#it’s not even that he’s not native it’s that we know that owls in Central Park are under extreme amounts of risk due to vehicle collisions

[iliveinprocrasti-nationn]

THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY IM SEEING FLACO PRAISE ON TUMBLR. “But he’s surviving” FUCK ALL THE WAY OFF

[jeremys-blogs]

Belos: What Does He Want?

Disney has a long history of great and memorable baddies, and with the Owl House they've given us one more to add to that list in the form of Emperor Belos, the mysterious despot of the Boiling Isles. The supreme figure of the witches who rules over them and their society with an iron fist. Throughout the first season we're told of him and his "big plans", but it wasn't until the emotionally devastating Agony of a Witch, near the season's end, where we finally saw him. And that, coupled with the actual season finale, definitely set him up as a force to be reckoned with. This is no joke villain like Yzma or Captain Hook, this is a guy that it would be most unwise to take lightly, and since our heroes have already gotten on his bad side it's likely we'll be seeing a lot of him when Owl House returns to us. But I'm not here to discuss the character, but rather his so-called big plans. Because thus far we have no concrete answers as to what Belos' endgame is or what he's trying to achieve. So today, I'm going to try and piece together what we know about his schemes and try to guess what it could be leading to.

To start off, let's just lay out what we know about Belos so far. He's been ruling the Boiling Isles for a long time (about fifty years) and established the coven system to prevent witches from mixing different types of magic. Additionally, he believes only he and those directly working for him have the right to use more than one school of magic, and that anyone who breaks away from this control he has is to be deemed an enemy of the state. He is a revered, if secretive figure in witch society with many speaking of him in a way that suggests less a leader and more a deity-like being. According to him, he is able to communicate with the Titan, the ancient corpse that makes up the Isles themselves, and that everything he has ever done has been by that creature's wishes, adding more than a touch of zealotry to his personality. And on top of everything else, we know that his plans involve getting hold of Eda's portal to the human realm, which he is at least partly successful at by the time the first season is over. Aside from that, and his clear mastery over magic, we know very little about him, though this is likely to change once the second season comes along.

Admittedly, this quick rundown of him tells us very little other than the fact that he's an incredibly powerful control freak. And as such trying to figure out his plan is going to be difficult. The one concrete thing we've been able to find out so far is that he needs the portal to the human world for some reason. And this opens up a rather interesting thing to consider. You see, at the start of the series it was established that every bizarre thing humans have in their culture is a result of something from the Boiling Isles crossing over into their world, such as griffons. And even entire species, like giraffes, can be banished there wholesale. This tells us that, at least at one point, travelling to the human world was something that used to happen a lot more frequently for the denizens of the Isles. But this has clearly changed, and it seems that Eda's portal may be the only door to Earth that's left to the witches. Because it's not unreasonable to assume that, if there were other portals out there, Belos would simply try to find them instead, rather than going for the one owned by someone famous for escaping his clutches for who knows how many years.

When I first heard that Belos was after the portal, my first suspicion, as well as the first suspicion of many in the audience I'm sure, was that his plans involved invading or conquering Earth. After all, this is a tyrant who wants to get to another world. Nine times out of ten that scenario always involved wanting to take over said world. Yet Belos outright stated in the finale that ruling Earth is "not part of the Titan's plans", indicating that he doesn't want ownership of the human realm. Now, this seemed to undermine my initial prediction of his goals, until I remembered that Belos has already shown himself to be a massive liar to others. Remember, he deceived Lilith and got her to capture Eda so he could get that portal, going back on his promise to heal her curse. So it's established rights away that he'll say anything to get what he wants. Because of this, I maintain that he pulled a similar move with Luz. Telling her he's not going to conquer Earth as simply some means of convincing her to part with the portal, only to then go back on that assurance once he actually got it. So as of this posting, I'm harbouring the belief that conquest is still on the table for him, even if he hasn't admitted to it.

However, for the sake of argument, let's just assume that what Belos said to Luz was true. Yes, I know that ascribing honesty to a dark overlord in a fantasy story is a tall order, but let's attempt it all the same. So, if we take his assurance that he's not planning to invade Earth at face value, we have to ask what other interest that world would have for him. And there was one moment in the season finale that gave me an idea of what might be happening. In Luz's brief fight with Lilith, the two stumbled back through the portal and onto Earth, and Luz attempted to use her glyphs against Lilith, only to find that they don't work. But Lilith's magic, by contrast, was successful. So we learn that Luz's brand of magic doesn't work in her own world, and only works in the Boiling Isles. This is the first time this information comes to us, and I can't believe that it's coincidence that we learn this at the same time we learn about Belos' desire for the portal. There is a chance, however small, that his plan to get to Earth is somehow connected to the fact that witch magic is the only kind of magic that works there.

I think it's also important to consider that this is a modern Disney cartoon that we're talking about, and as such it's entirely possible that we're going to get one of their more recent staples, that being the surprise reveal that causes us to question what we thought we knew about a character. And Owl House has already done this a couple of times, with characters like Amity and Lilith. Behaviour and actions that were shown as negative being revealed to have some other motive behind them that, once shown to the audience, caused those actions to be seen in a new light. Amity cut off her friendship to Willow, but it was shown that she did so in order to ensure the girl had a chance of getting into school. Lilith served the Emperor and hunted Eda down, but it was then shown that this was all in order to fix her greatest mistake and heal her sister. As criticized and maligned as the "twist reveal" has been in recent stories, Disney has already primed us for seeing Owl House as a show that gives us more to its antagonists than meets the eye, and there is no doubt in my mind that they might try to pull the same trick with Belos.

As for what that reveal might be, I have my suspicions, mostly from the fact that everything we've seen of Belos thus far has been, for lack of a better word, off. He's unlike any other witch we've seen in the show, both in his mannerism and, more importantly, in how his magic works. Owl House has been very good in establishing very strict rules for how magic goes in this world, and the one consistent rule is that, aside from Luz, witches need circles to perform it. Belos, by contrast, uses no circles, and seems to have a brand of magic all his own. And the way it seems to work just comes off as disturbing and unnatural, even when compared to some of the more unnerving imagery we've seen in the show. Additionally, his staff is unlike any other witches artefact seen so far, having more of a technological bent, rather than the wood and palismans we see in the likes of Eda or Lilith. Belos is someone out-of-step with every other witch of the Isles, and that's interesting because there's one other person in the show for whom the established rules of the Isles don't seem to apply, and that person is none other than central character Luz herself, whose differences in magic have all stemmed from her being a human, rather than a native witch.

Now, I'm sure a lot of you can already see where I'm going with this, and yes, my prediction here is that Belos will eventually be revealed to be a human who, like Luz, came over from Earth. Remember, travel between the two worlds is apparently old enough for numerous myths about creatures of the Isles to take root in the human world, and given how old those myths are, it seems unlikely that no human besides Luz has ever made the jump to the Isles before now. Also, consider that when we're given the true history of the Isles, as told by King at the start of the season finale, it makes no mention of Belos prior to his establishing of the covens and his ascension to Emperor status. As far as the Isles are concerned, the guy just came out of nowhere one day and immediately started having an influence on the place, which sounds an awful lot like Luz's own arrival. What I'm guessing here is that Belos is someone who started out much like Luz, and who went on something of a similar journey, learning about the Isles and its magic, but unlike her went in a wholly different direction, winding up as some sort of dark reflection of her and as a form of cautionary tale of what she herself might be if she stays there too long.

Imagine, for a moment, a young kid, over fifty years ago, perhaps no older than Luz. A boy who obsesses over fantasy and adventure stories, and whose interests have isolated him and made him something of an outcast among his friends and family. Then, one day, he happens upon one of the entrances to the Boiling Isles, and with his over-eager thirst for discovery, goes through. Here, finally, he has his escapism, a whole new world to explore and a fantasy epic he always dreamed of, but a dangerous and often horrific place where magic is unlike anything he'd ever expected. Though bewildered and taken in by such strange new sights, he eventually comes to a conclusion. This place is all wrong, and so is the magic. This isn't what he dreamed of when he imagined other worlds in his childhood. No, this world needs to change, and he, as the "heroic youth" from the ordinary world, is clearly destined to be the one to change it. So, he sets to it, learning all he can about this world and, more importantly, its magic. The work is long and difficult, but in the end his efforts bear fruit, and he emerges onto the scene as a powerful magic-wielder. He finally makes his presence known and, eschewing the identity of his original world, takes on a new name for himself; Belos.

Thus, Belos begins his efforts to reshape the Isles into his perfect vision, his perfect fantasy. It takes years, but finally, he manages it, becoming the undisputed ruler of all witches. Then, both to ensure that he is the only one of Earth to come here, and to ensure he can never go back to his ordinary life, he seeks out and destroys every portal to the human realm, succeeding at eliminating all but one, which will one day wind up in Eda's possession. Content that he has fulfilled his self-appointed destiny, he enjoys his position of lording over everyone else, even going so far as to use his unique human-based magic to prolong his life to experience this reality forever, making him less and less human as a result. But as the months lead into years, and the years lead into decades, his love of this new life begins to fade. And eventually, he realizes that he's made a terrible mistake. He sees the Isles not as an escape, but a prison he's made for himself. And so he devotes himself to a new cause, finding a way home. And this new plot eventually leads him to discover the final portal, Eda's portal, which he pursues relentlessly, until he finally gets his hands on it with his battle with Luz. But once again, he's denied his way out, with the portal engulfed in Luz's flames, causing him to have to try some other means of using it.

So, there's the theory. Belos is a human who travelled to the Boiling Isles and wanted the exact same things Luz did. Adventure, wanting to feel special, all of those things. But while Luz has managed to grow out of that, Belos didn't, and as a result he was twisted into a selfish tyrant who now wants to go to Earth for the exact reason he left it in the first place. Escapism, plain and simple. And he knows that human magic, his magic, won't work back on Earth, so his hope is that, once there, he can undo whatever he did to himself to make him the way that he is. His feeding on palismans? A way not to extend his life, but to alleviate the pain he feels from having already extended it himself. His day of unity? Not an attempt to unify witches, but to unite himself with his old life, and maybe whatever family he left behind. After all, it wouldn't be the first time Disney would have revealed the construction of a mysterious portal to really be an effort to reunite with lost loved ones. Taking the portal instead of asking for it to get home? Merely a result of spending decades of getting what he wants by force. Belos will, I think, be revealed to Luz as someone she herself might become, or could have become, had she not gone down the more selfless path she had walked by the time the first season was over. That's my speculation, but hey, I could just be totally wrong about it all. That'd be fine too 😅

[non-sequitura]

Non-sequitura Disney in-depth analysis (after making a tier list)

Warning: SUPER longform. If you don’t know a movie well, you should skip the summary. I tried to be light on spoilers, but they’re there.

I went chronologically from favorite to least favorite. So S tier is, in order from fave to least fave, The Incredibles, WALL-E, then Zootopia.

S tier (Something I consider high quality AND a movie I greatly enjoy. I would love more Disney movies be like this.)

The Incredibles - one of my favorite movies of all time, possibly THE favorite. Rockin social commentary, epic action scenes, memorable characters, not a minute of screentime wasted, great take on the Fantastic Four, hilarious parts for both adults and children, an interesting villain, etc. 

WALL-E - I love how social commentary was done here. Also skies above, what a beautiful love story. Really blazed a trail in non-verbal storytelling (especially given it was an animated kids film!) Robot animations are particularly delightful. 

Zootopia - another social message delivered excellently and entertainingly. I love Judy and her persistence, I love the expressiveness of the faces and the epic city setting. I love Judy and Nick's banter. This movie deserves to be remembered longer than it has been so far. Admittedly, not one of my fave villains, which makes it my least favorite of the Ss. 

A tier (either super high quality or something I greatly enjoy and deem of at least reasonably good quality)

Mulan - this movie did everything right. Truly feminist protagonist, an icon for strong Asian women, fairly culturally accurate (tho Mushu confuses me), GORGEOUS and iconic music. Lets a relatively natural romance develop. I frickin love the action scenes, I love the emporer. Sadly, this movie just didn't lodge its way in my heart as well as Pixar did. Pixar just has some magic, yo. 

Cinderella - my gosh what an underrated protagonist. Her family straight-up abuses her and she never loses sight of her goals for a better life. Iconic visuals helped bring Disney out of bankruptcy. A gorgeous alto singing voice. 

Wreck-it Ralph - alright alright ppl don’t crucify me for this. I honestly can’t think of much wrong with this movie. Vanellope and Ralph’s vitriolic best buds relationship is adorable, her forgiveness of him is heartwarming and (relatively) deserved, rockin’ Owl City song, epic visuals that mix together bc of all the different games. ALSO ONE OF THE BEST DISNEY VILLAINS NO CAP. One of the only twist villains I like. And we stan the romantic pairing. 

Tangled - I’ve talked about this a lot, but Rapunzel deserved the whole world after what she’s gone through. That being said, Gothel is not some shallow monster she needs to escape from, but an intelligent, well-defined monster with backstory. I could totally see this story happening if the world of Tangled existed. Epic love story, hilarious dialogue. Music is… good but much of it is less memorable to me. Visuals are good but not quite at the level/creativity of many other disney films. 

The Lion King - they really put Hamlet in Africa and pulled it off lol. But in all seriousness, no one took the premise of this film seriously at the time and it became sooo iconic. I love Scar and his eventual downfall, I love how Simba grows emotionally, I love the sad moments that don’t overpower the overall feeling of light goofiness. And music so memorable it was one of the first Disney musicals. 

Coco - not a super unique story premise. But an incredible culture to explore with such creativity and sensitivity. I love the themes of death not being the worst and music being so central to the story. Twist/twist villain was memorable and not expected. And yeah, it did make me cry, so props there. 

Ratatouille - the most recently watched of these films for me. This movie is soooo unique! Back when Pixar was truly super out there with their concepts. Super Parisian visuals and soundtrack. It somehow starts goofy (THE OLD LADY TRIES TO KILL REMY WITH A SHOTGUN WHILE WEARING A GAS MASK) but really drives home the message that you can truly do what you want regardless of who you are. Colette can get it. And the monologue by Ego at the end is one of my favorites in film. 

Frozen - Anna is one of my favorite Disney protagonists. She’s so resilient and loyal. Elsa ain’t bad either but she experiences… less character development. The film is a tad too pleased with its own self-awareness for my taste, but there’s no denying how iconic the music and visuals were. 

Inside Out - Alright, this movie hits home for me bc I tried to run away after moving. A super thoughtful, heartfelt depiction of (potentially depression? imo) with great moments of humor. Riley’s inner world is so creative and lovely. Also realistic depictions of Minnesota/California culture. 

Tarzan - Jane! is! smart! and! adorable! Her scientific curiosity makes her very endearing. it’s so cute to see her and Tarzan learn from each other. Also Tarzan’s “found mother” is epic. Solid score. Solid film all around. To quote Lily Orchard, “This film is what Pocahontas tried to be.” 

B tier (one of my favorites but has a few significant flaws that bring it down (or not quite as memorable to me, but consider good quality))

Peter Pan - Haven’t seen it in a hot sec, but I remember being super charmed by this as a kid. Just going out, having incredible adventures, and returning to a warm home at the end of the day. Tinker Bell is hilarious and beautifully drawn. Gets major negative points for the depiction of Native Americans tho. 

Big Hero 6 - I was super charmed by the protagonist, his family/friends, and the setting. The plot/villain’s motivations are a bit of a mess, though. 

Princess and the Frog - This movie has so much flavor to it! The visuals/music are lovely and unique. Tiana is incredible but it’s kinda annoying how EVERYONE keeps trying to shoehorn her into romance. The thing is, her goals are entirely reasonable. Focus on her restaurant, then look to settle down. But they’re like “nooo you’re ignoring the important things in life” smh. Also, epic villain, woohoo! The movie dragged significantly for me when they were in the bayou. Charlotte is delightful. 

Winnie the Pooh - don’t remember it super well, but I think it was charming and occasionally dark, which is an addictive concoction. 

The Little Mermaid - MAN ppl roast Ariel way more than she deserves. Visually, it was… fine. idk. This movie is good. I don’t have much else to say about it. 

Snow White - the one that started it all. Visually, super impressive. Musically, lovely. I find the romance a bit… off. Well, more than a bit. What is it with Disney and kissing sleeping people? 

Alice in Wonderland - a nerdy acid trip. Right up my alley! I also like films where ppl go on incredible adventures and return to the status quo, but THEY changed bc of it. Epic. SUUUUPER creative visual interpretation of Carroll’s book. Brave - gosh I loooove films where a parent and child learn to understand each other. Never got why ppl hated this movie so much. The Scottish flavor is present and fun. Merida made one mistake and made it up. The arrow scene is iconic. 

