A shark is seen in an aquarium. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP via Getty Images)
Shark Populations Are Declining Toward Point Of No Return, Scientists Say By
The ocean’s top predators are in decline.
A study published by an international team of scientists last week in the journal Nature found the global abundance of oceanic sharks and rays has plunged more than 70% since 1970. In the early 2000s, up to 273 million sharks were killed every year, the study says.
Over the last 50 years, an increase in fishing has coincided with a growing international market for shark meat, fins and the gill plates from species such as manta rays, says Sonja Fordham, a co-author of the study and president of the group Shark Advocates.
President Joe Biden sits in the Oval Office as he signs a series of orders at the White House in Washington, DC, after being sworn in at the US Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump Administration Had âNo Planâ For COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution, Dr. Michael Osterholm Says Jan 21, 2021
at 10:06 am NPR
On his first full day in office, President Biden is expected to sign more executive orders and directives, including one calling on agencies to use the Defense Production Act to boost supplies of medical equipment, COVID-19 tests and vaccines.Â
A year ago, on Jan. 20, 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in the U.S. On that very day, Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, issued a paper warning of the imminent pandemic and urging the U.S. to respond.Â
To the casual music listener, blues music may seem like a lot of the same stuff. Those iconic opening notes from Bo Diddley’s “I’m a Man” (by way of Muddy Waters “Hoochie Coochie Man”), the lyrics of devilish women/lost love/being broke, the alternately mournful and boastful vocal styles.
But deeper-diving fans know that around the Umited States, different geographical areas definitely had unique sounds and performers. Mississippi blues doesn’t sound like Chicago blues which differs from Texas blues.
Wienerworld Record Cover
To that end, UK-based reissue label Wienerworld has put out a series of box sets in the Down Home Blues series highlighting lesser-known regional records and performers. The latest is
The list reflects my idiosyncratic tastes, so maybe you ll find something here to enjoy yourself.
THE BOBBY LEES: Skin Suit. I discovered this garage-punk band from
Woodstock, N.Y., after my friend Chris Bentley booked them for an early-October show at Buzzbin in Canton.
This record, produced by the estimable Jon Spencer, contains a bunch of rip-roaring originals and sharp covers of Richard Hell s Blank Generation and Bo Diddley s I m a Man.
ELLA FITZGERALD: The Lost Berlin Tapes. Someone unearthed this sublime radio recording of Ella and her fine piano-bass-drums trio in concert in Berlin in March 1962 and Verve released it. The vocalists warm, joyous and inspired performance is crisply recorded with a you-are-there vibe, and the song list is wondrous, including Hallelujah, I Love Him So, Cry Me a River, Summertime and Mack the Knife.