tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49127132430461420412024-03-19T06:55:14.761-05:00TYWKIWDBI ("Tai-Wiki-Widbee")"Things You Wouldn't Know If We Didn't Blog Intermittently."Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.comBlogger18633125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-41569006589870337592024-03-18T16:12:00.000-05:002024-03-18T16:12:14.675-05:00Wisteria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75sZqpWqTyPHkAyYcUdspXP9-JNStLzDqG_SwIciaclN4-Ej3k8xpZwFOvn-c65X8p8BdHBtX1zJkiNDKB6bsqNrUoq9N44M8mC2nAaEnvGDgeBK8EYTjlI5fOWjZJav38vbGzC8RkABq/s1600/Wisteria.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75sZqpWqTyPHkAyYcUdspXP9-JNStLzDqG_SwIciaclN4-Ej3k8xpZwFOvn-c65X8p8BdHBtX1zJkiNDKB6bsqNrUoq9N44M8mC2nAaEnvGDgeBK8EYTjlI5fOWjZJav38vbGzC8RkABq/s640/Wisteria.jpg" width="520" /></a></div>
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The (unquestioned) beauty is deceptive. Multiple comments at the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/8ku2g4/wisteria/">Pics</a> subreddit post attest to the destructive capabilities of Wisteria vines.<div><br /></div><div><b>Reposted</b> from 2018 to add this:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2Xpo11oHpcZ3rNqkItSoPubw3lOxUjIbcbiVNLpej9KYw4WGfjAu3lyYThhHS2uZ6xKUrseEXICPMtr2-3qfP3joM6nZTSlYhLhuVjf8W3C42JW7KElv9MSD__G3fJXQUTzqqSOGAXQp_Faz5vCzmhzCmgZ0hckRz_OxV8poXC0MgqNnyNJuBGgNAvc/s2466/wisteria.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1568" data-original-width="2466" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2Xpo11oHpcZ3rNqkItSoPubw3lOxUjIbcbiVNLpej9KYw4WGfjAu3lyYThhHS2uZ6xKUrseEXICPMtr2-3qfP3joM6nZTSlYhLhuVjf8W3C42JW7KElv9MSD__G3fJXQUTzqqSOGAXQp_Faz5vCzmhzCmgZ0hckRz_OxV8poXC0MgqNnyNJuBGgNAvc/w640-h406/wisteria.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Image cropped for size/emphasis from the original in a gallery of homes with gardens at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/gallery/2024/mar/15/homes-for-sale-in-england-gardens-spring-in-pictures">The Guardian</a>.</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-85720869366532886192024-03-18T16:05:00.000-05:002024-03-18T16:05:03.251-05:00A blueberry the size of a golf ball<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWmxix7Lqh4T21ypIDy0XOmb5zEO1zKaYZtpG1NPRuIHEM2OVZjvyWp-eLeArN14J0GpGhDPD4R549jIbjYBtiUpOUhR-kBdxbdfQQrAab6HUH78m5uWzjbnU3YKWJZwCQzbAuwwOFeiA4f8Wstlvb3SpbwhpEj5_QIq_yBMolcjEO6M3qiaw_2kIoKE/s3634/blueberry.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2174" data-original-width="3634" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWmxix7Lqh4T21ypIDy0XOmb5zEO1zKaYZtpG1NPRuIHEM2OVZjvyWp-eLeArN14J0GpGhDPD4R549jIbjYBtiUpOUhR-kBdxbdfQQrAab6HUH78m5uWzjbnU3YKWJZwCQzbAuwwOFeiA4f8Wstlvb3SpbwhpEj5_QIq_yBMolcjEO6M3qiaw_2kIoKE/w640-h382/blueberry.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Developed by a fruit and vegetable vendor in New South Wales:</div><div></div></div><blockquote><div><div>It’s dark blue, about the diameter of a golf ball and it weighs 10 times as much as your average blueberry. Picked on 13 November, the piece of fruit was this week officially <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/15/blueberry-nsw-breaks-guinness-world-record-heaviest">recognised by the Guinness World Records as the world’s heaviest blueberry</a>...</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Hocking said while typically a sacrifice in quality is expected with larger fruit, blueberries of the Eterna variety were “firm with a really good shelf life”.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Hocking said <b>the fruit wasn’t an abnormality within the Eterna variety: there were about 20 blueberries of a similar size present</b> when the berry was picked.</div><div><br /></div><div>He said there was a growing demand for bigger fruit, which he attributed to a shift from using fruit in baking and on breakfast cereal to snacking.</div></div></blockquote><div><div></div></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-36450388549851532402024-03-18T15:57:00.000-05:002024-03-18T15:57:17.564-05:00CAPTCHAs - updated re "I'm Not a Robot" clicks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkwLUq9cboz22DyrhXRxc0gDKkfXdAHH_Ucmxf_APmT6gMj2qZp_WnpwxZ5XhssQQIUBC3wYOt3hZoBY8EJKFrZryy6CZqhb5-w6bdZ79eART143rkrs-L7tRIe3biNfg8IchVEwA_GOVfVU1V-EqPQK_SXMKWRU-90OgXGkeBdlfefdqkbZnVz2dE7M/s1876/captcha.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1876" data-original-width="1750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkwLUq9cboz22DyrhXRxc0gDKkfXdAHH_Ucmxf_APmT6gMj2qZp_WnpwxZ5XhssQQIUBC3wYOt3hZoBY8EJKFrZryy6CZqhb5-w6bdZ79eART143rkrs-L7tRIe3biNfg8IchVEwA_GOVfVU1V-EqPQK_SXMKWRU-90OgXGkeBdlfefdqkbZnVz2dE7M/w598-h640/captcha.png" width="598" /></a></div><br /><div>Embedded image 😀 via <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/why-cant-robots-pass-captcha">Interesting Engineering</a>. Today I learned that CAPTCHA is an acronym.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Reposted</b> from last year to add some interesting information.</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>Some people have always presumed the 'I'm not a robot button' functions in a way to catch out artificial intelligence pretending to be human by seeing whether or not a robot is actually capable of identifying the traffic lights or marking the box with a tick...</div><div><br /></div><div><div>As BBC's QI revealed in 2020, <a href="https://www.unilad.com/technology/news/what-does-im-not-a-robot-button-mean-589504-20240309">ticking the little box is actually letting the site check things like your internet browsing history</a> to determine whether you're a real person or not.</div><div><br /></div><div>"<b>Ticking the box is not the point. It's how you behaved before you ticked the box that is analysed</b>," writer, comedian and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig explained to the panel...</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Essentially, when you are clicking ‘I am not a robot’ box, <b>you are instructing the site to have a look at your data and decide for itself</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>"If the machine is not sure, that’s when it directs you to click on lightroom pictures of fire hydrants that aren’t there."</div></div></blockquote><div><div></div></div></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-87987882351407469692024-03-18T15:45:00.005-05:002024-03-18T15:45:50.205-05:00World Down Syndrome Day is March 21<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tf8j6szTwiU?si=S4X3--wqwttE7iRc" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>The 21st day of the 3rd month was chosen for <a href="https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/">World Down Syndrome Day</a> because the syndrome is caused by trisomy of the 21st chromosome. This video was created to encourage "normies" to reexamine their presumptions about the syndrome.</div><div><br /></div><div>One way to support change is to <a href="https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/lots-of-socks-campaign">wear colorful or mismatching socks</a> (because socks are shaped somewhat like chromosomes), and the oddness may generate useful commentary and discussion)</div><div><br /></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-79836100532031436582024-03-18T15:34:00.004-05:002024-03-18T15:37:34.276-05:00Jetsam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErBSkaUCG_hiqzTvi9cpuYUuQ5wwxtpalwMyE1KcyyIEnHcRTsJJFpH0OYGUhX4NtmhIPei5R3iT2G0vN7OSGpj2uohwykpwnRKiTn2NOOtPw770DHfYVjjOH_HTOTA55VTvNuiRrrTHVKpmr6ahBZdIf2kQTW1r334nPsr6CDRDuftRThl34dB82cYw/s3112/jetsam.