Daily Curio
An amusing daily fact from Justin Kitch, Curious CEO.
Curio Cabinet
- By Date
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June 4, 2020
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FREEFirst Aid Daily Curio #2049Free1 CQ
Bangkok is massive, with a ballooning population of over 10 million. It's also super congested. Year after year, Bangkok and Mexico City vie for the title of most jam-packed city in the world—hence Bangkok's motorcycle midwives. I'm referring to dauntless health professionals also function as motorcycle police. Over 100 of these midwives straddle motorbikes and artfully weave across Bangkok's traffic, to transport birthing mothers to hospitals. That, or deliver babies on the side of the road. It's definitely dangerous, but each midwife has an escort of two other officers leading the charge. Since the midwife subset of the Royal Thai Police was founded in 1993, the unit has safely delivered 184 babies. As puzzling as this high-adrenaline profession sounds, there's a simple explanation for its existence: Bangkok developed fast as a modern city. Way too fast, and without proper allocation of land usage or transit planning. Just 8 percent of Bangkok functions as road surfaces. That's compared to 20-30 percent in most other cities. There's another factor: the fact Bangkok has no 911 hotline. Instead, Bangkokkers rely on a local radio station called JS100. This station is a catch-all hub of communication. Everything from entertainment, to traffic and lost-and-found reports funnel through JS100. So do the calls for the motorcycle midwives. It's radically different from our own system, but it does the job. And the midwives are undeniably cool. Not many people can tie an umbilical cord then wheelie off into the sunset!
Image credit & copyright: Agence France-Presse
Bangkok is massive, with a ballooning population of over 10 million. It's also super congested. Year after year, Bangkok and Mexico City vie for the title of most jam-packed city in the world—hence Bangkok's motorcycle midwives. I'm referring to dauntless health professionals also function as motorcycle police. Over 100 of these midwives straddle motorbikes and artfully weave across Bangkok's traffic, to transport birthing mothers to hospitals. That, or deliver babies on the side of the road. It's definitely dangerous, but each midwife has an escort of two other officers leading the charge. Since the midwife subset of the Royal Thai Police was founded in 1993, the unit has safely delivered 184 babies. As puzzling as this high-adrenaline profession sounds, there's a simple explanation for its existence: Bangkok developed fast as a modern city. Way too fast, and without proper allocation of land usage or transit planning. Just 8 percent of Bangkok functions as road surfaces. That's compared to 20-30 percent in most other cities. There's another factor: the fact Bangkok has no 911 hotline. Instead, Bangkokkers rely on a local radio station called JS100. This station is a catch-all hub of communication. Everything from entertainment, to traffic and lost-and-found reports funnel through JS100. So do the calls for the motorcycle midwives. It's radically different from our own system, but it does the job. And the midwives are undeniably cool. Not many people can tie an umbilical cord then wheelie off into the sunset!
Image credit & copyright: Agence France-Presse
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2 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. Exposed to mildly warmer waters, some corals turn neon, instead of bleaching white. The dramatic ...
with 60-Second ScienceToday's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. Exposed to mildly warmer waters, some corals turn neon, instead of bleaching white. The dramatic ...
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Essential workers have to worry about curfews on top of the coronavirus. Google faces a proposed class-action lawsuit over alleged privacy violations. And, s...
Essential workers have to worry about curfews on top of the coronavirus. Google faces a proposed class-action lawsuit over alleged privacy violations. And, s...
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Fault lines of inequality have existed for generations, says Dr. Michelle Morse, co-founder of the Campaign Against Racism.
with PRI's The WorldFault lines of inequality have existed for generations, says Dr. Michelle Morse, co-founder of the Campaign Against Racism.
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FREEAesthetic Art CurioFree1 CQ
Title: Distanced Figures 3
Artist: George Condo (b. 1957)
Created: 2020
Medium: oil on canvas
Strange art may be just the thing for these strange times. It certainly seemed that way at the recent Frieze New York art fair, which took place online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Distanced Figures 3, a piece by contemporary artist George Condo, fetched a selling price of $2 million at the show. The piece features a man and woman, rendered in a cubist-caricature style with their faces and bodies separated into geometric shapes. Their features, from the man's oversized nose to the woman's goofy smile, look cartoonish, as if ready for a silly night at the opera, or a vacation from a "wascally wabbit". This feeling is enhanced by the way the figures stare straight at the viewer, standing side by side as if deliberately posing from a distance. The painting's bright colors, mostly electric blues and violets, adds to its surreal feel and emphasize the feeling of distance for which the piece is named. Condo's art often portrays and provokes uncomfortable emotions. It's easy to see why he refers to his unique style as "psychological cubism"!
Below: two more of Condo's paintings, Big John and The Laughing Cavalier.
Image credit & copyright: George Condo/Simon Lee Gallery/Artists Rights Society (ARS)/Hauser & WIrth
Title: Distanced Figures 3
Artist: George Condo (b. 1957)
Created: 2020
Medium: oil on canvas
Strange art may be just the thing for these strange times. It certainly seemed that way at the recent Frieze New York art fair, which took place online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Distanced Figures 3, a piece by contemporary artist George Condo, fetched a selling price of $2 million at the show. The piece features a man and woman, rendered in a cubist-caricature style with their faces and bodies separated into geometric shapes. Their features, from the man's oversized nose to the woman's goofy smile, look cartoonish, as if ready for a silly night at the opera, or a vacation from a "wascally wabbit". This feeling is enhanced by the way the figures stare straight at the viewer, standing side by side as if deliberately posing from a distance. The painting's bright colors, mostly electric blues and violets, adds to its surreal feel and emphasize the feeling of distance for which the piece is named. Condo's art often portrays and provokes uncomfortable emotions. It's easy to see why he refers to his unique style as "psychological cubism"!
