Chilean Woodstar. "Fish, Swim, and Play 50 Yards Away". Puffin Chicks Starve. Tricolored Blackbirds. Owl Swivel Heads? Penguins, Owls, and Flycatchers! Piscivorous Osprey. 25,000 Bees Poisoned. President John Tyler Weds Again. Highway Act.

 

For “Winged Wednesday”:

Chilean Woodstar

"In one of the driest deserts of the world, a tiny hummingbird with a long forked tail and violet throat guards his territory among some chañar bushes along a wash surrounded by lifeless expanses of sand and rock. This Chilean Woodstar continues to hang on, but for how long?

The Chilean Woodstar was once found in desert river valleys of northern Chile and southern Peru, but has only been seen in remnant habitat patches in three Chilean valleys during the last decade. During this time, the population declined by more than 80 percent, from at least 1,500 birds in 2003 to roughly 400 birds in 2012.

This dramatic decline led ABC and partner group AvesChile to petition the bird’s uplisting from Endangered to Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The woodstar’s decline started in the 1960s when pesticides (now discontinued) to control fruit flies were widely used. In the 1970s, the closely related Peruvian Sheartail, which competes and hybridizes with the Chilean Woodstar, expanded its range from Peru, possibly assisted by expanding agriculture and other human-related changes to the landscape.

Most of the Chilean Woodstar’s natural habitat has been converted to agriculture or heavily degraded, and the species now relies on a mix of native and non-native plants for feeding and nesting. ABC is currently seeking funding to expand our work with AvesChile to establish a network of small reserves where we can restore and manage habitat for the Chilean Woodstar, experiment with sheartail removal, conduct public outreach to reduce pesticide usage — and ultimately prevent the extinction of this species.”

Help this and other birds and their habitats by supporting ABC.   Can't click the link? Copy and paste this URL: https://www.abcbirds.org/membership/donate.cfm

Photo by Jorge Herreros; Range Map by NatureServe

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Fourth of July Beachgoers Asked to "Fish, Swim, and Play from 50 Yards Away"

As millions of vacationing Americans head to their nearest beach destination for a long weekend of surf and sun, one of the nation’s leading bird conservation organizations – American Bird Conservancy (ABC) – is urging beachgoers to be mindful of the many beach-nesting birds that will be tending to young birds and perhaps a few remaining eggs.

“People visiting the beaches are often unaware of the many species of birds that nest in the sands near where they are swimming, fishing, and recreating. As a result, nests can accidentally get trampled, destroyed, or abandoned,” said ABC’s Kacy Ray, Gulf Beach-Nesting Bird Conservation Project Officer.

"The best thing for beachgoers to do is to avoid getting close to areas where larger congregations of birds are gathered, and to always respect areas that are roped off or marked with signs designating an area that is used by nesting birds,” says Ray.  “The habitat for these birds is diminishing every year due to beach development, erosion, and ever-increasing recreational use, so the birds can really use any break we can give them.  They have no other place to go,” Ray said.

Ray points out that it can be difficult for both the year-round resident and the casual vacationer to see the difference between a bird that is simply sitting on the sand and one that is tending eggs or a nest or young.

You know you’ve entered a nesting area when large groups or individual birds vocalize loudly, dive-bomb your head, or feign injury to lead you away from their nests. If this happens, back away and share the beach so the birds can successfully rear their young.

Ray said that there are special concerns for different regions of the country:”        More at: http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130613.html

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Climate change killing puffin chicks.

“Earlier this month, scientists reported puffins are just the most recent species revealing the dangers that global warming brings for our wildlife.

As oceans warm in response to climate change, new fish species are entering into the Gulf of Maine, causing puffin parents to unknowingly feed their young a more southerly fish that is too large for their young to swallow. And as a result, puffin chicks are starving to death—right beside the piles of the fish that they simply cannot physically eat.

Let President Obama know that you support taking critical action to help protect puffins and many more wildlife from climate change. " at: https://online.nwf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1763

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Tricolored blackbirds are disappearing faster than thought

“The tricolored blackbird was once among the most common birds in California, with vast colonies of the colorful and highly gregarious species nesting and foraging year-round in marshes and rangelands.

