Old friend making a name for himself by being quiet. If you know Andy, you'll appreciate how absolutely ironic that is. Good for him !
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/morning/the-boston-buddha-20101025?ref=nf
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Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Bring Back Archie Bunker
I'd like to see the return of an "Archie Bunker" type character on TV so that we American's can take an honest look at what we are becoming. Let's take on our faults, bad habits and prejudices head on. Unfortunately, all we see on prime time is escapist shows where smart, good looking people solve crimes (CSI) win courtroom cases and the solve mysteries using cutting edge science and technology. However, a walk into any strip-mall, Denny's, Dollar Store or McDonald's will quickly show that this is simply not who we are as Americans. We're (mostly) fat, opinionated, aggressive and ignorant to living any other way. The other type of TV program's actually portray "those people" in trash shows like COPS, Judge Whoever, Wipeout, Swamp People and others...although almost every viewer would swear that "those people" on TV aren't anything like themselves. "I'd never do/say that" - who are you kidding? So I say, bring back Archie, warts and all. Until we can honestly look ourselves in the mirror and see what we've become, there is no chance that we'll change. And, change we must - before Big Brother does it for us.
Friday, October 01, 2010
Cool Hunting Showcase - A Unicorn For Drunks / T-shirt
A little juxtaposition never hurt anyone ~ Tim
http://showcase.coolhunting.com/product/42546/tshirts?cl=8
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Wednesday, September 29, 2010
When Loons Cry
So I was doing a "site walk" with a guy that works for a research facility http://www.briloon.org/ that collects data on many different types of birds, including loons. I asked him about what all the racket was at night and mentioned that it kept you up as they seemed to circle the lake all night long.
Turns out that loons are HIGHLY territorial/aggressive and the calls we hear are basically the male loons yelling "HEY, THIS IS MY SIDE OF THE LAKE. STAND THE HELL BACK!!!" to each other. Kind of like border patrol. The stronger the call, the tougher they sound...and the more likely that the girl loons will come check them out too.
What they are looking at is when lakes have high levels of mercury (mostly from dirty rain that comes up to Maine from coal plants out west) that get into fish and then into loons. Mercury acts as a depressant somehow and that makes the male loons not yell as loud - allowing other male loons to invade their turf a little easier. the trouble is these new loons eventually succumb to the same mercury poisoning and eventually the whole "population" of loons becomes less strong.
I didn't have enough time to ask him "So what?" but I think we'll be meeting with him again at some point down the road.
--
Tim King
Scarborough, Maine
Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. ~ Henry David Thoreau
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=553903&trk=tab_pro
Turns out that loons are HIGHLY territorial/aggressive and the calls we hear are basically the male loons yelling "HEY, THIS IS MY SIDE OF THE LAKE. STAND THE HELL BACK!!!" to each other. Kind of like border patrol. The stronger the call, the tougher they sound...and the more likely that the girl loons will come check them out too.
What they are looking at is when lakes have high levels of mercury (mostly from dirty rain that comes up to Maine from coal plants out west) that get into fish and then into loons. Mercury acts as a depressant somehow and that makes the male loons not yell as loud - allowing other male loons to invade their turf a little easier. the trouble is these new loons eventually succumb to the same mercury poisoning and eventually the whole "population" of loons becomes less strong.
I didn't have enough time to ask him "So what?" but I think we'll be meeting with him again at some point down the road.
--
Tim King
Scarborough, Maine
Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. ~ Henry David Thoreau
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=553903&trk=tab_pro
Monday, September 20, 2010
The 3000 Mile Oil Change Myth Debunked
See for yourself. Often, the "green" thing to do is to change your oil LESS...go figure !
http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/UsedOil/OilChange/
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Friday, September 10, 2010
Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Tries to Build an Eco-Friendly House - WSJ.com
Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Tries to Build an Eco-Friendly House - WSJ.com
The truth hurts sometimes...and sometimes its very funny too. ~ Tim
The truth hurts sometimes...and sometimes its very funny too. ~ Tim
PlantLife - 9/10/10 "Learning to Let it Bee"
By Tim King
One of my very observant little neighbors stopped by the other day to inform us that there was a “huge bees’ nest” in one of the large oak trees in our yard. Being one of the more imaginative kids in the neighborhood, we at first took her claim with a grain of salt.