Below: two more of Condo's paintings, Big John and The Laughing Cavalier.
Image credit & copyright: George Condo/Simon Lee Gallery/Artists Rights Society (ARS)/Hauser & WIrth
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 23, 2017
flagrant \FLAY-grunt\ adjective
Definition
: conspicuously offensive; especially : so obviously inconsistent with what i...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 23, 2017
flagrant \FLAY-grunt\ adjective
Definition
: conspicuously offensive; especially : so obviously inconsistent with what i...
June 3, 2020
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FREEMusic Daily Curio #2048Free1 CQ
We all know music gets us in the groove. But did you know it gets us all in the same groove? In fact, when it comes to concerts, the neural activity of audience members even synchronizes with the performers, according to a new study in the journal NeuroImage. In the study, 16 test participants observed a violinist play snippets of classical works like Ludwig van Beethoven's Ode to Joy. Simultaneously, the researchers monitored the oxygenated blood levels in each section of both the musician's and the audiences' brains. Localized spikes in oxygenated blood levels indicate more neural activity, and can be used to show which part of the brain is functioning in response to stimuli. Synchronization of brain activity between all the participants increased dramatically as each song was performed, surging at each song's final resolution. This synchronous brain activity largely happened in two areas of the brain. In the left hemisphere, the temporal-parietal junction flared. This portion of the brain aids empathy, helps us socialize, and is vital for verbal working memory. Meanwhile, in the right hemisphere, the inferior frontal cortex and several other sections lit up. This area of the brain processes musical patterns and structure, and contains "mirror neurons." Mirror neurons are what they sound like: brain cells which help us mimic each other. Curiously, these mirror neurons both control and react to movement. Which means that our interpretation of music is deeply—no, neurally—ingrained in movement (imagine a symphony conductor enthusiastically waving their baton). Add all this together, and we now know why music brings people together to dance. So next time you step on your dance partner's toes, blame it on your clumsy mirror neurons!
Image credit & copyright: PC Mag
We all know music gets us in the groove. But did you know it gets us all in the same groove? In fact, when it comes to concerts, the neural activity of audience members even synchronizes with the performers, according to a new study in the journal NeuroImage. In the study, 16 test participants observed a violinist play snippets of classical works like Ludwig van Beethoven's Ode to Joy. Simultaneously, the researchers monitored the oxygenated blood levels in each section of both the musician's and the audiences' brains. Localized spikes in oxygenated blood levels indicate more neural activity, and can be used to show which part of the brain is functioning in response to stimuli. Synchronization of brain activity between all the participants increased dramatically as each song was performed, surging at each song's final resolution. This synchronous brain activity largely happened in two areas of the brain. In the left hemisphere, the temporal-parietal junction flared. This portion of the brain aids empathy, helps us socialize, and is vital for verbal working memory. Meanwhile, in the right hemisphere, the inferior frontal cortex and several other sections lit up. This area of the brain processes musical patterns and structure, and contains "mirror neurons." Mirror neurons are what they sound like: brain cells which help us mimic each other. Curiously, these mirror neurons both control and react to movement. Which means that our interpretation of music is deeply—no, neurally—ingrained in movement (imagine a symphony conductor enthusiastically waving their baton). Add all this together, and we now know why music brings people together to dance. So next time you step on your dance partner's toes, blame it on your clumsy mirror neurons!
Image credit & copyright: PC Mag
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
The CEOs of companies from big brands on down have been crafting statements condemning racism and police brutality. The CBO’s grim projections for COVID-19 e...
The CEOs of companies from big brands on down have been crafting statements condemning racism and police brutality. The CBO’s grim projections for COVID-19 e...
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1 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. Here are some brief reports about science and technology from around the planet, including one ab...
with 60-Second ScienceToday's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. Here are some brief reports about science and technology from around the planet, including one ab...
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Like many US states, Nevada was struggling to test residents when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Eventually, help did arrive — from an AI company in the UAE.
with PRI's The WorldLike many US states, Nevada was struggling to test residents when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Eventually, help did arrive — from an AI company in the UAE.
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
Who says classical music can't be modern? Dutch composer Louis Andriessen has plenty of experience turning the world of classical music on its head. His 1975 piece Worker's Union is a "symphonic movement written for any loud sounding group of instruments." In addition to the unusual orchestration, Andriessen gives a very unusual set of music notation: each instrument reads the same percussive-like notes that move up and down on a single line. The music leaves much to the imagination for conductors and musicians. Andrissen noted: "It is difficult to play in an ensemble and to remain in step, sort of thing like organising and carrying on political action." The intentional disruption of pretentious classical music has been at the heart of Andriessen's work for decades: as a Dutch composer, he participated in protests of classical concerts at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, demanding more representation of new composers' work. Workers Union is evidence that for his 81st birthday this week, there's still a lot he can teach to classical audiences everywhere.
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Marco Borggreve
Who says classical music can't be modern? Dutch composer Louis Andriessen has plenty of experience turning the world of classical music on its head. His 1975 piece Worker's Union is a "symphonic movement written for any loud sounding group of instruments." In addition to the unusual orchestration, Andriessen gives a very unusual set of music notation: each instrument reads the same percussive-like notes that move up and down on a single line. The music leaves much to the imagination for conductors and musicians. Andrissen noted: "It is difficult to play in an ensemble and to remain in step, sort of thing like organising and carrying on political action." The intentional disruption of pretentious classical music has been at the heart of Andriessen's work for decades: as a Dutch composer, he participated in protests of classical concerts at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, demanding more representation of new composers' work. Workers Union is evidence that for his 81st birthday this week, there's still a lot he can teach to classical audiences everywhere.
