Mr. Bean
6/8/23
Mr. Bean
These days, British comedian, actor, and writer Rowan Atkinson enjoys automotive tech and writes for the U.K. daily The Guardian. Famous for his slapstick character Mr. Bean, Atkinson was originally graduated from university with degrees in engineering. And early on he found the promise of rechargeable electric vehicles very appealing. He became an early adopter.
From his commentary, submitted by commenter Josh:
Electric vehicles may be a bit soulless, but they’re wonderful mechanisms: fast, quiet and, until recently, very cheap to run. But increasingly, I feel a little duped. When you start to drill into the facts, electric motoring doesn’t seem to be quite the environmental panacea it is claimed to be.
The problem is that governments like that of the U.K. have determined that gas- and diesel-fueled vehicles must be relegated to the dustbin of history, even if by force of government fiat. Of the things that governments do effectively, bans and prohibitions of large machinery tend to be among the more successful. Thus, the U.K. government has decided to outlaw petroleum-fueled internal combustion engines (ICEs) starting in 2030. Other governments around the modern industrial world have etched similar plans for their citizenry into their calendars.
As Atkinson says, the current technology for battery vehicles is not entirely as efficient as it is for modern ICEs. Lithium ion batteries, although they are a great advancement for batteries, make vehicles much heavier. They still take much longer to refuel than gas or diesel equipment. Alternatives that perform better remain the subject of preliminary research. But no one can say when any of better technology might become viable.
Atkinson concludes:
Increasingly, I’m feeling that our honeymoon with electric cars is coming to an end, and that’s no bad thing: we’re realising that a wider range of options need to be explored if we’re going to properly address the very serious environmental problems that our use of the motor car has created.
Hear, hear.
Today's special animal friend is the Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus. It is a medium-sized passerine bird, 8 to 10 inches high with a wingspan of 11 to 12 inches. The adjective "loggerhead" denotes the fact that its head is larger than average relative to its body. The loggerhead shrike has a gray back and a lighter underside, with a black "mask" on its face and black wing and tail feathers. It is found year-round in the lower half of the United States and most of Mexico, while a migratory sub-population spends the summer in the upper U.S. and parts of Canada and the winter on Riviera Maya in Mexico.
The loggerhead shrike is known as a carnivorous predator. It eats small mammals and birds, reptiles and amphibians, and large insects. They use their strong neck and beak to kill prey, rather than their weak legs and talons. Some prey is killed with a jerk that snaps its neck, while other animals are impaled on thorns, sharp branches, or barbed wire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_zfyAx_z_8
Loggerhead shrikes are monogamous. In their first year of life, males attract a mate with dance-like flights, zipping about, fanning their wings and tails. Interested females respond with "begging" calls, encouraging the male to bring food. They build a cup nest of grass and leaves in dense trees or shrubbery, near open areas where prey can be spotted. Females lay 4 to 8 eggs. Both parents feed the hatchlings, who are fledged in about 19 days. Infant mortality is fairly high, and the adults sometimes eat the dead chick or feed it to the survivors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m-_VDY96ns
Shrikes may have two nests of chicks during a season. The young live near the adults for up to a month after fledging. Lifespan of loggerhead shrikes is up to 12 years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FFU5CjQF-4
Loggerhead shrikes are rated Near Threatened by IUCN. The population is believed to have declined about 75% since the mid-20th century, but they are still very numerous and widespread. The main cause of the decline is pesticide contamination, especially during the 60s and 70s. Habitat loss in agricultural areas of the Midwest and Canada is also a factor. Field size has increased, while hedgerows and wooded verges have been cleared.
Breeding support programs are operated by the Toronto Zoo and McGill University, supported by Wildlife Preservation Canada.
Morning.