However, after taking a look at her discovery – with its busy inhabitants going in and out – we realized she wasn’t exaggerating, much.
Looking back now, as we first ventured out into the yard, I half expected to hear the low, basal toned drumming of thousands of insects winding up for an attack. Almost instantly after hearing about the nest, the word “killer” and images of John Belushi dressed in a yellow and black leotard came flashing into my head. Damn pop culture.
Next, the image of Mr. Belushi was replaced (thankfully) by somebody literally covered with thousands of buzzing insects.
We’ve all seen TV programs with people who have covered themselves from head to toe with bees in order (I guess) to show the rest of us that bees are not aggressive by nature, rather only lash out against outside aggression or threats. However, rather than passivity, I see this more as a calm before the inevitable storm.
Like a balloon in a needle factory, one wrong move and “pop!” goes the beekeeper.
For me at least, the understanding that bees are a critical component of our ecosystem, does little to supplant the simple fact that a bee sting hurts - a lot! There’s an old saying that my father used to use when explaining the business of sales to me. It said “the bitter sting of poor customer service lingers longer than the sweet taste of a low price.”
Clearly a painful bee sting has left more of an impression on me than any sweet voiced Nasonex® spokesbug could ever replace.
I’m a little ashamed to admit that while I can appreciate and understand the very important role that bees play in pollination and all things green, my first response to an unplanned buzzing in my personal space is to track, smack and scamper – fast!
Go ahead, call me a bee NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) but whenever I see bees, along with their ill tempered cousins the wasp and hornet, I instantly feel the need to protect (or at least inform) those around me. Who among us has not, with a mild expression of terror or at least discomfort, alerted a total stranger to the proximity of some yellow jacketed intruder? I know I have.
So it was these first, “natural” impulses that I have been trying to quell for the last few days.
After all, the many residents of this gray, papery nest (roughly the size of a basketball) have obviously been active for the entire summer. To my knowledge, they have dutifully refrained from any strategic attack or rampant abduction of small children, pets or errant tourist visiting our neighborhood.
It seems they have a job to do, and they are singularly focused on doing it.
Plus, at more than 50 feet in the air, I’m sure that the bees traveling incessantly back and forth to parts unknown are as equally unaware of the activities in the yard below, as we were once of them.
If not for the keen eye of an inquisitive youngster, I may have remained forever blissfully ignorant to this entire population cohabitating our little patch of earth.
Perhaps, if they become a nuisance or if the nest grows to size that my neighbors or I become uncomfortable with, I may have to have them removed. But for now, I feel sort of lucky that out of all the oak trees, in all the world, these little guys flew into mine.
And that’s the bee’s knees in my book.
Tim King is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association who sees the forest and the trees from his home in Scarborough, Maine. He can be contacted at sylvan.sauntering@gmail.com
One of my very observant little neighbors stopped by the other day to inform us that there was a “huge bees’ nest” in one of the large oak trees in our yard. Being one of the more imaginative kids in the neighborhood, we at first took her claim with a grain of salt.
However, after taking a look at her discovery – with its busy inhabitants going in and out – we realized she wasn’t exaggerating, much.
Looking back now, as we first ventured out into the yard, I half expected to hear the low, basal toned drumming of thousands of insects winding up for an attack. Almost instantly after hearing about the nest, the word “killer” and images of John Belushi dressed in a yellow and black leotard came flashing into my head. Damn pop culture.
Next, the image of Mr. Belushi was replaced (thankfully) by somebody literally covered with thousands of buzzing insects.
We’ve all seen TV programs with people who have covered themselves from head to toe with bees in order (I guess) to show the rest of us that bees are not aggressive by nature, rather only lash out against outside aggression or threats. However, rather than passivity, I see this more as a calm before the inevitable storm.
Like a balloon in a needle factory, one wrong move and “pop!” goes the beekeeper.
For me at least, the understanding that bees are a critical component of our ecosystem, does little to supplant the simple fact that a bee sting hurts - a lot! There’s an old saying that my father used to use when explaining the business of sales to me. It said “the bitter sting of poor customer service lingers longer than the sweet taste of a low price.”
Clearly a painful bee sting has left more of an impression on me than any sweet voiced Nasonex® spokesbug could ever replace.
I’m a little ashamed to admit that while I can appreciate and understand the very important role that bees play in pollination and all things green, my first response to an unplanned buzzing in my personal space is to track, smack and scamper – fast!
