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Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

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You are here: Home / Archives for Nature & Respite / Nature

Nature

Cool Space Stuff Afternoon Respite

by Tom Levenson|  September 27, 20235:44 pm| 32 Comments

This post is in: Nature, Open Threads, Science & Technology

I got nothing to add to the daily parade of tragicomic horrors that constitutes our media diet these days. (Actually, I do, but can’t get to posting anything of much substance in my current state of work and life craziness.)

But this little video caught my eye and tweaked my “ooooh…space is cool” button:

.
Yup: an extraterrestrial has been brought down to earth. Admittedly, it’s not exactly sentient, but still, everything about this mission is satisfying. I love “slow” science. I don’t know how long the design and engineering of the spacecraft took, but it’s been 7 years since this little vehicle was sent on its way, and now it’s back. It takes a special kind of focus and deferring of gratification to enter into projects like this, and I admire and am grateful to those who do such work.

Cool Space Stuff Afternoon Respite

And damn! Chips from the port-planetary disk!  You just don’t get that every day, do you.

Totally open thread. Enjoy, my fellow space cadets.

Image: Vincent van Gogh (but you knew that), Starry night on the Rhone, 1888

Cool Space Stuff Afternoon RespitePost + Comments (32)

Saturday Morning Entertainments Open Thread

by Anne Laurie|  July 22, 20239:16 am| 148 Comments

This post is in: Movies, Music, Nature, Open Threads, Readership Capture, Space

Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer — a mix of old and new. Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed. pic.twitter.com/H2Do2iaD1p

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 20, 2023

Per Rolling Stone:

… The playlist also features throwback songs by the Rolling Stones, the Pretenders, the Beths, the Bangles, Janet Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Leonard Cohen. Plus, how could you leave “California Love” by 2Pac off a summer playlist?

Last month, Obama sat down with Hasan Minhaj and was asked whether he actually curated his year playlists. “People seem to think, ‘Well, he must’ve had some 20-year-old intern who was figuring out this latest cut,’” he said. “No, man! It’s on my iPad right now!”

A highly technical process is underway in Los Angeles to put NASA's retired Space Shuttle Endeavour on display in the vertical launch position complete with external tank and two solid rocket boosters. https://t.co/HrA97VMGY6

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 21, 2023

Jason Momoa, who dreamed of a career as a marine biologist before Hollywood anointed him as Aquaman, is going back to his roots as Discovery Channel's new host for "Shark Week." https://t.co/ycwsYuEs9r

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 20, 2023

Nature updates…

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Otter chaos: A sea otter launched into the spotlight after social media images circulated of her aggressively wresting surfboards away from surfers off the coast of California is building a fan club as she continues to evade capture. https://t.co/tR69P5Lg79

— AP Oddities (@AP_Oddities) July 21, 2023

It's now a porcine of interest: Authorities have determined that there is “no acute danger” near Berlin where a potentially dangerous animal was spotted. Experts analyzed a video and concluded the animal may have been a wild boar, not a lioness. https://t.co/edTJIrjkcW

— AP Oddities (@AP_Oddities) July 21, 2023

Every time this happens I donate $50 to @ColinAllredTX https://t.co/FtZznmWC7g

— Pax Bidenica (@TonyMoonbeam) July 20, 2023

they just declare war on any movie that they think will be big. if they're wrong (ie people generally like the film), they'll just memory hole the outrage. if they're right (ie people generally dislike the movie often for unrelated reasons), they get endless mileage

— Lesbian Death Bed: The Bed that Eats Pussy (@bitterkarella) July 21, 2023

Saturday Morning Entertainments Open ThreadPost + Comments (148)

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: The Daily Grind

by Anne Laurie|  July 18, 20237:07 am| 139 Comments

This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, C.R.E.A.M., GOP Death Cult, Nature, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat

Start with the good news:

"I don't expect a recession"

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tells @annmarie the US is "on a good path to bringing inflation down," and the labor market is strong https://t.co/ZGfUtaJXOo pic.twitter.com/CeSG4wWtKQ

— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) July 17, 2023

Biden National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the House passed NDAA has no chance, "This legislation is never getting to the president's desk." pic.twitter.com/0XElaiKCx0

— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) July 16, 2023

Then… ICYMI yesterday’s posts:

"The tendency is, we look at the last Trump administration and say well democracy survived. But, what I think a lot of people forget is, democracy was on the emergency room table with no heartbeat, bleeding out from multiple wounds" – @petestrzok w/ @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/RqN86NXaVq

— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) July 17, 2023

There’s nothing this gonif won’t try to steal…

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Of course it comes full circle: The second major piece of classified intelligence Trump leaked — to Russia!! — came from the Israelis. They should have known then that you can't give Donald anything.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) July 18, 2023

Necessary respite — Florida’s latest invasive species news…

This Florida neighborhood is grappling with a bunny boom. pic.twitter.com/Yg7e9VY3xB

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 17, 2023

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: The Daily GrindPost + Comments (139)

I Love Stories Like This

by John Cole|  September 6, 20227:30 pm| 64 Comments

This post is in: Nature

This is great news:

Horace Smith blew up a lot of beaver dams in his life.

