But I would like to go on record right now: I hate bull fighting Part of the reason that I don’t Ernest Hemingway is because he was into bullfighting. I don’t think it’s macho to kill bulls. I don’t think that contemptuous eyeing of the bull that is supposed to be sexually charged is that. I think its barbaric, fixed, and sick. As I said about Christ in The Passion, bullfighting is Thanatos on display. Sick. And pornographic.

Remember how when you were a kid you had a favorite everything: color, food, pet, friend? I don’t have a whole lot of favorites these days - but I do have a favorite wild animal: Elephants! I love elephants! They are so interesting, smart, capable, and have a very complex social structure (this may be a warning against watching too much Animal Planet). They’re also great terraformers! The indigenous flora of Africa often has less-than optimal effects on the fauna in the area. What’s the natural solution? Knock crap over! These four-legged bulldozers take out and redecorate as they see fit and at a rate that would rival 3 house/room/swap/clean reality shows on the learning channel.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0730/Monkeys-hate-flying-squirrels-report-monkey-annoyance-experts Until such time as we are free of the oppression of the simian, keep the revolution strong, my brothers and sisters.

Could not display movie of this format type Dog loves cheese

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2014/01/03/259136596/youre-invisible-but-ill-eat-you-anyway-secrets-of-snow-diving-foxes Krulwich tells an amazing story about how foxes hunt in winter. Amazing to see! And how cute is his drawing of a pouncing fox?

Happy place on Wednesday

http://www.boredpanda.com/surreal-animal-portraits-katerina-plotnikova/

Spiders use their webs as a sort of external memory device. So spiders kill prey for interrupting their train of thought? Can identify. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-017-1069-7

When we were down South we came in one night and I found a tick crawling on me. I promptly SMACKED THE SHIT OUT OF IT but, it seems, to have not bitten me. Needless to say, this article has me FREAKING THE COVFEFE out: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_kids/2017/06/how_to_prevent_tick_bites_and_lyme_disease_during_the_tick_threat_of_2017.html

I weep knowing that we’re going to ruin the planet such that these beautiful creatures won’t exist. Damn us. https://t.co/7kM8HGQHKB

“If you want to know what aliens will be like, just look at an octopus.” The octopus is our very own terrestrial alien, with eight prehensile arms lined with suckers; three hearts; an ink-based defense mechanism; highly developed jet propulsion; a body that can change size, shape, texture and color at will; and cognitive abilities to rival many mammals. They can retrieve hidden objects from nested Plexiglass cubes, find their way through complex mazes, utilize natural objects as tools, and even solve problems by watching other octopuses do the same. The common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, has about half a billion neurons, roughly six times more than a mouse.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/polar-bear-starving-arctic-sea-ice-melt-climate-change-spd/ So glad that global warming is “just a Chinese hoax” per the 45th president.

Detroit Hives is also committed to spreading awareness about bees and the countless benefits of honey via visits to local schools and community tours of their bee farm. They have also begun to sell their honey to local artisans to be used in locally crafted beers and sauces. Their tagline of “Work Hard, Stay Bumble” is a creative testament to not only their drive and vision for “Detroit Hives,” but also for the very busy bees who work countless hours in their respective roles to create their signature honey. https://www.becauseofthemwecan.com/blogs/stories/black-beekeepers-are-reclaiming-vacant-lots-in-detroit-to-create-bee-farms Yes! Sustainable food. Undo food deserts.

Maybe west-siders are a target market. I love bears.

It turns out the octopus has a profusion of brain-forming genes previously seen only in back-boned animals. But its secret weapon may not be genes as we know them. A complex brain needs a way to store complex information. Startlingly, the octopus may have achieved this complexity by playing fast and free with its genetic code. They’re the coolest: https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/how-the-octopus-got-its-smarts

I won’t lament the world getting back underway. I just wish we could do it in a way such that this could be seen still. A giant jellyfish, coasting through the canals of Venice.

Foxes are such adorable creatures.