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Best Gas Station Foods Are a Delicious Enigma | esquire

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Best Gas Station Foods Are a Delicious Enigma | esquire

It is unpretentious yet god-tier, convenient but never part of the plan. It is late-summer Americana encapsulated.

By Justin Kirkland, Aug 23, 2021

Getty Images…

There are five gas station foods that you will meet in heaven.

Provided that you lived a good and decent life, they will be waiting upon your arrival. These dishes are the pinnacle of the gas station food category, which is saying something, because gas station food is the pinnacle of all food categories, and that’s because it fills a certain niche that no other restaurant can.

It is fast and efficient; unpretentious in its presentation but so gratuitous in flavor. I just so happen to be a connoisseur. I suppose before we move forward we should have a conversation about what is and isn’t gas station food. If you’ve rolled your eyes and muttered, “I’ve heard about Takis and Slim Jims, Justin,” then I say, “How very dare you.”

You see, this is not a 7-Eleven situation. This isn’t even a Sheetz meal or a Wawa menu. The gas station food I’m talking about is prepared on a greasy grill, behind the tiniest of counters. It’s like fast food, but de-corporatized. A gas station cheeseburger or grilled cheese may sound generic. It may come wrapped up in unbranded plastic wrap.

But a gas station food item is an ambassador of whichever podunk, side-of-the-highway establishment it comes from, prepared with irreverence yet exuding love.

Source: Best Gas Station Foods Are a Delicious Enigma

Tags: eating, Esquire, Gas Station Food, Gas Stations, Meals, Travel

‘Reminiscence’ Movie Depicts A Dystopian Future That’s Not Far Off : NPR

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‘Reminiscence’ Movie Depicts A Dystopian Future That’s Not Far Off : NPR

Scott Simon speaks with director Lisa Joy about her tech-noir movie “Reminiscence.” It’s set in a future Miami that’s besieged by heat and rising waters.

August 21, 20218:54 AM ET, Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday

Photo by charan sai on Pexels.com

From transcript:

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The film “Reminiscence” is set in a Miami of rising waters and scorching heat, where people have now flipped the clock to work at night and sleep by day. Nick, a war vet who’s now a private eye, uses a technology that floats people in a tank, so they can relive cherished memories.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “REMINISCENCE”)

HUGH JACKMAN: (As Nick Bannister) You’re going on a journey, a journey through memory. Your destination – a place and time you’ve been before. To reach it, all you have to do is follow my voice.

Source: ‘Reminiscence’ Movie Depicts A Dystopian Future That’s Not Far Off : NPR

Tags: Film, Hugh Jackman, Lisa Joy, Movie, NPR, Reminiscence

15 Famous Writers on the Perils of a Formal Education ‹ Literary Hub

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15 Famous Writers on the Perils of a Formal Education ‹ Literary Hub

By Emily Temple, August 29, 2017

From article…

Students all over the country are beginning to head back to school, and some, I imagine, aren’t too happy about it. If that’s you, you’re in good company: lots of famous writers hated school, too.

Writers are usually assumed to be highly-educated types, and many are, of course. But they’re not always educated in the way you might think—some of the English language’s most famous authors were less-than-great in the classroom, but had the creative skills (and perhaps some out-of-the-box ways of thinking) to make up for it.

So, to ease the pain—or temper the joy, if you’re one of those—of starting school, I tracked down what a few great writers had to say on their own experiences with formal education (or lack thereof), and in some cases, on the dangers of relying too much on the classroom to figure out how to live in the world.

The overwhelming message I get from the below is this: school is all very well and good, but it’s not going to teach you what you really need to know, because actually, only you can figure out what that is. Probably, though, you’ll get there faster if you spend some time in the library.

Take it from Ray Bradbury, to start with: “Libraries raised me. I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.”

–Ray Bradbuy, to The New York Times

Source: 15 Famous Writers on the Perils of a Formal Education ‹ Literary

Tags: Colleges, Creative Writing, Famous Writers, Formal Education, Libraries, Literary Hub, School

The Simple 4 ETF Retirement Portfolio – ETF Focus on TheStreet: ETF research and Trade Ideas

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The Simple 4 ETF Retirement Portfolio – ETF Focus on TheStreet: ETF research and Trade Ideas

This group comes with ultra-low fees, strong diversification and flexibility that would be appropriate for many retirees.

By David Dierking, Aug 19, 2021

Schwab U.S. REIT ETF (SCHH)

With more than 2000 different ETFs to choose from currently, retirees can position their portfolio in almost any way they want by targeting or overweighting just about any region, sector, theme or strategy they can imagine.

One thing the ETF industry does perhaps the best is exactly the opposite of variety – simplicity.

If you want a widely diversified portfolio that hits on all the major asset classes, ETFs can do it.

Better yet, you can have this kind of core portfolio for a cost of next to nothing. According to ETF Action, there are currently more than 70 different ETFs that charge 0.05% or less annually.

Source: The Simple 4 ETF Retirement Portfolio – ETF Focus on TheStreet: ETF research and Trade Ideas

Tags: ETF, Portfolios, Retirement, The Street

Why autumn weather won’t be the same this year – CNN

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Why autumn weather won’t be the same this year – CNN

By Hannah Gard and Allison Chinchar, CNN Meteorologists, Updated 6:35 AM ET, Sat August 21, 2021

From article…

(CNN) At the halfway point of August, fall is quickly approaching as schools are back in session.

But warm temperatures and prolonged drought could hinder the traditional fall feeling of cool, crisp mornings with beautiful foliage on the trees.

The Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) extended three-month outlook for September through November is showing a similar story for most of the country — above average temperatures.

The CPC has also increased chances for La Niña this fall. While this could be good news for the drought-stricken western states, it does not bode well for areas impacted by tropical systems in the Atlantic.

Source: Why autumn weather won’t be the same this year – CNN

Tags: Climate Prediction Center, CNN, CNN Weather, Fall Foliage, Fall Season, La Nina

William Shatner, at 90, keeps seeking that next personal frontier – The Washington Post

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William Shatner, at 90, keeps seeking that next personal frontier – The Washington Post

By Michael Cavna, August 20, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. EDT

William Shatner, who turned 90 in March, keeps his eyes on the horizon for each adventurous next project. (Jason Shook)

One of the hardest-working men in Hollywood hasn’t been slowed so much by the pandemic.

He has two television shows going. He released a movie several months back and will release an album next month.

Lately he has traveled by land with his horses and by sea swimming with sharks, and he casts a hopeful eye on heading to space — but not before recording an A.I.-driven version of himself for future generations to hear. Did we mention he also eased up long enough in March to celebrate turning 90?

Source: William Shatner, at 90, keeps seeking that next personal frontier – The Washington Post

Tags: Birthday, Star Trek, The Washington Post, William Shatner

The Best Train Trips in the World: 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards | Condé Nast Traveler

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The Best Train Trips in the World: 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards | Condé Nast Traveler

The places that stayed with you in a year when travel may have been out of reach.

By Todd Plummer, December 21, 2020

For our 33rd annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey, wanderlust came front and center—and what better way to indulge than with a decadent train journey?

Yes, train trips appeal to “slow travel” lovers drawn to a glamorous, old-world mode of exploration.

But there’s also something to be said about a sense of discovery found onboard a train—you’re really experiencing a landscape in a way that you can’t experience it anyway else. Here, the 10 luxury train trips that our readers selected as the best in the world. Click the link to view this as a complete list.