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2068" data-original-width="3112" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErBSkaUCG_hiqzTvi9cpuYUuQ5wwxtpalwMyE1KcyyIEnHcRTsJJFpH0OYGUhX4NtmhIPei5R3iT2G0vN7OSGpj2uohwykpwnRKiTn2NOOtPw770DHfYVjjOH_HTOTA55VTvNuiRrrTHVKpmr6ahBZdIf2kQTW1r334nPsr6CDRDuftRThl34dB82cYw/w640-h426/jetsam.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Such a tragically sad photo, taken in Batsen Province, Indonesia (credit Willy Kurniawan/Reuters) via <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2024/mar/18/star-wars-coins-new-banksy-mural-photos-of-the-day-monday">The Guardian</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>To get something positive out of this I decided to look up the etymologies of flotsam and jetsam. Not too complicated - the former related to "float" (Anglo-Norman via French and German), and the title word <b>related to "jettison</b>,<b>"</b> (same sources) referring to material intentionally thrown overboard to lighten a ship in distress. I had always thought that flotsam was still in the water while jetsam was on shore, but apparently that distinction is not implicit in the terms.</div><div><br /></div><div>For a curiously odd photo, go to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2024/mar/15/the-week-around-the-world-in-20-pictures">this gallery</a> and scroll down to the one that seems to depict an extra-small jockey riding on the back half of a six-legged horse...</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-37761385581661851982024-03-14T15:42:00.002-05:002024-03-14T15:42:28.967-05:00Runway model at Paris Fashion Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gHVa90C0fm99ZYZwL0XcFSWHK8ofJQSMntVeA-1L0bSFeXTr8CZyIsTkw-_hw9YwCWR8_vlo45krBGrv1wFjj4Gg49UR597e6fF35QVVk6z97l0FXDe1L0QkCPmwT0mPSSkJDaBFtWCy0PZjA_wf1YCvf7Luyx6Ymd2FrVjA5QN9VWzdjnfLNB7GEMw/s2998/fashion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1976" data-original-width="2998" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gHVa90C0fm99ZYZwL0XcFSWHK8ofJQSMntVeA-1L0bSFeXTr8CZyIsTkw-_hw9YwCWR8_vlo45krBGrv1wFjj4Gg49UR597e6fF35QVVk6z97l0FXDe1L0QkCPmwT0mPSSkJDaBFtWCy0PZjA_wf1YCvf7Luyx6Ymd2FrVjA5QN9VWzdjnfLNB7GEMw/w640-h422/fashion.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I have in the past been chastised by readers for using the <a href="https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/search/label/fashion">fashion subsection of TYWKIWDBI</a> to make fun of modern trends in designer clothing, revealing my apparently unimaginative "retro" frame of mind. To keep myself and readers here up-to-date on style, I will continue to post selected images, but rather than offer any personal commentary, I'll just let the <i>ipsa</i> <i>loquitur</i> for the <i>res</i>. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2024/03/photos-week-snowy-soccer-crouching-spider-pain-simulator/677679/">Via</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I can't help pointing out that none of the viewers along the catwalk are smiling at this design. They are taking it all quite seriously. Perhaps the model has just arrived after attending a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puv1NSgKDKQ">hockey game</a>.</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-65262047243856475742024-03-14T15:25:00.003-05:002024-03-14T15:43:35.774-05:00A pie-cutting template from West Point<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgWy0m97CE6kmrtOyNEqxaPHLJcWQ9VKngXLvPWtr4aL1DaUPdkrZ_vNKTeljS55Qw6YWWoN0yXiR0H8ZXrD-p5rvf6THTkJXwl4HBlqPfvD9m-3vK0uzopvxotzWmyhzWgZHVlTBOnHHLjY8a_qmECPk7yrQcTR3ugNn1w_oY8kgE-ROqsJBsm-hTIc/s700/pie.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgWy0m97CE6kmrtOyNEqxaPHLJcWQ9VKngXLvPWtr4aL1DaUPdkrZ_vNKTeljS55Qw6YWWoN0yXiR0H8ZXrD-p5rvf6THTkJXwl4HBlqPfvD9m-3vK0uzopvxotzWmyhzWgZHVlTBOnHHLjY8a_qmECPk7yrQcTR3ugNn1w_oY8kgE-ROqsJBsm-hTIc/w640-h640/pie.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><blockquote>"More recently, though, pie at West Point lost its innocence. For cadets who passed through the Academy in the later decades of the 20th century, a <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/west-point-mess-hall-pie">favorite form of hazing centered on pie</a>. At dinner in the mess hall, plebes were made to cut the dessert into a mathematically impossible number of exactly equal slices: seven, nine, or 11. Upperclassmen looked on, taunting. The Zip-Locks under plebes’ hats? They held pie-cutting templates—literal pie charts—that helped plebes cut perfect slices and, most importantly, avoid their elders’ wrath."</blockquote><p>Posted for Pi day 2024. </p></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-11818469500040782592024-03-13T16:52:00.001-05:002024-03-13T16:52:14.960-05:00An invasive wood decay fungus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAlc8tSl5FUIVO1FyZ67SZ0qhZt6WYuAE956WKBEd2y_guRXjdSlFntgE2DNpz1TAHqvmsxe2FPxG8jkdQek1Gi36IBi_t14TEDGqfTaV6VpKo-JusA_m-C18InOHcs8FDt46g9tyh-03IGYz3oi_PYzzkWEr7z6qZ0_ktSAe7ZZPCkVeS87_wFe8f2I/s3661/Arbopretum%20research.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2627" data-original-width="3661" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAlc8tSl5FUIVO1FyZ67SZ0qhZt6WYuAE956WKBEd2y_guRXjdSlFntgE2DNpz1TAHqvmsxe2FPxG8jkdQek1Gi36IBi_t14TEDGqfTaV6VpKo-JusA_m-C18InOHcs8FDt46g9tyh-03IGYz3oi_PYzzkWEr7z6qZ0_ktSAe7ZZPCkVeS87_wFe8f2I/w640-h460/Arbopretum%20research.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>"You learn something every day" is the motto of this blog. A couple weeks ago I had no idea that there was such a thing as an invasive wood decay fungus. Then I attended the <a href="https://arboretum.wisc.edu/science/research-symposium/">Annual Research Symposium</a> at the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, where I saw the poster embedded above - one of numerous interesting presentations by doctoral candidates. </div><div><br /></div><div>I discussed the poster's findings with the lead author, then went online to seek more information. There is of course a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurotus_citrinopileatus">Wikipedia</a> page for <i>Pleurotus citrinopileatus</i>, but the best discussion I found is at <a href="https://foragerchef.com/foraging-golden-oyster-mushrooms-pleurotus-citrinopileatus/">Forager Chef</a>, whence these pix and text:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir69nFBz7yeEUIL1-6n9GKtzhpPo5v9dG_kmBt8-8tu5i6UgOVkIoQFkCIoIIChlEvIL2MFSYDHeUMr6arlrdCx0w_uqi9Y6IYQSZE2_fuFxsYnNkNx6TqHfbLjmE1kQrXXvX63zJRwM44fCsALGh8aRc6XKOs2b0yR9OZmI3k38XxKFiyoDyUhO6xYcA/s1000/Golden-oyster-mushrooms-or-Pleurotus-citrinopileatus-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="773" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir69nFBz7yeEUIL1-6n9GKtzhpPo5v9dG_kmBt8-8tu5i6UgOVkIoQFkCIoIIChlEvIL2MFSYDHeUMr6arlrdCx0w_uqi9Y6IYQSZE2_fuFxsYnNkNx6TqHfbLjmE1kQrXXvX63zJRwM44fCsALGh8aRc6XKOs2b0yR9OZmI3k38XxKFiyoDyUhO6xYcA/w494-h640/Golden-oyster-mushrooms-or-Pleurotus-citrinopileatus-1.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><blockquote>Golden oyster mushrooms are <b>native to the hardwood forests of eastern Russia and northern China, as well as Japan</b>. They're a popular edible mushroom over there and take well to cultivation, so it's no surprise that mushroom cultivation companies started selling them to grocery stores, as well as in grow kits for people at home where their spores can fly with the wind and spread...