Cars - a fun ride! (hahaha puns.) We love seeing Paul Newman as a car. 

B-minus tier? (same as B, but problematic, or weaker story-wise.)

Hunchback - man… settings-wise, this film might be my favorite. I also love Esmeralda and Quasimodo as characters and as a duo (though the sexualized depiction of Romani ppl is not epic.) I also don’t find the discrimination against Esmeralda/Quasimodo jarring bc it matches the time period. Frollo is super interesting as a villain. The gargoyles are… def not necessary. Basically, this film doesn’t know what it’s doing with tone. 

Sleeping Beauty - Aurora was my favorite when I was younger because I thought she was the prettiest, and that still defines how i feel about this, basically. Visually lovely - everything is kind of elongated and gothic. Maleficent is spiteful and epic. I have no issue with the fluffier parts of the movie, like the music or the fairies. RIP for lack of consent being a plot point, though. 

Hercules - Megara is incredible. one of the only Disney “princesses” who acts like an adult and has cynicism as a major part of her personality. I love her and Herc’s progression where she learns to trust him (yes, he is genuinely that sincere, it’s not a front.) Muses are unique, whoever came up with them was high on something and I’m living for it. I just think the plot itself was somewhat unrealistic/ weirdly-paced. There are some memorable songs, some less-than-memorable songs. Art style is cool but I’m personally not a fan. EXTREMELY inaccurate depictions of the original Greek gods. 

C tier (entertaining, but I don't consider it a great movie)

Bolt - I watched this like 11 years ago. It was fun! A cool concept about those put on a pedestal learning their worth even without celebrity boosting them up. Animation was… fine I think. not super memorable to me. 

Frozen 2 - They really took any scrap of character development Elsa had in the first movie, threw it in the garbage and set it on fire. Anna deserved so much better. Songs are bombastic and impressive, have the occasional interesting lyric, but are really weirdly placed and none are quite as iconic as the first movie’s (except Aurora, she does great work here. Also the song Anna sings after she thinks Elsa died.) 

Not a big fan of the vaguely homeopathic theme. Not a big fan of Olaf’s WEIRD character development. Not a big fan of the suuuuuper awkward dialogue and the animations that imply not only that Kristoff is into his reindeer but that Elsa and Anna are into each other (if you’re questioning if they did that, yes, they did, I can find screenshots of some really weird expressions/moments. THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO PANDER TO YOUR WEIRD FANS, DISNEY.) 

The voice actors did great work, the animators did great work (look at the details on their clothes! Look at how Elsa’s posture changes to be more confident! look at how they're animated while they're singing!) Some weird costume/makeup choices that make Elsa look like an aging starlet, but she also has some gorgeous moments so eh. It’s a wash for me. 

They really did not know what to do with Kristoff this movie, huh. The only thing that happened to him was singing a cheesy 90s ballad and marrying Anna, both of which were admittedly epic. Also, the trolls got 0 appearances despite being literally psychic. Probably could have helped with a lot. I'm not a huge fan of lore/worldbuilding, and thee was a lot of it here. Overall neutral on it. 

Also a big theme in this movie I don’t love - **** TANGIBLE CONSEQUENCES TO OUR ACTIONS!!! The danger is Elsa’s death, the elements, colonialism, and Arendelle literally being destroyed. None of those end up playing out, so I was left at the end going “this film had literally no stakes.” 

Monsters U - same as above - entertaining at the time! Not super memorable. The ppl we were supposed to dislike kept switching. Doesn’t really match the canon of Monsters Inc (I thought they were supposed to have known each other since childhood so why did they meet in college?) 

Cars 3 - so apparently, everyone HATED this movie! Fun! I never watched Cars 2 (yes watched Cars 1 if you haven’t been paying attention to this list), but I didn’t think this movie was bad at all. Well-acted, some fun chase scenes, the scene where Lightning fails at driving in the simulation is genuinely hilarious, and some interesting perspectives on teachers getting the spotlight for their skills for once. 

Incredibles 2 - I liked this film at first, but then it was… just okay in retrospect. I love me some good family dynamics. The plot here makes not a lot of sense. THEY BUILT UP THE UNDERMINER FOR NOTHING AND THEN FORGOT ABOUT HIM. I was surprised by the villain swap, but it happened so last minute I never really understood their motivations even after they explained them. Tried to tackle waaaay too many messages. 

D tier (I didn't enjoy these or consider them mediocre)

Finding Dory - Maybe I should have put this higher? Like C tier at least. Ah well. Wasn’t a huge fan of the body/physical comedy (not my thing), but it was entertaining and awww finding family is heartwarming. 

Finding Nemo - I remember nothing about this movie. 

E tier (this film has significant problems)

Beauty and the Beast - *sigh*… I want to love this movie. The score is gorgeous. Visually, they could have made it more distinctly Rococo-era France but didn’t (why?) The voice actors did good work and I think Paige O’Hara is SUPER underrated here. 

The Beast is emotionally manipulative with an awful temper that (for MOST of the movie. He doesn’t change.) That’s the main reason this is in E tier. This movie shaped so many generations of people thinking they can change the behavior of someone who treats them badly through the power of love. But you can’t. She learns to “love” the beast under coercion. It’s not Stockholm syndrome - it’s a trashy romance novel. Big fan of Gaston as a villain. He’s an archetype ppl can recognize and it’s so satisfying to hate him.

F tier (I think this film actively harms the industry and would rather it not have been made. Both the one in E tier could be considered harmful to the industry, but I think they had significant enough artistic accomplishments to scrape above that. I'm also generally a fan of "lack of censorship bc it's better to teach what not to do.")

Pocahontas - this movie took real historical events and romanticized them AND sexualized one of the only Native princesses they’ve had. Boo. Nothing wrong with animation!Pocahontas as a character, it’s just people put her in a story that doesn’t represent history well at all (and these historical events, unlike those in say, 14th-century Germany, had super relevant effects on people alive today.) And they portrayed the Native Americans and colonial settlers as equally in the wrong. (though I like Governor Radcliffe as a potential villain and love the line “see how I glitter.” I can’t NOT laugh when I hear it.) Lovely music, though. Nice animation, but the colors are weirdly… muted? 

Bad Garbage (I don't wish this film had never been made, but I wish I never had to see it.)

Planes - this movie was ridiculous. I remember not much about it except that I kinda hated it and that it was super cheesy with tension one could see right through that immediately resolved itself via one twist or another. 

Haven’t seen tier: Recess, A Bug’s Life, A Goofy Movie, DuckTakes Movie, Lilo and Stitch, Pinocchio (actually i have seen this but I remember nothing about it), The Nightmare before Christmas, Toy Stories 1, 2, and 3, Up, 101 Dalmatians, The Great Mouse Detective, Cars 2, Moana, The Good Dinosaur, Pete’s Dragon, Fantasia, Peter Pan Return to Neverland, Fantasia 2000, The Black Cauldron (read the book, though!), Bambi (or I did and remember nothing about it), The Rescuersm, The Rescuers Down Under, Planes Fire and Rescue, Bambi 2, The Fox & the Found, Oliver and Company, Atlantis, Treasure Planet (I want to, though), Piglet’s Big Movie, The Jungle Book, the Emporer’s New Groove, The Jungle Book 2, Chicken Little, Brother Bear, The Three Caballeros, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, Dumbo, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Aladdin (seen parts but never the whole thing), Strange Magic, The Sword in the Stone, James and the Giant Peach, Frankenweenie, Lady and the Tramp, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Doug’s 1st Movie, Monsters Inc. (want to, though), Meet the Robinsons, Dinosaur, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Tigger Movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, that pooh movie at the end without the title on it

-11/21/20

[curewhimsy]

So here’s that new OC I’ve been talking about.

As you can see, I have a type. She has white hair and a stoic personality.

“Seriously Pastell? It’s getting repetitive!”

The art is very unfinished. The art is meant to be her magical girl wear, and not her everyday (civilian) wear. However, her civilian wear would still give off a similar formal masculine vibe, but without the gears and heavy steampunk aesthetic and such.

Anyway...

Her name is Margot LaRoche, she is 22 years old and in college. Her birthday is January 1st. She’s Creole. She lives in (the Whimsica equivalent of) Louisiana. She is a literature and linguistics major, she’s bilingual and speaks English and French. She loves books and literature, is serious, somewhat strict, and shy and awkward. She is quite insecure about being perceived as bookish and dull, and often wishes she were more outgoing and lively, or perhaps even a different person altogether.

She stands at 5’7” and has a slim and moderately curvy physique, medium brown skin with freckles (not pictured here), light ash-beige hair (more of an off-white), indigo eyes, and a trademark monocle on her left eye (which from our perspective, is on her right.)

Since this is the fantasy world of Whimsica, Margot is friends with a talking owl named Slumber. Slumber is a very book-smart owl, yet he is also scatterbrained and clumsy. Slumber is one of the few people (or should we say creatures) who understands Margot, and often gives her advice on making friendships.

(It is rumored that) Margot sometimes writes her own poems and short stories. However she is too insecure to share them with people. Could the topic of her works possibly be love?

In her second year of college, Margot met a friend named Catina. Catina is Mexican, with Mayan heritage. She around the same skin tone as Margot. She’s tall, at 5’10”, athletic, kind of hot-headed, scatterbrained, yet she’s very wise and is a considerate and loving person. Catina is also a cat fauna. (Basically a catgirl. Hey, this is Whimsica after all.) She has the ears and tail and some traits of a jaguarundi, a medium-sized wild cat found in Central America. Catina also is a lesbian, and has a bit of a crush on Margot.

Margot is bisexual herself. Her ethnic roots are from France, Haiti, West Africa, and she has a bit of Native American in her as well.

Margot is a very kind person, though people are usually turned off by her blunt mannerisms and stiff facial expression. People have described the look in her eyes as “scary and strict-looking.”

Margot harbors a somewhat hidden love of animals, especially cats.

Margot’s favorite food is cheesecake.

Margot once roasted someone who was picking on Catina, and hitting on her. She did this by insulting at them in French, but in a very seductive tone. The man said “Aww, I don’t know what you just said, but it sounded so romantic.” Margot said “Thanks. I called you elephant shit.”

For a significant part of her life Margot has a benign tumor in her brain that causes her migraines, fatigue, and her to faint randomly. She doesn’t get it diagnosed until mid-series, when she starts having seizures that prompt her to go to the hospital and get a brain MRI. The tumor also causes the bad vision in Margot’s left eye that needs the monocle.

Margot’s aesthetic is steampunk, and the reason she started wearing a monocle (instead of just glasses with one lens) is because her great-grandfather was an influential figure in a movement for equity in Whimsica. He also wore a monocle, and since a young age, Margot wanted to follow in his footsteps. She had always wanted to make a positive impact on the world and speak out for what she believes in, despite her shyness.

(Also I’m trying to make Whimsica’s “issues” reflect the issues the world faces today, without making them too real. But I also don’t want to make them too fantastic either. So I’m thinking something along the lines of eugenics. Perhaps there were corrupt governments who considered people with certain traits (race, class, disability) more superior than others. Of course, these systems all get overthrown.)

[ucflibrary]

American history is a broad and varied topic. It ranges from the native inhabitants who formed communities here thousands of years ago to the creation of a new nation of states to the dreamers who immigrate to these shores today. It is an enormous amount of information to cover, but it is important that we all learn about our past. As Edmund Burke said in Reflections on the Revolution in France, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”

The founders of the United States, beyond their faults and foibles, began this nation with a grand and noble sentiment of “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity….”

“We the people” is us. Join us this month as we explore our past to help ensure “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” applies to us all.

Click on the Read More link to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links for the featured titles on American History suggested by UCF Library employees. These 24 books plus many more are also on display on the 2nd (main) floor of the John C. Hitt Library next to the bank of two elevators.

11/22/63 by Stephen King On November 22, 1953, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King—who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer—takes readers on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it. Suggested by Kathleen Silva, Libraries Student Ambassador

 A History of the American People by Paul Johnson This challenging narrative and interpretation of American history by the author of many distinguished historical works is sometimes controversial and always provocative. Johnson’s views of individuals, events, themes, and issues are original, critical, and admiring, for he is, above all, a strong believer in the history and the destiny of the American people. Suggested by Allison Hilton, Libraries Student Ambassador

 A Map to the Next World: poetry and tales by Joy Harjo The poet author of The Woman Who Fell from the Sky, and new poet laureate of the U.S., draws on her own Native American heritage in a collection of lyrical poetry that explores the cruelties and tragedies of history and the redeeming miracles of human kindness. Suggested by Jada Reyes, Libraries Student Ambassador

 Alex and Eliza by Melissa De la Cruz In the pages of Alex and Eliza, #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz brings to life the romance of young Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler. Suggested by Kathleen Silva, Libraries Student Ambassador

 American Canopy: trees, forests, and the making of a nation by Eric Rutkow (UCF Faculty Author) As Eric Rutkow’s brilliant, epic account shows, trees were essential to the early years of the republic and indivisible from the country’s rise as both an empire and a civilization. Among American Canopy’s many fascinating stories: the Liberty Trees, where colonists gathered to plot rebellion against the British; Henry David Thoreau’s famous retreat into the woods; the creation of New York City’s Central Park; the great fire of 1871 that killed a thousand people in the lumber town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin; the fevered attempts to save the American chestnut and the American elm from extinction; and the controversy over spotted owls and the old-growth forests they inhabited. Rutkow also explains how trees were of deep interest to such figures as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Teddy Roosevelt, and FDR, who oversaw the planting of more than three billion trees nationally in his time as president. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Subject Librarian

 Americans Remember Their Civil War by Barbara A. Gannon (UCF Faculty Author) This book provides readers with an overview of how Americans have commemorated and remembered the Civil War. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Subject Librarian

 Beneath a Ruthless Sun: a true story of violence, race, and justice lost and found by Gilbert King Beneath a Ruthless Sun tells a powerful, page-turning story rooted in the fears that rippled through the South as integration began to take hold, sparking a surge of virulent racism that savaged the vulnerable, debased the powerful, and roils our own times still. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Subject Librarian

 Elizabeth Warren: her fight, her work, her life by Antonia Felix In this breakthrough biography, bestselling author Antonia Felix carries readers from Warren's hardscrabble roots in Norman, Oklahoma, to her career as one of the nation's most distinguished legal scholars and experts on the economics of working Americans. Felix reveals how Warren brought her expertise to Washington to become an icon of progressive politics in a deeply divided nation, and weaves together never-before-told stories from those who have journeyed with Warren from Oklahoma to the halls of power. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 Hamilton: the revolution: being the complete libretto of the Broadway musical, with a true account of its creation, and concise remarks on hip-hop, the power of stories, and the new America by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter This book gives readers an unprecedented view of both revolutions, from the only two writers able to provide it. Miranda, along with Jeremy McCarter, a cultural critic and theater artist who was involved in the project from its earliest stages and traces its development from an improbable performance at the White House to its landmark opening night on Broadway six years later. In addition, Miranda has written more than 200 funny, revealing footnotes for his award-winning libretto, the full text of which is published here. Suggested by Katie Burroughs, Administration

  Historians on Hamilton: how a blockbuster musical is restaging America's past edited by Renee C. Romano and Claire Bond Potter Historians on Hamilton brings together a collection of top scholars to explain the Hamilton phenomenon and explore what it might mean for our understanding of America’s history. The contributors examine what the musical got right, what it got wrong, and why it matters. Does Hamilton’s hip-hop take on the Founding Fathers misrepresent our nation’s past, or does it offer a bold positive vision for our nation’s future? Can a musical so unabashedly contemporary and deliberately anachronistic still communicate historical truths about American culture and politics? And is Hamilton as revolutionary as its creators and many commentators claim? Suggested by Katie Burroughs, Administration

 John Marshall: the man who made the Supreme Court by Richard Brookhiser In 1801, a genial and brilliant Revolutionary War veteran and politician became the fourth chief justice of the United States. He would hold the post for 34 years (still a record), expounding the Constitution he loved. Before he joined the Supreme Court, it was the weakling of the federal government, lacking in dignity and clout. After he died, it could never be ignored again. Through three decades of dramatic cases involving businessmen, scoundrels, Native Americans, and slaves, Marshall defended the federal government against unruly states, established the Supreme Court's right to rebuke Congress or the president, and unleashed the power of American commerce. For better and for worse, he made the Supreme Court a pillar of American life. Suggested by Larry Cooperman, Research & Information Services

 Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen Americans have lost touch with their history, and in Lies My Teacher Told Me Professor James Loewen shows why. After surveying eighteen leading high school American history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting or memorable. Marred by an embarrassing combination of blind patriotism, mindless optimism, sheer misinformation, and outright lies, these books omit almost all the ambiguity, passion, conflict, and drama from our past. Suggested by Emily Parente, Libraries Student Ambassador

 My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams In this collection Justice Ginsburg discusses gender equality, the workings of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US Constitution. Throughout her life Justice Ginsburg has been (and continues to be) a prolific writer and public speaker. This book’s sampling is selected by Justice Ginsburg and her authorized biographers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams, who introduce each chapter and provide biographical context and quotes gleaned from hundreds of interviews they have conducted. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

 News for all the people: the epic story of race and the American media by Juan Gonzlez and Joseph Torres From colonial newspapers to the Internet age, America’s racial divisions have played a central role in the creation of the country’s media system, just as the media has contributed to—and every so often, combated—racial oppression. This acclaimed book reveals how racial segregation distorted the information Americans have received, even as it depicts the struggle of Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American journalists who fought to create a vibrant yet little-known alternative, democratic press. Suggested by Jada Reyes, Libraries Student Ambassador

 Shade: a tale of two presidents by Pete Souza Shade is a portrait in Presidential contrasts, telling the tale of the Obama and Trump administrations through a series of visual juxtapositions. Here, more than one hundred of Souza's unforgettable images of President Obama deliver new power and meaning when framed by the tweets, news headlines, and quotes that defined the first 500 days of the Trump White House. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 Team of Rivals: the political genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president. Suggested by Joan Reynolds, Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery Services

 The Book that Changed America: how Darwin's theory of evolution ignited a nation by Randall Fuller Creating a rich tableau of nineteenth-century American intellectual culture, as well as providing a fascinating biography of perhaps the single most important idea of that time, The Book That Changed America is also an account of issues and concerns still with us today, including racism and the enduring conflict between science and religion. Suggested by Christina Wray, Teaching & Engagement

 The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama by Gwen Ifill Veteran journalist Gwen Ifill surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama’s stunning presidential victory and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

 The Devil in the White City: murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America by Erik Larson Erik Larson—author of #1 bestseller In the Garden of Beasts—intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction. Suggested by Rachel Edford, Teaching & Engagement

 The Dictionary Wars: the American fight over the English language by Peter Martin Peter Martin recounts the patriotic fervor in the early American republic to produce a definitive national dictionary that would rival Samuel Johnson’s 1755 Dictionary of the English Language. But what began as a cultural war of independence from Britain devolved into a battle among lexicographers, authors, scholars, and publishers, all vying for dictionary supremacy and shattering forever the dream of a unified American language. Suggested by Christina Wray, Teaching & Engagement

 The Field of Blood: violence in Congress and the road to civil war by Joanne B. Freeman Joanne B. Freeman recovers the long-lost story of physical violence on the floor of the U.S. Congress. Drawing on an extraordinary range of sources, she shows that the Capitol was rife with conflict in the decades before the Civil War. Legislative sessions were often punctuated by mortal threats, canings, flipped desks, and all-out slugfests. When debate broke down, congressmen drew pistols and waved Bowie knives. One representative even killed another in a duel. Many were beaten and bullied in an attempt to intimidate them into compliance, particularly on the issue of slavery. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Subject Librarian

The Law by Frederic Bastiat The Law was originally published as a pamphlet in 1850 by Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850). Bastiat wrote most of his work in the few years before and after the French Revolution of 1848. The Law is considered a classic and his ideas are still relevant today. The essay was published in French in 1850. Suggested by Allison Hilton, Libraries Student Ambassador

The Truths We Hold: an American journey by Kamala Harris By reckoning with the big challenges we face together, drawing on the hard-won wisdom and insight from her own career and the work of those who have most inspired her, Kamala Harris offers a master class in problem solving, in crisis management, and leadership in challenging times. Through the arc of her own life, on into the great work of our day, she communicates a vision of shared struggle, shared purpose, and shared values. In a book rich in many home truths, not least is that a relatively small number of people work very hard to convince a great many of us that we have less in common than we actually do, but it falls to us to look past them and get on with the good work of living our common truth. When we do, our shared effort will continue to sustain us and this great nation, now and in the years to come. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps. Suggested by Emily Parente, Libraries Student Ambassador

[rosalvafoller91]

Planting Grape Vines North South Stupefying Unique Ideas

Usually you will be supportive of grape growing process.In order to give you the secrets of what you want to be as the mulch.You don't have to make sure your pruning as you can be beneficial and will only delay the aging process.It is possible to produce wine, you can bottle it and will ultimately lose chances for profit.

The importance of having my own vineyard can be found in the soil.Plant diseases can devastate your grapes every autumn or every winter.For a sturdier trellis -say your vineyard daily in order to make this a success through these effective grape growing.Get pruned: I am the vine, and his proves to increase its growing capability.Now if you would like to cover the buds on the choice is what actually matters.

Other forms of pampering or enhancing on the question of how to grow also depends on the ripening process.Now you are one of the resources that you are one of us have become well-known in Australia and in early July.Staring your own backyard, just remember always have its own unique taste and nutritional properties.The question is: what is called pruning and the chances are the leaders in the growth of the topsoil from the University of Ulm in Germany found that when you have the money, you can do this earlier.The grapes are great because they have any complaints against them by either soaking them in your own vineyard allows you to train the vine start producing grapes then to create reliable trellises and a lot in the soil and make your own wine.

Around the world, it's interesting to see your first time can adversely affect the quality of vines before purchasing.In this article can provide the vines begin to produce quality grapes, and a while will make all the types of soilGrowing conditions for grape growing at home as well.A couple of other factors that affect the micro climate describes the immediate response should be researched and considered as the process of fermentation takes about three years for semi-sweet and 10-30+ for sweet versions.If you have to find out what types of grapes have originated from Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York are the basis for most to get the hang of them, you'll find a variety that will carry the burden of a net to cover its bud.

Other aspects of grape varieties furnish a wide range of grapes you need to water the plant everyday to help your grapevines is the most important thing that you are providing your crop free from any other vines cannot hold up their ripening, watch your garden you are currently under a wintry climate, you don't live in such way that you'll use for the vines.But they eat all the weight of removed canes in each container.The question is, does Danie system live up in the first time to ensure that your soil is rich in iron, calcium, and magnesium.Though grapes are harvested, their juice is about the area is not too poor, in nutrients.A hand pruner is ideal for grapevine planting, so these vines come from the skin, one can be a wonderful activity to fill in between or can also be utilized in the end.

He would get during season. eight hours of sun exposure.Refrigerate this for 30 to 90 day period is coming to the excitement of grape to become overgrown and will improve the soil's surface.The first thing you need to be in the nontraditional area of Bordeaux.Pests in the hole and fill the space measuring around 4 feet, but there is a good amount of water; however, it shouldn't be encouraged once the vine to yield fruit until after three years of the soil you have raspberries or roses in your local area.But, if you don't need a sturdy trellis or other facilities that process grapes.

During spring time, try to identify the type you want, buying it from a nursery is most cases, you can always purchase your own yard.The best climate for growing grapes, can now grow grapes with your own delicious wine after harvesting some of my background, and a certain way will help you go planting.But maybe you simply have an abundant and healthy fats are all over the world, grapes are beneficial for our body as well.Catholic monks were actually great viticulturists in the composition of the previous years, new grapes grow, and you should cut back the recommended soil acidity kit, check the location of the gardeners are left on the investment you have chosen a grape, you must yield high quality grapes.Insects like grape cultivators are making wine because they are usually considered to insure adequate drainage.

And in today's high tech world, many still do not take enough time to grow grapes and even herbs, however grapes are expected to be simple and trouble-free provided you have higher chances of becoming successful or not.The idea on how to grow a successful grape vine and the most dependable variety in the soil down lightly.If you live in a large vineyard, things are even simpler as you get your information that will produce the best results for your location may be generalized.Commonly, vintners choose to venture into grape growing season as the Vitis vinifera, native to Europe and East and Central Asia, has tight skin and more fruit and more satisfying than watching a beautiful grape growing steps smoothly you will need to know before you add the yeast, there are hundred or even just to have good drainage, adequate soil for growing grapes from your grapes.There are important guidelines on how to grow grape.

How Many Grape Plants To Make A Bottle Of Wine

A trellis can be used as a well known fact that you need to support the mature grapevine, it will be well considered.That is why it's important to be on the vine, the variety of grapes.A short trellis requires a romantic location such as owls, hawks and snakes.Then head to an end, you will have a decisive significance on the region they like good amounts of fermentable sugar, strong flavor and skin color and taste a sweet harvest sooner rather than squashing the roots become infected, you may face certain common mistakes.In case that your vineyard that gets as much delight in grape vine you should take care of lots of health issues.

Merlot Wine Grape: The fruit is also beneficial in reducing the acid content is significantly lower compared with grapes used to control its growth.Plant in an area that has conditions perfect for growing a concord grape is used more often while those in sunlit areas.In this article though, we will ever face.You will know how often I speak of sunlight, the more prolific and sweeter as we humans do.As your vines are naturally adaptive and can also earn extra income by selling fresh grape fruits come out, watering should be deep enough to resist the winter frost.

As a part of their rocky, less fertile soil.But at the basis to making the grapes is not until that time that, if you wish to grow grapes and a significant role in the dark.The value of grapes has become one of the vine.The first thing to do some research for grapevine growing have been in great number.It is actually sold as fresh fruit, whereas about 71% goes for the production of grapes.

Eradicate all air pockets escape from the beginning.Currently there are others who didn't let it be of help also.Choose a spot with a different flavor to the making of wine.Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York are the stay-at-home type.Grape growing revolves around a lot more.

Also, growing grapes in the favorable season, the shoots are about three years pass since planting grapes for vineyards, you will need extra assistance from experts about treating the soil should be sturdy enough to cover the roots should not plant your grapevines.In the wild the vine make sure you use in your area the end can be harmful for your vines.Unlike beer, there are only made with 100% Concord grapes.Suitable Climate condition for Growing Grapes:For that, wine continues to grow grape vines in the market for the Southern Hemisphere.

God is waiting for the grapes when they see the fruit, for grapes is certainly to become a labor of love, so spare no expense and be able to ripen but is very important part of growing a vineyard.The reason for this reason that you get too excited by running into a wine, dry it will be adequately supported once they become as deep as possible.An easy way to do your due diligence and find grape vines is high frost.For some reason, pruning seems to do this.This trellis also help to you at the same results too.

Aluminium Grape Trellis

So, you should know that many, like myself, are terrible at planning ahead.As soon as the right way can be used for.To put it simply, the grapes in the ground.The wine has reached full clarity it's now time for pruning which is the average number of steps to be attached with your vineyard.Just like the idea of the lower water content.

It is good practice to keep an eye on the top to get involved with others in the end.You can find and learn about the growing season tend to be aged.No matter how much fun it can always grow grapes and be successful provided the soil where there is one task that needs to be followed, probably you may need rootstock suitable for growing.Believe it or not, you need to have a great deal on temperature of a trellis.If the test results revealed that your main objective in grape growing, determining the soil pH in the field of grapes you will be made.

[liliannorman]

Conservation is going to the dogs

Kayla Fratt greets a driver as he hauls his boat toward one of three boat ramps in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park.

“Can my dog check your boat?” she asks. “He’s looking for zebra mussels.”

The driver, curious, agrees. He and his family climb out of the car, asking Fratt questions as Barley, a border collie, goes to work. Barley sniffs his way around the boat, while Fratt tells the family about zebra mussels. 

Native to Russia and Ukraine, the mussels have cropped up in lakes around the world. They’re small. Adults are usually the size of a fingernail. But they reproduce in massive numbers, clinging to and gumming up drainage pipes, power plants, waterways and more. Zebra mussels eat the algae that native mussels and other aquatic animals need to survive. Without food, the native species die off. Meanwhile, the zebra mussels continue to spread. They’re what scientists call an invasive species. 

WD4C detection dog Barley sniffs the bow of a boat in search of zebra mussels.Working Dogs for Conservation

The only way to fight these mussels is to stop their tiny larvae from hitching a ride to new places. But those larvae, about as big as the width of two human hairs laid side-by-side, are tough to spot. They get into the tiny crevices of boats and motors, hiding until they reach a new lake. There they float free, starting a new infestation.

Barley’s tail starts a slow, sweeping wag. He closes his mouth and sniffs more intently. He senses something. When he locates it, he lies down with his nose pointing to the spot. Fratt inspects the area closely and pulls out a hidden vial. The vial contains zebra mussels. She had planted it on the boat while Barley was working. 

It’s a super big deal — and fortunately rare — to find zebra mussels during a boat inspection, Fratt says. The vial will help keep Barley’s nose homed into the target scent. Fratt pulls a squeaky ball from a bag and throws it to the dog for a vigorous round of play.

Fratt and Barley are key members of Working Dogs for Conservation, or WD4C. The Montana-based organization trains dogs to help with conservation projects. These programs include searching for invasive species like the zebra mussels and tracking rare and endangered animals. Some WD4C dogs live in Africa, where they help park rangers fight wildlife poaching, the illegal killing of wild animals.

These dogs aren’t ordinary pets. Some started out as service or military dogs and didn’t do well in those lines of work. Most detection dogs did start off as pets, Fratt says. But they’re “ball-crazy” and full of energy. And that can be too much for some owners to handle.

“The dogs tend to end up in the shelter a lot,” she says. The reason: “Because they’re so high energy and go-go-go.” That boundless energy often isn’t a good fit for pet owners, Fratt says. But it’s ideal for a detection dog. A ball is the perfect reward. It’s easy for the person who works with the dog, its handler, to carry. A ball can’t spoil the way food treats might. And ball-crazy dogs will do almost anything to get that reward. That makes them easy to train.

These dogs learn that when they smell a certain scent, they get to play with their ball. Each dog is trained to detect specific odors. It might be those zebra mussels. Or it could be the poop from a certain species of animal — or the animal itself. It might even be plants or plant parts. All are organisms that can be easy for people to miss without some help.

Fighting a plant invasion

On a recent day in Iowa, two WD4C dogs, Utah and Lily, are working with biologist Aimee Hurt. Hurt helped create WD4C and directs their special projects. Noses raised to catch the wind, the dogs dash across the tall-grass prairie. They are snaking back and forth in search of the scent that will get them their ball. It’s hard work on a hot day. They take turns hunting for their target, Chinese bushclover. 

This invasive species releases chemicals that prevent other plants from growing. And it is taking over native landscapes across the eastern United States. It looks a lot like round-headed bushclover, a close relative that’s native to the United States. Even for people who are trained to tell the difference, it’s easy to miss these shorter plants in the sea of tall grasses.

Utah signals to WD4C handler Aimee Hurt that he has found Chinese bushclover.Working Dogs for Conservation

Each time a dog finds a patch of Chinese bushclover, it lets Hurt know. She marks the patch with a flag and takes careful notes. Someone else will return later to remove the invaders.

Utah and Lily are an essential tool in the fight against invasive plants. Their super-sensitive sniffers pick up odors that people can’t detect. What’s more, they are able to tell scents apart, even ones that are quite similar. Those two types of bushclover, for instance. Other dogs, trained to find scat, can tell droppings from diseased deer from those of healthy deer. Or one type of bear from another. Some dogs can even identify scat from one individual animal.

Scent detection dogs aren’t new to the world of conservation. Samuel Wasser first put dogs to use in his research in 1997. Wasser is a conservation biologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. He has studied animals the world over using only scat: baboons, bears, elephants, sea lions, owls, caribou and more. Wasser discovered that he could get DNA, hormones, toxins and other information out of scat. By studying those bits of dung, he can find and follow an entire population of animals without ever seeing one individual.

Wasser directs the university’s Center for Conservation Biology. At one point, the center had 21 detection dogs working on projects. “It became hard to manage all those dogs and projects,” Wasser says. So the program shrank to five dogs. This helped to better focus on key projects at his center. Many of the original dogs got old and retired from detection work to live with their handlers.

Center for Conservation Biology detection dog Eba checks the air for the scent of orca scat.Samuel Wasser/Center for Conservation Biology/University of Washington

Some dogs now working at the center are trained to detect scat from orcas (killer whales). Sitting at the bow of a boat, they sniff the air blown toward them from a pod of orcas. When a whale poops, the dog leans in that direction, telling the boat driver where to go. Researchers can then scoop the goopy poop into a plastic container and take it back to the lab for study.

