Why I Love the Berkeley Hills

(A point of geography: the term Berkeley Hills applies to one of ranges of the Pacific Coast Ranges.  These hills used to be called the Contra Costa Hills.  Therefore the term “Berkeley Hills” includes those hills above Oakland as well as those above Berkeley.  ”Berkeley Hills” is a geographic term (a toponym, to be exact) and has nothing to do with political or city boundaries. I  just want my good neighbors in Oakland to know they are not being left out when I speak of the Berkeley Hills!)

❀❀❀

I’ve been so busy getting my dharma journal, Metta Refuge, up and running, I just haven’t had time to get anything posted here at “Berkeley, Naturally!”

But today, the first day of December, that changes! I thought the least I could do was post some introductory images from my hikes in Strawberry and Claremont Canyons. I wanted folks to see why I’m so in love with the Berkeley Hills area and why I feel so grateful to live here.

I’m also working on my first post about an animal you’ll often run across in the Hills. It’s actually a much-loved insect (yes, insect!) More on that later!

For now, here on some images that will give visitors to this blog a feel for our beautiful ecosystem here in the East Bay. If you click on the small image, you’ll get a much larger one you can download for your desktops. Enjoy!  Steve

❀❀❀

I took these next two photos this summer in Strawberry Canyon. The grasses are brown because it’s been nearly five months since the last substantial rain, and the Great October Rainstorm of 2009 is still months away.

After 33 years in Boston, I can’t tell you what a marvel it is go a whole summer without a trace of rain!  As a boy growing up in the Mojave desert, I was used to long rainless periods, but even in the desert, we had summer “monsoon” thunderstorms.  The Bay area’s “Mediterranean” climate and summer drought are fascinating, and I look forward to discussing how they shape this ecosystem.

These next two photos were just two weeks after our amazing October rain storm. (The heaviest October rain in 47 years!) What a difference!

As a newcomer to the area, I was amazed at how fast the hills “greened up.” The plants in this area have some amazing adaptations to the Mediterranean climate we have here, and I’ll be writing a lot about that in later posts.  Here’s a nice shot looking across Strawberry Canyon to the historical UC Berkeley Cyclotron.

My favorite trees in the Canyons are the somewhat controversial Eucalyptus, which were introduced to this area in the 1850s. These beautiful trees dominate much of the terrain in the Canyons.

One of the best things about living in Berkeley is being so close to wonderful hiking and fire trails. Here are some images from some of my favorite hikes.

Once you gain some altitude into the hills, you are often rewarded with beautiful vistas of San Francisco Bay and unobstructed skies.

There are a huge range of plants in the Strawberry and Claremont Canyons. Here are two of my favorites: lichens and some wild (unripe) blackberries:

Many of the trees on the steeper slopes have a real battle with gravity and erosion. (I’ll be writing much more about Berkeley Hills plants and their challenges in later posts.)

Finally, hiking in the hills you’ll definitely come across wild animals. I’ll never forget the first time I came upon a flock of wild turkeys in Strawberry Canyon. (Alas, I’ve yet to have my camera with me when I’ve come across them.) There are many kinds of birds, too, including large raptors. But the toughest, most aggressive bird you’ll come across in the Canyons is the smallest! Meet the pound-for-pound champ, the Rufous Hummingbird:

You’ll also run across reptiles on your hikes. I’ve seen several kinds of garter snakes, and along the sunnier trails, you’ll almost see always some Western Fence lizards:

And some of the creatures you’ll find in the Hills are just, well, fantastic:

I hope you enjoyed my first “Berkeley, Naturally” post. With my other blog established, I hope to get into a rhythm and post here several times a week.

Happy trails! Steve

Our yard is a haven for reptiles, methinks–

Lizards–anoles,  geckos, and dozens of skinks.

They lie on our wall, the sun on their backs

It’s a reptile condo–they live in the cracks.

I know little about them, but maybe you can say

What’s that white stringy thing he’s holding that way?

