In the richly detailed linocuts of Eduardo Robledo, festive ceremonies, spiritual motifs, and dream-like interactions unfurl. The Mexico City-based artist was born and raised in the southern borough of Xochimilco, which is famous for its canals—vestiges of a huge Aztec water transport system still used today for bringing goods into the city. This area and its time-honored customs provide a bounty of inspiration for Robledo.

Community and celebration are at the heart of his work, as creatures and figures converge in enigmatic, sometimes ritualistic choreographies. Traditional motifs like skulls and skeletons, which represent remembrance, joy, and an acceptance of the cycle of life and death, interact with denizens of the region like armadillos, birds, reptiles, and more.

Social activism has also played a strong role in Robledo’s practice, tapping into the power of printmaking to spread messages about causes he cares deeply about. “Printmaking is democratic; it’s more supportive,” he shares in a profile. “There is a very strong graphic arts tradition in social movements.”

Robledo’s compositions are playful yet mysterious, universal and also arcane. Winged hearts, known as Sagrado Corazón, or the Sacred Heart, symbolize love, healing, and spiritual devotion. Armadillos represent protection and abundance, and numerous other foods, plants, and nods to culture—such as Xochimilco’s colorful canal boats known as trajineras—are venerated in scenes of dancing or totem-like configurations.

Robled’s prints can be found at Hecho a Mano in Santa Fe, and the artist is also a co-founder of Lugar de Huida in Mexico City, a gallery highlighting Mexican printmakers. See more on the artist’s Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Linocuts by Eduardo Robledo Celebrate Mexican Heritage and Community appeared first on Colossal.

Two Hong Kong men accused of conspiring to incite people to riot during the 2019 protests and unrest have had their case moved to a higher court, where they face a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment.

Ng Tsz-lok, who is unemployed, and photographer Chan Wai-leong appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday.

The two men have been remanded since they were charged in October over their alleged role in the anti-extradition protests six years ago. Prosecutors have accused them of manufacturing and providing weapons to protesters.

The pair have been charged with conspiring to incite others to take part in a riot, with the date of the offence being October 22 to 23, 2019.

Ng was among a group of defendants acquitted by a High Court jury in September of alleged involvement in three bomb plots in places including a hospital and a car park between November 2019 and March 2020.

With the completion of handover procedures, Magistrate Victor So announced on Thursday the transfer of the case to the District Court.

The maximum penalty at the District Court is seven years’ imprisonment. At the magistrates’ court, the maximum penalty is two years, or three years when a defendant is convicted of more than one offence.

The case will be heard at the District Court on June 2 for the pair to confirm whether they will plead guilty or not guilty, So said.

Ng also faced an additional charge of “incitement to take part in a riot” on November 14, 2019. The prosecution said on Thursday it had changed the charge to “conspiracy to incite others to take part in a riot” and added an additional day – November 15, 2019 – to the offence.

The details of the amended charge specified that the target of Ng’s incitement was an unknown individual and somebody by the name of Lee Tsz-ying – transliterated from Cantonese, as read out in court by the prosecution.

The prosecution also added a new charge for Ng, accusing him of inciting others to riot on different dates, between October 19 and November 8, 2019.

Protests erupted in June 2019 over a since-axed extradition bill. They escalated into sometimes violent displays of dissent against police behaviour, amid calls for democracy and anger over Beijing’s encroachment. Demonstrators demanded an independent probe into police conduct, amnesty for those arrested and a halt to the characterisation of protests as “riots.”

The movement died down in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic and a national security law imposed by Beijing authorities in June that year.

SINGAPORE: In today’s job market, being ghosted after submitting applications is already frustrating, but going through multiple interviews only to end up with no offers can feel even worse. 

One Singaporean job seeker recently shared on Reddit that he is facing exactly this situation, having sent out around 300 job applications over the past month without securing a single offer.

Posting on the r/singaporejobs subreddit, he shared that he has been applying to a mix of local and overseas companies, focusing on technical positions that fit his background and experience.

The good news? Recruiters seem interested enough to talk to him.

The bad news? Those conversations are not leading anywhere.

According to the job seeker, his hundreds of applications have resulted in around 14 interviews so far. While that might sound like progress, he admitted that none of them has translated into an actual job offer.

“I know there have already been many posts about how bad the job market is right now, but I wanted to hear from others and understand whether this is normal,” he continued.

“For context, I’m in tech, but not applying mainly for SWE roles. I’m targeting more technical roles outside of pure software engineering.”

Looking for answers, he asked fellow Singaporeans, particularly those who are also job hunting in the tech industry: “ Is this application-to-interview rate normal right now? Is getting interviews but no offers common in the current market? How long did it take you to land an offer? What helped you improve your interview-to-offer conversion? Are referrals making a big difference compared to cold applications?” 

