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  2. Fact of the Day - OLDEST SONGS IN HISTORY Did you know... Music is one of the most ancient human arts. Like echoes from the past, ancient melodies can still convey the emotions, beliefs, and cultures of our ancestors. From religious hymns to music of celebration, we gathered some of the 10 oldest songs ever recorded in human history (so far). Join us and listen to the enchanting music of past times! 1. Sumer Is Icumen In Date composed: 13th Century C.E. "Sumer Is Icumen In," often translated as "Summer has arrived," is one of the earliest examples of a _round_in Western music (a type of canon for at least three voices). Believed to have originated in the 13th century in England, this lively song celebrates the arrival of summer with its cheerful melody and lyrics. Amusingly, the song also exhibits one of the oldest recorded uses of the word "fart." 2. Jieshi Diao Youlan Date composed: 6th Century C.E. Jieshi Diao Youlan, often translated as "Solitary Orchid," is possibly the oldest surviving piece of written music from East Asia. The ancient Chinese melody dates back to the 6th century C.E., and it was originally composed for the guqin, a traditional seven-string musical instrument. The melody is renowned for its nuances, particularly in the form of microtones - in music terms, intervals that are smaller than a semitone. A curious effect of this technique is that it makes the melody sound almost modern to contemporary listeners. 3. Te Deum Date composed: 4th Century C.E. The "Te Deum" is a Christian hymn of praise dating back to the 4th century C.E. Traditionally attributed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, it is still sung in churches around the world. The name comes from the phrase "Te Deum laudamus," Latin for "Thee, God, we praise." The ancient hymn is often used during special occasions such as the election of a pope, the consecration of a bishop, or the canonization of a saint. 4. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Date composed: 4th Century C.E. Another ancient hymn with roots in early Christian Greek liturgy, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" was originally written for the Liturgy of Saint James, and is still used in many orthodox Christian churches around the world. However, the modern version is actually a reconstruction that combines a translation of the original Greek lyrics with a French medieval folk tune named "Picardy." 5. Phos Hilaron Date composed: 3rd Century C.E. "Phos Hilaron," also known by its Latin name "Lumen Hilare," is one of the oldest known Christian hymns, dating back to the 3rd century C.E. Sung during vespers , or evening prayers, it is also known as "Lamp-lighting Hymn," because it is associated with the lighting of lamps at night. While its composition is sometimes attributed to St. Basil, who lived between 329 and 379 C.E., some sources claim that St. Basil himself said that the hymn was already old at his time. 6. Oxyrhynchus Hymn Date composed: 3rd Century C.E. Discovered in Egypt among the Oxyrhynchus papyri in 1918, the "Oxyrhynchus Hymn" is written in Greek vocal notation and thought to be one of the earliest surviving Christian hymns, dating back to the 3rd century C.E. Despite not drawing from the Bible (at the time yet to be written), and the fact that only fragments of its lyrics are preserved, the hymn does reference important Christian elements such as the Holy Trinity. 7. Seikilos Epitaph Date composed: 1st Century C.E. The Seikilos Epitaph, discovered on a funerary stele in Turkey, is the oldest complete surviving musical composition. Both the lyrics and musical notation of the short song are inscribed in the pillar, and it is thought to have been written by a man named Seikilos to his deceased wife called Euterpe, or alternatively, to the Muse of Music. Since the inscription is clear and the type of notation is known, researchers had no problem in fully reconstructing the ancient melody. 8. Delphic Hymns Date composed: 2nd century B.C.E The Delphic Hymns are a pair of Ancient Greek musical compositions dating back to the 2nd century B.C.E. Composed for the Pythian Games - celebratory competitions similar to the Olympic Games - held at the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi, these hymns honor the god Apollo and invoke his blessings on the athletes and participants. While neither of the songs is complete, there are modern reconstructions that attempt to piece together the surviving fragments. 9. Song of Songs Date composed: 1st Millennium B.C.E. The "Song of Songs," also known as the Song of Solomon, is a collection of ancient Hebrew poems dating back to the 1st millennium B.C.E. Found in the Hebrew Bible, these passionate and poetic songs are unique in the fact that they do not explore explicitly religious teachings but rather celebrate love, desire, and the beauty of human relationships. Although there are no surviving melodies or notations associated with the poem, modern musicians have composed vocal and instrumental accompaniments to the text. 10. Hurrian Hymn No. 6 Date composed: 1400 B.C.E Dating back to the Neolithic, the Hurrian Hymn No. 6 is the oldest known song in existence. Discovered on a clay tablet in Ugarit, Syria, this hymn was written in the Hurrian language and is dedicated to the goddess Nikkal. The tablet also includes instructions to have the singer accompanied by an ancient type of harp. Historians and musicians have tried to reconstruct the song as faithfully as possible, and there are dozens of versions online if you are feeling curious. Source: From The Pre-Christian Era! Have You Heard The Oldest Songs In History?
