April 02 2021, 09:06

Masha’s video garnered almost TWO MILLION views in exactly one month (since March 2nd). Four days ago, another account (teenswth) reposted it, and there it gained another almost half a million. Ordinary videos (in my opinion, often more interesting) typically attract from a hundred to several thousand views (on an account with 3300 followers)

I really don’t understand why this video deserved 2.5 million views in a month, but apparently, I don’t quite grasp the audience of social networks and the workings of Instagram reels.

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March 31 2021, 22:38

Banyan. This is not the name of a plant as many think, but rather its life form, a growth characteristic. It most commonly refers to the banyan fig. Banyan is used to describe plants whose branches and trunk are capable of forming multiple aerial roots. At certain points in the tree’s life, there appear to be very many, and they hang like garlands from horizontal branches. Aerial roots grow very slowly, and after some time, most of them dry up without ever reaching the ground. Individual aerial roots grow until they reach the soil and take root, after which their above-ground part thickens intensively, acquiring the appearance of trunks. As it grows, one tree may have several hundred trunks and cover an area of several hectares.

The seeds of the banyan fig are carried by birds. They excrete them onto the trunks of trees, where the seeds take root and sprout. More often than not, the seeds are unlucky, but they have plenty of time, no need to hurry.

March 31 2021, 22:20

Here in Puerto Rico, louvered windows (also known as slatted windows or jalousie windows) are very common.

They have several advantages. Firstly, in hot weather, they can be fully opened to let a breeze flow through the apartment. In the rain, they can be kept partially open because the water droplets will still slide outwards. During strong hurricanes, they are not as easily blown out as the regular framed windows.

Also, notice that many homes have grilles up to the third floor. This isn’t just to prevent break-ins. In cases of hurricanes, debris constantly flies into the windows of lower floors, having broken off from neighboring buildings. Any metal fences in the way help protect the property.

San Juan was significantly affected by the recent Hurricane Maria (in 2017). Several thousand people died then. However, hurricanes are frequent here overall, and people adapt. For example, the sandy walls in the old town are strengthened by what is known as shotcrete. All the homes in the coastal areas are made of concrete because no one wants to rebuild everything after each hurricane. Therefore, they all look quite grim but are very sturdy.