I just found out, through Infodocket, that the University of Florida Digital Collections added a Ringling Collection. The collection can be searched, but what really caught my eye was the "Themes" tab. It's a listing of all the different backgrounds or elements that are part of the photo. This includes everything from baldness, to draperies, to supernatural beings. (It's odd to see that five of the actresses were photographed with cats. I thought there would be more.)
Other places to see Ringling history are The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and The Circus in America (via the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities).
Some great fiction titles that go with circus history are:
Carter Beats the Devil by Glenn David Gold
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn (much, much spicier than Water for Elephants, not for the faint of heart)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Bees.
I love bees. I think they are amazing! They are socially complex, nicely armed, and fun to watch.
Here are some fun facts about bees, taken from Nova Online.
Bees pollinate 95 different crops which translates to $10 million a year for the U.S. economy.
Bees cannot see the color red, but they do see ultraviolet colors.
The queen decides the sex of the young.
Bees fly at about 15 mph.
Scientists believe that the history of the honeybee begins in Africa. In the Science Daily article, "Out of Africa: Scientists Uncover the History of the Honeybee," researchers deduce that the "killer" bee and the honey bee have the same origins.
Have you heard of Colony Collapse Disorder? It's a pretty dangerous situation that's going on in the bee world. Colonies seem to just die. This disorder, on the rise since 2006, can cause a beekeeper to lose anywhere from 50-90% of his or her colony. The University of Florida Extension has a nice, understandable, short paper on Colony Collapse Disorder. You can also find out more about this in places like the Public Library of Science Biology Journals. NPR has an archived interview from back in 2006 when the disorder was starting to escalate. Bee Decline Threatens Farm Economy is a quick interview with a professor from UC-Davis.
What else is it with bee? They inspire people. Take a look at the online gallery Bees in Art. It describes itself as "the world's first gallery devoted to bees". Perhaps the bees will inspire you too.
Here are some fun facts about bees, taken from Nova Online.
Bees pollinate 95 different crops which translates to $10 million a year for the U.S. economy.
Bees cannot see the color red, but they do see ultraviolet colors.
The queen decides the sex of the young.
Bees fly at about 15 mph.
Scientists believe that the history of the honeybee begins in Africa. In the Science Daily article, "Out of Africa: Scientists Uncover the History of the Honeybee," researchers deduce that the "killer" bee and the honey bee have the same origins.
Have you heard of Colony Collapse Disorder? It's a pretty dangerous situation that's going on in the bee world. Colonies seem to just die. This disorder, on the rise since 2006, can cause a beekeeper to lose anywhere from 50-90% of his or her colony. The University of Florida Extension has a nice, understandable, short paper on Colony Collapse Disorder. You can also find out more about this in places like the Public Library of Science Biology Journals. NPR has an archived interview from back in 2006 when the disorder was starting to escalate. Bee Decline Threatens Farm Economy is a quick interview with a professor from UC-Davis.
What else is it with bee? They inspire people. Take a look at the online gallery Bees in Art. It describes itself as "the world's first gallery devoted to bees". Perhaps the bees will inspire you too.
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