#Audubon Day events

[delicatelysublimeforester]

A Symphony of Songbirds: Audubon Day Launches City Nature Challenge

Spring is in the air, and on April 26, 2024, nature enthusiasts and bird lovers alike will have their binoculars and smartphones ready for Audubon Day – a celebration that spreads the wings of opportunity to enjoy the beauty of birds and wildlife. This year, Audubon Day coincides with the kick-off of the 2024 City Nature Challenge, a four-day blitz to discover the diverse wildlife that calls the…

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - June 15-21

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $Kaybarr1735! And if you tip me and give me a way to contact you, at the end of the month I'll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn't use each week!

1. Victory for Same-Sex Marriage in Thailand

“Thailand’s Senate voted 130-4 today to pass a same-sex marriage bill that the lower house had approved by an overwhelming majority in March. This makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia, and the second in Asia, to recognize same-sex relationships. […] The Thai Marriage Equality Act […] will come into force 120 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. It will stand as an example of LGBT rights progress across the Asia-Pacific region and the world.”

2. One of world’s rarest cats no longer endangered

“[The Iberian lynx’s] population grew from 62 mature individuals in 2001 to 648 in 2022. While young and mature lynx combined now have an estimated population of more than 2,000, the IUCN reports. The increase is largely thanks to conservation efforts that have focused on increasing the abundance of its main food source - the also endangered wild rabbit, known as European rabbit. Programmes to free hundreds of captive lynxes and restoring scrublands and forests have also played an important role in ensuring the lynx is no longer endangered.”

3. Planning parenthood for incarcerated men

“[M]any incarcerated young men missed [sex-ed] classroom lessons due to truancy or incarceration. Their lack of knowledge about sexual health puts them at a lifelong disadvantage. De La Cruz [a health educator] will guide [incarcerated youths] in lessons about anatomy and pregnancy, birth control and sexually transmitted infections. He also explores healthy relationships and the pitfalls of toxic masculinity. […] Workshops cover healthy relationships, gender and sexuality, and sex trafficking.”

4. Peru puts endemic fog oasis under protection

“Lomas are unique ecosystems relying on marine fog that host rare and endemic plants and animal species. […] The Peruvian government has formally granted conservation status to the 6,449-hectare (16,000-acre) desert oasis site[….] The site, the first of its kind to become protected after more than 15 years of scientific and advocacy efforts, will help scientists understand climatic and marine cycles in the area[, … and] will be protected for future research and exploration for at least three decades.”

5. Religious groups are protecting Pride events — upending the LGBTQ+ vs. faith narrative

“In some cases, de-escalation teams stand as a physical barrier between protesters and event attendees. In other instances, they try to talk with protesters. The goal is generally to keep everyone safe. Leigh was learning that sometimes this didn’t mean acting as security, but doing actual outreach. That might mean making time and space to listen to hate speech. It might mean offering food or water. […] After undergoing Zoom trainings this spring, the members of some 120 faith organizations will fan out across more than 50 Pride events in 16 states to de-escalate the actions of extremist anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups.”

6. 25 years of research shows how to restore damaged rainforest

“For the first time, results from 25 years of work to rehabilitate fire-damaged and heavily logged rainforest are now being presented. The study fills a knowledge gap about the long-term effects of restoration and may become an important guide for future efforts to restore damaged ecosystems.”

7. Audubon and Grassroots Carbon Announce First-of-its-Kind Partnership to Reward Landowners for Improving Habitats for Birds while Building Healthy Soils

“Participating landowners can profit from additional soil carbon storage created through their regenerative land management practices. These practices restore grasslands, improve bird habits, build soil health and drive nature-based soil organic carbon drawdown through the healthy soils of farms and ranches. […] Additionally, regenerative land management practices improve habitats for birds. […] This partnership exemplifies how sustainable practices can drive positive environmental change while providing tangible economic benefits for landowners.”

8. Circular food systems found to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, require much less agricultural land

“Redesigning the European food system will reduce agricultural land by 44% while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 70%. This reduction is possible with the current consumption of animal protein. “Moreover, animals are recyclers in the system. They can recycle nutrients from human-inedible parts of the organic waste and by-products in the food system and convert them to valuable animal products," Simon says.”

9. Could Treating Injured Raptors Help Lift a Population? Researchers found the work of rehabbers can have long-lasting benefits

“[“Wildlife professionals”] tend to have a dismissive attitude toward addressing individual animal welfare,” [… but f]or most raptor species, they found, birds released after rehabilitation were about as likely to survive as wild birds. Those released birds can have even broader impacts on the population. Back in the wild, the birds mate and breed, raising hatchlings that grow up to mate and breed, too. When the researchers modeled the effects, they found most species would see at least some population-level benefits from returning raptors to the wild.”

10. Indigenous people in the Amazon are helping to build bridges & save primates

“Working together, the Reconecta Project and the Waimiri-Atroari Indigenous people build bridges that connect the forest canopy over the BR-174 road[….] In the first 10 months of monitoring, eight different species were documented — not only monkeys such as the golden-handed tamarin and the common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus), but also kinkajous (Potos flavus), mouse opossums (Marmosops sp.), and opossums (Didelphis sp.).”

Bonus: A rare maneless zebra was born in the UK

June 8-14 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[u2fangirlie-blog]

Superb Owl Party 2025

Welcome to my Superb Owl party! Greetings owl!

Please enjoy these poorly made posters - with typos and all the skill of a middle school art student.

You are invited to your neighbor's annual Superb Owl party where you will meet the guests of honor who are vying for the title of Superb Owl.

Is that that a football or an owl's egg?

Remember, this is a human party and you should blend in. Do not unalive any guests.

[Yes. I know sign has typos. But it has GLITTER! A bloody stupid vampire made the posters.]

Now it is time to vote for the owl that is the greatest owl of all time!

Let me introduce the five contestants in the 2025 Superb Owl Contest. @herpsandbirds Paxon - I hope you approve!

Angelina - Stygian Owl

Angelina was a classical opera singer with a vocal range of four octaves. She became the lead singer of the metal band Talons of Death. The wildly popular band recorded two gold albums: Prey for Mercy and Night Screechers. Stygian owls have golden yellow eyes which glow red in low light, earning the nickname the devil’s owl. When not on the road with the band, she teaches music in local public schools.

Benjamin - Spot-Bellied Eagle Owl

Benjamin works for the United States Postal Service. He delivered bills and junk mail. Years of dedication, hard work, and attention to detail advanced his career. Now he works in the Dead Letter office deciphering illegible handwriting on envelopes in the Great Lakes district office. He enjoys chess and reading spy thrillers and murder mystery novels.

Bunny - Screech Owl

Bunny was a child star actor in popular nature shows, including Into the Wild with Jack Hanna. She was the runner-up for national bird of the United States, just behind the bald eagle. Today she models for Audubon and Birds and Blossoms. She creates mixed media artwork and builds avant-garde nests that are shown in art galleries around the world.

Jared - Spectacled Owl

Jared is a respected pundit and scholar of political science and philosophy. He is best known for his work on Foucault’s panopticon and state sponsored surveillance to control citizens. He’s an outspoken political activist. He enjoys world travel and eating exotic foods.  Recently, he wrote a dystopian science fiction novel and is waiting for a publisher to pick up the manuscript.

Nigel - Great Gray Owl

Nigel is in his third term as Prime Minister of the Parliament of Owls. His passion for serving owls and other species led to a life-long career in politics. He works for a better world for all animals and plants. His actions center on legislation to protect migration routes, conservation of wilderness habitats, and protection of endangered species. He enjoys touring the national parks and vacations in a cabin at Lake Tahoe.

Who is the superb owl! Please vote! Does anyone know how to create a poll? Please vote in the notes. Thanks!

