations. Some of the most common risotto ingredients, regardless of variation, are butter, onions, and cheese. It’s often topped with meat, veggies, seafood, or a combination of all three. One popular variation, risotto alla milanese, uses arborio rice along with white wine, shallots, and saffron, the latter of which gives it a yellow color.
Italy began cultivating its own rice in the 14th century, having gained access to it (and various spices) via trade with the middle east. The Mediterranean’s humid weather was perfect for rice farming, and rice soon became a popular Italian staple. As for risotto, we’ll never know who first prepared it, but by the late 1700s a variation using meat broth, butter, onions and cheese was already popular. As its name suggests, risotto alla Milanese comes from Milan, where centuries of Spanish rule greatly influenced the culinary landscape. Since many Spanish recipes call for slowly simmering food in wine and using spices like saffron, risotto alla Milanese became a much-beloved favorite there. In fact, one of the first written recipes for risotto is a recipe for this particular variation, written in 1829 by chef Felice Luraschi.
Today, risotto can be found at just about any Italian restaurant in the U.S. or abroad. Sometimes it’s served as a first course before a pasta entree, or as a side dish to meat entrees, but risotto alla Milanese is usually served as a meal all on its own. This is one rice dish that plays second fiddle (or Italian accordion) to no one.
[Image description: A blue bowl of seafood risotto topped with scallops and vegetables.] Credit & copyright: Nano Erdozain, Pexels
October 10, 2024
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Ratan Tata was one of India’s most internationally recognized industrialists. The tycoon oversaw a 50-fold rise in profits in his...
From the BBC World Service: Ratan Tata was one of India’s most internationally recognized industrialists. The tycoon oversaw a 50-fold rise in profits in his...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: October 10, 2024\NOO-muh-nus\ adjective
What It Means
Numinous is a formal, often literary, word that typically describes t...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: October 10, 2024\NOO-muh-nus\ adjective
What It Means
Numinous is a formal, often literary, word that typically describes t...
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FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
These little critters really know how to jell. Researchers at the University of Exeter in the U.K. have found that comb jellies are capable of fusing together when injured, according to a paper published in Current Biology. Comb jellies are small (around four inches long), translucent marine invertebrates in the Ctenophora phylum. They’re truly ancient; in fact, they branched off from the single-celled common ancestor of all animals earlier than any other creatures still living today. Since they originally developed, little about them has changed, leaving them with a relatively unusual, jellyfish-like anatomy (though they’re not actually jellyfish). However, a researcher noticed a particularly strange specimen in a lab’s observation tank. Comb jellies normally have one apical organ and one lobe on their rear end that is used to eject digested food. This specimen, though, had two of each, almost as if two individual comb jellies had been stuck together. Suspecting as much, the researchers successfully replicated the fusion in other comb jellies. Apparently, when comb jellies are injured, they can combine into one to increase their chances of survival. Within hours of being grafted together, the comb jellies began acting as one, responding to muscle stimuli in sync and even digesting food through a single canal. Stranger still, although the two act as one, they maintain their own separate sets of DNA, and their morphology isn’t passed on to the next generation. Researchers believe that understanding the mechanism behind the comb jellies’ fusion could lead to advances in transplantation and regeneration. In the meantime, don’t go gluing yourself to your friends every time you scrape your knee.
[Image description: A group of comb jellies in black water.] Credit & copyright: Benoît Prieur (1975–), Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
These little critters really know how to jell. Researchers at the University of Exeter in the U.K. have found that comb jellies are capable of fusing together when injured, according to a paper published in Current Biology. Comb jellies are small (around four inches long), translucent marine invertebrates in the Ctenophora phylum. They’re truly ancient; in fact, they branched off from the single-celled common ancestor of all animals earlier than any other creatures still living today. Since they originally developed, little about them has changed, leaving them with a relatively unusual, jellyfish-like anatomy (though they’re not actually jellyfish). However, a researcher noticed a particularly strange specimen in a lab’s observation tank. Comb jellies normally have one apical organ and one lobe on their rear end that is used to eject digested food. This specimen, though, had two of each, almost as if two individual comb jellies had been stuck together. Suspecting as much, the researchers successfully replicated the fusion in other comb jellies. Apparently, when comb jellies are injured, they can combine into one to increase their chances of survival. Within hours of being grafted together, the comb jellies began acting as one, responding to muscle stimuli in sync and even digesting food through a single canal. Stranger still, although the two act as one, they maintain their own separate sets of DNA, and their morphology isn’t passed on to the next generation. Researchers believe that understanding the mechanism behind the comb jellies’ fusion could lead to advances in transplantation and regeneration. In the meantime, don’t go gluing yourself to your friends every time you scrape your knee.
