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Hurrah for seniors!
Thanks to Marilyn W.
Operation Mother Goose begins to distribute Canada geese across the state starting on April 11, 1968.
Starting on April 11, 1968, biologists collect more than 1,200 Canada goose eggs along the Columbia River behind the nearly complete John Day Dam, located 28 miles east of The Dalles, Oregon, and about 20 miles south of Goldendale. The biologists’ goal is to use the eggs to repopulate drastically dwindled populations of the bird. Most of the geese survive and by June, the birds will be distributed throughout the state, including possibly into Puget Sound. These birds may be the source populations for the thousands of Canada geese that will live year round in urban habitats west of the Cascade Mountains.
Although modern citizens in the Puget Sound may find it hard to believe, Canada geese originally did not inhabit this area. Furthermore, overhunting, unrestricted harvesting of eggs, and habitat loss in the late 1800s and early 1900s had driven down goose populations throughout the country. In the 1960s, however, biologists began to reintroduce the birds back to their former habitats and to place them in new habitats. This frenzy manifested itself in the Northwest through a project called Operation Mother Goose.
Operation Mother Goose began on April 11, 1968, 17 miles up the Columbia River from the nearly complete John Day Dam. Early in the morning approximately 25 men from the Washington state Department of Game and the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife gathered at a small island. From this base of operations, crews spread out in powerboats to collect eggs from nests on 25 to 30 islands in the 70 miles of river that would be flooded less than a week later.
Once an egg was collected, it was placed in a cardboard box insulated with goose down from the nests. When enough eggs accumulated, the boxes were lashed onto a rack on the outside of a helicopter and whisked 50 miles northeast to the Kennewick Game Farm, one of several facilities across the state that raised game birds such as pheasants for hunting. Biologists immediately unpacked their cargo, shined a light into each egg to determine the stage of development of the embryo, and placed it into one of three incubators. The entire process took about two hours from collection to safe keeping.
Posted in Animals, environment
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We sampled tap water across the US – and found arsenic, lead and toxic chemicals
From The Guardian. Thanks to Frank C. for forwarding this. I hope we get more data on our local water purity.
In Connecticut, a condo had lead in its drinking water at levels more than double what the federal government deems acceptable. At a church in North Carolina, the water was contaminated with extremely high levels of potentially toxic PFAS chemicals (a group of compounds found in hundreds of household products). The water flowing into a Texas home had both – and concerning amounts of arsenic too.
All three were among locations that had water tested as part of a nine-month investigation by Consumer Reports (CR) and the Guardian into the US’s drinking water.
Since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, access to safe water for all Americans has been a US government goal. Yet millions of people continue to face serious water quality problems because of contamination, deteriorating infrastructure, and inadequate treatment at water plants.
CR and the Guardian selected 120 people from around the US, out of a pool of more than 6,000 volunteers, to test for arsenic, lead, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and other contaminants. The samples came from water systems that together service more than 19 million people.
A total of 118 of the 120 samples had concerning levels of PFAS or arsenic above CR’s recommended maximum, or detectable amounts of lead. Testing of the samples showed:
- More than 35% of the samples had PFAS, potentially toxic “forever chemicals”, at levels above CR’s recommended maximum.
- About 8% of samples had arsenic, at levels above CR’s recommended maximum.
- In total, 118 out of 120 samples had detectable levels of lead.
The study has some limitations: the quality of the water at one location on a single day doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of the water supplied by an entire system or at other times. But the ambitious undertaking, with community water systems chosen by CR’s statisticians from a representative mix of systems across the country, provides a unique view into some of the most significant challenges in America’s ongoing drinking water crisis.https://interactive.guim.co.uk/uploader/embed/2021/03/120-homes-tested/giv-825j0e1wVhaU2Xe/
Almost every sample tested had measurable levels of PFAS, a group of compounds found in hundreds of household products. These chemicals are linked to learning delays in children, cancer, and other health problems. More than 35% exceeded a safety threshold that CR scientists and other health experts believe should be the maximum.
Yet many consumers have never heard of PFAS.
Posted in environment, Health
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Why does the Mexican Jumping Bean Jump?
Thanks to Gordon G.
Better than videos of my talk
Hello all,
I have finished up the half-hour YouTube version of my second climate talk from March 23rd. It is at https://youtu.be/VUZ4jb2qWGM. The last ten minutes, on tipping points, will be new to you.
