Smithsonian
Olinguito Jumps
- Title
- Olinguito Jumps
- Date posted
- 13 years ago
- Description
- Sighting of an olinguito, jumping from tree to tree.
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- 3D Scanning at the Smithsonian
- Date posted
- 13 years ago
- Description
- What can you do to bring some of the Smithsonian's 137 million objects to life? Put them in 3D!
This is a full-time job for two of the Smithsonian's very own "laser cowboys," Vince Rossi and Adam Metallo, who work in the Smithsonian's 3D Digitization Program Office. They work hard to document, in very high three-dimensional detail, many of our priceless and important collections so that the objects are available for research, education and general interest.
Smithsonian 3D Digitization on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/3d.si.edu
Gunboat Philadelphia:
http://s.si.edu/kYedb
Cornell Imaging:
http://ct.biotech.cornell.edu
Smithsonian Gardens' orchid collections:
http://s.si.edu/kYhim
Euglossa ignita bee:
http://s.si.edu/kYigP
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- Jazz: Rhythms Changing America Pt. 2 Randy Weston African Rhythms Trio and Candido
- Date posted
- 13 years ago
- Description
- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) jazz master Randy Weston and African rhythms and NEA jazz master Candido Camero tell the story of slavery and freedom in America. Historian Wayne Chandler provides historical and current insight into how the African diaspora and the legacy of Africans in America lead to the creation of jazz and other musical and cultural norms that are part of the American experience. Dr. Johnnetta Cole, director of the National Museum of African Art, joins John Hasse, American History Museum curator of music, to moderate the discussion.
Following the discussion, Weston illuminates the story in music, historical images, and narration through excerpts of his latest jazz opus, Nubian Suite, which he developed as a Guggenheim Fellow and has performed only once, in 2012.
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- Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra: A Tribute to John Levy
- Date posted
- 13 years ago
- Description
- The orchestra and guest conductor John Clayton pays tribute to John Levy, the great bassist, and renowned personal manager for many jazz greats.
Under the artistic direction of Charlie Young—the ensemble's principal saxophonist for more than 15 years—the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra's (SJMO) artists bring the legacy of jazz to life, spotlighting the sounds of the greatest composers and performers of the past and present.
"The SJMO is renowned for reviving classic jazz tunes with an engaging blend of fidelity and finesse," says the Washington Post. Jazz Times hails the group's "vitality and skill," and the New Yorker calls it "the best jazz repertory band in the country."
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- Alexander Graham Bell's Voice, Recorded April 15, 1885
- Date posted
- 13 years ago
- Description
- More info: http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/hear-my-voice-smithsonian-identifies-130-year-old-recording-alexander-graham-bell-s-voice
Technical details of the recording: http://bio16p.lbl.gov/volta-release-2013.html
National Museum of American History: http://americanhistory.si.edu/
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: http://www.lbl.gov
Library of Congress: http://loc.gov
- Title
- Los Texmaniacs perform "Ahi te dejo en San Antonio (I Leave You In San Antonio)"
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Purchase this recording from Smithsonian Folkways and support our mission as the non-profit record label of the national museum of the United States:
http://www.folkways.si.edu/los-texmaniacs/texas-towns-tex-mex-sounds/latin/music/album/smithsonian
Interviews were conducted at Ruben's Place, an iconic roadhouse just outside of San Antonio, Texas. The owner, Ruben Castro, tells us the history of the place.
On July 31, 2012, Smithsonian Folkways released GRAMMY-Award winning conjunto group Los Texmaniacs' 'Texas Towns & Tex-Mex Sounds.' The 18-song album features a blend of polka, boleros, ballads, and Western swing, drawing from the rich tradition of Tex-Mex culture. This is their second album with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings following the GRAMMY-winning 'Borders y Bailes' in 2009, and features renowned Western swing singer Ray Benson and fiddle player Jason Roberts from the group Asleep at the Wheel, as well as GRAMMY-winning fiddler Bobby Flo...