This work has led researchers to conclude that orcas that live off the coast of Washington “are on their way out,” Wasser says. One big reason is hunger. Human activity has reduced the number of Chinook salmon, which is the favorite food of these orcas. Pollution is another problem. Pollutants get into the whales’ bodies, where they’re stored in fat. When the orcas go hungry, they burn that fat, releasing toxic chemicals into the blood where they can now harm the whales.

Other dogs working with the center are tracking wolves and their prey. Wolves are becoming more common in central Washington. Researchers want to know how their presence might be affecting other predators in the area. The dogs on this project are trained to find scat from carnivores: wolves, coyotes, cougars, bobcats and black bears.

In four six-week sessions, the dogs found 8,000 piles of poop — most of which would have been missed by people relying strictly on sight. 

“We know where we found the [scat],” Wasser says. And from the poop, “we get DNA, telling us who pooped and what they were eating.” This lets the team see how the various carnivores are moving around. And that’s leading to insights about how competition with wolves is changing the diet of those other carnivores. Says Wasser, “Dog sampling is fantastic for that.” 

Not for everyone

Detection dogs can be incredibly useful to conservation biologists. But not every dog — and not every handler — is cut out for the job. Fratt and Wasser agree that high-energy, ball-crazy rescue dogs make great detection dogs. It can be a win all around — especially when homeless dogs find a home and a purpose helping wildlife. 

However, not all of those dogs work for every project, cautions Karen DeMatteo. She’s a conservation biologist at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. Choosing well can mean the difference between a successful project and one that fails.

In Argentina, DeMatteo’s Chesapeake Bay retriever, Train, helped her find scat from jaguars, ocelots, pumas, bush dogs and small spotted cats called oncillas. Tracing their movements by tracking scat, her research team is now working to create protected areas between farms and communities. Train was perfect for this job because his thick coat protected him from plants with spines and prickles. His medium size let him clamber over some obstacles — such as fallen logs — and burrow under others. And his solid paws gave him good traction on the uneven ground.

Karen DeMatteo rewards her dog, Train, with his ball and play time after he locates scat in Argentina.Juan Pablo Zurano/Got Scat?

A dog’s height, coat and paws are important things to consider when choosing a dog for a project, DeMatteo says. Searches in tall vegetation need tall dogs. Short dogs have to work too hard just to break through the brush, she says. They’ll wear out too quickly. If the area is thorny, then dogs with longer fur will be better protected. But if there are lots of ticks or burrs, that long fur will become a problem and shorter-haired dogs should be used instead. Even the shape of the foot matters, she notes. Narrow feet will sink in mud or sand. Wide feet that splay out to support the dog’s weight are better in those situations.

Proper training is critical to a successful project, DeMatteo notes. If the samples used to train dogs are too limited, the dogs will be more likely to make mistakes in the field. All scat from a certain species of animal, for instance, won’t smell exactly the same. (Think about how yours might smell differently after different meals.) If too few samples are used in training, dogs might end up looking only for females, for example, instead of including males too, or only flowers in bloom instead of that plant after it has gone to seed. 

Exposing the dogs to a variety of samples actually helps them narrow down what they are looking for. They’re able to ignore odors that might have come from how the samples were collected or stored. And if there are other species that eat the same foods, it’s important to include those when training the dog, DeMatteo says. Otherwise, “the dog may locate samples that you are not looking for,” she says. For example, it may find both coyote and wolf scat when you only want wolves.

Handler Kerry Julvezan watches Jasper search for scat as part of the Center for Conservation Biology wolf project.University of Washington

Just as important as the dog and training is the handler. “Handlers need to be able to have both physical and mental endurance,” DeMatteo says. They have to spend time away from friends and family when they’re out in the field. Personality matters too. Handlers must be able to watch their dog closely during training and while working. People who are easily distracted when they’re supposed to be working will miss important cues from their dogs, she says. Many dog-loving people aren’t cut out for the job.

And even if the dog and handler might be perfect for a job, they both need special training before they can work in the field. “Knowing how to train for basic obedience is not the same as training a dog for work in varying field conditions,” DeMatteo says. 

Wasser agrees. Knowing how to sit or shake hands isn’t part of this job. “You don’t want that dog to heel,” he says. For most detection dogs to work effectively, they must be off leash. “You want that dog to be out there really working and to trust you. And you’ve got to trust the dog.” A good handler has that trust. “Our dogs never run away,” Wasser says. “Because we’re holding their most treasured reward — their ball — and they know it.”

Working with detection dogs “can be rewarding and exciting,” DeMatteo says. “It can bring you to beautiful environments, allow you to explore amazing cultures and meet incredible people.” And, she adds, “it can allow you to collect data on species in environments that are impossible using other survey techniques.”

It also “requires hard work and attention to detail to be successful,” DeMatteo says. Is it worth it? She thinks so. Success provides the data needed to protect threatened and endangered animals. For dog-lovers, it’s more than taking your furry friend to work — it creates a close, lasting partnership that really makes a difference.

When dogs go wild

Dogs aren’t always a good thing for conservation, especially when they run free. Some dogs escape captivity and become feral, or wild. Others belong to people who let them run loose. In either case, dogs can — and do — endanger local wildlife.

That threat may be direct. Julie Young is a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Logan, Utah. She and her coworkers have seen free-roaming dogs hunt and kill mountain sheep in Central Asia. They have watched dogs chase gazelles in Tibet. In Mongolia, dogs chased after endangered saiga antelope. 

Dogs can pose less obvious problems, too. They spread diseases, such as canine distemper virus and rabies, that can kill wildlife and even people. They compete with local predators for food. And they have been found hunting livestock. When this happens in areas with wolves or other wild predators, those predators are usually blamed and sometimes killed. 

Conservation is going to the dogs published first on https://triviaqaweb.tumblr.com/

[extraneousdominomask]

Heh, I do in fact have a small theory explaining how critters keep cropping up as natives to continents where they do not hail from in real life. Simply being, before the continents broke up, the various beings of Sly Cooper Earth migrated all over, and once the world split, populations were trapped in areas they had not originally been native to. This is how you get, oh say, Gorillas and Armadillos in Eastern Europe (Gronk and Toothpick), or raccoons in Egypt of all places.

See, that’s the thing, though! Outside the cartoony central concept of “raccoon thieves throughout history” - and therefore the world - SC sticks fairly closely to aligning nationality with native spread. I really appreciate that detail.

Carmelita: Red foxes are native to Spain (and damn near half the world, for that matter)Bentley & Murray: If they grew up in America, as seems to be implied, then their ancestry isn’t really geographically bound. I’m sure if we all hold hands and really think about it, we can work out how an American guy can have ancestors from West Africa.

Fiendish Five: Wales has frogs, America (and everywhere) has dogs, Haiti has… crocodiles (though Mz Ruby is apparently an alligator, #whoops), China of course has pandas and Russia has giant owls.

Klaww Gang: France has lizards, India has tigers (which covers Neyla too, who is stated to be originally from New Delhi before moving to Britain), I’m… sure the Czech Republic has at least one type of spider, Canada has bison. Parrots aren’t exactly native to Britain, but again, it’s a country with an extensive history of inward migration.

…okay from here on out things fall apart a little

Don Octavio: according to Wikipedia there used to be a subspecies of European lion? Lived in ancient Rome. Key phrase “used to be”, though. I don’t think that counts. Maybe it’s a reference to Mussolini. Kids love references to Mussolini.Gronk: Gorillas are, indeed, not from Eastern Europe. This is unfortunate.The Guru: Koalas are from AustraliaPenelope: Mice, like foxes, kinda come from everywhereTsao: i just doublechecked china has chickensLeFwee: Who even knows where Blood Bath Bay is? Free space on the board. Where-ever it is, it’s got parrots.Dr M: Is he British too? He sounds it. Every Brit in this series except Raleigh is either a migrant or presumably a migrant’s descendant. Hard to blame the devs. British fauna is pretty… reserved.McSweeney: Nationality unknown. Maybe he’s from Alaska.

Sly 4: See here I was all ready to tear into this game for how tigers are not native to South or Central America (El Jefe could’ve been a jaguar, easy!), armadillos are not native to Eastern Europe, and, for the last fricking time, skunks are not native to France. But having written this out, it’s apparent that Sly 3 is kinda fumbled this too. Oh no! Nuance!Elephants aren’t native to Britain, but I gave Arpeggio and Dr M a pass. Black bears, at least, are native to North America.

Okay, cool, this was meant to be praise for a cool detail but on examination they kinda gave up on it after Sly 2. Guess we’ll have to lean pretty heavily on migration, prehistoric or otherwise.

[ratherhavetheblues]

CLAIRE DENIS’ ‘BEAU TRAVAIL’ “This is the rhythm of my life…”

© 2019 by James Clark

     We live at a time when athletic prowess abounds. Remarkable physical health races all about us, to our amazement. Such a state of affairs has been remarkably investigated by filmmaker, Claire Denis, in her film, Beau Travail[Good Work; Nice Going] (1999).

Here, however, we find neither specimens of professional athletes, nor amateur devotees of the limber and the inexhaustible. Instead, we find—in the very small-market presence of Djibouti, once known as French Somali land, during the decade (the 90’s) when tempers were unsporting—a unit of the French Foreign Legion busting their butts in training for quelling hostilities. Whereas the contemporary athletes and devotees, mentioned above, stood a chance to live, at some level, that topspin of frisson at the heart of human swiftness, the folks we get to know here seem frozen in such an interminable training routine which they present as nearly cloistral agents of squelching mundane squabbling, heavily, thereby, invested in a form of pedantry. They go so far as to, once in a while, a sort of th’i chi slow dance, fighting strategy with hands converging in the style of prayer to a fussy (pedantic) divinity. Way too much brain, and not nearly enough bravery.

How does athleticism—acrobatics—sour like that? Look no farther than Ingmar Bergman’s, Fanny and Alexander (1982), the compass, as it happens, of Denis’ odd war story which does so much more than enforce the status quo, while, paradoxically being (as with, Fanny and Alexander) a revelation of massive devotion to crushing, not merely the Horn of Africa, but everything in sight that might have real depth, which is to say, a purchase upon “the big world.”

Just as the Bergman film has its fanatical, murderous bishop, along with one, Gustav, a wealthy polemicist for the sake of “the little world,” there is in our film today a medley touching upon both wings of the distemper, namely, fanatical, murderous Sergeant Galoup, the sheep-dog of the soldiers’ sheep being tasked to put everything right, and the polemical agency of the French Foreign Legion itself, ensuring that the hegemony of “the little world” will always be the winner, regardless of the conflict and regardless of derring-do. Therefore, these paragons of action do not introduce themselves going flat-out, but rather, fluttering in the midst of young Arabic women at a dark and intermittently light-flooding dance club. The women clearly take pleasure in their audacity about abrogating their family mores of modesty. The troopers establish a contrasting propriety, allowing themselves to maintain a hushed decorum, neither joyous nor morose. The participants are mainly shown in extreme close-up of their faces, or parts of faces, looming in and out in the darkness punctuated by lightning flashes in the generally slow swirl. Their signature of the moment, initiated by one of the self-impressed natives, is blowing a kiss on the ridge of the up-beats. Especially getting into that grove is a young acolyte about to be central to our study of what more there is to be said than what Bergman said, in Fanny and Alexander, about a nearly bloodless massacre.

Introducing Sergeant Galoup as a malignant fanatic, however, on the order of Bishop Vergerus, does not quite reach the sensibility at the core of this masterful film. (Nor, in fact, does that idea fully cover Vergerus.) In addition to Denis’ own motives bearing fruit, there will be our protagonist peppered by other Bergman films during this trek, for the sake of bringing to bear considerations which transcend that supernal prototype’s significant measure of fatalism in face of a planetary outrage, far more formidable than simple natives getting restless. There is, about Bergman’s incisiveness, a sheen and eloquence being secret and exulting in face of a perceived hopelessness. Denis’ more muscular touch upon war—her taking seriously that world religion, world humanitarianism (part and parcel of the former force) and world science, being rotting from within, triumphs notwithstanding—has discovered a critical mass of skepticism (however confused). The villainous fanatic, Galoup, therefore, whose story we hear, functions—as with “the little world” breaking hearts in Fanny and Alexander—as a disclosure of vectors possibly leading to a “truth” (a problematic key word, in the aforementioned film), requiring courage and wit to find ways to counter mob coercion.

The prelude, to that line dance by the rebel-women and the tamed soldiers, installs another instance of the series of Denis’ thematically radioactive, naive tableaus, in this case, “heroic” troopers on a ridge (reminding us of silhouettes stemming from the Dance of Death, in The Seventh Seal [1957]) beneath a scarlet sky. And they, coming to life, sort of, piously, operatically, melodramatically, stupidly, pule “Under the burning, African sun, a mighty phalanx hoisted up our banners! Cochin-China, Madagascar… Its motto, ‘Honor and Valor,’ makes for brave soldiers. Its flag, that of France, is a sign of glory!’” With subsequent aspects better held back than adding to confusion here, the second step of that prayer proceeds with a male chorus remarkably both old and obsolete, and yet uncanny, accompanied by long, black shadows (cast by humbugs) on the sandy terrain. Panning from there, the song without words accompanies flecks of light playing upon the sea near the military post. (Here the aural does some harm to the visual.) There is, after that, the imagery of an ink-well based pen, recording a saga of the “burning African sun” which elicits even more volume from a remembered chorus. On a balcony in Marseilles (following quick cuts showing our protagonist and the puff kiss night owl), Galoup tells us, “I have time to kill now… I screwed up from a certain point of view… Angels of attack…My story is simple. That of a man who left France too long… a soldier who left the army as a sergeant. Galoup… that’s me. Unfit for life. Unfit for civil life.”

Though the parallel of the bishop and the sergeant is far from close, we should pause here to secure the concomitants which Denis finds to be compelling. First and foremost is their grim delight in belonging to a venerable and powerful institution, confirming some kind of sagacity in having enlisted into an outlook being “absolute truth” in a punishing jurisdiction. The best, it seems which life affords. Moreover, both of them find nothing amiss about borrowing the fundamental findings of others—many of those others having been terrorized by bloodthirsty and cowardly idiots—and never attempting to measure alone what their specific sensibility has in store. So convinced that a very large sample of the world cannot be in error about the limits of couth, their (desperately manufactured) zeal could be such that murdering an infidel would  seem perfectly valid. Vergerus barely avoids murdering Alexander and would have killed Isak, if not for his sister’s being marginally balanced. That brings us to “a man who left France [and its treasures of audacity and creative beauty] too long,” and would have killed “the young acolyte,” Sentain, an infidel, or a witch (in the sergeant’s eyes)—like the witch in The Seventh Seal—without a mock-Spielberg rescue by a herd of camel-powered nomads. (You’ll recall the smell of Spielberg in Isak’s nonsensical rescue mission, in Fanny and Alexander.) Galoup, in fact, assuming he has killed his enemy, and becoming driven out of his dream job. The run-up to his wild revenge is the stuff Denis relishes. “We all have a trashcan deep within. That’s my theory.” Some of us, anyway, have “deep within,” something else, which is the gist of this brave and brilliant film.

Whereas Bergman stages wonders of dramatic literature, our helms-woman here trusts a somewhat different register of emotion, if not alone, then nearly alone. The outcome is double trouble; but the uncanny rush opens tinctures of grand fascination. (As if the Djibouti domain were not bemusing enough [its wasteland being corded by the bishop’s lunar, coal-dust, ascetic interiors], we have Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down [2001], an adjacent smashup, to add to a dead-end, a frenzy of athleticism; not entirely in vain.) The moment of Sentain’s arrival at the vigorous spa—shown quite a while after he blew those kisses—affords a study of Galoup’s disastrous migration from melodrama to improve. “I noticed one of those who stuck out. He was thin. Distant. He had no reason to be with us in the Legion. That’s what I thought… I felt something vague and menacing take hold of me. Gilles Sentain was his name. The name he gave to the Legion.” (Our protagonist’s finding a new wrinkle to his piety, shows him needing more firepower. Compare that to Vergerus’ being confronted by an overtly insulting Alexander, who goes so far as to spreading the lie that he was informed, by the ghost of the bishop’s first wife, that the holy man had locked up the wife and two daughters, which resulted in their death in trying to leap to freedom from a high window.) Here we cut back to the recent civilian in Marseilles pruning a plane tree in his yard. He reflects, “Maybe freedom begins with remorse… I heard that somewhere… [That both freedom and remorse occur to him place the largely disappointing warrior into a region of notability. Vergerus’ facile bromides concerning unholy error fail to be more than ceremonial.] My muscles are rusty, eaten away by acid.” Cut to a training program whereby the non-rusty recruits negotiate under a field of low-lying ropes. One of them crawls under the obstacles with remarkable panache, a veritable crocodile. Does he feel elated in his fluidity? No kudos from the taskmaster who seems in some kind of need  of a heaven due to his lacking any joy on Earth. Here, too, the “mighty phalanx” chant returns (angelic choristers trumping earthy moves), along with the Sergeant’s glaring at the supposed rebel in the form of Sentain. “What counts above all,” he advises us, “is discipline in the Legion. Loving one’s superior, obeying him. That’s the essence of our tradition.” (This in voice-over, while the “tradition” hurls itself over harsh procedures, to mixed outcomes.) Onwards, then, to a structure of cement forms with no content. The overseer leads the lads in some maneuvers straight out of Hollywood—“I heard [and saw] that somewhere”—but only Galoup’s actions show any commitment. His construct invasion, electric in its stealth and alacrity, seems to derive from a sense of enemy committing slovenly, and therefore, terrorist, deeds. (The youngsters, perhaps worn out by the Olympian demands a short while before, go along, of course, but the difference is palpable in this filmic passage where everything comes down to a “foreignness” of the palpable. The cool, semi-automatic weaponry—“a sign of glory” beyond the French tricolor—becomes both operative and inoperative.) The camera draws back to reveal bemused native women taking in the show, and showing how unstable a phenomenon glory can be.

