Thursday - February 25, 2010
He Killed The Wabbit
Apologies to Elmer Fudd and that old Bugs Bunny cartoon “What’s Opera, Doc?”, but I couldn’t help thinking that sad thought when I heard this story.
The little town of Denville NJ is about 20 miles east of us, and about 20 miles north. The most northwestern corner of New Jersey really is the sticks. Or highly rural. Or a nearly unspoiled forest wilderness. All depends on how you look at it, but the area north of Route 80 and west of Route 287 is sparsely populated and very woodsy. Denville is right at the inner southeast corner of that zone, so it just barely qualifies. Think of it more as “ex-urbia”, an outer suburb town like mine.
That area may be sparsely populated with people, but it’s chock full of critters. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! At least black bears, that’s for sure. Once upon a time they were just about gone, but they’ve come back just fine, almost to the nuisance level. Maybe beyond the nuisance level. And they can’t be hunted here. Not 100% sure of that last statement - the state tries to get a bear hunting season going every year, but the PETA folks and their cousins, the loony left, throw a huge hissy fit and a big protest, and vow to run around in the woods causing problems, etc. I think they have a bad case of Pooh-ism, or Bambi-itis. They don’t see bears as the big, scary, frightening predators that they really are. Large aggressive animals to whom your pets and your children look like snack food. Sooner or later, somebody is going to get killed.
And every year when the hippies have their protest, the news folks trot out some “expert” who tells us how we bad humans are encroaching on the animals domain. Bull-oney. That may have been true 100 years ago or more, when most of the state was farmland. But the farms gave out, and the forests came back. And animals don’t live that long anyway. No, the truth is that they adapt just fine. Especially now that there is so much less pollution than there was back in the 60’s. And so much less hunting, and so many more protected species. That same expert usually tells us that black bears rarely grow past 150 pounds. More BS. Bears in the 300-500 pound range are not that rare at all around here. And a quarter ton of bear is a whole lot of critter. And Mr. Expert will trot out the tired old canard that only baby bears can climb trees. Guess again.
My mom lives up in outer-suburbia across the border in NY. Nice little town, but it’s fully built up. No room for any more homes or roads or office buildings. Fully developed. They have bald eagles hunting squirrels in the middle of town. She sent me pictures of what looks like an otter slide in the snow in their backyard. We figure it’s fishers. Fishers. Vicious woozles!! The folks in the next town or so over from hers, right along the Hudson river, had to call in a game tracker because they thought they had a jaguar. No, it was “merely” a mountain lion, the jag’s first cousin ( although some folks said it was just a big dog ). You can see Manhattan from the riverbank there. 65 miles to the southwest, I’d like to borrow their pumas for a while. We are drowning in deer here. And geese. And we have lots of foxes. And hawks. And vultures by the millions (official state bird ya know). And skunks, and ‘possums, and rackety-coons. And coyotes. And bears. Oh my.
So don’t feed me that “encroaching on their habitat” BS. Wrong. They are encroaching on our habitat. Because it’s easy living in the ‘burbs. And that is starting to pose a danger to us people.
NJ police kill bear that ate pet rabbit
DENVILLE, N.J.—Police in northern New Jersey shot and killed a 400-pound bear after it ate a pet rabbit.
Joe McCabe says the bruin ripped through the screened porch of his Denville home and devoured his 11-year-old daughter’s rabbit, named Blackie.
McCabe also says the bear had rummaged through his garbage that had been left outside.
Police found the bear in a tree near McCabe’s home and shot it.
That’s all the story that seems to be on the internet. But from what I’ve heard, the family has bears running around in their yard frequently. And I heard that the cops came and shot the bear half a dozen times, at which point it climbed a tree, hung out, then fell down dead. And that the little kid witnessed the whole event, from beginning to end, and is now strongly traumatized. And that a conservation officer came along with the cops, and was starting to write the guy a ticket for exposed refuse in his yard, when he realized that all the mess was caused by the bear tearing up the back of this guy’s home and yard.
This little story is running on lots of web pages, and in the comments therein most people are taking the bear’s side. After all, killing bunnies is what bears do. And they’re blaming the father for leaving garbage around, “attracting” the bear.
Two counter-points to the commenter criticisms:
1) Bears are quite smart, and they learn quickly. Do you want a bear running around your neighborhood that has learned how to smash it’s way through house walls and windows to find the yummy tasty treats inside? Do you really think your house, exterior walls made of 1/16” thick vinyl siding over 1/2” chipboard, interior walls made of 3/8” drywall and 2 coats of paint, is going to even slow down a 400 pound bear with the munchies? Hardly. And I guarantee you they can bite through 2x4 studs too, and quickly.
2) I survived family camping as a child. I’ve written about it before. One of the last places we ever went to, we had our campsite ravaged by a pack of bears one night. All night long. While we huddled in a thin canvas tent. Such fun!! The bear troop came by every night. The garbage cans at that campground were genuine Beetle Bailey army surplus. The nearly bulletproof kind, made out of super heavyweight welded steel straps. We’d put the garbage out in the evening, and then put the biggest boulder we could lift on top of the lids. It didn’t make any difference at all. Every night ... wham!! ... and that can got knocked right across the dirt road and the contents eaten. Big bears can knock over a 5 cubic yard dumpster. Just how do you go about making your household garbage cans truly bear proof?