I wanted a better picture, but time didn’t allow

He swallowed the thing before I figured how!

BURP!

Small cat you dream big

Prowling lion like, but please

Stop killing lizards

It is very hot today. The kind of heat that makes you want to crawl into the shade and sleep. Miniature lizards scurry across footpaths and unusual iridescent bugs the size of pebbles buzz drowsily as they get stuck on the wrong side of my glass door. The air is heavy with the fragrance of hibiscus and frangipani. Parakeets remain active; bursts of colour that explode into the air from hidden vantage points, calling out to each other. 

The breeze does occasionally lift, but it doesn’t bring relief, it just washes over you with even warmer air. You can’t lose enough layers to get comfortable. Venturing out without sunscreen is a serious risk, at best a painful red burn; at worst, the very real risk of melanoma. The only places of solace are either air-conditioned or near the ocean. For those lucky enough to live near the beaches. The inner city in summer must be a claustrophobic choking nightmare, 40 degree heat combined with dust and exhaust fumes and the relentless pace of the CBD. No option there to strip down to boardies and take a refreshing swim at lunchtime. The main beaches are inundated with tourists and locals alike seeking relief from the heat. The crowds are carefully watched over by the red and yellow clad lifeguards, who will have to endure the pain of not being able to save an estimated 80 people from drowning this summer.

It isn’t even summer officially yet…it starts on the 1st December. Summer in Sydney means dry lightning and bushfires and sand too hot to walk on. Shops keeping their chocolate bars in the drinks coolers so they don’t melt. It means celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer, Santa depicted wearing boardshorts and flipflops. It means month after month of almost guaranteed temperatures over 30 degrees. I will spend a good part of this summer indoors in pleasantly air-conditioned surroundings. Summer + Christmas = no time off for those working in retail. It works for me, I’ve spend much of the past 3 years in colder snowier places and sometimes the heat here is too much, I admit. I’ll leave next March after 1 year and 1 month in Sydney. Long enough for a small  pale person from Scotland I think.

 (This was intended as a bit of practice to improve my descriptive writing, but if it comes across as a slightly rambling heat induced stream of consciousness…I apologise. It really is very hot today).

As shown on YouTube

A lake monster – Is it the Muck Monster?  Or is it just a Giant Stingray?

A virus carried by non-native lizards could be devastating a rare species of reptile in Dorset, wildlife experts fear…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: virus. The blog is also related to: virus.

On our way to Tulum, we came across Josh, a CSer that we had previously stayed with at a host’s place! It seems Playa del Carmen is a great place to come across other CSers by chance. It turned out that they were going to Tulum the next day, so we decided to wait until then to go with them. I had never hitch hiked before so Josh educated me, and we caught a ride soon afterwards. We were to meet up at the ruins or the beach but we got caught up in town, meeting up with our host in Tulum.

Tulum is a fun little city with beautiful beaches. And contrary to what most people will tell you, you CAN walk from town to the beach. It’s not a short walk, it takes about 50 minutes to an hour to get from the supermarket San Francisco de Asis to the beach taking the Tulum ruins path. We take this path and go to the Zazil Kin and El Paraiso beaches.

Speaking of the ruins, they are quite a sight to see if you’re interested in archeological sites. At the moment it’s 51 pesos to enter (about 4.50$Can) It’s not the biggest, tallest sight, but they are right by the beach and you can swim there. Also, even if you don’t get a tour guide, you can get snippets of information while walking around. Mind where you step though, as there are many lizards around! I stopped for a while to eat a banana, and a gorgeous lizard laying nearby caught a wiff of it and came right over to investigate. He circled me, searching for the delicious grub he was smelling, and took a bite out of my banana. I never feed animals I come across, but he came right for it and surprised me! I let him take another small bite and he ran away with a third of my banana!

