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UK spy agency Christmas card puzzle

If you think you’re good at puzzles, you should probably test yourself on this complex brain teaser created by the UK’s largest spy agency. The GCHQ sent out its annual Christmas card this year complete with a puzzle that’s certainly a head-scratcher. To solve the puzzle, you’ll have to complete a series of letter sequences and then fill in your answers in the Christmas bauble image featured on the front of the card.

The instructions read: “Complete the following nine sequences and plot your single-letter answers in the corresponding golden nodes on the bauble. Follow the flow of the arrows from somewhere frosty to unlock a message.”

To play along at home, the sequences are: GFEDCB_; NOHHPQ_; MDCLXV_; POIUYT_; DPLLMS_; HHELIB_; NAMWON_; EOEREX_; and GMRDPR_.

Photo: GCHQ

The answer will be posted on the GCHQ website and Twitter account, which also publishes new puzzles on a weekly basis.

According to a GCHQ spokesperson, “Problem solving is at the heart of what we do. Taking on this Christmas cracker gives puzzlers an insight into the skills you need to be a GCHQ analyst. Bring together a mix of minds by sharing it with the wise men and women in your household to find the solution.”

GCHQ is perhaps most famous for its actions during World War II and its legendary codebreaker Alan Turing who developed the Enigma machine to decrypt coded German messages.

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Thailand is partnering with Tinder

With international travel being complicated right now, countries are trying to find creative ways to encourage domestic travel. And there’s no better way to do that than by floating the possibility of meeting a significant other.

Thailand is tapping into the romantic desires of its citizens, partnering with Tinder for the “Single Journey” initiative, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is designing nine itineraries throughout the country specifically for singles. They’re starting with three pilot trips; the first is a cruise along the Chao Phraya River on December 20, and the other two to a beachside party in Phuket and the Pa Sak Jolasid Dam in Lopburi, both of which will take place in January 2021. The first trip will accommodate 100 singles, while the second and third will accommodate 50 each.

While the itineraries might be designed for solo travelers, the ultimate goal is clearly for those singles to pair off by the end of the adventure. After a year of quarantines, lockdowns, and travel restrictions, these trips sound like the perfect way for singles to unwind and finally meet someone new.

Bookings opened on December 15, and can be made through the Sneaksdeal website.

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Types of dumplings around the world

There are a few styles of food that can be found just about everywhere you go. Noodles, for one, and bread. Another is the dumpling, which goes by many names but is arguably the most delicious and versatile food found around the world.

“Dumplings are a global comfort food, and each culture has its own form of dumplings,” says Aaron Yang, the vice president of Din Tai Fung Restaurant Group, which recently opened a location at ARIA Resorts & Casino in Las Vegas. “They are easy to eat, versatile in their shapes and filling, and can be cooked in a variety of ways: boiled, steamed, or pan-fried.”

In the most basic sense, a dumpling is simply dough that’s filled with meat or vegetables and cooked. From there, the options are nearly endless. Some dumplings are small enough to be eaten in one bite; others are a meal unto themselves. The dough ingredients can be wheat flour, rice flour, or potatoes, while inside you can find pretty much anything that’s popularly available in the region that you’re eating dumplings in. Many dumplings have two distinct parts (a wrapper and a filling) though some are well integrated after being cooked.

Chef Shin Myazawa, of the Japan Food Entertainment restaurant Menbaka Ichidai in Kyoto, Japan, says that eating regional styles of dumplings is one of the great joys of travel.

“I can’t even imagine what’s inside the dumplings, sweet or spicy,” Myazawa says. “Such excitement is one of the factors that fascinates people. Also, as long as you wrap it in the skin, you can call it a ‘dumpling’ regardless of the contents, and one of the attractions is that you can make many variations in taste. Even if the ingredients are the same, adjusting the spices will give them a different taste.”

Dumplings are as much a food of convenience — they’re both portable and sustaining — as they are a food bursting with flavor. No matter what you call them or where you’re located, dumplings are always worth a try (and, more often than not, there’s a long history behind how those dumplings became associated with the region you’re eating them in). These are some of the most popular types of dumplings from around the world.

