March 8th, 2007
recently read or seen – and enjoyed
It’s been a few weeks since I put together a collection of links, so today seems like a good time for another. One of the things I like so much about the net, and especially about blogs, is that they provide a glimpse into life in other parts of the world. Also, the writings of others can introduce ideas that we would otherwise not have considered. Today’s link collection features a little of both of the above. I hope you’ll enjoy them:
* First stop is at the blog Shock Trauma, by Pat Jensen. She doesn’t post often, but from what I gather, she’s a member of an air medic team that frequently works in the Arctic. She’s also a writer. I found a couple of neat posts on her blog. The first one is about a visit to check on a Muskox to see how it was feeling. The second post contains a few photos of the Northern Lights, as seen around Yellowknife, by one of her friends. We don’t get that kind of an aurora show here, but we have had a few good ones over the years. I’d love to see a show like the one in these photos.
* Second stop. We’re with Cathy from Looking Up, who often posts comments here. Recently, she wrote a series of posts about her trip to Arizona. This is a wonderful post containing wildlife photos and what looks to be a cowboy riding a cholla. Be sure to read a few of the before and after posts for some other great photos from the Arizona trip.
* Next stop is Dr. Concur’s Recovery Room to learn about the the great tragedy that took place in Iqaluit on the night that The Snack burned down. I know it may be hard to fathom how the demise of a snack bar could have such grave repercussions, but keep in mind the setting. Having once worked in a (somewhat less) out-of-the-way place for a time, this account made me laugh as I can well imagine how some of my co-workers would have felt if the local “snack” had burnt down.
* At Ruth’s Body, Soul, ad Spirit blog, here are a couple of excellent pieces that will get you thinking about food, the environment, world economics and politics on a different level. The first is on the Mexican Corn Protests, and the next is on eating locally. In many ways, the two pieces are very related as they have to do with locally produced foods, the impact of transportation, especially fuel consumption and how the insatiable demand for fuel is changing world economics in ways we rarely consider.
* Marcia Bonta, has posted a lovely essay, Welcome Spring, on a springtime walk in her home territory.
Okay, that’s all for now. Hope all the links work. If they don’t, someone let me know. I’ll try to put together some more interesting links sometime soon.
March 8th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Hi Bev, thanks for posting this stuff–I’ll have a nice time poking around. When I first caught on to blogs, I thought how fun to find people writing about stuff I’m interested in too, or live in places I’d love to visit. But I’ve rarely ever found what I’m looking for by Googling, or using the Blogger search. I found out I had to go about it like I used to research in the card catalog(I hate the new-fangled computer search “card catalog” in libraries too, unless I have the EXACT name/title I can’t find it–just have to go to the stacks and poke around)–I’d start with a snippet of info and follow the garden path through the card catalog(and all that cataloging info on the bottom of the card). Soooo, now I find one blog, poke through that blog’s links, etc. So all that is to say, thanks for sharing what you find interesting:0)Make it as long as you want!
PS, I used to file endless card catalog cards, and found LOTS of interesting stuff that way too;0) Working in a library is fun! Still hear that sound of a drawer slamming in my dreams…
March 9th, 2007 at 6:55 am
Thanks for introducing some interesting new bloggers to me, and thanks for the link. I was disappointed when I did not see an aurora display this winter, but the photos you linked to are spectacular. Looking at great photos and learning something new every day is always a pleasure.
March 9th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Celeste – When I was at university a few years ago, I loved walking through the stacks just looking for random books – anything that caught my eye. I’d borrow books on a crazy variety of subjects, just to get some exposure to things I knew little or nothing about. I still do that now, borrowing books from the library using the online search system. However, it’s not quite the same as looking through catalog cards or just wandering through the stacks! I enjoy following leads from one blog to the next and almost can’t tell you how I found some of the ones I post links to. I usually visit the blogs of people who post on here, but others are found by happy accident!
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Ruth – Those aurora photos were particularly spectacular. Some day, I’d love to take a trip up to the Yellowknife region to see a really good aurora display. Btw, our bedroom window is very tall and wide and faces north, so I watch for any sign of the aurora. I do catch the odd one from time to time, but not for awhile. I do also keep an eye on a couple of pages where the aurora is reported, and mapped. Here are a couple of links – to the maps and the reports, and to CME predictions all on the Space News site.
March 9th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
You’re not the first one to suggest that cowboy is riding a cactus. Well, you know they’re pretty rugged dudes.