<div><br /></div><div><div>The term "invasive" can be used in a number of ways. While some disagree, and <b>they haven't been legally recognized as invasive</b> (as if it would do anything to stop them) I consider them invasive and describe them to others as such for a couple reasons.</div><div><br /></div><div>First, the mushrooms aren't native, and <b>they're consuming resources that other native mushrooms (pheasant backs, mica caps, and wild enoki) could use...</b></div></div></blockquote><div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEbGCzizihcsPmsOPYVCAVip9eEta7zX902S5kZLpLRoFHzmsXj7zgMmI5WrIb22wXIK1nzz5E-BJ6vqFHWDHCR2KYUb_UMCh8-b-DnAWbtkABXlPY8M6XjJk6xOR6rkIqDAV0xcdVliyEwtFyKebtwEuCT_XyK38hSqDUYO3-ClXJ42XLWQjs9tf6FM/s1000/Golden-oyster-mushrooms-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="774" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEbGCzizihcsPmsOPYVCAVip9eEta7zX902S5kZLpLRoFHzmsXj7zgMmI5WrIb22wXIK1nzz5E-BJ6vqFHWDHCR2KYUb_UMCh8-b-DnAWbtkABXlPY8M6XjJk6xOR6rkIqDAV0xcdVliyEwtFyKebtwEuCT_XyK38hSqDUYO3-ClXJ42XLWQjs9tf6FM/w496-h640/Golden-oyster-mushrooms-2.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><div><blockquote>Secondly, and what I don't see discussed much, is their fruiting pattern. Like their cousins, <b>golden oysters are decomposers</b>... As someone who hunts a lot of morels with elms, the <b>preference of golden oysters for dead elm trees,</b> which the mushrooms seem to consume whole, worries me. As these mushrooms spread throughout the Midwest, what will happen to the morels? I have a theory...</blockquote></div><div>Informed discussion continues at the link, including information on identification, harvesting, and cooking ("a great mushroom meat substitute").</div></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-30271122954956299412024-03-13T16:32:00.002-05:002024-03-13T16:32:27.660-05:00A boy and his... capybara<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0el9F7fPqubHIzpsV6IEEnqCrGCDpqvpJiaWXfIP0V9IcrSvSyg0yhV3nSFkSfdtSzcfIK0MlwWFv1-yV_C6OyrWzaMaqhUjl_O_CdsSBWj28uRa0Xd5pBZ8Qpe7hd4E9575TKrA-y0Wf1IBSUnFKo2RAxIs3RxS2EUybbTbQXVnpMg7vWhKruyH6V3M/s3000/capybara.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1994" data-original-width="3000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0el9F7fPqubHIzpsV6IEEnqCrGCDpqvpJiaWXfIP0V9IcrSvSyg0yhV3nSFkSfdtSzcfIK0MlwWFv1-yV_C6OyrWzaMaqhUjl_O_CdsSBWj28uRa0Xd5pBZ8Qpe7hd4E9575TKrA-y0Wf1IBSUnFKo2RAxIs3RxS2EUybbTbQXVnpMg7vWhKruyH6V3M/w640-h426/capybara.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This interesting photo (credit: Sergio Attanasio) was the winning entry in the "Lifestyle" category of the 2024 <a href="https://www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards">Sony World Photography Awards</a>. Via a gallery of winners at <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2024/03/winners-2024-sony-world-photography-awards-open-competition/677724/">The Atlantic</a>.</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-13892382801445288942024-03-12T16:59:00.000-05:002024-03-12T16:59:03.505-05:00Remembering my cousin Bruce (1945-2024)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The lead photo is from his college years at Carleton (1965); the others are sequential from a childhood in North Dakota to a youth in Florida to an adult in New Mexico.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdE0GEohIRSZ9mssNeo3U6JaHlQQOZZgxq0Lj5MKWhwRaZlxDYx9CVjAj9lvfxWad1opL8xapBsja_UGWEUeVtEKSaVD_uwqs4i0aPhYhtiG2b2Cs97ywX75TpG82jzApRVgHlHm_vbl5GDfKmqgCruu8Z2wxc31wl0KKJI-Hu2RJhesMY1j0RYhEZ44/s1904/1%20at%20Carleton,%201965%20copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1495" data-original-width="1904" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdE0GEohIRSZ9mssNeo3U6JaHlQQOZZgxq0Lj5MKWhwRaZlxDYx9CVjAj9lvfxWad1opL8xapBsja_UGWEUeVtEKSaVD_uwqs4i0aPhYhtiG2b2Cs97ywX75TpG82jzApRVgHlHm_vbl5GDfKmqgCruu8Z2wxc31wl0KKJI-Hu2RJhesMY1j0RYhEZ44/w640-h502/1%20at%20Carleton,%201965%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVcptLBEufN_dWU0LeSkHPm-59ZEKLJIlUfBNUYzseMEvmkrAS3NEloQkTfO5pkMynLcwrt-oK0abFiVaeAK_A5Fg0775JKS-bgwmSjKU__39jOjIKNTDKIWtRkeh6TZHFx9J9fW2nIZniULhEH-ABSYGA32ftLMNN0SD4EdY4Jgl-lEECiRmKdcKzHQ/s1775/2%20Boyntons%20about%20late%201940s%20copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1775" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVcptLBEufN_dWU0LeSkHPm-59ZEKLJIlUfBNUYzseMEvmkrAS3NEloQkTfO5pkMynLcwrt-oK0abFiVaeAK_A5Fg0775JKS-bgwmSjKU__39jOjIKNTDKIWtRkeh6TZHFx9J9fW2nIZniULhEH-ABSYGA32ftLMNN0SD4EdY4Jgl-lEECiRmKdcKzHQ/w640-h442/2%20Boyntons%20about%20late%201940s%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-j2t1WLh7zvvl2iau6qYdzz7dn0TuQptjHHRVsncfhoXasJ993yRPyME-hTJQuSORUOudqtWC8xsR9q3TgdZPo-YfIey29KvzQrZeq9vdDw1tZCgFPYDofWHaAgy_Hq2VreTNTGKJQbTGMDZeiaqkpf3op2bDZ8xmjqd61K8lBBGLIrn6IcMCIOuS7Q/s2359/3%20Grafton%201950s.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1672" data-original-width="2359" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-j2t1WLh7zvvl2iau6qYdzz7dn0TuQptjHHRVsncfhoXasJ993yRPyME-hTJQuSORUOudqtWC8xsR9q3TgdZPo-YfIey29KvzQrZeq9vdDw1tZCgFPYDofWHaAgy_Hq2VreTNTGKJQbTGMDZeiaqkpf3op2bDZ8xmjqd61K8lBBGLIrn6IcMCIOuS7Q/w640-h454/3%20Grafton%201950s.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbWh65Qv5AoC2Rqls08DtVWSVWUdXp8MF8BkCqt0-jO4CJBLcMUqf5FJqblRC1KDPpLviQnNfpsMYc-fnM7R-BmN205-0eq3JNpLkWqKkWOIkmMTnJGASPFsPOUU2T4DmN00p2qV6y_O45WC_tQomoghL4G2n65NiGuhrt53ovGLb1hD0fvLFT4CNLVc/s1875/4%20Boynton%20family%20undated%20copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1840" data-original-width="1875" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbWh65Qv5AoC2Rqls08DtVWSVWUdXp8MF8BkCqt0-jO4CJBLcMUqf5FJqblRC1KDPpLviQnNfpsMYc-fnM7R-BmN205-0eq3JNpLkWqKkWOIkmMTnJGASPFsPOUU2T4DmN00p2qV6y_O45WC_tQomoghL4G2n65NiGuhrt53ovGLb1hD0fvLFT4CNLVc/w640-h628/4%20Boynton%20family%20undated%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvGntdphB2fyTLx_wJ9gVklfhPOJnqSSMG200dCR2pV2hTkomFOO-vSjXdcbjhEMFN6z-zxrisjmZ2EqO6RnckTS26_N_EmUKN_EwYYVX4BXox5YsF4-wnLYvGnfTQnKwTBeDvIfsC13FF9JkO955Ya29p7evQAcIJiW1eJqZMrW1cxeFZz2A9ZY_UVY/s2516/5%20Minneapolis%201960s.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1571" data-original-width="2516" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvGntdphB2fyTLx_wJ9gVklfhPOJnqSSMG200dCR2pV2hTkomFOO-vSjXdcbjhEMFN6z-zxrisjmZ2EqO6RnckTS26_N_EmUKN_EwYYVX4BXox5YsF4-wnLYvGnfTQnKwTBeDvIfsC13FF9JkO955Ya29p7evQAcIJiW1eJqZMrW1cxeFZz2A9ZY_UVY/w640-h400/5%20Minneapolis%201960s.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo21zVVBf6WrVy1YtOqxyFeB_n5k6LJBufE6owoZvdRVsNclYmyKsMXWZkV82vh8O0pMduCYtM7jA_dIR3EgR-iwqvcF0inh7uZUS0ESySbYyZv9aif6UBXj4z2FMNgZg2yxSueAh-E2t0lj-PSUr5MKb_OpcDWEIhdf8w1jc6EYanxHJdljOzNjNExE/s5856/6%20Grants%201977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3904" data-original-width="5856" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo21zVVBf6WrVy1YtOqxyFeB_n5k6LJBufE6owoZvdRVsNclYmyKsMXWZkV82vh8O0pMduCYtM7jA_dIR3EgR-iwqvcF0inh7uZUS0ESySbYyZv9aif6UBXj4z2FMNgZg2yxSueAh-E2t0lj-PSUr5MKb_OpcDWEIhdf8w1jc6EYanxHJdljOzNjNExE/w640-h426/6%20Grants%201977.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSA_MF3dHwxkVLKUHRUoUaUIhIwdt04pqdYKgton915jPHM5B6Uja4zSDAV9EtN6YdyXkvwKyVey00wBMjeXbVEVciaDNO6k8jt6X7K5ObvUHg68vvBQ10CV6gLKPq6fMiggqrEe7vCzKZPoNuwMgtFET9LlTm2Q1LZfejwGFvku6R2RbUGiQTpMM4Qlg/s3476/8%20St.%20Olaf%201990.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="3476" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSA_MF3dHwxkVLKUHRUoUaUIhIwdt04pqdYKgton915jPHM5B6Uja4zSDAV9EtN6YdyXkvwKyVey00wBMjeXbVEVciaDNO6k8jt6X7K5ObvUHg68vvBQ10CV6gLKPq6fMiggqrEe7vCzKZPoNuwMgtFET9LlTm2Q1LZfejwGFvku6R2RbUGiQTpMM4Qlg/w640-h406/8%20St.%20Olaf%201990.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gone but never forgotten.</div><p></p>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-5793985656115262542024-03-08T20:57:00.000-06:002024-03-08T20:57:20.414-06:00The "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DT1mGoLDRbc" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><div>
