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August 12, 2022
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Lee Jae-yong was convicted of embezzlement and bribery, but the Seoul government says he’s needed back in charge of the country’s...
From the BBC World Service: Lee Jae-yong was convicted of embezzlement and bribery, but the Seoul government says he’s needed back in charge of the country’s...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 12, 2022
melancholia \mel-un-KOH-lee-uh\ noun
What It Means
Melancholia refers to a feeling of sadness or depression. It is also ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 12, 2022
melancholia \mel-un-KOH-lee-uh\ noun
What It Means
Melancholia refers to a feeling of sadness or depression. It is also ...
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FREEHumanities PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! As the summer heat continues, enjoy these curios all about weather.
It was one of the fiercest hurricanes to ever strike the U.S.—and over 400 World War I veterans were caught in its path.It turned out to be a perfect storm in the worst sort of way. In September 1935, at the height of hurricane season, few realized that a deadly hurricane was building off the coast of the Florida Keys. When the hurricane hit land, it created 20-foot waves, blew the clothes off of people's backs, and smashed a veterans' camp to smithereens.
It was the Great Depression, and jobless World War I veterans were demanding help from Washington. To give the men work and to provide some much-needed infrastructure in the Florida Keys, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent approximately 400 veterans to the area to build roads and bridges. Flimsy shelters were hastily constructed near the beach to house the veterans, who were paid $30 a month plus room and board.
In late August of 1935, a storm began developing east of the Bahamas; but it was weak at first and didn't seem to pose a threat. This was before the days of weather satellites, so tracking hurricanes was an extremely inexact science. Few realized that the storm was gathering strength until it hit the Florida Keys as a Category Five hurricane—the highest rating on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale.
The administrators of the work camp had an emergency plan in place: in case of a hurricane, they would send for a train in Miami to evacuate the veterans. But as the hurricane was building, administrators held off ordering the train because the Weather Bureau predicted the storm was heading for Cuba. By the time administrators realized the predictions were wrong, it was too late. Precious time was lost as workers assembled the train; when it finally headed for the work camp, it was slammed by winds of 160 miles per hour and gusts up to 200 miles per hour. Train cars were tossed into the air, and only the engine was heavy enough to stay on the tracks.
Meanwhile, the veterans at the work camp had little protection as the storm plowed through their camp. As shelters were blown apart, flying lumber speared and buried many of the men. Others were hit by raining coconuts; still others were swept away by the sea. When the storm retreated, an estimated 259 of the veterans had lost their lives.
Many blamed camp administrators for the victims' fate, including the writer Ernest Hemingway, who wrote an article for New Masses titled, "Who Murdered the Vets?" published just a few weeks after the storm. Hemingway ended his angry piece with the question, "Who left you there? And what's the punishment for manslaughter now?" But a government investigation determined the deaths were "an act of God"—and no one was ever charged. A monument to the veterans, the Florida Keys Memorial (known locally as the "Hurricane Memorial"), was constructed to honor the victims, and ceremonies are held at the site every year on Labor Day and Memorial Day.
Below: the relief train sent to rescue the veterans was derailed by the hurricane.
Image credit & copyright: Florida Keys--Public Libraries, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size
It's Flashback Friday! As the summer heat continues, enjoy these curios all about weather.
It was one of the fiercest hurricanes to ever strike the U.S.—and over 400 World War I veterans were caught in its path.It turned out to be a perfect storm in the worst sort of way. In September 1935, at the height of hurricane season, few realized that a deadly hurricane was building off the coast of the Florida Keys. When the hurricane hit land, it created 20-foot waves, blew the clothes off of people's backs, and smashed a veterans' camp to smithereens.
It was the Great Depression, and jobless World War I veterans were demanding help from Washington. To give the men work and to provide some much-needed infrastructure in the Florida Keys, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent approximately 400 veterans to the area to build roads and bridges. Flimsy shelters were hastily constructed near the beach to house the veterans, who were paid $30 a month plus room and board.
In late August of 1935, a storm began developing east of the Bahamas; but it was weak at first and didn't seem to pose a threat. This was before the days of weather satellites, so tracking hurricanes was an extremely inexact science. Few realized that the storm was gathering strength until it hit the Florida Keys as a Category Five hurricane—the highest rating on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale.
The administrators of the work camp had an emergency plan in place: in case of a hurricane, they would send for a train in Miami to evacuate the veterans. But as the hurricane was building, administrators held off ordering the train because the Weather Bureau predicted the storm was heading for Cuba. By the time administrators realized the predictions were wrong, it was too late. Precious time was lost as workers assembled the train; when it finally headed for the work camp, it was slammed by winds of 160 miles per hour and gusts up to 200 miles per hour. Train cars were tossed into the air, and only the engine was heavy enough to stay on the tracks.
Meanwhile, the veterans at the work camp had little protection as the storm plowed through their camp. As shelters were blown apart, flying lumber speared and buried many of the men. Others were hit by raining coconuts; still others were swept away by the sea. When the storm retreated, an estimated 259 of the veterans had lost their lives.
Many blamed camp administrators for the victims' fate, including the writer Ernest Hemingway, who wrote an article for New Masses titled, "Who Murdered the Vets?" published just a few weeks after the storm. Hemingway ended his angry piece with the question, "Who left you there? And what's the punishment for manslaughter now?" But a government investigation determined the deaths were "an act of God"—and no one was ever charged. A monument to the veterans, the Florida Keys Memorial (known locally as the "Hurricane Memorial"), was constructed to honor the victims, and ceremonies are held at the site every year on Labor Day and Memorial Day.
Below: the relief train sent to rescue the veterans was derailed by the hurricane.
Image credit & copyright: Florida Keys--Public Libraries, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! As the summer heat continues, enjoy these curios all about weather. It’s not the sort of forest one expects to see...especially not in midtown Manhattan. Unfortunately, the environmental disaster portrayed in American sculptor Maya Lin’s 2021 art installation, Ghost Forest, is all too real. 49 dead Atlantic Cedar trees stood in Madison Square Park. Their brown trunks were sun-bleached. Their limbs appeared brittle and were completely bare. Behind them, one can see the stark contrast of New York City buildings. The trees were arranged so that visitors could walk between them, experiencing a dead forest firsthand. For Lin, that was the point of the installation; to warn people about the ravages of climate change. In nature, so-called ghost forests result from rising sea levels and extreme weather events, both of which can be caused by climate change. In a statement, Lin explained, “I wanted to bring awareness to a die-off that is happening all over the planet. But I also feel that a potential solution is through nature-based practices.” Ghost Forest will remain on display for six months, during which time the trees will further decay. That’s enough to make just about anyone appreciate living forests!