Posted by Drew458
on 02/25/2010 at 08:20 PM
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Permalink • Wednesday - February 24, 2010
Good Dog!
The life-saving skills of a black Labrador have earned him a top medal in the British Army, Sky News reported Wednesday.
Nine-year-old Treo’s job is to sniff out roadside bombs in Afghanistan for soldiers, and he has proved rather good at it.
In August, 2008, while working as a forward detection dog in Sangin, Treo found a “daisy chain” improvised explosive device (IED) - made of two or more explosives wired together - that had been carefully modified and concealed by the Taliban at the side of a path.
A month later, his actions saved another platoon from guaranteed casualties, again by finding a daisy chain IED.
Now he is being rewarded with the Dickin Medal - the animal equivalent of a Victoria Cross - the highest accolade for a military animal.
Treo retired and is now enjoying life with handler Sergeant Dave Heyhoe back at 104 Military Working Dogs Support Unit, in North Luffenham, Rutland.
The search dog twice saved soldiers and civilians from catastrophe while out on patrol in Helmand province by sniffing out explosives which had been wired together in a daisy chain and hidden in the path.
Princess Alexandra will award the dog with the Dickin Medal at a ceremony at the Imperial War Museum on February 24. [ although another ceremony seems to have been held on January 2nd ]
The medal was created by leading veterinary charity the PDSA and is recognised as the highest award an animal can receive for conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving in military conflict.
And muzzies think dogs are yucky and unclean. That shows you right there that their culture is bereft.
Posted by Drew458
on 02/24/2010 at 11:42 AM
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Permalink • Monday - February 15, 2010
fireman saves doggy from icy lake. fireman called on the carpet for violation of elf ‘n’ safety
Here they go again. Health and Safety .... Fireman safes doggy from icy death. Bad fireman. Naughty says efl ‘n’ safety.
So it isn’t my favorite breed. I’m still glad he saved the pooch. This health and safety thing has gotten way outta hand.
Maybe I should give a moonbat to the Mail.
The headline they printed says “LAKE” but elsewhere it says “POND.” Wish they would make up my mind here. There is a difference.
Fireman facing disciplinary action after he ‘breached health and safety rules’ while saving dog from frozen lake
By Mike LarkinA fireman who saved a pet dog from a frozen pond is now facing disciplinary action for allegedly breaching healthy and safety rules.
Rescue mission: Stevie Logan, third on right, leads his fire crew to help save a dog which had fallen into a pond after running off on to the iceThe 42-year-old jumped into a nearby canoe and paddled out to the distressed animal, encouraging it to swim towards a ladder other firemen had laid across the ice.
After the successful rescue, Mr Logan was hailed a hero by Matt’s owner.
His bosses however have ordered an investigation into his conduct, saying that Mr Logan - who is commander at Kilmarnock Fire Station - broke force guidelines by putting himself unnecessarily at risk when he paddled out to the stranded pet.
Last night, Sheila Johnstone said the decision by Stathclyde Fire and Rescue chiefs to investigate the incident in which her dog was rescued beggared belief.
Miss Johnstone, 78, of Kilmarnock, said: ‘I have never heard such nonsense in all my life.
‘He went out to rescue my dog and I take my hat off to him.
‘Matt is fine now, but he wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the firemen saving his life and I am very grateful.
Kudos Mr. Logan. An elderly lady had her companion saved. What harm was done?
Posted by peiper
on 02/15/2010 at 10:29 AM
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Permalink • Saturday - January 30, 2010
something to lighten the hearts of the Grumpys .. Grumpiness is a sign of advanced civilisation
Don’t know what BMEWS readers will make of this but be interesting to find out. At least I learned what a bonobo is. I think. I had never run across that word before. Have you? As for the Ramsay fellow mentioned here, I never watched or read him but have heard enough not to want to. If he’s an example of advanced civilization I don’t think I wanna see where it ends.
Victor Meldrews was a grumpy old character in a sit-com called, “One Foot In The Grave.”
The Victor Meldrews of this world should take heart – their grumpiness could be down to being higher up the evolutionary ladder than people who are easy-going.
By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
Researchers now believe that being aggressive, intolerant and short-tempered could be a sign of a more advanced nature.
A more childlike attitude to behaviour such as tolerance and sharing, could, in contrast, be an indication of not being as developed, the new study suggests.
The news will be welcomed by those who are known to operate on a short fuse, such as talented but foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay and businessman Sir Alan Sugar.
It could also provide scientific weight to the writer George Bernhard Shaw’s famous saying that “all progress depends on the unreasonable man”.
Researchers looked at two different kinds of monkey – the familiar chimpanzee and the less evolved but much more easy going bonobo, two of the closest living relatives to human beings.
Chimpanzees are accepted as more evolved than bonobos in terms of physical appearance, behaviour and social structure.
But chimps are also much more aggressive, particularly as they get older, when they become less tolerant of each other, share less and show more signs of violence to others.
