Tag: Meta

To all of our friends and families may we all have a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Cam covers vertical stoop of falcon at over 100 MPH. The stoop is the corkscrew dive it uses to catch prey.

A Few Facts About Peregrine Falcons:

   

• The peregrine falcon’s scientific name is Falco peregrinus, which means “falcon wanderer”.
• Three subspecies are recognized in North America: F.p. pealei from the coastal islands off Alaska; F.p. tundrius, which nests above the tree line in the Arctic; and F.p. anatum, which once ranged over North America from coast to coast.
• Peregrine falcons are about the size and weight of a crow.
• Peregrines normally grow to 15 inches in length with a 40-inch wingspan.
• The speed of a peregrine has been said to reach 175 miles per hour or more. Experiments conducted by scientists put the bird’s diving speed at approximately 82 miles per hour and level flight at approximately 62 miles per hour.
• Females are larger and more powerful than males. Adults have slate dark blue-gray wings and backs barred with black, pale undersides, white faces with a black stripe on each cheek, and large, dark eyes. Their wings are long and pointed.
• Their prey includes ducks, pheasants, and pigeons. Biologists are frequently surprised by the variety of species brought to Ohio nests. Remains of meadowlarks, chimney swifts, and woodcock show that falcons find many different birds in their urban surroundings.
• Prey is caught in flight. Using its great speed, the falcon delivers a powerful blow to its prey with a half-closed foot. It retrieves the dead bird either in mid-air or after it falls to the ground.
• Although they have a high mortality rate, peregrines have been known to live as long as 15 years.
• In the 1960s, scientists discovered that a pesticide called DDT was interfering in the egg shell formation of meat and fish eating birds. Healthy birds were laying eggs so thin they were crushed by the weight of the incubating adult.
• By 1965, no peregrine falcons were fledged in the eastern or Central United States.
• By 1968, the peregrine population was completely eradicated east of the Mississippi River.
• In 1972, use of DDT was severely restricted in the United States and worldwide.
• In 1979, the Eastern Peregrine Recovery Plan was developed to restore a peregrine population to the eastern United States.
• Peregrine falcons are a threatened species in Ohio.
• Traditionally, they nested on ledges of high cliffs in remote areas. In cities, they use niches along ledges, such as inset windows or window boxes.

We have two Peregrines and a Red Tail Hawk that use our yard to dine on their catch.

Stonehenge is a massive prehistoric stone monument located just north of Salisbury, England, constructed anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1986.

The history of Stonehenge’s function and construction is subject to much debate since it was produced by a culture that left no written records that has led to multiple theories. Whatever religious, mystical or spiritual elements were central to Stonehenge, its design includes a celestial observatory function, which might have allowed prediction of eclipse, solstice, equinox and other celestial events important to a contemporary religion.

Two of the big questions about the construction of Stonehenge are: Where were these stones? How were these massive stones, weighing tons, moved from where they were quarried? Those questions have some answers, the first, official and the second, an interesting theory.

Some of the volcanic bluestones in the inner ring of Stonehenge officially match an outcrop in Wales that’s 160 miles (257 kilometers) from the world-famous site, geologists announced this week.

As it looks today, 5,000-year-old Stonehenge has an outer ring of 20- to 30-ton sandstone blocks and an inner ring and horseshoe of 3- to 5-ton volcanic bluestone blocks. [..]

So how did a primitive society move these gigantic stones from Wales to the plains of Salisbury? Easy. Balls. Or at least that is the lasted theory that archaeologists have presented:

U.K. archaeology students attempt to prove a rail-and-ball system could have moved Stonehenge stones.

Photograph courtesy University of Exeter

A previous theory suggested that the builders used wooden rollers-carved tree trunks laid side by side on a constructed hard surface. Another imagined huge wooden sleds atop greased wooden rails.

But critics say the rollers’ hard pathway would have left telltale gouges in the landscape, which have never been found. And the sled system, while plausible, would have required huge amounts of manpower-hundreds of men at a time to move one of the largest Stonehenge stones, according to a 1997 study.

Andrew Young, though, says Stonehenge’s slabs, may have been rolled over a series of balls lined up in grooved rails, according to a November 30 statement from Exeter University in the U.K., where Young is a doctoral student in biosciences.

