The Space Between

Verdun's Zone Rouge

Of the many travel adventures people have dreamed up, a tour of No Man's Lands has got to be one of the most intriguing. Alasdair Pinkerton, an expert in human geography at the Royal Holloway University of London, and fellow researcher Noam Leshem of Durham University have just embarked on a monthlong excursion to these peculiar areas in 19 countries in Europe and North Africa. Demilitarized zones like that between North and South Korea notwithstanding, the concept of a No Man's Land is not solely a military one, says Pinkerton. In fact, the first one they visited was a field between two church parishes in southern England. According to Leshem, a No Man's Land is "a place where there has been an intentional withdrawal of state power and sovereignty. At the same time that space has been delineated—there is a very clear sense of what is in it, and what is considered to be outside of it. So you have these two forces—on the one hand this intentional pulling back, and at the same time this setting apart": (story, link to audio interview): http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34319540

Free Birds

Golden Eagle                                                                                                            Tom Koerner

Fall is migration time for all sorts of creatures. Some of the most breathtaking sightings are of birds of prey. (Of course, they migrate in the spring as well, but apparently, the best viewing is in the fall.) Different species can be seen in almost every state and Canadian province, but most seem to be concentrated on the East Coast. Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery has a particular respect for raptors. "They literally see the world in a different way than we do," she writes. Their eyes weigh more than their brains, and "fields of view of the left and right eye overlap — which allows the raptor brain to calculate distance instantly by comparing the different images from each eye": http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2015/09/27/petscolumn/bmZqFDub6BlulOEpOh5m4I/story.html
   This chart gives state-by-state information about the best viewing sites, types of raptors flying over each, and more: http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/raptor-migration-sites.html

Return of the Giant

The lovely animated story The Iron Giant, which has remained a cult classic even after a bungled release in 1999, is coming back. Plans are to screen an expanded version across the country on September 30 and October 4, and the word is that this may mean that a sequel is in the works. Based on Ted Hughes's novella The Iron Man, the movie is about the friendship between a giant robot from outer space and a young boy. Interesting factoid: the Giant is voiced by pre-Fast and Furious Vin Diesel (story, videos, link to audio version that includes an interview with director Brad Bird and animation historian Charles Solomon): http://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2015/09/25/44590/iron-giant-returns/

A Total Eclipse of the Moon

Anthony Urbano

Reminder (http://somanyinterestingthings.blogspot.com/2015/09/theres-rad-moon-on-rise.html) that the night of September 27 is the night, because on that night, a rare and completely awesome spectacle will be taking place in our sky: a total super harvest moon eclipse! The last time this happened was in 1982, and the next time won't be until 2033. Annnddd ... we don't have to stay up till all hours to see it, either. The show will start at 9:07 p.m. EST and last for 72 minutes, with the full eclipse being at 10:11 p.m. (story, gifs): http://mentalfloss.com/article/69019/sept-27-see-rare-total-eclipse-red-super-harvest-moon

The Art of the Protest

"it was the state," main square, Mexico City, October 2014                                  Colectivo Rexiste

One year ago on September 26, 43 students from a teachers college in a rural town in Mexico disappeared. Ironically, they had been part of a group commemorating the 1968 massacre of students in Mexico City. The story told by the government is that the area’s mayor ordered the town's police to arrest the students. There ensued a series of confrontations in which 6 people died and 25 were injured. The 43 who disappeared were, according to authorities, handed over by the police to a local narcogang. What happened to them then has yet to be determined, but whatever it was, the confirmed fact of police collusion with narcogangs, hitherto only suspected, added to Mexicans' outrage, grief, and frustration. As with so many such stories of injustice around the world, after the protests, it is up to the artists to keep the memory and the passion alive and to spread the word around the world (story, photos, some of which are disturbing): http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/photography/2015/09/disappearance_of_43_mexican_students_from_ayotzinapa_in_2014_transformed.html

