Author: Ms. R.

An epiphyte is any plant that lives on another plant rather than in the soil. A wide variety of unrelated flora has adapted to an epiphytic lifestyle, including ferns, cacti, and orchids. Epiphytes are common in warmer parts of the world, such as Florida and Central America, but they are relatively rare in cooler climates. However, horticulturalists at the University of Connecticut have created an artificial “epiphyte tree” in their greenhouses so that people can study these unique plants……

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The Boston Hotel Buckminster was constructed in 1897. At the time, it was the largest building in Kenmore Square. Between 1919 and 1950, the building was the site of three notable historical events, covering sports, radio, and jazz. In 1919, the hotel was the site of a meeting between Joseph “Sport” Sullivan, a gambler, and Arnold “Chick” Gandil the first baseman for the Chicago White Sox. During this meeting, the men allegedly conspired to fix the 1919 World Series,……

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Between May 18th and May 27 thof 1980, a large uprising against the martial law government of South Korea exploded in the city of Gwangju. The military violently repressed the demonstration and, while the number of victims is disputed, it is argued that up to 2,000 people died in the uprising. The Gwangju Uprising, also known as May 18th Democratic Uprising, had a profound impact on South Korean politics and eventually paved the way for the democratization of the……

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In the 1970s, the Library of Congress decided to take comedy seriously and begin efforts to record and preserve its history. They selected a young producer by the name of Tony Belmont to record interviews and gather material from as many great comedians as possible. In 1987, Belmont and comedians Steve Allen and Morey Amsterdam wanted to continue the task of preserving comedy. They realized that many of the older generations of comedians were passing away and all of……

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A few decades ago, Richard Rockford was about to buy some vintage wooden typefaces from an American antique dealer when the seller pulled open one last drawer. It was where he kept a shoebox-worth of non-English letters orphaned from their original alphabets, hoping someone might eventually adopt them. “He was like, ‘Oh and here’s some foreign type,’” remembers Rockford, a Buffalo-based found materials artist who turns old machinery scraps into sculptures. “He didn’t even know what it was.” But……

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The Steppes Sculptures are a series of 14 bronze sculptures on a circle of large stones in the middle of a forest. The sculptures were created by Stephen Walker. Each piece represents something from the area, either natural or of historical significance. Nearby is the historic Steppes Homestead, with public toilets, BBQ facilities, and visitor information….

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For a restaurant serving what was until recently a Class 5 narcotic substance, the clientele appeared older than one might expect: a couple of extended families, including grandma and grandpa; a woman having a quiet lunch with a man who appeared to be her father; a low-key middle-aged couple. Even the decor—cheesy knick knacks, thick curtains, antimacassars, antique crockery—was far from edgy. The setting was Ban Lao Reung, a restaurant in Prachinburi, Thailand, that recently became the country’s first……

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When Kyle Stone tries to explain his work, he sometimes compares it to keeping track of cows in a field. His job is to make sure there are enough cows in the pasture to keep it from getting overgrown, but not too many, so there’s enough grass to go around. Except his cows are tiny aquatic creatures called brine shrimp, they eat algae instead of grass, and there are about 17 trillion of them. The brine shrimp are grazing……

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