Welcome to this Researcher's Journal. If you'd like to comment on anything they have written here, just click the relevant 'Discuss this Entry' button.

Maria Tallchief , America's Prima Ballerinna.
5 Weeks Ago

Maria Tallchief died this week. She was 88 years old. She was one of the top ballerina's America had. Her father was a chief of the Osage Indians in Oklahoma, who lucked up when oil was found on his farm. Since Maria and her sister showed early dancing talent--the family moved to Los Angeles.

Here is a link to Open Culture with videos showing her role in 'Firebird' by Igor Stravinsky and her dancing with Rudolph Nureyev four years before she retired.

http://www.openculture.com/2013/04/...americas_great_prima_ballerina.html

She was very fond of her father and proud of her Native American heritage so despite all pressure to Russianize her name for professional reasons, she refused.

(1 reply, Latest reply: 5 Weeks Ago)

What happens with tears in microgravity?
Apr 12, 2013

All those people living on top of each other in the ISS. What would happen if they got a chemical reagent from the experiments they are doing in their eye? Naturally the eye would tear. What happens next?

Commander Chris Hadfield (a Canadian) gives a great demo from the ISS.

http://www.openculture.com/2013/04/...in_space_will_their_tears_fall.html

(4 replies, Latest reply: Apr 12, 2013)

Snakes are back in Ireland.
Mar 16, 2013

Holy cow! Snakes have arrived in Ireland. Idiotic yuppies during the Celtic Tiger years went and bought snakes and other reptiles such as iguanas into Ireland from Europe. Just as conversation starters and to show how cool they were. Now that these jerks have lost their fancy jobs they are abandoning them in their former fancy digs to scare the wits out of real estate people or landlords.

Worse, some of these mindless jerks are just abandoning these poor reptiles out into the countryside. Here the poor creatures wander around devouring wildlife and scaring unsuspecting inhabitants.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats...16/snakes-slither-over-ireland.html

Since Ireland has been snake free for a long time before Patrick came there, this is really awful. Because snakes are really good predators, bird populations are really at risk. I hope that those jackeens didn't buy too many pythons. At least very few of these are venomous, but really who wants to lose wildlife at the rate that is occurring in the Everglades. Also in the South Pacific the US territory of Guam will be parachuting dead acetaminophen poisoned mice from helicopters to try to control the population of brown tree snakes which have exterminated most of the bird population of the island. Scientists figure it is too late to same the birds here but if they kill off enough of the creatures, they may prevent the snakes from cadging rides in planes and infesting other vulnerable islands in the South Pacific such as Hawaii.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...ped-on-guam-from-helicopters-really


Where is St Patrick or the druids when you need them?

(1 reply, Latest reply: Mar 16, 2013)

Project 'Ring the Bell' how to end violence against women.
Mar 10, 2013

Why is a woman assaulted or beaten every nine seconds in the United States of America. This is really shocking and horrible as most Americans believe they live in a developed country.

Sir Patrick Stewart, of 'X-Men' and 'Star Trek:The Next Generation' fame suffered from growing up with a father who couldn't control his anger or fists.

The Branson charity in South Africa discovered how widespread rape was in the remote location in rural South Africa.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout...n-men-violence-women-011042478.html.

When rape survivor, Zerlina Maxwell went on a faux TV show and had the nerve to say that men needed to be educated not to be sexually aggressive, she received many rape threats through social media.

http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/can...ught_not_to_rape/?source=newsletter

How are boys raised to be capable of this? Every time a boy is told don't cry, you throw like a girl, hit bullies back so they stop, or they are physically punished for their mistakes they are learning wrong --dangerous lessons.

What do you guys think can be done? Are you willing to take the pledge?

(3 replies, Latest reply: Mar 14, 2013)

A Parody of 'Triumph of the Will' that really ticked off the Nazis.
Feb 15, 2013

Some clever Brits under the direction of Minister Charles A Ridley did a mash up of Leni Riefenstahl’s seminal propaganda film and released it to the newsreels. This ticked off Joseph Goebbels big time.

http://www.openculture.com/2013/02/...p_that_enraged_joseph_goebbels.html


It is relatively short lasting less than 3 minutes but it shows how artistry and humour can help win a war if not depose a dictator. I wish present day theocratic govt's would be as susceptible.

(1 reply, Latest reply: Feb 15, 2013)