Saturday, April 30, 2011
A CLIMBING GATOR
Image via Wikipedia(Reuters) - Old alligators don't travel far.
At least that was true in the case of a nine-foot, 20-year-old alligator that escaped earlier this month at the Governor Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center in Pine Bluff, about 45 miles south of Little Rock.
Over the weekend, Arkansas Game and Fish officials spotted the male American alligator trying to cross the road near the nature center.
"He was really close to the nature center," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens. "It was captured and returned to the nature center."
The alligator, which was originally caught last year crossing another road near the nature center, was on display near the back of the center's main building when it escaped.
Stephens said the alligator crawled up on a chain link fence, got his weight on it and pushed it down enough to get over it. He then crawled to the next fence and was able to get under a gate.
Officials had thought the alligator had escaped into the swamps and bayous that run behind the nature center and would not be found.
The alligator, which was a popular exhibit with visitors, is now in a trailer on the nature center grounds. It was not injured during the escape.
"We are putting up a taller, stronger fence to try and make sure it can't climb up and push it over with its weight like it did last time," Stephens said.
TODAY IN HISTORY
APRIL 30
1789: George Washington is inaugurated as the first president of the United States at Wall Street's Federal Hall in New York.
1952: The diary of Anne Frank, a literarily gifted teenage victim of the Holocaust, is published in English for the first time as The Diary of a Young Girl.
1789: George Washington is inaugurated as the first president of the United States at Wall Street's Federal Hall in New York.
1952: The diary of Anne Frank, a literarily gifted teenage victim of the Holocaust, is published in English for the first time as The Diary of a Young Girl.
Friday, April 29, 2011
DISCOVERING THE USA
Summer is rapidly approaching. School will soon be out, and that means it's time for a vacation. Where should you go? International travel is fun but can be too expensive for most. That's OK. America has plenty of things to see and do. You just need to know what's available. Discover America will help you find something you like. You can get information about specific destinations. It will help you find attractions and activities. You can also search by activity. It can help you find great hiking and camping spots. You can search locally or in another state. There are stunning photos of vacation hotspots. Plus, you can learn more about a city's culture and history. You'll also find help booking hotels and finding travel deals There are plenty of other travel sites. But Discover America is the official U.S. travel and tourism site. So you know the information is accurate and complete!LINK HERE
DO YOU REMEMBER?
CLEAN STREAM
The banks of the Sacramento River, as it meanders through Shasta County in Northern California, USA, are a tangle of unwelcome plants.
“We used to have large trees and grass instead of this clutter of impassible non-native species,” says Randall Smith, a member of the Rotary Club of Redding. “We’re trying to get rid of this junk so people can enjoy the river – and so people will see what the natural environment looks like and maybe go home and fix their own backyards.”(click below to read more)
AND I QUOTE
- "The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office."
TODAY IN HISTORY
APRIL 29
1945:American troops liberate the Dachau concentration camp near Munich, Germany, liberating approximately 32,000 prisoners. In a fortified bunker in Berlin, Adolf Hitler marries his longtime mistress, Eva Braun. They will reportedly commit suicide the next day.
1429: After hearing a series of religious revelations calling her to the defense of France during the Hundred Years’ War, 17-year-old Joan of Arc arrives in Orleans to lead the French forces to liberate the city, under siege by the English.
1968: The counterculture musical Hair, written by and featuring James Rado and Gerome Ragni with music by Galt MacDermot, premieres on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre for the first of 1,750 performances of the “American tribal love-rock musical.”
1429: After hearing a series of religious revelations calling her to the defense of France during the Hundred Years’ War, 17-year-old Joan of Arc arrives in Orleans to lead the French forces to liberate the city, under siege by the English.
1968: The counterculture musical Hair, written by and featuring James Rado and Gerome Ragni with music by Galt MacDermot, premieres on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre for the first of 1,750 performances of the “American tribal love-rock musical.”
