Sesame Street celebrated its 40th anniversary last month (with a guest appearance from Michelle Obama, no less) and BAM is screening, this weekend only, some of Jim Henson’s feature length films with his lovable muppets, including ABBY IN WONDERLAND, FOLLOW THAT BIRD, and THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SESAME STREET, a documentary about the show’s international impact (did you know they have Big Bird in Kosovo?). A note to parents: you will not get bored. I tried it, and Sesame Street is just as fun for adults as it is for children. Remember the celebrity guest appearances from Paul Simon, 90s-era Julia Roberts, and a very, very 80s Robin Williams? Henson knew how to appease viewers of all ages. Still not sure? Try watching C is for Cookie without cracking a smile.

Click here for BAM’s schedule of screenings.

This week the Internet celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, an imposing and deadly barrier separating East and West Germany after World War II. Its removal signaled the symbolic end of the Cold War and the unification of Germany. The New York Times had a visual diagram depicting the security aspects of the wall as well as a fascinating then-and-now interactive look at the wall over the years. Boston Globe’s popular photo blog The Big Picture has a stunning collection of photographs capturing the event as well as this week’s celebrations. As part of the anniversary event, a thousand dominoes painted by artists and school children from around the world were lined up and toppled.

ABC News also posted on their YouTube page the original televised report of Peter Jennings announcing this “astonishing development” from Germany. What’s interesting, Marc Hirsh points out about this video is comparatively how succinct it was compared to today’s non-stop scrolling, 24-hour media coverage.

Three minutes and nineteen seconds, and then ABC News was out. It’s all but certain that the newsroom was in overdrive by this time, but you don’t see it. Jennings simply reported what ABC knew, called on a journalist close to the action to provide details and promised updates as they became available. And then, most shockingly from the modern-day standpoint, he shut up.

On May 4, 2007, the western Kansas town of Greensburg was almost completely destroyed by an EF5 tornado (one of only two ever recorded). This past weekend, the town, along with supporters, well-wishers, and likely lots of media, came together to celebrate Greensburg’s commitment to rebuild itself as a “model green community.”

The event’s theme, “Better, Stronger, Greener,” seems an understatement in the face of the tremendous progress Greensburg has made since the tornado. Among the projects undertaken in that time:

The Chain of Eco-Homes: these “living laboratories” serve as models of “building techniques, prices, sizes, energy efficiency features, and green living products and services.” The “chain” will consist of twelve unique homes.

Sustainable Building Database: Want to get a broader look at green building efforts in Greensburg? This database currently contain twenty-two case studies of residential and commercial buildings in Greensburg (including two LEED Platinum certified buildings).

The High School Green Club: Greensburg’s youth have been involved in the rebuilding process from the beginning, and the Greensburg High School Green Club is one result of those efforts. The club’s mission: “educating and inspiring people of all ages to learn about what ‘green’ means.”

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. For the latest information on Greensburg’s rebuilding efforts, visit the Greensburg Greentown blog (and consider making a donation). The town’s official site provides a complete set of documents on recovery plans. Finally, the first five installements of Simran Sethi’s The Good Fight web series took a look at the town’s progress one year after the tornado.