Monday, 25 February 2008
ron pauls animal supporters
Ron Paul's Animal Supporters
As Part of Ron Paul's "A Friend of All Animals" campaign, here are
some more of Ron Paul's supporters.
Turtles Vote Ron Paul
The deep sea turtles put up their Ron Paul sign in Maui.
From: mauidiveguy
Monkey Supports Ron Paul
Uploaded by txlibertylady
animal sketches take 1
animal sketches take 1
as you may or may not know my thesis is on animal portrayals in
folklore, myth and legend so here's a bunch of sketches that i've done
for some of the paintings i have finished or am working on
beaver
tiger
ram
animal mascots made of wool japanese
animal mascots made of wool-japanese needlefelting book
i think this book is the cutest japanese craft book yet. full of wacky
and adorable needlefelted critters, including the postal donkey
barbaro and barbarians
Barbaro and The Barbarians
Michael Bryant / Inquirer
"Man is the cruelest animal." Friedrich Nietzsche
What is it about our culture that makes us accept--even
applaud--grievous injury to human beings while at the same time we
abhor even the hint of harm to animals?
No, this isn't about animal rights. Well, yes it sort of is, but it's
really more about human rights.
I'm willing to bet more people turned away in horror from Barbaro's
breakdown and limping gait at the Preakness Saturday than from the
sight of Phillies center fielder Aaron Rowand slamming into a metal
fence May 12.
Okay, partly that's because Rowand walked away a hero. Injured but
alive, with a broken nose and a fractured eye. Bloody but unbowed. He
sacrificed his face to make a game winning catch. And Rowand will be
back on the field. He already showed up in the dugout this week to a
well deserved standing ovation.
Barbaro got his own ovation, but in defeat, not victory. In response
to a crushing loss. No win at the Preakness, no Triple Crown, nothing.
And his fate is far less certain. Even if he survives, his racing days
are over. It's a heartbreaking injury for a thoroughbred horse.
But. It's. A. Horse.
Yes, Barbaro is a 25 million dollar horse. A champion. If he lives
he'll make his owners millions more in stud fees.
I'm not sure what Aaron Rowand's contract with the Phillies is worth,
but for sure no baseball player ever gets that latter benefit. Well,
maybe Pete Rose. No, just kidding.
What's not so funny is the peculiar reflexive reaction most people
feel if an animal gets hurt. I'm on board as an animal lover, grew up
with cats and dogs, still have a cat. And no, I won't get into that
boring debate. If you love your pet and he/she/it loves you, that's
all that matters.
Just to add to my creds, I've cried and mourned sincerely when various
of our pets died or had to be put down. And I talk to the cat when
we're alone together. Don't ask.
On the other hand, if somebody said, Your pet or your kid, which one
dies? No contest. In fact if they said, Your pet or another human
being ... pretty much no contest there either. Admittedly pedophiles,
terrorists, murderers and such would give me a harder ethical dilemma.
But still.
People. Animals. Food chain. Do the math. It's as old as time. And in
this modern age, somebody's got to kill a lot of animals if we want to
eat chicken, pork, lamb and beef.
Which brings up another issue: I'm not against hunting either. I don't
like it, but if it's legal and the animals aren't endangered,
hunting's really no different from fishing. As long as it's a fair
fight. You don't fish with an AK-47 and you don't need a
shoulder-mounted missile to bag a duck.
What bothers me is the way our culture marginalizes, lionizes, even
monetizes violence against humans in entertainment ... and accepts
with far too little protest the very real violence against humanity in
a war.
People get beaten senseless and knocked off left and right on the
Sopranos, but hey, it's a TV show. Yet the same viewer vultures go
postal if Bambi's cousin is hit by a car or a kitten gets stuck in a
drainpipe. Has Walt Disney's anthropomorphizing of animals so seeped
into the collective American consciousness we can't distinguish an
animal from a real person?
No living, breathing creature should be made to suffer. And no one
should celebrate when they do. Violence is bad. Period. But we need a
reality check about who comes first. And a priority makeover about
what's really important.
If the news media carried on half as much over every injured soldier
or civilian in Iraq as they did about one horse, we might get the hell
out of this horrible war.
Let's remember, if Barbaro lives, he'll father lots of children. Dead
soldiers never will.
what no sharks or leeches
What, no sharks or leeches?
(click ads to read copy)
What The Fuck is up with all the law firms using goofy animal
symbolism? Dykema thinks it's a giraffe amongst zebras. Zuckerman
Spaeder says I'm a canary threatened by a lion. And Bingham McCutchen
(above) was, first, a lion-chasing zebra (where does the Dykema
giraffe fit into this equation?) and now, a baby-coddling grizzly
bear. Hey, if any of you crows want to see an idea using puffins, drop
me a line.
(all ads scanned from the Wall Street Journal, the bear ad from
no surrender
No Surrender
Stacy: Dorothy surrenders.
Regarding my defense of the border, I do not surrender.
Among arguments against unmitigated immigration, the canard about
protecting the homeland from terrorism is most risible--and I have
never used it, so don't even parrot such nonsense to me. There are
many reasons to curtail immigration to the United States but one
liberals conveniently forget is environmentalism. Though the
environment may be a global problem, liberals forget that problems are
also local. Another 100 million Americans consuming at our level would
be disastrous for the world, to say the least.
Also, the old saw about being a "nation of immigrants" wears thin to
me, as a native-born American. Were it possible, surveys indicate that
3 billion people would migrate to America tomorrow. Yes, we here do
have the right to tell our government and corporations that we resist.
Sunday, 24 February 2008
ask weirsdo xxv mass popularity
Ask Weirsdo XXV: Mass Popularity
From left: Mendelssohn, Joker, Brahms, Jackal, Mozart, Bach,
Beethoven.
Soon a FrancDoodle event could draw as big a crowd as the infamous
Shoe Races instituted by the Composers.
Labels: Barbies, Composers, Doo-Doo Girl, Franc, Gay bunnies, gays,
very small animal named piglet
A "Very Small Animal" Named Piglet
Piglet, one of the most famous fictional pigs in children's
literature, made his debut in A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh in 1926.
This "Very Small Animal" lived in house in a large beech-tree with an
old, broken sign next to it reading TRESPASSERS W. Throughout these
stories, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard, Piglet is easily
frightened, but nevertheless continues to try to be courageous. My
favorite adventure of Piglet's in the original book involved his being
trapped in his tree during a flood. As he notes, "It's a little
Anxious to be a Very Small Animal Entirely Surrounded by Water."
The first of the Disney adaptations of Winnie-the-Pooh appeared in
1966. Piglet was absent, replaced by Gopher, which, according to
director Wolfgang Reitherman, was believed to have a "folksy,
all-American, grass-roots image." After protests by fans, Piglet was
reintroduced in 1968's Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. Disney
still makes film and television programs with Pooh and Piglet, most
recently Piglet's Big Movie (2003). There is a lot of Piglet
merchandise out there, unsurprisingly. You can get a sense of the
ongoing legal battle between the Milne family and Disney from a BBC
article here.
Speaking of children's toys, I still have my childhood Steiff bear,
identical to the growler model that the real Christopher Robin Milne
had (see picture; Piglet is the very small animal in the middle, to
the left of the stack of books). I too called my bear Pooh, although
it hasn't survived in nearly as nice shape as Milne's. You can see the
original toys at the New York Public Library, by the way. I must have
seen the Disney films in the late 1960s, but I've largely forgotten
them. I certainly prefer the original look of Ernest Shepard's Piglet
and his friends.
grants for american humane association
Grants for American Humane Association Animal Welfare Current Agency Member
Organizations
From The Foundation Center...
American Humane Announces Expansion of Second Chance Fund Grant
Program for Animal Welfare Agency Members
Deadline: Open
Through its Second Chance Fund, the American Humane Association (
http://www.americanhumane.org/ ) provides financial assistance, in
select cases, to animal welfare organizations and breed- specific
rescue groups responsible for the temporary care of animals as they
are prepared for adoption into permanent homes. The program provides
animal victims of abuse or neglect with a second chance at life.
Due to the overwhelming number of abuse cases nationwide, the Second
Chance Fund is offered only to organizations that are current agency
members of the American Humane Association, and only in select cases
of animal abuse or neglect.
Individuals, businesses, corporations, and non-member organizations
are not eligible. Funding to any one agency is limited to $2,000 per
fiscal year. For the remainder of 2007 and in 2008, American Humane
will be doubling the total financial assistance provided. This
additional grant funding is a result of American Humane's partnership
with Pedigree Food for Dogs ( http://www.pedigree.com/ ).
