Naturally Occurring Black Smokers On The Ocean Floor

A naturally-occurring hot springs settles on the bottom of the ocean floor, in a similar way as the Old Faithful spouts off every so often at Yosemite National Park in the U.S. In the same way, these black smokers on the ocean floor release gases that bubble up inside the ocean, far away from anyone’s view. These structures are chimney-like and are made up of sulfur-bearing minerals or sulfides formed by the Earth’s crust. These sulfide minerals crystallize onto volcanic rocks where... Read more »

Baby Boomers are Living Off The Grid, Using Alternative Energy, and Building Strawbale Houses

There is a lot to be said for the new crop of environmental-friendly, retiring Baby Boomers that are refusing the canned retirement solutions that are out there aplenty. Many have had to live in the cities that created their employment…complete with smog and crime. Years have gone by, the kids have been protected as much as possible in gated communities and the day has finally dawned when it’s time to take a look at “what’s next.” The idea of travel that so held the... Read more »

Air - More Than Just A Necessity

No one really thinks about the versatility and usefulness of air until it is really needed. The lack of air can kill; polluted air can cause illness. This necessity of life is free - who could put a price tag on air? However, as technology advances, there are newer and better ways to get cleaner and healthier air. Surprisingly, air is a mixture of mainly two other gases that if breathed alone would kill a human, namely nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen makes up roughly 78% of Earth’s atmosphere.... Read more »

Bats in Your Home? Here’s How to Get Them Out - Humanely!

What most of us know about bats we learned in B movies  Read More →

Should You Feed Wild Birds In The Winter?

Winter weather will soon be here in many parts of the country, yet many of us enjoy our wild birds year-round. Should you continue feeding them in winter? What should you feed them, and how should you go about it? The “conventional wisdom” has always been that you should feed wild birds in winter because their normal source of food - small seeds and insects - has dramatically diminished. But is the conventional wisdom correct? By attracting birds to our feeders, are we making them... Read more »

How To Photograph Wild Birds

Late fall is a perfect time to photograph wild birds. Leaves are falling off the trees, opening the view and birds are eager to feed. And if you’re participating in one of the several organized bird counts taking place between now and mid-February, a photographic record can be invaluable in identifying the counted birds. As common as birds are, and as photogenic as many of them are, they are maddeningly difficult to photograph. It’s challenging to get close enough for a decent shot,... Read more »

What We’ve Learned From Birds About Flight - and Why It Took So Long

Eons ago, Zork stood outside his cave and watched a vulture spread his wings and soar off a cliff. Zork decided to try this himself. Too late, he realized that his lift to drag ratio was about zero - no lift and lots of drag - and he had the glide ratio of a brick. Zork’s decedents gave up on aviation for 50,000 years. Since humans first looked up at birds in flight, we have been trying to fly like them, often with painful or even fatal consequences. Even with the technology available... Read more »

August 24, 1992: Hurricane Andrew Attacks Florida, Massive Damage Is The Result

On August 24, 1992 hurricane Andrew landed in Homestead, Florida laying a path of destruction as it moved through the state. This was the worst storm to hit the area in over 30 years, and many of the people living in the area were new to the region and never had experienced a storm like this before. The Category four hurricane hit with winds gusting to speeds of 175 miles per hour, and swells reaching 17 feet in height along the coast. The storm destroyed property and left as many as 250,000 people... Read more »

Tsunami Hits Coastal Communities Across Southeast Asia, Killing an Estimated 275,000 People

On December 26, 2004 the Asian Tsunami hit the coastal regions of Southeast Asia. It was the result of the second largest and longest lasting underwater earthquake ever recorded, and has since been referred to as the single worst tsunami on record. The earthquake that generated this tsunami reached a magnitude of 9.3 on the Richter scale and lasted for between 500 and 600 seconds. The wave caused by this quake did massive damage to parts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand, with crests reaching... Read more »

Infrastructure Decimated by Earthquake in Kobe, Japan on January 17, 1995

On January 17th, 1995 a massive earthquake hit the region of Kobe, Japan. This quake was unique in that it occurred at the intersection of three tectonic plates. This resulted in enormous damage to the area. Buildings collapsed, roads were destroyed, and utilities went offline for days. An earthquake will cause damage in two ways. Initially damage is caused as a direct effect of the shift in the tectonic plates. In this incident the shifting plates resulted in ground displacements as large as 3 meters... Read more »