Source: The Best Train Trips in the World: 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards | Condé Nast Traveler

Tags: Conde Nast Traveler, Trains, Travel

Summer Beauties: The Golden Age of Travel Posters | Library of Congress Blog

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Summer Beauties: The Golden Age of Travel Posters | Library of Congress Blog

August 19, 2021 by Neely Tucker

This Depression-era Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project poster urged Americans to travel. Artist: Alexander Dux. Prints and Photographs Division.

Jan Grenci, a reference specialist in the Prints & Photographs Division, wrote a short piece about travel posters in the July/August issue of the Library of Congress Magazine.

It’s been expanded here. Some of the Library’s most popular Free to Use and Reuse photographs and prints are the travel posters from the golden age of the art form, the 1920s to the 1960s, when artists used graphic design, bold lines and deep colors to render destinations more as a mood than just a place.

Take, for example, that image above. The massive scale of the stalagmites and stalactites, the huge cavern opening — they combine to dwarf the man and woman in the foreground. The blueish/purple geologic formations, lit softly from the right, are offset by the shadows in deep black. She appears to be dressed in a skirt, blouse and (one hopes) sensible walking shoes; he, his hat at a jaunty angle, is clad in a coat, jodhpurs and riding boots, complete with a gentleman’s walking stick. They appear not just to be enjoying a day’s hike so much as contemplating the immense passage of time itself.

Source: Summer Beauties: The Golden Age of Travel Posters | Library of Congress Blog

Tags: Art, Blog, Library of Congress, Travel, Travel Posters

The Scout Report — Volume 27, Number 33 | DOG emotion and cognition course

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The Scout Report — Volume 27, Number 33 | DOG emotion and cognition course

August 20, 2021, Volume 27, Number 33

Dog Emotion and Cognition Course, Social studies www.coursera.org/learn/dog-emotion-and-cognition

Screenshot…

Readers who want to understand canine behavior or just learn how to train their dog will benefit from Dog Emotion and Cognition.

Taught by evolutionary anthropologist and self-professed “dog guy” Brian Hare, this online course offered by Duke University digs into how dogs think and feel and how humans can use psychology to strengthen our connection with canines.

Videos and readings cover the evolution and domestication of dogs and dog communication, problem solving, behavior, and training, all through the lens of cognitive psychology. No prior knowledge is required. The course takes about 22 hours to complete in total and is self-paced with flexible deadlines that can be reset at any time. Learners who audit the course for free have access to view and read all course content except graded assignments.

Readers can click the “Syllabus” tab to preview the structure and content of the course. Video contents have subtitles available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, German, Croatian, Portuguese, Italian, Vietnamese, and Russian. Dog Emotion and Cognition is offered through Coursera, one of the world’s leading online learning platforms. [HCL]

Source: https://scout.wisc.edu/report/current

Tags: Class, Cognition, Dogs, Duke University, The Scout Report

Star Trek: What Kirk’s Dying Words In Generations Mean (& Why They’re Perfect) | screenrant

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Star Trek: What Kirk’s Dying Words In Generations Mean (& Why They’re Perfect) | screenrant

By John Orquiola, Published 4 hours ago

From article…

Captain James T. Kirk famously died in Star Trek Generations but William Shatner personally conceived the perfect last words spoken by the Starfleet icon. Shatner starred as Kirk, the Captain of the USS Enterprise, for three seasons of The Original Series in the 1960s before headlining six Star Trek movies from 1979-1991.

Star Trek Generations was Shatner’s final canonical appearance as Kirk, and the legendary actor hasn’t reprised the role of the good Captain since 1994, although he remains indelibly linked to Captain Kirk. Kirk’s death was part of Star Trek Generations from its inception.

In the early 1990s, Paramount saw Star Trek: The Next Generation as the future for the movie franchise and the studio began planning for the show – headlined by Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard – to end with season 7 so that it could make the leap to the big screen. However, Paramount also worried about the TNG movie’s box office chances and wanted a crossover film with TOS’ cast to make it an ‘event’ for Trekkers.

Ultimately, only Shatner, James Doohan, and Walter Koenig signed on for the first of what became four TNG movies Shatner’s participation was crucial because the death of Captain Kirk was planned as the movie’s big climactic moment in order to pass the torch to Picard.

Source: Star Trek: What Kirk’s Dying Words In Generations Mean (& Why They’re Perfect)

Tags: Generations, Kirk, Picard, Screenrant, Star Trek, The Next Generation, TOS, William Shatner

Why Are So Many Knowledge Workers Quitting? | The New Yorker

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Why Are So Many Knowledge Workers Quitting? | The New Yorker

The coronavirus pandemic threw everyone into Walden Pond.

By Cal Newport, August 16, 2021

An empty desk and chair in a sparse room.
During the pandemic, many knowledge workers have been embracing career downsizing, voluntarily reducing their work hours to emphasize other aspects of life.Photograph from Getty

Last spring, a friend of mine, a writer and executive coach named Brad Stulberg, received a troubling call from one of his clients. The client, an executive, had suddenly started losing many of his best employees, and he couldn’t really explain why. “This was the canary in the coal mine,” Stulberg said.

In the weeks that followed, more clients began sharing stories of unusually high staff attrition. “They were asking me, ‘Am I doing something wrong?’ ” Stulberg was especially well suited to help the executives he advises grasp the mind-set of their exiting employees.

Before the pandemic, Stulberg had been working on a book, “The Practice of Groundedness,” which argues for a values-based approach to defining and pursuing success. The research process led him to question his own professional situation. He lived with his wife and their young son in an apartment in Oakland, California.

He was on staff as an internal coach for Kaiser Permanente, a health-care company. He also ran his own small, community-based coaching practice, wrote books and freelance magazine articles, and delivered paid lectures. His new book emphasized the imperatives of presence and developing community ties, but Stulberg didn’t have the time to act on these principles, as he felt that he had to work constantly to keep up with the high cost of living in Oakland. “The laptop was always out,” he said.

Editor’s Note: Read more, see link below for SEE ALSO…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year%27s_Eve

Source: Why Are So Many Knowledge Workers Quitting? | The New Yorker

Tags: Coronavirus, COVID-19, Jobs, Knowledge Workers, Remote Work, The New Yorker

Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek’s Lt. Uhura, faces heartbreaking conservatorship fight – al.com

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Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek’s Lt. Uhura, faces heartbreaking conservatorship fight – al.com

By Makeda Easter Los Angeles Times (TNS) and Tribune Media Services, Updated 7:25 AM; Today 7:09 AM

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – MARCH 05: Actress and Original Star Trek cast member Nichelle Nichols films her final performance for “Renegades: Ominara” at Northrop Grumman on March 5, 2021 in Manhattan Beach, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images) Getty Images

Tucked away at the end of a secluded cul-de-sac, Nichelle Nichols’ Woodland Hills home was a testament to her boundary-breaking career spanning more than 70 years.

Nichols lined walls and shelves with photos of herself as Lt. Uhura on the original “Star Trek” series, memorabilia from her legions of fans and documentation of her contributions to NASA’s recruitment of women and people of color in the 1970s.

The home was Nichols’ pride and joy, say those close to the star. She purchased it in 1982 for $12,000 and meticulously planned its details, from her plush, oversize furniture to the garden where she planted roses to the neighboring property she purchased in 1994 to use as a guesthouse and workspace for projects.

