Phyllis SantaMaria’s (Lamar Class of ‘61) work as a social entrepreneur
April 7, 2011 by · View Comments
Dr Phyllis SantaMaria, Founder Director of Microfinance without Borders and Learning without Borders, tells how she went from being her Houston Texas High School Class Treasurer to becoming a social entrepreneur. Her journey includes Wellesley College, the US Peace Corps in Guatemala where she founded the first women’s weaving group, impacting 1000s of lives. Then Peace Corps in Kenya, work in education, the BBC and microfinance. Today her organisations work in the UK, Guatemala, Kenya, Ghana and India to lift grassroots entrepreneurs to new heights through sustainable development projects.
Nine Lives: Black Cat Is Lucky Recipient of Bionic Legs
July 16, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Delana in Animals & Habitats, Science & Research, Technology & Gadgets. ]
Is there anything more tragic than a family pet suffering a tragic accident? In the past, a pet who lost two legs would have been put to sleep to end its suffering, but thanks to one pioneering vet and a team of biomedical engineers, there’s now an alternative: bionic legs.
The world-first operation was performed by Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick, a veterinary surgeon in Surrey, England. Oscar the cat was the unlucky animal on the operating table; he lost both hind legs after falling asleep in an unfortunate place. As he dozed, a combine harvester rolled over him, destroying the legs but fortunately sparing Oscar’s life. The cat was brought to Dr. Fitzpatrick, who worked with a team from University College London to develop the special prosthetic legs.
With most prosthetics – for both animals and humans – the artificial limb simply sits on top of the stump. One of the reasons this operation was so revolutionary is because it uses weight-bearing implants to which the prosthetic legs attach. The implants have actually bonded with Oscar’s body, making them a permanent part of the cat’s physiology and giving him a natural gait.
(all images via: BBC)
The team who developed the implants based their design on deer antlers which grow through the skin. The implants have a big advantage over conventional prosthetics in that they won’t produce the friction and rubbing that often plagues their wearers. Oscar won’t be able to feel his new feet, but his doctors are certain that he’ll be able to live the healthy, happy life of a normal cat. The technology is being developed for humans, and Oscar will go down in history as the lucky black cat who helped advance this research by leaps and bounds.
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Road Warriors: 4 Extreme Long-Distance Animal Travelers
June 13, 2010 by admin · View Comments
[ By Chris in Animals & Habitats, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
(Images via: BBC, Birding Alaska, Kimberley Accommodation, Flickr, The Americas Group)
Life is a long, arduous road full of many twists and turns. Just ask bar-tailed godwits, European eels, estuarine crocodiles and Northern elephant seals: four animal explorers that certainly accumulate their fair share of annual travel points, some via unique and even clever modes of transportation.
Hitch A Ride on the Wings of a Bar-Tailed Godwit
(Images via: Birding, Real Birder, Surf Birds, Dig Deep)
Twice a year, a bird known as the bar-tailed godwit travels almost 14,000 miles on a trip from Alaska to New Zealand in the fall and then back to its original location in the spring. Big deal, you say. I mean this bird has plenty of time to rest, right? Well, sure it does, but here’s what’s really impressive. The bar-tailed godwit can make this one-way trip in eight days straight, without once stopping for food or rest. Compare this to all other birds, which can only complete trips that are twice as short without stopping. Or to a man-made aircraft that can stay in the air for 82 straight hours (roughly 3 days and 10 hours). How does the record holding bar-tailed godwit accomplish this amazing feat, all the while never getting lost? Well, it is extremely fuel efficient, consuming only .41 percent of its body weight during each hour of any flight, and also aerodynamic in shape. Furthermore, it may have an inner compass that utilizes the Earth’s magnetic field. Whatever the case, this bird is truly something to behold in terms of its travel capabilities.
How Does It Feel to be A Traveling European Eel?
