My web browser had a story about the relative speed of roadrunners and coyotes! I learned coyotes are much faster than roadrunners.
BB1lrhrC?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=d399df207420488086b1f829636c7fe4&ei=11tpacing the Myth: The True Speeds of Coyotes and Roadrunners Revealed (msn.com)
So was the WB roadrunner nuclear powered? Was Wiley slow due to anvil injuries, or just, well, slow?
We’re on our last day in Seville, going next to Granada for a day and then on to Madrid. A couple more photos, at the risk of boring anyone with vacation photos:
I once lost my son in Granada. We were staying in Malaga, and decided to do a day tour. We got on the bus, we got our tickets, then sat down on a park bench. When it was time to go in, I got up, and turned. I saw my 7th grade son's mop of blond hair and so we walked to the entrance line. As i turned to give him directions, I realized that mop of blond hair was someone else's son.
I raced back the bench, he wasn't there. I wandered about, I called out his name. 45 minutes later I found him. I yelled at him. Apparently he dozed off on the bench and when he woke up I was gone. He went to the entrance line, but took a different path else I'd have run into him. I yelled at him, I was scared. What was I supposed to say to my wife?
I still haven't told Katie that story yet...I'm sure she'd understand...that she screwed up trusting me...Several of my friends who know the story know Katie hasn't been told, and they find it amusing. She's at the quilt retreat this weekend, so this morning I texted her a photo of the two dogs, along with a picture of our white board which reads "Jay has not let the dogs escape in 6 days!".
Two years later we did a return trip, and this time we didn't get separated.
It's going to be a grandbaby filled weekend. Daughter #2's family is coming from Duluth to meet the new babe. We're having a cookout at Daughter #1's house. The weather will be lovely, 69 and sunny. Grammy's heart will be full after this weekend.
Another thought, our son in law asked to borrow an acoustic guitar from my husband. Then he asked the measurements of the guitar case. They have a Rav4 and the Labrador takes up the entire cargo area. We bought them a Thule car top carrier as their baby gift, I suspect he will have to use that if he's planning on taking the guitar home!
I won't be the Grammy that buys a lot of stuff. All my kids are minimalists. Not sure if it's something we did or just the culture today. Our gifts to the grands will be in the form of a college fun and experiences. I remember when my kids were little I did not look forward to birthdays and Christmas from the gift perspective. So much STUFF...drove me crazy. I did buy a baby jumper (the kind you hang from the top of a door) for baby Adeline to use when she's here.
On Pam's side of the family, this was the first baby in 20 years. he got a LOT of stuff. So much so Pam and I didn't buy him any Christmas/birthday presents the first two!
I'm glad to see that the House GOP is concerned with cleanliness and coming up with what they think are clever names for their bills:
"Today the House Rules Committee got a new chair as Michael Burgess (R-TX) took the reins from Tom Cole (R-OK). Burgess will oversee his first hearing on Monday as the committee meets to examine six bills that appear to be designed to feed the Republicans’ culture wars by denying the secretary of energy’s power to establish new energy conservation standards. Those bills are the “Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act,” the “Liberty in Laundry Act,” the “Clothes Dryers Reliability Act,” the “Refrigerator Freedom Act,” the “Affordable Air Conditioning Act,” and the “Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act.”
This is true, but I have to credit both sides with pointless facility here. I recall a time during the Pelosi speakership when I kept thinking something along the lines of, “Really? You guys spent all that time in coming up with a bill name to spell out the acronym ‘PULL MY FINGER Act’?” I don’t remember what the specific bill was anymore, but you get the idea.
I truly wish there were some way for the congress to take back rule-making authority from the executive branch agencies, but it was the congress that gave up those powers to begin with. All they’re left with is the authority to assign cutesy bill and committee names.
Agree. When I worked on the hill and my boss was leading the charge to deregulate the telecom industry we called the bill THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEREGULATION Act.
