Month: December 2016

In the 16th century, the wealthy had more than just the average rosary at their disposal during their moments of worship. Coveted boxwood carvings depicting intricate religious scenes in miniature allowed the rich to fit religious art right in their hands. Until early 2017, the Art Gallery of Ontario is hosting an exhibition devoted entirely to these tiny hand-carved works of art, as CNN reports.

“Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures” features more than 60 boxwood miniatures, some of which have never been on display in North America before, like a rosary owned by King Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The wooden carvings have been part of a years-long, international study using scientific imaging to better understand how they were produced. The study uncovered some surprises, like a hidden portrait of a king and queen that went undiscovered for 500 years.

The collection includes prayer beads (one in the shape of a skull), a knife inscribed with biblical scenes, medallions, triptychs, rosaries, and even sarcophagi. Some date all the way back to the late 1400s.

The exhibition runs until January 22, but you can also see high-resolution images of the entire collection on the gallery’s website. For more information, watch a video with the curator below.

[h/t CNN]

For every Uber horror story you’ve shared, you can rest assured that drivers have plenty of their own. In an effort to encourage better behavior among passengers, the ride-sharing service recently released a list of actions that could potentially get users banned, VentureBeat reports.

The updated community guidelines don’t contain any major surprises: They’re mostly common sense rules that anyone who’s ever conducted themselves in public will hopefully be familiar with. The list of behaviors to avoid includes shouting, swearing, vomiting, carrying firearms, leaving trash in the car, allowing minors to ride unaccompanied, and flirting with drivers or fellow passengers. Uber makes that last part crystal clear for those who didn’t catch on the first time: “As a reminder, Uber has a no sex rule. That’s no sexual conduct between drivers and riders, no matter what.”

They also remind passengers that local laws still apply once they’ve climbed into the backseat. This covers obvious violations, like verbal and physical harassment, but also less serious misdemeanors like riding without a seatbelt or asking drivers to exceed the speed limit.

If most of these rules sound obvious to you, you might be more concerned with receiving less-than-stellar ratings than losing your riding privileges all together. Uber shared a few tips to help boost your rating as well. A big one is punctuality: Meeting your driver where and when they’re expecting you is ideal, but if you know you’re going to be late it helps to shoot them a call or text updating them with your E.T.A. Above all, Uber asks that you treat the people you share your ride with with respect. They write: “People who use Uber come from all walks of life. Please respect those differences in your conversations and behavior. We want drivers and riders to always feel welcome.”

To find out if your good (or bad) passenger behavior is reflected in your rating, you can follow these steps to see how Uber drivers have scored you.

[h/t VentureBeat]

Paleontologists have discovered a tiny dinosaur’s fluffy tail preserved inside a drop of amber. They described their findings in the journal Current Biology.

The amber market in northern Myanmar where the specimen was found has already proven itself a rich scientific resource. Earlier this year, a team of researchers reported finding a pair of well-preserved bird wings dating back at least 100 million years. The team had bought more than a dozen pieces of amber, including those two. As they turned their attention to the rest of their purchase, one silver dollar–sized chunk stood out.

Within this drop lay what looked like a tiny, feathery switch not even an inch and a half long. Computed tomography (CT) scans, high-powered microscopy, and chemical analysis confirmed the team’s suspicions: They’d found a dinosaur tail.

More specifically, they’d found part of the tail of a fluffy young theropod, most likely a coelurosaur.

The articulated tail contained eight vertebrae and delicate, barbed feathers that would have been white or chestnut brown while the little dinosaur was still alive. Unlike the bird wing feathers, these appear to be more ornamental than anything else. The researchers say that if the rest of the coelurosaur’s tail looked like this segment, it was unlikely it would have been flight-worthy at all. Its handsome fluffy feathers would have kept it on the ground.

Co-author Ryan McKellar of the Royal Saskatchewan museum says these findings reaffirm the importance of amber to the scientific record. “Amber pieces preserve tiny snapshots of ancient ecosystems,” he said in a statement, “but they record microscopic details, three-dimensional arrangements, and labile tissues that are difficult to study in other settings. This is a new source of information that is worth researching with intensity and protecting as a fossil resource.”

What is the origin of the Christmas tree?

