In the past few months, the price of gold has gone way up – even hitting a new high last month at just over $2,400 per troy ounce.

Gold has long had a shiny quality to it, literally and in the marketplace. And we wondered, why is that?

Today on the show, we revisit a Planet Money classic episode: Why Gold? Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum will peruse the periodic table of the elements with one goal in mind: to learn which element would really make the best money.

This classic Planet Money episode was part of the Planet Money Buys Gold series, and was hosted by Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum.

This rerun was hosted by Sally Helm, produced by Willa Rubin, edited by Keith Romer, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.

Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

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For thousands of years, getting light was a huge hassle. You had to make candles from scratch. This is not as romantic as it sounds. You had to get a cow, raise the cow, feed the cow, kill the cow, get the fat out of the cow, cook the fat, dip wicks into the fat. All that--for not very much light. Now, if we want to light a whole room, we just flip a switch.

The history of light explains why the world today is the way it is. It explains why we aren't all subsistence farmers, and why we can afford to have artists and massage therapists and plumbers. (And, yes, people who make podcasts about the history of light.) The history of light is the history of economic growth--of things getting faster, cheaper, and more efficient.

On today's show: How we got from dim little candles made out of cow fat, to as much light as we want at the flick of a switch.

Today's show was hosted by Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum. It was originally produced by Caitlin Kenney and Damiano Marchetti. Today's rerun was produced by James Sneed, and edited by Jenny Lawton. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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CLASSIC FAIRY TALES W/THREE LITTLE PIGS COLL. BOOK and PRINT by Scott Gustafson is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited to 150 pcs

Riotoro just released their very first 7.1 virtual surround sound gaming headset called the Aviator Classic and today it�s up to us to put it to the test. ... [PCSTATS]

M. Night Shyamalan had his eye on casting Clint Eastwood and Paul Newman in Signs at one point. Here's why they passed on his alien invasion thriller.

Now that the New Outlook is available in the various Office Channels and also is replacing Windows Mail and Calendar soon, I really want to try it out but don’t want to use it as my daily driver just yet.

Is there any way that I can install and run the New Outlook and the current Outlook at the same time?

Security Analysis: The Classic 1934 Edition (hardcover)

A new collection of pantyhose by Sarah Borghi. 40 denier. Matte opaque pantyhose, soft and velvet like, with Meryl® microfibre and Lycra 3D. Sheer to waist. Flat seams with cotton gusset and panel gusset.

Every Sunday morning from 5-7am we present an encore airing of Tuesday night's Classical Edge with host Chris Wartes, featuring the best in 20th & 21st Century Classical Music.
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The second 'Paddington' feature film has become the greatest-ever movie on Rotten Tomatoes after Orson Welles' 1941 drama lost its 100 per cent fresh rating.

Karolina Pliskova joins star-studded Edgbaston line-up.

Imagine a 30 foot high Ariel towering above Propero - that’s what you get in this groundbreaking performance, says Richard Lutz

Classical music has an unparalleled ability to transcend time, moving listeners with its emotional depth, technical brilliance, and universal beauty. From the grand symphonies of Beethoven to the delicate piano pieces of Chopin, classical music has shaped the cultural landscape for centuries, inspiring countless generations. But which pieces stand out as the most iconic, the […]

The post 15 Best Classical Music Pieces of All Time first appeared on Singersroom.com.

Marquee Arts executive director Russ Collins has returned from his vacation, and he's ready to chat about all things cinema! Russ joins WEMU's David Fair to discuss the newest films coming to the big screen and a whole lot of special Halloween screenings happening at the Michigan and State Theatres!

American Classics kicks off its 28th Season, celebrating the SUN (November 8 and 10, 2024), the MOON (February 14 and 16), and the STARS (April 11 and 13, 2025) season with "Here Comes the Sun.” “Sunny” Songs to be performed range from the era of parlor songs with "Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie," through Irving Berlin and Rodgers and Hammerstein, to Steve Martin with "Sun is Gonna Shine" from "Bright Star" and the Pink hit "Cover Me in Sunshine."...

First Wave returns to the genesis and evolution of Punk, New Wave, its roots, and the eventual liberation of rock n roll. It brings context to the music to understand […]

The post FIRST WAVE: CLASSIC PUNK AND NEW WAVE AND MORE appeared first on KKFI.