(Images via: Sustainable Sushi, Lazy Lizard Tales, BBC, Desdemona Despair)
Speaking of impressive travelers, European eels are known for swimming approximately 3,418 miles from Europe to the Sargasso Sea (located in the North Atlantic, with the Gulfstream to the west, the Greater Antilles south, and Berumda north), all for the purpose of mating and laying eggs. Once their larvae hatch, these eels swim back to Europe. In comparison to the bar-tailed godwit, these eels are more advantageous travelers in that they consume less energy; however, they are not as fast as these birds. According to a Lund’s University researcher, it would take these eels 345 days to complete the 6,835-mile trip of the bar-tailed godwit. No thanks.
Unlikely/Dangerous Ocean Surfers: Estuarine Crocodiles
(Images via: The Epoch Times, NT News, Odyssey Safari, Yet Another Tentacled Thing)
Reaching up to 23 feet in length and 1,000 pounds in weight, estuarine crocodiles don’t have bodies like the bar-tailed godwit to travel long distances, right? Yet these crocodiles are found in all different parts of the world and known for showing up in unlikely areas. How is this possible? Well, once a sly croc, always a sly croc, as these crocodiles have been known to surf the ocean currents to far away destinations. In the past, people have been surprised to see what appeared to be estuarine crocodiles far from shore. It turns out that these crocodiles, which usually reside in rivers, swamps and brackish estuaries, will turn to the oceans when the tides turn, thus allowing them anywhere from 6 to 8 hours of speedy and effortless travel. When the tides change to undesired directions, these ocean-riding crocodiles will come to shore to rest. With that said, an important question must be asked: how do these crocodiles know where they’re going? Well, it turns out that crocodiles are more like birds that we thought, specifically with internal magnetic compasses that help them determine direction.
The Migratory Lives of Northern Elephant Seals
(Images via: Daily Kos, Kid Cyber, Flickr)
A resident of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Northern elephant seal spends most of its year traveling (spread out during two migration patterns annually) to feeding areas that include the Gulf of Alaska. More specifically, male Northern elephant seals spend roughly 250 days at sea each year, traveling more than 13,000 miles. As for female Northern elephant seals, they spend more time migrating, specifically 300 days a year, while covering more than 11,000 miles in the process. No other mammal spends more time traveling each year than Northern elephant seals. When not migrating, Northern elephant seals are either mating or moulting (i.e. shedding their skin in layers). With so much required of Northern elephant seals, it certainly pays off that these mammals are able to dive great depths and remain submerged for extremely long periods of time. And that they have enough blubber to go around and provide abundant amounts of energy. Happy trails.
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What the Rise of Brand America Means
April 28, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
It seems that nothing’s immune from the horse race these days. Including America’s reputation: are we up, or are we down?
Well, for those of you keeping score, a recent BBC poll showing that people in other countries increasingly see the U.S. positively should have the development community counting its stars.
There’s plenty of room for speculation over what this poll means. According to the BBC, for the first time since 2005 (when the poll began), “America’s influence in the world is now seen as more positive than negative.” But while many of us have been waiting for this day since America’s reputation first took a nose-dive, what is the real significance here?
For groups working to combat global poverty, it’s an important milestone. It’s hard to work in communities that overwhelmingly distrust or dislike you. The news that U.S. is no longer seen with overriding skepticism might seem like a small thing to celebrate, but it means that some countries that have viewed us with doubt could become future partners. Work to alleviate poverty can amplify this positive feedback loop, helping strengthen new and lasting relationships.
Feed ‘Em: Animal Diet Secrets, Guilty Pleasures and Hunting Tricks
March 28, 2010 by admin · View Comments
[ By Chris in Animals & Habitats, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
(Images via: Meta Filter, Flickr, Born Free USA, Flickr, Flickr, Jim McKnight)
Ensuring a steady food source is key for survival in the animal kingdom, ultimately requiring some animals to get a little creative. Whether it’s songbirds making uncomfortable changes to their diets, sharks taking great risks for opportunistic feasts or baboons indulging themselves in unique situations, sometimes nothing is out of bounds when a potential meal is on the table.
