Watching Our Water Ways

While the scientific and policy debate rages on about methods of extracting natural gas from underground shale deposits, I’ve experienced a few amusing moments regarding this topic of hydraulic fracturing — “fracking.”

Comedian Stephen Colbert is a huge supporter of fracking, as you can see in the video at right.

“My only worry,” he says, “is that we will become too dependent on ourselves and end up invading Pennsylvania. That place is a quagmire full of religious extremists (photo of two Amish men) and fanatics (photo of Philadelphia Phillies mascot Phillie Phanatic).

In the music realm, check out “My Water’s On Fire Tonight” (“The Fracking
Song”), a collaboration of Studio 20 at New York University and Pro Publica.

Comedian Jon Stewart conducts a semi-serious conversation about natural gas development with T. Boone Pickens, the business financier who is heavily invested in natural gas resources. Stewart never seems to get around to asking about industry changes the past few years or about the potential environmental consequences of fracking.

A more balanced examination of the issue was written by Steven Mufson of The Washington Post, carried a couple days ago on the Seattle Times website. I’m offering that link for information, not amusement.

Finally, Ann McElhinney, an Irish filmmaker, believes that fracking is an important element in this nation’s effort to develop new energy supplies. (Check out this YouTube video.) She argues that the environmental risks have been greatly overblown and is planning to make a film about the issue. It will be called “FrackNation,” a counterpoint to Josh Fox’s “Gasland.” I think you’ll find her talk amusing, though it may stir up some other emotions as well.

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Kim Merriman, who lives on Eld Inlet near Olympia, knows spring is on its way when otters and eagles renew their ongoing game, which I call “Who Gets to Eat the Fish This Time?”

It’s a simple game, but it determines who gets to eat and who must keep looking for food. The otter begins by catching a flounder so big he must drag it up onto a float to eat it. An eagle watches from within the branches of a nearby tree, then swoops down on the otter. If the otter is quick, he can hold onto his fish while diving into the water. If he loses the fish, the eagle may grab it.

Kim tells me that the otters don’t show up much in winter, but over the past few weeks she has seen one or more nearly every day on the float that she put out for wildlife. They generally return twice each day about the same time, first in the morning then in the afternoon.

From her e-mail: “The eagles are clearly aware of this potential food source and stake out the area accordingly. They are also in the midst of nest building … so are a little more distracted during the day right now. Once that’s done, and they’re incubating an egg or eggs, they’ll be on the hunt for nearby food. I suspect I’ll see the eagle/otter exchange many more times. And, I can’t wait.”

In the photos on this page, the eagle did not get the fish. The otter held onto it, but apparently lost it while diving into the water to get away. Kim said she saw the otter frantically swimming away.

One of Kim’s best photo series was taken last spring, when the eagle won the match, and I featured it in Water Ways April 5, 2011.

But the story surrounding the photos on this page is not over, because Kim watched as the eagle flew south toward another float, about 300 feet away.
(more…)

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I’ve always been a sucker for weird science experiments — and I mean going back to my childhood.

I’m dating myself when I tell you that one of the first television shows I remember as a child was “Watch Mr. Wizard,” which I viewed on a black-and-white TV with rabbit ears.

When we notice something interesting in nature and wonder what’s going on, science can help us understand. Even more intriguing perhaps is when someone shows us something entirely unexpected and then goes on to explain the scientific understanding about why it is so.

In a line of Mr. Wizards and weird science guys comes Dylan Hart with his “Scientific Tuesdays” videos on the Household Hacker channel on YouTube.

Using ice to boil water is the kind of counter-intuitive idea that I’m talking about. As revealed in the video player on this page, it is not just a play on words. Ice is the key element in the experiment that results in bubbles bursting forth from a bottle of water.

Is it possible to make things disappear? It’s all about light refraction, and a video from last August shows the basic concepts of invisibility. To go a step further, Adam Frank of National Public Radio discusses the theoretical concept of about how objects could be”cloaked,” based on research at Cornell University.

If you want to know how water can be kept below 32 degrees without freezing and then observe ice crystals form rapidly, check out the video from June 2010.

If you want to see water climb up and over a glass of water, see the video from January 2011.

“Scientific Tuesdays” also features a bunch of fun things to do, such as create super bubbles, and burn a $20 bill without losing a cent.

For the complete list of “Scientific Tuesday” videos, go to this page.