Good morning. Another cold, wet cloudy day. The mothership is reporting on the recent summit between President Biden, the president of the Philippines (Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos) and the prime minister of Japan, and on our defense relationships in the Indo-Pacific.
Today’s special animal friend is the banded mongoose, Mungos mungo. We’ve moved westward from Lake Kariba to Victoria Falls, where these sturdy little carnivores thrive in the wet environment. They have a head-and-body length up to 18” and a tail a little shorter than the body. Their build is kind of hefty in the abdominal area, their fur is rough and gray-brown, and they have attractive vertical stripes that make me think of a 9-banded armadillo.
In the Herpestidae family of mongooses and mongoose-type-things such as meerkats and kusimanse, there are 34 extant species in 15 genera and 2 subfamilies. They’re all very cute, in that cat/weasel/otter way that many small predators are cute. As the moniker “Herpestidae” indicates, the family members are known for eating reptiles. Some species in India famously fight cobras, but the banded carnivore is a generalist, with millipedes and beetles making up most of its diet. They also eat many other invertebrates, small amphibians and reptiles – including snakes – and birds and their eggs.
Like meerkats, but unlike many other mongoose species, banded meerkats live in extended-family groups. The average group size is 20, but it ranges from 7 (dad, mom, and pups) when food is scarce to 40 in extremely well-resourced habitats. These groups get along pretty well with limited heirarchy, although there is some competition within the group for mates. All the females are permitted to mate, but older females have larger litters with a better survival rate. If a group gets too big, young females may be pushed out, often joining an unattached male to start a new group. The group dens together in termite mounds, rock shelters, or thick brush. They move their residence every two or three days, if possible.
There is a high level of aggression between groups. Territories are scent-marked and patrolled, but incursions are frequent, and fights often result in injury or death. Meanwhile, females will sometimes mate with outgroup males during the confusion. I’m sure there’s a species-level genetic advantage to this. Infant mortality is high, with about 50% of pups dying before 3 months of age.
That last video was approximately like clan warfare through most of humankind’s history as a tribal species—up to and including known extant hunter-gatherer bands.
OJ Simpson’s death has me thinking. He was once on top of the world. Heisman trophy, NFL star, Hall of Famer, movies, commercials (remember running through airports?), lots of charisma. But clearly he had some demons if as many people seem to believe he was really a murderer. I find myself wondering how many people realize that he’s also responsible for unleashing the Kardashians on us, who got their big break and entry into the public eye by having their father be on OJ’s legal team. I’m not sure how that explains becoming famous but that’s a different question. In my mind they kicked off a lot of change in our culture and much of it not necessarily positive. Reality TV, being famous without any particular talent, exploiting social media by putting your recorded life online for all to see. Deep thoughts for a Friday.
On one level, he had accomplished much, was well-liked and well respected. (I remember him doing PSAs for the boys and Girls Clubs, and appearing in an insurance ad talking about the importance of being a husband and a father. All of that seeming changed with the murders and the trial.
OTOH, reading his obit, I realized he had his demons all his life, just well hidden for a time. He grew up in a project, never knew his father, ran with street gangs and got into petty mischief with them. He was married twice, cheating on wife #1 with future wife #2 (30 years his junior), and was clearly a womanizer. He was a domestic abuser, prone to violence, which (most of us would believe) culminated in the events of June 12, 1994, when he murdered wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
IOW, his respectable and accomplished appearance was a facade. Something for all of us to remember.
Good morning. I think Haidt is advocating for a little more support for parents, especially in the form of "no phones in school," rather than just saying, "You're on your own, Mom. Do better."
Speaking of which, "Do better," has become an annoying trope. I saw it all over The Dispatch comments recently when people were (legitimately) saying that an interviewee on a podcast was a Hamas shill.
"Do better" is now on my list of patronizing claptrap, along with "by the way," "just by the way," "for your information," and "just for your information." In fact, I think "just" as an adverb should be eradicated. It can remain as an adjective, as in, "The court's decision was just."
