To the Rescue!

I came home from work a bit late tonight, and on my drive noticed the wind was pushing my car to the side a bit. When I got home, I discovered that wasn't all the wind was knocking about.

There is a robin's nest  on the corner of my house. This nesting pair likes to build on top of the rain gutter downspouts. This one is particularly attractive to them because the honeysuckle is starting to grow up onto the downspout.

The honeysuckle is incorporated into the nest, but it is not well attached to the downspout. When the wind blows, the honeysuckle tends to pull the nest to the side and tilt it sideways. The robins made two or three attempts to get a stable nest. Each time it pulled over, the robins simple built a new nest on top. They final got one to stay upright long enough to raise a chick, but the nest was tilted at a 45 degree angle by the time it fledged.
Then robins built yet another nest, and I figured their problem was solved. Until I came home and saw the wind caused the honeysuckle to pull the nest entirely off the downspout.

The nest was now suspended by the honeysuckle at waist height and a precarious angle. I could see this spelled disaster for the robins, they would have to abandon the nest. Mother Robin hadn't given up yet though; she was nearby, fussing at me for being too close to her nest.

THIS, I thought, was a job for Duct Tape!

Alas, I couldn't find my duct tape, and I thought it was important to hurry. I grabbed some old wire (Thanks, Dad!) and proceeded to strap the nest back up on the downspout. I cut it loose from the honeysuckle at the same time, so my shoddy repairs ought to hold until a chick can fledge.

In this last picture you can see two of the older nests, tilted nearly 90 degrees towards the camera (well, towards my iPad. I didn't have time to grab a real camera.). The current nest is on top, obscured in this photo, but back on the level.
I packed up my ladder and went in for my supper, and didn't get back out before dark to check if Mother Robin has returned to the nest, and I din't want to disturb her any more for one day. I will update in the morning when I can confirm she has returned.

*** Update: Mother is back, and all appears well.

Statistics for Badgers

I just discovered BadgerStats,  an organization that presents data driven commentary on Wisconsin's economy, education, business climate, and other topics.

http://badgerstat.org/2011/jobs/

Our work is motivated by our belief that:

• Many Wisconsinites want credible, nonpartisan information about their state, including insights into what’s working and what’s not, and about our state’s challenges and opportunities.

• Meeting Wisconsin’s challenges will require government that is more efficient andeffective, producing better results for citizens and better value for taxpayers. 

• Wisconsin government, at the state and local levels, would benefit from a more performance-oriented culture that focuses on results and uses performance data to manage.

• Every citizen deserves to know how their government is doing in key policy areas. Toward that end, every level of government (and every agency) should provide, online for citizens, a set of clear, timely, and accurate performance measures and goals. 

• Wisconsin’s future depends on an informed citizenry, since meeting our state’s challenges — and seizing our opportunities — will require people of all political stripes to come together in informed public dialogue to help chart our future.

Speaking as a data-guy, I appreciate and encourage this sort of information oriented reporting. This could become Wisconsin's own version of 538.com.

http://badgerstat.org/

Crisis in Dairyland

Some commentary on our local politics from the Daily Show.

Crisis in Dairyland - Recall Edition

Wisconsin Suburban Coyote Scat

Caution: The topic of todays' post is entirely scatological. This is evidence of a coyote marking it's territory, with the territory in question being the sidewalk by my house. I knew there were coyotes nearby; I've seen the scats when out walking on some undeveloped land by a nearby quarry, and actually spotted a few roaming by the highway. However, this is the first evidence they are actually in my yard.

It should not be surprised, because the local rabbit population is absolutely exploding. I can't say I am unhappy either, because those rabbits have been doing terrible things to my strawberry patch. Now maybe they will get some natural population management. I scooped up the scat (now nicely dried) and moved it to a corner of my vegetable patch, where it may discourage rabbits from eating my newly planted squash.

On the down side, I will need to escort my little dog on her nighttime excursions. I don't want her getting on the wrong side of nature.

