Canadian sparrows have changed their tune: A new bird song is spreading like wildfire among Canadian white-throated sparrows, at a scale not seen before by scientists. Birds rarely change their chirpy little tunes, and when they do, it’s typically limited … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a slightly revised repeat of a previous post – and today’s attempt to get away from politics.] When I was in junior high school, there was a large poster of the Periodic Table of the Elements that … Continue reading →
That is the question – or at least, one of the questions. I know that some of you – maybe most of you – are feeling some despair right now. Maybe a lot of despair. What we’ve been seeing – … Continue reading →
…do a lot more than climbing up the water spout. They detect electrical fields and use them to – fly. And although I’m well aware that I just used the word “fly” there to refer to the activity and not … Continue reading →
Memoir is a strange genre of writing. It’s not always good, but when it’s good, it’s very very good. Two examples of which I’m very fond are Nabokov’s magnificently written Speak, Memory and Updike’s remarkable Self-Conciousness. They may not be … Continue reading →
…the cruelest month. Or at least, a cruel month. But it’s not really a surprising announcement; I didn’t think the edicts would be lifted as soon as right after Easter. That line about April being the cruelest month is usually … Continue reading →
Ammo Grrrll of Powerline writes …I seem to be at a stage in my life where I find almost everything equally fascinating and equally urgent. I can relate – up to a point. Like Ammo Grrrll, I’m also at that … Continue reading →
I’m not a basketball fan; I stopped watching back in the 1970s. But I’d heard of Kobe Bryant even beore yesterday’s helicopter crash that killed him. He was that big a sports star, and the mourning is widespread. But although … Continue reading →
Dickinson’s hard to love, although she’s easy to admire immensely. Don’t get me wrong; I like certain of her poems. But the more inaccessible ones weary me, although I usually tend to have patience with difficult poetry if it really … Continue reading →
Of course, it helps to have Shakespeare writing your lines. But still, words – even Shakespeare’s – are not enough to convey the experience (one that some deny, but that does truly exist) of love at first sight. Not just … Continue reading →
Posting is a bit late today. One reason is that this morning I heard of the death of an old friend I hadn’t really seen in many years. The death was expected – I already knew this person was very … Continue reading →
I already know that I’m not. Some people like me exceptionally well. But I think most people find me a trifle odd. Maybe not just a trifle. And now I know why. I don’t fit this profile at all, and … Continue reading →