STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING IN ACTION

Whether you're a "bird person" or not, this is stunning!!!  Not to detract from the sheer magic of it, but in practical terms, how many trips would a bird have to make with that tiny little quantity of mud/clay it could carry? (and how far from the nest is the source?)

If you take the construction of a "circular bowl" in your stride as instinctive – how the heck does the bird come up with the windbreak/entrance design that shields the eggs/chicks from the elements – and at what point in fashioning the bowl do they start to construct it?

 

 

 

 

All Photos are property of Daniel Carbajal Solsona and posted WITHOUT his permission….SER.

In The Dark

Wife: Oh, come on. 

Husband: Leave me alone!

Wife: It won't take long.

Husband: I won't be able to sleep afterwards.

Wife: I can't sleep without it.

Husband: Why do you think of things like this in the middle of the night?

Wife: Because I'm Hot.

Husband: You get hot at the darnest times.

Wife: If you love me I wouldn't have to beg you.

Husband: If you love me you'd be more considerate.

Wife: You don't love me anymore.

Husband: Yes I do, but let's forget it for tonight.

Wife: (Sob-Sob)

Husband: All right, I'll do it.

Wife: What's the matter? Need a flashlight?

Husband: I can't find it.Wife:

Oh, for heaven's sake, feel for it!

Husband: There! Are you satisfied?

Wife: Oh, yes, honey.

Husband: Is it down far enough?

Wife: Oh, that's fine.

Husband: Now go to sleep. The next time, it's your turn to get up and turn the thermostat down.
Wife: Yes, Honey

 

Seen This And Could Not Resist!

SER this is just for you. Why didn't you tell us about the new movie. I hope the Mrs. knows about it is she going to be in the movie and the little tots too? SER you gotta love me for this one!

This was on the back of a bus in Milwaukee when Drew and I went to Grant Park the other day. I just couldn't resist this one.

An Oldie, But A Goodie

*CAUTION: ADULT LANGUAGE ADVISORY*



That's something I haven't seen before: an honest used car salesman.

Open Blog - Tuesday

Spring? Why does it still feel like winter?

"caspa vagina bubbles from hell!!.mpg"

My mom taught me to avoid Vagina Bubbles from Hell, and all other STDs, too.

Spring Migration

I've been busy.... Real busy

The threshold of winter has already begun to lose its grip across Southeastern Wisconsin. The warmth of the April sun has been melting ice and snow, flooding the country farmlands into ponds and streams. The landscape is stark and barren, browned and dusky green. Somewhere the buds are pushing up to kiss the sunlight, but not just yet....

The floodgates have opened. A multitude of birds have arrived and are passing through. The spring migration is here! Aside from the obvious hordes of Robins and Red Winged Blackbirds that are congregating on the countrysides, I've seen dozens of Tundra Swans, Wilson's Snipes, rafts of Canvasbacks, Ringed Necked Ducks, Ruddy Ducks and Northern Shovelers making the flooded farm fields their pit.stop. I've seen Red Breasted Mergansers and Redheads in the harbor, with their plumage all colorful are bright, courting away. The Sandhill Cranes, Eastern Meadowlarks and Killdeer have arrived, overtaking the open fields. Tree Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Hermit Thrushes and Great Egrets are trickling in. Pretty soon the warblers, the catbirds, the flycatchers and the orioles will arrive... It's only the beginning!

 

 

The war between spring and winter isn't over yet! Jack Frost still has his stronghold over the northern parts of the state. The lakes are still frozen and the land snow covered, thus creating a paradox. A natural traffic jam of sorts. A gridlock. The Common Redpolls, Dark Eyed Juncos and the American Tree Sparrows should be gone by now. They are still around. It is perplexing to even the most seasoned birder to see a junco and a swallow in the same field....

A few seem to have escaped the borders already... The famous Great Grey Owls of Mauston and Middleton have fled the paparazzi of photographers, after making the winter the biggest owl migration since 2005. The Rough Legged Hawks, Northern Shrikes and Snowy Owls are nowhere to be seen. Let's hope their journey home is a success.

So the time is now to keep an eye on the skies, Rare birds are more common in this time of the year as winds may carry them to strange lands. Never know, one could up in your back yard! 

About these pics... The top pic is an Eastern Bluebird taken at Grant Park in South Milwaukee on 4 7 2013. The top middle one are Northern Shovelers taken at the pond on 2 Mile Rd in Raymond. The bottom middle one is a Sandhill Crane taken at Bong on 4 4 2013. Below is a Barred Owl taken Up North at my folk's place on 3 30 2013

          

"It's official: penis size does matter"

"Bianca Nogrady
"ABC
 
"After aeons of speculation, science has finally answered the biggest question of all - Does penis size matter? - with a resounding 'yes'.

