FYI January 23, 2020

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On This Day

1556 – The deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as high as 830,000.
The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake, or Huaxian earthquake (simplified Chinese: 华县大地震; traditional Chinese: 華縣大地震; pinyin: Huáxiàn Dàdìzhèn), or Jiajing earthquake (Chinese: 嘉靖大地震; pinyin: Jiājìng Dàdìzhèn), is the deadliest earthquake in recorded history: according to imperial records approximately 830,000 people lost their lives.[4]

It occurred on the morning of 23 January 1556 in Shaanxi, during the Ming dynasty. More than 97 counties in the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Gansu, Hebei, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu and Anhui were affected. Buildings were damaged slightly in the cities of Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai.[5] An 840-kilometre-wide (520 mi) area was destroyed,[6] and in some counties as much as 60% of the population was killed.[7] Most of the population in the area at the time lived in yaodongs, artificial caves in loess cliffs; these collapsed in great numbers, causing many casualties.

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Born On This Day

1813 – Camilla Collett, Norwegian novelist and activist (d. 1895)
Jacobine Camilla Collett (born Wergeland) (23 January 1813 – 6 March 1895) was a Norwegian writer, often referred to as the first Norwegian feminist. She was also the younger sister of Norwegian poet Henrik Wergeland, and is recognized as being one of the first contributors to realism in Norwegian literature. Her younger brother was Major General Joseph Frantz Oscar Wergeland.

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FYI

James Charles Lehrer (/ˈlɛərə/; May 19, 1934 – January 23, 2020)[1] was an American journalist and novelist.

Lehrer was the executive editor and a news anchor for the PBS NewsHour on PBS, known for his role as a debate moderator during U.S. presidential election campaigns. He authored numerous fiction and non-fiction books that drew upon his experience as a newsman, along with his interests in history and politics.[2]

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The Rural Blog: Staffing issues put one-third of rural ambulance services in jeopardy, National Rural Health Association says; N.C. papers collaborate on watchdog function, fill gaps in rural areas that have lost papers or attention of metro media; Small daily in western Massachusetts hopes newsroom changes will ‘help dispel the rumors of the death of print’ and more ->
 
 
 
 
By Elizabeth Rayne, SYFYWire: Walking sharks are creeping around, and it’s weirder than a Sharknado plot twist
 
 
 
 
By Clarissa-Jan Lim, BuzzFeed News: Tinder Users Can Soon Trigger A Panic Alarm If They Feel Unsafe On A Date Tinder users will be able to input details about their dates, share location services so the app tracks them during a date, and hit a panic button if they need to alert emergency services.
 
 
 
 
By Bill Chappell, NPR: Trump Administration Targets ‘Birth Tourism’ With New Visa Rule
The State Department plans to deny tourist visas to pregnant women if officials believe they are traveling here to secure American citizenship for their child by giving birth on U.S. soil.

The Trump administration says it is targeting the practice known as “birth tourism.” The State Department says that traveling to deliver a child in the U.S. is not “a legitimate activity for pleasure or of a recreational nature.”
 
 
 
 

David at Raptitude: When In Doubt, Make Soup
 
 
 
 
Kathryn’s Report: Loss of Control in Flight: Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow, N2702R; accident occurred February 18, 2017 near Centennial Airport (KAPA), Englewood, Arapahoe County, Colorado and more ->

 
 
 
 
Today’s email was written by Amrita Khalid, edited by Annaliese Griffin, and produced by Tori Smith. Quartz Obsession: Caesar salad: A culinary chameleon

 
 
 
 

The Passive Voice: Conspiracy Theories; The Silurian Hypothesis and more ->
 
 
 
 

Open Culture: Optical Poems by Oskar Fischinger, the Avant-Garde Animator Despised by Hitler, Dissed by Disney; The Flute of Shame: Discover the Instrument/Device Used to Publicly Humiliate Bad Musicians During the Medieval Period; Actor Margaret Colin (VEEP, Independence Day) Joins Pretty Much Pop #28 to Take On the Trope of the Alpha Female
 
 
 
 
By Audra D. S. Burch, The New York Times: How 17 Outsize Portraits Rattled a Small Southern Town Newnan, Ga., decided to use art to help the community celebrate diversity and embrace change. Not everyone was ready for what they saw.

 
 
 
 
By Daniel M. Russell and Mario Callegaro, Scientific American: How to Be a Better Web Searcher Researchers who study how we use search engines share common mistakes, misperceptions, and advice.
 
 
 
 
Matthew Carberry, a blog, Windage and Elucidation: How a Card Carrying Liberal Professor Became a Card Carrying Liberal Armed American
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Ideas

By inkybreadcrumbs: Recycled Coffee As Flocking Powder
 
 
 
 

Recipes

By Kelli Foster, The Kitchn: 5 Family-Friendly Sheet Pan Dinners from Andrea Mathis of Beautiful Eats & Things
 
 
By curryandvanilla: NANKHATAI/NARAYAN KATAAR (INDIAN SHORTBREAD)
 
 
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen: Fudgy Keto Brownies
 
 
By Marianholdings: Dark Chocolate Mocha Truffles
 
 
Little House Big Alaska: Reese’s Peanut Butter Heart Cookies