The expendablenlightenment blog has made it through its first full calendar year! I want to thank all those readers who have learned a little something from this informational, trivial, yet fantastical source of facts and stories.
I hope that you take it easy this holiday season and come back in January to read more interesting stories. As we take a short break to recharge our batteries and find other interesting information, remember that we are always looking for stories, supposedly true facts, and other things that you want to know about.
Starting in January, we will be changing some things. The Friday video will be eliminated, and our time slot on Monday mornings will move to Wednesday. Also look for other exciting changes to the blog!
Come back in January for more expendablenlightenment!
Friday, December 21, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Krampus, the Scary Christmas Tradition
Christmas is a time for giving, joy, and family. But your version of what Christmas means changes depending on which country you are in. The American version of Christmas isn't necessarily the same all around the world. Each country has its own elements that they have added on to the holiday. For example, in Japan, it is customary to go to a KFC (yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken) on Christmas Day; they are usually so busy that you usually have to make reservations. In Norway, the tradition is that witches and evil spirits come out on Christmas Eve, so it is customary to hide the brooms and for men to shoot shotguns in the air to scare the spirits away. In the Ukraine, it is tradition to put a spider and spider's web somewhere hidden in the tree. (The tradition dates to a poor woman who couldn't afford ornaments, and woke the next morning to find a spider had woven an intricate web on the tree.) It is considered good luck for anyone who can find the hidden spider web. Each country has it's own interesting and sometimes strange traditions, but one of the most bizarre comes from the countries around the Alps, specifically parts of Slovenia, Hungary, Germany, and especially in Austria.
In this region of the Alps, there is the old and strange custom of Krampus. We are all familiar with St. Nicholas (and some of us have even pieced together that the origin of Santa Claus is based off the real St. Nicholas), but we are less familiar with his sidekick named Krampus. Today, St. Nicholas will visit houses and businesses, but he will only pay attention to the good children and give them gifts. Who pays attention to the bad children? Krampus. Krampus will give the bad children coal and has been known to spank them. The tradition is clearly meant to scare children into being good.
The origin of Krampus goes back a very long time and actually has similarities with creatures from Ancient Greek mythology. The Krampus creature looks demonic in shape, usually furry and animal-like, as well as having horns growing out of his head. During the time of the Inquisition, the church tried to cut off any acknowledgement of Krampus, but it didn't work. By the 1600's, Krampus and St. Nicholas were paired together. In the 20th Century, the Austrian government has tried to discourage celebration of the scary beast. After their 1934 civil war ended, celebrations involving Krampus were banned. In the last twenty years, a massive resurgence of celebrations involving Krampus have become very popular, but naturally a debate has risen as to whether it is appropriate or good for children to be a part of.
On December 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated across Europe, but in these areas of the Alps, the night is called "Krampusnacht" (Krampus Night). Anytime between then and January 6, there can also be what's called the Krampuslaufen, which is a run through the city with people dressed up as Krampus. The unusual feature of this (as if the whole thing isn't unusual already) is that when they run through the city, the participants are usually drunk. It is custom to offer schnapps to the Krampus runners on their trek through the cities.
Another element of Krampus is the use in postcards and holiday cards. It has been customary since the 1800's to send holiday cards and postcards that feature the grotesque beast in them with the phrase "Gruß vom Krampus" (Greetings from the Krampus). It is notable that the older cards are rather disturbing and scary, while the newer ones have become funnier and made the Krampus to appear more like a cuter Cupid-like creature. The newer Krampus cards show an element of dark humor as well as his trouble with ladies.
Either way, it is a strange tradition that has raised some debate, but there appears to be no slowing down this popular tradition in the Alpine regions.
Bet you didn't know that!
In this region of the Alps, there is the old and strange custom of Krampus. We are all familiar with St. Nicholas (and some of us have even pieced together that the origin of Santa Claus is based off the real St. Nicholas), but we are less familiar with his sidekick named Krampus. Today, St. Nicholas will visit houses and businesses, but he will only pay attention to the good children and give them gifts. Who pays attention to the bad children? Krampus. Krampus will give the bad children coal and has been known to spank them. The tradition is clearly meant to scare children into being good.
The origin of Krampus goes back a very long time and actually has similarities with creatures from Ancient Greek mythology. The Krampus creature looks demonic in shape, usually furry and animal-like, as well as having horns growing out of his head. During the time of the Inquisition, the church tried to cut off any acknowledgement of Krampus, but it didn't work. By the 1600's, Krampus and St. Nicholas were paired together. In the 20th Century, the Austrian government has tried to discourage celebration of the scary beast. After their 1934 civil war ended, celebrations involving Krampus were banned. In the last twenty years, a massive resurgence of celebrations involving Krampus have become very popular, but naturally a debate has risen as to whether it is appropriate or good for children to be a part of.
 |
| St. Nicholas and Krampus at a Krampuslaufen. |
Another element of Krampus is the use in postcards and holiday cards. It has been customary since the 1800's to send holiday cards and postcards that feature the grotesque beast in them with the phrase "Gruß vom Krampus" (Greetings from the Krampus). It is notable that the older cards are rather disturbing and scary, while the newer ones have become funnier and made the Krampus to appear more like a cuter Cupid-like creature. The newer Krampus cards show an element of dark humor as well as his trouble with ladies.
 |
| A newspaper illustration with St. Nicholas and Krampus from 1896. |
Either way, it is a strange tradition that has raised some debate, but there appears to be no slowing down this popular tradition in the Alpine regions.