Ghost Forest, Maya Lin (1959-), 2021 , Dead Atlantic Cedar trees, Madison Square Park, New York City, New York
Below: two more photos of Lin’s Ghost Forest, showing different angles of the installation.
It's Flashback Friday! As the summer heat continues, enjoy these curios all about weather. It’s not the sort of forest one expects to see...especially not in midtown Manhattan. Unfortunately, the environmental disaster portrayed in American sculptor Maya Lin’s 2021 art installation, Ghost Forest, is all too real. 49 dead Atlantic Cedar trees stood in Madison Square Park. Their brown trunks were sun-bleached. Their limbs appeared brittle and were completely bare. Behind them, one can see the stark contrast of New York City buildings. The trees were arranged so that visitors could walk between them, experiencing a dead forest firsthand. For Lin, that was the point of the installation; to warn people about the ravages of climate change. In nature, so-called ghost forests result from rising sea levels and extreme weather events, both of which can be caused by climate change. In a statement, Lin explained, “I wanted to bring awareness to a die-off that is happening all over the planet. But I also feel that a potential solution is through nature-based practices.” Ghost Forest will remain on display for six months, during which time the trees will further decay. That’s enough to make just about anyone appreciate living forests!
Ghost Forest, Maya Lin (1959-), 2021 , Dead Atlantic Cedar trees, Madison Square Park, New York City, New York
Below: two more photos of Lin’s Ghost Forest, showing different angles of the installation.
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FREEScience Daily CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! As the summer heat continues, enjoy these curios all about weather. It's not your imagination. If you live in a congested area, it really does rain more on your days off. According to a study from 1998, it’s significantly more likely to rain on weekends than weekdays. And it’s our own faults! The researchers analyzed Eastern Seaboard weather from several decades and discovered that Saturdays received 22% more precipitation than Mondays. The scientists believe weekend rain clouds are actually produced by weekday commuting. The millions of extra car and truck trips generates tons of additional aerosols--tiny airborne particles around which raindrops develop. As the work week progresses, the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere increases and liquid water condenses around them. If enough of the water groups together before being dispersed by wind, it will start to rain. So next time you are sitting in traffic, you can add this to the list of irritants: every minute you are stuck is increasing the chance it will rain next weekend.
[Image description: A woman with an umbrella raises one hand in the rain.] Credit & copyright: xusenru, Pixabay
It's Flashback Friday! As the summer heat continues, enjoy these curios all about weather. It's not your imagination. If you live in a congested area, it really does rain more on your days off. According to a study from 1998, it’s significantly more likely to rain on weekends than weekdays. And it’s our own faults! The researchers analyzed Eastern Seaboard weather from several decades and discovered that Saturdays received 22% more precipitation than Mondays. The scientists believe weekend rain clouds are actually produced by weekday commuting. The millions of extra car and truck trips generates tons of additional aerosols--tiny airborne particles around which raindrops develop. As the work week progresses, the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere increases and liquid water condenses around them. If enough of the water groups together before being dispersed by wind, it will start to rain. So next time you are sitting in traffic, you can add this to the list of irritants: every minute you are stuck is increasing the chance it will rain next weekend.
[Image description: A woman with an umbrella raises one hand in the rain.] Credit & copyright: xusenru, Pixabay
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FREEComposition Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! As the summer heat continues, enjoy these curios all about weather. Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore—in fact, these turbulent clouds passed over Shasta County near Redding, California in 2019. A National Weather Service report issued a tornado warning for the areas between Anderson and Redding, roughly a 10 mile stretch of land. Residents who usually had views of flat farmlands, forested hills, and Mount Shasta's peak, beheld a psychedelic arrangement of lights and funneling storm clouds in the low precipitation supercell storm (a cyclone containing little water). Luckily, the clouds didn't cause any major destruction, although 1.5-inch-diameter hail rocks and some lightning accompanied the unusual weather. Cory Mueller of the National Weather Service remarked that low precipitation supercells are something of a visual marvel and "...typically very photogenic because you can see the storm structure very well." We just hope these photographers will keep themselves out of harm's way, especially if the next storm proves to be more dangerous!
Below: more images from the Shasta County storm clouds.
Image credit & copyright: Angela Walfoort, Cody Gayman, Sean Boren
It's Flashback Friday! As the summer heat continues, enjoy these curios all about weather. Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore—in fact, these turbulent clouds passed over Shasta County near Redding, California in 2019. A National Weather Service report issued a tornado warning for the areas between Anderson and Redding, roughly a 10 mile stretch of land. Residents who usually had views of flat farmlands, forested hills, and Mount Shasta's peak, beheld a psychedelic arrangement of lights and funneling storm clouds in the low precipitation supercell storm (a cyclone containing little water). Luckily, the clouds didn't cause any major destruction, although 1.5-inch-diameter hail rocks and some lightning accompanied the unusual weather. Cory Mueller of the National Weather Service remarked that low precipitation supercells are something of a visual marvel and "...typically very photogenic because you can see the storm structure very well." We just hope these photographers will keep themselves out of harm's way, especially if the next storm proves to be more dangerous!
Below: more images from the Shasta County storm clouds.
Image credit & copyright: Angela Walfoort, Cody Gayman, Sean Boren
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FREEScience Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! As the summer heat continues, enjoy these curios all about weather. If you thought that only certain Xmen could change the weather, think again! Dubai, the biggest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been experiencing record-breaking temperatures lately. Even during normal summers, the city can reach a scorching 115 degrees Fahrenheit, which isn’t great for tourism or general quality of life. So, last year, the UAE’s government decided on a novel way to cool things down. Using specialized drones, they stimulated the city’s near-constant cloud cover to produce rain. After successful tests, they began using the technology in other areas, such as the city of Ras Al Khaimah, from which meteorological officials recently released a video of a human-induced downpour.
How can people control the weather using only drones? The technique is called cloud seeding. When droplets of water vapor, which form clouds, are too small and far apart from one another, they are unaffected by earth’s gravity and can’t fall to the ground. It’s only when the droplets grow larger that they fall, so cloud seeding seeks to force small droplets together to form larger ones. Previous cloud-seeding technologies involved adding silver iodide or other chemicals to clouds in order to form ice crystals, causing water droplets to condense around them, become heavy, and fall as rain. The UAE, however, has employed a newer technique. Instead of chemicals, drones now deliver an electric charge to air molecules near clouds. Just as static electricity sometimes causes things to stick together (like hair to a brush) the electric charge encourages water droplets to bunch up. Although the technique is expensive and requires that drones be fitted not only with electricity-making equipment but also sensitive moisture sensors, it doesn’t require any chemicals to be dispersed through the air, which has been a major cloud-seeding environmental concern for years. As climate change continues to raise temperatures around the world, it’s possible that other nations may adopt similar weather-control to keep things cool. We’re all for it, assuming we don’t end up in a scene from Geostorm!
