I’ve been wanting to change my theme for awhile, but was having trouble finding one I liked, so I was very excited when I saw Moody’s new theme. The theme designer, Brian, has some absolutely stunning themes and they’re really well done. Most themes I’ve used don’t handle picture alignment very well and have strange formatting quirks, but his are just perfect. So come check out my awesome new theme if you’re reading this with a feedreader!
Weekly Top 5
If you’re reading this in a feedreader, you probably can’t see the music widget.
The entire “The Beat that My Heart Skipped:”
A little joy on a Sunday morning (the real kind, not the religious kind)
What I’ve noticed
Some of the language in this article on Chris Brown’s abuse of Rhianna is really upsetting:
a brutal argument between the singer and his girlfriend, Rihanna, provoked by her discovery of a text message from another woman. [emphasis mine]
Abuse is not a “brutal argument” and “provoked” suggests she somehow is to blame for the attack. Unfortunately, language like this reflects many people’s attitudes about domestic violence victims.
A good article on the failure of the drug war and some better alternatives.
Women still get paid less for the same job.
Arizona lawmakers are terrified our governor might honor the state’s commitment to CO2 emissions reductions. Idiots.
We HAVE to start dealing with overpopulation. The alternatives are horrific.
Rachel Shulman explains a really cool paper on phytoplankton movement and distribution.
Protected: Nuns
Naughty Monkey on a Budget
Dr. Isis frequently drools over recommends Naughty Monkey shoes, and I don’t deny that they are the sassiest shoes ever, but they are usually between $70 and $90. That’s how much I’d make if I worked all day on Saturday. I’m not saying they aren’t worth it, but sometimes groceries and the electric bill and that awful hospital bill have to come before shoes.
But life just got a lot better. The makers of Naughty Monkey have another brand called Not Rated. They’ve knocked down the quality a few notches and are definitely designing for a younger crowd, but they are just as sassy as the sassiest of Dr. Isis’s Naughty Monkeys. Even better, they usually cost about $45 and are often on sale for about $20 at endless.
Berry Go Round #14
Welcome to the 14th Berry Go Round! Before we get started, I recommend reading last month’s carnival hosted over at Watching the World Wake Up.
Kasumisou
At Midoria you can learn all about kasumisou flowers (also known as baby’s breath). Agro Rachmatullah’s interest in these flowers was sparked when the TV character Kasumi received a kasumisou bouquet. Cute, no?
Ctenitis sloanei
The Accidental Botanist gives us a double treat – information on the Ctenitis sloanei tree fern and a bit of history on Darwin’s discovery of this interesting plant.
???
Vicky at TGAW has a post full of pictures of her a short hike near the Newbold-White House in North Carolina. The bald cypresses are just stunning and she’s even got an identification question – go help her out, botanists!
Luigi at the Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog points out an area where we really need to do some research –
These critical 500-700 species will be so vital to future food security, not least to combating climate change itself, that we need to ensure that they are allowed to continue evolving in situ in the changing environment and make doubly sure we have these species’ genetic diversity adequately conserved ex situ.
Palo blanco
Mary at A Neotropical Savanna has a fantastic post up on the identification of the lovely “white pole” tree. I always learn so much from her plant id posts!
Massonia
I particularly loved the Valentine’s Day post up at Growing with Plants full of lovely blooms and interesting plants. Aren’t you jealous of his collection?
Last, but most certainly not least, is a post on Darwin and botany with links to some great resources over at No seeds, no fruits, no flowers: no problem.
The next edition of Berry Go Round will be hosted at A Neotropical Savanna. Submit your plant posts and pictures before the end of the month!