c0nc0rdance

Seeing a lot of campaign ads about all those MAGA candidates standing strong against Sharia law being implemented in Plano or whatever.

Islamophobia has been de rigueur in GOP ads since at least 2001, in my experience.

I assume you mean "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" and not the classic Cure song: "Standing on the beach with an Opthalmosaurus"

Ah, like the old maxim: "Set a squirrel to catch a squirrel."

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a Saint.
When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist."
-Brazilian Archbishop Hélder Câmara.

Happy National Napping Day from a few of our napping experts! 💤

Enthusiastic early reviewers.

Death Valley’s best superbloom since 2016 is here The National Park Service said the colorful display is being fueled by multiple rounds of rain since autumn, with blooms expected to continue at low elevations into mid-late March.

In the hottest, driest, lowest National Park in the US, flowers are blooming. It's the best "superbloom" since 2016.

A reminder that when the conditions are right, amazing things can happen.

I learned that with this thread, though I thought 'knecht' was roughly correspondent to a squire, which itself is from the Anglo-French 'esquier' ("shield bearer").

It's weird how invisible they can become when they're sort of always there.

But oh boy when a new one is built, that's exciting and interesting.

Hooray for new learning! 😀

So much screaming.

Bonus thread on Texas water towers.

Civilization is built on laws, yes, but also safe food, clean drinking water and sanitary waste disposal.

Next time you drive by one of these potable water towers, take a minute to appreciate how foundational they are to our way of life.

It's also an ideal location for graffiti. 😉

Here's how Louisville set the standard for clean water centuries ago During World War II, Louisville Water stopped using lead and transitioned to copper pipes – unintentionally making the water safer in the process.

The OLDEST existing tower is in Louisville, KY which began operating in 1860.

It was built in response to constant cholera outbreaks in the 1830's and 1840's caused by polluted water.

By 1866, only a few years after operation, cholera was virtually eliminated in the served area.

The Chicago Water Tower seen from across the busy Michigan Avenue. Inside the 47 m tall tower there was a 42 m high standpipe to hold water. In addition to being used for firefighting, the pressure in the pipe could be regulated to control water surges in the area. CREDIT: Bernt Rostad, Wikimedia

Look how similar the Chicago Water Tower, built in 1869, looks to the Roman system.

It gained prominence when it survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 when every other nearby building was destroyed. It's 47 m (155 ft) high.

It's the second oldest water tower in the US.

Figure 4: scheme of operation of water tower and actual state. There's a stone structure, reconstructed over time.

Ancient Rome had a series of 'castella aquae' ("water fortress") or 'castellum divisorium' at high points across cities that served a similar purpose: disbursing water from the aqueduct system to local fountains.

From user Ghostleeee on a Mechanophobia subreddit. A person in orange drysuit and headlamp is lowered down into a water tower, where the water is blue and looks about 20 ft deep. It's blue with some floaty stuff on the surface.

Here's what the interior of the tank at the top of the woter looks like.

Specialized divers with chlorine-sanitized dry-suits have to inspect the interior periodically.

You can see an overflow line sticking up like a funnel above where water exits from the supply pipe.

Diagram of how water towers work, showing pumping station, pressure created, and water wants to return to this level.

In suburban spaces, it's common for the potable water tower to be the dominant aspect of the skyline, so it's ironic how little we think about these giant structures.

Water is pumped up into the above-ground tank & gravity pushes it through the water supply right out to your sink/toilet/bathtub.

Imagine walking through the woods at night and hearing the "balloon slowly being released" sound echoing from some distant hill 😬.

Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) The sika deer (Cervus nippon) also known as the spotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia, and introduced to various other parts of the world. Previously foun...

You can read more about the "Deer deer" here at iNaturalist, including some fantastic user-submitted photos:

Coming back to the diverse vocalizations: these deer are "moderately" social: small family groups for most of the year, gathering in large groups during the autumn rut.

Vocal range allows them to function in both group sizes effectively: greeting old friends, calling their young, raising an alarm.

Decoding the Sacred Genetics of Japan's Sika Deer The deer of Nara Park are part of a millennium-old genetic lineage—does that make them more deserving of protection?

So how can we respect traditional Japanese beliefs about the sacred deer of Nara & culling?

The deer in the park's confines are a genetically distinct sub-populations, so genetic testing can determine if they belong to a centuries-old lineage.

An odd collision of biotechnology & Shinto belief.

Sika deer overpopulation endangers beech forests in Southern Kyushu, Japan Kyushu University researchers have found that Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) in the forests of southern Kyushu have seen reduced growth, due to soil erosion caused by the overpopulation of sika deer (...

Unfortunately, no matter how polite they are, they are a damaging invasive in areas where they have been introduced.

They eat bark & in large numbers, can "ring" native trees, killing them.

Over-population in parts of Japan has led to a cascade of ecological damage.

a deer with antlers is laying on the ground next to a building . Alt: a deer with antlers is laying on the ground next to a building. A woman in blue shirt and white pants advances with a long cracker, which the deer eats and then bows.

"Sika" is from Japanese 'shika' (鹿), which means "deer," so Sika deer = "Deer deer".

Populations in Japan exceed 300,000; with smaller subpops. in China & Siberia.

Culling (non-sacred) deer is required because the deer's natural predator, the Japanese wolf (Canis lupus hodophilax) is extinct.

a man is standing next to two deer in a park and feeding them . Alt: a man is standing next to two deer in a park and feeding them. They're bowing to each other in a short loop.

Maybe you've seen videos of a herd of ~1,200 bowing to tourists at Nara Park in exchange for "shika-senbei" rice crackers.

This is a learned behavior: bowing = cracker.

Bowing is innate, but associated with mating challenges between males (a fact some tourists learn the hard way).

This Sika deer (Cervus nippon) is demonstrating their remarkable range of vocalizations (wait for the end).

They use 10 /distinct/ sounds: social moans, warning barks, summoning whistles & challenge howls.

Let's talk about the realities of these polite Asian cervids.

(📷: Pardusco)

So, Canadian goose, right?

Pompeii fresco find possibly depicts 2,000-year-old form of pizza Ancient painting includes fruit that looks like a pineapple – although it is almost certainly something else

Archaeologists at Pompeii uncovered a fresco depicting a meal of a flat bread round covered in herbed cheese (called 'moretum'). That's right, a PROTO-PIZZA.

But modern pizza, as served from Tokyo to Rome itself, was probably invented in New York.

Let's talk about the "Pizza Effect".

The link isn't working for me?

He was the BEST.