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Articles in: Weird & Wonderful
Climate & Change, Weird & Wonderful, Oct 7th, 2010,
Books like Stephen Baxter’s Flood, Saci Lloyd’s Carbon Diaries 2015 and 2017, Ronald Wright’s A Scientific Romance, and Maggie Gee’s The Flood and Ice Age have depicted a future London either in the violent throws of climate change or after such a radical change has already happened. These books are members of a growing cannon of science or speculative fiction about an often grim future that is difficult for most to conceive of: a vastly altered landscape, a flooded, tropical or frozen London which presents challenges that either crush or ignite the humanity of its inhabitants. Though most of these…
Tags: climate change, exhibit, futures, london
Climate & Change, Politics, Science & Technology, sustainable living, Weird & Wonderful, Oct 6th, 2010,
Remember the article a few months ago about the Globama Campaign? If not, the campaign was an idea to get the White House to go solar; more specifically, solar company Sungevity offered to install a rooftop solar panel system on the President’s infamous home for free. It would seem all that campaigning and petitioning finally paid off because the White House is officially announcing plans to go solar! I’m not sure if they took Sungevity’s offer specifically, but what I do know is the solar panels will be installed above the White House’s living quarters, by spring 2011. The panels…
Tags: 350.org, Globama, renewable energy, solar panels, three times, White House goes solar
green living, Science & Technology, Weird & Wonderful, Oct 5th, 2010,
It’s been months since I’ve written anything about green architecture, but that certainly didn’t stop people from dreaming or designing new ideas. Museums, retirement homes, shopping centers, schools and office spaces are created (or at least drawn up) all the time, but these particular designs caught my attention for one reason: they all float (or have floating-like qualities). Check them out: Xiamen Museum Designed by MAD Architects and destined for Xiamen City in China, this is one of the most unique museum ideas I have ever seen. The Xiamen Museum is an odd shaped, 3-story structure that would cover about…
Tags: China, float, green architecture, green design, hang, Italy, Ja StudioInc, MAD Architects, Michael Jantzen, orbit, Orbiting Eco-House, Slow Uprising, Xiamen Museum
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 29th, 2010,
This week’s Creature Feature takes us to Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago (which is off the coast of Tanzania, Africa). Unfortunately, this primate has a bad reputation because locals believe it has an evil influence on the trees they (the colobus) feed on, claiming their feeding habits are killing the trees. Locals also refer to it as “kima punju” (“poison monkey” in Swahili) due to its strong smell. The Zanzibar Red Colobus (aka Kirk’s Red Colobus) is an Endangered Species, with populations on the decline. Their fur ranges from dark red to black in color, with a…
Tags: Africa, Conservation, Creature Feature, endangered species, Kirk's Red Colobus, poison monkey, primate, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zanzibar Red Colobus
Nature, Science & Technology, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, ,
Fall is here, which means the leaves are starting to change color. This is the last season of color we get before the world turns to a drab white, brown, black and grey. It’s also one of the most spectacular times of the year to go for a hike. Whether you live near the Swiss Alps or the Rocky Mountains, sometimes nothing is more amazing than walking amongst the trees as their leaves turn to pumpkin orange, golden yellow, or scarlet red. It also makes for great photo opportunities! Given all that information, have you ever wondered why the leaves…
Tags: autumn colors, climate, fall foliage, leaf colors, orange, red, survival, trees, weather, why do leaves change color, Yellow
Business, Climate & Change, Conservation, green living, Nature, Recycling, Sustainable living, Weird & Wonderful, Sep 23rd, 2010,
Did you know that by making simple changes to a greener lifestyle, you could save hundreds—or even thousands—of dollars per year? From holiday gift wrapping to house cleaning and work transportation, you’d be amazed at the savings that can pile up, simply from going green! Despite the problems the environment faces and the ever-growing trend of “going green”, there are people out there who still only think of themselves. They don’t care about changing their life to help the planet; they’d rather change the planet to help themselves. Fortunately, there are ways to help both–without harming the planet. So, if…