"Australian researchers have found that penis size is just as important as height when it comes to female assessment of male attractiveness, and that bigger is indeed better - to a point.

"The results of the study, which asked a group of women to rate the attractiveness of a series of computer-generated images of varied height, body shape and penis size, are published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science .
"'We found that flaccid penis size had a significant influence on male attractiveness,' the authors write.
"'Males with a larger penis were rated as being relatively more attractive.'

"'Our results directly contradict claims that penis size is unimportant to most females.'"

Read more:  http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/04/09/3732272.htm


I knew it. 

Open Blog - Monday

May your day be a pleasant one.

"Best of Web 4 - HD - Zapatou"

This video is ten minutes long, but it has loads of interesting images.

Useless Information

The costume Tina Turner wore as Aunty Entity, the ruthless, determined ruler of Bartertown in the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome weighted 75 lbs.

"FORMER RACINE ST. CAT'S STANDOUT, JASON DUMONT, SIGNS WITH RACINE RAIDERS"

"(RACINE, WIS.) - Former Racine St. Catherine's High School football standout Jason DuMont has signed with the Racine Raiders for the 2013 season. DuMont lettered in football three times at St. Cat's and participated in basketball, golf and track, helping the Angels win two state titles in basketball.

"The 6' 4", 310-pound offensive lineman graduated from Northern Michigan University in 2011. DuMont started at left guard for three seasons for the Wildcats, serving as the team captain and earning all-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors in his senior season.

"DuMont was a late switch to the offensive line. He played quarterback all through his years in Racine Youth Sports football and through his sophomore season at St. Cat's. He switched to being a lineman, both on offense and defense, in his junior season. In addition, DuMont was the Angels punter.

"He was a first-team All-Racine County and All-Lakeshore Conference selection on the offensive line. He also earned All-Lakeshore Conference first-team honors as a punter and was an honorable mention selection on the defensive line.

"'Jason has great mobility for a big man,' said Raiders head coach Gino Perfetto. 'He's extremely versatile which will allow us to feature him in key situations.'

"DuMont made visits to several colleges and universities before choosing Northern Michigan, including Minnesota State-Mankato, Winona State and St. Norbert's. Northern Michigan was so impressed with DuMont that the NCAA Division II school actually offered him a partial scholarship on his visit.

"DuMont and his parents, Danny and Gerianne, have deep roots in the Racine community. The DuMont's recently opened Dewey's Restaurant and Sports Bar in downtown Racine."

For more information on the Racine Raiders, please visit http://www.racineraiders.com. For more information on playing for the defending national champions, please visit http://www.playfortheraiders.com.
High resolution image of Jason DuMont
Web-optimized image of Jason DuMont

Open Blog - Weekend

Let's play around.

Easter with the Grandkids!

Here are some pictures of how the Grandkids are growing up already!

Ace and Harley.

Skylee our little princess!

Skylee with her bunny ears!

 

Ace with his Easter Egg!

Skylee with all her Easter Eggs she found!

The dress that Skylee is wearing and the outfit Ace is wearing is from Grandma and Grandpa. We really enjoyed seeing the whole family for Easter. We hope to get up north more often to see them . I hope everyone enjoys the pictures and I am sorry for posting them so late on here. 

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Four for Fridays! It has been a crazy, busy week for me. Car issues, kids and spring migration all have filled my schedule. Anyways some questions for you....

1) What exotic pet would you like to have?

2) Are you annoyed by people whom don't "follow the rules" even if it doesn't effect you?

3) When you pack for a trip, do you pack light or heavy?

4) Have you ever been on TV?

Enjoy your weekend!

Rate Racine Drivers

Open Blog - Friday

Sing on.

Open Blog - Friday

Happy Friday!

I want the Angel

I want the angel
Whose dreams are fatal
They cause the snake’s milk to run and curdle

I want the angel
Whose darkness doubles
It absorbs the brilliance of all my troubles

I want the angel
That will not shatter
Every time I whisper, “Girl it does not matter”

I want the angel
Who’s got the proof
She signals her devotion from the rails on the roof

I want the angel
That comes to stay
She don’t let lawyers and ambition lead her away

I want the angel
Whose eyes are raving
Who takes what I’m giving and not what I’m saving

I want the angel
Whose bones are so sharp
That they can break through their own excuses

Well, to be a blind man,
Hey, that would be a fine thing
Then I could dream at night of total strangers
And all the music would be so spaceless
And all the women would be so faceless,
They’d be so faceless they’d be like old film
Just like old film I never did process