More information about Second Chance Fund grants, including stories of
animals who have benefited from getting a second chance, can be found
at the American Humane Association Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10008193/americanhumane
huntsville animal services
Huntsville Animal Services
Wednesday morning I was out at Huntsville Animal Services and I hope
you saw the show. We had a mini-telethon to adopt as many animals as
possible. Dr. Karen Hill and her staff were very kind to come in at
5am to answer phones and help people with adopting these animals. If
you aren't familiar with Animal Services, I wish you would call (256)
883-3782 to find out how you can adopt some really loving animals that
need a home.
Animal Services picks up stray dogs and cats or is a drop off for
animals that people no longer want or can care for, this is sad
because many times the strays belong to someone who just doesn't think
to check with Animal Services. After a certain length of time the
animals are either moved to the adoption wing or euthanized. If they
are lucky, they are deemed adoptable and are kept until a home is
found for them...
take a look at this little one...as sweet as can be and just begging
for someone to come and take her home. Of course, if the animals are
lucky, someone will do just that, like Dee Johnson who saw this
beautiful Schnauzer and rushed down to Animal Services while were
there and took him home.
By the way, Dee wasn't the only person looking for a Schnauzer, one
man drove from Danville and another drove from Decatur to adopt "Max".
Dr. Hill is going to update me on the number of adoptions and you can
count on us featuring the animals at the Animal Center in the
future...and if you haven't had your pets spayed or neutered...please
birds birds
The birds, the birds!!
My meeting about my career went very well today. Can't splurge on all
the details.. seeing how this is a public blog and I haven't accepted
the position yet... but I will tell ya'all in person very very soon.
It's all very exciting to be told FIVE times how very critical you are
to the organization and everything at work going forward. This bodes
frank
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Push-Button Publishing
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spider bites
Spider Bites
Envenomation of animals by spiders is relatively uncommon and
difficult to recognize. It may be suspected on clinical signs, but
confirmatory evidence is rare. Spiders of medical importance in the
USA do not inflict particularly painful bites, so it is unusual for a
spider bite to be suspected until clinical signs appear. It is also
unlikely that the offending spider will remain in close proximity to
the victim for the time (30 min to 6 hr) required for signs to
develop. Almost all spiders are venomous, but few possess the
attributes necessary to cause clinical envenomation in mammals--mouth
parts of sufficient size to allow penetration of the skin and toxin of
sufficient quantity or potency to result in morbidity.
The spiders in the USA that are capable of causing clinical
envenomation belong to 2 groups--widow spiders ( Latrodectus spp ) and
brown spiders (mostly Loxosceles spp ).
Widow Spiders:
Widow spiders usually bite only when accidental skin contact occurs.
The most common species is the black widow, Latrodectus mactans ,
characterized by a red hourglass shape on the ventral abdomen. In the
western states, the western black widow, L hesperus , predominates,
while the brown widow, L bishopi , is found in the south, and the red
widow, L geometricus , is found in Florida.
Latrodectus venom is one of the most potent biologic toxins. The most
important of its 5 or 6 components is a neurotoxin that causes release
of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and acetylcholine at synaptic
junctions, which continues until the neurotransmitters are depleted.
The resulting severe, painful cramping of all large muscle groups
accounts for most of the clinical signs.
Unless there is a history of a widow spider bite, diagnosis must be
based on clinical signs, which include restlessness with apparent
anxiety or apprehension; rapid, shallow, irregular respiration; shock;
abdominal rigidity or tenderness; and painful muscle rigidity,
sometimes accompanied by intermittent relaxation (which may progress
to clonus and eventually to respiratory paralysis). Partial paresis
also has been described.
An antivenin (equine origin) is commercially available but is usually
reserved for confirmed bites of high-risk individuals (very young or
very old). Symptomatic treatment is usually sufficient but may require
a combination of therapeutic agents. Calcium gluconate IV (10 mL of a
10% solution is the usual human dose) is reportedly helpful.
Meperidine hydrochloride or morphine, also given IV, provides relief
from pain and produces muscle relaxation. Muscle relaxants and
diazepam are also beneficial. Tetanus antitoxin also should be
administered. Recovery may be prolonged; weakness and even partial
paralysis may persist for several days.
Brown Spiders:
There are at least 10 species of Loxosceles spiders in the USA, but
the brown recluse spider, L reclusa , is the most common, and
envenomation by it is typical. These spiders have a violin-shaped
marking on the cephalothorax, although it may be indistinct or absent
in some species. In the northwestern USA, the unrelated spider
Tegenaria agrestis reportedly causes a clinically indistinguishable
dermonecrosis in humans and presumably in other animals. Brown recluse
spider venom has vasoconstrictive, thrombotic, hemolytic, and
necrotizing properties. It contains several enzymes, including a
phospholipase (sphingomylinase D) that attacks cell membranes.
Pathogenetic mechanisms of the characteristic dermal necrosis are
poorly understood, but activation of complement, chemotaxis, and
accumulations of neutrophils affect (or amplify) the process.
A history of a bite by a "fiddleback" brown spider is useful but rare.
A presumptive diagnosis may be based on the presence of a discrete,
erythematous, intensely pruritic skin lesion that may have irregular
ecchymoses. Within 4-8 hr, a vesicle develops at the bite wound, and
sometimes a blanched zone circumscribes the erythematous area,
imparting a "bull's-eye" appearance to the lesion. The central area
sometimes appears pale or cyanotic. The vesicle may degenerate to an
ulcer that, unless treated in a timely manner, may enlarge and extend
to underlying tissues, including muscle. Sometimes, a pustule follows
the vesicle and, on its breakdown, a black eschar remains. The final
tissue defect may be extensive and indolent and require months to
heal. However, medical authorities claim that not all brown recluse
spider bites result in severe, localized dermal necrosis.
Systemic signs sometimes accompany brown recluse spider envenomation
and may not appear for 3-4 days after the bite. Hemolysis,
thrombocytopenia, and disseminated intravascular coagulation are more
likely to occur in cases with severe dermal necrosis. Fever, vomiting,
edema, hemoglobinuria, hemolytic anemia, renal failure, and shock may
result from systemic loxoscelism.
In known bites, early treatment can be successful, but unfortunately,
many cases are not recognized until cutaneous necrosis has become
extensive; treatment at that stage is less rewarding but is still of
value. Immediate application of cold packs is beneficial, and if
administered early, corticosteroids protect against cutaneous necrosis
by stabilizing cell membranes and suppressing chemotaxis.
Corticosteroids also tend to protect against systemic involvement.
Radical excision has been advocated, but its value is questionable.
Dapsone, an inhibitor of leukocyte function, which is frequently used
in the treatment of leprosy, is currently considered the drug of
choice for brown recluse spider bites. In humans, it is administered
steven grandell animal angstlp1984usa
Steven Grandell - Animal Angst,LP,1984,USA
Here's another minimal synth gem.Released privately in 1984 by Steven
Grandell,a gay (now transgendered as far as i know) performance artist
this LP blends the early 80s experimental side of synth pop.Sometimes
reminding some K.Leimer recordings,or possibly that's how Polyphonic
Size would play if they were Americans.Hints of Vice Versa,Voice
Farm(circa 1st LP period),early Tuxedomoon,German Sepherds (not the
much experimental pieces though),John Bender,but also some taste of
the Teutonic German school (Vono,Alu,etc)
Monotonous angst rhythms with use of synths of course but also strange
instruments such as xylophone,violin,etc.Overall ,an exciting LP!
aminal liberation
Animal Liberation
Is it just me or are the ALF becoming the new fascists?
I'm an omnivore, and I resent someone telling me I am wrong, any more
than I will tell a veggy, vegan or breathearian that they are wrong. I
declare an interest in that my brother is a vegetarian who eats
salmon.
To see the ALF apparently releasing live fish into the sea to die is
worse than by-catches and most of what the ALF accuse scientists of
doing.
The world is going mad, and we are standing by and letting the
extremists run the roost. I'm as partial to a nice salad as the next
man, but if we weren't meant to eat meat, why have we got incisor
teeth/
I've never hurt an animal for fun, but I have no qualms about eating
anything and everything. To see the self righteous so-and-so's telling
us not to eat Guga just puts my back up.
I just want to eat anything and everything just to annoy the ALF.
2007_08_19_archive
Hope Springs Eternal
Arkansas boys hang together.
Another point that could be made about Clinton: Like Reagan and unlike
either the incumbent president OR the woman who hopes to succeed him,
he didn't get a special hand-up into the political elite by birth or
marriage.
2007_10_01_archive
Meme tag
Aydin over at Snail's Tales posted the "Interesting Animal" meme.
Considering how long it's been since I updated, I'll entertain the
brave souls that occasionally check this site with something to read:
An interesting animal I've had:
For several years, our family had a pet Eastern Tiger Salamander.
