Saturday, April 12, 2008

In Other News...

Since we've been busy lately but don't want to neglect our blogly responsibilities, we thought we'd just give you a nice, neat list of some interesting news. Click the links for further details. Enjoy!


-The Pope is coming to America! Okay, so that's not the newest of news, but it's pretty exciting.


-Controversy! The Washington, D.C. Metro aired this ad in anticipation of heavy traffic during the papal visit to the U.S. Lots of people were pretty miffed. We love Pope BXVI and we think it's kind of clever.

-In this day and age, there are a lot of new ways to be sinful. Many new....creative....ways....to be sinful. For example....unnecessarily driving a Hummer is now a "deadly sin!" Okay, not in so many words, but the Vatican has reminded the faithful that with new technology and new global problems, there are new things that we need to keep in mind to avoid sin. Among these is the idea that being environmentally unfriendly is un-Godly. It's God's earth....be nice to it.

-(Disclaimer: the following is purely a Kristin moment.) I love coffee. I want to try this coffee. It's called Kopi Luwak, and the process is basically this:
Step 1: The luwak, a cat-like Indonesian animal, eats coffee cherries.

Step 2: The luwak....er....processes the coffee cherries.
Step 3: Nature runs its course, and brave people collect the luwak's droppings and make coffee out of them.
Apparently the luwak's digestive system makes the coffee taste really good.

-Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, was received into the Church back in December! Yay! (We know we're a little behind the curve as far as our timing is concerned. Give us a break, it's still cool. We promised you news, not necessarily up-to-date news.) This just goes to show that environmentally friendly political leaders can find a place in their hearts for Jesus and His Church.

-Okay, here's something a little more timely. Scientists have recently developed a new map that can pinpoint biodiversity hotspots. This is very good news for conservationists, because it can lead to new information about species that need protecting and the areas that will best support them.

-China's environmental activists are becoming more vocal, but facing the government is a dangerous prospect. Greenpeace has a Beijing branch that is hopeful about Chinese ingenuity starting an energy revolution worldwide.

-On the personal side of things: Audrey is spending the fall semester studying environmental-type things in SWEDEN, and Kristin spent this morning catching cute little birds (it was bird banding with a federally licensed individual, it was legit, seriously). Cool, ja!


That's all for now!!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Bunnies! Their social and ecological importance

HAPPY EASTER!!!!
CHRIST IS RISEN,

ALLELUIA!!



Okay, so we're ridiciously sorry that we haven't posted in like...a month.

We love our blog, we really do.....but we also need to learn about the environment, and that kinda takes precedence over blogging. We'll do better in the future...we swear....seriously....except maybe during finals week.....

So anyway, we promised that we'd write about whatever topic won the poll, and (insert drumroll).....bunnies won!

Anyhoo....

Bunnies.

Sometimes....they're alive and fluffy....sometimes they're pink and sugary.....but either way, they are always delectable. (KIDDING)

Though marshmallow peeps are always delectable, we would like to let you know that we do not eat real bunnies. Some people do, and hey, whatever floats your boat man, but we'll stick with cows.

Bunnies (and by the way, yes, that is the technical term), are extremely environmentally significant. They are a reliable and quickly-reproducing source of food for...predators... like coyotes and bobcats. They add joy to our forested landscapes (insert tiny violin) and serve as a little view of nature for suburban residents.

Bunnies. They can be used as an example for any hypothetical ecological situation. Just ask The John Shane. Want to know how quick speciation will occur if a mountain range just pops up unexpectedtly? Just think about pink and blue bunnies. Wondering about how the process of natural selection works? Consider the fact that there are no bunnies with prehensile tails...not anymore...

Bunnies. They are high in cultural (and nutritional) value (lots of protein). But as for the cultural thing, many societies highly revere bunnies as a symbol of life and vitality.

Here's the part where our Catholicism rears its beautiful head: we have something to say about UVM's ol' Valentine's Day posters (a.k.a. the "let's have lots of extramarital sex because as long as we chemically or physically neuter ourselves first, it's okay" advertisements). These posters featured rabbits, relying on the fact that, well, rabbits are notorious for their indiscriminate reproductive habits, rather much like the stereotypical college student. In this way, our university assumes that all of its students will engage in illicit sexual activities, thereby detracting from the dignity of our human sexuality. Sex is consistently disrespected on this campus, as in many other places, and those of us who believe in the sanctity of sex as a unitive and procreative act intended for marriage are usually ignored/ridiculed/discounted as ignorant prudes. Personally, we think it's pretty insulting to be characterized as rabbits with no self-control, but that's just us.

Uh...this post is getting kind of serious...so here's a list of BUNNIES WE LIKE.

Bunnies We Like:
~Marshmallow Peep bunnies
~The Killer Rabbit from Monty Python
~Big Bunny (click the link; we promise you intense hilarity)
~Buster from "Arthur"
~The Easter Bunny (although he's got nothing on Jesus....come on now, the Easter Bunny didn't rise from the dead)
~The Cadbury Bunny and his clucking noises
~Bugs Bunny
~Roger Rabbit
~Chocolate bunnies
~The Velveteen Rabbit (so sad...we'd give him a hug even if he was infested with scarlet fever)
~The Trix Rabbit
~Buster Bunny from "Tiny Toons" (especially the video game....man that's great)
~Disney bunnies (the cute little woodland creatures from Snow White and Enchanted and stuff like that)
~Thumper from Bambi (technically a Disney bunny, but so darn cute that he gets his own spot on the list)


And so we will close with a quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. And a ridiculously cute photo of a bunny.


Tim: There he is!
King Arthur: Where?
Tim: There!
King Arthur: What? Behind the rabbit?
Tim: It *is* the rabbit!
King Arthur: You silly sod!
Tim: What?
King Arthur: You got us all worked up!
Tim: Well, that's no ordinary rabbit.
King Arthur: Ohh.
Tim: That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!
Sir Robin: You tit! I soiled my armor I was so scared!
Tim: Look, that rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide! It's a killer!
Sir Galahad: Get stuffed!
Tim: He'll do you up a treat, mate.
Sir Galahad: Oh, yeah?
Sir Robin: You manky Scots git!
Tim: I'm warning you!
Sir Robin: What's he do? Nibble your bum?
Tim: He's got huge, sharp... er... He can leap about. Look at the bones!
King Arthur: Go on, Bors. Chop his head off!
Sir Bors: Right! Silly little bleeder. One rabbit stew comin' right up!