John Cleese and Graham Chapman (before their Monty Python fame), with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Marty Feldman, <b>lampooning the stereotypical "rich people claiming they were happier when they were poor."</b><br />
<br />
One of my favorite comedy bits of all time - and one that is especially relevant in times of economic uncertainty. I had posted this a long time ago, but the video was pulled from YouTube - so watch it now, because it may not stay up long.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Reposted</b> from 2010 because that old video was in fact taken down a second time, but a Britbox version is now available on YouTube, so this may stay up for a while.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Reposted</b> for 2024 because we need laughs now more than ever.</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-82367754742680258362024-03-07T10:22:00.002-06:002024-03-07T10:41:18.502-06:00A new word puzzle at The New York Times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgpx1ToYgCY2uGe5TKntz_BeE0rz6ihnSptCiAF2dEc8ISWpvi2gz3d3Pn0R_uQBq93_dZmomUJeI5ZpqQuLt6MbunkLQMro_pHReNMJ0GKXpaDqQ7wTKqssNQfpU-wV93vqE8GGJW1bTvSQgwIuSlpmekmg05yhMBDxXCzRuDXV7gjHIowMWfmUyoiI/s766/strands.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="766" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgpx1ToYgCY2uGe5TKntz_BeE0rz6ihnSptCiAF2dEc8ISWpvi2gz3d3Pn0R_uQBq93_dZmomUJeI5ZpqQuLt6MbunkLQMro_pHReNMJ0GKXpaDqQ7wTKqssNQfpU-wV93vqE8GGJW1bTvSQgwIuSlpmekmg05yhMBDxXCzRuDXV7gjHIowMWfmUyoiI/w640-h616/strands.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><blockquote>"<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/03/strands-word-search-game/677656/">Strands, the new word-search game still in beta</a>, seems to fuse some of the best features of Wordle, Connections, and the crosswords... Connections may torment its players with little room for error, but Strands rewards wrong guesses, in a way, by filling in a progress bar that gets you to a hint. The game displays its daily theme front and center, crossword-style, which helps you with the first, and toughest, word to find. From there, each further discovery shrinks the board and makes the next one that much easier, delivering a pleasant sense of acceleration toward victory."</blockquote></div><div>The embedded graphic shows my attempts in order (used a hint, found four theme words, then the unifying "spangram" phrase, then the last three theme words). As discussed at the link, Strands is essentially an advanced form of word search, which for me is a rather unsatisfying time-wasting game. I will probably try it a few more times and then drop it, as I did with Wordle and Connections. If you want to give it a try, the game is currently available online <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/games/strands">here</a>.</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-38393580538476369302024-03-06T15:28:00.004-06:002024-03-06T15:33:49.681-06:00Distinguishing Sundial lupine and Western lupine<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/naoNUx3gUDc?si=SQBRxhs2hG5aWjl1" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>We have had lupine in our gardens for 10-15 years - in part because it's a showy, attractive plant, but also because it is the host plant for the caterpillars of the endangered <a href="https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2010/03/karner-blue.html">Karner Blue</a> butterfly. But I didn't know until recently that there are two types of lupine. <i>Lupinus perennis</i> ("Sundial lupine") is native to the eastern and midwestern U.S., while <i>Lupinus polyphyllus</i> ("Western lupine") is native in the western states. The video embedded above explains the morphological differences between the two lupines [TLDR: the Western lupine has 11-17 leaflets on the palmate leaf, while the Sundial has 5-11].</div><div><br /></div><div>The distinction is important because only <i>Lupinus perennis</i> ("Sundial lupine") will support the Karner Blues. If Karner Blues lay their eggs on Western lupines, the cats will die. See this excellent page from the recent <a href="https://www.prairiemoon.com/">Prairie Moon Nursery</a> catalogue:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5O0274Zl2pPL5uTRPdZjI9Mw_WvgT8cdbMUJyItZzVJdlszVhyphenhyphenDUYazlcP0WAHBrNdaMMdtoOp30hcndyWhXVHDnZFMlMjtc2tmVwhyphenhyphenILlmvIsIhHJyop46SolCBiu9C9835PKRwVvDBFZTmV02L2MGHSCBrNUdwLoO2g5UDfEUHaoU2dR0_4NFK-K4/s6008/Prairie%20Moon%20re%20Lupine.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6008" data-original-width="4583" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5O0274Zl2pPL5uTRPdZjI9Mw_WvgT8cdbMUJyItZzVJdlszVhyphenhyphenDUYazlcP0WAHBrNdaMMdtoOp30hcndyWhXVHDnZFMlMjtc2tmVwhyphenhyphenILlmvIsIhHJyop46SolCBiu9C9835PKRwVvDBFZTmV02L2MGHSCBrNUdwLoO2g5UDfEUHaoU2dR0_4NFK-K4/w488-h640/Prairie%20Moon%20re%20Lupine.jpeg" width="488" /></a></div><br /><div>Western lupine has been introduced in the east because it is somewhat more showy, but it should not be encouraged, for the sake of the Karner Blues.</div><div><br /></div><div>See also my 2015 post <a href="https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2011/06/pursuing-karner-blue-butterfly.html">Pursuing the "Karner Blue" butterfly</a>.</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-5393338414874492182024-03-06T15:11:00.003-06:002024-03-06T15:11:18.672-06:00A shout-out to Prairie Moon Nursery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_HfW3OmAi42H4XYnYeBo14jf8yXQI98hB0z4wRR_AQh66HFRGf875gHqnIJp2kb-6zbQ59PL7EcfbYkORUpH7h_3ua0PVUze5Btzg9QTVRxiY9OXbDgN3kOEhXWWawrAmrU21vfXVgSMO-e4tnpLX0VUEZ_UGMfs4zF-eR29aRqjhqAFW34EAWDCoNo/s6011/Prairie%20Moon%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6011" data-original-width="4744" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_HfW3OmAi42H4XYnYeBo14jf8yXQI98hB0z4wRR_AQh66HFRGf875gHqnIJp2kb-6zbQ59PL7EcfbYkORUpH7h_3ua0PVUze5Btzg9QTVRxiY9OXbDgN3kOEhXWWawrAmrU21vfXVgSMO-e4tnpLX0VUEZ_UGMfs4zF-eR29aRqjhqAFW34EAWDCoNo/w506-h640/Prairie%20Moon%20cover.jpeg" width="506" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There has been a significant increase in recent years of nurseries offering and emphasizing native plants for gardens. One of the best of these is <a href="https://www.prairiemoon.com/">Prairie Moon Nursery</a>, based in Winona, Minnesota. We have purchased seed packets from them for several years, and when their catalogue arrived yesterday [as archetypal springtime garden porn] I was delighted to see that they now incorporate into the catalogue the names and photos of the lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) that use these plants as <b>host plants</b> (i.e. as depositories for eggs and thus food for the caterpillars - as opposed to nectar plants supporting adult pollinators). Here is a sample page:<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9tnu46Xf6V35GCET9BqXpXHuClgEG3WFtz9-JnxDvGTrB0nqGUeIalbyUV9kSeB_o9_Fw-c2vAaiO0As_KcUiX4wWcHi84tZISwefUUJ6tJvuH4I36PmbRdLFyiO5_8ZIZkyrpOC47DL45MuXrlGf7ZFnnmNW3fmfB1e5ttS-Kv6bVO7asQOlNtjWvE/s5989/Prairie%20Moon%20page.