Posted by peiper
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Permalink • Friday - January 15, 2010
People (?) in Haiti protest and block roads because aid is too slow in coming. WTF
Now these are clearly dumb-heads of the first degree but fine. Let em block the roads with rotting bodies (as they are doing) because they somehow thought that relief was permanently stationed off shore just in case Haiti needed help.
I can’t say as I blame them if that’s what they really think altho I made that part up all by myself. See the thing is, those folks have been getting handouts from the world at large (and especially the USA where they think money grows on trees) for so long, that they think all they have to do is hold out their hands and the help is immediate. Well it usually worked that way in the past.
So there they are, protesting by blocking the very limited roads they have where help might come through. Smart thinking. doh.
The upside of what some will see as tragedy, is that there are now far fewer who will breed. Of course that’ll change very fast and they’ll double the lost number in short order.
Downside? You betcha.
I M M I G R A T I O N !! And where oh where will they be headed to? Oh let us see. Gee whiz this is a hard one. Now let me think. Hmmmm
Haiti earthquake survivors blockade roads with piles of corpses in protest at lack of aidBy Liz Hazelton
Last updated at 11:09 AM on 15th January 2010* Hundreds of criminals on the streets after prison collapses
* 7,000 corpses are dumped in Haiti’s first mass grave
* Aid workers pour on to island as emergency fund launched
* Fears for British woman Ann Barnes who worked in collapsed building
* Reports of looting as situation spirals out of control
*Britain pledges £10m in aid as Brown describes ‘tragedy beyond imagination’
Desperate Haitians have set up roadblocks of corpses in Port-au-Prince to protest at the lack of emergency aid reaching them after the catastrophic earthquake.
Although billions of pounds has already been pledged to the devastated country, help is only just beginning to trickle through.
Rescue efforts have been blighted by poor infrastructure and lack of heavy lifting equipment - as well as the damage wrought by the disaster.
Shaul Schwarz, a photographer for TIME magazine, said he saw at least two roadblocks formed with bodies of earthquake victims and rocks.
‘They are starting to block the roads with bodies. It’s getting ugly out there. People are fed up with getting no help,’ he said.
You probably have this on TV 24/7 so I’m keeping it short. Below is the link to the article source.
Posted by peiper
on 01/15/2010 at 06:11 AM
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Permalink • Wednesday - January 06, 2010
No More Bat Boat
Personally, I’m not in favor of whale hunting. Leave them alone. You want meat, grow a few hundred cattle. That being said, the “whale warriors” have to be the most annoying greenies out there. They have their own television program ... in which they take pictures of themselves harassing Japanese fishermen and fishing boats. Lately these “warriors” have turned somewhat violent, pelting the fishing boats with chum, water balloons, paint guns, etc. The fishermen respond with the standard anti-piracy tool: fire hoses. Reality TV drama with a green theme! Much more exciting than watching guys catch crabs in the dark!!
Well, the inevitable happened. The Save The Whales people put their super hi-tech speedboat in front of a full size ship, and stopped. The whaling ship was underway. Ships don’t have brakes you know. I remember a little bit from driver training, about the impact power of things out on the streets: bicycle beats pedestrian, motorcycle beats bicycle, car beats motorcycle, pickup truck beats car, bigger truck beats pickup truck, bus beats bigger truck, train beats bus. And you know what beats train? Ships. And bigger ships beat smaller ones. Oh sure, rules of the road say that pedestrians always have the right of way ... but don’t be a dope and set out to prove it. Rules of the sea say that a kayak probably has right of way over anything else on the water too ... but you’d be a fool to force the issue with an air craft carrier.
The “whale warriors” decided to force the issue. Naturally they lost. Boo frickin’ hoo. And now their two million dollar batman boat is all stove in. tsk tsk tsk. On the other hand, leave the whales the hell alone. Go catch some stingrays if you’re hungry. We’ve got loads of them. Or start up a fish farm like everyone else is doing. So honestly ... I’m not sure which side I’m on here. But the “whale warriors” seem like floating stinky hippies to me, so they probably deserve punching just on general principle.
A conservation group’s boat had its bow sheared off and was in danger of sinking as it took on water Wednesday after it was struck by a Japanese whaling ship in the frigid waters of Antarctica, the group said.
The boat’s six crew members were safely transferred to another of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s vessels, the newly commissioned Bob Barker. The boat is named for the American game show host who donated $5 million to buy it.
The clash was the most serious in the past several years, during which the Sea Shepherd has sent vessels into far-southern waters to try to harass the Japanese fleet into ceasing its annual whale hunt.
Clashes using hand-thrown stink bombs, ropes meant to tangle propellers and high-tech sound equipment have been common in recent years, and crashes between ships have sometimes occurred.
The society said its vessel Ady Gil — a high-tech speedboat that resembles a stealth bomber — was hit by the Japanese ship the Shonan Maru near Commonwealth Bay and had about 10 feet (three meters) of its bow knocked off.
Locky Maclean, the first mate of the society’s lead ship, said one crewman from New Zealand appeared to have suffered two cracked ribs, but the others were uninjured. The crew members were safely transferred to the group’s third vessel, though the Ady Gil’s captain remained on board to see what could be salvaged, he said.
