Maurice Sendak Dies at Age 83
Author Maurice Sendak, who was considered as one of the most important children’s book artist of the 20th century. Sendak was best known for his child novel “Where The Wild Things Are” , which was published in 1963 and a must read for any child. REST IN PARADISE!!!
Why Do Old Books Smell?
“A physical book is made up of organic matter that reacts with heat, light, moisture, and the chemicals used in its production.” via InterestingSomethings
EnergySaver Mobile App Analyzes Energy & Water Use
“EnergySaver allows you to analyze your current and estimate your future energy consumption instead of just analyzing or tracking past energy consumption. EnergySaver also enables you to customize and analyze each appliance’s energy consumption instead of just the overall consumption. By analyzing each appliance’s current energy consumption, you can make real changes that will translate into more money in your wallet.”
Confidence to the Youth
Today, I had the pleasure of talking to some students over at Van Nuys High School about confidence and style. I have said this before, and I will say it again, I am so amazed at how smart kids are these days. All of the students had great energy, and even more confidence.We had mini photo shoots and they told me what style means to them. I told them to keep there heads up and to be confident no matter what. They also learned my favorite poem by Langston Hughes (my motto).Thank you to Jahmela Biggs and the good people at IMPACT for inviting me out. I hope they learned something, and I wish them all the best in the future…if you guys are reading this…U rock!!! SWAG! (inside joke) More pics [Read more...]
School Pays Students to Attend Class
Dohn Community High School, a dropout recovery charter school in Cincinnati, is attempting a novel method of persuading student to come to class: Paying them.
The school says it has teamed up with donors and the Easter Seals to offer seniors who arrive on-time every day $25 a week. Underclassmen are eligible to receive $10 a week.
“You have students who we haven’t seen in a week or two coming to school,” says principal Ramon Davenport. “So that tells me that this incentive that we’re trying is actually working.”
Nelson Mandela
1990 Nelson Mandela, the leading anti-apartheid campaigner was freed from prison in South Africa after 27 years.
Alice Springs Photographs
Behind every great man, there’s a great woman. That phrase is a genuine parallel to the life of Helmut Newton and his wife, June. June, who worked under the pseudonym, Alice Springs, became enamored with photography after her husband was struck with influenza to which she then took the reigns and had Helmut give her a crash course in Photography 101. 40 years later her iconic work has been collected in Taschen’s “Alice Springs Photographs ($40)”, which features four decades of advertising and fashion work as well portraits from her personal collection. get it
Scientists Say They’ve Found the Most Efficient Way Yet to Turn Carbon Dioxide Back into Fuel
Scientists say too much carbon dioxide is bad for the Earth. And too much carbon monoxide can kill you. So why are researchers at the University of Michigan excited about turning CO2 into CO? Because the end product could come in handy for producing electricity and hydrogen. U of M chemists, along with others from the University of Oxford, say they’ve come up with an efficient way to turn carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide using visible light (like sunlight).
Apparently, they’re not the first ones to cite the opportunities this creates. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico boasted in late 2007 about using concentrated solar energy to convert CO2 back to CO.
What’s different here? The U of M/Oxford method, reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, apparently uses considerably less energy input than current methods. And, it’s pretty close to what nature does naturally.
click here to read full article
via:treehugger
Smart is the New Cool: Nas Shows True Leadership & Pursues High School Diploma, Encourages Youth to Stay in School
Nas was on hand at the Boys and Girls Club’s 43rd annual National Keystone Conference in Pittsburgh to drive home the importance of education and leadership.
The elite lyricist spoke candidly about his personal life, admitting that he never finished high school and regrets the decision despite his years of a success as a musician.
He now plans to obtain the diploma, and urged those present not to make the same mistake.
“The reality of it is, you need to keep educating yourself, and I wish I had stayed in school,†Nas explained. “Be your own leader.â€
Nas, along with Ne-Yo and former NBA player Bob Lanier, were brought in by the Keystone Club, a subgroup within the Boys and Girls Club that emphasizes leadership through community service.