Heavy Hand of the Koch Brothers

Just this quick note for a BUSY election day. Cognitive Dissidence reports some excellent detective work on how the Koch brothers are operating behind the scenes in Wisconsin. Check it out, and go vote. Maybe not in that order.
*

Madison as Hell

"An activist judge stubbornly insists that Wisconsin's legal system must be obeyed, even if Republicans disagree with it."

Or see it at Colbert Nation.

Wisconsin's Tuesday non-partisan elections are turning out to be anything but. The intensity and nastiness of 3rd party television advertising cannot be understated. I'm getting really tired of one sided calling the other stupid, ignorant, dirty, rabid, wicked, sleezy, anti-American, Communist, [re]tards, {inset ad hominem here}, scum, more ad hominem, disgusting, cruel, thug*, brutes, etc. etc..** Opinions aside, this language is uncalled for in any civilized discussion. If you cannot be bothered to think of an opponent as a real, thinking person with honest opinions, then you may not be qualified to be part of a civilized discussion.

* There seems to be a particular agenda to push this word, because it is showing up everywhere. It ain't random!

** These words culled from the comments at a site with decidedly one-sided opinions, but I'm pretty sure there are people on both sides speaking of/to each other like this.

What Would Woody Do?

What Would Woody Do?


Simply amazing political events in Wisconsin this week (a few samples: 1, 2, 3).

I have been recalling the words of a wise man - a business professor and amazingly good teacher - and I recall them as:

Unions are bad, but if your company has a union, they probably deserve it.

It's not too hard to see how unions might cause inefficiency, and if business and workers all played fair with each other, everyone would be better off. It's not too hard to see the track record of businesses, and see that unions are sometimes the only recourse workers have to gain fair treatment - or even to punish businesses for bad behavior.

I don't have any easy answers, but I'm pretty sure that Governor Walker's move to take away collective bargaining rights for State workers is only asking for worse trouble. The union might be bad, but you deserve it. Deal with it. Negotiate with it. Be fair, and treat it with respect. Don't try to legislate it away, or it might be replaced by something even worse.

Political Cheese Fondue

There are extraordinary events in Wisconsin politics this week. Our new Governor's anti-union legislation has ignited an amazing response, turning normally placid Cheeseheads into a melting pot of political turmoil.  Here is a sampling:

Daily Kos: Scott Walker's Pants Spontaneously Combust!

The Political Environment: Republicans in Madison are Flailing Fleeing, Failing

Brew City Brawler: Packers, Catholic Church denounce Walker union busting

Live Twitter updates from the Capitol Rotunda, via @RecallWakerNow

Illusory Tennant: Scott Walker receives 8,000 emails

The Corner Tavern: Wisconsin’s Diabolical Plot to Make Me Support the Packers

On The Flight Path (more missing cockatiel)

An update on the search for our lost bird -

We had a false alarm Thursday. A lead on a found cockatiel turned out not to be our bird.

Yesterday I spotted our bird flying past th house! It was only for a few seconds, and then he flew out of sight again, leading to much calling about the neighborhood. Very exciting, and very frustrating too. Catching a bird that does not want to be caught is a difficult task.

Today we had another lead, also not our bird, but the people who found her? are moving, so we asked if we could take care of her and they agreed. Anyone else looking for a lost bird?

LINK TO UPDATED FLYER

This photo shows male and female grey cockatiels (common or wild type). I'll get a better photo up as soon as I can.

ESCAPED!!! (Winged, and not at all dangerous)

Escaped on July 19th, 2010, in the vicinity of Greenway Terrace and Empire Drive, Waukesha, WI. We call him “Bird”, a Male Cockatiel, Common Grey in color, 14 years old with full flight feathers, small metal band on right leg. He is unlikely to respond to calls, but he may call to people if he wants attention.