It’s hard to enjoy a sight like that with hundreds of other people around you though, taking thousands of pictures and smoking big cigars. I can’t expect to see the place all to myself, but I enjoyed visiting the ruins and learning about how they arranged the locations of the buildings to work with the equinox and the changing of the seasons.

But back to the thousands of pictures being taken… I used to take lots of pictures until I felt them losing any significance I thought they might have when I’d think about the thousands of people who had taken the same pictures, only in slightly different angles and with somewhat different weather. I find that if I spend all my time trying to take pictures of everything, I can’t really enjoy the environment. I really noticed that in the past sometimes, so I refrain from snapping pictures of everything and enjoy it fully with my own eyes, in real time.

See that in the sky?

Yes, the beach! The first day we went it was mostly cloudy, and very windy. Yesturday we fully got to enjoy the sun, the blue sky, the small breeze, the calm sea, the picnic, and the sunburns! We left early after having some oatmeal, walked all the way by taking the ruins road, went swimming, tanned, ate guacamole with crackers, rice and beans, and a bunch of fruit, and we went snorkeling! I was scared at first but have been forcing the fear away. I still have to work on trusting my snorkel, it feels very unnatural, but I eventually got the courage to go way out with Robin and swim with the fish! The coral reefs were beautiful and we got to see all kinds of fish. We were out there for a long time. We later walked on the cliff off the end of the beach (we were at Zazil Kin and Paraiso) and came back at dusk, passing by vehicles parked on the beach playing Bob Marley, how much better could it get! I wanted to play ball at the volleyball court but we were too burnt to go.

Robin still can’t get over the size of the aguacates (avocados). He says the flavor isn’t as intense as the smaller onces, but they are generally cheaper. Fruits and vegetables aren’t cheap around here, especially Tulum. I can’t wait for the open markets in Merida and Chiapas.

While in Playa del Carmen we came across a tourist store infront of a neat reggae resto bar that sold Kariza designs, basically two pieces of fabric with a long strap that can be worn as a dress, skirt and shirt. My eyes caught one that reminded me of sakura blossums and I fell in love with it, but I knew I couldn’t get it at the price of 360 or so pesos. Even if I haggled, it would be more than I allow myself for clothing. We found another awesome store that sold a variety of shell lamps – Shells with wire coiled around them, hanging as a ceiling light, or little plugin light shells. They were so beautiful and created a wonderful aura in the store. I’ve yet to go to a beach and collect shells and rocks.

We will stay in Tulum for a couple more days, then head back to Cancun to go to Merida with some friends next weekend. We plan on staying there for about a week.

- Video from YouTube.com

Here is a very brief clip of, what appears to be a giant affrican “sea-turtle.”  No details were given – some claim the “thing” to be, simply put, a rotting whale.

Have fun.

HG

The Kookaburra

The Kookaburra is hard to miss, a hefty bird, he’s known for his noisy laugh. During sunrise or sunset he’s often heard making the following noise, try it out loud:

“Koo-hoo-hoo-hoo-ha-ha-ha-ha”

If you are visiting the kookaburra at The Toronto Zoo, he’ll be in the Australasia pavilion.  But make sure you look up – most likely he’ll be perched up high. He’s got a very distinctive, thick eyebrow, about 40 centimeters long. The kookaburra is native to Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. His favourite meal is small rodents, insects, small birds, snakes and lizards.

His beak is brown and his tail is brown with blue tips. When he’s flying, his tail is mostly white. The kookaburra has big feet and legs that are also brown.

Did you know?

Young kookaburra’s work together when feeding. One bird will hold on with mighty strength to one end of the prey while the adult bird pulls backwards at the other end until the body of the prey is torn apart and easier to eat. Gross!

Every once in a while, a truly remarkable story happens. The kind of story that you want the world to know. While procrastinating studying for my Buyer Behavior exam tomorrow, I find it only appropriate to share this story with the world. If you were one of the lucky few that witnessed this, you can agree just how ridiculous it was.