[Image description: The city of Dubai at night.] Credit & copyright: enjoytheworld, PixabayIt's Flashback Friday! As the summer heat continues, enjoy these curios all about weather. If you thought that only certain Xmen could change the weather, think again! Dubai, the biggest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been experiencing record-breaking temperatures lately. Even during normal summers, the city can reach a scorching 115 degrees Fahrenheit, which isn’t great for tourism or general quality of life. So, last year, the UAE’s government decided on a novel way to cool things down. Using specialized drones, they stimulated the city’s near-constant cloud cover to produce rain. After successful tests, they began using the technology in other areas, such as the city of Ras Al Khaimah, from which meteorological officials recently released a video of a human-induced downpour.
How can people control the weather using only drones? The technique is called cloud seeding. When droplets of water vapor, which form clouds, are too small and far apart from one another, they are unaffected by earth’s gravity and can’t fall to the ground. It’s only when the droplets grow larger that they fall, so cloud seeding seeks to force small droplets together to form larger ones. Previous cloud-seeding technologies involved adding silver iodide or other chemicals to clouds in order to form ice crystals, causing water droplets to condense around them, become heavy, and fall as rain. The UAE, however, has employed a newer technique. Instead of chemicals, drones now deliver an electric charge to air molecules near clouds. Just as static electricity sometimes causes things to stick together (like hair to a brush) the electric charge encourages water droplets to bunch up. Although the technique is expensive and requires that drones be fitted not only with electricity-making equipment but also sensitive moisture sensors, it doesn’t require any chemicals to be dispersed through the air, which has been a major cloud-seeding environmental concern for years. As climate change continues to raise temperatures around the world, it’s possible that other nations may adopt similar weather-control to keep things cool. We’re all for it, assuming we don’t end up in a scene from Geostorm!
[Image description: The city of Dubai at night.] Credit & copyright: enjoytheworld, Pixabay
August 11, 2022
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Low water levels on the River Rhine mean vessels are having to limit the load they can carry. Following flooding in Seoul, South ...
From the BBC World Service: Low water levels on the River Rhine mean vessels are having to limit the load they can carry. Following flooding in Seoul, South ...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 11, 2022
alleviate \uh-LEE-vee-ayt\ verb
What It Means
Alleviate means "to make something less painful, difficult, or severe" or ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 11, 2022
alleviate \uh-LEE-vee-ayt\ verb
What It Means
Alleviate means "to make something less painful, difficult, or severe" or ...
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FREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
This diving robot is the hands-on type. OceanOneK, a robot developed at Stanford University, just got an upgrade. It’s now busy scouring the oceans for lost historical treasures. Originally named just OceanOne, the unusual-looking, orange-and-white, humanoid robot made its maiden voyage in 2016 to the wreck of La Lune, the flagship of King Louis XIV. The wreck is located 100 meters underwater, but that wasn’t a problem for OceanOne, which was capable of diving down to 200 meters at the time. But recent upgrades to its design, including a special foam that contains glass microspheres, allows it to dive down to 1 kilometer, hence the “K” added to its name. Since receiving its upgrades, OceanOneK has explored the wrecks of a Roman ship from the second century as well as a WWII-era submarine and aircraft. While there are other remotely operated submersibles, OceanOneK is unique in a number of ways.
OceanOneK is equipped with a pair of stereoscopic cameras that are mounted on a friendly-looking, humanoid face. The idea is that if OceanOneK is accompanied with conventional divers, they will be able to communicate with the operator underwater in a more intuitive manner. However, the real showstopper is the pair of robotic arms with an advanced haptic feedback system that allows OceanOneK’s operator to feel the resistance of the water and the pressure being exerted on an object, allowing the robot to handle fragile objects with greater care. Technology is cool, but sometimes you just can’t beat the human touch.
Below: A video from Stanford of OceanOneK in action.[Image description: The orange-and-white, humanoid diving robot OceanOneK holds a piece of rope underwater.] Credit & copyright: Stanford, screenshot from video above.
This diving robot is the hands-on type. OceanOneK, a robot developed at Stanford University, just got an upgrade. It’s now busy scouring the oceans for lost historical treasures. Originally named just OceanOne, the unusual-looking, orange-and-white, humanoid robot made its maiden voyage in 2016 to the wreck of La Lune, the flagship of King Louis XIV. The wreck is located 100 meters underwater, but that wasn’t a problem for OceanOne, which was capable of diving down to 200 meters at the time. But recent upgrades to its design, including a special foam that contains glass microspheres, allows it to dive down to 1 kilometer, hence the “K” added to its name. Since receiving its upgrades, OceanOneK has explored the wrecks of a Roman ship from the second century as well as a WWII-era submarine and aircraft. While there are other remotely operated submersibles, OceanOneK is unique in a number of ways.
OceanOneK is equipped with a pair of stereoscopic cameras that are mounted on a friendly-looking, humanoid face. The idea is that if OceanOneK is accompanied with conventional divers, they will be able to communicate with the operator underwater in a more intuitive manner. However, the real showstopper is the pair of robotic arms with an advanced haptic feedback system that allows OceanOneK’s operator to feel the resistance of the water and the pressure being exerted on an object, allowing the robot to handle fragile objects with greater care. Technology is cool, but sometimes you just can’t beat the human touch.
Below: A video from Stanford of OceanOneK in action.[Image description: The orange-and-white, humanoid diving robot OceanOneK holds a piece of rope underwater.] Credit & copyright: Stanford, screenshot from video above.
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FREEScience Daily Curio #2494Free1 CQ
These bones have really mixed things up! Paleontologist Timothy Rowe found the remains of a mammoth mother and calf back in 2013, after his neighbor told him there was something that looked like bones on his property. Now, Rowe and his colleagues have published their findings, and their discoveries are rewriting prehistory. The mammoths’ remains weren’t neatly preserved but instead had been broken in a deliberate manner, fashioned into sharp instruments that were then used to cut into the rest of the carcass. In short, the mammoths had been butchered very methodically by humans. Rowe told CNN, "I have excavated dinosaurs that were scavenged, but the pattern of bone disarticulation and breakage from human butchering was unlike anything I had seen." In addition to a broken skull and marks on the bone left by cutting, there were also signs of a carefully maintained fire around the remains, most likely used to melt the fat inside the mammoth so that it could be drained.