The group accused the Japanese ship of deliberately ramming the Ady Gil.
“They were stopped dead in the water when the incident occurred,” Maclean said of the Ady Gil. “When they realized that the Shonan Maru was aiming right for them, they tried to go into reverse to get the bow out of the way but it was too late. The Shonan Maru made a course correction and plowed directly into the front end of the boat.”
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society claimed its 78 ft protest powerboat the Ady Gil was “sliced in half” by the Japanese security ship Shonan Maru 2 as it loitered near the whaling fleet.
Jeff Hansen, the group’s director, insisted the Ady Gil was trying to get out of the way when it was hit, but Japan’s government-backed Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) has accused the protesters of causing the collision. Mr Hansen said the incident occurred after two activist vessels intercepted the Japanese fleet near Antarctica’s Commonwealth Bay.
“The Ady Gil has been cut, hit by one of the harpoon vessels,” he said. “It was stationary at the time. It tried to back out of the way but the Shonan Maru 2 had it in its path. It came through and took off a section off the fuselage.”
There wreckage of the boat was still afloat, but it was expected to sink in the next few hours as it took on water, he said. All six crew members had been rescued and transferred to Sea Shepherd’s new Norwegian harpoon ship the Bob Barker. “Everyone aboard is safe, we’ve managed to get everyone off and they’re ok,” Mr Hansen told Australian media.
“We have it all on film and we’re getting onto all the authorities at the moment.”
Paul Watson, captain and founder of Sea Shepherd, said the attack “seriously escalates the whole situation”.
“If they think that our remaining two ships will retreat from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in the face of their extremism, they will be mistaken,” he said. “We now have a real whale war on our hands now and we have no intention of retreating.”
The activists have a ship named the Bob Barker? Yeah, him. Mr. Gameshow host, Bob “have your pets spayed or neutered” Barker. They have another craft named the Steve Irwin. Crikey.
When it [ the Ady Gil ] was launched on Dec 19, the $1.5 million carbon fibre trimaran was touted as Sea Shepherd’s secret weapon. The Ady Gil was designed to run on low-emission, renewable fuels and was built with materials that would make it difficult for radars to detect so that it could sneak up of whaling vessels and disrupt the hunt. But its lighweight design, which allowed the vessel to reach higher speeds than the group’s larger ships, meant it was far less robust and more susceptible to attack.
This was the maiden voyage of the Ady Gil. Previously known as the EarthRace, it’s a very high performance open ocean racing boat. “Couldn’t get out of the way in time”? Horseshit. EarthRace holds the record for the fastest motorboat trip around the globe; just under 61 days. On two tanks full of fuel I gather. 78 feet long, but only drawing 4 feet of water, the EarthRace could hit 40 knots with it’s 1040hp engines and it’s dry weight of only 14 tons.
(October 18, 2009) At a fundraising event in Los Angeles on Saturday, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society unveiled their newest “ocean defense” vessel: the Ady Gil. Formerly known as Earthrace, the ship was renamed to honor the benefactor that helped the anti-whaling group acquire the ship.
“We’re very excited that the Ady Gil will be joining the Steve Irwin in Antarctica this campaign,” Captain Paul Watson said. “With these two ships, we will mount the most ambitious and aggressive effort to date to obstruct the slaughter of the whales in the Southern Ocean.”
We’ve been following the transformation of the Earthrace/Gil from a world-record holding speedboat to an anti-whaling vessel since it was rumored back in April that it would be joining the Sea Shepherd fleet. With the new paint job and a few additional high-tech goodies now installed, it looks like the ship is ready to join the Irwin for Operation Waltzing Matilda this December.
As expected, Watson made it clear that he intends to place the Gil in harms way — particularly as an “intercept and blocking” weapon against the Japanese fleet. Sounds like a risky game of “chicken” — but Ady Gil Captain Pete Bethune is ready for the challenge.”If they ever hit us with an explosive harpoon it’ll be massive damage,” he told Ecorazzi during the summer. “But certainly we’ll do our best to get in their way. If they hit us it will always be their guy that pulled the trigger — but hopefully things won’t come to that.”
Consider yourselves fortunate that the fishermen didn’t hunt you down and kill you. I’m sure it was very tempting.
Commercial whaling is banned inthe Southern Ocean, but the Japanese have exploited a legal loophole to continue whaling for “scientific purposes”. This season the Japanese fleet aims to harpoon up to 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales, both of which are classified as endangered.
Minke whales and Fin whales are both baleen whales, like their cousins the Humpbacks and the Blues. Minkes are rather small, about 24 feet and 9 tons. Fins are the second largest creature on earth, reaching 88 feet and 75 tons. Both are endangered species, although the minke population is thought to exceed 900,000 worldwide, roughly 30 times the fin whale population. Actually, minkes may not be endangered; it’s hard to tell.
Is Japan full of it? I think so. You don’t need to kill whales to study them. Certainly not by the hundreds. And you especially don’t need to kill any of the seriously endangered ones. None. But stopping whaling altogether? Or at least stopping commercial, floating factory whaling? Sounds to me like this is a job for the UN and the One World Navy. Not a job for floating hippies in their little plastic speedboats.