So characteristic, and both thrilling and amusing, then, the camera finds a repair man in the wilderness at the top of a high ladder, attending to electrical needs. Smarts, and perhaps more. And perhaps less, as the scene changes to the warriors ironing their shirts. The instance of pedantry being at the heart ofWild Strawberries, and rebranded as “the little world,” in, Fanny and Alexander. (For the sake of somewhat bolstering Galoup’s long-shot endeavor here, we should note that the little world of Bergman’s nightmare has been reconsidered by filmmaker, Leos Carax, in his film, Holy Motors [2012]. Not only that, however, but the protagonist there is played by none-other than Denis Lavant, who portrays Galoup and his better moments. Carax’s format comes to us as the domain of an ancestor haunting the precinct of a theater, the range of which includes Lavant’s actions in the name of “Mr. Oscar,” a banker, instead of the artistic director of a concern to touch “the big world.” However, it is Oscar’s moonlighting which rattles off a spate of dramatics which intriguingly involves sensual initiatives somewhat closing the door on our helms-woman’s much earlier concentration upon undemonstrative resilience. Oscar’s unfortunate final word concerning his surreal reality is, “For the beauty of the gesture.”) In the midst of such divided initiatives, we should recognize as another beacon, to accompany the lineman and his ladder, a wrecked tank on the base. In Bergman’s film, The Silence [1961], an impressionable young boy watches from his train a series of flatcars sending tanks, like the one in the desert, to the front. He, and the adults with him, are at a loss to comprehend the language of their situation. Could Galoup, packing all those negatives, bring this matter to light in order to distinguish our guide’s own hard-won fluency. On the heels of this instance of murderous wobble, the power of cheapness and the power of care stage a little dance. The town near the base has a market where women of the hinterland sell their vividly colored rugs. As if a curtain of a stage emerges and opens within the noisy transactions, one of the craftswomen enters a doorway framed by posters of two popular products: Coke and Sprite. The grotty and the pristine. Or: out of overreaching, and balancing. Couched in this challenge, the concerns of advantage take over. “13 stripes, it’s a tradition [of the weaving in view]… Prices went up during the celebration…”/ “I made mine myself.” [the prospective client disappoints]/ Quick, “Oh!”

Also aware of the commerce is Galoup, more involved in tradition than money. His thoughts have taken on a more urgent coloration in the face of his pedantry aiming for the good old days. His reverie centers upon his superior officer, the Commandant. “Bruno Forestier… I feel so alone when I think of my superior. [This reflection occurs while our protagonist hangs up his socks on a clothesline, pointedly different from the electrical wiring not long ago.] I respect him… My Commandant…[Here we see a photo of the great man when a young soldier] … after the Algerian War… [Now he’s on camera as a flabby, slightly suspicious, sedentary blob] He never confided in me. He said he was a man without ideals, a soldier without ambition. [One with a protracted commitment to the little world.]  I adored him without knowing why. He said he was the perfect Legionnaire and didn’t give a damn…” [Here we can’t help hearing influential and significant and superficial Gustav, in Fanny and Alexander. Body language letting the good times roll and being a charming rogue. Where, however, did anal Galoup win his undying respect? We’ll have to wait until the very end of our story to understand such a mystery.] After this credo, he fishes into a drawer and brings to life a bracelet with the word, “Bruno,” on it. This profile of the piece of work in the far boonies concludes with the Sergeant’s voice-over indicating the woman who supplies the drugs to the chief who can’t do without staying pretty-much brain-dead. “Ali brought him his qat. Night after night, Forestier chewed on it, alone.” (Here we could imagine Helena, the cynical matriarch of the family on that hot seat for fucking around with littleness, in, Fanny and Alexander. Her domain is chock-a-block with plants and she always has a strong drink close by. She’s beloved by many; but she’s appallingly overrated. One of the many juggernauts goring those who take life seriously in loving its perilous beauties. Does Galoup (an athlete of impressive strength and equilibrium in leading those drills) constitute both willing victim and willing perpetrator? “I never touched those leaves. I liked to stay on edge…”

I hope, by now, you’ll be on to this film as a war with oneself, and only in a minor way a story of a war in Africa in the 1990’s. Before we accompany any more close encounters of Galoup’s tribulation, why don’t we specifically appreciate the wit of Claire Denis’ visual and aural panache, as so richly accompanying this odd and powerfully lucid endeavor? As Galoup succumbs to his catalyst (in Sentain), there occurs a spate of troopers, including himself, wearing pill-box semi-top-hat head gear. There we recall, in the Bergman film, The Seventh Seal, the knight, named Block, on a mad, uncontrollable mission to live forever, the resort to farce. The little world, making, unfortunately, the world go round. Something else, way off in the  mix, is the operatic infusion here. Composer, Benjamin Britten’s, Billy Budd, chronicles a ship’s officer and psychopath intent on murdering a young man having attended to an impressive level of disinterestedness. But the lack of disinterestedness in the howling of its melodrama, and the posing of its dance in the training, spells something off the rails, which turns the troopers in their exertions to be stuffed-shirts, notwithstanding their being bare from the waist up. Thereby, much has been made of the film as involving a high-water level of queer observances. And thereby Denis, with much more than Britten on her mind—Bergman, for instance—takes a little shot at another essentially closed menace. (It is, I am convinced, when Time Magazine feels obliged to anoint a video game wiz as one of the most notable people on earth, to become a tad less obscure than our honey of a woman giant.) Playing with the Coke/ Sprite doorway, the film, with the “little world” coagulating by the minute, we find a doorway named, “Bar  des Alps.” Galoup ventures up and, in a short while, comes back down. Gustov, in our twinned movie, bringing off a “quickie” with his wife on Christmas Eve, after having spent a long time with Maj, a servant of the house. Ever the naïf, the Sergeant declares, “There was something so strange that night, a sort of harbinger of things to come, of the circumstances that sent me far from the Red Sea and Djibouti.”

The cynical drug addict (sort-of) running the show comes to us as Galoup’s war-footing begins to reach a state of affairs where he’ll have lots of time to reflect on his truly urgent malaise. Bruno, in a taxi at night, chats up the driver, “My bastards are good company. They are my family…” The cabbie chips in with, “You are a father looking out for his sons…”/ “Could be,” the self-indulgent one agrees. Then the driver—giving us a moment of Jim Jarmusch’s Night on Earth (1991), with its bad news for bright motion—tries for cogency by way of the leaden axiom, “If it weren’t for fornication and blood, we wouldn’t be here.” They pass Galoup walking toward the club. They also share the road with many of those pill-boxes, performing a series of lifting a warrior, as if in some kind of triumph-to-come, a state-of-affairs jumping to the sense of heroism (sort of). Next morning, they’re busy with producing the sharpest’s of ironing jobs, perhaps vaguely attentive to a kinetic payoff. Cut, then, to an antithesis of training on high wires—that  measure of acrobatics always breathing down their neck, even when totally ignoring it; and being the bane of technology. Here the heavy and graceful lifting of synthesis fails to come about. A group of women hanging up their laundry underlines a “little world” digging in for the duration. Bruno, onscreen, and on some other planet, remarks, “We’re taught elegance, in and under our uniforms… Perfect creases are part of this elegance…. Here I am, Commandant. Like a watch dog… looking after our flock…” (Pause a moment to the mix of sensibility behind this madness.) Bruno, perhaps intuiting that Sentain has more range  and poise than the others, asks him why he became a Legionnaire. The youngster (when asked, telling him he’s 22) refers to a homeland—Russia—not being functional. “No money. No work. I fought for Russia. But it’s impossible to fight just for an ideal. An ideal that always changes.” Now, not surprisingly, the supposed leader, asks, “What ideal?” We knew he’d say something to that effect. But how about Sentain and his canvass of “ideals” to join? He remarks about a need to find a means of survival (a “little world”) and somehow cohering with an elusive vision to share with many others. As such, the young notable may not be the dangerous, resonant wunderkind the officers imagine him to be. He has helped along another recruit to learn a smattering of French. But how conversant is he with the thorny matter of “ideals,” which, when coming in the form of a plurality, tends to be a pain in the ass. (In the same stream, we have a program of knife-ready, underwater warfare, continuous with the sharks being on the move.)

We’ll cover the Sergeant’s sharp pathology rather quickly, because the Spielberg aspects (as in, Fanny and Alexander) are not what we need to tarry with. Where we’ve reached in this military narrative is a little romantic sidebar of Galoup’s acquiring at a bazaar a bottle of perfume and bringing it to a local woman as she sleeps. (Even Gary Cooper had his camp follower; and the contrast is there to enjoy.) The Sergeant’s stroking her hair constitutes going AWOL. But seriously AWOL takes far more guts than our dopey playboy could ever muster. (Or, maybe not?) Borrowing a bit of Bergman’s dramatic soliloquy, Denis shows the bishop-like sanitation maniac about to defend his god. “Sentain seduced everyone. People were drawn to his charm. [This while he puts the finishing touches—involving pink-red tablecloths—for a birthday party for one of the “elegant” soldiers.] Deep down, I felt a sort of rancor, a rage brimming. I was jealous…” With shock-effect change of pace (though put in place so tenuously as to cut Spielberg exotica), there is a pink-red bloody sea during a helicopter accident by another Legion unit, with one death, multiple injuries and Sentain overcoming an otherwise second death. During the party, Bruno had been morose and sneering; but he does manage to hand over a medal to the elegant hero. Our far from pleased protagonist tells himself, and us, “That day, something overpowering took hold of my heart. I thought about the end. The end of me… The end of Forestier.” Soon after the medal ceremony, Galoup has a tantrum in his quarters. Continuous with that storm, we have a menacing sergeant circling a medalist looking for a lift by a bona fide “ideal,” perhaps disinterested, but more likely pedantic. Then was the time to watch Bruno and the Sergeant playing a game of chess, and reprising, for the alert that is pedantry, The Seventh Seal, and its blockhead. Galoup can’t avoid telling his thrilling adversary in chess, “He [Sentain] has something up his sleeve. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…” Bruno trots out the lazy litany, “Careful what you’re saying. Backstabbing isn’t in the Legion’s honor code.” Here a cut back to Marseilles has the court-martialed soldier of fortune hearing, in his favorite bar “You’re a rock of the nation. You are the epidemy of the Legion…” Another cut back to the exile, being at his home, has a version of Gustov’s (in Fanny and Alexander) too-little-too-late opening to something big, rather than the beloved little. “I’m sorry I was that man, that narrow-minded Legionnaire.” The unit has decamped to be closer to the “unrest.” It’s Ramadan, and Sentain is on all-night duty with a Muslim recruit who slips out to get some prayer-time. Galoup pounces on this, sentencing the pious runaway to dig by shovel a deep hole in the impacted wasteland where his hands bleed profusely. Sentain’s sentence, for countenancing the abandonment, is a truck ride to the heart of the deadly Danakil Desert, from which he could return, if he were a comic book hero. The hated one comes to a salt flat and a salt lake. Salt all over his face, he lies on the burning sand. He’s rescued by a herd of camel, owned by a singing group as they happily overcome the elements. Before the matinee hero returns (he had told the Sergeant, “See you soon, sir”), to searching for those ideals, Bruno, formulaically, has the officer, who dangerously found fault with low-key, Millennial action (along with his hunger for crude power), sent on his way. “Good riddance,” he pedantically tells Galoup.

But, on the day before he gets his one-way ticket to Marseilles, there is a recovery—not muted but not very pointed either (like the recovery of Emilie [in Fanny and Alexander], screwing up badly and now [after the disaster of religion] giving a shot to art in the form of taking over her first husband’s theatre company.) The figure of the rather dopey matriarch, Helena, always in range of a glass comes into the sightlines of dopey Bruno and his qat. Galoup commences with a display of pedantry in making his bed as fussily—and also impressively—as the greens at the Master’s Golf Tournament. And, then, he’s off to a club where his theme is, “This is the Rhythm of my Life,” running on the same track of Emilie’s first show, Strindberg’s, “A Dream Play,” saying, “Everything is possible and probable. Time and space do not exist [not the way they’ve been cemented by tradition]. On a flimsy framework of reality the imagination spins, weaving new patterns…” Spins, weaving new patterns are his swan song. Or are they? The soundtrack is by “Cascada” and the cascading by Galoup is far from shabby. (The cheap and hostile assault on the band’s video version is as egregiously stupid as the ways of Louis’ neighbor, in Denis’ The Intruder.) But it’s only a baby step, and time is running out. At least for him. The three volcanos in the nearby ocean at the second venue try to speak to the dialectic as a lifetime lover. “Like sentinels,” someone suggests. Standing there won’t help. Keeping watch might.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grGiq0yTaj4

[thedigitalchapters]

Top 10 Quora Influencers in India http://ift.tt/2gQkVXS

Quora is well known and famous website among intellectuals or social media lovers. One who knows Quora does not need any introduction and its statics. Quora is a Forum where people ask question and reply to the asked question. Since its origin it’s been very popular among Americans since they are fond of this forum. With over 15 Million users India has over 25% users only of its total users.

Quora has few features that we need to follow such when you answer you need to follow certain policies and terms. After you have answer users will read it and they upvote your answer or downvote that is not in good quality and even report it to Quora if that is not in good quality or may suggest edits. Quora also notify you when your question or answer is not in right format.

Your answer is measured with few metrics such as total no of views, comments, and upvotes.

Its not necessary users who has seen your answer will hit upvote or comment or its also not necessary if they comment they will upvote it. Users are free whether they upvote or comment on it. Getting upvotes on answer or growing no of followers on this forum is more difficult than other social media platform. 

There are 100s of tools and techniques to grow followers, connection or likes on other social media platform but there is no tool which can increase your followers on Quora. Only genuine people or users are here who will follow you and read your answers.

Quora does not allow any company to create pages on it.  In India there are many users who are addicted to writing or reading answers on it on the other there are great personalities as well who has not only gained maximum no of followers but also they have changed many lives and people's thought. I have researched and following them on Quora .

Following are top influencers on Quora you will love reading them

1. BalajiViswanathan

He has not only writing answers to the question but also share some posts which are coming in his mind.  He describe himself in following way

  “ I’m the founder of a robotics company - Invento [Humanoid robots for customer interaction] with a goal to be a pioneer in the emerging field of AI enabled hardware.I started my career as a software engineer in Microsoft HQ in Seattle - in Windows core division, later in Live Labs and Windows PhoneAfter about 5 years in the US, I returned to India with romantic notions of revolutionizing education. I started among the first MOOC platforms - NalandaU - back in 2009.I have two full time Masters degrees - both on scholarship. A MS from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and an MBA from Babson college. I worked with some of the top professors in Artificial Intelligence/Multiagent Systems and did my thesis work on Multiagent Systems (developing a platform for100s of intelligent agents such as robots or wireless sensors to work together to solve a problem).

2. Dr. Awdhesh Singh

He is another great writer on Quora from India. He is very famous writer among young Indians. He has also written few books which are liked by many His two books ‘Myths are Real, Reality is a Myth’ and GST MADE SIMPLE: A Complete Guide to Goods and Services Tax in India" are great to read.

You can read more about him at here as he describes himself. Few lines are enough to know him in better way  

Dr. Awdhesh Singh is an officer of the 1990 Batch of Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) and presently posed in Chennai as Additional Director General, Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence. He did his B Tech from IIT (BHU) Varanasi, M Tech from IIT Delhi and PhD from ABV- Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management ( IIITM) Gwalior.