However, the most shocking part of the discovery was its age. The mammoths were killed between 36,250 and 38,900 years ago, and although the prehistoric creatures were known to inhabit the area during that time, it predates the earliest known humans in North America by tens of thousands of years. While humans evolved some 200,000 years ago, it was thought that the Clovis culture was the first to have made its way to North America some 16,000 years ago. Like some other prehistoric humans, they made their way to North America via the Bering land bridge that once linked Asia and Alaska, then they spread southward. While some footprints and possible remains of stone tools have been found in other parts of North America predating them, they were met with skepticism and hadn’t been considered definitive proof. Now, the site in New Mexico might completely change the timeline of human activity on the continent. Who would have guessed that a few broken bones could have such an impact?
[Image description: A model of an adult wooly mammoth and calf at the Anthropos Pavilion, a museum in Brno, South Moravia, Czech Republic.] Credit & copyright: HTO, Wikimedia Commons, Public DomainThese bones have really mixed things up! Paleontologist Timothy Rowe found the remains of a mammoth mother and calf back in 2013, after his neighbor told him there was something that looked like bones on his property. Now, Rowe and his colleagues have published their findings, and their discoveries are rewriting prehistory. The mammoths’ remains weren’t neatly preserved but instead had been broken in a deliberate manner, fashioned into sharp instruments that were then used to cut into the rest of the carcass. In short, the mammoths had been butchered very methodically by humans. Rowe told CNN, "I have excavated dinosaurs that were scavenged, but the pattern of bone disarticulation and breakage from human butchering was unlike anything I had seen." In addition to a broken skull and marks on the bone left by cutting, there were also signs of a carefully maintained fire around the remains, most likely used to melt the fat inside the mammoth so that it could be drained.
However, the most shocking part of the discovery was its age. The mammoths were killed between 36,250 and 38,900 years ago, and although the prehistoric creatures were known to inhabit the area during that time, it predates the earliest known humans in North America by tens of thousands of years. While humans evolved some 200,000 years ago, it was thought that the Clovis culture was the first to have made its way to North America some 16,000 years ago. Like some other prehistoric humans, they made their way to North America via the Bering land bridge that once linked Asia and Alaska, then they spread southward. While some footprints and possible remains of stone tools have been found in other parts of North America predating them, they were met with skepticism and hadn’t been considered definitive proof. Now, the site in New Mexico might completely change the timeline of human activity on the continent. Who would have guessed that a few broken bones could have such an impact?
[Image description: A model of an adult wooly mammoth and calf at the Anthropos Pavilion, a museum in Brno, South Moravia, Czech Republic.] Credit & copyright: HTO, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
August 10, 2022
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Major electricity price hikes are adding pressure for people in Sri Lanka who are already struggling to afford the basics. The co...
From the BBC World Service: Major electricity price hikes are adding pressure for people in Sri Lanka who are already struggling to afford the basics. The co...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 10, 2022
trivial \TRIV-ee-ul\ adjective
What It Means
Trivial means “of little worth or importance.”
// Although her parents dis...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 10, 2022
trivial \TRIV-ee-ul\ adjective
What It Means
Trivial means “of little worth or importance.”
// Although her parents dis...
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FREESales Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
This store proves that there's more than one way to do business. As inflation causes costs to rise at most stores, Costco has emerged as a notable exception. Although a few of their items have gotten more expensive, the changes don’t seem to be nearly as drastic as at other stores, and Costco’s most popular items (like their rotisserie chickens and food court hotdogs) have retained their pre-inflation price tags. So what is this popular membership warehouse club’s secret? Well, it’s mostly the memberships. An annual Costco membership is $60, and because Costco has so many members, the store can make a profit without significantly marking up prices. In fact, in 2018, CNN Business reported that around 75 percent of Costco’s profits came from membership fees.
The store takes other cost-cutting measures too, some of them pretty unusual. For one thing, Costco doesn’t advertise. Other than signage outside their stores, you won’t see a Costco ad. The money Costco saves in advertising costs helps keep prices low, which brings in customers through word of mouth. Costco warehouses are devoid of decorative displays for the same reason—it saves money, allowing better deals to be passed on to customers. Another price-lowering factor is that Costco doesn’t tend to offer a wide variety of a single type of product. Customers may find only one brand of shredded cheese, for example, but they’ll be able to buy it in bulk for a discounted price since Costco can buy the cheapest bulk items from manufacturers. Costco has also avoided many consequences of the recent “great resignation” by paying employees at least $15 an hour and providing benefits like health insurance. This has led to greater employee retention compared to other large retailers. Even if its unconventional, it sometimes pays to pay more!
[Image description: The entrance of a Costco warehouse.] Credit & copyright: Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine, Wikimedia Commons, Public DomainThis store proves that there's more than one way to do business. As inflation causes costs to rise at most stores, Costco has emerged as a notable exception. Although a few of their items have gotten more expensive, the changes don’t seem to be nearly as drastic as at other stores, and Costco’s most popular items (like their rotisserie chickens and food court hotdogs) have retained their pre-inflation price tags. So what is this popular membership warehouse club’s secret? Well, it’s mostly the memberships. An annual Costco membership is $60, and because Costco has so many members, the store can make a profit without significantly marking up prices. In fact, in 2018, CNN Business reported that around 75 percent of Costco’s profits came from membership fees.
The store takes other cost-cutting measures too, some of them pretty unusual. For one thing, Costco doesn’t advertise. Other than signage outside their stores, you won’t see a Costco ad. The money Costco saves in advertising costs helps keep prices low, which brings in customers through word of mouth. Costco warehouses are devoid of decorative displays for the same reason—it saves money, allowing better deals to be passed on to customers. Another price-lowering factor is that Costco doesn’t tend to offer a wide variety of a single type of product. Customers may find only one brand of shredded cheese, for example, but they’ll be able to buy it in bulk for a discounted price since Costco can buy the cheapest bulk items from manufacturers. Costco has also avoided many consequences of the recent “great resignation” by paying employees at least $15 an hour and providing benefits like health insurance. This has led to greater employee retention compared to other large retailers. Even if its unconventional, it sometimes pays to pay more!