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Marco Borggreve
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1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: The Brassiere Factory. By Kenneth Koch.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: The Brassiere Factory. By Kenneth Koch.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 22, 2017
nobby \NAH-bee\ adjective
Definition
: cleverly stylish : chic, smart
Examples
The restaurant was a bit too nobby for ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 22, 2017
nobby \NAH-bee\ adjective
Definition
: cleverly stylish : chic, smart
Examples
The restaurant was a bit too nobby for ...
June 2, 2020
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FREESTEM Daily Curio #2047Free1 CQ
Earlier this week, SpaceX made history by delivering astronauts to the International Space Station in a privately built and owned spacecraft. But before we usher in a new age of space exploration, let's look back at a forgotten name: John Young. Young was a pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA's longest-serving active astronaut at 42 years. He was the first person to fly six missions into space, and spent 835 hours in space. He was the only person to have piloted four different classes of spacecraft: the Gemini rocket, the Apollo Command and Service Module, the Apollo Lunar Module, and the Space Shuttle. During Apollo 16, he walked on the Moon and cruised in the Lunar Roving vehicle. He's also just one of three people to have twice journeyed to the Moon. But in spite of all his accomplishments, Young never became a household name like Armstrong. In fact, Young is often remembered more so for a corn beef sandwich than his litany of accomplishments. On March 23, 1965, fellow astronaut Wally Schirra gave a two-day-old corn beef sandwich to Young, who stashed it within his space suit before he boarded a rocket at Cape Kennedy. It was the five-hour Gemini 3 mission. In the cockpit, fellow astronaut Gus Grissom was taken by surprise when Young pulled out the musty sandwich. The sandwich proceeded to fall apart in low gravity, prompting Grissom to pocket it. NASA wasn't happy about the gag. In space, food particles—especially rye crumb—float about and get lodged within crucial wiring. NASA administrator George Mueller was called in to testify before Congress about the potentially disastrous break in protocol. Mueller at one point assured Congress that, "We [at NASA] have taken steps… to prevent recurrence of corned beef sandwiches in future flights." In spite of the controversy, Young went on to serve as Chief of the Astronaut Office—the most senior leadership post for active astronauts—from 1974 to 1987. It just goes to show that sometimes the class clown ends up becoming the teacher, even at NASA!
Image credit & copyright: Blundell, Paul/the food passionates/Corbis
Earlier this week, SpaceX made history by delivering astronauts to the International Space Station in a privately built and owned spacecraft. But before we usher in a new age of space exploration, let's look back at a forgotten name: John Young. Young was a pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA's longest-serving active astronaut at 42 years. He was the first person to fly six missions into space, and spent 835 hours in space. He was the only person to have piloted four different classes of spacecraft: the Gemini rocket, the Apollo Command and Service Module, the Apollo Lunar Module, and the Space Shuttle. During Apollo 16, he walked on the Moon and cruised in the Lunar Roving vehicle. He's also just one of three people to have twice journeyed to the Moon. But in spite of all his accomplishments, Young never became a household name like Armstrong. In fact, Young is often remembered more so for a corn beef sandwich than his litany of accomplishments. On March 23, 1965, fellow astronaut Wally Schirra gave a two-day-old corn beef sandwich to Young, who stashed it within his space suit before he boarded a rocket at Cape Kennedy. It was the five-hour Gemini 3 mission. In the cockpit, fellow astronaut Gus Grissom was taken by surprise when Young pulled out the musty sandwich. The sandwich proceeded to fall apart in low gravity, prompting Grissom to pocket it. NASA wasn't happy about the gag. In space, food particles—especially rye crumb—float about and get lodged within crucial wiring. NASA administrator George Mueller was called in to testify before Congress about the potentially disastrous break in protocol. Mueller at one point assured Congress that, "We [at NASA] have taken steps… to prevent recurrence of corned beef sandwiches in future flights." In spite of the controversy, Young went on to serve as Chief of the Astronaut Office—the most senior leadership post for active astronauts—from 1974 to 1987. It just goes to show that sometimes the class clown ends up becoming the teacher, even at NASA!
Image credit & copyright: Blundell, Paul/the food passionates/Corbis
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Amid protests across the country over the killing of George Floyd, a call to make payouts to victims of police misconduct much more transparent to the public...
Amid protests across the country over the killing of George Floyd, a call to make payouts to victims of police misconduct much more transparent to the public...
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Some of the more than 800,000 satellite images taken during the Cold War are being used by researchers to track biodiversity and species decline.
with PRI's The WorldSome of the more than 800,000 satellite images taken during the Cold War are being used by researchers to track biodiversity and species decline.
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
That's an unusual way to make a mess in the kitchen! Photographer Patty Carroll's long-running series Anonymous Women has grown particularly popular during the coronavirus pandemic, as we all struggle to make ends meet. In Cooking the Goose, a mannequin falls apart as she tries to cook in her oven, stir with a ladle, and talk on the phone at the same time. She wears powder-pink capri pants, heels, and a sweater, to match her picturesque kitchen full of beautiful vintage appliances. All of Anonymous Women's shots feature similar female mannequins attempting (and failing) to complete household tasks in hyper-perfect domestic settings, to spoof the societal expectations faced by women. But in the isolated tedium of quarantine, Anonymous Women has found a second voice. Speaking directly about her photos' relation to stay-at-home orders, Carroll recently said, "It is hard to ponder larger issues when we are confined to our homes… nevertheless, all of my photographs are about those simple, ordinary, yet overwhelming tasks that we carry out every day." Here's hoping we keep it together better than Carroll's mannequins!
Below: two more photos from Carroll's Anonymous Woman series, Pie Eyed and Cleaned Out.
