Gleanings of the Week Ending May 6, 2017

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.

Meditation: Which type is best for you? – So many choices…it doesn’t take long to choose and tailor one that fits your needs. I feel better when I have a meditation practice almost every day!

Sea-Level Rise Will Send Millions of Refugees to Inland Cities – A study authored by a demographer at University of Georgia about how the US will change as people move from areas that are increasingly flood prone over the next century. The state by state graphic shows Louisiana and Florida losing the most; Texas and Georgia gain the most. Maryland – where I live – gains a little.

Underdiagnoses of age-related macular degeneration, findings suggest – Evidently early stages of age-related macular degeneration is under diagnosed by both optometrists and ophthalmologists….something to talk to your provider at your next eye checkup if you are over 60.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #85 – Birds….always great eye candy. This set contains an American Oystercatcher near the bottom (a closer view than I captured near the Dupont Nature Center.

For Some, Pre-Hospice Care Can Be a Good Alternative to Hospitals – Palliative care at home…happier patients and saving money…win-win. Hope these types of programs become available nation wide.

The Essential I.M. Pei – The architect recently celebrated his 100^th birthday. This article from the Smithsonian includes pictures of his most iconic works.

Welcome to the Poison Garden: Medicine’s Medieval Roots – A description of the garden at Alnwick Castle that contains plants with poisonous properties.

Behold the James Webb Telescope in all its Unfurled Glory – It’s still under construction…but will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope (launch projected in 2018).

35 Years of American Death – An interactive US map with color coding to show mortality rates for different diseases from 1980 – 2014. The one for ‘mental and substance use disorders’ shows the impact of the opioid epidemic – more pronounced in some areas of the country than others.

3D printing of glass now possible – A new way to work with glass from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany).

Phipps Conservatory Chihuly Glass – Pittsburgh

The times I had been to Pittsburgh in the past offered no time for touring so I looked at places that could be enjoyed on the cold days we were in the city. On our first day in the city, my husband and I walked around the inside of the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (i.e. the Conservatory). We easily found parking in the Conservatory parking and I discovered it was difficult to get the whole conservatory in one image!

There was a lot to see inside too….so much that I am dividing it into 2 posts (today and tomorrow). The focus today is on the Dale Chihuly glass sculpture that is nestled in the plantings. The glass often has plant-like forms…but draws the eye with brilliant color.

The large ruffled edge bowls look like flowers.

At other times, the glass blends in with its surrounds. Is it glass or a very unusual plant?

Then there are the chandelier pieces that are suspended over the plants like an alternative sun.

Some are so complex that I find myself enjoying them for a second or third look via my camera zoom.

Tomorrow I’ll focus on the plants in the Phipps Conservatory.

Gleanings of the Week Ending February 11, 2017

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.

High-Resolution Satellite Imagery at the World’s Fingertips – Interested in archaeology?…here’s an opportunity to contribute as a citizen scientist via the GlobalXplorer community.

The Secret to Living a Meaningful Life – A little self-analysis…can go a long way.

Five Endangered Species Recoveries You’ve Never Heard Of – I’d heard of the brown pelican (and seen some too).…but not the others.

How heat from the Sun can keep us all cool – Another technology that might help us in a warming world.

Pitcher Plant Enzymes Digest Gluten in Mouse Model – Pitcher plant secretion are approximately as acidic as human gastric juices and can snip bonds linking the amino acid proline to other amino acids…and prolines make up 15% of gluten!

19^th Century Experiments Explained How Trees Lift Water – fluids are not supposed to have tensile properties….but that is what the cohesion-tension theory – explaining how water moves up into the tree again gravity.

Inside the Far-Out Glass Lab – The article starts out with a gif of flexible glass bending like a piece of plastic and ends with a picture of an ultra thin glass spiral (looks a little like Slinky). Corning’s research center is full of innovations with glass.

What I learned after banning screens from my home for a month – Maybe this is something we all need to do periodical…get back into the mode of using technology rather than being so addicted to it that it takes control of every moment of our lives.

#ColorOurCollections - Free Coloring Pages from Museums and Libraries – Not just for children. Take a look at the #ColorOurCollections page to see the whole collection.

Hundreds of ancient earthworks built in Amazon – Evidence of ancient agroforestry in the Amazon…and geoglyphs.