There is only one exclamation point in Ernest Hemingway’s – The Old Man and the Sea – published in 1951. There were eight exclamation points in Anthony Burgess’ – A Clockwork Orange – published in 1962. But four novels published in the 21st century each have 250 or more exclamation points, with one using 439. And this highlights …
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From California Governor Jerry Brown: “Today I am signing Assembly Bill 1844 and Senate Bill 1349, which prohibit universities and employers from demanding your email and social media passwords,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “California pioneered the social media revolution. These laws protect Californians from unwarranted invasions of their social media accounts.” I didn’t know …
Never before has the buddhism of Korea been available to the West, until now. Scholars across America have united to translate a 13-volume anthology covering 1,700 years – and the entire guide is available online, free with a creative commons license. View all thirteen volumes here (scroll to bottom). More about this work, from the …
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It’s nice to have creative friends, especially when you hit a creative block. You can call them up and ask them for advice. That’s exactly what Alex Cornell did and he turned it into BreakThrough! 90 Ways to Spark Your Imagination. Each one is a personal thought from an artist, writer, or musician – like …
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From Charged: The city of Milton Keynes will replace the diesel buses on one route with eight electric buses that will use wireless charging. The route currently transports more than 775,000 passengers a year over a total of 450,000 miles. Electrification is expected to remove about 500 tons of tailpipe CO2 emissions per year, and cut …
Everyday in America someone tries to ban a book. The American Library Association reports 326 challenges in 2011. A challenge is more than a person being annoyed with a book, it is a person telling the library they don’t want anyone else to read the book. That is censorship in its most basic form. …
Continue reading “Celebrate the freedom to read – Banned Books Week – Sep 30 – Oct 6”
This weekend scientists were able to measure freeway pollution when a 10-mile section was shut down for construction. The results were surprising. Within minutes of the traffic shut-down, air quality for the region improved by 83%. It also improved by 75% in the surrounding cities and 25% for the 30 miles in every direction. The findings …
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Raptors are hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, and vultures. They are hunters who prefer to capture their prey alive – swooping out of the sky with fierce claws “made to rip flesh off the bones.” And can come in all sizes, fitting into the palm of your hand or displaying a 9-foot wingspan. These are a …
Continue reading “A look at raptors – the biology of birds of prey”
After a long summer of iced coffees and frozen fruit drinks, we can finally enjoy hot and savory soups. Fall brings back cozy nights with a comfy blanket, a good book, and a steaming bowl of soup. The first soup of the season is Butternut Squash Soup – so easy to make and so overwhelmingly…orange. …
Bram Stoker published Dracula in 1897, but years before that novel made vampires famous, New England had its own famous living dead. The stories tell of dead relatives rising from the grave to haunt their family – even drink their blood. Townspeople would become so scared they would have the Mayor and Church approve an …