SCIENCE A dead blue whale washed up on the shore of a small fishing town in Newfoundland last week. A bloated, beached, blubbery bomb of a blue whale. As of Thursday morning, the carcass is still intact, but onlookers are worried that it might soon explode. Literally. (The Atlantic) Use our resources to learn more about the life and death of blue whales. Discussion … Continue reading Beached. Blue. Bloated.
EDUCATION Educators and politicians are debating what some call the “official narrative” of the past, a broadly accepted account that roots the causes of the genocide in the colonial period. Some allege that this historical account downplays certain realities, including the murder of many thousands of Hutu, and favors what some describe as a “univocal narrative” that is managed by the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front. … Continue reading Teaching Difficult Histories: Rwanda’s Post-Genocide Experience
ENVIRONMENT Tornadoes left at least 17 people dead across much of the U.S. the past week. The devastation is a reminder that forecasting still needs to get better, says a leading government scientist. (National Geographic News) Learn more about preparing for tornadoes and other natural hazards. Click to enlarge and print this handy emergency-kit checklist, from the good folks at FEMA. Discussion Ideas Read through … Continue reading Improving Tornado Forecasts
ENVIRONMENT Last month, a “pulse flow” of water surged into the final stretch of the Colorado River. Officials and scientists hope the water will help restore a landscape that has long been arid but that once supported a rich diversity of life. (National Geographic News) Use our resources to learn more about conservation in the Colorado delta. Discussion Ideas The “pulse flow” of water to … Continue reading Restoring a ‘Pulse’ to the Colorado River Delta
BUSINESS Just in time for National Poetry Month—and the Stanley Cup Playoffs—the Boston Bruins are using a Rudyard Kipling poem in a new ad. (Boston Globe) Learn more about The Law for the Wolves (and Bruins). Discussion Ideas Listen to the poem “The Law for the Wolves” in the ad above. Do you think this poem was a good choice to represent the Boston Bruins? Why … Continue reading Kipling on Ice