  3. Today
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  5. What's the Word: CHINWAG pronunciation: [CHIN-wag] Part of speech: noun Origin: British English, late 19th century Meaning: 1. A chat. Examples: "I love having a chinwag with my friends and catching up on all the latest gossip." "Ursula looked forward to her weekly chinwag with the baker." About Chinwag The word "chinwag" was made from the combination of "chin" and "wag," which is likely a humorous way of describing the movement your chin makes when you're having a vigorous chat. Did you Know? Why is it so satisfying to have a good chinwag? Contrary to beliefs about gossiping, the practice might not be as negative as it seems. In fact, evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar proposed that gossiping developed as a way to disseminate important information among a social network.
  6. Yesterday
  7. Fact of the Day - TEETH WHITENER Did you know... Millions of people shell out their hard-earned cash for brighter teeth. But do teeth whiteners actually work? Tooth whitening is an multibillion-dollar industry in the U.S., with products used by more than 11 percent of American households every year. We’re definitely shelling out for whiter teeth—but are we getting them? Sort of. As the video below from the American Chemical Society explains, whitening products vary in effectiveness. Nearly all commercial products—from the treatments administered by dentists to at-home whitening strips and mouthwashes—include hydrogen peroxide. The efficacy of these products depends on three things: how long they stay on your teeth, how concentrated they are, and the source of the discoloration on your teeth. If you use a concentrated product as it’s meant to be used, you will likely see a brightening effect. Unfortunately, this effect is temporary. "Once you stop with the bleach, it regresses—your teeth start returning to their original color," American Society for Dental Aesthetics president Irwin Smigel told Prevention. "Very few people are happy with the color once it starts regressing, so they'll do teeth whitening again and again." Also, these products are not intended for long-term use. They’re mostly safe in small doses, but over time, soaking your teeth in a bleaching agent can hurt your gums and teeth. "Ten years ago, people weren't even aware of bleaching," Smigel said. "Now every dentist I know has had to cut off at least one patient because of overbleaching. People come in with great, great pain, and I can see immediately from the color of their teeth and the irritation along the gums that they've been bleaching and bleaching." If a lifetime of bleaching is off the table, what about all those “natural” whitening remedies you see online? Dentists agree that baking soda is safe as long as you also brush your teeth with toothpaste, but it can only scrub your teeth, not brighten them. And then there are the fruit remedies once touted by Dr. Oz, who declared that brushing with a mixture of strawberries and baking soda can whiten teeth. Do not do this. Scientists tested the mixture on extracted human teeth and declared it a real dud. Not only does the strawberry/baking soda combo not brighten teeth, but it actually hurts them. A naturally occurring strawberry compound called malic acid eats away at teeth’s enamel, making them softer. If white teeth are important to you, there are two things that will always help: regular brushing and flossing. Source: How Do Teeth Whiteners Work?
  8. What's the Word: GLYPTIC pronunciation: [GLIP-tik] Part of speech: adjective Origin: French, early 19th century Meaning: 1. Of or concerning carving or engraving. Examples: "While she struggled with painting, Dylan excelled in the glyptic arts." "The table was covered in intricate glyptic designs." About Glyptic Glyptic comes from the French "glyptique" of the same meaning, but the French word comes from the Greek words "gluptēs" and "gluphein" (which mean "carver" and "carve," respectively). Did you Know? Are you curious about a glyptic hobby but don't know where to start? Whittling is carving objects or figures out of a small piece of wood, and is a surprisingly easy pastime to pick up. All you need is a softwood (easier to carve with), a knife, and patience to begin your first glyptic wooden creation.
  9. Last week
  10. As Jinbei grabs Zoro and runs, a big bird asks Lucci where York is before going to find her and squash some pests. Broggy and Dorry stand their ground alongside Luffy who pulls some more Looney Tunes/Popeye shenanigans against the other Elder Stars. Kizaru is wounded, and the metal giant that Vegapunk had been studying gets up once more, who then says, "Sorry, Joyboy." And for the next 3 weeks, the One Piece manga will be on break. Let Oda rest and not overwork himself. That and Toriyama's passing had hit everyone pretty hard.
