Coffee and Provocation

• Baltimore Rat Fishing:
  I have written about "the good old days" at the Yellow Rose in Baltimore, when they used to use hooks. Here's a video of the "reformed" version, with glue traps. For the record, this was a publicity stunt designed to shame the city to cleaning up the rats. Of course, this is Baltimore, a city beyond shame when it comes to rats.
  
  
• This Is How True Love Dies:
  The turtle dove, an age-old symbol of love, is now being driven to extinction in the U.K. by a loss of wildflowers.
  
  
• Euro-leads for More ... and Less:
  Euro leads at every price, from the expensive, to the lower cost, to the even lower cost, to the lowest cost.
  
  
• Hairy Nosed Otter?
  Camera Trap Codger is thrilled that a camera trap has taken a pic of Malaysia's rare Hairy Nosed Riover Otter. Always helpful me suggests adding this tool to the kit.
  
  
• Your Brain Bucket May Need a Paint Job:
  If you ride a motorcycle, you need a brian bucket and there's no reason for it to be boring. I like the bald head helmet, the watermelon helmet, the globe helmet, and the walnut versions best. I'm not sure these actually exist, as my language skills are a bit challenged. Hope so!
  
  
• Global Warming Leads to Bigger Marmots:
  Yellow-bellied marmots in Colorado are gaining weight and producing more offspring, compared to thirty years ago, due to the lengthening summer, which allows them to put on more weight.
  
  
• Great Moments in Journalism:
  Transvestite Had Sex with a Dog at English Heritage Castle. Yes that's the real title of an article in the London Telegraph earlier this week. The world divides cleanly into those that have already gone to that link, and those who never will. Of course that newspaper headline is not quite as shocking as this front-page headline out of Australia (warning, not safe anywhere). For those that like odd newspaper titles, but would perhaps like them a little tamer even if they do not feature a dog, how about this one: Springfield police charge one-armed man with unarmed robbery. Pretty tame, but pretty good all the same.
  
  
• A Nice Invention for Cows:
  This little contraption boosts milk production, lowers disease, and makes cows happier. It seems to me it is should be mandatory. Of course, I am pretty sure if they installed a nice-looking massage therapist at the office, that would boost productivity too!
  
  
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil?
  Extra-virgin Olive Oil? That's what she told Popeye, but it turns out it's a lie. She's probably not such a virgin after all.
  
  
• Cooking With Hawks:
  Matt Mullenix scores on TV with his hawk, which is what you pray for when the cameras roll. Nice!
  
  
• The Continuing Crisis:
  Goat falling off mountain in Austria flattens hiker. The goat was unharmed.