V.w.verweij

Logan Circle.

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please send an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 6-8 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit. Please try to send horizontal photos 640×480 (medium size on your iphone) if possible. If you’re not using an iphone any size is fine.

“Tobias of Bloomingdale pondering his very colorful blanket.”

“Came across this little fellow in Rock Creek Park this weekend. Fortunately I found it and the dog didn’t!”

“I saw this morning that you chose our apartment building (we rent the top floor) to be today’s house of the day, but you apparently got a shot of the building without one of its most important features – our dog Ollie, who spends a good portion of his day (at least when its not too hot) on the little front balcony, poking his head out and keeping watch over his neighborhood!”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Hugh Clarke

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Photo by PoPville flickr user John Jack Photography

Bat Research Brings the #mypubliclandsroadtrip to #WomeninSTEM Wednesday

Today’s roadtrip continues in the Big Saline Bayou, Louisiana, for a behind-the-scenes with Alison McCartney. a BLM Southeastern States District Office employee whose specialty is bats.

“The BLM’s Southeastern States District Office is currently conducting acoustic surveys on BLM tracts in Alabama and Louisiana to determine bat species relative abundance and diversity.  We are using an Anabat SD2, which is a piece of equipment that records bat echolocation calls. Using specialized software, these calls can be analyzed to identify species. Our primary focus for the survey effort is to determine if there are any rare, threatened, or endangered bat species utilizing the tracts to better focus habitat management efforts to benefit these species, if present. 

We are also interested, however, in common species that might occur on the tracts. Bat relative abundance and diversity are considered an overall indicator of forest health. A higher abundance and species diversity of bats in an area represents a healthier more diverse forest.”

-By Alison McCartney

Ha, apologies… some of those stats are a little high.

Briana Bergstrom

When the great earth, abandoning day, rolls up the deeps of the heavens and the universe, a new door opens for the human spirit, and there are few so clownish that some awareness of the mystery of being does not touch them as they gaze. For a moment of night we have a glimpse of ourselves and of our world islanded in its stream of stars – pilgrims of mortality, voyaging between horizons across eternal seas of space and time. Fugitive though the instant be, the spirit of man is, during it, ennobled by a genuine moment of emotional dignity, and poetry makes its own both the human spirit and experience.
– Henry Beston, The Outermost House (1928)

A Protected Night Sky Over Flagstaff Credit and Copyright: Dan & Cindy Duriscoe, FDSC, Lowell Obs., USNO

No trip to Arizona is complete without a night spent gazing up at the wide expansive, star-flooded, desert sky. This type of experience is a nostalgic one for those who star-gazed as children, naming constellations, counting shooting stars, and wondering what was up in that great big sky. And lucky for Arizonans and those who visit the Grand Canyon state, this type of interaction with the night sky is still available across most of the state’s desert landscape. This is not only thanks to the vast acres of pristine parkland and undeveloped desert covering much of Arizona, but also due of the efforts of number of cities around the state who have made great strides to celebrate and protect the state’s dark sky heritage.

While many cities in Arizona (and around the world) have made impressive commitments to preserving the dark sky, few have achieved the success of the city of Flagstaff. Rooted in astronomy, the night sky has long been an important resource for the city’s residents. The area is home to several observatories, including the Lowell Observatory, established in 1894, the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station, which opened in 1955, as well as the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer, located just 15 miles south of the city. As a result of the presence of this thriving research community, light pollution has been long been a concern in the region.

The city of Flagstaff took its first major steps towards light pollution control in 1958 with a lighting ordinance prohibiting the use of certain commercial searchlights. In the years since, the city’s lighting ordinances have evolved and expanded into a robust set of guidelines and rules designed to minimize the use of excess lighting. It is thanks to community groups like the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition, which was founded in 1999 with the mission “to celebrate, promote, and protect the glorious dark skies of Flagstaff and northern Arizona” that the city has been so successful in developing their lighting policy.

Source: www.flagstaffdarkskies.org

In 2001, Flagstaff became the world’s first “International Dark-Sky Community” a designation awarded by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). The designation, now held by nine cities around the world, signifies a community with “exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of quality lighting codes, dark sky education, and citizen support of dark skies.”

Those qualifying as an “International Dark-Sky Community”, must meet several minimum requirements set by the IDA, including a quality comprehensive lighting code, community commitment to dark skies and quality lighting, broad support for dark skies from a wide range of community organizations, community commitment to dark skies and education, and success in light pollution control. The IDA has continuously recognized Flagstaff for going above and beyond these requirements and for serving as a leader amongst cities aiming to curb urban light pollution.

Source: www.lightsoutflagstaff.org

Every year this success is celebrated at the city’s annual Lights Out Flagstaff event, a two-day celebration in which homes, businesses, and public buildings turn off non-essential lights to show their commitment to responsible energy consumption and to celebrate Flagstaff’s night sky heritage. Local community groups provide astronomy programs for residents and the local Lowell Observatory offers free public viewing events. The educational events serve as an important supplement to city-mandated lighting ordinances, helping to inform the Flagstaff community about the value of their dark sky.

