grrlscientist | October 3, 2008tags: DonorsChoose2008, education, public school education, fund raising, evolution education, nature education, bird education
Today's featured project is below the fold.
This is a rural high-poverty school in North Carolina. The teacher is a bird watcher who also lives with pet birds, and she seeks to instill this love for birds into her students. In this proposal, she and her students will learn about the diets of owls by dissecting owl pellets and examining the remains of insects and bones from small animals that the owls cannot digest.
"Whooo's in the Forest?" Part II
I teach a…
grrlscientist | October 3, 2008A streaming review of Bill Maher's new film, Religulous, that is being released TODAY. I totally must see this film, and I must get the DVD, too! [4:23]
grrlscientist | October 3, 2008tags: Black Skimmer, Rynchops niger, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery bird] Black Skimmer, Rynchops niger, photographed at Quintana and Bryan Beaches, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 3 September 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/350s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
Another immature gull: abandon hope, abandon this quiz, and let's go do something useful! Persist, though, and we'll find some odd things about this bird that make it…
grrlscientist | October 3, 2008Comedian Bill Maher takes on religion in his new film, "Religulous." He tells Harry Smith that religion can be laughed at, and for good reason. This is a film for everyone who is afraid that the Sarah Palins of the World will take over. This film is scheduled for release TODAY (3 October 2008) [4:03]
grrlscientist | October 2, 2008tags: Times Square, 42nd street, L>osing My Marbles, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Losing my Marbles (2003).
Artist: Lisa Dinhofer.
Losing my Marbles, image 2, Detail 7. Glass mosaics on mezzanine walls of the 42nd Street (Times Square) for the A, C and E trains. This mosaic was just installed since I photographed it as the adhesive was still drying and the workmen were sweeping up their mess!
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
Lisa Dinhofer uses representations of toy marbles to challenge our imaginations by playing with illusions that alter…
grrlscientist | October 2, 2008tags: Steinacleit stone circle, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, Image of the Day
Steinacleit stone circle, near Shader (Siader) on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland.
Construction of this circle probably began about 2000 BC.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
This mysterious site lies on a gentle slope not far from the A857 road, at the south end of Loch an Duin, Shader, Lewis, northwest of Stornoway. Archaeologists are divided over whether this monument is the remains of a chambered cairn or a domestic settlement. There is a circular structure of some 16 meters in diameter situated on…
grrlscientist | October 2, 2008tags: DonorsChoose2008, education, public school education, fund raising, evolution education, nature education, bird education
One of the highest poverty areas in America is in Washington DC, our nation's capital. That's just disgusting. But we do not need to let the kids who live there succumb to the rampant despair of broken dreams, poor health and poverty. This proposal seeks to give these kids wings by teaching them about birds. Birds are a magical gateway into biological sciences; drawing kids into learning about the wonders of evolution and behavioral ecology and conservation. I know…
grrlscientist | October 2, 2008tags: Gull-billed Tern, Sterna nilotica, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery bird] Gull-billed Tern, Sterna nilotica, photographed at Bolivar Peninsula, Yacht Basin Road, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 3 May 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/500s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
This stunning portrait is readily identified as [that] of a Gull-billed Tern. All the usual field guide characters are on display, but all we really need to…
grrlscientist | October 2, 2008Bill Maher discusses his film, Religulous, with Larry King. Part of this movie was filmed on location in Heaven. This film is scheduled for release on 3 October 2008 [7:58]
grrlscientist | October 1, 2008tags: Times Square, 42nd street, L>osing My Marbles, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Losing my Marbles (2003).
Artist: Lisa Dinhofer.
Losing my Marbles, image 2, Detail 6. Glass mosaics on mezzanine walls of the 42nd Street (Times Square) for the A, C and E trains. This mosaic was just installed since I photographed it as the adhesive was still drying and the workmen were sweeping up their mess!
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
Lisa Dinhofer uses representations of toy marbles to challenge our imaginations by playing with illusions that alter…
grrlscientist | October 1, 2008tags: fishing hole, River Orchy, Scottish highlands, Image of the Day
Fishing hole on the River Orchy in the Scottish Highlands.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
grrlscientist | October 1, 2008Some new blog carnivals have been published recently, so I thought I'd share them with you;
Just Write blog carnival for all you freelance writers out there!