Note: At the hospital were I work, the social wellbeing committee is having an office decorating contest for the Super Bowl. I work as an admin. assist. in a department currently has two people - myself and my boss. The office has space for 12 cubicles, and I'm the only one working here. The boss is only at the business offices one day a week, otherwise she's over at the main campus. To complicate matters, the office is locked on both sides and very few people ever come in. [Technically, my position is part of the administrative team, over on the main campus, but I never see anyone. Only one admin. assist. works with me remotely.] So how do I: 1) participate in social wellbeing and engage with coworkers, 2) decorate an office that is isolated from the outside world, 3) cleverly mock a sports event, and 4) be my true weird self? I choose the Superb Owl Party!

To make the decorations visible for people in the business center campus, I put the decorations in the hallway. We have a big white board that isn't attached to the wall. I put the posters on the white board and slid it out into the hallway! Then I notified a few people in other offices, "Hey, I decorated for the super bowl. Come over and see." And then I put out a little basket with a pen and sticky notes for people to cast their votes. At the end of the day on Friday, Bunny was the winner.

[hooked-on-elvis]

Elvis was sued for... being friendly (June 19th, 1956).

Okay, maybe too friendly? Judge for yourselves. That's a funny story! Just... unbelievable!

At the top is page 9 from "Elvis Presley Speaks!" magazine.

The first picture was taken June 19, 1956. That day is full of controversy. Beginning for Elvis attending the “colored night” black-only event at the Memphis Fairgrounds amusement park that evening, but that's a different story (another awesome one, btw!).

Back to the focus point here, that day Elvis was resting at his home (1034, Audubon Drive, Memphis, Tennessee), had just done a local radio show and then went to the Memphis Fairgrounds Amusement Park with his then girlfriend, Barbara Hearn, and some friends. He was being followed around/accompanied by photographer Robert Williams of the Memphis Commercial Appeal and columnist Robert Johnson. The pictures below show Elvis with Barbara at Audubon Drive and in the second one they are at the parking lot of the Memphis Fairgrounds, inside Elvis' car, that very day.

After the Fairgrounds, Elvis, Barbara, other friends, photographer Robert Williams and columnist Robert Johnson. went into the Gridiron Restaurant (Memphis, TN), and there something bizarre, depending on the point of view, happened.

On the picture below, at the restaurant, Elvis is beside the young girl named Robbie Moore (at his right). Photos taken by Robert Williams.

The pictures were published in the fan magazine "Elvis Presley Speaks!". Those pictures show the star laying his head on Robbie's shoulder and eating a burger next to her, while Barbara Hearn, his girlfriend, looks on. It looks harmless, right? But there's more to it. Maybe it can explain why Elvis was sued after all. Fortunately, we have a story about how that meeting happened. Columnist Robert Johnson recalled:

"Elvis spoke to her pleasantly as he entered and said something like, ‘How are you? I haven’t seen you in a long time.’ The girl didn’t say anything. Elvis seemed to be trying to be friendly. He was just teasing and having fun. He opened her purse, looking at her teasingly out of the corner of his eye, but snapped it back shut and put it on the counter (maybe purse-peeking moment is the picture below). He took a nibble of her sandwich and a sip of her milk. That was all. She still did not respond and Elvis laid his head on her shoulder as if to say, ‘Come on, let’s be friends.’ He was just acting in a boyish kind of way.”

Robbie Moore had remembered the event very differently. She certainly did not look very happy in the pictures about what was happening. It seems she was not asked permission to be photographed – and she was even annoyed about the sandwich.

The thing is, two months later, around September 1956, Elvis received a notification that he was going to be sued for $42,500 (around $415,000 in today's money) for invasion of privacy, and assault and battery. The case was settled out of court for $5,500 and widely covered in the press.

When the story went public Elvis said that they had known each other for some years and he had "no idea she would object to the picture." According to the account of that day Robbie gave to the Press-Scimitar, she had never met Elvis before their encounter in the Gridiron.

That's it! Elvis may have learned a lesson from that day, but the whole thing is just SO funny to me! Elvis was so innocent back then, so boyish, at ease. He was very much like an angel, or something close to one.

On Robbie Williams' defense (just because I believe everybody has their own accounts and individuals way of thinking and feeling and this needs to be put to consideration and be respected), even tho she sound like a cranky person, a real Grinch, and in some way opportunist, she was in her rights. Maybe she just didn't like being touched, having her food eaten or having her personal things being rummage by anyone without her permission (no matter who it was or if she knew that person or not), specially when she - not verbally but physically for sure - had shown very clearly (just look at the pictures, imagine her whole vibe that day!) how uncomfortable she was with Elvis' closeness to her.

Poor boy, EP. Learning how people can be... difficult sometimes.

"Elvis Presley Speaks" magazine, 1956: "Read his own story in his own words". There's more photos and many more stories inside that magazine (not only about that June 19th day). If you'd like to read the full magazine online, click here and download the file. ✨

To close this with, cool photos from the same those crazy things happened: Elvis Presley (age 21) in front of the fireplace at his 1034 Audubon Drive home in Memphis, TN on Tuesday, June 19, 1956. Taken by Robert Williams.

That story reminded me a quote, something under the lines: Be a nice person, even if people don't act the same to you. I guess EP knew plenty about that. Even after that episode, he was always the cutest pleasant little boy. ♥ My opinion on this law suit case is: ELVIS WAS JUST BEING HAPPY. A happy person is opened, friendly, nice to whomever comes their way. He wanted to share his happiness, his smile, be nice and make people feel welcomed and appreciated. It just didn't work quite as he expected.

[rabbitcruiser]

(California) Western Monarch Day 

California Western Monarch Day, known informally as Western Monarch Day, was established by the California State Legislature in 2004. The day celebrates the annual migration of the Western monarch butterfly during the winter months—from about October through March—to California's central coast, the only major overwintering spot in the world for the butterflies. The holiday was established with the understanding that it would positively impact tourism and educational programs. Indeed, many visitors come to the area during the migration, boosting tourism at a time of the year when it is otherwise sluggish.

Events are held around the state of California on the day or on a nearby date. In past years, an event has been held at the Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley, California; a "citizen science butterfly count" led by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy has been held at the nearby Limestone Canyon, and the largest celebration in the state has been held at the Pismo Beach State Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach. One of the most popular destinations for butterflies in the state, and one of the largest butterfly colonies in North America, Pismo Beach regularly has over 20,000 monarch butterflies clustering in its tall eucalyptus trees.

In addition to Pismo Beach, monarch butterfly groves can also be found in Nipomo, Los Osos, and Morro Bay. In Nipomo, at the Monarch Dunes Butterfly Habitat, up to 60,000 monarchs visit each winter, and make their homes in a grove of blue gum eucalyptus trees. There are two groves in Los Osos: Monarch Grove Natural Area and Sweet Springs Nature Preserve. Monarch Grove Natural Area is made up of 18 acres and is located at the end of Monarch Lane. Sweet Springs Nature Preserve is made up of 24 acres and is located on the Morro Bay estuary. It has been managed by the Morro Coast Audubon Society since 1989. In nearby Morro Bay, Morro Bay Golf Course Monarch Butterfly Grove can be found at the center of Morro Bay Golf Course. Monarchs sometimes come to the grove of eucalyptus trees by as early as August and cluster themselves low on the branches.

As monarchs can't survive cold northern climates, they migrate to warmer climates, sometimes traveling a distance of over 1,000 miles. One of the only insects that migrate, they do so twice a year—like birds do—traveling to a warmer climate and then back again. Western monarchs live west of the Rockies. During the summer months, they can be found in canyons or near rivers in the West, Southwest, and inland in states from California all the way up to British Columbia. A few can be found on the coastal Pacific Northwest as well. Numbering in the tens of thousands, they migrate west and south, mainly nesting in California's central coast. Eastern monarchs, which far outnumber their Western counterparts, live east of the Rockies and migrate south to the high mountains of central Mexico. Monarchs can also be found in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, and on some islands in the Caribbean; those butterflies do not migrate.

