bootstrap analysis

more links

More stuff to get off my chest:

• Here's a great publication on selecting plants for pollinators in the eastern broadleaf forest region (PDF).
• Meet Detroit, the tip of the iceberg.  We'll have to do what Flint, MI is considering.
• Bird translocations have high failure rates due to the stress handling causes -- even one instance of handling can cause long-term stress. I've read other studies indicating the same thing in other taxa. This makes reintroductions of rare or extirpated species a challenge. And, frankly, makes doing the same thing for rescued common species a waste of resources.
• Bird-friendly certified buildings -- now that's an idea with (less) impact!
• I received a great book: Birdsong by the Seasons: A Year of Listening to Birds, Don Kroodsma's latest excellent book on bird song (his last, also terrific, was The Singing Life of Birds: The Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong). I really recommend these.

comments from the archives

I still get plenty of comments on older posts. The post that wins the prize for the most far-out, emotional, and irrational comments was one I did about Mute Swans in 2007. Any Mute Swan post gets over-wrought comments. I had to delete extremely long (1000+ words) comments, but that just meant I got extremely long emails instead.

I still get them! Here is a classic example I got just last month. These people wonder why nobody takes them seriously.  This is verbatim. The only thing I deleted was reference to an article including widely-circulated and debunked Mute Swan propaganda, same stuff I referred to in my comment on the original post. Enjoy. And if you are in this guy's camp, don't leave a comment or send an email.

The subject line was: "Cynus Olor, the awful war in the mid-east, and Billy Jo Bob" (!).

Dear Anonymous Blogger (nuthatch.ba)

It must be nice to be so full of yourself, that you can blow off the ignorant general public that clamors for the protection of one male Mute Swan in Michigan. Of course, you also write off the public that gives an apparently inept president some leeway on conducting foreign policy, but has less problems understanding the indiscretion by the Chief Executive with an underling intern, in the closet of the Oval Office. Any other Federal Employee would have been terminated for sexual harassment.

Obviously you are a practical person, because you understand it is easier to control Mute Swans, than chicken farm, or fertilizer runoff, into the Chesapeake Bay. This understanding allows decimation of Mute Swans by DNR (Dept of Natural Resources) in Maryland, Connecticut, Vermont and Wisconsin. Obviously too, you are indeed a "cat" person. Aloof, detached and happy with your smug self centered world of correctness of opinion. It is probably those lesser "dog" people whose anthropomorphism creates hardship for environmentalists who understand native species, and how the educated elite must manage wildlife.

What can a retired peon who has considered himself pro-environment since college in 1969 do to thwart the mindset of people like you, or at least the organizations that subscribe to Mute Swan control? Withhold financial support, and knock out a letter of protest. That is it.

Sometime, ask yourself, what is it that makes life worth living? Dissect your answer. What does it come down to? We all reach the same destination Nuthatch, and I believe it is better to enjoy and accept the natural world for what it is, a continually evolving and magnificent creation of which we are just a small part.

Truly,
Charles Norton

For a little touche, here's a recent post from the Wildlife Society Blog, "Non-native Mute Swans must go." And a letter in support of reducing Mute Swan populations signed by representatives of 25 conservation and wildlife organizations.

linkalicious

Still more recent links, a Pet Peeves edition:

• Cigarette butt litter. Little toxic (nicotine, benzene and cadmium) nasties constitute 28 percent to 33 percent of all litter nationwide — measured by item number, not volume.


• The people in my neighborhood are completely infatuated with loud, gassy, unnecessary petroleum-powered lawn devices. As is pointed out in this great newspaper column reprint by Alan Gregory, gas-powered lawn mowers account for 5% of the nation's air pollution and a whole lot of absolutely infuriating, exasperating NOISE.


• I have written before about the importance of keeping cats indoors. Here is a video from the leading proponent of this movement (also one of the best bird conservation organizations in the world), the American Bird Conservancy.  It focuses on "trap, neuter, and release" programs, and why they do not work. It has spawned articles on blogs and the popular press; the one on The Wildlife Society Blog discusses their position, and the "tyranny of small decisions."

the strange allure of tussi

My husband is a bigger Flickr user than I am and has a lot of contacts. Looking over his shoulder, I'd often see him browsing photos of the same engaging tuxedo cat. Every day there would be a new batch. Although I take a fair number cat pictures of my own very cute cats, I tend to categorize excessive pet photos as a little weird.

Then I started looking at this cat, whose name is Tussi. She is undeniably pretty, and exceptionally photogenic. And it doesn't hurt that her owner, Staffan, is an excellent photographer. Staffan lives in Sweden and took a medical retirement. He often cannot get out and about too much, hence Tussi is frequently his subject.

Because of the time difference, every morning when I have a cup of coffee and go online, there is a new batch of Tussi photos to look at.  I've actually come to look forward to seeing how her day went. A huge part of the appeal is that Staffan's captions and narratives are charming and nearly always make me smile.

I didn't want to post a photo of Tussi here, so go visit her yourself:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanstaffs/

I think one reason I've been so captivated is that Staffan and Tussi have made me appreciate how the Internet has made the world smaller in a completely good way. No matter what kind of crap is going on in my life, I find a little peace in knowing that four thousand miles away, there is a man and his cat, enjoying a lovely garden.

links of late

I'll admit Facebook has pretty much become the place where I post links, snide comments, and assorted other miscellany. Here are some of the links that caught my eye while on hiatus:

• Although it's hard to pick even a top ten, the so-called "conscience clause" ranks high on my list of the crappiest rules put in place by the Bush administration. Here's an editorial that goes over why it's so wrong. Actually, many of the comments put an even finer point on it. See in particular numbers 8,15, and 103.