Image credit & copyright: Patty Carroll
That's an unusual way to make a mess in the kitchen! Photographer Patty Carroll's long-running series Anonymous Women has grown particularly popular during the coronavirus pandemic, as we all struggle to make ends meet. In Cooking the Goose, a mannequin falls apart as she tries to cook in her oven, stir with a ladle, and talk on the phone at the same time. She wears powder-pink capri pants, heels, and a sweater, to match her picturesque kitchen full of beautiful vintage appliances. All of Anonymous Women's shots feature similar female mannequins attempting (and failing) to complete household tasks in hyper-perfect domestic settings, to spoof the societal expectations faced by women. But in the isolated tedium of quarantine, Anonymous Women has found a second voice. Speaking directly about her photos' relation to stay-at-home orders, Carroll recently said, "It is hard to ponder larger issues when we are confined to our homes… nevertheless, all of my photographs are about those simple, ordinary, yet overwhelming tasks that we carry out every day." Here's hoping we keep it together better than Carroll's mannequins!
Below: two more photos from Carroll's Anonymous Woman series, Pie Eyed and Cleaned Out.
Image credit & copyright: Patty Carroll
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3 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Minute Earth.
with Minute EarthToday's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Minute Earth.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 21, 2017
hebetude \HEB-uh-tood\ noun
Definition
: lethargy, dullness
Examples
Tired from being out late the night before, Jenni...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 21, 2017
hebetude \HEB-uh-tood\ noun
Definition
: lethargy, dullness
Examples
Tired from being out late the night before, Jenni...
June 1, 2020
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FREEMind + Body Daily Curio #2046Free1 CQ
Willy Wonka's Magic Chewing Gum, aka the three-course dinner gum, is now a reality. Only, there's no gum (or blueberry children) involved—or even food, for that matter. The Norimaki Synthesizer is a new "lickable screen" that can simulate the taste of everything from sushi to candy. Invented by Japanese scientist Homei Miyashita, this device uses an electrical current to deliver different taste combinations from five agar gel taste distributors. Each gel leads down a long tube, with a molecule inside delivering a respective flavor: glycine for sweetness, sodium chloride for salty, citric acid for acidic, magnesium chloride for bitter, and glutamic sodium for the savoriness of umami. These gels can be placed anywhere on the tongue, contrary to the outdated belief that certain areas of the tongue corresponded to sweetness, saltiness, and so on (flavors are evenly spread across the taste buds). Platinum wire electrodes thread these gels. Meanwhile, the synthesizer's copper foil shell creates an electrical circuit when it contacts the body. Once contact is made on the tongue, the user will taste all five flavors at once. But by using readout sliders that physically retract undesired gels from the tongue, a desired flavor profile is attained. For example, having the synthesizer retract its acidic and umami gels—and use only the salty, bitter, and sweet gels in certain degrees—would result in a taste akin to dark chocolate. The synthesizer can pinpoint a flavor in mind thanks to data amassed from taste sensor studies. Simply put, the respective neuroelectrical responses we get from tasting anything from pie to carrots have been cataloged and mapped onto the synthesizer's extensive matrix of flavor combinations. The device thoroughly tricked its test subjects. Which has implications outside of dieting. Miyashita believes the synthesizer will introduce gustatory sensations into our largely visual media. Think of it this way: someday soon, you might be able to both watch, hear—and taste—your favorite cooking shows, movies, and video games. Just make sure to turn off the synthesizer when you're watching, um, smelling sports. Pee-ew!
Image credit & copyright: Homei Miyashita
Willy Wonka's Magic Chewing Gum, aka the three-course dinner gum, is now a reality. Only, there's no gum (or blueberry children) involved—or even food, for that matter. The Norimaki Synthesizer is a new "lickable screen" that can simulate the taste of everything from sushi to candy. Invented by Japanese scientist Homei Miyashita, this device uses an electrical current to deliver different taste combinations from five agar gel taste distributors. Each gel leads down a long tube, with a molecule inside delivering a respective flavor: glycine for sweetness, sodium chloride for salty, citric acid for acidic, magnesium chloride for bitter, and glutamic sodium for the savoriness of umami. These gels can be placed anywhere on the tongue, contrary to the outdated belief that certain areas of the tongue corresponded to sweetness, saltiness, and so on (flavors are evenly spread across the taste buds). Platinum wire electrodes thread these gels. Meanwhile, the synthesizer's copper foil shell creates an electrical circuit when it contacts the body. Once contact is made on the tongue, the user will taste all five flavors at once. But by using readout sliders that physically retract undesired gels from the tongue, a desired flavor profile is attained. For example, having the synthesizer retract its acidic and umami gels—and use only the salty, bitter, and sweet gels in certain degrees—would result in a taste akin to dark chocolate. The synthesizer can pinpoint a flavor in mind thanks to data amassed from taste sensor studies. Simply put, the respective neuroelectrical responses we get from tasting anything from pie to carrots have been cataloged and mapped onto the synthesizer's extensive matrix of flavor combinations. The device thoroughly tricked its test subjects. Which has implications outside of dieting. Miyashita believes the synthesizer will introduce gustatory sensations into our largely visual media. Think of it this way: someday soon, you might be able to both watch, hear—and taste—your favorite cooking shows, movies, and video games. Just make sure to turn off the synthesizer when you're watching, um, smelling sports. Pee-ew!
Image credit & copyright: Homei Miyashita
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5 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
As the world continues to try to find ways to reopen and cope with the coronavirus in the aftermath of lockdowns, many in workplaces will shortly have to go ...
with PRI's The WorldAs the world continues to try to find ways to reopen and cope with the coronavirus in the aftermath of lockdowns, many in workplaces will shortly have to go ...
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Since the lockdowns began, more than 30 million Americans have gotten approval to receive unemployment benefits, but many more are still trying to get filed ...
Since the lockdowns began, more than 30 million Americans have gotten approval to receive unemployment benefits, but many more are still trying to get filed ...