I am now trying to get the first talk, from March 16th, into similar form. Backwards, I know, but the second was fresher in mind. It proved a week’s work. But no need to wait for my production of the first talk, now underway, as I summarize its conclusions in the intro to the second talk, now available.
I would especially appreciate comments on my implementation of Amazon’s text-to-speech Polly product. It achieves precise pronunciation, never one of my strengths and especially important for those where English is a second language.
Thanks,
–Bill
Here is the YouTube description of the second talk:
This four-part series was introduced in Part One, which went on to describe five types of extreme weather that surged during the global warming hiatus of 2002-2012.
Here in the second talk, Professor Calvin presents the jet stream loops that promote the Big Five.
Then he addresses the Spectator Mindset that may be keeping even well-informed leaders from acting on climate.
He explains the mindset taught in medical schools to guide responding to emergencies and suggests an adaptation of it to guide “climate doctors.”
Finally, tipping points are addressed, with a more detailed description of “Gulf Stream” failure mechanisms.
Posted in Civic Engagement Group, Climate, Nature, Politics, Science and Technology
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Kindness can be contagious
Thanks to Sybil-Ann. (Click page 2 for more)
The man who gave the shoes off his feet to this homeless girl.
This motorcyclist who stopped to help an old woman pass safely.
This barber, who offers haircuts for the price of a single hug.
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Crosscut Festival
Thanks to Mary M.
May 3-8 is the Crosscut Festival, our annual showcase of brilliant minds tackling the region’s and nation’s major issues, with both local and national speakers. This year’s line-up of featured speakers is really impressive. Mossback will be participating in the Fest interviewing historian Heather Cox Richardson about her work, including her most recent book How the South Won the Civil War which looks at the continuing struggle for America’s soul, democracy and a more perfect union. The week-long event will be online with some sessions also airing on KCTS 9. It is free to attend, as they say, but not free to put on. Check here for ticketing levels and information.
Whale surfaces in a gym
Holographic projection of a whale. Thanks to Mary Jane F.
Posted in Animals, Photography, Science and Technology
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Do you have lexophilia?
Thanks to Gordon G.
“Lexophile” is a word used to describe those that have a love for “twisting” word meanings, such as “you can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish”, or “to write with a broken pencil is pointless.”
A competition to see who can come up with the best lexphillies is held every year in an undisclosed location.
This year’s winning submission is posted at the very end. Here are some others.
.. When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
.. A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
.. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U. C. L. A.
.. The batteries were given out free of charge.
.. A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
.. A will is a dead giveaway.
.. With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
.. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
.. When you’ve seen one shopping Center you’ve seen a mall.
.. Police were called to a day care Center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
. Did you hear about the fellow whose whole left side was cut off? He’s all right now.
.. A bicycle can’t stand alone; it is two tired.
.. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
.. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered.
.. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
.. When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she’d dye.
.. Acupuncture is a jab well done. That’s the point of it.
And the cream of the wretched crop:
.. Those who get too big for their pants will be exposed in the end.
Posted in Essays
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And the number variants of the virus is ……
From the Economist. Thanks to Rick B.
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Reagan could make you laugh
Thanks to Gordon G.
Not that I want to bring him back but at least he had a sense of humor!
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The animals have missed us
Thanks to Sybil Ann: The animals in a zoo in Germany were depressed and never
left their dens. This happened during the pandemic. Nobody
went there anymore, neither children nor adults. The zoo
remained empty. So the zoo keeper called this pianist to
play for them .. And see what happened, especially at the end.
The most important story is not the pandemic or the border
There is only one story today. It is not the coronavirus pandemic, although 547,000 of us have died of Covid-19, and a study today suggested that we could have avoided nearly 400,000 deaths if we had adopted masks and social distancing early on. It is not the coronavirus even though today President Joe Biden noted that we will reach 100 million vaccinations tomorrow and that he aims to reach 200 million vaccines by his 100th day in office….
