Category: science

  • Finally Saw the Movie “The Day The Earth Stood Still”

    Finally Saw the Movie “The Day The Earth Stood Still”

    We watched the movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still” today. It was made in 1951 and I’d never seen it. Sena thinks she did a long time ago. You can watch it on the Internet Archive. Similar movies didn’t make much of a splash, some of which you might remember: “The Sacking of Punxsutawney…

  • Pelicans on Parade!

    Pelicans on Parade!

    The weather was superb yesterday and we visited our favorite walking trail out at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area—along with a lot of people who had the same idea. It was around 60 degrees and not a cloud in the azure blue sky. The highlight was the big flocks of white birds with black markings under…

  • Update to the Iowa Legislature Bill to Make Ivermectin Available Over the Counter

    Update to the Iowa Legislature Bill to Make Ivermectin Available Over the Counter

    Pursuant to my previous post about the debate in the Iowa Legislature over a proposed bill to make Ivermectin available over-the-counter (OTC) in Iowa, it looks as though hydroxychloroquine was recently dropped from the bill. Although few people say it out loud, in my opinion, it’s no secret that the main reason for the bill…

  • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Pentagon

    A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Pentagon

    So, just for laughs I sometimes watch Ancient Aliens (you know, the UFO show with the hair dude). Last night, they were talking about some guy named Valiant Thor as if he were a real person. Maybe some of you know about the book, “Stranger at the Pentagon,” which you can read for free on…

  • What Wildlife Does Not Know About Nature Valley Snack Bars

    What Wildlife Does Not Know About Nature Valley Snack Bars

    We finally finished up the batch of Nature Valley Chocolate Peppermint Wafer bars. The label says says they are “naturally flavored with other natural flavor.” The comical TV commercials in the last couple of years show cute woodland creatures like squirrels bitterly complaining about the dirty nuts they have to put up with compared to…

  • Groundhog Day Finally Explained

    Groundhog Day Finally Explained

    Well, by now everybody has heard the official news about what Punxsutawney Phil saw this morning since it’s Groundhog Day. On the other hand, the unofficial news is this: for some reason he saw extraterrestrials instead of his shadow. I know about it only because a drunken official calling me from the Pentagon spilled the…

  • Verdict on Kale Salad

    Verdict on Kale Salad

    Well, Sena served the cranberry kale salad today, along with a hearty vegetable soup. If I had not known that the kale was in the salad, I would not have noticed anything unusual about it. In fact, the salad was pretty good, although truth be known, the kale was mixed together with so many other…

  • Another Silly Bill in the Iowa Legislature

    Another Silly Bill in the Iowa Legislature

    I saw a story in the Iowa Capital Dispatch by Robin Opsahl today that there’s a bill in the Iowa legislature which seeks to make the drugs ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine over-the-counter (OTC) in Iowa. It doesn’t actually specify the reason why but it’s probably because some Iowans want the drugs available to treat Covid-19. I…

  • Thoughts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

    Thoughts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

    Today being Martin Luther King Day, I’m reminiscing a little about my short time as a student at Huston-Tillotson College (one of this country’s HBCUs, Huston-Tillotson University since 2005) in Austin, Texas. It’s always a good idea to thank your teachers. I never took a degree there, choosing to transfer credit to Iowa State University…

  • Paranormal Productions: The Skunk Ape

    Paranormal Productions: The Skunk Ape

    Last night, I watched what I thought was a brand-new episode of Josh Gates’ series, Expedition X. It was titled “Beast of the Everglades” and it was about the skunk ape in the Florida everglades. Turns out the show originally aired in 2024, so I’m a little behind. You might want to watch it first…