Thursday, April 28, 2011
THE NEXT QUEEN? NOT LIKELY
Descendant of Sophia of Hanover, She Would Rule Britain if 4,972 Die
ROSTOCK, Germany—Karin Vogel wakes up in this graffiti-pocked east German city and drives to the hospital where she is a therapist who counsels elderly people in chronic pain.
If a few thousand people would just disappear, Ms. Vogel would be leading a far more enchanting life. She would be the queen of England. (read more after the break)
SPACE
Explanation: Is there a monster in IC 1396? Known to some as the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, parts of the glowing gas and dust clouds of this star formation region may appear to take on foreboding forms, some nearly human. The entire nebula might even look like a face of a monster. The only real monster here, however, is a bright young star too far from Earth to be dangerous. Energetic light from this star is eating away the dust of the dark cometary globule at the top right the image. Jets and winds of particles emitted from this star are also pushing away ambient gas and dust. Nearly 3,000 light-years distant, the IC 1396 complex is relatively faint and covers a region on the sky with an apparent width of more than 10 full moons. Recently, over 100 young stars have been discovered forming in the nebula.
IT MAY NOT BE PRETTY, BUT IT WORKS
One of the coolest things about China is this street sweeper. Fashioned from dried plants or perhaps straw of some kind, it is the sort of thing that is conceived in the pockets of China where rural life and modernity intermingle to create interesting contraptions with a foot in each century. With the functionality of its modern counterparts and the charm of peasant ingenuity, the device appears to be plucked from Mao's cultural revolution but remixed considerably to serve its purpose in the 21st century.
TODAY IN HISTORY
APRIL 28
1789:Master’s mate Fletcher Christian leads the famous mutiny aboard HMS Bounty, setting Lt. William Bligh and 18 other sailors adrift at sea. Remarkably, Bligh will navigate an open boat 3,600 nautical miles to safety on Timor in the Dutch East Indies, while Christian and the mutineers attempt to settle on Tahiti and Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific.
1945: Deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini is executed along with 15 aides and his mistress, Clara Petacci, by Italian communist partisans in the village of Giulino di Mezzegra near the Swiss border. The next day, their bodies will be hung up upside down in the Piazzale Loreto in Milan to face ridicule and abuse from the Italian public.
2001: California engineer and businessman Dennis Tito becomes the world’s first space tourist, blasting off from Kazakhstan aboard the Russian spacecraft Soyuz TM-32. Tito reportedly paid $20 million to spend nearly eight days living in orbit in the International Space Station.
1945: Deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini is executed along with 15 aides and his mistress, Clara Petacci, by Italian communist partisans in the village of Giulino di Mezzegra near the Swiss border. The next day, their bodies will be hung up upside down in the Piazzale Loreto in Milan to face ridicule and abuse from the Italian public.
2001: California engineer and businessman Dennis Tito becomes the world’s first space tourist, blasting off from Kazakhstan aboard the Russian spacecraft Soyuz TM-32. Tito reportedly paid $20 million to spend nearly eight days living in orbit in the International Space Station.
MENU MAGIC
"The menu is the heart of the restaurant. It embodies the restaurant's demographics, concept, physical factors and personality." But don't kid yourself. A menu is also a sales vehicle, and many restaurants -- smart ones -- use it to get you to eat right. And, we're not talking about your health, but about their profits. (click below to read more)
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
LITTLE BETS CAN MAKE FOR BIG RESULTS
By DAVID A. SHAYWITZ
The word "innovation" seems perilously overworked these days, invoked by corporate leaders and earnest politicians eager to signal progress and express faith in our ability to solve problems and improve the world. We're always ready to endorse the concept, though applying it may be another story. "I'll be happy to give you innovative thinking," a bedraggled employee tells his boss in a classic Leo Cullum cartoon. "What are the guidelines?" (click below to read more)
PEOPLE BEING PEOPLE
Bobblehead dolls may be popular baseball giveaways, but as part of the local "Green Sports Alliance" demonstrating concern for the environment, the Seattle Mariners announced in March that for several games this season, fans would get free bags of compost (made from food and other items discarded at Mariners games). [Seattle Times, 3-21-2011]
TODAY IN HISTORY
Cover of Ludwig van BeethovenAPRIL 27
1963:Fifteen-year-old Margaret Annemarie Battavio, better known as Little Peggy March, becomes the youngest female singer to top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts with her hit, “I Will Follow Him.” 1810: German composer Ludwig van Beethoven completes the original score to his piano composition “Für Elise.” Although “Bagatelle in A Minor” is now among Beethoven’s most famous works, the score will not be published until 1867, four decades after his death.