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- "Sleep Eye" by Elizabeth Mitchell from Smithsonian Folkways
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Support the Smithsonian Folkways mission and purchase this GRAMMY-nominated album here:
http://www.folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-mitchell/little-seed-songs-for-children-by-woody-guthrie/music/album/smithsonian
"The rhythm of this song is perfect for bouncing a baby on your
shoulder and lulling them to sleep. Thank you, Woody!" - Elizabeth Mitchell
In Little Seed, Elizabeth Mitchell embraces the gentle genius of America's musical bard, Woody Guthrie. The simple yet profound songs he wrote for his young children remind us of how the loving bonds between parent and child endure and are strengthened through music. Joined by family and friends, Elizabeth Mitchell offers us re-imagined renditions of classic Guthrie favorites. Her thoughtful versions pay tribute to Guthrie's uncanny ability to inhabit both the perspective of a loving, protective parent and the voice of a freewheeling child. Features eight newly-recorded tracks and five previously-issu...
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- Froggie Went a Courtin' by Elizabeth Mitchell from Blue Clouds (Smithsonian Folkways)
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Purchase this recording from Smithsonian Folkways and support our mission as the non-profit record label of the national museum of the United States:
http://www.folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-mitchell/blue-clouds/childrens/music/album/smithsonian
Over the course of six beautiful albums in nearly 15 years, Elizabeth Mitchell has invited listeners to join her, husband Daniel Littleton, their daughter Storey, and other friends and relatives to become part of an extended musical family. On Blue Clouds, she raises her special kind of family-centric music to new heights by bringing clarity and beauty to a surprising range of songs.
Track Notes:
"This tale of courtship between a frog and a mouse has been sung so many different ways in the folk tradition. We recorded another version—slower, with a repeating, echoing "uh-huh" throughout— many years ago on our album You Are My Sunshine. I never loved the "king kong kitchie" version until I start...
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- Special Event: Explosion Event by Cai Guo-Qiang
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- In celebration of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery's 25th anniversary, Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang staged one of his remarkable "explosion events," a thrilling combination of pyrotechnics, artistry, and optical illusion in four dimensions.
A live 40-foot-tall pine tree erupted in an effervescent shimmer of fireworks as if in a tree-lighting ceremony, followed by a cascade of black ink-like smoke that mimics the flowing beauty of traditional Chinese brush drawings. The tree-shaped cloud of smoke drifting through the air created a spectral scene of two trees, one real and one ethereal.
The event was streamed live at asia.si.edu/Sackler25.
The event was planned in honor of the Sackler's 25th and Art in Embassies' 50th anniversaries, and is a highlight of both organizations' anniversary week programming.
The site-specific staging was part of Cai's larger series of "explosion events," which have been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los ...
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- Revealing Hidden Treasures - Smithsonian Archives Fair 2012
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- October is American Archives Month, a time to focus on the importance of the Smithsonian's vast collections of archival and historical records and to highlight the many individual Smithsonian archival units responsible for maintaining these rich and complex documentary resources. Organized by the Smithsonian Institution Archives and Special Collections Council (SIASC), the Archives Fair highlights vast collections of archival and historical records at the Smithsonian. Staff from over a dozen different archival units will be on hand to showcase some of the Smithsonian's archival treasures as well as current projects and programs through lectures, Ask The Smithsonian in-person and online events, and new this year - a film series. The Archives Fair is the highlight of our month long celebration. Free and open to the public!
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- "Blue Clouds" by Elizabeth Mitchell and You Are My Flower from Smithsonian Folkways
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Purchase this recording from Smithsonian Folkways and support our mission as the non-profit record label of the national museum of the United States:
http://www.folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-mitchell/blue-clouds/childrens/music/album/smithsonian
The title-track from Elizabeth Mitchell's fourth Smithsonian Folkways album was written by her husband Daniel as a lullaby their daughter (and band-mate) Storey.
Over the course of six beautiful albums in nearly 15 years, Elizabeth Mitchell has invited listeners to join her, husband Daniel Littleton, their daughter Storey, and other friends and relatives to become part of an extended musical family. On Blue Clouds (out October 23), she raises her special kind of family-centric music to new heights by bringing clarity and beauty to a surprising range of songs.
The content and comments posted here are subject to the Smithsonian Institution copyright and privacy policy (www.si.edu/copyright/). Smiths...
