Thursday Flakes: Scenic Drives, Russian Journalists and Iceland’s Newest Volcano

Have you seen the news this week about Iceland’s newest volcano? If you have or you haven’t scroll to the bottom for some amazing clips of Mother Nature at its finest.

Speaking of Mother Nature, what are the most scenic drives you have ever done in your life? The Alaska Highway, Going-to-the-Sun Road and the Georgia Military Highway are at the top my list. I also have Romania’s Transfăgărășan Highway and Pakistan’s Karakoram Highway on my bucket list. Let’s hear your answers down below.

Anyways…onto Flakes.

Fans Now Allowed at Husker Sporting Events | Sports | Corn Nation

The decision applies to all remaining events in Nebraska’s home athletic venues, beginning with Friday’s baseball and softball games. Tickets will be available for baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball and the Huskers’ May 1 spring game.

Nebraska’s Cam Chick Tabbed As Big Ten Baseball Player Of The Week | Baseball | Corn Nation

Saturday, Chick hit a grand slam in the third inning, then added another two-run homer in this sixth as Nebraska went on to win 10-8. Chick added three more RBIs and a double in Sunday’s series-clinching win.

Mailbag: NCAA Building Trust, Special Teams, Fans, Pro Day and More | Sports | Hail Varsity

Hail Varsity staff members Mike Babcock, Jacob Padilla, Greg Smith, Erin Sorensen and Brandon Vogel tackle your questions about the latest news in Husker Nation.

Nebraska Recruiting: Gaining Information From Early Husker 2023 Offers | Football | Hail Varsity

Nebraska has 71 total offers out so far for the class of 2023. While the number of offers has gone down each cycle we can expect that number to swell. The first thing I notice about the offers is that 20 of the 71 have gone to players in Florida. As I wrote on Monday, I don’t expect Florida to ever be knocked out of that top spot for offers as long as Coach Scott Frost is here.

Padding the Stats: Proud to Cover Preps | Basketball | Hail Varsity

When Nebraska’s fall sports seasons got pushed back, it left us with nothing to cover. We had a brainstorming meeting and decided we’d dive fully into covering the only sports we thought would happen: those at the high school level. Derek Peterson, Erin and I joined Greg on the high school football beat.

Sipple: NU Doesn’t Exactly Scrimp on Nutrition, and Players Say it’s Key Component | Football | Lincoln Journal Star

“I really believe nutrition is huge in the development of defensive linemen,” Tuioti says. “I think that’s the difference. If you really think about it, everybody has weights. Everybody lifts. Everybody runs. But not everybody spends the same amount of money on the nutrition part. So what you put into their body is the big difference. That’s why certain teams are built a different way than others.”

Who is the Emergency Backup For Huskers’ Precarious Pin Hitter Positions? | Volleyball | Lincoln Journal Star

Three offseason transfers, and a recent season-ending injury, mean the Huskers are down to just three healthy players at the pin hitter positions of outside hitter and right-side hitter, where you use three players. “We’ve been in this situation before,” Cook said. “We won national championships with just three hitters. Sometimes you get to this point and your depth is thin.”

US Travel Calls for Timeline to Reopen International Travel | Travel | Travel Pulse

Were travel to resume by July 4, 2021, and reach approximately 40 percent of 2019 levels for the remainder of the year, U.S. Travel says it would stimulate economic recovery by adding $30 billion in incremental spending and bringing back 225,000 American jobs.

15 Quietest National Parks in the Country | Travel | Travel Pulse

Social distancing is an important part of life now. With more people itching to travel and see the nation’s incredible natural scenery and wildlife up close now more than ever, it’s important to take in how busy the national parks are. For those who wish to explore the world without all the crowds, check out this list of the fifteen quietest National parks in the country.

7 National Parks to Visit During Wildflower Season | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

We’ve rounded up the best national parks for wildflower lovers, whether you’re an avid hiker or devout photographer focused on getting the perfect shot. Plus, we’ve included tips on where to nosh and hit the hay after a long day of exploring, to help you plan a full trip around these blooms.

10 of the Most Scenic Drives in the USA | Travel | Lonely Planet

America has some of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth, and there are plenty of scenic drives around the country that show off dramatic landscapes and dreamy sunsets. Here are 10 of the most scenic drives in America.

Greenland Is Approaching Tourism Slowly—And Taking Lessons from Iceland | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

Greenland, a fragile Danish territory with one of the world’s two permanent ice sheets, wants tourists, but it has no desire to become Iceland 2.0. It’s been taking notes to ensure its own travel push yields sustainable results by prioritizing local jobs and protecting its ecosystems.

Are Trains On Track For a Comeback in Mexico? | Travel | National Geographic

A rail boom is on the horizon, with dozens of new projects underway. But environmental, social, and economic pressures could complicate plans.

Jamaica’s Breakfast of Champions | Travel | BBC

How did a meal that combines a preserved North Atlantic fish and a potentially deadly West African fruit become Jamaica’s national dish?

The Restaurateur Who Overcame Canada’s Sixties Scoop | Travel | BBC

When Inez Cook opened a restaurant for Indigenous Canadian cuisine, she embarked on an unexpected journey towards rediscovering her identity and finding her long-lost family.

What Work From Home Looks Like Around the World | Technology | Rest of World

From a florist in Tehran to a chef in Bangkok, meet nine workers who turned their homes into makeshift offices during the pandemic.

Independent Russian Journalists Are Thriving on YouTube — For Now | Media | Rest of World

With the country’s major television networks firmly under government control, in recent years, YouTube has emerged as a key platform for independent journalism, political activism, and vibrant public discussion in Russia.

Will the NFL Survive the New Science of Brain Damage? | Health | The Nation

This study, while not perfectly able to “diagnose CTE during life,” will help identify CTE’s unique symptoms that result from head injuries, determine its prevalence among athletes, and allow medical professionals to better determine the risks involved from suffering concussions. It’s a massive step forward.

Tuna’s Last Stand | Food | Hakai Magazine

Skipjack are found throughout the world’s tropical and subtropical waters, including the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, but most are now caught in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), along with an approximately 7,400-kilometer band of tropical water known informally as Tuna Alley.

The Near-Magical Mysteries of Quasiparticles | Physics | Quanta Magazine

The zoo of spontaneously emerging particle-like entities known as quasiparticles has grown quickly and become more and more exotic. Here are a few of the most curious and potentially useful examples.

What Can the Faces On Its Currency Tell Us About a Country? | History | National Geographic

As a tangible symbol of a nation’s identity, banknotes are a window into history—from South Africa’s reckoning with apartheid to the challenges of building a unified country after Bosnia’s civil war.

Eruption in Iceland May Mark Start of Decades of Volcanic Activity | Science | National Geographic

The first eruption in the Reykjanes Peninsula in about 800 years is not expected to threaten any population centers, but it does provide a unique opportunity to study the geologic mysteries of the region.