A rancher here in northeastern Nevada, he waged war against the animals, frequently with dynamite. Not from meanness or cruelty; it was a struggle over water. Mr. Smith blamed beavers for flooding some parts of his property, Cottonwood Ranch, and drying out others.

But his son Agee, who eventually took over the ranch, is making peace. And he says welcoming beavers to work on the land is one of the best things he’s done.

“They’re very controversial still,” said Mr. Smith, whose father died in 2014. “But it’s getting better. People are starting to wake up.”

As global warming intensifies droughts, floods and wildfires, Mr. Smith has become one of a growing number of ranchers, scientists and other “beaver believers” who see the creatures not only as helpers, but as furry weapons of climate resilience.

Last year, when Nevada suffered one of the worst droughts on record, beaver pools kept his cattle with enough water. When rains came strangely hard and fast, the vast network of dams slowed a torrent of water raging down the mountain, protecting his hay crop. And with the beavers’ help, creeks have widened into wetlands that run through the sagebrush desert, cleaning water, birthing new meadows and creating a buffer against wildfires.

I love stories like this because not only do I love everything furry, but because stories like these JUST MAKE FUCKING SENSE TO ME. It makes intuitive sense to me that tens of millions of years of evolution would lead to an animal that is PRETTY FUCKING GOOD at what they do and surviving and thriving in their environment. I love stories like this because it involves one of my favorite things in life, which is not fucking with animals and people and letting them do their thing. I love stories like this because a beaver dam is free and chemical free and doesn’t trash the environment and doesn’t mean ugly as cement canals or rusting pipes all over the place.

And I love stories like this because biodiversity is so important and so easy to achieve, it just means not doing stupid shit and it means you don’t have to inject chemicals and other bullshit into land to achieve a lush environment. I don’t understand it. I have not used fertilizer or any chemicals in my back yard since moving here. I planted a ton of pollinators, some trees, and I just let shit go and the bugs and birds and critters do their thing. They tithe a couple apples and some veg from the garden and occasionally work Thurston into a froth when the rabbits in their warren under the shed act up at night, but other than that, everything takes care of itself. I’ve got enough greenery and shade that I didn’t even need to water the garden this year, and the leaves and droppings from the willow tree makes great mulch and that keeps all the water in.

The only thing I have to do in the backyard (which is now nothing but garden, a small patch of grass that is half clover, and trees) is occasionally check the ph under the pine trees that overhang into my yard and take a trimmer to the willow and the wisteria. Other than that, everything takes care of itself. I have no idea why this is so complicated for so many people. I don’t understand why more farmers don’t plant a row of wildflowers to attract insects and predators to attack the pests on the cash crop. Obviously it is more complicated than what I am saying, but not much.

I Love Stories Like ThisPost + Comments (64)

Respite/Readership Capture

by Tom Levenson|  August 23, 20221:32 pm| 37 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Nature, Open Threads, Readership Capture, Respite, Science & Technology, Space

You like dogs? Why, I believe a few of us do!

If you count yourself among the canineophiles (or just like cool science), you’ll want to read this by the excellent science writer, Christie Wilcox:

When a person is overcome with emotion, their feelings stream down their cheeks. Even positive emotions can turn on the waterworks, as people bawl when they win awards, express love for their partners, or are reunited with a long-lost friend.

But these feelings-driven tears may not be a wholly human experience. Dogs can also cry happy tears, according to a study published today (August 22) in Current Biology. Although the animals’ eyes don’t overflow, they well up when they’re reunited with their owners after spending even just hours apart, the researchers found. And they have hunch as to why: a sudden increase in oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, named for its predominant roles in social bonding.

Respite/Readership Capture 1

Much more at the link.

If your tastes are more cosmic, enjoy the latest from the giant mirror hanging out at L2:

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured new images of the planet. Webb’s Jupiter observations will give scientists even more clues to Jupiter’s inner life. 

“We hadn’t really expected it to be this good, to be honest,” said planetary astronomer Imke de Pater, professor emerita of the University of California, Berkeley. De Pater led the observations of Jupiter with Thierry Fouchet, a professor at the Paris Observatory, as part of an international collaboration for Webb’s Early Release Science program. Webb itself is an international mission led by NASA with its partners ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). “It’s really remarkable that we can see details on Jupiter together with its rings, tiny satellites, and even galaxies in one image,” she said.

Respite/Readership Capture

Now here’s one specifically for Raven, but I bet a bunch of folks will be as gleefully amused as I was.  An utterly English account of the history of fishing rods in the first three-quarters of the twentieth century:

 

And last: I double-dog-dare you to try archery while steeplechasing on the horse equivalent of a Caterpillar D9.  Click through to see Adriana Della Frank up on Darkmoor Jackson, five years old, 17.3 hands high, and all Shire horse.

This thread could not be more open.

Images: John Charles Dollman, Table d’Hote at a Dogs’ Home, 1879

NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Ricardo Hueso (UPV/EHU) and Judy Schmidt. Webb NIRCam composite image from two filters – F212N (orange) and F335M (cyan) – of Jupiter system, 2022.