Scientists have been worried about a decline in tricolored blackbirds for years now, and the latest statewide surveys show that things are worse than they thought. The entire population dropped from an estimated 400,000 birds in 2008 to roughly 258,000 in 2011.”  More at: http://ucdaviscaes.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/tricolored-blackbirds-are-disappearing-faster-than-thought/

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How Owls Spin Their Heads Around

“Owls don't need eyes in the back of their heads to see what's behind them — they can just swivel their heads all the way around. In fact, many owl species, such as the barred owl, can rotate their heads 270 degrees in each direction, which means they can look to the left by rotating all the way to the right, or vice versa.

But how do they do it without severing their arteries or preventing blood from reaching the brain? An illustrator and a physician at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine teamed up to find out.

"Until now, brain imaging specialists like me who deal with human injuries caused by trauma to arteries in the head and neck have always been puzzled as to why rapid, twisting head movements did not leave thousands of owls lying dead on the forest floor from stroke," said study author Dr. Philippe Gailloud, in a statement from the university.”  More at: http://news.discovery.com/animals/pets/how-owls-spin-heads-around-130201.htm

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Osprey with Fish (4 of 11)

“The Osprey is the only North American raptor to eat almost exclusively fish, (piscivorous), and what adaptations do they have to handle their slippery prey? To help grip its prey, the talons of the Osprey have barbed pads and a reversible outer toe with two (very sharp) talons in front and two in back--unusual amongst hawks. Ospreys will also carry fish headfirst to minimize wind resistance.

Only a summer visitor in much of its North American range, Ospreys winter in coastal California, Texas, and Florida to as far south as Argentina. 

Gregg Thompson photographed this Osprey capturing and eating a large fish. Check out image 7 to see the nictitating membrane the Osprey uses to protect its eye; images 8 and above show how far the Osprey turns its head to tear off a piece.”  More at:  http://birdnote.org/photo/2013/06/osprey-fish-4-11   By Gregg Thompson

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BirdNote Weekly Preview: Penguins, Owls, and Flycatchers!

 

Upcoming Shows:

African Penguin

SUNDAY
The Greatest
Bird Rescue Ever
by Bob Sundstrom
LISTEN NOW ►

American Crow

MONDAY
Crow Parents,
Fearless Defenders
by Ellen Blackstone
LISTEN NOW ►

European Starling

TUESDAY
Begging Sounds
And Postures
by Frances Wood
LISTEN NOW ►

Great Horned Owl

WEDNESDAY
Voices and Vocabularies - Great Horned Owls
by Bob Sundstrom
LISTEN NOW ►

Canvasback

THURSDAY
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
by Bob Sundstrom
LISTEN NOW ►

American Coot

FRIDAY
Eavesdropping on Babies
by Chris Peterson
LISTEN NOW ►

Olive-sided Flycatcher

SATURDAY
Olive-Sided Flycatcher - Preserving a Unique Voice
by Bob Sundstrom

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And our winged friends the bees:

More Than 25,000 Bees Die in Oregon

More than 25,000 bees and other insects were found dead at a Target, Wilsonville, OR parking lot this week (AP Photo)

“The mystery of why thousands of bees fell from the sky has been solved, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.  On Friday, they determined the bees were killed by an insecticide called Safari used to kill aphids. The trees where the insecticide was used are being netted to protect any surviving bees that might wander into the area.”  More at: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/06/more-than-25000-bees-die-in-oregon/

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On This Day:

President John Tyler weds his second wife, Jun 26, 1844:

“Fifty-four year old widower President John Tyler marries 21-year-old Julia Gardiner on this day in 1844. It was his second marriage. At the time, Julia was the youngest first lady in history. Tyler had wooed Julia from the time she was 19, but it took a tragedy and a narrow escape from death for her to accept him.