His name was "Coco" (my little sister named him) and he lived with us
for nearly 8 years. He loved earthworms, crickets, and mealworms. He
also liked being stroked on his back (provided you wet your finger
first). We assume it was a "he" because of the swellings at the base
of his tail every spring. These animals are threatened in much of
their range. While not state or federally protected, loss of wetland
habitat is a significant threat to these cute little buggers. Ours was
a rescue from one of my dad's co-workers at the Wisconsin DNR. Coco
had fallen into their swimming pool, along with a few other hatchlings
from that year.
An interesting animal I've eaten:
Last year I was at a conference in Philadelphia. I ate frog legs. They
tasted like fish and were very greasy. I wouldn't eat them again, but
I figure I have to try different things now and again. I can be a
picky eater and get stuck in a food rut sometimes.
An interesting animal in a museum:
Where to begin? I worked for several years as a PA in the UW Geology
Museum and I've met hundreds of interesting animals. Perhaps the most
interesting, however, would have to be our collection of Burgess Shale
fossils. My favorites, are probably Marella splendens, Burgessia
bella, and Anomalocaris. Being able to actually handle these fossils
and then use them for reconstructing the animals (I'll have to post
the drawings sometime) was really fun.
An interesting thing I've done with/to an animal:
As PA at the museum, I've had the opportunity to work on several
exhibits. Including painting this full-size cast of the skull of
"Stan," one of the most complete T.rex skeletons ever found. It was a
real treat to put my artistic talents to use to paint this thing. And
provided me a unique perspective on the skull of these large
new home for deaf dolphin and you to
New Home for Deaf Dolphin and You to Swim With!
Or click on this: Deaf Dolphin Finds New Friends
Deaf dolphin calls Dolphins Plus home sweet home
BY STEVE GIBBS Citizen Staff KEY LARGO -- Castaway, a deaf Atlantic
bottlenose dolphin relegated to public display, finally has a
permanent home.
The dolphin, whose 3-day-old calf died June 15, has been moved to a
natural seawater lagoon at Dolphins Plus, a research and education
facility where visitors pay to swim with the dolphins. It was a long
journey getting there. Castaway, named for the cove near Vero Beach
where she stranded herself last November, was placed in isolation at
the Marine Mammal Conservancy at Mile Marker 102.5 in January after
rescuers learned she was pregnant. Her calf, named Wilson, was born on
June 11 and lived almost four days. The results of a necropsy, done to
determine the cause of its death, was not available at press time.
Because the National Marine Fisheries Service considers Castaway to be
rehabilitated, the agency said she either had to be released or
transferred to a facility that displays, not rehabilitates, dolphins.
But she could not be moved to the Dolphins Plus lagoon immediately
because a pregnant dolphin there is about to give birth at any moment.
Due to the recent loss of her own calf, it would not be healthy to
introduce Castaway into an environment where she would be exposed to
another newborn calf, said Robert O. Stevens, director of veterinary
medicine.
Castaway spent a few days alone in a 24-foot circular above-ground
pool at Island Dolphin Care while Dolphins Plus erected a barrier to
separate the lagoon. The pregnant dolphin, named "Dinghy," lives on
one side with another adult female dolphin, while Castaway now resides
on the other side with two other adult female dolphins, facility
curator Art Cooper said.
Besides being deaf, Castaway's vision is impaired, Stevens said. "Her
vision on her right side is not as good as her left. She turns her
head and looks out of her left eye," he said. "We suspect she might
also have neurological problems. She may have had a stroke. She
doesn't have pattern recognition, so we suspect a neurological
problem. "We don't know for sure," he added. "Because of her size, it
has not been possible to get to a facility where they could use an
MRI." The mammal weighs between 550 and 600 pounds. Dolphin advocates
have been critical of the care provided to Castaway, saying social
animals such as dolphins should not be kept in isolation. "We're not
isolating her at our whim," Stevens said when Castaway still was at
Island Dolphin Care. "[The U.S. Department of Agriculture] says we
have to isolate her. It is not smart to introduce her into a strange
group of dolphin -- boom -- like that." While she was at Island
Dolphin Care, she was under the care of the Marine Mammal
Conservancy's Robert Lingenfelser. "Socially she's doing just fine,"
Lingenfelser said at the time. "She was depressed for 2 1/2 weeks
after Wilson died, but she seems to have recovered from that." Dolphin
advocate Rick Trout, a former conservancy director, said he was
pleased that Castaway has been moved. "I'm glad to see that she is no
longer at [the conservancy], that she is ... where she should have
been moved last January, with other animals," Trout said.
sgibbs@keysnews.com
animal collective la tulipe
Animal Collective @ La Tulipe
Just a so-so night at La Tulipe unfortunately. I wasn't super familiar
with either of the opening acts, and was hoping for a nice little
surprise. Didn't quite turn out that way.
The first act, Barr, was a vaguely effeminate guy doing spastic spoken
word stuff over programmed tracks. Either he didn't know what he was
doing, or his machine kept fucking up on him, because it kept
switching tracks on him. Dude seemed really nervous, and it showed.
Could have potentially been interesting, but instead it ended up being
kind of a train wreck.
The second act, First Nation had some technical problems of their own.
Their electric congo drums or whatever they were weren't working at
first, which caused a bit of a delay. Once they finally got started,
the band put on a decent performance; kind of psychedelic, meditative
stuff. The real problem was the fact that the band had ZERO stage
presence. They hardly said a word to the audience throughout their
set, and just never seemed to be the least bit comfortable. I'm not
sure how used they are to playing in front of large groups of people,
but they need to work on engaging the audience.
The pressure was really on Animal Collective at this point to put on a
solid performance and salvage the evening. Thankfully they didn't
disappoint. The guys put on a solid, well-paced performance. The
transitions from one song to the next were perfect; the intensity
slowly rising until it would reach a breaking point, only to subside
before starting over. Aside from an unfortunate minor technical
problem during Grass, the band put on a pretty much flawless
performance, and the crowd was really into it.
On the whole, Animal Collective is more than worth the price of
admission, but I'd like to see them bring some better people along for
the ride. Like a double bill with Akron/Family or something. *drools*
posted by justin @ 1:35 PM 2 comments links to this post
2 Comments:
At 5:08 PM, Blogger Michael said...
that's sad you didn't like barr/he didn't have a good night. I
saw him last year and he was hilarious. his lyrics are just
like...running thoughts through his mind, and they're funny to
hear. sad he didn't have such a hot night.
At 6:39 PM, Blogger Au$10 said...
So, the Collective is at least almost as good as everyone says?
I can't wait for their ATL show...
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
2006_10_01_archive
Lester Crawford and a Major Disappointment in the FDA
I actually gasped when I read this.
Lester Crawford was the previous commissioner of the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) before he abruptly and without explanation
stepped down late last year after serving only two months.
His resignation at that time was puzzling as he had just weathered a
difficult and lengthy confirmation process after he was appointed by
President Bush. An FDA insider colleague of mine had no idea why
Crawford had left at that time. Now, a logical explanation has become
apparent.
Several days ago, he pleaded guilty to conflict of interest and to
false reporting of financial holdings. The particular holdings
involved were of companies whose products were under the aegis of his
agency. Both of these offenses carry extensive fines and can lead to
prison sentences of up to a year each.
The FDA is charged with the extremely complex and difficult job of
insuring the safety of our food and drug supply. The commissioner of
this agency is in charged of a decision process regarding the approval
and licensing of most important foods, medications and devices that we
as citizens consume and use.
Several factors make the FDA's mandate so difficult. Literally reams
of data regarding the safety and efficacy of these products must be
reviewed in making each of these complex decisions. The available
evidence that can be brought to bear in any one decision is rarely
clear-cut. It is virtually axiomatic that the conclusions drawn will
be based on incomplete and often conflicting information subject to a
multitude of interpretations.
And yet the final outcomes of these imperfect analyses affect the
health and safety of millions of people. Because other countries will
sometimes look to the FDA's reviews to base their decisions about
these products, it is possible that billions of people may be
affected. A misstep in either direction can obviously have widespread
implications. When a dangerous product is wrongly approved, it can
obviously injure many people. Likewise, when a safe and efficacious
product is rejected, people can suffer needlessly as well.
At the same time, rejecting applications for products can result in
the loss of billions of dollars in revenues for some of the most
powerful companies in the world. Clearly, this can have enormous
political ramifications.
The inherent subjectivity of many key controversies that the FDA must
adjudicate simply reconfirms the importance of maintaining an
administrative environment as free of potential bias as possible.
Weighing the safety and health of our citizens against the economic
concerns of massive, multinational corporations requires scrupulous
transparency and integrity throughout the entire breadth of the FDA.