Marian Engel’s Bear is one of Canada’s most controversial novels. But experts say it’s also one of the most daring and enduring.

Freddie Freeman hit the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history.

The No. 2 Lions shut out No. 1 The Classical Academy, 26-0, to complete a 17-1 season.

She came in last out of nine in the 100M race.

The Cary Aquatic Center hosted the 2024 Fall Kickoff classic meet’s opening day, showcasing standout performances by Baylor School athletes. Katherine Wheddon secured 13th place in the girls 100 yard backstroke with a time of 1:04.79. Connor Hupman claimed 9th in the boys 100 yard Backstroke, finishing at 56.04. Violet Smith competed in multiple events, […]

On May 3, the Bermuda Pacers Track Club organized the 15th Annual Schools Relay Classic at the Flora Duffy South Field Stadium, featuring many of the island’s top young runners. You can view photos below and the full results here. Related Stories Photos: National Track & Field Championships Photos & Results: World Athletics Day Meet […]

Nathan Armstrong and the Rider University men’s cross country team competed in the Princeton Fall Classic, hosted at Princeton University. The meet featured a challenging field of 22 schools. Armstrong contributed to the team’s effort, finishing 209th with a time of 25:58.7. Overall, Rider placed 20th in the team standings. Related Stories Armstrong Competes In […]

The North Field walking track at the National Sports Centre will be closed from October 29 to November 14 for World Rugby Classic preparations. A spokesperson said, “The North Field walking track at the National Sports Centre will be closed from tomorrow, Tuesday 29 October 2024 to Thursday 14 November 2024, as it north field […]

[Updated with video] The 2024 Big Game Classic Tournament is underway, as part of the Triple Crown series. According to the event website, “The largest event of the Triple Crown series, the Bermuda Big Game Classic is one of the world’s most prestigious blue marlin tournaments thanks in part to a fleet of some of […]

Marlin Magazine has released a video highlighting the 2024 Bermuda Big Game Classic, which is part of the 2024 Bermuda Triple Crown event. The video takes a look at both Sea Striker’s win, as well as the 1,268 pound blue marlin caught by UnWined. The video’s description says, “Sea Striker wins the 2024 Bermuda Big […]

The 2024 Cup Match Classic is officially underway, with people gathering at the Somerset Cricket Club today [Aug 1] to enjoy the event. We will have additional coverage of the holiday, and for live updates of the match please click here and for all our coverage of Cup Match click here and for comprehensive coverage of all aspects of […]

The much anticipated Cup Match Classic got underway at the Somerset Cricket Club on Thursday, continuing a tradition which began over a century ago. We will have additional coverage of the holiday, and for live updates of the match please click here and for all our coverage of Cup Match click here and for comprehensive coverage of all aspects […]

The second day of the 2024 Cup Match Classic is taking place [Aug 2], with people gathering at Somerset Cricket Club to celebrate the festivities. We would have additional coverage later on, and for all our coverage of Cup Match click here and for comprehensive coverage of all aspects of Cup Match please see our dedicated website BernewsCupMatch.com. […]

The 2024 Cup Match Classic was held on Thursday and Friday, with people gathering at the Somerset Cricket Club to celebrate the festivities, with many people dressed to impress, with a wide variety of fashion on display. For all our coverage of Cup Match click here and for comprehensive coverage of all aspects of Cup Match please […]

Day one of the 2024 Johnnie Walker Golf Classic is in the books, with Zane DeSilva, Will Hardrell, Nicholas Jones, and Camiko Smith all Division Leaders. Smith and Jones are the current leaders of the professional division after opening rounds of 2-under par 68’s. Hardrell is the open division leader after shooting an even par […]

The final day of the 2024 Johnnie Walker Golf Classic was held this weekend at the Ocean View Golf Course, with Zane DeSilva, Damian Palanyandi, and Camiko Smith all crowned division champions. Smith claimed victory in the professional division after his second round of 4-under par 66, to finish at 6-under par. Nicholas Jones was […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] Six Fight City Muay Thai and Fitness athletes will vie for glory at the TBA Classic Muay Thai World Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Tyler Kerr, Jay Astwood, Keron Lee, Jarryd Simmons, Phill Beach and his daughter Emily Beach headed to Des Moines yesterday [June 17], where they will compete from […]

