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At the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the iconic cauldron of the Games is putting on a daily show just like its athletes. This year, for the first time ever, there are two cauldrons lit simultaneously at different locations. Inspired by Leonardo da Vincis geometric drawings, both cauldrons expand and contract, respond to music, and emit their own lightand one will put on hourly performances for viewers throughout the Games. The tradition of the Olympic flame and cauldron dates back 100 years or more. Historically, the Games are opened with a relay ceremony wherein torch bearers bring the flame to the cauldron, which remains lit until the closing ceremony. And while the cauldrons design remained relatively consistent for the first decades of the Olympics, in recent years it has become a major design moment. This years approach is an encapsulation of the cauldrons transition from a static object to a show in itself. Spectators gather at Milans Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) to catch a sneak peek of one of the 2026 Olympic cauldrons on January 30. [Photo: Maja Hitij/Getty Images] In the last editions of the games, more and more of the main focus has been on who is going to light the cauldron, its design, and what it means, says Marco Balich, the creative lead for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony who designed this years cauldrons. To make a long story short, I think over the years you see the history of the cauldron goes from very simple ones to [beautiful statements]. A brief history of Olympic cauldron design While symbolic fire at the Olympics traces back to at least 1928, the first Olympic torch relay took place in Berlin in 1936. The cauldron that year was a small, bowl-like vessel standing on three legs on a podium. In subsequent Games, like 1948 London, 1952 Helsinki, and 1960 Rome, the cauldron format remained largely the same. The Olympic Cauldron of the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin survived World War II undamaged; photographed at Berlin Olympic Stadium in 2005. [Photo: Nick Potts/PA/Getty Images] Starting around 1968, designers began to take a bit more creative liberty with the cauldron. That years Mexico City Games featured a cauldron made by a womana firstshaped like a giant circular chalice. Since then, the cauldron has continuously evolved in shape and scope, from a 6.4-meter-high scroll-shaped one for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to a multi-shard monument for the 2010 Vancouver Games and a petal-inspired chorus of flames for the London Games in 2012. The Olympic flame burns above Mexico Citys University Olympic Stadium on opening day of track and field competition at the 1968 Summer Games. [Photo: UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images] According to Balich, who holds a record 16 event credits for Olympic ceremonies, recent years have seen the cauldron transform from a stationary symbol into a kind of high-stakes performance art. Balich coordinated the opening ceremony for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games that featured a kinetic sun sculpture by artist Anthony Howe; powered by the wind, its tentacles fluttered and reflected the light of the cauldrons flame to spectacular effect. Mariene de Castro performs in front of the Olympic cauldron during the closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics at Maracaa Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. [Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images] And in Paris 2024, designer Mathieu Lehanneur abandoned almost all of the cauldrons recognizable design tradition in favor of a literal hot-air balloon, which took flight daily during the Games for a ticketed audience and remained in Pariss Tuileries Garden for nightly performances after the Olympics concluded. Balich says that expansion of the cauldrons role during the Games and beyond inspired this years design. I was very inspired because it confirmed to me that the experience of this object is so relevant, that it was worth it to add this dynamic session that wuld enlarge the experience and be even more emotionally touching, especially for the younger generation, he says. [Rendering: Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026] A new cauldron experience This year, Balich iterated on the idea of the cauldron as an experience by turning it into an hourly show complete with lights, music, and movement. His concept started with two cauldronsone in Milan and one in Cortinato represent harmony between man and nature. The designs are inspired by a series of geometrical drawings by Da Vinci (who lived in Milan for several years), which used mathematics to imagine various intricate three-dimensional shapes. Balich says he did a quick drawing of his original concept, then called on creative director Lida Castelli and set designer Paolo Fantin to develop the final products. [Rendering: Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026] The cauldrons themselves are constructed out of aeronautical aluminum, with a whopping 1,440 components making up their intricate structure. A total of 244 pivot points allows them to smoothly expand and contract from a minimum diameter of 3.1 meters to a maximum of 4.5 meters. LED lights along the surface of these components give the cauldrons an otherworldly glow, while the actual Olympic flame is enclosed inside a glass-and-metal container at their centers. The final product looks like something you might expect to see descending from the heavensor a much less foreboding Eye of Sauron. [Photo: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images] One cauldron is suspended in Milans Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace), where it will put on a three-to-five-minute show every hour during the Games from 5 to 11 p.m., accompanied by music from Italian composer Roberto Cacciapaglia. The second sits on a podium in Cortina dAmpezzos Piazza Angelo Dibona. And, just as they were lit simultaneously, theyll be extinguished simultaneously when the Games close. I hope that everybody will gatherfamilies, friends, curious design lovers, design criticsto go there and be immersed in this music and this beautiful show around the arch, Balich says. My goal for that is to add an experience to watching the sacred fire from Olympia, which in a way is one of the most powerful symbols around the world of peace, fraternity, sports, and the values that the Games represent.