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- 2012 AERC Research Symposium
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- The Fifth Annual Meeting will be held in Washington DC 2012-10-17 (Wednesday) and 2012-10-18 (Thursday). The theme of this year's meeting is "Continental-scale ecology: informing our national priorities". This is the first joint annual meeting between the Association for Ecosystem Research Centers (AERC) and NEON, Inc. The theme of AERC's meeting is "The Role of Ecosystem Science in National Security". All AERC and NEON meeting events will be open to registered attendees, providing a rich suite of opportunities to learn about emerging topics and network with scientists from different communities.
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- Smithsonian Board of Regents Public Meeting
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- A meeting at the National Museum of Natural History.
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- 01 SUFIism at the Smithsonian: Introduction - Manjula Kumar
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Title
- He Overcame More than Gravity: The First African American Marine Aviator
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Marines are known as the few and the proud, ready to take on any mission, but none faced the immense challenges that Frank Petersen did when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1950 and applied for a Marine Corps commission. After becoming the first African American Marine aviator, Petersen pioneered "first" in every aspect of his career throughout the Korean and Vietnam wars, culminating with his selection as the first African American Marine Corps General. Join us for the compelling story of General Petersen and the racial transformation of the Marine Corps.
- Title
- A Spiritual Offering: Whirling Dervishes of the Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Community 1 (HQ)
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- A spiritual dance and music performance precedes our day of discussions on SUFIism. (HQ)
- Title
- A Spiritual Offering by the Whirling Dervishes of the Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Community 2
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- A spiritual dance and music performance precedes our 2nd day of discussions on SUFIism.
- Title
- SUFIism at the Smithsonian: Searching for the Divine through the Arts Day 1
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Join us for a two-day symposium attempting to reinterpret, redefine and broaden the concept of SUFIism through scholarly talks, dramatic renderings of mystical poetry, soul-searching music, creative expressions in dance, artist talks, and fascinating films.
Contact: Manjula Kumar at kumarm@si.edu, or on facebook.com/smithsonianeducation/events.
1: 00 pm Rasmussen Theatre
Welcome
Manjula Kumar -- Project Director, Smithsonian Center for Education & Museum Studies
1:15 pm Remarks
Ambassador Arun Singh, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India
1:30 pm Talk
Sufism: Love, Faith, Ecstasy
Dr. Talat Halman, Professor, Bilkent University, Ankara
2:00 pm Classical and Contemporary Dance
Raqs-e-Rooh and Ma Matti
...
- Title
- Emancipation Nation: Constitution Day Panel Discussion
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- In celebration of Constitution Day, the National Endowment for the Humanities (www.neh.gov) will host a panel of renowned Civil War scholars at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (AmericanHistory.si.edu) for a performance and discussion about emancipation. They will be joined by a live audience of 200 students from Washington, D.C. area colleges and universities. The conversation features University of Richmond President Edward L. Ayers moderating historians Eric Foner (Columbia University), Thavolia Glymph (Duke University), Gary Gallagher (University of Virginia) and Christy Coleman (American Civil War Center). The historians will recreate the national scene and the dilemmas facing Americans on Sept. 22, 1862 without drawing on their knowledge of what would unfold over the next few months and years. Perspectives from the White House, enslaved people from the South, military personnel, Frederick Douglass, Northern free blacks, and their allies will be highlighted in...
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- "Sleep Eye" from "Little Seed: Songs for Children by Woody Guthrie" by Elizabeth Mitchell
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Support the Smithsonian Folkways mission and purchase this album here:
http://www.folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-mitchell/little-seed-songs-for-children-...
Recorded live at the Smithsonian Folkways offices in July, 2012.
Elizabeth Mitchell with Daniel Littleton
"The rhythm of this song is perfect for bouncing a baby on your
shoulder and lulling them to sleep. Thank you, Woody!" - Elizabeth Mitchell
In Little Seed, Elizabeth Mitchell embraces the gentle genius of America's musical bard, Woody Guthrie. The simple yet profound songs he wrote for his young children remind us of how the loving bonds between parent and child endure and are strengthened through music. Joined by family and friends, Elizabeth Mitchell offers us re-imagined renditions of classic Guthrie favorites. Her thoughtful versions pay tribute to Guthrie's uncanny ability to inhabit both the perspective of a loving, protective parent and the voice of a fre...
