Wild Things Next Door: Dangers of Exotic Pets
Source: ABC
This news clip gives an overview of the dangers of keeping exotic animals as pets.
Culture & Society
Why We Need the Wild
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Professor David Gessner of the University of North Carolina Wilmington reviews the nature writing in Jason Mark’s recently-published Satellites in the High Country, and he touches on some transcendental ideas in the process.
Moving Innovation in Education Forward
Source: Medium
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan presents an initiative to foster innovation in the educational system.
This year marks a new language shift in how English speakers use pronouns
Source: Quartz
The use of “they” as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun has been growing recently. But the 2015 Word of the Year has a surprisingly long history.
Nature Studies: Is it possible to put a price on nature? And if we can, should we?
Source: Independent
Environmental columnist Michael McCarthy expresses his uncertainty about a question posed at a high-profile debate.
A Civil War journal, up close and personal
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
An American literature class at California University of Pennsylvania recently undertook the digital transcription of a journal written by a Civil War soldier. The task required them to decipher a text that was not only faded, but written in a style of English different from what we speak today.
A Better Way to Talk About Faith
Source: The New York Times
Religious traditions that bring some people together may drive a wedge between others. An organization called Interfaith Youth Core is working to bring together people of all faiths and none to focus on their shared tenets instead of their differences.
Up, Up, and Oy Vey!
Source: Aish
An old joke goes that if you meet a guy whose name has “man” at the end, either he’s from a Jewish family or he’s a superhero. A rabbi digs into the Jewish roots of our most popular superheroes.
The World’s Oldest Papyrus and What It Can Tell Us About the Great Pyramids
Source: Smithsonian
A recently discovered treasure trove of papyri tells us more about ancient Egyptian life and culture. Read what a travel journal found with the other papyri reveals about the lives of everyday workers during the time period when the Pyramids were built at Giza.
Robert Frost’s Christmas Cards
Source: Academy of American Poets
Although these greeting cards started as a way to celebrate the winter season, poet Robert Frost was encouraged to continue them as an annual holiday tradition. Find out which of his famous poems were used as the verses for these unique cards that are collectors’ items today.