Earlier that year, Tyler and an entourage, including wealthy New Yorker David Gardiner and his daughter Julia, had cruised the Potomac on board the new steam frigate U.S.S. Princeton. During the voyage, the Princeton fired off its new cannons in salute as it sailed past George Washington's former home at Mt. Vernon. At the time, Tyler was below deck raising a toast. The cannon exploded on its third volley, killing Julia's father and several others, including members of Tyler's cabinet. Tyler rushed up to the top deck just in time to catch Julia as she fainted at the news of her father's death. After the ship docked, Tyler whisked Julia off to safety in his arms. Thereafter, her admiration for him developed into love and, in 1844, they were married. Julia Gardiner Tyler reportedly insisted that "Hail to the Chief" be played at Tyler's entrance to every official event, thus establishing a presidential tradition. One of her constant companions was a greyhound given to her by her husband.

Tyler's first wife had been Letitia Christian, with whom he had eight children (one died in infancy). She died of a stroke in 1842. He and Julia had seven children together bringing his total to 15; Tyler holds the record for the most children sired (legitimately, at least) by a president. He was a devoted husband and doting father to his rather large brood of children from both marriages. The extended nature of his family, though, along with his penchant for overspending, left Tyler perpetually in debt. When he died of a stroke in 1862, he left Julia practically penniless. She died in 1889 in the same Richmond, Virginia, hotel room in which her husband had died 27 years earlier.”

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AN AMAZING FACT:  “There has been one United States president who, when he died, was no longer a citizen of the United States. It was the country’s tenth president— John Tyler.

John Tyler served in office from 1841 to 1845. But more than being an American, Tyler was a Virginian. And so when Virginia, along with the other southern states, seceded from the union, Tyler stayed true to his home state and joined them, renouncing his U.S. citizenship.

Tyler had actually served as the chair of the Virginia Peace Convention, which was held in 1861 in Washington, D.C. It was an effort to prevent a civil war. When no compromise was achieved, however, he viewed secession as the only option and joined Virginia and the other states in abandoning their citizenship.

From there, he was elected to the House of Representatives of the Confederate Congress, but it was a position he would never fill. He died on January 18, 1862, before ever serving one day in office. And thus, he is the only president in the history of the United States to die as a former citizen.”

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Congress approves Federal Highway Act, Jun 26, 1956:

“On this day in 1956, the U.S. Congress approves the Federal Highway Act, which allocates more than $30 billion for the construction of some 41,000 miles of interstate highways; it will be the largest public construction project in U.S. history to that date.

Highway construction began almost immediately, employing tens of thousands of workers and billions of tons of gravel and asphalt. The system fueled a surge in the interstate trucking industry, which soon pushed aside the railroads to gain the lion's share of the domestic shipping market. Interstate highway construction also fostered the growth of roadside businesses such as restaurants (often fast-food chains), hotels and amusement parks. By the 1960s, an estimated one in seven Americans was employed directly or indirectly by the automobile industry, and America had become a nation of drivers.

Legislation has extended the Interstate Highway Revenue Act three times, and it is remembered by many historians as Eisenhower's greatest domestic achievement. On the other side of the coin, critics of the system have pointed to its less positive effects, including the loss of productive farmland and the demise of small businesses and towns in more isolated parts of the country.”

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Yesterday:

Misty and I went to get Jay, and had our walk down there.  I had a special job for Jay! 

We are still working on the fence along the walkway to my back yard.  One of the short fence posts that replaced one of the tall ones, needed to be pulled up, and replaced with another one.

The other day, Jay sawed off the tops of the installed fence posts, even when I asked him to stop.  To my thinking, that should have waited until it was all finished when we would pop a line on the whole fence and cut it level.  Jay had cut one post too short, and it was the most important post at the end, as it has a gate and another fence coming off it.  I wanted Jay to fix it, as it was his fault.  He hates fence-post digging, but pulled the post out, and started to clean the dirt out of the hole.

I walked around the corner to help Ray screw the base on the outside table, and when I came back, there was Jay with a post sticking out of the hole.  I asked him where is the short post, as it looked like the same one to me.  I put a pencil mark at ground level and pulled the post out.  There was no way it was in deep enough at one foot.  He had just put dirt in the hole to make the post taller.  It was the same post (which I already knew by a knot in it), and not only that, it was crooked in the hole. 

Now, you can’t very well hang a gate on a square post that isn’t square with the rest of the fence, it just puts the whole thing in a bind.  He realized that I wasn’t going to put up with any of his short cuts, and that I probably wouldn’t pay him until he did it right, so he resigned himself to squaring up the hole.  When he had finished, just to check on him, I put a pencil mark on the longer post and pulled up it up to see how deep it was.  This time it was a good 2’ in the ground, so I leveled it while he back-filled the hole. 

