Tag Archives: Central America

“Herp Talk” with local amphibian biologist Katy Greenwald

By Mark | June 23, 2019

Over the past few weeks, I’ve posted here about both tadpoles and frogs that my son and I had found in Riverside Park. Well, as a result of these posts, I’ve come into contact with Eastern Michigan University amphibian biologist Katy Greenwald, who, I guess, felt professionally obligated to write in and correct me, informing […]

Posted in Environment, Mark's Life, Michigan, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Ambystoma, amphibian biology, amphibian fungus, amphibian sex, amphibians, Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation, Anura, Arlo, Arnold Lobel, Australia, biology, Bufonidae, bullfrog, Cane toad, cats, chickens, children's literature, chytrid, chytridiomycosis, critters, cryptozoology, cultural impact study, Diplocaulus, earth science, Eastern Michigan University, EMU, environmental impact study, evolution, evolutionary biology, evolutionary tactics, extinction, faking death, faking one's death, flying frogs, Frog and Toad, frog-eating, frogamander, frogs, frozen frogs, gay characters in children's literature, Georgia, Gerobatrachus, Goro Furuta, habitat management, habitat preservation, HCI, herpetology, Heterodon platyrhinos, historic archeology, Historic Conservation and Interpretation, hognose snakes, Huron River, hybrid salamanders, immigration interview, invasive species, Karen Warkentin, Katy Greenwald, Kelly's Island, landscape architecture, Lepospondyls, Loveland Frog, Madagascar, Mark's frog pond, mass extinction, metamorphosis, nontraditional sex, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, OCD, Paleocene, pit viper, Population Viability Analysis, predators, Ranidae, relocating wetlands, reproduction, reptiles, restoring wetlands, Rick Shine, ringneck snake, Rutherford Pool, salamanders, Science Friday, sentinel species, Skyline high school, smeet, snakes, South America, sperm-stealing, tadpoles, Temnospondyls, the canary in the cole mine, toads, treefrogs, twofold cost of males, unisexual, University of Michigan natural history museum, vernal pool, warts, wetlands, Ypsi immigration interview, zoospores | 27 Comments

With midterms approaching, the evil of the right is on full display

By Mark | October 23, 2018

With the midterms fast approaching, and the prospect of both houses of Congress, as well as several statehouses, potentially flipping, Republicans across the country are becoming increasingly desperate. And, as you might imagine, this desperation is manifesting itself in truly terrible ways. In Texas, with the young, dynamic Beto O’Rourke gaining momentum, Ted Cruz has […]

Posted in History, Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Gillum, anti-immigration, anti-Semitism, asylum, attempted murder, Beto O'Rourke, Bill Kristol, Brian Kemp, caravan, civility, conspiracy theory, cowardice, Dan Pfeifer, Donald Trump, exact match, fascism, fear mongering, Florida, George Soros, Georgia, gerrymandering, Greg Gianforte, Hannah Arendt, incitement to violence, journalism, lying, MAGA, Medicaid, Medicare, middle class tax cuts, midterm elections, Mike Pence, pipe bombs, political violence, racism, Richard Linklater, robocalls, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Secretary of State, Senate, Stacey Abrams, tax cuts, Ted Cruz, terrorism, Texas, threats of violence, threats to journalists, voter fraud, voter suppression | 43 Comments

U-M PhD Michelle Leach, the founder of Oasis Aquaponics, on leaving academia to focus on solving basic problems afflicting the poor

By Mark | January 24, 2016

Upon graduating the University of Michigan with her PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Michelle Leach decided to try something different. Instead of either pursuing a careen in academia, or accepting a job in industry, she chose to start a social venture called Oasis Aquaponics with the intention of creating an affordable food production system that could […]