I’ve put it down to the speed with which online conversation makes perfectly serviceable phrases go from pleasant to tiresome and clichéd. The tendency was always there, but with everyone repeating the same phrase in a short period of time, it sours and turns unbearable within days, or even hours.
Some of these I spot sometimes in scripted dramas set in the past, where I think: “No one was saying that in 1950!” Or 1980, or pick a year, any year.
When the online fight clubs latch onto some phrase they think of as the ultimate verbal jujitsu coup de grâce, such otherwise harmless, or even helpful, terms get to be tiresome bores all of a sudden.
CynthiaW
My web browser had a story about the relative speed of roadrunners and coyotes! I learned coyotes are much faster than roadrunners.
BB1lrhrC?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=d399df207420488086b1f829636c7fe4&ei=11tpacing the Myth: The True Speeds of Coyotes and Roadrunners Revealed (msn.com)
So was the WB roadrunner nuclear powered? Was Wiley slow due to anvil injuries, or just, well, slow?
We’re on our last day in Seville, going next to Granada for a day and then on to Madrid. A couple more photos, at the risk of boring anyone with vacation photos:
The many colorful, narrow streets and alleys fascinate me, probably because it’s so different than I’m used to: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c_vsNSIwb14zhyMvtKW2otWKimBQ38Nu/view?usp=drivesdk
The Plaza de Espana. Gorgeous architecture surrounded by a beautiful park. https://drive.google.com/file/d/11ELHvmqI0MNfDUNQDcdFvKI4E0C2CVeb/view?usp=drivesdk
LOVELY and not boring. ENJOY!
I once lost my son in Granada. We were staying in Malaga, and decided to do a day tour. We got on the bus, we got our tickets, then sat down on a park bench. When it was time to go in, I got up, and turned. I saw my 7th grade son's mop of blond hair and so we walked to the entrance line. As i turned to give him directions, I realized that mop of blond hair was someone else's son.
I raced back the bench, he wasn't there. I wandered about, I called out his name. 45 minutes later I found him. I yelled at him. Apparently he dozed off on the bench and when he woke up I was gone. He went to the entrance line, but took a different path else I'd have run into him. I yelled at him, I was scared. What was I supposed to say to my wife?
I still haven't told Katie that story yet...I'm sure she'd understand...that she screwed up trusting me...Several of my friends who know the story know Katie hasn't been told, and they find it amusing. She's at the quilt retreat this weekend, so this morning I texted her a photo of the two dogs, along with a picture of our white board which reads "Jay has not let the dogs escape in 6 days!".
Two years later we did a return trip, and this time we didn't get separated.
Dawn and dusk lighting can be so dramatic—I assume that is the time of day in the street scene.
It was dawn for both of them.
That is the best time to walk around a city. I still have such awesome memories of my early morning run in Rome back in 2006.
My wife and I spent two weeks walking from Assisi to Rome in ‘22. Incredible experience.
It's going to be a grandbaby filled weekend. Daughter #2's family is coming from Duluth to meet the new babe. We're having a cookout at Daughter #1's house. The weather will be lovely, 69 and sunny. Grammy's heart will be full after this weekend.
Enjoy the time! When it comes to spoiling the grandbabies, remember not to buy more than their vehicle can hold! 🤦♂️
Another thought, our son in law asked to borrow an acoustic guitar from my husband. Then he asked the measurements of the guitar case. They have a Rav4 and the Labrador takes up the entire cargo area. We bought them a Thule car top carrier as their baby gift, I suspect he will have to use that if he's planning on taking the guitar home!
I won't be the Grammy that buys a lot of stuff. All my kids are minimalists. Not sure if it's something we did or just the culture today. Our gifts to the grands will be in the form of a college fun and experiences. I remember when my kids were little I did not look forward to birthdays and Christmas from the gift perspective. So much STUFF...drove me crazy. I did buy a baby jumper (the kind you hang from the top of a door) for baby Adeline to use when she's here.
