The scientific name of the corpse flower is Amorphophallus titanum. Photo: AP According to the Guardian (UK), Mr. Solomon Leyva, the owner of a nursery in Alameda, who deals in exceptionally rare plants, posted on social media about his corpse flower. When he saw that many people were interested in the giant flower tree in full bloom, he decided to share the rare plant with the people around him. Earlier this week, Leyva took the corpse flower to an abandoned gas station so more people could admire it. Suddenly, long lines of people flocked to see this flower firsthand, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. “I took the car, went down to the greenhouse, put the flower in the car with the help of a friend, drove here and people started coming to see it,” Leyva said. Leyva relaxed on a camping chair at the old gas station and patiently answered the same questions over and over again. He estimated that by 4 p.m., at least 1,200 people had come to admire the flower. “People said that when a similar flower was displayed in San Francisco earlier, they had to wait for hours to see the flower through a fence. They are not allowed to get close,” Leyva shared. “I think everyone wants to get up close, shake and smell the flower.” People lined up to admire the rare corpse flower in Alameda. Photo: AP Couple Himanshu and Sayali Jain brought their 3-year-old son here after a photo of the flower was posted on social media. “I just wanted to thank him, because I thought we would never see it,” Sayali Jain said. The carrion flower is the rarest and largest flowering plant in the world, first discovered in Sumatra, Indonesia in 1878, by the Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari. The tree only grows in the wild on steep hillsides 365 meters above sea level. This flower is famous for its scent and color similar to rancid flesh when blooming. According to the American Botanical Garden, the corpse flower is extremely rare, with nearly 1,000 species remaining in the wild. It can grow up to 3.6 meters tall and takes about a decade to bloom. During that time, it secretes an unusual odor to attract pollinators, and then dies within a few days. In 2016, visitors to a corpse flower at the New York Botanical Garden described its scent very differently. Many people say that corpse flowers have 5 scents: sweat, garlic, decomposing meat, human excrement, and rotting fish.

Crowded working conditions in 19th century match factories. Photo: Wikimedia Commons In 1855, a 16-year-old factory worker named Cornelia visited a doctor in New York (USA) because of a toothache in his right lower jaw. The girl said she worked at least 8 hours a day at a match packing factory, for two years, but now her mouth hurts so much that she can’t even eat. Unbeknownst to the patient, she was regularly exposed to the toxic white phosphorus substance, which is used as a match, causing the terrifying condition on her face, known as the “phossy jaw”. The doctor cut the patient’s gums, removed a tooth and allowed her to return to the factory. But Cornelia quickly returned to see the doctor at Bellevue hospital in a worse condition. A hole had formed in her jaw and was constantly oozing pus. Finally, in a painful and difficult surgery, the doctor removed the entire lower jaw of the patient. Cornelia was just one of hundreds of young women suffering from “phossy jaw” in the early 20th century. An illustration of a female patient suffering from “phossy jaw” – also known as “matchmaker’s leprosy”. In industrial plants, female workers are hired to dip wooden sticks in white phosphorus, soak them for hours, creating matches that “can be hit anywhere.” But such close exposure to white phosphorus caused their jawbones to deteriorate. According to Allthatsinteresting, matchmakers struggled to raise public awareness of the pain they endured, but it still took decades for white phosphorus to be completely banned. However, their struggle was not in vain, patients like Cornelia were at the forefront of the fight for workers’ rights. Haunted by matches Matches were a popular commodity in England and America in the early 19th century. Industry insiders worked tirelessly to find new innovations in matchmaking technology: the use of white phosphorus. Despite its reputation for being toxic, the chemical is made into a paste that can shine on any surface with just a little friction. The “hit anywhere” matches, also known as lucifer matches, became extremely popular, and the industry that made them profited proportionally. Factory owners know that long-term exposure to white phosphorus can cause jaw necrosis, but they continue to administer it. They hire women and girls to work in the factory for 10-15 hours a day. It is estimated that in the 1900s there were almost 5 million women in the labor force in this industry. A woman with a “phossy jaw”. Image: Wikimedia Commons Every morning, factory workers come to the matchmaking workshop. Mixers mix phosphorus with glue and color, then dryer workers stack thousands of matches onto a frame. The immersion unit then dips those matchsticks into the phosphorus mixture. After the matches are dry, the workers will perform the final stage of canning. A dipping worker can dip up to 10 million matches