The Nature of Things

It's been a while since we checked on Maru, the famous Scottish Fold cat from Japan who has been a YouTube sensation for a few years now. So let's just look at some of Maru's greatest hits. You gotta love that cat!

The Republican National Committee is in its "spring meeting" the avowed purpose of which is to further the party's efforts at rebranding itself and reaching out to Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, women, and young people. So, what was the first thing they did ? The Republican National Committee voted unanimously Friday to reaffirm the party’s commitment to upholding the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman, upending party efforts to grow support among younger voters.   A resolution introduced Wednesday by Michigan committeeman Dave Agema, who came under fire last month for posting an article describing gays as “filthy” on his Facebook page, passed the full RNC by a voice vote and without debate. A second resolution reaffirming “core values” of the party — including opposition to same-sex marriage — was also passed. This just reaffirms the party's wildly successful platform from last year's presidential campaign. In coming ...

From today's Daily Kos : Click on image to enlarge. Yes, everybody knows that any regulation of a dangerous instrument leads inevitably to its confiscation and outlawing. And by "everybody" I mean anybody who takes seriously the pronouncements of the National Rifle Association.

So, it looks like there is actually going to be some kind of vote in the Senate on getting at least minimal control over the wide open sales and trafficking of guns in this country. President Obama said in his State of the Union address that victims of gun crimes deserve such a vote, and, to his credit, he has continued to push for those votes, even when the Conventional Wisdom within the Washington Beltway says that imposing any kind of control of guns is impossible. Of course, that same Conventional Wisdom said that Barack Obama had no chance to be reelected last year. After the tragic slaughter of twenty six-year-olds and their teachers who tried to protect them at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last December, I wrote to all of my elected (though not by me) representatives from Texas in Washington -  namely Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Rep. Kevin Brady - and asked them to please support sensible gun control laws to reign in the senseless mass slaughter that...

Roger Tory Peterson revolutionized birding in the 1930s with his innovative way of presenting images of birds in field guides. His drawings showed the birds in stylized poses that emphasized their most noticeable markings which helped to identify them. Arrows pointed to those marks, and texts named them to help even the most novice birders find identifying field marks and "name that bird." Peterson was godfather to generations of birders and was one of the prime movers in popularizing the hobby. Since that time, most bird guides have followed in Peterson's footsteps, using some variation of his methods. It was time for a new revolution. Enter Richard Crossley. Crossley's ID guides, not field guides because they are not really meant to be taken into the field, utilize a radically different method of looking at and identifying birds. Crossley uses photographs of the birds, doing what birds do - perching, flying, eating, preening, catching prey, and, in the case of water...

"...One fine June morning, as the early mists rose lazily in the warm sunlight like wraiths in no hurry to be gone, Colonel Harris was killed in cold blood in a meadow fringed with buttercups and cowslips, and his last coherent thought was anger." That sentence, occurring near the beginning of Charles Todd's first entry in the Inspector Ian Rutledge series, gave promise of an interesting and well-written mystery. That promise did not hold up all the way through the book. At points, it became tedious, and the ending was surprising but also somewhat disappointing, seeming a bit contrived. However, overall, the book was a rewarding read which kept my interest throughout even though I got a bit impatient with the writer at times. In Ian Rutledge, the mother and son writing team who comprise "Charles Todd," have created a sympathetic and intriguing character. Rutledge was a rising star at Scotland Yard before World War I took him away. He served his time in the trenc...

Anyone who has ever walked a country path in spring will recognize the images here. A Country Path in Late Spring by Mark R. Slaughter The path of mossy ground nestled In between maternal hedgerows, That overgrew atop, dimming down The brilliance of the day. Embosomed, a calm-cool vision – Abstract takes of nature, in Leaf-spattered green shades; Stem-speckled brown hues; Shards of sunlight percolating Through the random flaws to Up glittering sprites upon the leaves. And avian chatter bounced along the burrow, Smattered by the crosstalk Of busybody insects; But outside the green comfort zone, Other worlds of other sounds of other life Otherwise gave a hint of Other dozy goings on. Hawthorn filled the air, Filled the nose, Filled the head – Pungency had overpowered all – Gave the late-spring-early-summer haze. Here and there a break of colour: Odd bluebells – escapees from nearby woods – Blue-blushing bell faces glancing down, Aware of their erectness in the stem; The flaming wing of r...