We have the harvest moon
Last night was a rare “super harvest moon” (see also this), and I went outside to gaze at the lovely sight. And since I’m one of those people with a lot of poetry rattling around in my head, up popped … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Nature
Gaia and the oil spill
It seems the earth’s waters have a powerful capacity to repair themselves: Scientists said the rapid dissipation of the [Gulf spill] surface oil was probably due to a combination of factors. The gulf has an immense natural capacity to break … Continue reading →
Goosicide
[Hat tip: Althouse] New York State’s got a plan to eliminate 170,000 Canada geese—not by deportation, but by wholesale slaughter: The captured geese [would be] placed alive in commercial turkey crates. The geese would be brought to a secure location … Continue reading →
Is the Gulf oil slick seeping towards the White House?
That’s the question. And the answer given here is “Maybe. A little bit, anyway:” …[Coast Guard commander] Allen has repeatedly pointed out that it is BP, not the federal government, that has all the equipment and expertise to deal with … Continue reading →
The ozone hole and the law of unintended consequences
Remember that ozone hole and all the brouhaha it engendered? Here’s a piece about the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the hole’s opening, and the circumstances of its more-or-less closing. The cause of the thing appeared to be the … Continue reading →
The oil spill and risk management
The Gulf oil spill is very disturbing in its scope. Not only did it kill eleven people, but it now threatens the huge fishing industry in the region, not to mention wildlife and beaches that are beautiful and drive the … Continue reading →
Avatar: the war against humans
I decided to go see the movie “Avatar” even though I knew that, as a futuristic action film loaded with special effects, it probably wasn’t going to make my top-ten list. The idea of a 3-D movie intrigued me, though, … Continue reading →
House guest
Last night I went out to dinner with an old friend, and came home rather tired. On the way to my bedroom to get into some more comfortable clothes, I was startled when I encountered the following sight on the … Continue reading →
It’s time…
…for another rara avis. [NOTE: Yes, I know there’s sometimes a way to make these things smaller to fit on the blog properly. But for this particular video, the method didn’t work (sigh).]
Continue reading →Another rara avis
Bird of the day:
Continue reading →Mt. Auburn cemetery on Memorial Day weekend
Yesterday I found myself in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the extraordinarily beautiful Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Mt. Auburn is one of the first “garden” cemeteries in the United States. It was begun in 1831 and designed mostly by Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn, … Continue reading →
The city is too much with us
This article mentions that the world has passed an important milestone: more than half its population lives in cities. That means that city life is having a greater and greater effect on our culture, bodies, and psyches. So there’s reason … Continue reading →