On Pam's side of the family, this was the first baby in 20 years. he got a LOT of stuff. So much so Pam and I didn't buy him any Christmas/birthday presents the first two!
Well, aren’t you on Cloud Nine! 😁
Enjoy!
I'm glad to see that the House GOP is concerned with cleanliness and coming up with what they think are clever names for their bills:
"Today the House Rules Committee got a new chair as Michael Burgess (R-TX) took the reins from Tom Cole (R-OK). Burgess will oversee his first hearing on Monday as the committee meets to examine six bills that appear to be designed to feed the Republicans’ culture wars by denying the secretary of energy’s power to establish new energy conservation standards. Those bills are the “Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act,” the “Liberty in Laundry Act,” the “Clothes Dryers Reliability Act,” the “Refrigerator Freedom Act,” the “Affordable Air Conditioning Act,” and the “Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act.”
This is true, but I have to credit both sides with pointless facility here. I recall a time during the Pelosi speakership when I kept thinking something along the lines of, “Really? You guys spent all that time in coming up with a bill name to spell out the acronym ‘PULL MY FINGER Act’?” I don’t remember what the specific bill was anymore, but you get the idea.
I truly wish there were some way for the congress to take back rule-making authority from the executive branch agencies, but it was the congress that gave up those powers to begin with. All they’re left with is the authority to assign cutesy bill and committee names.
Agree. When I worked on the hill and my boss was leading the charge to deregulate the telecom industry we called the bill THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEREGULATION Act.
Exactly.
Good morning. Another cold, wet cloudy day. The mothership is reporting on the recent summit between President Biden, the president of the Philippines (Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos) and the prime minister of Japan, and on our defense relationships in the Indo-Pacific.
Ummmm, does "Bongbong" mean he likes to get stoned?
I think being stoned might be an excuse for your bad puns -- 🚪
I wonder how many pairs of shoes Imelda brought on the trip?
I was thinking of the "other" Ferdinand Marcos as well. Turns out Bongbong is the elder Ferdinand's son.
Today’s special animal friend is the banded mongoose, Mungos mungo. We’ve moved westward from Lake Kariba to Victoria Falls, where these sturdy little carnivores thrive in the wet environment. They have a head-and-body length up to 18” and a tail a little shorter than the body. Their build is kind of hefty in the abdominal area, their fur is rough and gray-brown, and they have attractive vertical stripes that make me think of a 9-banded armadillo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRzFs39gNOs
In the Herpestidae family of mongooses and mongoose-type-things such as meerkats and kusimanse, there are 34 extant species in 15 genera and 2 subfamilies. They’re all very cute, in that cat/weasel/otter way that many small predators are cute. As the moniker “Herpestidae” indicates, the family members are known for eating reptiles. Some species in India famously fight cobras, but the banded carnivore is a generalist, with millipedes and beetles making up most of its diet. They also eat many other invertebrates, small amphibians and reptiles – including snakes – and birds and their eggs.
They’re creative in finding food sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXW_1i1pA0w
Like meerkats, but unlike many other mongoose species, banded meerkats live in extended-family groups. The average group size is 20, but it ranges from 7 (dad, mom, and pups) when food is scarce to 40 in extremely well-resourced habitats. These groups get along pretty well with limited heirarchy, although there is some competition within the group for mates. All the females are permitted to mate, but older females have larger litters with a better survival rate. If a group gets too big, young females may be pushed out, often joining an unattached male to start a new group. The group dens together in termite mounds, rock shelters, or thick brush. They move their residence every two or three days, if possible.
There is a high level of aggression between groups. Territories are scent-marked and patrolled, but incursions are frequent, and fights often result in injury or death. Meanwhile, females will sometimes mate with outgroup males during the confusion. I’m sure there’s a species-level genetic advantage to this. Infant mortality is high, with about 50% of pups dying before 3 months of age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAxmAk7woyA
Banded mongooses are a species of Least Concern. They live up to 10 years in the wild and up to 17 years in captivity.
