Can I ask a question?
Let's suppose you're in your favorite coffeehouse, or in your lovely candle-lit study (Thanks, GOF). You grab a hot drink and sit down to absorb a good wildlife book. Which one would you find most compelling?
A journal-style book about a researcher's adventure travels in the temperate forests of China and red panda observations
A fun, accessible where the researcher did intensive study on a group of pandas in the mountains of Nepal, including their behavior and biology
A small scale story about a panda sanctuary where the critters are rehabbed and the challenges the species faces
All 3? A combination of different styles? Feel free to add in your thoughts.
Yehaw! Raucous climate change scientists. We love it. I found a few more snippets from the Climategate emails. It sounds like the East Anglia scientists may have been speaking their minds about the mind-numbing stupidity they have to tolerate from ours truly day in and day out.
I have yet to see a complete email that puts the comments in context. Maybe they're guilty as sin! But how can anyone know without the information? Scientists, like the ones in East Anglia, are frustrated because the Conservatives are being so ignorant. Scientists have in the past, readily discussed the shortcomings of global warming theory.
As I said on WT's blog:
The problem is that conservatives are saying "It's over, global warming is a scam" when that's no more true than saying "we know everything about global warming and we're 100 percent right". Neither is true!!
And regarding the petition doubting global warming, that was signed by nearly 32,000 scientists: that petition is a joke. The vast majority of signatories are people with bachelor's degrees who have never published a thing and so far as I can tell are not active scientists. The rest are veterinarians and MDs, who don't take a single class on global warming. (Oh, let me give Fido his vaccine and then I'll go out and collect some ice core samples...)
Global warming is still being researched. Want to know how much is certain and how much has as many holes as swiss cheese? Read the studies. I'm nearly blue in the face from saying this. Saying that more research is needed is not the same as saying the science is a conspiracy. Almost all science is imperfect. It's a matter of degrees and a matter of judgement.
I'd prefer to be discussing O8 and O16 levels, tree ring data, and other fun stuff. Not to mention the dozens of fun science debates we could have about pesticides in cranberry bogs, migratory birds and wind farms, have mentioned the ozone layer....let's move on! Ask quesitons or watch lectures if you're seeking answers.
Opinoins are welcomed. :)
Busy me forgot to capture the moment on film. I hosted Thanksgiving for both my family and my husbands family for a total number of 12 plus Baby M. Unfortunately my older kiddos spent Thanksgiving with their daddy. I'm so excited they will be back home tomorrow. (Yay!)... I have met G at every opportunity at her school to have lunch together. I haven't seen my son since November 22nd, and he's only called me once... (sniffle, sniffle)...signs of him getting older. ahhh the teenage years.
Anyhow I should have taken a picture of my Turkey. That Turkey was drop dead gorgeous and turned out to perfection. I'm sorry it probably sounds like I'm bragging it up, but I can't help it. If you only new how many websites, cookbooks, and phone calls to my mother to ensure the damn bird would turn out perfect, then you would understand that it totally paid off. I tell you I blessed prayed and all but asked God to come down from the heavens and cook this bird for me.
Now my favorite hassle free bird of choice is a Good 'ol Jenny O oven ready, but their turkeys only come in the largest size of 13lbs and I have twelve to feed, not to mention those suckers are expensive as all get out. So if I were to buy two of those birds to feed my family, I would be in the hole for almost $70. and there is no way I'm budgeted to spend that much on a Turkey. So I head to Walmart. Now I really don't care to shop there, but when you are poor, you can feed a small army on about $20. So I took advantage of the Turkeys that were selling for between .20cents and .40cents a pound and was able to get a 22lb Turkey for a little over $8.00 yes correct eight dollars.
He was frozen solid so I bought him on a Sunday and thawed him out in the fridge. I was blessed to be able to use my grandmothers stand alone Roaster. That oven is a miracle in itself.
On Thanksgiving Day. I set my alarm for 3:45am in order to get up and start cooking Big Bird for him to be eaten by family at noon. However I overslept and jumped from the bed to realize it was 4:30am and I had overslept. I went to the refrigerator to retrieve the 22lb Tom Turkey and gagged and wrestled and washed him. Absolutely gross. I don't deal real well with carcass, but I agreed to host this and I wanted to impress my guests. So I removed his neck, (I think that's what it was)... and his umm gross stuff and rinsed him inside and out. Thank God he fit in the immense roaster. I had read online about all the different ways to brine, fry, bake, herb this, baste that... and decided to keep it simple. so I got out my Mayonaise made with olive oil and squeezed a hand full of mayo into my palm and I greased and lathered the bird, like he was about to head to the beach. then I salted and peppered him and I put 1/4 stick of softened butter around the breasts and inside. I did not stuff him and I did not fasten his legs back. I basted him with his own juice after his 1st hour of cooking and the 2nd hour of cooking. At 10:30am he was so tender and juicy his legs fell off. He was golden brown, beautiful and ready to eat at 11:30am. My family raved about his flavor and how tendor he was.
For funsies I purchased a Tofurky Turkey stuffed with wild rice. In addition I prepared a Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad, whose recipe can be found in the "Skinny Bitch" cook book. I substitued walnuts for pecans and red wine vinegar for the cider vinegar. I made hot german potatoe salad, mashed potatoes, and I made stuffing with sausage, celery, and water chestnuts. I also had pomegranate seeds out. My mother in law mad a jello fruit dish and sweet potatoes. My sister in law brought deviled eggs and green bean casserole. My other sister in law brought rolls, cranberry sauce, apple pie, cherry pie, and pumpkin pie. My mother brought corn casserole and pumpkin pie. It was like a buffet.
I bought my table covers and table runner at Walmart as well. We served faux wine. (aka sparkling grape juice.)
To be a humorous daughter in law for my meat and potatoe mother in law, just before the blessing I told her I had burned the Turkey and she would have to eat the Tofurky Turkey... Her face sank and eyes rolled and I laughed and said just kidding. To be a good sport, she did try the Tofurkey and was impressed how truly delicious it was.
Blessings and Thankfulness!
- So lessons learned :
- You don't have to buy an expensive Turkey to Deliver an impressive meal. (Be prepared to de-thaw days in advance)
- Salt, Pepper, and a hand full of Mayonaise
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An independent Roaster with lid.
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Prayer, prayer, prayer...
I need coffee, my brain is not working this morning! Since we're looking for new homes I'm trying to plan what kinds of rooms we want. I'm now thinking I need a study / library. The cats would love it, they could hang out on the bookshelves while I work.
My boyfriend thinks that if I do research abroad, I should write a book. I don't enjoy writing and I thought I had nothing to discuss, until yesterday!
I read a BBC article about "Confused Carnivores" - species which are challenging to fit into the Tree of Life on the basis of evolution. Here's what's striking: 4 out of the 6 species listed were ones I write about on this blog: red pandas, binturongs, otters, and wild cats.
Apparently I've hit on all the oddball creatures. And wouldn't it be fun to travel to Asia, hang out in Cybercafes and write about creatures I'm studying in the mountains. Red pandas live in the mountains of China, and from Nepal to Myanmar, in the temperate forests of the Himalayas. They spend most of their time in trees and sunbathe in the canopy. They eat bamboo, berries, eggs, fungi and blossoms.
I'm posting a picture of Pinju again and I don't care if it's redundant.
Pinju: Male. I love to curl around the branches of oak trees and eat sorbus fruits. I hope you can come an visit me in Nepal soon
I ran the Lake today. My clothing has the most wonderful smell of pine sap. The run is 3 or 4 miles but it's going to get a lot trickier in winter. I need to stay in shape. We're doing a Yogi gift theme this year. The items are really expensive, especially at Gaiam. I prefer Prana, although yoga mats are never cheap.
It works though with my new desire to travel to Nepal and study red pandas. It's my new thing. Maybe I'll find a Himalayan mountain village and just stay there. It sure would be quieter than our neighborhood!
Peace is elusive these days. When I ran this morning I watched the pine cones and needles as my feet ran over them. The Lake is a very calm place.
I think my new years resolution will be to never argue with people who think that they don't have to read scientific evidence to understand science.
Recent headlines about the supposedly hidden global warming data have been a huge blessing.The American public wants transparency? Here it is. This information has always been available. But the deniers have chosen to ignore it.
