Month: February 2003
Pulse of the Planet Daily Audio
Cajun Mardi Gras: Elton Run
Most of us know about Mardi Gras from the famous festivities in New Orleans. But in rural Louisiana , Cajuns celebrate the holiday in a style all their own.
February 27, 2003Cajun Mardi Gras: In Disguise
As Cajuns in Louisiana celebrate Mardi Gras this week, revelers disguise themselves and beg for food and money from their neighbors, to support a communal gumbo.
February 26, 2003Cajun Mardi Gras: Tickling
There are many ways to celebrate Mardi Gras. In the rural Cajun communities of south Louisiana, it’s organized mayhem.
February 25, 2003Cajun Mardi Gras: Biggest Day
When dozens of people in bright costumes, masks and pointy hats are riding around in flatbed trucks raising a ruckus, you can bet you’re in Cajun Louisiana for Mardi Gras.
February 24, 2003Cajun Mardi Gras: Feast
Mardi Gras is a holiday with its roots in ancient European traditions. There are good reasons why it happens at this time of year.
February 21, 2003Listener Initiative
Our listeners are invited to share their seasonal observances on our new toll-free number, 1-877-PULSE99.
February 20, 2003Ecuador: Cloud Forest
In times of drought, cloudforests, which support the same incredible diversity as rainforests, thrive almost entirely on thick blankets of fog.
February 19, 2003Renaissance Chemist: Ideas of Beauty
Who says there are no more Renaissance Men? Meet a Nobel prize-winning chemist who is also an accomplished poet.
February 18, 2003Red Squirrel:Hemlock
One pesky insect has created a destructive chain reaction among North American hemlock trees.
February 17, 2003Red Squirrel: Sweet Treat
Red Squirrels may be nature’s original harvesters of Maple sugar.
February 14, 2003Particle Physics: Antimatter
In the particle accelerator at Cornell University, they’re simulating the creation of the universe on a very small scale.
February 13, 2003Particle Physics: Smallest
With the help of a particle accelerator, scientists are hoping to learn about the creation of the universe.
February 12, 2003Particle Physics
What is the smallest unit of matter making up our world? Thanks to particle physics, the answer to that question keeps getting smaller and smaller.
February 11, 2003Expressive footwear: Future
From music to medicine, computerized “dancing” shoes may be the future for foot diagnosis.
February 10, 2003Expressive Footwear
Dancers can now compose their own music with the movements of their feet, thanks to special computerized shoes.
February 7, 2003Wind Sled
For some Northern Wisconsin residents, the only option to being stranded on an icy island for a few weeks every year is taking a bumpy ride on a 17-year-old wind sled.
February 6, 2003The Moon – Origin
In the early stages of our galaxy, celestial bodies had a habit of colliding with each other. Scientists think that’s how we got our moon.
February 5, 2003Tully Ice Harvest: History
These days, if you want ice, you just go to the freezer and get it. But some folks remember when ice was delivered door to door in huge blocks.
February 4, 2003Tully Ice Harvest : Cutting
At an annual festival in upstate New York, they cut blocks of ice out of a frozen lake and pack them in sawdust. In the summer, they’ll use the ice to make homemade ice cream.
February 3, 2003Tully Ice Harvest: Prepare
Every year at this time, folks in Tully, New York, harvest ice out of a frozen lake the old-fashioned way, with horsepower and antique tools.