BPCPL

(that is, Bee Pee Sepielle)

By request by Daniel Midgley (wait, *that* Daniel Midgley? Apparently so), a verse about… well, about a rather remarkable photograph. (please do follow the link–I would love to embed the photo, but as a creator of original content, I am becoming a bit of a stickler for credit where it is due; the photographer, Mark Parrott, shouldn’t have his photo spread all over creation without recompense.) The photo shows… well… a bee. Peeing. in flight. It is a remarkable photo, and I really wish I had taken it. I’ve taken scores of pictures of bees, wasps, flies, and the like in my garden, but never an action shot like Parrott’s. [Read more…]

“It’s Nature’s Law–You Know, Like On Noah’s Ark”

Since the dawn of the world Humanities men mated with women, and women with men… it’s the way of nature. No mention of gay couples surviving the floods on Noah’s Ark, they were left to swim.

That’s what I call sticking the landing. That was a real response (I think) in a thread on marriage (formerly known as “same sex marriage”). [Read more…]

Tornado Warnings, Now And Then

It was just the other morning
When we heard the weather warning
And we tried to drag the pets downstairs, for shelter from the storm
I remembered, with a chortle,
I was young once, and immortal,
And defied the nearing twisters, playing Frisbee by the dorm
Ah, but real life can be frightening—
I’ve since lost someone to lightning—
So I run inside from thunder, though of course I know the odds
And I’m thankful to the science
Where it’s safe to put reliance
How much better than to fear we’re at the mercy of the gods

Unexpected Good News On The Cuttlefish Front

I have written before with bad news from Point Lowly, Spencer Gulf, in South Australia. That was from 2011; in 2012 the news was even worse, and last year things looked grim indeed.

Unexpectedly, this year, the numbers are up again!

Hundreds of giant Australian cuttlefish have swum into breeding grounds at the top of Spencer Gulf in South Australia, reversing a worrying decline of recent years.

It’s not a return to previously normal levels, but it’s the right direction. There has been federal support for cuttlefish research in the area over the past couple of years; I hope people were looking at the right variables to learn from this. These are beautiful creatures, and an amazing gathering. I still hope to visit some day… and I would hate to be the only cuttlefish showing up for the party.

Cuttlecap tip to Kylie, of course!