Questions around the fate of Nichols’ home — who lives in it and what happens to it — have been central to an ongoing, years-long legal battle over the finances and care of the beloved TV star, who friends and family say is financially drained and struggling with dementia.

Source: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek’s Lt. Uhura, faces heartbreaking conservatorship fight – al.com

Tags: AL.com, Conservatorship, Dementia, Health, Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek, TOS

Rocky Mountaineer: Canadian luxury train debuts its first US route | CNN Travel

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Rocky Mountaineer: Canadian luxury train debuts its first US route | CNN Travel

Will McGough, CNN, Updated 16th August 2021

From article…

(CNN) — The United States’ railroad system is getting a boost from its northern neighbor.

One of Western Canada’s most-decorated luxury scenic train lines, the Rocky Mountaineer, launched its first US route on August 15 through its namesake mountain range, running two-day, one-night trips back and forth between Denver, Colorado, and Moab, Utah.

The new route, known as Rockies to the Red Rocks, joins the line’s three rail offerings in Western Canada (Vancouver to Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper) and takes passengers through several distinct regions of Colorado before cruising into the heart of canyon country in Southern Utah.

Source: Rocky Mountaineer: Canadian luxury train debuts its first US route | CNN Travel

Tags: CNN, CNN Travel, Colorado, Rockies to Red Rocks, Rocky Mountaineer, Trains, Travel, Utah

Best Seafood Restaurants in San Diego: Oceanfront Spots to Eat At Now | Thrillist

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Best Seafood Restaurants in San Diego: Oceanfront Spots to Eat At Now | Thrillist

It doesn’t get any fresher than this.

By Mary Beth Abate, Published on 8/12/2021 at 4:03 PM

Pacific Coast Grill

There are approximately 2,792 different seafood restaurants in San Diego, according to statistics that we just made up.

With 70 miles of coastline in San Diego County alone, along with Baja California and the whole Pacific Northwest, San Diegans enjoy a fresh seafood bounty that our landlocked counterparts can only dream of.

From sweet, ready-to-slurp oysters to yellowtail, mahi, and marlin tacos, and an abundance of crustaceans ready to be doused in butter and served with soft rolls or market fresh veggies, our choices from the briny deep are nearly limitless.

Of course, the only thing that makes a great seafood dinner better is a great view to go with it. We’ve rounded up a dozen of our favorite oceanfront spots, from Oceanside all the way to Imperial Beach…

Source: Best Seafood Restaurants in San Diego: Oceanfront Spots to Eat At Now – Thrillist

Tags: California, Dining Out, Oceanfront, San Diego, Seafood, Thrillist

The Census shows that vast stretches of America are Shrinking. Almost all of them voted for Donald Trump | slate

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The Census shows that vast stretches of America are Shrinking. Almost all of them voted for Donald Trump | slate

Ninety percent of counties that lost population in the last decade backed the ex-president.

By Jordan Weissmann, Aug 14, 20215:40 AM

A barn for Trump. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Donald Trump and the Republican Party he shaped represent the fading face of the United States, winning over an older, more rural, and overwhelmingly caucasian bloc of voters that reflected the country’s past more than its more urban and diverse future.

The latest data from the 2020 Census, which the government released on Thursday to kick off the congressional redistricting process, illustrate that fact in incredibly stark terms.

It shows that the white population fell for the first time in history during the last decade, and that Americans continued to cluster in growing cities and suburbs, whether in Texas, Georgia, Virginia, or New York.

Source: The Census shows that vast stretches of America are Shrinking. Almost all of them voted for Donald Trump.

Tags: America, Census 2020, Losing Voters, Slate, Times They Are A-Changing, Trump

‘Citizen Kane’ to Rejoin the Criterion Collection in 4K Ultra HD – Variety

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‘Citizen Kane’ to Rejoin the Criterion Collection in 4K Ultra HD – Variety

By Anna Tingley, Aug 11, 2021 1:15pm PT

Courtesy Everett Collection

You’ll finally be able to watch your favorite classics in 4K HD.

The Criterion Collection announced today that they will come out with their first-ever 4K Ultra HD titles in November, made up of a six-film slate that includes Orson Welles’ seminal “Citizen Kane,” widely regarded as one of the best films in history.

Source: ‘Citizen Kane’ to Rejoin the Criterion Collection in 4K Ultra HD – Variety

Tags: 4K Ultra HD, Citizen Kane, Criterion Collection, Variety

How ‘The Pet Revolution’ Unleashed A New Top Dog In America : Planet Money : NPR

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How ‘The Pet Revolution’ Unleashed A New Top Dog In America : Planet Money : NPR

By Greg Rosalsky, August 10, 20216:30 AM ET

The dog takeover
Pixabay

If you’re in the market for gourmet dog food these days, there are a lot of options for your pooch. I mean, if you’ve got bills to pay, you could buy a 20-pound bag of chicken flavor Pedigree kibble for $12. But Open Farm Pet offers a similar size bag of “Wild-Caught Salmon & Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food” for $72. Not only does it have wild salmon, it’s got steel-cut oats, quinoa, chia seeds and “superfoods like coconut oil, pumpkin and turmeric.” Stella & Chewy’s offers a 22-pound bag blend of raw lamb, beef, and venison kibble for $86 and an 8-pound box of “Grass-Fed Lamb Stew” for $70.

The stew is “100% human grade,” which is perfect for the discerning carnivorous canine. But if your dog is the ethical type, he or she can chow down on Wild Earth’s vegan dog food. An 18-pound, meatless bag costs $70 and is chock full of plant protein and “irresistible umami flavor.”

Dogs have come a long way since the days when they were put to work on farms and fed scraps. They’ve even come a long way since just a few decades ago when they spent their nights in the doghouse. Dogs now sleep inside on orthopedic beds. They get top-notch healthcare and visits to psychiatrists who prescribe them antidepressants. They see acupuncturists and psychics. They get massages and spa days. They wear sweaters.

Source: How ‘The Pet Revolution’ Unleashed A New Top Dog In America : Planet Money : NPR

Tags: Dog Foods, Dogs, Gourmet, NPR, Pets, Planet Money

Billions of dollars aren’t enough to fix America’s train problem | SLATE

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Billions of dollars aren’t enough to fix America’s train problem | SLATE

By Henry Grabar, Aug 09, 202111:34 AM

Amtrak celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2021. Olivier Douliery/Getty Images

As part of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that is edging ever closer to passage, Congress is set to give Amtrak $30 billion for the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, part of a $66 billion grant for the network nationwide.

To some, this may seem like a good step toward realizing a future of American train travel that’s more in line with the high-speed, low(er)-cost systems in countries like Japan and France. Alon Levy, a mathematician who works on the Transit Costs Project at New York University, estimates that somewhere between $15 billion and $20 billion would be needed to implement a high-speed, fairly affordable, and frequently running train system between Boston and Washington.

But Amtrak seems to have less ambitious plans for the “greatest investment in Amtrak’s 50-year history.” Rather than using the funds to build an efficient, high-speed rail in the Northeast, Amtrak has allotted $30 billion for one single project: Gateway. Gateway would restore the aging tracks that bring commuters from New Jersey to New York City, rebuild an existing tunnel, construct a second tunnel, and expand Penn Station.

Source: Billions of dollars aren’t enough to fix America’s train problem.

