The Huffington Post has a great story today about an animal shelter that has a program where grade school kids read to shelter cats. It helps the cats become more comfortable around humans and seems to help many children read both more and at a higher level. Win win.
If only the cats could read, too!
7 May 2014
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Cartwheeling Spiders
I've seen cartwheeling spiders on nature shows before and marveled at them. Today comes a report of a newly-discovered species, C. rechenbergi. What is different about this spider is how it cartwheels. From the Scientific American report by Bec Crew:
Video (in German):
Nature is a wonder.
6 May 2014
What separates the cartwheeling C. rechenbergi from the golden wheel spider is how much energy is required to perform the behaviour. While the golden wheel spider uses the slope of the hill to propel it away from its predators, C. rechenbergi does all the work to achieve its locomotion. And this can exhaust it so much, reports Jäger, that it can sometimes cartwheel itself to death. “In contrast to the wheeling behaviour inCarparachne aureoflava, it is an active energy-consuming movement, which can lead to the death of the individual when performed some times in succession.”
Video (in German):
Nature is a wonder.
6 May 2014
Moyers, Krugman, & the 1%
From Brandon Weber on Upworthy:
I know it's a lot to ask for 24 minutes of your time, but this one is very much worth it. Paul Krugman and Bill Moyers talk about a new book that is hot, hot, hot: "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" by economist Thomas Piketty.
I know what you're thinking ... a book on economics and inequality is all that? Yep.
6 May 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
"How The Cliven Bundy Saga Exposes America's Most Enduring Myth"
TPM has a great article about race, the American West, & the Homestead Act by University of Kansas professor Jonathan Earle. Worth a read.
5 May 2014
5 May 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
"100 Reasons Not to Have Kids"
I agree with most of her 100 reasons. Her first in favor of having a child would be acceptable if she was holding a kitten.
2 May 2014
2 May 2014
Thursday, May 1, 2014
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