After a short hiatus (offline life got busy!), back with some links for your perusal.
1. Good kind of spicy đļī¸
I recently made a batch of chilli-lime (no salt) roasted pumpkin seeds, and now I'm in the mood for spicy. This handy list on CNN showed up earlier in March: 'World's best spicy food: 20 dishes to try' What dishes would you swap out and add in? I'd add ojingo bokkeum, Korean spicy squid with fried rish, and declassify Penne all'arrabbiata as just regular pasta. Let's be honest, it's ab fab, but It barely tickles on the spice scale.
2. Colleges and finances âšī¸
A look at trends in college consolidation since 2016 Or rather: "How many colleges and universities have closed since 2016"
(via Terry McGlynn's Academic Mixtape feature on his Science for Everyone substack).
The recent news of Notre Dame's closure at the end of this academic year was a grim reminder of the rough financial situation many liberal arts colleges continue to face. Yet nobody in Belgium I've spoken to is aware of the turmoil in higher education, let alone the fact that colleges actually close. So here's a sad list.
3. Counting bees đ
Wait, does America suddenly have a record number of bees?
A good analysis of the agricultural census from the Washington Post's Department of Data, with a focus on bees and the influence of humans. Or how tax legislation appears to save the honey bee. (operative word: "appears"). Spoiler alert: The battle against colony collapse is not over yet.
4. Climate hope đ
Michael Mann: Yes, we can still stop the worst effects of climate change. Here's why.
A reminder from November last year that there is still hope, even as the window keeps getting smaller and smaller. Michael E. Mann has all the credentials you need as a climate scientists, and he's a great science communicator: he has a knack for explaining very complex topics in a simple way and he leaves you feeling smart. He is very active on twitter, too, give him a follow if you want to understand more about climate science and how to de-fang climate science deniers in the bargain.
5. April fool's đ¤Ē
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-68707739
I didn't see anything egregious this year in my neck of the woods, but I would be amiss if I didn't share this classic, for those who don't know it yet. It's possibly the first televised April Fools prank. Enjoy!
Featured image by Alan Levine, "Got links?", CC license. Cropped to size.