So a few weekends ago I had my four best girl friends come visit me who I met abroad. These girls know me really well. We spent every moment together abroad. From  getting along in France using our French with our all-too-typical American accents to laughing at the French have a hard time distinguishing and differentiating the words bitch and beach and shit and sheet (it’s a really fun game, try it with a French person some time), we have all been through a lot.

Of course by nature this story had to happen when they visited. One of the girls visiting has a few very close friends from Chicago who also attend CU. The weekend I spent a good amount of time with these boys as well seeing that they wanted to see her as much as I did during her 48-hour visit.

So we decide to go one of the guys houses, located just off of the Hill  (the general student ZONE at CU loaded with student houses.)I should have known it would make a good story when the reason we went initially was to meet Desi, the puppy who one of the boys (who shall remain nameless for identity purposes and because I want him to still be my friend is he reads this) was obsessed with. “Desi is the cutest dog ever,” he says. Yeah ok, whatever, I think. My house has a dog, Steve. In my mind Steve is the cutest dog. Everyone thinks that their dog is the cutest.

Of all of my years at CU (four) I have never been into a house with so many animals. We walk in and Desi, (yes I will admit the puppy was VERY cute as a German Shepherd with blue eyes) attacks us. The guy picks her up and starts kissing her open mouthed. They are full on making out. Then we notice a strange case on the side. He explains to us that it is his houses’s ecosystem, or terrarium. He holds up Salamanders, lizards, and points to the pond. He tells us that he probably goes to Petsmart like once a week. IN COLLEGE? GET OUT OF HERE. I can not believe that him and his roomates go to Petsmart once a week to buy an animal or food to keep up the “ecosystem.”

Then he gets tip-tup who is in solitary confinement for murdering 6 other fish in a pot. My girls and I get heated because we’re thinking that this is mean! Tip-Tup didn’t chose to murder the fish. He was hungry. Maybe they all shouldn’t be put to live together like a big happy college family.

Then one of the girls screams in the bathroom and runs out. She goes, “OMG there is a crab in the toilet!” The guy goes, ” oh yeah sorry about that I meant to flush.”  (thinking she said crap) “Wait, what, how can you go to the bathroom and have that come out?” “OOOO the CRAB. yeah that is not for you that is for H.”

ok so recap. E goes to the bathroom and sees a crab in the toilet that is not there for her, it is there for H. Wow.

So we all start laughing at the craziness of this situation. Crazy until it gets documented.

So there is Edward Scissorclaws in  the toilet. This spurs the following conversation:

Khonghampat Orchidarium is located in Imphal, it is maintained by the Forest Department. The best time to visit the Orchaidarium is April and May. The Orchidarium is one of the most popular attractions in Imphal. It spreads to around 200 acres of land with more than 120 varieties of exotic species of orchids. The place is so colorful with its blooming flowers and sweet fragrance. The most interesting factor of Khonghampat is, there are some of the rare species of flowers that resembles lizards, moths and bees. People from all parts of the world come there to see these natures’ wonders. Orchids like Cymbidium and Cattleya orchids are the much adored ones along with some endangered species of orchids. Most of these species are rarely found in other parts of the world.

Manipur can be reached through Imphal airport. The state doesn’t have a railway station but the neighboring states have stations in cities like, Guwahati, Dimapur, Silchar etc. the state also have plenty of hotels and resorts for tourists to stay and enjoy Manipur.