1947: The first Babe Ruth Day is celebrated at Yankee Stadium in New York in honor of ailing slugger George Herman “Babe” Ruth, who addresses a crowd of nearly 60,000 fans. The Sultan of Swat’s speech is broadcast live to major and minor league baseball fields around the country.
SPYING (SORT OF) ON THE FBI
Image via WikipediaThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is legendary. Countless movies and TV shows have featured it. Its real-world exploits don't disappoint either. The FBI has been around since 1908. Since then, it has busted gangsters, investigated public corruption and much more. Who wouldn't want to snoop through its records? You can now search through FBI records at the FBI Vault. It has hundreds of scanned case files from the last century. You never know what you'll find. You can read investigation files on famous gangsters, fugitives and spies. Learn about the FBI's activities in World War II and Cold War. Additional reports will continue to be posted. LINK HERE
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
STUDENTS DESIGN A PORTABLE WELL DRILL
Women and children in developing countries sometimes walk miles each day to collect drinking water, often from contaminated sources. One solution is to tap safe water in a more convenient location by drilling a well, but a drill can cost US$800,000. Rotarians in San Luis Obispo, California, USA, worked with engineering students at a local university to design a rig that’s easy to maintain and can be built from inexpensive, widely available parts. (more after the break)
AUSSIE ROTARIANS RAISE MONEY FOR BLOOD BANK
Rotarians have raised US$6 million for a new cord blood bank in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, that will help patients facing life-threatening illnesses.
RI President Ray Klinginsmith participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility, a centennial project of Rotary clubs throughout the state, in December. During a multidistrict conference in March, the participating districts celebrated reaching their funding goal. (click below to read more)
KNOW ANYONE WHO LOOKS LIKE PRINCE WILLIAM?
LONDON—With a photo of Prince William as his guide, London electrician James Cooper recently had his hair thinned. He traded his hooded sweat shirt and work boots for a navy-blue sweater and loafers. On the train, he used his phone to watch videos of the prince. Mr. Cooper was aiming to turn his own cockney accent into the future king's speech.
The 26-year-old was on his first job as a look-alike of Prince William. Kate Middleton is engaged to wed the heir to the throne a week from Friday. Demand for doppelgängers of the couple is red hot. By transforming himself into a twin of the balding royal, Mr. Cooper hopes to cash in on a problem in the business: Kate ringers are a dime a dozen, but a good Will is hard to find. (read more after the break)
The 26-year-old was on his first job as a look-alike of Prince William. Kate Middleton is engaged to wed the heir to the throne a week from Friday. Demand for doppelgängers of the couple is red hot. By transforming himself into a twin of the balding royal, Mr. Cooper hopes to cash in on a problem in the business: Kate ringers are a dime a dozen, but a good Will is hard to find. (read more after the break)
WE REMEMBER-JESS JACKSON
Jess Stonestreet Jackson introduced Americans to the pleasures of Chardonnay.
Mr. Jackson, who died Thursday at age 81, was the founder of Kendall-Jackson winery, whose slightly sweet Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay marked an early entry into the "fighting varietals" movement of the 1980s.
Production of the wine, which sold at a premium to traditional California jug wines, grew to more than two million cases annually by the mid-1990s from 16,000 in its first year, 1982. (click below to continue reading)
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