Nowhere should this integrity be more unequivocal than in its
commissioner.
Despite this, since 2002, while Crawford was working at for the
agency, he filed seven incorrect reports with the government ethics
office overseeing the FDA as well as to Congress (presumably as part
of his confirmation hearings). The stock and options he held but did
not accurately report were in a variety of companies under the
jurisdiction of the agency. In effect he lied to both his agency and
more importantly to Congress.
Even the appearance of impropriety can cause a devastating loss of
faith in as essential and as politically sensitive an institution as
the FDA. With the legion of questions that have been raised about
conflicts of interest, hidden agendas and behind the scenes lobbying
over the last few years, no one should better understand this than
Lester M. Crawford.
His selfishness and his dishonesty was both shameful and destructive.
His assertion that "Nothing that I have done, I hope, can be construed
to affect the integrity of the FDA," is both self-serving and a
manifestation of wishful thinking.
party animal
Party Animal
Said in an earlier post I'd write some more about the party last
Saturday on a little island. Well, a fine time was had by most
everybody. As far as I can tell.
People came from far and wide. On the inter-island ferry. From the Big
Island. Several were in town for the FEER wake. Plus, the usual
suspects. Old friends and new. I don't go to many parties these days,
partly by choice. But I am glad I went to this. Again, thanks Fred and
Delia.
Another party coming up on Saturday: The Finnish Labour Day Party!
Will post a bit more about that on Thursday. Stay tuned.
animal instincts
Animal Instincts
Go to the jump page to see the uncensored shot of cutie Brian Kehoe's
keester.
A few additional photos of Janice Dickinson and her models at PETA's
"We'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" protest Monday on Hollywood Blvd.
monday mystery pet foods
Monday Mystery: Pet foods
Why is it that people who eat meat, are often appalled at the idea of
someone eating an animal they would think of as a pet, like a cat or
dog? I mean, it's widely accepted that a pig is as intelligent and
emotional a creature as a dog, so what's that about?
Having dinner in a restaurant with the boyf on Saturday night, I
overheard the following snippet from the table opposite...
"Oh David's going for the swordfish. You'll eat anything won't you
David?"
"I suppose so [puffs chest out], I don't have any food prejudices."
Food prejudices. Great. So, eating a threatened species of fish is a
virtue to this guy is it? I suppose I'd be like some kind of Nazi for
thinking that's best avoided am I? What with all my Food Prejudices
and stuff.
And then he goes...
"When I went on a survival expedition we ate all kinds of things."
And his friend says...
"What, so would you even eat cats and dogs?"
Am I missing something? Surely cats and dogs are not in trouble as
species are they?
I dunno, it's a Monday mystery to Buckley. What say you?
Posted by Julia Buckley at 5:54 PM
animal collective was great at sssport
Animal Collective was great at SSSport | Ra Ra Riot Up Next
Summer's here with all it's free show glory - and as long as the rain
holds off I'll be out there. I already skipped out on Television last
weekend to duck into FAO to keep dry. Damn rain. Damn giant floor
piano.
I was never a huge fan of Animal Collective after a miserable Bowery
Ballroom show a couple years ago, but fell for them completely when
they hit the South Street Seaport recently. I'd almost be tempted to
go to their next show if it wasn't at Webster and wasn't 20 bucks. At
least I'll have Panda Bear this Saturday. Maybe that's why I liked
Animal Collective so much this time: they seemed to take more a step
in Person Pitch's direction.
The next SSSport, that's urbandictionary-speak for South Street
Seaport, you fogies, is June 29th's Ra Ra Riot first show since the
tragic loss of their drummer. I'll be heading home that weekend, but I
wish i could be there. My buds in Sam Champion are opening too.
weirdest animal part 2
Weirdest Animal - Part 2
Click here to see Weirdest Animal - Part 1
Axolotl
The Axolotl (or ajolote) (Ambystoma mexicanum) is the best-known of
the Mexican neotenic mole salamanders belonging to the Tiger
Salamander complex. Larvae of this species fail to undergo
metamorphosis, so the adults remain aquatic and gilled. The species
originates from the lake underlying Mexico City . Axolotls are used
extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate
most body parts, ease of breeding, and large embryos. They are
commonly kept as pets in the United States , Great Britain , Australia
, Japan (where they are sold under the name Wooper Rooper, and other
countries. Axolotls should not be confused with waterdogs, the larval
stage of the closely related Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum and
Ambystoma mavortium), which is widespread in much of North America
which also occasionally become neotenic, nor with mudpuppies (Necturus
spp.), fully aquatic salamanders which are unrelated to the axolotl
but which bear a superficial resemblance.
Aye-aye
The Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a strepsirrhine native
to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth with a long, thin middle
finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker. It is the
world's largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unique
method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws
holes in the wood and inserts its elongated middle finger to pull the
grubs out. Daubentonia is the only genus in the family Daubentoniidae
and infraorder Chiromyiformes. The Aye-aye is the only extant member
of the genus (although it is currently an endangered species); a
second species (Daubentonia robusta) was exterminated over the last
few centuries.
Alpaca
The Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American
camelid developed from the wild alpacas. It resembles a sheep in
appearance, but is larger and has a long erect neck as well as coming
in many colors, whereas sheep are generally bred to be white and
black.
Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes
of Ecuador, southern Peru , northern Bolivia , and northern Chile at
an altitude of 3500 to 5000 meters above sea-level, throughout the
year. Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike them
are not used as beasts of burden but are valued only for their fiber.
Alpacas only have fleece fibers, not woolen fibers, used for making
knitted and woven items much as sheeps wool is. These items include
blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles
and ponchos in South America , and sweaters, socks and coats in other
parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as
classified in Peru , 12 as classified in Australia and 22 as
classified in America .
Tarsier
Tarsiers are prosimian primates of the genus Tarsius, a monotypic
genus in the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family
within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. The phylogenetic position of
extant tarsiers within the order Primates has been debated for much of
the past century, and tarsiers have alternately been classified with
strepsirrhine primates in the suborder Prosimii, or as the sister
group to the simians (=Anthropoidea) in the infraorder Haplorrhini.
Analysis of SINE insertions, a type of macromutation to the DNA, is
argued to offer very persuasive evidence for the monophyly of
Haplorrhini, where other lines of evidence, such as DNA sequence data,
had remained ambiguous. Thus, some systematists argue that the debate
is conclusively settled in favor of a monophyletic Haplorrhini.
Tarsiers have enormous eyes and long feet. Their feet have extremely
elongated tarsus bones, which is how they got their name. They are
primarily insectivorous, and catch insects by jumping at them. They
are also known to prey on birds and snakes. As they jump from tree to
tree, tarsiers can catch even birds in motion. Gestation takes about
six months, and tarsiers give birth to single offspring. All tarsier
species are nocturnal in their habits, but like many nocturnal
organisms some individuals may show more or less activity during the
daytime. Unlike many nocturnal animals, however, tarsiers lack a
light-reflecting area (tapetum lucidum) of the eye.
Dumbo Octopus
The octopuses of the genus Grimpoteuthis are sometimes nicknamed
"Dumbo octopuses" from the ear-like fins protruding from the top of
their "heads" (actually bodies), resembling the ears of Walt Disney's
flying elephant. They are benthic creatures, living at extreme depths,
and are some of the rarest of the Octopoda species.
Frill-necked Lizard
The Frill-necked Lizard, or Frilled Lizard also known as the Frilled
Dragon, (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is so called because of the large ruff
of skin which usually lies folded back against its head and neck. The
neck frill is supported by long spines of cartilage, and when the
lizard is frightened, it gapes its mouth showing a bright pink or
yellow lining, and the frill flares out, displaying bright orange and
red scales. The frill may also aid in thermoregulation.
They may grow up to one metre in total length. They often walk
quadrupedally when on the ground. When frightened they begin to run on
all-fours and then accelerate onto the hind-legs. In Australia , the
frill-necked lizard is also known as the "bicycle lizard" because of
this behaviour. Males are significantly larger than females both as
juveniles and when mature. The frill of the Australian frilled dragon
is used to frighten off potential predators - as well as hissing and
lunging. If this fails to ward off the threat, the lizard flees
bipedally to a nearby tree where it climbs to the top and relies on
camouflage to keep it hidden.
Narwhal
The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is an Arctic species of cetacean. It
is a creature rarely found south of latitude 70�N. It is one of two
species of white whale in the Monodontidae family (the other is the
beluga whale). It is possibly also related to the Irrawaddy dolphin.