- Title
- Shoo Lie Loo by Elizabeth Mitchell from Sunny Day (Smithsonian Folkways)
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=3289
"I first heard this song on an album by Bessie Jones called Step It Down. Bessie was a member of the Georgia Sea Island Singers, a folk and gospel group who were recorded by Alan Lomax in the 1950s. Bessie's incredible music can only be matched by her work collecting and transmitting the songs and games of the Sea Islands for future generations. Storey learned this song in a music class taught by my good friend, Nancy Chusid. The song is accompanied by a dancing game where you stand in a circle, clap your hands to the beat, and call out for your friend to fly across the circle like a bird."
In 2010, Elizabeth Mitchell and You Are My Flower released "Sunny Day", their second Smithsonian Folkways album of "handmade" music of the finest kind, for folks of all ages.
A true family affair, Sunny Day features performances with Mitchell's husband and musical partner, Daniel Littleton, their nine-yea...
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- Quetzal Performs "Estoy Aqui" at the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Purchase this recording from Smithsonian Folkways and support our mission as the non-profit record label of the national museum of the United States:
http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=3365
Also available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Rdio and everywhere else...
Quetzal, called "provocative, heartfelt and strikingly original" by the LA Times and founded by guitarist Quetzal Flores, rose from the ashes of uprisings in LA in 1992 as a vehicle for social commentary and activism. Quetzal's music has its roots in traditional son jarocho music from Veracruz, Mexico, but is reinterpreted through alternative rock. Incorporating other Mexican, Afro-Caribbean, and R&B rhythms, as well as writing bilingual lyrics, reflects the multicultural environment of Quetzal's native East LA. "Estoy aquí" ("I am Here") is a backbeat cumbia inviting people to both dance and also to think. Quetzal uses this song to validate claims of space and prese...
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- Tsunamis: Are we underestimating the risk?
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Join the NRC's Ocean Studies Board for the Thirteenth Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture. The Revelle Lecture was created by the Ocean Studies Board in honor of Dr. Revelle's contributions to the ocean sciences and his dedication to making scientific knowledge available to policymakers. The 2012 speaker is Dr. Eddie Bernard, Scientist Emeritus of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.
This year's lecture, Tsunamis: Are we underestimating the risk?, will highlight recent tsunami events, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2011 Japanese tsunami and the implications they have had on improving tsunami warning systems preparedness and education both in the United States and internationally. Dr. Bernard will also explore the tsunami threat to the United States and how we can best prepare our coastal communities in case of a devastating tsunami.
- Title
- Pete Seeger Live Performance and Interview
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Clips from the Smithsonian Folkways Concert in honor of Ella Jenkins at the Music Center at Strathmore, 2005.
Become a fan of Ella Jenkins on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ella-Jenkins/124317344298
The content and comments posted here are subject to the Smithsonian Institution copyright and privacy policy (www.si.edu/copyright/). Smithsonian reserves the right in its sole discretion to remove any content at any time.
- Title
- Exploring Space Lecture: Gamma Ray Bursts and the Birth of Black Holes
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Neil Gehrels, chief, Astroparticle Physics Laboratory, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, is principal investigator for the SWIFT gamma-ray burst MIDEX mission. The SWIFT Explorer is an astronomical satellite that is observing gamma-ray bursts, the birth cries of black holes. Come hear about new results and about the amazing properties of black holes.
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- John Glenn: Earning the Right Stuff as a Decorated Marine Aviator and Navy Test Pilot
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- How did John Glenn get "the right stuff?" Before he was an astronaut, John Glenn earned six Distinguished Flying Crosses as a USMC aviator in World War II and the Korean conflict and as a naval test pilot. Listen to his conversation with Museum Director General Jack Dailey as they recall Glenn's career-defining moments
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- Music of Central Asia Vol. 10: Borderlands: Wu Man and Master Musicians from the Silk Route
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=3368
For more information and Music of Central Asia, please visit:
http://www.folkways.si.edu/centralasia
In these exuberant recordings, pipa master Wu Man and her Uyghur, Tajik, and Hui collaborators explore connections between the musical worlds of China and Central Asia. Featuring the stirring vocals of Sanubar Tursun and Abdulla Majnun along with newly arranged and composed instrumental pieces, Borderlands is a masterful blending of kindred traditions.