How best to describe slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein’s singular quartet Sex Mob?
Maybe we should start with mercurial musical magician Bernstein himself, whose exotic career as sideman, musical director, arranger and composer has included ten years with John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards and stints alongside everyone from Bill Frisell to Sam Rivers, the Flying Karamazov Brothers and, oh yes, Bootsy Collins. Or maybe we should look at his career as bandleader, which includes the trumpet-slide guitar-tuba trio Spanish Fly and the boisterous, cataclysmic nine-piece Millennial Territory Orchestra. Or maybe we should just listen to Bernstein’s own summing up of Sex Mob (which began life in residency in 1995 at the Knitting Factory’s “late night hang” as a vehicle for Bernstein’s own compositions and quickly morphed into a band covering everything from film composer John Barry’s James Bond music to Duke Ellington to Prince): “Jazz used to be popular music. People would go out to clubs, listen to the music, go home and get laid. Simple as that. We’re bringing that spirit back.”"That spirit”—one of wailing, riotous abandon mixed with eccentric song choices, high musicianship and healthy doses of funky downtown grit—is on ample display on the group’s first live recording, Meets Medeski, waxed at Switzerland’s Willisau Jazz Festival. Less of a meeting than a reunion—groove god John Medeski is an old cohort of the band and can be found on the group’s first release, 1998’s Din of Inequity—the disc is divided into three seamless “suites,” each of which intersperses a couple of originals with covers of Ellington’s “Black and Tan Fantasy,” Count Basie’s “Blue and Sentimental,” two Prince tunes, four Barry “Bond” cuts and (I kid you not) “Down on the Farm” and “Little Liza Jane.”

It is, in short, an absolute gas. And it works, thanks to Bernstein’s impeccable taste and leadership. For all his mischievous rambunctiousness, Bernstein is both a rigorous designer of musical soundscapes and an exacting conductor; no matter how loose the band seemingly hangs, he keeps it under a watchful eye and the music stays concise and true. (Case in point: the longest tune on the CD clocks in at just over six minutes, a somewhat astonishing achievement for a live jazz disc.) As with any Sex Mob show, the Bond tunes are a highlight: both the calamitous “Oddjob,” with Bernstein’s ragged trumpet soaring atop Medeski’s alternately delicate and bombastic Hammond B3, and Barry’s gorgeous “You Only Live Twice,” done as boozy, woozy, soul-inflected ’60s scream, are sublime. Medeski, as expected, sounds terrific in this context (check out his brusque, rampaging solo over Kenny Wollesen’s tumbling drums on “Down on the Farm”).

Sex Mob at All About Jazz.
Visit Sex Mob on the web.
Track listing: Mob Rule Invocation; Mob Rule 1; Black and Tan Fantasy; Mob Rule 2/Little Liza Jane; Sign O The Times; Down On The Farm; This Never Happened to the Other Guy; Mob Rule 3; This Never Happened Part 2; Blue and Sentimental; Kenny Supreme; Darling Nikki; Odd Job; You Only Live Twice; Mob Rule 4; Artie Shaw.

Personnel: Steven Bernstein: slide trumpet; Briggan Krauss: alto saxophone; John Medeski: organ; Tony Scherr: bass; Kenny Wollesen: drums, percussion.

You guys need to know something about me: I loooove animals. Animals are a part of my family and I love each one of them dearly. I’ve had all kinds of animals including dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, turtles, degus, lizards, frogs, etc.

I had a really bad day today.

I’ve been having problems with my cat, Kitty. She’s never actually learned how to use the litter box, so there’s constantly a pile of shit on our floor and more recently, she started pissing on the floor.

She’s not allowed in Hubby’s room (this is the room we spend all our time in because the TV and computers are in there) because she chews up wires. We’ve lost speakers, Hubby’s special sound thingy, camera USB cords, etc. And Hubby doesn’t allow animals in our bedroom (his rule, definitely not mine). Well, Kitty will stand at the door scratching and meowing. Not just a little meow, but she will sit there and wail until I open the door. It’s gotten worse the past week and I’m not sure why because she still hasn’t been allowed in that room.

To make matters worse, after putting her outside, she went and got stuck in a tree. Again. I was out at 3 in the morning climbing a tree because I couldn’t sleep due to being worried about her.

I was sick with a migraine yesterday and couldn’t even throw up in peace because the cat wouldn’t leave me alone. And I need complete silence when I have one of my headaches, but the cat just didn’t seem to grasp this idea at all.

So today… let me go ahead and warn you, my depression is back WITH A VENGEANCE (and for once I actually don’t feel like discussing it, it’s that bad), and something in me snapped. I came home to a big pile of shit, a puddle of piss, and a meowing cat.

So in a stupid impulse decision, Kitty has been taken to the local shelter.

I’m devastated and can’t believe I even did this. Sure. I’ve given rats away, a degu, and my parents have my two old cats, but I gave Kitty up just like that.

And I feel so guilty. I’m sitting here wondering if anyone will adopt her, take care of her, is she’s lonely, if she knows I gave up on her… I just feel like shit, plain and simple. And with my current mood, I can’t handle feeling this way. I’ve cried all day. I never thought I would give up an animal just like that.

Batu Ferringhi

I spent last week in Malaysia with my girlfriend, Waew. It was our first proper holiday together and my first proper trip to Malaysia (I did a brief border hop from Brunei in 2005 but that was essentially just to tick another country off the list). It was also my first proper holiday in South East Asia since moving to Thailand last year, having so far failed to live up to my promise to myself to see as much of the region as possible while living here.

We flew in and out of Penang, where we spent half of the week. The other half we spent in Langkawi. It proved a decent mix of city and countryside, culture and relaxation, with stays in three locations.

GEORGETOWN

Approaching from the air, the provincial capital looked to have been spoiled by an overabundance of ageing high-rise condos, which scarred an otherwise lush, green island. However at ground level I found Georgetown to be charming. True, a lot of the buildings are greying and flaking, but then it is a very old city, and you can’t have history without a bit of wear.

Thankfully the ugly high-rises are more of a feature of the outskirts than the downtown region, which is full of character. Malaysia is known – and celebrated – for its multiculturalism and tolerance, and this is certainly evident in Georgetown. Ancient Chinese shophouses mingle with mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples, and old colonial architecture.  Dining options offer Chinese, Indian, Malay, Thai and European, while browsing the myriad  ethnic stores is a delight. Aural atmosphere is to be found on every street, too, whether the five-daily Islamic prayer sessions, the joyous songs emanating from the Hindu temples, or bhangra pop music blasting from sari shops and Indian CD stores.

A short walk from anywhere in the city centre can take you to most of the downtown attractions and to the seaside, although typically of an urban coast, the sea is murky and unremarkable. However the beach legs of our trip were ahead of us; Georgetown was the cultural side.

A bus or a cheap taxi ride into the centre of the island takes you to the island’s showpiece tourist attraction, Kek Lok Si Temple. The sprawling Buddhist place of worship straddles one side of Penang Hill and dazzles in its colour and design. Chinese, Burmese and Thai influences come together in one site and make for one of the most impressive religious sites I have seen, and certainly among the very best Asian temples.

It’s then a short hop – 5 minutes by taxi or a 25-minute walk – to the Penang Hill funicular station. The train will take you on a steep ascent to the 830-metre-high summit, from where you can take in the inevitably sweeping views, although again the rash of condos do blight the landscape in places. It probably looks better at night, when the city lights switch on, but still the view is far-encompassing enough to offer plenty of interest, whether the cityscape or the jungle or out to sea.

In terms of nightlife, Georgetown offers some smaller, more characterful bars along Jalan Chulia which attract backpackers and expats, or the more upmarket Jalan Penang, boasting smarter bars, a throbbing high-end nightclub and the city’s beautiful people.

We stayed at the Broadway Budget Hotel, which was basic but centrally located, clean and staffed by very friendly and helpful employees. We couldn’t fault it for RM50 (£10) per night. We found it by simply walking around after finding one of the Rough Guide’s recommendations, the Blue Diamond Hotel, to be unacceptable (ancient, musty, threadbare rooms) at the same price.