Monarchs start as caterpillars. They subsist only on milkweed, a plant that produces glycoside toxins. The caterpillars are immune to the toxins, but predators are not, and are deterred from feasting on the caterpillars because the toxins get stored up in the caterpillars' bodies and make them taste bad. The caterpillars grow and molt for two weeks, form a chrysalis in which they complete metamorphosis, and turn into butterflies. As butterflies, the toxins are still in their systems, still protecting them.

Most adult butterflies only live for a few weeks. During that time, they subsist on nectar from many kinds of plants, search for mates, and look for milkweed on which to lay their eggs. The last generation of monarchs hatch in late summer, and they may live as long as eight months. They don't reach sexual maturity right away and instead make the fall migration. Despite never making the journey before, they know exactly where to go. They remain inactive during the coldest months, but around March, they become sexually mature and then mate. They die soon afterward, and their offspring finish the migration back north.

Between the 1990s and the end of the 2010s, the monarch population declined by about 90 percent, largely on account of habitat fragmentation and loss. Both urban development and intensive agriculture took a toll on habitats. In addition, herbicides killed the milkweed and nectar plants the butterflies feed off of, and insecticides killed the monarchs themselves. Lastly, climate change altered weather patterns and the timing of migration. Because of the drop in monarch numbers, it seems all the more pressing to have a holiday dedicated to them and to the beauty and the mystery of their yearly migration.

How to Observe California Western Monarch Day

Many events are held on or around the date and can be attended if you are able to travel to California. You could check to see if an event is being held at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley, where in past years butterfly experts have educated and answered questions, and native plants have been available to plant. You could see if the Irvine Ranch Conservancy is hosting a "citizen science butterfly count" at Limestone Canyon. The best place to go for an event is Pismo Beach State Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach (the event may be held on a nearby Saturday). At this event, there are butterfly talks and educational booths for adults, and art activities for children. The biggest part of it, of course, are the thousands of monarchs that can be seen hanging in clusters from eucalyptus and pine trees. The grove usually opens in October and stays open throughout the month of February, and docents can be found giving daily talks. You could also visit other butterfly groves today, such as the Monarch Dunes Butterfly Grove in Nipomo, the Monarch Grove Natural Area or Sweet Springs Nature Preserve in Los Osos, or the butterfly grove in the Morro Bay Golf Course. If you can't travel to California, there are still ways you can celebrate. You could take part in the National Wildlife Federation's Garden for Wildlife program, and plant a habitat garden with milkweed and nectar plants for returning monarchs to enjoy. Planting locally native species of plants is the best. Look over some regional guides so you know what to plant in the area you live. You could take part in Butterfly Heroes, another program of the National Wildlife Federation, which is designed to help kids and families raise awareness about declining populations, and to help them to get involved in helping monarchs and other butterflies. The National Wildlife Federation is working to save and restore monarch habitats, and more could be learned about it. You could also learn about the number of Western monarchs in California with Western Monarch Count, encourage your mayor to take the Mayors' Monarch Pledge, or could watch a documentary about monarch migration.

Source

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Song of the Day - “A Change Is Gonna Come”

Today marks the 60th anniversary of Sam Cooke recording his great civil rights anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come” - January 30th, 1964, at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California.

Cooke wrote it in the Fall of 1963 when he and his band were turned away from a motel in Louisiana.

While it wasn’t one of Cooke’s biggest hits, it is considered his most influential and powerful composition, and has come to be called among the the greatest songs ever released. It was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress and the National Recording registry sa being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important”.

Besides the painful inspiration of being banished from a whites-only motel, Sam Cooke was also inspired by Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind”, which he saw as an example of how a popular song could move people positively. He was further inspired by Dr. King’s dream speech from August of 1963.

Cooke gave his frequent collaborative arranger Rene Hall free rein with the instrumentation and orchestration. Hall recognized the power of the song and decided to add a full orchestra and design the arrangement like a movie score.

It was organized to present the song for the first time on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” on February 7th, and a full orchestra was brought in to add to the Tonight Show band.

The tape of the performance wasn’t saved for some reason, and the planned bigness of the debut was completely overshadowed by the Beatles’ performance on the Ed Sullivan Show a day or so later.

Cooke decided that the song spooked him and reminded him of death. He would never perform it again.

The song was first released on Cooke’s album “Ain’t That Good News” in March.

A single version was cut and prepared for release in December of the year.

Sam Cooke tragically died just before it was released.

“A Change Is Gonna Come” got famously covered by Otis Redding, and the Fifth Dimension.

Spike Lee chose it as the music under the scene in “Malcolm X” where Malcolm is contemplatively driving himself to the Audubon Ballroom where he will be assassinated. Very powerful.

The song has been sampled by many rappers.

When Barack Obama spoke just after winning election in 2008, his first words, in reference to this song were, "It's been a long time coming, but tonight, change has come to America.”

Then, at his inaugural, the song was performed in duet by Bettye LaVette and Jon Bon Jovi.

It continues to be performed by many artists at events both political and tribute oriented.

Truly one of America’s best anthems.... and never doesn't give me chills...

[Mary Elaine LeBey]

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

Every Friday afternoon, the Kingsland Wildflower Green Roof opens its doors to the local community. Tall grass and brightly-colored flowers greet visitors after their four-floor trek to the top of the building—a green oasis in Brooklyn, surrounded on all sides by heavy industrial activity.

Just across the street, the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant’s gargantuan “digester eggs” treat millions of gallons of sewage every day. 

Despite the visual incongruity of this scene, both the garden and the treatment plant work to stop contaminated water from flowing into the city’s waterways during heavy rainfall. 

The rooftop garden sits on a building on Kingsland Avenue owned by the production company Broadway Stages. Two well-tended sections contain a variety of plants and flowers native to the area, like strawberries and camassias. A garden on a lower roof is made up largely of sedum, a small succulent-type plant. 

The garden is under the purview of the Newtown Creek Alliance, a local organization that works to improve the environment around the creek, which is a tributary of the East River and forms the border between Brooklyn and Queens. 

Seven years ago, the green roof was born of a partnership between the Newtown Creek Alliance, the NYC Bird Alliance, formerly NYC Audubon, Broadway Stages and Alive Structures, a landscaping firm that specializes in roof gardens. The installation was funded by the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund, a $19.5 million payment to the New York State Department of Conservation (NYSDEC) in a settlement with ExxonMobil over their contamination of Newtown Creek. 

In 1979, an investigation by the Department of Conservation found that ExxonMobil, which had historically operated oil refineries and fuel storage spaces along the creek, had spilled an estimated 17 million gallons of oil into the water—one of the largest terrestrial oil spills in the country’s history. Although ExxonMobil has been working for decades to remediate the problem through groundwater treatment, the creek remains an extremely contaminated Superfund site and is still on the National Priorities List of the nation’s most hazardous toxic waste areas. 

A former wetland, much of the creek’s natural borders have been reconstructed for industrial operations, like oil refineries and petrochemical plants. 

Much of the area surrounding Newtown Creek is located on a 100-year floodplain, which means that every year there is a 1 percent chance of an extreme flood event. Due to the weaknesses in New York’s sewage infrastructure, extreme rainfall constitutes a threat not just to the residents living near Newtown Creek, but also to the biodiversity within the creek and the flora that surrounds it. 