14 tracks, 72 minutes, 48-page color booklet, and photos; DVD contains series introduction, 2 documentary films, interactive glossary, and map.
Music of Central Asia is a co-production of the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia, a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. The aim of the series is to present leading exponents of Central Asia's rich and ...
- Title
- Space Shuttle Discovery Delivered to the Smithsonian
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- The Space Shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a modified 747 jet, flew over the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on April 17, 2012 on its way to its permanent home at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
NASA's donation of the shuttle was recognized and celebrated during a special ceremony that followed its flight, landing, demating and towing.
Explore the Space Shuttle Discovery at http://discovery.si.edu
Video footage courtesy of NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/ntv) and Nathan Moeller, Max-Q Entertainment
Introductory music: "Stay Crunchy" by Ronald Jenkees
- Title
- Embassy Jazz Day: An International Jazz Day Celebration
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer, the Smithsonian Institution's Under Secretary for History, Art and Culture Richard Kurin, and Interim Director of the National Museum of American History Marc Pachter co-hosted Embassy Jazz Day: Crossing Borders, Bridging Cultures. This special collaboration celebrates the American origins of jazz and its continuing appeal to people across the globe, in the context of Jazz Appreciation Month (April) and the inaugural International Jazz Day (April 30).
Embassy Jazz Day featured performances by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Howard University's Afro Blue, vocalist Lena Seikaly, and Latin jazz artist Felix Contreras. The program, which includes a panel discussion on the continuing relevance of jazz, began at 2:00, and was webcast for public and media audiences by the National Museum of American History.
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- Space Shuttle Discovery Flies Over the National Mall
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- The Space Shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a modified 747 jet, flies at a low altitude (~1,500 ft.) over what is normally restricted airspace -- the National Mall in Washington, D.C. -- on April 17, 2012 on its way to its permanent home at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
Explore the Space Shuttle Discovery at http://discovery.si.edu
- Title
- Inside the Meteorite Clean Room at the Smithsonian
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Don your clean room clothing and take a glimpse into the Smithsonian's new Antarctic meteorite storage facility in Suitland, Md., where all of the Antarctic meteorites in the national collection are kept under tight security and tight airlocks.
- Title
- Exploring Space Lecture: Big Bang for the Buck - Cosmology from WMAP
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Charles L. Bennett is the Alumni Centennial Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He does research in cosmology, the study of the large scale properties of the universe. He was among the leaders of the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) mission and he led the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe space mission.
The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy (WMAP) Explorer space mission mapped the remnant radiation from the Big Bang across the entire sky. From the patterns observed, scientists have deduced the age, history, contents, and geometry of our universe. From dark matter to dark energy, to the first trillionth of a trillionth of a second of the universe, big things have come from this small mission. Dr. Bennett will answer: what has been discovered? What mysteries remain?
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- "Ódiame" by Los Tres Reyes on "Romancing the Past"
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- The Mexican romantic trio - three suave male voices backed by two or three guitars and singing romance-drenched lyrics in lush harmony - rocketed to pan-Latin popularity in 1948 with the pioneering group Trío Los Panchos. Los Tres Reyes (The Three Kings), known as "the last of the great trios," epitomize the trio sound and continue to make it a mainstay of Mexican acoustic music. High-voice Cuban singer Bebo Cárdenas joins founding members Gilberto and Raúl Puente to show us how, in Cárdenas words, "The trío romántico is synonymous with intimacy."
"Romancing the Past", the new album from Trio Los Reyes on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, was released on March 27th, 2012. Please visit folkways.si.edu or triolostresreyes.net for more information.
- Title
- "El lunar de Maria" by Los Tres Reyes on "Romancing the Past"
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- The Mexican romantic trio - three suave male voices backed by two or three guitars and singing romance-drenched lyrics in lush harmony - rocketed to pan-Latin popularity in 1948 with the pioneering group Trío Los Panchos. Los Tres Reyes (The Three Kings), known as "the last of the great trios," epitomize the trio sound and continue to make it a mainstay of Mexican acoustic music. High-voice Cuban singer Bebo Cárdenas joins founding members Gilberto and Raúl Puente to show us how, in Cárdenas words, "The trío romántico is synonymous with intimacy."