UPDATE: Video from the whaler’s perspective here.
Posted by Drew458
on 01/06/2010 at 09:20 PM
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Permalink • Friday - December 18, 2009
Is there a biologist in the house?
Cruising through the recent comments, I found Corsair’s jest about a shark named Bob. This awoke a very old memory, and caused me to do a bit of research. I’m not a biologist. I don’t even play on one TV. I’ve only studied it for a couple semesters and that was lifetimes ago. So ... where do you draw the line with taxonomy?
Kingdom, Phylum, (sub-phylum), Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. Let’s put every kind of life in the proper category, nice and neat. And absolute.
Sharks:
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Sub-Phylum - Vertebrata
Class - Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous “fishes")
Order - Elasmobranchii
Halibut:
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Sub-Phylum - Vertebrata
Class - Osteichthyes (bony “fishes")
Order - Pleuronectiformes
People:
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Sub-Phylum - Vertebrata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Primates
Duck Billed Platypuses:
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Sub-Phylum - Vertebrata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Monotremata
Even though sharks and halibut appear to be related by the common word “fishes” at the Class level, you have to go up to the Sub-Phylum level to connect their clades (evolutionary branches). Human beings and duck billed platypussessesesii belong to the same Class, and differ at the lower Order level.
So is it fair to say that people are more closely related to platypii then sharks are to halibut?
There is another Class of “fishes”, called agnatha, which embraces the jawless fish like lampreys. Now, agnatha is also a superclass within the sub-phylum vertebrata, so as to exclude “things with gills that live in water and have jawbones” which are called gnathostomes. Ok, fine, I’m down with that. Super-Class fits in below Sub-Phylum and above Class, though using agnatha both as class and super-class seems to be bending the rules a bit.
So which taxonomic label does the “category” “fish” belong to? Is this a super-class? If so it doesn’t seem official (no Latin or Greek name for it) but it does seem like common sense. Wikipedia puts up a diagram which implies a super-class, and they give a broad definition of fish as
A fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins.
Ok, do we have a big AH HA!!! moment here? Because sharks don’t have scales. They have skin. Or do they? While they don’t have the big obvious scales of regular fish (teleosts), they do have very tiny platelets on their skin called dermal denticles. Literally “teeth on the skin”. So, are these teeth, or scales? I don’t know.
Why am I asking this? Well, if you thought I was tenacious about the mount for that ADA bathroom sink I have to repair, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
I was a very bright child. Far too smart for my own good. Knew how to read before kindergarten, knew “big words” at such a young age that I was helping my 2nd grade teacher with her vocabulary when she couldn’t express herself satisfactorily. Did complex math in my head, had all the school books read and pretty much memorized by October. I was the kid who had his hand up to answer the question, every question, long before the teacher was finished asking it. In other words, I was probably a holy terror. A real challenge in a public school system geared to the low average student. I was also very high energy, very exacting, and impatient. Major recipe for loneliness there.
Anyway, in 2nd or 3rd grade we had this meaningless little assignment. Here’s a handout with several words on it, and pictures of some of those things. Draw a line between the word and the picture.
One word was “fish” and the picture was of a shark. I left it blank. I got that one wrong. I put up a fight. I went to the principal’s office. He was a decent guy, and already knowing about my abilities, he wondered why I didn’t draw that line. “Because a shark is not a fish”, I told him, “it’s an elasmobranch”. Second grade. Heck, I’d already been to sea. We’d taken a couple sailing vacations, out on the open ocean, and I’d seen a shark with my own eyes. And my parents both had huge amounts of undergraduate science. When I asked questions I got real answers. None of that “because I said so” nonsense. So yeah, I knew the difference. No swim bladder, no actual bones, no scales, no gill pump, no urea excretory system, etc.
Nearly 45 years later it still bothers me. No, not being sent to the principal’s. That happened all the time. What bothers me is the gray area in the taxonomic stratification. Because “fish” isn’t really a formal super-class. Shouldn’t it be? And there is no room for informal in there at all. So can it be ignored? Every beastie in its proper place. Absolute certainty. Taxonomy, like mathematics, is one of those few things that are dependably black and white. And whenever I see, hear, or read anything about sharks, I remember. And have that little nagging doubt. We’re talking about lifeforms that had fully diverged by the late Silurian period of the Paleozoic Era. 400 million years ago, maybe 370 at the very least. Twice as long ago as the dinosaurs. Is it fair to glom both with that same simplistic label?
Lest you think I’m wierd ... weirder ... I’m not the only person confused about the evolution and taxonomy of swimming critters. It’s all pretty fishy.
Posted by Drew458
on 12/18/2009 at 12:45 PM
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Permalink • Friday - December 04, 2009
D’oh! A Deer!
By the time the Tarboro [South Carolina] business owner looked up from the sidewalk, the herd was upon her, she said, too close for her to react and charging too quickly for her to run away.
Michelle Brewer, the 46-year-old co-owner of Brewer’s Fine Jewelry in Tarboro, was flipped up in the air and trampled in front of her Main Street storefront last week by a group of renegade deer.
The victim said she wouldn’t have believed the tale if she heard it from a friend – “Really? A herd of deer on Main Street?” Brewer said, seeming to question her own story – but she has the witnesses and the scars to prove it.