[little-parakeet]

ABOUT ME:

🦜Parakeet/Lily🦜

🎨 Artist/Writer 📝

Programs: Clip Studio Paint, Procreate

Mainly OC stuff

☀️🌙☀️🌙

👇 To see what we have in common 👇

Main Interests:

Pressure(Roblox) hyperfixated — Imaginary Friend’s wife, p.ai.nter’s mom, Sebastian’s no.1 hater for sure

Avatar: The Last Airbender — No ship in particular, Toph enthusiast, I WANNA BE AN EARTHBENDER

LEGO Monkie Kid — Dragonfruit CEO, FreeNoodles enthusiast, Silktea enjoyer

Undertale/Deltarune — Soriel enthusiast, lover of Alphyne as well as Alphys and Undyne individually

Pokémon enjoyer — Rocketshipping lover, the entire Ralts evaluation chain

Gore/Horror ENTHUSIAST — Paranormal Activity, Haunting of Hill House/Bly Manor, Poltergeist Diaries, the Conjuring series, Mandela Catalogue, Final Destination series, Supernatural, Ring(all three movies)

BIRDS!! — Mainly North American birds, Audubon, Sibley, turkeys turkeys turkeys

🌙☀️🌙☀️

Music Taste:

In order of interest:

Fall Out Boy

CG5

Saint Asonia/Three Days Grace(Adam Gontier)

BoyWithUke

Glass Animals

Jack Stauber

Toby Fox(and Undertale/Deltarune Remixes)

TheFatRat

Avicii

Daniel Thrasher

Cavetown

☀️🌙☀️🌙

Games:

Pressure(ROBLOX)

Minecraft

Inscryption

Undertale/Deltarune

Assassin’s Creed(Ezio Edition)

Sky: Children Of The Light

Doki Doki Literature Club

Genshin Impact

Honkai: Star Rail

Cookie Run: Kingdom

World Box

🌙☀️🌙☀️

Movies and Shows:

LEGO MONKIE KID !!!!

Miraculous Ladybug

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Pokémon (Mainly XY/XYZ)

The Promised Neverland

Sonic(Underground, X, Prime)

Wakfu

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Monster High

Ever After High

Tales of Arcadia

☀️🌙☀️🌙

Books:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Heroes of Olympus

Journey To The West

🌙☀️🌙☀️

Twitter

Instagram

Archive of Our Own

LMK Google Drive

Journey To The West PDF

Dragonfruit Fanart Google Drive

☀️🌙☀️🌙

COMMISSIONS:

Closed

[naturecoaster]

The Hernando Audubon Society works to promote an awareness and appreciation of nature, to preserve and protect natural ecosystems, and to encourage responsible environmental stewardship. Outreach and Education have always been an important part of Hernando Audubon Society activities in the community. The following programs and field trips are open to everyone, and there is no charge to participate. Hernando Audubon Society strives to ensure a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment for all people to engage with the chapter, especially in nature-based and conservation activities.  Hernando Audubon Meeting, Thursday, February 27: The Gulf of Mexico: Its Challenges and Its Future, with Speakers Martha Collins, Executive Director of Healthy Gulf, and Amanda Moore, Senior Director of National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Program. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. (until 9 p.m.) at Brooksville Woman’s Club, 131 S. Main Street, Brooksville. Free, all are welcome. Make reservations here: https://www.mobilize.us/audubon-chapters/event/698864/  For information, contact Tom: tomstclair8@gmail.com or 904-303-0919. Hernando Audubon Society February 2025 Activities Hernando Audubon birding trip to Crews Lake Wilderness Park: Saturday, Feb. 5, 8 to 11 a.m. We’ll walk about 1.5 miles from the pier, on the trail along the lake shore, and then a wooded trail. We expect to see the resident Sandhill Cranes, wading birds, woodpeckers, and songbirds. This park in north central Pasco County is approximately 5.7 miles south of County Line Road. When driving south on Shady Hills Road, after crossing under the Suncoast Parkway, turn left on Lenway Road, and right on Crews Lake Drive. Follow the signs to the pier and park in the pier parking lot near the lake. Hernando Audubon Work Day at Audubon Florida's Ahhochee Hill Sanctuary, Saturday, February 8, 9 a.m. to noon at 24268 Lake Lindsey Road, Brooksville. We will do annual maintenance on Eastern Bluebird nest boxes and other clean-up projects on the property. Make reservations here: https://www.mobilize.us/audubon-chapters/event/665898/ Information: Linda: lindalark85@gmail.com or text 352-428-2629. Hernando Audubon Big Day/Birdathon, Saturday, February 15. Everyone can participate by trying to find as many species as they can during the day, whether it is in your own yard or your favorite park. At the end of the day, submit your list of species to bevalhansen@gmail.com. This is a fundraiser for Hernando Audubon Society, with proceeds going to help fund local conservation and education programs. Mail a pledge to P.O. Box 1678, Brooksville, FL 34605. Contact Tom: tomstclair8@gmail.com or 904-303-0919. Hernando Audubon birding trip to Travelers Rest (Pasco County), Saturday, February 22. Meet at 8 a.m. at the Post Office at Travelers Rest RV Resort and Golf Course, 29129 Johnston Road, Dade City. Tom Butler, a resident of the RV park, will guide us to view some of the eight bodies of water that attract various water birds and the wooded areas where Barred Owls, hawks, woodpeckers, and songbirds live. Tom has done a lot of work in the park to create an attractive habitat for birds and viewing areas for folks interested in seeing the birds. In recent years 176 species of birds have been reported on eBird! Make reservations here: https://www.mobilize.us/audubon-chapters/event/665910/ Information: Bev: bevalhansen@gmail.com or 352-686-0460.  Hernando Audubon Beginning Birding, 8 to 11 a.m. on Friday, February 28. Meet on the deck behind the building at Chinsegut Conservation Center, 23212 Lake Lindsey Road, Brooksville. Learn to identify birds at feeders and during a short walk. There will be binoculars available for use. Make reservations here: https://www.mobilize.us/audubon-chapters/event/660432/ For information, contact Linda: lindalark85@gmail.com or text 352-428-2629. Read the full article

[rex-rivetter-transcripts]

Rex Rivetter: Private Eye

Episode 6: The Case of the Poisoned Parakeet (Conclusion)

Note: Item with (?) is open for feedback.

[Nightmare by Artie Shaw starts.]

Tonight and every Monday night, Downstairs Entertainment in association with Davey Boy Productions presents: Rex Rivetter: Private Eye. And now ladies and gentlemen, the exciting conclusion of: Rex Rivetter: Private Eye in The Case of The Poisoned Parakeet.

[Nightmare by Artie Shaw plays.]

REX (V.O.): The name is Rivetter. Rex Rivetter. License number 698753, issued by the Police Department of Los Angeles. Occupation: Private Detective. I was hired by a college Professor by the name of Finch to find out who killed a couple of birds in his classroom. Sure, the case was nonsense, but I figured a couple days of R&R would suit me just fine. Unfortunately, things got a lot more complicated. Evelyn Lawrence, Finch’s lab assistant, was found dead and my client is the prime suspect. ‘Fore heading over to see the deceased’s apartment I spoke to the lawyer down the hall from my office, whose name is Angelo Martin. Probably short for Martinez. He says he’ll go straight to police HQ and I should meet him there when I can. The only thing I found in Evelyn Lawrence’s place was Professor Hoffman. Maybe there was something to the rumor he’d been having an affair with the dead girl. Maybe not. [SFX - Door closes. Footsteps. Telephones ringing. Grate moving. Elevator ambiance.] I had been inside the police headquarters building twice in as many days. Being on this end of the arrest didn’t feel much better. The minute the elevator doors open on the third floor I can hear Burke preaching across the room. 

[Nightmare by Artie Shaw ends.]

[SFX - Footsteps. Finch blubbers behind Burke’s sermon.] 

LT. BURKE (muffled & boisterous): For he is God’s servant, for your own good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain!

[SFX - Something breaks.]

LT. BURKE (muffled & boisterous): For he is a servant of God, an avenger, who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 

REX (V.O.): Professor Finch and the mouthpiece I hired on his behalf walk toward me like the proverbial long-tailed cat in Sam Maloof’s (?) factory. Burke only gets louder.

LT. BURKE (clearly): Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for the conscience’s sake. Romans Chapter Thirteen, Verses Four and Five. The vehement hand of justice will seek ye out, Professor. We will have the truth!