1. Germany: servietten knödel

Photo: stockcreations/Shutterstock

There are two types of dumplings served in Germany, says Philipp Vogel, chef and managing director of Orania.Berlin in Berlin. There are potato dumplings that serve as a traditional side for the Christmas goose or duck, as well as with meals like schweinshaxe (pork knuckle). And then there are bread dumplings called servietten knödel, which translates literally to “napkin dumplings” because they were cooked in a napkin, Vogel says. Servietten knödel is made with stale bread and a medley of whatever vegetables or fungi is available.

“The great thing about napkin dumplings is that you can use whatever leftover bread you have in your pantry, and then add almost any flavorful ingredients you’d like — any variety of mushrooms or fresh herbs, sometimes we even add bacon or smoked fish,” Vogel says.

2. Austria: topfenknödel

Photo: Maria Popa Photo/Shutterstock

Originally from the region of Bohemia, topfenknödel are popular sweet dumplings made with cheese curd and apricot in Austria. The key ingredient for the dumpling dough is quark, which is a type of fresh cheese curd. Egg and flour round the dough out. A whole pitted apricot with some sugar is placed inside. Topfenknödel are then boiled in water before serving. Among all of the dumplings in the world, Vogel puts these in his top three favorites.

3. Italy: ravioli

Photo: from my point of view/Shutterstock

Of all of the types of dumplings sold around the world, ravioli (singular: raviolo) regularly rank among the most expensive. Plates of just a couple of ravioli are sold for dozens of dollars at fine dining establishments (as well as your average Italian restaurants) around the world. That said, affordable, mass-market versions of ravioli abound as well. Both have a place for such a historic and traditional food.

“People love dumplings because of what they’re filled with,” says chef Andrea Antonini of the Michelin-starred Imàgo restaurant at the five-star Hotel Hassler Roma in Rome. “What’s particularly interesting is that there isn’t one official or widely accepted recipe. The filling, for instance, can include anything from meat to ricotta cheese to vegetables. Until you bite into it and taste it, you don’t know what it will taste like, and this, for me, is what makes ravioli so unique.”

Though you may have a set idea of ravioli, it’s far from a monolith. You’d be hard-pressed to find a complete account of every variety. Just like there are seemingly countless types of Italian pasta, there are seemingly countless types of ravioli. There are the square agnolotti and the egg pasta ravioli anolini from Parma. There are meat-filled marubini that are typically served in broth, ring-shaped tortelli, and the pinched together plin from Piedmont. Pansoti, cappellacci, maccaruni chini — the list goes on, all with different traditional shapes and fillings.

4. Japan: gyoza

Photo: Nickola_Che/Shutterstock

“Originally, Japanese dumplings came from China, but Chinese dumplings are most famously boiled dumplings that are boiled and eaten with soup,” says Miyazawa. “However, gyoza — pan-fried pork dumplings — is the most famous in Japan.”

Gyoza are a half-moon shape, and have a thin wrapping with a filling that’s commonly made with pork, cabbage, leeks, and garlic, though the ingredients depend on who is making them. The bottom is crispy while the top is softer thanks to how gyoza are steamed after being pan-fried. The dumplings are typically eaten as a side dish (often alongside ramen) in Japan.

You’ll also find other types of dumplings in Japan. There are shumai (cylindrical steamed pork dumplings) and nikuman (steamed pork bungs in a sponge-like dough).

5. Poland: pierogi

Photo: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

Pierogi (singular: pieróg) are popular half-moon flour dumplings that are either boiled, baked, or fried and are commonly served with sour cream, bacon, or onions. The filling can be just about anything: pork, beef, chicken, veal, lamb, duck, or goose can all be found in Poland, as can pierogi filled with buckwheat or lentils. Some regions lean on fish while in others it’s more common to find sausage and bryndza, a type of sheep’s cheese from the Tatra mountains. One of the most popular is pierogi ruskie, made with potatoes and quark cheese curds. Despite the name, pierogi ruskie likely come from a part of Ukraine that was once part of Poland.

Pierogi date back to the 13th century. One popular origin tale is that they came from the patron saint of pierogi: Hyacinth of Poland. According to legend, Hyacinth brought them from Kievian Rus, which is now Ukraine. The oldest written pierogi recipe dates back to a chopped kidney, veal fat, greens, and nutmeg version in “Compendium Ferculorum,” which was published in 1682 and is the oldest cookbook written in Polish.