The Songbird’s Winter Diet: Berries Rather Than Insects
(Images via: Red and the Peanut, Maggie’s Farm, Flickr, Wild Delaware)
With beaks that are specialized for munching on insects, songbirds such as sparrows, thrushes, and warblers may look strange when chewing berries, but this switch in their diets has a purpose. According to recent research, these songbirds prefer berries before winter migration not to fatten up because insects may be less available in the cold but rather to deal with the stress of moving to warmer destinations. Apparently, there are specific benefits in the songbird-berry relationship: the birds are provided with a nutritional source of food rich in antioxidants while the berry seeds are dispersed in bird waste, allowing them to grow again in nature.
Lilac Wine Makes South African Baboons Feel So Steady
(Images via: Solana Vineyards, World Zoo Today, Flickr, 123 RF)
What berries are to songbirds, wine grapes apparently are to baboons, at least in the plentiful vineyards of South Africa. Providing essential sugar and starches, the grapes have attracted many baboons this year, particularly with normal foraging areas destroyed by wildfires, with some of the baboons even appearing inebriated following consumption of fermented grapes. To vineyard owners, the steady influx of hungry baboons has become a bit problematic: a recent story detailed how anywhere from 1,100 to 1,300 pounds of a 12-ton harvest of wine grapes were destroyed by baboons in one region of South Africa while up to $34,800 of crop is wasted by baboons on an annual basis. To try to distract the baboons from reappearing, the owners have been using noisemakers, rubber snakes and even electrical fencing; however, the efforts have been mostly futile as the baboons have apparently become hooked on the grapes, often returning at 10 a.m. every day to get their fill.
Are Gorillas Straying from Their Vegetarian Beliefs?
(Images via: World News, All Ears, Game Reserve, Wilderness Classroom)
In a related story that ties in primates and animal waste, researchers have recently begun to question whether notorious plant-eating gorillas actually eat meat, in the form of their monkey cousins. Monkey and small antelope DNA was recently found in the feces of some wild African western lowland gorillas, suggesting that these believed vegetarians may occasionally stray from their diets. Of course, these findings may have much less significance, particularly if the gorillas feed on insects that harvest the dead bodies of other animals. At this point, the jury is still out on whether gorillas are pure vegetarians like pandas (which lack meat taste buds and prefer a bamboo-based diet) or prefer some meat every once and a while.
Big Piggies: No Depth Too Low for Hungry Sharks
(Images via: Dive Photo Guide, Bootleg, Great White Shark Diving, BBC)
What has been confirmed by various movies over the last 35 years is that sharks certainly love their fair share of meat (and we’re not just talking about human meat, despite recent shark attack figures). In a surprising new study, gill sharks and other meat-eaters – including lobsters, crabs and shrimps – were shown to take great risks deep in poorly-oxygenated waters to devour on pig carcasses placed there by scientists. Amazingly, these creatures were willing to enter described “dead zones” more than 900 feet below sea level – where oxygen is so low that they could suffocate if staying too long – all for the sake of a filling pig carcass. Apparently, there were some limits as one pig carcass was left untouched in waters that were even too deep for the gill sharks.
Sailfish: Very Fast and Shrewd Hunters
(Images via: Environmental Graffiti)
Generally regarded as the fastest fish in the oceans, sailfish are already not on an even playing field when it comes to hunting down smaller fish. And now it seems that sailfish are closing their ranks to ensure that they all feast on their prey. Researchers were recently surprised to discover sailfish teaming up to force smaller fish – which travel in schools for protection – closer to the surface. Leaving their prey with less wiggle room, the sailfish essentially caused the smaller fish to form into a giant circle, described by some as a bait ball. Using their long noses, the sailfish were then able to pluck individual fish out of the bait ball, literally ensuring an all-you-can-eat buffet for their teammates.
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US Passes Healthcare Reform
March 25, 2010 by admin · View Comments
The US House of Representatives has narrowly voted to pass a landmark healthcare reform bill at the heart of President Barack Obama’s agenda.
Under the legislation, health insurance will be extended to nearly all Americans, imposes new taxes on the wealthy and bars restrictive insurance practices such as refusing to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions.
They represent the biggest change in the US healthcare system since the creation in the 1960s of Medicare, the government-run scheme for Americans aged 65 or over.
