Opus

Encyclopædia of the sublime

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Money train

A money train is one or more railcars used to collect cash fare revenue from stations on a subway system and return it to a central location for processing. This train was typically used to carry money bags guarded by transit police to deter robberies. On the New York City Subway, a "money train" was first mentioned in 1905, a year after the system opened. Their trains were converted from subway cars that have been removed from passenger service. This has since been discontinued, with the last service running in January 2006.

Sable Island

Sable Island is a small Canadian island situated 300 km (190 mi) southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and about 175 km (109 mi) southeast of the closest point of mainland Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic Ocean. The island is staffed year round by three federal government staff, rising during summer months when research projects and tourism increase. Notable for its role in early Canadian history and the Sable Island horse, the island is protected and managed by Parks Canada, which must grant permission prior to any visit.

Allura Red AC

Allura Red AC, also known by its chemical name Red 40, is a synthetic food coloring agent extensively utilized in various food and beverage products worldwide. Classified as a synthetic azo dye, it is characterized by its vibrant red hue and wide-ranging applications across the food industry. This synthetic colorant is commonly employed to impart a visually appealing red shade to a diverse array of food and beverage items, including candies, soft drinks, desserts, snacks, and processed foods. Its vibrant color enhances the aesthetic appeal of these products, making them more attractive to consumers.

Blue-footed booby

The blue-footed booby is a marine bird native to subtropical and tropical regions of the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is easily recognizable by its distinctive bright blue feet, which is a sexually selected trait and a product of their diet. Males display their feet in an elaborate mating ritual by lifting them up and down while strutting before the female. To stay cool in very hot environments, Blue-footed Boobies sometimes defecate on their feet (a behavior called urohydrosis). They also flutter the skin of their throats (the gular pouch) by rapidly vibrating bones in their throat, which creates evaporative cooling through the open mouth. The blue color of Blue-footed Booby’s feet varies in its intensity. Boobies with bluer feet appear to have more success in finding a mate than birds with duller blue feet. One study looked at foot color in relation to the health of young chicks and found that healthiest chicks tended to have fathers with intensely blue feet—possibly an indication of the father’s ability to keep himself well fed.

Heteropoda davidbowie

Heteropoda davidbowie is a species of huntsman spider of the genus Heteropoda. It was described from the Cameron Highlands District in peninsular Malaysia and named in honour of singer David Bowie. Heteropoda davidbowie was first described by Peter Jäger in 2008, based on a specimen collected by G. Ackermann in 2007 in the Cameron Highlands of peninsular Malaysia. The species name honours David Bowie, with particular reference to songs such as "Glass Spider" (from the 1987 album Never Let Me Down), as well as the 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and the resemblance of the frontal view of the spider to the singer's painted face in his early career.