The English name narwhal is derived from the Dutch name narwal which
in turn comes from the Danish narhval which is based on the Old Norse
word nar, meaning "corpse." This is a reference to the animal's
colour. The narwhal is also commonly known as the Moon Whale. In some
parts of the world, the Narwhal is colloquially referred to as a
"reamfish."
Sucker-footed Bat
The Madagascar Sucker-footed Bat, Old World Sucker-footed Bat, or
Sucker-footed Bat (Myzopoda aurita and Myzopoda schliemanni) is a
species of bat in the Myzopodidae family.
Pygmy Marmoset
The Pygmy Marmoset (Callithrix (Cebuella) pygmaea) is a monkey native
to the rainforest canopies of western Brazil , southeastern Colombia ,
eastern Ecuador , and eastern Peru . It is one of the smallest
primates, with its body length ranging from 14-16 cm (excluding the
15-20 cm tail) and the smallest monkey. Males weigh around 140 g (5
ounces), and females only 120 g ( 4.2 ounces).
TDespite its name, the Pygmy Marmoset is somewhat different from the
typical marmosets classified in genus Callithrix. As such, it is
accorded its own subgenus, which was formerly recognized as its own
genus, Cebuella.
TThe Pygmy Marmoset has a tawny coat, and a ringed tail that can be as
long as its body. Their claws are specially adapted for climbing
trees, a trait unique to the species. They are omnivorous, feeding on
fruit, leaves, insects, and sometimes even small reptiles. Much of
their diet, however, comes from tapping trees for sap. Up to
two-thirds of their time is spent gouging tree bark to reach the gummy
sap. The Pygmy Marmoset has specialized incisors for gouging holes in
bark. Unfortunately, because of its small size, and its swift
movements, it is very hard to observe in the wild. In captivity, the
Pygmy Marmoset can live up to 11 years.
Blobfish
The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is a fish that inhabits the deep
waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania . Due to the
inaccessibility of its habitat, it is rarely seen by humans.
Blobfish are found at depths where the pressure is several dozens of
times higher than at sea level, which would likely make gas bladders
inefficient. To remain buoyant, the flesh of the blobfish is primarily
a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows
the fish to float above the sea floor without expending energy on
swimming.. The relative lack of muscle is not a disadvantage as it
primarily swallows edible matter that floats by in front it.
Platypus
The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal
endemic to eastern Australia , including Tasmania . Together with the
four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of
monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to
live young. It is the sole living representative of its family
(Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of
related species have been found in the fossil record.
The bizarre appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed mammal baffled
naturalists when it was first discovered, with some considering it an
elaborate fraud. It is one of the few venomous mammals; the male
Platypus has a spur on the hind foot which delivers a poison capable
of causing severe pain to humans. The unique features of the Platypus
make it an important subject in the study of evolutionary biology and
a recognizable and iconic symbol of Australia ; it has appeared as a
mascot at national events and is featured on the reverse of the
Australian 20 cent coin.
Until the early 20th century it was hunted for its fur, but it is now
protected throughout its range. Although captive breeding programs
have had only limited success and the Platypus is vulnerable to the
effects of pollution, it is not under any immediate threat.
Shoebill
The Shoebill, Balaeniceps rex also known as Whalehead is a very large
bird related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive
shoe-shaped bill.
The Shoebill is a very large bird, averaging 1.2 m (4 ft) tall, 5..6
kg (12.3 lbs) and 2.33 m (7.7 ft) across the wings. The adult is
mainly grey, the juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical east
Africa, in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia .
The Shoebill was added rather recently to the ornithological lists;
the species was only discovered in the 19th century when some skins
were brought to Europe . It was not until years later that live
specimens reached the scientific community. The bird was known to both
ancient Egyptians and Arabs however. There exist Egyptian images
depicting the Shoebill while the Arabs referred to the bird as abu
markub, which means one with a shoe. Clearly, this refers to the
striking bill.
Yeti Crab
Kiwa hirsuta is a crustacean discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific
Ocean . This decapod, which is approximately 15 cm (6 inches) long, is
notable for the quantity of silky blond setae (resembling fur)
covering its pereiopods (thoracic legs, including claws). Its
discoverers dubbed it the "yeti lobster" or "yeti crab"[2].
K. hirsuta was discovered in March 2005 by a group organised by Robert
Vrijenhoek of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Monterey
, California , using the submarine DSV Alvin, operating from RV
Atlantis[3]. The discovery was announced on the 7th of March, 2006. It
was found 1,500 km (900 miles) south of Easter Island in the South
Pacific, at a depth of 2,200 m (7,200 feet), living on hydrothermal
vents along the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge[4]. Based on both morphology
and molecular data, the species was deemed to form a new genus and
family (Kiwaidae). The animal has strongly reduced eyes that lack
pigment, and is thought to be blind.
The 'hairy' pincers contain filamentous bacteria, which the creature
may use to detoxify poisonous minerals from the water emitted by the
hydrothermal vents where it lives. Alternatively, it may feed on the
bacteria, although it is thought to be a general carnivore[2]. Its
diet also consists of green algae and small shrimp.
animal instincts
Animal Instincts
I love animals. They can sense your mood. When I'm sad, the Mede gets
up in my lap, gives me a belly rub (gently kneading), and then curls
up on my chest to nuzzle me just below the chin. I can hug her and
pull her into me and she sits there patiently. When I am feeling
better, she knows, and gets up and awaits her thanks: food.
If I were to try and just hug her like that normally, she'd be one
ticked ball of fur and claws (not that she ever hurts--but she lets
you know her...preferences). She's just a generous enough being to
disengage her well developed dignity long enough to ensure I am a
ancient babylonian animal artwork
Ancient Babylonian animal artwork
A view of some of the animal figures built-into the walls along this
absolute scum
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hybrid human animal embryos heralding
Hybrid Human-Animal Embryos: Heralding the Age of Frankenstenic Science?
Frankenstein: Stuff of fiction, or a fore-boding of what is to come?
As a teenager, one of my favorite past times was reading science
fiction horror, and one of the more indelible impressions of such
science fiction tales was the story of Frankenstein, written by Mary
Shelly. It was one of the more classic science horror stuff, and some
would think that its relevance towards DNA research, cloning and other
scientific advancements may be a glimpse into the future of scary
science: Creating a human, hybrid-like creature in the mould of the
fictional Frankenstein.
Types of Hybrid Embryos
With the dramatic advancement of DNA and other biological fields,
science has progressed in leaps and bounds. Genetically altered plants
and crops have been successfully replicated, and organs of humans have
also been successfully harvested in animals.
The Creationist Scientist: Wacky, Nutty, and Fruity, and nothing much
in between.
In light of such medical scares, perhaps it may be prudent to at least
alleviate the fears of people who may harbor unnecessary prejudice
against people who do real science, not some quacks who don white
coats and hide behind Creationist-related pseudoscience.
Basically, there are two types of genetically-altered embryos:
1. True hybrids:
Creatures created by the fusion of sperm and eggs, involving human
DNA. Such a creation would, theoretically at least, throw in some
controversial debates, and thus remain outlawed. In all cases, it
remains illegal to allow hybrid embryos to grow for more than 14 days
or for them to be implanted in a womb, after which, they are to be
destroyed.
As controversial as this sounds, I dare venture to say that this may
not be a bad thing. Imagine the good it would do to humanity if humans
possess certain genes that may help enhance our capabilities, say,
humans who can swim by breathing through gills (without the side
effects, of course).
2. Animal-human hybrid embryos
This is a far less controversial research route: Scientists take DNA
from human cells and place it in animal eggs, which have had most of
their genetic material removed. Embryos grown from the eggs contain
more than 99% human DNA, with remnants of animal DNA of the originator
of the embryo. Once the embryos have been grown in the lab - for no
longer than 14 days - scientists can harvest stem cells for research.
Why Hybrid Embryos?
Perhaps due to the religious stigma attached to embryonic research,
there exists a severe shortage of human embryos available from donors
for the sole purpose of stem cell research.
By harvesting animal embryos (Which are in plentiful supply, and
curiously, something which "pro-lifers" never complain about), the
immense potential to culture abundant embryonic cells for stem cell
research would negate this urgent need for human embryos.
The Pressing Need For Developing Stem Cell Research
As a testimony to the wonders of Science and Medicine, our advances in
medicinal science has dramatically increased the lifespan of the
average human being.
With the increased lifespan, however, came unforeseen problems: As the
population ages, diseases that would never have surfaced as a
potential pandemic have began to crop up: Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and
other erstwhile mental diseases that deal a severe blow mainly to the
elderly populaces will have a significant effect to the elderly, as
well as the younger generation tasked with the inevitable burden of
looking after the aged.