Young first came up with the ball bearings idea when he noticed that carved stone balls were often found near Neolithic stone circles in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Balls and a lot of “heart” 😉

H/t Rachel Maddow Blog

Tonight is the 8th and last night of Hanukkah and a very slow news day which has its good side. So, with a h/t Tengrain @ Dependable Renegade, watch the kitty play with a dreidel

And his counterpart attacking the angel on top of the Christmas tree

Hello,

My name is ??? and I manage the ???.com affiliate program. We’re a growing affiliate network in the political fundraising market.

??? is recognized as a global pioneer in political technology.  Every occupant of the White House, both Democrat and Republican for more than 25 years, has been an ??? customer, as are many U.S. Senators, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Democratic and Republican state party organizations. Year round, thousands of Americans involved in the political process, from grassroots organizers to Washington insiders rely on ???..

Since your website at docudharma.com seems to cater to the traffic that is also immediately relevant to ???.com, I wanted to take a moment to reach out regarding an opportunity for us to partner together, whereby you’d be earning commission on all leads (donations and/or email signups) that you refer. Our payouts range from %25-%35 per donation, but we want to offer you a private commission rate right off the bat.

To learn more about our program visit http://www.???.com/. If you’re not ready to join the affiliate program right away, I would still love to hear back from you to see how/if we can still work together.

I’m looking forward to your reply.

Now I have no doubt ??? is a sincere, legitimate, and reputable firm (or not, it’s not really relevant) but one of the things I like about our sites is we’re not constant mendicants.  Like anyone else it’s a monthly expense to keep the power on.  Do we accept donations?  Yes, yes we do.

We’re also open for advertising.  $10 per site (The Stars Hollow Gazette and DocuDharma), per week- $15 for both.  5100+ unique visits as measured by Sitemeter.  Like most publications we don’t screen our ads (when we have them) because to do so implies endorsement of the ones we choose to run (Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval anyone?  Bueller?).

Can you whore your own commercial endeavors?  Sure you can, but you might want to discuss it first because there is a class of spammers who make superficially benign contributions that link to decidedly malicious sites.  If you have a business proposition to make then make it, we don’t have a necessary objection to your including a link to your tie dyed T-shirts or heirloom, handcrafted quilts but transparency is a sign of good faith.

And speaking of transparency, 35% is a damn good rate.  In my club a 35% return on a commercial telemarketing donation campaign for a Children’s Theater, Magic Show, or Semi-Pro Sports Exhibition compares favorably to a $2 Hot Dog at the Town Fair and is much less work for the members.  That said I’m unlikely to approve harvesting your registration email for spam.

$30 a month is less than my cable TV bill and I get far more satisfaction out of providing you a forum.  My wildest financial desire would be to create a trust to pay for servicing in perpetuity.  We do have PayPal links.

I hope I’ve been sufficiently crass and unsympathetic enough that you’re not tempted to open your wallet at a time when things are tough economically and there are plenty of worthier causes.  If you feel a debt of any kind it’s not your money that I’d ask for, it’s your eyeballs and content in the form of pieces, comments, recommendations, and tips.

In Autumn, the appearance in grocery stores of stacks of candied fruit and mountains of nuts in all their wonderful variety is a sure sign of the approach of the holidays. As the days grow short and the nights grow cool preparations for a joyous time of baking begins.

My daughter is the bread baker but Sugarplum Bread is the one I enjoy making, too. This sweet bread studded with candied fruit is not as heavy as fruit cake. It is topped with a white icing glaze and decorated with red and green cherries to look like clusters of berries. It is a treat for breakfast or in the afternoon with tea. I make small ones baked in large muffin tins, decorated and wrapped in colored plastic wrap tied with ribbon as gifts for guests.

The following recipe is a rich dough flavored with nutmeg, candied fruit and peel, and raisins

Candied fruit would have melted in the summer heat and its sweetness would attract ants but it keeps well in the freezer. After the holidays, when the price is reduced for clearance, if you have space in your freezer buy a supply. It assures that you’ll have candied fruit on hand in the months when it can’t be found in the market.