May 2019

Recycled Shoes

sarajean's picture

When it comes to shoes, I'm usually pretty hard on most companies since shoe manufacturers are notorious for violating labor and environmental laws, or even just pushing their boundaries. Too many companies have made their fortune on the backs of slave labor and sweatshops, not to mention wasted so many resources to do so. But if there's anything I love about the power of social media and pressure, it's that it's forcing companies to really care--or at least behave as if they do!--about the world around them.

Cats Will Be Cats

sarajean's picture

Cats will be cats, whether that means being curious to a fault, a walking hot mess or absolute jerks. All of these keep us coming back for more cat videos and photos every day and I don't think we'll ever tire of them. This collection of photos is a fantastic example of cats doing their best to be goofy, salty and downright catty. My favorite photo is the one where the cat steals the bunny's cage! I have a cat who's done the same with guinea pigs.

2019 Goodreads Challenge Check-In

sarajean's picture

Every year, Goodreads offers a fun challenge where you can set the number of books you want to read and work toward completing that goal. It's not as colorful as some other reading challenges, where you read books based on themes or random qualifications like cover colors, pictures, subjects, etc. but it's still a fun way to track and rate what you read all year.

Kids Keep Dying in U.S. Custody

sarajean's picture

As migrant children continue to die in our custody, be assaulted by their "caregivers" and never see their parents again, are you thinking about how this makes us monsters? What on earth are we going to do about this? There's absolutely nothing that can be done to make up for the harm already inflicted, but the children that are still in custody need to be reuinited with their families.

Researchers Are Working On The Use Of Americium For Space Batteries

        Americium is a highly radioactive element that does not occur in nature. It is produced when plutonium decays. Plutonium is produced in nuclear reactors. Researchers at the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and University of Leicester in the U.K. are exploring the possibility of using americium to produce electricity.

Purdue University Team Working On Graphene Foam For Solid Rocket Fuels

        Graphene is form of carbon where a single layer of carbon atoms is laid out in a hexagonal grid. Graphene has many amazing properties. It is the strongest material ever tested. It can conduct electricity and heat efficiently. It is almost transparent and yet it is surprisingly opaque for a material that is only a single atom thick.

Nuclear Weapons 375 - Uranium Cube From Hitler's Nuclear Research Surfaces

       It is well known that Hitler’s Third Reich was working on the development of nuclear weapons during the World War II. At the end of the war more than six hundred small uranium cubes were confiscated by Allied forces from one research laboratory. They were shipped to the United States where they were scattered to public and private collections.

1 in 5 Kids Doesn't Drink Water

sarajean's picture

As a young mother, I tried to make sure everything my child ate meant something, nutrition-wise. I was 22, and my baby was an underweight preemie, so you can imagine the flaxseed, full fat milk and other heavy-calorie foods I fed my toddler. (I wish I'd thought of avocados back then!) I didn't ever let them have junk food. In fact, their dad gave them junk food during a day out at the age of three, when shopping for a car. It was taking a long time, he hadn't packed a snack while I was home working, so he bought them Cheetos from a machine. Boy were they impressed!

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