6. Taiwan: xiao long bao

Photo: bunyiam/Shutterstock

In the US, knowledge of xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, reached critical mass with the 2018 Pixar short film Bao (Google Trends data shows that searches for xiao long bao rose through 2018 and peaked in 2019). The name translates literally to “little basket bun,” and according to the South China Morning Post, the style is believed to have been invented in Shanghai in the 1870s. Yet it became a global phenomenon in large part thanks to entrepreneurs and restaurateurs in Taiwan, as Patricia Unterman found on a long journey through the history of xiao long bao for AFAR.

“Taiwan is home to many kinds of dumplings, and most of them are street market food,” Yang says. “However, when thinking about what food represents Taiwan, many would name xiao long bao.”

The original Din Tai Fung in Taipei played a major role in introducing xiao long bao to the world, and it’s outposts like that in Las Vegas continue to spread the word. At Din Tai Fung outposts, the dumpling skins are thin and delicate along the edges and thick enough to hold the filling in the center.

“Over the years, we have discovered that the golden ratio of folds to close the dumpling is 18 as it brings out the perfect amount of texture,” Yang says. “We also steam our xiao long bao inside bamboo steamers to add a natural flavor.”

While not all of the xiao long bao you encounter will have this level of care, they’re always worth a try.

7. China: wonton

Photo: tatui suwat/Shutterstock

Wontons are made with a thin wrapping that’s nearly translucent. Inside, you’ll typically find shrimp or pork along with shallots, ginger, and other spices. Unlike many other types of dumpling that are served solo as a side or main dish, wontons are traditionally served in a clear broth soup. Some date wontons back to the Qing Dynasty in the mid-1600s. It’s one of many types of Chinese dumplings alongside variations like har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) and shu mai (open-top pork or shrimp dumplings), as anyone who has eaten at a dim sum restaurant knows full well.

8. Spain: empanadas

Photo: hlphoto/Shutterstock

Empanadas are different from many of the other types of dumplings on this list because they’re typically deep-fried or baked. But if a dumpling is simply a filling that’s wrapped in dough and cooked, an empanada is indeed a dumpling. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, which means “to wrap or coat in bread.” Any number of meats and vegetables can be inside depending on where you’re purchasing your empanada. Minced and spiced pork is popular in Mexico and across South America, though there are dessert versions, as well, such as pumpkin empanadas common in the American Southwest around Thanksgiving.

It’s believed that empanadas originally hail from Galicia, Spain. By some accounts, they’re a derivative of samosas brought over from when the Moors ruled the Iberian Peninsula from the 700s until the late 1400s.

9. India: samosas

Photo: Gaus Alex/Shutterstock

Samosas are ubiquitous across the Indian subcontinent. These dumplings are made with a dough that’s often fried and filled with everything from meat to vegetables to potatoes to cheese depending on where you purchase them.

Though they’re most associated with India today, samosas originally come from ancient Persia, according to the BBC (the name derives from the Persian word sanbosag). The first written reference dates back to the 11th century when the historian Abul-Fazi Beyhaqi wrote of a fried pastry filled with minced meat, nuts, and dried fruit. Over time, it made its way to what is now India, and each region adapted the recipe for the filling to their own taste preferences.

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Positive sustainability news 2020

Last Saturday marked the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris agreement. To honor the accord, the United Nations hosted its 26th annual climate conference in which countries around the world and the European Union met virtually to boast about forthcoming sustainability initiatives. This year’s event was quite different from the typical global summit since its virtual format made roundtable discussion among world leaders all but impossible. Instead, each submitted a short video outlining their plans.

But not every country was able to take the stage. Leaders had to be willing to make a commitment bold enough to pass the increasingly tough muster of the EU in order to participate. More than 70 countries did, among the most anticipated being China and India, the world’s first and fourth most polluting countries, respectively.

The biggest takeaway from the event, according to the UN’s officially released summary, is that countries representing “65 percent of global CO2 emissions, and around 70 percent of the world’s economy, will have committed to reaching net zero emissions or carbon neutrality by early next year.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China will reach 1,200 gigawatts of installed solar and wind energy capacity within the next decade while simultaneously increasing renewable energy consumption to 25 percent of the country’s total. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country plans to hit 450 gigawatts of renewable power by 2030, according to a report from Deutsche Welle.

In Europe, the UK, France, and Sweden announced that each would stop financing new fossil fuel drilling and extraction projects. “The EU is a leader in this global fight, with our new target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 — which is a fundamental milestone on the way to carbon neutrality,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the release.

