Spanish Moss Myakka River wallpaper. There is a Myakka River State Park. The Myakka is located on the Gulf or western side of the Florida coast.
Orangutans mime to get message across
One orangutan, Kikan, had injured her foot, and had been helped by a conservationist who dug out a small stone and then dripped latex from the stem of a fig leaf on to the wound to seal it.
A week later, Kikan attracted the same conservationist’s attention and then picked up a leaf and re-enacted her treatment.
Professor Russon said: “She’s not asking for anything, which is the most common aim observed of great ape communication, but appears simply to be sharing a memory with the person who helped her when she hurt her foot.
“It shows her understanding of how events had unfolded in a particular situation, which was very complex.”
I find the level of communication amazing, but also the ability to remember a complicated event, then reenact it with what appears to be a kind of bonding or sympathetic behavior. Another orangutan noticed a researcher using an umbrella and motioned for them to give it to the orangutan. When they wouldn’t the orangutan grabbed a leaf and held it over its head. Many orangutans are captured and abused. A terrible thing for dogs much less one of our primate cousins.
Hyundai Bets on Lithium-Ion Batteries
In December, Hyundai will launch the 2011 Sonata Hybrid, the world’s first mass-market hybrid with a lithium-ion battery pack. Lithium cells provide much higher energy density than the conventional nickel-metal-hydride packs currently used in hybrids. As a result, the 1.6-kilowatt-hour pack weighs 96 pounds-compared to the 124 pounds of the 1.4-kilowatt-hour packs in Toyota hybrids.
2011 Hyundai Sonata hybrid
Being mid-size the hybrid will compete with the Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry hybrids. City/highway mileage is in the 37 to 40 mpg range. Used to be you had to buy a compact to get mileage like that. Toyota has previously said the lithium-ion-cell technology is not ready for mass produced hybrids as compared to the nickel-metal-hydride Toyota now uses. We’ll see if Toyota doesn’t end up eating some crow.
Is the News Coming From the Gulf Too Good To Be True? Unfortunately, Yes
Scientists monitoring levels of toxic chemicals known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) already have evidence of the oil’s invisible impact on the Gulf ecosystem. The Natural Resources Defense Council described PAHs as “a class of chemicals which have been linked to DNA damage and cancer.” PAHs in the Gulf were 40 times higher on June 7 than they were at the beginning of May. However, the water appeared to be clear of oil when the measurements were taken.
Scientists fear the long-term impact the oil, visible or not, will have on the ecology and wildlife of the region. In an August 4 Senate hearing, Dr. Ronald Kendall, an environmental toxicologist, voiced his concerns about the fate of endangered species like the Atlantic bluefin tuna, sperm whales and Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. The losses suffered by these species may not be apparent for years.
The statistics in this article are almost overwhelming. Unfortunately any areas of doubt – impact that is very difficult and time consuming to quantify – about the BP spill will be exploited by the company to avoid liability in regards impact on Gulf residents and long term biological consequences.
G.M. Turnaround Continues With Strong Quarter
General Motors said Thursday that it earned $1.3 billion in the second quarter, citing sustained progress in rebuilding operations after emerging from its government-sponsored bankruptcy last year.
The quarterly profit marked G.M.’s strongest financial performance since 2004, and set the stage for the automaker to file for an initial public offering, possible as soon as Friday. It was G.M.’s second consecutive quarterly profit.
Good news for GM, GM workers and those concerned about getting that government loan repaid. It’s a shame it took an economic disaster to get GM to finally get around to making some tough decisions like consolidating its product line.
tangledwing 
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