Bill Petro:

It is generally believed that the first Christmas tree was of German origin dating from the time of St. Boniface, English missionary to Germany in the 8th century. He replaced the sacrifices to the Norse god Odin’s sacred oak—some say it was Thor’s Thunder Oak—by a fir tree adorned in tribute to the Christ child. The legend is told that Boniface found a group of “pagans” preparing to sacrifice a boy near an oak tree near Lower Hesse, Germany. He cut down the oak tree with a single stroke of his ax and stopped the sacrifice. A small fir tree sprang up in place of the oak. He told the pagans that this was the “tree of life” and stood for Christ.

MIDDLE AGES

A legend began to circulate in the early Middle Ages that when Jesus was born in the dead of winter, all the trees throughout the world shook off their ice and snow to produced new shoots of green. The medieval Church would decorate outdoor fir trees—known as “paradise trees”—with apples on Christmas Eve, which they called “Adam and Eve Day” and celebrated with a play.

RENAISSANCE

During Renaissance times there are records that trees were being used as symbols for Christians first in the Latvian capital of Riga in 1510. The story goes that it was attended by men wearing black hats in front of the House of Blackheads in the Town Hall Square, who following a ceremony burnt the tree. But whether it was for Christmas or Ash Wednesday is still debated. I’ve stood in that very square myself in the Winter, surrounded by snow.

For this is indeed the greatest gift, which far
exceeds all else that God has created. Yet we believe so sluggishly,
even though the angels proclaim and preach and sing, and their lovely
song sums up the whole Christian faith, for “Glory to God in the
highest” is the very heart of worship.

Returning to his home after a walk one winter night, the story goes, Luther tried unsuccessfully to describe to his family the beauty of the starry night glittering through the trees. Instead, he went out and cut down a small fir tree and put lighted candles upon it.

In a manuscript dated 1605, a merchant in Strasbourg, Germany wrote that at Christmas they set up fir trees in the parlors and “hang thereon roses cut out of paper of many colors, apples, wafers, spangle-gold and sugar …” Though the selling of Christmas trees is mentioned back to the mid-1500s in Strasbourg, the custom of decorating the trees may have developed from the medieval Paradise Play. This play was a favorite during the Advent season because it ended with the promise of a Savior. The action in the play centered around a fir tree hung with apples.

ENGLAND

The earliest date in England for a Christmas Tree was at Queen’s Lodge, Windsor by Queen Charlotte, the German born wife of George III, for a party she held on Christmas Day, 1800, for the children of the leading families in Windsor. Her biographer Dr John Watkins describes
the scene:

In the middle of the room stood an immense tub with a
 yew tree placed in it, from the branches of which hung bunches of
sweetmeats, almonds, and raisins in papers, fruits and toys, most
tastefully arranged, and the whole illuminated by small wax candles.
After the company had walked around and admired the tree, each child
obtained a portion of the sweets which it bore together with a toy and
then all returned home, quite delighted.

GERMANY

The Christmas Tree was most popularized in England, however, by the German Prince Albert soon after his marriage to Queen Victoria. In 1841, he began the custom of decorating a large tree in Windsor Castle. In 1848, a print showing the Royal couple with their children was published in the “Illustrated London News.” Albert gave trees to Army barracks and imitation followed. From this time onwards, the popularity of decorated fir trees spread beyond Royal circles and throughout society. Even Charles Dickens referred to the Christmas tree as that “new German toy.” German immigrants brought the custom to the United States and tree decorating is recorded back to 1747 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

AMERICA

Many individuals and communities vie for the honor of having decorated the first Christmas tree in America. One interesting story tells of Hessian soldiers who fought for George III in the Revolutionary War. As they were keeping Christmas in Trenton, New Jersey around a decorated tree, they left their posts unguarded. George Washington and his troops were hungry and freezing at Valley Forge, but they planned their attack with the knowledge that the Hessians would be celebrating and thus would not be as able to defend themselves.

Christmas trees really became quite popular in the United States following the invention of the electric light. In 1895, President Grover Cleveland decorated the tree at the White House with electric Lights. This idea caught on and spread across the country.

This post originally appeared on Quora. Click here to view.

Rolf’s German Restaurant in New York City’s Gramercy Park neighborhood has one of the city’s most over-the-top holiday decoration displays—but visitors have to step inside to see it. As Business Insider reports, the restaurant spends between $60,000 and $65,000 each year to festoon the tiny eatery’s interior with twinkling lights, baubles, and garlands.

Approximately 15,000 ornaments, 100,000 lights, and 800 figurines hang from the ceiling, walls, and bar, Rolf’s manager, Suhal Uddin, tells Business Insider. The restaurant begins its extravagant decoration process in late September, and after several weeks of sleepless nights, workers typically finish the festive project by November 1.