  11. Fact of the Day - COWABUNGA! Did you know.... TMNT wasn’t the first kids show to use the totally tubular exclamation. When “cowabunga!” was first uttered on a TV show for kids, it wasn’t by a turtle. Instead, it came out of the mouth of Chief Thunderthud, a now-very-offensive side character from the 1950s children’s show Howdy Doody. As a made-up word first coined by Howdy Doody creator Edward Kean and spoken into existence by Thunderthud actor Bill LeCornec, kowabonga (as it was originally spelled by the show) first entered the collective lexicon in 1954 as a way of expressing surprise or anger. It was presumably part of Thunderthud’s herky-jerky “native language,” which he spoke as head of the Ooragnak—kangaroo spelled backward—tribe. As Howdy-loving kids grew up, though, some began to make the phrase their own. Specifically, surfers in Southern California, who started to use it in the ‘60s as a way to convey the sort of exhilaration that can only really come with excitement and anticipation. Think: someone yelling “cowabunga!” as they drop in to surf a 10-foot wave, or the sort of surf equivalent of “banzai!” Turtle Time Cowabunga kicked around the surf scene for a couple decades, joining phrases like goofy foot (used to describe a surfer who rides with their right foot forward) and shooting the curl (meaning to “[surf] the hollow part of a wave as it crests [overhead].”). And then, in 1987, when looking for out-there words to use in introducing the audience to the skater/surfer/stoner-coded Michelangelo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, writer David Wise called upon it too. Interestingly, the phrase didn’t pop into Wise’s mind because he was a surfer himself. Rather, he chose to use it simply because the scene he was writing had Michelangelo sort of street-surfing over some object and he remembered a Peanuts cartoon from the ‘60s where a surfing Snoopy used the phrase. Fred Wolf, an animator on the Turtles series, liked the use of it so much that he suggested it become Michelangelo’s catchphrase, and the rest is turtle history. For the few years, the Michelangelo character relied pretty heavily on cowabunga, saying it in movies like 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where it’s introduced to the turtles by Splinter, and in video games like 1991’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time, where it’s used when everyone’s favorite reptilian heroes finish levels. Michelangelo even performed a pretty terrible rap track called “Cowabunga” on the "Coming Out of Their Shells" tour, to rather cringeworthy effect. As the TMNT franchise took off, though, so did cowabunga, landing everywhere from t-shirts to The Simpsons. Yet, time moves on and trends fade: When Nickelodeon launched its own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series in 2012, it chose to replace the word with booyakasha. It became Michelangelo’s catchphrase for about two and a half seasons until the “Meet Mondo Gecko” episode, when the titular lizard reintroduces cowabunga and Mikey starts saying it from time to time. Writers working with the turtles have been able to have a little fun with the phrase since, with the 2014 movie revealing that Raphael had convinced Michelangelo not to use it so much. In 2023’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, it’s not actually uttered by a character until the end of the movie, a conscious choice made by the writers in an effort to set their characters apart from the original series. Of course, that didn’t stop basically every media outlet from using the phrase in headlines about the movie or its subsequent box-office success, and really, can you blame them? As any good surfer (or turtle) will tell you, there’s just something special about that silly little word. Source: ‘Cowabunga, Dude!’: Exploring the Origins of the Radical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Catchphrase
  12. What's the Word: FEY pronunciation: [fei] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Middle English, ninth century Meaning: 1. Giving an impression of vague unworldliness. 2. Having supernatural powers of clairvoyance. Examples: "The meadow looked fey in the fog and moonlight." "Yul's fey abilities allowed him to see flashes of the future." About Fey Fey comes from the Middle English word "fǣge" ("fated to die soon"), but it has Germanic origins, specifically developing from the word "feige" ("cowardly"). Did you Know? The word "fey" is sometimes used as another term for fairies — mythical and magical beings found in European folk mythology. While modern takes on fairies usually describe them as benevolent (if a bit mischievous), people of the Old World had all sorts of wards to keep fairies away — these protections included iron, church bells, four-leaf clovers, and the practice of wearing clothing inside out.
  13. Fact of the Day - CAPITAL I Did you know..... Some languages capitalize several of their pronouns. Some don’t capitalize any of them. English is an odd duck in that it capitalizes only the first person singular, I. Why? Honestly, linguists and historians aren’t sure. They have been unable to find any record of a definitive explanation. We know this much: In Old and early Middle English, the German-flavored ich was used as the personal pronoun. Around the middle period of Middle English, personal pronouns proliferated and Ich, ich, Ic, ic, I and i were all used in writing with varying frequency. By the end of the Middle English period, I stood alone, tall and triumphant. The ch was dropped in one of the major phonetic changes that English experienced during these years, but the reason the solo i suddenly got the capital treatment is less clear. Scholars have proposed some explanations. For one, capitalization might have been a linguistic concern. When I appears, it’s frequently the subject of the sentence, and may have gotten capitalized to denote its importance in a statement. In a similar vein, capitalization might be psychological, affirming the importance not of the subject, but of the writer. One problem with this hypothesis is, if you’re going to capitalize I out of ego, why not do the same to every appearance of me? Another explanation is that the capital I had less to do with language and more to do with the practicalities of handwriting. The lower case i looks a little weak on its own. Some historians—including Charles Bigelow, a type historian and designer of the Lucida and Wingdings font families—think that an i all by itself would have become illegible after multiple handlings and readings of a manuscript, and scribes had to make the pronoun graphically sturdier to stand the tests of time and smudging hands. Source: Why Do We Capitalize ‘I’?