That last video was approximately like clan warfare through most of humankind’s history as a tribal species—up to and including known extant hunter-gatherer bands.
I don't find them particularly cute. They remind me too much of raccoons in the way they walk and I do not like raccoons.
I like raccoons.
I was not aware that meerkats are related to mongooses. Next thing you know, I’ll be told that meerkats and warthogs don’t hang out with each other.
Actually I spoke too soon. According to one video -- they do.
It's their problem free, philosophy.....
OJ Simpson’s death has me thinking. He was once on top of the world. Heisman trophy, NFL star, Hall of Famer, movies, commercials (remember running through airports?), lots of charisma. But clearly he had some demons if as many people seem to believe he was really a murderer. I find myself wondering how many people realize that he’s also responsible for unleashing the Kardashians on us, who got their big break and entry into the public eye by having their father be on OJ’s legal team. I’m not sure how that explains becoming famous but that’s a different question. In my mind they kicked off a lot of change in our culture and much of it not necessarily positive. Reality TV, being famous without any particular talent, exploiting social media by putting your recorded life online for all to see. Deep thoughts for a Friday.
OJ's death had me reflecting as well.
On one level, he had accomplished much, was well-liked and well respected. (I remember him doing PSAs for the boys and Girls Clubs, and appearing in an insurance ad talking about the importance of being a husband and a father. All of that seeming changed with the murders and the trial.
OTOH, reading his obit, I realized he had his demons all his life, just well hidden for a time. He grew up in a project, never knew his father, ran with street gangs and got into petty mischief with them. He was married twice, cheating on wife #1 with future wife #2 (30 years his junior), and was clearly a womanizer. He was a domestic abuser, prone to violence, which (most of us would believe) culminated in the events of June 12, 1994, when he murdered wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
IOW, his respectable and accomplished appearance was a facade. Something for all of us to remember.
Maybe they'll find a diary where he admits he did it. In any event, he's getting his due now.
He did admit it, sort of, in his book, "If I Did It".
I'm not up to deep thoughts today. Would you like to run away to Veracruz with me?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZIgdr0a07o
Anywhere where the people eating together outside at the long table break out into spontaneous mariachi bands would be fine with me!
Nice, but well beyond my long-ago high school Spanish.
Lovely.
I'm learning it, driving the kids crazy.
Win-Win!
Good morning. I think Haidt is advocating for a little more support for parents, especially in the form of "no phones in school," rather than just saying, "You're on your own, Mom. Do better."
Speaking of which, "Do better," has become an annoying trope. I saw it all over The Dispatch comments recently when people were (legitimately) saying that an interviewee on a podcast was a Hamas shill.
"Do better" is now on my list of patronizing claptrap, along with "by the way," "just by the way," "for your information," and "just for your information." In fact, I think "just" as an adverb should be eradicated. It can remain as an adjective, as in, "The court's decision was just."
I’ve put it down to the speed with which online conversation makes perfectly serviceable phrases go from pleasant to tiresome and clichéd. The tendency was always there, but with everyone repeating the same phrase in a short period of time, it sours and turns unbearable within days, or even hours.
Some of these I spot sometimes in scripted dramas set in the past, where I think: “No one was saying that in 1950!” Or 1980, or pick a year, any year.
When the online fight clubs latch onto some phrase they think of as the ultimate verbal jujitsu coup de grâce, such otherwise harmless, or even helpful, terms get to be tiresome bores all of a sudden.
I listened to part of the interview with Meidi Hasan, the "Hamas shill". The filibustering and whataboutism was awful, hard to listen to.
Also: "With all due respect..."
Just sayin’. Literally.
I use "literally" in the only correct way: to indicate that words mean exactly what they denote.