Tags: American Railroads, Amtrak, Funding, Infrastructure, Railroads, Slate, Trains

books – Covenant Books | john j. hammerlink and the really big think

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books – Covenant Books | john j. hammerlink and the really big think

Author: Bette Slater

Book cover image…

John J. Hammerlink is a young boy who is constantly getting into trouble because he does not think.

He decides to learn about this thing called thinking by seeking help from his family members.

When an elderly neighbor is robbed, he puts his family’s advice into action. He not only saves his neighbor, but he becomes a hero.

Source: books – Covenant Books

Tags: Bette Slater, Books, Children, Covenant Books, John J. Hammerlink and the Really Big Think, Libraries, Young People

How to Grow Old With Your Friends – The Atlantic

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How to Grow Old With Your Friends – The Atlantic

“We all dreamt, We’ll grow old together. We’ll be old ladies together. And we did.”

Updated at 1:35 p.m. ET on August 6, 2021

By Julie Beck

Wenjia Tang

Each installment of “The Friendship Files” features a conversation between The Atlantic’s Julie Beck and two or more friends, exploring the history and significance of their relationship.

This week she talks with Kappa Delta sorority sisters who attended the University of Virginia in the ’70 and ’80s.

They’ve stayed close over the 40 years since graduation by hosting regular dinner parties—and they recently turned some of their favorite recipes into a cookbook.

They discuss how the fun of ’70s Greek life morphed into a lifelong support network, and how they make time for play and friendship.

Source: How to Grow Old With Your Friends – The Atlantic

Tags: Aging, Friendship, Growing Old, Julie Beck, The Atlantic, University of Virginia

(153) The Machines That Built America: The First Television System Ever Invented (Season 1) | History channel – YouTube

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(153) The Machines That Built America: The First Television System Ever Invented (Season 1) | History channel – YouTube

Published on YouTube, 23,025 views, Aug 4, 2021

Screenshot

Philo Farnsworth revolutionized the world with his all-electronic television, which was the foundation of all TV’s for the next 60 years, in this clip from Season 1, “Titans of Television.”

Source: (153) The Machines That Built America: The First Television System Ever Invented (Season 1) | History – YouTube

Tags: America, Early Days, History Channel, invention, machines, Philo Farnsworth, Television, YouTube

Tips for Taking a Long-Distance Train on Amtrak | insider

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Tips for Taking a Long-Distance Train on Amtrak | insider

By Frank Olito, Aug 3, 2021, 1:32 PM

Long-haul train rides aren’t for everyone.
Shutterstock

Taking a long-haul train isn’t easy, so there are some things to know before making the trek.

The Amtrak room.
Frank Olito/ Insider

When I took a 19-hour Amtrak ride from New York to Chicago, I learned you should travel alone and bring earplugs.

Pricing can vary, but it’s probably more expensive than you think.

Source: Tips for Taking a Long-Distance Train on Amtrak

Tags: Amtrak, Insider, Long-Distance, Planning, Railroads, Trains, Travel

Talking to science deniers and sceptics is not hopeless | Nature

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Talking to science deniers and sceptics is not hopeless | Nature

Fears of backfire effects are overblown, and advice to listen and interact still stands.

By Lee McIntyre, 5 August 2021

Vaccine prepared…

I was at the March for Science in Boston, Massachusetts, on 22 April 2017, as were many scientists.

About 70,000 of us descended on the Boston Common, a famous park in the city. We were there to stand up for facts and truth. Where are the crowds of scientists now?

Since then, harms from science denial have only increased: global suffering has grown owing to inaction on climate change, and COVID-19 infections have risen along with the scourge of vaccine scepticism.

I’ve been out there — I talked to flat-earthers at a convention in Denver, Colorado, and went to rural Pennsylvania to talk to coal miners about climate change — and I’ve asked my scientist friends to come with me.

No dice. “Those people just aren’t worth talking to,” they’ll say. “I wouldn’t make a difference anyway.”

That’s wrong, both factually and morally. Those people can and do change their minds, although it requires someone to put in the time to overcome distrust.

-From article..

Source: Talking to science deniers and sceptics is not hopeless

Tags: Anti-Science, Anti-Vaxers, Facts, Nature, Science Deniers, Truth

How Trump tried to pressure Georgia officials to overturn the 2020 election | CNN

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How Trump tried to pressure Georgia officials to overturn the 2020 election | CNN

By Marshall Cohen, Jason Morris and Christopher Hickey, CNN
Illustration by Will Mullery, CNN Published August 5, 2021

Illustration by Will Mullery, CNN

Washington (CNN) – Prosecutors in Georgia are still investigating whether former President Donald Trump broke any laws when he tried to overturn his 2020 defeat in the hotly contested state.

The probe ramped up earlier this year, with a grand jury convening in Atlanta. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said the criminal investigation includes potential “solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local governmental bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the election’s administration.”

Months after the election, new information is still coming to light about Trump’s potentially unlawful effort to overturn the results.

Recent reports indicate that he considered installing a loyalist as acting attorney general at the Justice Department — someone who agreed with Trump’s false claims about voter fraud and was prepared to pressure election officials in Georgia to overturn the results.

Source: How Trump tried to pressure Georgia officials to overturn the 2020 election

Tags: CNN, CNN Politics, Criminal, Elections, False Claims, Georgia, Lies, Trump

Soccer Star Abby Wambach Recommends Books On Sports And Leadership : NPR

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Soccer Star Abby Wambach Recommends Books On Sports And Leadership : NPR

August 4, 20215:05 AM ET, Heard on Morning Edition

By A Martínez

NPR

Soccer star Abby Wambach retired from professional play in 2015.

She’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist and she’s a vocal activist on behalf of women in sports. She wrote her own memoir, Forward, five years ago, so we asked her what books she’s drawn from when it comes to leadership in sports — and in fact, the first two books she brought us weren’t about sports at all.

But Wambach says they definitely have lessons for leaders.

Source: Soccer Star Abby Wambach Recommends Books On Sports And Leadership : NPR

Tags: Abby Wambach, Leadership, NPR, Olympics, Sports Books

The Myth of the Golden Years – The Atlantic

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The Myth of the Golden Years – The Atlantic

Whether economic times are good or bad, the lament for the old days of factories and mills never changes.

By Tom Nichols, August 4, 2021

Getty; The Atlantic

“You’ll want to read this,” my wife said, handing me the Sunday Boston Globe.

The cover story that week in late September 2020 was about a 62-year-old woman who had colon cancer that had metastasized. She died in a local hospital; her husband was also in poor health and could not take care of her at home. After she died, he moved into an area facility.

Reading of someone so close to my own age succumbing to a highly preventable disease was a bit unsettling. The dateline, however, was the reason my wife had given me the paper.

The story was from my hometown in Massachusetts, and the facility where the husband now lived was down the street from my childhood home. When I was a boy, we joked, far too easily, about “putting” people there when they got old. In later years, the joking ended when my father had to stay there briefly as his health began to fail. My brother then passed through its doors on his way to the final stop in a VA hospital.

The couple in the story had struggled for survival in the neighborhood where I grew up, and one of them, as the Globe put it, had experienced “the kind of death all too typical for people who work hard jobs for modest pay,” dying “too young … and too hard.”

Central to these criticisms is a nostalgia for an idealized past that always makes the present seem terrible. Some of this is manipulation by political charlatans. But sincere concerns come from some political and economic elites, especially those who are products of a class transition and advancement through education and relocation. They are concerned about the anger of the “forgotten places” where they grew up.

