Survival of the Fittest

Noah and the Building Permit

NOAH TODAY   In the year 2009, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in Scotland and said: "Once again, the earth has become wicked and over -populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me.  Build another Ark   and save 2 of every living thing along with a few good humans." He gave Noah the blueprints, saying: "You have 6 months to build the  Ark before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights." Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard - but no  Ark. "Noah!," He roared, "I'm about to start the rain! Where is the   Ark?" "Forgive me, Lord," begged Noah, "but things have changed." "I needed a Building Permit."         "I've been arguing with the Boat Inspector about the need for a sprinkler system."         "My neighbours claim that I've violated the Neighbourhood By-Laws by building the  Ark in my back garden and exceeding the height limitations.  We had to go to the Local Planning Committee for a decision.."         "Then the Local Council and the Electricity Company demanded a shed load of money for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the  Ark's move to the sea.  I told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it..."         "Getting the wood was another problem.  There's a ban on cutting local trees in order to save the Greater Spotted Barn Owl." "I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls - but no go!"         "When I started gathering the animals the RSPCA took me to court. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will.  They argued the accommodations were too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space."         "Then the Scottish Environmental Agency ruled that I couldn't build the  Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood."         "I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many minorities I'm supposed to hire for my building gang."         "Immigration are checking the Visa status of most of the people who want to work."         "The trades unions say I can't use my sons.  They insist I have to hire only Union workers with Ark-building experience."         "To make matters worse, the Inland Revenue seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species."         "So, forgive me, Lord, but it will take at least 10 years for me to finish this  Ark."              "Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky."          Noah looked up in wonder and asked, "You mean you're not going to destroy the world?" "No," said the Lord. " The  Government beat me to it."

Sister City Visit to Israel

We completed out Sister City visit to Tel Mond, Israel.  Tel Mond is a nice community north of Tel Aviv. It has been a Sister City to Sarasota, Florida for some time.

More photos of the trip at:

telmondsarasota.blogspot.com

More about Sarasota Sister Citiies at:

sarasotasistercities.com

Unclogging Streets

Interesting discussion from  citiscope.org

BUENOS AIRES

How Buenos Aires unclogged its most iconic street

Avenida 9 de Julio used to have 20 lanes of traffic. A new bus rapid transit system now occupies four of those lanes — and signals a new way of thinking about urban mobility in the Argentine capital.

By Marcela Valente / March 3, 2014

Topics:

Bus Rapid Transit, Mobility

Lessons and new directions as bus rapid transit turns 40

Walter Hook, CEO of the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy, tells Citiscope where the BRT movement has been and where it's going.

By Christopher Swope / March 5, 2014

Photos: There’s more than BRT along Avenida 9 de Julio

New bus rapid transit lanes are just one part of the new thinking about urban mobility in Bu

Amazing Photos and Video of the Tsunami That Hit Japan

The camera pans right as the seawater, carrying with it dozens of cars and piles of debris rushes into the town. The camera then turns further right and out into the bay, which is now almost indistinguishable from the land.

As the camera turns back to the footbridge around 25 seconds into the video, we can actually see a fishing boat (left) being carried beneath it.

Click to read the full article and see the video

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/10/09/previously-unseen-cctv-footage-of-march-2011-tsunami-is-intense-%E3%80%90video%E3%80%91/

Sunsets

Click for more sunsets      sunsetssarasota.blogspot.com

Starling Murmuration

 

Search Resultsamazing starlings murmuration (full HD) -www.keepturningleft.co.uk - YouTube
► 3:55► 3:55
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eakKfY5aHmY‎
 
Nov 13, 2010 - Uploaded by raisingmaggie
this astonishing sequence was filmed by wild life cameraman and travel journalist Dylan Winter who is currently ...
Murmuration (Official Video) by Sophie Windsor Clive & Liberty Smith - YouTube
► 2:01► 2:01
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRNqhi2ka9k‎
 
Dec 2, 2011 - Uploaded by IslandsAndRivers
Murmuration (Official Video) by Sophie Windsor Clive & Liberty Smith ... one of nature's greatest phenomenons; a murmurationof starlings.
Starling Murmuration Featured In Stunning 'Bird Ballet' Viral Video - Huffington Post
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www.huffingtonpost.com/.../starling-murmuration-b...‎
 
Feb 1, 2013
There remain many more questions about starling murmurations. According to King and Sumpter, scientists ...
Ultimate Starling Murmuration - Starlings Swarming Flocking - Etourneau Sansonnet HD - YouTube
► 4:31► 4:31
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LDtvU8kymg‎
 
