Links for August 11th

  • Wikipedia: Ellis Island
    The waters around the Statue of Liberty are owned by New Jersey, but the land on which the statute sits is owned by New York. The adjacent Ellis Island is largely owned by New Jersey, which the Supreme Court ruled in 1998 has the right to all parts of the island that were created via infill after 1834. That leaves about 20% of the island (which I've been told includes the gift shop) in New York, and the remainder in New Jersey.
  • National Geographic: "Sea Monster" Fetus Found—Proof Plesiosaurs Had Live Young?
    Two plesiosaurs nested like Russian dolls seems like a pretty good indicator that they gave birth to live young, rather than laying eggs. There's good reason to think that other marine dinosaurs gave birth to live young, but usually to lots of little ones, while plesiosaurs would have given birth to human-like numbers of offspring, raising the possibility that they actively raised their young in a social sense.
  • The Guardian: Birmingham’s Muslims and Sikhs debate response to tragedy
    Three Middle Eastern men were killed in Birmingham this week, the victim of a hit-and-run as they stood guarding a gas station against roving English looters. This is the account of an impromptu meeting outside the same gas station, 24 hours later, of 300 Muslim and Sikh men. The unorganized bunch showed up expecting to march in protest, but after prayers, discussion, and votes, they collectively made a decision that probably surprised most of them.
  • Naval Company Inc. Line Gun
    I have occasionally wondered how utility companies run lines across rivers, ravines, etc. Here's a video about one company's shoulder-mounted, black powder mini-cannon. That seems like a great toy.

Published by Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith (JAKE-with) is an open government technologist who lives near Char­lottes­­ville, VA, USA. more »

3 replies on “Links for August 11th”

  1. I first read of this type of device as an aid to ship rescues in a book about shipwrecks on and around Sable Island, Nova Scotia. It was an invaluable way to rig a line to ferry people from a wrecked vessel to a rescue vessel of shore. I imagine it was an offshoot (no pun intended) of the harpoon gun.

  2. Live birthed plesiosaurs would be surprising, but why not shoot for the moon, National Geographic? MARSUPIAL PLESIOSAURS!

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