So why do I use Jay around here?  Several reasons.  He is the only person around here who is available, willing to work, and can proficiently use a circular saw.  Ray can use one, but not like Jay, as Jay used to frame houses.  (My little Skill saw bit the dust, and my other ones are too heavy for me to use, so I just use my chop saw.)  Other reasons; he likes to work in the mornings as it keeps him sober and out of his mother’s way.  Plus, he works cheap. 

My wonderful Terry pictured. RIP

Nila, my foster cat, doesn’t consider my bathroom window the best seat in the house.  All the other cats that have been here just love it. 

I am trying to get her used to being in my bathroom, as Midnight and her five kittens are coming to stay in my grooming room for four days over the 4th. July.  Nila thinks that the grooming room is her room.

Even though Midnight has been vaccinated and checked out by the vet, my SPCA boss doesn’t want Nila and Midnight to be together.  Nila is all checked out ready to go back to the Habitat at Petco, whereas Midnight is staying at someone’s home until her kittens are weaned.

Keeping them apart is going to be a hard four days.

Queen’s Annual Messages. Artificial Clouds Affect the Climate. Alfred Nobel. First Divorce. Golden Gate Bridge.

 

For “Summary Saturday”, News, Some, New Some Old:

“From audio-only to 3D: How the Queen's Christmas Day message has reflected on world events, social upheavals and intimate family moments over seven decades of change.

“Queen Elizabeth gave her first Christmas message in 1952 in audio-only.  First of many: The Queen pictured at the microphone during her inaugural Christmas message in 1952 which was broadcast in sound only on TV.

This year the Queen gave her Christmas Message to the nation in 3D, as her Diamond Jubilee year draws to a close. 

Since her first message in 1952, The Queen has ruled through enormous historic events and periods of change.  Here, MailOnline looks at the defining Christmas Messages of each decade.

 

Queen of cool: Her Majesty tries on a pair of 3D glasses this year as she watches her first Christmas message to be filmed in the format.”

Videos, pictures through the years, and more at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2253237/How-Queens-Christmas-Day-message-reflected-world-events-seven-decades-change.html

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Researcher Offers Alternative Explanation for Global Warming

Documentary Explains Why Artificial Clouds Affect the Climate More than CO2

“A new documentary video produced by an amateur climate researcher has the online world buzzing with a new debate: Do human-made clouds affect the climate more than greenhouse gases like CO2?

The 25-minute presentation explains that humans are dispersing cloud-making chemicals, silver iodide in particular, into the atmosphere globally at high altitudes for the purpose of increasing precipitation.

According to Dave Dahl, the writer and producer, cloud seeding programs have proliferated across the US and around the world since the invention of silver iodide by Dr. Bernard Vonnegut (brother of the famous author Kurt Vonnegut) in the 1960s.

"We started cloud seeding in the 1940s using dry ice," says Dahl. "But in the 1960s we started using silver iodide, and its use has grown exponentially every decade since then. Now the majority of states in the US use silver iodide for weather modification to increase precipitation."

Dahl says he recently became aware of several facts that compelled him to produce the movie.

"I had been studying artificial clouds for over six years before discovering that we spray silver iodide at high altitudes around the entire Earth, and we do that in many states before every single rain or snow storm. Counties in dry states like California believe they can get 10-15% more water cheaply by expanding storm clouds in their area. But what happens when every state is doing it? There's only so much water in the atmosphere, and every state wants it."   The video and more at: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/researcher-offers-alternative-explanation-global-warming1

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This Week's Amazing Fact: Alfred Nobel.

“Alfred Nobel was born in 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden. He received a good education in Russia and soon took a job as a chemical engineer. Though Alfred Nobel did not invent nitroglycerin, he was the first to produce it commercially. In 1863, he developed a detonator that relied on strong shock rather than heat. But Nitroglycerin in its fluid state is very volatile, and in 1864, an explosion killed his brother Emil and several others. Recognizing this danger, Nobel moved his lab and soon invented dynamite, also known as “Nobel’s safety blasting powder.”

