Coffee and Provocation

Hybrid Falcons in Natural History Magazine:
The June issue of Natural History magazine has a piece entitled Talon Hunt which details the breeding of falcon hybrids by Tom Cullen and others. The article also gives a nice hat tip to the The Peregrine Fund and the pioneering artificial insemination techniques that have made it all possible.


Another Sign of the Apocalypse:
How about a cup holder for your AK-47 or AR-15?

Need a job?
How about working as a bounty hunter collecting the more than 100,000 feral Burmese Pythons that are now loose in the Florida Everglades?

Domino's Pizza Defaces Neighborhoods:
Domino's Pizza is creating urban ads by defacing sidewalks with stencils and power washers that work to "clean" public sidewalks, bridges and retaining walls. Instead of spraying on paint, the power washing blasts away grime, leaving the Domino's name and message behind as a more-or-less permanent commercial. Domino's supporters are calling it "Green Graffiti." It looks like plain old vandalism to me.

The Problem With the Dog is the Owner:
Check out the "Dog Owner Threat Assessment Guide" at the SmartDogs blog. "The goal of this draft guide is to provide a free, easy-to-use tool for authorities to employ in assessing a given dog owner’s risk to his dog and the public." Perfect!

Depressing Depression Art:
Check out 100abandonedhouses.com, a website devoted to photos of 100 abandoned houses in Detroit, where you can now own a home for less than the cost of a used car.

What are the Odds?
As I have noted in the past, the most dangerous animal in America's forests and fields is the honey bee. So what are are the real odds of dying various ways in America? Here are a few numbers:
4Transportation Accident: 1 in 79
4Intentional self-harm: 1 in 117
4Accidental poisoning : 1 in 161
4In a car: 1 in 261
4Assault by a firearm: 1 in 309
4In a water-related incident: 1 in 7,287
4In a bus: 1 in 64,596
4Bitten or struck by a dog: 1 in 115,489
4In a fireworks accident: 1 in 952,786
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