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5989" data-original-width="4515" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9tnu46Xf6V35GCET9BqXpXHuClgEG3WFtz9-JnxDvGTrB0nqGUeIalbyUV9kSeB_o9_Fw-c2vAaiO0As_KcUiX4wWcHi84tZISwefUUJ6tJvuH4I36PmbRdLFyiO5_8ZIZkyrpOC47DL45MuXrlGf7ZFnnmNW3fmfB1e5ttS-Kv6bVO7asQOlNtjWvE/w482-h640/Prairie%20Moon%20page.jpeg" width="482" /></a></div><br /><div>Some of this information is also codified in a massive table to big to embed -</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jaOoWdrzP6IKkQu8HC9oAQeQHIWwvD-x6YyGbmywbHhGYFxVAxZ-pwLHewH9RdXFDy6dU-D1Q3diPs15550cxDForIXcDXBoKFM2LttT8iwJusxvf9OPVWKMUDZHKaMUD0qrPipdhsNj2FwwIVEm-iaOzawMD83qwjyfVVDrOV58sZTkGApdUdatSrg/s2444/host%20plants.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2024" data-original-width="2444" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jaOoWdrzP6IKkQu8HC9oAQeQHIWwvD-x6YyGbmywbHhGYFxVAxZ-pwLHewH9RdXFDy6dU-D1Q3diPs15550cxDForIXcDXBoKFM2LttT8iwJusxvf9OPVWKMUDZHKaMUD0qrPipdhsNj2FwwIVEm-iaOzawMD83qwjyfVVDrOV58sZTkGApdUdatSrg/w640-h530/host%20plants.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>- but easy to <a href="https://www.prairiemoon.com/PDF/Prairie-Moon-Holm.Native-Plant-Insect-Interactions.pdf">access</a> via the <a href="https://www.prairiemoon.com/">Prairie Moon Nursery</a> website.</div></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-77326374046411613742024-03-06T14:23:00.004-06:002024-03-06T14:23:45.066-06:00Iditarod mushing is way different from other sports<div style="text-align: left;">As reported by <a href="https://theathletic.com/5318294/2024/03/05/iditarod-musher-kills-moose-race/?source=pulsenewsletter&campaign=9171685&userId=11342973">The Athletic</a> newsletter: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div></div><blockquote><div>Dallas Seavey, a record-tying five-time Iditarod winner, told officials with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race early Monday morning that he was forced to shoot the moose with a handgun out of self-defense, “after the moose became entangled with the dogs and the musher,” a statement from the race said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Seavey told an Iditarod Insider television crew he then “gutted it the best I could, but it was ugly.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>According to Iditarod Rule 34, if an edible big game animal — like a moose, caribou or buffalo — is killed in defense of life or property, the musher is required to gut the animal</b> a<b>nd report it to race officials at the next checkpoint. Mushers who follow must help gut the animal when possible and no teams may pass until the animal is gutted and the musher gutting the animal has proceeded. </b>Any other animal killed in defense of life or property must be reported to a race official but is not required to be gutted. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwiMUNdmRNVQnvah1thCssKJ_wkwCh9XCcVcWUWEw2JrkCd776vS_yMQcn1u60hBvMZOUTsfmqBBeq9pzoZZ5zAAtiXqZ7C0quLmBdBFb-zmkqjhscaAqewOn9w5eGWiTvQ0_Ki4StgjQaMeU_w4t6_hx5RgDPJOCRoxAi72j9XOOHjakn_fZY-cwito/s1024/Faloo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwiMUNdmRNVQnvah1thCssKJ_wkwCh9XCcVcWUWEw2JrkCd776vS_yMQcn1u60hBvMZOUTsfmqBBeq9pzoZZ5zAAtiXqZ7C0quLmBdBFb-zmkqjhscaAqewOn9w5eGWiTvQ0_Ki4StgjQaMeU_w4t6_hx5RgDPJOCRoxAi72j9XOOHjakn_fZY-cwito/s320/Faloo.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Race Marshal Warren Palfrey said officials “are making sure that <b>every attempt is made to utilize and salvage the moose meat</b>,” according to the statement.</div><div><br /></div><div>Seavey encountered the moose 14 miles outside of the Skwentna checkpoint, roughly 80 miles from the starting point in the 975-mile race. When he reached the next checkpoint at Finger Lake, Seavey dropped off his injured dog who was immediately flown to Anchorage and, as of Monday, was being evaluated by veterinarians there.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Tuesday, Seavey’s X, formerly known as Twitter, account posted an update saying that the injured dog, Faloo, had surgery and is in critical condition. [other news sources say Faloo is recovering]</div></blockquote><div></div></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-71496741008961881422024-03-06T14:05:00.000-06:002024-03-06T14:05:39.245-06:00Word of the day - "monger"<b>A dealer or trader in a commodity</b>. The Random House Dictionary states the ultimate origin is from the Latin "mango", meaning .... salesman! ["Death of a mango?"]<br />
<br />
"Monger" was once used as a verb, but it now is typically only employed as the second element of compound words. My OED says examples of such formations are "unlimited", with examples beginning in the 13th century: hay-mongers, holy-water mongers, insect-mongers (?) etc. The most familiar would likely be cheesemonger, costermonger (fruit/veggies), fishmonger, ironmonger, and whoremonger.<br />
<br />
As the last-named example suggests, the OED notes that <b>from the 16th century onward, the term nearly always carries the implication of a petty, disreputable, or comtemptible trade in the material</b> - as in the modern "rumor-monger" "gossip-monger" and "scandal-monger."<br />
<br />
Here is a costermonger:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5HKhjS7TV_PQ-USb-OEaLW69ucZdU9OurnBqeJT10Y1OdBqy_dapjDTGsDUyQlAhsnJiPbB_w9fUkm8WaqyZmzLDPOlAgM-8SJpWoL4U8eAT1OJjiPP44hnqPsISXxq5Ud1zor8SwvFs/s1600-h/costermonger.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="465" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151724302323954578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5HKhjS7TV_PQ-USb-OEaLW69ucZdU9OurnBqeJT10Y1OdBqy_dapjDTGsDUyQlAhsnJiPbB_w9fUkm8WaqyZmzLDPOlAgM-8SJpWoL4U8eAT1OJjiPP44hnqPsISXxq5Ud1zor8SwvFs/s640/costermonger.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
...and there is a fearmonger at the end of this brief [2008] video:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/y2iFhGtKO-Q&rel=1" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed height="355" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/y2iFhGtKO-Q&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" wmode="transparent"></embed></object></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<b>Reposted</b> to add yet another example:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPfDZG86LgJwN1mnPREKwgKNPc4hDbZAoWlSW0rcunf4NO62kdGsslHz9ZgfxpiKR-4xwhdOW2le1vHiDadS1D-kjkG4tp8OB2SarwQ0iBbXoshF7hijx5IcFLc9vL4gzhlA2CaaVbmP4/s1600/fearmonger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPfDZG86LgJwN1mnPREKwgKNPc4hDbZAoWlSW0rcunf4NO62kdGsslHz9ZgfxpiKR-4xwhdOW2le1vHiDadS1D-kjkG4tp8OB2SarwQ0iBbXoshF7hijx5IcFLc9vL4gzhlA2CaaVbmP4/s640/fearmonger.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Cartoon by Rob Rogers in the <i>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</i>, via the political cartoon-laden <a href="http://jobsanger.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-fear-candidate.html">Jobsanger</a>.