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FREEAesthetic Art CurioFree1 CQ
Title: Game Changers
Artist: Banksy
Created: 2020
Medium: pencil on paper
Current location: Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, Hampshire, England
Street artist Banksy never attaches his real name or face to his politically-charged works, yet his art is revered all over the world. This month, Banksy donated a new piece, entitled Game Changers, to Southampton General Hospital in the U.K. It shows a boy playing with a cap-clad nurse doll while fictional heroes, like Batman, sit unused in a nearby basket. The powerful image celebrates health care workers during the Covid-19 crisis. The boy's reverence for the nurse is clear, as he holds her high in one hand, as if making her fly through the air. The entire image is black and white, except for the Red Cross logo, on the nurse's uniform, making her a beacon amongst stark surroundings. Banksy included a note with the donated artwork, stating that he hopes it "brightens the place up a bit, even if it's only black and white." When lockdown ends, Game Changers will be auctioned to raise money for Britain's National Health Service, allowing it to have an even greater impact. That's what we call being the change you want to see in the world!
Image credit & copyright: Banksy
Title: Game Changers
Artist: Banksy
Created: 2020
Medium: pencil on paper
Current location: Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, Hampshire, England
Street artist Banksy never attaches his real name or face to his politically-charged works, yet his art is revered all over the world. This month, Banksy donated a new piece, entitled Game Changers, to Southampton General Hospital in the U.K. It shows a boy playing with a cap-clad nurse doll while fictional heroes, like Batman, sit unused in a nearby basket. The powerful image celebrates health care workers during the Covid-19 crisis. The boy's reverence for the nurse is clear, as he holds her high in one hand, as if making her fly through the air. The entire image is black and white, except for the Red Cross logo, on the nurse's uniform, making her a beacon amongst stark surroundings. Banksy included a note with the donated artwork, stating that he hopes it "brightens the place up a bit, even if it's only black and white." When lockdown ends, Game Changers will be auctioned to raise money for Britain's National Health Service, allowing it to have an even greater impact. That's what we call being the change you want to see in the world!
Image credit & copyright: Banksy
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3 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 1878 Fourier, Egypt, and modern applied mathematics. Today, Joseph Fourier.
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 1878 Fourier, Egypt, and modern applied mathematics. Today, Joseph Fourier.
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< 1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: Game Night. By Conor O'Callaghan.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: Game Night. By Conor O'Callaghan.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 20, 2017
depredate \DEP-ruh-dayt\ verb
Definition
1 : to lay waste : plunder, ravage
2 : to engage in plunder
Examples
The bea...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 20, 2017
depredate \DEP-ruh-dayt\ verb
Definition
1 : to lay waste : plunder, ravage
2 : to engage in plunder
Examples
The bea...
May 31, 2020
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
The Haida are one of many Indigenous groups across the world trying to stay closed as surrounding areas reopen following restrictions to contain the spread o...
with PRI's The WorldThe Haida are one of many Indigenous groups across the world trying to stay closed as surrounding areas reopen following restrictions to contain the spread o...
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
The founder of the biggest hedge fund has plans for how capitalism must be restructured in order to better serve more people. And, the White House is out wit...
The founder of the biggest hedge fund has plans for how capitalism must be restructured in order to better serve more people. And, the White House is out wit...
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3 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 3053 Music and the Brain. Today, this is your brain on music.
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 3053 Music and the Brain. Today, this is your brain on music.
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FREEHumanities PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
The colorful history of Britain's most iconic clock.
It's an international icon, yet most people call it by the wrong name! Big Ben, as it's commonly known, is a clocktower at the Palace of Westminster, in London. When it was completed on this day in 1859, Big Ben was simply called "the clock tower." It was officially renamed "Elizabeth Tower" in 2012. So where does the name "Big Ben" come from? To understand the tower's most common moniker, one must understand the story of its construction.
In 1834, most of the Palace of Westminster, which housed the British parliament, was destroyed in a catastrophic fire. The Palace was a symbol of British democracy, as it contained not only the meeting place of the House of Commons, but also the official residences of the Speaker and Clerk of the House of Commons. London officials insisted that the Palace be rebuilt by a skilled architect.
In 1836, a design competition was held. The winner was British architect Charles Barry, whose design incorporated the palace's surviving buildings. Barry collaborated with Augustus Pugin, an architect known for his love of the Gothic Revival architecture. This style sought to revive the imposing Gothic architecture of medieval times. Although Barry designed the majority of the new palace, he left the design of the clock tower to Pugin.
Construction began in 1843. Because of the clocktower's prominent placement, great care was taken to ensure that its timekeeping would be accurate. Astronomer Royal George Airy specified that the time should be "...correct to within one second per day, and furthermore that it should telegraph its performance twice a day to Greenwich Observatory, where a record would be kept." The clock took three years to complete—from 1851, when it was designed by lawyer and horologist Edmund Beckett Denison, to 1854, when it was finished by clockmaker Frederick Dent. Luckily, since the rest of the tower wasn't completed until 1859, Dent gained an extra five years to perfect it.
Of course, in order to chime the hour, the clocktower needed bells. The first hour bell cracked during testing. It was later melted down and recast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry (the same foundry which cast the Liberty Bell). It was the largest ever cast in the United Kingdom, standing over seven feet tall and weighing over 13 tons. When a team of 16 horses pulled the bell through London to the new clocktower, excited crowds lined the streets. The bell was immediately nicknamed Big Ben, due to its enormous size and in honor of London's First Commissioner of Works, Sir Benjamin Hall, who helped oversee the tower's construction.
It took several days to hoist the bell to the top of the 315-foot tower, which was constructed from Yorkshire Anston stone and Cornish granite. On May 31, 1859, Big Ben rang out for the first time. Unfortunately, the enormous hour bell soon cracked, and remained damaged for four years. The hour was struck on the far smaller fourth quarter bell until a new (rigorously-tested) hour bell was installed.
