Friday, February 27, 2015

Drew, this is for you.

From the Los Angeles Times 

Dutch town residents staying indoors to escape aggressive owl

"The latest attacks on innocent bystanders that have Dutch villagers cowering in their homes at night come not from armed extremists but from an unusually aggressive owl with a nearly 6-foot wingspan.

"Dozens of residents in the town of Purmerend have been attacked by the eagle owl in recent weeks, and many have had to seek medical attention for their wounds, the DutchNews website reported Thursday.

"The owl has also attacked at least 15 residents and workers at the Prinsenstichting home for the disabled, a spokeswoman for the facility told news agencies in Amsterdam.

"Authorities in Purmerend, about 20 miles north of Amsterdam, have issued an advisory recommending that those venturing outside at night, when the owl has been most aggressive, arm themselves with an umbrella to stave off attack by the nocturnal carnivore.

"A statement from the town council also said wildlife officials were trying to assess the level of danger posed by the owl to determine whether they should seek permission from conservation authorities to euthanize it. Eagle owls are a rare species and protected by law.

"NLTimes, another Dutch news website, said bird experts attributed the owl's unusual behavior to breeding season. Others, though, speculated that the owl, believed to be female, had been kept in captivity and released to the wild after it became too much to handle.

"The owl may be attacking people, the website said, because it was reared to associate humans with its food source.

"A similar rash of owl attacks occurred at a park in the Oregon capital, Salem, this month, inspiring city officials to create a yellow hazard warning sign depicting a stick-figure pedestrian scrambling to evade a descending raptor."

Follow @cjwilliamslat for the latest international news 24/7.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-netherlands-aggressive-owl-20150226-story.html

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone and welcome back! Work, work, work! That's life at the moment, not much time for anything else. Thank God, I have the weekend off... Anyways your questions....

1) What did you love to do, but now you find a chore to do?

2) Do you prefer driving on the main roads or on the side streets?

3) What is your favorite television theme song?

4) What was the last movie you saw in the theater?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday


Spread the word, er, bark.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

"Heraclio Torres Family would like to give a heartfelt thank you to the Racine Police Department"

From RacineUncovered:

"The Heraclio Torres Family would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank You” to the men and women of the Racine Police Department for their generous monetary donation made on 02-24-15 to the family. Many remember that Heraclio Torres was severly beaten in 2009 and spent months in a coma and vegetative state, he is the married father of two children. He was  required to have round the clock medical care. The offender was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison July 2012"

Credit: Racine Uncovered

Read more: http://racineuncovered.org/2015/02/heraclio-torres-family-would-like-to-give-a-heartfelt-thank-you-to-the-racine-police-department/

Dear Madame Zoltar

It was a long day and an even longer night.  I'm too exhausted to write a blog.

Sorry, Irregulars and regular readers.  I'll be here next week

I love you all.

MadameZoltar@jtirregulars.com

Open Blog - Wednesday


Aw, isn't that cute, but shouldn't that be a camel?

Monday, February 23, 2015

I'm back!!

Hubby and I just got home today from a week and a half vacation. SO MUCH NEEDED!! We brought the cold down south with us, pretty sure we'll be banned from returning! Remind me, again, why do we live where it is so insanely cold out??? Fun stories to follow, highlights, etc. 
Only having my kindle, it was hard to get and stay online, let alone try typing anything or navigating. I'm a low tech kinda girl. I missed my computer and my mouse!
I'm off tomorrow, then back to real life Wednesday, boo....

Finally A Clear Night

Clouds kept me from seeing the Venus-Mars-Moon on Friday night. Saturday and Sunday were cloudy as well. Finally got them tonight. Here is a wide shot that shows the Moon and the pair of planets as well as a closeup shot.


Also had a nice bright ISS pass tonight. Here is a shot from the pass You can see a path of blinking lights below the ISS. There were some fighter jets, probably F-16s, doing some night training.

"Orthodox Jews, NYC officials negotiate over 'oral suction' circumcision after herpes cases"

Article by: VERENA DOBNIK , Associated Press - Updated: February 21, 2015 - 1:16 PM

"NEW YORK — With a swift swipe of his scalpel, Rabbi A. Romi Cohn circumcises the baby boy, then leans down and sucks the blood from the wound as prayers in Hebrew fill the Brooklyn synagogue.

"The Orthodox Jewish tradition known as oral suction circumcision reaches back to biblical times but it has created a modern-day dilemma for New York City health officials, who have linked it to 17 cases of infant herpes since 2000. Two died and two others suffered brain damage.

"Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, which came into power a year ago with a promise to reconsider an existing regulation on the ritual, is now negotiating with a group of rabbis over how to protect children's health while still preserving religious freedom.

"'The talks are ongoing but I cannot go into particulars,' said Avi Fink, the mayor's deputy director of intergovernmental affairs who has been leading the talks. 'Our goal is to achieve awareness of the risks.'"

Read more:  http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/293234021.html


Oh my!

Open Blog - Monday


Is he listening for dogsleds?