<div><br /></div><div><b>Reposted</b> from the last election cycle to add some examples of current fearmongering:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUTc-H7CcnuSBaWFjF1Ms9pCBuZAu4GfreENzwlr4RruFeL4P-cASdzl4jXZ8WCQKs7KoGZhaVYmq4jP-YsNwV9qE9YTxEljESggu8TnVj7YFsw-qiotl-sNEOpM54QXA3asvL-SjNaY/s1064/fearmonger.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="1064" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUTc-H7CcnuSBaWFjF1Ms9pCBuZAu4GfreENzwlr4RruFeL4P-cASdzl4jXZ8WCQKs7KoGZhaVYmq4jP-YsNwV9qE9YTxEljESggu8TnVj7YFsw-qiotl-sNEOpM54QXA3asvL-SjNaY/w640-h328/fearmonger.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>The Democratic party went through a heart-wrenching primary process, during which the voters ultimately <u>rejected</u> the radical left in favor of a moderate Joe Biden. But the Wisconsin Republican Party combined Biden with images of their standard behemoths of radicalism to claim that they control him.</div><div><br /></div><div>And Trump is using this same tactic:</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/us/politics/trump-conspiracy-theory-thugs-plane.html">“People that you’ve never heard of” are controlling Mr. Biden</a>, he told the Fox News host Laura Ingraham. “<b>People that are in the dark shadows</b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“What does that mean?” Ms. Ingraham asked. “That sounds like conspiracy theory.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“No,” Mr. Trump answered. “People that you haven’t heard of. They’re people that are on the streets. They’re people that are controlling the streets. <b>We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend, and in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that. They’re on a plane.”</b></div></blockquote><div></div></div><div>This is not conventional confrontational politics. These are the ramblings of a deranged mind.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Reposted</b> from 2020, because Donald Trump is at it again. But this time his fearmongering tactic isn't directed towards Biden but towards.... LANGUAGES???</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>“<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-warns-languages-immigration-migrants-rcna141535">We have languages coming into our country</a>. We don’t have one instructor in our entire nation that can speak that language,” Trump said before a crowd of thousands of supporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, D.C., last month.</div><div><br /></div><div>“These are languages — it’s the craziest thing — they have languages that nobody in this country has ever heard of. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>It’s a very horrible thing</b></span>,” he added.</div><div><br /></div><div>Trump repeated the comment the following week during an appearance at the southern border alongside Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, saying that <b>migrants are entering the country speaking “truly foreign languages</b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“Nobody speaks them,” he said after a tour of the border in Eagle Pass.</div></blockquote><div></div></div><div>It is certainly true that uncommon languages are coming into our country. Some of you will have seen John Farrier's recent post at <a href="https://www.neatorama.com/2024/03/03/Of-the-700-Speakers-of-Seke-a-Nepalese-Language-150-Live-in-Two-Apartment-Buildings-in-Brooklyn/#comments">Neatorama</a>: "Of the 700 Speakers of Seke, a Nepalese Language, 150 Live in Two Apartment Buildings in Brooklyn."</div><div><br /></div><div>In 2013 I posted this map of counties in the U.S. in which at least 10% of households <a href="https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-us-map-of-english-as-second-language.html">English was spoken as a second language</a>:</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjy4JxsDUevvz-xDZg2OAftjsQ5ZUg8Hjt6QQPV_ZeSJrwcNppiE_MV12dDSg5jWxECW3y5F5ZPibzW2Lxy4NUhext1D9w_C_g2_f1ng2XvEcnTINDW-cY4GrGBiWT7a1NLY5uqmYw8_nyjVSjzoDUMTVURE9wHMbLjUzD2B-y5bzg75HBiKK3y4J2VXsY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1011" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjy4JxsDUevvz-xDZg2OAftjsQ5ZUg8Hjt6QQPV_ZeSJrwcNppiE_MV12dDSg5jWxECW3y5F5ZPibzW2Lxy4NUhext1D9w_C_g2_f1ng2XvEcnTINDW-cY4GrGBiWT7a1NLY5uqmYw8_nyjVSjzoDUMTVURE9wHMbLjUzD2B-y5bzg75HBiKK3y4J2VXsY=w640-h372" width="640" /></a></div><br />We all know what's going on here. He's not referring to some exotic Czechoslovakian or Slovenian dialect. His reference is to languages spoken by brown-skinned or African residents. This speech was a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_whistle_(politics)">dog whistle</a> to the racist and xenophobic elements in his base.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know there are sensible and well-spoken Trump supporters who have been faithful readers of this blog. I invite you to offer any explanation I've overlooked as to why migrants speaking "truly foreign languages" is a "very horrible thing."</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-40261606194004106802024-03-02T13:36:00.000-06:002024-03-02T13:36:21.325-06:00Fireflies<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIkDFv5bmZIUj25LrYzHVPQxnstwDP_exoJQiK0IW22LHaNCnX9btTqFvTwro5YnsF_uysvoHhwLfZhgSx8d3t_ZpHFnZSA7yJfAE6xOr54H-fwGgDyLv8fZRQZrA_6AeZQO2QduB2PX_VHQl4wqUkW-u3WZflSEdj1D2TnelUoeGLP26fBIFRwWhgEWk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2126" data-original-width="3190" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIkDFv5bmZIUj25LrYzHVPQxnstwDP_exoJQiK0IW22LHaNCnX9btTqFvTwro5YnsF_uysvoHhwLfZhgSx8d3t_ZpHFnZSA7yJfAE6xOr54H-fwGgDyLv8fZRQZrA_6AeZQO2QduB2PX_VHQl4wqUkW-u3WZflSEdj1D2TnelUoeGLP26fBIFRwWhgEWk=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm sure I've posted other nighttime photos of fireflies in the past, but this must be the most remarkable one I've ever encountered. Considering the extremely long exposure time needed, I'm sure the photographer must have had to mask out the relatively-brighter distant skyline or perhaps stacked multiple images.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From the Natural History Museum's <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy">Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition</a>. Image credit Sriram Murali (and many more excellent photos at the link).</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-8655796781867140262024-03-02T13:26:00.004-06:002024-03-02T13:29:03.212-06:00Sweden is "hopelessly unprepared for war"<div style="text-align: left;">Excerpts from an opinion piece at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/01/sweden-nato-unprepared-vulnerable-attack">The Guardian</a>:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div></div><blockquote><div>The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 came as a rude awakening for Sweden. Across the country people suddenly realised that national security vulnerabilities were everywhere. <b>The entire public transit rail network in Stockholm, for example, is operated by MTR, a Hong Kong-based company with ties to the Chinese Communist party</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the event of Stockholm being attacked by foreign forces, most of the detail about critical infrastructure and tunnels running under the city centre – home to the Swedish parliament, the prime minister’s residence, the state department, the royal castle – could be shared with enemies...</div><div><br /></div><div>The problem isn’t necessarily the privatisations per se, but the reckless way in which they were executed, often without due diligence or background checks. Officials often just chose to do deals with the private contractors that submitted the cheapest bids. The globalisation optimism of the 1990s, when Russia and China were expected gradually to open up and eventually ally with western liberal democracies, paving the way for peace ever after, was so firmly rooted in Swedish politics that <b>local officials until very recently were offering deals on critical infrastructure to investors with ties to adversarial governments</b>...