Bandipur National Park, Karnataka
Alternate Views Of The World We Live In
Click the map above to go to the explanation:
Tigers and pandas live in Asia, kangaroos and koalas in Australia and polar bears and snowy owls in the Arctic. The world can be divided into regions based upon the unique types of animals that live there. Or so the thinking went when Alfred Russel Wallace published the scientific world’s first global biodiversity map in 1876. Continue reading
Red Malabar Spinach – Red Amaranthus
Spinach Flower
Red Malabar Spinach is an annual flowering plant , famous for its leaves in vegetable dishes. Fresh spinach is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and other essential minerals and it is very low in calories. These plants are widely growing in and around Kerala where it is locally called Cheera. Continue reading
Marine Sanctuaries Expanding
The ocean bluff at Vista Point, seven miles south of Elk on California’s Mendocino Coast (Thomas R. McDonough/Knight-Ridder News Service Archives)
Among our favorite type of stories:
In a move that would permanently ban oil drilling along more than 50 miles of Northern California coast, the Obama administration announced plans Thursday to expand two Northern California marine sanctuaries, extending them up the rugged Sonoma and Mendocino coast. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Great Frigatebird (North Seymour Island, Galapagos, Ecuador)
Balanced Man
One of the world’s great business leaders, whose commitment to core values we admire, prepares to hand over the reins and talks about India and its prospects:
…I take a bite of my plum cake. Tata hasn’t touched his but sips tea quietly as I ask for his views on India and its rapid recent changes. “I feel India is a country that really has an enormous amount of potential, has the human capital to succeed. But if you sit down and say, ‘Will it succeed?’, you see imbalances.”He mentions various policy problems that hamper businesses, from energy shortages to land acquisition. Such things have been part of the reason his group has sought growth overseas, initially in Europe but, he says, Continue reading
From Behind the Wheel: Curious Clichés
Parade Grounds, Fort Cochin
Gol Gumbaz – Bijapur, Karnataka
Photo credit: Ramesh Kidangoor
Gol Gumbaz is the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah, located at Bijapur in Karnataka state. Built in the 17th century, this renowned example of Deccan architecture took close t0 30 years to complete. The significant feature of the structure is its central dome which stands without the support of pillars. The Gol Gumbaz is the second largest dome in the world of this type. It is particularly known for its central chamber, or “Whispering Gallery”, where every sound is echoed multiple times.
Bird of the Day: Ashy Drongo (Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, Bangalore)
Wild Periyar – Common Castor Butterfly
The Periyar Tiger Reserve is famous for butterflies, in fact 144 species of butterflies have been identified in this region. The Common Castor (Ariadne merrione) is a frequently sighted example.
Quirky Choices About Living With A Smaller Carbon Footprint
Thanks to Green Blog for the attention to research showing the quirkiness of decision-making among consumers when it comes to investing in ecoefficiency:
Why do people buy inefficient refrigerators and clothes washers when spending a little more for an efficient one would save them money over time through lower electricity or water bills? There are a variety of reasons, but one that is persistently cited is that people are not necessarily buying these appliances for themselves. Often the buyer is a landlord, and the user is a tenant who does not make the choice but faces the consequences because he receives the energy bill. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Blue Footed Boobie with Egg (North Seymour Island, Galapagos, Ecuador)
Wild Periyar: December 20, 2012
Mr. Shaji, a local photographer, joined one of the morning treks and shared his photos. According to him these are the common sightings he experiences early in the day, which is always the best time for wildlife viewing. Continue reading
From Behind the Wheel: Quiet Advice
Near Market Road, Ernakulam
Green Energy Prestidigitation Undermining Confidence In Alternative Pathways To Reducing Our Carbon Footprint
A CN freight train is shown leaving Sarnia for Port Huron in Michigan. (Dave Seglins/CBC)
Thanks to the CBC for some old fashioned investigative journalism. Click the image to go to their report. In the macro view, considering the scope and scale of the challenge of weaning off of fossil fuels, the credits at the center of this story are small and seemingly minor parts of a bigger puzzle. Perhaps. But playing with smoke and mirrors and mystery trains crossing borders in the night? Time to bring back tar and feathers for these Enron-ish slick vendors:
…”If the facts in your story bear out, there needs to be some people go to prison,” said Joe Jobe, CEO of the U.S. National Biodiesel Board. “It’s not a victimless crime. [RIN fraud] has impacted the livelihoods and jobs of absolutely everybody in this industry, and it has cost the folks in the petroleum industry who have to comply with this, millions and millions of dollars and it has put small- and medium-sized biodiesel producers completely out of business. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: North American Robin (Boylston, MA)
Photo Credit: Stephen Crafts
Art In Motion
They Always Get Their Man
Fresh maple syrup in two maple leaf-shaped bottles, with other bottles behind. Police officials have arrested three men who allegedly siphoned the sweet treat from 16,000 storage barrels stored in a Quebec warehouse.
We were not sure what to think at first, and were not sure anyone would believe it either. But seeing is believing thanks to this NPR follow up story:
After months on their sticky trail, Canadian police have finally fingered the people allegedly involved in the great Canadian maple syrup caper Bill Chappell told us about in August. Continue reading
Wild Periyar – Indian Sandalwood
Sandalwood (santalum album) is a small evergreen tree that can grow up to 15 metres high. This hemiparasitic tree (feeding off the roots of other plants) is found widely in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, although is considered threatened in many parts of the world. Continue reading
Pedal Power
Read the Scientific American blog post from the beginning by clicking the image to the left:
… It costs $5,500, recharges its battery with its own rooftop solar panels, can legally take you on the road,
on the sidewalk,*and on greenway trails, and has a 30-mile-per-charge range. Then you can either rely on those solar panels or you can take the little battery out and plug it in. And though it’s designed to carry me and up to 800 pounds of payload (guitar, amp, and groupie?), I can retrofit a little jumpseat so I can just haul around the groupie if I need to. You can read all about it in this story by the News & Observer of Raleigh. Continue reading
