“I prefer a simpler and less fashionable version, which admits that a badger has a real sense of self, and real pleasures that it judges as outweighing its pains. Badgers are philosophers. They have an idea of the Good Life, which presumes there is a self that can lead that life. This is a self …
Month: November 2021
Jean Louis Lassez – RIP: apology
Sorry — I have not been present for days. Not entirely my fault: between the effects of having no meds for a week and a severe attack of rheumatoid arthritis in my foot, and the continuing absence of any kind of secretary, I have not been up to doing much. In the next few days …
Isaac Asimov’s Foundation
The Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire I saw this today and thought it was worthy of posting. I knew nothing of this series, or Asimov, other than being aware he is held in high esteem. I saw a movie, or two, but I don’t think I read anything by him. It was eye …
“There is nothing as eloquent…
…as a rattlesnake’s tail.” Amen to that.
On the Edge of the Wild
On the Edge of the Wild Steve did a good book on one of his favorite themes that being where humans and the wild intergrade and interact. Hang Lee of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, and founder of the Tiger and Leopard Conservation Fund in Korea (KTLCF), said, “The study shows that …
Scout , RIP
Patrick Porter (the best writer you have never read) on “The best bird dog east of the Mississippi”, Scout, from Berwick, Maine. It didn’t go unnoticed that all the orange maple leaves had fallen on our lush green grass. Above us….above my entire family after the sun had set, a million stars showed their …
Comet Theory Again
I mentioned some comet theory earlier but hadn’t seen this article, until last night. I thought in the last post that the comet data was interesting but likely an isolated case. It seems more complicated now. It has repercussions past and present. It seems Earth is a shooting gallery target for Taurid chunks dating to …
Japanese for tree, woods, forest. About perfect.
HT Japanese for tree, woods, forest. About perfect. Yes, it is. For a guy that has planted several thousand trees, mostly oaks and chestnuts, in the last decade, it is very elegant. … and speaking of Japanese sentiments how is this real life rock garden for capturing the aesthetic?
Harrier Tactics
Yesterday, at the Merced Wildlife Refuge. A Northern Harrier is trying to drown a duck by sitting on it for a couple of minutes. more pix Nor Cal Birding comments say it is tactic used by raptors Maybe, it was a wounded duck for the harrier to get it. Harriers are more of a mouse …
Spider Smarts
Spider Smarts I love these stories about animal intelligence. It is long overdue. Human narcissism is a blindness and hubris that is no end of trouble.