Saturday 4 December 2021

What Autumn is Like in My Town, Baton Rouge LA – Part 2 - Nature 15

You may read previous posting: What Autumn is Like in My Town Baton Rouge LA – Part 1 - Nature 15

Our state, Louisiana faced very short of Autumn period. Starting around late September or October to the end of November or early December.

Just approximately two months only.


Fig 01- Different colors of trees.

Compared to upper or northern states, not much colors of leaves changing in Louisiana.

Many trees are evergreen in Louisiana, these trees include (Regina Sass, 2017: Evergreens That Will Grow in Louisiana):

- Atlas Cedar
- American Olive
- Japanese Plum
- Red Bay
- Swamp Bay


Fig 02- Bonsai, illustration only


Fig 03- An Autumn tree in neighborhood


Fig 04- One of Autumn tree


Fig 05- Leaves of trees start to fall down


Fig 06- Leaves are everywhere in neighborhood

Now early December already, many leaves have started to fall down. Our neighborhood looks so dirty.

Temperature may drop, especially in the night. We wear jacket to make little bit warm when going outside.

Moreover, the winter, even very short, from December to January. Only a small chance to have snow, no more than 3 times in the last 10 years.

A kind of miracle. Every bodies look very happy with snow, and snowmen seen at every corner of our city.

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Friday 3 December 2021

Parents Behaviors When Caring a Baby – Part 1 - Science 11

Behavioral changes that define parenting are important for “successful” of future generations in life of any creatures, especially mammals.

Mother and father have different roles to raise their children.


Fig 01- Parents and a kid (credit to freepik).

Even though mother is dominant to accomplish care of young, but if father involve in caring a baby or babies, thus both parents have similar paternal and maternal behaviors.

Maternal behaviors in mammals may start before deliver baby to caring to parenting such as:

- nest building
- aggressive to intruders
- eating birth debris
- grooming and licking
- pups cleaning
- and nursing (breastfeeding).


Fig 02- Plant decoration, illustration


Fig 03- Walking path in the city


Fig 04- A doll, illustration only

Except breastfeeding, all these maternal behaviors could be done by father as well.

In case of human, in social context, especially in developing nations, parenting not only responsible to mother and father, but also to older brothers and sisters.

In many cases grandparents involve too.

Unrelated adults take care other’s offspring sometimes.

# To be continued to Part 2

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Thursday 2 December 2021

What Autumn is Like in My Town Baton Rouge LA – Part 1 - Nature 15

I call “late autumn,” because our city, Baton Rouge, Louisiana just get the stage that leaves colors changing, and some leaves of trees start to fall down in the late November or early December this year .

Fig 01- Colorful autumn leaves

while in the northern parts of America the falling snow piled up more than 8.5 inches, and even snowstorm in several states

Top 10 snowiest states in the USA are following:

- Vermont
- Maine
- New Hampshie
- Colorado
- Alaska
- Michigan
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Wyoming
- Wisconsin


Fig 02- Trees in the corner of a park


Fig 03- Leaves changing colors from green to brown to red


Fig 04- One corners of my town during autumn season


Fig 05- Fall leaves


Fig 06- Fall in front of coffee shop.

Yes, temperature dropped below 0 degree Celsius (320 F) at night at the end of November this year (2021), but no snow yet.

Daylight temperature could reach 150 C (590 F). A quite nice weather for me.

You might wonder the different between night and day temperature is quite huge, about 15 degree Celsius.

I don’t know why.

This is typical southern part of USA. Many people got sick due to temperature different.

# To be continued to Part 2

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Tuesday 30 November 2021

Could Botulinum Toxin be Turned to Beneficial Substance? - Part 2 – Science 10

You may read the previous post (Part 1): Could Botulinum Toxin be Turned to Beneficial Substance? - Part 1 – Science 10

We may find Botulinum toxin in many kinds of foods such as preserved vegetables, fish (processing or preserved) and meat products.


Fig 01- A processing food, illustration

There are plenty of preserved vegetables in the market, several of them such as:

- green beans
- spinach
- mushrooms
- and beets

Examples of fish (processing or preserved):

- canned tuna,
- fermented
- salted and smoked fish


Fig 02- Mushroom is ready to cook


Fig 03- Salt fish on the plate


Fig 04- Fermented food, illustration


Fig 05- Preserved vegetable.

Few meat products such as:

- ham
- and sausage.

This toxin can cause:

1) seizure and dead
- because it impacts nervous system.

2) flaccid paralysis that leads to respiratory failure

- because diaphragm muscle, and muscle related to breathing process becomes weak and paralyze.

# To be continued to Part 3

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Monday 29 November 2021

Can a Poet be a Millionaire? - Art 4

All of us might know that the list of richest men in the world come from background of businessmen, entrepreneurs and even inventors

We possibly hear or be asked the simple question from common people around the corners.


Fig 01- Magnolia blooming, illustration

Can a Poet be a Millionaire?

The surprising answer is YES!

Then how?

By selling a poem or poems through:

- auction at Christie
- online such as an Amazon eBook platform
- magazines and literally journals

Arch Hades, 29, British poet, sold her poem at Christie in the USA recently with fantastic price.

US$ 525,000 for a single poem with tittle Arcadia.

This is the highest cost of poet at all time.


Fig 02- Louise penny, a Canadian author, illustration


Fig 03- Pepper jelly, illustration


Fig 04- Arch Hades, one of richest poets
(credit to Austin Macauley Publishers)

Moreover, Arch Hades poems based on her own experience from her boarding school times to her married to her career.

All joyful, sadness and heartache are mixed together.

Arcadia, the most expensive poem contains 102 lines with 1,000 words describe about:

- reflection of life
- pain and sorrow in loneliness
- anxiety through days

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Saturday 27 November 2021

A Memoir of Chasten Buttigieg – Part 2 – Reading 5

Fig 01- Books for illustration only

You may read previous postings (Part 1):

7) Repairing abandoned houses

- reached target based on schedule within 1,000 days for 1,000 homes.

8) Almost triple permit in term of values.

- in the first term, permits values for construction projects increasing from US$69 millions to US$190 millions.

9) Raising pay

- city workers got increasing pay per hour

10) Growth of Latino population

- from almost zero to 15% of city population.
- Buttigieg able to communicate in Spanish

Then he became a rising star since he decided to enter the Democratic Party Presidential race in the beginning of 2020.


Fig 02- One of old properties

The New York Times revealed about him: “The first openly gay major Presidential Candidate”.


Fig 03- One of resident homes

Exactly. He is millennial. He is gay, and he is married.


Fig 04- Tall tree in the yard of resident home.

In a perfect moment, when he launched his presidential campaign, he introduced his honored husband, Chasten, to the public.


Fig 05- Chasten Buttigieg (Credit: Pete Buttigieg)

Chasten is always ready on his side, embrace him, and hug him.

With Pete, Chasten feels so loved. In this book, he tells us about his life, his love, and his married.

He talks about his personal life and love in a straightforward way, very easy to follow and understand. He confesses about his feeling at the first moment met his husband.

Reading this book, I felt like I am listening my best friend talking to me who is a warm, funny, and honest human being.

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Thursday 25 November 2021

Could Botulinum Toxin be Turned to Beneficial Substance? - Part 1 – Science 10

Fig 01- Honey can be contaminated by botulinum toxin bacteria

I'm still excited about botulinum toxin, since I know that botulinum toxin is a potent and deadly substance.

This substance produced by a kind of a rod bacteria that can exist in low or free oxygen, Clostridium botulinum.

Bacteria are very common throughout the world, they could be found in samples or contaminate of:

- water
- soil
- canned foods
- honey

It was many years ago, especially in the under developing countries, the toxin was a killer that hard to overcome.

Clostridium botulinum release toxin that able to kill human.

What are the symptoms of this toxin?


Fig 02- A traditional dish


Fig 03- A drink with chia seed


Fig 04- Meat products could be contaminated by bacteria.

The early of symptoms of this Botulinum lethal toxin could be many, but some of them are:

- fatigue
- weak
- blurry eyes
- and vertigo.

Following by difficult to swallow and speak, also vomiting and diarrhea or constipation.

Then it can radiate to weakness in the neck and arms, and muscle in lower part of body.

# To be continued to Part 2

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The Squirrel with two-toned fur - Nature 132

We have two previous postings about squirrels:  a little squirrel in her nest and four weeks old baby squirrel.  Image 01 - A squirrel with ...