[Image description: The entrance of a Costco warehouse.] Credit & copyright: Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain -
FREESwimming Daily Curio #2493Free1 CQ
Trying to find the lifeguard on duty? Look up at the sky! In late July, a 14-year-old boy was saved from drowning in Spain, thanks to a flying drone. The boy was on the verge of sinking beneath the waves when the drone dropped a life vest to keep him afloat until rescuers could arrive by jet ski. Miguel Angel Pedrero, the drone pilot who found the boy, told Reuters, “When we arrived what we saw was a kid that was in very bad shape, with almost no energy to keep floating, so I sent over the life vest. Because of the heavy waves it was a complicated maneuver, but we finally managed to give him the vest and he could float until the lifeguards reached him by jet ski.” Pedrero works for General Drones (GD), a firm that employs 30 pilots who operate drones at 22 beaches across Spain. The country attracts beachgoing tourists from around the world, so mitigating the risk of drowning is a high priority. Just within the first six months of 2022, 140 people died from drowning in Spain, an increase of 55 percent from 2021. It’s no wonder, then, that the country is looking for innovative solutions to safeguard their beaches.
According to GD, 90 percent of drowning deaths occur due to lack of surveillance, and a person can submerge underwater in as little as 20 to 60 seconds once they start to struggle. That means that even a brief lapse in attention from a human lifeguard can lead to a drowning death. GD’s drone, the Auxdron LFG, can help prevent drownings in a number of ways. It is equipped with artificial intelligence, rendering it capable of counting swimmers and identifying potential victims. The drone can be deployed to someone who is drowning much faster than rescuers can reach them, buying the victim time by giving them a flotation device, then visually broadcasting their location. Not only does this help save the person drowning, it also makes the situation safer for rescuers, since they won’t be struggling with a panicked victim who could potentially pull them underwater. Next time you’re on Spain’s sandy shores, don’t be surprised to see the lifeguards reaching for a remote controller before a rescue buoy.
[Image description: A drone flies over a beach at sunset] Credit & copyright: bellergy, PixabayTrying to find the lifeguard on duty? Look up at the sky! In late July, a 14-year-old boy was saved from drowning in Spain, thanks to a flying drone. The boy was on the verge of sinking beneath the waves when the drone dropped a life vest to keep him afloat until rescuers could arrive by jet ski. Miguel Angel Pedrero, the drone pilot who found the boy, told Reuters, “When we arrived what we saw was a kid that was in very bad shape, with almost no energy to keep floating, so I sent over the life vest. Because of the heavy waves it was a complicated maneuver, but we finally managed to give him the vest and he could float until the lifeguards reached him by jet ski.” Pedrero works for General Drones (GD), a firm that employs 30 pilots who operate drones at 22 beaches across Spain. The country attracts beachgoing tourists from around the world, so mitigating the risk of drowning is a high priority. Just within the first six months of 2022, 140 people died from drowning in Spain, an increase of 55 percent from 2021. It’s no wonder, then, that the country is looking for innovative solutions to safeguard their beaches.
According to GD, 90 percent of drowning deaths occur due to lack of surveillance, and a person can submerge underwater in as little as 20 to 60 seconds once they start to struggle. That means that even a brief lapse in attention from a human lifeguard can lead to a drowning death. GD’s drone, the Auxdron LFG, can help prevent drownings in a number of ways. It is equipped with artificial intelligence, rendering it capable of counting swimmers and identifying potential victims. The drone can be deployed to someone who is drowning much faster than rescuers can reach them, buying the victim time by giving them a flotation device, then visually broadcasting their location. Not only does this help save the person drowning, it also makes the situation safer for rescuers, since they won’t be struggling with a panicked victim who could potentially pull them underwater. Next time you’re on Spain’s sandy shores, don’t be surprised to see the lifeguards reaching for a remote controller before a rescue buoy.
[Image description: A drone flies over a beach at sunset] Credit & copyright: bellergy, Pixabay
August 9, 2022
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: At least eight people died after torrential downpours in the South Korean capital, with some trapped in subterranean apartments, ...
From the BBC World Service: At least eight people died after torrential downpours in the South Korean capital, with some trapped in subterranean apartments, ...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 9, 2022
riposte \rih-POHST\ noun
What It Means
A riposte is a clever retort or retaliatory measure. In fencing, it refers specifi...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 9, 2022
riposte \rih-POHST\ noun
What It Means
A riposte is a clever retort or retaliatory measure. In fencing, it refers specifi...
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
It’s a tad bit danceable for a breakup song, but that sure didn’t stop ABBA’s The Winner Takes It All from topping the UK Singles Chart on this day in 1980. In fact, the power ballad became their eighth number one single in the UK. The song’s swelling vocals and heavy keyboard made it quite an attention-grabber. Meanwhile, its dramatic lyrics about a bitter divorce seemed to be born right out of real-life drama: it was written by ABBA member Bjorn Ulvaeus during his divorce from bandmate Agnetha Fältskog. Although Ulvaeus insisted that the lyrics shouldn’t be taken literally since there were no “winners” in his divorce, he did admit that his own despair inspired the song. For her part, Fältskog jumped fully on board with The Winner Takes It All, singing lead on the track and starring in its music video, which was filmed just ten days after her divorce from Ulvaeus was finalized. You’ve got to wonder how Ulvaeus felt singing backup on this one.
[Image description: Wax figures of ABBA’s four members from the ABBA Museum, wearing their famous costumes in front of a blue background.] Credit & copyright: Graham C99 (schnappi), Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size, image used under license linked here.
It’s a tad bit danceable for a breakup song, but that sure didn’t stop ABBA’s The Winner Takes It All from topping the UK Singles Chart on this day in 1980. In fact, the power ballad became their eighth number one single in the UK. The song’s swelling vocals and heavy keyboard made it quite an attention-grabber. Meanwhile, its dramatic lyrics about a bitter divorce seemed to be born right out of real-life drama: it was written by ABBA member Bjorn Ulvaeus during his divorce from bandmate Agnetha Fältskog. Although Ulvaeus insisted that the lyrics shouldn’t be taken literally since there were no “winners” in his divorce, he did admit that his own despair inspired the song. For her part, Fältskog jumped fully on board with The Winner Takes It All, singing lead on the track and starring in its music video, which was filmed just ten days after her divorce from Ulvaeus was finalized. You’ve got to wonder how Ulvaeus felt singing backup on this one.
[Image description: Wax figures of ABBA’s four members from the ABBA Museum, wearing their famous costumes in front of a blue background.] Credit & copyright: Graham C99 (schnappi), Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size, image used under license linked here.
