I have read many definitions of what is a conservationist, and written not a few myself, but I suspect that the best one is written not with a pen, but with an axe. It is a matter of what a man thinks about while chopping, or while deciding what to chop. A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke he is writing his signature on the face of his land. Signatures of course differ, whether written with axe or pen, and this is as it should be.
—Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, “Axe-in-Hand”
Author: David Gorsline
Ballroom dancing and sleight of hand
McSweeney’s interviews Meron Langsner, fight choreographer.
A common phrase is: “hospital, no hospital.” If you do it this way, you’re going to the hospital. This way, no hospital.
The origin
Today is Darwin Day, dedicated to the man who first described biological evolution via natural selection with scientific rigor.
At the park: 46
M.K., Steve, and I got a head start on nesting season by installing two new boxes along Barnyard Run near its outlet into the main wetland. Steve, whom I haven’t worked with before, turns out to be a dab hand at steering the runabout ATV (which we used to carry our gear) down the trails and across the brush and Smilax.
From a ladder, I worked the tubular, double-handled mallet (we all call it “the pounder,” but there must be a more precise name for it) in order to seat the support pole in the mud. I stayed up there while Steve redrilled one of the mounting holes in the back of the box.
It’s still plenty wintry at the park, as a passing snow shower reminded us. But the new boxes are nice and dry, and ready for this year’s ducks. About ten days ago, M.K. watched a group of about 20 Hooded Mergansers going through pair formation behaviors.
Dig it out
Tuesday, we watched the Caps temporarily regain first place in the division and a playoff slot. The match at the first intermission showed a lot of action, too. Time and space, gentlemen, time and space.
Sweet music
February 01, 2012
* * *
Dear David L Gorsline :
This letter is to acknowledge that Chase has received the funds to pay off your mortgage loan referenced above. Chase will forward an original executed release of lien for recording to the recorder’s office in the county where the property is located.
* * *
If Chase collected escrow funds for paying your mortgage taxes or insurance, you are now responsible for payment of these items.
Building on strengths
Annie Murphy Paul recaps recent research that indicates dyslexics enjoy certain perceptual and cognitive advantages over baseline members of the population.
Given that dyslexia is universally referred to as a “learning disability,” the latter experiment [by Matthew Schneps et al.] is especially remarkable: in some situations, it turns out, those with dyslexia are actually the superior learners.
TSA blues
Patrick Smith and I are of one mind.
I’m traveling off-duty, just a regular old passenger. Approaching the body scanner, I “opt out,” as I always do. I’ll be taken aside for a thorough pat-down.
I don’t opt out because of worries about radiation. I do it because I find it appalling that passengers are effectively asked to pose naked in order to board an airplane.
Though I have some concerns about the radiation, too.
Sodiate
Crisp poetic offering by Todd Boss at Poetry Daily.
Tag
I’m experimenting with tagging a few of the posts here, in addition to the categories that I obsessively rework. The tag cloud in the sidebar is a little lumpy for the time being.
I picked read_me to tag a few select pieces, generally longer, that give you a fuller understanding of how my thinker works.
Bright red
I’ve been intending to do a more thorough job of documenting the various bus stop signs around the area from the numerous jurisdictions and authorities. Perhaps the spark will come from today’s sighting of one of the snappy new signs for Metrobus, complete with its NextBus stop number. The next N6 is expected to arrive in four minutes.
Good on ya: 7
My from time-to-time colleague Linda Ifert, technical director of the CenterStage theater in the Reston Community Center, is the cover story for the current issue of RA’s magazine.
Close enough
When reality gives way to art: somewhat fanciful behavior is pictured in a splendid poster (ca. 1926) by Oscar Rabe Hanson promoting commuter rail service in Chicago, part of a long article by J. J. Sedelmaier. The ducklings following the adult Wood Duck would more likely be single file, and more closely bunched. More critically, the little ones would be following a hen, not a drake.
No Tang for the 600,000
Martin Austermuhle pulls a screen capture from Stephen Colbert’s recent “analysis” of Newt Gingrich’s plans to enfranchise 13,000 Moon colonists, prospectively granting them statehood.
On deck: 9
Well, I knew that Kent Minichiello’s Conservation Philosophy class would have a lot of reading, but I’m not sure that I planned for quite this much. This is the reading list, including my two book report books, but missing Santos’ prohibitively priced Managing Planet Earth (loaner copies will circulate) and various offprints.
My presentation on the Cooper is in two weeks. Too bad I don’t have a long commute to carve out reading time for me.