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  15. What's the Word: RUPESTRIAN pronunciation: [roo-PES-tree-ən] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, late 18th century Meaning: 1. (Of art) Done on rock or cave walls. Examples: "Archaeologists were excited to uncover rupestrian markings inside the cave." "The oldest rupestrian art can be found in Western European cave systems." About Quiddity Rupestrian, an adjective for anything related to cave art, developed from the modern Latin words "rupes" ("rock") and "rupestris" ("found on rocks"). Did you Know? The Dabous giraffes, rupestrian art thought to be created between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago, are carvings of two life-sized giraffes found at the Western Air Mountains in Niger. Scientists believe that these remarkably lifelike carvings were created using tools made from petrified wood.
  16. Fact of the Day - EASTER JELLY BEANS Did you know.... If you only eat jelly beans once a year, it's likely at Easter. But unlike candy bunnies, eggs, and chicks, there isn't an obvious connection between the bean-shaped sweet and springtime. Unlike Christmas and Thanksgiving, Easter doesn’t come with a traditional menu in the U.S. Besides the dyed, hard-boiled eggs that kids look for on Easter morning, the foods most closely associated with the Christian celebration are mass-produced candies. Chocolate bunnies, Peeps, and Cadbury Eggs are natural fits for the spring holiday, but the inclusion of jelly beans in Easter baskets requires more explanation. Jelly beans have their roots in Turkish delight, a Middle Eastern gelatin confection that pre-dates the New Testamant. Gelatin, which is derived from the collagen of animal bones and tendons, was eventually used to make other sweet treats. JELL-O, gummy bears, and licorice depend on the ingredient for their signature texture (though vegetarian options do exist). According to Better Homes & Gardens, the earliest mentions of jelly beans date back to the late 19th century. At this time, the candy was more closely associated with Christmas than Easter. Jelly beans were first floated as an Easter treat as a way to save money; because the affordable sweets were shaped like tiny eggs, people started using them to supplement the real chicken eggs in their Easter baskets. They also came in a variety of bright colors like dyed Easter eggs. Plus, the sugar rush was a welcome indulgence at the end of the Lenten season. Jelly beans were quickly embraced as part of American Easter traditions. Meanwhile, they fell out of favor around Christmas—a holiday that already was already linked to a variety of candies. The popularity of jelly beans rose steadily throughout the 20th century before skyrocketing in the 1970s. The decade prior, the Goelitz Candy Company introduced the first jelly beans infused with flavor in both their candy coating and jelly center. They started experimenting with unusual flavors like cream soda and root beer in 1976; this was also the same year they rebranded their product as Jelly Belly. Candy may be the most popular Easter item in the U.S., but that isn’t the case in many other countries where people observe the holiday. In the UK, hot cross buns are synonymous with the celebration. The pastries are studded with fruit and topped with a cross—either with icing or by marking the dough itself. Dating back to the 18th century or earlier, the treats have come to be associated with superstitions. Some people believe hanging a hot cross bun made on Good Friday from the kitchen ceiling protects against evil spirits and fires. Bread for Easter is a common theme around the world. Ukraine and Poland celebrate the holiday with babka, a sweet loaf that’s sometimes blessed at church services before Easter feasts. In Cyprus, they eat flaounes (also know as pilavuna), which consists of dough filled with eggs, cheese, and mint. The traditional meals reserved for Lent look a lot different. In Nicaragua, they serve iguana soup, which is exactly what it sounds like. Many Catholics abstain from eating meat in the 40 days leading up to Easter, but the Catholic definition of “meat” isn’t an exact science. In addition to iguanas, beavers, muskrats, and capybaras are all fair game during Lent according to the church. Source: How Did Jelly Beans Become an Easter Candy?
  17. What's the Word: QUIDDITY pronunciation: [KWID-ə-dee] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, 14th century Meaning: 1. The inherent nature or essence of someone or something. 2. A distinctive feature; a peculiarity. Examples: "Her love of singing is as much a quiddity as her brown hair is." "My brothers share the quiddity of a preference for dipping their fries into their milkshakes." About Quiddity Quiddity is a Middle English word, but originally developed in Latin from the words "quidditas" and "quid" (which both mean "what"). Did you Know? Taking a personality test today might mean completing a career assessment or seeing if you share a particular quiddity with a friend. Personality tests as we know them today were created during WWI, when psychologists were trying to assess the mental hardiness of U.S. Army recruits.
