Intidote du jour for Mr. S

When I saw the antidote du jour for today in one of my favorite blogs, I couldn't help but think of Mr. Scribbler.

This one's for you Mr. S. Naked Capitalism (scroll to the bottom of the post for the picture).

Hawk Migration

Last Friday on my way to work I saw four large hawks soaring or perched over the course of my drive.

This morning we saw a really large hawk sitting at the top of a 60 foot pine tree. Ten crows were mobing it. Eventually they retreated and the hawk looked around for a few minutes before gracefully flying away. (I think it was looking at us, and a dog that was walking near by.)

I have been unable to find a really good internet site describing the migration. But from what I have read, they migrate in September and October from their North American nesting grounds to winter in Central and South America.

Future reading

The Chronicle reports on two new blogging platforms that purport to make it as easy to blog as it is to twitter. I'd like to take a look at them when I have more time. New platforms make blogging more immediate, mobile

New York's Tumblr, along with San Francisco's Posterous, have simplified the process even more. Their tools remove the headache of figuring out different formats for photographs, documents and other rich media. Users can e-mail, call or text message their updates. There's no need to ever log on to the site.

I hate paying nearly $90 per month for TV. I'm going to come back to this. But we are sports fans... so it may be challenging. Apple TV could let users cut their cable TV bill - latimes.com

The wallet-size device gives users access to plenty of shows, movies and music without having to subscribe to a service. But sports fans won't find much to cheer about.

The Canon by Natalie Angier

I'm currently listening to The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Natalie Angier.

It started a little slowly, but it's got an interesting slant that has captivated me now. It is fascinating to review material that I mostly learned in high school, but now I'm looking at it from a much more mature perspective -- particularly where issues of time and scale are at play as in molecules and the Big Bang theory.

It only has a 3.5 star rating, but I give it 4-stars.

Good morning blogistan

Finally a pretty good night's sleep, capping-off a not crazy week.

I almost feel like I can relax and enjoy the weekend.

Have a good day everyone!

Picture was taken during an early morning waterski lesson for my niece in Tahoe this summer. That's the back of Bro1's head in the forground.

That Girl

I was a pre-teen when That Girl was on television, and Marlo Thomas' character was exactly my image of what life could be like when I grew up.

When she did Free to Be You and Me she just confirmed herself as one of the cool adults in my book.

This morning I listened to an interview she did on NPR promoting her new book.
Marlo Thomas Remembers 'Growing Up Laughing' : NPR

Marlo Thomas has written a memoir about the sound and spirit that was so formative in her life and the lives of others. Host Scott Simon talks with the actress and activist about her book, Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny.

I haven't read any of her books, but I'm going to check for this one at my library.

Nellie Bly

Energy rightly applied and directed will accomplish anything.
Nellie Bly's Motto

I was following a thread on the internet, and it led me to Nellie Bly. I had all but forgotten her, although I know her name, and I know that I've read little bits about her. All I remembered was her expose of conditions in a New York mental hospital.

I did not know that she is considered a pioneer of investigative journalism. Here are some other tidbits I did not know about her.

She travelled around the world in a little over 72 days.

She married an industrialist, and upon his death in 1904 she became the head of the company.

She was the first woman war correspondent during WWI.

She also has her own web site Nellie Bly Online if you want to read more about this fascinating woman.