March 25, 2021 Heather Cox Richardson Mar 26    There is only one story today. It is not the coronavirus pandemic, although 547,000 of us have died of Covid-19, and a study today suggested that we could have avoided nearly 400,000 deaths if we had adopted masks and social distancing early on. It is not the coronavirus even though today President Joe Biden noted that we will reach 100 million vaccinations tomorrow and that he aims to reach 200 million vaccines by his 100th day in office…. It is not the situation on our southern border, where a surge of migrants apparently matches the seasonal pattern of people trying to make it into the United States…. It is not the economy, although the U.S. Treasury said today it had issued 37 million payments this week, worth $83 billion, from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan…. The story today—and always—is the story of American democracy. Tonight, Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia signed a 95-page law designed to suppress the vote in the state where voters chose two Democratic senators in 2020, making it possible for Democrats to enact their agenda. Among other things, the new law strips power from the Republican secretary of state who stood up to Trump’s demand that he change the 2020 voting results. The law also makes it a crime to give water or food to people waiting in line to vote. The Georgia law is eye-popping, but it is only one of more than 250 measures in 43 states designed to keep Republicans in power no matter what voters want. This is the only story from today because it is the only story historians will note from this era: Did Americans defend their democracy or did they fall to oligarchy? The answer to this question right now depends on the Senate filibuster. Democrats are trying to fight state laws suppressing the vote with a federal law called the For the People Act, which protects voting, ends partisan gerrymandering, and keeps dark money out of elections. The For the People Act, passed by the House of Representatives, is now going to the Senate. There, Republicans will try to kill it with the filibuster, which enables an entrenched minority to stop popular legislation by threatening to hold the floor talking so that the Senate cannot vote. If Republicans block this measure, the extraordinary state laws designed to guarantee that Democrats can never win another election will stay in effect, and America as a whole will look much like the Jim Crow South, with democracy replaced by a one-party state. Democrats are talking about reforming the filibuster to keep Republicans from blocking the For the People Act. They have been reluctant to get rid of the filibuster, but today President Joe Biden suggested he would be open to changing the rule that permits Republicans to stop legislation by simply indicating opposition. Republicans are abusing the filibuster, he says, and he indicated he would be open to its reform. The story today is not about coronavirus vaccines, or border solutions, or economic recovery, because all of those things depended on the election of Joe Biden. If the Republicans get their way, no matter how popular Democrats are, they will never again get to direct the government. |
Posted in Government, Politics, Social justice
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AI Recognizes COVID-19 in the Sound of a Cough
Thanks to Gordon G.
Based on a cellphone-recorded cough, machine learning models accurately detect coronavirus even in people with no symptoms
Again and again, experts have pleaded that we need more and faster testing to control the coronavirus pandemic—and many have suggested that artificial intelligence (AI) can help. Numerous COVID-19 diagnostics in development use AI to quickly analyze X-ray or CT scans, but these techniques require a chest scan at a medical facility.
Since the spring, research teams have been working toward anytime, anywhere apps that could detect coronavirus in the bark of a cough. In June, a team at the University of Oklahoma showed it was possible to distinguish a COVID-19 cough from coughs due to other infections, and now a paper out of MIT, using the largest cough dataset yet, identifies asymptomatic people with a remarkable 100 percent detection rate.
If approved by the FDA and other regulators, COVID-19 cough apps, in which a person records themselves coughing on command, could eventually be used for free, large-scale screening of the population.
With potential like that, the field is rapidly growing: Teams pursuing similar projects include a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded initiative, Cough Against Covid, at the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Mumbai; the Coughvid project out of the Embedded Systems Laboratory of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland; and the University of Cambridge’s COVID-19 Sounds project.
The fact that multiple models can detect COVID in a cough suggests that there is no such thing as truly asymptomatic coronavirus infection—physical changes always occur that change the way a person produces sound. “There aren’t many conditions that don’t give you any symptoms,” says Brian Subirana, director of the MIT Auto-ID lab and co-author on the recent study, published in the IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology.
While human ears cannot distinguish those changes, AI can. Ali Imran, who led the earlier project at the University of Oklahoma’s AI4Neworks Research Center, compares the concept to a guitar: If you put objects of different shapes or materials in a guitar but play the same notes, it will lead to subtly different sounds. “The human ear is capable of distinguishing maybe five to ten different features of cough,” says Imran. “With signal processing and machine learning, we can extract up to 300 different distinct features.”
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Ah, to sleep
Posted in Animals
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The secret powers of time
Thanks to Gordon G.
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