And now for something completely different… With puzzled but indulgent permission from Steve, Reid and Patrick, I compiled a digest of some recent exchanges we shared offline and will post them here. It’s basically a round robin on canned hunts, our collapsing culture and kids these days. For those wanting to skip this discussion, I’ll …
Category: Uncategorized
That Toodlin’ Town!
Found this at the end of a story on recent security disruptions at US airports: “A United Airlines flight out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was delayed because a small boy said something inappropriate, according to a government official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.” Jeeeesh—first goose livers and …
Homo floresiensis Controversy
A couple of years ago, the discovery of 18,000 year-old diminutive human bones on the Indonesian island of Flores, set off a big stir in the popular press. The discoverers characterized this as a separate species of small humans, Homo floresiensis, and they were commonly referred to as “hobbits” on television and in the papers. …
Oarfish
Steve had apparently heard of these amazing creatures, but I certainly hadn’t until I saw this article in the LA Times. They are likely the source of many sea-serpent sightings.
Late pics
Readers: Please check below for some “new” material from the 26th forward. Several posts have been hidden in draft mode until we got the pictures inserted.
Speaking of Symbionts..
In a gentle reminder that pigeons are not mere “sky rats”, another guest post from Jake Sewall in Holland– Steve. Common Encounters With The [Un]Common Pigeon It’s the pigeon equivalent of “getting back to your roots.” Though domestic pigeons have been bred in an almost unimaginable variety of colors and shapes, feral pigeons – the …
New Dog Regs in New York
Ted Kerasote has an op ed in the NYT (registration required) about new dog regs that, if they stand up, will require all dogs in the New York City area to be on leash all the time. When are we going to learn that perfect safety is impossible, and that attempts to acheive it destroy …
Family News…
Peculiar and Mrs. P have returned from the wilderness, finding rain, opera, and New mexico culture. He also has some comments on Turkish music– I have added to my wish list– and a poster for a movie that really does look like Larissa. Meanwhile, she laments that studying Shakespearean drama may lead to reduced circumstances. …
Shortwingers, Randy Newman, and Gace de la Vigne
People who fly “short- winged hawks”– true hawks (Accipiters), Buteos and Parabuteos– have always gotten little respect from those who fly falcons. Falcons are “prettier” if not always more beautiful, and generally have sweeter dispositions (please, partisans, bear with me– I know there are exceptions on both sides). They have big dark sweet spaniel eyes. …
Mummies, Kurgans, Balbals
The cold dry climate of Central Asia means that it is ideal for preserving bodies and artifacts. I will write more about this subject, both here and, soon, at Registan as well. But meanwhile, Reid sent me this story about a “new” mummy from a kurgan or burial mound in the Altai region of Mongolia. …