The deer were real, Brewer said. And they were fast. Shortly before 10 a.m. Saturday, Brewer was unlocking the front door to open her business for the day when she heard a beeping car horn.
“I think the woman must have seen what was about to happen and was trying to warn me,” Brewer said. “But I also wonder if that didn’t just make them run faster.”
Witnesses, including her husband, Kenny, later told Brewer the herd of seven to nine “good-sized does” must have been running at least 40 mph. Brewer doesn’t recall gauging the speed. She said she looked up as the first deer rushed past her.
“That was a confusing moment,” she said.
Brewer turned and saw the rest of the herd running toward her in a tight unit, she said, too close for her to dodge them individually but spread too wide for her to flee to the right or to the left.
The deer had a good game plan, Brewer said, and they executed it well. Brewer turned sideways and closed her eyes, hoping the deer would run around her. They did not.
“I don’t remember being hit,” Brewer said. “My husband and the guys over at the barber shop said I went airborne – flipping me probably three feet up in the air – and I landed on my face.”
Another deer stomped Brewer’s leg, witnesses said. Brewer looked up and saw one of the deer pinned under a car after being hit in the road, she said. The doe somehow pulled itself free and sprinted to catch the others, she said.
From there, the Tarboro deer herd later wreaked havoc at the Fountains at The Albemarle retirement home, also downtown, where a clerk said one deer failed at an attempt to enter through the automatic front door. Instead, the deer smashed through a glass window and thrashed about inside an unoccupied office room. Nobody was injured in that incident, authorities said.
Brewer added that when she becomes a grandparent, her sons can tell their kids that indeed, “grandmother did get run over by reindeer” before Christmas this year
Posted by Drew458
on 12/04/2009 at 01:47 PM
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Permalink • Wednesday - October 28, 2009
A Bad Death
TORONTO – Two coyotes attacked a promising young musician as she was hiking alone in a national park in eastern Canada, and authorities said she died Wednesday of her injuries. The victim was identified as Taylor Mitchell, 19, a singer-songwriter from Toronto who was touring her new album on the East Coast.
She was hiking solo on a trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia on Tuesday when the attack occurred. She was airlifted to a Halifax hospital in critical condition and died Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Coyotes, which also are known as prairie wolves, are found from Central America to the United States and Canada.
Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft said coyote attacks are extremely rare because the animals are usually shy.
Bancroft, a retired biologist with Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources, said it’s possible the coyotes thought Mitchell was a deer or other prey.
“It’s very unusual and is not likely to be repeated,” Bancroft said. “We shouldn’t assume that coyotes are suddenly going to become the big bad wolf.”
Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Brigdit Leger said other hikers heard Mitchell’s screams for help on Tuesday and called emergency police dispatchers.
Police who were in the area reached the scene quickly and shot one of the animals, apparently wounding it. But the wounded animal and a companion coyote managed to get away.
Paul Maynard of Emergency Health Services said Mitchell already was in critical condition when paramedics arrived on the scene and had multiple bite wounds over her entire body.
“She was losing a considerable amount of blood from the wounds,” he said.
An official with Parks Canada said they blocked the entrance to the trail where Mitchell was attacked and were trying to find the animals to determine what prompted such an unusual attack.
“There’s been some reports of aggressive animals, so it’s not unknown,” said Helene Robichaud, the park’s superintendent. “But we certainly never have had anything so dramatic and tragic.”
Mitchell was an up-and-coming folk and country musician who was nominated for a 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award in the Young Performer of the Year category.
“Words can’t begin to express the sadness and tragedy of losing such a sweet, compassionate, vibrant, and phenomenally talented young woman,” Lisa Weitz, Mitchell’s manager, said in an e-mail. “She just turned 19 two months ago, and was so excited about the future.”
The 19-year-old Toronto woman was hiking along the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, described in brochures as a seven-kilometer (4.3-mile) loop for “intermediate” hikers, leading to a whale lookout.
...
Two coyotes at the scene were “extremely aggressive” when authorities arrived, she said. Both animals fled into the woods after police fired a shot at one, possibly injuring it.One of the animals was eventually tracked down and killed by wildlife officials. The trail is now closed as authorities hunt for the second animal, said Germaine Lemoine of Parks Canada.
PORT HAWKESBURY — The species of coyote found in Cape Breton is highly adaptable and is larger than its western cousin, says a Department of Natural Resources biologist.
Don Anderson said Wednesday he hasn’t seen anything to indicate that the species in Cape Breton is a so-called coywolf, which is produced when wolves and coyotes interbreed. He noted there are no wolves in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. Recent media reports have suggested the eastern coyote is actually a hybrid of coyotes and wolves.“We do have a larger coyote that’s bigger than the western version,” he said. “It does travel in groups, as opposed to the western, which tends to travel alone.”
It adapted in size as it moved east, which could have been in response to habitat, temperature, the type of prey and other factors, Anderson said.
“I can’t say that there aren’t some out there that are hybrids with dogs or wolves for that matter, but don’t think the whole population is based on that,” he said.
The first confirmed siting of a coyote in Nova Scotia came in 1977, and they’ve been in Cape Breton since about the early 1980s.
