A Brief History On November 4, 1960, Dr. Jane Goodall observed Chimpanzees creating and using tools, behavior previously believed to be limited to human beings. Digging Deeper Goodall’s stunning discovery took place at the Kasakela Chimpanzee Community in Tanganyika, what is now Tanzania. While many animals use various objects as tools, actually modifying an object into a useful tool is a bit rarer. Chimps even make spears for hunting Bushbabies and monkeys, and their use of tools has been documented to go back thousands of years. Other animals using tools include Sea Otters using rocks to break open shellfish, elephants…
Browsing: Lifestyle
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A Brief History On October 29, 2015, China announced the end of its “one child” policy that had been in effect since 1979, limiting couples to one child in an effort to curb population growth. Digging Deeper Fears of what seemed to be inevitable overpopulation caused China’s leaders to raise the age for marriage and to encourage couples to delay having children, limiting the number of children they had, and spacing out pregnancies. Finally, the Draconian edict of one child per couple was put into effect, but with many exceptions. In 2015, the policy became a two-child policy, and in…
A Brief History On October 24, 2017, rock and roll and New Orleans jazz pioneer Antoine “Fats” Domino died. His 1949 song, “The Fat Man,” is considered by some to be the first rock and roll hit, selling over a million copies. Elvis Presley and the Beatles were fans of Domino, and Fats is not the only great person of considerable girth. Digging Deeper Another rock and roller, Chubby Checker, got his stage name from a comparison to Fats Domino! Yet another rock and roll great, Mama Cass Elliot, is enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and…
A Brief History On October 22, 2012, cyclist Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles due to allegations of illegally using performance enhancing drugs. Digging Deeper Armstrong had won the greatest bicycle race in seven consecutive years, a record performance. After years of accusations and allegations of cheating, Lance denied the reports, but was banned for life after an investigation. In 2013, he told the truth and admitted his cheating. Science and pharmacology have made athletic ability reach unnatural levels, starting with steroids, basically forms of testosterone and including other stimulants, growth hormones, blood doping, sleeping…
A Brief History On October 17, 2018, the recreational use of Marijuana was legalized in Canada. Call it Cannabis, Hemp, Pot, Weed or whatever, for decades the “herb” was illegal in most industrialized nations. Digging Deeper Going back to 1378, the Emir of the Joneima in Arabia outlawed Marijuana and its derivatives, and Napoleon did the same for the French in 1800. Other countries followed, including Mexico in 1920, Canada in 1923, Britain in 1928, and the USA in 1937. Now, almost a century later, the tide has turned, and many States and countries have legalized Weed for medical or…
