Steam coming out of a manhole in New York City is almost as iconic as the Statue of Liberty. But, why is it coming out of the sewer? Let’s dive in.
The gist:
Your new favorite song asks why is steam coming out of the ground.
Don’t worry, it’s actually just water.
Steam happens because of hot pipes but not from the hot pipes.
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You’ve seen it in horror movies, romcoms, and it even serves the occasional comedy. I’m talking about the streets of New York and, more specifically, the steam that rises from its depths. It can be foreboding or romantic, but is it dangerous? Should people be wandering in and out of mysterious puffs of smoke?
That’s exactly what Tom McGovern asked in his TikTok devoted entirely to these puzzling plumes of vapor. Setting his query to song, Tom needed to know “what the f— is happening here?” It’s a valid question and one that also comes with a pretty incredible saxophone solo.
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So, why does steam come out of sewers and how are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles not more involved?
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Why does steam come out of sewers anyway?
We’ll focus on New York City since that’s where the imagery from Tom’s incredible semi-music video was pulled from. According to Bloomberg, there is no need to worry about the steam. It’s just water, and is not in fact the ooze from Ghostbusters 2 or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2. Boy, filmmakers sure do like to equate slime with the Big Apple.
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And while this water is the very same H2O that New Yorkers are using to clean dishes or brush their teeth, its origins date back to the 1800s. The largest network of pipes is operated by Con Edison whose “steam system started with just 350 customers back in the late 1800s,” per Bloomberg. By the time the Great Depression hit, “pipes had 2,500 customers across more than 100,000 commercial and residential buildings,” The New York Times reported.
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Saumil Shukla, vice president of steam operations at Con Edison, told the NYT that, “Had it not been for the steam system, the postcard skyline that you see of Manhattan would be totally different.” Why is that? Well, it’s because the high-rises that depend on the pipes would have to resort to chimneys instead.
What is this steam being used for and why is there so much of it?
Con Edison has five power plants in New York that all contain “massive boilers produce steam that gets carried out of the plants, beneath the ground, and to Con Edison’s customers via a web of pipes,” per Bloomberg. This steam is used to heat buildings in the winter and also powers “cooling systems, supplanting some of the demand for electricity.” This is a heck of a lot easier than each individual building having its own boiler.
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OK, so how is this steam escaping into the city’s air? It’s actually not the same steam, though the two are connected. The steam traveling through the pipes is a whopping 350 degrees and when outside water hits those pipes, steam is formed. This is why the steam bursting from a manhole is much bigger in the winter. It’s also why you aren’t getting burned when you walk through it.
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Also, New York isn’t the only city with steamy streets but it is the city with the largest system of pipes. That’s why it seems like the spooky fog is everywhere in NYC. It may be the city that never sleeps, but it is the city that always steams.
Ben Fab has been absent from recent videos on the Fab Rats YouTube channel, leading some to wonder why he decided to leave the shop.
The Gist:
Ben Fab has been a fixture in Fab Rats videos for years.
The Fab Rats channel recently announced that Ben would be leaving the shop to spend more time with his family.
Fans of the Fab Rats will miss Ben, but seem to understand why he made this decision.
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The anchors of the Fab Rats YouTube channel have always been Paul Fab and his wife Lizzy, but another prominent member of their team was Ben, Paul’s brother, who worked at their shop with them. The Fab Rats YouTube channel is largely dedicated to videos about difficult tow jobs and rebuilds of old cars. Ben has been a huge piece of what the channel offered in recent years.
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In a video posted on Sept. 27, 2023, the Fab Rats addressed Ben’s absence from recent videos. While they didn’t go into a ton of detail, they did explain that Ben would no longer be on the Fab Rats channel because he had left the shop. Now, many want to know why Ben decided to leave the shop and the channel behind.
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Why did Ben leave Fab Rats?
At the beginning of their most recent video, Paul and Lizzy explain that Ben decided to leave Fab Rats in order to spend more time with his family. They said that while they were sad to see him go, they understood his decision, and said he still might pop up on the channel occasionally. The era of Ben appearing in videos regularly is over, though. Part of the reason is that his family lives pretty far away from where the videos are filmed.
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In a separate post on Instagram, the Fab Rats made a similar announcement addressing Ben’s absence.
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“Change can be hard and this has been one of the harder adjustments for us all,” the statement says. “We sure are going to miss having this guy in the shop but family is important and Ben’s family needed him. Lucky for us, we have Hunter and Sean around to help with all of the awesome upcoming projects.”
“Thanks to all of our amazing viewers/friends/Fab Rats family for the love and support you have given us. We appreciate you all more than you know,” the statement concluded.
It’s unclear whether there’s any tension between Ben and the rest of Fab Rats, but publicly it seems like Ben just wanted to spend less time at the shop and more time with his family, which is a choice all of us have to balance.
