World

Have you read a good book lately? Chances are that you have because you live in the Bay Area, where books continue to beckon readers, despite the insistent siren calls of digital media. Independent bookstores have found new life, even in the growing shadow of Amazon; festivals, readings and book clubs continue to proliferate; and authors are still managing to make the Bay Area a literary haven even as soaring costs of living force a creative exodus. Chronicle Books — which has found a fertile niche in elegantly designed books, stationery and gifts — will celebrate its 50th anniversary in June. The publishing company, which was spun off from the newspaper in 1999, enjoyed record sales growth between 2013 and 2015, according to President Tyrrell Mahoney. Meanwhile, City Lights — the North Beach bookstore and publisher founded by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti — is also enjoying a string of record sales years, according to head book buyer Paul Yamazaki. “Book … [Read more...] about The Bay Area is still a literary haven from the mad digital world

D-Day veteran and former British armed forces chief Field Marshal the Lord Bramall KG, GCB, OBE, MC, JP has died aged 95. Born in 1923, Edwin Bramall was one of the United Kingdom’s most successful soldiers, beginning his military career as a junior officer in the Second World War and rising all the way to Chief of the General Staff and then Chief of the Defence Staff, and the rank of Field Marshal.As well as the Second World War, he fought in the so-called Borneo confrontation; an undeclared war on Malaysia waged by Indonesian forces backed by the Soviet Union and other communist powers, and helped to plan the successful liberation of the Falkland Islands from Argentina. “When you are old men, ” he told servicemen after that conflict was  concluded successfully, “you will be able to say, as they said after Agincourt, after Alamein, after Arnhem: ‘I marched, and fought, and won the Falklands, and showed the incomparable quality of the British … [Read more...] about British World War Hero Falsely Accused in Bungled Sex Crime ‘Witch-Hunt’ Dies Aged 95

Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate activist from Sweden, sits on a catamaran docked in Hampton, Va., on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Thunberg will leave North America and begin her return trip across the Atlantic on Wednesday aboard a 48-foot (15-meter) catamaran sailboat whose passengers include an 11-month-old baby. The boat leaves little to no carbon footprint, boasting solar panels and a hydro-generators for power. less Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate activist from Sweden, sits on a catamaran docked in Hampton, Va., on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Thunberg will leave North America and begin her return trip across the Atlantic ... more Photo: Ben Finley, AP Photo: Ben Finley, AP Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Image 1 of 5 Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate activist from Sweden, sits on a … [Read more...] about World thirst for oil keeps growing, with SUVs a key culprit

Expert speakers in the areas of political science, anthropology and global studies highlight Oakton Community College's International Education Week activities, Nov. 18-21. Free learning opportunities by discussions of lectures and a study abroad fair are two high points of the week. Open to the public, events will take place at Oakton's campuses in Des Plaines, 1600 E. Golf Road, and Skokie, 7701 N. Lincoln Ave. "At Oakton, we are focused on supporting students becoming ethical, global citizens, as well as creating an open, safe, inclusive environment for all students to grow and learn," Oakton Global Studies Coordinator Katherine Schuster, Ph.D., says. This year's International Education Week theme is "Explore Your World: Global Studies and Study Abroad." Oakton Lecturer Eduardo Frajman, Ph.D., will serve as the keynote speaker. He will kick off the week with the presentation "Pura Vida: Peace and Sustainable Development in Costa Rica" 9:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 18, in Room 1608, at … [Read more...] about Oakton’s International Education Week Focuses on Exploring World

Story highlights Machines replace human workers in planting, growing and harvesting a barley crop Professor: "Automation is feasible everywhere, but ... it only makes sense in certain situations" (CNN)A farm in the United Kingdom is the first in the world to successfully plant, tend and harvest a crop without a single person ever setting foot in the field, according to researchers and developers involved in the project. From sowing the seeds to picking the grain, human workers were replaced with automated machines operated from a control room. The project, called Hands Free Hectare, was completed last month with a yield of 4 1/2 tons of barley, according to news releases. The automated farm was a joint venture by Harper Adams University in Shropshire, England, and Precision Decisions, a farming specialist company in York. "Previously, people have automated sections of agricultural systems, but funding and interest generally only goes towards one single area," said Kit … [Read more...] about Field of machines: Researchers grow crop using only automation