The Shotocup Kata Classic returns for its 5th year and will be held on September 29 at the Whitney Institute. A spokesperson said, “The Shotocup Kata Classic is back for its 5th year, and we are excited to announce this landmark event will be held on September 29, 2024, at the Whitney Institute, Bermuda. This […]

The 5th Annual Shotocup Kata Classic was recently held at the Whitney Institute. A spokesperson said, “The 5th Annual Shotocup Kata Classic, held at the Whitney Institute, marked another significant milestone in Bermuda’s martial arts history. With fierce competition, remarkable performances, and breakout stars, the event showcased the immense talent and dedication of karateka from […]

Joseph Cechini finished 3rd in the 2024 Georgetown Prep Cross Country Classic in West Virginia. Representing Mercersburg Academy, Cechini crossed the line in a time of 17:59, he finished 37 seconds behind the winner Jefferson Regitz from Rockville who clocked 19:22, and his Mercersburg Academy teammate Ryan Du Plessis who crossed the line second in […]

[Updated with video] The Classic Old School Soca Fete was held this weekend, as one of the many events put on for the Carnival festivities. You can view photos from the event below, we will have additional coverage of the festivities all weekend, and you can view all Bernews coverage of the Carnival festivities over the years […]

As part of the Star Trek Day celebration, commemorating the 55th anniversary of the original...

Per the Star Trek On Paramount+ Twitter account, this week’s episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks will feature...

Online gaming has evolved dramatically over the past two decades, shifting from simple web-based games to complex virtual worlds with rich narratives and immersive graphics. This transformation has been driven by technological advancements, changing player preferences, and the growing accessibility... Tagged as:

Apple Music Classical was updated today with CarPlay and Siri support, as well as stability and performance improvements, according to Apple.


CarPlay support was briefly added to a previous version of Apple Music Classical earlier this year, but it was removed just hours later. Starting with version 2.1 today, the app is once again available on CarPlay, as shown in our screenshot below.

CarPlay support provides Apple Music Classical listeners with access to their playlists, library, recommendations, and more on their vehicle's infotainment display. And with Siri on iOS 18.1 and later, users can also search via CarPlay for composers, artists, works, and instruments in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Dutch, according to Apple. Additional languages will follow over time.


Apple Music Classical first launched in March 2023, offering users with a standard Apple Music subscription access to over five million classical music tracks at no additional cost. The streaming app features advanced search functionality, exclusive artwork, extensive metadata, curated listening recommendations, and more.

The app is available for the iPhone and iPad, as well as Android. It is based on Primephonic, a classical music streaming service acquired by Apple in 2021.

This comic was originally posted in 2017.

Thoughts from 6/6/2020: This comic originally ran with pretty straightforward commentary underneath: "White supremacists can go to hell. And any other monsters like them can go to hell as well. And may the rest of us never join them, actively or passively."

I never explicitly said it in STW and I should have, but Black Lives Matter.

When STW ended, we made a book of the best 300 comics. You can buy the PDF of the book right now, and all sales are going to go to support Black Lives Matter, and foodbanks in need because of the coronavirus. And there's more. You can also buy all the videos ever made for STW, including many that were not openly shared, and all sales are also going to the same causes.

This is the bare utter minimum that I can do and will do, but it's a start. Hopefully this will help make the title of this comic be a real-world existence for more people.

This comic was originally posted in 2017.

Thoughts from 6/7/2020: The flags at the bottom were for trans rights, given when this originally posted, but given the current Black Rights Matter protest, and JKR even further torpedoing her legacy yesterday with her transphobia (happy Pride, by the way), this comic seems like it meets the current moment well enough.

When STW ended, we made a book of the best 300 comics. You can buy the PDF of the book right now, and all sales are going to go to support Black Lives Matter, and foodbanks in need because of the coronavirus. And there's more. You can also buy all the videos ever made for STW, including many that were not openly shared, and all sales are also going to the same causes.

This is the bare utter minimum that I can do and will do, but it's a start. Hopefully this will help make the title of this comic be a real-world existence for more people.

