I’m with Coturnix: I hate the telephone.  It’s intrusive, tyrannical, abrupt, invasive, and demanding.  I rarely answer my phones—any of them.  In fact, my home phone is really intended for use by the computers and for DSL.  But overall, I agree with him wholeheartedly: “And if you use a phone with me, stick to the brief exchange of information. Business only. [. . .] I prefer to communicate on my own time, in my own way and do not like the tyranny of the phone ring.”  I do enjoy talking to friends and family; I don’t always like doing it on demand.

Birds in the News 70 (v2n21) is now available.  If nothing else, go look at that first photo.  The poor fish looks like a caricature of prey.  But there’s more to see than the photos (although there are plenty of those upon which you can feast your eyes).  You’ll find plenty of avian news from around the globe, so fly on over and peck check it out.

Scientist finds new ocean in inner earth: “A seismologist at Washington University in St. Louis has made the first 3-D model of seismic wave damping — diminishing — deep in the Earth’s mantle and has revealed the existence of an underground water reservoir at least the volume of the Arctic Ocean. It is the first evidence for water existing in the Earth’s deep mantle.”  That’s a huge body of water that deep below the surface.  Consider that last October we discovered “bacteria living nearly two miles (almost three kilometers) below the surface” that consumed “energy from the decay of radioactive rocks” and had “likely been isolated down there for several million years.”  Given that, can you imagine what kind of life might exist in a large ocean formed completely underground?

Chris Clarke offers some heartfelt thoughts following the loss of Zeke, his dog of many years.  It brought tears to my eyes with subtle beauty and the rich undercurrent of emotional distress.  You’ll enjoy reading it, I assure you.

Plan accordingly for your red lunar eclipse.  “The next eclipse is right around the corner: Saturday, March 3, 2007. Stuck on Earth, we can’t see the ring of fire, but we can see the red glow it produces on the moon. The phenomenon will be visible from parts of all seven continents including the eastern half of North America.”  Read the entire article to see why the moon turns red.  Oh, and set your alarm clocks now so you don’t miss the spectacle in March.

Grand Rounds: Give me some sugar!  Be sure your sweet tooth is ready when you check out the best from the medical blogosphere.

You have to see today’s Astronomy Picture of the Day.  It’s a dazzling visible light photograph of a supernova that exploded about eleven thousand years ago.  Spectacular!

And let’s finish with something cute… like a baby skunk being raised with a litter of kittens.  Momma cat doesn’t look too worried, and certainly her children don’t seem to mind.  But wait until that skunk grows a little more stinkum…