Mouth music is the name given in English to the many ways (1) by imitating the sounds of musical instruments with the human voice. Forms of mouth music are performed around the world, but the genre (2) being particularly popular in England. Ireland, and Scotland. In this Celtic region. lilting and jigging arc two of the lively names used to refer to this musical form.

Celtic mouth music exists to accompany dancing, so the rhythms and sounds are (3) first-class and the words take a back seat. Instead of using traditional lyrics, singers often produce nonsense (4) syllables called vocables to represent specific instrumental sounds, such as those of bagpipes or violins. The results are songs that rarely make literal sense but nevertheless flow in a way (5) easier to dance to.

One Scottish form of mouth music, puirt a beul, is performed entirely in the Ciaelic language and accompanies traditional dance steps The (6) often tongue-twisting lyrics require much practice to perfect. The greater challenge for many puirt-a- beul singers, (7) though, is learning when to breathe. A poorly timed breath might break a song's flow, interrupting the steady beat (8) it relies on to help time their steps.

(9) Instruments were prohibitively expensive and thus scarce in isolated Scottish (10) villages in order to fill the void, mouth music emerged and provided residents with the music they wanted for dancing. Additionally, puirt-a-beul gave anyone (11) whomever didn’t read music II a way to learn and pass on traditional songs. 

The continuing popularity of Celtic mouth music is testament to the vitality of (12) them. In the 1990s, groups like Mouth Music from Scotland and The Cranberries from Ireland rose to fame (13) exposing with audiences Celtic mouth music worldwide.  The bands’ celebrity (14) continually survives as they (15) combine traditional mouth music with modern rhythms. 

More than two thousand years ago. a people the (16) Romans, called the Garamantes, created a complex civilization in one of the world's driest places— the Sahara Desert. Beginning around 500 BCE, they built towns and villages, (17) cloth was manufactured there and jewelry, and traded throughout North Africa and the Mediterranean They also grew a variety of crops, including wheat, dates, palms, grapes, figs, and melons. (18)

The survival of their civilization depended on hundreds of miles of underground tunnels. These tunnels carried water to desert settlements from an aquifer, an underground water source, (19) in the distant mountains.  The water ran through sloping, (20) hand-dug tunnels called foggaras. which could be as deep as one hundred thirty feet below ground. These tunnels were connected to the surface by ventilation shafts every thirty feet or so.

When the tunnels reached a farm or a field, the water flowed into (21) more easy accessible surface canals or reservoirs.  (22) Having left no clues, archaeologists don’t know how the Garamantes learned to build foggaras.  Other such tunnels exist in Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, and elsewhere.

Because the canals are underground, the water they carried stayed clean and did not evaporate. And because the water came from an aquifer rather (23) then from its rainfall, the supply was unaffected by drought. The Garamantes (24) could of relied on a constant supply of water for drinking, washing and irrigation. (25) Moreover, the cold, damp, air of the foggaras lowered the temperature inside the homes that were built over them, resulting in an ancient form of air-conditioning. 

The Garamantes (26) who thrived until around 500 CE, when some archaeologists believe they began to deplete the aquifer. (27) As the foggras began to supply less and less water, the Garamantes population (28) declined, their civilization eventually collapsed. However, at least six hundred of the ancient foggras survive. The stone mounds that mark their ventilation shafts are still visible in what is now southwestern Libya, (29) where they can be seen even now. 

At the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, eighty-six cables descend 2.500 meters (31) down into the glacial terrain. Each cable is equipped with sixty digital optical modules (32) (DOMs). which, are programmed, to detect a faint blue flash known as Cherenkov radiation.  This (33) radiation: a veritable shock wave of photonic energy—is emitted when subatomic particles called neutrinos collide with electrons in the molecules of ice.

Although there are countless neutrinos in the universe (34)  (fifty trillion neutrinos pass through your body every second), actually detecting them is a formidable task. Neutrinos carry no electrical charge, are practically weightless, and travel al nearly the speed of light. Neutrinos are rarely affected by matter or electromagnetic fields. (35) For this purpose, many neutrinos have been traveling through space unimpeded for billions of years.