The post Lights Out in Flagstaff, Arizona! appeared first on BiophilicCities.

Product testing, black bear-style…

Dale Maas, a recent visitor to BLM’s beautiful Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area in Arizona, watched this black bear try - in Dale’s words - to “circumvent the design” of a trash can in one of the picnic areas.

The bear wasn’t successful, but it’s a great reminder as Memorial Day rolls around that using designated trash cans not only keeps our public lands clean but also protects wildlife!

All photos courtesy of Dale Maas; story submitted by BLMer Adam Milnor

Two full kegs of beer, purchased for a wedding, were stolen from the front yard of an Ashton Heights home over the weekend.

The theft took place early on the morning of this past Saturday, May 23. Police say the kegs had been purchased on Friday for a wedding celebration on Saturday, and were being stored in the front yard of a house on the 600 block of N. Kenmore Street.

The homeowner’s daughter was the one getting married. Upon finding the kegs missing, the homeowner inquired with the future son-in-law and father-in-law, but found out that neither man had moved the kegs, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Neighbors reported that they had heard a car pull up to the house around 3:00 a.m.

The kegs contained beer from Alexandria’s Port City brewery and had a total value of about $170, Sternbeck said.

File photo via Facebook

Here is some really sad and devastating film footage that we dug up showing the city after the riots of 1968.

Here’s another clip we dug up, which we believe is also from D.C.

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please send an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 6-8 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit. Please try to send horizontal photos 640×480 (medium size on your iphone) if possible. If you’re not using an iphone any size is fine.

“Shelby (back) and Ambie (front) in front of the National Cathedral.”

“This is Louie in Adams Morgan.”

“Luna from Columbia Heights”

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please send an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 6-8 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit. Please try to send horizontal photos 640×480 (medium size on your iphone) if possible. If you’re not using an iphone any size is fine.

“Phoebe & Duffy. Columbia Heights.”

“This is Moo and Boo of Arlington. They were adopted from the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation and as you can see, they have had no problem adjusting to their new home.”

“Ceana from Woodridge”

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Ahri, a feisty but adorable Shiba Inu puppy who resides in Pentagon City.

Here’s what Ahri’s owner, Jane, had to say about her:

Ahri is a 13 week old Shiba Inu, although we’re pretty sure she’s actually just a fox. She was born in Salisbury, NC, the hometown of Cheerwine. She brought with her a lot of cheer and even more whine. Since moving into the apartment, Ahri has taken claim of the living room, forcing her cat brother, Abner, to slink around the room to his food.  There have been a few close encounters, but Abner has picked up some stealth moves.

What we love most about Ahri is her outgoing personality and how she dives head first into everything, literally. Ahri loves peanut butter and meeting new people, preferably both at the same time. Her absolute favorite spot is a shelf on the coffee table. The day she grows too big to fit there will probably be the worst day of her life.

Ahri enjoys an active Arlington lifestyle including long walks on the RiverHouse trail, attending a local running group (although it’s hard to call what she does running), and playing with her two best friends, London and Hazel. One of her many accolades includes being featured in a local political campaign where she did her best to live up to her doge predecessors. In her spare time she tweets @WhatDoesAhriSay.

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email arlingtonnews@gmail.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet.

Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks. Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Arlington and Northern Virginia.

Welcome to the millennial revenge bunker. Here, in this dead-mall-turned-torture-chamber, there is only one master, and it is all of us, equally. Bow before our UGG boots and prepare to sip the calcified piss of a fellow old from one of our myriad trophies. Dodo fuckboys, it’s time to get humble. To spell out the law of the land in the dead language of your time: on a Letterman Top Ten list of this situation, we are all number one, and you are numbers two through ten. The fleek have inherited the earth.

We begin by playing a podcast of your transgressions:

1) Subprime lending, 2) Large scale environmental destruction, 3) Codifying and enshrining an insidious form of systemic racism, 4) Using up all the Quaaludes, 5) Selfie Shaming, 6) Buying us off-brand Sleek Skoots when we explicitly asked for Razor scooters (pause for SquareSpace promo), 7) Factory farming, 8) Saying you are cool with gay people as long as you don’t have to see them, 9) Tori Amos nostalgia, 10) Being raisiny skin-sacks of irrelevance.

We have brought you here to do penance for your sins.

Read the rest at the Hairpin.

americasgreatoutdoors:

Where’s the best place to look for wildlife when visiting America’s public lands? Sometimes you have to look where you least expect. Case in point: This pic of bobcat hiding in a cactus at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. Photo by National Park Service.

Person First Project is a photo blog that seeks to give those currently or formerly experiencing homelessness in D.C. the chance to share their stories. In doing this, we hope to reduce the barriers that separate people in D.C. and spark a dialogue. The Person First Project aims to connect us – and to make us all feel a bit more human.

Author’s Note: In honor of International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, this week the Person First Project is featuring the powerful six-part story of a young, transgender individual named Lazema who is experiencing homelessness in our nation’s capital. We hope Lazema’s story will help raise awareness about the special and difficult challenges faced by transgender individuals, and particularly those experiencing homelessness.