"Romancing the Past", the new album from Los Tres Reyes on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, was released on March 27th, 2012. Please visit folkways.si.edu or triolostresreyes.net for more information.
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- 12. W. John Kress - Perspectives on Limits to Growth: Closing remarks
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- W. John Kress is the Director of the Consortium for Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet at the Smithsonian as well as curator and research scientist with the Department of Botany at the National Museum of Natural History. He was born in Illinois and received his education at Harvard University (B. A. 1975) and Duke University (Ph. D. 1981) where he studied tropical biology, ethnobotany, evolution, and plant systematics. Among his many scientific and popular papers on tropical biology are his books entitled Heliconia: An Identification Guide, Heliconias -- Las Lamaradas de la Selva Colombiana, A New Century of Biology (with Gary Barrett), A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, and Climbers of Myanmar, and Plant Conservation -- A
Natural History Approach (with Gary Krupnick). His book The Weeping Goldsmith (Abbeville Press) describes his experiences exploring for plants in the isolated country of Myanmar. Dr. Kress is also interested in the intersection of science a...
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- 9. Richard Alley - Perspectives on Limits to Growth: World on the Edge
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- We rely heavily on energy use, dominated by finite fossil fuels. We have high scientific confidence, based on solid physics, that burning most of the remaining fossil-fuel resource and releasing the carbon dioxide will cause large and long-lasting climate changes. Studies of societal and economic impacts typically indicate that such large climate changes will make life notably more difficult for future generations, and a measured response starting soon is economically favorable. Uncertainties are substantial, but with larger or faster climate changes more likely than smaller or slower ones. Fortunately, sustainable energy resources are abundant, and extensive use can be achieved with existing technologies or logical extensions thereof, allowing the economically optimal shift away from fossil fuels.
Richard Alley is the Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences and Associate of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at The Pennsylvania State University. He studies the great ice s...
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- 7. Lester Brown - Perspectives on Limits to Growth: World on the Edge
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- We are facing issues of near-overwhelming complexity and unprecedented urgency. Can we think systematically and fashion policies accordingly? Can we move fast enough to avoid
environmental decline and economic collapse? Can we change direction before we go over the edge? I will look at the economic future through and environmental lens to fashion a plan that
will sustain civilization. The plan has four components: a massive cut in global carbon emissions of 80 percent by 2020; the stabilization of world population at no more than 8 billion by 2040;
the eradication of poverty; and the restoration of forests, soils, aquifers, and fisheries.
Lester Brown started his career as a farmer, growing tomatoes in southern New Jersey with his younger brother during high school and college. Shortly after earning a degree in agricultural
science from Rutgers University in 1955, he spent six months living in rural India where he became intimately familia...
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- 6. Club of Rome - Jørgen Randers
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- The Club of Rome and the Smithsonian Institution's Consortium for Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet hosted a one-day symposium on March 1, 2012 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launching of Limits to Growth, the first report to the Club of Rome published in 1972. This book was one of the earliest scholarly works to recognize that the world was fast approaching its sustainable limits. Forty years later, the planet continues to face many of the same economic, social, and environmental challenges as when the book was first published.
The morning session focused on the lessons of Limits to Growth. The afternoon session addressed the difficult challenges of preserving biodiversity, adjusting to a changing climate, and solving the societal issues now facing the planet. The symposium ended with a thought-provoking panel discussion among the speakers on future steps for building a sustainable planet.
The symposium was webcast live, and has b...
- Title
- 5. Dennis Meadows - Perspectives on the Limits of Growth: It is too late for sustainable development
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Roberto Peccei
Roberto D. Peccei is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA, a member of the Executive Committee of the Club of Rome, and President of the Fondazione Aurelio Peccei. As a physicist his principal interests lie in the interface between particle physics and cosmology, and as a member of the Club of Rome he is broadly interested in the kind of economics that need to be
developed to ensure a sustainable world. Peccei was born in Italy, completed his secondary school in Argentina, and came to the United States in 1958 to pursue university studies in physics. He obtained a B.S. from MIT in 1962, and M.S. from NYU in 1964 and a Ph.D. from MIT in 1969. After a brief period of postdoctoral work at the University of Washington, he joined the faculty of Stanford University in 1971. In 1978, he returned to Europe as a staff
member of the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany. He joined the Deutsches Elektron Synchrotron (DESY) Laboratory in Hamburg, Ger...