This new material, nitro, absorbed by a porous clay substance, was five times more powerful than gunpowder and provided an easily handled, solid yet malleable explosive. Mining, railroad building, and other construction became much safer, more efficient, and cheaper. But military leaders soon realized the wartime value of dynamite.

This deadly use of his creation greatly troubled the “Lord of Dynamite,” a pacifist, and strongly opposed the wartime uses of his inventions. Yet Nobel continued to produce nitroglycerin-based explosives, saying he was producing weapons so powerful that no one would dare use them. (So much for that theory!) Alfred was also a great entrepreneur—he founded 90 factories and laboratories in more than 20 countries and held 355 patents in his lifetime.

In 1895, a newspaper confused the death of Alfred’s older brother with him, and published Alfred’s obituary! Nobel read it and was horrified that he would be remembered as the man who created the explosive that caused so much carnage. Perhaps to alleviate his conscience and improve his legacy, his will provided that at his death, the bulk of his vast fortune should go to a fund that awards prizes for advancements in science, medicine, literature, and peace.

Few people read their obituary before their death and fewer still get a chance to change their reputation. But because of the matchless gift and sacrifice of Jesus we can have a new name!”

Revelation 2:17 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”

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On This Day:

First divorce in the colonies, Jan 5, 1643:

“In the first record of a legal divorce in the American colonies, Anne Clarke of the Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a divorce from her absent and adulterous husband, Denis Clarke, by the Quarter Court of Boston, Massachusetts. In a signed and sealed affidavit presented to John Winthrop Jr., the son of the colony's founder, Denis Clarke admitted to abandoning his wife, with whom he had two children, for another woman, with whom he had another two children. He also stated his refusal to return to his original wife, thus giving the Puritan court no option but to punish Clarke and grant a divorce to his wife, Anne. The Quarter Court's final decision read: "Anne Clarke, beeing deserted by Denis Clarke hir husband, and hee refusing to accompany with hir, she is graunted to bee divorced."”

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Construction begins on Golden Gate Bridge, Jan 5, 1933:

“On this day in 1933, construction starts on what will become one of America's most famous landmarks: the Golden Gate Bridge. When completed in 1937, the Golden Gate has a 4,200-foot-long suspension span, making it the world's longest suspension bridge. Since opening to the public in May 1937, almost 2 billion vehicles have crossed the bridge, in both the north- and southbound directions.

The bridge was named not for its distinctive orange color (which provides extra visibility to passing ships in San Francisco's famous fog), but for the Golden Gate Strait, where the San Francisco Bay opens into the Pacific Ocean. The bridge spans the strait and connects the northern part of the city of San Francisco to Marin County, California.

Prior to the bridge's construction, the only way to travel between these two areas was by ferry boat.

The bridge's chief engineer, Joseph B. Strauss (1870-1938), an Ohio native who built numerous bridges across the U.S., was involved with the Golden Gate project by the early 1920s. From the beginning, Strauss and his collaborators faced numerous challenges, including opposition from skeptical city officials (who were concerned about costs), environmentalists and ferry operators (who were worried the bridge would impact their business). Some members of the engineering community said it was technically impossible to build the bridge, and it was not easy to raise funding for the project at the beginning of the Great Depression (a $35 million bond issue to finance construction of the bridge was passed in California in 1930). Once construction began, workers had to contend with the strong ocean currents and heavy winds and fog in Golden Gate Strait. Eleven workers died during the building of the bridge, 10 of them on one day, February 17, 1937, when their scaffolding fell through a safety net.

Despite all of these issues, the Golden Gate Bridge, with its art deco design, was completed in four years and on May 27, 1937, some 200,000 people showed up to celebrate its opening. The following day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in the White House, signaling to the world that the bridge was open to vehicular traffic. The initial toll for the bridge was 50 cents each way.

The Golden Gate would remain the world's longest suspension bridge until it was surpassed, by 60 feet, by New York City's Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which opened in 1964. In February 1985, the 1 billionth car crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. Today, more than 41 million vehicles travel across the bridge each year.”

