Downy woodpecker enlarging the hole inhabited by white breasted nuthatches, for at least the two previous years. Pecking order at work, in at least two ways. Turn up the volume, there are lots of bird sounds in the air.

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

Top Gun music video 'Stranger Eyes'

Helicopter Chinook

The mighty chinook

Harry Nilsson - WITHOUT YOU

On a lighter note, there is this beautiful Nilsson song.

Harry Nilsson - I'd Rather Be Dead

Berlin - Take my breath away (Top Gun soundtrack)

Ingersoll quote

Is this not true?

If there be an infinite Being, he does not need our help -- we need not waste our energies in his defense.

No man with a sense of humour ever founded a religion.

Robert Green Ingersoll

Spudnuts are terrific

Mr. Spudnut, in the pastry.

Today is Spudnut Day.  I loved Spudnuts when growing up.  Part of the mystique was there rarity, I could only have one when in Hastings, NE in the little side-street Spudnut bakery.  They were raised-glazed donuts made with potato flour and so delicious.

And so I shall commemorate this wonderful pastry, one that is special in my memory, but who knows what they would taste like today.  I should think the potato farmers would unit and market the heck out of them.  We need the Madmen to get on this immediately.

A Banshee, ethereally speaking

My other special awareness, today, is to pay tribute to Banshees everywhere, especially the ones in my head.  They have been there a long time.  I have great respect for them but am glad to hear them.  If you cannot hear them, they have taken you to the afterlife.  Hearing them gives comfort for it means they have another soul in their grasp.  We have to look for comfort where we can find it, eh.  There  beauty is small comfort, I dare concede, for fear of offending one of them.  

These are actual photos.  The second one obviously overlays an Irish rural setting to give power to their origins to the magnitude of their reach.   Awesome.

Let the evolution begin.  I am concerned that Che Chimp on the flag is sad.  He should be happy because he is probably at the top of the evolutionary chain.  Being human hasn't work out so great.

Viva La Evolucion!

Quote of the Day

Quotes for the day

"'I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.'
-- Stephen Roberts


'Hey, let's get serious... God knows what he's doin' He wrote this book here And the book says: 'He made us all to be just like Him', So... If we're dumb... Then God is dumb... (And maybe even a little ugly on the side)'
- -Frank Zappa"

A new genus of fish from Kansas paleontology

http://www.kansas.com/news/story/1188574.html

This is cool story about Kansas fish paleontology.  That statement is so scientific.

Fossils show earliest animal trails

Fossils show earliest animal trails

New Species of Tyrannosaur Discovered in Southwestern U.S.

New Species of Tyrannosaur Discovered in Southwestern U.S.: "ScienceDaily:

Bistahieversor sealeyi (pronounced: bistah-he-ee-versor see-lee-eye) is a new species of tyrannosaur discovered in the Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness of New Mexico. Tyrannosaurs include the famous meat-eating dinosaurs like T. rex, with their characteristic body and skull shape and their mouthful of ferocious teeth that make them easy for paleontologists and kids to recognize.

The skull and skeleton of Bistahieversor were collected in the first paleontological excavation from a federal wilderness area, and the specimen was airlifted from the badlands by a helicopter operated by the Air Wing of the New Mexico Army National Guard. 'Bistahieversor sealeyi is the first valid new genus and species of tyrannosaur to be named from western North America in over 30 years,' says Williamson.

Tyrannosaurs are best known from 65-75 million year old sediments from the Rocky Mountain region of North America. Bistahieversor provides important insights into the evolutionary history of the group.

'Bistahieversor is important because it demonstrates that the deep snout and powerful jaws of advanced tyrannosaurs like T. rex were special adaptations that evolved around 110 million years ago, after the eastern and western halves of North America were separated by a shallow sea,' says Carr.

Bistahieversor was different from other tyrannosauroids in having an extra opening above its eye, a complex joint at its 'forehead,' and a keel along its lower jaw; it also had more teeth than its distant relative T. rex.

Bistahieversor skulls and skeletons collected from the Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness and from the lands of the Navajo Nation are currently on display at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History.

The finding is detailed in the January issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology."

This sums it up, don't you think?  Of course you think that way.

Back to dinosaurs

Sue, at the Field Museum, Chicago

Click on the name Sue for more pictures.

Pictures from the monkey knife fight mentioned in the previous blog entry.

See the previous blog entry from a real knife fight, not this kitchen dojo stuff to which I went.

                                                                                        Furious George

The knife fight was not what I had expected, as can be seen in my photos of the events.