In light of this emerging social problem, it is imperative that
advances in the field of medical research, particularly stem cell
research, be accelerated to cure or at least eliminate some of these
age-related diseases.
Fear Mongers Amongst the Fundamentalist Breed?
There have been concerns raised, particularly from the religious and
fundamentalist breed, that such advances in biomedical research would
somehow be a sacrilegious act, and that Man, as God's creation, should
never be allowed to play "God".
The Evil Doctor: Playing the role of "God" by curing those that God
intends to wrought his wrath.
That kind of argument is dubious, however. By that logic, whenever a
child falls ill from disease, we should never bring him or her to the
doctor, because as doctors go, their job is to cure patients or at the
very least, alleviate pain. Visiting doctors would then be tantamount
to blasphemy, since the purpose of the child's disease, which has been
afflicted upon the child, would be to bestow upon him or her death
and/or suffering.
Rather than be embroiled by such silly arguments, the real ethics of
embryonic research should be geared towards responsible, life-saving
research. Resorting to archaic, religious values to denounce real
science is kind of like playing water ducky with the microscope.
While there may be real medical and ethical implications for creating
adult hybrids, the scientific community cannot be allowed to be
handbook of animal anatomy
Handbook of Animal Anatomy
lion head anatomy views
lion - anterior anatomical view
lion - lateral skeleton
cow head views
cow - anatomical view - muscles
cow - dorsal skeletal views
dog - anatomical views of head
dog - 2 anterior views (anatomy)
dog - lateral skeletal view
goat and deer head anatomy
goat crainial anatomy
goat - lateral skeleton view
horse - anatomical views of head
equine anatomy hooves
horse - posterior anatomical views
[click for greatly enlarged versions]
These images come from "the classic works of the German veterinary
anatomists, Wilhelm Ellenberger and Hermann Baum, and medical
illustrator, Hermann Dittrich. The texts, from which these
illustrations were derived, are works published in 1898 and 1911
through 1925, all entitled 'Handbuch der Anatomie der Tiere f�r
K�nstler' which can be translated as Handbook (or Atlas) of Animal
Anatomy for Artists" and are online at the University of Wisconsin -
Madison Botany Department Teaching Collection. There are about eighty
images in total relating to the lion, goat, horse, deer, dog and cow.
About half of the above images had physical hole-punch watermarks
animal blessing day 2005
Animal Blessing Day (2005)
The Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi falls on 4th Oct every year. For
those who are non-Catholics, St. Francis is the patron saint of
animals and the environment. I will get to go to church on this very
special day once every year to receive my blessings from the priests.
They will bless me in the name of St Francis and God and they will
pray for me to have a long, healthy and loving life with my owners.
That's so wonderful! I really look forward to this big day every year
with anxious anticipation. Sharon, Jules and Karen brought me there.
There were so many animals this year! And there was also a mini
funfair with stalls selling doggie products. We decided not to buy any
products for my indulgence as we also wanted to remember the homeless
strays and unwanted pets at SPCA. But, I was so excited when I saw a
Cesar stall (my favourite food)! Karen went up there as she was hoping
to see Chin Ru (the nice lady at Cesar who gave me a prize some time
back). But unfortunately, Chin Ru was not there. What a pity! I was
looking forward to seeing her and offering her my paw as a sign of
friendship! Anyway, the wonderful people at Cesar were giving away a
free packet of Cesar, so Karen took one for me as my present!
Anyway, here are some photos that Sharon took of this very special day
(Sharon was the photographer this year). There's one of Br. Rowland
and Tricks (the church beagle). Tricks got to wear a doggie version of
the Franciscan habit; I think he looks stunning! The next one shows
Jules carrying me. Actually, Jules was carrying the front part of me
and Karen was carrying my backside (but she's hidden from view in this
shot)! How embarrassing! I think I've gained to much weight over the
past year, Jules cannot carry me alone now without any help! When the
priests saw me being carried by two people, they were trying very hard
to suppress their laughter! Gee, I guess I must appear to look very
comical...the 3rd photo shows Br. Justin (who blessed me) conducting a
blessing and the final shot shows more animals getting blessed by Brs.
William, Justin and Fr. Clifford.
The lucky animals (like me) had the chance go to church with our
loving owners on this very special day to receive our blessings. But,
there are many more out there who are not as fortunate as us and many
of my friends are out there under the scorching sun and pouring rain
with no food to eat. Some of my buddies are also at the SPCA awaiting
to be adopted. They were all either lost or abandoned and no one came
forward to claim them. If you wish to buy a dog, please consider
adopting on of my pals from the SPCA or Action For S'pore Dogs. The
fellas at the SPCA aren't that fortunate and for most of them who do
not get adopted within a specific period of time, they are put to
sleep to resolve them of their heartache, pain and misery. That's
really tragic for many of my canine friends out there have so much
love and loyalty to offer to the world! All they ask for is an owner
who would give them lots of love and a good home! That's not too much
to ask for, isn't it? In memory of my departed doggie friends at the
SPCA, I wish that they have found the peace, serenity and love that
they had been searching for in Doggie Heaven. And for those of my
stray buddies, I will continue to pray that they will be able to
survive out there in the open; hopefully, not for the rest of their
lives as I sincerely wish that they will be able to find good homes
2007_06_01_archive
Kansas City
Steven Holl's addition to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas
City opened yesterday. I grew up a few blocks away. In April, I made a
video of the Walter De Maria pool lighting the parking lot below.
Posted by Claire at 10:17 AM 0 comments
Labels: Kansas City, museums, video
Friday, June 8, 2007
Sharon Osmond, Jasper Bernes, Elizabeth Marie Young, Kristen Yawitz
Xantippe Reading Saturday Night at Pegasus Books. More info here. Go
see Sharon Osmond. She is amazing.
My last day of school.
Finishing Great Jones Street I found pages written by one who had lost
language. A fictional drug possibly developed by the government to
take language away from those who cause trouble. See Saturday, June
2nd.
Posted by Claire at 7:27 AM 1 comments
Labels: correspondences, readings
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Great Jones Street 2
Savoring the end of Great Jones Street. It wants to be a really bad
movie in my head. I want to read the DeLillo plays.
Good sentence: "I picked up the telephone and listened to the dial
tone, music of a dead universe."
Now most of us don't even hear it.
"A touch of comic paranoia, I thought. One disguise covering another.
The touring clown doubly self-effaced."
The narrator, the rock star experiencing privacy, frequently fades
into the background while speaking in his own voice. We get the meta
DeLillo narrator talking our ear off, then a little bit of Bucky
Wunderlick jumps in to remind us who he is:
"They will study us not by digging into the earth but by climbing vast
dunes of industrial rubble and mutilated steel, seeking to reach the
tops of our buildings. Here they'll chip lovingly at our spires,
mansards, turrets, parapets, belfries, water tanks, flower pots,
pigeon lofts and chimneys.
"I turned south on Broadway."
Wunderlick interjects with his "I" then a new paragraph begins,
similar to that above. I love those moments. We're steered through the
story with sentences borrowed from reality. Diction changes from
matter-of-fact to wildly repetitive, invented slang, real slang. A
character's thought can take up a page. The response to it may be one
word. This is how the rhythm balances itself.
Posted by Claire at 12:32 PM 0 comments
Labels: reading
Monday, June 4, 2007
Monday, June 4, 2007
Posted by Claire at 3:29 PM 0 comments
Labels: news
Saturday, June 2, 2007
It is the human that is the alien
It is the human that is the alien,
The human that has no cousin in the moon.
It is the human that demands his speech
From beasts or from the incommunicable mass.
-from Wallace Stevens, "Less and Less Human, O Savage Spirit"
This reminds me of Josh telling me that in The Pervert's Guide to
Cinema Slavoj Zizek says language is alien to us. We shove it in our
youngsters' ears, otherwise it wouldn't be in their throats. And if
you know people who are naturally nonverbal, you get to see that
language is not the only way to be human. Which is kind of insane
after you spend years writing and reading poetry. One of my nonverbal
students leaned over and puked on the floor next to his desk and then
he said "Health Services," two words I have never heard him say. He
prefers not to talk. Language is purely functional for him. He can
express his needs. He can "play" with one meaningless phrase, like the
name of a radio station, repeating it for months without making any
syntactical substitutions or changing intonation. Through him I've
learned there is thinking without thought. There's spatial thinking,
desire thinking, movement planning...My thinking of how to relate to
one who doesn't have language is observational, experimental,
repetitive, at its best I guess it's wordless. Stevens poem hopes that
god is nonverbal and that he cannot hear us. Our speech makes us
alien. It's great to be alien sometimes. Sometimes we can be our
animal selves silent with the natural world. But once we're infected
with speech, we can't get rid of it. We could try to take it from our
children. I don't think we should.