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Yesterday:

Ray, Jay and I moved moved furniture all over the place to try to make this house present itself better for the appraisal.  It needed to look more streamlined.  I know they really only look at the measurements and condition, but I wanted it to have a good first impression.

Jay and I moved matching chests to each side of my bed, and then put matching lamps on them.  Now it all looks more balanced as you walk in, and we hid the other non-matching ones behind the door.

Having the computer smack dab in the middle of the patio door going onto the screen porch, made it look like it was dominating the whole living room.  The tower, monitor, printer, paper, speakers, keyboard, mouse are on different levels of the little computer desk that I bought, and all plugged into one strip.  We just just wheeled the desk into the Middle room, which is supposed to be an office anyway, and plugged in the power strip.  Easiest computer move I ever made!  But we haven't run the internet cable in to the Middle Room yet. 

I tried using my laptop, but it was acting slow, creaking and groaning, I suppose the hard drive is going out.  So I have a 50’ Ethernet cord running across the floors into the Middle Room, and I have to be careful that I don’t trip over it.  I won’t be leaving it like that, I’ll roll it up when I am not using the computer, so my computer time will be scant for the next few days.  Probably a good thing!

Miss Priss’ big cage was moved into the grooming room, and she seems to be quite happy in there.   Now she can watch TV, which she couldn’t see where she was before.  Some furniture was just stored.  Ray went around with some spackle and fixed some nail holes in the walls, and today he is supposed to paint them.

The bedroom, dining room and living room all look better, but there is more to do before Monday.

New England Lobsters. Grooming.

"It's unclear why, exactly, southern New England lobsters are faring so poorly while other populations remain healthy. Scientists think that warming waters caused by climate change may leave lobsters vulnerable to disease. This kills some lobsters off and pushes others to scurry away to deeper, colder waters.
Lobstermen are naturally furious about the proposed ban, but researchers say it's the only way to give southern New England lobsters a fighting chance. And if the plights of other marine-dwelling creatures are any indication, I'd have to say I agree with the scientists.


Just look at how populations of bluefin tuna, swordfish, and sharks have plummeted in recent years. Even though many environmental groups continue to call for it, fishing bans on these species still haven't been put in place. Therefore population numbers continue to dwindle.
Even though southern New England lobsters' low numbers may not be due to overfishing, it's clear that we need to stop eating them in order to help the species get healthy and rebound."
More at: http://food.change.org/blog/view/should_lobster_fishing_be_banned
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Today:

Kenya brought "Duffy", a rescue Maltese/Poodle mix for me to try to groom him.  He had never been groomed before, and was a terrible mess.  I have done these before, and apart from not liking to be groomed, their fur mats up so tight, and is such a job, that I wish folks wouldn't mix these two breeds. 
It is so hard on these dogs as they don't have the poodle hair or poodle temperament, to put up with what they have to go through, with that fine matting coat.  

Poodles have their face, feet and tail clipped when they are 6 weeks old, before they have a sense of teenage rebellion, and from then on, they are easy to groom.

Kenya tried to hold him still while I clipped away at the big, close mats, millimeter by millimeter. But like most Maltese/Poodle mixes he is a "jerker", and so I had to be extra careful that he didn't jerk right into the clippers or scissors.  We did what we could, even with the vet's permission to give him 1/2 tablet of Acepromazine to sedate him a bit.  I have never groomed a dog that had to be sedated before, but it didn't seem to make any change in his disposition!  

After four hours I had him all done, except his face.  There was no way he was going to let us do that, and with all his jerking, I didn't want to chance it.  We both got bitten, even though he was wagging his tail!  So he will be anesthetized at the vet tomorrow, and have his face done that way.  This is the first time in over 50 years that I couldn't finish grooming a dog.

A very tiring, rainy day.

FB!! Nat. Parks & Global Warming Again

I received an email that someone wanted me to be their friend on Facebook, and while I was logged in, I saw that ‘chat’ button on the bottom.  I clicked it, just to see what it did, and low and behold my niece, Heidi, in England was on there.  This is the neice that visited me last year with her husband and son.  I figured how to chat with her, and it was smashing!

