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The feeling of isolation and lack of community resonates with many people nowadays. After reading the article below, would you consider living in a place like was described?

US News

America’s First Car-Free Community

In a recent article, Pete Adeney’s experience living in Culdesac — a car-free community near Phoenix, Arizona—is explored as a case study in sustainable, vehicle-free living. Culdesac, which opened in 2023, is the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S., with plans to expand to 1,000 residents by 2025. Adeney, known for his personal finance blog Mr. Money Mustache, moved to Culdesac to escape Denver’s winters and embrace a more active lifestyle with his teenage son.

During his four-month stay, Adeney found that living without a car was not only feasible but also enjoyable, thanks to the community’s well-integrated transportation options, including light rail, e-bikes, and on-site car-sharing. Adeney highlighted the convenience and health benefits of walking and biking, noting that car-free living also eliminates costs like gas and insurance.

Culdesac’s layout emphasizes ease and convenience, with everything residents need just a short walk away—from grocery stores to restaurants and local amenities. This walkable design allows residents to quickly access everyday essentials without the hassle of driving, creating a lifestyle centered around community and connection. Culdesac’s co-founder and CEO, Ryan Johnson, argues that car-centric culture has left people feeling isolated and disconnected from their surroundings and communities. By contrast, Culdesac fosters spontaneous social interactions and a sense of belonging, redefining urban living as a more connected, people-first experience.

Personally, there is a lot that could dictate whether or not I would enjoy living somewhere like this. I very much agree that there is a problem with disconnectedness, and I believe that architecture and city planning can have a lot to do with that. To quote Adeney “We Americans get a little nervous when anyone talks about alternatives to car transport,”. “But at the root, all it means is more nice things a lot closer to your home—and who doesn’t want that?”

If you want to read more about Adeney’s experience and thoughts, check out this article. We would love to hear your thoughts about it, so go check out the poll that we placed in the intro.

Culture

Mozart’s Lost Serenade Discovered

A previously unknown 12-minute composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been uncovered in a library in Germany. Researchers believe the newly discovered work, titled Serenade in C, was written by Mozart during his early teenage years.

The composition was found in the archives of the Leipzig Municipal Libraries, about 280 miles north of Salzburg, Austria, where Mozart was born in 1756. By age five, Mozart had already gained fame as a prodigy, performing across Europe for royals and aristocrats. During his teenage years, he established himself as a composer, spending time in Salzburg and Vienna before moving to Italy in 1769.

According to the Leipzig Municipal Libraries, Mozart likely composed this Serenade in C sometime in the mid-to-late 1760s. The discovery was made while researchers were compiling the Köchel catalog, a complete archive of Mozart's work. They came across a mysterious manuscript in brown ink attributed to “Wo[l]fgang Mozart.”

While the handwriting in the manuscript is not Mozart’s own, experts believe it is a copy made around 1780 of an original composition. The Serenade in C consists of seven short movements for a string trio—two violins and a bass—according to the International Mozarteum Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving Mozart’s legacy. The use of “Wo[l]fgang” instead of “Amadeo” in the signature further suggests that this work was composed in Mozart’s youth, as he began using "Amadeo" around 1769.

Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the foundation, says the music stylistically fits with works from the period when Mozart was between 10 and 13 years old, adding that the young composer had already moved beyond this style by his late teens.

You can now listen to the piece here:

Environment

Old Incubators Save Orphan Kangaroos

While working at a hospital with outdated incubators, an Australian nurse had an innovative idea after visiting a kangaroo rescue center. She realized that the equipment could be repurposed to save orphaned kangaroos.

Originally used for premature human babies, these incubators now mimic the warm, humid environment of a mother kangaroo’s pouch, where joeys spend their first eight months. Each year, dozens of orphaned joeys and pinkies—young marsupials yet to open their eyes—are brought to Kununurra Kangaroo Rescue Haven in East Kimberly, Australia. With few natural predators, kangaroos, Australia’s largest land mammals, often face the risk of becoming roadkill due to overpopulation. Mandy Watson, director of the Kununurra Haven, has saved hundreds of joeys whose mothers were hunted or killed by vehicles. Without the warmth and protection of a pouch, these young marsupials have slim chances of survival. Over the past 20 years,

Watson has successfully released 823 kangaroos back into the wild but notes that many others have not made it to adulthood. “Maintaining the right temperature is particularly challenging during the dry season,” Watson told ABC News Down Under. “These incubators will provide a stable environment that could save more lives.”

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Mind Stretchers

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The moon is my mother, The sea is my dad. I have a million brothers. When I reach land, I'm dead. What am I?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
I lose my head in the morning, but get it back at night. What am I?
-Pillow

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The first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected] or reply to the email.

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