–from article

Source: The Myth of the Golden Years – The Atlantic

Tags: Golden Years, Memories, Mythology, Past Times, The Atlantic

On the Film Registry: “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978): An Interview with Tim Matheson | Now See Hear! | library of congress

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On the Film Registry: “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978): An Interview with Tim Matheson | Now See Hear! | library of congress

August 2, 2021 by Stacie Seifrit-Griffin

 Animal House still, courtesy of Tim Matheson

It was 20 years ago that the Library of Congress added “National Lampoon’s Animal House” to the National Film Registry.

Originally released in 1978 and inducted in 2001, “Animal House” remains one of the most quoted and iconic comedy films in history.

In his book, “America’s Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide To The Landmark Movies In The National Film Registry,” author Daniel Eagan says “National Lampoon’s Animal House” has become one of the most influential comedies of the 1970’s.

Embraced by younger viewers, it has been used as a blueprint by a succeeding generation of comedy filmmakers.”

Source: On the Film Registry: “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978): An Interview with Tim Matheson | Now See Hear!

Tags: Animal House, Interview, Library of Congress, National Film Registry, National Lampoon's Animal House, Tim Matheson

Libraries Across The United States Are Ending Fines For Overdue Books

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Libraries Across The United States Are Ending Fines For Overdue Books

By Rachel Kramer Bussel, Senior Contributor Media, Jul 30, 2021,07:49am EDT

Numerous libraries across the United States are eliminating fines for overdue books.
Getty Images

Libraries across the United States are eliminating late fees for overdue books.

In Burbank, California, the Burbank Public Library became fine free on July 1, eliminating fees for overdue books and cancelling historical overdue fees.

Of the switch, the library wrote on its website, “This move is part of our efforts to improve equity of access. While fines for overdue items may seem like a small burden, they can create a major barrier to service for those who are struggling financially. Too many people have made the choice to stop using the Library because of inability to pay or fear of accruing fines.”

The library also stated, “Research has shown that fines are not effective in getting materials returned on time, and libraries that have eliminated fines have found that long overdue items come back and patrons who avoided the library for years start visiting again.” Fines won’t be charged for lost library cards, or holds that aren’t picked up, but will still be charged for lost or damaged checked out items.

Source: Libraries Across The United States Are Ending Fines For Overdue Books

Tags: Fines, Forbes, Libraries, Library, Media, Overdues, United States

Are we really addicted to technology? – Big Think

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Are we really addicted to technology? – Big Think

Fear that new technologies are addictive isn’t a modern phenomenon.

By Freethink * 31 July, 2021

Credit: Rodion Kutsaev via Unsplash

This article was originally published on our sister site, Freethink, which has partnered with the Build for Tomorrow podcast to go inside new episodes each month.

Subscribe here to learn more about the crazy, curious things from history that shaped us, and how we can shape the future. In many ways, technology has made our lives better.

Through smartphones, apps, and social media platforms we can now work more efficiently and connect in ways that would have been unimaginable just decades ago. But as we’ve grown to rely on technology for a lot of our professional and personal needs, most of us are asking tough questions about the role technology plays in our own lives.

Are we becoming too dependent on technology to the point that it’s actually harming us?

Editor’s Note: Includes audio…

Source: Are we really addicted to technology? – Big Think

Tags: Addictive, Big Think, Build for Tomorrow, Dependency, Freethink, Technology

Amtrak funding in the infrastructure bill: A plan to fix up America’s passenger rail

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Amtrak funding in the infrastructure bill: A plan to fix up America’s passenger rail

What the beleaguered operator should do with $66 billion from Congress.

By Henry Grabar, July 30, 202112:31 PM

What would Amtrak Joséph do with $66 billion? Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Amtrak Joe delivers.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill that seems likely to pass the Senate contains $66 billion for intercity rail, which is pretty damn close to the $80 billion President Joe Biden asked for in April. The White House calls it “the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago.”

The deal includes $22 billion in “grants” for Amtrak, another $24 billion specifically for the Northeast Corridor, and another $20 billion for intercity service, safety grants, and grade crossing improvements. (What’s the difference between the first chunk of grants and the last? The White House hasn’t detailed that yet.)

That will mean better Amtrak service on existing high-traffic routes (relatively speaking) like Portland–Seattle, Richmond–D.C., and Chicago–Milwaukee. It might mean new service in fast-growing regions, like between Charlotte and Atlanta or Atlanta and Nashville.

Source: Amtrak funding in the infrastructure bill: A plan to fix up America’s passenger rail

Tags: Amtrak, Amtrak Joe, Infrastructure Bill, Investment, President Biden, Railroads, Slate, Trains

Virtual Tours – Smithsonian Gardens | The Scout report

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Virtual Tours – Smithsonian Gardens | The Scout report
Saucer magnolia in the Enid A. Haupt Garden
Smithsonian Gardens Virtual ToursSocial studies
Source: gardens.si.edu/plan-your-visit/tours
The Smithsonian’s lush and diverse 180-acre educational gardens, which the institution calls a “museum without walls,” are now accessible to all via an array of virtual tours. Casual flower fans and horticulture buffs alike can simply scroll the page linked above to appreciate the Smithsonian’s magnolia collection (“Magnolia Madness”) or see the best and brightest fall colors at any time of the year (“Fall Foliage Walking Tour”), among other offerings. For a deeper dive, readers can click “Be A Plant Explorer” to access a searchable guide to the Smithsonian Gardens collection, including high-resolution images, scientific information, and fun facts about each specimen (note that the tool works best on a computer or tablet). Garden geeks can show off with verdant digital backgrounds for computer desktop or Zoom, found in the Featured section at the bottom of the page. Readers can also follow the gardens on Facebook, Instagram (@SmithsonianGardens on both services), and Twitter (@SIGardens). The best part about the virtual gardens? They’re always in full bloom. The only downside is trying to smell the flowers through your screen! [HCL]
From newsletter…

Source: https://scout.wisc.edu/report/current

Tags: Gardens, Smithsonian Gardens, Smithsonian Institution, The Scout Report, Virtual Tours

How Government Learned to Waste Your Time – The Atlantic

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How Government Learned to Waste Your Time – The Atlantic

Why is so much American bureaucracy left to average citizens?

By Annie Lowrey, July 27, 2021

Getty; The Atlantic

Not long ago, a New York City data analyst who had been laid off shortly after the pandemic hit told me she had filed for unemployment-insurance payments and then spent the next six months calling, emailing, and using social media to try to figure out why the state’s Labor Department would not send her the money she was owed.

A mother in Philadelphia living below the poverty line told me about her struggle to maintain government aid. Disabled herself and caring for a disabled daughter, she had not gotten all of her stimulus checks and, because she does not regularly file taxes or use a computer, needed help from a legal-aid group to make sure she would get the newly expanded child-tax-credit payments.

Source: How Government Learned to Waste Your Time – The Atlantic

Tags: American Bureaucracy, Politics, Services, The Atlantic, Time Tax, Wasting Time

Cornell’s Merlin app can identify birds by sight and sound | Popular Science

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Cornell’s Merlin app can identify birds by sight and sound | Popular Science

The app’s new ‘Shazam for birds’ feature was made possible through citizen science. Here’s how it all works—and why you should download it.

