Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Il Dodo non era lento | le pagine dei nostri libri

Il primo riferimento al dodo di cui si ha notizia risale al 1598 ed è opera di alcuni marinai olandesi. Negli anni successivi, l’uccello venne cacciato da marinai e specie invasive portate dagli uomini e il suo habitat venne distrutto. L’ultimo avvistamento accertato risale al 1662.

Scomparso nel XVII secolo dopo qualche decina di anni di convivenza non pacifica con gli esseri umani, il dodo è da sempre considerato un animale-simbolo dei danni causati dall’uomo.

Si dice che sia stato sterminato perché era un uccello lento e tonto ma ora un nuovo studio mette in discussione questi pregiudizi poiché tutto quello che sappiamo si basa sulle cronache dell’epoca, che erano una miscela di fatti e finzione spesso difficili da districare.

Per esempio, è noto che alle Mauritius, dove viveva il dodo, esistevano diverse specie di questo uccello; ma non è chiaro quali fossero il risultato di descrizioni fantasiose basate a volte sul paragone con bestie mitologiche.

Un team inglese ha quindi recuperato tutta la documentazione disponibile e ha cercato di separare mito e verità scoprendo che in effetti alcune specie, tra cui il dodo nazareno, erano state inventate dagli esploratori olandesi.

Altre, invece, tra cui il solitario (Pezophaps solitaria), erano invece reali e vivevano alle Mauritius insieme al dodo vero e proprio

Lo studio identifica anche quello che è il tipo biologico del dodo, cioè l’esemplare “base” che viene usato come riferimento e paragone per l’identificazione. Il team ha così collocato questo uccello nella stessa famiglia che comprende piccioni e colombe.

Il dettaglio più interessante, però, arriva dagli studi anatomici poiché il dodo aveva tendini molto potenti, simili a quelli degli odierni uccelli corridori.

Non era quindi l’uccello lento e stupido raccontato dalle cronache dell’epoca: era al contrario adattato al suo ambiente e poteva correre a velocità notevoli.

Il fatto che questo non l’abbia salvato dall’estinzione significa semmai che gli esploratori olandesi dell’epoca erano stati particolarmente efficaci a cacciarlo.

Source: Il Dodo non era lento | le pagine dei nostri libri

Mousse de Maracujá Sem Açúcar: Receita Simples com Apenas 4 Ingredientes : Linkezine

Se você está buscando uma sobremesa leve, saudável e deliciosa, esta mousse de maracujá sem açúcar é a escolha perfeita! Com apenas quatro ingredientes e sem a adição de creme de leite ou leite condensado, ela é ideal para quem segue uma dieta mais leve e quer saborear algo refrescante. Confira a receita completa!

Ingredientes

  • 2 maracujás grandes e maduros
  • 200g de iogurte natural desnatado
  • 2 colheres de sopa de chia
  • Adoçante natural a gosto (opcional)

Modo de Preparo

  1. Prepare o maracujá: Corte os maracujás ao meio e, com a ajuda de uma colher, retire as sementes e reserve a polpa.
  2. Bata os ingredientes: No liquidificador, bata a polpa do maracujá, o iogurte natural e o adoçante (se optar por usar) até obter uma mistura homogênea.
  3. Adicione a chia: Transfira a mistura para um recipiente e adicione as sementes de chia. Misture bem para que as sementes se distribuam de maneira uniforme.
  4. Geladeira: Cubra o recipiente com filme plástico e leve à geladeira por pelo menos 2 horas, ou até que a chia esteja hidratada e a mousse adquira uma consistência cremosa.
  5. Sirva: Retire da geladeira e distribua a mousse em potinhos individuais. Para um toque especial, decore com raspas de coco ou folhas de hortelã.

Tempo de Preparo

  • Preparo: 10 minutos
  • Geladeira: Mínimo de 2 horas

Source: Mousse de Maracujá Sem Açúcar: Receita Simples com Apenas 4 Ingredientes : Linkezine

Politico: Why the Kremlin Loves Social Media | Diane Ravitch’s blog

Two Russian government employees funneled nearly $10 million to Tenet Media, which hired high-profile conservative influencers such as Tim Pool, Benny Johnson and Dave Rubin to produce videos and other content that stoked political divisions. The indictment alleges that the influencers — who say they were unaware of Tenet’s ties to Russia  were paid upward of $400,000 a month.

These “conservative influencers” were chosen because they have large and devoted fans who believe whatever content they create. They apparently didn’t know who was footing the bill, but were no doubt thrilled to be paid $100,000 for each video they produced, up to four per month. Why ask questions when the pay is so good?

Now that they know who their sugar daddy was, will they rethink any of their views?

Should we think about teaching our children to be discerning consumers of social media so they are not taken in by propaganda?

Source: Politico: Why the Kremlin Loves Social Media | Diane Ravitch’s blog

Opinion: When I talked about my pre-Roe abortion, other women’s stories poured out – Los Angeles Times

…During the last two years, when I’ve told women I was writing about my pre-Roe abortion, stories poured out: Mine was in a dentist’s office; I had to go to Puerto Rico; mine was botched and I was so alone. That I’d prompted these revelations was surprise enough. More unnerving was that in almost every instance, the woman would lean forward: “You are the only person I’ve ever told,” she’d confide. “Only you will know,” a woman in her 50s whispered to me at a book signing last week.

Though friends who knew me in my 20s tell me I always seemed confident, it’s amazing to me that I was able to make such a decision on my own behalf before I even had a self. Now in my 70s, I realize that moment helped to form me, a woman who has made many decisions against the grain. I still seem confident to friends, but every time an important choice presents itself, I churn back to that long-ago lonely girl. How stunning now to join that mobilizing call where the importance of decisions like mine were acknowledged, where my life as a single working woman was not odd or unusual, where I was invited to shout as one of many.

Source: Opinion: When I talked about my pre-Roe abortion, other women’s stories poured out – Los Angeles Times

Jan. 6 crimes happened. Court cases, video, pages of evidence prove it – Los Angeles Times

Inside Washington’s federal courthouse, there’s no denying the reality of Jan. 6, 2021. Day after day, judges and jurors silently absorb the chilling sights and sounds from television screens of rioters beating police, shattering windows and hunting for lawmakers as democracy lay under siege.

But as he seeks to reclaim the White House, Donald Trump continues to portray the defendants as patriots worthy of admiration, an assertion that has been undercut by the adjudicated truth in hundreds of criminal cases where judges and juries have reached the opposite conclusion about what history will remember as one of America’s darkest days.

The cases have systematically put on record — through testimony, documents and video — the crimes committed, weapons wielded, and lives altered by physical and emotional damage. Trump is espousing a starkly different story, portraying the rioters as hostages and political prisoners whom he says he might pardon if he wins in November.

Source: Jan. 6 crimes happened. Court cases, video, pages of evidence prove it – Los Angeles Times

Ahead of pivotal debate, Trump threatens to jail adversaries – Los Angeles Times – (Me: Wannabe bully boy)

Trump’s message represents his latest threat to use the office of the presidency to exact retribution if he wins a second term. There is no evidence of the kind of fraud he continues to insist marred the 2020 election; in fact, dozens of courts, Republican state officials and his own administration have said he lost fairly.

Just days ago, Trump himself acknowledged in a podcast interview that he had indeed “lost by a whisker.”

While Trump’s campaign aides and allies have urged him to keep his focus on Harris and make the election a referendum on issues like inflation and border security, Trump in recent days has veered far off course.

Source: Ahead of pivotal debate, Trump threatens to jail adversaries – Los Angeles Times