Charlie Brandts, White House carpenter turned beekeeper

Nov 05, 2009 - A new type of visitor came to the National Mall this year, flitting past monuments and museums in favor of trees, flowers and plants. But this wasn’t just some horticultural tour; no, this was work. Each day they were abuzz, gathering and pollinating before returning home to modest quarters with tremendous security near Lafayette Park. - 1 Comment

The Frank Marshall Davis Network in Hawaii

Aug 20, 2009 - By Andrew Walden July 29, 2008 In a July 14 news release the “Honolulu Community Media Council” (HCMC) denounces Accuracy In Media and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for “shoddy journalism and smear tactics.” HCMC, headed by Chris Conybeare of the University of Hawaii, “finds” that “there is no substance to the claim” that “Frank Marshall Davis was a lifelong Communist and a mentor to (presidential candidate Barack) Obama.” Conybeare may be hoping that nobody else knowing the post-WW II history of Hawaii is willing to talk. Davis, it turns out, was just one member of a network whose works continue to exert influence to this day. Connecting the Dots A faculty member of the UH-West Oahu Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR), Conybeare is producer of a many-part PBS series on the history of labor organizing in Hawaii, focusing on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). - 4 Comments

Virginia Sweet, pilot with the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots

Jul 20, 2009 - Female flyer, WASP pilot lived full life By Paul Grondahl - (Albany, N.Y.) Times Union via AP Posted : Sunday Jul 19, 2009 13:20:25 EDT SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Inspired by a story she read as a young girl about Amelia Earhart’s trans-Atlantic flight, Virginia Sweet became a pioneering female aviator in her own right. She was a pilot with the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, ferrying every type of military aircraft from factories to air bases during World War II to free male pilots for combat. - 4 Comments

Honey, I Sunk the Maldives! Environmental changes could wipe out some of the world's most well-known travel destinations.

May 01, 2009 - Honey, I Sunk the Maldives Environmental changes could wipe out some of the world's most well-known travel destinations By Megan Angelo As if an eroding worldwide economy weren’t enough to depress travel this year, some hot spots are facing even scarier scenarios: sinking, melting, or literally vanishing from the face of the earth. Thanks to global warming and tourist wear and tear, locales from the Galápagos Islands to Croatia’s Dalmatian coast are breaking down. Maldive Islands Country: Republic of Maldives At stake: $490 million On the Ground: This chain of islands in the Indian Ocean is about three feet above sea level, and scientists fear it could be submerged by 2050. - 45 Comments

Michelle Obama's a Dirty Girl

Apr 09, 2009 - WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama planted the first fruit and vegetable seedlings in the new White House garden Thursday, assisted by a group of eager fifth-graders who tend to a similar garden at their school. An advocate of eating fresh and healthy food, she could be enjoying salads made with lettuce from the garden in about two weeks. Spinach, assorted types of lettuce, herbs, onions, shallots, cucumbers and peas are among the crops planted Thursday. - 6 Comments