Prohibition — in 6 hours, by Ken Burns

October 2, 2011

Starts tonight on KERA, our local PBS affiliate.  A key part of history, especially for the political winds of 2011.

Should I require classes to watch it?

Part 1 runs tonight at 7:00 p.m. and the repeats at about 8:30 p.m. (if I’m reading this schedule correctly, and KERA has done this before with programs they expect to be very popular).

Part 2 is scheduled for Monday at 7:00, and Part 3 for Tuesday at 7:00 — with repeats to follow both nights.

6 Comments | 18th Amendment, 1929, 21st Amendment, Great Depression, History, Jazz Age, Politics, Prohibition, U.S. Constitution, Volstead Act, Women's Suffrage | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Crazy ants? Hey, I warned you . . .

October 2, 2011

Just over two years ago I noted the pending, rolling disaster of the introduction of Caribbean Crazy Ants, or Rasberry Crazy Ants, to the American South.

Associated Press is catching up.

Now, will you listen to me when I tell you not to vote for Rick Perry?   Will you listen when I tell you we need to control CO² emissions?

2 Comments | Biology, Entomology, Environment, Environmental protection, Nature, Science | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Lightning? Don’t stand under a tree . . .

October 2, 2011

Talk in class turned to Ben Franklin’s kite experiment.  “Don’t try this at home,” I said.

Do students ever listen?

Here’s an amateur video showing why standing under a tree in a lightning storm could be a bad idea.  Can students extrapolate this to flying a kite in a storm?

Surely there is better video of such events somewhere . . . can you tell us where?

Found it at Wimp.com, with a tip of the old scrub brush to Thom Holland, Scouter with the 626 units at Penasquitos Lutheran Church, San Diego, California.

1 Comment | Boy Scouts of America, Nature, Science | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell