John (bird whisperer) › Comments

Uhh... what? "Say you've got a dog and you're not sure what breed it is. Maybe it's part poodle? With a little bit of Labrador? And it drools a lot, so maybe there's some St. Bernard mixed into the DNA? Most people call these dogs "mutts." But in Washington, D.C., owners are being asked to refer to them as "Xoloitzcuintli" when filling out pet-licensing paperwork with the District's health department, according to the Washington Post." - ronin from Bookmarklet

That strikes me as incredibly sloppy database design... - Andrew C (✓) from Android

"The web was abuzz today with the apparent news that a man in Sweden had died after trying to have sex with a nest of hornets. Reports circulated across the world of a man so bloated that his body was mistaken for a whale carcass. The 35-year-old, apparently known only as Hasse, was said to have been found unconscious next to his farm in Ystad, Sweden. A neighbour was quoted as saying Hasse looked like a beached whale due to the inflammation caused by hundreds of stings. However, it now appears as though the story was too good to be true, albeit not for the unfortunate Hasse, as he is said to not even exist. The original source for the story has now been traced to a satirical website in Sweden, which reported the stinging tale back in September, 2012. It was originally reported animal rights campaigners were concerned about the wellbeing of the hornets, but we are now fairly sure no hornets (or men called Hasse) were harmed in the making of this story." - John (bird whisperer) from Bookmarklet

I love that this came about because animal rights activists were worried about the hornets. I mean, come the fuck on already. I just can't with those people. - Hookuh Tinypants

Cool! I think this may have helped me ID something I photographed at the UC Davis Botanical Garden. - Spidra Webster

Ah, I know the feeling. I'm way behind on posting photos from the past month. - John (bird whisperer)

"People hate it when the doctors and medical reporters give them conflicting signals on what they should or shouldn’t eat. The press certainly met the public’s low expectations this week, with Healthday admonishing us that “Most Americans Should Eat Less Salt,” The New York Times reporting that there’s "No Benefit Seen in Sharp Limits on Salt in Diet,” and The New York Daily News advising us to “Go Ahead and Order that Side of Fries.” All these, remarkably, stemmed from the very same Institute of Medicine report. Many stories quoted “experts” saying they stand by old recommendations that we should aim for no more than 1500 mg a day, but the Times actually quotes the chair of the IOM report saying that some people may suffer risks if they get less than 2,300 mg a day. Those risks include “increased rates of heart attacks and an increased risk of death.” Oy Vey! That’s not helpful. What’s a health-conscious consumer to do? Though some headlines mistakenly said there was a new study, the... more... - John (bird whisperer) from Bookmarklet

They may or may not contain too much sodium. ;-) - John (bird whisperer)

"A sci-fi convention briefly turned to the dark side after police were forced to separate two rival groups of fans who clashed wearing full costumes. Share article The force was called to the fourth Norwich Sci-Fi and Film Convention, hosted by the Norwich Star Wars Club, following reports of a fight between the organisers and Doctor Who fans in the Norwich Sci-Fi Club. Both sides admit to having a long-running feud and are said to hold their own conventions. Tempers flared after the treasurer of Norwich Sci Fi Club, Jim Poole, arrived at the event at the University of East Anglia hosted by their Star Wars' nemeses." - Jessie from Bookmarklet

"Poole said of the incident: "This wasn't a fight between Star Wars fans and Doctor Who fans with lightsabres and sonic screwdrivers drawn. "It's a bit sad and pathetic. We're all in the same boat. We're not in competition. "We'd like to extend the hand of friendship."" - Jessie

FPS = Fire People Sunday? - John (bird whisperer)

I kind of thought that today would be when things would start to come together nicely. I can honestly say that I like my future prospects a lot better now than I did a week ago. Apparently, I have had market value all along. Today, I received a new phone call, made a return phone call (which, in turn, is moving things quickly), and I have a call scheduled for tomorrow. - Julian

Good luck! - John (bird whisperer)

Pinterest powered by Win 8 - WoH: Professor MOTHRA

When it has more braided hair pics, then the transition will be complete. - Micah from FFHound(roid)!

This one is pretty good too. - John (bird whisperer) from Bookmarklet

This is a really useful site for identifying plants, with useful descriptions and reasonably good photographs. (Of course it might not be as useful outside the northeast.) - John (bird whisperer) from Bookmarklet

Bob! :D - Jennifer Dittrich

:-D - John (bird whisperer)

Congratulations :) - Hedgehog

Congrats!!!! - Rachel Walden

“Star Wars” despots vs. “Star Trek” populists - Salon - David Brin http://www.salon.com/1999... - Victor Ganata

I knew Star Trek before Star Wars, so now a fan of both (of course only the first trilogy). - Nils Sandin

"After months of delay, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority will vote Friday on whether to approve the long-delayed American Dream entertainment and retail complex in the Meadowlands. The state authority, which has been overseeing the privately developed project once known as Xanadu, has repeatedly put off voting on an amended master plan for site in the face of heavy opposition from the Giants and Jets. The two teams have gone to court to stop the project over concerns of game-day traffic around nearby MetLife Stadium." - John (bird whisperer) from Bookmarklet

"The matter may yet end up back in court. The Giants and Jets filed suit last June to stop the project, claiming the sports authority violated a 2006 agreement when it allowed Triple Five to expand the complex beyond the initial design of Xanadu without the teams’ approval. They claim the complex, as now envisioned with an added amusement area and water park, is far larger than contemplated and will cause huge parking and traffic problems on game days." - John (bird whisperer)

"Construction on the complex alongside the New Jersey Turnpike in East Rutherford has been suspended since 2009, when then-developer Colony Capital and its partners ran into financial problems in the wake of the recession. With New Jersey officials soliciting new developers, Triple Five, the owner of the Mall of America in Minnesota and the West Edmonton Mall in Canada, signed a letter... more... - John (bird whisperer)

Chocolate milk is OK, but carrots are better. :) - Steven Perez from Bookmarklet

Hey, Val. :) - Steven Perez

I have to say, though, that I would be disturbed if my salt was somehow genetically modified. :-P - John (bird whisperer)

It will definitely keep you regular. - Todd Hoff

"Rutgers’ bold new move into the Big Ten will come with bold new leadership – with a woman running the athletic department for the first time in school history. Julie Hermann, most recently the No. 2 athletic administrator at Louisville, has been named the school’s new athletic director -- making her one of just three women at a BCS program to currently hold the athletic department’s top position (N.C. State’s Debbie Yow and California’s Sandy Barbour are the others), according to two people familiar with the process. Both people requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the school. Hermann, 49, has most recently served as the Cardinals’ senior associate athletic director and senior woman administrator. She was chosen for the position at Rutgers over Wisconsin deputy athletic director Sean Frazier following an emergency voting session this morning by the school’s 11-member Board of Governors. That session was necessitated after Rutgers’ six-member Executive Athletic Committee deadlocked at 3-3 in trying to choose between Hermann and Frazier as Tim Pernetti’s successor." - John (bird whisperer) from Bookmarklet

At some point WaPo is going to have to stop trading on Watergate nostalgia. Not every minor scandal is the next Watergate, and not every executive overreach or bureaucratic fumble is going to cause a president to resign. - John (bird whisperer)

You think there'd be an expiration date on that, but they're still trying to prove they're not a 'liberal' paper after all these years. Thing is, they weren't then, and they certainly aren't now. - Jennifer Dittrich

"Over seven months have passed since Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, and while much of the city is back to normal or well on its way, the South Street seaport tells a different story. Buildings there remain eerily empty, as if the residents had vanished into thin air and, in late April, bulldozers worked to a symphony of drills and hammers. A number of local business owners—many of them restauranrs—are still waiting for the return to normality promised to them. The Durst Corporation owns 95 residential and 13 commercial unit on Front Street, all between the blocks of Beekman Street and Peck Slip. Because the units share a heating system still in need of repair, none have come back to life, a loss that has been particularly difficult on neighborhood-oriented businesses like Pasanella & Son Vinter." - John (bird whisperer) from Bookmarklet

"That geothermal nightmare is the reason why Durst's Front Street properties all remain uninhabited, while nearby restaurants like Aqua reopened a month after the storm. The company had installed what T. called a "state of the art, avant garde" geothermal heating infrastructure underground, leaving it unavoidably vulnerable when Sandy hit. This is the locus for the dubiously prolonged... more... - John (bird whisperer)

sub-suh-quent - Monique the crochet freak

suh - Headless Gnad Kicker

A total of 333 people have died in or following police custody over the past 11 years, but no officer has ever been successfully prosecuted, according to a watchdog's report. - Halil from Bookmarklet

*bump* - Halil

Ugh >_< - Jennifer Dittrich

Yeah, this was really disgusting. - John (bird whisperer)

I'm simultaneously disgusted... and annoyed that they have such poor reading comprehension that they can't figure out that while the breast tissue has been removed, she had fairly extensive reconstructive surgery to preserve some of the appearance and non-breast tissue. Obviously, more the former, but still. - Jennifer Dittrich

I'll be honest, I'm also kind of disturbed by the possible implication that her risk for developing cancer has now necessarily dropped to almost zero. Unless she takes her ovaries out, there's still an increased risk for ovarian cancer. And even if she takes her ovaries out, there's still a risk for developing peritoneal carcinomatosis. - Victor Ganata

Definitely just breast cancer. She does specify that. On the other hand, removing your ovaries will have different effects with regards to breast cancer and endometrial cancer. - Victor Ganata

Put a beard on it? - John (bird whisperer)

"As your kindergarten teacher probably told you, two wrongs do not make a right. But the discrepancy in reactions to wrongs does, indeed, show how Washington so often serves the interests of the political right." - Andrew C (✓) from Bookmarklet

Yeah, his own party filibustered Bush's immigration bill. - John (bird whisperer)

Hope you're having a good Tuesday. :) - Steven Perez from Bookmarklet

Hey, Val. Hope you feel better soon. *bunneh hugs* :) - Steven Perez

:D - Jennifer Dittrich

:-D - John (bird whisperer)

I feel like I did it wrong. The books on that list (that were published in time for me to read them in my 20's,) I mostly read as a teenager. The few I read in my 20's, I really disliked. - Jennifer Dittrich

I read The Bell Jar in my 20's and Infinite Jest in my 30's and that's it. - Headless Gnad Kicker from FFHound!

…out what those situations actually are yet - Victor Ganata from iPhone

This is assuming they entered the correct limb into the system in the first place. And that they have the right patient. I guess facial recognition might be useful. Although illness can really change your appearance significantly…. - Victor Ganata

No, not for me. I've made it with tomatoes in, but never ketchup on it :/ - Jennifer Dittrich

I seen it done, by people I otherwise respect. And I love ketchup on certain things. But no, not my thing on M&C (or eggs). - Tinfoil 2.0