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| Mooove on over! (Photo by Daniellagreen) |
Potatoes have joined the vegan-milk bandwagon, and might soon surpass almonds and oats in popularity. It takes far less water and land to produce potato milk than it does to produce almond or oat milk. An added benefit: Growing potatoes “produces less CO2 than dairy farming.”
And far less methane!
Resources
https://news.yahoo.com/potato-milk-thing-now-cant-155738122.html
Copyright July 31, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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| Sermiligaaq, Greenland (Photo by Ray Swi-hymn) |
In 2019, Greenland experienced a record-breaking ice melt, in the neighborhood of “530 billion tons.” In 2021, “more than 16 billion tons” melted within just two days.
That’s a lot of water, which has to go somewhere. That somewhere could be a coastal city near you.
Resources
https://news.yahoo.com/enough-ice-melted-greenland-over-044115235.html
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| (Photo by Brian Gratwicke) |
Nevertheless, it was somewhat shocking to discover caecilians within the Tamiami Canal. These primitive amphibians are native to South America and were probably dumped by unscrupulous pet owners.
They resemble long noodles as they make their slithery way through the shallow waters. Although a bit scary looking, they’re actually quite harmless. Unless you’re small and on their menu.
Resources
https://news.yahoo.com/welcome-miami-weird-looking-noodle-174825098.html
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| Don't mess with me! (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo) |
Such circumstances unfortunately occurred at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens this week. When a visitor “taunted the big cats,” then leaped the barrier to stick his hand within reach, a jaguar ripped at it.
Luckily, these injuries were relatively mild. They will hopefully serve as a warning to those who presume that a creature will fundamentally change its spots.
Resources
Copyright July 29, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved |
| A Swedish Frggebod (Photo by Holger Ellgaard) |
Although every so-called home on this planet is somewhat temporary, we need a place to lay our weary bones as we get through this life. And that is becoming more and more difficult to obtain or sustain.
There are a number of contributing factors to this perfect storm: continuing low mortgage rates, pandemic-induced moves, millennials coming into their phase of home-buying, and inflated prices for construction materials.
Resources
Copyright July 27, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved |
| British Marlboro cigarette pack (Fair Use) |
Philip Morris International (PMI) has long been luring people into Marlboro Country. When said acreage looked more and more like a cemetery, the company began a long and arduous about-face.
Lately, CEO Jacek Olczak has been calling for a United Kingdom ban on smoking. This sounds great on paper. But there’s a catch. He’s also hawking “smoke-free alternatives” that might be right up (or down) there with cigarettes.
Such alternatives include the inhalation of nicotine via so-called tobacco “sticks.” Is breathing in nicotine via some kind of inhaler really any better than sucking on a Marlboro? Perhaps time will tell, but a consumer's time may be radically shortened by the adoption of such habits.
Resources
https://nypost.com/2021/07/26/tobacco-turnaround-philip-morris-wants-to-ban-smoking
Copyright July 26, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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| (Fair Use) |
That’s why it’s so refreshing to witness a glowing intergenerational friendship. And it doesn’t get more intergenerational than the bond between 99-year-old Mary O’Neill and two-year-old Benjamin Olson.
It all began during the pandemic, when Benjamin was unable to play with friends his own age. His next-door neighbor Mary would then brighten his shrinking world with a wave from her window.
Pretty soon, these newfound friends were meeting by the property-line fence. As the weather improved, they ventured onto Mary’s steps to “blow bubbles together.” Mary gifted Benjamin with her late son’s “box of toy trucks” that had been sheltered for years in her basement.
May the circle be unbroken for these unlikely BFFs.
Resources
Copyright July 25, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved |
| Eye of the Croc (Photo by Alias 0591) |
This occurred rather recently when a “150-million-year-old fossilized skeleton” was analyzed by the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences. It was determined to be from a key ancestor of today’s crocodiles.
Crocs were originally smaller land animals. It took a “few million years” for them to prefer living in water. This transition is thought to have begun in what is now South America, due to the presence of shallow warm seas.
Resources
Copyright July 24, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved |
| What's for dessert? (Photo by Doug Janson) |
Cockatoos are known to be quite adept at creating tools. In the Sydney, Australia locale, many have mastered the art of opening trash bins.
If you’ve got hands, this is not all that difficult. If all you’ve got are feathers and feet, the task grows mightier.