By Charlotte Hu | Updated Jul 28, 2021 8:20 AM

Who’s singing here? Cornell’s updated Merlin app can listen and find out for you. Drew Weber / Cornell Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library

Last year, as pandemic lockdown restrictions hit the US, new bird enthusiasts flocked to the free Merlin Bird ID app.

The app, which comes from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, previously offered ways for users to identify a mystery bird near them through descriptions or a photo.

Earlier this summer, it received an even cooler feature: the ability to recognize a bird based on a short audio clip of its song, chirp, or call.

Starting in March 2020, the Merlin team saw an uptick in the number of app downloads, a trend that’s persisted. “Not only were we getting more downloads, but the number of active users has continued to grow,” says Drew Weber, the project coordinator for Merlin. This spring, 1.2 million people (and counting) were on Merlin. “People are downloading it, getting into birds, and they’re still into birds this year, even though the realities of lockdown and such are changing,” he says. “It seems like it piqued their interest, and kept their interest.”

Source: Cornell’s Merlin app can identify birds by sight and sound | Popular Science

Tags: Birds, Cornell, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Identification, Merlin App, Ornithology, Popular Science

Review: Amtrak reinvents ‘traditional’ dining car meals | trains

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Review: Amtrak reinvents ‘traditional’ dining car meals | trains

Ride with ‘Southwest Chief’ kitchen staff reveals upgraded quality and presentation

By Bob Johnston | July 26, 2021

First of two parts

Chef Frank Villasenor grills a flatiron steak. He has observed improving food quality and freshness with the new menu selections. (Bob Johnston)

ABOARD THE SOUTHWEST CHIEF — A month after Amtrak revamped dining-car menus on the five long-distance trains that serve the West Coast — replacing pre-packaged meals in a bowl with freshly-prepared breakfasts, lunches, and dinners — it’s clear the company is aiming for a higher standard than what it previously offered.

“I was really surprised,” observes Chef Frank Villasenor, who, with Food Specialist Brian Garrigues, is manning the Southwest Chief’s kitchen, on the lower level of the Superliner dining car, out of Chicago on July 22.

“This is a step above where I thought we would go, especially with the direction we were going.”

Source: Review: Amtrak reinvents ‘traditional’ dining car meals – Trains

Tags: Amtrak, dining, Kitchens, Southwest Chief, Trains, Travel

Telescopes checked out from the library will let you explore the starry skies | The salt lake tribune

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Telescopes checked out from the library will let you explore the starry skies | The salt lake tribune

The Salt Lake County Library system has several items available to borrow for free in its Library of Things.

By Kolbie Peterson  | July 24, 2021, 5:00 a.m.

Zach Schierl | National Park Service) In 2017, the night sky is filled with thousands of stars, as seen from Utah’s Cedar Breaks National Monument, an officially designated dark sky park. Telescopes are available to check out from the Salt Lake County Library system for free.

Stars may be very, very far from Earth, but obtaining a telescope to get a good look at them only takes a trip to your local public library — and a library card.

And with the Delta Aquariids hitting their meteor-viewing peak later this week, it’s a perfect time to go stargazing here in Utah.

The Salt Lake County Library system has 48 telescopes available for adult patrons to check out. These sturdy, beginner-friendly models are part of the county library’s growing collection of equipment called the Library of Things, which also includes internet hot spots, Chromebooks, tablets and a variety of other items, all free to borrow.

Spearheaded by Joan Carman with the Salt Lake Astronomical Society, the library system’s telescope program provides access to an instrument that usually costs at least $100 and up to $1,000 or more.

Source: Telescopes checked out from the library will let you explore the starry skies

Tags: Astronomy, Library, Salt Lake Astronomical Society, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County Library System, Salt Lake Tribune, Telescopes, Utah

Harvard professor begins new search for alien spaceships in our skies – CNET

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Harvard professor begins new search for alien spaceships in our skies – CNET

The famous (or infamous, depending who you ask) scientist and E.T. believer Avi Loeb is out to capture some UAP sightings of his own.

By Eric Mack, July 27, 2021 10:37 a.m. PT

This still shows the unidentified object tracked by a Navy pilot in 2015 in the “Gimbal” video. Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET

Harvard’s controversial astronomer Avi Loeb is leading a new initiative, dubbed the Galileo Project, to check Earth’s skies and the rest of the solar system for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.

The longtime astronomy professor, who became well-known for his belief that interstellar object Oumuamua was likely an alien probe, announced the details of his plan via a virtual press conference Monday.

Officially, the initiative is described as “a transparent scientific project to advance a systematic experimental search for cross-validated evidence of potential astro-archaeological artifacts or active technical equipment made by putative existing or extinct extraterrestrial technological civilizations (ETCs).”

Source: Harvard professor begins new search for alien spaceships in our skies – CNET

Tags: Astronomer, Avi Loeb, CNET, Galileo Project, Harvard, UFOs

Las Vegas Buffets Are Back and Better Than Ever | Food & Wine

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Las Vegas Buffets Are Back and Better Than Ever | Food & Wine

The reopening of The Buffet at Bellagio is a bellwether of better times ahead for Sin City.

By Lissa Townsend Rodgers, July 27, 2021

Credit: Courtesy of MGM Resorts International

Many cities are identified with an iconic food.

Philadelphia has its cheesesteaks, New York has pizza, New Orleans has po-boys, Baltimore has crab cakes.

Las Vegas has all of them, because Vegas means a buffet. “I think it’s about having a sense of indulgence and having everything. All of the choices are there for you but you don’t really have to make a decision,” says Wes Holton, executive chef at Bellagio Las Vegas, “I think that kind of sums up Vegas and what people expect when they come to Vegas.”

Source: Las Vegas Buffets Are Back and Better Than Ever | Food & Wine

Tags: Bellagio, Buffets, Casinos, Food and Wine, Hotels, Las Vegas

America on the Road: The Family Vacation by Car | Library of Congress Blog

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America on the Road: The Family Vacation by Car | Library of Congress Blog

July 26, 2021 by Neely Tucker

Alaska postcard in the 1950 travel journal of sociologist Rilma Oxley Buckman. Manuscript Division.

This is a guest post by Joshua Levy, a historian in the Manuscript Division.

In 1960, John Steinbeck set out on a months-long road trip to reacquaint himself with his country. He returned not with clear answers but with his head a “barrel of worms.”

The America he saw was too intertwined with how he felt in the moment, and with his own Americanness, to permit an objective account of the journey. “External reality,” he wrote, “has a way of being not so external after all.”

Pandemics aren’t the only reason Americans have found sanctuary in our homes, or the only anxious times we’ve itched to escape them. The American road trip was first popularized during the auto camping craze of the 1920s, with its devotion to freedom and communing with nature, but it was democratized after World War II.

The golden age of the American family vacation came during the very height of the Cold War. It was a time when, according to historian Susan Rugh, the family car became a “home on the road… a cocoon of domestic space” in which families could feel safe to explore their country.

Source: America on the Road: The Family Vacation by Car | Library of Congress Blog

Tags: American, Family Vacations, Library of Congress, Road Trips, Travel

Great Library Displays and How Effective They Are | book riot

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Great Library Displays and How Effective They Are | book riot

By Lucas Maxwell, Jul 23, 2021

From article…

Creating great library displays can be tough, and I’ll admit that I’m not the best at it.

I’m not crafty or organised enough to ensure that my displays are rotated on a timely basis.