Globally, Argentina, Barbados, Canada, Colombia, Iceland, and Peru were all commended for shifting from “incremental” to “major” commitments to reduce their individual carbon footprints, with plans to be enacted near immediately. Overall, the summit appears to have been a positive affair, and while outlining a plan is a far cry from actually achieving it, the fact that 75 countries, representing six continents, came together with one similar goal and a plan to meet it is a major piece of encouraging news at the end of a long and stressful year. It also followed recent reports that the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement remain possible.

“The Summit has now sent strong signals that more countries and more businesses are ready to take the bold climate action on which our future security and prosperity depend,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in the release. “Today was an important step forward, but it’s not yet enough. Let’s not forget that we are still on track to an increase of temperature of three degrees at least in the end of the century, which would be catastrophic.”

More climate wins

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual report on the state of the Arctic. Yes, it’s warming — but there’s also good news. Bowhead whale populations are on the rise, marking what has been a successful conservation effort since the population of the Arctic’s only year-round baleen resident had been nearly wiped out by commercial whaling operations in the 1800s.

President-elect Joe Biden named former EPA Administrator and current President of the Natural Resources Defense Council Gina McCarthy to be his White House Climate Advisor, the New York Times reported. McCarthy developed the Clean Power Plan during the Obama administration and was the driving force behind most of the administration’s most forward-thinking climate policies.

Your next car just might be electric. The production cost of the batteries used to power electric vehicles is dropping significantly. Between 2010 and 2019, costs dropped nearly 90 percent to $156 per kWh, according to Green Car Reports, and a further examination by Utility Dive published this week found that this price will be nearly cut in half by 2030. As a result, EV car production will be at a price pair with internal gas combustion engines by 2025, and the number of EV models available in the United States could triple from 40 to 127 in the next three years.

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Plan your trip to Germany

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Second Breakfast Tour at Hobbiton

If there’s a time to eat like hobbits, it’s definitely the Christmas season. The Hobbiton Movie Set is launching a new tour called the Second Breakfast Tour, starting December 20 and running on select weekends.

The three-hour experience includes a tour of the 12-acre filing location of the beloved trilogies Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit on the Alexander family farm near Matamata on New Zealand’s North Island.

You’ll learn how this slice of New Zealand was transformed into a movie set and visit other sites from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies, like Bag End, Sam Gamgee’s house, and the Green Dragon Inn (where you’ll drink ale or ginger beer). Guests will also visit the Millhouse, a converted mill nearby with a fireplace, where you’ll enjoy a breakfast spread consisting of fresh fruits, pastries, house-made breads, cold meats, and preserves, followed by a hot breakfast including lamb sausages, scrambled eggs, grilled mushrooms, bacon, and potatoes.

Photo: Hobbiton Movie Set/Facebook

Russell Alexander, the CEO and co-founder of Hobbiton Movie Set, told Lonely Planet, “At Hobbiton, we try to introduce something new every year and continue to evolve and improve the experiences we share. The new Second Breakfast Tour is a natural fit for our offering out here at Hobbiton, and gives our guests a chance to dine in the newly opened Millhouse too.”

Photo: Hobbiton Movie Set/Facebook

Given the popularity of the films, it’s no surprise that this experience is proving equally popular. The first few tours are already booked, so you’ll have to move fast if you want a Second Breakfast of your own.

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Airbnb dome with Mariah Carey

Ringing in 2021 in Times Square won’t look like any other year. There won’t be huge festive crowds gathering beneath the iconic ball as the celebrations have moved online this year to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If that sounds disappointing to you, know that there’s still a way to see the ball drop with your own eyes and have an epic Time Square experience this New Year’s Eve. Airbnb is partnering with Mariah Carey to host a special New Year’s Eve experience inside a clear and private dome on the rooftop of the Nasdaq building in NYC.

Photo: Airbnb

“New Yorkers have found the strength to carry on this year,” Carey wrote on Airbnb, “and the people of this city are my heroes. To honour NYC’s resilience, I’m inviting two locals from the same household to call Times Square home for one night and sleep in a cozy dome atop Nasdaq’s terrace. Under the New Year’s Eve ball, say GTFO to 2020 in style.”

Photo: Airbnb

The dome comes with a special dinner in the private lounge, prepared by a personal chef. You’ll also be treated to a private virtual performance from Mariah Carey on Zoom, and $5,000 in spending credit to use before your stay along NYC’s famous Fifth Avenue or at Times Square’s shops. And when the time comes to see the ball drop, you can watch the whole thing from the terrace as it will happen just a few feet away from your cozy bed.

Photo: Airbnb

At the end of the night, you’ll go to sleep in the clear geodesic dome bedroom fitted with a queen-sized bed and some plushy seats, with unrivaled views of New York City. As a souvenir, you’ll receive a piece of crystal from this year’s Waterford crystal ball design.

Photo: Airbnb

It might be the cheapest Times Square experience around, at just $21 (in reference to the new year). Bookings open on December 21 for the one-night stay on the 31st, and only two guests (NYC residents only) from the same household can reserve it.

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Singapore hawker centers UNESCO

Singapore’s legendary street food culture is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Reuters reported that UNESCO has designated that these “open air food courts” have special cultural significance.

The Southeast Asian country is famous for its late night communal outdoor dining experiences, which feature stalls packed with delicious meals like tempura, seafood, rice, satay, sweet kueh (cakes), noodle soups, and other dishes. These groups of food stalls are known as hawker centers, which are essentially food courts with outdoor seating, set up as a more sanitary alternative to the traditional outdoor food stalls in the 1970s.

The hawker centers are now on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, alongside Armenian Lavash bread and Cambodia’s Royal Ballet. Singapore applied for UNESCO recognition two years ago.

“These centres serve as ‘community dining rooms’ where people from diverse backgrounds gather and share the experience of dining over breakfast, lunch and dinner,” UNESCO said in a statement.

The designation comes with a set of requirements. Every six years, the government of Singapore must submit a report to UNESCO that details how the country is safeguarding the longevity of the hawker centers. This prospect might be tough in the era of COVID-19: Many stalls had to shut down due to concerns that the large groups that gather at these food courts would quicken the spread of the virus. That was probably the right move: Singapore has the lowest death rate from COVID-19 in the world.

Recovering from that blow to tourism is on the horizon, however. In November, hawker centers welcomed back diners as long as they wore masks. As of early December, Singapore has reopened to tourism from five countries, including New Zealand and China, but the United States still hasn’t made the list.

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Pyramids that aren't in Egypt

Egypt’s monopoly on pyramids is like France’s on wine. If you never leave France you’ll be missing out on some of the world’s best wine, and if you only visit Giza you’re casting a pretty small pyramid net. Some of the most breathtaking pyramids are nowhere near Egypt and don’t even look like conventional pyramids. Whether it’s Iraq’s Ziggurat of Ur, which evokes a distinctly Sumerian aesthetic, or the underground Chinese pyramids, these ancient structures deserve as much attention as their brethren in Giza. These are the coolest pyramids in the world that aren’t in Egypt.

1. Aztec Pyramids, Mexico

Photo: Dmitry Rukhlenko/Shutterstock

Perhaps the most famous pyramids in the Western Hemisphere belong to the Aztec, in what is currently Mexico. Built in the ancient city of Teotihuacan, Aztec pyramids have large foundations but aren’t nearly as tall as those in Egypt. The Pyramid of the Sun — the largest Aztec pyramid and third largest in the world — is 233 feet tall, about half the height of the Pyramid of Giza. It’s also much newer than the Egyptian pyramids, with construction beginning around 100 AD. Beside it sits the equally impressive Pyramid of the Moon, which was built between 200 AD and 450 AD.

2. Pyramids of Tikal, Guatemala

Photo: WitR/Shutterstock

The Pyramids of Tikal in Guatemala are located in a unique setting, scattered throughout the jungle. In this UNESCO World Heritage site, you’ll find five limestone pyramid temples built by the Mayans to honor their gods. They were constructed between 400 to 900 AD and abandoned for nearly 800 years. This neglect certainly shows as the jungle has gradually encroached on the structures. The largest pyramid, Pyramid IV, stands 213 feet high and is topped by the Temple of the Two-Headed Serpent — a great vantage point for a sweeping view of the jungle. The site had served as a ceremonial center mainly containing palaces, temples, and public squares, the remains of which are still visible today.