But alpha birds have got it down pat: grasping lids beak-first and wriggling them upsy-daisy. A veritable smorgasbord of edible garbage awaits!
Resources
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cockatoos-lift-trash-lids_n_60f9cc63e4b0e92dfec13fcf
Copyright July 23, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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| The Real Deal (Photo by Hrishikes) |
When drug dealers tried to pass off coke as cake, they were caught in the act. They might have fooled humans, but they couldn’t fool canines. Drug Enforcement Agency dogs were quick to sniff out the truth: that what resembled a delectable dessert was actually a recipe for disaster.
Pounds of cocaine were stashed within this so-called marble cake, which was sprinkled with coffee grounds in order to disguise the stench of it all.
Resources
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cocaine-cake-maine-dea_n_60f8929be4b0e92dfebf5e97
Copyright July 22, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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| (National Park Service photo) |
Motorized vehicles enable humans to gawk at animals, up close and personal. Yet these very same encounters have killed quite a few of our furry friends. In Yosemite alone, there have been “more than 400 incidents of cars hitting bears” within “the last two decades.”
While a Yosemite ranger was recently assessing the condition of a fatally injured cub, he heard the repeated cries of its grieving mama bear. She remained right nearby, hoping against hope that her baby would respond to these calls. This continued on for “at least six hours.”
Such is the price that wildlife pays for being so-called protected. From a human perspective, partial devastation seems better than complete extinction. But the bears never really got to vote.
Resources
https://news.yahoo.com/mama-bear-stood-mournfully-over-050248056.html
Copyright July 21, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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| Bezos in 2010 (Photo by Steve Jurvetson) |
Before taking off, he wondered aloud whether this experience would change him. Bezos revealed to Hoda Kotb on the TODAY show, “I can’t wait to see what it’s going to do to me.”
Previous space travelers have reported that seeing one whole Earth has made them rethink nationalistic tendencies. Going beyond the life-giving atmosphere has also inspired realizations about how precious our planet is.
It remains to be seen what the long-term effects on Bezos might be. Having already conquered many an outer challenge, he might now turn more attention to inner ones.
Resources
https://news.yahoo.com/jeff-bezos-says-cant-wait-132911380.html
Copyright July 20, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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| Statue of Jupiter, circa 100 AD (Photo by Sailko) |
But if you confuse the ancient Roman “Sky Father” with a mere drone, you could be in big trouble. Certainly no king wants to be called that.
So when a “rookie cop” recently called for rescue from what she thought was an airborne stalker, she was quickly educated by fellow officers. They informed her that this so-called drone was actually Jupiter. And since it was the planet rather than the god, she had nothing to fear.
Resources
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-news/7414670/police-scotland-drone-jupiter/
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| Upsy-Daisy! (Photo by Norbert Nagel) |
The International Space Station astronauts decided to spice things up by cultivating red hot peppers.
These will enliven their already-grown salad ingredients, such as three types of lettuce. If that weren’t enough, fresh flowers have also been enhancing the cold recesses of space.
Even within this grand a mission, it’s the little things that make a huge difference. These are things that we on Earth often take for granted. So next time you’re having an especially good day, don’t forget to thank a daisy.
Resources
Copyright July 18, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved |
| Bill Staines in 2004 (Photo by Thom C) |
Tragically, humans don’t always see it that way. Some interpret stewardship as the right to bludgeon for fun. This is finally being judged for what it is: immoral and often illegal animal abuse.
Because two Rockland, Maine police officers beat porcupines to death with batons while on duty, they were fired, fined and sentenced to some jail time. Another officer had reported this illicit behavior to the authorities.
Resources
https://www.wabi.tv/2021/07/16/former-rockland-police-officers-sentenced-beating-porcupines/
Copyright July 17, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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| The 'Glasses Apostle' (by Conrad von Soest, 1403) |
In order to help young patients feel more comfortable with corrective lenses, optician Danielle Crull came up with a unique solution. She fitted her rescue kitty, Truffles, with glamorous glasses, then had her model this look in front of nervous kids.
Attitudes seem magically transformed by such interactions. Truffles takes to it as much as people do. She struts right up to Danielle, eagerly tilting her furry head toward a pair of colorful frames. Tears soon turn to laughter, and overall fear is greatly diminished.
Resources
Copyright July 17, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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| (Photo by Kim Hansen) |
The famous quote by Ram Dass, “We’re all just walking each other home,” applies to bovines as well.