The clocktower was immediately praised as an architectural marvel. Each of the tower's four clock faces sits in a 23-foot-diameter iron frame, and is crafted of 324 pieces of opal glass. Even by today's standards, the clock faces are massive, with hour hands measuring 9 feet and minute hands measuring 14 feet.
In 2012, the clocktower's official name was changed to Elizabeth Tower, in honor of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. However, people around the world, as well as the British themselves, continue to call the tower Big Ben. It goes to show that old habits, and catchy names, die hard!
The colorful history of Britain's most iconic clock.
It's an international icon, yet most people call it by the wrong name! Big Ben, as it's commonly known, is a clocktower at the Palace of Westminster, in London. When it was completed on this day in 1859, Big Ben was simply called "the clock tower." It was officially renamed "Elizabeth Tower" in 2012. So where does the name "Big Ben" come from? To understand the tower's most common moniker, one must understand the story of its construction.
In 1834, most of the Palace of Westminster, which housed the British parliament, was destroyed in a catastrophic fire. The Palace was a symbol of British democracy, as it contained not only the meeting place of the House of Commons, but also the official residences of the Speaker and Clerk of the House of Commons. London officials insisted that the Palace be rebuilt by a skilled architect.
In 1836, a design competition was held. The winner was British architect Charles Barry, whose design incorporated the palace's surviving buildings. Barry collaborated with Augustus Pugin, an architect known for his love of the Gothic Revival architecture. This style sought to revive the imposing Gothic architecture of medieval times. Although Barry designed the majority of the new palace, he left the design of the clock tower to Pugin.
Construction began in 1843. Because of the clocktower's prominent placement, great care was taken to ensure that its timekeeping would be accurate. Astronomer Royal George Airy specified that the time should be "...correct to within one second per day, and furthermore that it should telegraph its performance twice a day to Greenwich Observatory, where a record would be kept." The clock took three years to complete—from 1851, when it was designed by lawyer and horologist Edmund Beckett Denison, to 1854, when it was finished by clockmaker Frederick Dent. Luckily, since the rest of the tower wasn't completed until 1859, Dent gained an extra five years to perfect it.
Of course, in order to chime the hour, the clocktower needed bells. The first hour bell cracked during testing. It was later melted down and recast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry (the same foundry which cast the Liberty Bell). It was the largest ever cast in the United Kingdom, standing over seven feet tall and weighing over 13 tons. When a team of 16 horses pulled the bell through London to the new clocktower, excited crowds lined the streets. The bell was immediately nicknamed Big Ben, due to its enormous size and in honor of London's First Commissioner of Works, Sir Benjamin Hall, who helped oversee the tower's construction.
It took several days to hoist the bell to the top of the 315-foot tower, which was constructed from Yorkshire Anston stone and Cornish granite. On May 31, 1859, Big Ben rang out for the first time. Unfortunately, the enormous hour bell soon cracked, and remained damaged for four years. The hour was struck on the far smaller fourth quarter bell until a new (rigorously-tested) hour bell was installed.
The clocktower was immediately praised as an architectural marvel. Each of the tower's four clock faces sits in a 23-foot-diameter iron frame, and is crafted of 324 pieces of opal glass. Even by today's standards, the clock faces are massive, with hour hands measuring 9 feet and minute hands measuring 14 feet.
In 2012, the clocktower's official name was changed to Elizabeth Tower, in honor of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. However, people around the world, as well as the British themselves, continue to call the tower Big Ben. It goes to show that old habits, and catchy names, die hard!
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1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: Tin Woman's Lament. By Yolanda Wisher.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: Tin Woman's Lament. By Yolanda Wisher.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 19, 2017
alleviate \uh-LEE-vee-ayt\ verb
Definition
: relieve, lessen such as a : to make (something, such as suffering) more bea...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 19, 2017
alleviate \uh-LEE-vee-ayt\ verb
Definition
: relieve, lessen such as a : to make (something, such as suffering) more bea...
May 30, 2020
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FREEPlay Teaser Curio #239Free1 CQ
This dangerous time is about to become more dangerous. While we are doing our best to remain safe, we're about to unleash creatures known around the world for their efficacy in transmitting disease. For many, the last structures to keep these things contained (be it "teacher story time" or "school group projects" or actually "homework") is ending. What are we going to do with these kids!?!? Can you make a word ladder from FREE to KIDS that satisfies the clue below? FREE Beholds KIDS Remember: a word ladder is a series of words, starting from one word and ending with another, where each subsequent word is a one-letter change from the previous word (without rearranging, adding, or removing letters). And, of course, each step is a common, valid English word. For instance, you can change CAT to DOG like this: CAT => COT => DOT => DOG.
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #239" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
This dangerous time is about to become more dangerous. While we are doing our best to remain safe, we're about to unleash creatures known around the world for their efficacy in transmitting disease. For many, the last structures to keep these things contained (be it "teacher story time" or "school group projects" or actually "homework") is ending. What are we going to do with these kids!?!? Can you make a word ladder from FREE to KIDS that satisfies the clue below? FREE Beholds KIDS Remember: a word ladder is a series of words, starting from one word and ending with another, where each subsequent word is a one-letter change from the previous word (without rearranging, adding, or removing letters). And, of course, each step is a common, valid English word. For instance, you can change CAT to DOG like this: CAT => COT => DOT => DOG.
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #239" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
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3 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree2 CQ
It's been nearly a decade since an astronaut was launched into space from American soil. Wednesday, at Cape Canaveral Florida, the company SpaceX and NASA tr...
with PRI's The WorldIt's been nearly a decade since an astronaut was launched into space from American soil. Wednesday, at Cape Canaveral Florida, the company SpaceX and NASA tr...
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Some people are starting to get rehired as states reopen, but, overall, we’re not hiring enough to offset the extraordinary magnitude of job losses. The hist...
