- Professor Douglas Brinkley profiles Tom Hanks and Hanks’ love of history:
He wants Americans to understand the glories — and the iniquities — of American history. How did this shrug-prone comedic actor transform himself into our most ambitious champion of U.S. history? And how is his vision of history shaping the way the past informs and, yes, entertains us?
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What differentiates Hanks from the academic past masters is his conviction that the historical experience should be a very personal one. He harbors a pugnacious indignation against history as data gathering, preferring the work of popular historians like McCullough, Ambrose, Barbara Tuchman and Doris Kearns Goodwin. He wants viewers to identify with their ancestors, allowing them to ponder the prevalence of moral ambiguity, human willpower and plain dumb luck in shaping the past. - Auntie Beeb reports that a community of yellow-spotted Bell Frogs have been found on farms in New South Wales, Australia. Notable, because these frogs were thought to be extinct.
“I’m advised that finding this frog is as significant a discovery as a Tasmanian tiger,” he added.
“This discovery is a reminder of the need to protect this environment so future generations can enjoy the noise and colour of our native animals.”
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It is the first sighting since 1973. Mr Sartor said the location of the frogs would remain secret to ensure the survival of the species. There are plans to breed the animals at Taraonga Zoo for re-introduction to the wild. - Richard Robbins reports in Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review that dairy farmers in western Pennsylvania are caught up in the Wall Street initiated credit crisis with many facing the loss of their dairying businesses.:
Alvin Diamond of Nicholson, Fayette County, who entered the dairy business in 1957, said farmers weren’t prepared for last summer’s prices in the $10-$12 [per 100 pounds of milk] range. Now, he said, banks are “patting farmers on the back and saying, ‘Good luck to you.’ “
- The American Society of Landscape Architects notes in their dirt blog several global design-based innovations on the process of handling human and livestock sewage waste, none of which sound particularly promising to a growing environmental and public health problem. As an entomologist, I wonder why there’s no mention of black soldier fly composting? Maybe it’s time for an article on the wonders of composting and getting to zero net waste:
However, not all are convinced. UNICEF advisor Therese Dooley said local governments and non-profits will need to step up and invest in improved sanitation servies, because “the private sector can play a major role, [but] it will never get to the bottom of the pyramid.” The bottom of the pyramid refers to the underserved four billion who make less than two dollars per day. Education, behavior change, and government support will be also needed.
- Dr. Joseph Romm highlights new research about the melting of frozen methane in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf that is accelerating climate change:
“It was thought that seawater kept the East Siberian Arctic Shelf permafrost frozen,” Shakhova said. “Nobody considered this huge area.”
…
A lead researcher of that work said, “Our survey was designed to work out how much methane might be released by future ocean warming; we did not expect to discover such strong evidence that this process has already started.”
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Reading List of the Day 8 March 2010 |
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