  18. Fact of the Day - WEIRD TRAFFIC LAWS Did you know... Most drivers have the basic driving laws down pat (e.g., red means stop and green means go), and hopefully they also have a decent idea of some of the lesser-known rules buried in the back of their state’s handbook. However, there are plenty of municipalities out there with strict and/or obscure traffic codes that not only trip up visitors, but may even leave residents scratching their heads. Here are nine such laws from around the country that are likely to catch even the most diligent rule-followers off-guard. 1. It’s Illegal to Run Out of Gas in Parts of Youngstown, Ohio Running out of gas is a bummer anywhere, but the city of Youngstown, Ohio, adds a legal burden to those already dealing with the indignity of blocking traffic. Per section 331.44 of the city ordinances, "No person shall operate or permit to be operated any vehicle within the congested district bounded by Chestnut, Walnut, Boardman and Commerce Streets without sufficient fuel to drive the vehicle from the district." There are offenses of increasing severity levied on those who apparently didn't learn their lesson the first time around. 2. You Are Not Allowed to Honk Your Horn at Night Outside Certain Venues in Little Rock, Arkansas Wondering what the heck is taking the waitress so long to hand over your sandwich? If it’s a few hours after normal dinner hours in Little Rock, Arkansas, you better not lean on the horn to find out. As explained in city codes section 18.54, "No person shall sound the horn on a vehicle at any place where cold drinks or sandwiches are served after 9:00 p.m." 3. Using Obscenity Within Earshot of Someone Else Is a No-No in Rockville, Maryland Most of us have unleashed some colorful language when reacting to inconsiderate or reckless drivers on the road, but a little extra restraint is required when passing through the city limits of Rockville, Maryland. Per ordinance 13-53, "A person may not profanely curse and swear or use obscene language upon or near any street, sidewalk or highway within the hearing of persons passing by, upon or along such street, sidewalk or highway." 4. It’s Against the Law to Cruise Past the Same Spots in Westminster, Colorado Feel like showing off your wheels and checking out the hotties as you breeze through the streets of Westminster, Colorado? Just make sure you don't retrace your tracks after the sun goes down. As stated in ordinance 10-1-18, "It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle, or as owner of a motor vehicle to permit its operation, past a traffic control point three times in the same direction within any three-hour period between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m." 5. A Rider Cannot Race Horses on Rhode Island Highways Riding a horse is generally fine and dandy across the compact state of Rhode Island, but be prepared to pay the price if you steer that mount onto a highway and get him up to a gallop. Per state law 11-22-11, "Every person who shall drive any horse over any of the public highways, for the purpose of racing or trying the speed of the horse, shall be fined not more than twenty dollars ($20.00) or imprisoned not exceeding ten (10) days." 6. It’s Illegal to Let Your Chickens Cross the Road in Quitman, Georgia The Southern hamlet of Quitman bills itself as "Georgia's Camellia City," and apparently it's also the place where old jokes go to die. According to section 8-1 of the city codes, "It shall be unlawful for any person owning or controlling chickens, ducks, geese or any other domestic fowl to allow the same to run at large upon the streets or alleys of the city." In other words, it's illegal for chickens to cross the road! 7. Camels Are Not Allowed on Public Highways in Nevada You might think this had something to do with the shenanigans emerging from Las Vegas, but it's actually the result of a U.S. Army experiment gone awry. In the 1850s and '60s, Army leaders imported camels to Nevada with the intent of training these creatures to shoulder supplies for Uncle Sam. However, when it turned out the camels presented a threat to horse traffic, the state legislature in 1875 passed an act that made it "unlawful for the owner or owners of any camel or camels, dromedary or dromedaries, to permit them to run at large on or about the public roads or highways of this State." 8. It’s Against the Law to Hug a Driver in Washington State Sometimes it feels like the world could use more hugs, but you'll need to be careful about spreading the love while in transit through the Evergreen State. As explained in section 46.61.665 of the Revised Code of Washington, "It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle upon the highways of this state when such person has in his or her embrace another person which prevents the free and unhampered operation of such vehicle." Source: Weird Traffic Laws Around the U.S.
  19. What's the Word: BURGHER pronunciation: [BER-ger] Part of speech: noun Origin: Middle Dutch, 15th century Meaning: A citizen of a town or city, typically a member of the wealthy bourgeoisie. Examples: "I'm not just a burgher of this town; I consider myself a citizen of the world." "Even though I've lived here for five years, I don't feel like I'm a burgher yet." About Burgher Burgher developed from the Middle English word "burgh" ("town") and the Dutch words "burger" ("citizen") and "burg" ("castle"). The word "borough" (which describes the boundaries of a certain district) originated from these same roots. Did you Know? There's a difference between being a citizen and being a resident, and the word "burgher" is related to those traditions. If you are a citizen (burgher) of a town, then you have met the requirements to perform certain actions, such as voting and running for office. A resident, on the other hand, simply resides in a particular area — they may not be a burgher.