Less and Less Human, O Savage Spirit
If there must be a god in the house, must be,
Saying things in the rooms and on the stair,
Let him move as the sunlight moves on the floor,
Or moonlight, silently, as Plato's ghost
Or Aristotle's skeleton. Let him hang out
His stars on the wall. He must dwell quietly.
He must be incapable of speaking, closed,
as those are: as light, for all its motion, is,
As color, even the closest to us, is;
As shapes, though they portend us, are.
It is the human that is the alien,
The human that has no cousin in the moon.
It is the human that demands his speech
From beasts or from the incommunicable mass.
If there must be a god in the house, let him be one
That will not hear us when we speak: a coolness,
A vermilioned nothingness, any stick of the mass
Of which we are too distantly a part.
Posted by Claire at 12:10 PM 3 comments
Labels: alien, human, Stevens
animal vegetable mystical
Just substitute buttermilk for yogurt -- or make it exactly the
way it says.
2:45 PM
Blogger Sam said...
i am surprised my mum hasnt popped by to tell you about
strawberry soup, although what would be funnier still would be
to hear my ex boyfriend doing an impression of my mum talking
about the strawberry soup. Thank goodness he's my ex.
3:12 PM
Blogger cookiecrumb said...
Sam: Oh, come on. Let's have it. You can do it. (Or is it all
about accents?)
PS: Fatted Calf with Guy tomorrow, 8:30 -- love to see you.
3:21 PM
Blogger shuna fish lydon said...
I've made tomato SORBET!
Which means a tomato is a fruit. Although I've also made
rhubarb consomme and rhubarb is not a fruit.
yer always startin' truble.
3:33 PM
Blogger cookiecrumb said...
Shuna: No, YOU are! I want those recipes.
xxx
3:38 PM
Blogger Sarah said...
Nutritionally tomatoes are vegetables, biologically, they are
fruit, gastronomically, well, that's up to you...
Over here in Korea, tomatoes definitely fall to the fruit end
of the spectrum, with cherry tomatoes appearing on top of cakes
next to strawberries and melon. They also make a great smoothie
with melon.
1:00 AM
Blogger Urban Vegan said...
A tomato by any other name would taste as good.
10:05 AM
Blogger Lannae said...
Wow, is that your tomato plant? NICE! Congratulations on a
beautiful plant and photo! I have no sun, and no tomatoes. BUT,
I got sources!
12:38 PM
Blogger cookiecrumb said...
Sarah: That's just remarkable. I'm a little dumbfounded because
we just don't treat them like fruit in the US. Thanks for the
eye-opener.
UV: And don't take mine away!
Lannae: That is indeed my cherry tomato plant. I have three
others, and I think I'll buy two more tomorrow. I finally have
sun and space for growing, yay.
2:12 PM
Blogger ChrisB said...
Blueberry soup sound interesting. We chose strawberry soup at
Beccy's wedding reception- not everyone liked it but I did.
2:55 PM
Blogger cookiecrumb said...
ChrisB: Aw, dammit. If I didn't already have so much food in
the house already, I'd get some strawberries. Sounds good.
3:56 PM
Blogger Sam said...
see - I knew she'd come by and tell you about the strawberry
soup - didn't I warn you??? She didnt read my comment,
obviously. Today was a rare day when I didn't go to the market
because I went to cooking school instead. So I am sorry I
missed you all :(
By the way the impression was to do with the accent but also a
bit of story. Well, remind me and I will tell you the story
when I next see you.
6:31 PM
Blogger Holler said...
Thanks for the recipe cookiecrumb!
I will probably try it with yoghurt, as I can't always get hold
of buttermilk! I have saved the recipe and will let you know
how I get on!
4:32 AM
Blogger cookiecrumb said...
Sam: You called it! (Oh, the trouble it gives me, juggling the
three of you.)
xx
3:54 PM
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dawn of animal vision discovered
Dawn Of Animal Vision Discovered
When skeptics of evolution attack Darwin's well founded theory they
often point to the complexity of the human eye. "How could random
mutation and natural selection account for such a complex organism as
the human eye", they argue. "How could the separate parts come
together through this process, since none of these parts on their own
make vision possible?"
Well, some scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara
have come up with the answer.
The findings are published in this week's issue of the scientific
journal PLoS ONE. The scientists studied the aquatic animal Hydra, a
member of Cnidaria, which are animals that have existed for hundreds
of millions of years. The authors are the first scientists to look at
light-receptive genes in cnidarians, an ancient class of animals that
includes corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones.
"Not only are we the first to analyze these vision genes (opsins) in
these early animals, but because we don't find them in earlier
evolving animals like sponges, we can put a date on the evolution of
light sensitivity in animals," said David C. Plachetzki, first author
and a graduate student at UC Santa Barbara. The research was conducted
with a National Science Foundation dissertation improvement grant.
"We now have a time frame for the evolution of animal light
sensitivity. We know its precursors existed roughly 600 million years
ago," said Plachetzki.
Senior author Todd H. Oakley, assistant professor of biology at UCSB,
explained that there are only a handful of cases where scientists have
documented the very specific mutational events that have given rise to
new features during evolution.
Oakley said that anti-evolutionists often argue that mutations, which
are essential for evolution, can only eliminate traits and cannot
produce new features. He goes on to say, "Our paper shows that such
claims are simply wrong. We show very clearly that specific mutational
changes in a particular duplicated gene (opsin) allowed the new genes
to interact with different proteins in new ways. Today, these
different interactions underlie the genetic machinery of vision, which
is different in various animal groups."
penguins
Penguins
Did you know there are between 16 and 19 varieties of Penguins? The
exact number is still being debated today. Contrary to popular belief,
not all Penguins live in bitterly cold climates. In fact, a few
species live in the tropics. Most of the larger species, such as the
Emperor Penguin, which averages 3.6 feet, live in colder climates,
while smaller species live in warmer areas. Penguins are one species
that many people believe exhibit proof that animals feel emotion. When
a mother Penguin loses a chick, due to harsh conditions or predators,
she will often try to steal a chick away from another Penguin mother.
Scientists who have studied this behavior believe that its is not an
instinctual response, but rather an emotional response to losing its
young. Penguins took a spotlight in Hollywood in 2005, after the
documentary March of the Penguins was released and won an Oscar.
Penguinardo da Fishy
Antarctic Under
Northern Lights Penguins
dennis kucinich animal rights webcast
Dennis Kucinich animal rights webcast
Today's roundtable discussion with activists Dr. Elliot Katz, Alex
Hershaft, Chris Derose, and Alex Pacheco was the first in a series
hosted by Dennis Kucinich called "Dialogue for Democracy. Dennis
dicusses veganism, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and more. "
supreme court in india bans bull
Supreme Court in India Bans Bull Fighting
Good for them.
The Supreme Court today refused permission to hold the over
four-century-old 'Jallikattu' event or bull fight that attracts
thousands of people during Pongal harvest festival in Tamil Nadu,
saying it was "barbaric" and amounted to cruelty against animals.
"We cannot continue with such event if it is barbaric .... We cannot
allow any event involving cruelty towards the animals," a Bench headed
hogzilla and amazing battle of kruger
Hogzilla and the Amazing Battle of Kruger Park
When I first heard that an 11-year-old had gunned down a humongous
Hogzilla in the backwoods of Alabama at first I was elated. I thought
the monstrous porker Dick Cheney had been involved in another hunting
accident....and had followed Jerry Falwell to Hog Heaven.You have to
admit the resemblance is striking.
But then I was disappointed.
A pig the size of a hatchback has been reported shot dead by an
11-year-old boy using a pistol.
And then disgusted....
Jamison, an accomplished hunter who killed his first deer at the age
of five.....said that he shot the animal eight times with a .50calibre
revolver and chased it for three hours through hilly woods before
finishing it off with a point-blank shot..
I wondered who was more dangerous the pig or the kid. Or whether it
was a hoax
"That's not a pig, it's a dinosaur. No way that's a
naturally-occurring hog. That, or the kid is 2ft tall."
If the story is true, it's hard to know what's more worrying, a 9ft
pig or an 11-year-old serial animal killer with a deadly aim.
I don't know but I suggest we send the kid to Baghdad mounted on a
giant porker...or Cheney... and see if that works.
But seriously that's why I prefer to hunt animals with a camera...
Even if it's just the swan in our pond.
Or these fearsome invaders...
The B-52s of flying poopers. Or the Animal Farm version of that old
neocon nightmare and hallucination: the single mother on welfare...
But if you want to see a really amazing animal story you should check
out this incredible amateur video of a fight between a buffalo herd, a
pride of lions, and two alligators at Kruger National Park in South
Africa.