Then she got my brother on there, so that was extra superb!!  I found out that he and my SIL should be coming to the US for a trip to AK this summer.  They have just ordered a new American fifth wheel, which will have the necessary 220v. for Europe, and it is being shipped over there soon.  They don’t want to take it to AK, but they might bring their new Dodge diesel and truck camper.  They bought a used Dodge gasser and American fifth wheel, see picture, some years ago, right there in England, and now they are getting a new one.  It was great to chat with them.  And I didn’t think FB was ever going to be any use to me!!

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Lovely slideshow of the parks here: http://www.npca.org/bestidea/
The series on our National Parks is being re-aired starting on the 27th. January at 7.00 PM Central.  Here is a list of the episodes, and the dates: http://www.npca.org/bestidea/episodes.html

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Global Warming??
UN Climate Chief Won't Resign Over Glacier Warning
“The argument over the IPCC's melt date went public last November, when a paper written by Indian geologist Vijay Kumar Raina revealed that there was little consistency in the behavior of the Himalayan glaciers.
Some were shrinking, he found, some expanding, and others were stable. If global warming were to blame, he asked, why weren't they all following the same pattern? "A glacier ... does not necessarily respond to the immediate climatic changes," he wrote. "For if it be so then all glaciers within the same climatic zone should have been advancing or retreating at the same time."
From:      http://tiny.cc/6KEpu

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A jolly good day!

What Did We Do?

The forecast for tonight here is now 16 deg.   I know in other parts of the country it will be colder than that, but here, north of Houston, we are not adapted to that.

January  77318 , Willis, TX            
Normal High: 60°F            =  16 C
Normal Low: 40°F            =    4 C
Normal Average: 50°F      =  10 C

The last time we had it this cold, was in Jan 1990, I think,  that is when we had an unusual ice storm, so we are just not used to this. 
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The Black Blizzard was man made:
“Black Blizzards were the result of years of using improper farming techniques in the plains. Very dry weather also contributed to the Black Blizzards. Despite the years of drought and terrible soil, farmers continued to plow the land. Crops were not properly rotated and areas that shouldn't have been tilled were. Wheat was a hot commodity at the time, so farmers continued to plant massive amounts of it in the same spots year after year.
This misunderstanding of soil erosion caused the ground to become very dry and loose. The Black Blizzards were able to happen because there were no more crops or grasses to hold the soil down. No one was aware of the grave repercussions this would have.”

This is also what happens when they clear cut forests, when will we learn?
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I sure hope this cold isn’t something that we, the conservators of this earth, have done to make this happen.

New York Times says:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/06/science/AP-SCI-Big-Chill.html?_r=1
“Beijing had its coldest morning in almost 40 years and its biggest snowfall since 1951. Britain is suffering through its longest cold snap since 1981. And freezing weather is gripping the Deep South, including Florida's orange groves and beaches.

Whatever happened to global warming?
Such weather doesn't seem to fit with warnings from scientists that the Earth is warming because of greenhouse gases. But experts say the cold snap doesn't disprove global warming at all -- it's just a blip in the long-term heating trend.

''It's part of natural variability,'' said Gerald Meehl, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO. With global warming, he said, ''we'll still have record cold temperatures. We'll just have fewer of them.''

Deke Arndt of the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., noted that 2009 will rank among the 10 warmest years for Earth since 1880.
Scientists say man-made climate change does have the potential to cause more frequent and more severe weather extremes, such as heat waves, storms, floods, droughts and even cold spells. But experts interviewed by The Associated Press did not connect the current frigid blast to climate change.

So what is going on?
''We basically have seen just a big outbreak of Arctic air'' over populated areas of the Northern Hemisphere, Arndt said. ''The Arctic air has really turned itself loose on us.''

In the atmosphere, large rivers of air travel roughly west to east around the globe between the Arctic and the tropics. This air flow acts like a fence to keep Arctic air confined.
But recently, this air flow has become bent into a pronounced zigzag pattern, meandering north and south. If you live in a place where it brings air up from the south, you get warm weather. In fact, record highs were reported this week in Washington state and Alaska.”

