Birds-of-Paradise Project
Photo by Tim Laman.
We’ve written about the birds-of-paradise before, mostly to share great images of them. But all that is about to be topped by the same folks who brought us two out of the three links above: Tim Laman and Ed Scholes. On February 19th, a new website was released that contains over two hours of footage never seen before, specifically designed to serve as an educational base for anyone trying to learn more about the whacky birds.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology was one of the main funders for the project (others include the estate of Madelon G. and Robert Wehner, Conservation International, and the National Geographic Expeditions Council). According to their official press-release, the “website, videos, and interactive features were produced by the Cornell Lab’s Multimedia program with sound and video from the archives of the Lab’s Macaulay Library. Producer Marc Dantzker said the production team sorted through more than 2,500 video clips, almost 40,000 photos, and hundreds of sound recordings to find close-up examples of each adaptation, courtship pose, display feather, and dance move.”
So after eight years of painstaking research by Scholes and Laman, we get to enjoy this unforgettable imagery! Watch the video below of the King-of-Saxony, Continue reading
Elephant Blessing – Thanjavur Brihadeeswarar Temple
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Elephants are important part of many temple ceremonies and festivals in India especially in the southern states. Frequently the temple elephant carries the idol of the Lord Ganasha and walks in procession around the temple grounds to receive offerings and give blessings in return by placing the trunk gently on the devotee’s bowed head. Continue reading
Mumbai In Gotham Perspective
Sometime in recent months we discovered a blog on the New York Times website called India Ink. It is meant to keep the readers of that newspaper apprised of important information from the world’s largest democracy (and the world’s largest English-speaking country). Most days, for those of us living and working in India, we have already seen that news in the newspapers here. Also, most days most of the posts on that blog tend to the dark side of India’s news–always important news but not enough of the positive, vibrant stuff we see each day here. We tend to pass on 90% of the posts, but the other 10% are always worth a look. Today’s keeper is here:
See Sea Shepherd’s Saves
The Sea Shepherd vessel Bob Barker tries to stop a whale from being loaded on to the Nisshin Maru. Photograph: Glenn Lockitch / Sea Shepherd Australia
From the Guardian’s ongoing coverage of some of our favorite activists (click the image above to go to the story):
I don’t think that there is a more isolated, more remote, or more forbidding place on this planet than where we find ourselves at this moment.
Draw a line due south from Sri Lanka for 4,404 nautical miles and it will bring you to Prdyz Bay, deep in the Cooperation Sea, close to the massive Amory ice shelf. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Western Tanager (Glenbrook, NV)
From Behind the Wheel: Bucolic Brawn
Nedumbassery
Temple Art – Sculpted Panels
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
The history of worship in Indian is difficult to chronicle with certainty because the recorded history depends on oral traditions handed down through generations. Hindu religion is beautifully preserved in southern India. The art of temple building made its transitions from temporary structures in wood to more enduring stone edifices that have stood through the ravages of time. Continue reading
Cornell Conservation Colleague
Click the image above to go to the video:
The Ripple Effect: Inspiring Conservation Through Teaching Continue reading
Good Conservation Personified
Doug Tompkins, Co-Founder, North Face
Click the image to the left for a podcast interview worth listening to. If you are a fan of this man, chances are you are also a fan of this man, who has carried out more tangible action for deep ecology than anyone, perhaps ever:
Entrepreneur, conservation philanthropist, and documentary filmmaker are some of the titles that Doug Tompkins has possessed over his career. Doug’s love of mountaineering led him to start North Face, the outdoor apparel company. He then cofounded the international clothing giant, Esprit, which he later sold. Doug has spent the last few decades focusing his energies on sustainable farming, land conservation and biodiversity preservation in Chile and Argentina. With the purchase of more than 2 million acres of land in South America, Doug has pioneered one of the largest private conservation efforts in the world.
Doug speaks to Jessica about his journey from selling dresses out of a van to conserving South America’s natural environment, from scratch.
Bird of the Day: Red-whiskered Bulbul
Gavi, Kerala
The Tate Modern Happens To Be In Kochi
Only 24 Days left for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012.
Nada Raza, writer and curator currently working at the Tate Modern in London, speaks about the site-specificity of the works and how history and culture plays a huge part in the works exhibited at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
Take her advice and be there!
Good Entrepreneurship Personified
We recently discovered this podcast about entrepreneurship, and a few of the interviewees are among our most admired. For example, click the image to the left to go to the interview with our all time favorite:
Yvon Chouinard
Founder, Patagonia Continue reading
From Behind the Wheel: Shout Out From Kerala To USA On Its Presidents’ Day
Thekkady, Translation: Abraham Lincoln–who abolished slavery in America.
Eight-legged Transportation
Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Bullock carts play an important role in both rural and urban transportation in India. Even in the 21st century they are frequently used for the transfer of materials and people in villages and cities alike. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Western Scrub-Jay (Griffith Park Los Angeles, CA)
Old Facts, New Truths, And Remember Those Great Books?
If you ever owned one of these books, you likely grew up in the USA. Which means you also likely thought, because of all those “cowboy and Indian” movies you watched, that horses were native to North America. That may sound like a big logical leap, but there is a point. Today, a review two old posts on this site helped clear up the history of horses in North America and it has to do with the kind of pre-history that captivated any kid who loved those books above.
After this was posted September 30, 2012 one member of our community (me) who grew up reading all the books above, and seeing all those “Western” movies, missed the opportunity to click through and listen to it. However, I had been fascinated to learn from this post and then from the amazing book it highlighted, the “truth” about horses in North America.
If You Happen To Be In Washington, DC
Click the image above to go to Sierra Club’s website for more information. At minimum it is a learning opportunity, a chance to participate or to just observe. Lend your presence and your voice:
Rally Speakers
- Michael Brune; Sierra Club Executive Director
- Bill McKibben; 350.org President, Scholar at Middlebury College
- Continue reading
Hollyhock
Hollyhock is an annual summer flower which is very common in Kerala’s high range gardens. Proud and upright, the impressive flower stands out from the rough, generally heart-shaped leaves. Continue reading
From Behind the Wheel: Karnataka School Transport
Photo Credit: Ramesh Kidangoor
Organikos 