</div><div><br /></div><div>There’s a Swedish expression for this attitude: fredsskadad, “peace damaged” – the idea that <b>Sweden’s two centuries of peace have left its citizenry ill-prepared for a crueller reality</b>. Swedes have long taken their safety for granted, while government officials recklessly sold off public assets and critical infrastructure to foreign powers...</div><div><br /></div><div>The government has also cut funding for the free press, for civil society organisations and independent research institutes, which might further undermine citizens’ ability to educate themselves about potential threats. It is little comfort to think that, as bad as things are, many Swedes will have nothing to fear – because they will be unaware that they should be worried.</div></blockquote><div></div></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-72578128884164586292024-03-02T13:10:00.001-06:002024-03-02T13:10:10.673-06:00Egret on the shoreline<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4u9VK1eVa-wPw0IxR8LfO2uOGiVq-qIG6Wh9k5wNXaz-e59qFnM-L_tfK63iiibIZE7kDfRBXDhoboQ4Kb2EKkkT5jvfkSaRERCklW_XOw7TIKUgQ6aJ4zyNAe1P-babJVjRT07e43-DGIlsZE4ey2RsLHEv_QyGLRRZYka8zsEM1nqh4szKkEfSwsLU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1596" data-original-width="2398" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4u9VK1eVa-wPw0IxR8LfO2uOGiVq-qIG6Wh9k5wNXaz-e59qFnM-L_tfK63iiibIZE7kDfRBXDhoboQ4Kb2EKkkT5jvfkSaRERCklW_XOw7TIKUgQ6aJ4zyNAe1P-babJVjRT07e43-DGIlsZE4ey2RsLHEv_QyGLRRZYka8zsEM1nqh4szKkEfSwsLU=w640-h426" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It takes a while to mentally process this image and realize that it is not manipulated in any way - the image was captured by careful placement and timing of the photographer. Nicely done. Found at the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nocontextpics/comments/1b42chs/pic/">nocontextpictures</a> subreddit in case you need an explanation.</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-45189819275847585842024-03-02T13:04:00.003-06:002024-03-02T13:04:15.098-06:00Tongue lesions of Mpox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilw5JBke9FPLeg5lRMhM-iY4twb3iQTyD7gNhLfVixhFcC1qE7sol9_a9vNHjfxlbrxfIPQggfDRoZphVIscYnWaBdQVI7rCgxB7eR_y5OcYZLHcmVdDWoulDZAUOBbFuajL86ffChcVtIC19VrkY4UenysOhh-KD3NuRMlFEI2V4NFKnjBiDwcgWeCew/s1592/Mpox.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1592" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilw5JBke9FPLeg5lRMhM-iY4twb3iQTyD7gNhLfVixhFcC1qE7sol9_a9vNHjfxlbrxfIPQggfDRoZphVIscYnWaBdQVI7rCgxB7eR_y5OcYZLHcmVdDWoulDZAUOBbFuajL86ffChcVtIC19VrkY4UenysOhh-KD3NuRMlFEI2V4NFKnjBiDwcgWeCew/w640-h574/Mpox.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>From a case report in the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm2307920?query=TOC&cid=NEJM%20eToc,%20February%2029,%202024%20DM2327482_NEJM_Non_Subscriber&bid=2123751469">New England Journal of Medicine</a>:</div><div><blockquote>Testing of a tongue lesion with a polymerase-chain-reaction assay for the virus that causes <b>mpox (formerly known as monkeypox</b>) was positive. A diagnosis of mpox was made. During the eruptive phase of mpox, a rash is very common, but <b>isolated oral mucosal lesions may be the only mucocutaneous manifestation</b> — as occurred in this case. </blockquote></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-3542097789775717062024-03-02T12:57:00.001-06:002024-03-04T21:28:46.361-06:00"What do you mean by 'we,' kemosabe?"<div style="text-align: left;">I'll hijack the punchline of a <a href="https://groups.google.com/g/alt.usage.english/c/QSR0ouJCf_Q?pli=1">joke</a> from the 1950s as a title for this excerpt from a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/opinion/casual-speech-like.html">New York Times</a> article about language:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote>In the Kwaio language of the Solomon Islands, <b>the word for “we” differs, depending on whether you mean yourself and the person you’re talking to or yourself and someone else.</b> There are also different words for “we” if you are talking about yourself and three people including whom you are talking to or three people not including whom you are talking to or more than three people. Kwaio can leave an English speaker with we-ness envy.</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;">Reminds me of my introduction to "y'all" during my ten years in Texas, and the <a href="https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-party-mocker-misspells-yall.html">sometimes use of "all-y'all" instead</a>.</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-8956984661135844332024-03-02T12:46:00.001-06:002024-03-02T12:46:25.670-06:00Sound visualized<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X6cDnqeL4Ww?si=kABok21_mD8FIGCC" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Also works nicely in the <a href="https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/search/label/optical%20illusions">optical illusions category of the blog</a>, since none of the dots actually move continuously (they just wiggle back and forth).</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-81848299716558136552024-03-02T12:42:00.000-06:002024-03-02T12:42:30.587-06:00Harvesting the blood of horseshoe crabs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEFW2lt59Jy6bsJ2sqm8GGXIvAGrSUxCMIIzaujFM4mMczOj1hoOSiQEeVcMN-LozIbkb3Zo7uT1uEXO1fhrnQJtKBCVLKNgrmP2IDnE7nldKz4fhBTBsY2t6Af_UVxMaGpz0D2w1X_JEw2plrQGkh0UgDC3vWJxgYnrpQhIP8Hl-rsqBsCRe4qB0zCU8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2466" data-original-width="3702" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEFW2lt59Jy6bsJ2sqm8GGXIvAGrSUxCMIIzaujFM4mMczOj1hoOSiQEeVcMN-LozIbkb3Zo7uT1uEXO1fhrnQJtKBCVLKNgrmP2IDnE7nldKz4fhBTBsY2t6Af_UVxMaGpz0D2w1X_JEw2plrQGkh0UgDC3vWJxgYnrpQhIP8Hl-rsqBsCRe4qB0zCU8=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div></div>
<blockquote>
One may wonder why the horseshoe crab is sensitive to endotoxin and,
furthermore, how does the crab benefit from this phenomenon? As we know,
seawater is a virtual "bacterial soup". Typical near-shore areas that
form the prime habitat of the horseshoe crab can easily contain over one
billion Gram-negative bacteria per milliliter of seawater. Thus, the
horseshoe crab is constantly threatened with infection. <b>Unlike mammals,
including humans, the horseshoe crab lacks an immune system; it cannot
develop antibodies to fight infection. However, the horseshoe crab does
contain a number of compounds that will bind to and inactivate bacteria,
fungi, and viruses</b>. The components of LAL are part of this primitive
"immune" system. The components in LAL, for example, not only bind and
inactivate bacterial endotoxin, but the clot formed as a result of
activation by endotoxin provides wound control by preventing bleeding
and forming a physical barrier against additional bacterial entry and
infection. <b>It is one of the marvels of evolution that the horseshoe crab
uses endotoxin as a signal for wound occurrence and as an extremely
effective defense against infection</b>.</blockquote>
Photo via <a href="http://freshphotons.tumblr.com/post/8795544264/kateoplis-its-blue-comes-from-a-creature-more">Fresh Photons</a>, but to read about this, I recommend the <a href="http://www.horseshoecrab.org/med/med.html">Horseshoecrab.org</a> website.<br />
<br /><b>