Monkey Knife Fight

I will be busy tonight. I am going to the fights. I am posting a picture of the last event held. Tonight promises to be another good one.

Fossil Finds Photo Gallery

Fossil Finds Photo Gallery

Healthcare

When we speak of Health Care, this Sixty Minutes story from November 21, 2009 is as important as anything I know.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5737138n&tag=api

Es Verdad.

60 minutes regarding John Horner, Paleontologist.

PTERODACTYL PDIARY: 60 minutes regarding John Horner, Paleontologist.

Dinosaur Museum in Woodland Park, Colorado

I discovered a gem in my own back yard. It is the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center. http://www.rmdrc.com/

I assumed, for 5 years, that it was just a tourist trap for people going up into the mountains after leaving Colorado Springs. It is truly is a diamond. It easily competes, regarding paleontology exhibits and information, with the Denver Museum of Natural History and they are very good. Obviously, it is not a competition for Chicago and New York museums but the exhibits are excellent. They also have a very good Charles Darwin exhibit.

60 minutes regarding John Horner, Paleontologist.

60 Minutes had one of their most interesting programs on 15 November 2009. It was about John Horner, the person Sam Neill's character was supposedly modeled after, in Jurassic Park. Muy interesante! Horner is dyslectic but pretty smart. Enjoy!

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5658449n&tag=api

and this little segment:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5658225n&tag=api

Amazing how many flat Earthers there are in the Paleontology community.

Dinosaur Stuff

I am re-reading a most interesting book about Roy Chapman Andrews, Dragon Hunter. If you like dinosaurs and want an exciting story and information on some original discoveries, you will like this.

Robert Ingersoll

I have often wanted to write how I felt when I left my old way of thinking behind. Starting seems to be my forte, in that area. These words seem to make the points most eloquently. I prefer the word non-theist to atheist. "Atheist" has been taken over by the Christians so well that the word sounds like something truly evil. I just don't believe in magic any more, except that performed by Buddha, the Magician. He knows magic. God, J.C. and Mohammed would have to come sit on my couch and magically stucco my house before I could believe again. I don't really need all three; any one of them would do. If one of them could shut up Sarah Palin or Glen Beck, I would immediately fall to my knees. I am throwing down the gauntlet to the powers. I need a palpable miracle and Miracle Whip will not do. I have already learned to substitute Mayo for that.

These are the words of Robert Ingersoll. I copied them from Victor Stenger's book, The New Atheism, 2009. Amazingly, Robert Ingersoll's entire works are totally available on line, every page of every book. Take that, Kindle. Without further ado I give you Robert Ingersoll.

When I became convinced that the Universe is natural-that all the ghosts and gods are myths, there entered into my brain, into my soul, into every drop of my blood, the sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. The walls of my prison crumbled and fell, the dungeon was flooded with light, and all the bolts, and bars, and manacles became dust. I was no longer a servant, a serf, or a slave. There was for me no master in all the wide world--not even in infinite space. I was free--free to think, to express my thoughts--free to live to my own ideal--free to live for myself and those I loved--free to use all my faculties, all my senses--free to spread imagination's wings--free to investigate, to guess and dream and hope--free to judge and determine for myself--free to reject all ignorant and cruel creeds, all the "inspired" books that savages have produced, and all the barbarous legends of the past--free from popes and priests--free from all the "called" and "set apart''--free from sanctified mistakes and holy lies--free from the fear of eternal pain--free from the winged monsters of the night--free from devils, ghosts, and gods. For the first time I was free. There were no prohibited places in all the realms of thought-no air, no space, where fancy could not spread her painted wings-no chains for my limbs-no lashes for my back-no fires for my flesh-no master's frown or threat-no following another's steps-no need to bow, or cringe, or crawl, or utter lying words. I was free. I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously, faced all worlds.
And then my heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, and went out in love to all the heroes, the thinkers who gave their lives for the liberty of hand and brain-for the freedom of labor and thought-to those who fell in the fierce fields of war, to those who died in dungeons bound with chains-to those who proudly mounted scaffold's stairs-to those whose bones were crushed, whose flesh was scarred and torn-to those by fire consumed-to all the wise, the good, the brave of every land, whose thoughts and deeds have given freedom to the sons of men. And then I vowed to grasp the torch that they had held, and hold it high, that light might conquer darkness still. -Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899

This I believe.

Fortress Art

{click on the artwork to make larger}




These are c. 1954. They are the only extant crayon drawings by Sr. Peterdactyl, as a youth. Notice the strong lines in the fort's walls. Notice the spilled blood, evidence of his flare for the dramatic and patriotic themes of the day. Notice his expansive use of color combinations. Notice his delicate touch, using clouds to control the lighting. Magnificent. These should go on display at the National Gallery. They are definitely priceless.