[Image description: A group of comb jellies in black water.] Credit & copyright: Benoît Prieur (1975–), Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
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FREETravel Daily Curio #2958Free1 CQ
It’s safe to say this guy got his 10,000 steps in. Around 50 years ago, on October 5, 1974, David Kunst became the first person to circumnavigate the globe on foot, but his historic adventure came at a heavy cost. Kunst actually got the idea to walk around the world after borrowing it from someone else. While talking to his manager at a movie theater in the small town of Waseca, Minnesota, Kunst mentioned that he would like to drive across South America in a Jeep. His manager, on the other hand, expressed his desire to walk around the world. This conversation inspired Kunst and his brother, John. Thus began what would become a four-year journey around the world, crossing 13 countries and covering 14,450 miles. The Kunst brothers left Waseca and headed east toward New York, leaving behind David’s wife, kids, and the third of the brothers, Pete, who promised to fill in if one of them couldn’t finish the journey. From New York, the pair flew to Portugal and traversed much of Europe. Along the way, they met Princess Grace of Monaco and Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who provided words of encouragement. All the while, they were also accompanied by a number of mules that were either traded away or perished on the arduous trek, their names being: Willie Make It, Willie Make It II, Will Willie Make It, and Willie Will Make It. The Kunst brothers’ adventure was widely publicized and they were met with help and accommodations along the way, but their fame also brought them unwanted attention. On October 21, 1972, the brothers were attacked by bandits who believed them to be carrying funds being raised for UNICEF. John was killed during the encounter, and David went on alone for a while until Pete joined in to keep his promise. When David Kunst returned to Waseca in 1974, he had lost a brother, met another woman (who would become his future wife) and his marriage was seemingly coming to an end. Still, he managed to become “the first person recorded to have ‘walked around the world.’” according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Since then, his journey has inspired others to do the same. Who knew itchy feet could be contagious?
[Image description: A long road stretching away toward mountains.] Credit & copyright: Julia Volk, PexelsIt’s safe to say this guy got his 10,000 steps in. Around 50 years ago, on October 5, 1974, David Kunst became the first person to circumnavigate the globe on foot, but his historic adventure came at a heavy cost. Kunst actually got the idea to walk around the world after borrowing it from someone else. While talking to his manager at a movie theater in the small town of Waseca, Minnesota, Kunst mentioned that he would like to drive across South America in a Jeep. His manager, on the other hand, expressed his desire to walk around the world. This conversation inspired Kunst and his brother, John. Thus began what would become a four-year journey around the world, crossing 13 countries and covering 14,450 miles. The Kunst brothers left Waseca and headed east toward New York, leaving behind David’s wife, kids, and the third of the brothers, Pete, who promised to fill in if one of them couldn’t finish the journey. From New York, the pair flew to Portugal and traversed much of Europe. Along the way, they met Princess Grace of Monaco and Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who provided words of encouragement. All the while, they were also accompanied by a number of mules that were either traded away or perished on the arduous trek, their names being: Willie Make It, Willie Make It II, Will Willie Make It, and Willie Will Make It. The Kunst brothers’ adventure was widely publicized and they were met with help and accommodations along the way, but their fame also brought them unwanted attention. On October 21, 1972, the brothers were attacked by bandits who believed them to be carrying funds being raised for UNICEF. John was killed during the encounter, and David went on alone for a while until Pete joined in to keep his promise. When David Kunst returned to Waseca in 1974, he had lost a brother, met another woman (who would become his future wife) and his marriage was seemingly coming to an end. Still, he managed to become “the first person recorded to have ‘walked around the world.’” according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Since then, his journey has inspired others to do the same. Who knew itchy feet could be contagious?
[Image description: A long road stretching away toward mountains.] Credit & copyright: Julia Volk, Pexels
October 9, 2024
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: The U.S. Department of Justice is taking aim at Google, saying the tech giant might need to be broken up because it’s too dominan...
From the BBC World Service: The U.S. Department of Justice is taking aim at Google, saying the tech giant might need to be broken up because it’s too dominan...
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FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
They can leap 20 feet and they have otherworldly senses, but they’re not superheroes, they’re marine mammals! Bottlenose dolphins are as famous for their playful nature as they are for their impressive intelligence. In fact, researchers have recently discovered that they “smile” at one another (or do the dolphin equivalent, anyway) while playing together. These incredible animals also have some of the strangest evolutionary history of any mammal.