- Title
- Secretary Clough on the Importance of STRI
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Secretary Wayne Clough, head of the Smithsonian, speaks about the importance of the work taking place, then and now, at STRI -- the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
- Title
- 1. John Kress - Perspectives on Limits to Growth: Challenges to Building a Sustainable Planet
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- The Club of Rome and the Smithsonian Institution's Consortium for Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet hosted a symposium on March 1, 2012 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launching of Limits to Growth, the first report to the Club of Rome published in 1972. This book was one of the earliest scholarly works to recognize that the world was fast approaching its sustainable limits. Forty years later, the planet continues to face many of the same economic, social, and environmental challenges as when the book was first published.
The morning session focused on the lessons of Limits to Growth. The afternoon session addressed the difficult challenges of preserving biodiversity, adjusting to a changing climate, and solving the societal issues now facing the planet. The symposium ended with a thought-provoking panel discussion among the speakers on future steps for building a sustainable planet.
W. John Kress is the Director of the Consortium for Under...
- Title
- Smithsonian African American Museum Groundbreaking - Rev. Calvin O. Butts, III
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Reverend Calvin O. Butts, III speaks with President Barack Obama on stage, celebrating the importance of the groundbreaking for the Smithsonian's newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum, which will be located near the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is expected to be open to the public in late 2015.
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- President Obama at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Event starts at 12:06. The Smithsonian broke ground for its 19th museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 in an invitation-only ceremony on the National Mall. President Barack Obama spoke at the ceremony. Other honored guests included First Lady Michelle Obama, former First Lady Laura Bush, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Gov. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.). The ceremony took place on the museum's five-acre site adjacent to the Washington Monument at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W.
http://nmaahc.si.edu/
- Title
- "Imaginaries" by Quetzal
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Inspired by traditional son jarocho music of Veracruz, Mexico, and spiked with urban rhythms, rock and R&B, East LA Chicano group Quetzal will release 'Imaginaries', its 5th album and 1st for Smithsonian Folkways, on Feb. 28, 2012. Quetzal, called "provocative, heartfelt and strikingly original" by the LA Times and founded by guitarist Quetzal Flores, rose from the ashes of uprisings in LA in 1992 as a vehicle for social commentary and activism.
More information about the album release can be found here: http://www.folkways.si.edu/about_us/news_press.aspx#12.14.11_quetzal
"When we become critical of the discourses that teach an outlook of community assessment through a lens of deficit and instead look to our communities from an asset-based perspective, we stand to create something much more sustainable. In this sense, we imagine. We visualize. We gather our resources. We design and construct. Taking part in communities that have exercised decolonializing m...
- Title
- Music Research in the Colombian Plains
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- In 2011, researchers for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival traveled to the Orinoco Plains of Colombia. Their van broke down, leading to an unplanned performance of improvised trovas verses in the joropo style by Felix Chaparro Rivas, Victor Espinel Sanchez, and Carlos Rojas.
Smithsonian Folkways announces the July 26th release of '¡CIMARRÓN! JOROPO MUSIC FROM THE PLAINS OF COLOMBIA', by the Grammy-nominated Colombian ensemble Cimarrón. The fast-paced, explosive música llanera (plains music) played by the ensemble is some the most exciting music to come from Latin America. Through their powerful, moody, and unbridled sound, they live up to the meaning of their name Cimarrón- the wild bull.
Listen to "Cimarroneando" free here:
http://soundcloud.com/smithsonian-folkways/13-cimarroneando-cimarr-n-ing
Grupo Cimarrón will be performing free at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on July 2nd on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This is the g...
- Title
- Los Hermanos Lovo, a family band based in northern Virginia, plays traditional Chanchona music
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Los Hermanos Lovo, a family band based in northern Virginia, plays traditional Chanchona music. Smithsonian Folkways traveled to Guatajiagua, El Salvador, home of the Love patriarch. There, they met with family members who also play chanchona, and visited a radio station famous for promoting this regional music.
