grrlscientist | March 12, 2008tags: Simon's cat: let me in!, animated cartoon, humor, streaming video
As mentioned on Countdown, here's the current resident of the White House, once again mocking Americans by making fun of Brownie, Scooter Libby, Executive Privilege, and the press -- a pack of vomit-eating dogs -- eats it up (and yes, I include Helen Thomas in my indictment, too, since according to my sources, she was there and participating in some of the antics) [2:52].
Profile of the Sociopath
Glibness and Superficial Charm
Manipulative and Conning
They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-…
grrlscientist | March 11, 2008tags: mystery snail, marine life, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Mystery snail -- can you name the species?
as portrayed in tiles on the downtown stairway landing of the NYC subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | March 11, 2008tags: blog carnivals, Carnival of Environmental Issues
The most recent edition of A Carnival of Environmental Issues is now available for you to enjoy. This is a new blog carnival for me. As its name suggests, it focuses on environmental issues. It is quite large, too, so go there and be prepared to learn more about how to live lightly on our planet.
grrlscientist | March 11, 2008tags: birds, Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla, ornithology, Image of the Day
Soaring Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla, in the Yucatan.
Image: Kevin Sharp. [larger size].
grrlscientist | March 11, 2008tags: Simon's cat: let me in!, animated cartoon, humor, streaming video
A hungry cat resorts to increasingly desperate measures to get indoors. If this doesn't make you laugh, well, you need serious help. [1:52].
this video is the second in a series, this was the first.
grrlscientist | March 10, 2008tags: white orca, white killer whale, Orcinus orca, zoology, cetaceans, NOAA
A rare white killer whale, Orcinus orca, better known as an Orca,
photographed by researchers off the coast of Alaska on 23 February.
Image: Holly Fearnbach (NMML, NMFS permit 782-1719) [wallpaper size].
Seattle researchers were working off the coast of Alaska when they saw something amazing; a 25-30 foot long male "killer whale", Orcinus orca, that is white instead of being black-and-white, the characteristic color scheme for this species. This white whale, which was identified as a male due to its very tall…
grrlscientist | March 10, 2008tags: mystery snail, marine life, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Mystery snail -- can you name the species?
as portrayed in tiles on the downtown stairway landing of the NYC subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | March 10, 2008tags: birds, Red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, ornithology, Image of the Day
Red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, in Central Park.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [larger size].
The photographer writes: The plaintive hawk-alarm call of a Gray Squirrel alerted me that a raptor was in my immediate vicinity. As I headed in the direction of the sound I scanned the open branches on the periphery of a meadow where from experience I have learned hunting hawks will often perch. In hardly any time at all I was looking up at a large juvenile female Red-tailed Hawk only about twenty feet…
grrlscientist | March 10, 2008tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Populations of the Southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius,
around Mission Beach in North Queensland, Australia, are still suffering
from the effects of Cyclone Larry two years ago.
Image: iStockphoto.
Birds in Science
In humans, as in all mammals, sleep consists of two phases: deep, dreamless slow-wave-sleep (SWS) alternates with dream phases, called Rapid Eye Movement (REM)-sleep. In newly published study, sleep researchers found that pigeons can engage in "power sleep" just as mammals can to make up for lost sleep…
grrlscientist | March 10, 2008tags: courting black scoters, seaducks, Melanitta nigra, streaming video
A bird pal of mine, Al Wagar, who lives in the Seattle area, took this video of calling and courting black scoters, Melanitta nigra, that were on the coast near Edmonds, Washington. Black scoters are a large species of sea duck that dive for their dinner, eating mainly mollusks. They breed on ponds in northern boreal forests and spend the rest of their lives on oceans and salt water bays. Black scoter numbers show a long-term decline, possibly due to loss of boreal forest and coastal oil spills [0:43].