  20. Fact of the Day - LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Did you know... The Library of Congress was established on April 24, 1800, when President John Adams signed an Act of Congress that approved the appropriation of $5000 for the purchase of “such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress” and for “fitting up a suitable apartment for containing them.” (This same act also transferred the seat of the federal government from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.). The first purchase was a collection of 740 books and 30 maps, ordered from London. Most of the books were about law, given Congress’s legislative role, and the rest covered a variety of topics. They were first stored in the U.S. Capitol, the library's first home. In the two centuries and change since that first purchase, the library has expanded quite a bit. Today, the Library of Congress is physically housed in three buildings—the Thomas Jefferson Building, the John Adams Building, and the James Madison Memorial Building—next to the Capitol. Its collections take up about 800 miles’ worth of shelf space and consists of more than 164 million items. These items include: More than 29.49 million cataloged books in 470 languages 5700 incunabula (books printed before 1501) A rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation [PDF], and two copies of the Gettysburg Address in Abraham Lincoln’s hand One of the three perfect vellum copies of the Gutenberg Bible known to exist Over 1 million U.S. government publications 5.8 million maps, including a world map made by Martin Waldseemüller in 1507 that is the first known document on which the name America appears 1 million printed issues of newspapers from around the world, plus hundreds of thousands more in bound volumes and on microform Issues from the past two years of 60,000 print magazines 8.2 million pieces of sheet music 4.2 million audio recordings 1.8 million film and video recordings More than 16 million prints, photographs, drawings, and posters Five Stradivarius stringed instruments and the world’s largest flute collection. Source: How Big Is the Library of Congress?
  21. What's the Word: FALSTAFFIAN pronunciation: [fal-STAF-ee-ən] Part of speech: adjective Origin: British English, early 19th century Meaning: 1. Relating to or resembling Shakespeare's character Sir John Falstaff in being fat, jolly, and debauched. Examples: "The Falstaffian lion barely moved when the safari truck drew near." "Despite a Falstaffian reputation, he could quickly become very serious." About Falstaffian The word "Falstaffian" developed from William Shakespeare's character Sir John Falstaff. Through the transition from a proper noun to adjective, the word has come to describe people similar to Falstaff (rotund and jolly). Did you Know? The character Sir John Falstaff appears in three of Shakespeare's plays — "Henry IV," "Henry V," and "The Merry Wives of Windsor." Falstaff was predominantly used by the Bard as comic relief, though he does show brief depth of character.
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  23. Fact of the Day - SLEEPY BIRDS Did you know... Like all animals, birds need their sleep. But some birds do it a little differently than others. Birds can be classified into two groups: diurnal and nocturnal. Most birds are diurnal, meaning they are awake during daylight hours. Nocturnal birds, such as owls, are awake at night. But at some point, all birds need to sleep. How do they do it? Not all that differently from humans, actually. Mammals and birds experience two states of sleep: slow wave sleep (SWS), which is dreamless, light sleep; and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is deep and associated with vivid dreaming and slower brain activity. Birds undergo REM sleep for a shorter time than mammals (usually lasting 16 seconds), but do not necessarily get less REM sleep overall. Scientists once thought only mammals and birds share these sleep patterns, but we now know some reptiles do as well. Different bird species have evolved unique ways of sleeping to get sufficient shut-eye while living in the wild. Pigeons, for example, tend to power nap. And migrating birds such as sparrows drastically reduce the hours they sleep while still being able to function normally. The Benefits of Sleep for Birds The benefits of sleep are shared across the animal kingdom. Sleep saves energy by slowing down the metabolism and allows animals to avoid high-energy activities. For vertebrates, sleep is an essential part of brain development, strengthening brain cell connections and memory [PDF]. Lack of sleep or disrupted sleep patterns can affect the learning and memory development of young birds. Artificial light can also disrupt birds’ sleep: they get less deep, REM sleep, especially in urban areas where artificial light is of a high intensity [PDF]. Some disoriented birds may also fly around artificial light in circles, or worse, crash into lit-up buildings. Sleeping can even improve some birds’ ability to remember their songs. In 2008, scientists discovered that young zebra finches practice songs they heard from adult finches in their sleep. Improvements in the young birds’ songs were evident the next day. They may even be able to learn new songs while snoozing. Unusual Sleep Habits Sleep has its obvious benefits, but sleeping too much or too deeply can be dangerous in the wild. Some birds have adapted their patterns of sleep to cope with the threat of predators. Chinstrap penguins avoid going into full sleep so they can stay vigilant and watch over their young chicks. Instead, they take napping to the extreme and have almost 10,000 “micro-naps” a day. This adds up to a comfortable 11 hours of sleep. http://fis1922.ru/images/2017-4-tit4.jpg Another solution to the predator problem is to literally sleep with one eye open. Ducks and ostriches are capable of being in a state of half sleep called sleep-watching, and doze with one eye open towards where predators might approach. Can Birds Sleep While Flying? A few bird species can half-sleep while flying. In 2016, scientists made a groundbreaking discovery that a type of seabird called a frigatebird can sleep while flying. One or both halves of their brain may be asleep in-flight, allowing the birds to fly continuously when migrating without needing to stop for a nap. If a frigatebird is sleeping with one eye open, the likely reason is so they don’t crash into other birds or obstacles, rather than watching for predators. Despite this extraordinary feat, frigatebirds get less than an hour’s sleep per day when migrating. It is still a mystery as to how or why they don’t become sleep deprived. More recently, scientists have found that swifts also sleep airborne. Only one bird species—the common poorwill—hibernates. Hibernation is a state of regulated hypothermia that can last for a few weeks or for months on end. Hibernating animals lower their metabolism, body temperature, and heart rate to conserve more energy than they can during regular sleep. The common poorwill’s mottled feathers camouflage it against the ground in meadows and shrublands where it hibernates. Hummingbirds enter a similar state called torpor, or temporary hibernation. Torpor usually lasts for a few hours, but hummingbirds can enter a deep torpor that lasts all night, during which time they may drop their body temperature by about 20°F. For context, a drop of 3°F in the human body would lead to hypothermia and require medical attention. Scientists are still trying to figure out how a hummingbird Source: How Do Birds Sleep?
