Category Archives: Science

ORNITHOLOGY: “Reflecting Nature: Creating the Wall of Birds” / Cornell Lab of Ornithology / Jane Kim (Scientific Illustrator) ☮

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It takes a big painting to do justice to the phenomenal history and diversity of birds. It also takes an artistic process that is as much about the science as it is about the aesthetics. Get a behind-the-scenes view of how artist Jane Kim brought all 270 species to life on this ambitious natural history mural in this short film narrated by Cornell Lab of Ornithology Director John Fitzpatrick.

ORNITHOLOGY: “Caw vs. Croak: Inside the Calls of Crows and Ravens” / Cornell Lab of Ornithology / Kevin J. McGowan ☮

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Crows and ravens can be tricky to tell apart by sight, but their voices are much more distinctive. Watch this video for some expert tips on the sounds these two common birds make and what those sounds mean.

American Crows and Common Ravens have a repertoire of sounds beyond their signature “caw” and “kraa” calls. The crow often makes a rattle sound along with its territorial caw and also communicates through other click and bell-like notes. Ravens broadcast their presence through deep, throaty kraa calls. Narrator Kevin J. McGowan, an ornithologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, uses harmless wing tags to study crows around the Cornell Lab. In this video, he compares the calls of American Crows with those made by Common Ravens.

HUMANITY: “The Pale Blue Dot” / Carl Sagan ☮

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Find the following transcript on, “The Folly of Human Conceits,” blog:

Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. Continue reading →

CLIMATE CHANGE: “The Right to a Future, with Naomi Klein and Greta Thunberg” / The Intercept ☮

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The Intercept invites you to a special event in New York City hosted by senior correspondent Naomi Klein and headlined by trailblazing climate activist Greta Thunberg. Together with youth leaders Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Xiye Bastida, and Vic Barrett, Greta and Naomi will help us visualize a just and sustainable future, confront our climate emergency, and discuss the emerging cross-generational, transnational movement that is our best hope for a sustainable planet. Both a celebration of youth activism and a reflection on how to break through the political and economic barriers preventing meaningful climate action, “The Right to a Future” will take place before the Global Climate Strike starting September 20 and the U.N. Climate Action Summit on September 23.

 

 

CRITICAL THINKING: “Sarah Levin: Christian Privilege in America” / The Thinking Atheist ☮

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What happens when one religion claims ownership of a nation? Sarah Levin, Director of Governmental Affairs for http://www.secular.org, talks about unconstitutional Christian privilege in the United States.