One of the cuter…
grrlscientist | March 9, 2008tags: pygmy hippopotamus, pygmy hippo, Hexaprotodon liberensis, zoology, endangered species, conservation
A rare pygmy hippopotamus, Hexaprotodon liberensis,
was thought to be extinct up until recently, after this image was
captured at night by a photo trap set up by researchers in a Liberian rainforest.
A team of zoologists set up a series of camera traps in a west African rainforest to determine whether the rare pygmy hippopotamus, Hexaprotodon liberensis, still survives, despite wars, habitat degradation and poaching in the area. After a three-day wait, they were pleasantly surprised…
grrlscientist | March 9, 2008tags: octopus's garden, coral reef, marine life, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
This image is a gift to my friend PZ Myers, on the occasion of his 92nd birthday, which is today. Cephalopods are PZ's favorite critters and so, because this octopus is hanging around the AMNH subway platform, I thought it would be a fitting tribute to give a photo of this mosaic to him, both for the subject matter and also as a reminder of the happy time when I met him, his wife and daughter in NYC.
I have taken dozens of pictures of what you see here, but because I have a broken arm, the previous images were…
grrlscientist | March 9, 2008
An interior view of "my" beloved coffee shop,
taken about two weeks ago, when I was healthier than I am today.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [Do you really want this in wallpaper size?].
I've had enough excitement for one day today. I went out to take care of some "cat clients" (gotta keep the pennies coming in, especially now!), stopped by my watering hole that is in the cats' neighborhood to say hello to my pals there (I drank only coffee, for the record), and then caught the train home after I tried again to photograph a special image for PZ's birthday gift (it is scheduled to appear at…
grrlscientist | March 9, 2008tags: birds, Wilson's snipe, Gallinago delicata, ornithology, Image of the Day
A long-time reader, Jerry, sent some images for me to feature as the "image of the day". He referred to these as "some friends to help you tend your wing".
Wilson's snipe, Gallinago delicata. It is a little unusual to see a shorebird off the the ground, but this fellow decided he needed a higher perch to take in some of the scenery.
Image: Jerry Kram. [larger size].
grrlscientist | March 9, 2008tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, natural history books
"One cannot have too many good bird books"
--Ralph Hoffmann, Birds of the Pacific States (1927).
Here's this week's issue of the Birdbooker Report by Ian Paulsen, which lists bird and natural history books that are (or will soon be) available for purchase.
FEATURED TITLE:
Chang, Mee-mann, Editor-in-Chief. The Jehol Fossils: The Emergence of Feathered Dinosaurs, Beaked Birds and Flowering Plants. 2008. Academic Press. Hardbound: 208 pages. Price: $69.95 US [Amazon: $63.20]. SUMMARY: This coffee table book is richly illustrated with…
grrlscientist | March 8, 2008tags: sergeant major damselfish, Abudefduf saxatilis, marine life, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Coral reef mosaic [detail]
the fish are probably sargent major damselfish, Abudefduf saxatilis,
as portrayed in tiles on the downtown stairway landing of the NYC subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | March 8, 2008tags: birds, Swainson's Hawk, Buteo swainsoni, ornithology, Image of the Day
A long-time reader, Jerry, sent some images for me to feature as the "image of the day". He referred to these as "some friends to help you tend your wing".
Swainson's Hawk, Buteo swainsoni.
Image: Jerry Kram. [larger size].
grrlscientist | March 8, 2008tags: posters, atheism, godlessness, Atheist's Golden Rule, ethics
Image: orphan [larger size].
The Atheist's Golden Rule: Don't do the dumb shit that religious people do to each other.
grrlscientist | March 7, 2008tags: blog carnivals, Linnaeus' Legacy
The 5th edition of Linnaeus' Legacy is now available for you to enjoy. This is a new blog carnival that focuses on taxonomy and biodiversity and is published each month. Happily, it appears to be growing with each edition -- so be sure to go there and give the contributors some encouragement!
grrlscientist | March 7, 2008tags: coral reef, marine life, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Coral reef mosaic [detail]
as portrayed in tiles on the downtown stairway landing of the NYC subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.