Gleanings of the Week Ending November 23, 2013

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Bob and Evelyn’s Seven Decade Dance - A short biography of a couple that met and married during World War II

Monday macrobug: milkweed bugs on milkweed pods - Milkweeds are probably my favorite wild plant.

The Future of Travel - It’s not about destination as much as it is about purpose. The larger version (easier to stare at) is here. From Richard Watson.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #52 - I can’t resist including these in my gleanings. My favorite of this batch is the macro shot of the Indian peacock’s head….although the spotted owlets are a close second.

Oklahoma vs. Texas (Water, Not Football) - Oklahoma has set its target to recognize the limitations of its water supplies, and the adaptability of its people, Texas has defined its dwindling water supplies as a problem in need of money. It’s good that the governments of both states are recognizing the challenge rather than ignoring it.

America’s First Amphetamine Epidemic 1929–1971 - This article is from the American Journal of Public Health in 2007...but I just found it recently. The author writes that “consumption of prescribed amphetamines has also reached the same absolute levels today as at the original epidemic’s peak.” Scary observation.

6 trashy exercises: Robin Nagle on thinking more creatively about garbage - How many of these have you tried? I’ve done 1, 2 and 4…but they are exercises that are easily repeated.

Increase in U.S. State Government Expenditures for Research and Development - Usually articles about R&D funding are grim…but the trend is upward for state governments. As our economy improves maybe there is more strategic thinking at the state level - at least in some of the states.

Stunning Portraits of Colorful Siamese Fighting Fish - In lieu of visiting an aquarium…a fishy feast for the eyes

Is Solar Worth It? - The answer is ‘it depends.’ This article identifies a way to figure out the answer for your situation.

Gleanings of the Week Ending October 19, 2013

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

1,200 Whimsical Stone Statues at Buddhist Temple in Kyoto - Small, mostly smiling statues capped with green moss. They were donated in 1981 to the temple but have a timeless quality. My favorite image is the sixth. The most prominent figure looks happy and calm; the one next to him looks worried about something.

Lost (and found) in Lahore: a photoessay - From the TED blog…images of Lahore, Pakistan from Khurram Siddiqi. If you tried to capture where you live in a photoessay, what would you include?

The Human Bionic Project - A collection of current state-of-the-art links about the interaction between human bodies and machines. The interface shows a human image with pink circles to indicate places where there is more information. There is a slider to move from outside the body to muscles, skeleton, organs, etc. This was one of the reference materials for a Neuroethics course I am enjoying on Coursera….part of the discussion about the changing definition of disability, illness, and disease.

Strength in Numbers: 5 Amazing Animal Swarms - Red crabs, free-tailed bats, desert locusts, monarch butterflies, and starling murmurations

The Uncanny Places on Earth That Look Like Alien Worlds - Sometimes they look alien from afar….and sometimes from within.

The Human Plutonium Injection Experiments - A report published in Los Alamos Science in 1995 about the efforts to understand plutonium’s effects on health during the Manhattan Project….what was known…and what was not…what was done to determine exposure limits. The project’s mission was foremost but the leadership did not ignore the health issue in the frenzy to get an atomic bomb built and tested. The article is another reference from the Neuroethics class.

Map of San Francisco, Stripped of all the Urbanism - The terrain without bridges, cable cars, and housing.

Where Are Migratory Monarchs This Fall? - There have been fewer monarchs in our area of Maryland. There are fewer milkweeds too.

Butternut Squash Smoothie - I have been enjoying apple cider in my smoothies…so I am going to try without orange juice or other sweetener. Somehow the taste of butternut squash and apple cider appeals to me!

More Than 500 Million People Might Face Increasing Water Scarcity - I am probably sensitized to the issue because I am familiar with Tucson’s challenges today. It would not take much change in rainfall, continued concentration of toxins in the water, and/or increased population to result in shortages of good quality water.

Swimming Pool Surface Images

Sometimes the camera captures more than we can see with our eyes. Both of the images in this post are in that category.

The wasp landed on the surface of the pool and bent to get a drink. The surface tension of the water held it out of the water although the picture above shows the slight indention of the surface where it touched the water. It took off again quite easily.

On another day - wind blew small pieces of nearby vegetation into the pool. When it calmed, aggregates of the debris collected into mats that floated about together. This is my favorite because of the variety of shapes - pine needles, the old flowers, leaves.

Gleanings of the Week Ending May 18, 2013

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Cases Of Mysterious Valley Fever Rise In American Southwest - Will we see more stories like this with climate change?

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #42 - My favorite is last one - the plum-headed parakeet.

How Safe Is Your Medicine Cabinet? - With all the data collecting on computers - why are we not monitoring adverse effects of approved drugs more effectively?

Geologists Study Mystery of 'Eternal Flames' - The surprises out there in the natural world…

I am taking two Coursera course right now: Technicity and Nutrition, Health, Lifestyle: Issues and Insights. The links below were items referenced in the classes during the first week and news items that I paid more attention to because my awareness was increased by the lectures.

The Next Age of Megacities - From Ericsson

How will cities secure their water future? - it is going to be quite a challenge with so many cities already depleting current supplies for part of the year

Fat Hormone Controls Diabetes - Research that could provide more options for the treatment of diabetes

Dietary Guidance Calculators and Counters - From USDA

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 - From USDA

International Food Information Council Foundation 2012 Food & Health Survey (exec summary and full report)

Cronometer tool - Log what you eat and it totals up the calories and nutrients. I learned that I never get enough potassium from food! Screen snap below. Using this tool has tweaked my diet in a positive way.