“The George Washington Carver Exhibit at the Missouri History Museum” and other links…
Urban Science Adventures: “Related to that, he developed countless ways to use these novel crops—soybeans, sweet potatoes, and peanuts. Unlike cotton, the cash potential for these crops was considered very low. As a result of his diligence, Carver discovered expanded food and nutritional use for these crops, such as flour, candy, oils, and sugar. He developed hygiene, household, and industrial products, too—such as lotions, cleansers, renewable fuels, paints, and stains. Because all of these products were from plants, they were lower in toxicity, had less of a negative environmental impact, were renewable, and biodegradable. In fact, many of his agriculture approaches are now the foundational concepts of Eco-conscious and Sustainable Living. He encouraged farmers and families to compost and rotate their crops and he routinely recycled and repurposed discarded items. Professor Carver was Green, all the way!”
“Charles Henry Turner: Animal Behavior Scientist”
Urban Science Adventures: “Dr. Turner is indeed an academic Hero of mine and a Pioneering Innovator in my field of study, Animal Behavior. In fact, he published papers about insect behavior and navigation (as well as animal physiology) in journals like Animal Behaviour and Science Magazine, and is recorded as the first African-American to do so.”
“The Tapia”
Michael Gonzales: “Perhaps one of the most romantic stories I’ve written, ‘Grace’s Love Theme’ is also about my passions for New York City and my old neighborhood movie house the Tapia. Located uptown at 3589 Broadway between 147th and 148th, the spot reminded me of that run down theater in the Fat Albert cartoon where the gang watched monster movies and screamed in the darkness. I suppose the Tapia was a hood grindhouse with sticky carpets and broken seats (we only went to the bathroom in groups), but it was also our little piece of cinematic heaven above 110th Street.”
“A Wikipedia.org Moment: Bob Smith from ‘Wordsmith’”
“Bob Smith hosted the American TV show Wordsmith, a show that taught viewers various meanings of words and their roots, called word cells. He wore glasses, and on occasion wore an item of clothing relating to the word cell. Many students at school still watch this TV program today (on videotape). …The word cell can originate from many languages, including Greek, Latin, French, or just native English. After the explanation is finished, he drops the sphere down the tube connected to the i-shaped rack, and the show plays a sound. Students usually take notes on the word cells.” This is yet another show that should be on DVD and in my collection! I remember being stopped in my little kiddy tracks when this show came on Television. I have yet to find some white dude living in a cabin somewhere in Montana with a creepy Web site completely devoted to Bob Smith. This makes me feel even more lonely!