Correspondence: Things of beauty

Another of the 10+ best

By Moristotle

My personal favorite is the geese in the swamp: “10+ Of The Best Photos From 2017 National Geographic Traveler Contest’s Nature Category” [Giedrė, Bored Panda, no date]:

     Excerpt:

If there’s one magazine that continuously showcases the most beautiful pictures from around the world, it’s Nat Geo (previously here [“50+ Of The Best Images...”], here [“2016 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest’s...”], and here [“...Top 20 Photos Of 2015”]). Its prestigious photo contests attract some of the best photographers, and viewing their stunning shots you can’t help but feel your connection with Mother Earth strengthening. 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is no different.
    The submissions of the competition were closed on the 30th of June but its winners won’t be announced until August. To make the waiting easier, Nat Geo editors have released their favorite entries, and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share them. Here are some of the best Nature entries to the contest that are currently battling for the category’s top spots and the grand prize – a ten-day trip for two to the Galapagos Archipelago with National Geographic Expeditions. [Read more, see more photos]

Home to an estimated 103 wild tigers, Bhutan is a model of conservation, working to ensure tiger safety and natural breeding in the wild against the backdrop of poachers and illegal wildlife traders. Bhutan may be the smallest country where wild tigers live, but it is fast becoming one of the biggest conservation champions. “Amazing image of wild tiger in Bhutan” [World Wildlife Federation, July 28]. Excerpt:

It’s a stunning image—a tiger stares out from its lush forest habitat in the wilds of Bhutan. Finding this tiger was no easy task. Filmmaker and photojournalist Emmanuel Rondeau spent four weeks in the wildlife corridors of this mountainous country with a camera trap poised to capture an image of the elusive tiger. After weeks of waiting, a tiger appeared on the final day of the expedition. The result? The first high-resolution camera trap image of a wild tiger in Bhutan captured at an altitude above 11,000 feet. [read more]

Pachycereus weberi, is native to Mexico and southern Arizona

Watch a curious puffin befriend a tourist:

“Why Do Birds Avoid Flying in the Rain?” [BirdNote, National Audobon Society, July 10]. Excerpt of the transcript of an audio story by BirdNote, a partner of The National Audubon Society (BirdNote episodes air daily on public radio stations nationwide):

During a rainstorm, you’re more likely to see birds perched and hunkered down than flying around. Most birds are mostly waterproof. Their feathers, combined with oil from preen glands, keep them pretty watertight. So why do birds avoid flying during rainstorms? It’s not just about getting wet. It may have more to do with the air than with the water.
    Storms alter the medium in which flight takes place: the air itself. Rainstorms tend to occur when atmospheric pressure is low.... [read more]

I googled “fruit dove” and found these awesome sites, “Birds in Backyards” and “Birdlife Australia.” I never saw any of these doves while along the northeast coast of Australia, but the area is filled with weird and wonderful birds, animals, fruits, and vegetables. We used to go to small farmers markets and see such interesting things, mostly fruits, that grow and you don't see anywhere else in Australia because it is so tropical there.

    Another weird bird from the area, the Cassowary, is all but extinct. We looked and looked for one to no avail.

McCain did a brave thing last night [in voting “no” on the “skinny” Obamacare repeal bill], as did Collins and Murkowski. We owe them a salute. Now it’s time to fix what’s broken with health insurance and maybe there is enough good will on both sides to make that happen.
    Can people of good will beat the Koch boys?
    One last thought, and I will leave you alone. Yesterday I got an appeal from Bernie. A four-page letter. He is carrying the fight for all of us. 76 years young. Do I agree with Bernie about everything? No, but mostly. Does he seem naive and the infernal optimist? Yes. But as he says, “Despair is not an option. None of us has the right to throw up our lhands or claim that we are burned out. The stakes are just too great.” So I am sending Bernie a much larger contribution than I send to [my college alumni association]. The least I can do.

Please read a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution:

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the Citizens of the United States....

Background: Children of Congress members do not have to pay back their college student loans. Staffers of Congress family members are also exempt from having to pay back student loans. Members of Congress can retire at full pay after only one term. Members of Congress have exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed, under which ordinary citizens must live. For example, they are exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment. And, as the latest example, they have exempted themselves from Healthcare Reform, in all of its aspects. We must not tolerate an elite class of such people, elected as public servants and then putting themselves above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent, or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
    Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon their states. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.

Grateful for correspondence, Moristotle