cōgitāvī: August 2009

Monday, August 31, 2009

Mantis

Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa) in Threat Posture

2009 August 31

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Friday, August 28, 2009

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009

Where did Mama go?

Mourning Dove, juvenile (Zenaida macroura)

2009 August 24

Sunday, August 23, 2009

FatCow Web Hosting “Goes Green” by Committing to 100% Wind Energy

BURLINGTON, Mass. – FatCow, a leading provider of Web hosting, domain registration and related marketing services, announced today that its offices and data centers are now 100 percent powered by wind energy. “We’re offsetting all of our electricity use by purchasing wind-generated Renewable Energy Certificates,” explains Paul Bukhovko, FatCow’s Marketing Manager, “providing our customers with an environmentally preferable Web hosting solution.” The Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are being supplied by wind energy marketer and developer Community Energy Inc. (CEI).

On behalf of all of its offices and data centers, FatCow is buying 4,412,000 kilowatt hours (kWhs) per year of wind-generated RECs. This volume is comparable to the entire output of one 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbine over the course of one year. When compared to the average generation mix in the national electric grid, the estimated environmental benefit from this purchase is equal to offsetting approximately 2,260 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, the impact of which is equivalent to planting about 2,390 acres of trees each year or not driving 6.1 million miles.

“Electricity generation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and Community Energy applauds FatCow for taking action on climate change,” says Brent Alderfer, Executive VP of Community Energy. “Their commitment to 100 percent wind-generated RECs makes a difference for cleaner air, a stronger economy and new clean energy sources in the U.S.”

By reducing its carbon footprint, FatCow is responding to feedback from its staff, as well as letting customers host green sites of their own. “Quite frankly,” Bukhovko says, “our employees and our customers were the driving factors behind our decision to go green. Our staff members encourage responsible environmental behavior inside the office and practice it outside the office. And, we know that many of our customers feel just as strongly. We wanted to give them an opportunity to reduce their own carbon footprint by hosting their sites on servers 100 percent powered by wind energy.”

About FatCow
FatCow provides shared Web hosting solutions for individuals and small- to medium-sized businesses looking for an affordable, reliable Web hosting option. FatCow pioneered the "one plan, one price" philosophy when it began offering its signature all-in-one Web site hosting solution, The FatCow, back in 1998. For more information about FatCow’s commitment to the environment, visit www.fatcow.com/green.

source

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Corn Buffet

Chipping Sparrows eat breakfast

2009 August 22

Friday, August 21, 2009

Sleep Love Eyes

Rocky stares from across the room

2009 August 21

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Let the Test speak

(AFP/File/Olivier Morin)

S.Africa rallies around Semenya as gender storm grows
by Justine Gerardy
Thu Aug 20, 10:12 am ET

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – South Africa declared new 800-metre world champion Caster Semenya a "golden girl" Thursday, as the nation rallied around her family to fend off doubts that she is a woman.
Front pages in every major newspaper pictured a triumphant Semenya who powered to a 1min 55.45sec win -- the world's best this year -- shortly after the athletics governing body announced her gender was to be verified.
...

"She called me after (the heats) and told me that they think she's a man. What can I do when they call her a man, when she's really not a man? It is God who made her look that way."
Among several angry reactions from leftist groups and heated online and radio debate, the Young Communist League called the gender probe chauvinistic, saying it fed into stereotypes of how woman should look and smacked of racism.
"We see this as an insult to Semenya in particular and African women (even in the Diaspora) in general," it said.
The South African Football Players Union questioned why the IAAF had singled out Semenya.
...

"Then she has to explain that she can't help the fact that her voice is so gruff and that she really is a girl. The remarkable thing is that Caster remains completely calm and never loses her dignity when she is questioned about her gender," Seme told Beeld.
Semenya had been "crudely humiliated" a few times and the closest Seme said he had seen her to anger was earlier this year when some people wanted her barred from using the ladies restroom.
"Then Caster said: 'Do you want me to pull down my pants that you can see?' Those same people came to her later and said they were extremely sorry."