Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Coffee and Provocation


Atom Bombs Helped Otters?
Sea otters were pushed into extinction (i.e extirpation) in Washington State between 1910 and 1965. The current population of Washington State sea otters came from Alaska and were evacuated from areas where nuclear bombs were being tested -- the same tests that gave us the Greenpeace organization.

You Are a Habitat That Supports Trillions 
About 39 trillion microbes call your body home. In fact, you are more nonhuman cells than human cells!

Whatever Happened to the "Queen of Torture"?
Alfreda Scheuer, aka Alfreda Frances Bikowsky, played by Jessica Chastain in the movie "Zero Dark Thirty," was once the CIA's apologist for torture, but now promotes beauty secrets and offers herself as  a “life coach” for “midlife” women.  Apparently, however, Ms. Scheuer is still clueless about a few of the more obvious tips for life, such as don’t marry crazy people. You see, this “life coach” is married to Michael F. Scheuer who has repeatedly advised American citizens to consider assassinating President Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron. Ms. Scheuer’s husband now endorses QAnon conspiracy theories and advocates violence against perceived enemies of Donald Trump and suggested Trump impose martial law after he lost the election. 

Australian Pork Roll 
Australian Salt Water Crocodiles might be on the edge of extinction were it not for feral pigs,which have enabled the giant reptiles to greatly expand their range and diet. The introduction of nin-native nutria into Louisiana had a similar impact on American alligator populations.

A Parliament of Owls
There are 225 species of owls, with wingspans ranging from 10 inches to five feet. 

The Tour de Fraud
There are no official winners of the Tour de France between 1995 and 2002 because after Lance Armstrong was stripped of his wins due to drug use, so many other riders were also associated with doping offences that no awards could be made.

Surf's Up!
Archeologists have discovered an ancient 9.5 earthquake in Chile that occurred within the record of human history (3,800 years ago).  This earthquake generated a 5000-mile-long megatsunami that wreaked havoc on coasts for a millennia.

Omicron Is Everywhere
A lot of whitetail deer are infected with Covid, but for some reason that disease does not seem to make deer sick or move very easily to humans. 

Are We the Fruit of Alien Seeds?
All five of the "genetic letters" of DNA and RNA that are fundamental to life are found on meteorites.

Too Many Cormorants?
Ninety-eight percent of all cormorants breeding in the Columbia River estuary nest on the 60 acres of  Oregon’s East Sand Island, and each year they consume between 11 to 20 million steelhead and salmon smolts. In 1989 there were 100 breeding cormorant pairs on East Sand Island, but by 2013 there were 15,000, making it the biggest double-crested cormorant colony on earth. Is it time to thin the cormorant colony to ensure that more fish survive?

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