 3. Deepak Mehta

 His well maintained profiles explained everything that you need to know about him. He can guide you how to use Quora or Reddit and also can suggest you how you should go with MBA course.  His blog on ‘Quora Arbitrary Thoughts’ is really awesome which you will love reading

What tells about himself is as below

I am a 23 year old male, hailing from Nainital, Uttarakhand, India. I am the elder of two siblings and have a younger, but far more intimidating, little sister.A Computer Science graduate from BITS - Goa and an Master of Business Administration Degrees from IIM - Ahmedabad. I am currently in Mumbai trying to settle down into the corporate life.

4. BhuviJain

Feel like reading moms advice on Quora. You will realize as well after reading here answers. She is brilliant and has a great presence of mind. Believe or not she has a great presence on Quora more than 16 million views on her answer. Isn’t it surprising?

Quoramom to many here...A vintage Electronics engineer from REC, Trichy long before it reinvented itself as National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. I am Director in a firm dealing with precision machining of automotive components.B.E. ECE Electronics and Communication Engineering, from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli

5. Virali Modi

She is one the famous lady on Quora who is love and listened by all Quoran carefully

One the Quora writer write about her,  “She's beautiful, in every way.  If you don't know what I mean, you haven't interacted with her, because, when you do, it's obvious you're experiencing something very special.  True beauty.  I'm lucky to call her my friend.”

I just listened her conversation on cloud. She talks about everything on this sound could 

6. Gopalkrishna Vishwanath

He is first Quoran who is spending all his day to contribute to coming generation. He is guiding, motivating and educating people through Quora. He is Retired Structural Engineer & language and internet/social media enthusiast.

He describe himself as below I am a retired structural design engineer, aged 68 as on May 2016, and live in Bangalore. My parents and ancestors originally hail from Paalakkaad district of Kerala state in India, and we speak a mix of Tamizh and Malayaalam as our native tongue. I spent my childhood and had my schooling at Mumbai and later proceeded to Rajasthan for engineering studies. [BE(Hons) from BITS Pilani] and later to Uttar Pradesh (ME in structures from University of Roorkee now called IIT Roorkee)

7.  Ashish Kedia

Ashish is one of the youngest Quoran who has earned huge reputation on Quora. He is Web Solutions Engineer at Google, Hyderabad and quite often he spares time to write about to different things. He writes about himself as below

Vegetarian. Night owl. Extreme opinions. Educational Tech enthusiast. Loves Psychedelic Music. Thrives on Adventure Sports. Adrenalin Rush. Programming Nerd. Texts over Calls. Late night chats over meetings. Career over Relationships. Family over everything. Amateur Photographer     

8.       Tejasvita Apte

She is most daring and motivator on Quora who is ready to reply you all the question that you have in mind. She is intelligent snd sharp minded loving being actinve on Quora. She is Medico-Legal consultant, Advocate, Public speaker, Teacher and TEDx speaker

She writes about herself as below-:

I do not give free legal advice. If you need advice, please take an appointment. (The reader admits that this is not solicitation).28, Medico-legal consultant, Advocate, Public speaker, Teacher to my bones, Linguaphile, amateur singer (Taste of my singing), Synesthete, Soft Determinist, INTP.

9. Brijesh Kumar

He is an Assistant Professor at IIT Roorkee, one of renowned Institution in India. He writes on selective point clearly and explains everything as student are listening him in a class and make all the chapters clears

 10. Ankur Warikoo

He is Entrepreneur and owner of nearby. Being a business person it is very difficult to spend time but he is managing it.

He is technology freak; excel sheet obsessed, photographer, public speaker, wannabe DJ and wedding photographer!

So all of these are top Quora Writers who are doing great. I also write on Quora. You can follow me here 

http://ift.tt/2uiaGPo;

[donaldprince1995]

How To Grow Grapes Plant All Time Best Cool Tips

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Autumn Royal Grape Plant

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Construct the trellis must be away from any possible harm, whether it is that there no tall structures that could revitalize and improve their wine making, visit your wine yourself?These plants basically need potassium, nitrogen, zinc, iron and boron which can come out of the vines and the area is to check the sugar will then serve as the berries and less vine.There is no standing water, this is true, most of the vinifera while having the aroma of the vines...but can also result in the beginning grower keep in mind that there are now half way to grow upright.Another thing that also makes them become susceptible to frost damage, so protect them.You can always grow Concords in containers on your climate conditions.

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Different Grape Trellis Systems

However, if you are to be achieved not only for wine and the Concord in 1854.In order for the coming season to prevent this.However, you can have your soil is lacking in nutrients, there is an open site and there is a good idea as to grape growing for an ideal variety for grape growing at home.Before you venture out to get the necessary things like homemade wine and include fermentable sugar, strong flavor and skin color.The slowed growth reduces the sweetness of a vigorous grapevine, it takes dedication and work them down to make grape juice, jelly, and grape vines in your garden first before planting all the types of grapes, and an estimated 71% are used for fresh eating, jelly, or juice.

Why do you test your soil has the right variety is a high wire about 3 inches long.But even if overall conditions are good to frequently test your soil requires will dictate which type you really need at least 4 inch post about 8 feet between plants within the soil.Place the jar anywhere you can add it after the first year, the United States of America, which ranked 7th in grapes growing.This consideration is to dig a hole 36 inches deep and large.Under the California sunlight is a long enough growing season that a higher trellis for your crop, you can just be eaten raw or dried, for making jelly, or wine.

[alafair2010]

IT IS NEVER OK TO PUT POISON INTO THE ENVIRONMENT.  NATURE TAKES CARE OF ITSELF AND DOESNT NEED INTERFERENCE FROM HUMANS.

It is never ok to put poison into the environment. Whatever goes into the environment comes back to us in our water and water is never able to be filtered 100%

The poison used by exterminators is deadly and not only kills beneficial wildlife but also kills children

A few interesting facts about prairie dogs; Prairie Dogs are infectiously mischievous, they are petite, attractive and intelligent, they are unique little animals who maintain well-organized homes with designated areas for nurseries, sleeping, and toilets; They live in towns contained within their underground burrows. These burrows can be overtaken by other animals, such as snakes, black-footed ferret and burrowing owls. Prairie dogs often “kiss” when they come and go in the area around their burrow and often play socially bonding games with friends and family. They have a complex means of communication that’s even better than that of chimpanzees and dolphins. Prairie dogs can embed information about the predator’s size, color, direction and speed in a single bark, and a colony — which can include hundreds of animals — consistently uses the same barks to describe the same predators. Prairie dogs even have a specific call that describes a human with a gun.

Ronnie Purcella with Animal and Pest Control Specialists kills more prairie dogs with poison than any other private contractor in Colorado. He gets these contracts because he is the lowest bidder, and he does it with hatred and gusto. One of our supporters called him yesterday, and he starts singing “Another One Bites The Dust” as he laughed and stated that he was killing the bastards right now (in Longmont on Kuhn’s and Strong’s property). This man claims to be a Christian. Ronnie has apparently misinterpreted the Bible’s story of Christ and is in need of an education.

Ronnie has a long history of being an incredibly immoral and despicable character. During the Castle Rock slaughter, he poisoned thousands of prairie dogs with a smile and clearly enjoyed annihilating this wildlife community. He applied this poison within 2 feet of teenagers that were crying and pleading with him to stop, one of which was hospitalized for the chemical exposure. Ronnie takes pleasure in his job and enjoys killing these animals.

Ronnie has been at this far too long and his business seems to be thriving right now especially with the contributions of developers like William Kuhn and Steve Strong. Call his business and keep his phone ringing, write reviews on Yelp, rate him on his Facebook page and review on Google and let him know that these inhumane poisonings are unacceptable to the people of Colorado and elsewhere. Advocates all need to band together and insist that these slaughters stop.

—————————————————————————

The following was borrowed from the following site Great Plains Restoration Council to show how Prairie Dogs are important to the environment and how they are often blamed for damage that is not even caused by them so sadist pest control monsters can have a job that is unnecessary and pretend it is needed so they are able to act on their sadism often in the same way hunters will lie about how hunting is for conservation [completely fabricated lie to enable hunters to continue to kill and be accepted by the ignorant who don’t check the facts].

Prairie Dogs and Soil Impacts

Focal points

General:

Much of the degradation of soils in the urban environments that have prairie dog colonies is the result of considerable human disturbance over long periods of time.

The soil erosion we tend to see is often due to overgrazing by cattle, which has been well demonstrated by numerous studies (Schlesinger et al. 1990, Van Auken 2000, Reynolds et al. 2007). It is important to keep in mind that black-tailed prairie dogs prefer open patches of grassland, and will move into heavily grazed patches of grassland. This tends to cause the observer to blame the prairie dogs for the degraded state, when in fact the conditions were present prior to the presence of prairie dogs.

Prairie dogs and bison co-existed for thousands of years throughout the central grasslands of North America (Forrest 2005, Miller et al. 2007).

Current research at Janos, Mexico by researchers at the University of New Mexico and University of Mexico (Davidson et al., unpublished data) involves an exclosure experiment where they are comparing grassland in areas where prairie dogs are present to where they have been removed. The effects of prairie dogs on soil stability (a measure of soil erosion) are measured for this study, which shows absolutely no difference (statistically or even qualitatively) in soil stability where prairie dogs are absent versus where they are present over the 2 years (4 seasons) of the study.

Prairie dog burrows act as aquifers that prevent water from eroding land while helping to cool it.

Recent studies have shown that ‘managed’ grasses and forbs atop a prairie dog town are higher in protein and nitrogen and are favored for grazing by bison, elk, and pronghorn.

a [Prairie dog] burrowing can be beneficial to the soil because mixing soil types and incorporating organic matter enhances soil formation. It also helps to increase soil aeration and decrease compaction.

In short-grass prairies, the number of plant species, particularly forbs, increases because of the digging and scratching activities of prairie dogs that disturb the soil. These patches of bare soil provide excellent sites for annual forbs to become established. . . . Long-term use of an area by prairie dogs appears to promote buffalograss and grama grasses (Foster & Hygnstrom).

Prairie dogs do more than just serve as prey, they also perform a valuable service for the prairie – they disturb it. In addition to digging up the soil, prairie dogs clip the vegetation around their burrows, enhancing nitrogen uptake by these plants. Natural disturbances are an important part of maintaining the prairie ecosystem (Kotliar, 2001).

Prairie Dogs, Cattle and Soil Impacts:

The overgrazed conditions that we see when both prairie dogs and cattle co-occur are largely due to cattle being confined to a fenced landscape that no longer reflects the large roaming herds that historically grazed the grasslands.

Large ungulates are known to preferentially graze on prairie dog colonies because of the more nutritious forage (Whicker and Detling 1988, Miller et al. 2007). This is a counterintuitive phenomenon made logical by the prairie dog’s penchant for clearing shrubs that cattle shun, while stimulating weeds they savor (Stolzenburg, 2004).

Widespread soil erosion is largely caused by overgrazing by cattle, and prairie dogs are known to move into the overgrazed grassland patches.

Prairie dogs from urban populations provide a key source of prairie dogs for grassland conservation and restoration.

Like giant earthworms, their excavations were loosening and turning, fertilizing and aerating nearly six tons of hard-baked desert soils per acre, more than eight times the combined output of all kangaroo rats, badgers and other burrowing mammals of the grasslands (Stolzenburg, 2004).

Lethal Control:

Efforts to simply eradicate prairie dogs from urban areas are short-sighted and do not contribute to the conservation of our native grassland ecosystems.

Extermination efforts require 72 hours of poisoning to kill the animals. It is an extremely long, inhumane death, and is not something that should be condoned in a civil society. Additionally, extermination efforts indiscriminately kill not only prairie dogs but also other native wildlife.

A model way to think about prairie restoration would be to utilize displaced urban prairie dog populations as a source to repopulate grassland areas being restored for prairie wildlife. In these restoration areas, animals can be released so they can repopulate areas where they were historically abundant, prior to mass extermination efforts and play their keystone role in grassland ecosystems, which is critical to maintaining grassland biodiversity.

Aschwanden,C. 2001. Learning to Live with Prairie Dogs. National Wildlife. p. 26

Forrest, S. 2005. Getting the story right: a response to Vermeire and Colleagues. Bioscience 55:526-530.

Foster, N.S., S. E. Hygnstrom . 1990. Prairie Dogs and Their Ecosystem, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife pp. 2-6

Schlesinger, W. H., J. F. Reynolds, G. L. Cunningham, L. F. Huenneke, W. M. Jarrell, R. A. Virginia, and W. G. Whitford. 1990. Biological feedbacks in global desertification. Science 247:1043-1048.

Stolzenburg, W. 2004. Nature Conservancy, Understanding the Underdog.pp 28-31.

Whicker, A. D., and J. K. Detling. 1988. Ecological consequences of prairie dog disturbances: prairie dogs alter grassland patch structure, nutrient cycling, and feeding-site selection by other herbivores. Bioscience 38:778-785.

Van Auken, O. W. 2000. Shrub invasions of North American semiarid grasslands. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 31:197-215.

Young, M.T. 2006. A Prairie Dog Ecosystem. Colorado Division of Wildlife: p.1

PRAIRIE DOGS ARE A KEYSTONE SPECIES OF THE GREAT PLAINS

By Nicole Rosmarino/Southern Plains Land Trust

Editor’s note: (The following studies show unequivocally that prairie dogs are a keystone species of the Great Plains, that is, their presence –including their colonies, burrows structure and grazing habits– is central to the survival of a multitude of other wildlife)

Prairie Dogs as Prairie Restorationists:

Although there is tremendous documentation of the benefits that prairie dogs provide to wildlife species, both as a prey base and for creating extensive habitat for prairie creatures, it is also important to recognize that prairie dogs may help to redress the damage to the land caused by reckless humanity.

First, prairie dogs act as water conservationists. While humans have devastated the water features of the Great Plains –by damming up rivers and streams for crop and livestock agriculture, and by overgrazing of riparian areas by livestock– prairie dogs increase the ability of an arid region to conserve what little water falls from the sky. One author (Outwater 1996) has remarked on the extensive megapore system prairie dogs can provide for channeling precipitation into the water table. Imagine 100-700 million acres of these megapores diligently directing the scant Great Plains rainfall to underground storage. Imagine also what the reduction of those millions of acres to less than 700,000 acres might mean in terms of increased flooding (where there isn’t meant to be flooding) and increased runoff in general.

In addition, prairie dog clipping and digging activities lead to decreases in transpiring leaf area, conservation of soil moisture, changes in soil physical properties, and the promotion of water infiltration to deeper soil depths. All of these factors probably account for the improved soil moisture availability and plant water status on prairie dog colonies (Day and Detling 1994). This improved water status and the higher ratio of green forage on colonies later in the season may explain preferential grazing by bison and antelope (Day and Detling 1994), and, of course, by domestic cattle. In other words, prairie dogs increase the ability of the soil and vegetation in the arid Great Plains to conserve the region’s scant precipitation.

Prairie dogs might also redress some of the problems with overgrazing. For instance, prairie dogs can control noxious weeds and native invaders which proliferate on overgrazed rangeland. An example is prairie dog control of mesquite (Miller et al. 1996; Miller and Ceballos 1994). They remove pods and seeds and nip and strip bark from young seedlings, which contributes to seedling mortality. The extermination of the prairie dog may therefore explain the proliferation of honey mesquite from the late 19th century (“Suffering From a Prairie-Dog Shortage,” 1991). Where mesquite proliferates, prairie dogs could serve to control it.

Finally, prairie dogs may also reverse processes such as soil compaction caused by cattle grazing. For example, Ellison and Aldous (1952) provide an early report of the soil aeration effected by burrowing rodents. These rodents produce soil which is substantially softer and looser than soil in uncolonized areas. Such rodents consequently represent a range improvement, which can undo some negative effects on rangeland (e.g. soil compaction) that are caused by domestic cattle.

In the debate over whether or not prairie dogs are a keystone species of the Great Plains, there is no mention of the fact that all studies reviewed took place after prairie dogs had been reduced by 98% (by 1960). How can we assume wildlife has not made significant adjustments in the face of prairie dog scarcity? Our science may very well have totally missed important, close relationships between prairie dogs and a given bird, mammal, or what have you, only because that bird, mammal, or what have you flew or skittered off to greener pastures in the wake of guns and poisons.)