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, December 10, 2012
The Foam in Hydrogen Peroxide
Remember to the last time you cut your hand and applied some hydrogen peroxide to the wound. You see it foam and bubble. Have you ever wondered what made it do that?
Before we explain how that happens, first you should know what hydrogen peroxide is. Hydrogen peroxide is an chemical name for a molecule that contains two atoms of hydrogen and two atoms of oxygen (H2O2). When you buy a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, it's actually 97% water and only 3 % hygrogen peroxide, but even if it was 100% hydrogen peroxide, the end result would still be the same.
Contained inside blood and skin cells is an enzyme called 'catalase'. This protein is very important to living things that are dependent on oxygen for reasons that are very complex to answer here, so take my word for it. Your blood and skin cells are full of this enzyme. When your skin is cut, then catalase is exposed to the air. If you pour hydrogen peroxide over the wound, it will bubble and foam because of a chemical reaction that's taking place. The catalase literally will convert the hydrogen peroxide into two compounds: water and oxygen. How? You'll have to go to a chemistry class to fully understand the details of this process, but the easiest way to explain is that it will take two molecules of H2O2 and change them into two molecules of H2O and one molecule of O2, which are water and oxygen molecules. This doesn't work when you just pour it on your skin because your skin isn't broken and no catalase is exposed to the hydrogen peroxide.
This is specifically happening because the catalase is in your cells, and if the cells are damaged, then the reaction can occur. But this isn't just humans that this reaction can take place in. Any living creature that has catalase in their system will have the same reaction to hydrogen peroxide. So, for example, an interesting experiment is to take a potato and slice it. If you pour hydrogen peroxide over this "wounded" potato, it will foam and bubble too. Another interesting note is that the reaction is very fast; one molecule of catalase can have reactions with as much as 5,000 hydrogen peroxide molecules, which is why it will bubble and foam so much.
Bet you didn't know that!
 |
| Typical bottle of hydrogen peroxide. |
Contained inside blood and skin cells is an enzyme called 'catalase'. This protein is very important to living things that are dependent on oxygen for reasons that are very complex to answer here, so take my word for it. Your blood and skin cells are full of this enzyme. When your skin is cut, then catalase is exposed to the air. If you pour hydrogen peroxide over the wound, it will bubble and foam because of a chemical reaction that's taking place. The catalase literally will convert the hydrogen peroxide into two compounds: water and oxygen. How? You'll have to go to a chemistry class to fully understand the details of this process, but the easiest way to explain is that it will take two molecules of H2O2 and change them into two molecules of H2O and one molecule of O2, which are water and oxygen molecules. This doesn't work when you just pour it on your skin because your skin isn't broken and no catalase is exposed to the hydrogen peroxide.
This is specifically happening because the catalase is in your cells, and if the cells are damaged, then the reaction can occur. But this isn't just humans that this reaction can take place in. Any living creature that has catalase in their system will have the same reaction to hydrogen peroxide. So, for example, an interesting experiment is to take a potato and slice it. If you pour hydrogen peroxide over this "wounded" potato, it will foam and bubble too. Another interesting note is that the reaction is very fast; one molecule of catalase can have reactions with as much as 5,000 hydrogen peroxide molecules, which is why it will bubble and foam so much.
Bet you didn't know that!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Friday Song #22 - King Crimson
"Ladies of the Road" - King Crimson, from the album "Islands"
Released: 1971
Monday, December 3, 2012
Where Did the 'Pigskin' Name Come From?
In American football, the most timeless part of the game is the ball itself: the brown oval made of leather. The present version of the football has changed little since the early days of the NFL. But what's the story with the oddly shaped ball? And most importantly, why is it called a 'pigskin'?
Modern American football dates back to the 1800's when variations of European football (soccer) and rugby football were played at college campuses. Some colleges used their own house rules, and as the rules began to mix, the rules of the game were set down. The first official football game on a college campus was between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1869.
At the time, the ball was very different. It was literally a pig's bladder that was inflated. It was a sphere, not an oval, and it had to be reinflated several times during the game (by the players, of course). Because the players were re-inflating the ball (and they would get out of breath from the game itself), some wouldn't be able to breath as deeply, so the ball was often misshapen. Charles Goodyear patented his rubber technologies in 1844, so it is possible that there were actually rubber footballs around at the time, but the first instance of a 'rubber bladder' was in 1871.
The misshaping of the ball became an advantage because then you could actually grip the ball. The forward pass was introduced in the rules in 1906, so teams preferred the ball to have a narrower area on opposite sides of the ball. In the 1930's, the shape was changed to have much narrower points, which made it much easier to grip the ball for throwing.
Today the football is made of leather (cows) and there are no more pigs in use, but the name 'pigskin' still pops up. It's in reference to the original footballs of the 1800's: pig bladders.
Modern American football dates back to the 1800's when variations of European football (soccer) and rugby football were played at college campuses. Some colleges used their own house rules, and as the rules began to mix, the rules of the game were set down. The first official football game on a college campus was between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1869.
At the time, the ball was very different. It was literally a pig's bladder that was inflated. It was a sphere, not an oval, and it had to be reinflated several times during the game (by the players, of course). Because the players were re-inflating the ball (and they would get out of breath from the game itself), some wouldn't be able to breath as deeply, so the ball was often misshapen. Charles Goodyear patented his rubber technologies in 1844, so it is possible that there were actually rubber footballs around at the time, but the first instance of a 'rubber bladder' was in 1871.
 |
| A deflated early 1900's football. It's an oval, but not pointy. |
Today the football is made of leather (cows) and there are no more pigs in use, but the name 'pigskin' still pops up. It's in reference to the original footballs of the 1800's: pig bladders.
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