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FREELiterature Daily Curio #2492Free1 CQ
Henry David Thoreau: transcendentalist philosopher, writer, and rugged individualist. Well, maybe not that last one, but he never claimed to be. Walden; or, Life in the Woods was published on this day in 1854, and the tale of Thoreau’s time spent in a woodland cabin still resonates with readers today. Yet as popular as the book is, a mischaracterization of Thoreau seems to have stuck around: namely, the idea that he was a hermit roughing it out in the wilderness on his own. The fact is, Thoreau wasn’t really a loner, and that he didn’t even try to hide it. Walden Pond wasn’t geographically isolated, being located near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau even mentions that he made regular trips into town on foot. The property was owned by his mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, and when Thoreau finally left Walden Pond after just two years, it was at Emerson’s invitation to stay with his family while he went to Europe.
While at Walden, Thoreau wrote about how his mother brought him food and helped with his laundry, and how he would often entertain visitors at his cabin. So why does the myth of Thoreau as a loner persist? It’s hard to say. It could be that the title of the book gave people the impression that the author was deep in a forest, cut off from civilization. Alternatively, it could be that philosophers like Thoreau are portrayed as misunderstood geniuses rejected by society. While that’s a romantic notion, the truth is that Thoreau was always very well-integrated with society at large. We’ve written before about how he ran his family’s pencil-manufacturing business, taking it over entirely after his father’s death. And while he never married or had any children, he had many friends who held him in high esteem, leading his funeral to be a crowded affair. Thoreau’s most controversial ideas actually revolved around his condemnation of slavery, but abolitionists were growing in number in the 1800s, and being in the North, he was by no means alone in his beliefs. Ultimately, Thoreau’s mythologized portrayal might have more to do with what his readers wanted him to be, rather than what he was. Or maybe a lot of college students never got around to doing the assigned reading, and wrote their essays based purely on Walden’s title.
[Image description: Henry David Thoreau] Credit & copyright:
B. D. Maxham, National Portrait Gallery, Wikimedia Commons, Image cropped for size, Public DomainHenry David Thoreau: transcendentalist philosopher, writer, and rugged individualist. Well, maybe not that last one, but he never claimed to be. Walden; or, Life in the Woods was published on this day in 1854, and the tale of Thoreau’s time spent in a woodland cabin still resonates with readers today. Yet as popular as the book is, a mischaracterization of Thoreau seems to have stuck around: namely, the idea that he was a hermit roughing it out in the wilderness on his own. The fact is, Thoreau wasn’t really a loner, and that he didn’t even try to hide it. Walden Pond wasn’t geographically isolated, being located near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau even mentions that he made regular trips into town on foot. The property was owned by his mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, and when Thoreau finally left Walden Pond after just two years, it was at Emerson’s invitation to stay with his family while he went to Europe.
While at Walden, Thoreau wrote about how his mother brought him food and helped with his laundry, and how he would often entertain visitors at his cabin. So why does the myth of Thoreau as a loner persist? It’s hard to say. It could be that the title of the book gave people the impression that the author was deep in a forest, cut off from civilization. Alternatively, it could be that philosophers like Thoreau are portrayed as misunderstood geniuses rejected by society. While that’s a romantic notion, the truth is that Thoreau was always very well-integrated with society at large. We’ve written before about how he ran his family’s pencil-manufacturing business, taking it over entirely after his father’s death. And while he never married or had any children, he had many friends who held him in high esteem, leading his funeral to be a crowded affair. Thoreau’s most controversial ideas actually revolved around his condemnation of slavery, but abolitionists were growing in number in the 1800s, and being in the North, he was by no means alone in his beliefs. Ultimately, Thoreau’s mythologized portrayal might have more to do with what his readers wanted him to be, rather than what he was. Or maybe a lot of college students never got around to doing the assigned reading, and wrote their essays based purely on Walden’s title.
[Image description: Henry David Thoreau] Credit & copyright:
B. D. Maxham, National Portrait Gallery, Wikimedia Commons, Image cropped for size, Public Domain
August 8, 2022
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 8, 2022
crepuscular \krih-PUHSS-kyuh-ler\ adjective
What It Means
Crepuscular means "of, relating to, or resembling twilight." It...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 8, 2022
crepuscular \krih-PUHSS-kyuh-ler\ adjective
What It Means
Crepuscular means "of, relating to, or resembling twilight." It...
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ JOLTS report is out, and it indicates that the labor market may be in the early stages of cooling off. We talk about what the...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ JOLTS report is out, and it indicates that the labor market may be in the early stages of cooling off. We talk about what the...
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
Nature is sometimes as strange as it is beautiful. American artist William Thon's Pine Trees shows a group of trees in ink and watercolor. The trees spread out their spindly limbs against a white and gray backdrop interspersed with dramatic smudges of bright yellow light and dark shadows. Splotched ink in the lower foreground hints at vegetation. Thon was mostly self-taught, with brief stints at the Art Students League and the American Academy of Rome. Although he started doing oil paintings in a realistic style, he developed his own unique sensibilities as he experimented with watercolors. In between his art studies, he also worked as a designer of window displays and even tried his hand at treasure hunting before eventually settling down in Maine to paint its coastal and forest landscapes. Even “conventional” artists don’t always stick to convention.
Pine Trees, William Thon (1906-2000), 1955, Watercolor and ink on paper, 22.125 x 30 in. (56.3 x 76.3 cm),Smithsonian American Art Museum
Below: Another of Thon’s paintings, Twilight in Rome.
Nature is sometimes as strange as it is beautiful. American artist William Thon's Pine Trees shows a group of trees in ink and watercolor. The trees spread out their spindly limbs against a white and gray backdrop interspersed with dramatic smudges of bright yellow light and dark shadows. Splotched ink in the lower foreground hints at vegetation. Thon was mostly self-taught, with brief stints at the Art Students League and the American Academy of Rome. Although he started doing oil paintings in a realistic style, he developed his own unique sensibilities as he experimented with watercolors. In between his art studies, he also worked as a designer of window displays and even tried his hand at treasure hunting before eventually settling down in Maine to paint its coastal and forest landscapes. Even “conventional” artists don’t always stick to convention.
Pine Trees, William Thon (1906-2000), 1955, Watercolor and ink on paper, 22.125 x 30 in. (56.3 x 76.3 cm),Smithsonian American Art Museum
Below: Another of Thon’s paintings, Twilight in Rome.
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FREEWorld History Daily Curio #2491Free1 CQ
You might need a COVID booster shot soon, but at least no one is trying to convince you to eat human flesh to maintain your health. In Medieval and Renaissance Europe, you likely wouldn’t have been so lucky. For centuries, the mummified remains of ancient Egyptians and other cadavers were a preferred cure-all. People with aches and pains could venture to the apothecary for some ground up skull. For frequent headaches, physicians would sometimes prescribe a course of mumia, a medicine made from ground up mummies. But some ailments were thought to require something a little fresher. If a patient were suspected of having a blood disease weakening their body, they might be given fresh human blood, sometimes straight from the donor.
