Popcorn Shorts- Cool stuff that’s too small for a big article
Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not necessarily all) of our delicious Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door!
Meat-Eating Squirrels
(from CNN)- “Traditionally known for stuffing their cheeks with nuts, squirrels can be carnivorous — though recorded instances of the rodents hunting and killing other live vertebrates are rare, with few species known to have done so. Now, scientists have found unprecedented evidence of another type of squirrel exhibiting carnivorous behaviors, including hunting, killing and eating voles, according to a new study. The project examines how California ground squirrels — native to the state’s grasslands — adapt their behavior in response to environmental changes, in this case an increase in the local vole population…”
Here’s what it’s like in the Canadian town where hundreds of Hallmark movies are filmed., fake snow and all
(from Business Insider) “My hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, is known for many things — quaint architecture, a temperate climate, stunning gardens, and being the backdrop for hundreds of Hallmark holiday movies. When I moved back after years of “big-city life” in Toronto, it felt like I was living out the plot of a Hallmark movie…”
*BONUS* 5 Things You’ll See in Every Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie *BONUS*
High-Speed Rail is coming to the Pacific Northwest
(from FOX 12 Oregon) “On Wednesday, a group of Oregon lawmakers announced new federal funding for planning the development of high-speed rail in the Pacific Northwest. [Lawmakers] released a joint statement to announce that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded $49.7 million for planning work for the proposed Cascadia High-Speed Rail project, which would link the Pacific Northwest’s major population centers, including Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, and Portland, with regular train service running at up to 250 mph…”
If you like this story, then you’ll also be interested in this link to the High Speed Rail Alliance, focused on high-speed rail in the Northwest.
The most confusing grammar rule you never knew you know
(from GetPocket.com) “Adjectives in English must always be used in a very precise order. And even though none of us has officially learned this rule, we somehow all know to follow it, and that things seem very wrong whenever it’s broken. Forsyth’s book “The Elements of Eloquence” lays out the rule beautifully with the example of a “lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife.” Think about it: You cannot move the order of those adjectives at all without having the sentence seem completely wrong. “Lovely little silver French green whittling old knife?” That sounds like word salad–which is a well-known symptom of mental illness. Since we all seem to know this rule by instinct, it would seem to be cut and dried, but it isn’t quite. [Forsyth] says there are eight types of adjectives, which should be used in this order: 1. Opinion, 2. Size, 3. Age, 4. Shape, 5. Color, 6. Origin, 7. Material, 8. Purpose. But then, the Cambridge Dictionary–which certainly seems like an authoritative source–offers a list of ten types of adjectives in a slightly different order…”