Pierre le Pew, art critic.

Wasted talents.

{Click for huge picture/letter.}




It reads: How are you? I am fine. Carolyn and Reva went to the dr. in Hot Springs (S. Dakota) about her boils but he wasn't there. She went to the drugstore and got some salve called boil salve. Floyd and Gerry worked on Floyd's car. I stayed at home and played.
We went out the lake Wed. We couldn't rent a boat so went to the other side of the swam around. Well I'm not through but the about ready to go
Love
Pete (On other side of letter)


























I discovered this in some of my junk that Mom saved. I realize now, that I was destined to be a writer and an artist. The creative juices were flowing, like an oozing boil. I still have the scar on my right knee from my boil. I do not know how Reva's boil turned out, poor thing.
This letter reads: Everything with me is okay. My boils better. I hope you can come back pretty soon. Please write soon.
The smoking kicker says: Whee I realy kicked that football high.
Your friend
Pete

I did not realize my talents, then, when I could have followed through and became even better.

My new garden protector

Il Papa it is. We have essentially 2 votes for the man known as Pope Benedict XVI formerly known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a.k.a.:

Papa Joe
Eggs (As in Pope BenedictXVI)
Panzer Papa
B-16, a weapon of Mass instruction
German Shepherd
Papa Ratzi
Papa Razzi
Pontificus Maximus
God's Rottweiler
Benny and the Justs
Papa Bene/Bennie
God's Schnauzer

and of course any of these less reverant terms: Vicar of Christ, Vicar of Peter, Holy Father, Bishop of Rome, Servant of the servants of God, Supreme Pastor, His Holiness, The Rock, Supreme Pontiff, Father of Kings, Governor of the World, Successor of St. Peter, Shepherd of the Universal Church.

He may called by any of these names. Yea, I shall walk through the garden in safety. Oh thank you vicar of asparagus and rhubarb. He is infallible and so shall be my spring seeds. Hosanna.

Habemus Papam!!.

Garden protection

I am looking for a protector of my garden for next year. These are among the candidates. Il Papa would surely scare away almost anything, eh?

Rooftop gardening

I shall leave my Pope bashing behind me and focus upon more positive things. I have placed four quonset huts made from 3/4" black plastic pipe, 3" x 4" s frame (3' x 8'), and plastic sheeting. I now can get sunlight from sunrise to sunset instead of the maximum 4-5 hours that I get on the ground. It is too late for this summer to get great results but "wait'll next year".

I am planning a much bigger one in which to put my seedlings next spring. I cannot decide whether to make it 8' long by 5' wide and 6' tall or to go "all in" and make it 8' x 8'. 8x8 would let me walk down the middle and I could put about 7 tomato plants with room to grow crazy. I shall publish a photo of my model when I get it built. If I make it that big I need to try to get it right. The walls will be built of 2" x 2" lumber instead of the pipe. Each wall will be a separate piece and they will be bolted or screwed together on the roof after ground level construction. I bought a Crafstman miter saw so that it will be square and fit together. Yeah.

Memorial Day

This is probably the most that I have ever reflected upon Memorial Day. I watched The 2009 National Memorial Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol, on PBS, and I watched some of the National Cemetery program on PBS. I later watched a few minutes about Viet Nam and the remembrance of a Marine camerman who was killed in "The Nam". That was some powerful stuff.
The most poignant thing from the concert was the sergeant who came home with severe brain trauma and is looked after, almost continuously and constantly by his mother and sister. He was at the concert, in a wheel chair almost rigid from the injury, looking very well kept. He has a major concavity on the left side of his cranium where his left brain once was. Having worked with severely head injured patients, it seems pretty obvious that after 3 years he will not progress much if any. The mother continues to give her all to honor and care for her son. These are among the people who make the "Ultimate Sacrifice" for their country. Death is also Ultimate but it is sudden and complete. The survivors have the choice of moving on. That mom does not. Each family member will sacrifice for the rest of his/her life. Death can be adjusted to relatively quickly compared to these types of injuries. Quadraplegia should be added to this category. It tears my heart out to imagine what they must go through. They called it a miracle that he lived. I am not so sure but that is not for me to judge, for that family.

Seeing the Viet Nam pictures brought back the capricious nature of the draft and the military. I was protected from the war by being the exact perfect age, since I had an ROTC scholarship and deferment. I changed my major late in the program and got an extra 5th year. That was because of my inability to arrive at a decision for a profession. If there was any ulterior motive it was very deeply subconcious. We all thought the war would last forever.