REX: Hello Professor.

LT. BURKE: And you, Rivetter! I should’ve known you would be involved with this! I should’ve brought you all in on charges!

PERCIVAL (relieved): Mr. Rivetter, I cannot tell you how thankful I am to see you. 

REX: Forget it, Professor. You hired me to solve a murder, that’s what I’m going to do. 

LT. BURKE (far away): This isn’t over. We may not have enough to hold you on now, Finch, but don’t you worry sir. 

REX: I see Mr. Martin here was able to drag you out from the pits of hell. 

PERCIVAL: Yes, I’m grateful for–

ANGELO: W-who was that?

REX: Lieutenant Burke, Counselor. He couldn’t afford a big enough hat to be on the Real Squad, but don’t tell him that.

LT. BURKE (behind Angelo): Coroner’s Report is on my desk as we speak…

ANGELO: The “Real Squad?”

REX: Hat Squad? Read a paper. Don’t let his bluster scare you off, his bite is worse than his bark.

ANGELO: Is that supposed to make me feel better?

REX: Not in the least. How did you get Finch out so quickly?

PERCIVAL: Bartlett-Finch! Professor Percival Bartlett-Finch!

REX (with Finch): Percival Bartlett-Finch!

REX: It’s hyphenated, I remember. So how did you get– my client out so quick?

ANGELO: Oh it wasn’t that difficult. [SFX - Paper rustles.] Page twenty-three of the times. The Audubon Society had an event Monday night that the Professor attended. [SFX - Paper rustles.] Look, you can see him in this photo! There in the back. 

PERCIVAL: We discussed a children’s book to introduce the youth of this country–

REX: You got an alibi? How did you find this?

ANGELO: Mr. Rivetter! This is what I do! But I don’t relish the thought of going up against Lieutenant Burke again any time soon! I might have to raise my fee. 

REX: Um, about that…

ANGELO: Aw, don’t worry Rex! May I call you Rex? You look after the Professor. This first one is on me.  

REX (V.O.): I take the shyster’s advice and put the Professor in a yellow cab before heading back to my office to see if Jenny’s gotten any word from the coroner. Finch isn’t outta the woods yet. 

[SFX - Car drives away. Car honks. Door opens. Typewriter noises.]

JENNY: Hiya Boss!

REX: You’re in a chipper mood, Angel. Any word from Margie?

[SFX - Typing. Liquid pours.]

JENNY: Yes. She called about ten minutes after you left. Things don’t look good for the bird man. Apparently the cops think they found a murder weapon in the Professor’s lab and the coroner is in the process of checking that against the stab wounds. She’s pretty sure it’s a match. She’s sending the report over on what they had so far to me. I thought you were the delivery guy. 

[SFX - Knocking. Typing. Door opens. Papers rustle. Door closes. Chair squeaks.]

REX (V.O.): As if on cue there’s a knock on the door. It’s the courier bringing the coroner’s report. Not complete, but there’s enough to get the general idea. I send Jenny down to Schnider’s Deli for a couple of pastrami sandwiches while I look over the report.  I hadn’t eaten all day and my head was starting to pound. Mixed in with Latin medical terms and an outline drawing of a human body is a possible death sentence for my client. Sure, the evidence is circumstantial, but the Los Angeles Police Department isn’t particularly fond of jigsaw puzzles. The suspect doesn’t fit the evidence, leave out the evidence. Simple. It gets good press and the average voter can go about his average day without worrying about the boogeyman. It’s an unspoken agreement in a civilized town like Los Angeles. You start digging into how the cops do their job, you might have to abandon the idea that they don’t make mistakes. You start thinking they’re fallible. You begin to wonder if there’s more stake here besides “upholding the law.” Maybe there’s an agenda that we don’t get to see. Maybe it’s not as much about Law & Order as it is about political agendas and getting the right people in the right positions. Pretty soon the whole world is topsy-turvy. Apples start falling up and cats start chasing dogs. System falls apart if the “Q” in John Q. Public stands for Questions. But don’t get me wrong, most of the flatfoots I met are walkin’ the pier out there because they want to make a difference. They join the force because it’s all on the up and up. Who knows, maybe years of going to work wondering if this is the day you take a lead bath makes you want more than just to watch after twenty-five years. Maybe you see all the bad around you and wonder how the little guy can ever get ahead with so much working against him. Maybe when you look in the dark long enough, your eyes start to adjust. Maybe it doesn’t all seem so dark after all. Pretty soon, maybe you become one of the shadows that everyone else is running from. But none of this is helping. Sometimes when I get hungry, I tend to wax philosophical. There’s something about a hot pastrami sandwich that makes the world slow down, just a bit. I find that whenever I run up against a problem I can’t solve, there are two things that can get the brain workin’: A pastrami sandwich, or a visit to the pie shop. [SFX - Plastic bag crinkling. Door opens and closes.] It’s strange sometimes how something so innocent can blow a case wide open. 

JENNY: We should’ve eaten in my office. 

REX: Out there? I can’t have a potential client walk in and see us chowin’ down. I have an image to protect. 

JENNY: Oh, some image. Besides, that’s why man invented locks, Boss. 

REX: What’s the matter with eating in my office, Angel?

JENNY: It still smells like ammonia in here. I think I used too much when I was cleaning up yesterday. You should open a window. 

REX: I can’t smell it. Maybe that’s what’s giving me a headache. 

JENNY: Well I have an excellent sense of smell. Ever since I was a little girl, ammonia sets me off. Oh, my kid sister was always bugging our folks about pets – we had cats and dogs, fish! We had these birds one time that–

REX: Is this gonna be a long story?

JENNY: It’s rude to interrupt, Mr. Rivetter. And no. I was just sayin’ that we had these birds and one time we were doin’ some spring cleaning and Antoinette spilled some ammonia–

REX: Antoinette?

JENNY: My sister. I’ve told you about her. Anyway, Antoinette accidentally spilled some cleaner with ammonia in it, A LOT of ammonia. It was the one in the ads that has the bottle with arms and legs on it– oh, what is the name of that one? Oh, you know the one. Anyway, she then tried to clean it up but I guess it got to the birds, they got pretty sick and died a couple days later. [Music swells slightly.] At least we assumed–

REX (realizing): Wait, what did you say?

JENNY (slowly): My sister spilled a bunch of ammonia and since then–

REX: No! About the birds!

JENNY: What? Oh, nothing. Oh, Antoinette was so upset she cried for days.

REX (connecting dots): The birds died?

JENNY: They did! Haven’t you been listening?

REX: From the ammonia, of course!

JENNY: Oh yeah, I guess there’s somethin’ in it that– 

REX: That’s why the lab smelled like that!

JENNY: What?

[SFX - Rex quickly cleans up his food and rises from his chair.] 

REX: Angel, I could kiss you. 

JENNY: What?!

[SFX - Rotary phone dialing. Rex grabs his stuff. Keys jingle.]

REX: Get Lieutenant Burke on the horn. Have him pick up Finch, Simon Hoffman, and the kid, Eugene. And have him meet me at Finch’s office. Tell him I know who murdered Evelyn Lawrence. 

JENNY: You do??

REX: You bet, and I can prove it, thanks to you. 

JENNY: Me??? Oh, wait, where’re ya’ goin’?

REX: On my way to the university, but I have a stop to make first. 

[SFX - Door closes.]

JENNY: Huh, well. Whaddya know. I solved the case.

[Music swells.]

[Whimsical music fades in.]

[Shoutout to fans/DSEntertainment from Dave Rivas.] 

[Nightmare by Artie Shaw starts.] 

GREG MCAFEE: And now, for the exciting conclusion of Rex Rivetter: Private Eye in and The Case of the Poisoned Parakeet.

[Nightmare by Artie Shaw plays and fades out.]

[SFX - Car engine. Footsteps.]