And don't worry...it may not look good for a while....but baby gets
away alive...
Isn't that amazing? There's something noble about about those big dumb
creatures fighting back even though they're scared out of their tiny
minds. Isn't that a magic moment when the prey turn on the predators?
Aren't I lucky to live in peaceful civilized Canada?
Now all I've got to remember is that if Stephen Harper and his
ReformCons ever get a majority government they'll turn this country
into a jungle...
If Dick Cheney gets his way he'll turn the world into a battlefield A
world of predators and prey.
peta pickets cockfighting in
PETA Pickets Cockfighting in Philippines
And the solemnity of the occasion was only broken by some guy in a
chicken costume.
Animal rights activists on Tuesday picketed the venue of an
international cockfighting derby in the Philippines, calling for a ban
on the "cruel blood sport."The demonstrators from the People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) were led by one member dressed in
a yellow chicken costume. They held banners that read "Small Men Hurt
Little Birds. Ban Cockfighting!"
"While other countries have banned cockfighting or are cracking down
on the cruel bloody sport, the Philippines' image is being tainted
internationally for allowing animals to be tortured in the name of
sport," PETA said in a statement.
Enough with the costumes already. I know it gets attention, but it
just seems silly.
Now the Spaniards, they protest buck naked. But don't get your hopes
2007_04_01_archive
The NimROD Look And Feel
Hi people,
I don't write since a long time, but now there is a great thing to
write about it: the NimROD Look And Feel.
Recently I downloaded and configured my NetBeans to work with it. I
dog names cultural differences
Dog Names: The Cultural Differences
I've never given much thought to naming my pets--the names just seem
to come out then stick. I've had cats named Strider (yeah, I'm an LOTR
fan) and Chowder. For years, my daughter said, "When we get another
cat, I'm going to name it [insert weird name here]", but she decided
on Meeko when the time finally came.
When I was growing up, we had dogs named Melody and Tammy (a samoyed,
similar to the dog in the pic). I've no idea if those two names were
ever popular, but they don't come close to making today's list. Here
are the top ten dog names in the US and UK. Searched for a Canadian
list, but to no avail:
United States
Max
Bailey
Buddy
Molly
Maggie
Lucy
Daisy
Bella
Jake
Rocky
United Kingdom
Max
Ben
Buster
Tyson
Lady
Jack
Sam
Charlie
Molly
Tara
When it comes to naming pets, it appears most of us aren't all that
original. Both lists feature strong male names and feminine female
names. There are Maxs and Mollys on both sides of the pond, and the
only difference I can see is that there are more male dogs in the UK
than in the US. And despite its popularity, I've never met a dog named
2005_04_01_archive
Unstuffed Lamb, Frog, Pink Poodle, Golden Retriever or Lab Pup, and Elephant
Kits.
New spring unstuffed animal kits have arrived. They make the perfect
Calico Cat Stuffed Animal Kits make your own plush stuffed animal with
this 15 Inch Calico Cat Unstuffed Plush Animal kit.$19.95Add to Cart
Lamb Stuffed Animal Kits make your own plush stuffed animal with this
15 Inch Lamb Unstuffed Plush Animal kit.$19.95Add to Cart
Frog Stuffed Animal Kits make your own plush stuffed animal with this
15 Inch Frog Unstuffed Plush Animal kit.$19.95Add to Cart
Pink Poodle Stuffed Animal Kits make your own plush stuffed animal
with this 15 Inch Pink Poodle Unstuffed Plush Animal kit.$19.95Add to
Cart
Elephant Stuffed Animal Kits make your own plush stuffed animal with
this 15 Inch Elephant Unstuffed Plush Animal kit.$19.95Add to Cart
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
hidden animal ingredients in your soup
Hidden animal ingredients in your soup and sauces and snacks
Those hidden animal ingredients are just lurking, lurking in all sorts
of foods, keeping us almost vegetarians, whether we want to be almost
or not.
But no worries.
Because, once again, we invited Lesley back to tell us about liquid
hazards to our vegetarian diets.
And don't forget, you just have to click here to enter the contest for
your chance to win a really good variety of natural skincare,
haircare, and face care products.
Yesterday, Lesley told us about gelatin. Today, she has graciously
agreed to tell us about liquid hazards.
Stock and broth
Dead critter juice seems to be a popular seasoning for a lot of
pre-packaged and processed foods. I'm not sure why it's so prevalent,
but I assume that it's at least partly due to the abundance of source
material for this by-product.
* Some ramen noodles (as if the sodium weren't bad enough)
* Various chips and snack foods such as K.C. Masterpiece Baked Lays
and other barbeque flavored snacks.
* Many Asian sauces, including Ponzu and oyster sauces (it's not
like an oyster cracker--there's actually oyster broth in there)
* Stove Top stuffing
* Soups and sauces such as A-1 Steak Sauce and onion soups. Animal
stocks are very popular soup bases.
* Mexican rice and other packaged rice blends (this includes that
orange stuff on the side at your favorite Tex-Mex joint, too).
* * * * *
Want even more information about the hidden animal ingredients in your
food? Then stay tuned because tomorrow and Thursday, we're going to
look at everything from cheese to anchovies.
Oh, and hey, don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a
box crammed full of really nice, natural, skin care, hair care, and
face care products.
xbox and future of social animal
Xbox and the future of the social animal
Imagine a place that mixed Facebook, World of Warcraft, Second Life,
podcasting, video, Twitter and Skype.
Such a place would be a magnet for already huge and seriously
interactive communities online.
Such a place would be of interest to Chris Kimble, David Grimshaw and
Paul Hildreth who have already shown that the online context is
important.
What I am suggesting is context that would be hyper rich and more
important that other places to go.
Such a rich environment would be very important because, as Elizabeth
Shove, and Alan Warde at Lancaster University note, social theorists
maintain that `people define themselves through the messages they
transmit to others through the goods and practices that they possess
and display. In an environment of games, avatars and Facebook-like
display added to a wide range of channels for spoken, music, video as
well as text communication, people will be able to satisfy their
deeply embedded human needs online like never before.
That is why I think that the Microsoft announcement a couple of weeks
ago is so important.
Microsoft is to add a social network element to Xbox. It potential
offers a mix and match of sensations that are now only speculative.
This has the potential to mash the real and virtual person in a
fashion we are not really prepared for.
People, that's us, manipulate and manage appearances and thereby
create and sustain a `self-identity' as part of their need to be
effective as social animals. Its part of our DNA.
This is part of the evolution of the human species.
These new developments offer a real and virtual combination.
In an answer to the question: "What sort of person is s/he?" will
shortly be answered in terms of a combined real and virtual lifestyle
or visible attachment to groups rather than by personal virtues or
characteristics alone and on a globally networked scale.
In such an environment, the many selves and the picture of the world
we modify through inputs from our senses hark back to Featherstone who
in 1991 reflected upon the tendency for the same individual to seek to
present him or herself on different occasions in two or more ways, as
bohemian and conventional or as romantic or formal and now, as the
internet evolves, there a possibility to do so in many manifest ways
in hyper virtual worlds.
It is an extension of a not uncommon practice we have see online for a
couple of decades but now it will be much more dramatic, entertaining,
emotionally absorbing and above all infective across the whole online
experience.
This is futureology, guess work and musings.
Why would people do this? Why should sane people spend hours gazing at
a computer screen? Why should people be engrossed in blogs, social
networks and games?
There is a deep itch in our human make up that make such activities
compelling. In our millions we already do it. But add even greater
richness - a step change as great as from Newsgroups to blogs, to
MySpace to Second Life and it seems that such change is inevitable.
Perhaps the big question for us now, is: dare we think of such things
and be, just a little prepared, - well - Just in case.
rabbi wants to renew animal sacrifice
Rabbi Wants to Renew Animal Sacrifice
Animal sacrifices should be renewed on the Temple Mount, a member of
the radical Sanhedrin organization told Ynetnews.
In ancient Israel and Judea, the Sanhedrin served as the highest court
in the land, and was made up of 71 top judges. Now, a group of fringe
rabbis say they have reformed the group, although the organization has
received no recognition from Israel's official religious authorities.
"In the Torah there are around 200 commandments [Ross's note: that's
nearly a third of the 613 commandments in the Torah!] dealing with
animal sacrifices," said Rabbi Dov Stein, of the Sanhedrin
organization. "The Torah of Israel demands animal sacrifices. When the
people of Israel were in the Diaspora, it couldn't be done. But now,
there is the supreme institution, the Sanhedrin, made up of experts,
and it can be done. The new Sanhedrin, like the old, will educate the
people of Israel on how to keep and safeguard the Torah."
Read the rest of the article here (thanks to SermonAudio.com for the
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