Just Because: 'I Shall Forget You'

The full title of this poem is I Shall Forget You Presently, My Dear (Sonnet IV), so perhaps you can understand why it caught my eye. It's by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950). In addition to writing poetry and plays, she was an activist for the feminist cause. This poem came to my inbox courtesy of poem-a-day:

I shall forget you presently, my dear,
So make the most of this, your little day,
Your little month, your little half a year
Ere I forget, or die, or move away,
And we are done forever; by and by
I shall forget you, as I said, but now,
                                             If you entreat me with your loveliest lie
                                             I will protest you with my favorite vow.
                                             I would indeed that love were longer-lived,
                                             And vows were not so brittle as they are,
                                             But so it is, and nature has contrived
                                             To struggle on without a break thus far,—
                                             Whether or not we find what we are seeking
                                             Is idle, biologically speaking.

If you're interested in reading more about Millay, like how she got her middle name, which is a good story (including an audio of her reading one of her poems), check out http://bookhaven.stanford.edu/2013/02/americas-sweetheart-edna-st-vincent-millay-mary-pickford-and-plummy-vowels/

African Fashion Statement

Fabrice Monteiro

Belgian-Beninese photographer Fabrice Monteiro and designer Jah Gal used trash and cultural symbols to create The Prophecy, an exhibit of surreal photographs with a message. Each photograph focuses on a different offense against nature, specifically, nature in Africa. In their culture, Gal explains, "Every forbidden thing is protected by a Djinn." And what the two have created is a series of Djinns that rise horribly yet beautifully from their surroundings even as they point to our shortcomings and betrayal of the land (story, photos, video): http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/surreal-photographs-reveal-africas-environment-in-crisis

Peace in Their Time?

demonstrator's sign reads, "Yes, I believe in peace. And you?"                                     Getty Images

The people of Colombia are hoping for the best. Leaving aside the country's conquest and colonization by Spain in the 1500s and the long slog toward independence and unification, the start of the 20th century saw the end of the Thousand Days' War and the beginning of a Year-Long War with Peru. The late '40s and early '50s was the time of La Violencia, and the '60s and beyond have seen low-level but fairly constant fighting between the government (encouraged by the United States), left-wing guerrilla groups (including the FARC, or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People's Army), and right-wing paramilitaries. Finally, now, on September 23, President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londoño, the leader of the FARC, announced that they are finalizing a peace deal. Is there room for hope? We're not there quite yet, but yes, says Humberto de la Calle, the Colombian government’s top negotiator. “Peace is about to break out in Colombia”: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/25/colombia-hope-for-peace-farc?CMP=ema_565a

Forbidden Fruits (& Veg)

Vindication is sweet. As a child and much to my parents' chagrin and frustration, I refused to eat cherries or apples, and when I finally tried them again when I was older, I realized why: They made my lips and mouth, and once, even my esophagus, itch and swell up a little. Hazelnuts do it, too. When I would tell people this, they were nice enough about it, but I could see the skepticism in their eyes. Apples and cherries? Hazelnuts? Really? Yes, really. As this article explains, it's all about allergies, and interestingly, allergic reactions to certain fruits and vegetables (called oral allergy syndrome) can be linked to allergies to certain pollens. If your mouth itches when you eat apples, for example, you're probably also allergic to the pollen of birch trees. Same with cherries and hazelnuts. If your trouble is with broccoli, bell pepper, carrots, or cauliflower, chances are you're also allergic to mugwort (story, charts): https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/does-your-mouth-itch-when-you-eat-apples-or-other-fruits/2015/08/31/94d06c36-3f68-11e5-8d45-d815146f81fa_story.html

Home Game

Thompson brothers, from left, Lyle, Haina, Miles, and Jeremy                Coyote Magic Action Shots