President Barack Obama:
“It’s a victory for the American people.”
Damn straight.
President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and senior staff, react in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, as the House passes the health care reform bill, March 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Source: BBC News
Beth
Cool Underwater Photography, an alternate view underneath the deep blue.
November 6, 2009 by admin · View Comments
If you were asked to name a truly wonderful British film, chances are it was filmed at Pinewood Studios. Its great reputation has resonated worldwide, the scene for a thousand iconic images. Pinewood Studios recently had an inspiring exhibition, Water on Lens. It featured underwater photographs from movies such as The Da Vinci Code, Casino Royale, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, as well as television features and music videos. Here are 23 images taken from those underwater shoots as well as a few extra underwater stage filming photos.
Pinewood Studios
(image credits:Mirror,livejournal,Mirror,Pinewood Group)
Filming in water can be a complex and costly exercise, but Pinewood Studios does not excessively waste precious water. Instead they keep their underwater stage permanently filled. The water tank is sized 20m x 10m x 6m deep, holding 1.2 million litres of water. This a globally unique water-filming facility captured images for Water on Lens to share with us like The Golden Age at top left. Beneath that photo is actor Alan Davies in a scene shot underwater for the TV series Jonathan Creek. Both the top right and the bottom pictures were captured as actors and actresses performed underwater with a complete filming crew.
From Motorcycle Stunts to Commercials
(image credits:BBC)
James Blunt plunged into the water to promote his performance on the British Awards show in 2005, the same year Pinewood Studios started…after after 5 years of being in concept and design. He is in the top two photos. Many advertisements have been filmed at the worldwide prestigious studios, including a commercial for The Quays Shopping Centre in Northern Ireland, shown on the bottom left. In the bottom right image, EastEnders filmed a dramatic car accident involving Peter Beale.
The Studio
(image credits:Mirror)
For a deeper insight into the craft that goes on to film underwater, here are more images to impress you with the work done at Pinewood. The top left photo is from Houdini while the top right picture was taken during filming of Mr. Nobody. Also included above are filming shots from an Oil of Olay commercial, Jaws, and Atonement.
From Sports to Fashion
(image credits: image credit:BBC)
Rugby is a beloved sport to many fans worldwide. The top image was taken in an advertisement for rugby. Underwater action sequences give the impression of weightlessness when bubbles are removed in post production. In the bottom photo, Hollywood actress Kiera Knightley submerged in water while dressed in haute couture dresses and jewelery as part of a charity shoot for Fresh 2o.
Baby to Blue Screen
(image credits:shortlist,Pinewood Group)
Water facilities available at Pinewood Studios include numerous stages with tanks incorporated into the floors, an exterior tank with a blue screen backing measuring 240 x 60 feet, and an underwater filming facility. Amazing results can be achieved for films, TV and commercials from underwater blue screens that are permanently on site to “wet for dry” appearance. The photo with the baby, upside down and submerged underwater, is a stunner. Also pictured above is the famous blue screen which can make any image at all seem to be the background. It takes a large group of people to successfully shoot and film a car falling into the water and sinking.
Imagine
(image credit:short list)
The capsule collection from Water on Lens provided a rare and behind-the-scenes view into one of the world’s most prestigious film and television studios and its underwater stage. Commercial diver and underwater photographer Phoebe Rudomino captured all the iconic moments on camera for Water on Lens, including the graceful and intriguing shot above. She stated, “U Stage provides such a secure and comfortable water filming environment that we’re able to produce almost any type of underwater production shoot. From working with horses and fire to the world’s top actors and models, the scenes are truly fascinating to capture.”
Boxing
(image credit:shortlist)
In this underwater boxing match, synchronised swimmers Emily Kuhl and Asha Randall of Aquabatix showed off their competitive streaks. What you don’t see in the shot is the massive crew for lighting and filming and even for holding the oxygen tanks.
Bond & Golden Age
(image credit:short list)
The photo on the left was a famous filming moment when the elevator plunged into the water during Jame Bond: Casino Royale. The frantic horse trying to swim in the choppy water was captured in this photograph during the filming of Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
Angie
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