Funtosail

Today we remember the courage, sacrifice and resolve of the Allied forces who landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944. On the anniversary of D-Day, we honor the heroes who helped change the course of history and fought for freedom around the world.

Ancient Chinese game finds following in downtown Coeur d'Alene store Mahjong is a strategy game that originated in China and is played with small tiles with symbols. Generally, each game with four players last about 30 minutes. Players start with 13 tiles and take turns drawing and discarding to create melds, which are groups of tiles like three-of-a-kind, four-of-a-...

In 1140, King Conrad III was laying siege to Weinsberg, a city located in southwest Germany. Back then, Weinsberg was part of the Holy Roman Empire.⁣
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Before taking the city, Conrad decided to spare the lives of all the women. He allowed them to leave with whatever they could carry on their shoulders.
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The women left behind all their possessions and came out carrying their husbands.⁣
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When Conrad saw this, all he could do was laugh and accept their clever subterfuge. Conrad remarked that a king should always keep his word.⁣
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Today, the women who saved their husband’s lives and the city are known as the “Treue Weiber von Weinsberg” (Loyal Wives of Weinsberg). The castle ruins still exist and are known as as Weibertreu (“wifely loyalty”).⁣

Universe 25 was a famous experiment conducted by American ethologist John B. Calhoun in 1968.

He built a carefully controlled environment for mice that provided abundant food, fresh water, nesting areas, and protection from predators. The enclosure was designed to support nearly 4,000 mice, creating what Calhoun called a "mouse utopia."

At first, the colony thrived. The population doubled every few months, and the mice appeared healthy and well-fed. But as numbers increased, social structures began to break down. Dominant males became increasingly aggressive, while many weaker mice were pushed to the margins of society. Some stopped interacting altogether.

A group Calhoun called "the beautiful ones" emerged. These mice spent their days eating, sleeping, and grooming themselves. They avoided fighting, courtship, mating, and caring for young. Females also began abandoning nests and neglecting offspring. Birth rates steadily declined while juvenile survival collapsed.

The population peaked at roughly 2,200 mice before entering irreversible decline. Eventually, no new pups survived to adulthood. Despite having plenty of food and water, the colony aged, reproduction ceased, and the last mouse eventually disappeared.

Calhoun argued that the collapse was caused not by starvation or disease but by the breakdown of normal social roles under conditions of extreme crowding and social stress.

Purifying Rotting Water with a Rock
Fresh water stored in wooden barrels turned green and toxic after months at sea. To survive, sailors used the Dripstone. This diagram reveals the geological engineering: stagnant water was poured into a bowl carved from porous limestone. Gravity pulled the water through the microscopic pores of the stone, which acted as a natural filter, trapping algae and bacteria. Drop by drop, life-saving clear water emerged. It was the original Reverse Osmosis system, essential for surviving the long trek across the Pacific.

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