Berry Go Round, issue #9. This blog carnival focuses on plants, and this issue has some stunning images of flowers, so be sure to visit!
Gardening Carnival's most recent issue for you to enjoy! This is a really fascinating blog carnival that discusses all aspects of gardening.
Carnival of the Liberals, issue #74. Good stuff here!
Carnival of the libertarians, the pre-wall street give-away edition. You all know I am not a Libertarian (…
grrlscientist | October 1, 2008tags: DonorsChoose2008, education, public school education, fund raising, evolution education, nature education, bird education
Mrs. G is seeking supplies for a microbiology lab. I, as a microbiologist, recognize the value (and the intense fascination!) of teaching students about the natural world, particularly microbes!
I teach 7th grade Science in a school where the majority of the students are classified as Title 1, meaning that they need remedial help with their basic skills. Even without that classification, students this age are hard to motivate, especially in the content area of…
grrlscientist | October 1, 2008tags: Least Tern, Sterna antillarum, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery bird] Least Tern, Sterna antillarum, photographed at Bolivar Flats, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 16 August 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/750s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
Another teeny tern. If that wasn't your first thought, you might want to run back through the other tern images in this series and try to get a sense of what a big tern looks like, a…
grrlscientist | October 1, 2008I want to go see Religulous SO BADLY, and today, I heard an interview on "Fresh Air" on WNYC with Bill Maher [MediaPlayer: 2:51] where he discussed the making of this film. This film is scheduled for release on 3 October 2008 [2:12]
grrlscientist | October 1, 2008
Image: Apple Store (Soho).
Tonight, you are all invited to NYC's Apple Store (in Soho) for a free a "Pro Session" panel discussion with some of us ScienceBloggers, including me. This session will be a conversation about the convergence of science, technology, and culture and will discuss how blog writing is driving the global dialogue on scientific topics. We'll talk about everything from global warming to science education and why science literacy is more important than ever.
What: Apple Pro Session panel with ScienceBloggers
Date: Tonight (Wednesday, 1 October 2008)
Time: 7 - 8pm ET…
grrlscientist | September 30, 2008tags: DonorsChoose2008, education, public school education, fund raising, evolution education, nature education, bird education
Today is a special day because today is the first day of my DonorsChoose Challenge. DonorsChoose is a fund-raising campaign where the public can help classrooms throughout the United States to raise the funds necessary for educating children in grades K-12. Each ScienceBlog writer who is participating will raise funds for the entire month of October. Each participant has chosen a subset of the listed classroom proposals to fund based on their own special criteria.…
grrlscientist | September 30, 2008tags: Times Square, 42nd street, L>osing My Marbles, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Losing my Marbles (2003).
Artist: Lisa Dinhofer.
Losing my Marbles, image 2, Detail 5. Glass mosaics on mezzanine walls of the 42nd Street (Times Square) for the A, C and E trains. This mosaic was just installed since I photographed it as the adhesive was still drying and the workmen were sweeping up their mess!
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
Lisa Dinhofer uses representations of toy marbles to challenge our imaginations by playing with illusions that alter…
grrlscientist | September 30, 2008The NYC millionth comment party has been scheduled! ScienceBlogs has rented out the top floor of the Delancey and will be providing pizza and a bar tab up to about $600 (drinks over that amount will not be covered) -- FREE! The Delancey will be suspending their usual cover charge, just for us.
ScienceBlogs' NYC area Millionth Comment party:
Date: Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Time: 7pm ET until ???
Location: the top floor of The Delancey Bar and Nightclub, 168 Delancey Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side [map]
SciBling hosts: ME and some of my ScienceBlogs colleagues, PhysioProf and Jake Young,…
grrlscientist | September 30, 2008tags: Pobull Fhinn stone circle, North Uist, Loch Langass, Scotland, Image of the Day
Pobull Fhinn.
Stones at Pobull Fhinn, a stone circle on North Uist. On the shores of Loch Langass (visible in the picture), and about 1/2 mile south of the Barpa Langass tomb.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].