Tags: Go Green, Going Green, help the planet, save money, Shift Your Habit, switch to the green lifestyle, tips to save money while going green
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 22nd, 2010,
This week’s Creature Feature takes us along the coasts of Africa and Europe, particularly from the Mediterranean Sea area all the way up to Scandinavia. Don’t be fooled by this creature’s name, though: it may be called an Angel Shark, but it has one hell of a temper. The Angel Shark (sometimes also referred to as the Monkfish, Angel Ray, or Fiddle Fish—among other names) is a Critically Endangered species. Unlike other species of shark (like the Great White), this particular kind has a flattened body with enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins. Given their Ray-like appearance, they are excellent at…
Tags: Africa, Angel Ray, Angel Shark, Balearic Islands, Creature Feature, critically endangered species, Europe, Fiddle Fish, Mediterranean Sea, Monkfish
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 21st, 2010,
Today’s Creature Feature can be found in Australia. It was discovered rather recently—1994, to be exact—and it’s the only species of the Wollemia genus. Oh, and there’s one more interesting thing to note: the Wollemi Pine isn’t a type of Pine tree at all. Wollemi Pine trees are actually closer to related to species of the Araucariaceae family. These trees can be found in temperate rainforests and the last known fossil of the Wollemi Pine dates back 200 million years! Because of this, it is commonly referred to as a ‘Living Fossil’. Currently, these trees can be found along a…
Tags: australia, Creature Feature, critically endangered species, dinosaur trees, Living Fossil, Wollemi Pine
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 20th, 2010,
Today’s Creature Feature takes us to the southern tip of Africa, where we will find a neat little insect. The Basking Malachite (aka, the Amatola Malachite) is an Endangered species. This insect can only be found near the Kubusi and Thorn River of South Africa. Scientists roughly estimate there are less than 1,000 adults per generation and the population is on the decline. Basking Malachites prefer wetlands or areas with shallow streams/creeks as their habitat. Unfortunately for them, cattle also prefer streams—or at least to trample along them—and fish prefer to eat these particular insects. In addition to that, they…
Tags: Amatola Malachite, Basking Malachite, bug, Creature Feature, damselfly, endangered species, insect, South Africa
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 19th, 2010,
Today’s Creature Feature takes us to the Isla Escudo de Veraguas, off the Caribbean coast of Panama. The Pygmy Three-toed Sloth is a Critically Endangered species. They are 20% smaller than other Three-toed Sloth species and weigh 40% less. Their homes can be found throughout the mangrove forests that surround the Isla Escudo de Veraguas—at least, for the time being. Sloths are generally known to be slow movers through the trees, but if you put them in water you’ll see a whole different side. Three-toed Sloths are actually good swimmers. Another thing that may surprise you is, although the Three-toed…
Tags: Caribbean island, Creature Feature, critically endangered species, Isla Escudo de Veraguas, mangroves, poaching, Pygmy Three-toed Sloth
Climate & Change, Conservation, Nature, Pollution, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 18th, 2010,
Today’s Creature Feature takes us to the island of Sardinia, located near Italy. The Sardinian Brook Salamander (or Sardinian Mountain Newt) is an Endangered Species. Its only home lies on the eastern side of Sardinia, between the Limbara Mountains of the north and the Sette Fratelli Mountains of the south. The overall population is on the decline and those near the Limbara Mountains are believed to be close to extinction. Sardinian Brook Salamanders love water of all kinds, from temporary stagnant water to permanent running water, though they prefer the calmer areas of rivers over anywhere else. If they’re not…
Tags: Creature Feature, endangered species, Italy, Sardinia, Sardinian Brook Salamander, Sardinian Mountain Newt
Climate & Change, Conservation, green living, Health, Nature, Pollution, Recycling, Sustainable living, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, ,
In case you haven’t heard yet, this weekend is Clean Up The World Weekend! What is Clean Up The World Weekend? Simply put, it’s a weekend set aside for people to help clean up our world. More specifically, it’s a weekend for people to get together and clean up all the trash in our world. You can clean up the trash on a city block, in a park, at the beach, in a forest, in a parking lot, or anywhere else you can think of. Once collected, or even while collecting, be sure to separate the recyclables from actual trash….