No one can complain any longer about scientists hiding information. It's all here.
From Treehugger:
The scientists who run the extensive climate resource RealClimate have put together a sort of one-stop homepage linking out to climate data around the world. See for yourself. The ever-evolving RealClimate Data Sources page is stuffed with transparent, accessible, accurate data on climate. And it's curated by scientists themselves, who'd be happy to hear your suggestions. It's enough to make a climate change denier weep.
From Real Climate:
RealClimate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists. We aim to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary.
Here it is, the data from Real Climate Sources. Isn't it exciting? And ps, David Archer, a Computational Ocean Chemist on RC has posted his UC lecture series on global warming for anyone interested in the basics. Warning: if you watch this series you might actually learn something. Oooh...
Discuss! Is there any data you think is especially important or that is missing from general knowledge?
If you get into a debate with someone about global warming, or any environmental issue, keep politics out of it. Force them to justify their answer based on actual data. If people want to then discuss the politics based on the solid findings, that's fine! But don't let the extremists tell you they understand the science better than the scientists do. .
We turned what might have been a lazy Sunday into a very industrious one, getting The Aerie all decked out for Christmastime. We had the Christmas music playing from the office while we decked the halls and trimmed the trees (our big Christmas tree and our little Monterey pine out back). Speaking of trees, we even added some Christmas cheer to the palm trees outside of our home.
I'm conflicted about Winter Solstice. This year I'd love to have some nice things. We're supposed to be making lists for each other. I mostly want things that aren't really gifts: clothing and boots, a work bag, money for travel and a new home.
We really should just save the money. But it just doesn't seem like the holiday without that tradition of presents. Sigh. We go on our annual trip to New York City to see the Christmas tree, shop in the Village and eat chocolate crepes at this amazing cafe.
I'm even having a hard time deciding which charity I want to give to this year. There's so many great ones. I found some amazing small charities like the Carnivore Trust and the Mangrove Action Project. It sure would be nice if people could buy each other simplicity, or reduced clutter. Maybe the soul of a Yogi. But those things aren't purchaseable. They have to be earned.
Update: I'm asking someone to adopt a red panda named Pinju for me!
Pinju: Male. I love to curl around the branches of oak trees and eat sorbus fruits. I hope you can come an visit me in Nepal soon.
I'm just venting today. There's a fairly trivial matter that's driving me nuts. I can't think of a name for our new strays. I'm drawing a total blank on names for them since they showed up 2 months ago. Background story for those who don't know: Basically, our jerkbrain neighbors dumped 12 cats. Yes, 5 kittens and 7 adults. Locked them outside the apartment and left them to starve.
Our neighbor, a single grade school teacher, who can hardly afford to take in a stray animal, alerted me to the cats who had been abandoned and were starving. She was able to take 1 cat and we took 2 into our small shelter. The Little Girl is very gentle, but she doesn't like being touched. She follows her "brother" around everywhere. She's also tiny but growing since we actually **ahem** feed her.
The landlord couldn't take them and the "owners" didn't bother to do anything until they saw the notice on the door alerting them that they were being investigated for animal cruelty, at which point all the rest of the cats disappeared, maybe they dumped them into the river. Who knows.
The Little Boy is really intelligent. He was terrified when he first got here but now he's friendly, gentle and catching on fast. He takes good care of his "sister". He's also one of the most muscular cats I've ever seen. A real macho kitty. But he doesn't spray and he's a wonderful cat. Did I mention we desperately need homes for them?
Anyway, I can't think of names for them. We generally name our cats after authors (Poe), composers (Hugo and **Charles** Ives) or famous characters (Watson). For the little girl I was thinking of: Rosie (Jetsons) or Fossey (Dian). I was calling the boy Newton. Rosie and Newton. Ugh, I hope those names don't stick. Suggestions would be welcomed.I especially like sci fi and I'm jealous of my friend Bones who named her ferrets after Star Trek characters. I wish I had thought of that.
While I complain about my job as much as the next person, in general I really don't mind it. It's easy, it's mindless, it's money. But the past week has really tested my patience with it. Not only customers (I hate dealing with the public though I've gotten used to dealing with their asshattery so it doesn't bother me as much anymore) but also coworkers.
