What’s in a name? that which we call Bold and Bossy By any other name would bolt as sweetly. — Bill Shakespeare, Boldeo and Bossiet We attempt to imbue much with the names we give our offspring and our critter companions. Horse trainers have a long history of apt, clever, and strange monikers for their …
The Social Giraffe Network Apparently, for many moons, in the scientific realm, zoologists have considered giraffes to be solitary and aloof. A 1991 publication on the behavior of African mammals described giraffes as “forming no lasting bonds with its fellows and associating in the most casual way.” Unlike elephants and apes, which display broad social constructs, …
Sprites, Elves, Trolls, Pixies, Ghosts, Gnomes, and Blue Jets No, we’re not traveling today to Middle-earth or into the belly of a dungeon crawler. Instead, we’ll take to the skies. All the fantastical characters of today’s title are real phenomena in the upper atmosphere! Lightning strikes – photo by Mircea Madau Most of us are …
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Yellowstone In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant, the great Civil War general from Ohio, signed The Act of Dedication. His penstroke created the country’s and world’s first National Park. The preserved land sat mostly in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with parts sneaking into Montana and Idaho. Today, the park we know as Yellowstone continues to be …
Mount Fuji One of the world’s most recognizable mountains, Mount Fuji is nearly synonymous with Japan. Rising 12,389 feet above sea level, Fuji is also the High Point of the nation. Situated on the island of Honshu, the peak is a mere 62 miles southwest of Tokyo. On clear days, the mountain starkly dominates the capital and largest city’s …
National Parks vs. National Monuments I think the question I’ve been asked the most when discussing National Parks in the United States relates to today’s article title. What’s the difference between a National Park and a National Monument? The National Parks Service – the agency that oversees the National Parks System – doesn’t exactly make it easy on us (although, it’s also …
The Bluetooth Bombshell Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler dropped into being on 9 November 1914 in Vienna, Austria. If you’re a fan of classic cinema, you might know Kiesler by her stage name, Hedy Lamarr. Billed by Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM, as “the world’s most beautiful woman,” Lamarr found widespread fame during the Golden Age …
Mount Frissell – Connecticut’s High Point Among the 50 state High Points, Connecticut’s apex sports a unique trait. Mount Frissell’s peak is actually in Massachusetts, but its southwestern shoulder – right on the border of the two states – happens to be the highest point within Connecticut. So to stand on the rooftop of …
Roy G. Biv Many students learn the mnemonic Roy G. Biv to recall the visible colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. It’s a handy way to quickly remember the order of a rainbow spectrum. Have you ever asked yourself, “what exactly is indigo?” Is it near blue? Near violet? A mixture of the two? If …
Gustave Setting: Burundi. Plot: Serial killer on the loose. Burundi, in the heart of Africa Specific setting: Ruzizi River (great name), Lake Tanganyika, the second largest lake in Africa. The Ruzizi River flowing toward Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika from space – NASA In the 1990s and early 2000s, a predatory stalker killed as many as 300 humans in the middle …