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I recently stumbled on a series of cartoons created for the Public Broadcast System that features wild animal babies exploring the natural world. Geared to very young children, “Wild Animal Baby Explorers” appeals to children’s basic curiosity, and I can see how it could get kids interested in animals and ecosystems.

For adults, the cartoon may be more annoying than amusing, but if you have youngsters you may want to give it a chance.

I have never seen this series on our local affiliate, KCTS, but I may have just missed it. I also cannot find any local programming information about the show, which was launched at the end of 2010. See news release. If you know more about the show, feel free to comment.

The program is based on a children’s magazine published by the National Wildlife Federation. The ongoing website offers educational materials and, of course, a line of products for people to buy.

One can check out the video page for short clips taken from the 13-minute cartoon segments. Meet the individual animal babies on video, and learn more about their personalities through brief written descriptions by clicking on the rotating banner on the home page.

If you like what you see, DVDs of the series can be purchased from online retail stores.

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I’ve got babies on my mind, no doubt because my daughter in Yakima and two of my coworkers in the newsroom are all expecting in April.

It didn’t take me long to locate some great water-related videos of babies, though not all of them are human. Let’s start with some underwater shots of human babies swimming at a very young age. Click on the video player on this page.

If you like animation, you may enjoy my Water Ways entry from August of 2010. It features the Evian underwater babies from 1998, along with a bunch of animated dancing babies — including the dancing baby that started this whole animated baby craze. Personally, most of these babies seem unnaturally creepy — but check out the last video mentioned in that 2010 entry. It shows a real-life toddler who dances better than many adults.

The “water babies” theme in this blog entry focuses on real situations, including some young animals just learning to swim. (For easier for viewing, I’ve chosen to open each item in a new window or tab, which should make it easier to move on to the next video.)

Baby sea lion

Baby beaver

Baby hippo

Baby otter

Baby kangaroo

Baby turtles released

Baby elephant

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An unusual friendship began in June, 2008, and has continued through the seasons — sun, snow and rain — all documented on video and still photos by Isobel Springett.

I’m talking about a friendship between a dog and a deer. The dog, a Great Dane named Kate, adopted a fawn that was just days old and wandering motherless on Isobel’s property in Comox Valley, British Columbia.

In Isobel’s words:

“We named the fawn Pippin and the two were inseparable. Kate cleaned her, tried to nurse her and slept with her. Of course being a photographer, I documented all this and over the next 3 years amassed a large library of Kate and Pippin pictures.”

The videos show Kate and Pippin playing in the fields and the woods at all times of year. (Check out the “Kate & Pippin” channel on YouTube.) Eventually, Pippin ventured back into the woods, but she returned frequently to visit Kate. Last summer, Pippin became a new mother, bringing twins into the world, and the two fawns have become part of the story.

Later this month, the adventures will be published in a new book titled, “Kate and Pippin, An Unlikely Love Story,” published by Henry Holt of New York and Penguin Candada. Isobel’s brother, Martin Springett, wrote the text for the book, as well as the music for many of the videos.

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Making the rounds in e-mail, blogs and funny websites is an unusual collection of wildlife photographs bearing the introductory caption, “Don’t sit around the house. Get out and enjoy nature!”

Enjoy nature, indeed!

I don’t know how this collection got started, but it has morphed slightly over time as different people add their own touches. One of the easiest to scan is the set of photos on the Imgur photo-sharing website.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE PHOTO GALLERY.

While this certainly qualifies for this “Amusing Monday” feature, I have no idea who should get the credit. From the inscriptions on some of the pictures, they come from a variety of sources. I’m just glad someone with a camera was nearby when these things took place.

By the way, while most start out with the suggestion to “Get out and enjoy nature!” a few end with the comment, “Never mind; go back inside.”

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First, the folks at Sea World confine them in a tight space. Then trainers teach them tricks. Finally, they are expected to perform before a live audience.

I could be talking about killer whales, but I’m actually describing the activities of Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, cohosts of NBC’s “Today” show.

A big-screen TV was erected in front of a killer whale tank, so four orcas could offer their encouragement to Kathie Lee and Hoda. Unfortunately, the whales kept trying to change the channel.

At first, the training of the two TV personalities did not go so well. Julie Scardina, Sea World’s “animal ambassador,” had a hard time keeping the two focused on the task at hand.

Kathie Lee was worried about how her underarms looked and appeared to be focused on the huge TV rather than the simple movements she was asked to perform.

“Gee, I think I need to lose some weight,” she said. “Speaking of killer whales!”

The whales watching the screen were hardly amused.