REX (V.O.): I had to hightail it to the university. I needed to check on a few things before my guests arrived. 

REX: Finch hired me to find out who killed his birds – I thought it was a fluff case, no offense Professor.

PERCIVAL: Offense taken, Mr. Rivetter. Those birds are people too! Well, you know what I mean. And it’s Bartlett-Finch. Professor Percival Bar– 

[SFX - Something strikes a rack of glassware. Glass clinks.]

LT. BURKE (menacingly): Can it, Finch. Get to the point, Rivetter. I’ve got half a mind to arrest you along with the Professor as an accessory after the fact. I don’t care what the time says.

REX: Bear with me, Inspector. Evelyn Lawrence was last seen Monday night, here in this lab. Is that correct?

LT. BURKE: That’s what we have. Finch’s testimony is corroborated by several witnesses. 

REX: Right. But she wasn’t alone. She was working with you, Professor Hoffman. Isn’t that right?

HOFFMAN: Even if that were true, it does not prove anything.

PERCIVAL: Working with? Why would she be working with–

REX: Evie had been working with Hoffman for quite some time. Months, in fact. Isn’t that right Hoffman?

HOFFMAN: I have no comment. 

REX: That is why she ended things with Eugene here. She couldn’t bear the idea of lying to him anymore. Eugene thought they were having an affair, along with most of the faculty and students. You thought that’s why she broke it off, but I found evidence to the contrary. 

LT. BURKE: What evidence?

REX: These.

[SFX - Paper rustling.]

LT. BURKE: What is this? It’s a bunch of chicken scratch.

REX: That’s what I thought, at first. And then I noticed something at the bottom of the last page, the number 138.

LT. BURKE: What is it?

REX: It corresponds to a test Professor Hoffman ran. The remains of which are inside the refrigerator, over there. 

HOFFMAN: What?! Let me see that!

[SFX - Rex yanks the paper away from Hoffman.]

REX: Not just yet, Professor. I think L.A.’s finest might want to take a peek in your ice box.

[SFX - Fridge opens. Glass clinks.]

LT. BURKE: What in the Lord’s name?! What kind of ghoul keeps this… what are these, Hoffman?

HOFFMAN: DO NOT TOUCH THAT!! [SFX - Fridge closes.] That is all part of my research!

REX: The part that isn’t goin’ well, I’d wager. 

LT. BURKE: Cut to the chase, Rivetter. What do these sideshow displays have to do with the murder?

REX: I’m glad you asked, Inspector. 

LT. BURKE: Lieutenant.

REX: I’m glad you asked, Inspector Lieutenant. The handwriting on those notes matches the handwriting on the outside of those experiments. It belongs to Evelyn Lawrence, proving she was working with Hoffman.

HOFFMAN (angry): I told you this afternoon she was working with me. That is not news, nor is it any indication that I had anything to do with her murder!

PERCIVAL: But I just don’t… get why–

REX: No, the fact that she was working with you isn’t the evidence. The evidence is in her notes. Professor Finch–

PERCIVAL & REX: Bartlett-Finch, 

REX: before she started working with Hoffman, Evie Lawrence was your assistant, correct?

PERCIVAL: Yes, that is correct.

REX: I imagine you two worked very closely together. You think you could uh, decipher these notes?

PERCIVAL: Yes, I suppose I could.

REX: Would you mind? 

PERCIVAL (quietly): Huh, interesting.

REX: Hm. Out loud, Professor?

PERCIVAL: Oh! Of course. It seems that Professor Hoffman has been conducting experiments on a drug called thalidomide.

HOFFMAN: That is all part of my research! Any and all notes belong to the university!

LT. BURKE: Shut up! 

HOFFMAN: What would the committee chair say about–

LT. BURKE: I said shut up! 

REX: You have my permission to shoot ‘im.

LT. BURKE: You too, Rivetter!

HOFFMAN: There are always some small side effects introducing a new chemical into a system, anomalies–

PERCIVAL: Apparently there were several cases of side effects of the drug. 

LT. BURKE: These abominations in the cooler?

PERCIVAL: No. Inspector, the test animal showed no ill effect. Those “abominations,” as you call them, are the offspring. 

HOFFMAN: Quiet!

PERCIVAL: Ms. Lawrence detailed several cases where the animals’ litters were born with mutated appendages.

LT. BURKE: In English, please.

PERCIVAL: Flippers, Inspector. Like in the jars? Instead of feet, they had flippers.

HOFFMAN (heated): Lies! It’s-It’s-It’s all lies!!

REX: She was gonna rat you out, wasn’t she, Hoffman? That’s why you killed her.

HOFFMAN: I didn’t kill her!!

REX: Sure, you did. She told you she was going to publish your findings and you killed her, right in this room. You went into a mad rage and stabbed her seventeen times with one of the scalpels. When you realized what you’d done, you wrapped her up and took her to her apartment, but not before cleaning up the mess here. 

HOFFMAN: You can’t prove that!

REX: You used ammonia to clean up the blood. Lots of it, I imagine. That’s what killed the birds. 

LT. BURKE: Ammonia?

REX: Sure, Inspector. There’s no windows in here, so no circulation. That much ammonia would kill a bird in no time. Isn’t that right, Finch?

PERCIVAL: [SFX - Percival huffs.] Bart-! Yes, yes I suppose it would. 

REX: The place still reeks of it.

HOFFMAN (coming undone): Y-you-you can’t… this.. this will ruin me!

REX: All the money, all the notoriety – it was all coming to an end, wasn’t it, Professor? Right before your eyes!

HOFFMAN (through sobs): It will ruin me! Oh, my-my reputation!!

REX: I bet some drug company would’ve paid a fortune to publish your research, if you could only hide the anomalies.

[SFX - Equipment bangs together as Hoffman lunges for Rex.]

HOFFMAN: You can’t–!!

[SFX (dialogue below layered on top) - Hoffman and Rex fight. Glasses clinking. Heavy breathing and grunting. Glass breaks. Punches land. Percival exclaims and faints. Metal clanks.]

LT. BURKE: Careful, Rivetter!

PERCIVAL: Good Heavens!

EUGENE: What’s that in Hoffman’s hand!?

LT. BURKE: He’s got a scalpel!

[SFX - Fighting dies down.]

EUGENE: Was Professor Finch hurt? How? He was over here with me!

LT. BURKE: He wasn't hurt, he fainted again. You alright, Rivetter?

REX: Right as rain! I guess Hoffman couldn’t take a punch.

LT. BURKE: Cuff him, Jeffery.

[SFX - Music swells. Handcuffs tighten. Hoffman sobs in the background.]

REX (V.O.): As the Boys in Blue cart Hoffman off, Lieutenant Burke has a few more questions for me. Eugene and Finch join us, and in the back of my head, a voice screams at me saying I should leave well enough alone. Remind me to listen to that voice next time. 

LT. BURKE: Alright Rivetter, that wasn’t bad work. I will give you that. When did you put it all together?

REX: It was… bits and pieces, really. The dead birds, the rumors of Hoffman’s affair with Evie, the handwriting on the glass jars in the cooler that match the notes in her apartment.

EUGENE: Yes, where did you get those?

REX: Behind the picture of you and Evie. She kept it on her dresser. That’s what tipped me off that it was more than an affair that caused her death. 

EUGENE: Why?

REX: A woman having an affair wouldn’t have kept your picture out in the open. 

EUGENE: Huh.

REX: Maybe that’s why she broke it off. She knew there was something hinky about Professor Hoffman’s research, but couldn’t put her finger on it, so she went undercover.

EUGENE: But.. why break it off with me?

REX: Dames are funny sometimes. Would it help if you knew she was still in love with you, son? You got a promising career ahead of you, I’d imagine. She probably didn’t want you to get involved in something sordid like this. 

EUGENE: I-I don’t know what to say. 

REX (V.O.): Eugene excuses himself from the group. The next time I look up, he’s gone. It’ll take a while for him to get over his first love. I like to think he’ll find some happiness, eventually.

