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By Janet Evans
Monday, Aug 18 2008, 06:45 AM
Well, who doesn’t like a pretty bird?
I spend a fortune feeding them, that’s how much I like them…Goldfinches in particular.
Are there any other bird lovers out there who can explain to me why the price of thistle seed/Nyjer seed doubled in price this year? Is it just because of shipping costs?
That said....
There really has been a new species of bird discovered. Considering how many species of insects and birds there are in the world, I suppose a new one popping up should be expected. But I find it interesting, expecially when it is as pretty as this little guy...
Image: Brian Schmidt
Welcome to a new species of an African Forest Robin from Gabon…Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus
"Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution have discovered a new species of bird in Gabon, Africa, that was, until now, unknown to the scientific community. Their findings were published in the international science journal Zootaxa, Aug. 15.
The newly found olive-backed forest robin (Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus) was named by the scientists for its distinctive olive back and rump. Adult birds measure 4.5 inches in length and average 18 grams in weight. Males exhibit a fiery orange throat and breast, yellow belly, olive back and black feathers on the head. Females are similar, but less vibrant. Both sexes have a distinctive white dot on their face in front of each eye. "
Image: Brian Schmidt.
Brian Schmidt, an ornithologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History discovered he had found something new while researching and comparing several different specimens of birds to those already in the Smithsonian's bird collection.
"I suspected something when I found the first bird in Gabon since it didn't exactly match any of the species descriptions in the field guides," said Schmidt. "Once I was able to compare them side by side to other specimens in our collections it was clear that these birds were special. You, of course, have to be cautious, but I was still very excited at the prospect of possibly having found a new species of bird."
The new bird species was first seen in southwest Gabon in 2001during a biological survey of tropical rainforest species.
Smithsonian Scientists Discover New Bird Species
And in keeping with the theme, I’ll end with a very short clip from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, one of my favorite movies.
But I warn you ahead of time of a danger in this clip that was carried throughout the movie…
The main character, played by Tippi Hedren, smokes : ) Just thought I'd warn you since you don't often see that in movies anymore.
You can view four more clips HERE
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, May 29 2008, 11:50 AM
Flying while intoxicated? In Space?
Well, I hope not....but who knows what tricks space travel and gravity can do to you.
And, in space?
Well, yes...Sometime soon, Astronauts may be able to enjoy a cold beer after a long day flying, or walking in space.
That could make for an interesting sobriety test.
Could you walk a straight line please?
Touch your finger to your nose?
Anyway, it seems a Japanese brewery, Sapporo Holdings, is putting out the first "space beer" using the third-generation descendants of barley grown on the International Space Station.
Read about it at AFP í here
And let’s hope NASA gets that Space Station toilet working before the beer is ready.
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By Janet Evans
Monday, May 5 2008, 06:40 AM
OR Global Warming….
This one will go under global warming, according to “some experts.”
What is it this time?
This....
"Two deaths in the waters off California and Mexico last week and a spate of shark-inflicted injuries to surfers off Florida's Atlantic coast have left beachgoers seeking an explanation for a sudden surge in the number of strikes.
In the first four months of this year, there were four fatal shark attacks worldwide, compared with one in the whole of 2007, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville."
Read the article from The Guardian Observer
Surge in fatal shark attacks blamed on global warming í here
I guess that's enough to convince me.
How about you?
Nah...it really wasn't.
How about some statistics.
The easiest place to find those...Wikipedia, :
In 2000, there were 79 shark attacks reported worldwide, 11 of them fatal. In 2005 and 2006 this number dropped to 61 and 62 respectively, while the number of fatalities dropped to only four per year. Of these attacks, the majority occurred in the United States (53 in 2000, 40 in 2005 and 38 in 2006). For the same period, the Global Shark Attack File records 69 unprovoked attacks of which five were fatal.
2008 attacks
An Austrian tourist died February 24, 2008 after being bitten by a shark while diving near the Bahamas in waters that had been baited with bloody fish parts to attract the predators.
A 16-year-old Australian boy died on April 8, 2008 after being attacked by a shark in the coastal town of Ballina, on the mid-coast. The boy died whilst bodyboarding when he and a friend were taking advantage of a teacher's strike; the teenager's friend is now being considered for a bravery award. The shark responsible was thought to be a bull shark.