a day, exposing himself to toxic chemicals at the same time. Factory owners have also implemented new procedures to reduce harm. Employees must wash their hands after working, workers who dip matches use masks to cover their mouths. Some other factories are looking to improve the ventilation system. But white phosphorus continues to poison workers. “The Matchmaker’s Leprosy” “Phossy jaw” is also known as “matchmaker’s leprosy,” in part because it causes facial disfigurement and is often ostracized from the workplace. The first recorded case of “phossy jaw” was in 1838 in a matchmaker living in Vienna, Austria. By 1844, a doctor in Vienna reported 22 more cases of phosphorus-related jaw necrosis, but the industry was still growing rapidly. In 1857, Dr. James Rushmore Wood of New York began writing about “phossy jaw” after treating 16-year-old Cornelia. He noticed that the first sign of the disease was jaw pain, followed by abscesses along the gum line. Sometimes the victim’s gums even glow in the dark. In some severe cases, necrosis completely destroys the jawbone, and can be fatal. Dr. Wood’s treatment of Cornelia’s jaw using a saw, known in the 19th century as a “cheese string”, was unsuccessful. Mr Wood had to perform a second surgery and monitor the patient for a month before declaring Cornelia “cure”. Other victims were not as fortunate as Cornelia. A 22-year-old girl named Barbara, who worked in a match factory for three years, died less than three months after the onset of symptoms. Then there was a 13 year old girl named Annie who noticed her arm started to glow after working in the match factory for 4 years. Like Cornelia, she also had surgery to remove her jaw. Maggie, 23, continues to make matches after undergoing five surgeries to remove her jaw. It is estimated that approximately 11% of people exposed to white phosphorus develop a “phossy function”. By 1909, the United States recorded more than 100 such cases. Painting of a match worker protest in 1871. Photo: Wikimedia Commons While the employers are indifferent, the workers are forced to solve their own problems. In June 1888, feminist activist Annie Besant wrote about the plight of matchmaking girls in England. In her article “White Slaves in London”, Ms. Besant documents the working conditions in the match factories and the terrifying reality of the “phossy jaw”. She pointed to inequalities in factories such as low wages, unreasonable fines, cluttered, dirty spaces. Annie Besant was a British activist who fought to reform working conditions for female match workers. Image: Wikimedia Commons Decade struggle At the time of writing Besant, several countries had banned the use of phosphorus in plants, but not the UK, where the government argued that banning the chemical would result in restrictions on free trade. Besant’s article created a conflict between Bryant & May, a large London match factory, and their workers. Bryant & May pressured workers to sign a statement denying Besant’s demands, and fired workers who didn’t. The company’s actions caused the match workers’ strike of 1888, in which 1,400 factory workers refused to work, protesting the dire conditions. Bryant & May workers joined the 1888 strike. Photo: Wikimedia Commons The striking workers won several concessions from Bryant & May, including an end to unfair fines. But the plant continues to use white phosphorus. Although phosphorus was not yet outlawed in England, the strike of 1888 drew new attention to the appalling condition in many match factories. Journalists reported abuses, including an attempt to cover up the severity of the “phossy jaw”. In 1892, The Star newspaper published a series of photographs of victims of the “phossy jaw” at the Bryant & May company. The newspaper alleges Bryant & May forced a worker with a “phossy jaw” to quit her job and promised to pay her when she recovered. But when the female worker recovered from her illness, they refused to hire the girl again because of the victim’s hideous appearance. The factory claimed that a woman who lost half her jaw would panic other workers. Women work at the Sirio Match Co. in Brooklyn, New York, circa 1915. Photo: Getty Images Even after learning of the cover-up, the British government decided not to ban white phosphorus, a toxin that has harmed workers for more than half a century. In 1898, the British government finally fined Bryant & May 25 pounds, equivalent to several thousand dollars in today’s prices. In 1891, William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, joined the fight against the use of white phosphorus. He opened a match factory that refused to use the chemical, hoping it would pressure other factories to do the same. His factory encouraged consumers to boycott white phosphorus matches. However, phosphorus matches were only discontinued until French chemists discovered sesquisulfide, a safe substitute for white phosphorus. Bryant & May switched to this alternative in 1901. Britain finally banned white phosphorus entirely in 1910, but decades have passed since a doctor in Vienna first determined that it caused “phossy jaw” in match workers. By then, it will be too late to undo the damage this poison has done to so many workers, “in the name” of better-quality matches.

Multipurpose paper is known for its absorbency. Especially, absorb oil from fried and fried foods to make the dish more crispy and delicious. But in addition to fried foods, multi-purpose paper can also absorb oil from other foods such as broth, or simply a bowl of soup. Fill the bowl with soup, then slowly place the tissue over the water. The fat above will be sucked out and when the tissue is removed, the soup bowl will be clearer. Wrap vegetables to keep it longer Freshly bought vegetables that are only kept in the refrigerator for a few days will begin to wilt and rot. This is because vegetables are exposed to too much cold, steam and moisture. When having this problem, let’s use multi-function paper that is water absorbent and cold-resistant to help extend the life of these fresh vegetables. If herbs like basil, cilantro, lettuce, or even chili, wrap them in a paper towel before storing them in a zip bag or sealed container to refrigerate. It will help extend the life of these vegetables by another week. Used to replace the lid of the box in the refrigerator Before microwave food is eaten, stains and odors from these foods will spread through the microwave. Use multipurpose paper instead of box cover. Multi-purpose paper can absorb grease or food stains. When finished, you can immediately put the paper in the bin without cleaning anything. Cooking meat Whether you grill the meat in a pan or grill it in the oven, it always leaves a lot of grease behind. To solve this problem, you can use multi-purpose paper to help. Just place it at the bottom before placing the steak on the plate. And put on another layer before putting it in the oven. The multipurpose paper absorbs oil so it doesn’t spill out. The bacon will just be dry, crunchy and not as greasy as before. So you have a delicious treat for the whole family. Make the sugar free from clumping When you open the can of sugar, if you find that the sugar is closed into a hard lump, it is difficult to scoop it out. Because we had an easier way than to slowly pour the sugar into the microwave box, then pull out a tissue and gently sprinkle or pour just enough water. Finally, cover the box again before microwave it for about 30 seconds, when you take it out you will see no sugar clumping. Clean carpets and upholstery If the stain does not sew on the carpet or cloth-wrapped household items, then multi-purpose paper is a great help. Because if the stain is just sticky, use paper to absorb and then proceed to clean. For long-lasting stains, you can combine a variety of cleaning solutions by placing a paper towel over the stain and pouring detergent in. After a while, the multipurpose paper will gradually absorb the remaining dirt. Dry the flowers Folding flowers in a book is a popular, easy and inexpensive way to make dried flowers. All you need is a thick book and oil-free, dry paper. Multi-purpose paper is the perfect paper. Before placing flowers on top of the book, place 1-2 layers of paper towels on top and bottom to absorb moisture and stains from flowers so that they do not contaminate the book. After about 2 weeks, the flowers will expand, dry and have a beautiful shape./.

Although carrots are all orange-yellow in color, they also come in different shades of color. The darker the carrot color indicates the higher the carotene and vitamin C content in it, the more nutrients it contains. So choose darker bulbs instead of lighter ones. Buy a bulb with a small tip When buying, many people wonder if it is better to choose a carrot that is big or small? There are actually no clear standards, since carrots are also divided into many different types, so it makes no sense to choose by size. You’d better focus on where the stem is on the top of the carrot. The smaller the end of the stem, the darker the carrot flavor, the more nutrients, the more delicious. Conversely, the larger the stem, the less dense the body, the less delicious the taste. Buy bulbs that have a lot of soil Carrots with a lot of soil may look dirty, but they are actually just harvested and fresh. Furthermore, the soil will become a protective layer on the surface of the carrot, which not only prevents surface damage but also locks the carrot’s moisture, preventing it from dehydration, making it easy to preserve. and for longer. Besides, although the carrots that have been washed look good, the storage time is relatively shorter. Illustration. Don’t buy cracked carrots When buying carrots, buy carrots with whole roots. Carrots with large cracks or cracks on the surface, even if they are cheap, should not be bought because the cracks are always exposed to the outside, causing the tubers to lose moisture, quickly rotting. The reduction in moisture in carrots will certainly affect the taste and are not easy to store. Buy heavier bulbs when they’re the same size When buying carrots, take two carrots of the same size and weigh in hand. If any bulbs are too light, do not buy. Lighter bulbs are often left on for too long resulting in less water content. The taste is definitely worse when cooked. Conversely, the carrot is heavy, it is definitely more water and fresh, when cooking it will taste better. Therefore, when buying, you should use your hands to try them out! The best way to distinguish Vietnamese and Chinese carrots Distinguish based on the size and shape of carrots Vietnamese carrots are of uneven size and size, most of them are small, lumpy skin, long shape, and Chinese carrots are usually large, uniform, shiny skin, eye-catching, and beautiful. The distinction is based on the carrot stem The stem, leaves, and roots on the Chinese carrot stem are almost cleanly cut. Because Chinese carrots go through the process of frozen preservation to transport to Vietnam, the long storage time, the stalks are often not fresh, but dark in color. Vietnamese carrots have radiating roots around the stem, leaf stalks are often kept intact on the stem when distributing to the market, the stem is fresh, not black. The distinction is based on the carrot stem Carrots contain a lot of vitamin A and essential nutrients for the body, so don’t be afraid to choose the wrong Chinese products and give up on carrots. Just apply the different tips above, make sure you always win Vietnamese carrots to enjoy.