While visiting in Magdalena, Steve took us on a drive up to Mt. Baldy in the Cibola National Forest south of town. There we were treated to an amazingly spectacular view of the area to the west. I took some views with my film camera, and if any of them do justice when I get …
Month: September 2006
Reid’s Back
I have not been blogging the last couple of weeks as Connie and I were on vacation from September 3 until yesterday. We were on a driving tour of Arizona and New Mexico that included a visit with Steve and Libby in Magdalena. We saw lots on the trip that I will post on, but …
“Civil Unrest” Among the Ants
OK: Who here has ever pitted insects against each other in a jar? Even once? Or fed an ant lion? Surely… No show of hands, please; you know who you are. Offering some proof to the suspicion that biologists are just highly-educated versions of the same people they were in grade school, here’s a story …
Dog- Blogging
Everyone has been asking for a “Pupdate”. You will have to wait for Reid for Querencia home dog (and people) pics. But here are a few of the siblings. Paul Domski’s Zoltar (allegedly known as “Zolturd” when he has done something wrong): Nate’s Maty levitating in the steps of her lurcher “big sister” Pearl, also …
A Poet on Birds
Pluvialis has been blogging up a storm since her return from the ‘Stans. See in particular the one on stars here and this one on migration. Who but a poet could describe thrushes thus? “Two species of thrushes visit Britain in winter. The smaller of the two is the redwing, a jaguar-like, shy, and slightly …
ARists and Wahaabis– separated at birth?
From Chas, this delightful tidbit: “Saudi Arabia’s religious police, normally tasked with chiding women to cover themselves and ensuring men attend mosque prayers, are turning to a new target: cats and dogs. “The police have issued a decree banning the sale of the pets, seen as a sign of Western influence. “The prohibition on dogs …
Sensible Man
From James Lileks’ post 9-11 column: “If I really ran a political site I would end up disappointing everyone, since I am a mess of superficially contradictory opinions (hands off regulating cable because of adult content; stop marking slut dolls to my little girl) and old-style liberal notions, like the primacy of individuality over race. …
Flying Primates!
No, neither bats nor Oz- ean Winged Monkeys. In a fascinating post, Darren examines Madagascar’s sifakas and their– aparently known, but not well known, (despite the fact, pointed out to me by Darren for the first time, that it is noted in standards like my ’83 edition of Walker’s Mammals of the World) ability to …
California 2– Cruelty?
This idiotic story has a high “EEEUWW” factor, but “cruelty”? “Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies come across a bizarre encounter at La Purisima Mission in Lompoc. “Around midnight they found a 69-year-old Huntington beach man naked and covered in oats. “Deputies say the man had covered himself in olive oil, rolled around in oats and …
Pluto and– Californians
With apologies in advance to Reid, Connie, Margory– what is it with Californians anyway?? From Anthony Dick again, the reaction of some members of the state legislature to the “downsizing” of Pluto: “WHEREAS, The mean-spirited International Astronomical Union decided on August 24, 2006, to disrespect Pluto by stripping Pluto of its planetary status and reclassifying …