Latest news with #UniversityOfDenver
New York Times
01-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Can Gen Z's Nostalgia Save Chain Restaurants?
When you walk into a chain restaurant, time stands still. For some young people, that's the whole point. Ana Babic Rosario, a professor of marketing at the University of Denver, calls this 'emotional time travel.' With the country in an unstable economic time, potentially edging toward recession, those memories become more potent, Dr. Babic Rosario said. 'We tend to crave some of those nostalgic moments because we think they're more stable,' she said. 'That's how our mind tends to remember the past — more rosy than it really was.' That's true for Bea Benares, 27, who said she looked forward to meals at Outback Steakhouse and 'eating the bread and sitting down with my family.' 'Now with fast causal, you may not sit down and you go your separate ways afterward,' Ms. Benares said, referring to eateries catering to office workers, like Sweetgreen and Cava. 'It sounds kind of funny, but you lose a sense of community. It's kind of sad.' That missing sense of community may be why 10,000 people, mostly in their 20s, traveled to Randall's Island in New York last fall to attend Chain Fest, a food festival started by the 'Office' actor B.J. Novak that served 'exclusive gourmet versions' of classic chain restaurant dishes from Red Robin, Cracker Barrel and others. The festival's Los Angeles version had a 25,000-person wait list. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why David Carle decided now isn't the time to leave DU for the NHL — ‘if ever'
David Carle has been among the top NHL coaching candidates the past few years. It's for good reason. The 35-year-old built the University of Denver into college hockey's model program and won back-to-back World Juniors gold medals for Team USA. But while Carle had conversations with the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks about their head coaching openings this summer, he reaffirmed his commitment to the Pioneers by signing a multi-year extension this week. Advertisement 'There was some strong consideration to explore it,' Carle told The Athletic on Thursday. 'But at the end of the day, I think everything I've said held true. The situation didn't perfectly align and meet the things we were looking for to leave a wonderful place to raise our family and continue to work. We feel very blessed and grateful to stay here. We love Denver. It's our home, and I think going through the (NHL talks) probably solidified that even more for us.' When asked what he learned from his latest discussions with NHL teams this offseason, Carle put it this way: 'I think it just reiterates that there's zero reason to leave Denver in the near term — if ever.' Carle said his extension talks with Denver started last summer, so this wasn't just a reaction to his getting NHL interest in this cycle. There were certain things he was looking for from the school, like enhanced travel and raises for his assistant coaches. There was no rush to sign as Carle was under contract through 2026-27. Denver is a private school, so they don't have to disclose terms, but Carle indicated the length of this deal is similar to other ones he has signed (his current one was a five-year deal signed after winning the 2022 national title). Carle talked to the St. Louis Blues last offseason about their head coaching position before pulling himself from consideration, and that's what happened with the Blackhawks this spring, as well. He had a couple of days of conversations with the Ducks, though they clearly had Joel Quenneville as their No. 1 choice (he was officially hired Thursday). There were a few other inquiries from teams, but none that reached anything formal. If nearly a third of the NHL teams had coaching changes this offseason and Carle indeed talked to a couple of them, why wasn't now the time to make the jump? Advertisement 'I'm one who learns by getting information,' Carle said. 'I've got to touch it, feel it a little bit. It just wasn't the right opportunities or really the time for myself and my family to move on. And there's lot of exciting things that keep me motivated and keep us very engaged within the community and obviously the work I do with our hockey program.' Carle has said it'd take a 'life-changing' opportunity for him to leave Denver. He and his wife, Mellissa, have three kids, including a baby daughter born in March. He has felt a special bond with the school since it decided to honor his scholarship shortly after medical tests at the NHL combine in 2008 showed he had a heart condition that would be career-ending. He's been on the staff ever since. Life as a top NHL coaching prospect: David Carle is soaking in every second, and championship, at Denver Our deep dive on Carle, who opens up on his unique path, being forever 'intertwined' with @DU_Hockey + what comes next — Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) March 12, 2025 If Carle is going to the NHL, he has to believe there's a chance to win, and there needs to be a synergy with him and the general manager/ownership, much like he has in Denver. Then there's the fact that the average coaching tenure of active coaches is now at 1.98, a staggering number. Carle has said in the past that 'NHL coaches aren't treated in a way that's conducive to long-term success.' Could Carle end up being a college coaching lifer, like the late Ron Mason or Ferris State's Bob Daniels? 'I don't really plan that far out,' Carle said. 'So the answer would be yes. But I don't make concrete plans.' Carle has said there's no issue in being patient. He thinks Denver might be the 'best job outside the NHL, potentially a better job,' saying, 'some guys in the NHL would trade with me if they had that opportunity.' The Pioneers have reached the Frozen Four in six of the past 10 years. Advertisement And after Denver losing in this year's Frozen Four to eventual champion Western Michigan, Carle seems as motivated as ever. He told The Athletic after the Frozen Four, 'What drives me now is people saying, 'It was a good run.' F— that. That window is still wide open. And we'll be back.' Carle told the team at a meeting two weeks after the season last year that he was staying. This time, Carle felt the group had a pretty good idea. 'They know where I stand,' he said. So he just texted a bunch of upperclassmen to give them a heads-up. 'We don't plan on taking a step back, and we're really excited about the players that we have coming,' Carle said. 'Our administration, school, has been wildly supportive of our staff and program and have been really happy with the way we've been doing things. So there's real alignment, which is really nice to have.' Carle didn't rule out eventually going to the NHL, but it's very clear he can be picky. There's a buyout in his contract, like with most coaches, but he said, 'My intent is not to have it be like this every spring' in having dalliances with NHL teams. What would it take to leave? 'Everyone can speculate,' he said. 'But everyone thought I was leaving, and I'm not. So, if there's anything, it'll be on our terms. I'll just say that.'