Tags: clean up the world, Clean Up The World Weekend, climate change, education, event, Go Green, help out, Pollution, trash, tree planting, volunteer, waste
Science & Technology, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 17th, 2010,
I was recently at the national park in Białowieża, Poland where I saw a zubron, a hybrid between European Bison and domestic cattle. Like their North American counterparts, the ‘beefalo’, zubrons were first bred for hardiness and size. The hulking beasts proved to be more disease resistant, easier to care for, and due to their enormous size, provided more meat than either cattle or bison. But for whatever reason, they never really caught on. Man-made animal hybrids have a way of not flourishing. Mules – the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse – are sterile, aside from…
Tags: animals, bison, cattle, horse, hybrid, mules, New York Times, wild, zebra, zubron
Climate & Change, Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, ,
Today’s Creature Feature can be found high in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia and Peru. It is the largest of the Puya species and also the largest Bromeliad. The Queen of the Andes plant can grow up to 32.8 feet (10 m) tall and has more than three thousand flowers and between 6 and 12 million seeds on a single plant! It is a Critically Endangered species, with populations on the decline and they are a very isolated and scattered species. Outside of its native habitat, you won’t find many of these plants, except maybe a few dozen in botanical…
Tags: Andes Mountains, Bolivia, Creature Feature, critically endangered species, flower, largest Bromeliad, Peru, Queen of the Andes
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 16th, 2010,
Today’s Creature Feature takes us to the rainforests of the Philippines, where we will find a very noisy bird with a rather unique appearance. The Rufous-headed Hornbill (also known as the Visayan Wrinkled Hornbill, Walden’s Hornbill, or the Writhed-billed Hornbill) is a Critically Endangered species that can be found on the islands of Negros and Panay. They are omnivores, preferring to feed on animal matter, figs and other fruits. They make their nests in the hollows of tree trunks and tend to live in small groups, so you can imagine the kind of noise they might create. Despite their nesting…
Tags: Creature Feature, critically endangered, deforestation, Negros, nest poaching, Panay, Philippines, Rufous-headed Hornbill, Visayan Wrinkled Hornbill, Walden's Hornbill, Writhed-billed Hornbill
Health, Sustainable living, Weird & Wonderful, ,
Twitter wants to make a change and yesterday marked the beginning of that change. Between September 15th and 25th, you can take part in the big TwitChange auction event. Users get to bid on their favorite celebrities. Winners of the auction will be followed by their celebrity choice, have a tweet of theirs retweeted by the celebrity, and may even be mentioned by the celebrity in their own special tweet! Oh yes, and there is more. Different celebrities are also offering some extra goodies to their winning package, though you’ll have to check their personal twitter pages to find out…
Tags: A House in Haiti, celebrity auction, children, earthquake victims, eBay, Haiti, orphans, TwitChange, twitter
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 15th, 2010,
Today’s Creature Feature takes us to one of the coldest places on the planet to learn about the largest mammal on the planet: The Antarctic Blue Whale. I’m sure some of you may be thinking: “aren’t all Blue Whales the same?” No! They are not. There are actually a couple of subspecies, such as the Antarctic Blue Whale and the Pygmy Blue Whale. However, these subspecies have not gained recognition in all areas of the world yet, and so there are people who still group them together with the commonly known Blue Whale. It’s also possible that the Antarctic Blue…
Tags: Antarctic Blue Whale, Blue Whale, Creature Feature, critically endangered species, largest mammal in the world, subspecies
Videos & Documentaries, Weird & Wonderful, Sep 5th, 2010,
From the sublime to the ridiculous, but mostly somewhere in between, France24 reports on ‘extreme greens’, i.e. those who go that extra mile for the environment. Sometimes its silly, like throwing seed bombs so that illegal vegetation grows in Europe’s concrete-covered cities, at other times it’s couples making a serious lifetime commitment to not have children – but it’s all for the sake of the planet. Check out the following video report from France24: Extreme Green
Tags: extreme, France24, Green, guerilla gardening, london
Conservation, Nature, Politics, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 4th, 2010,
This week marked the beginning of the annual Dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan. Taiji is where the award-winning documentary, The Cove, was filmed. Approximately 20,000 Dolphins are brutally slaughtered in a tiny cove there every year. This year, the Dolphins were herded inside the cove, as usual. A number of them were selected for captivity/training purposes. Then, the bloodbath would begin, but not this time. This time, all of the remaining Dolphins were set free! Could this mean a turn for the better, or are the hunters simply biding their time until the protesters leave? Yes, in case you haven’t…
Tags: activists, Blood Dolphins, Conservation, documentary, dolphin hunt, dolphin slaughter, dolphins, dolphins set free, japan, petition, protest, Taiji, The Cove
Science & Technology, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 3rd, 2010,
Charles Darwin, English naturalist, champion of evolution and author of the groundbreaking ‘On the Origin of Species’ (1859) had a pet project that involved very little ‘natural selection’. Darwin, with the help of and Kew Gardens the British Royal Navy, transformed a barren volcanic island into a rich and varied ecosystem, replete with a tropical cloud forest. Tiny Ascension Island lies in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly half way between Africa and South America. In 1836, while exploring, Darwin came across Ascension and was inspired. He decided to create a green oasis, or ‘little England’ on the treeless volcanic island. The…
Tags: Ascension, cloud forest, darwin, ecosystem, evolution, island, Kew Gardens, Royal Navy, volcanic
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