I want the angel
That knows the sky
She got virtue, she got the parallel light in her eye

I want the angel
That’s partly lame
She filters clarity from her desperate shame

I want the angel
That knows rejection
Who’s like a whore in love with her own reflection

I want the angel
Whose touch don’t miss
When the blood comes through the dropper like a thick red kiss

If I could break through I could be certain
But this obsession is like some fiery curtain
All the numbers reduced to zero
And those who died young, they are my heroes
They are my heroes, they took the walk
Where the heart made sense and the mind can’t talk

I want the angel
Whose child don’t weep
She’s got dreams designed for eternal sleep

I want the angel
That will not change
Into a four-legged monster in love with the strange

I want the angel
That never chooses
And don’t come running back every time she loses

But I want the angel that never loses.

--Jim Carroll

"James Dennis 'Jim' Carroll (August 1, 1949^[4] – September 11, 2009) was an American author, poet, , and punk musician. Carroll was best known for his 1978 autobiographical work The Basketball Diaries, which was made into the 1995 film of the same name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll."  Read more:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Carroll

http://catholicboy.com/

Open Blog - Thursday

Whatever that contraption is, you couldn't get me on it.

Short Reading

Today's Short Reading from the Bible ...

"And God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the earth ... '

Then He made the earth round ...

And He laughed and laughed.

"Guy telling his mum -i got a girl pregnant..!!"

Mum calls them as she sees them.

Beer cans will never be the same

360 pop top can

http://draftmag.com/beereditor/beer-cans-will-never-be-the-same/

Chocolate Train

train made entirely of chocolate has set a new Guinness World Record as the longest chocolate structure in the world .
The sculpture, on display at the busy Brussels South station, is 112-feet (34 . 05 meters) long and weighs over 2,755 pounds (1250 kilos) .
Maltese chocolate artist Andrew Farrugia spent over 700 hours constructing the masterpiece.
He said he came up with the idea of the train last year after visiting the Belgian Chocolate Festival in Bruge: "I had this idea for a while, and I said what do you think if we do this realization of a long chocolate train, you know, because a train you can make it as long as you like .
"Actually it was going to be much smaller than it was, but I kept on adding another wagon, and another wagon, and it's the size it is today. "
Farrugia had previously built a smaller train of 12 feet for an event in Malta, which he said gave him insight about how to build this much larger version.
There are two parts to the train . The first seven wagons are modeled after the new Belgian trains, and the rest of the train is modeled after the old train wagons, including a wagon with a bar and restaurant on board.
Three days before the event, Farrugia transported the chocolate train by truck in 25 wooden boxes from Malta to Belgium.
Farrugia said the train incurred considerable damage during the drive and several of the train's walls had completely collapsed. Luckily, with hard work and little sleep, the chocolate artist was able to fix all the damages before presenting the train to the public on Monday.
After measuring the length of the train and confirming no material other than chocolate was used, officials from the Guinness Book of World Records added a new category to the collection of world records and declared the train to be the longest chocolate structure in the world.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my spring robins!  How are you?  Slowly, but surely, we are approaching warmer temperatures.  Too slowly, unfortunately.  Maybe this will be one of those cold springs.  Everything is topsy-turvy in the weather these days.  Who knows?

You don’t have to be a psychic to predict the results of yesterday’s referendums to give the city a 5% levy every year and to fund Gateway’s expansion.  Both will be “No.”  For some inexplicable reason, politicians don’t understand that we have no more money for them to waste.  If we say no, then they borrow in our name and saddle us with more debt for decades.  Not much can be done, though, as long as voters elect the same old bums.  I sometimes think that if I can’t beat them, I might as well join them.  I try hard to be a crook, but I never succeed.

The stigma has been removed from criminals.  When I was young, having a child out of wedlock was a shameful thing.  Today, it’s almost the norm.  The same thing has happened with crime.  Indeed, in some neighborhoods, criminals are admired as successes. It’s like Bizarro World.

This Friday, April 5, is Downtown Racine’s first First Friday of the season:  http://www.racinedowntown.com/firstfridays.html  I hear that they can get 2,000, or more, visitors on a First Friday.  Where do they park all those cars? 

For those of us who hate robocalls and telemarketers, there’s good news: “2 Deterrents to Robocalls Win Contest by F.T.C.,” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/technology/two-deterrents-to-robocalls-win-ftc-contest.html Some enterprising people came up with devices to block and stop the annoying calls.  Unfortunately, they say production is months away.  Until then, I will continue to put hexes on the callers.

To the right is a picture of me when I first started out as a psychic.  Not too bad, eh?

