Sep 18, 2016
Sep 11, 2016
"A psychic convinced clients to give her money, gift cards, appliances, and cards to prevent bad things.
consumerist
This happened in Ohio, but it happens in Wisconsin, too. My advice...stay away from fortunetellers psychics even for fun.
Sep 5, 2016
Rock River birds getting ready for migration
Glen Loyd goes birding on the Rock River. And here's The DNR's Statewide Birding Report compiled in late August
"The calendar says August but fall bird migration is well underway. Shorebird migration, which began way back in early July, is likely at peak, though only Horicon Marsh has featured high numbers. A flock of 53 Hudsonian godwits there on the August 14 was a great find. Several federally-endangered piping plovers were found along the Lake Michigan shore this week, including one in Racine that hatched just months earlier from the first nest on lower Green Bay in 75 years! Birders statewide also noted the first common nighthawks. Look for these zig-zagging aerial insectivores at dawn and dusk over the next three weeks.
Evenings are also a great time to look for gathering concentrations of chimney swifts, another aerial insectivore whose populations have declined in recent decades. You can help by counting the birds at a site near you. Backyard birders reported building numbers of ruby-throated hummingbirds this week. Adult males, with their flashy red throats, will head south first and be gone soon, while females and this year's young will continue well into September. Among the most beloved groups of birds, warblers have begun their southbound migration statewide. Northern birders saw a good influx on the August 14, while the same day brought smaller numbers into southern counties from Madison to Milwaukee, including Tennessee and bay-breasted warblers.
Other land birds on the move include olive-sided and yellow-bellied flycatchers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, scarlet tanagers, indigo buntings, bobolinks, and more! Woodlots, shrubby wetlands, and fruit-laden forest edges are great places to seek out a diversity of migrants this time of year. Despite all this migration, some birds are still nesting! Cedar waxwings, American goldfinches, and northern cardinals are notable late nesters. Even some ruby-throated hummingbirds continue to tend chicks in nests this week. Rarities have been few and far between, by far the best being two swallow-tailed kites found in Door County in July and continuing through at least the August 14. As always, help us track the migration by submitting your sightings to ebird.org/wi. Good birding! - Ryan Brady, Bureau of Wildlife Management research scientist, Ashland"
Aug 28, 2016
"To recreate the faces of our early ancestors, some of whom have been extinct for millions of years, sculptor John Gurche dissected the heads of modern humans and apes, mapping patterns of soft tissue and bone. He used this information to fill out the features of the fossils. Each sculpture starts with the cast of a fossilized skull; Gurche then adds layers of clay muscle, fat and skin. Seven of his finished hominid busts [are] featured at the National Museum of Natural History’s David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins...which are perhaps the best-researched renderings of their kind".---National Museum of Natural History
Watch artist John Gurche create his sculptures of early man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjuNZ...
What is the Build & Buy Car Buying Service? How subscribers can save money on a new car
Consumer Reports
This great service is provided by subscribers to Consumer Reports and can be accessed at most libraries on line with your library card. I used this service last time I purchased a car and it worked out well. The only problem I encountered was when I went to pay, the car dealer charged me an additional $100 because the "salesman made a mistake in addition." The salesman could have made many more "mistakes" in the car dealer's favor if I had not used Consumer Reports. Don't ever buy a car without checking what Consumer Reports says about its price and reliability. That goes for used as well as new cars.
Aug 21, 2016
Newly discovered Astronaut Graffiti from first moon landing
Glen Loyd says that previously unknown astronaut graffiti from the first moon landing has just been discovered at the National Air and Space Museum.
Aug 14, 2016
High Tech Helps Aging Drivers
Kiplinger
Because I am old, I purchased a new Subaru Forester with the new safety devices mentioned in this article. The Forester is also easy for an older person to get in and out of. And your view out of the vehicle is unobstructed. In fact, Consumer Reports recommends the car for elderly people.
Dogs in the National Gallery of Art Glen Loyd Glen Loyd
The loyal dog has appeared in paintings as far back as 4500 BC when canines were portrayed on cave walls... As the dog's relationship with the human evolved, so did the way he is represented in art. In the early Middle Ages, dogs were valued for their aggressiveness and appeared in paintings in packs on hunting expeditions. In the Renaissance, as dogs begin to be viewed more as domestic companions, they appear in paintings on the laps of ladies as objects of affection. In the 18th century, dog portraits became popular among the wealthy British.--Petcentric
Aug 7, 2016
Birding in Washington D. C .
One of the best views from the U.S.Capitol in Washington D.C. is from is from the Balcony of House Speaker Paul Ryan, just off the Speaker's Lounge. Ryan, of course, is from Janesville. WI. Last year Pope Francis waved to America from the historic Balcony while visiting the Capitol. As a guest at the Capitol Last week, I took a photograph from the Balcony which you will see at the end of this video.
But my video is really about some of the birds I saw in Washington.
Aug 1, 2016
Jul 17, 2016
Mermaid Yoga
The only thing as good as living on the Rock River in Janesville, WI is living a block from Lake Wingra when I'm in in Madison. By the way, Lake Wingra drains into the Rock River which drains into the Mississippi.
8 Awkward Money Moments Everyone Has at Work
MONEY
This is an interesting article on awkward money moments at work. Trouble is the writer has no advice. After experiencing some of these moments,
- I try to stay away from drinking with coworkers after work. My family is waiting for me.
- I have my own charities and won't be forced by social pressure to donate to charities suggested by coworkers and bosses. (When I was in the U.S Army, a payroll officer with a gun at his side forced me and my fellow troopers to donate to the Red Cross.)
- If a coworker asks me to loan them more than a dollar, I can't do it because because I buy everything with a credit card and don't carry cash.
Jul 16, 2016
Jul 10, 2016
6 ways greed keeps you poor
Money on Twitter
Many rip-offs are set up to make us greedy. Greed is an emotion the overrules common sense.
For example, an excited telephone caller says we have just won the $500,000 lottery. The caller congratulates us over and over again and asks what we might do with the money, planting the seeds of greed. Once greed is fully ignited, we are told about the $5,000 lottery tax we need to wire before getting our winnings. Over the years as a consumer reporter, I have talked with many deceived, but still-greedy victims who continued to feel there was a chance of getting the $500,000. A number of them were irritated with me when I told them they were out $5,000.
Jul 4, 2016
Green Bay Packers Sportscaster Larry McCarren voted into Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame
If you are a Green Bay Packers fan, you know him well. Sportscaster Larry McCarren. After almost 30 years covering Wisconsin sports, he has been voted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
I knew Larry 28 years ago and was there with him in Green Bay on his first day as a professional broadcaster. This video captures a side of Larry you have never seen...The Rock cries expressing his love and gratitude to his wife, Becky.