During the week of September 18-27, the Onondaga Nation is hosting 13 nations at the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship. This is the first time in history that an international sporting championship is taking place on indigenous territory, and it just makes sense that the sport that is bringing everyone together would be lacrosse, one of the oldest team sports in North America. According to the WILC website, "the original game was given as a gift from the Creator to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). The power of the game is sacred and it demands purity of mind, body and spirit. It is revered by the Haudenosaunee and handed down through generations as a game of discipline and honor." This is the story of four Native American brothers who play on the home team and how the game has changed their life (story, video): http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/23/native-americas-team-four-onondaga-brothers-shatter-records-and-perceptions?CMP=ema_565a

On the Spot

Ruby                            Brock Elbank

Pippi Longstocking had them, Judy Blume wrote a book in which they play a starring role, and, of course, there's Alfred E. Neuman, of MAD magazine fame. They seem to be the bane of most kids' existence, but some eventually grow to love them as a mark of individuality. They're ephelides, commonly known as freckles. Photographer Brock Elbank's collection of portraits of people on whose bodies they reside shows that that's about all most of them have in common (slideshow): http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/sep/22/brock-elbank-freckles-portraits-photography-in-pictures

Bear in Mind

two little guys I once encountered (mom had gone up the hill)                    KW

Call this a public service announcement. I know, I know, it's kind of past hiking season and we're getting into that hibernation time of year and so are not likely to meet as many bears as a couple of months ago. Still, apparently, bear populations are on the rebound, so one can never be too careful. The first line of defense against a bear attack, according to this article, is information. Know what kind(s) of bears live where you're planning on going. Bear attacks are for the most part avoidable, says Brigham Young University biologist Tom Smith, "but humans have to take more responsibility” (story, video): http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150916-bears-attacks-animals-science-north-america-grizzlies/

Dr. Asperger and the Nazis

Dr Hans Asperger and friend

We could have been much further ahead in our understanding of autism, according to author Steve Silberman (NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity), had World War II and the Nazi invasion and annexation of Austria not put a halt to the work of Dr. Hans Asperger (1906-1980). Instead, it has been only in the last 20 or so years that we've slowly come to understand it the way Asperger did in the 1930s. That was when the Austrian pediatrician noticed and began to study autistic characteristics. He was, says Silberman, a very forward-thinking clinician, and the clinic he ran "was not just the sort of place where parents would bring their children for evaluation and a diagnosis, but it was also like a residential school.” Living in the clinic with the children, he was able to get to know them on a personal basis, and he came to feel that autism was a genetic, lifelong condition but not necessarily a debilitating one, if the individuals were given the support they needed. This was quite different from the point of view of the American Leo Kanner, whose much narrower definition and idea of the "refrigerator mother" ruled in this country for decades. “Asperger always appreciated that autism was a condition that conveyed both profound disabilities and very special gifts,” Silberman says. “Kanner, on the other hand, interpreted even the gifts of his patients through the lens of psychopathology" (story, link to audio version): http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-09-20/new-book-recounts-forgotten-history-autism

Ins and Outs of the Universe

Roen Kelly

Not everyone was heartened by the announcement that instruments had found measurable gravitational waves that could validate the inflationary theory of a universe that started with a "big bang" (http://somanyinterestingthings.blogspot.com/2015/04/no-longer-in-dark.html, http://somanyinterestingthings.blogspot.com/2014/03/bubbles-of-infinity.html). Those who were, were then deflated (pun intended) when it was shown that what those instruments saw could be explained in another way, too, as caused by cosmic dust. But while the failure to find gravitational waves may leave one theory in question for now, it gives new life to another intriguing one, called the cyclic model, in which the universe expands and contracts over and over again. Still, the perfection, the beauty of the inflationary theory has scientists reluctant to give up on it: https://cosmosmagazine.com/physical-sciences/new-model-cosmos-universe-begins-again

Ride On!

the brains behind the bag                                                            modobag.com