Finally, China is announcing more bird flu cases.  Oh my.  Our world is so interconnected that it won’t take long for the flu to spread.  Start wearing your surgical mask now and avoid the rush. 

Thank you, my dears, for reading my blog today.  I appreciate your visits more than you know.  We are family.

Election results before the election: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Enjoy whatever good weather we get.  There’s still some melting snow and slippery spots out there.  Be careful.  Have a wonderful week.  Suilline!

Open Blog - Wednesday

Oh, Betty!

Comet PanSTARRS and the Andromeda Galaxy

Comet PanSTARRS is fading, but it is not gone yet. In fact it is better placed for northern hemisphere observers. It appears higher in the sky and is visible longer after sunset so you can see it in a darker sky. In fact, the farther north you are the better...Tucson is a little farther south than the best seats.

And this week PanSTARRS is passing near the Andromeda Galaxy. The closest approach is Thursday, but I went out to see them tonight. They are low in the sky and I had to wait for it to get dark. There was a pretty narrow window of opportunity...I had to wait for it to get dark enough to see them but then they were low in the sky and about to set.

But see them I did! I drove out to Saguaro National Park West. I did this so I wouldn't have to try and spot them through the city lights...basically put Tucson behind me. They were not too difficult in 8x42 binoculars. Both were visible in the same field of view. And I got a few pics of them. Pics were also difficult...if the exposure was too long, the sky was overexposed. Too short of an exposure and they wouldn't show up at all.

In this first picture, the trail made by the plane points to a small fuzzy blob. That fuzzy blob is PanSTARRS. Now look almost directly above the comet for another fuzzy blob. That fuzzy blob is the Andromeda Galaxy.

That picture is cropped. Here is a wider shot of the same image.

Finally, one more with the comet just about to set over the mountain. Oddly enough, this time the plane trail points toward the Andromeda Galaxy!

The next few nights you can watch PanSTARRS pass by the Andromeda Galaxy. You will probably need a pair of binoculars to see them. Make sure you have a clear western horizon...preferably without city lights to your west.

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

"'Hot For Teacher' Avery 6 year old Drummer"

http://averydrummer.com/

That kid is very good. Ear protection is smart, too.

"AP's ban on the term 'illegal immigrant' sparks fierce debate"

"There has long been debate about the term 'illegal immigrant."

Some immigrant activists believe the term unfairly demonizes undocumented immigrants, though the term is still commonly used by news organizations.

"On Tuesday, however, one of the world's biggest news organizations said it would stop using 'illegal immigrants.'
 
"In a blog post, Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll explained:

"The stylebook no longer sanctions the term 'illegal immigrant' or the use of 'illegal' to describe a person. Instead, it tells users that “illegal” should describe only an action, such as living in or immigrating to a country illegally. 

"Why did we make the change?

"The discussions on this topic have been wide-ranging and include many people from many walks of life. (Earlier, they led us to reject descriptions such as 'undocumented,' despite ardent support from some quarters, because it is not precise. A person may have plenty of documents, just not the ones required for legal residence.)

"The new AP policy notes that 'illegal' refers to the action, not the person. 'Acceptable variations include living in or entering a country illegally or without legal permission,' the AP wrote."

Read more:  http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ap-bans-illegal-immigrant,0,3949819.story


I agree that they shouldn't be called illegal immigrants, because immigrants come into the US using the proper channels, not sneaking into the country in the dead of night.  The proper term for them is illegal aliens.  Of course, the AP and other news organizations strive constantly to control our political thoughts.  Instead of just reporting the news and letting us decide its import, they want to control what we think and say.  Screw you, AP.  They are illegal, they are aliens, and they are invaders.  They have undermined our economy and steal benefits.  You can't compete against people who don't follow the rules of business.  They don't pay insurance or unemployment tax or report their earnings.  They are allowed to undercut every legal operation, and then cry poor.  They are destroying the building trades. 

Vote Today

Sorry, I'm late with this.

I need a new washing machine

My washer is making horrible noises. So, now, do I need to spend a thousand dollars on one of those front loaders ? Suggestions my friends and, yes, I'm replacing the dryer too. Grrrrr. I heard the front loaders are more efficient, are they?

Open Blog - Tuesday

Enjoy your day.

"Introducing Google Nose"

"We're excited to announce our newest addition to Search: Google Nose. What do wet dogs smell like? Google Nose! How about victory? Google Nose! Try searching on Google for 'wet dog' and explore other smells that people sniffed for, or visit google.com/nose to learn more. Happy smelling!"

Read more:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=VFbYadm_mrw


It works!  Enter 'wet dog' into a Google search engine.  Press the Smell button on the right.  Pee yoo!