Addendum</b>: A related story in the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/spring-fling-prehistoric-horseshoe-crabs-spawn-on-moonlit-beach/2012/05/10/gIQAbcMoHU_story.html">Washington Post</a> in May 2012 reports at least an apparent temporary recovery in crab numbers.<div><br /></div><div><b>Reposted</b> from 2011 to add this <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/17/22840263/horseshoe-crab-blood-medical-industry-controversy">update</a>:</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>Conservationists fear that horseshoe crabs, a 450-million-year-old living fossil, will be pushed to the brink of extinction because of the value of their blood to the pharmaceutical industry. Horseshoe crab blood provides a natural source of limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) which is used to test vaccines, drugs, and medical devices to ensure that they aren’t contaminated with dangerous bacterial toxins called endotoxins. With hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs captured and bled of their milky-blue blood each year, conservation groups are now stepping up their advocacy efforts and taking legal action to help save horseshoe crabs and the other species that rely on them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fortunately, <b>there’s already an alternative to horseshoe crab blood</b>: in the late 1990s, biologists at the University of Singapore created a <b>synthetic version of the LAL called recombinant Factor C (rFC)</b>. Multiple studies show that rFC is just as effective as horseshoe crab-derived LAL, and it is currently commercially available...</div><div><br /></div><div><div>In the Delaware Bay, home to the largest population in the US, horseshoe crab numbers have declined from 1.24 million in 1990 to less than 334,000 in 2002. <b>Although the population appears to have stabilized</b>, conservationists worry that increased demand for American horseshoe crab blood by the pharmaceutical industry could force it to go the way of the Asian horseshoe crab, <i>Tachypleus tridentatus</i>, which is rapidly disappearing in China and which the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists as endangered. Currently, the American horseshoe crab is listed as a vulnerable species.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>The debate is particularly critical today; <b>the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a huge surge of research into vaccines and potential COVID-19 treatments which rely on the use of LAL to ensure product </b>safety. As demand for vaccines and other medical products increases, conservationists worry that without a rapid switch to rFC, strain on the American horseshoe crab and the other creatures that rely on them will only get worse.</div></div></blockquote><div><div></div><div>And I'll close with a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/dkg5z3/this_next_level_horseshoe_crab_halloween_costume/">repost</a> of this killer <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/dkg5z3/this_next_level_horseshoe_crab_halloween_costume/">Halloween costume</a>:<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgES_8tQ_2H10Ws6A9ClBk6mLK6y7Gw42HoBFG38CgiTcgzSrEbdXsQNCLNte9k5AObwIxp4RNb01jlzs9LjgjYqDGqPcqskpL9oix1qyNsP1z7RM2WNFIK3zJd-Ymh3RHiFPsTTZAQCwHc29VPa5EsU0W5LHrEUzFDg7Zw1zqXqIIrhM9C61POaozC=s960" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="960" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgES_8tQ_2H10Ws6A9ClBk6mLK6y7Gw42HoBFG38CgiTcgzSrEbdXsQNCLNte9k5AObwIxp4RNb01jlzs9LjgjYqDGqPcqskpL9oix1qyNsP1z7RM2WNFIK3zJd-Ymh3RHiFPsTTZAQCwHc29VPa5EsU0W5LHrEUzFDg7Zw1zqXqIIrhM9C61POaozC=w640-h526" width="640" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Addendum</b> 2024: A report in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/02/killed-in-vast-numbers-horseshoe-crabs-under-threat-from-overharvesting">The Guardian</a> about declining populations of horseshoe crabs, the spillover effect on migratory birds, and the availability of alternatives to horseshoe crab blood.</div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-89283433652572861392024-02-28T11:40:00.001-06:002024-02-28T11:40:16.441-06:00Fake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7M6OY5lQ3Y-yV7N485k4FsCCnmRW6GGpB98KMy8Zo0Loqp64Z3_f2i8eajyiXPduvgloCO24MaeUIxD74nM3XKL73gvHyEK4qhGfBGYLNvkRwRWtDkGjfBJQznBPg0oPfD57Xs_GnSitVcf6bhprTB2DGU8_FHI9ZJ9Vol2_ZGOfzDmFRB0Minl-TFQ/s3628/fossil.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2180" data-original-width="3628" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7M6OY5lQ3Y-yV7N485k4FsCCnmRW6GGpB98KMy8Zo0Loqp64Z3_f2i8eajyiXPduvgloCO24MaeUIxD74nM3XKL73gvHyEK4qhGfBGYLNvkRwRWtDkGjfBJQznBPg0oPfD57Xs_GnSitVcf6bhprTB2DGU8_FHI9ZJ9Vol2_ZGOfzDmFRB0Minl-TFQ/w640-h384/fossil.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As reported by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/28/the-280m-year-old-fossil-reptile-that-turned-out-to-be-a-forgery">The Guardian</a>:</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>Generations of palaeontologists have marvelled over a 280m-year-old fossilised lizard-like reptile, <i>Tridentinosaurus antiquus</i>, <b>discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Thought to be one of the best-preserved specimens of the species, palaeontologists believed there were even traces of carbonised skin on the surface. Now modern imaging techniques have revealed that <b>this treasured fossil is, in fact, a carving covered in black paint</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dr Valentina Rossi, from University College Cork, in Ireland, and her team <b>used ultraviolet photography to look beneath the paint</b>. Instead of finding the hoped-for soft tissues, they found an elaborate fake. Although exactly when it was made and who crafted it remains unknown, Tridentinosaurus joins a long list of fossil fakes, including the Piltdown Man and Archaeoraptor, to name just two. Ancient woodlice-like sea creatures known as <b>trilobites were a particular favourite for faking, and natural history museums around the world are increasingly discovering counterfeits in their collections</b>.</div></blockquote><div></div></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-71347774280176097452024-02-28T11:27:00.000-06:002024-02-28T11:27:14.112-06:00Examples of "noun piles""Ministers mull <b>volcano ash cloud flight chaos measures</b>" was a headline at the BBC; the last six words constitute a "noun pile." A longer example is ""Profit distribution plan share buyback offer acceptance notice."<br />
<br />
These are explained and discussed at <a href="http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2261">Language Log</a>.<div><br /></div><div><b>Reposted</b> from 2010 because the subject came up today in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/crosswords/dictionary-slang-terms.html">The New York Times</a>:</div><div></div><blockquote><div>The first thing that Grant Barrett, the chief lexicographer for Dictionary.com, wanted to emphasize was that the <b>explosion of compound phrases like mob wife aesethetic, bookshelf wealth and goblin mode on TikTok and other social media platforms</b> had been happening for centuries.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It is incredibly common in English, and goes as far back as Proto-Indo-European,” Mr. Barrett said, noting that linguists liked to playfully refer to these strings of attributive nouns as “noun piles.” He gave me an example of how far noun piling could be extended by offering the single yet six-word-long noun “<b>station wagon car seat installation instructions</b>.” </div></blockquote><div></div><div>The article discusses other linguistic developments, including "cranberry morphemes" -"<b>parts of words that look like they should exist independently, but don’t</b>. The suffixes -aholic, -flation and -tastic have been the beneficiaries of similar trends through the years."</div><div><br /></div><div>My German ancestors would like to remind everyone that you don't have to put spaces between the words. According to <a href="https://www.berlitz.com/blog/longest-word-german">Berlitz</a>...</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>Here are the top 3 longest words in the German dictionary in all their glory - along with their English meaning:</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz</div><div>Letters: 63</div><div>English meaning: Delegation transfer law for the labeling of beef in order to monitor task transfers.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung</div><div>Letters: 67</div><div>English meaning: Regulation on the delegation of authority concerning land conveyance permissions.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Rinderkennzeichnungsfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz</div><div>Letters: 79</div><div>English meaning: Delegation transfer law for cattle labeling and beef labeling supervision duties.</div></blockquote><div></div></div>Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.com6