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The Fab Rats certainly don’t plan to slow down, though, and their statement indicates that. As the comments under the post suggest, people loved Ben and understand his decision to leave.
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“You know if you stick around long enough you always see people come and go in life. It was Randall now Ben but I’m sure it will not be the last we see either of them. We will all miss seeing you Ben, I wish you all the best!” one person wrote.
Following the news of Michael Gambon’s death, many want to learn more about the actor’s personal life, including who his wife and children were.
The Gist:
Legendary Irish stage and screen actor Michael Gambon has died at the age of 82.
Michael has been married to his wife Anne, for more than 60 years, but he also had at least one girlfriend outside his marriage that produced two children who were born in 2007 and 2009.
Michael had three children in total, including an older child that he had with Anne.
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On Sept. 28, 2023, news broke that actor Michael Gambon, who is best known for taking over the role of Dumbledore in most of the Harry Potterfilms, had died at the age of 82. Following the news of his death, many offered their thoughts on his legacy as an actor and the many huge roles he played.
At the same time, some people also wanted to learn more about Michael’s personal life, including who his wife was and whether he had any children. Although he wasn’t one of the more sensational celebrities in Hollywood history, here’s everything we know about Michael’s family.
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Source: Getty Images
Who was Michael Gambon’s wife?
Michael married his wife Anne Miller in 1962 when he was 22 years old. Anne is a mathematician, and as a result, the two were very private about their relationship. In fact, if Michael was asked about his wife in interviews, he would sometimes pretend that he didn’t have one. The two appear to have still been married at the time of Michael’s death, although their marriage had gotten more complicated in recent years.
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In 2001, while filming Gosford Park, Michael brought a woman named Philippa Hart to set and introduced her as his girlfriend. The news that Michael was cheating on Anne became official in 2002, and he moved out of the home that they shared. Michael and Philippa had reportedly begun dating in 2000 while working on the Channel 4 series Longitude together. The two have been together ever since.
Did Michael Gambon have any kids?
Michael had one child with Anne named Fergus who eventually became a ceramics expert and started appearing regularly on Antiques Roadshow. After becoming estranged from Anne, Michael had two children with Philippa. Their first child together was born in 2007, and was named Tom, and their second was born in 2009 and named Will.
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What was Michael Gambon’s cause of death?
The news of Michael’s death was first announced on Sept. 28 in a brief statement from his family.
“Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife, Anne, and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia,” the statement explained, which suggests that pneumonia was the ultimate cause of death.
Michael first made his breakthrough as a British stage actor in the 1970s and had a long career in the theater in addition to his more high profile film and TV work. Although many Americans will only know him as the more controversial performer to play Dumbledore, his career contained much more than that single performance.
‘The Masked Singer’ Season 10 reveals: a handy list of everyone who has been unmasked so far on the most recent season of our favorite singing show.
Source: FOX
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 10 of The Masked Singer.
Season 10 of The Masked Singer kicked off on Sept. 26, 2023, and with it came new masks. As creative and over-the-top as the costumes are, the identities of the celebrities underneath will remain a mystery until they’re eliminated and unmasked.
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We’re keeping a running list of all the reveals this season. Be sure to check back after each episode to see who has been unmasked!
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Anonymouse — Demi Lovato
Source: FOX
Anonymouse was revealed as part of the Season 10 kickoff special on Sept. 10, 2023. She sang Heart’s “What About Love” and gave several clues, including the fact that she’s been on “one special list times 100,” she started her career young, and had some connection to Nick Jonas.
Nicole Scherzinger was able to put the clues together and correctly guess that Anonymouse was Demi Lovato.
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Rubber Ducky — Anthony Anderson
Source: FOX
Rubber Ducky was revealed during the official Season 10 premiere on Sept. 27, 2023. He sang “Come on Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners and gave several clues, including the fact that his “family is full of stars,” he tried stand-up comedy, and had some connection to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Ken Jeong was able to put the clues together and correctly guess that Rubber Ducky was Anthony Anderson.
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S’More — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who S’more is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when S’more is eliminated!
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Cow — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Cow is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Cow is eliminated!
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Gazelle — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Gazelle is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Gazelle is eliminated!
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Diver — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Diver is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Diver is eliminated!
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Tiki — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Tiki is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Tiki is eliminated!
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Candelabra — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Candelabra is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Candelabra is eliminated!
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Husky — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Husky is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Husky is eliminated!
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Royal Hen — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Royal Hen is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Royal Hen is eliminated!
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Anteater — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Anteater is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Anteater is eliminated!
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Hibiscus — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Hibiscus is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Hibiscus is eliminated!
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Donut — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Donut is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Donut is eliminated!
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Hawk — Not Unmasked Yet!
Source: FOX
We don’t know who Hawk is yet, but we’re keeping track of the clues and guesses for you. Check back when Hawk is eliminated!
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