A sound clip of a Cockatiel calling can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockatiel

Should you spot this bird, please call 262-565-3463 as soon as possible, so we can try to retrieve him (or email to EastwoodDC AT gmail.com). He is semi-tame, but not used to being handled by strangers, and may fly away if not approached carefully.

If you feel you must try to capture him yourself, one person (an adult!) should approach slowly and offer a finger for him to step onto. You can the then clasp your hands over his wings or wrap him in a towel, until you can transfer him to a secure container. Trying sneak up and throw a towel over him will only scare him away.

I realize that posting this on the internet is a real longshot, but just maybe someone will spot him and Google "Lost Cockatiel".

Scientia Causidicus: Steven Dutch

This is the first of what I hope will be a regular series of posts bringing attention to, and hopefully honoring, people who are strong advocates for science. In my own pidgin internet-translation-latin version of the taxonomy of Linnaeus, I am titling this group the Scientia Causidicus (Science Advocates).
To qualify, these people have to say, do, or write something which directly or indirectly advocates good science. If they happen to have a bit of fun with it at the same time, that is even better. There are many people this might apply to, but I will attempt to apply this to people who deserve more attention that they get for their efforts. Note that actual science qualifications are not required (but probably help).
I might have to come up with a separate category for people who promote bad science, and in doing bring attention to what good science really is. I'll need a name for that too, perhaps Scientia Cado (Science Fallacy)?

Back on-topic though ... with no further ado I present my first Scientia Causidicus honoree, Dr. Steven Dutch, Geologist and Professor of Natural and Applied Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. Professor Dutch hosts a most interesting collection of writings on
Science, Pseudoscience, and Irrationalism. [image DaytonACS]

This page links to a large group of articles on topics from Science and Pseudoscience to Vaporizing the World Trade Center.

A few selected quotations:

What evidence would it take to prove your beliefs wrong?

I simply will not reply to challenges that do not address this question. Refutability is one of the classic determinants of whether a theory can be called scientific. Moreover, I have found it to be a great general-purpose cut-through-the-crap question to determine whether somebody is interested in serious intellectual inquiry or just playing mind games. Note, by the way, that I am assuming the burden of proof here - all you have to do is commit to a criterion for testing. It's easy to criticize science for being "closed-minded". Are you open-minded enough to consider whether your ideas might be wrong?

AND

"Respect"

Every so often I get e-mails from people complaining I don't treat these topics or their believers with respect.

There is nothing in crank movements worthy of respect.

First of all, cranks don't treat the orthodox with respect. They can accuse science of willfully neglecting or falsifying evidence. They can accuse their own nation of bringing down skyscrapers and causing thousands of deaths, or deliberately breaching levees to flood New Orleans, but aim a little critical language at them, and they howl about being "disrespected." Aww, poo' baby.

Also, from Dr. Dutch's University Survival Guide (scroll down about half-way), the Top Ten No Sympathy Lines, which includes:

How Am I Doing In Class?

You're failing.

If you don't know the class material well enough to assess your own progress, and you don't know enough math to estimate your grade given your progress to date, you're failing.

You may luck out and get something higher than an F, but as theologians say, don't confuse mercy with merit.

There is much more, go see for yourself.

"that conversation with your child"

Jim Stigl of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes:

Sooner or later you're going to have that conversation with your child, the one about how it all works "down there."

By down there, I mean Illinois.

Children are curious and you can't protect them forever from the harsh realities of life. Maybe the news will be on TV, and they'll turn to you all wide-eyed and say, "What the bleep is a bleeping Blagojevich?"

You need to be prepared. Calmly explain to your child that mommy and daddy love you very much, but there are things that happen to the south of us that are not very nice.

Definitely a Wisconsin perspective - Click through for the full column.

Crash Time

[From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Doyle wants checkpoints

Sobriety tests among possible tools to fight drunken driving

By Gina Barton and Steven Walters

Posted: Oct. 24, 2008

The graphic is pretty telling. Bars close and accidents happen, if you are generous enough to consider drunk driving an accident.