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Reflections on a Wandering Life.....
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Science Night - Peregrine Falcons
I had pigeons when I was a kid. Didn’t know much about hawks or falcons then, but they were the enemy. Later, when I was in middle school, there was a special student assembly at my school (Fergus Fall Junior High) and the star of the show was a professional falconer. It was really an amazing presentation. Before he released the falcon, he told everybody to sit perfectly still. He did not want the falcon to attack anybody. Shortly after he released the falcon, one of my classmates must have gotten a panic attack or something, because he jumped up and started walking quickly out of the gymnasium where the assembly was being held. Fortunately the falcon did not attack him. Since that assembly I have been fascinated with Peregrine Falcons. Mind you, when I see a falcon chasing a pigeon, I’m still on the pigeon’s side.
You will hear that Peregrine Falcons can travel at 200 mph. But that is misleading. There is no way a Peregrine Falcon can fly that fast. They attain that speed by diving. The terminal velocity of a skydiver is about 120 mph. In the video they mention a speed of 158, I believe, but that is because they are flying in a form that allows for greater speed. At any rate, even 160 mph is no match for a Peregrine Falcon in full diving mode, which is rare to see and which you will see in this video. But of course, that’s falling, not flying. Peregrine Falcons are essentially dive bombers. For this reason, a Peregrine Falcon can attack a bird much larger than itself. They don’t feed on such larger birds, but they can defend themselves that way. I guess I should note that speed and velocity are not exactly the same, but in this case they can be used interchangeably, because direction is not an issue.
But the horizontal flying speed of a Perigrine Falcon is much slower that this. Pretty close to the speed of a pigeon. So if you watch a Peregrine Falcon trying to catch a pigeon, it’s actually a pretty close contest. But if that same falcon flies to altitude and dives into a flock of pigeons, it’s very likely to get something.
In this video, you will see a Peregrine Falcon that is trained to pursue a lure (which probably has food attached). It has no problem catching up with the skydivers using it’s special diving method to increase terminal velocity. But another thing you notice in this video is that the Perigrine Falcon and the falconer develop a close relationship. This indicates that the Peregrine Falcon is probably a pretty smart bird. But it also says something about the falconer. Not just anybody can be a falconer. It requires a special ability to understand the bird and build the kind of trust that will motivate the bird to obey the trainer.
You will notice also that the bird in this video is a female. I am not sure if the female is a better hunter than the male. But it is much larger, and that may be the reason falconers prefer to work with a female Peregrine Falcon.
Will you ever see a Peregrine Falcon up close? They are found in every corner of the globe except Antarctica, but it would still not be easy. This is not the kind of bird that will show up at your windowside bird feeder. Peregrine Falcons do not feed on bird seed. They feed on birds. Not exclusively, they also eat mice. But they could never live on bird seed.
There are three entities to watch in this video. The falcon, the trainer jumping in tandem with a professional sky diver, and the photographer. But I would be remiss if I did not also mention the crew of the hot air baloon. This video would not be possible without them. It doesn't take long to see that this experiement could never have been done from an airplane. All of them worked together to produce a really good show, and also some good science. Enjoy.
Labels: Aerospace
Wednesday, September 08, 2021
Law Reviews
I began this project several years ago as a tribute to my (Jessup) law students who had worked so hard to develop the skills that brought the CYU team from seventeenth in the nation to the very first place the last year I was helping to coach the team. I worked on this project along with the other stuff I was doing at the National Library every Friday afternoon. Sadly, I had to leave Beijing during the Corona virus period, so I did not quite finish.
You will notice that, in the status column, I have three different values. OPEN means that you can access the articles free of charge, and in almost every case, there is provision for downloading a .pdf copy of the article. CLOSED means that you cannot access the articles, or that you cannot access without paying. ABSTRACT means that while you cannot download the article, you can read the abstract. I started entering the ABSTRACT value later, so it's possible that some of the items identified as CLOSED actually have an abstract.
So why would I bother to list the ones that are closed? Simply because, if you happen to be in Beijing, all of these law reviews are available in hard copy in the 6th floor law library in the English section of the National Library of China.
One more thing: In listing the ISSN numbers, I have always listed the ISSN number for the print version, not the online version. Why? Because once you download an article, what you have in your hand is an exact copy of what the print version would give you. Furthermore, if you so a search for these at the National Library, you will be looking for the hard copy, not the online version.
Labels: International Law
Wednesday, September 01, 2021
Streams in the Desert - September
September 1
Shaped Stones
I will lay thy stones with fair colors. - Isa. 54:11
The stones from the wall said, "We come from the mountains far away, from the sides of the craggy hills. Fire and water have worked on us for ages, but made us only crags. Human hands have made us into a dwelling where the children of your immortal race are born, and suffer, and rejoice, and find rest and shelter, and learn the lessons set them by our Maker and yours. But we have passed through much to fit us for this. Gunpowder has rent our very heart; pickaxes have cleaved and broken us, it seemed to us often with out design or meaning, as we lay misshapen stones in the quarry; but gradually we were cut into blocks, and some of us were chiseled with finer instruments to a sharper edge. But we are complete now, and are in our places, and are of service.
You are in the quarry still, and not complete, and therefore to you, as once to us, much is inexplicable. But you are destined for a higher building, and one day you will be placed in it by hands not human, a living stone in a heavenly temple.
"In the still air the music lies unheard;
In the rough marble beauty hides unseen;
To make the music and the beauty needs
The master's touch, the sculptor's chisel keen.
"Great Master, touch us with Thy skillful hands;
Let not the music that is in us die!
Great Sculptor, hew and polish us; nor let,
Hidden and lost, thy form within us lie!"
