Category: Animals
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Squirrel Art Bonanza!
When it rains, it pours. Or so goes the old saying. In this case, it has never rained before really. In the span of 4 weeks, I went from zero squirrel-themed art to having three unique pieces. The first came in the form of a gift from Jane, who I am in a slow-played battle…
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10 Greatest Squirrel Attacks of All Time
In the wake of the ‘Squirrel Power‘ article by Jon Mooallem who boldly proclaimed “OH MY GOD, LOOK, I WROTE ABOUT POWER OUTAGES CAUSED BY SQUIRRELS IN THE NEW YORK TIMES“. I had to remind him that while awesome, he is not the first to warn people of this dastardly threat. In a presentation titled…
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The Popcorn Thesis
During a recent email thread, a friend and I were comparing our local squirrels. She put forth that her Chicago squirrels did not eat popcorn, to which I expressed my disbelief. I couldn’t imagine a squirrel turning their nose up at it. I said I would have to test that theory. I’ll be curious whether…
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My Penguin Encounter
Yesterday, I went to the Denver Zoo to attend one of the new Animal Adventures. For 90 minutes, we got a guided tour of the Bird World exhibit, as well as behind the scenes access to the kitchen, and private time with a penguin (the real reason to go). We sat down in the visitation…
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Why Squirrels…
I get that question frequently, for obvious reasons. Not only is the attrition.org mascot a demented angry squirrel named Lazlo, but I seemingly have a serious fixation on squirrels if you read my Twitter stream. For over two years, I have been feeding squirrels that made their way up to my balcony, some that come…
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Not All Charities Are Created Equal
I support charities. Quite a few of them actually. Maybe it isn’t the best use of the money I donate, as dozens receive small amounts, rather than one or two receiving a sizable donation. I know that with few exceptions, it seems like my donations are mostly wasted, and it has me questioning my support.…
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Brief Glimmer of Hope for the Human Race
The amount of suffering inflicted upon animals these days is utterly depressing. Every so often I read an article where humans go the extra mile to give an animal a second chance. Of course, the imbalance of one animal receiving life-changing help doesn’t begin to approach the number that are abused and mistreated. However, it…
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Birthdays, Penguins, and the Locale in New Zealand
Sunday ended up being a day around the house. While Blaise’s birthday was Jan 1, most of her friends were on holiday (vacation) so she planned her party for today. She and her mother spent the afternoon preparing finger foods for the party while i ran up the road for beef lo mein. The prep…
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Thermal Animals on Luges in New Zealand
Started the day with a quick drive to the Waiotapu Geothermal Wonderland. A privately owned park covering quite a bit of land covered in thermal pools, a geyser and more. The park started out pretty tame, with some craters that formed due to thermal activity and water. The big body of water, Champagne Pool is…
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Small flightless birds in New Zealand
Drove ~ 3 hours from Auckland to Rotorua for the first of a couple days. A relatively small town, but quite a bit to do here. On the way, stopped in Matamata for lunch and a few shops, but did not stop for Hobbiton. While the Shire is apparently mostly intact, it is apparently ass…