grrlscientist | October 20, 2009tags: DonorsChoose, science education, teaching, fund-raising, poverty
One of my donors, HP, has provided $200,000 to the DonorsChoose Social Media Challenge BUT to win these funds for our science classrooms, all of us must donate more money. Here's what DonorsChoose writes;
HP has been tracking the competition closely and has already made a $50 contribution to your page, as a result of all of your hard work. The good news? HP wants to make yet another contribution to your Giving Page. The more you raise by this Sunday, October 25, the more HP will contribute!
Next week, we will distribute…
grrlscientist | October 20, 2009tags: Gambel's Quail, Callipepla gambelii, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Gambel's Quail, Callipepla gambelii, photographed near San Manuel, Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 17 April 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D300 and 600 mm VR lens ISO 320, f/8, 1/640.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | October 20, 2009tags: Phidippus apacheanus, Jumping Spider, macro video, animal behavior, streaming video
There's a chance he could be a male Phidippus cardinalis -- a bit of research reveals both P. apacheanus and P. cardinalis are found in this area of Oklahoma.
Video: Thomas Shahan [Thomas Shahan's photostream]
grrlscientist | October 19, 2009tags: FLOW, For the Love of Water, pollution, bottled water, film trailer, streaming video
Part two of Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century: The World Water Crisis.
grrlscientist | October 19, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) was just published at Genetic Interference. This edition is entitled Scientia Pro Publica -- 14th edition. The author of Genetic Interference is speaking at the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting and is planning to "live blog" that conference as well, despite the fact it's in Hawai'i, so be sure to poke around on his blog to find those essays.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a…
grrlscientist | October 19, 2009tags: DonorsChoose, science education, teaching, fund-raising, poverty
Four projects in my "Biology is Life" Challenge have been fully funded, and the teachers for each project have posted thank you letters that you can read here: The Viking Shark Project, the Cow Eye Dissection project, the Please Pass Me the Scalpel, Nurse project, and the A Room Without A View project.
We need to do more to help impoverished kids, so please check out the unfunded proposals in the "Biology is Life" Challenge that still need your help by clicking on the above widget.
And don't forget, Princeton University…
grrlscientist | October 19, 2009tags: food, Helsinki, Finland, travel
Traditional Finnish lunch, prepared at the Kauppatori open air market.
Image: GrrlScientist, 5 July 2009 [larger view].
Here's a look at this traditional lunch as it was being prepared in front of my friend and I at the Kauppatori open air market.
A look at the finished meal, waiting to be served to hungry people (and gulls!);
Traditional Finnish lunch, prepared at the Kauppatori open air market.
Image: GrrlScientist, 5 July 2009 [larger view].
This meal was as good as it looks;
Traditional Finnish lunch, prepared at the Kauppatori open air…
grrlscientist | October 19, 2009tags: Green Parakeet, Green Conure, Aratinga holochlora, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Green Parakeets, also known as Green Conures, Aratinga holochlora, photographed at Elizabeth Street Parrotry, Brownsville, Texas. [I will identify these birds for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 April 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
The Green Parakeet, Aratinga holochlora, is a medium-sized parrot that is native to Central…
grrlscientist | October 19, 2009tags: Phidippus mystaceus, Jumping Spider, macro video, animal behavior, streaming video
This macro video of an adult male Phidippus mystaceus Jumping Spider is really interesting. He does have an inordinate fondness for jumping onto the camera lens, though! Jumping spiders are my favorite types, although they do awaken my inner phobia at times.
Video: Thomas Shahan [Thomas Shahan's photostream]
grrlscientist | October 18, 2009tags: FLOW, For the Love of Water, pollution, bottled water, film trailer, streaming video
Part one of Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century: The World Water Crisis.
grrlscientist | October 18, 2009tags: 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt Messe, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, image of the day
Frankfurt Messe.
Frankfurt Book Fair 2009.
Image: Bob O'Hara, 18 October 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | October 18, 2009tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books
"How does one distinguish a truly civilized nation from an aggregation of
barbarians? That is easy. A civilized country produces much good bird
literature."
--Edgar Kincaid
The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of a wide variety of science, nature and behavior books that currently are, or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle birding pals and book collector, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is edited by me and published here for your information and…
grrlscientist | October 18, 2009tags: Black Crake, Amaurornis flavirostris, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Black Crake, Amaurornis flavirostris, photographed at Amboseli National Park, Kenya, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 6 August 2006 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, ISO 200, 200-400 VR lens at 400 mm. 1/180 sec, f/4.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | October 18, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is almost here once more and it is still seeking submissions for tomorrow's edition of this blog carnival! Can you help by sending URLs for well-written blog essays to the host?
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a traveling blog carnival that celebrates the best science, nature and medical writing targeted specifically to the public that has been published in the blogosphere within the past 60 days.
The…
grrlscientist | October 18, 2009tags: religion, fundamentalism, christianity, hate mail, Richard Dawkins, streaming video
Richard Dawkins responds to some hate mail sent by those architects of brotherly love, god's own followers, christians.
grrlscientist | October 17, 2009tags: religion, fundamentalism, christianity, atheist meets god, Edward Current, streaming video
It's the moment of judgment for one fool who says there is no God. Christians, get ready to laugh as he learns his eternal fate!
grrlscientist | October 17, 2009The good news is that things are really falling into place now -- something I thought would never ever happen.
First, I walked through icy winds and a light dusting of snow to bring my ailing lory to my veterinarian, Simon Starkey, on Thursday morning to get blood drawn so they could look again to see if she's diabetic. The blood tests came back Friday morning, showing that she had blood glucose levels that were twice the normal values, which is something that can result from stress or from mild diabetes. Since she was so ill when I initially brought her in (yay, for poverty for making me…
grrlscientist | October 17, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Have you read an especially good essay about science, nature or medicine lately? If so, why not share it with the world by submitting the URL for this essay to a blog carnival designed to share excellent writing with others? You don't need to be the author of an essay to submit it for consideration, and this is one way that blog carnivals grow in size and influence: by sharing with others.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a traveling blog carnival…
grrlscientist | October 17, 2009tags: Bhutan Laughing-thrush, Garrulax imbricatum, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Bhutan Laughing-thrush, Garrulax imbricatum, photographed in Bhutan.
Image: Larry Gardella, spring 2009 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | October 17, 2009tags: wearable hummingbird feeder, offbeat, birds, streaming video
This is amusing, but it also looks like a great gift for your average hummingbird fan!