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  25. What's the Word: SPREZZATURA pronunciation: [sprets-ə-TYOOR-ə] Part of speech: noun Origin: Italian, early 15th century Meaning: 1. Studied carelessness, especially as a characteristic quality or style of art or literature. Examples: "Leo's artwork demonstrates enviable sprezzatura." "The mural seems unfinished at a quick glance, but it's actually a lovely example of sprezzatura." About Sprezzatura Sprezzatura was coined by Italian aristocrat Baldassare Castiglione in the early 1500s. Castiglione intended to encourage other aristocrats to remain composed and carefree even in the most pressing situations. Did you Know? Some artists might claim to work in an unstudied, sprezzatura style, but not everyone can be the next Picasso or Jackson Pollock. It takes hard work and artistic focus to imbue a doodle with intention.
  26. https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/call-of-the-wild-the-angler Call of the Wild: The Angler is currently free on Epic Games Store. https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/atom-eve-ff090d Invincible Presents: Atom Eve is currently free on Epic Games Store.
  27. Fact of the Day - TV FACTS Did you know.... Apiece of technology that needs little introduction, television has fundamentally changed our lives. International news now feels visceral, we have seemingly endless entertainment options, and the world is quite literally at our fingertips. These seven facts explore the surprising history, technology, and culture around one of the most important gadgets of the past century. 1. The Origins of Television Are in the 19th Century While many people associate television with the U.S.’s post-World War II economic boom, the technology actually dates back much earlier. Although some underlying discoveries that would eventually find their way into early televisions first appeared in the 1870s, and many different inventors were working on the technology in a variety of countries), one notable breakthrough came via German inventor Paul Nipkow in 1884. Nipkow developed a disc with a spiral of holes that could scan images for television broadcasting. Although Nipkow never created a working television set, the technology underpinned some early TV systems. The technology got a big boost when German inventor Karl Braun created the cathode ray tube in 1897, which later became a television display device. In 1906, American inventor Lee de Forest created the amplifying triode valve, which could amplify weak video signals. All of these disparate technologies finally coalesced into the first working mechanical televisions in the 1920s. 2. In Its Early Days, Television Went By Many Names In the early days of this world-changing technology, inventors, marketers, and viewers didn’t quite know what to make of the strange new product. According to the BBC, some of the early names (before the 1920s) for what we now call television included Radiovision, Seeing by Wireless, Distant Electric Vision, Phototelegraphy, The Electric Telescope, Visual Listening, Telectroscopy, Hear-Seeing, Telephonoscope, Audiovision, Radio Movies, The Radio Kinema, Radioscope, Lustreer, Farscope, Optiphone, and Mirascope. One of the first words describing images transmitted over telephone or telegraph wires was “telephote” in the 1880s, although the idea was merely hypothetical at the time. “Televista” was tried slightly later. However, the term “television” — a portmanteau of the Greek tele, meaning “far,” and the Latin visio, meaning “vision” — was coined at the 1900 Paris Exposition in Paris. Once imported into English, the word faced stiff competition as the moniker of choice, but eventually it stuck. 3. A Botanist Accidentally Discovered the Underlying Tech for LCDs While Studying Carrots In 1888, Austrian botanist Friedrich Reinitzer was busy studying cholesterol (cholesteryl benzoate) extracted from carrots when he noticed something unexpected. He saw that the substance had two melting points (strange) and that it could reflect polarized light as well as rotate the polarization direction of light (stranger). German physicist Otto Lehmann, who studied the fluid under a microscope, noticed that it had crystallites inside. This was the first liquid crystal ever discovered. (That’s the “LC” in the “LCD” panels in your modern television.) Of course, being a botanist, Reinitzer didn’t exactly have technology on the brain, and the science world even refused to believe in the existence of liquid crystals for decades. It wasn’t until 1962 that U.S. technology company RCA began experimenting with LCDs and their light polarization attributes, which historians point to as the beginning of modern LCD technology. 