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Ferida's Backyard Blog: Whitetail Deer, Tiger Lilies and Adaptable Geese
Ferida Wolff writes: When nature changes, it's not only the geese that must adapt. Temperatures are rising. The ocean is heating up and heading inland, threatening some shore communities and islands. Some areas are becoming parched and fires are more common and difficult to control. Extreme weather patterns are cropping up. Can we change our habits to help minimize the effect of global climate change? Can we recognize the importance of our behavior on nature? Will we need to be as adaptable as Canadian geese? more »
While Most Small Towns Languish, Some Flourish
By now, the demise of the American small town is a common tale. But even as most of them continue to lose residents, a few are adding them at a rapid clip. In several Western and Southern states, small towns are growing quickly as fast-growing metro areas swallow up more outlying towns, according to a Stateline analysis of census estimates. Between 2015 and 2016, the growth was particularly strong in small towns in Utah, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Idaho, Delaware, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina and South Carolina, where small towns grew around 1 percent or more. more »
Using Special Nails to Save Roofs — and Dollars; "People are waking up and looking at sheetrock in their house instead of the sky"
New roofs are coming to Africatown, a hamlet of crumbling shotgun houses amid ancient pecan trees northwest of Mobile Bay. The replacements, many of which will go to the neighborhood’s poor and aging homeowners, are being paid for by a first-of-its-kind state grant program that aims to lower homeowners' insurance rates and reinforce Alabama homes against future windstorms. Alabama officials, like state and local leaders around the country, expect disaster recovery costs to continue to grow as people live in vulnerable areas and climate change increases the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. more »
The 'Stereoscopic' Vision of Dressmakers; Are Dressmakers Drawn to the Trade Because of Their Visual Stereo-acuity?
Stereoscopic vision is the brain's ability to decode the flat 2D optical information received by both eyes to give us the depth of perception needed to thread a needle, catch a ball, park a car and generally navigate a 3D world. Using computerized perceptual tasks, researchers from UC Berkeley and the University of Geneva, Switzerland, tested the stereoscopic vision of dressmakers and other professionals and found dressmakers to be the most eagle-eyed. more »