When eight cows recently escaped from a Michigan farm, they were escorted back by a "sheriff's deputy.” This entailed a three-mile walk for them all.
Home is hopefully a safe place, no matter which species you belong to.
Resources
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/07/13/Ingham-County-Sheriffs-Office-cows-walk-home/5781626198308/
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| Ohtani in 2019 (Photo by Erik Drost) |
Stephen A. Smith admirably took responsibility for his cutting words about baseball’s Shohei Ohtani. After insulting Ohtani’s lack of English fluency, Smith made some sincere public apologies. He specifically explained that this rant was entirely his own and did not stem from Max Kellerman, ESPN or anyone else.
This differs from many another apology in which the speaker merely recites a politically-correct speech. Smith seems to have actually reflected upon the “stereotyping” nature of his words and how they’ve offended the “Asian community.”
Resources
https://people.com/sports/stephen-a-smith-apologizes-for-comments-on-mlb-star-shohei-ohtani/
Copyright July 14, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved |
| (Fair Use) |
When Richard Branson returned from his recent sojourn, he was asked how it went. The normally eloquent owner of Virgin Galactic simply replied, “…honestly, nothing could prepare you for the view of Earth from space.”
As a child, Branson would gaze up at the stars and dream big dreams. Such dreams propelled him to reach for those stars while gazing down at “our beautiful, beautiful Earth.”
Now 70, Branson has some inspiring words for today’s young dreamers: “If we can do this, imagine what you can do!”
Resources
https://news.yahoo.com/watch-virgin-galactic-space-launch-160019349.html
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| Saint Francis in Meditation (Painting by Lodovico Carracci) |
The current mindfulness movement is often an example of this. When removed from its spiritual roots and marketed as a secular means of strengthening attention, mindfulness might enhance selfishness rather than humility.
Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard warned that “bare attention” is a tool that can either increase or decrease goodness. He went so far as to say that “even a sniper embodies a type of mindfulness.”
Resources
https://news.yahoo.com/mindfulness-meditation-americans-more-selfish-122616058.html
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| (Photo by John Hill) |
Novameat, a “Barcelona-based startup,” is pioneering a 3D-printed, vegetarian fake steak. Once a model proves successful, larger machines can then mass produce it.
Manager Alexandre Campos foresees this becoming something that “is better for the planet, ourselves and animals.”
Resources
https://news.yahoo.com/3d-printed-steaks-spanish-startup-145407025.html
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| (Fair Use) |
You choose.
But hurry. Prices are going up fast. Homes that were lagging on the market last year are now the subject of bidding wars. And a “Super Mario 64” just sold for “1.56 million.”
If you’re feeling frugal, you might then settle for “The Legend of Zelda,” which recently went for a mere “$870,000.” And you might want to consider ditching bricks and sticks for the flexibility of RV living.
Resources
Copyright July 12, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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| Bobtail Squid (Photo by Hans Hillewaert) |
In order to discover exactly what goes wrong, scientists are sending bobtail squid to the International Space Station. These tiny marine animals depend upon bacteria for bioluminescence.
A detailed study of how microgravity affects their simpler systems might help researchers in the quest to bolster astronaut immunity. It’s tough enough to visit other worlds without having to endure illness.
Resources
https://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/nasa-sends-squid-hawaii-space-research-78418011
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| Adam and Eve (public domain manuscript, c. 950) |
The latter recently occurred when a Long Island woman noticed a long curvy thing in her driveway. She did not associate it with snakes, or even with devilish serpents. Suffolk County, New York is a bit far from Eden.
When she realized her mistake, the police were called. They managed to wrestle the eight-foot invader into a garbage can, and are warning that its buddies could pose a threat to pets and children.
Resources
https://news.yahoo.com/8-foot-snake-mistaken-garden-184531669.html
Copyright July 8, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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| Brown Pelican (Photo by Ianare Sevi) |
Leonardo Carrillo is a senior citizen who makes do by subsisting within a wooden hut on the Cuban coast. He doesn’t get to see his human kids much, but he does get to commune with pelicans.
About 100 of these hardy birds arrive each year from December to May. They head for Carrillo’s hut, knowing that love and food await (not necessarily in that order).
Carrillo welcomes their annual visit and has gotten to know some individually. Because he himself receives help from the kindness of others, Leonardo pays it forward to these fine feathered friends.
Resources
https://news.yahoo.com/pelicans-befriend-cuban-man-living-140758288.html
Copyright July 7, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