Don’t hike alone. Don’t go off into the wilderness unarmed. If you won’t carry a gun then carry a stout staff. Whether or not there is anything more to this story than what was reported here, it was a preventable death.
On the third hand, there were other people nearby, so it doesn’t sound like she was really all that alone. Maybe she’d taken a pit stop in the bushes or something. And the Mounties got there so quick that the animals were still on her. But maybe, just maybe, a little effort on her part could have saved her own life. We’ll probably never know. Very sad.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/28/2009 at 10:22 PM
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Permalink • Wednesday - September 30, 2009
Excess Horsepower
Remington the horse sets new record. He is a 12 year old Clydesdale who stands 20 hands tall - 80 inches - 6 foot 8 - at the shoulder. And weighs 3000 pounds. That’s a lot of horse!
(9/21/2009) Monday will a memorable one for Cheryl Davis.
It’s the day she got word that her mischievous Clydesdale named Remington officially earned the Guinness World Record as the tallest living horse.
“He did it!” Davis said. “I can’t believe it!”
Davis has been waiting – impatiently at times – for news about her Guinness application since June. That’s when she sent in paperwork and other evidence showing that Remington measured 80 inches - without shoes - from hoof to the top of his shoulder.
That beats the world record held by Radar, a Belgian draft horse owned by Priefert Ranch Equipment in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Radar has held the title since measuring 79.5 inches in July 2004.
Rachel Alexandra, the winner of last month’s Preakness, stands at 16.2 hands and is considered a big horse.
There are probably taller horses than Remington out there, but most owners don’t bother with a title because of all the paperwork and requirements that Guinness demands, Davis says. “If it’s not recognized, it’s not official,” said Bunny Morrissey, Remington’s trainer.
We’ll see how long this record stands. I don’t know how much BS goes on in the horsey world, nor how tough it is to satisfy the Guiness Record people. But here are two other horses that claim to be bigger, and one of these claims is from more than a year ago. So who can say? All I know is that a 3000 pound horse is mighty huge.
New world record for biggest horse
(3/31/2008) A colossal shire horse in Australia has been proclaimed the biggest horse in the world by its owner, beating the current Guinness World Record by several inches.
The giant five-year-old, from Pakenham, S.E Australia, measures a staggering 20.1 hands, or 2.057m tall. He weighs over 1.3 tonnes (1300kg) - about the same as a small car - and is still growing.
His owner, horse trainer Jane Greenman, 47, says the only time the lumbering beast runs is when there is food on offer.
“It sounds like a mountain moving when he gallops across the paddock to come and get his breakfast,” she says. “He eats an incredible amount. I would hate to run a team of eight horses his size - it would send you broke.”
Mounting the horse is no easy task, either. “We have to use a ladder to get on top of him, or swing off a tree,” says Jane.
Although she says that she is not interested in the Guiness Book of Records, nevertheless Jane has carried out her own research and is sure that Noddy comes top.
“The nearest is a horse in Texas, at 20 hands,” says Jane.
“Noddy is already an inch taller than that. The scary thing is he still hasn’t finished - shire horses aren’t fully grown until they’re about six or seven”.
Hmm, maybe this one is a bit of Aussie exaggeration? 1300kg is 2860 pounds, well within the weight zone for horses that size. Actually he’s a bit skinny, though I don’t know if Shires are lighter in the body than Clydesdales.
Here’s another one, from Canada:
Poe the Clydesdale: world’s tallest horse?
(9/29/2009) Poe the Clydesdale may be the world’s tallest horse – and owner Shereen Thompson wants the Guinness Book of World Records to confirm it. Miss Thompson, who owns a farm in Tupperville, Ontario, measured 10-year-old Poe at 20.2 hands – or 80.8 inches. The current world record holder, Remington, from Princeton in Texas, measures a mere 80 inches.
Miss Thompson, herself just 5ft 3in, said: “We want to get the Guinness guys here as soon as possible.
“We have known for a while that he could be the tallest horse in the world, we just need to get the official documents that the people in London want to see.
“Poe is 20.2 hands and I know that Remington is 80 inches tall, so that means that Poe has him beat.”
Poe weighs 3000lb (1.5 tons), stands 10 feet tall with head raised, and consumes two bales of hay, 10lb of grain and 75 gallons of water each day.
These are some really huge horses. I would utterly hate to have to clean their paddocks.
Posted by Drew458
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Permalink • Tuesday - September 29, 2009
The mouse that roared: Real-life.
This is one of those things that make ya feel good and wonder how it’s possible to also have so damn much hate and evil in the world.
The tiny mouse stands proudly on its hind legs, stares defiantly into the eyes of the cat just inches away and lets out its loudest squeak.
By Daily Mail Reporter
29th September 2009Stunned at the bravado of its would-be prey the prowling pusscat meekly slinks off, tail between its legs.
This was the real-life Tom and Jerry scene which greeted Wendy Rothwell in her backyard in Swavesey, Cambs recently.
The fearless rodent proved he was no scaredy-cat as he astonishingly squared up to his large opponent and refused to budge - giving a new slant to the game of cat and mouse.