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But ‘they’ still claim that we are in global warming, as per these two videos:

Shrinking Ice

As global warming raises temperatures, glaciers in the Himalayas are retreating and South Asia's water supply is at risk.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2007/07/16/science/earth/1194817121366/shrinking-ice.html

Bolivia's Glaciers Melt Away

“Bolivia's Chacaltaya glacier - once the "world's highest" ski resort and a crucial source of water for millions of people - melted away in 2009.”
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/12/13/science/earth/1247466103114/bolivia-s-glaciers-melt-away.html
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I sure doesn’t feel like global warming, today.

Calm Morning! Climategate.

I had taken time off from my morning job (6-8.00AM), as I knew that no one was going to be here to work today. I had been up in the night three times with Sheba barking to go outside, and of course, the others wanted to go out, too, so I bundled up in a heavy robe and took them out.  It was so cold that I had to put a little coat on Sheba each time. I turned over and went back to sleep until 7.30 AM, unusual for me.  I was going to take a leisurely bubble bath, wash my hair, and just take it easy.  I knew I had all day to finish grooming Mindi's two poodles.  HaHa!

I always a put cordless phone on the step stool next to the tub, as if I did fall, I wouldn't be able to reach the corded one in there.  First Ronnie called about nothing, then Jay called wanting to blow the pine needles off the roofs. Then a sales call, even though I am on the Do Not Call list. Then it dawned on me that it was the 10th. of the month, and I had three bills that HAD to be paid today, or I would suffer late charges.  Oh, Golly, where is this month going?  So I got dressed and drove down to Jay's with two scarves over my long, wet hair, as he wanted to go with me.  I had left it too late to pay them online. I quickly fed 8 little breakfasts, and was going quickly run into town, but Jay had already started on the roofs.  I had to wait for him to finish that, and then we went.  So it was lunchtime before we got back.  And I had to start work again at 2.00 PM. So now I am trying to groom them while fixing 8 dinners, plus mine, and write this, too.

I saw this the other day, so I put it in a draft and saved it, I wondered if it is all a scam, too.  So here it is:

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4550763482629643851&postID=2486022100368934775
and more about it:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3313785/Weather-Channel-boss-calls-global-warming-the-greatest-scam-in-history.html

 "CLIMATEGATE: Is GLOBAL WARMING “the Greatest SCAM in History?” CLIMATEGATE: Is GLOBAL WARMING “the Greatest SCAM in History?”

‘Poor Al Gore. Global warming completely debunked via the very Internet you invented. Oh, oh, the irony!” — Comedian Jon Stewart

Okay, here’s a hot (no pun intended!) topic that seems to be front page news. At the very least, it’s worthy of discussion.
I’m an open-minded, environmentally sensitive person. I want clean water and air just like everyone else. I also want environmental policies based upon sound reasoning – not lies. I don’t appreciate fear-mongering.
A couple of years ago, John Coleman (the founder of the The Weather Channel) dubbed global warming ‘the greatest scam in history.’ He accused global media of colluding with ‘environmental extremists’ to alarm the public. Of course, he was verbally tarred and feathered by the mainstream media.

Now we have hard evidence that leading proponents of global warming have been practicing junk science. In what’s being called Climategate, confidential emails (more than 1,000 e-mails and 3,000 other documents) from leading global warming scientists have been leaked to the public. We now know what they’ve been saying in private – and it’s not flattering.

The upshot is that these climate scientists have been rigging data to prove what they want to prove. They’ve selectively ignored data that conflicts with their desired result, and have taken steps to censor opposing scientific views. They refused to submit their conclusions to full peer review.

For years we have been warned of a global warming crisis. But it’s now widely understood that over the past 11 years the earth has actually COOLED. This is why “global warming” is being replaced with the phrase “climate change.”

Okay, so the climate is changing. The earth is 4,540,000,000 years old. Hasn’t the planet’s climate ALWAYS changed? When has the earth’s climate remained constant? Wasn’t the earth once a molten mass? Weren’t the continents once joined together? The notion that the earth and its climate should remain constant is preposterous.

If you look at unaltered “Climategate” historical data, the earth was a much warmer place a few centuries ago — when Vikings were exploring the seas.
Of course, Vikings didn’t use internal combustion engines. So what was causing all the global warming? Is it possible that the earth naturally warms and cools on a cyclical basis?"

I finished both pooodles, and the yorkie today.