Dolphins didn’t always live in the ocean—at least, their ancestors didn’t. Unlike many other large ocean animals, like sharks, dolphins aren’t fish, but mammals. They’re warm-blooded, have hair (not a lot, but some), give birth to live young, feed their young with milk, and breathe air. That last feature might make a life at sea seem like a strange choice, but it worked quite well for dolphins. The fossil record shows that, around 50 million years ago, dolphins’ terrestrial, four-legged, canine-like ancestors found the ocean to be a great source of food, and began spending more and more time there. Over millions of years, they lost most of their fur, their legs turned to flippers, and their bodies became streamlined for water travel. But many of their ancestors’ characteristics remain: bottlenose dolphins’ namesake snouts still have the same overall shape as their ancestors’ muzzles. Dolphins’ spines and ribs are still positioned in basically the same way their ancestors’ were, which means that they swim with an “up and down” motion rather than the “side to side” gait that fish have. This spinal position, and the fact that bottlenose dolphins retained their ancestors’ flexible necks, means that they can leap high out of the water and make extremely tight turns while swimming.
Recent research has shown that bottlenose dolphins use body language, as well as a complex series of vocalizations, to communicate. Open-mouthed facial expressions seem to serve a purpose similar to smiling, as dolphins often make such expressions while playing. It’s also been discovered that dolphins can sense weak electrical signals, thereby using Earth’s naturally occurring magnetic fields to navigate long distances in the open ocean. Bottlenose dolphins are so intelligent that those in captivity can learn complex series of words and commands. In fact, studies have shown that dolphins can not only problem solve but also recognize themselves in mirrors, making them one of the few known animals that are self-aware. This makes it all the more tragic that bottlenose dolphins are often killed when they become tangled in waste from the commercial fishing industry. It’s estimated that some 300,000 whales and dolphins die each year after coming into contact with nets and other fishing debris. It’s a good reason to eat fish from brands committed to ethical fishing practices, and to clean up after yourself when out at sea. Surely you’d rather have the dolphins smile at you than frown.
[Image description: A bottlenose dolphin swims with its upper body out of the water.] Credit & copyright: Rene~dawiki, Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Rene, at the English Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide.They can leap 20 feet and they have otherworldly senses, but they’re not superheroes, they’re marine mammals! Bottlenose dolphins are as famous for their playful nature as they are for their impressive intelligence. In fact, researchers have recently discovered that they “smile” at one another (or do the dolphin equivalent, anyway) while playing together. These incredible animals also have some of the strangest evolutionary history of any mammal.
Dolphins didn’t always live in the ocean—at least, their ancestors didn’t. Unlike many other large ocean animals, like sharks, dolphins aren’t fish, but mammals. They’re warm-blooded, have hair (not a lot, but some), give birth to live young, feed their young with milk, and breathe air. That last feature might make a life at sea seem like a strange choice, but it worked quite well for dolphins. The fossil record shows that, around 50 million years ago, dolphins’ terrestrial, four-legged, canine-like ancestors found the ocean to be a great source of food, and began spending more and more time there. Over millions of years, they lost most of their fur, their legs turned to flippers, and their bodies became streamlined for water travel. But many of their ancestors’ characteristics remain: bottlenose dolphins’ namesake snouts still have the same overall shape as their ancestors’ muzzles. Dolphins’ spines and ribs are still positioned in basically the same way their ancestors’ were, which means that they swim with an “up and down” motion rather than the “side to side” gait that fish have. This spinal position, and the fact that bottlenose dolphins retained their ancestors’ flexible necks, means that they can leap high out of the water and make extremely tight turns while swimming.
Recent research has shown that bottlenose dolphins use body language, as well as a complex series of vocalizations, to communicate. Open-mouthed facial expressions seem to serve a purpose similar to smiling, as dolphins often make such expressions while playing. It’s also been discovered that dolphins can sense weak electrical signals, thereby using Earth’s naturally occurring magnetic fields to navigate long distances in the open ocean. Bottlenose dolphins are so intelligent that those in captivity can learn complex series of words and commands. In fact, studies have shown that dolphins can not only problem solve but also recognize themselves in mirrors, making them one of the few known animals that are self-aware. This makes it all the more tragic that bottlenose dolphins are often killed when they become tangled in waste from the commercial fishing industry. It’s estimated that some 300,000 whales and dolphins die each year after coming into contact with nets and other fishing debris. It’s a good reason to eat fish from brands committed to ethical fishing practices, and to clean up after yourself when out at sea. Surely you’d rather have the dolphins smile at you than frown.
