Sunday, April 03, 2022

Coffee and Provocation


Slavery and the Natural World
The British Museum has a wonderful page and module on how the slave trade impacted the natural world through the transmission of labor, knowledge, disease, plants, animals. The project was completed in 2007 to commemorate the British bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

The End of the International Space Station?

Recreational Marijuana on the Maryland Ballot
It will almost certainly get legalized.  That doesn't mean it's good for you or right to consume, just that it's about equal to other legal killers like cigarettes, alcohol, guns, and the Republican party.

Smuckers Tried Some Bullshit
They thought they could patent the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  But you can't patent a recipe, and the "process" has to be less than obvious. 

A Dog Breed From Ukraine
The Vostochno Evropeiskaya Ovcharka was created from the German Shepherd after 1920.

A New Fossil Named After Joe Biden
A 328-million year old fossil of the vampire squid’s oldest ancestor has been named for Joe Biden. For those who may wonder, squids are among the smarter and more adaptable creatures on earth.

The Continuing Crisis
New Zealand’s National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies has a “toxic and unproductive culture that is paralysing, isolating, and divisive.”

Poutine, Not Putin
A Quebec diner has dropped the word ‘poutine’ over a dish sharing the name (sic) with the Russian president.

The Crime That Is Yale
A Yale administrator stole $40 million in $10,000 increments, to avoid detection. That means she stole $10,0000 twice a day for 8 years, and no one caught on.

The Drone Terrorism Ahead
Ukrainian troops are using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) multi-copter drones to drop adapted rifle grenades using civilian tech thermal sights. Look for weaponized commercial drones to be the new face of terrorism (domestic and international) in the years ahead.

Free Flying African Flamingo
Canada to End the Gasoline Car Engine
Canada will ban sales of combustion engine passenger cars by 2035.

U.S. Renewable Energy Provided More Juice than Coal or Nukes
US renewable energy production hit an all-time high in 2021.

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