And speaking of good ideas (see post immediately below this one), wow ~ here's one any frequent flyer ~ or any kind of traveler, really ~ might appreciate. It's also one of those "why didn't I think of that?" kinds of inventions: a motorized suitcase. The story behind it is just one more bit of proof that it takes a special kind of brain to dream up these things, because everyone comes across the same situations, but not everyone comes up with a new way to deal with them (story, video): http://mentalfloss.com/article/68742/forget-airport-shuttle-you-can-now-ride-your-suitcase

A Few Good Ideas

Ideas are kind of like inventions. There's always that first one, and then, over the decades and centuries, it's modified, adjusted, and/or expanded, reflecting the orientation or needs of a place or time. Also like some inventions, they are often ridiculed or ignored when they first appear and meet with acceptance only little by little, as people get used to their presence. Indeed, the courageous and amazing Oscar Wilde (who himself was ridiculed and harassed in his lifetime and whose genius was widely accepted only much later) once said that "an idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all." Here, in cartoon form, is BBC Radio 4's superb history of ideas, starting with Diotima's Ladder as explained by Plato (circa 428-348 BCE) (story, video): http://www.openculture.com/2015/09/47-animated-videos-explain-the-history-of-ideas-from-aristotle-to-sartre.html

Ig Nobelesse Oblige

The 25th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony takes place September 17, and you can be part of what Nature magazine calls "arguably the highlight of the scientific calendar." Be the first on your block to know who won and for what bit of improbable research (which, according to the website, is research that makes one laugh and then think). Among last year's winners were Jiangang Liu, Jun Li, Lu Feng, Ling Li, Jie Tian, and Kang Lee, of China and Canada, who got the neuroscience prize "for trying to understand what happens in the brains of people who see the face of Jesus in a piece of toast," and Ian Humphreys, Sonal Saraiya, Walter Belenky, and James Dworkin, of the United States and India, who won the medicine prize "for treating 'uncontrollable' nosebleeds using the method of nasal-packing-with-strips-of-cured-pork." And now that you know that, how can you resist? (website, live-streaming): http://www.improbable.com/ig/2015/

Tomayto, Tomahto

Aside from one or two ambiguous occupants of our markets' produce section, we are all pretty sure which are fruits and which are vegetables. Or we were until now. Because according to Wolfgang Stuppy, there is no such thing as a vegetable, botanically speaking. Stuppy should know. He is the research leader in Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew & Wakehurst Place, in London. So, botanically speaking, then, what are potatoes? Tubers. Asparagus? Stems. Lettuces? Leaves. Broccoli? Inflorescences. So why do we call them vegetables? “Vegetable took on its current sense just a few centuries ago," explains Harold McGee in his book On Food and Cooking, "and essentially means a plant material that is neither fruit nor seed”: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150917-do-vegetables-really-exist

Deep Subject

Victoria Lautman

They're old, they're hauntingly beautiful and architecturally impressive, they're falling apart, and they're being photographed for posterity by a Chicago journalist. India's so-called stepwells were built starting in the 2nd century to access the water table. Thousands of them ~ and some are 10 stories deep. As the water table has receded, most of the wells have dried up, and these extraordinary structures, no longer needed, have been left to decay or serve as dumping grounds. Fortunately, we have Victoria Lautman, who has so far, on her own, located 120 of these distinctive constructions (story, lots of awesome pix): http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/08/stepwell-architecture/?src=footer

End of the Road

the California-Baja border fence                                                                 KW

At one point in their journey, the title character in L. Frank Baum's The Patchwork Girl of Oz and her friends meet an obstacle, thus: "They had traveled some distance when suddenly they faced a high fence which barred any further progress straight ahead." Rather like the refugees at the Hungarian border. Or the would-be immigrants at the U.S.'s southern border. Fences, of course, are nothing new, but it seems that there are now more of them separating countries than ever before. In fact, according to this article, "Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, 40 countries around the world have built fences against 64 of their neighbours." The map that accompanies the piece illustrates the reality of this new world order (story, interactive map): http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/09/daily-chart-10