Ah, Wilderness!, photos

Sometimes you’re the predator, sometimes you’re the prey

I fed Spike, the roadrunner a mouse. He carried the mouse about 10 feet from me. Just then, a merlin swooped in to within inches of Spike. Spike dropped the mouse and ran. The merlin flew over my head. All of this happened in a second and without a sound. I lifted my jaw from the ground. The merlin landed on the telephone pole behind our house. Binocs showed the merlin didn’t have the mouse, which was still where Spike dropped it.

The next time I fed Spike, he dropped the mouse and walked away – something he has never done. He came back after a minute. He’s learned it’s a jungle out there, even in the desert.

This occurred three days after we watched a merlin take a white-winged dove around the corner from us. 

merlin kills white-winged dove at McKnight and Mock merlin kills white-winged dove at McKnight and Mock

my Flickr photos of merlins

FURG

Everyone thinks you’re paranoid — thank gawd you gotta gun #furg

The 2nd amendment places its worshippers above all others. They have no obligations to anyone. Their rights and their power are absolute. Absolute rights obviate the need for compromise or consideration or empathy. That power must be exhilarating, like shooting a tin can or slaughtering a living being. What a rush, right there in your pocket. To hell with anyone else.

But the security of a gun comes with at a price: Constant vigilance. You cannot let your guard down lest someone else get the draw sooner. You cannot trust someone without a gun because, surely, they want to take yours. You cannot trust your government for the same reason. Everyone thinks you’re paranoid. All you can trust is your only friend in the world: your gun.

FURG, loco

Gun lovers: what’s the proper way to deal with this idiot in Santa Fe?

A guy with an ongoing feud shoots in the heart of Santa Fe. Separately, he hears noise at night and shoots out his bedroom window. This man is a dangerous idiot and should not be allowed to own a gun. mjh

Santa Fe police probe downtown shooting incident – The Santa Fe New Mexican by Nico Roesler

Santa Fe police said no one was hurt Monday night when an “ongoing feud” between two business owners on West San Francisco Street apparently led to an exchange of gunshots about a block from the Plaza.

Santa Fe police probe downtown shooting incident – The Santa Fe New Mexican

» Man: Shooting Was Self-Defense | ABQ Journal By Bill Rodgers / Journal Staff Writer on Wed, Jan 9, 2013

SANTA FE — A man who fired a gun near the city’s Plaza on Monday evening told police he was defending himself from someone in a vehicle who pointed a gun at him around 7 p.m.

Police didn’t cite 30-year-old Musa Nassar, owner of Santa Fe West Gallery, for that shooting near the intersection of Galisteo and West San Francisco streets because he said there had been a threat on his life, Santa Fe Police Capt. Aric Wheeler said. …

A witness on the scene Monday night described a scary scene of a man in the street firing five or so shots at a car. West San Francisco was blocked off in front of the Lensic Performing Arts Center while the shooting was investigated.

Later Monday night, Nassar was cited for a second shooting with another gun that occurred around midnight at his Sunset Ridge home, Wheeler said. Nassar told police that he believed there was someone outside, because he heard noises and a motion light turned on. He fired shots out of his bedroom window.

Police cited him with misdemeanor negligent use of a firearm, Wheeler said. The captain said police cannot allow people to fire at noises they hear outside.

“We’re not condoning people firing shots out of their bedroom window,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler said Nassar was fearful for his and his family’s safety based on threats, but Wheeler did not go into detail on them.

» Man: Shooting Was Self-Defense | ABQ Journal

Health

DASH Diet Ranked Best Overall — FWIW

Merri and I both recommend the Wheat Belly approach: eliminate all wheat.

DASH Diet Ranked Best Overall — See What’s Second

A new ranking of diets by U.S. News & World Report gives top honors for best overall diet to the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet.

Originally developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to lower blood pressure, the diet plan is available free online. …

experts say some Americans might have a problem sticking to a diet that requires giving up processed foods and sugary drinks.

DASH Diet Ranked Best Overall — See What’s Second

“Experts”? Pffft. Stop drinking colas and juices. Drink plenty of filtered tap water from a glass (no plastic).

"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." — Sam Adams