[Image description: A bottlenose dolphin swims with its upper body out of the water.] Credit & copyright: Rene~dawiki, Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Rene, at the English Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide. -
FREEWorld History Daily Curio #2957Free1 CQ
This shipwreck ain’t big enough for all of us! That’s pretty much what several countries, companies, and other groups are saying to each other regarding the world’s most valuable shipwreck, over which they each claim ownership. The San José, a 64-gun Spanish battleship, was sunk by the British in 1708. Onboard were countless treasures, including precious metals and jewelry, which today makes it one of the world’s most valuable shipwrecks, worth billions of dollars. Though it might seem like something out of a pirate movie, a fierce battle is now raging for the treasure—though it involves arbitration rather than physical fighting.
Spain is the first (and most obvious) entity to claim ownership of the San José. It was their ship, after all, and it was gunned down during the War of the Spanish Succession. The war was fought to decide who would rule Spain (and control its valuable shipping routes). Needless to say, the British were keen to see the ship’s treasures at the bottom of the ocean rather than in the hands of the Spanish, who could use it to fund their military chest. While it makes sense that modern day Spain would claim ownership of the San José’s wreck, Columbia also has a claim since the shipwreck currently lies in their waters (though its exact location is a closely-guarded secret.)
Another compelling claim comes from U.S. salvage company Sea Search Armada. They found the wreck’s location back in the 1980s (the company was then called Glocca Mora). At first, the company offered to split the ship’s treasure with Columbia in exchange for help in getting it off the seabed. The San José is nearly 2,000 feet underwater, so exhuming it would be no easy task. But the two entities couldn’t agree on a fair split of the treasure, and negotiations eventually broke down. Then, in 2015, Columbia announced that the San José wasn’t actually resting where Sea Search Armada had said, but that the ship had been independently located in a different spot. That meant that, according to them, Sea Search Armada wasn’t entitled to anything aboard the ship. So, then, who’s going to decide who actually owns the wreck and all its bounty? That unenviable task falls to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, an intergovernmental organization created back in 1899 to solve disputes just like this one. Their ruling might decide who gets to keep the booty, but it's safe to say that tongues will keep wagging afterward.
[Image description: A close-up photo of water’s surface.] Credit & copyright: Matt Hardy, PexelsThis shipwreck ain’t big enough for all of us! That’s pretty much what several countries, companies, and other groups are saying to each other regarding the world’s most valuable shipwreck, over which they each claim ownership. The San José, a 64-gun Spanish battleship, was sunk by the British in 1708. Onboard were countless treasures, including precious metals and jewelry, which today makes it one of the world’s most valuable shipwrecks, worth billions of dollars. Though it might seem like something out of a pirate movie, a fierce battle is now raging for the treasure—though it involves arbitration rather than physical fighting.
Spain is the first (and most obvious) entity to claim ownership of the San José. It was their ship, after all, and it was gunned down during the War of the Spanish Succession. The war was fought to decide who would rule Spain (and control its valuable shipping routes). Needless to say, the British were keen to see the ship’s treasures at the bottom of the ocean rather than in the hands of the Spanish, who could use it to fund their military chest. While it makes sense that modern day Spain would claim ownership of the San José’s wreck, Columbia also has a claim since the shipwreck currently lies in their waters (though its exact location is a closely-guarded secret.)
Another compelling claim comes from U.S. salvage company Sea Search Armada. They found the wreck’s location back in the 1980s (the company was then called Glocca Mora). At first, the company offered to split the ship’s treasure with Columbia in exchange for help in getting it off the seabed. The San José is nearly 2,000 feet underwater, so exhuming it would be no easy task. But the two entities couldn’t agree on a fair split of the treasure, and negotiations eventually broke down. Then, in 2015, Columbia announced that the San José wasn’t actually resting where Sea Search Armada had said, but that the ship had been independently located in a different spot. That meant that, according to them, Sea Search Armada wasn’t entitled to anything aboard the ship. So, then, who’s going to decide who actually owns the wreck and all its bounty? That unenviable task falls to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, an intergovernmental organization created back in 1899 to solve disputes just like this one. Their ruling might decide who gets to keep the booty, but it's safe to say that tongues will keep wagging afterward.
[Image description: A close-up photo of water’s surface.] Credit & copyright: Matt Hardy, Pexels