Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in FYI.
The 1932 Saratoga Gold Rush
December 5th, 1959 Tom asked me to write up my memories of the gold rush in Saratoga back in ‘32. If you’re old enough, perhaps you remember reading some stories about it in your local paper in July or early August of 1932. As is frequently the case, the newspapers didn’t get the full scoop. I’ve flipped through a few of the little black books which I'd used as journals to refresh my memory of decades past. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you about 1932 in a minute here without troubling you too much with detours into the years before 1932.
By Tom Cooley5 years ago in FYI
Where Does Vanilla Come From?. Top Story - March 2021.
Poor dull Vanilla gets an awful rap. Its name has been railroaded into meaning boring or conventional or unexciting. Think vanilla. Think blah. Think bland. Think basic. That provenance was derived from a perverse misstep of vanilla ice-cream being labelled as plain ice-cream. But plain means popular — for a third of us — vanilla is our favourite ice-cream flavour with sexy, cool, hot-shot chocolate languishing a distant second.
By Will Russell5 years ago in FYI
The World's Tiniest Bird Can Hover (and other strange facts)
In the summer, hummingbirds may be all around, but until you put up a feeder, you're not likely to spot one. They fly as fast as 30MPH, and even 45 MPH. They make a humming sound, hence the name, and can be as small as a bee. Typically, these birds are about 2 to 4 inches long. At first, you may think this fast-flying bird is a beetle, bee or some other insect. Once your eyes are trained, and you put out a feeder (or plant flowers that have the nectar they like), you may see these playful birds start to visit more often.
By Christine Annette5 years ago in FYI
Chasing Ducks
Salmon P. Chase stared back at me. Smug. Chase was President Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury. He was responsible for issuing the first federal paper currency, which helped the Union maintain its financial status during the Civil War. To boost his own presidential ambitions, he made sure it was his face on several denominations of bills, including the $1. Chase Bank takes its name from him, and his face was printed on the 1918 issuance of the $10,000 bill.
By Anton Crane5 years ago in FYI
Footsteps on Your Grave
I found myself down a bit of a research rabbit-hole recently—as often happens—when a friend questioned the logic of the phrase ‘someone must have walked over your grave’. We ended up in a lengthy discussion about the hypothetical workings of parallel timelines, past lives and the like in our attempts to postulate the meaning of the expression. A few days later I found myself still curious about the origins of the phrase and its intended meaning. I found the answers quite fascinating, and it seems fitting to share them here.
By Karleah Olson5 years ago in FYI
Magic Mushrooms and Magic Bullets
Last week, California senators introduced a bill to legalize hallucinogenic drugs, including LSD, ketamine, mushrooms, and MDMA, more commonly known as Ecstasy. The sponsors say the bill is one small step in ending the War on Drugs, which, since the 1980s, has cost billions of dollars and resulted in the United States having the highest incarceration rate on the planet.
By Ashley Herzog5 years ago in FYI
Reasons behind the high demand of 2 BHK flats in Ghaziabad
In the last 10 years, Ghaziabad had witnessed rapid growth. It has become the part of top 10 growing cities. The main reason behind Ghaziabad's growth is real estate development luring homebuyers, businesses in the area. Because of industrialization and top MNC’s moving their offices here, Ghaziabad has become a preferred location for investors and homebuyers. You can find all types of property here in Ghaziabad whether it is residential or commercial. Depending upon your requirements you can choose any property within your budget. Flats in Ghaziabad now have a huge demand among buyers mainly 2 BHK flats in Ghaziabad.
By Paramount Symphony5 years ago in FYI
Sterilizing Trans Folx
Sterilization on the trans/non binary/non-conforming/non cis and many more identity(ies) is an issue rarely talked about. We live in a culture that was created through the visionaries of white supremacists. Part of white supremacy is transphobia. We live in a transphobic culture so deeply rooted in our systems and ourselves that we are so unaware of all the violence we engage in to our trans siblings and ourselves.
By Van Ethan Levy5 years ago in FYI
