Passion projects

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Norway tourism agency cleverly responds to Trump comments; Portugal is for the birds; and Rudolph the Red-Nosed trading cards.

Let’s get into it!

Visit Norway is leaning into President Donald Trump’s label of Norway as a “sh*t house country,” launching a marketing campaign to highlight its most “scenic restrooms.”

“Are these the world’s best sh*t houses?” it humorously wrote in an article that highlights the country’s top public bathrooms (yes, actually).

“So, we heard some noise about ‘s…house country’… What can we say, we do have some of the world’s most beautiful and spectacular toilets.”

To be fair, some of the facilities featured in the tourism board’s article are true spectacles of architecture and design.

For example, one of the restrooms captured in the article sits atop the Stegastein viewpoint in the Sognefjord region, which was once described as being among the world’s 10 best public toilets by DesignCurial.

Visit Norway rounded out the tongue-in-cheek article by saying, “Norway’s portfolio of spectacular toilets is, as you can see, filled with great examples of how something as boring as a loo can become a tourist attraction.”

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found a connection between pulmonary hypertension (PHT) and cognitive decline.

PHT is a condition by which pressure rises in the blood vessels of the lungs, resulting in shortness of breath, chest pain, and lightheadedness. Those with the condition often display symptoms of cognitive decline as well, and researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC identified there is connection.

They concluded that if there’s a link between such abnormalities in brain function and an inflammatory disease of the heart and lungs, it’s likely the connection exists for other types of vascular diseases as well.

In the case of PHT, they identified a mutation in the gene NCOA7 that causes inflammation in both the lungs and in the cerebellum, where part of cognitive function originates.

"In medicine, we typically treat the symptoms of one organ system, but the reality is that our bodies are very complex, and disease processes may be affecting multiple parts of the body in a variety of ways,” said Stephen Chan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Vascular Medicine Institute and Center for Pulmonary Vascular Biology and Medicine at the Pitt School of Medicine and UPMC.

Cory’s shearwater is a seabird, and around two thirds of the world’s breeding population resides in the Portuguese Azores.

This small collection of islands lies about 1,500 kilometers west of Portugal, including the island of Corvo, where every year during the last five days of October, residents intentionally impose a blackout between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m.

The purpose of the blackout is to assist Cory’s shearwarer fledglings in their journey from nest to sea. These baby birds fly by night in order to avoid predators, but light pollution can blind them, leaving them grounded and vulnerable to those looking for a meal.

In 2017, municipalities made the blackouts mandatory, and since 2019, the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) has helped facilitate them by partnering with municipal bodies across the Azores.

According to The Guardian, 30,000 shearwater fledglings have been rescued in the Azores since 2015, and that includes 6,000 from the island of Corvo specifically.

Dynamite Entertainment announced the world’s first Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer collection of trading cards will launch this year ahead of the all-star reindeer lineup’s annual night of work.

“This set features licensed stills from the film, showcasing all the unforgettable characters, including Rudolph, Clarice, Hermey, Yukon Cornelius, Bumble, Sam the Snowman, and the residents of the Island of Misfit Toys,” Dynamite said in a statement. “It celebrates the magical moments and icons that have captivated audiences over the years.

The trading cards will be available in two separate sets, including the Value Box Edition and the Hobby Edition.

“Value Box sets are available in boxes with 6 packs each, with 5 cards per pack featuring official art from the film and the chance to discover special inserts,” it said.

“The Hobby Edition is the ultimate collector's dream, with a worldwide production limit of just 5,000 boxes. This set is designed for serious collectors and passionate Rudolph fans, offering a premium collecting experience with rare cards, original artwork, and special surprises! Each Hobby box includes 20 packs, with 5 cards each. Every single Hobby box is guaranteed at least one sketch card.”

Now that’s odd…🤔

Time for another round of ‘odd one out’, with today’s trivia! Put on that thinking cap and see if you can figure out which one doesn’t belong!