Link dump and notes on pelicans

[tardis_stowaway]

Time for a short link dump!

First, a fic rec!  I loved the Leverage/Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover Nerds of the Earth, Take Note! by Betty and Emeraldwoman.  SHIELD needs some hacking done by someone outside not connected to their organization, so they kidnap Hardison and get him to do it.  Features some high quality banter (Hardison and Tony Stark conversing is a thing of beauty), Coulson getting all the credit, a rogue AI, lots of orange soda, and answers to the questions you might have about what might happen if the Leverage gang and SHIELD went up against each other.  No particular spoilers for either universe.  Written back in 2010, so has been jossed by more recent canon, but not in an especially distracting way.

Next, for those who like judging other people by the contents of their bookshelves (I certainly do!), I took pictures of my bookshelves for a meme over on tumblr.

From the realm of cool news, scientists have discovered a beautifully preserved fossil of an ancestral snake with four legs!

Finally, here is a video of actor Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries, Lost) holding a rehabbed pelican prior to its release. I saw a photo of this occasion someone had brought into the wildlife rehabilitation center where I volunteer.  I hope your day will also be improved by footage of an attractive man holding a pelican!  Some further information about pelican holding (disclaimer that I am a fairly casual wildlife rehab volunteer, so errors are possible):

-If you hold a pelican that has only recently come in from the wild, you are probably going to get feather lice running up your arms since many pelicans have nasty infestations of them.  Feather lice don’t bite mammals, but they feel and look super creepy.  The pelican in this video is almost ready for release, so it may have been treated with anti-parasitics to get rid of the feather lice.

-Unlike most birds, pelicans need to be able to breathe through their beaks, so if you hold their beaks closed you choke them.  You need to hold on to the bill so it doesn’t gouge someone’s eye out but keep a finger in between the jaws so it can breathe, as Ian is demonstrating here.

-During handling, keeping a sheet or towel over them when possible keeps them calmer and more under control.

-Keeping control of both of a pelican’s wings and the beak and preferably the feet too often feels like it requires several more arms than the average human possesses.  Those things are friggin’ huge.

-If a pelican needs to be given medicine or force-fed, you have to stick your arm WAY DEEP into the pouch to squirt the meds/meal replacement down the bird’s throat.  The inside of a pelican’s pouch and throat is covered with thick goop known among wildlife rehabbers as “peli-cheese.”  That stuff is rather hard to scrub off your skin.  Working with wildlife:  so glamorous!

-If you or someone you know goes fishing in an area where there are pelicans, please make sure to never feed fish waste to the local pelicans.  (Really don't feed your fish waste to any local wildlife, but pelicans seem especially prone to getting into trouble from it.)  They develop the habit of hanging around fish cleaning stations instead of foraging for themselves, and often end up either getting coated in fish oil that wrecks their feathers (requiring washing much as if they got contaminated in an oil spill) or trying to eat a partial fish carcass with bones or spines sticking out that can get stuck in the pouch or rip up their throat.

Comments

[sylvansafekeepe.livejournal.com]

I am judging you as well based on the content of your shelves. Fortunately, I approve of most of what I see, though I am disappointed that you haven't read 'Memory' yet. It's probably my second-favorite of the Vorkosigan novels.

Also, Daleks lay eggs? You learn something every day, I guess... :-P

[tardis-stowaway.livejournal.com]

I haven't read Memory yet because I am a late comer to the Vorkosigan novels, so I'm only just getting to it. I'm really excited to have it on my reading agenda! Out of curiousity, which is your favorite of the Vorkosigan novels?

I have no idea how the slimy tentacle creature inside a Dalek is supposed to reproduce, so for all I know it could be eggs! The Daleks are descended from a humanoid species, but since they aren't from Earth there is no guarantee that they reproduced in a human-like manner. However, I think in this case it's more a Dalek-themed wooden egg than a reproductive Dalek egg. :-P

[sylvansafekeepe.livejournal.com]

I love pretty much all the Vorkosigan stuff, but my favorite is actually A Civil Campaign. Bujold's stuff tends to have a more lighthearted feel, even when dealing with serious situations, but CC is where I think she intentionally dips into comedy that at times approaches farce. And it is glorious.

Without getting too spoilery (in case you haven't read it): marriage proposals! (some of which go better than others); genetically-modified hideous bugs that now have the Vorkosigan family crest on their backs!; Miles being a total idiot when it comes to romance (though in completely-relate-able ways!); reproductive hijinks involving cloning tanks!; a literal butter battle between an on-the-run scientist, two parole officers, two lab workers, and a Vorkosigan armsman (who happens to be wearing his stunner holster and not much else at the time)!

It is sublimely ridiculous at times, but still manages to have the requisite chunks of wise-advice-from-parents, serious realizations about one's self, speeches about honor and being a good person, etc. And it's nice and heartwarming at times, too.

Pretty much the only thing I don't like is the cover of the book itself, which is gaudy beyond belief. But that sort of fits in with the silliness, anyway.

[qwentoozla]

Looking at people's bookshelves is always so fun! Glad to see you're about to read Memory. When I was first reading the series, Memory was the only book I couldn't find, so I impatiently went straight from Mirror Dance to Komarr, which meant missing significant developments. Everything made much more sense when I went back and read Memory... anyway, I hope you enjoy it! :)

I also enjoyed the pelican holding facts!