Go ahead, call me a bee NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) but whenever I see bees, along with their ill tempered cousins the wasp and hornet, I instantly feel the need to protect (or at least inform) those around me. Who among us has not, with a mild expression of terror or at least discomfort, alerted a total stranger to the proximity of some yellow jacketed intruder? I know I have.
So it was these first, “natural” impulses that I have been trying to quell for the last few days.
After all, the many residents of this gray, papery nest (roughly the size of a basketball) have obviously been active for the entire summer. To my knowledge, they have dutifully refrained from any strategic attack or rampant abduction of small children, pets or errant tourist visiting our neighborhood.
It seems they have a job to do, and they are singularly focused on doing it.
Plus, at more than 50 feet in the air, I’m sure that the bees traveling incessantly back and forth to parts unknown are as equally unaware of the activities in the yard below, as we were once of them.
If not for the keen eye of an inquisitive youngster, I may have remained forever blissfully ignorant to this entire population cohabitating our little patch of earth.
Perhaps, if they become a nuisance or if the nest grows to size that my neighbors or I become uncomfortable with, I may have to have them removed. But for now, I feel sort of lucky that out of all the oak trees, in all the world, these little guys flew into mine.
And that’s the bee’s knees in my book.
Tim King is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association who sees the forest and the trees from his home in Scarborough, Maine. He can be contacted at sylvan.sauntering@gmail.com
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Active Travels | get up & go!
Cool site about getting outside and "doing" something.
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Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Americans Use Too Much Laundry Detergent - WSJ.com
The dirty truth about detergent use...although i'd like to see MY kids stains removed without soap, regardless of the "agitation" in my washer. ~ Tim
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A cleaner image for energy from trash?
We're spoiled because there are so many place to hide trash here in the US. How long before we run out of space ?
http://www.wbcsd.org/plugins/DocSearch/details.asp?type=DocDet&ObjectId=MzgyMDM
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Fenway Park Grass Seed & Fertilizer | Major League Turf
if only you could hire a staff of 30 to come and take care of your lawn after you plant the stuff (and have an unlimited budget) ~Tim
http://www.scotts.com/smg/templates/index.jsp?pageUrl=mlb_boston
T-Mobile Says Co-Branded Fender Entry Struck a Chord
I think they are on the right track here. might not produce killer numbers of units sold, but will nail guys like me who want to be associated with a cool icon/brand.
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Thursday, April 08, 2010
Just dandy in Scarborough: Young performers learn the value of practice, friendly competition | The Forecaster
Great article about a great program...no mention of how nervous it makes parents to see their kids up on 6 foot unicycles though !
http://www.theforecaster.net/content/s-scardandies-040910
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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Spare a Square ?
A drunk staggers into a Catholic Church, enters a confessional booth,
sits down, but says nothing.
sits down, but says nothing.
The Priest coughs a few times to get his attention
but the drunk continues to sit there.
Finally, the Priest pounds three times on the wall .
The drunk mumbles, "ain't no use knockin', there's no paper on this
side either!"
--
Tim King
Scarborough, Maine
Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. ~ Henry David Thoreau
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=553903&trk=tab_pro
Robins
Are having a field day in my lawn. Seems as though the 72 hours of rain has helped to bring all the worms to the surface for a breath of air. [GULP!]
--
Tim King
Scarborough, Maine
Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. ~ Henry David Thoreau
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=553903&trk=tab_pro
--
Tim King
Scarborough, Maine
Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. ~ Henry David Thoreau
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=553903&trk=tab_pro
Friday, March 26, 2010
Broadturn Farm: The Beans of Scarborough Maine
Keep up to date with the Farm at Broadturn in Scarborough
http://broadturnfarm.blogspot.com/2010/03/beans-of-scarborough-maine.html
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Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Smart Water Meters Take Hold in California - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com
Say goodbye to 'Dumb Water'
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/smart-water-meters-take-hold-in-california/
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Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Good Wine Under $20: Primitivo from Puglia
My boss got me a bottle of this for my birthday and it was very good. now i need to find out where he bought it !
http://goodwineunder20.blogspot.com/2009/04/primitivo-from-puglia.html
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Fire Can Be Good For Global Warming : NPR
In other words, all things in moderation.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124980708&ft=1&f=1025
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