On some (36) occasions however; neutrinos do collide with other particles. (37)  Scientists specifically selected the site of the IceCube Neutrino (38) Observatory to facilitate the detection of such a collision. Not only is the Antarctic subterranean ice exceptionally clear, it is also less pressurized due to (39) it’s subzero altitude. These factors increase the chance of DOMs detecting the blue flash that signifies a neutrino collision. Once this detection occurs, data is gathered and transferred to laboratories at the University of Wisconsin. Here, the origin of each of these neutrinos (40) is determined by analyzing the direction and intensity of the flash.

(41) Determining neutrinos' origins could provide scientists with new insights into the universe. For instance, some neutrinos are produced during supernovae (the collapsing of (42) stars). The origins of these neutrinos could give us (43) opulent information  about how. when, and why stars collapse. Scientists are optimistic that the neutrinos detected at IceCube could lead to new ways of looking at (44) our galaxy - and galaxies beyond.

[1]

At the Urban Vintage, my favorite cafe here in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, I found a table by the window and checked the day’s news on my laptop. On the New York Times homepage, I noticed an article about Rafeal Leaonardo Black, a 64 year old Clinton Hill artist (46) who had just been discovered. [A]

[2]

Black, (47) a native of Aruba, has been creating art in his New York studio apartment for over three decades. Until recently, few people had seen his work. I wondered why- and learned that he simply never cared to share it. Black has worked as a typist, a salesperson, and a receptionist. He never expected (or tried) to make a living as an artist. However, in May of 2013, art dealer Francis Naumann, directed to Black’s art by one of Black’s longtime friends, (48) displayed sixteen of the artist’s drawings in a solo show. 

Within days, ten of Black’s pieces (49) sold for, prices ranging from $16, 000 to $28, 000. [B]

[3]

Black draws collages in black No. 2 pencils on (50) white board and they’re packed with (51) depictions, in the form of drawings, of ancient myths, historical events, and popular culture. I found a collage titled Seven Lamps in a quick search online. [C] It features a representation of a British psychedelic poster, a portrayal of Danish surrealist (52) painter, Wilhelm Freddie, at work, a tiny figure of Los Angeles architect Simon Rodia.  The images are stacked, forming a surreal tower. 

I wasn’t sure how the drawings in Seven Lamps - so detailed that I could see the folds in Rodia’s clothing - (53) fit together logically, (54) but I liked that there was so much for me to puzzle over. Maybe this complexity (55) in May helps explain why Black’s work created such a stir. 

[4]

I read that Black (56) observes the sudden interest in his drawing. [D] He says he’s always been an artist regardless of who knew it. (57) Given that I know the city, I’ll keep checking the Times for words on his next show. When I walk home from the Urban (58) Vintage, its decor often being updated with restored antiques and vintage housewares, I wonder if I’ll pass the brownstone (59) building where, Black creates his fascinating, newly found art. 

Pigeons have a fairly poor reputation. In many urban areas, they are considered little more (61) than, “rats with (62) wings,” blamed for spreading disease and despoiling status. (63) For example, one species, the homing (64) pigeon, which is among the best navigators in the natural world. (65) There navigational abilities has earned the homing pigeon an undeniable place in history. 

(66) Former modern technologies, like the radio or telephone, commanders on the field often faced challenges in communicating, (67) depending on their location. One solution was to use homing pigeons to carry messages from the front line back to headquarters. The pigeon was a particularly good soldier in these endeavors: It flew fast. It flew fast. And it always (68) quickly returned and came back to its home roost. 

The most famous avian war hero is perhaps Cher Ami, whose name means der friend. One of six hundred birds used by the US Army Signal Corps in France during World War 1, (69) all twelve of Cher Ami’s missions were deemed successful. His last was instrumental in saving hundreds of lives.  

Near Verdun, France, the 77th Infantry Division, became separated from the US forces. The men were surrounded by German troops and were rapidly running out of rations. (70) They were separated from other US forces.  They had but one link to (71) headquarters homing pigeons. (72) It was becoming clear that the Americans were unaware of the 77th’s whereabouts, the situation grew dire. 

Major Whittlesey wrote a note about the 77th’s  location, placed it in a canister attached to a pigeon’s leg, and watched as the bird flew out in the midst of battle. Despite being wounded in flight, Cher Ami managed to deliver the message to headquarters: the unit known as  “the Lost Battalion” would be rescued. 

News reports around the world touted the bird’s heroism. The French military awarded Cher Ami a (73) medal, the War Cross. Although one may question the extent (74) in which Cher Ami understood his mission, his story (75) proves that pigeons are unique.