He added. “I’m not trying to complain—just trying to understand if my experience is normal or if I should change my strategy. Appreciate any advice or experiences.”

“Build a strong network.”

In the comments, many Singaporean Redditors told the job seeker that his application-to-interview ratio is actually pretty normal in today’s job market.

One Redditor shared, “Normal everywhere, bro. Not just tech. I am serious when I say a resume (full of grammar mistakes) I had when I was 16 got me a higher job application/interviews/offers ratio than my polished resume as an adult.”

Another commenter noted that securing 14 interviews from 300 applications is actually a solid conversion rate given the current hiring climate.

Others, however, offered more direct feedback on where things might be going wrong.

One Redditor explained, “Getting 14 interviews with zero offers usually points to one of a few things, either your answers aren’t landing the way you think they are, you’re struggling to communicate your value clearly under pressure, or you’re not asking enough questions that show you’ve done your homework on the company.”

They added, “Practice answering questions out loud, record yourself, get feedback from someone who will actually be critical rather than kind, and really tailor your answers to each role.”

Another Redditor said salary expectations could also be a factor.

“It’s got to do with your asking as well. If you are asking for S$100k a year for a job that pays between S$60k and S$100k, your failure rate is high.”

A third user added that relying solely on online job applications may not be enough these days.

Based on their experience, building and tapping into a professional network tends to work much better.

They shared, “I constantly speak to people in my industry (tech) and meet up with them 1-2 times a year. Most of the hiring managers I’ve talked to and kept in contact with reach out to me to offer me a job; I get these offers 3-4 times a year. All the companies I’ve worked with previously would reach out to me and ask me to recommend someone for a position. It’s very common now; people trust referrals more. So definitely build a strong network.”

In other news, a 22-year-old Singaporean woman says she feels used and emotionally drained after allegedly being made to pay for most of her relationship expenses while her boyfriend claimed he was “saving for their future.”

In a post shared on a local forum on Thursday (May 21), the woman said she has been dating her boyfriend since 2023.

Read more: SG woman says boyfriend earning S$5K–S$6K still expected her to cover most expenses

This article (After 300 applications and multiple interviews, job seeker wonders why offers aren’t coming) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

Euphoria shocked viewers by killing off a main character in a brutal scene ahead of the series finale.

During the Sunday, May 24, episode of the show, Nate’s (Jacob Elordi) debt caught up to him. His wife, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), was forced to pay up while he was locked underground for 72 hours. As Cassie found a way to get him out, a snake was able to get into the box that Nate was trapped in.

Cassie and Maddy (Alexa Demie) got Alamo to help them dig Nate out — but he was already dead after suffering numerous rattlesnake bites. This marked a major twist for the show ahead of its presumed series finale.

Based on the Israeli series of the same name, Euphoria follows troubled high school student Rue (Zendaya) as she struggles to remain sober after rehab. The series also explores topics including mental illness, toxic relationships, sexuality and more. After its premiere in 2019, the show’s ensemble cast, which includes Hunter Schafer, Demie, Elordi, Sweeney, Maude Apatow, Colman Domingo quickly skyrocketed to fame.

Most Heartbreaking TV Deaths of 2026: From 'Grey's Anatomy' to 'Bridgerton'

The HBO series was quickly renewed for a second season, but it took nearly three years for the episodes to air, with the network ordering two individual specials about the aftermath of Rue and Jules’ (Schafer) breakup in the meantime.

Euphoria’s third season was originally set to air on HBO in 2025 before it faced several delays, including creator Sam Levinson’s commitment to his short-lived series The Idol. The delay was extended during the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which took place in late 2023.

Since season 2 concluded, the cast went through a loss when Angus Cloud died at age 25 in July 2023 following an accidental overdose. The show addressed the fate of his character, Fezco, while Eric Dane‘s Cal made an appearance in two episodes after the actor’s death following a battle with ALS. He was 53.

Most Heartbreaking TV Deaths of 2025 So Far: '9-1-1' and More

Before the show returned, Elordi teased a different version of Nate.

“I finished filming a new season just recently, and it’s a completely different thing,” he shared on a December 2025 episode of Variety’s Actors on Actors interview. “I really do think [he will be nicer].”

Elordi continued: “Whether it works or not — I don’t know. There’s a chance that what I’ve done is not good.”

Euphoria airs Sundays on HBO.

Everyone who has ever owned a hamster knows the sound: the small, relentless squeak of the exercise wheel, usually starting around two in the morning.

As you watch your cute furball running toward no destination whatsoever, you might wonder: What’s going on here? Is little Hammy acting out of restlessness or boredom? 