LT. BURKE: We had it figured the murder didn’t occur at Lawrence’s apartment. But there was no sign of a struggle or a blood splatter in the lab. The birds were a nice touch.

REX: The smell of ammonia was the final piece of the puzzle. 

LT. BURKE: And with all those scraps you put it all together. Good detective work. You guessed, didn’t you? 

REX: I’ll never tell.

LT. BURKE: And now the real effort begins. You see Rivetter, police work isn’t just about solving the case. It’s also about keeping your superiors happy and working with the public to protect the image of the department.

REX: Well, I can’t do everything for you. 

LT. BURKE: This isn’t going to look good. We already brought in one Professor for questioning, now we have to let him walk and arrest another. No, it’s not going to look good at all. 

REX: Supposing it was all part of your plan.

LT. BURKE: Plan?

REX (V.O.): There’s that voice again, telling me to stow it. But I’m on a roll now.

REX: Sure, you arrested Finch to flush out the real killer. You figured if he thought you had the culprit he’d relax, slip up somehow. After all, you’re dealing with an educated man with more degrees than a thermometer. He’s not your run-of-the-mill killer. You had to approach things differently. 

LT. BURKE: Right. We had to show him that we could outsmart him. 

REX (V.O.): Burke was catching on.

REX: So, you clued me into what you were doing, and I went along. 

LT. BURKE: Now hold on a minute there, boyo–

REX (slowly turning into a Burke impression): I was happy to help the police department protect the innocent citizens of this fine city–

LT. BURKE: So now we know what you get out of this.

REX: We’re killing two birds with one stone. 

[Nightmare by Artie Shaw starts.]

REX (V.O.): The sun begins to set on the City of Angels. Another case is behind me and I’m feeling pretty good! [SFX - Paper shuffling.] The next morning The Times reads: “COPS ARREST PROFESSOR FOR STUDENT MURDER.” I skim the article, and find my name. It’s toward the end. Almost as an afterthought, but it’s in there. That should be good for business! Jenny can cut that one out and add that to her scrapbook. 

[Nightmare by Artie Shaw plays.]

GREG MCAFEE: Tonight’s episode of Rex Rivetter: Private Eye stars Randy Coull (Rex Rivetter) and Rhiannon McAfee (Jenny McIntosh), featuring Nick Young (Lieutenant Burke) and Dave Rivas (Angelo Martin), guest starring Dave Hibler (Professor Percival Bartlett-Finch), James Steinburg (Professor Hoffman), and Joe Fejeran (Eugene). Tonight’s episode was written by Greg McAfee and is transcribed in San Diego, California. It is produced by Downstairs Entertainment, with recording, sound, and editing by Davey Boy Productions. The Rex Rivetter Theme ‘Nightmare’ by the Artie Shaw Orchestra is used by permission of Music Sales Corps. Rex Rivetter is directed by Rhiannon McAfee with vocal, sound, and technical direction by Dave Rivas. And if you enjoyed tonight’s episode please find us on the internet at www.dsentertain.com or on THE FACEBOOK or THE TWITTER. Tonight's episode of Rex Rivetter: Private Detective is brought to you in part by Davey Boy Productions. For sound design, private voice-over workshops, or to consult with voice over recording artist Dave Rivas about your project, visit www.daveyboyproductions.com. And be sure to join us next Monday night, same time and place, for The Case of Triple Indemnity. For Downstairs Entertainment, this is Greg McAfee speaking. 

[Nightmare by Artie Shaw fades out.]

[whitepolaris]

Meteorite Hazard at Audubon Golf Course

At the northern end of the eighteenth hole fairway in New Orlean's Audubon Park Golf Club course is one weird hazard. An iron meteorite weighing in at more than fifteen tons juts out nearly six feet from the well-maintained grounds of the old course. The Picayune described the meteorite's arrival on March 31, 1891:

The terrific explosion and detonation which startled all of Carrollton just previous to daylight yesterday morning, shook houses and smashed panes of glass, proves to have been caused by the fall of an enormous meteorite. All people throughout the city who happened to be awake heard the noise and felt the shock. Indeed, the effects were felt as far away as Biloxi, and no doubt at more distant points.

The few who were on the streets or rushed to the doors and windows saw an immense glare of fire in the sky and the kissing of flames, which ceased as suddenly as they appeared.

Initial descriptions measured it at eight feet high and twenty-one feet in circumference at its widest point. But in the nearly 120 years since it slammed into the dark, rust, ground subsidence under its enormous weight and souvenir collecting have diminished the spectacle somewhat. In fact, after it was determined that it probably posed little or no danger to the park or its visitors, city officials soon realized that the greater danger was to the meteorite itself from the swarms souvenir hunters. Twelve lesser masses of space iron and thousands of smaller chunks and fragments scattered around the site were quickly carried away as mementos, many of which still grace mantals and curiosity cabinets throughout the region. By late afternoon on the day the interplanetary traveler arrived, a committee headed by the commissioner of public works, E. T. Leche, decided to post a guard of armed policemen around the site until an iron fence could be constructed to preserve it for future citizens to enjoy and admire.

It turns out the best way to preserve an intergalactic artifact is to tell a lie about it. A false rumor was started, claiming that the rock hadn't come from space at all. Instead it was touted to be a giant sample iron ore from Alabama's famous Red Mountain quarries near Birmingham. It purportedly had been abandoned in New Orleans after the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884-85.

This version of the origins of the meteorite gained momentum after readers realized that the original newspaper article had come out April 1, although the event itself had happened the day before. It did not explain, however, how such a big chunk of "iron ore" had completely escaped notice until then, or why, if Alabamans had thought it was so impressive before the fair, they had decided it was so worthless afterward. What is more, in a region with almost no outcroppings of solid rock at all, surely over the course of six years of supposedly sitting in plain view in a park surrounded by hundreds of daily visitors, someone would have noticed it, if it had really been there all along.

After the lake meteorite story began circulating, the public quickly lost interest. The Public Works office quietly canceled plans for the elaborate fencing as the meteorite sank into the mists of history. For decades afterward, unfortunate old-timers were branded as fabulists or lairs if they admitted that they'd actually heard the blast or seen the flames. Meanwhile, gawkers and curiosity seekers refocused their attention on the other wonder of that year, the great Ames Crevasse. A breach in the levees had flooded Gretna, destroying homes and creating quite a tourist attraction. The Audubon Park meteorite, on the other hand, crashed down in a party of the city with no dwellings, at a time when few people were awake, and on a day when almost no one would later believe it had ever really happened at all.

[marjaystuff]

Interview with Alyssa Maxwell

Murder at the Elms book 11 by Alyssa Maxwell published August 2023

Murder at Vinland book 12 by Alyssa Maxwell published August 2024

Kensington Pub.

Each of Murder at the Elms and Murder at Vinland by Alyssa Maxwell intertwines a mystery within an historical novel. The setting is the turn of the century Newport where during the Gilded Age there is vast income and a power disparity. The main character, Emma Cross, is the “poor Vanderbilt” having inherited some money from the famous family. But she is an anomaly because she is independent and a working journalist who owns the newspaper The Newport Messenger along with her wealthy husband, Derrick.

In Murder at the Elms one of the wealthy families, the Berwinds, invite those high in society to view their newly completed Bellevue Avenue estate. It is a modern mansion, that has been wired for electricity, generated by coal from Berwinds own mines. Yet, days before the party the servants go on strike, hoping to negotiate better working conditions since they work seven days a week with no time off.  They are all fired and replaced with new staff. At the party there is fine dining and music but the evening ends tragically when a chambermaid is found dead in the coal tunnel and a guest’s diamond necklace is missing.  Because Emma and Derrick were there, they are asked by the police to help in uncovering who is the murderer and what is the connection between the necklace and the murder.