A 66-year-old man died on April 25, 2008 off the coast of the Southern California city of Solana Beach. The species of shark was a great white shark. A 25-year-old man died on April 30, 2008 off the coast of Mexico. The species of shark was a nurse shark.
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Why Sharks Attack...
From HowStuffWorks:
Ninety percent or more of shark incidents are mistakes. They assume that we're something that we are not.- Gary Adkison, diver ("Sharkbite! Surviving the Great White")
Although shark attacks can seem vicious and brutal, it's important to remember that sharks aren't evil creatures constantly on the lookout for humans to attack. They are animals obeying their instincts, like all other animals. As predators at the top of the ocean food chain, sharks are designed to hunt and eat large amounts of meat. A shark's diet consists of other sea creatures -- mainly fish, sea turtles, whales, sea lions, and seals. Humans are not on the menu. In fact, humans don't provide enough high-fat meat for sharks, which need a lot of energy to power their large, muscular bodies.
If sharks aren't interested in eating humans, why do they attack us? The first clue comes in the pattern that most shark attacks take. In the majority of recorded attacks, the shark bites the victim, hangs on for a few seconds (possibly dragging the victim through the water or under the surface), and then lets go. It is very rare for a shark to make repeated attacks and actually feed on a human victim. The shark is simply mistaking a human for something it usually eats. Once the shark gets a taste, it realizes that this isn't its usual food, and it lets go.
The shark's confusion is easier to understand once we start to look at things from the shark's point of view. Many attack victims are surfers or people riding boogie boards. A shark swimming below sees a roughly oval shape with arms and legs dangling off, paddling along. This bears a close resemblance to a sea lion (the main prey of great white sharks) or a sea turtle (a common food for tiger sharks).
Shark Sensory System
Attacks have also frequently occurred when humans were spear fishing in ocean waters. Sharks are attracted to the signs given off by dying fish -- the smell of blood in the water and the electrical impulses given off as the fish struggles. Sharks detect these signals with their ampullae of Lorenzini, a set of "detectors" under the skin on a shark's snout. The ampullae are electrically sensitive cells that connect to the skin's surface through small tubes. Once a shark arrives on the scene, it may become agitated and aggressive in the presence of so much food. A hungry, excited shark can easily mistake a human for its usual prey.
There are cases in which sharks seem to attack out of aggression, rather than hunger. Very little is known about shark behavior, but it is believed that some species, including great whites, display dominance behavior over other sharks. This behavior can take the form of "punching" with the snout, or bites that don't do much damage to the tough skin of a shark. Unfortunately, when a shark makes a dominance display toward a human, these "gentle" bites can still cause horrendous damage.
Sometimes, the cause of a shark attack is simple to determine -- the shark is responding to human aggression. Nurse sharks, for example, are generally placid fish that lie still along the bottom of the ocean floor. For some reason, this makes some divers think that it's a good idea to pull their tails. Irritated nurse sharks have taught several divers to keep their hands to themselves. For this reason, shark attack statistics are divided between provoked and unprovoked attacks.
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I'm going to go with a theory of more people being in the water or changing patterns of other animal behavior in the waters that have drawn sharks to the areas.
But not global warming.
I can't remember the last year I've had my heat come on in May....but it did this week.
But if people really want to believe global warming is attracting sharks and causing attacks...
Then, get out of the water!
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Apr 20 2008, 06:09 PM
But the Russian Soyuz space capsule, returning to Earth, missed the mark and landed in Kazakhstan, 260 miles away from its target.
The crew included American astronaut, Peggy A. Whitson, and the first South Korean astronaut, Yi So-yeon, a female bioengineering student. They landed safely, but it was not an easy re-entry.
Peggy Annette Whitson – NASA Astronaut
"Officials said the craft followed a so-called ballistic re-entry — a very steep trajectory that subjects the crew to extreme physical force. Mr. Lyndin [a spokesman for mission control] said the crew had experienced gravitational forces up to 10 times those on Earth during the descent."
Read the story from the New York Times - Europe
Russian Soyuz, With Korean Space Pioneer, Lands Off Mark í here
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