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E-Commerce
Weve all opened our mailboxes to discover an unsolicited credit card offer (or three) inside. Although there must be people out there who take advantage of these offers, most of us simply throw the unopened envelopes in the trash. Yet simply tossing these pieces of snail mail can leave you and your finances vulnerable. Heres why, and how you can get those unsolicited offers to stop for good. Why am I getting unsolicited credit card offers? While not as incessant as all the spam emails and text messages we get every day, unsolicited credit card offers are definitely one of the annoyances of modern life. The offers are sent by credit card companies via the U.S. Postal Service and arrive in our physical mailboxes without request. Yet unlike many types of digital spam, these unsolicited credit card offers arent illegal to send. The offers are permissible under the decades old Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and other subsequent laws, which allow credit card companies to approach the major credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, Innovis, and TransUnion) with a wishlist of the type of customers they are looking for (ones in a certain ZIP code or with a certain credit score, for example). The credit card companies then pre-approve these individuals and send the offer in an unsolicited letter. Provided that the recipient still meets the credit requirements when they reply, they are legally entitled to that offer. Pre-approved offers differ from pre-qualified offers in that, with pre-approved offers, the credit card company is essentially scouting you as a customer. With pre-qualified offers, you have to take the initiative to contact the credit card company, telling them that you are interested in applying for a card. But regardless of whether the letter waiting in your mailbox is for a pre-approved card or pre-qualified one, that piece of physical mail can leave you and your finances vulnerable. How do they leave you vulnerable? Credit card offers are tempting by nature: they seduce you into racking up debt at incredibly high interest rates. But unsolicited pre-approved and other credit card offers are risky for an entirely different reason, as well: They leave you vulnerable to identity theft. The letters already contain your name and address. Pre-approved offers reveal that you will likely have no problem securing a new line of credit. Many of these letters also include a unique code that lets you easily reply to the offer online without having to manually re-enter your identifying information. All of this information is mouthwatering to an identity thief as it means they have to take little actionbesides snatching the offer letter you tossed into the trashto accept a card issued in your name. And often during the acceptance process, they can reroute the card to their address or PO Box with minimal effort, and begin using it to rack up debt at your expense. How to stop pre-approved credit card offers from hurting your finances To protect yourself from having a stolen credit card offer open up a black hole in your financial life, you can do two things. First, under no circumstances should you simply toss an unsolicited credit card letter into the trash or recycling bin. Anyone can fish it from the garbage and use the information it contains to apply for a card in your name. Instead, you should securely destroy the letter’s contents by shredding it. Second, and better yet, stop unsolicited credit card offers from landing in your mailbox in the first place. You can do this by informing the credit bureaus that you do not want to receive any such offers. You can opt out of receiving offers for two timeframes: five years or forever. Once you inform the credit bureaus of this, they are legally required to comply with your request. To opt out, youll need to have your name, address, date of birth, and Social Security or tax identification number. Once you have this, youll go to OptOutPrescreen.com, which is run by the four major credit reporting agencies. To opt out of getting unsolicited credit card offers in the mail for five years: Go to OptOutPrescreen.com. Tap the Click here to opt-in or opt-out button. Select Electronic Opt-Out for 5 years. Click Continue and follow the opt-out instructions. If you are opting out for only five years, you can submit your entire request online. However, if you want to permanently opt out of receiving credit card offers, you must physically mail a form to the credit reporting agencies. To permanently opt out of unsolicited credit card offers: Go to OptOutPrescreen.com. Tap the Click here to opt-in or opt-out button. Select Permanent Opt-Out by Mail. Click Continue and follow the opt-out instructions. Youll be asked to download a Permanent Opt-Out Election Form and then print, sign, and date it. You must then mail this form to the address provided on it. And not to worry. If you change your mind in the future and decide you want to be eligible to receive unsolicited credit card offers again, you can opt back into them at any time. But if you do, just keep an eye on your mailbox before an identity thief does.
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E-Commerce
Inc.com columnist Alison Green answers questions about workplace and management issueseverything from how to deal with a micromanaging boss to how to talk to someone on your team about body odor. A reader asks: I manage a team of four. One of my staff members, Jeff, asked to go to a conference that was about a five-hour drive away. I approved the request as the conference would be good for his professional development. Three other staff members from our closely connected teams were also going. Jeff registered for the conference. A couple of weeks later, he asked me about booking a flight to it. I was surprised by this, as the conference was a reasonable driving distance. I explained that the department would rent a van and the attendees would drive there together. (Our department wants to minimize expenses when reasonable, so this is normal unless it doesnt make sense logistically or financially.) He pushed back with a couple of reasons that he wanted to fly, such as it would save time and he didnt feel comfortable driving. I said that flying wouldnt save time since the airport is at least an hour away, you need a time buffer to go through security, etc., and the flight is two hours. I also knew the others going were comfortable being the drivers. He then said that he didnt want to be in a car for long periods of time since he sometimes has digestive issues. I empathized but suggested he make up a reason he might need more rest stops than usual and give the others a heads-up at the start of the trip. Something like, Sometimes I get woozy when Im in the car for a while, so I need to take more rest stops than usual. This was not acceptable to Jeff, and he ultimately decided not to attend the conference. It wasnt a huge issue, but he was salty about it for a while and complained to a few other people. Is it reasonable to expect employees to drive to conferences? Are there situations other than distance and cost where we should make an exception to our norm? Green responds: I think a five-hour drive one-way is a really long drive, and Im not surprised he expected to fly. Some businesses, especially those with more limited resources, do use a five-hour rule on business tripswhere if the drive is less than five hours, people drive instead of fly. Personally, it strikes me as too long. Yes, flying can take nearly as long when you account for security, delays, etc., but you can work on planes and in airports; its much harder to work in a car. But this also varies by field and, in some cases, by professional level. I did five-hour drives without blinking as a 20-something working at a nonprofit. I would not do it now. But even if this is the norm in your field, Id still make an exception for Jeff because of his digestive issues. Telling him to make up a story about why hed need frequent stops wasnt reasonable. Bathroom issues are private ones, and asking him to come up with a cover story while inconveniencing and possibly annoying his colleaguesand thus making that trip a lot longer than five hourswasnt fair to him. Plus, digestive issues can be urgent in a way that doesnt always leave time to wait for a highway exit, pull off the interstate, find a place with a bathroom, park, etc. Its very possible Jeff can only travel confidently if he stays within a few minutes of a bathroom. Personally, Id be pretty unhappy if I told a manager I had a medical condition that made long car trips prohibitive and was told, essentially, too bad. Im wondering if, at some level, you didnt fully believe Jeff and thought he was exaggerating to avoid having to do the drive. As a manager, you really need to default to believing people about their own health unless you have a specific reason not to. Otherwise, you can end up doing things that are really, really problematiclike denying people accommodations they actually need, or making them feel they need to disclose details that they should be able to keep private, or making them feel discriminated against. Thats not to say you cant ever ask for more info or propose a different accommodation (you can, and there are ways to do that legally), but in general, your default should be to believe and try to accommodate a good employee with a health issue. Want to submit a question of your own? Send it to alison@askamanager.org.By Alison Green This article originally appeared on Fast Companys sister site, Inc.com. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
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