u/AcanthaceaeCalm7604

Adam Weinberger Rare Books

i explored this place almost two years ago. It was a pretty sketchy mall, completely boarded up with no visible entrance from the outside. i managed to squeeze through an upper door, and it was surreal to find an entire toy section practically untouched. its crazy to see decay like that, especially knowing the place had been abandoned for years, really hurts to see all these toys left behind like this when so many kids in need would love to have them

Scientists have invented an innovative magnetic powder that can absorb over 95% of micro & nanoplastics from polluted waters in just 60 minutes.

This could revolutionise water purification. Why: Magnetic Action: The porous MOF adsorbs even the smallest pieces of plastic (down to 30 nm) like tiny sponges – until you pull it out with a magnet. Renewable: Once saturated, the magnetic powder can be reused multiple times, reducing waste and cost. Multi-Pollutant Capture: This technology can be utilised to attract not only plastic debris, but toxic metals, the so-called forever chemical and industrial waste as well.

Researchers at RMIT University in Australia developed a reusable, dark powder made from engineered Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) that can clean contaminated water ridiculously fast.

Here's the lowdown on how it actually works:

The Problem: Standard municipal water filtration systems miss nanoplastics (particles down to 30 nanometers) because they are simply too tiny to catch. They pass right through standard filters and end up in the ecosystem.

The Solution: You stir this engineered magnetic powder into polluted water. Because of its unique porous surface texture, tiny contaminants—microplastics, nanoplastics, heavy metals (mercury/copper), industrial dyes, and even "forever chemicals" (PFAS)—stick directly to the powder.

The Magic Part: After sitting for about an hour, you run a commercial magnet through the water. The magnet pulls out the powder, taking 95%+ of the trapped toxins along with it, leaving behind clean water.

Why it matters: Unlike previous experimental materials that were single-use and expensive, this team figured out a room-temperature manufacturing method that slashed production costs by 75%. Even better, the powder can be washed, restored, and reused multiple times.

Scaling this up for municipal wastewater treatment plants is the next major hurdle, but it’s one of the most promising solutions we’ve seen for trapping invisible pollutants before they hit the tap.

What do you guys think? Is magnetic separation the future of water treatment, or will scaling it up to mass infrastructure prove too difficult?

The first picture shows her posing, the second picture shows her with Troupe Kaira, the third picture shows her with her acrobatics partner Theophila, the fourth picture is the Edgar Degas painting of her, and the 5th picture shows how she accomplished her cannon lifting stunt.

She’s so gorgeous and I can understand why she was a big hit at the venues she performed at. The first picture of her just oozes so much confidence. I would have loved to have seen her perform live. She’s so cool!

Funny enough, I remember using the painting of her by Edgar Degas as inspiration for an art piece I did in an art class in high school. I don’t remember what happened to the painting I made, but I remember being very drawn to the painting of her.

Some facts about her:

-she was born in the German/Prussian territory of Stettin (now a part of Poland)

-she had four older siblings.

-her mother, Marie Christine Borchardt, was related to circus owner, Willy Borchardt.

-she was taught acrobatic and gymnastics routines as a young girl, and began touring with different circuses starting at the age of nine.

-she traveled to New York when she was 14 years old to further continue her training.

-she professionally debuted in the winter of 1878.

-she was described as being incredibly graceful and charming.

-French impressionist artist, Edgar Degas, became a big fan of hers and frequently attended her performances for the chance to sketch her during her time performing at the Cirque Fernando from December 1878 to January 1879.

-she agreed to be a subject for some of Edgar Degas’ sketches which eventually led to the painting, Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando. This painting of her debuted at the Fourth Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1879.

-she used several stage names throughout her career, often incorporating some reference to her being mixed race. (Her mother was white and her father was black)

-she primarily toured with the acrobatic troupe, Troupe Kaira.

-while she did tour throughout the United States, she primarily performed in Europe. Making appearances at the Folies Bergère in Paris, the Royal Aquarium in London, and the Gaiety Theatre in Manchester.

-she often performed her routines as part of a duet with fellow acrobat, Theophila Szterker (who was also a part of Troupe Kaira) and who went by the stage name Kaira. The two of them would be promoted as the "Black and White Butterflies"

-she and Theophila performed as a duet for 5 years.

-her routines typically involved flying trapeze and human cannonball stunts.

-One of her signature acts was described as her being pulled up to the height of the circus tent by biting down on a rope. She could reach heights up to 200 feet in the air with this stunt.

-Another signature stunt involved her hoisting other people and sometimes a 200-pound cannon with her teeth.

-this cannon stunt of hers made her an overnight sensation in the cities she performed at, and there are several illustrations showing her performing this stunt. She eventually retired the cannon lifting part of her act in the early 1880s.

-tragically her acrobatic partner, Theophila Szterker, died after suffering a bad fall during stunt rehearsals in early 1888.

-she went on to marry Emanuel "Manuel" Woodson, an American circus contortionist, in october of 1888.

-she continued her acrobatics career for a few years into the early 1890s, and created a trio called the Three Keziahs with two other acrobats. The trio, along with Olga’s husband went on tour through Australia and New Zealand.

-it appears she retired from circus life in 1902.

-she and her husband had three daughters.

-early fitness trainer, Edmond Desbonnet, released a book in 1911 called ‘Kings of Strength’, which included several interviews with Olga. Desbonnet admitted that he was envious of the size of her biceps.

-she and her family were living near Brussels, Belgium during WWI.

-sadly, her husband passed away in 1915.

-she applied to apply for a US visa following her husband’s death, hoping to be able to visit his parents in St. Louis, Missouri, but it isn’t known if this ended up working out.

-her later life is unknown and I haven’t been able to confirm the year she passed away. (As an fyi, I noticed that Wikipedia lists that she died in 1945, but there’s no source, so she most likely didn’t die then)

It can be tricky to find information about the later lives of European performers, because unless they were reported about in English newspapers, it can be hard to track them down (and I don’t have a membership to French newspaper archive websites). Hopefully more will be uncovered about her later years. I hope she went on to live a long and full life. I think it’s really nice that she wanted to visit her in-laws in the United States, and I hope she was granted the opportunity to go visit them.