Dracula Tourism

The Transylvania region of Romania is generally associated with Dracula, the mythical vampire from Bram Stoker’s famous 1897 horror novel. Although Stoker never visited the region, his descriptions of Transylvania’s ancient forests and mysterious castles, along with the popularity of the Dracula character, established Transylvania as a destination for Dracula fans. In the 1960s, they began visiting the region in hope of experiencing the culture that had given rise to the legend. They were generally disappointed, however, as most residents of the region were unfamiliar with Stoker’s novel or vampire tales. Even so, the number of tourists kept rising.

Interest in Dracula tourism later increased as a result of Raymond T. McNally and Radu Florescu’s 1972 book, In Search of Dracula, which made a strong connection between Dracula and Vlad III, a fifteenth­ century ruler known for his cruel and severe law­enforcement tactics. This went against official history, which promoted Romania’s identity as an independent Communist country by presenting Vlad III as a powerful leader who successfully defended his land against outside threats. The Dracula legend also made Transylvania seem backward, superstitious, and frightening, and this contradicted the modern, industrialized image the country hoped to convey. Therefore, in the early 1970s, Romanian officials decided against encouraging Dracula tourism in spite of its potential economic benefits.

Fans continued to visit the region, however, and private businesses quietly began offering services designed to appeal to their interests. What is more, the collapse of Communism in 1989 weakened official opposition to Dracula tourism. More recently, Romania’s Ministry of Tourism decided Dracula’s value as a means of improving the economy through tourism was too great to ignore. The national tourism website now features information about Dracula­related sites and activities. However, it is strongly biased toward historical fact, emphasizing sightseeing attractions in the region that have a connection to actual events.

Lightning Strikes and Ships

Clouds often form around particles called aerosols. These tiny particles attract water vapor, causing water droplets to form. When there are fewer aerosols present, water vapor molecules in the air have fewer particles to form around, so each individual water droplet tends to be larger and heavier. Such large droplets create low clouds that release warm rain. When aerosols are present in greater numbers, however, the water droplets are smaller, and there are more of them. And because these droplets are lighter, they can be lifted high enough in the atmosphere that they turn to ice. When this happens, they make contact with other frozen droplets and generate electricity, which is released as lightning. In a thunderstorm, each flash of lightning contributes to producing a harmful greenhouse gas. This fact, along with the harm done to human life and property by lightning strikes, has been motivating scientists to examine the effect of human activities on storm intensity and lightning frequency.

In recent years, a number of data-­gathering networks have been established which detect lightning strikes and determine their frequency and location. In reviewing data from one such network, which uses a global system of low­-frequency radio receivers to gather lightning data, atmospheric scientist Katrina Virts noticed an almost straight line of strikes occurring across the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This line matched the path of one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. Virts and her colleagues then analyzed the locations of 1.5 billion lightning strikes from 2005 to 2016. They found that powerful storms with frequent lightning strikes were almost twice as likely to occur in two of the busiest shipping routes across the northern Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

When they examined patterns of ships’ engine emissions from a global database, Virts and her colleagues found that aerosols in the atmosphere above the two shipping routes were more numerous than those above nearby waters with less shipping activity. Engine emissions contain tiny carbon particles and compounds of nitrogen and sulfur that act as aerosols. When out in the open ocean and therefore not subject to nations’ emissions regulations most ships continuously burn a cheap, dirty type of fuel, which releases large amounts of these particles into the air. This results in the formation of numerous storm clouds. The researchers say their findings are evidence that man­-made causes are increasing the frequency of lightning and the intensity of storms on an ongoing basis.

Is It Time for Universal Basic Income?

In 1516, Sir Thomas More wrote Utopia, a novel about the political and social systems of an imaginary ideal nation. More addressed the issue of poverty by having one of the main characters exclaim, “No penalty on earth will stop people from stealing, if it’s their only way of getting food…. It would be far more to the point to provide everyone with some means of livelihood.” Over 500 years later, income inequality and economic insecurity are still major problems, having become deep-­rooted consequences of modern capitalism. This situation has inspired some economists and political strategists to look to More’s Utopia for guidance.

Universal basic income (UBI), the idea of providing everyone in society with a minimum income that would cover basic needs, regardless of employment status or living circumstances, is being tested around the world. Supporters argue this approach could eliminate poverty in society. UBI would provide money for things like food, shelter, and clothing, and, in the process, reduce stress on economies by increasing individuals’ buying power. Malnutrition and homelessness two of the worst and most widespread effects of poverty would also drop. Research has shown well­-nourished children perform better in school and have fewer behavioral problems, and students are better able to make consistent academic progress when they have stable living circumstances. Supporters also note that adults who do not need to work multiple jobs to make ends meet can focus on such things as starting their own business or learning new skills to increase employment opportunities.

Critics of UBI argue that recipients would quit their job because there would be less incentive to work, and that they would spend their “free money” not on basic necessities but on vices such as drinking and gambling. Other criticisms of UBI are that it would encourage employers to decrease wages, that it would take government money away from essential social programs, including food assistance, and that the cost would simply be too high for governments to manage. Indeed, experts estimate countries could need to spend up to 35 percent of their gross domestic product to cover UBI for all their citizens. However, supporters insist that, because UBI would decrease the need for other social programs, government spending on healthcare, food assistance, and unemployment would fall.

Countries and cities around the world are experimenting with various small­-scale versions of UBI. In a 12­ year UBI trial in Kenya, all adults in some rural communities began receiving $22 every month from an aid organization. Initial findings show the majority of UBI recipients in Kenya invested this income in small businesses, children’s school fees, medicine, and necessities. Very few spent the money on dead­-end pursuits such as drinking and gambling; in fact, most reduced their spending on such things, and explained that the prospect of having a brighter future encouraged them to be more responsible. Research also shows that, since the experiment began, people have been working more and making investments to increase their wealth. Although the results are encouraging, even proponents of UBI agree further study is necessary to determine how practical the idea would be on a broader scale.