To sit and think of a display is really tricky in my opinion, as every time I try to make one I think that I’m failing at it and not doing as well as other people do.

Photo Credit: Emma Suffield

That’s where social media comes in. By using Twitter and Instagram, I feel you can find some pretty amazing library displays ideas that won’t take up too much time or kill your budget.

Source: Great Library Displays and How Effective They Are

Tags: Book Riot, Library, Library Displays, Marketing, Promotion, Tips and Tricks

How to cool your home without air conditioning during heat waves – The Washington Post

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How to cool your home without air conditioning during heat waves – The Washington Post

In a summer of deadly heat, passive cooling can keep people safe and curb carbon emissions. Here are the simple steps you can take.

By Sarah Kaplan, July 23, 2021 at 10:05 a.m. EDT

(Washington Post illustration; iStock)

As the mercury ticked upward in Portland, Ore., last month, I braced for my apartment to become unbearable.

Normally, my un-air-conditioned basement unit would be fine for the Pacific Northwest’s temperate summers. But these are not normal times.

Climate change has lengthened and intensified heat waves, pushing temperatures to unheard-of extremes. In Portland, a new all-time high was set three days in a row: First, 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Then 113 degrees. Then 116.

To my astonishment, the apartment stayed tolerable all weekend. The tile floors seemed to emanate coolness. The greenery surrounding my windows blocked direct sunlight and helped bring down the temperature of the outside air. I didn’t have a thermometer, but my guess is that the temperature inside never got above 80 degrees.

Source: How to cool your home without air conditioning during heat waves – The Washington Post

Tags: Air Conditioning, Climate, Climate Change, Heat Waves, Passive Cooling, The Washington Post

“A step out of and beyond nature”: Picturing the Moon | Picture This: Library of Congress Prints & Photos

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“A step out of and beyond nature”: Picturing the Moon | Picture This: Library of Congress Prints & Photos

July 22, 2021 by Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is a guest post by Micah Messenheimer, Curator of Photography, Prints & Photographs Division.

Phase of the moon taken March 1851. Photo by John Adams Whipple, 1851 March, printed 1853. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.22196

This week’s anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing provides a perfect opportunity to explore our holdings of lunar photography in the Prints & Photographs Division.

From the medium’s beginnings, the moon fascinated photographers as both a subject of scientific inquiry and as poetic muse. Early efforts to photograph the moon were often met with failure due to the low sensitivity of available materials.

Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre attempted photographs in his eponymous process around 1838 that were described as “fuzzy and low in details,” by his advocate, François Arago. Successful photographs of the moon using the daguerreotype process would not be made until over a dozen years later, when the celebrated Boston portrait photographer John Adams Whipple sought the assistance of Harvard astronomer William Cranch Bond and his son, George Phillips Bond.

Using the college observatory’s Great Refractor telescope, they captured the sphere in its waxing gibbous phase on March 14, 1851.

Source: “A step out of and beyond nature”: Picturing the Moon | Picture This: Library of Congress Prints & Photos

Tags: Apollo 11, Historical Images, Library of Congress, Moon, Photographs, Photography, prints

Scientists Just ‘Looked’ Inside Mars. Here’s What They Found | WIRED

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Scientists Just ‘Looked’ Inside Mars. Here’s What They Found | WIRED

InSight and Perseverance have sent back unprecedented data on everything from marsquakes to the Red Planet’s inner layers.

By Katrina Miller Matt Simon, Science, 07.22.2021 02:00 PM

Illustration: Nicolas Sarter/IPGP

While humans have been struggling to control the Covid-19 pandemic, baking in record heat, and trying to figure out how not to run out of water, our spacecraft on Mars have been enjoying a rather more tranquil existence.

(Not needing to breathe helps.) Parked on the Martian surface, the InSight lander is listening for marsquakes, while the Perseverance rover is rolling around in search of life.

This week, scientists are dropping an Olympus Mons of findings from the two brave robots. In three papers published today in the journal Science—each authored by dozens of scientists from around the world—researchers detail the clever ways they used InSight’s seismometer to peer deep into the Red Planet, giving them an unprecedented understanding of its crust, mantle, and core.

It’s the first time scientists have mapped the interior of a planet other than Earth. And yesterday, another group of scientists held a press conference to announce early research results from Perseverance, and the next steps the rover will take to explore the surface of Jezero Crater, once a lake that could have been home to ancient microbial life.

Source: Scientists Just ‘Looked’ Inside Mars. Here’s What They Found | WIRED

Tags: Core, Geology, Insight, Mars, Perseverance, Planetary Studies, Wired

The California Dream Is Dying – The Atlantic

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The California Dream Is Dying – The Atlantic

The once-dynamic state is closing the door on economic opportunity.

By Conor Friedersdorf, July 21, 2021

About the author: Conor Friedersdorf is a California-based staff writer at The Atlantic, where he focuses on politics and national affairs. He is the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a newsletter devoted to exceptional nonfiction.

Emily Haasch

Behold California, colossus of the West Coast: the most populous American state; the world’s fifth-largest economy; and arguably the most culturally influential, exporting Google searches and Instagram feeds and iPhones and Teslas and Netflix Originals and kimchi quesadillas.

This place inspires awe.

If I close my eyes I can see silhouettes of Joshua trees against a desert sunrise; seals playing in La Jolla’s craggy coves of sun-spangled, emerald seawater; fog rolling over the rugged Sonoma County coast at sunset into primeval groves of redwoods that John Steinbeck called “ambassadors from another time.”

–from article

This landscape is bejeweled with engineering feats: the California Aqueduct; the Golden Gate Bridge; and the ribbon of Pacific Coast Highway that stretches south of Monterey, clings to the cliffs of Big Sur, and descends the kelp-strewn Central Coast, where William Hearst built his Xanadu on a hillside where his zebras still graze.

No dreamscape better inspires dreamers. Millions still immigrate to my beloved home to improve both their prospects and ours.

Yet I fear for California’s future. The generations that reaped the benefits of the postwar era in what was the most dynamic place in the world should be striving to ensure that future generations can pursue happiness as they did. Instead, they are poised to take the California Dream to their graves by betraying a promise the state has offered from the start.

Editor’s Note: Read more, see link below for SEE ALSO…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year%27s_Eve

Source: The California Dream Is Dying – The Atlantic

Tags: American Dream, California, California Dream, Economics, Opportunity, The Atlantic, West Coast

Monarch butterflies are beloved—and declining for this sad reason | Popular Science

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Monarch butterflies are beloved—and declining for this sad reason | Popular Science

Scientists trawled thousands of volunteer surveys over 25 years to understand what imperils the insects.

By Kate Baggaley | Updated Jul 21, 2021 12:00 PM

From article…

For the past three decades, monarch butterflies have been dwindling.

The iconic bugs face a number of threats in North America, from weed killers to climate change, but it hasn’t been clear which one has been the most damaging. A new study, however, indicates that the butterflies are especially sensitive to weather conditions in their spring and summer breeding grounds.

Scientists analyzed data from more than 18,000 monarch counts from across the United States, Mexico, and Canada spanning 25 years. They found that over the past 15 years, climate had an influence on the eastern monarch population that was nearly seven times that of other variables such as herbicide use.