‘It was incredible, the little mouse stood up and seemed to be roaring at the cat,’ said Mrs Rothwell,
‘The cat was much bigger than him and could have killed him at any moment but he didn’t seem to care.
‘He seemed to be prepared to do anything to protect his home. He must be the bravest field mouse in the country.’
Posted by peiper
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Permalink • Thursday - September 10, 2009
You’ve seen this before, but not quite this way or quite this much.
Hi Mommy and Daddy ... guess what I learned in school today?
Jeesh ...
Headline in the Mail quotes the UN saying:
TEACH PUPILS AGE FIVE ABOUT THE SEX ACT. Now that was the headline in the hard copy. Teach the actual sex act to a five year old?
What the hell is the point of that? Five? Are they freeken mad? Have those loony tunes finally and totally lost it?
In the past they called for sex ed. which I thought (and so did you) was outrageous. But this is the first time they’ve spelled it out in exactly this way.
How’s a baby supposed to take that in and understand that sort of thing?
Here’s the on line version.
Children as young as five to learn about masturbation and abortion under new UN guidelinesBy Kirsty Walker
Last updated at 7:55 AM on 10th September 2009Children as young as five should be taught about explicit sex acts, according to guidelines from the United Nations.
The advice also calls for youngsters to learn about abortion, same-sex relationships and sexually transmitted diseases.
The draft report on sex education has been compiled by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
Children in schoolToo young? Children as young as five could be taught about masturbation if UNESCO guidelines are followed.
The guidance is due to be issued to governments, local authorities and education bodies around the world by the end of next month.
But it has provoked an international outcry. Critics claim that addressing the issue of masturbation, which is contained in the plan, is too explicit for young children and removes the responsibility of parents to teach their own children about sex.
The guidelines break down suitable topics for discussion into four age groups. Among the most controversial recommendations are for teachers to begin discussing subjects such as masturbation with children from the age of five.
They recommend teachers should discuss the idea that ‘girls and boys have private body parts that can feel pleasurable when touched by oneself’.
The guidelines also recommend young people should learn about the ‘right to and access to safe abortion’. The report is intended to help countries improve sex education and sexual health, especially in the developing world.
SOURCE FOR THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
“ESPECIALLY THE DEVELOPING WORLD” Got it. This would be the same world that has been developing for ALL OF MY LIFE. And it still hasn’t developed. It just produces more babies that the west then feels obligated to feed. Though I’ve no idea why. Really. Never thought I was obligated to em. Still don’t. If the UN wants to really help, they should find a way way to quietly sterilize the populations of , The Developing World , so they don’t develop any further.
Posted by peiper
on 09/10/2009 at 10:36 AM
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Permalink • Monday - August 31, 2009
Blunders and the law and reporting to the EU … USA doesn’t have to. Yet.
Just a short article cut out of the paper the other day. There isn’t even a writers credit.
It’s just another one of those things that cause you to wonder .. Is anyone using any common sense anymore? Dumb question of course coz the answer is ... don’t be stupid. Course not.
People selling violent films and pornography to children will escape prosecution after a govt. department discovered that a 1984 law had not been properly enacted.
The Crown Prosecution Service has been told to drop all cases relating to offences under the Video Recordings Act, which sought to prevent violent video games and porn being sold to children, and to ensure that the most explicit adult films could only be sold in licensed sex shops.
The error came about because the government of the day was unfamiliar with a newly passed EUROPEAN DIRECTIVE REQUIRING THEM TO NOTIFY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE LEGISLATION.
Those who breach the VRA for the next three months will be immune to prosecution, those previously convicted for offences under the act will not be able to appeal their case.
OK so, what does that mean. Way I read it, the govt. here has to inform the eu about laws and rules passed here. Is that right? Or am I misreading this. And there’s a free pass for the next three months for someone selling bad stuff to kids. ??
And then there is this bit under elf ‘n’ safety.
It has been decreed that if hounds are on show and allowed to be handled by children, there must be wet wipes present so the little ones can decontaminate themselves after touching the dogs. Hey .. it’s in their rule book.
Any of you people grow up with dogs when you were little? Hmmm. I see we’re all still here.
So there was this outdoor show ya see, and this being England some heavy rain surprised nobody. And being England, some folks were ready for it.
But Health and Safety officers were on the job doing their bit for, well, elf ‘n’ safety.
So anyway, it rained and officers went to the stall of a man selling outdoor cloths. He’d put down some straw to soak up the puddles and give people something to stand on. The officers told him he couldn’t do that. When asked why not, they said:
“It’s a hazard and may catch fire.” Not too surprisingly he lost his cool some and took out a box of matches and said:
“£1,000 to anybody who manages to set fire to that straw.” The officers left .
Can’t make that stuff up.
Just another day in a nanny state.
Posted by peiper
on 08/31/2009 at 09:17 AM
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Permalink • Monday - August 24, 2009
FOUND AT LAST. THE POSSIBLE ORIGINS OF HIP-HOP
some fancy footwork?
OK, SO IF YOU INSIST ON FINDING THE STORY THAT RUNS WITH THIS, GO HERE
Posted by peiper
on 08/24/2009 at 03:39 AM
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Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.
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