"[I]f one gets to prefer one’s own internal judgments to the judgments of authorized external bodies (legislatures, courts, professional associations), the result will be the undermining of public order and the substitution of personal whim for general decorums..."

• Farmers using Roundup Ready crops find...their weeds are becoming resistant to Roundup. Nearly all the farmers in a Purdue survey (funded by Monsanto, the makers of the herbicide) said their weeds were developing resistance. I went to look at the original paper, published in the journal Weed Technology, and found that every recent issue had articles on one resistant weed or another. Let's hear it for Monsanto for proving natural selection.


• I have an idea: we can raise tax dollars by getting rid of the tax-exempt status of religious organizations that spend millions of dollars into political campaigns, ballot initiatives, and political activity. This article explains the IRS rules regarding spending and lobbying by religious groups and churches, which need to be enforced and/or strengthened.


• Just because two sides disagree over an issue doesn’t mean both arguments should be given equal weight. Journalists in particular need to GET THIS. This editorial is about stem-cell research, but makes the point and describes the difference between a controversy and a quandary.

reappearance

I said I'd show up here again, so I thought I should make good on my promise. It's been a hectic spring. The first hurdle is just getting through migration -- from mid-April into early June it's a marathon: up at 5 AM seven days a week. In that period I think I had two days off, and one was doctor's orders after a biopsy (that turned out okay, but was prompted by pain and discomfort, so down the road I may have to have some surgery).

Meanwhile, the Kingfisher's job situation, like so many in our region, is a little precarious. He made it through a round of layoffs, but the company has doled out nearly a month of non-paid furlough days. No guarantees there is not more belt-tightening to come, so we're going through readjustments and stress of our own. As for me, BIG unexpected changes at work ahead.  That has already chewed up a lot of time and mental energy. More on that later.

On the plus side, Juniper is now 90% integrated into the family. She doesn't hide in the basement rafters or on top of the freezer any more. There's hardly any hostility or aggression between her and Sophie, but sort of a grudging acceptance. Sophie, though, is extremely jealous. She can be sound asleep in some distant part of the house, and all I have to do is talk to Juniper and Sophie comes running to make sure the love is doled out in equal measure.

I appreciate Sophie's lack of interest in going outside even more now that the nice weather has arrived.  Juniper is never far from a window or door, has put holes in the screens and honeycomb blinds, and cannot be trusted not to try to sneak out the door or shove a screen out. She's succeeded twice. Luckily we caught her in the act both times and we able to snag her in the neighbor's yard. Hence, she is wearing a collar during her probationary period until she gets the idea that she's an indoor cat. But, she's a lot of fun --  extremely curious and playful, and she brings us a lot of joy.

In the coming days, I will be purging myself of accumulated links and thoughts. Stay tuned, if you wish!

"i'll be back"

Hey, people (if any readers are still left out there), I'll be back in a week or so.

Hiatus

I'm taking a spring break. Too many projects, too little time.

things we've discovered about juniper

• Her fur has a kind of odd texture. Soft, but like a cheap stuffed animal.
• She hisses at Sophie, but it is often preceded by a pig-like grunt. Normally, she's very quiet, but her regular voice sounds like a Tribble.
• Somebody must have let her eat people food off the dinner table. She is terribly persistent. When she eats her own food out of her own bowl, she grabs a mouthful of kibble and turns away, dropping half of it on the floor while she eats it. No doubt from living in a trailer with 10 other cats
• She loves her belly rubbed and gets very excited, then grabs her hind leg and chews on her toes.
• She will sometimes chase her tail.
• She is the only cat I've ever heard of that doesn't run to another part of the house when she hears the vacuum.
• She must climb on everything, as high as she can go. It's like having a squirrel in the house.
• She likes to chew on things -- including large rubber or plastic things. She's been working on the side rails to the treadmill, which she can barely wrap her jaws around. It's like having a Kea in the house.
• If she can't get her face in a beverage, a paw will do.

juniper raspberry

son of google searches

After four years of blogging, I tend not to look at my stats quite as much as I used to. After taking a look at some recent search strings that landed people here, I can see why.

• Laura Erickson massage
• strings in feces
• info about rabbit poop and urine
• tanagers having sex online for free
• what I might find in asia in 2050 show me
• eating undercooked chicken
• meaning in the face of a white-tailed deer
• creative ways to pee
• salamanda poop
• cat orange pantaloons
• cure to farting
• do they sell caviar at walmart
• kelated woodpecker
• lady with flies on her butt pics
• pancake fart
• kelly tripucka nude (for christ's sake! you can see the backstory of Kelly here, along with links to the other search term compilations).

asides: more miscellany

Asides is an occasional feature in which I post interesting tools and links I've recently discovered. You can find them all by clicking on the category archive for Blogs, links, and the like.

• Great NYT guest column on science and research funding. Stephen Quake explains how research scientists live under funding or famine, and must find 25 to 75% of their salary from external funding. In my case, it is 100% and I don't have students to do my field work while seek out and write grants. Pity.
• Red Knots and horseshoe crabs are still in deep water. The 2007 horseshoe crab harvest still exceeded 1990 levels and no red knot recovery could be detected.
• Do you wipe your butt at the expense of virgin forests?
• Great poster of rainforest "invasive species."
• "And that is how I acquired this fine specimen of dung-feeding dragonfly."