White people really know what they are talking about, don’t they!
Daily Archives: November 2, 2012
Why should we spend money on space when we have so many problems at home?
Personally, I can give you a half dozen reasons. But why listen to me, when you can listen to Desiree Schell speaking with John Zeller, Nicole Gugliucci, John Matson, and Cynthia Phillips??? Which you can do on Sunday. Check out: #188 Why Should I Care About Space?
Krazy Klimate Denialists
Climate change denialism is on its last legs and will soon be no more relevant than Kennedy assassination conspiracy theorists or Obama birthers. But on the way out they are making me laugh. In the last 48 hours I’ve heard one denialist’s claim that Superstorm Sandy was not relevant to climate change and storminess because it was not a hurricane (it was, and it is relevant). Most recently I’ve seen an email that is getting passed around that claims that the Arctic ice that melted last summer was melted on purpose using Tesla Technology operated by a conspiracy between the Russian and American governments.
Watt next?
Vote No on MN Voter Restriction Amendment
Romney's Ohio Problem
If this does not lose a LOT of votes for Romney in Ohio than everyone in Ohio will have some ‘splainin’ to do.
Cotingas and Manakins: Amazing birds, amazing bird book
Five families of birds make up the group that could be referred to as the Cotingas and Manakins, which in turn include species with such colorful names as “Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin,” “Bare-necked Fruitcrow,” “Peruvian Plantcutter,” and “White-browed Purpletuft.” And certainly, you’ve heard of the Andean Cock-of-theRock. These birds and their relatives are THE famous colorful amazing birds of the Neotropics, the birds people who go to the Jungles of Central and South America go to see. “… the song of the Xcreaming Piha,… the loudest bird on Earth, is used by moviemakers to epitomize jungle soudns the world over, no just in its native South America,” we are told by the authors of Cotingas and Manakins
This volume by Guy Kirwan and Graeme Green (no relation) is a thorough and nearly comprehensive guide to the largest groups of South American bird species, including all of the usual key features. There are numerous photographs, excellent maps including both details of movement and migration and, most intriguingly, information about what is NOT known about the distributions of some of the species, so when you are in the field looking at them you can wonder if you’ve discovered something not previously known.
The book covers over 130 species in detail, with 34 color plates (drawings) by Eustace Barnes, and about 400 color photographs and numerous maps. From the authors…”The aim of the book is… to summarise all of the available information on cotingas and manakins in such a way that readers are enthuses to discover more about the birds themselves.” The authors mentioned above and other contributors to the book are all experts in these birds and this region.
This is not a pocket guide; It is a big thick book that is almost 700 pages long, on nice high quality paper. But if you are going to the rain forests of Central or South America you will need to bring it along with your binoculars. Have a nice trip!
What is the Software Freedom Law Center?
This: