Study: Dogs Can Feel Their Owners’ Stress, Too

In a recent study published in Scientific Sports, information came that when dog owners are being subject to a long period of stress, their dogs can feel their stress too. The study was focused on 58 people who own herding dogs. The exam was conducted by looking at the presence of cortisol in the hair of both the owner and the dog. Cortisol, a hormone that is released during stressful experiences, can attach to the hair. The study found out that the amounts of cortisol found in an owner and his dog are closely matched. The researchers assumed that it is the human who influences the dog as some human personality traits can also affect a dog’s cortisol levels. Accordingly, this is not surprising as a dog’s life is mostly centered on the owner, unlike the owner which has other social networks. Recent evidence also showed that the relationship between a dog and its owner has become closely like one of a parent and child. Thus, owners are encouraged to reduce the stress they are giving to their dogs and to have fun with them instead.

The US Army Finally Gets Its Own Museum

The United States Army has opened its own museum on Veterans Day. The National Museum of the United States Army, located in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is approximately thirty kilometers from the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. The museum pursues to share the story of the country’s oldest military service, which dates back to 1775. Interactive and historical displays are housed in the five-story complex. It contains a large number of recovered papers, photographs, artworks, and various types of army equipment. It also includes a World War II Sherman tank, a Vietnam War helicopter, an armored personnel carrier from the 2003 Iraq War, and a horseback riding saddle used by Army Special Forces in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2001. A life-size display during World War II exhibits American forces arriving on the coasts of Normandy, France on Codenamed Operation Neptune, or also referred to as the ‘D-Day’. There are also guns, safety gear, and service awards on display. It also features a recovered clock, frozen at the time of impact from the 9-11 attack at the Pentagon military headquarters.

Jaws’ Shark Arrives at Motion Picture Museum

The terrifying creature from the 1975 American film “Jaws” has found a permanent home in Los Angeles. Bruce is a 45-year-old shark with a length of 7.6 meters and a weight of 547 kilograms. On the set of Steven Spielberg’s time-honored film, Bruce was known for being rigorous to work with. Making him ready to perform was a huge challenge. Years of preparation went into the project, which included a seven-month renovation by visual effects and makeup artist Greg Nicotero. The museum plans to open its doors to the public at the end of April 2021. Since the museum anticipates a significant number of visitors, Bruce will be placed in a spot where the general public will see him for free. Nearly 50 years after making children and adults scared of sea creatures, Bruce is now taking movie buffs to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, as the museum’s largest object to date. “We plan on having Bruce greet our visitors for as long as we can keep him up there,” the museum’s director Bill Kramer said, hoping that the creature will make people interested in the history of visual effects and how the shark was created.

How US Military Invented America’s Favorite Snacks

Many of the common food snacks in the United States today were developed by food scientists in the US military. Those military food scientists were tasked with creating food for troops that could be quickly carried, stored, and consumed, such as instant coffee, frozen cookies, and energy bars. During World War II, the production of these foods intensified. Military scientists wanted to produce small, healthy food for troops at that period. The military had to implement a variety of new food processing methods to do this. It also developed a food science research system that is still used today. High-pressure processing is one of the new techniques. This method guarantees that raw food is safe to consume. Guacamole, salsa, and hummus are only a few examples of processed goods that use this technique. Today, some of the world’s most renowned military experts are also looking for a chocolate that does not melt in high temperatures.

Margaret Atwood Honored with Dayton Literary Peace Prize

Margaret Atwood, a Canadian author, has received the top prize in the International Dayton Literary Peace Prizes. The award recognizes the ability of literature to foster world peace, social justice, and awareness. The award is named after the former American ambassador who negotiated the 1995 Dayton Ohio peace talks that brought an end to the Bosnian war. Since the early 1960s, Atwood’s works have been published. She writes poems, fictional novels, and magazine and news articles. She focuses a lot of her work on women’s plight. Her popular 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale was adapted into an American television series. It is the story of a future America in which men have full political influence. The book and its television adaptation sparked a lot of political debate, particularly in the United States. Readers and viewers found the story to be frighteningly similar to recent political events in the United States.

UNESCO Recognizes Singapore’s Low-Cost Food Culture

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has acknowledged the cultural value of Singapore’s custom of dining out in places known as hawker centers. UNESCO added the city’s “hawker culture” to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Hawkers play such a major role in Singaporean culture. “These centers serve as ‘community dining rooms’ where people from diverse backgrounds gather and share the experience of dining over breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” UNESCO said. Open-air eating areas where hawkers sell their goods are very popular in the country. They have received several acclaims from celebrity chefs such as Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay and were also featured in films like “Crazy Rich Asians.” Singapore’s hawker society, however, faces challenges. In Singapore, the average age of a hawker is 60 years old, and the number of younger Singaporeans who want to work in offices has increased. The COVID-19 pandemic has also hindered sales by stopping overseas tourists from dining out. Local travels were also suspended during the first few months of this year due to travel limitations and social distancing.

Smallest Rubik’s Cube Ever Goes on Sale in Japan

In Japan, the tiniest Rubik’s Cube has gone on sale for ¥198,000 or about $1,900. It was designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the box-shaped puzzle. Erno Rubik of Hungary created the Rubik’s Cube in the 1970s. A toy company from America turned the puzzle into a global sensation in the 1980s. It was an instant hit in Japan, where it made more than 4 million in profit during its first eight months on sale in July 1980. The cube is just 9.9 millimeters by 9.9 millimeters in size and weighs just 2 grams. According to MegaHouse Corporation, a branch of Japan’s Bandai Company, the puzzle is made of metal and comes with a display box. The Rubik’s Cube is tiny but absolutely playable. People can pre-order it now, with arrival scheduled in December. The tiny cube was on view this week at a Hungarian Embassy exhibit in Tokyo. An artwork created with Rubik’s Cubes is also on display. The Hungarian Ambassador to Japan, Norbert Palanovics, said it mirrors the country’s small, simple, yet intelligent qualities.

Team Sports Teach Life Lessons

Members of a community swim team gathered in the swimming pool on a summer morning. As they swim, they get to engage in physical activity and at the same time get the right amount of vitamin D they need. But more than the health benefits, one can also learn life lessons by being a member of a sports team. The team swim coach Paul Waas said that players were able to exhibit discipline and focus as they try to listen to the coach and work with the team. He added that these players also learned the skill of responsibility, goal-setting, and working within a group. An article in a magazine listed a few reasons why employers should consider hiring former athletes. The writer argued that these people can be characterized as focused on goals, good communicators, and team players. Studies also showed that 90 percent of the women in the highest executive positions played sports when they were in school. But of course, team sports are not without harm as they can cause injury to players. Also, in a sport like swimming, even teammates are competing against each other. Just like other activities, what matters is that the child can pick what is the right sport for him/her.