4. The Launch of Telstar 1 in 1962 Revolutionized Television While NASA jockeyed with the Soviet Union in the rush to reach the moon, a different major moment took place. On July 10, 1962, NASA launched a satellite named Telstar 1. The tiny satellite’s primary mission was to provide the first transatlantic television feed between the U.S. and Europe. (Before that, television news reels had to be sent by airplane, and were often several days out of date.) With its successful transmission, the era of satellite TV had dawned. Although Telstar 1 lasted only a few months before it was damaged and had to be decommissioned, it spawned nearly two dozen sequel satellites bearing its name, and the little satellite that changed the world is still orbiting Earth to this day. 5. Mr. Rogers Saved the U.S. Public Broadcast System in 1969 The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, set the path for the creation of educational broadcasting — most famously in the form of the Public Broadcast System (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). While the Johnson administration supported the need for funding educational content as a public good, President Richard Nixon, who was elected in 1968 and was famously hostile to the media, wasn’t nearly as keen, and proposed cutting funding to the nascent experiment. On May 1, 1969, Fred Rogers — better known by his television persona Mister Rogers — testified before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications to ask for $20 million in funding to solidify PBS’s future. The show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood had only been on air for a little more than a year, and during the hearing, Rogers defended PBS by saying, “I’m very much concerned … about what’s being delivered to our children in this country … and I give an expression of care every day to each child.” After Rogers’ speech, chairman of the subcommittee and Rhode Island Senator John Pastore replied, “I think it’s wonderful … looks like you just earned your $20 million.” 6. The Average Cost of a 30-Second Super Bowl Commercial Is $7 Million In 1941, during a broadcast of a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, the watch company Bulova aired the world’s first true television commercial. The 10-second ad was simple: a black and white map of the U.S., a Bulova watch face resting at its center, and a voiceover saying, “America runs on Bulova time.” After paying for air charges and station charges, the ad cost the company about $9, or around $200 today. Modern television has come a long way … and so have the prices. Today, the fees for commercials are in part dictated by what program they run alongside. In 2023, for example, a 30-second commercial during ABC’s The Bachelor cost $153,429; the same commercial running during Sunday Night Football would set you back $828,501. Of course, the Super Bowl has always been the biggest time of the year for TV commercials, and in 2023, advertisers paid an average of $7 million for just a 30-second spot. 7. The World’s Largest Commercial TV Is as Big as a Double-Decker Bus When it comes to television technology, a lot has happened over the course of a century. In 1928, British television pioneer John Logie Baird introduced his Televisor, the first commercial television; the image on the screen was roughly 6 inches by 2 inches. Fast forward 93 years to 2021, and the South Korean electronics company LG announced the world’s largest commercial television, the Extreme Home Cinema. At its biggest size, this monstrosity can stretch up to a 325-inch diagonal — about as big as a London double decker bus. It’ll reportedly cost you around $1.7 million. Source: Terrific Facts About TV
  28. What's the Word: ICARIAN pronunciation: [i-KER-ee-ən] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, late 15th century Meaning: 1. Relating to or characteristic of Icarus, especially in being excessively ambitious. Examples: "Her career path was marked with Icarian optimism." "We need to revise the plan from the original Icarian model." About Icarian The word "Icarian" developed in Latin, but the origins are in the Greek myth of Icarus. According to the legend, Icarus and his father fled imprisonment using giant wings made of feathers and wax, but Icarus' disobedience led to his wings melting and his doom. "Icarian" likely developed as a way to quickly and easily reference this myth. Did you Know? The story of Icarus and his tragic end of flying too close to the sun (causing his wax wings to melt) lives on in popular culture. Literary characters and conversational turns-of-phrase embody key elements of his overly ambitious traits, ensuring the Icarian legend soars on.
  29. UPDATE 1:18 AM CDT 3/21/2024: As expected, I finished this work much sooner than expected. I will monitor things in the background to ensure they remain stable, but as of right now this maintenance is now complete! I know we've just been through a maintenance period for the site, but the underlying infrastructure now also requires the same maintenance that was performed on the site itself. Several pieces of software "underneath the hood" per-se - that is, not visible/accessible/usable by the general public - are running end-of-life versions and must be updated to currently maintained and supported versions. This is necessary to maintain a proper security posture for the site. This maintenance window will take place on 3/21/2024 from approximately 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM CDT (UTC-5). During this time, the Kametsu website and blog will be completely unreachable, but our IRC channel will remain operational. Our Discord server accessible via discord.kametsu.com will also remain accessible using that URL as that operates from a completely different system. Please note, that although a 2 hour window is allocated, it is entirely possible - and in fact fairly likely - that I may finish the work much sooner than that. If this is the case you'll see a green banner at the top after the site returns to service. I sincerely apologize in advance for any inconvenience caused and thank you for sticking with us here on Kametsu!
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