The restaurant is inundated with reservation requests during the holiday season. Rest assured: This year, Rolf’s decorations will stay up until the end of May, giving you plenty of time to wait for the crowds to die down and check them out in person.

Check out pictures of Rolf’s over-the-top Christmas display below.

[h/t Business Insider]

The Aurora Borealis tops most travelers’ bucket lists, but this gem of the north is actually much easier to access than one may think. With direct flights to a variety of major Northern Lights hubs, it’s relatively quick—and in some cases even affordable—to see this glowing phenomenon.

1. REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

With its cheap flights and dramatic, remote landscapes, Iceland attracts Aurora chasers from all over the world. On a clear, perfect night, travelers can see the lights in capital city Reykjavik. But, with a quick drive or tour outside the city—and maybe a stay in Iceland’s Bubble Hotel—the odds for an Aurora sighting are even greater.

How to get there: Direct flights from New York City (JFK), New Jersey (EWR), and Boston (BOS) are quick—just five to six hours—and can be found for as low as $300 to $400.

2. ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Alaska is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights, particularly in the less illuminated areas outside of town. Spots like Alyeska Resort, Sheep Mountain Lodge, and Izaak Walton State Park are popular for Northern Lights hunters, but drive anywhere outside the city on a clear and active Aurora night, and the sky will put on quite the show.

How to get there: Direct flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Anchorage can drop below $500, and while flights from New York City (LGA) may be time consuming—between 10 and 16 hours—they can be found for $500 – $600.

3. ISLE OF SKYE, SCOTLAND

The UK isn’t known for clear skies—a necessity for Northern Lights viewing—but in those rare moments the clouds do part, Northern Scotland sure puts on a stunning Aurora display. The Isle of Skye, which has seven hours of daylight during winter, leaves adequate time for daytime explorations, followed by extra hours to catch those lights.

How to get there: Fly direct from New York City (JFK) to Inverness for $700 (and 14 hours of travel), then make an 80-mile, potentially snowy drive up to the Isle of Skye. For those not renting a car, the Isle of Skye is accessible from Inverness via train and bus connection.

4. EDMONTON, CANADA

While Edmonton, Alberta is best known for its enormous West Edmonton Mall, the largest shopping mall in North America, it’s also an incredible—and easily accessible—place to view those Northern Lights. For those who prefer to plan their Aurora viewing to perfection, the popular AuroraWatch platform monitors geomagnetic activity around Edmonton, and will even send alerts and email notifications when the skies are set to glow.

How to get there: Flights from New York City (JFK) to Edmonton are available for under $500 and take about eight hours. From Los Angeles, flight prices drop to an impressive $300 to $400, and can take as little as three hours direct.

5. HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, CANADA

From November through March, the skies of Happy Valley-Goose Bay in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador illuminate with vibrant hues from the Aurora Borealis. While Happy Valley-Goose Bay is Labrador’s largest community, it remains a quiet, charming town with little-to-no light pollution and, consequentially, some impressive Aurora viewing opportunities. In fact, the Northern Lights are so prevalent here, the community’s stores and even a dog sled company are named after this natural phenomenon.

How to get there: From Chicago or New York City, flights start around $400 or $650, respectively, but take caution—these low prices come with a lengthy time commitment of two stops and a total of nine to 12 hours.

When playing Santa for a long-distance loved one, the only thing more important than selecting the perfect gift is ensuring it arrives on time for Christmas Day festivities. Remember these US Postal Service shipping deadlines to guarantee a timely delivery:

If you finished your shopping nice and early, you can ship your presents with USPS Retail Ground Service (formerly Standard Post) by December 15 and have them arrive before the 25th. Rates start at $6.75, and your parcel should arrive in two to eight business days. (This is a good option for larger packages, as you’re permitted to send shipments up to 70 pounds and 130 inches in combined length and girth.)

Sending small gifts (weighing up to 13 ounces) or Christmas cards? Opt for First-Class Mail, and ship them out by December 20. They should arrive in one to three business days. Rates start at 47 cents (for a First-Class Mail Forever Stamp).

For last-minute gifts, use Priority Mail (deadline: December 21) or Priority Mail Express (December 23). Priority Mail delivers your gift in one to three days, based on where your package starts and where it’s going. Rates start at $6.45. Choose Priority Mail Express and your package should arrive overnight. Rates start at $22.95.