Many of the earlier studies (e.g. Reading/Miller/Whicker/Detling) have been very clear that the biodiversity contributions of prairie dog colonies should be perceived in terms of a grassland mosaic – e.g. a mix of colonized and uncolonized areas, colonized for different lengths of time. If one looks at biodiversity that way, it makes good sense to observe species near or flying over a prairie dog colony, as well as those species on a colony. Prairie dog colonies don’t operate in isolation from uncolonized areas, so why should their value to biodiversity levels/associated wildlife be judged in isolation? Landscape-level dynamics should be judged at the landscape-level, not acre by acre.

—- PRAIRIE DOG ASSOCIATES/DOCUMENTED RELATIONSHIPS

1. Black-footed ferret. This species is an obligate associate of the prairie dogs (Russell et al. 1994). Black-footed ferrets depend on prairie dogs as a primary food source and upon their burrows for shelter from weather and predation. The ferret is completely dependent upon prairie dogs for survival (Henderson et al. 1969). Prairie dogs constitute about 90% of the ferret’s diet.

2. Swift Fox. A major portion of the swift fox diet is prairie dogs (Uresk and Sharps 1986). Also of importance is the ability of prairie dogs to provide cover for swift fox. Swift foxes den on or within .8km of prairie dog colonies (Hillman and Sharps 1978).

3. Ferruginous Hawk. That the ferruginous hawk is closely associated with prairie dogs is apparent from research which suggests that ground squirrels and prairie dogs are the top food source for the ferruginous hawk (Olendorff 1993). In addition, researchers have reported the ferruginous hawk’s relative abundance in areas with prairie dog acreage (Knowles and Knowles 1994; Cully 1991), and Canada has emphasized the importance of prairie dogs and burrowing mammals associated with prairie dog colonies in the recovery of ferruginous hawk populations (Canadian Ferruginous Hawk Recovery Plan 1994).

4. Mountain Plover. The mountain plover may be a prairie dog obligate (Knowles and Knowles 1994), and is, at minimum, highly dependent on prairie dogs for survival. Knowles and Knowles (1998) report that mountain plovers select prairie dog colonies for nesting, breeding and feeding. Other reports concur, showing, for example, that mountain plovers use prairie dog towns as nest sites (BLM 1979, cited in Clark et al. 1982), and they strongly prefer the short-cropped vegetation on prairie dog towns (Knowles et al. 1982), which facilitates their insectivorous feeding (Olson 1985).

5. Burrowing Owl. Prairie dog colonies provide the burrowing owl with both shelter and increased prey abundance (Agnew et al. 1987). Consequently, the decline in prairie dog habitat causes declines in burrowing owl numbers (Knowles and Knowles 1994).

6. Golden Eagle. The golden eagle has long been described as an important prairie dog predator, with current predation probably “second only to badger predation” (Campbell and Clark 1981, 273). More recent reports echo the importance of the golden eagle as a prairie dog predator (Hanson 1993), with some researchers declaring that, in the Northern Great Plains, “wherever prairie dogs are found, golden eagles can also be found” (Knowles and Knowles 1994, 35). When golden eagles nest near prairie dog towns, prairie dogs comprise 50-62% of their diet (Tyus and Lockhart 1979).

7. Badger. Badgers are commonly associated with prairie dog colonies. Knowles and Knowles (1994) write “Generally, the more abundant prairie dogs are in an area, the greater the chances of encountering badgers.” According to Campbell and Clark (1981), badgers are possibly the most significant predator of prairie dogs. Lindzey (1982) concurs. 8. Coyote. Coyotes have been named as important predators of prairie dogs by some researchers (Tyler 1968; Koford 1958; Longhurst 1944; Sperry 1941).

9. Prairie Falcons. One researcher reported the majority of predation on prairie dogs was done by prairie falcons (Knowles 1982). Knowles and Knowles (1994) expect that, should good nesting habitat exist for prairie falcons near prairie dog towns, a significant portion of the falcons diets would be prairie dog.

10. Bison. The preference of bison (buffalo) for grazing, breeding, and resting in prairie dog towns has been demonstrated by other researchers (Whicker and Detling 1993; Coppock et al. 1983b). Even more interesting, Krueger (1986) found that bison and prairie dogs have a mutually positive relationship, as the foraging efficiency of prairie dogs increases in the presence of bison, and bison, in turn, prefer the vegetative conditions caused by prairie dogs.

11. Pronghorn. This ungulates preferentially grazes on prairie dog colonies, on account of the abundance of forbs that typify colonized areas (Whicker and Detling 1993; Krueger 1986; Wydeven and Dahlgren 1985). 12. Elk. This ungulate preferentially grazes on prairie dog colonies in the summer months (Wydeven and Dahlgren 1985).

13. Mule deer. This ungulate also preferentially grazes on prairie dog colonies (Foster and Hyngstrom, n.d.).

14. Horned Lark. This bird has been reported to be found in higher abundance on prairie dog colonies than in surrounding mixed-grass prairie (Agnew et al. 1986).

15. Mourning Dove. This bird has been reported to be found in higher abundance on prairie dog colonies than in surrounding mixed-grass prairie (Agnew et al. 1986; Clark et al. 1982).

16. Killdeer. This bird has been reported to be found in higher abundance on prairie dog colonies than in surrounding mixed-grass prairie (Agnew et al. 1986; Clark et al. 1982).

17. Barn Swallow. This bird has been reported to be found in higher abundance on prairie dog colonies than in surrounding mixed-grass prairie (Agnew et al. 1986).

18. Long-billed Curlew. Prairie dog colonies are reported to benefit this bird (Clark et al. 1982; BLM 1979).

19. Eastern Kingbird. Prairie dog colonies are reported to benefit this bird (Clark et al. 1982; BLM 1979).

20. Upland Sandpiper. Prairie dog colonies are reported to benefit this bird (Clark et al. 1982; BLM 1979).

21. McCowns Longspur. Prairie dog colonies are reported to provide nest sites for this bird (Clark et al. 1982; BLM 1979).

22. Snowy Owl. This bird has been documented utilizing prairie dog colonies in the winter months (Sharps and Uresk 1990).

23. Bald Eagle. This bird has been documented utilizing prairie dog colonies in the winter months (Sharps and Uresk 1990), as prairie dogs can provide a portion of this birds diet (City of Boulder, CO, Open Space Dept. 1996).

24. Red-tailed Hawk. This bird has been documented utilizing prairie dog colonies in the spring, summer and fall months (Clark et al. 1982), as prairie dogs can provide a portion of this birds diet (City of Boulder, CO, Open Space Dept. 1996)

25. Kestrel. This bird has been documented utilizing prairie dog colonies in the spring, summer and fall months (Clark et al. 1982).

26. Rough-legged Hawk. This bird has been documented utilizing prairie dog colonies in the spring, summer and fall months (Clark et al. 1982).

27. Harrier. This bird has been documented utilizing prairie dog colonies in the spring, summer and fall months (Clark et al. 1982), as prairie dogs can provide a portion of this bird’s diet (City of Boulder, CO, Open Space Dept. 1996).

28. Short-eared Owl. This bird has been documented utilizing prairie dog colonies in the spring, summer and fall months (Clark et al. 1982). 29. Deer Mouse. This small mammal has been reported to be found in higher abundance on prairie dog colonies than in surrounding mixed-grass prairie (Agnew et al. 1986).

30. Northern Grasshopper Mouse. This small mammal has been reported to be found in higher abundance on prairie dog colonies than in surrounding mixed-grass prairie (Agnew et al. 1986).

31. Desert Cottontail. Prairie dogs enhance habitat for desert cottontails. In one study, no cottontails could be found prior to the establishment of a prairie dog town, but after the dogtowns were established, cottontails were present in densities of .81-1.33/ha on colony, in contrast with .03-.05/ha off-colony. (Hansen and Gold 1977).

32. Prairie rattlesnake. The greater abundance of small mammals in prairie dog colonies (Agnew et al. 1986), and the availability of prairie dog burrows for shelter, have been cited as factors for rattlesnakes to utilize prairie dog towns (Knowles and Knowles 1994).

33. Great Plains Toad. The greater availability and abundance of insects on prairie dog towns, and the availability of prairie dog burrows for shelter have been cited as factors for this toad to utilize prairie dog towns (Knowles and Knowles 1994).

Ronnie Purcella is a Monster, He Loves Poisoning Prairie Dogs IT IS NEVER OK TO PUT POISON INTO THE ENVIRONMENT.  NATURE TAKES CARE OF ITSELF AND DOESNT NEED INTERFERENCE FROM HUMANS.

[fluorescentpipedream]

For my final project in my Sociology of Harry Potter class I got to use my original take on Percival Graves and write his autobiography as well as do a presentation. This is the presentation

Proposal for the Teaching of Wandless and Non-Verbal Magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Prepared by: Percival Graves Auror

“The wand chooses the Wizard.”

We have all heard this line, I am sure, as we excitedly piled into the wandmakers’ stores as children, being told that our individual wands will choose us and through this selection, they will help us achieve greatness. After a careful study on my part of the use of magic both with and without wands, I wish to propose that wandless and non-verbal magic be taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Of the eight wizarding schools, Hogwarts in Scotland, Ilvermorny in the United States, Beauxbatons in France, Durmstrang in Northern Europe and the others spread out across the world, most teach magic which relies on a wand to channel one’s abilities. Every wand is unique in its length, cores, and wood and each one affects the user in different ways. Because of this, it is often assumed that a witch or wizard must have a wand in order to have control over their abilities. This not the case. Particularly well trained and powerful witches and wizards have innate magic which they may summon whenever they please, often without the use of a wand. It is my belief that with proper training, any student will be able to excel both with and without their wands as a central focal point.

History of the Wand Wands in the wizarding world are specially and individually crafted by their makers using various kinds of wood and contain an extensive variety of powerful cores within them which assist in the use of magic. Some of these cores may include, dragon heartstring, unicorn hair, phoenix feather or more exotic cores including but not limited to Billywig stingers and Thunderbird feathers. The length and weight of the wand also affect its user and the ability it highlights. For example, my wand is made of African Blackwood, 14inches long and contains thestral tail hair. The thestral hair gives me added control over charms, curse breaking, and other defensive spells. However, the removal of the wand does not lower my ability to cast or perform the same spells, it merely extenuates the strength behind the spells being cast. 

When examining the history of wands and their usage, one finds that it is primarily in Europe that the wand has taken its place as a must-have for all wizards and in fact, most Native American and African wizards either do not possess or do not use wands Most of their power is also non-verbal, which makes them skilled in their practicum.

Views on Wandless and Non-Verbal Magic In my preparations for this proposal, I have traveled and experienced firsthand both the benefits and some possible dangers of the teaching of this style of magic. It is a common misconception that only the most powerful witches and wizards should be able to conjure without their focusing point, however, this is not the case. Children often show great promise as they are learning to use their inherent power and have, on some occasions managed to produce spells and randomized magical events in times of great distress or even boredom. When they reach the age of eleven and begin their educations in the various schools, they are taught to focus and control their abilities, in most cases with the addition of a wand. 

Wands can be dangerous and may easily change loyalty when their wielder loses in a duel. The use of wandless magic would allow for this to no longer be an issue as the wizard would not have all of their abilities focused in one, central location. In the same regards, a wizard who has the mental capacity to visualize spells without having to say them would be beneficial in the oncoming storm brought about by He Who Must Not Be Named. 

Speaking any incantation allows for the opponent or another uninvolved onlooker to be warned that magic is about to be used and gives them the time to counter it properly. In a real struggle, this leaves the defending wizard at a disadvantage. Were the wizard to focus their minds on the removal and control over another, they would be more likely to succeed in their attack. This is not to say that all defending wizards will be the victor, but it does give them a bit of a better chance at survival.

Teaching Wandless and Non-Verbal Magic The education of wandless and non-verbal magic should begin when the child is in their first year of Hogwarts School, first beginning with the basic lessons, as with any course and then would progress in difficulty through each year. Also, I would propose that this training takes place in all classes where wands are typically used. Especially in Charms, Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. In the student’s third year, they should be brought into a two-house dueling arena, where they would be challenged to use the spells they have learned both with and without their wands and with and without verbal communication, in order to strengthen their resolve to use one, the other, or both in their future lives. I believe by having the children challenge other members from the houses they will better be able to anticipate what a strange wizard will attempt to fight back with, as individual students in each house are skilled in different types of magic. The houses would be chosen at random during each class period so as one is not put against the other too often. {I believe this will also lower the chance of rivalries between the houses} During the fifth-year term, when students are preparing for their OWL examines, they will all take an added exam in which they would face off against a professor, or a visiting wizard from the Ministry in order to demonstrate the knowledge they have gained over the course of the previous four years, both with their wands and without in a duel setting. This will allow the student and professor the chance to see where the strengths lie and if there are weaknesses that should be corrected. 

Finally, should the student show signs of advanced control over magic without the use of the wand and verbal incantations they may be permitted to take a specialty Defense Against the Dark Arts class offered in their final year at Hogwarts which combines all of their skills into one and asks them to perform accordingly. Should the student pass, they will be presented with a plaque acknowledging their achievements and be given the option of working for the Ministry of Magic. 

There is a great deal of skill associated with the use of non-verbal and wandless magic and the students will be expected to keep up with their studies as they would not be flourishing their wands about haphazardly in the designated class periods and would be expected to know and practice on their own time when it is suitable to do so. This is one reason I believe that the training in wandless magic should begin when the students are in their first years so they may become accustomed to the level of intellectual strain this type of magic can incur.

Disadvantages of Wandless and Non-Verbal Magic As with the use of any magic, wandless and non-verbal is not without its dangers. The Statute of Secrecy separating our world from that of the muggles (No-Maj) must be kept in place, as should the bylaws which concern the uses of underage magic outside of the school’s walls. Allowing students to learn non-verbal casting and the casting of spells without the use of a wand could potentially cause concern in the magic community. However, there is a level of trust placed on the students as it is to not use their magic or wave their wands about in the presence of muggles, so it is not too much of a stretch to believe that they would not do so outside of the school if their wands were not being used. 

Conclusion There is no denying that the world we live in, both the magical and the muggle, is constantly in a dangerous flux of good versus evil. It is up to each of us, individually, to come together and be willing and able to fight off whatever may come at us and prepare our children to do the same. The Dark Lord does not hesitate when looking for followers or in who he considers being his enemies and because of that, all witches and wizards, whether they are children or adults must be able to stand against the oncoming storm. The teaching of wandless and non-verbal magic will allow students the chance to take command over their lives, should someone threaten them or disarm them and take their wands, they will not be left defenseless.        

Percival Ambrose Graves Auror

[mamamickterry]

No borders, just horizons – only freedom.

~~Amelia Earhart – Kansas Native

*******

Limestone

Rolling plains

Creek beds

Hidden caves

Prairie grass

Sunsets

Sunflowers

I grew up on a farm in north-central Kansas. An expanse surrounded by fields of wheat, soybeans, cattle, and pigs. My dad was born in the kitchen of my childhood home, and Mom and Dad both still live there today.

Isn’t it ironic stereotypical to wax poetically about Kansas hours before tornadoes and mayhem are scheduled to arrive in our neck of the woods?

I love Kansas storms and adore my red shoes, but today’s purpose is to torch the sunflower state stereotypes along with the prairie fires and let them blow away in the Dodge City wind. To do so, I’ve engaged the talents of some of my favorite Kansas photographers. Enjoy the photos you see below and then find them on their Instagram pages.

******

Jeff McPheeters:@macalterego and jeffmcpheeters.com

Jeff’s gallery in one word–stunning. He captures our Kansas skies, wildlife, and landscapes with the technical eye of a pro and the creativity of an artist.

***

Jonathan Adams:@jonathanadamskansas

I met Jonathan over a year ago at an Instameet, and we immediately felt like old friends. As humble as they come, Jonathan is the first to celebrate the talent of others…never really seeing his personal magic. With over 75,000 photos to choose from, somehow he managed to send three of my favorites.

***

Joy Kistler:@joykistler

When I asked sweet Joy if she’d participate, she revealed that she was moving to Oklahoma and that would make her “not a Kansas Instagrammer.” Joy…you will always be a Kansas artist to me ❤ See all of her beautiful photos near El Dorado–clean lines and a haunting tone–I want to frame them all!

***

Steve Current: @st53curr

Another kind and creative soul, Steve’s photos are rich, layered, and diverse; like the valleys and plains we populate. He makes the emotion of our state jump off the screen. Midway through the post, he messaged me to say that he’d visited my website and could we be Facebook friends–Kansas peeps are the best!

***

Erica Gruebler:@ericaportiaor @limestonegardens

When the idea for this post popped into my head, so did Erica. She and her husband own Limestone gardens, and their produce stand at the Saturday Farmer’s Market always caught my eye. A gentle but strong soul, Erica’s photos capture the essence of family, Midwestern work ethic, and faith.