Some people are starting to get rehired as states reopen, but, overall, we’re not hiring enough to offset the extraordinary magnitude of job losses. The hist...
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3 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 2382 The Invention of the American Paperboy during the Great Depression. Today, ...
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 2382 The Invention of the American Paperboy during the Great Depression. Today, ...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day : August 18, 2017
waif \WAYF\ noun
Definition
1 a : a piece of property found (as washed up by the sea) but unclaimed
b : (plural) stole...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 18, 2017
waif \WAYF\ noun
Definition
1 a : a piece of property found (as washed up by the sea) but unclaimed
b : (plural) stole...
May 29, 2020
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Unemployment in India has risen to 24% with migrant workers facing an uncertain future. Imaging the future of retail, restaurants...
From the BBC World Service: Unemployment in India has risen to 24% with migrant workers facing an uncertain future. Imaging the future of retail, restaurants...
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Title: Entrance to Subway
Artist: Mark Rothko (1903-1970)
Created: 1938
Medium: oil on canvas
Current location: Collection of Kate Rothko Prizel, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
It's okay, buddy—let it all out. Artist Mark Rothko was captivated by human emotion and our need to express it. Early in his career, this interest led him to paint isolating subway scenes with barely-rendered pedestrians. In 1938's Entrance to Subway, for example, the subjects' flat expressions and inaccessible forms hint at repressed inner dramas. These subway paintings not only reflect the isolation Rothko endured while living in New York City, but also the isolation he perceived in his fellow New Yorkers. Oddly enough, the soft color palettes and blurred edges in these works express more emotion than the seemingly impassive pedestrians. Rothko recognized the power of those non-figurative elements; after dabbling with other art styles for a few years, he returned to these subway paintings' nonlinear patches of color. His most career-defining works rely entirely on the same blurred technique to communicate inner emotions. Next time we have trouble expressing a particular feeling, we'll remember to point to the corresponding Rothko instead!
Below: Rothko's style progresses from figurative from to surrealism to "Color Field painting." From top to bottom: expressionless pedestrians in Rothko's Untitled (subway), 1937; Rites of Lilith, 1945; the artist hits his abstract stride with Four Darks in Red, 1958.
Image credit & copyright: Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Title: Entrance to Subway
Artist: Mark Rothko (1903-1970)
Created: 1938
Medium: oil on canvas
Current location: Collection of Kate Rothko Prizel, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
It's okay, buddy—let it all out. Artist Mark Rothko was captivated by human emotion and our need to express it. Early in his career, this interest led him to paint isolating subway scenes with barely-rendered pedestrians. In 1938's Entrance to Subway, for example, the subjects' flat expressions and inaccessible forms hint at repressed inner dramas. These subway paintings not only reflect the isolation Rothko endured while living in New York City, but also the isolation he perceived in his fellow New Yorkers. Oddly enough, the soft color palettes and blurred edges in these works express more emotion than the seemingly impassive pedestrians. Rothko recognized the power of those non-figurative elements; after dabbling with other art styles for a few years, he returned to these subway paintings' nonlinear patches of color. His most career-defining works rely entirely on the same blurred technique to communicate inner emotions. Next time we have trouble expressing a particular feeling, we'll remember to point to the corresponding Rothko instead!
Below: Rothko's style progresses from figurative from to surrealism to "Color Field painting." From top to bottom: expressionless pedestrians in Rothko's Untitled (subway), 1937; Rites of Lilith, 1945; the artist hits his abstract stride with Four Darks in Red, 1958.
Image credit & copyright: Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Dutch-Angolan artist Keyezua explores disability through her startling and unusual images. The above photograph is part of a painterly series featuring a woman wearing masks Keyezua made with help from a team of disabled men. Keyezua collaborated with people with physical disabilities as a tribute to her late father, whose legs were amputated due to complications from diabetes. Each mask represents one aspect of the artist's experience of losing her father early in life; the mask in the image above features blue and white, colors associated with the Netherlands, the country of Keyezua's childhood. The images—shot in Luanda, Angola, where the artist now lives—portray struggle without "immediately scream[ing] sorrow, loss, and survival," she says. For instance, the beautiful woman in a bright red dress suggests glamour rather than a difficult personal battle like the one that Keyezua's father endured. Inspired by her father's resilience, Keyezua named the series Fortia, a play on "force" or "strength," in his honor. Though her father has passed away, his legacy lives on; the series was featured last year in a South African art gallery, Keyezua's first such exhibition in the country. From loving daughter to global artist!
Below: more images in the Fortia series.
Image credit & copyright: Keyezua
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Dutch-Angolan artist Keyezua explores disability through her startling and unusual images. The above photograph is part of a painterly series featuring a woman wearing masks Keyezua made with help from a team of disabled men. Keyezua collaborated with people with physical disabilities as a tribute to her late father, whose legs were amputated due to complications from diabetes. Each mask represents one aspect of the artist's experience of losing her father early in life; the mask in the image above features blue and white, colors associated with the Netherlands, the country of Keyezua's childhood. The images—shot in Luanda, Angola, where the artist now lives—portray struggle without "immediately scream[ing] sorrow, loss, and survival," she says. For instance, the beautiful woman in a bright red dress suggests glamour rather than a difficult personal battle like the one that Keyezua's father endured. Inspired by her father's resilience, Keyezua named the series Fortia, a play on "force" or "strength," in his honor. Though her father has passed away, his legacy lives on; the series was featured last year in a South African art gallery, Keyezua's first such exhibition in the country. From loving daughter to global artist!
Below: more images in the Fortia series.
