Biomes Blog

Entry #2179: I'm Getting Arrested Today

But first, the Trivia (8 Biomes points): What's this, exactly? Click to embiggen.

I'm getting picked up at noon by the sheriff's deputies. It's for the muscular dystrophy association, and I'm supposed to be raising bail online. I'm not doing very well, mainly because I haven't mentioned it until now. So if anyone wants to help,  you can donate here. I'm pretty sure you can donate to that page even after I get released.

The goal of cardboard tube fighting is to break the other contestant’s cardboard tube without breaking your own. There are actually formal competitive leagues for this.

If you want to read something really scary, Nate Silver has ten reasons why Caribou Barbie could be the GOP candidate in 2012. And Nate Silver is rarely wrong.

Hump Day musical interlude:

Entry #2178: Tinned Meat

Tuesday Coonhound Blogging: Destroying yet another toy. Creole turns two this week. Click to embiggen.

In snake vs woodpecker, I’m not sure why the bird keeps coming back for more abuse.

Stuff you should know: Simple household tricks that make you look smart.

Now we’re cookin’: A cheeseburger in a can.

Welcome to the Society for the Appreciation of the Lowly Tinned Sardine.

Entry #2177: Colored Smoke

Matt Taibi explains how the media -- the suits, not the reporters -- get to decide who runs for higher office.

Albino Monday: Once again Hans comes through with this week’s white animal. It’s a red-tail hawk.

Graham Jeffery has a gallery of beautiful smoke photographs enhanced with color by computer.

Timewaster of the Week: Zoomquilt is an on-going collaborative art project that was started in 2007.

Today’s long read is a fantastic critique of cruise ships by David Foster Wallace. It’s a pdf.

Entry# 2176: Camera Shy

By request, another shot of Ruby. She really doesn't like the flash of a camera at all, and she now backs away from and stares intently at any hand-held piece of technology, like cameras and cell phones. I tried holding up my iPod to the glass and she did the same thing. It's the first sign of cognitive thinking I've seen in her. It's hard to tell here, but she isn't taking her eye off the camera for a second as she slinks away. Click her to big her.

Maternal mortality rates are shamefully high in the U.S., another reason for health care reform.

Here’s a list of which side of the road they drive on in various countries and why.

Buy your bike mustache here.

Morford and this week’s Green Thing: Top ten uses for “Going Rogue”. In case you don’t like reading Mark, he's found a bookstore in San Francisco that is donating 100% of the profits from Palin’s book to the Alaska Wildlife Alliance.

“WARNING: Studies have shown that consuming foods grown using compost made from the pages of any book written by conservative politicians and/or Fox News pundits may result in bloating, brain damage, grammar mutilation and the mad desire to taxidermy your cat."

Entry #2175: Ugly Toes

Pet Corner: In praise of the mutt. Having owned both purebreds and mixed breeds, I'm also in favor of the mutt.

Today's slide show is an aerial look at the Sahara Desert in Libya.

World’s ugliest toes contest.

There's a niche blog called Bank Notes, which catalogues actual notes used in bank robberies.

Newborn babies cry with an accent.

Entry #2174: Wafer Thin Mint

Abandoned fireplaces.

I knew there was a Thanksgiving Day tradition of the president pardoning a turkey, but I didn’t realize the vice-president also gets to pardon a favorite holiday food.

Retro-pardoning with dignity.

Meet some Palin supporters. Try not to be embarrassed that you share a country with them.

Geek Stuff: Buy your t-shirts from Think Geek here.

Entry #2173: Thanksgiving Dumplings

As usual, my contribution to the Thanksgiving meal are Chinese dumplings. I gave the recipe a few years back, and I know at least reader Scorpio has tried making them. Here's a few of this year's batch that I finished late last night.

Entry #2172: Ruby Eating

Finally got a good shot of Ruby eating. Click her and you'll see she's torn the top part of the carapace off and is letting it drop away as she eats the rest of the body. She won't eat the claws and legs, so I keep a few starfish in her tank and they quickly finish off the appendages so they don't pollute the water.

I'm skipping trivia this week because nobody reads during the holidays. New question next Wednesday.

Ten crazy collections. Including Pez dispensers, oil cans and sea sponges.

New technology allows parents to hold a life-size model of their unborn child.

Hump day musical interlude: An elk calf playing in a mud puddle to Bach.

Entry #2171: Squirrel Watching

The simplest justification for a health care public option.

The five biggest Republican lies about health care.

Stuff you should know: Men lose their minds when talking to attractive women.

Now we’re cookin’: Nine different doughnut sandwiches.

Tuesday Coonhound Blogging: Creole's morning squirrel watching routine. Click it to big it. 

Entry #2170: Soft Drinks

As is consistent with this map, I call soft drinks “soda”. I don’t get the red areas. If you were drinking a sprite or a Dr. Pepper why would you still call it “Coke”?

More incentive to stop drinking soda, or to at least stop giving it to your kids.

Left-handed toons (by right-handed people).

Today’s long read is an Associated Press fact checking of Caribou Barbie’s new book.

Albino Monday: Another hummer.