3. El Castillo, Belize

Photo: Ethan Daniels/Shutterstock

El Castillo is the cornerstone of the lost city of Xunantunich, one of the largest Mayan cities ever built. The pyramid itself is located on a ridge over the Mopan River, and at 130-feet tall it’s the second tallest structure in Belize after the temple at Caracol. Built around 800 AD, the pyramid and surrounding city served as a ceremonial center of the Belize Valley region. El Castillo is famous for its resident ghost, known as the “Stone Lady.” First spotted in 1892, she always appears in a flowing white dress, with fiery red eyes, and spends her days ascending the pyramid’s steps before disappearing into one of the stone walls.

4. Nubian Pyramids, Sudan

Photo: evenfh/Shutterstock

Sudan took a page right out of its neightbor’s architectural handbook. Located just to the south of Egypt, Sudan’s Nubian pyramids often find themselves in the shadow of their more famous neighbors to the north. Over 250 Nubian pyramids were built between 2600 BC and 300 AD in the ancient cities of Kerma, Napata, and Meroe. Much like the Egyptian pyramids they were used as burial chambers for Nubian rulers and their families. Although similar in height to the Egyptian pyramids, Nubian pyramids have a much smaller foundation and are far narrower. They also distinguish themselves by sheer volume, as there are twice as many Nubian pyramids still standing today as Egyptian ones.

5. Chinese Pyramids, China

Photo: I. Noyan Yilmaz/Shutterstock

The Chinese Pyramids are perhaps the most controversial in name since they don’t look like pyramids at all. In fact, they’re completely disguised as mountains. Used as burial chambers for ancient Chinese emperors from the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties, Chinese pyramids are earthworks designed to look like burial mounts. Located primarily around the Luoyang and Xi’an regions, their exteriors are covered in earth, grass, and trees so that they resemble hills and mountains. The tomb in Xi’an’s Linton District belonging to Qin Shi Huang, the first Qin Emperor, is the best known as he’s responsible for building the Great Wall of China and uniting the Chinese states in 221 BC. It’s also home to the famous Terracotta Army that guards the tomb.

6. The Great Pyramid of Cholula, Mexico

Photo: Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock

Much like the pyramids in China, the Pyramid of Cholula in the Mexican state of Puebla isn’t easily visible to the naked eye. You have to use a bit of imagination. At 173 feet tall and covering 45 acres in width, it’s the largest pyramid in the world, eclipsing even the Great Pyramid of Giza. That makes its ability to stay hidden even more impressive. Built by the pre-Columbian people, it was used by the Aztecs as a temple before falling into disuse. When Spanish colonists arrived in 1509 they saw only a hill covered in soil and foliage and decided to build a chapel at the top. Today, looking for the chapel is the best way to know you’re in the right place. Visitors can explore the ancient subterranean tunnel complex, before emerging at the top to enjoy the view.

7. Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq

Photo: Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH/Shutterstock

The Ziggurat of Ur is one of the world’s oldest pyramid structures, built in the Early Bronze Age around 2100 BC. It was built in the then-Sumerian city of Ur (present-day Iraq) for King Ur Nammu. The 210-foot tiered structure consists of three layers connected by stairs, culminating in a temple at the top. It was originally a piece of a larger temple complex serving as an administrative center for the city and a shrine to the moon god Nanna. The ziggurat shows marks from its ancient past as well as damage sustained in the Gulf War. As a result of the ravages of time, the ziggurat has been restored several times over the centuries, most recently by Saddam Hussein in the 1980s.

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Scotland names all of its snow plows

Some people get so attached to their cars that they give them a cute nickname. In Scotland, it’s the snow plows (or “gritter” as they call them there) that must be near and dear to their hearts because each and every one of the country’s vehicles has been assigned a name.

A 2018 BBC story reported that the naming practice goes back to 2006, when Transport for Scotland ran a competition in Scottish schools asking students to invent the best names for a fleet of plows. The children submitted their most creative ideas, and the Scottish Transport Ministry selected the best ones. The plows then became traceable via an online tracking service that launched in 2016.

Photo: Traffic Scotland

A spokesperson from BEAR Scotland, which operates around 100 plows, told the BBC, “We had a great response from the schools that were involved with the competition, with some excellent entries submitted.”

You can scroll around the map to see which snow plows are active where, and even track your favorite one. It might be the only thing actually getting people excited about the next snowstorm.

Some of the funniest names include Gritallica, Mr. Plow, Spready Mercury, Salty, Spready Ready Go, Sprinkle, For Your Ice Only, Nitty Gritty, Licence to Chill, Ice Queen, and perhaps the best one, Luke Snowalker.

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