 

Respite/Readership CapturePost + Comments (37)

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Long Week!

by Anne Laurie|  August 13, 20226:55 am| 178 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Policy, Nature, Open Threads, President Biden, Republican Venality, Republicans in Disarray!, Trump Crime Cartel

A disoriented brown bear cub, believed to have been intoxicated after eating an excessive amount of 'mad honey,' was rescued in northwestern Turkey's Duzce province. She wobbled and whined as she sat belly-up in the back of a pick-up truck https://t.co/baMFU99YVS pic.twitter.com/t2I2JzSM06

— Reuters (@Reuters) August 12, 2022


(Yes, honey from rhododendron nectar is actually neurotoxic — but it’s considered a ‘health potion’ in Turkey… )

Today, the American people won. Special interests lost.

With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in the House, families will see lower prescription drug prices, lower health care costs, and lower energy costs. I look forward to signing it into law next week.

— President Biden (@POTUS) August 12, 2022

show full post on front page

The choice we face as Americans is whether to protect the already-powerful or find the courage to build a future where everybody has a shot.

Today, I proudly watched as House Democrats chose families over special interests. pic.twitter.com/CerexPSPn5

— President Biden (@POTUS) August 12, 2022

======
Elsewhere…

one major problem with donald trump's criminal defense is that there is only one human being on earth who has a clearance which would allow them to hear the full scope of how badly he fucked up and i don't think joe biden wants that job

— Andreas Schou (@revhowardarson) August 13, 2022

"just gonna check the news… HOLY FUCK WHAT" https://t.co/V26BtROVnj pic.twitter.com/lrATzY2DM6

— atticus goldfinch (@AtticusGF) August 12, 2022

I would like to remind everyone that @reazlepuff went to jail for five years for leaking one document in violation of 18 USC 793.

— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) August 12, 2022

the highly classified documents I was accused of having -which I did not have when asked but if asked would have given back at any time- were planted by the fbi in a hoax yet I declassified them with a standing order using only my brainwaves and what about obama https://t.co/5eM6SNgbBQ

— kilgore trout, death to putiner (@KT_So_It_Goes) August 13, 2022

Ha. Hahahaha. Was just thinking this whole era starting with the emails ending with the most sensitive secrets found in a utility closet in a supper club for foreign spies and car dealers would be the ideal ending if the goal was for karma to tell us the libs were always right. https://t.co/CwwQKCAEph

— Pomodoro (Dad Joke Era) (@ilpomodoro2) August 12, 2022

I think it's important that everyone take a deep breath and remember that this is the tail end of day 2 after the breaking news of a new, major, trump crime scandal. we have at minimum an additional 12 more days of the story getting worse before it stabilizes

— your himbo boyfriend (@swolecialism) August 12, 2022

Sidebar on that weird line from the Mar-A-Largo warrant ‘Receipt for Property’ (1A: info re: President of France). Possibly it isn’t just a funny throwaway joke, but yet another crime(s):

This looks like the information about French President Macron is a subset of Roger Stone's clemency.

In 2017, Roger Stone acolyte Jack Posobiec shared hacked Macron emails. The White House gave him press credentials. https://t.co/BPiqr27XhN pic.twitter.com/xN8RJWbRxz

— Roger Sollenberger (@SollenbergerRC) August 12, 2022

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Long Week!Post + Comments (178)

Sunday Morning Open Thread: Celebrate the Good Things

by Anne Laurie|  July 31, 20227:45 am| 169 Comments

This post is in: Healthcare, LGBTQ Rights Are Human Rights, Nature, Open Threads, Proud To Be A Democrat!

They armed the orangutans pic.twitter.com/Q6NHdSD5DZ

— mr.dry ?? (@seahorseradish) July 29, 2022

I’m *quite* sure the late Sir Terry Pratchett would approve this message!

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The quality gap among candidates is remarkable. Across every race, a qualified, charismatic Democrat faces either a bumbling TV personality handpicked by Trump or a Thiel-backed finbro who speaks like a school shooter. https://t.co/R8VYvBModR

— zeddy (@Zeddary) July 29, 2022

The Respect for Marriage Act, now pending in the Senate, would ensure that same-sex marriages are still legally recognized nationwide if the Supreme Court were to overturn its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision.

Here's what to know about the bill. https://t.co/jKUMEVweob

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 29, 2022

British drugmaker GSK has struck a deal to allow low-cost generic versions of its long-acting HIV preventive medicine to be used in the developing world, including sub-Saharan Africa where the virus remains a leading cause of death. https://t.co/wB3PJrLts6

— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) July 28, 2022

Through education, increased testing, and widespread use of ART therapy, Botswana’s HIV mother-baby transmission rates have dropped to as low as 1% and they are on track to be the first African country to eliminate HIV transmission to babies. https://t.co/3eOfAr4HhI

— Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation) July 30, 2022

Mike Luckovich, still a master of his craft…
Sunday Morning Open Thread 1

(Mike Luckovich via GoComics.com)

Sunday Morning Open Thread: Celebrate the Good ThingsPost + Comments (169)

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