Daily Mail
22-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
'Gateway to the underworld' under ancient Mexican pyramid hints at advanced civilization
An often overlooked ancient pyramid in Mexico was found to be filled with pools of a rare element, leading to new theories that the structure may have had a hidden purpose. Mexico 's Temple of Quetzalcoatl, or the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, in the ancient city of Teotihuacan is believed to have been built between 1,800 and 1,900 years ago. The mysterious structure has been shrouded in conspiracies ranging from being an ancient power plant to being the engine for an extraterrestrial craft. A discovery in 2015 suggested that the ancient civilization at Teotihuacan used the temple to 'look into the supernatural world.' A researcher found 'large quantities' of the rare and toxic liquid mercury hidden in chambers at the end of a 338-foot-long tunnel. Liquid mercury shimmers and has reflective properties similar to water or a mirror. Water was previously seen as a portal to the divine or underworld, connecting the living to supernatural realms. Mexican researcher Sergio Gomez believed the Teotihuacan civilization filled the chamber with pools of mercury to act like a gateway to the underworld for an unknown Mesoamerican ruler. While the discovery took place a decade ago, it recently went viral online as social media users have again been captivated by the mystery. There is another theory about this remarkable discovery at Teotihuacan which connects the liquid mercury and another substance found at the site to advanced technology that was centuries ahead of its time. Along with the pools of liquid mercury, researchers at the site also unearthed large sheets of mica, a shiny silicate mineral which has insulating properties. Although Gomez's team suggested at the time that these two materials were likely part of an elaborate ritual, more recent speculation has suggested that the liquid mercury and mica were actually key pieces of an energy-generating device located inside the structure. To date, archeologists have only found 'rivers' of liquid mercury in one other pyramid-like structure in the world - the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in China - making its use in ancient structures all the more baffling. Meanwhile, scientists have been working to confirm whether Egypt's Great Pyramid Of Giza was actually an ancient power plant after finding signs that the structure was capable of amplifying energy waves from space. Such theories have only gained momentum after researchers found evidence that a vast city could be located underneath the Giza pyramid. To this point, expeditions throughout Mesoamerica had only found much smaller traces of liquid mercury at one Olmec and two Mayan sites. Excavations in the early 1900s uncovered mica around the city of Teotihuacan, with Gomez's team discovering even more lining the chambers of the nearby Pyramid Of The Sun and within the tunnel under the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. Annabeth Headrick, an art history professor at the University Of Denver specializing in Mesoamerican cultures, after the discovery said: 'Mirrors were considered a way to look into the supernatural world, they were a way to divine what might happen in the future. 'A lot of ritual objects were made reflective with mica.' What makes this discovery strange is the fact that one of the major sources of mica anywhere near Teotihuacan is in Brazil, roughly 4,600 miles away. Additionally, mercury doesn't exist in nature in its liquid form, meaning the ancient Mesoamericans had to go through an extremely difficult and hazardous process to extract it from a rock called cinnabar - a light red stone made up of solid mercury sulfide. Specifically, they would have needed to heat the stone until the mercury would begin to melt out and then somehow safely transport the highly toxic element to the pyramid tunnel without dying from exposure. Gomez's team argued that the mercury and mica were part of a ritual marking the journey of an unknown Mesoamerican king into the underworld. However, those who believe in the power-plant theory surrounding the Temple Of Quetzalcoatl argue that archeologists have never identified who this ruler of Teotihuacan was and have not found a burial chamber anywhere in the ancient city. The lack of a royal chamber has only fueled speculation that the mica and mercury were components of a mechanical energy device - built over 1,700 years before the first electrical power plant was invented. Ancient astronaut theorists have gained a pop-culture following due to unsupported theories that suggest that many ancient mysteries are evidence of early human contact with extraterrestrials. Some fringe theories, including those made by ancient astronaut proponents, have suggested that liquid mercury's conductive properties may have helped power either an electromagnetic or propulsion device. Other theories claim the mercury pools in the tunnel may have been part of a closed-circuit system to generate electricity or electromagnetic fields when combined with other materials or structures. Since mica is such a good insulator of heat and electricity, those fringe theories have suggested that the mineral was used to channel or contain energy within the pyramid and tunnel. The sheets lining the tunnels and chambers under the pyramid would have created a 'capacitor-like' system, storing or directing energy. However, researchers have not found any evidence to support these theories, other than the unusual presence of both materials being inside the ancient structure.
