I praise those ancient Chinamen

Who left me a few words,

Usually a pointless joke or a silly question

A line of poetry drunkenly scrawled on the margin of a quick

splashed picture—bug, leaf,

caricature of Teacher

on paper held together now by little more than ink

& their own strength brushed momentarily over it

Their world & several others since

Gone to hell in a handbasket, they knew it—

Cheered as it whizzed by—

& conked out among the busted spring rain cherryblossom winejars

Happy to have saved us all.

— Philip Whalen (Shambhala Sun)

Xeni Jardin: ‘Most interesting infographic of the day, via the Washington Post, which also published an even more detailed breakdown by county… Larger size here.’ (Boing Boing).

 

Westernmost Wolf in Lower 48 States Is a Dad: ‘In what may herald a new era of wolf expansion into the West Coast, a lone male wolf that gained fame by wandering hundreds of miles west of any known wolf pack in the lower 48 states has become a father.The so-called westernmost wolf, which wears a collar transmitting his GPS coordinates and is known as OR7, recently settled down on the western slope of the Cascade Mountains in southwestern Oregon to what was expected to be a life of solitude.But in early May, biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who study the wolf were stunned to see photos of what looked like a dark black female caught by the same motion-triggered cameras that capture images of OR7. It looked very much as if the lone wolf of the West had found a mate. How she got there remains a mystery.On June 2, government biologists visited the site, in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, and saw and photographed two pups. There may well be more, as most wolf litters include between four and six pups. Biologist John Stephenson says he thinks he heard more pups.The pups are the first known wolf reproduction in the Oregon Cascades since the mid-1940s, according to the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.’ (National Geographic)

Related articles

• Gray wolf gains endangered species protections in California
• Famous Oregon wolf that trekked to California has puppies
• Lone Wolf That Took Epic Journey Across West Finds a Mate
• New Wolf Pups Evidence of Species Recovering

‘It’s been one year since the Guardian first published the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court order, leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, that demonstrated that the NSA was conducting dragnet surveillance on millions of innocent people. Since then, the onslaught of disturbing revelations, from disclosures, admissions from government officials, Freedom of Information Act requests, and lawsuits, has been nonstop. On the anniversary of that first leak , here are 65 things we know about NSA spying that we did not know a year ago…

There’s no question that the international relationships Obama pledged to repair, as well as the confidence of the American people in their privacy and constitutional rights, have been damaged by the NSAs dragnet surveillance. But one year later, both the United States and international governments have not taken the steps necessary to ensure that this surveillance ends. That’s why everyone must take action— contact your elected representative, join Reset the Net, and learn about how international law applies to U.S. surveillance today.’ (Gizmodo)

Related articles

• Snowden publically supports Reset the Net campaign
• Spectacular NSA-saga finale coming: Greenwald
• Today is the day we Reset the Net
• “Reset the Net” anti-surveillance protest planned
• ‘Don’t ask for privacy, Take it back’: Anti-NSA #ResetTheNet campaign kicks off

‘John McCain says the released Gitmo prisoners are historically dangerous. Records tell a slightly different story…’ (Salon).

 

Also includes a discussion on what for me is the more interesting question, of the circumstances of Bergdahl’s capture:

 

By all accounts, Bergdahl was a troubled young man, with naive and very unrealistic views on his service in Afghanistan. He thought he was joining “the Peace Corps with guns,” going over to help Afghans. What he found instead was an ugly, brutal war.

Rolling Stone quoted emails he sent to his parents:

“We don’t even care when we hear each other talk about running their children down in the dirt streets with our armored trucks … We make fun of them in front of their faces, and laugh at them for not understanding we are insulting them.”

Bergdahl called the US Army “the biggest joke the world has to laugh at … the army of liars, backstabbers, fools and bullies.” He said he was ashamed to be an American.

Disappointment in America’s flawed efforts in Afghanistan is not a sign of mental illness. But, as journalist Matthieu Aikins, who reports regularly from Afghanistan, tweeted: “Does running unarmed into Taliban terrain seem sane to you? Maybe Bergdahl’s act should be seen through PTSD/mental health prism.”

‘As Arctic temperatures rise and the ice melts, animals that once had separate migration patterns are suddenly encountering each other — and that could lead to some new animal hybrids.Tim McDonnell over at Nautilus has written a piece about just what the increased interaction between Arctic species could mean. Sometimes it’s as simple as increased competition for food or for space, but it can also mean the possibility of new hybrid animals. Incidences of “grolar” — or polar/grizzly hybrid — bears are already pretty well documented, and scientists are also looking into the possibility that a bowhead/right whale hybrid has recently been spotted.’ (i09)

Related articles

• A Strange New Gene Pool of Animals Is Brewing in the Arctic – Issue 14: Mutation
• These Hybrid Animals Will Be Created Because Of Climate Change
• Ancient whales surprise scientists
• Pictures: “Pizzly” to Be Joined by More Arctic Hybrids?
• Whales, ships more common through Bering Strait