One would think that eating human flesh would be taboo in Europe, so how did consuming mummies catch on? Medicinal cannibalism was popular throughout Europe largely due to the belief that “like cures like.” If something was wrong with a person’s body, Europeans believed that the vital essence of another body could cure it. The practice goes as far back as the time of ancient Rome, when it was believed that the blood of a slain gladiator contained his essence, and could heal or revitalize those who consumed it. There were skeptics, of course, but the practice was popular enough and mummies in high enough demand that entire industries were formed to create mummy forgeries. These fake mummies were usually made from the bodies of executed convicts, while the executions themselves were a reliable source of fresh blood for those who lacked money to purchase medicine. In fact, the last case of a witness attempting to gather blood from a recent execution occurred in Germany in 1908. Medicinal cannibalism largely fell out of fashion around the 18th century, but the use of human remains lingered in the fringes of medicine and beyond for a while after. We’ll just stick to ibuprofen, thanks!
[Image description: A brown ovular box with the inscription "MUMIÆ" and inventory number 218. From the pharmacists collection of Museums für Hamburgische Geschichte in Germany. ] Credit & copyright: Christoph Braun, Wikimedia Commons, Public DomainYou might need a COVID booster shot soon, but at least no one is trying to convince you to eat human flesh to maintain your health. In Medieval and Renaissance Europe, you likely wouldn’t have been so lucky. For centuries, the mummified remains of ancient Egyptians and other cadavers were a preferred cure-all. People with aches and pains could venture to the apothecary for some ground up skull. For frequent headaches, physicians would sometimes prescribe a course of mumia, a medicine made from ground up mummies. But some ailments were thought to require something a little fresher. If a patient were suspected of having a blood disease weakening their body, they might be given fresh human blood, sometimes straight from the donor.
One would think that eating human flesh would be taboo in Europe, so how did consuming mummies catch on? Medicinal cannibalism was popular throughout Europe largely due to the belief that “like cures like.” If something was wrong with a person’s body, Europeans believed that the vital essence of another body could cure it. The practice goes as far back as the time of ancient Rome, when it was believed that the blood of a slain gladiator contained his essence, and could heal or revitalize those who consumed it. There were skeptics, of course, but the practice was popular enough and mummies in high enough demand that entire industries were formed to create mummy forgeries. These fake mummies were usually made from the bodies of executed convicts, while the executions themselves were a reliable source of fresh blood for those who lacked money to purchase medicine. In fact, the last case of a witness attempting to gather blood from a recent execution occurred in Germany in 1908. Medicinal cannibalism largely fell out of fashion around the 18th century, but the use of human remains lingered in the fringes of medicine and beyond for a while after. We’ll just stick to ibuprofen, thanks!
[Image description: A brown ovular box with the inscription "MUMIÆ" and inventory number 218. From the pharmacists collection of Museums für Hamburgische Geschichte in Germany. ] Credit & copyright: Christoph Braun, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
August 7, 2022
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 7, 2022
eminently \EM-uh-nunt-lee\ adverb
What It Means
Eminently is used as a synonym of very and means “to a high degree.”
// ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 7, 2022
eminently \EM-uh-nunt-lee\ adverb
What It Means
Eminently is used as a synonym of very and means “to a high degree.”
// ...
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
The CHIPS and Science Act puts aside tens of billions of dollars in funding for the National Science Foundation, the nation’s government research agency. We ...
The CHIPS and Science Act puts aside tens of billions of dollars in funding for the National Science Foundation, the nation’s government research agency. We ...
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FREEHumanities PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
This summer, don’t hit the rapids without your jacket! For such a simple device, the life jacket or personal floatation device (PFD) has an impressive record of saving lives. Yet, when one tries to pinpoint an exact inventor, patent, or even invention-date for life jackets, the waters get a bit murky. That’s partly because humans have been using floatation devices for as long as we’ve relied on water—in other words, since before recorded history. The first PFD’s weren’t jackets, but rather inflated animal skins or bladders that fishermen held onto while wading in streams, lakes, or the ocean. Such devices were used by many cultures all over the world. In coastal European countries like Norway, fishermen would sometimes tie blocks of buoyant wood or cork to their arms while working.
The beginnings of the modern life jacket date back to the early 19th century. In 1802, Abraham Bosquet, of the British Royal Navy, wrote a letter to his superiors suggesting that ships be outfitted with canvas jackets filled with cork shavings. A life jacket made from cork was even made available for sale to the general public in 1804, in the popular British periodical The Sporting Magazine. A company called Bather’s soon began producing a popular model of life jacket known as the “Companion” made from cork sheets. But the need for life jackets didn’t become widely apparent until the 1850s, when metal boats began replacing their wooden predecessors. After all, when metal ships sank, their wreckage didn’t provide much floating debris for sailors to cling to until help arrived.
Even though life jackets existed before his time, many people credit the invention of the modern life jacket, which fits over the head and is strapped around the chest, to Vice Admiral John Ross Ward of the Royal Navy. When he was just a Captain, Ward served as the Inspector of Lifeboats at the UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Knowing how dangerous it was for rescue crews to work from lifeboats in choppy seas, Ward created a life vest in 1854 with a shape we would recognize today, though it was made from cork.
By the early 1900s, kapok, a lightweight fiber made from the fruit of the kapok tree, had replaced cork as the go-to material for life jackets. Soft jackets filled with kapok were more comfortable than cork and easier to put on. As naval battles broke out in World War I, militaries sought to improve their life jackets’ designs. Realizing the importance of life jackets to war-time success, many militaries continued making improvements even after the war ended, in 1918. In 1928, another supposed life jacket inventor took center stage: American merchant and fishing enthusiast Peter Markus. Markus knew that most fishermen refused to wear cork or even kapok life jackets because of how bulky they were. So, he decided to work with a naturally buoyant substance that had no bulk at all—air. In 1928, Markus patented his first design for an inflatable life jacket. It was made from rubberized cloth and could be inflated via two cords attached to cartridges of carbon dioxide. When the cords were pulled, the vest inflated within moments, making it particularly useful in emergency situations. The jackets were also easy to store when deflated. When World War II broke out in 1939, the Royal Air Force and the U.S. Air Force distributed Markus’s life jackets to servicemen. Among soldiers, the jackets earned the raunchy nickname “Mae West” because they supposedly mimicked the Hollywood actress’s curves when inflated.