When the family group Los Hermanos Lovo fled the civil war of the 1980s and 1990s, they took their homegrown music with them to Washington, D.C. There, the lively sounds of the cumbia, a dance rhythm rooted in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, are as much an invitation to dance as a way of creating a sense of "home" and cultural solidarity.
http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=3361
This album is part of the Smithsonian Folkways Tradiciones/Traditions, a co-production with the Smithsonian Latino Center, showcasing the diverse musical heritage of the 50 million Latinos living in the USA.
http://www.folkways.si.edu/find_...
- Title
- 'Los Gauchos de Roldán' Share Down-Home Dance Music Tradition From Rural Uruguay
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- On January 31st, 2012, Smithsonian Folkways shines the spotlight on the South American country of Uruguay, with Los Gauchos de Roldán's new self-titled album. Though perhaps better known for its standout performance in the 2010 soccer World Cup, the small nation situated between Argentina and Brazil now shares its much-loved, yet little-known, down-home rural dance music. Born in the gaucho ranching homelands of northern Uruguay, the multiracial genre combining accordion and guitar has been an important social tradition for families since the late 19th century.
Watch a mini-documentary about Los Gauchos de Roldán (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIG7kvdV5H0).
Listen to "Como mi suegra" (Like My Mother-in-Law) (http://snd.sc/qCAafd).
"Los Gauchos de Roldán: Button Accordion and Bandoneón Music from Northern Uruguay" is the 34th release in the Smithsonian Folkways Tradiciones/Traditions series since 2002. The series, a co-production with th...
- Title
- "Todo Lo Que Tengo (All That I Have)" by Quetzal from "Imaginaries"
- Date posted
- 14 years ago
- Description
- Inspired by traditional son jarocho music of Veracruz, Mexico, and spiked with urban rhythms, rock and R&B, East LA Chicano group Quetzal will release 'Imaginaries', its 5th album and 1st for Smithsonian Folkways, on Feb. 28, 2012. Quetzal, called "provocative, heartfelt and strikingly original" by the LA Times and founded by guitarist Quetzal Flores, rose from the ashes of uprisings in LA in 1992 as a vehicle for social commentary and activism.
'Imaginaries' begins with the dark but lively "2+0+1+2=Five," about a barren landscape ruined by environmental abuse; set in 5/4 time, the composition is punctuated by lush strings, organs and eerie vocals. It sets the tone for a fiery, innovative, percussive and bilingual album that fuses many touchstones of the East LA plurality―including the title track, a taut mix of rock and R&B, and the Veracruz-informed "Tragafuegos."
Listen to "Imaginaries": http://snd.sc/vITVjX
Listen to "Tragafuegos" (Fire Brea...
- Title
- Native Artist Workshop: Get Your Music On! with Greg Analla
- Date posted
- 15 years ago
- Description
- Native American artist/musician Greg Analla (Isleta and Laguna Pueblo) gives a workshop on making making rattles with traditional Pueblo designs at the National Museum of the American Indian imagiNATIONS Activity Center. He introduces participants to Pueblo culture through personal knowledge and family stories. His presentation includes lessons on Pueblo communities, language, history, and music. A talented musician, Gregg also performs several traditional Pueblo song during the workshop, which concludes with the participants joining in with their rattles in a Pueblo rain song.
- Title
- Frog-eating Bats: Smithsonian Scientist Rachel Page
- Date posted
- 15 years ago
- Description
- Meet Rachel Page, a Smithsonian scientist in Panama who studies frog-eating bats (fringe-lipped bats), among other topics.
Her current research focuses on learning and memory in neotropical bats, combining field studies with laboratory experiments to learn about predator cognition and its effects on the evolution of their prey.
See Rachel's lab:
http://www.noseleaf.com/
Read more about Rachel's work:
http://www.stri.si.edu/english/scientific_staff/staff_scientist/scientist.php?id=58
Meet more Smithsonian scientists:
http://smithsonianscience.org
Photos courtesy of STRI; Credits: Christian Ziegler, Alexander Baugh, Karen Warkentin, Rachel Page
Music: WilliamE -- "Connected" -- used under Creative Commons license