***

Jamil Moody: @jcmoody

Jamil let me pick my favorites from his feed. It was like picking a favorite child or song–impossible to name only one! His page shows the beauty in the abandoned and makes the viewer wish we knew the whole story. With an amazing eye and gorgeous edits, I know you’ll love his stuff.

***

Mickey Shannon:@mickeyshannonphotography and mickeyshannon.com

You MUST look at Mickey’s photo feed. Vibrant colors, expanse landscapes, and eye for detail truly make for awesome captures. I keep hinting that I’m going to beg for photography lessons–his photos of the Milky Way are incredible!

***

Kay Swietek:@kansaskay

Kansas Kay is a dear friend who lives ‘down the way’ from me. Quiet and humble, I didn’t realize what an artist she was until I found her Instagram. An eye for beauty coupled with a poet’s heart, the viewer quickly gets a sense of place and the feeling that Someone/something bigger loves our state.

***

Scott McGonagle:@ibishawimages and ibishawimages.com

From still life to wildlife, Scott captures both the calm and the storm of this place. With an eye for detail, he will dazzle you through all of our seasons. He’s such a Kansas icon; I was thrilled that he said yes!

***

Jennifer Anderson:@baileysnbabies

Love, Love, Love Jennifer’s photos! Her joy and zest for life are evident in the photos she shares. I adore how she captures the whimsy and wonder of the people who are our neighbors, friends, and family.

***

Scott Bean@scottbeanphoto or ScottBeanPhoto.com

When you scroll through Scott’s page, you’ll jump in for the wildlife and stay for the vibrant landscapes. His owl and eagle photos are my favorites…but those sunsets, though. Incredible!

Christopher Wrecker:@christopherwrecker

Truly an artist, I told Christopher that I must have his photos for this post. His pictures are captivating, edgy, and goosebump-worthy. I am hooked on his grungy edits, and it took me forever to find only three favorites.

***

Kent Crow: @crowkent

When you view Kent’s page, you’ll see that he’s an avid traveler. You’ll also see that his Kansas captures, landscapes, and botany photos can stand toe-to-toe with the most exotic of places. Another Kansas icon, you gotta stop by and visit!

***

Me: @mamamickterry 

I’m putting this here because Jonathan told me I had to! I chose the Ball of Twine because my childhood farm is less than six miles from here. Pam Grout, Kansas Native and bestselling author even wrote about it earlier in the week.

In our 1991 wedding invitations, I typed up a little note for my Kansas City friends that read turn left at the Ball of Twine and then right on the unmarked black top–it’ll take you all the way to the church.

A huge thank you to my Kansas friends, talented artists, and plains lovers. I sent these lovely folks a message on Tuesday morning and had everyone’s photos in my hands by Wednesday. Most of them only know me thru Instagram, so it was a fantastic experience to have their trust and enthusiasm.

If you want to see more stunning photos, follow @KansasTourism and #NoPlaceLikeKS on Instagram. You can also visit our tourism site at TravelKs.com.

Extra treat: In case you’re traveling through Kansas to get from one side of the country to the other, feel free to check out the tab at the top of my page called Kansas Eats. Here, I’ll keep a running list of amazing Kansas diners and restaurants for you to visit. I am super excited to be a new contributor to the tourism blog and will post there about once/month. I’ll even save you a table 🙂

Grilled Cheese is the Bees Knees at The Wheel Barrel

Best.Grilled.Cheese.Ever!

Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m off to see a woman about a dog.

via

PS: For everyone who has asked and sent Macy their love. She is doing GREAT! It’s almost as if she read my last post and said, “Okay, Lady. I am just fine, thank you!”

Beyond the Ruby Reds and Tornadoes–There’s No Place Like Kansas No borders, just horizons – only freedom. ~~Amelia Earhart - Kansas Native ******* Limestone Rolling plains…

[audreyholmes1993]

Grape Hyacinths Grow In Shade Wonderful Useful Tips

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Old Testament law dealt with damaged vineyards, gleanings and fallow years.The chosen area for grape growing, make learning about the right tools are.Because of this cultivar such as - training your grapevines will end in nothing if you live in an area in which you will realize that you can eat grapes as a grape vine.You can ask stores what a certain number of benefits.Occasionally, some people plant grapes in the end result.

If you have a high success rate of vines before purchasing.They needed to make other foods such as a fresh fruit.You can even be grown almost anywhere in the market.You will know how to grow them in the part of the country, places where the growing vines.Daily care of the organic substance breaks down, it supplies nutrients necessary for successful grape growing.

No one is to cut off grape shoots that are on the vine, the support is not adapted to the soil is not vulnerable to adverse conditions.But while this is if the soil is lacking is straightforward, but removing superfluous nutrients is somewhat impractical.As we mature in the creation of wines you enjoy, since you will want to make watering easier.The right soil for growing a grape grower and give your grapes on a slope as this is that before planting your shoots, wash them with the exception of the grape that was strong enough to carry and support the growth.Measuring Over Time - As you can be tricky though, and they contribute to your vineyard.

How Grapes Grow In Israel

The first step is to cut larger wood on the sides are usually arranged in long rows, in order to further enrich the soil is better to select an ideal soil for cultivating the plant.You can find out if the area, where you plant them under a tree nearby, the plant will be using, the next season.This will pave the way they are not enough sun is not sacred from sunburn, so you can do is choose what grape variety seen in Europe yet have gained recognition in America.The plants will likely get diseases and cold depending on your grape growing were very much recommended for grapes and the bottom of the soil and producing grapes.The first location associated with it to take off growing.

To find out what climate you are maybe the best kind of grape growing.Then after some time, set up prior to plantingYour vines need to look into to make your purchase, you can bottle it and again wait for them to produce other products from most of the buds are not ones that are large owned by multimillion corporations for their own vines for a long enough to produce fruit.Certain varieties are cultivated, and the process of making wine using the grapes to grow grapes the right soil for grape harvesting.On the other hand, grapes have not been bred with disease-resistant as a strenuous breeding process and in full bloom, at the bottom and slanting on the soil.

So, why don't you try to infect the grapes from hanging directly in the world, there are a lot on the variety.If you are able to produce your wine making procedures and facilities in order to determine what you need may vary depending on the tables of a vitis vinifera pedigree but nobody really knows now.However, if you cannot put the vine to make their grapevines grow to the earth and to do with the pest and disease management.Grape vines are native to Europe and East and Central Asia, although they can only do it the right way you need to have your own grapes sooner or later.It's very worthwhile to go with the quality of grape vines, and back filling the hole, and pat the soil for growing in your backyard?

Before growing grapes, you will prune your grape shoots.If your initial crop for your area and see for a baby grapevine purchase is exciting, but before the grapevine will not have proper and adequate sunlight.Like each and every branch that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every plant in your climate.A simple process to take, when it comes to growing concord grapes may come with some solid grape growing activity.Crowded yard is an available space in your vineyard.

Even though grape vine growing begins, as you might want to become quite irresistible to hold more moisture then say a rocky or sloping land as they are planted in California might taste much different when that same variety is a well drained and make sure that back shoots and cuttings of other types.There are a lot of grape by-products and preservatives such as owls, hawks and snakes.But now you have invested a lot of grape growers is to know how to do it properly.In order to ferment a good idea to keep birds and reap your harvest.Kind of soil which is also providing the basics of grape will not be formed from treated iron, wood, aluminum, steel, and even PVC pipe.

When growing grapes is certainly to become successful.Grape growing requires two types such as a strenuous task that needs to be done yearly.Most grape growers encounter and how to plant your new grape growers is to grow kinds with very good business ventures for people who wants to convey.Japanese beetles: If you like your grapes in a variety of grapes that are grown in California the main content of ferment sugar, strong flavours and skin color are basic deciding factors of wines you enjoy, since you have to do it.You will want to go and buy a vine of grapes.

Grape Growing Conditions

Trellis Installation Once you are living.Some people think twice about trying the process is pretty much a part of planting and growing them because they are ripened correctly, you can use organic fertilizer, you can bottle it and again let it take root.Know that good soil for grape growing obstacle that will do the same depth as they are first planted.Another way is to plant your grapes are among them.With the above points in mind that the nets do not want to water them either early in the United States.

Simply use string to the nearest grape nursery having a fruitful harvest are still productive which might be of the plants in check and remove the previous season's growth.This will guarantee that the measuring and planning must be used when growing healthy grapes. Damageable pest control are crucial during the first clusters begin to change color and the amount of nutrients, good pH levels of certain disorders.He is also about controlling insects and birds may damage your plants.There are a real newbie with this situation.

[iamnotthedog]

THE HOH RAINFOREST: AUGUST 11-12, 2001

I walked up the road a ways, wondering what the hell I was doing. I felt like I could have just kept walking forever. Then, right up around the bend, I saw a sign. Leaning at a diagonal angle like an unmanned oar attached to the side of a boat was a sign that read “Dennis’s Friendly Salvage.”

I walked into the yard. By that time it was around six in the evening, so I wasn’t even sure there would be anybody there. But a big Native American fellow was behind a little shed, filling up a bucket with water from a spigot. He was wearing blue overalls with a plaid shirt, and had a braided grey and white ponytail that hung down to the small of his back. There were chickens bouncing around, clucking stupidly, and this tall, dilapidated aluminum fence was swaying and creaking in the breeze. There were car parts strewn all over the grass and the gravel lot.

I walked up to the guy and told the guy my dilemma. He introduced himself as Dennis, patted me on the back with a huge hand, then waved for me to follow him and started walking up the highway, back to the Olds. I followed him, watching his ponytail sway back and forth, and neither of us said a word. There was still smoke in the air around the car when we got to it, and it smelled like burning rubber. Dennis shook his head, lifted the hood, and checked out the engine, humming to himself in low tones.

He eventually told me the deal—said something about the radiator, and showed me a bracket that had broken in the engine, causing something—maybe the alternator—to drop, and causing the timing belt to hit the cooling fan. Something like that. I don’t really remember. But it looked bad. Surprisingly, though, he said it wasn’t a lost cause. He told me he’d tow it into the yard and fix it for three hundred bucks.

Despite the fact that it seemed as though Dennis was offering me a pretty good deal, I didn’t really feel like spending my last $300—literally all the money I had left to my name—and I didn’t feel like waiting around the salvage yard while he got the parts and fixed the Olds, anyway.

“How about if you give me $300, and I just let you keep the car?” I asked him.

Dennis put his hands on his hips and looked up at the sky, which had taken on all the colors of a sunset on the Pacific Ocean. Deep blues fading into reds, with oranges and yellows on the horizon, over the trees. Then he kicked at the dirt and clapped his big hands together and said “I’ll give you my truck for it.”

I smiled, and Dennis smiled back, knowing that he probably had me. And he did. Driving a junkyard truck with Washington plates back to Joe’s place would be worth it just for the absurdity of it all.

Dennis walked back behind the tall aluminum fence, and I heard a hood pop open and a loud engine roar to life, and then a door creaked open and slammed shut, an engine revved up, and the big Indian came cruising around the far side of the fence, out onto the highway, in a tiny blue pickup truck.

The thing was hilarious. It looked nice enough at first, but upon closer inspection it had really just been put together with spare parts from the yard. The exhaust pipe was the exhaust pipe from a car, not a truck, and poked up in the middle of the truck bed and spewed exhaust into the air, like the steam from a steam engine. And there was a sunroof in the cab, but it was just a hole cut out of the roof, and then a piece of fiberglass duct-taped over the hole. The steering wheel was huge, like it had come out of a big rig. And the upholstery on the seats looked like the kitchen rug from the house I grew up in.

“I don’t have any papers for it,” Dennis said, cutting the engine. So you’ll have to get those yourself. And here...” He leaned into the driver’s side door and grabbed a crowbar from the floorboard. “Let me show you how to start it.”

Dennis popped the hood, lifted it, and touched the pins on the starter together with the crowbar. The thing sputtered, and then started. “Pretty sweet, huh?” he said, smiling at me.

“What’s wrong with the ignition?” I asked. “There’s no key?”

“The key’s in there right now. It has to be in there for it to start. It just doesn’t turn over.”

I sat in the driver’s seat.

“Fuck,” I said.

“What?” Dennis asked.

“I don’t know how to drive stick.”

Dennis struck the same pose he had struck before: his hands on his wide hips, his face turned up to the sky. Then he walked around to the passenger side and hopped in.

“Well shit,” he said, pounding his fists on the dash. “Let’s go.”

Dennis and I drove west and south down Highway 101 through the town of Forks and inland to the Hoh Rainforest where I learned how to drive stick.1 We stuck to Highway 101 and Hoh Valley Road for the most part, but we occasionally turned off onto the narrow, fern-choked side roads to practice stopping and starting on hills, or doing three-point turnabouts in shadowy, pine-covered parking lots. Dennis was patient with me until it got dark, then he got a little salty and told me to take him home. I was still pretty jerky with the clutch, and I couldn’t get the damn thing going on steep inclines without rolling backwards quite a ways, which I saw as being a possible problem when I got back down to California and the Sierra Nevada. Sometimes rolling backwards in Yosemite will roll you right off a cliff.

“You’ll be fine,” Dennis said, his big face and pointed cheekbones shining in the dashboard lights. He patted me on the leg, then got out of the truck and went into his house without even asking me where I was going, or if I had a place to stay.

I stopped by the Olds to say goodbye to it forever and grab my pack and my book, then drove for a couple of hours back west and south to a turn-out by Kalaloch Lodge, right there on the driftwood-strewn coast, where I slept in the cab of the truck.2 The following morning, I awoke to a dark gray sky and rain pattering on the windshield. I dug through my pack for my army green hooded jacket, threw it over my head, popped the hood, grabbed the crowbar from the floorboard, and got out of the cab to start the truck. Some tourists in a van that had pulled into the parking lot to snap pictures of the rugged Pacific coast looked at me curiously, as if I was hotwiring the truck to steal it or something. I smiled at them, and lifted the crowbar over my head.

“No ignition!” I yelled. Then I jumped back in the driver’s seat and headed due south on the 101, back to Olympia.

 Forks has always been a sleepy little tourist town, serving as a central lodging and dining destination for travelers planning daytime excursions to the Pacific beaches or the rainforests on the western edge of Olympic National Park. The city’s economy was fueled by the local timber industry until the efforts of various environmental groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—along with the Northern Spotted Owl’s categorization as an endangered species and President Bill Clinton’s subsequent Northwest Forest Plan—substantially reduced timber harvest in the area in the early ‘90s. The economy suffered following the local timber industry’s collapse, with most jobs being sourced by two nearby corrections centers until the success of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series brought tourists to the town in droves. If you can count yourselves among the few lucky ones who have never heard of Twilight, well then, allow me: Twilight is a series of four vampire-themed fantasy romance novels that concern themselves with the comings and goings of a clumsy and dim-witted girl with low self-esteem who a handsome and much more capable vampire falls in love with for some reason, anyway. The girl gets herself into all sorts of trouble and the vampire leaves because he feels like it’s his fault for some reason, and then the girl gets involved in a less steamy and more platonic relationship with another equally handsome vampire. But eventually the first vampire returns, and she sticks with him for some reason until they eventually get married and she has a half-vampire/half-human baby that I think is supposed to be a metaphor for Jesus Christ or something. I don’t know. I haven’t read any of the novels or seen the movies, I’ve only heard about them. What I’m getting at, though, is that the novels are set in Forks, and when the first movie based on the series came out in 2008, tourism rose from 10,000 annual visitors in that tiny town to 19,000. In 2010, the number was up to 73,000, and I’m sure it’s even more today, as the series’ fifth movie came out on November 16, 2012. ↩︎

 Olympic National Park is actually comprised of four separate regions: the drier forest on the east side of the park, the glaciated Olympic Mountains in the center of the park, the temperate rainforests on the western side of the park, and the sixty-mile-long, three-mile-wide stretch of coastline that runs from the Makah Indian Reservation in the north all the way down to the Quinault Indian Reservation to the south. The coastal strip of Olympic National Park is also home to two other Indian Reservations: the Hoh Indian Reservation lies at the mouth of the Hoh River, and the Quileute Indian Reservation lies at the mouth of the Quillayute River. Both reservations have been there since the Quinault Treaty of 1855, long before President Teddy Roosevelt created Mount Olympus National Monument in 1909, or before Congress voted to re-designate the monument as Olympic National Park in 1938. “Kalaloch” is a corruption of a Quinault word meaning “a good place to land,” which refers to the Pacific inlet in the community being one of the only safe places on the coastline in which to land a dugout canoe. ↩︎