grrlscientist | May 17, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Treasure flower, also known as the South African daisy, Gazania rigens.
Photographed on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 9 May 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | May 17, 2009tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books
"How does one distinguish a truly civilized nation from an aggregation of
barbarians? That is easy. A civilized country produces much good bird
literature."
--Edgar Kincaid
The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of a wide variety of science, nature and behavior books that currently are, or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle birding pals and book collector, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is edited by me and published here for your information and…
grrlscientist | May 17, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
The host for tomorrow's (18 May) edition of Scientia Pro Publica is Eric, author of The Primate Diaries. To send your science, nature or medical writing to Scientia Pro Publica, either use this automated submission form or use the cute little widget on the right (keep in mind that widget sometimes disappears when the mother site is sick). Be sure to include the URL or "permalink", the essay title and, to make life easier for the host, please include a 2-3…
grrlscientist | May 17, 2009tags: White Ibis, Eudocimus albus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] White Ibis, Eudocimus albus, photographed the San Bernard Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 12 February 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/350s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Do you notice the hole in this bird's beak? If so, do you know if this hole will ever be grown over?
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | May 17, 2009tags: religion, fundamentalist nonsense, poison, humor, satire, comedy, streaming video
In this video, we are reminded about Mark 16:17-18, which tells us that drinking poison will do no harm to those who believe in god. Edward Current celebrates this amazing gift from our loving Father by drinking a bottle of cyanide that is so potent that it can kill an adult atheist in less than ten seconds [3:50]
grrlscientist | May 16, 2009tags: Preakness Stakes, horse racing, race horses, Rachel Alexandra, Mine That Bird, sports, streaming video
Even though I don't own a television, I managed to watch the Preakness Stakes live in a pub in NYC. To say the least, I was so excited to watch the wonderful superfilly, Rachel Alexandra, win the Preakness Stakes from the far outside post by running wire-to-wire and holding off the fast-closing Mine That BIrd, who won the Kentucky Derby just two weeks ago [3:34]
grrlscientist | May 16, 2009I am late linking to some of these, but late is better than never: here's the latest carnivalia for you to read;
Carnival of the Vanities. This blog carnival is all about celebrating the best writing published recently in the blogosphere, regardless of topic.
Book Review Carnival, 10 May 2009 edition. Lots of luscious books are reviewed here, just in time for you to find the perfect book to read while sitting on the beach!
Review Carnival, May 2009 edition. This blog carnival is filled with reviews of anything you can name, although my contribution was, as you'd suspect, a book review.
I…
grrlscientist | May 16, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Lantana, Lantana camera.
Photographed on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 16 May 2009 [larger view].
I have always been fascinated with these flowers because, as the individual blossoms age, their color changes. So each plant can have flowers with many different colors, even on the same stem!
grrlscientist | May 16, 2009tags: NYC Life, NYPL, public services, public education, public libraries
Let's face it, if you are broke and unemployed in NYC today, you would have nothing constructive to do if Mayor Mike Bloomsberg's proposed budget cuts to the Public library system is enacted. (Although, I suppose you could commit a few crimes, since the police force has also been cut back).
Mayor Bloomberg, the eighth richest person in America, is proposing a 22% funding cut to all three New York City public library systems (NYPL, Brooklyn and Queens). These cuts would eliminate 943 employees, end all weekend…
grrlscientist | May 16, 2009tags: American Pipit, Anthus rubescens, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] American Pipit, Anthus rubescens, photographed in Minnehaha County, near Wall lake, South Dakota. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Terry Sohl, 10 November 2008 [larger view]
Photo taken with a Canon 40D, 400 5.6L.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | May 16, 2009tags: science, physics, boiling water into ice, streaming video
This should go into the category: What scientists do when the boss is out of town: This video shows a couple scientists who are "boiling water into ice." Can you describe how they do this? [5:02]
grrlscientist | May 16, 2009
I will be your host for the 101st edition of I and the Bird on 28 May. This blog carnival collects the finest writing, photoessays and photography in the blogosphere about bird watching and wild birds. Please send submissions -- yours or other people's -- to me or to Mike as soon as you can, so I can do the best job possible in assembling this blog carnival for you.
grrlscientist | May 15, 2009tags: evolutionary biology, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, mammals, biodiversity
Because I write for ScienceBlogs, I have been invited to a special sneak preview of the "Extreme Mammals" exhibit hosted by the American Museum of Natural History, where I was a postdoctoral fellow for two years. This exhibit features the biggest, smallest, most amazing and generally the weirdest mammals to ever swim, fly or walk the face of this earth. "Extreme Mammals" opens to the public on Saturday, 16 May, but my goal is to take a lot of photographs to share with you here this…
grrlscientist | May 15, 2009I have been pinching myself for the past three weeks for two reasons: first I have good news to share with you and second, I was afraid that my good news was a dream that I'd awaken from.
My good news is that I just sent off a book review to be published in Nature magazine. Nature? you say .. Do you mean .. ?
Why, yes, I do mean ... !
I don't yet know when it will appear in print, but believe me, as soon as I know, you'll know! (aaand the author will know, and the book publisher, editors and publicity agents will know) Additionally, I am working on a longer version of this book review…
grrlscientist | May 15, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Monkey Flower, Mimulus hybrid?
Photographed on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 9 May 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | May 15, 2009tags: Great Egret, Casmerodius albus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Great Egret, Casmerodius albus, photographed on High Island, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 29 March 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, author of Aimophila Adventures and Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
This is a big, lanky, long-legged bird with a pointed bill and a…
grrlscientist | May 15, 2009
I receive a fair number of books to review each week, so I thought I should do what several magazines and other publications do; list those books that have arrived in my mailbox so you know that this is the pool of books from which I will be reading and reviewing on my blog.
Fresh: A Perishable History by Susanne Freidberg (Belknap Press; 2009). Review copy.
Falconer on the Edge: A Man, His Birds, and the Vanishing Landscape of the American West by Rachel Dickinson (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2009). Review copy.
Birdsong by the Seasons: A Year of Listening to Birds by Donald Kroodsma (…
grrlscientist | May 15, 2009tags: movies, film, Star Trek prequel, satire, humor, funny, The Onion, streaming video
I'm not sure I want to see the new Star Trek film. Based on this video report, long time fans of the Star Trek franchise say JJ Abrams' enjoyable, engaging prequal betrays what Star Trek is all about. [2:22]
grrlscientist | May 15, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
The host for the upcoming 18 May edition of Scientia Pro Publica is Eric, author of The Primate Diaries. To send your science, nature or medical writing to Scientia Pro Publica, either use this automated submission form or use the cute little widget on the right (keep in mind that widget sometimes disappears when the mother site is sick). Be sure to include the URL or "permalink", the essay title and, to make life easier for the host, please include a 2-3…
grrlscientist | May 14, 2009tags: NYC Life, NYPL, public services, public education, public libraries
Today, I spoke with several people who work at and administer their local library branches in NYC about the economic situation they are faced with. Mayor Bloomberg, the eighth richest person in America, is proposing a 22% funding cut to all three New York City public library systems (NYPL, Brooklyn and Queens). These cuts would eliminate 943 employees, end all weekend service, and the materials budget will be cut by at least 30%. The City Council must approve this budget by June 30.
"At the Brooklyn Public Library,…