Have you ever been traveling, or reading a map, and found a place name that really stands out? Like Dead Injun Creek in Oregon or the Wetback Tank reservoir in New Mexico? There are some weird place names in this country, and as times change, they can be considered embarrassing or downright offensive to contemporary
World travel can be life-changing. I’ve visited Hiroshima, Japan; China’s Great Wall; and Kenya’s savanna with its abundant wildlife. All have made a huge impression om me in their own special way. Now I’ve seen Antarctica and its unique and fragile ecosystem, and again, I’ve come away impressed. To a one-time tourist like me, all
Scientists have released a video of a chimpanzee mother using an insect to treat a wound on her son’s foot. Mom is an endangered female central chimpanzee named Suzee and her son is Sia. After inspection, Suzee snatched an insect from the underside of a leaf, then squeezed it in her mouth and applied the crushed
Each year, Merriam-Webster announces new words that are being added to the dictionary. This annual ritual shows how our culture is changing through language. It’s a good indicator to what our thoughts and concerns are. Last year 455 new words make it into the lexicon. They can be divided into the following categories — Online
For the past two weeks, I’ve been testing a neighbor’s theory about me — he thinks I’m crazy. And after this last adventure, I will concede he has a point. We all need goals, and a major objective in the sport of running is to complete a marathon on all seven continents. But isn’t Antarctica
From Reuters: The French pet-care company AgroBiothers Laboratoire has announced it will no longer sell aquariums smaller than 15 litres and only in a rectangular shape. Putting fish in small bowls, especially without filtration and oxygenation, is now considered animal abuse. “People buy a goldfish for their kids on impulse, but if they knew what
An idea from the If-I-Ruled-The-World Department — If you believe the news reports, a Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent. Formerly a part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Ukraine became independent following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But President of Russia Vladimir Putin, in an apparent bid to put Humpty
I found a very interesting story in the news recently. A 56-year-old man who had chest pains and had been having trouble breathing for two days went to the emergency room. What doctors found was surprising — a four-inch piece of cement was lodged in his heart. A week earlier, the man had undergone a procedure
Have you heard that if you drop food on the floor, it’s still safe to eat for five seconds? It’s an intriguing idea, but where did it come from? We can’t be sure who thought of the five-second rule first, but some attribute it to Genghis Khan. No, really! “There were some historical quotes from Genghis
In 2010, a musician friend of designer/musician Zacharias Vamvakousis was in a serious motorcycle accident and feared he would never be able to play his guitar again. Zacharías realized there was no musical instrument accessible to people with severe disabilities. So he developed the Eyeharp — a digital instrument for the disabled: “If you can