Image credit & copyright: Keyezua
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FREEBlues Piano Song CurioFree2 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
The only surviving image of a stately Charlie Patton shouldn't dissuade unfamiliar listeners: by all accounts, the "Masked Marvel" was a bonafide 1920s rockstar. Patton is hailed as the "Father of the Delta Blues" for his influential role in popularizing the genre of acoustic blues developed in the South (particularly at Dockery Plantation in Mississippi, where Patton grew up). His recording of High Water Everywhere, Part 1 tells the tale of a woebegone man who is down on his luck during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Patton, in his characteristic swagger, hollers and growls through the tune, audibly stomping his feet and changing up his rhythmic strumming patterns with every new line of lyrics. While it might be hard to decipher what Patton is actually saying through crackly 78 RPM records and his heightened drawl, during his heyday, being able to project his voice (without an electric microphone) would have been a feature rather than a drawback for audiences. And if anyone knew how to bring the noise to a hopping party, it was Charlie Patton!
Other streaming options
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
The only surviving image of a stately Charlie Patton shouldn't dissuade unfamiliar listeners: by all accounts, the "Masked Marvel" was a bonafide 1920s rockstar. Patton is hailed as the "Father of the Delta Blues" for his influential role in popularizing the genre of acoustic blues developed in the South (particularly at Dockery Plantation in Mississippi, where Patton grew up). His recording of High Water Everywhere, Part 1 tells the tale of a woebegone man who is down on his luck during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Patton, in his characteristic swagger, hollers and growls through the tune, audibly stomping his feet and changing up his rhythmic strumming patterns with every new line of lyrics. While it might be hard to decipher what Patton is actually saying through crackly 78 RPM records and his heightened drawl, during his heyday, being able to project his voice (without an electric microphone) would have been a feature rather than a drawback for audiences. And if anyone knew how to bring the noise to a hopping party, it was Charlie Patton!
Other streaming options
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3 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 2480 Stephanie Kwolek: Inventor of Kevlar. Today, not-so-shining armor.
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 2480 Stephanie Kwolek: Inventor of Kevlar. Today, not-so-shining armor.
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Countries around the world are developing contact-tracing apps to limit the spread of COVID-19. Part of that effort is balancing privacy with data collection...
with PRI's The WorldCountries around the world are developing contact-tracing apps to limit the spread of COVID-19. Part of that effort is balancing privacy with data collection...
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FREEWork Daily CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Where is Ronald McDonald? The tri-colored clown mascot for McDonald's has been noticeably absent in recent years. 57 years ago this week, McDonald's filed a trademark for their iconic double arches. But the arches lacked a certain flair that advertisements of the 1960s possessed: cheesiness. So McDonald's, ripping off the then-popular Bozo the Clown, developed their own red-haired character with face paint and giant shoes. The first Ronald was played by none other than Willard Scott of future Today Show fame. Besides starring in hundreds of advertisements, thousands of Ronalds were eventually hired by the company around the world—although McDonald's claims with a straight face that only one person has ever played Ronald: the real one. The actors were under strict instructions to never appear in the same place as another Ronald, never eat McDonald's food while in costume, and never answer how the hamburgers are made. But starting in 2002, rumors surfaced that McDonalds was benching Ronald amid changing public opinion that he was nothing more than a cheap gimmick peddling junk food to kids. Um, yeah. Corporate headquarters tried rebooting his image in 2012 by dumping his old costume in favor of a bright red blazer and a goofy bow tie. He was supposed to be McDonald's new social media ambassador. That lasted about as long as it took the hashtag #NotLovinIt to trend on Twitter. So when the bizarre creepy clown sightings of 2016 happened—including several involving child abductions—McDonald's almost seemed happy to be off the hook. The company announced Ronald would be limiting public appearances because of the "current climate around clown sightings." A sad fate for a clown who most definitely was pushing artery-clogging food to kids. But also lending his personality to one of the most impressive corporate philanthropy endeavors of all time: the Ronald McDonald Houses, free extended-stay facilities near children's hospitals for families of seriously ill kids. I'm lovin' that.
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Where is Ronald McDonald? The tri-colored clown mascot for McDonald's has been noticeably absent in recent years. 57 years ago this week, McDonald's filed a trademark for their iconic double arches. But the arches lacked a certain flair that advertisements of the 1960s possessed: cheesiness. So McDonald's, ripping off the then-popular Bozo the Clown, developed their own red-haired character with face paint and giant shoes. The first Ronald was played by none other than Willard Scott of future Today Show fame. Besides starring in hundreds of advertisements, thousands of Ronalds were eventually hired by the company around the world—although McDonald's claims with a straight face that only one person has ever played Ronald: the real one. The actors were under strict instructions to never appear in the same place as another Ronald, never eat McDonald's food while in costume, and never answer how the hamburgers are made. But starting in 2002, rumors surfaced that McDonalds was benching Ronald amid changing public opinion that he was nothing more than a cheap gimmick peddling junk food to kids. Um, yeah. Corporate headquarters tried rebooting his image in 2012 by dumping his old costume in favor of a bright red blazer and a goofy bow tie. He was supposed to be McDonald's new social media ambassador. That lasted about as long as it took the hashtag #NotLovinIt to trend on Twitter. So when the bizarre creepy clown sightings of 2016 happened—including several involving child abductions—McDonald's almost seemed happy to be off the hook. The company announced Ronald would be limiting public appearances because of the "current climate around clown sightings." A sad fate for a clown who most definitely was pushing artery-clogging food to kids. But also lending his personality to one of the most impressive corporate philanthropy endeavors of all time: the Ronald McDonald Houses, free extended-stay facilities near children's hospitals for families of seriously ill kids. I'm lovin' that.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : August 17, 2017
oppugn \uh-PYOON\ verb
Definition
1 : to fight against
2 : to call in question
Examples
"Carmel Valley speller Justin...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : August 17, 2017
oppugn \uh-PYOON\ verb
Definition
1 : to fight against
2 : to call in question
Examples
"Carmel Valley speller Justin...