BATU FERRINGHI

With Penang island being circumnavigable in a day, we decided to hire a car and do exactly that. The car hire company we called was booked in Batu Ferringhi, the nearest significant beach spot to Georgetown, on the north of the island, where we intended to stay one night. The price of the rental was reasonable, but the hire rep had to come from BF to Georgetown, and then drive us back to BF, where his office was based and from where the rental would officially begin. Fine, we thought – it’s a free ride. Unfortunately the rep had seemingly been trained in the Bangkok tuk-tuk school of transporting tourists and rather than simply drive from our hotel to his office, he took us via a luxury chocolate store, a fabrics mill and a coffee outlet – all overpriced and all of which presumably paid him commission.

After checking in to a seaside guesthouse – Shalini’s, which was in a great location, just on the opposite side of the beach road, but otherwise not worth the RM75 they charged, if you compare with Broadway in Georgetown – we set off on our driving tour of the island, working our way clockwise.

The emphasis was simply on looping the island and seeing the countryside, and as it was already 1pm by the time we set off (thanks to our commission-seeking car hire rep), we didn’t have time for the major tourist attractions such as the Butterfly Farm, Tropical Fruits Farm and Snake Temple. Still, away from the city, the island proved beautiful, with lots of photo opportunities along the winding roads of the coast or of the jungle interior – just be careful when driving of monitor lizards crossing the road as if they have all the time in the world!

Almost back in Georgetown, we swung on to the bridge that links the island with the mainland portion of Penang province. At 13km long, it’s an impressive piece of architecture. The mainland seemed fairly featureless and access to Butterworth, the nearest city of note, incurred a toll, so, bearing in mind we were also pressed for time, we simply returned to the island via the bridge, which does offer a scenic run.

Finally, a quick run through Georgetown and then back up to BF and we had completed the loop while it was still daylight, giving us time for a stroll on the beach, which did not boast clear water but was scenic enough, with large boulders framing the western end and playful stray dogs chasing crabs . Dinner of carpetbag steak (beef stuffed with smoked oysters) inside a restaurant fashioned as a life-size ship, followed by a stroll around a night marker, completed a very pleasant day.

Part 2: Langkawi

Feather Sound Wave wallpaper

Betting on a Metal-Air Battery Breakthrough.

A spinoff from Arizona State University says it can develop a metal-air battery that dramatically outperforms the best lithium-ion batteries on the market, and now it has the funding it needs to prove it.

If successful they’ll produce a battery that will have 11 times the energy density of lithium-ion based batteries and cost about 30% less. The funding is part of that research grant package recently passed by the Obama administration.

RARE PHOTOS: Sperm Whale EATS Giant Squid. Amazingly good quality photos. We’ve seen the pictures of giant squid, usually of the body and tentacle spread out. By themselves they look the mythic monsters of the deep. In a Huge sperm whales mouth ( a large male can reach 20.5 metres (67 ft) long), the squid looks like a tasty little snack.

Flat-tailed horned lizard gets boost from Arizona judge

U.S. District Judge Neil V. Wake’s ruling follows a recent U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals order that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reconsider its earlier decision to deny the lizard protection under the Endangered Species Act. That decision rejected a Bush administration policy that environmentalists complained favored development at the expense of the lizard and many plants and animals across the nation.

The flat-tailed horned lizard is an American heritage species living in Arizona, California and Baja California. Not twenty years ago its habitat – dunes and gravel pans – were relatively safe from development. Now those same places make good locations for more suburban sprawl and solar power arrays. One solar company is set to develop 6,500 acres of flat-tailed horned lizard habitat, but also plans to mediate the impact by buying habitat elsewhere. Mediation is almost always a poor compromise, but better then nothing I guess. A gallery of flat-tailed horned lizard here. They look like little dinosaurs with spiked collars.

I thought it was the ingestion of sugar coated cereals while playing Nintendo, but when I’m wrong I’m not too proud to admit it – Inefficient Selection: New Evolutionary Mechanism Accounts For Some Of Human Biological Complexity

A painstaking analysis of thousands of genes and the proteins they encode shows that human beings are biologically complex, at least in part, because of the way humans evolved to cope with redundancies arising from duplicate genes.