Source: Monarch butterflies are beloved—and declining for this sad reason | Popular Science

Tags: Climate Change, Environment, Herbicides, Monarch Butterfly, Popular Science, Science

Making Room in the Crowd: Library Teleworkers Transcribing in Extraordinary Times | The Signal | library of congress

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Making Room in the Crowd: Library Teleworkers Transcribing in Extraordinary Times | The Signal | library of congress

Published July 20, 2021, by Trevor Owens

In today’s post, By the People community managers Carlyn Osborn, Lauren Algee, and Abby Shelton reflect back on changes in their program since March 2020. Launched in 2018, By the People is a volunteer engagement and collection enhancement program at the Library of Congress that invites the public to explore and transcribe documents on the Library’s website, loc.gov. When transcriptions are completed by volunteers, they are integrated back into the Library’s online catalog, where they become fully searchable and readable by accessibility technologies.

The title page of Patton’s earliest war diary, 1916, which documents his participation in the Mexican Punitive Expedition, organized to capture Pancho Villa. As a result of staff transcribers, this diary is now full text searchable.

Fifteen months ago, the By the People crowdsourced transcription program was in a different place.

We had launched fewer than a dozen campaigns representing 50,000 pages from the Library of Congress collection on crowd.loc.gov, and recruited and registered around 12,000 volunteers. Compare this to July 2021, where we now have 24 campaigns representing over 500,000 pages, with 25,000 registered volunteers. As the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded in March and April 2020, activity on our site more than doubled and suddenly we were seeing demand for Library of Congress virtual volunteering like never before.

During this transformational and challenging time, we were also asked to introduce an entirely new user group to By the People: fellow Library of Congress staff. As our buildings largely closed to the public fifteen months ago, many staff (including us) transitioned to telework. For some Library of Congress staff, it was possible to do their normal work remotely, but for many, it was necessary to identify new kinds of remote projects. In this context, as an already 100% virtual program, we were able to provide safe opportunities for our colleagues who needed to rapidly shift to remote work.

Source: Making Room in the Crowd: Library Teleworkers Transcribing in Extraordinary Times | The Signal

Tags: By the People, Library of Congress, Online Community, Telework, Transcribe Documents, Volunteers

Why Is the Eastern Monarch Butterfly Disappearing? Is There Something We Can Do About It? | SCITECHDAILY

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Why Is the Eastern Monarch Butterfly Disappearing? Is There Something We Can Do About It? | SCITECHDAILY

A Spartan-led research team has uncovered an answer — at least for the most recent population decline — with a huge assist from volunteers.

By Michigan State University, July 19, 2021

From article…

Michigan State University ecologists led an international research partnership of professional and volunteer scientists to reveal new insights into what’s driving the already-dwindling population of eastern monarch butterflies even lower.

Between 2004 and 2018, changing climate at the monarch’s spring and summer breeding grounds has had the most significant impact on this declining population.

In fact, the effects of climate change have been nearly seven times more significant than other contributors, such as habitat loss. The team published its report today (July 19, 2021) in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

“What we do is develop models to understand why monarchs are declining and what’s happening to biodiversity in general,” said Erin Zylstra, the study’s lead author. Zylstra is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, both in MSU’s College of Natural Science.

Source: Why Is the Eastern Monarch Butterfly Disappearing? Is There Something We Can Do About It?

Tags: Butterflies, Eastern Monarch Butterfly, Michigan State University, Population Decline, Research, SciTechDaily

New Flickr Album: A Corn-ucopia of Pictures | Picture This: Library of Congress Prints & Photos

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New Flickr Album: A Corn-ucopia of Pictures | Picture This: Library of Congress Prints & Photos

July 15, 2021 by Barbara Orbach Natanson

The selection of pictures shared in our latest album posted on the photosharing site, Flickr, made me reflect not only on the strong associations in my own past between summer and corn on the cob, but also how fertile corn’s visual potential is.

In fact, corn has traditionally been a symbol of life and fertility, particularly among the native peoples of the Americas, so I was delighted to see how artists and designers realized corn’s ripe possibilities in a variety of contexts.

Possibly my favorite is this musically inclined fellow composed of corn cob, leaves, and tassels (a composition that simultaneously demonstrates the rich linguistic play the word corn offers–I didn’t appreciate until I read the description that he is playing the cornet!):

Source: New Flickr Album: A Corn-ucopia of Pictures | Picture This: Library of Congress Prints & Photos

Tags: Corn, Fertility, Flickr, Images, Library of Congress, Photos

Climate change and the Moon are teaming up to create record floods on Earth | Salon.com

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Climate change and the Moon are teaming up to create record floods on Earth | Salon.com

The Moon’s orbit is “wobbling” — and that plus climate change will wreak havoc on the ground

By Matthew Rozsa, Published July 18, 2021 10:00AM (EDT)

Coastal village during a storm, UK. (Getty images/Peter Cade)

At the time of this writing, at least 120 people have been confirmed dead because of severe flooding in Western Europe.

It is tragically likely that, when this story is over, the number will be significantly higher. A German weather service (DWD) spokesman told CNN that in some areas there has not been this much rainfall in 100 years.

These extreme weather events are inextricably linked to climate change, politicians and experts have noted.

But there is another culprit, one above, that is also affecting the weather: a “wobble” in the orbit of the Moon. Indeed, only days before the flooding, a study in the journal Nature Climate Change by scientists from NASA and the University of Hawaii warned that the Earth may experience record flooding in the mid-2030s because of changes in the Moon’s orbit.

Source: Climate change and the Moon are teaming up to create record floods on Earth | Salon.com

Tags: Climate Change, Flooding, Floods, Moon, Moon Wobble, Planet Earth, Salon, Save the Planet

Rising number of Baby Boomers retirements may create ‘eye-opening’ changes, jobs, business, economy, Dayton, Kettering | Dayton daily news

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Rising number of Baby Boomers retirements may create ‘eye-opening’ changes, jobs, business, economy, Dayton, Kettering | Dayton daily news

Local News | July 17, 2021, By Nick Blizzard

The growing number of Baby Boomer retirements nationwide is accelerating, raising concerns locally about losing a large chunk of the workforce sooner than expected.

Data shows nearly 6 million more Boomers in the U.S. retired from October 2020 through March of this year than the same period a year prior, creating a larger void than anticipated in an economy seeking to fill jobs across an array of industries and recover from the woes of the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: Rising number of Baby Boomers retirements may create ‘eye-opening’ changes, jobs, business, economy, Dayton, Kettering

Tags: Baby Boomers, Coronavirus, Dayton Daily News, Jobs, Pandemic, Retirements

5 Luxe Resorts at America’s National Parks | justluxe

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5 Luxe Resorts at America’s National Parks | justluxe

By Tracie Silberberg Jul. 15th, 2021

Amangiri

A trip to America’s national parks once meant packing a tent or finding the nearest roadside motel.

Indeed, in the mid-century heyday of the road trip, it was part of the charm.

Chip Henderson for The Swag

But as park visitors have become more diverse, and more discerning, over the decades, so too have the surrounding accommodations. Today, travelers can choose from desert bungalows with private plunge pools, five-star hotels with room service, or chic cabins with outdoor rain showers — all in close proximity to open spaces and natural beauty.

For travelers looking to explore the Great Outdoors with full-service amenities, these luxury resorts offer front-row access…

Source: 5 Luxe Resorts at America’s National Parks

Tags: Accommodations, JustLuxe, Luxury Resorts, National Parks, Travel, Visitors
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