Rick Huttie, who lived on my wing during summer school in 1966, got some bad grades and was drafted. I doubt that he had much direction in college either but he let it go too far. He was a really good golfer who hit like Tiger Woods, in my mind. I took golf at summer school, for my phys. ed. requirement. I had a canvas bag with the odd irons and one wood. Rick actually played golf, with me, probably because there were no others. I think we had some good times. When visiting Washington, D.C. in 1988 I looked up his name on that beautiful horrible wall.

I have always wished that I had gone to Viet Nam so that I would know a little about war, the way it really is. Sounds very silly but Viet Nam is hardly more than an historical fact to me. I served from June 1970 - November 1976. Infantry officer, Airborne and Ranger Schools and I became a CH-47 helicopter pilot. It was great training and I am very proud but any one of those things made me as ready as any one else to go. Naturally, I wanted to come back alive and healthy so my wish was half granted and for that I am thankful. I had a strong sense of duty but by the time college was over, volunteering was the only way I could have gone. By 1970 the reason to serve in combat had lost its mojo. Just 1 month before I signed in to active duty at Ft. Benning, GA, Kent State occurred. The instructors for my infantry training made fun of the dead students at Kent State. I did not understand because I had just come from a college. My drive to do my duty had subsided and I was afraid, just a bit.

Now, war seems one of the most stupid of human endeavors. I hate conflict of almost any kind, to tell you the truth. It is ugly, whether it be war or simple family conflict. Talking and listening could solve almost anything.

I still wish that I had gone to Viet Nam.

Peter C.

HaySuess eez mai phrent

I just cannot get this tune out of my head. Dance to this tune.
It was listed as Christian Reggae. Can you beat that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iUU6jTqB6k

Perhaps Marilyn Manson is more to your liking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J54s1FSwLU&feature=related

New description for Congress

Taken from Politico article today:

Congressional and administration aides agree that none of his three biggest agenda items is likely to achieve final passage before this fall. The officials said none of this is catching them by surprise: Obama knew Congress has limited bandwidth, and he simply wanted to get the wheels of government turning on every big issue this year. A big part of their communication strategy will now focus on highlighting incremental progress on the Obama agenda, to show people Washington is working again.

Bob Dylan on Obama

This sounds so much like Dylan. His history is a bit off but who cares. It made me laugh, in a good way, so here is a bit of an interview.

April 06, 2009

Dylan on Obama
Bob Dylan, in an interview with the Times of London, makes "Dreams from My Father" sound like a Dylan epic:

Q: What struck you about him? DYLAN: Well, a number of things. He’s got an interesting background. He’s like a fictional character, but he’s real. First off, his mother was a Kansas girl. Never lived in Kansas though, but with deep roots. You know, like Kansas bloody Kansas. John Brown the insurrectionist. Jesse James and Quantrill. Bushwhackers, Guerillas. Wizard of Oz Kansas. I think Barack has Jefferson Davis back there in his ancestry someplace. And then his father. An African intellectual. Bantu, Masai, Griot type heritage — cattle raiders, lion killers. I mean it’s just so incongruous that these two people would meet and fall in love. You kind of get past that though. And then you’re into his story. Like an odyssey except in reverse.
Q: In what way? DYLAN: First of all, Barack is born in Hawaii. Most of us think of Hawaii as paradise — so I guess you could say that he was born in paradise.
Also:
Q: What else did you find compelling about him? DYLAN: Well, mainly his take on things. His writing style hits you on more than one level. It makes you feel and think at the same time and that is hard to do. He says profoundly outrageous things. He’s looking at a shrunken head inside of a glass case in some museum with a bunch of other people and he’s wondering if any of these people realize that they could be looking at one of their ancestors.

Habemus Papum (We have a Pope)

If the Pope remains sotto voce I will be forced to end my obsession with his witticisms. This, sadly, could be the last installment. Enjoy while you can.

Historical Quiz

Which of these two pictures goes with the Crash of the Zeppelin in Camden, NJ, in May 1937? (The quote is obviously from the radio announcer who reported the event live.)
_________________________________________________________________


Yes, there are still new ones to be found.

*****

FSM has a postscript:

--------


Any day now, God's going to issue a statement saying he has "complete confidence" in Ratzinger, and then he's going to die suddenly, which is how God fires people.

FSM says:

"There are scores of thousands of sects who are ready at a moment's
notice to reveal the Will of God on every possible subject."

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)