The organization’s Vice President of Corporate and Partner Relationships, Frank Sanchez, applauded Nas’ message for highlighting a desire for education in spite of his financial success and popularity.
“This is an incredible message, to have someone who succeeded so much in their life, but there is still a void,†he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Much respect to the homie Nas for this. Check out this inspiring classic track “I Know I Can” & let’s continue cultivating the minds of our youth. Broccoli City loves the kids!
Via: AllHipHop.com
Recycling + Books = A Building made from books
Architecture is knowledge, history, research and trend. This is literally evident in Book Cell, an octagonal building made entirely from books that was installed in the Modern Art Center in Lisboa. Slovakian artist Matej Kren built an octagonal framework, filled it with books and removed it, leaving a symmetrical, enclosed room of stacked literature. via: inhabitat
Bag salad Can Contain High Levels of Fecal Bacteria
Consumer Reports’ latest tests of packaged leafy greens found bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination, in some cases, at rather high levels. The story appears in the March 2010 issue of Consumer Reports and is also available freeonline. Consumers Union today also issued a report [PDF] urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set safety standards for greens.
Consumer Reports found that 39 percent of samples exceeded this level for total coliform, and 23 percent for Enterococcus. The tests did not find E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella–sometimes deadly pathogens which can be found in greens, although it was not expected given the small sample size. According to Consumers Union, the goal was to investigate other markers of poor sanitation that should be used in the food safety management of produce.
“Although these ‘indicator’ bacteria generally do not make healthy people sick, the tests show not enough is being done to assure the safety or cleanliness of leafy greens,” said Dr. Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Unions, nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports. “Levels of bacteria varied widely, even among different samples of the same brand. More research and effort is needed within the industry to better protect the public.
Via: Huff Post
Egypt’s King Tut DNA Results Coming Soon
Egypt will soon reveal the results of DNA tests made on the world’s most famous ancient king, the young Pharaoh Tutankhamun, to answer lingering mysteries over his lineage, the antiquities department said Sunday. The results will be compared to those made of King Amenhotep III, who may have been Tutankamun’s grandfather.
The effort is part of a wider program to check the DNA of hundreds of mummies to determine their identities and family relations. The program could help determine Tutankhamun’s family lineage, which has long been a source of mystery. The identity of Tut’s parents is not firmly known. Many experts believe he is the son of Akhenaten, the 18th Dynasty pharaoh who tried to introduce monotheism to ancient Egypt almost 3,500 years ago, and one of Akhenaten’s queens, Kiya. But others have suggested he was the son of a lesser known pharaoh who followed Akhenaten.
Tutankhamun was one of the last kings of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty and ruled during a crucial, turmoil-filled period when Akhenaten’s monotheism was ended and powers were returned to the priests of ancient Egypt’s multiple deities. Hawass has announced ambitious plans for DNA tests on Egyptian mummies, including tests on all royal mummies and the nearly two dozen unidentified ones stored in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. He has said the tests may show that some royal mummies on display are not who archaeologists thought them to be. Hawass has long rejected DNA testing on Egyptian mummies by foreign experts, and only recently allowed such projects on condition they be done exclusively by Egyptians. A $5 million DNA lab was created at the Egyptian Museum, with funding from the Discovery Channel.
Via AP
UPDATE: Apple’s ‘iPad’ First video look
Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday unveiled the iPad, a tablet-style computer that resembles a large iPhone and will sell from $499 for a 16GB model. A 32GB model will cost $599, a 64GB model $699. These prices are for Wi-Fi only devices. A Wi-Fi and 3G enabled iPad will cost $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32 GB, and $829 for 64 GB.”It’s so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone,” Jobs said Wednesday at the device’s highly anticipated debut in San Francisco.
The CEO says the iPad will also be better for reading books, playing games and watching video than either a laptop or a smart phone. The iPad will be available in 60 days, with the 3G versions available a month later. Specs weighs 1.5 pounds, is .5 inches thick, has a “gorgeous” 9.7 inch IPS display, which Jobs says is “super high quality.” It is also Wi-Fi enabled and has 10 hours of battery life.