Julie finally was able to get Kathie Lee and Hoda to pay attention, and she showed them how to turn and move their arms. It was a challenge for the two humans, but Julie taught them a little ditty that helped them perform the task: “Splash and turn… Splash and turn…,” they repeated over and over again.

The whales responded with encouragement, swimming the length of their pool, as the two co-hosts finally learned their new tricks.

Many people think it is cruel to confine killer whales in small tanks and expect them to perform for a few fish. But you should have seen the relief on their faces when the trainers finally took away the giant TV. Forcing the orcas to watch Kathie Lee and Hoda do their tricks seemed truly traumatic to them.

I hear that Sea World trainers are considering installing a TV near the killer whale pool and keeping it on all the time. Nobody knows if the whales would become addicted to television like lesser-intelligent humans. What shows would they want to watch anyway? Feel free to speculate.

Anyway, I want to thank blogger Candace Calloway Whiting for dredging up this video. Somehow I missed the original “Today” show segment from last summer.

To view the complete segment, which includes more on the killer whales along with footage of other animals, go to the Today show webpage.

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Whether you love or hate the snow, a bit of humor always comes in handy during the recent weather we’ve been having.

The following are some quotes, jokes and a couple videos I gleaned from the Internet. Each item lists a source with more funny stuff. If you have a favorite winter joke, please add it in the comments section below.

“Don’t knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while.” — Kin Hubbard (Quote Garden)

“There’s one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn look as nice as your neighbor’s.” — Clyde Moore (Quote Garden)

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” — Carl Reiner (Quote Garden)

“The trouble with weather forecasting is that it’s right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.” — Patrick Young (Quote Garden)

Of winter’s lifeless world each tree
Now seems a perfect part;
Yet each one holds summer’s secret
Deep down within its heart.
~Charles G. Stater (Quote Garden)

“Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough.” — Earl Wilson (Quote Garden)

“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.” — Jeff Valdez (The Quotations Page)

“Winter is nature’s way of saying, ‘Up yours.’” — Robert Byrne (Quote Garden)

Some definitions:

Winter: The age of shivery and shovelry.

Antarctic: Snowman’s land.

Flaky Person: A man who loves to be outside when it snows.

Skiing: A winter sport learned in the fall.

(Source: Daffynitions)

It was so cold …

It was so cold … 
hitchhikers were holding up pictures of thumbs!

It was so cold … 
Starbucks was serving coffee on a stick!

It was so cold … 
we pulled everything out of the freezer and huddled inside it to warm up!

It was so cold … 
Richard Simmons started wearing pants!

It was so cold … 
a flasher rushed up to poor Mrs. Flannigan – and described himself!

It was so cold … we had to chop up the piano for firewood – but we only got two chords.

Source: Jokes 4 Us

It was so cold … that even the kids at the mall were pulling their pants up. (Snow and Mud)

Winter Story

My husband and I purchased an old home in Northern New York State from two elderly sisters. Winter was fast approaching and I was concerned about the house’s lack of insulation. “If they could live here all those years, so can we!” my husband confidently declared.

One November night the temperature plunged to below zero, and we woke up to find interior walls covered with frost. My husband called the sisters to ask how they had kept the house warm.

After a rather brief conversation, he hung up. “For the past 30 years,” he muttered, “they’ve gone to Florida for the winter.”

— Sandee (Comedy Plus)

Bumper Cars

The Slush Man Cometh

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A touch of snow back in November caused me to post an entry about “snow dogs,” so whatever snow we get this week deserves a sequel about “snow cats.”

The two cats in the video player at right seem to catch the spirit of fresh, clean, cold snow. They paw at the fluff, run about aimlessly and attack each other. The music seems appropriate somehow. Just think how thrilling these two would be if they could use their little paws to form big snowballs. For an example of that, check out the cartoon linked below as Simon’s Cat.

At the other extreme is a young cat that seems to have no clue what to do with the snow. Must be a first-time snow cat.

A cat named Doughnut seems to have no fear of the snow, but frustration takes over when he is unable to make it up a steep roof and into a bedroom window, as he has done routinely so many times before.

A few more videos:

Cat tunnels in snow. Oh, my!

Simon’s Cat in “Snow Business”

Just before Christmas, someone compiled a bunch of snow cat videos, mixing them with Christmas cat videos. See “Christmas Cats Playing in the Snow.”

Finally, this last animal is not a cat, but he could teach other animals about living the snow. Fox snow dive — Yellowstone.

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