Nov 14, 2012 - Uploaded by Paul Dinning
http://www.wildlifeincornwall.com/starling-murmuration/ Starling Murmuration - Starlings Swarming Flock ...
Spectacular Starling Flock - YouTube
► 4:37► 4:37
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vhE8ScWe7w‎
 
Feb 27, 2008 - Uploaded by Fifi48
Immense magical murmuration of Spectacular Starlings and a single falcon over Gretna, Scotland After an ...
Starling Murmuration - YouTube
► 2:43► 2:43
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgPcxxNk3Vw‎
 
Dec 3, 2011 - Uploaded by ThurlowDave
Recorded from the southbound services on the M6 just south of the Scottish border. Lookout for the Sparrowhawks.
Video: Stunning starling murmuration - Nature - Environment - The Independent
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www.independent.co.uk › ... › Environment › Nature‎
 
Jan 30, 2013
Huge flocks of starlings have been spotted flying in synchronised formation in Israel. The stunning and rare ...
Gretna Green Starling Murmurations on Vimeo
► 3:10► 3:10
vimeo.com/79911232
Nov 20, 2013
November 2013 Canon C100 Canon 70-200 F2.8 Canon 1.4 TC.
Gretna Green Starling Murmurations - YouTube
► 3:10► 3:10
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Q-EbX6dso
Nov 21, 2013 - Uploaded by wildaboutimages
Gretna Green Starling Murmurations ... Ultimate Starling Murmuration - Starlings Swarming Flocking ...
Murmuration on Vimeo
► 2:03► 2:03
vimeo.com/31158841‎
 
Oct 26, 2011
www.islandsandrivers.com Facebook: Islands And Rivers Follow us @Islands_Rivers A chance encounter and ...




The Murmurations of Starlings - In Focus - The Atlantic
www.theatlantic.com/...murmurations-of-starlings/100690/‎
 
 
The Atlantic
Feb 28, 2014 - When starlings flock together, wheeling and darting through the sky in tight, fluid formations, we call it a murmuration. These murmurations can ...
The Startling Science of a Starling Murmuration - Wired Science

www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/11/starling-flock/‎
 
 
Wired
by Brandon Keim - in 1,506 Google+ circles
Nov 8, 2011 - What makes possible the uncanny coordination of thesemurmurations, as starling flocks are so beautifully known? Until recently, it was hard to ...
amazing starlings murmuration (full HD) -www.keepturningleft.co.uk ...
► 3:55► 3:55
www.youtube.com/watch?v...‎
 
 
YouTube
Nov 13, 2010 - Uploaded by raisingmaggie
this astonishing sequence was filmed by wild life cameraman and travel journalist Dylan Winter who is currently ...
Starling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starling‎
 
 
Wikipedia
A flock of starlings is called a murmuration. These flocks may include other species ofstarlings and sometimes species from other families. This sociality is  ...
‎Common Starling - ‎Starling (disambiguation) - ‎Superb Starling - ‎Tristram's Starling
How Do Starling Flocks Create Those Mesmerizing Murmurations ...
blog.allaboutbirds.org/.../how-do-starling-flocks-create-those-mesmerizi...‎
 
Feb 21, 2013 - starlings and starling murmurations. This post was written by Andrea Alfano, a Cornell University junior. Andrea Alfano Would you pull over ...
Starling Murmuration Featured In Stunning 'Bird Ballet' Viral Video
►►
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../sta...‎
 
 
The Huffington Post
Feb 1, 2013
There remain many more questions about starling murmurations. According to King and Sumpter, scientists ...
The incredible science behind starling murmurations | MNN - Mother ...

www.mnn.com/.../the-incredible-science...‎
 
 
Mother Nature Network
by Jaymi Heimbuch - in 2,282 Google+ circles
Jan 9, 2014 - These are just a few of the comments left on a video of a starling murmuration that went viral last year. And it's no surprise. If you've ever had ...
Starling murmuration season - in pictures | Environment ...
www.theguardian.com/.../starling-mumuration-season-in-pi...‎
 
 
The Guardian
Jan 21, 2014 - Murmuration of starlings at Rigg, near Gretna, in the Scottish Borders on November 25, 2013.
The mathematics of murmurating starlings - Telegraph
www.telegraph.co.uk › Earth › Wildlife‎
 
 
The Daily Telegraph
Feb 23, 2009 - A 'murmuration' is a spectacular sight but, as Daniel Butler reports, it's all about survival for starlings.
Starling Murmurations - Visit Somerset
www.visitsomerset.co.uk › Explore Somerset › Countryside‎
 
Watch a flock of starlings form a Murmuration Every year between Autumn and February, Somerset starlings flock together over the Somerset Levels & Moors to ...