Trump administration proceeds with rollback of bird protections despite objections of scientists, environmentalists

 The Trump administration on Friday advanced its plans to cut federal regulation protections for birds despite criticisms from scientists and former federal officials that the move will likely be severely detrimental to the U.S. bird population. https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/527735-trump-administration-proceeds-with-rollback-of-bird-protections?utm_source=Our+Daily+Planet+Subscribers&utm_campaign=1d6e37b501-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_11_29_06_43&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_15a39131a0-1d6e37b501-62466329&mc_cid=1d6e37b501&mc_eid=8b3219c7d6

Tiny toucan-like bird with a single tooth flew during the dinosaur era

A bizarre bird from the Mesozoic Era had a small, scythe-like beak with one tooth at its tip. Its fossil was found in Madagascar and hints at a lost world of ancient birds that paleontologists are only just starting to uncover.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2260763-tiny-toucan-like-bird-with-a-single-tooth-flew-during-the-dinosaur-era/

Searching for Mary Austin

Life for the author of The Land of Little Rain was as hard as the inhospitable region she wrote about.

https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a8713/searching-for-mary-austin-joy-lanzendorfer/

Virtual Book Discussion - December 8, 2020 - Cod by Mark Kurlansky

 Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky

The Cod. Wars have been fought over it, revolutions have been triggered by it, national diets have been based on it, economies and livelihoods have depended on it. To the millions it has sustained, it has been a treasure more precious that gold. This book spans 1,000 years and four continents. From the Vikings to Clarence Birdseye, Mark Kurlansky introduces the explorers, merchants, writers, chefs and fisherman, whose lives have been interwoven with this prolific fish. He chronicles the cod wars of the 16th and 20th centuries. He blends in recipes and lore from the Middle Ages to the present. In a story that brings world history and human passions into captivating focus, he shows how the most profitable fish in history is today faced with extinction.