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02 Oct 17:23

Man arrested for buying plane ticket just to walk his wife to the gate

by David Pescovitz

The Singapore Police Force arrested a man at Changi airport for buying a plane ticket just to walk his wife to the gate and say goodbye. He apparently had no intention of flying anywhere. It does sound like a lovely airport to visit but I hope he purchased a fully-refundable ticket. From CNN:

Anyone accessing the gate-side areas at Changi without intending to fly can be prosecuted under Singapore's Infrastructure Protection Act and fined up to S$20,000 (US$14,300) or imprisoned for up to two years. Thirty three people have been arrested under the legislation in the first eight months of 2019...

When Changi's new Jewel terminal opened in April, it made headlines around the globe for its 40-meter waterfall (the world's largest indoor one), a 14,000-square-meter Canopy Park, complete with a suspension bridge, topiary and mazes, and one of Asia's largest indoor gardens with 3,000 trees and 60,000 shrubs.

02 Sep 14:47

Stunning high-res photo of a stellar nursery

by Jason Kottke

Carina Nebula

Astronomers using an infrared telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile recently released an infrared photo of the Carina Nebula that shows the inner workings of the star factory “as never before”.

This spectacular image of the Carina nebula reveals the dynamic cloud of interstellar matter and thinly spread gas and dust as never before. The massive stars in the interior of this cosmic bubble emit intense radiation that causes the surrounding gas to glow. By contrast, other regions of the nebula contain dark pillars of dust cloaking newborn stars.

This is a massive image…the original is 140 megapixels (<- that’s a 344MB download). Phil Plait notes that it may contain about 1 million stars and gives a bit of background on what we’re looking at here:

The colors you see here are not what you’d see with your eye, since it’s all infrared. What’s shown as blue is actually 0.88 microns, or a wavelength just outside what your eye can see. Green is really 1.25 microns and red is 2.15, so both are well into the near-infrared.

Even in the infrared, a lot of gas and dust still are visible. That’s because there’s a whole bunch of it here. And it’s not just randomly strewn around; patterns are there when you look for them.

For example, in this subimage you can see long, skinny triangles of dust. These are formed when very thick clots of dust are near very luminous stars. The wind and fierce blast of ultraviolet light from the stars erode away at the clump and also flow around it. They’re like sandbars in a stream! This is the same mechanism that made the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle nebula, and they’re common in star-forming nebulae.

Tags: astronomy   Phil Plait   photography   physics   science
18 Feb 22:56

Rustic Chicken Stew with Tomatoes, Olives, and Red Wine

by Stephanie Stiavetti

[Photograph: @sstiavetti]

Note: This dish is versatile and keeps very well, so you can prepare it with the night before you want to serve it and it will taste just as good as—if not better than—when it was fresh. You can also prepare the ingredients the night before and then cook it in a slow cooker while you're at work.

About the author: Stephanie Stiavetti is a writer and cookbook author in San Francisco. Her food blog, The Culinary Life, is a repository for all things comfort food related, from savory dinners to transcendental desserts. She also publishes a monthly culinary newsletter full of stories, review, and helpful tips. Stephanie's cookbook, Melt: the Art of Macaroni and Cheese, celebrates America's favorite dish by recreating it with specialty cheeses. Available for preorder now.

Special equipment: 5-quart Dutch oven or similarly sized braising dish

Ingredients

serves Serves 4 to 6, active time 15 minutes, total time 1 1/2 hours

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup black olives, rinsed, pitted, and sliced
  • 1/2 cup green olives, rinsed, pitted, and sliced
  • 1/4 cup capers, rinsed
  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, roughly broken up by hand
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 stems fresh basil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or basil leaves
  • Cooked rice for serving (optional)

Procedures

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven until shimmering. Add chicken and cook without moving until well browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Stir and continue cooking until lightly browned on remaining sides, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate. Add onion to pot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add black olives, green olives, and capers, and cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, red wine, bay leaves, and basil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and season with pepper. Return chicken to pot and bring to a simmer.

  2. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook until chicken is completely tender, about 2 hours. Remove lid and continue cooking for 15 minutes to lightly reduce cooking liquid. Discard basil. Season to taste with more salt and pepper as desired. Stir in chopped parsley or basil, reserving some for garnish. Serve with rice, or cool and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat before serving.