Murder At Vinland is the most recent book in the series. Vinland is the Viking themed home of Florence Vanderbilt Twombly.  There she is having a fundraiser for the local Audubon Society attended by the wife of Theodore Roosevelt and Harriet Hemingway. The following morning one of the guests is found to have been poisoned. However, more poisoned desserts are sent to socially prominent women who had attended the luncheon, and tension increases even as the dangerous toxin used is identified. Asked her to help to find the person sending the poisons is Emma’s good friend, police detective James Whyte. Emma and Jesse must sort through possible motives because now more than the birds are in danger.

Maxwell brings turn-of-the-century Newport to life by taking readers into the mansions and how the wealthy lived. Combining mystery with real-life personalities and events from the Gilded Age makes for an entertaining and informative read.

Elise Cooper: What about the TV series?

Alyssa Maxwell: It is not a TV series.  Hallmark Mystery made the first book, Murder at the Breakers into a movie. We do not know if any new ones will be made.  They do tend to move a little slowly.  I have no say in anything.

EC: Why make your heroine, Emma, a woman journalist in the early 1900s?

AM: She is independent.  It is unusual, not the norm, but not out of the question.  There were other female journalists at that time and other women in other occupations. They did have their own business and made their own money. I always refer to Nellie Bly as the inspiration for Emma, a Gilded Age journalist who took a lot of risks. At the beginning of the series as a society journalist she was able to get into the balls and the wealthy activities in Newport. Now she is more of an investigative reporter. Jesse, her detective friend, relies on her insight because she knows the wealthy and the ordinary Newport people.  

EC:  Has Emma changed since she married?

AM: She has come to see there is still strength in depending on others. In the beginning she tended to be a lone wolf, that in accepting help there might be strings.  With her husband, Derrick, she realizes it is possible to be a team.  She is more confidant in herself and her relationships.

EC: Since Emma is pregnant will that jump the shark?

AM: Emma needed to settle into her married life and in the early 1900s that would include having a child. Nanny and Katie will help in looking after the baby as well as having her work from home. I think it is a natural progression of her life.

EC: Will Jesse ever get a love interest?

AM: I have hinted in an earlier book that Jesse and one of the maids of a mansion had met and were striking up a friendship. I need to get back to it, but have not since I have been so focused on Emma and Derrick’s relationship 

EC: What would you say is the historical part of Murder at The Elms?

AM:  The mystery and the historical wrap around each other in all my books. I do take some historical events and wrap them around the mystery. There was some backstabbing, with societal climbing but there was also female friendships and relationships that I explore. There is also yellow journalism with the sensationalism and embellishment. One of the journalists, Brown, uses it.  He did not care how his reporting might affect someone. He did not have a lot of scruples as evidenced when he covered the striking of the servants. At that time there actually was a service strike at the Elms where everyone was fired. 

EC:  In Murder at Vinland how did you get the idea for the story?

AM: This house has a Nordic and Viking design, which led me into thinking of nature. The archived newspapers of the period showed how Audubon Societies were springing up. 

EC:  How would you describe The Ladies of the 400?

AM: Many were smart, savvy women who if allowed would have been CEOs of companies. They were frustrated in their lack of choices.  This is why being on the top of society was so important to them, being like their business.  They could be set in their ways because their choices were limited, so they felt other women’s choices should be limited as well. They can be good and bad.  They were involved in altruistic projects and are philanthropists. They helped their communities but at the same time there was rivalry about who would be considered the most important one in society.

EC: What was the role of Jennie?

AM: She wanted to start up an Audubon Society.  She was passionate about the protection of birds.  At the time women were wearing hats adorned with feathers. She gets angry with these women and because of this Emma suspects her. By the 1920s, feathers on hats were out because of the efforts of the consciousness and education, but at the time of the story this was in the beginning.  I put in two historical figures, Harriet Hemingway who established the Massachusetts Audubon Society and Edith Roosevelt because of her husband’s activism in preserving the environment.  I thought they would be likely figures to attend a luncheon on the dangers to birds. 

EC: Next books?

AM: In the book that I am finishing now, the next Newport mystery there are fewer suspects than this book. The book is titled Murder at Arleigh, coming out this time next year. A societal couple believed to be madly in love has a wrench thrown when the wife comes to Emma and tells her she thinks her husband is trying to kill her. The couple is real, Harry and Elizabeth Lehr. Two Weddings and a Murder will be my next book in the “A Lady & Lady’s Maid” series. It begins with a marriage and that same day the chief inspector is murdered, coming out in February. 

THANK YOU!!

[petnews2day]

Dawn Chorus: My Great Backyard Bird Count

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/rqDU9

Dawn Chorus: My Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is an event that occurs every year over the President’s Day weekend in February. The main sponsors are the Cornell Lab, Audubon, Birds Canada, and Wild Birds Unlimited. In a nutshell, it’s a calling-all-birders thing where birders all over the world go out and count as many bird species as is humanly […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/rqDU9 #BirdNews

[rabbitcruiser]

Morro Bay Harbor, CA (No. 10)

You can’t climb Morro Rock, but you can look for the peregrine falcons that nest there. And it’s not just there you’ll see birds: So many of them love the Morro Bay area that the Audubon Society has dubbed it one of the country’s best places for bird watchers. There’s even a birding festival every Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. Nature lives in the water, too, of course—check it out by taking a whale-watching cruise or stopping by the free Estuary Nature Center, a popular hangout for otters and other sea creatures.

The town is an ambulatory paradise as well: Beaches stretch north and south of town, perfect for strolling with a view of Morro Rock. Landlubbers can hike the area’s many trails or simply explore the Embarcadero, a waterfront street with shops and restaurants. Of interest to Half Ironman enthusiasts is the Ironman 70.3 Morro Bay event that happens annually in May, and consists of a 1.2-mile protected swim in Morro Bay, followed by the 56-mile biking section through rolling hills and vineyards, and finally a 13.1-mile run that finishes along the Embarcadero.

Source

[rjzimmerman]

Great Lakes piping plover Imani stretches his wings after helping to incubate an egg at Montrose Beach in Chicago on May 31, 2024. The Chicago Park District announced the presence of a new egg on the protected area at the Montrose Beach Dunes. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Great Lakes piping plover Searocket looks for food near a nest where she laid an egg at Montrose Beach on May 31, 2024, in Chicago. The Park District announced the presence of a new egg on the protected area at Montrose Beach Dunes. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Excerpt from this story from the Chicago Tribune:

Captive-reared piping plovers are making history as they guard two separate nests with eggs in Waukegan and Chicago.

Three plover eggs were documented Saturday in Waukegan, and 30 miles down the Lake Michigan shoreline, another egg was confirmed at Montrose Beach.

“This is an historic event for the Great Lakes Piping Plover Project,” said Brad Semel, endangered species recovery specialist for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Three of the four parents-to-be, Blaze, Pepper and Searocket, hatched in a captive-rearing facility in Michigan last summer. They were released as chicks near Montrose Beach and Illinois Beach State Park in Zion last July, and have returned from their southerly wintering locations to start families.

The fourth plover is Imani, born in the wild at Montrose Beach to Monty and Rose, the famous plover pair that first captured Chicago’s attention in 2019.

Captive-reared plovers have never laid eggs in Illinois before, only in Michigan, Semel said.

Carolyn Lueck, a volunteer plover monitor with the Lake County Audubon Society’s Sharing Our Shore-Waukegan program has been visiting Blaze and Pepper almost daily since the plovers returned from two different wintering homes within a day of each other in May.

“By Saturday, we had three eggs and were anticipating a fourth,” said Lueck, a former Lake Forest and Chicago resident who now lives in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. If the captive-reared plovers can raise wild piping plovers, that will show the “great experiment,” to save the endangered shorebird species can be successful, she said.

“Blaze and Pepper have been very diligent,” Lueck said. “They never leave that nest unattended. They’re protecting it from the grackles and other threats.”