These comics were originally posted in 2011, 2012, 2017, and 2018, respectively.

Thoughts from 6/10/2020: Sprite had to be put down today. We were insanely fortunate to have her as part of our family for so long - we had her since 2006 - but no 14-year-old cat lives forever. She was easily the greatest cat I've ever had, the cat that changed my entire perspective on her species. She used to come running if I called 'henchman!' so she would watch Red Sox games with me. She ate the 4 pet birds we had when she broke their cage open. She would put her cat toys away at night before climbing into bed. She used to let me use her body to erase the chalkboard. She knew she was the boss of the house but she was incredibly sweet. The only reason it took over 800 comics for her to show up on STW before becoming the first cat TA was that I couldn't sneak her into Cornell engineering buildings like I could the dog. I'm heartbroken today.

There are bigger crises at hand right now, and this loss is certainly not equivalent. But it's still a big loss to me.

Black Lives Matter / Coronavirus help: >When STW ended, we made a book of the best 300 comics. You can buy the PDF of the book right now, and all sales are going to go to support Black Lives Matter, and foodbanks in need because of the coronavirus. And there's more. You can also buy all the videos ever made for STW, including many that were not openly shared, and all sales are also going to the same causes.

This is the bare utter minimum that I can do and will do, but it's a start. Hopefully this will help make the title of this comic be a real-world existence for more people.

This comic was originally posted in 2010 for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Thoughts from 6/16/2020: Didn't expect that full win yesterday. Thought they would find a way to split the baby. I'll take every simple win they'll give us.

Black Lives Matter / Coronavirus help: >When STW ended, we made a book of the best 300 comics. You can buy the PDF of the book right now, and all sales are going to go to support Black Lives Matter, and foodbanks in need because of the coronavirus. And there's more. You can also buy all the videos ever made for STW, including many that were not openly shared, and all sales are also going to the same causes.

This is the bare utter minimum that I can do and will do, but it's a start. Hopefully this will help make the title of this comic be a real-world existence for more people.

This comic was originally posted in 2017.

Thoughts from 6/30/2020: There's a lot of pro-LGBTQ comics throughout STW, which was probably a sign to some extent that I was hiding a part of my queerness throughout the run of the comic, even if I didn't know that I was NB until a month or so after this specific comic came out, actually. I can regret the lost time but I don't think I'd be in the solid place I am now if I had come out earlier, so I try to keep that in mind (even if I often fail at doing so). Anyway, today is the last day of Pride Month for 2020 and to keep in mind the protests of the last month, there wouldn't be the degree of LGBTQ rights that there are now if it hadn't been for Black trans women like Marsha P. Johnson leading the way in the first place. So here's to those who fight for who they are and have the courage to exist despite the world trying to keep them in the shadows.

Black Lives Matter / Coronavirus help: When STW ended, we made a book of the best 300 comics. You can buy the PDF of the book right now, and all sales are going to go to support Black Lives Matter, and foodbanks in need because of the coronavirus. And there's more. You can also buy all the videos ever made for STW, including many that were not openly shared, and all sales are also going to the same causes.

This comic was originally posted in 2009.

Thoughts from 7/1/2020: Halfway through the year and I'm sure those resolutions are going well, right? This year in particular ...

Donate to Black Lives Matter / Coronavirus help: When STW ended, we made a book of the best 300 comics. You can buy the PDF of the book right now, and all sales are going to go to support Black Lives Matter, and foodbanks in need because of the coronavirus. And there's more. You can also buy all the videos ever made for STW, including many that were not openly shared, and all sales are also going to the same causes.

This comic was originally posted in 2017.

Thoughts from 7/3/2020: The best part about this comic is that it is still true and we can just reflect on a different subset of society this time. For some reason, and I can't figure out why, it's been very hard for me to celebrate July 4th the last few years ...

Donate to Black Lives Matter / Coronavirus help: When STW ended, we made a book of the best 300 comics. You can buy the PDF of the book right now, and all sales are going to go to support Black Lives Matter, and foodbanks in need because of the coronavirus. And there's more. You can also buy all the videos ever made for STW, including many that were not openly shared, and all sales are also going to the same causes.