For decades, scientists assumed it was exactly that: a neurosis, an artifact of captivity, the hamster equivalent of doing push-ups in prison. 

But in 2014, researcher Johanna Meijer conducted a study that suggested a less depressing scenario. When wild mice came across a wheel in their natural habitat, they got on the wheel and ran—sometimes for up to 18 minutes at a stretch.

So if it’s not boredom or neurosis (wild mice surely have plenty of more important tasks than wheel running), what is it? 

Dr. Theodore Garland Jr., a professor of biology at UC Riverside, has spent more than 30 years trying to figure that out. 

“There’s still a lot of controversy about what, exactly, wheel running means to an organism,” Garland says. “What is it? What is the organism trying to do?”

Why wild mice run on wheels just like your hamster

In Meijer’s 2014 study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, she and her colleagues placed exercise wheels in two different locations: a green urban area and a dune area not accessible to the public. For more than three years, they recorded wildlife activity at both locations.

They found that wild mice closely mirrored the behavior of their cage-dwelling counterparts. At both locations, the mice frequently ran on the wheels—often for lengths of time equal to the “workout” durations of captive mice.

Although food was initially used to attract animals to the wheel, the researchers found that wheel running continued even after the food was removed. This suggests that the animals not only ran voluntarily on the wheel, but did so without any external reward. 

The wheels attracted more than just mice, too. Shrews, frogs, and even slugs were recorded using the equipment (a few snails were excluded from the study due to “haphazard” movements on the wheel). But wild mice used the wheel far more than another animal, accounting for 88 percent of all wheel runners. 

So, why do rodents specifically enjoy a run to nowhere? Are slugs simply less committed to their cardio?

According to Garland, rodents are simply built for it—bigger home ranges, faster metabolisms, and the aerobic capacity to sustain speed over distance.

“A toad isn’t going to be running 10 kilometers in a day,” Garland says. “Whereas a chipmunk could be.”

Dopamine keeps mice and hamsters coming back for more

But that’s only part of the story. The more interesting question is why any animal would choose to do it at all.

According to Garland, the drive to run on wheels among free-ranging animals is not fully understood, but the behavior is likely tied to the reward centers of the brain. 

“Dopamine is viewed as the final common denominator,” Garland says, referencing the neurotransmitter that delivers a sense of pleasure to the brain’s reward system. Similar to a human working out at the gym, mice get a dopamine boost every time they run on their trusty wheel. 

In Garland’s own lab, mice placed in larger, rat-sized wheels will sometimes slow down mid-run and rather than jumping off as the wheel keeps spinning, complete a full 360, and keep going. It serves no obvious purpose. It looks, for all the world, like a bit of acrobatics, as if the little mouse is creating its very own roller coaster.

“I’m hesitant to use the ‘F-word’ about lower vertebrates,” he says, “but it’s hard to ignore the idea that they’re getting some sort of pleasure or enjoyment out of it.” 

The reward system may explain the drive, but Garland sees something even more elemental at work—something similar to the “zoomies” dogs and other young animals get. 

A baby horse, Garland notes, will sometimes just tear around a field for no apparent reason—solo, unprompted, burning energy for the sheer joy of it. “We used to call it nip-norting,” he says, “just going crazy, even without another individual to egg it on.”

Exercising at a young age leads to lifelong habits, even for hamsters

Rodents’ love of running on wheels might even have implications for humans. Some of Garland’s work suggests that, when introduced at a young age, wheel running can become a lifelong habit.

In his study, Garland found that mice given access to a running wheel immediately after weaning, at just three weeks old, ran significantly more as adults.

“It’s got to be something up here,” Garland says, indicating the brain. “Their reward system has been permanently tweaked.”

Whatever it is keeping these little guys running, an early start seems to predict an ongoing practice. The implications, Garland believes, extend well beyond mice. For instance, cutting physical education from school curricula, he says, could be “a huge public policy disaster,” leading to adults who aren’t used to exercising.

“If you’re a kid who never gets to play basketball or tennis,” he says, “and then you get to college, and your friends are playing pickup games, it’s probably not even on your radar to do that kind of thing.”

Of course, none of this is on your hamster’s radar at all. They’re just galloping away, keeping you awake with the endless rotation of their squeaky wheel. But all that running can also lead to some good: Recently, a resourceful young YouTuber rigged his brother’s hamster wheel to charge his phone.  

But no need to worry—the clever teen isn’t exploiting the toil of a joyless captive. Hammy, it seems, is just doing what comes naturally. 

In Ask Us Anything, Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

The post Hamsters run on wheels for a surprisingly joyful reason appeared first on Popular Science.