————

Have you ever experienced discrimination?

“Yes; as Lazema, as a woman, and as a man not dressing up. Because even when I’m not dressing as a woman I’m still very, very feminine, and you know people. When I was at [a local shelter] there is this guy there. He’s horrible. I’ll come in and he’ll be like, ‘So, do you want to suck my d*ck?’ I’m like, ‘What?!’ He can make life really hard for me if I’m not nice to him. And he kind of stated that ‘It can be easy for you here, or it can be hard for you here. If you accept my advances, if you let me toy with you, and you let me belittle you, you’ll have a really good time here. We’ll save your bed. You’ll be fine. But if not, things are going to be tough for you.’

For a time period I was going along with it. I never said, ‘Yes, I will suck your penis,’ but I was like, ‘Oh stop playing, I don’t do stuff like that,’ and just laughing it off. Then I got to this point where I was really angry. Like, why do I have to do this? Why can’t I just be cordial and respect you as an employee and then you’re just nice? Why do I have to go through all this? Why do I have to play all these gay games? Like to play with corn and like it. I have to perform like some kind of circus creature.

After I was like, ‘No, I don’t want to do it,’ all hell broke loose. Every time I would walk past he would snicker, like high school. Or he would be like, ‘Ew!’ and try to sick the wolves on me. Sometimes when it was time for lights out he would let us charge our phones in the eating area, but since I wasn’t talking to him or indulging him he would tell the guys, ‘Usually I let you stay out here, but because somebody don’t want to leave (pointing to me) you all have to go back to your rooms.’ So everyone was mad at me. From that moment on they would be like, ‘Man you’re going to mess it up for us, so why don’t you just leave?’

One day… this is really the thing that got me mad. I had left [the shelter], but I had to be back before 9 o’clock. So I came back before 9 o’clock and he was like ‘No, we can take your bag if you’re not back in 30 minutes.’ I was like, ‘I didn’t know that.’ He said ‘It’s in the rule book.’ So I was there pleading with him, and he’s playing with me, playing the gay games again. There’s another guy there who’s gay but he’s not trans. He does everything [the shelter employee] says; he will fill his water up, he’ll take his soup and heat it up and bring it back. [The shelter employee] said, ‘See, you have to be like that. You have to be trained.’ I said, ‘You can’t train me.” He said, ‘Oh we’ll see.’ So a whole hour has passed and [the shelter employee] said ‘What’s my name?’ and [the gay man at the shelter] said ‘Big Daddy.’ So I had to call him Big Daddy. I played, and I called him Big Daddy. And he said ‘Your bag’s in the back.’ He had my bag the whole time. He made me think that he had given it away, just to make me call him Big Daddy. I felt so bad after that. I felt like … like, nothing. It was going to continue if I allowed it to.

It was really bad. But I had to put up with it, because it’s basically one of the cleanest shelters in D.C. There’s not a lot of people. If you’re a guy, you don’t have anything to worry about. But if you’re gay or trans, you have to deal with being treated really unfairly.

He didn’t see me like this [trans]. If he sees me like this, it’s going to be much worse. So, I was like, let me just leave. And that’s what I did.”

– Lazema

It’s Tuesday so you should draw some Tuesday dogs

A reader writes:

“Gio says happy mother’s day to all the dog moms in NoMa”

Hahaha too good. Thanks to a reader for sending in:

“I was walking up 12th Street after getting out of Metro Center and came across these two items sitting next to each other on the sidewalk. As diet relapses go, I don’t think you can get much lower than Hooters Wings…”

Or maybe I should make this a bonus caption contest?

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please send an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 6-8 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit. Please try to send horizontal photos 640×480 (medium size on your iphone) if possible. If you’re not using an iphone any size is fine.

“Owen from Ft Lincoln”

“This is babraham Lincoln living in pleasant plains. This is her Monday face.”

“Max the black lab planning his escape from the Walter pierce dog park!”

51. a Wi-Fi network
50. a star
49. an online publication
48. your son
47. your daughter
46. your company
45. your band
44. an autobiography
43. a public square in Los Angeles
42. a burger, drink, salad or sandwich at a Los Angeles restaurant
41. a scholarship
40. an award
39. a folly
38. a lunar crater
37. a hospital wing
36. a biography
35. a public park
34. a library
33. a high school
32. an expressway
31. an airport
30. a disease
29. a television series
28. a steamboat
27. a sports move
26. a generic item of clothing
25. fauna
24. flora
23. a comet
22. a musical instrument
21. a weapon
20. a medical procedure
19. a part of the human body
18. a public square in a European city
17. an “ism”
16. an adjective
15. a mountain
14. a bay
13. a river
12. a public holiday
11. an adage
10. a theorem
9. a law of physics
8. a unit of measurement
7. a chess opening
6. a slang word for money
5. a disreputable profession
4. a dynasty
3. a religious sect
2. a city
1. a month

Photo of Rosetta, a comet, courtesy of the European Space Agency