Inflatable life jackets are still used today, most notably on commercial airplanes in case of emergency, but most modern life jackets use plastic foam to float. Thermoplastic Polyurethane is one of the most common foams used today, and is usually covered by a vest made from nylon or polyester. Life jackets are usually bright orange or yellow, allowing them to be spotted from long distances, and many even include strips of reflective material for night time use. Their only drawback? Modern foam jackets definitely won’t help you look like Mae West.
[Image description: Yellow-and-orange life jackets hang from hooks at a beach, with people in the background.] Credit & copyright: distelAPPArath, PixabayThis summer, don’t hit the rapids without your jacket! For such a simple device, the life jacket or personal floatation device (PFD) has an impressive record of saving lives. Yet, when one tries to pinpoint an exact inventor, patent, or even invention-date for life jackets, the waters get a bit murky. That’s partly because humans have been using floatation devices for as long as we’ve relied on water—in other words, since before recorded history. The first PFD’s weren’t jackets, but rather inflated animal skins or bladders that fishermen held onto while wading in streams, lakes, or the ocean. Such devices were used by many cultures all over the world. In coastal European countries like Norway, fishermen would sometimes tie blocks of buoyant wood or cork to their arms while working.
The beginnings of the modern life jacket date back to the early 19th century. In 1802, Abraham Bosquet, of the British Royal Navy, wrote a letter to his superiors suggesting that ships be outfitted with canvas jackets filled with cork shavings. A life jacket made from cork was even made available for sale to the general public in 1804, in the popular British periodical The Sporting Magazine. A company called Bather’s soon began producing a popular model of life jacket known as the “Companion” made from cork sheets. But the need for life jackets didn’t become widely apparent until the 1850s, when metal boats began replacing their wooden predecessors. After all, when metal ships sank, their wreckage didn’t provide much floating debris for sailors to cling to until help arrived.
Even though life jackets existed before his time, many people credit the invention of the modern life jacket, which fits over the head and is strapped around the chest, to Vice Admiral John Ross Ward of the Royal Navy. When he was just a Captain, Ward served as the Inspector of Lifeboats at the UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Knowing how dangerous it was for rescue crews to work from lifeboats in choppy seas, Ward created a life vest in 1854 with a shape we would recognize today, though it was made from cork.
By the early 1900s, kapok, a lightweight fiber made from the fruit of the kapok tree, had replaced cork as the go-to material for life jackets. Soft jackets filled with kapok were more comfortable than cork and easier to put on. As naval battles broke out in World War I, militaries sought to improve their life jackets’ designs. Realizing the importance of life jackets to war-time success, many militaries continued making improvements even after the war ended, in 1918. In 1928, another supposed life jacket inventor took center stage: American merchant and fishing enthusiast Peter Markus. Markus knew that most fishermen refused to wear cork or even kapok life jackets because of how bulky they were. So, he decided to work with a naturally buoyant substance that had no bulk at all—air. In 1928, Markus patented his first design for an inflatable life jacket. It was made from rubberized cloth and could be inflated via two cords attached to cartridges of carbon dioxide. When the cords were pulled, the vest inflated within moments, making it particularly useful in emergency situations. The jackets were also easy to store when deflated. When World War II broke out in 1939, the Royal Air Force and the U.S. Air Force distributed Markus’s life jackets to servicemen. Among soldiers, the jackets earned the raunchy nickname “Mae West” because they supposedly mimicked the Hollywood actress’s curves when inflated.
Inflatable life jackets are still used today, most notably on commercial airplanes in case of emergency, but most modern life jackets use plastic foam to float. Thermoplastic Polyurethane is one of the most common foams used today, and is usually covered by a vest made from nylon or polyester. Life jackets are usually bright orange or yellow, allowing them to be spotted from long distances, and many even include strips of reflective material for night time use. Their only drawback? Modern foam jackets definitely won’t help you look like Mae West.
[Image description: Yellow-and-orange life jackets hang from hooks at a beach, with people in the background.] Credit & copyright: distelAPPArath, Pixabay
August 6, 2022
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9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
The U.S. economy added 528,000 jobs in July, according to the latest jobs report, far outpacing expectations. We dig into what that means amid high inflation...
The U.S. economy added 528,000 jobs in July, according to the latest jobs report, far outpacing expectations. We dig into what that means amid high inflation...
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FREEBasketball Daily CurioFree1 CQ
If legends never die, this man will live on forever. 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell recently passed away at the age of 88. After joining the Boston Celtics in the 1956 NBA Draft, he went on to become one of basketball’s greatests during his 13 years with the team. While playing for the Celtics, Russell led the team to the NBA Finals 12 times, winning 11 of them—8 of them consecutively, a record that stands to this day. Beyond the court, Russell was active in the Civil Rights movement, and was present during Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. In 1961, Russell, along with other Black players from the Celtics and the St. Louis Hawks, boycotted an exhibition match in Lexington, Kentucky after fellow players were denied service at a local diner due to their race. Then, in 1966, Russell made history by becoming the first Black head coach in sports while still playing for the Celtics for two seasons. After leaving the Celtics, he pursued a career in broadcasting and remained a vocal advocate for racial equality. In 2009, he was honored by the NBA when they renamed the Finals MVP award after him. The next year, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama for his activism. Few other athletes leave such a legacy both on and off the court.
[Image description: NBA player Bill Russell dribbles a basketball in front of a green background, wearing his white-and-green Celtics uniform.] Credit & copyright: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
If legends never die, this man will live on forever. 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell recently passed away at the age of 88. After joining the Boston Celtics in the 1956 NBA Draft, he went on to become one of basketball’s greatests during his 13 years with the team. While playing for the Celtics, Russell led the team to the NBA Finals 12 times, winning 11 of them—8 of them consecutively, a record that stands to this day. Beyond the court, Russell was active in the Civil Rights movement, and was present during Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. In 1961, Russell, along with other Black players from the Celtics and the St. Louis Hawks, boycotted an exhibition match in Lexington, Kentucky after fellow players were denied service at a local diner due to their race. Then, in 1966, Russell made history by becoming the first Black head coach in sports while still playing for the Celtics for two seasons. After leaving the Celtics, he pursued a career in broadcasting and remained a vocal advocate for racial equality. In 2009, he was honored by the NBA when they renamed the Finals MVP award after him. The next year, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama for his activism. Few other athletes leave such a legacy both on and off the court.
[Image description: NBA player Bill Russell dribbles a basketball in front of a green background, wearing his white-and-green Celtics uniform.] Credit & copyright: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain