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Murmuration and Starlings
It was the most amazing thing to see, right outside the office. Thousands...THOUSANDS of Starlings. When they lit off from the recently mowed cornfield there was an audible ..."Oooomph!" Like a jet, or
rocket. Thousands of little wings all in the same action!
In a life that has seen some wondrous things... this might have been one of the best. And, all we had to do was open the door. They did this for hour, returning again and again and we watched and were amazed each time.
But there is a problem ... and it all comes back to Shakespeare. Doesn't it always! Damn, bard.
Choughs, wrens, cormorants, owls, nightingales, larks and some 60 other species all have their place in the playwright's canon. Such references have inspired bird lovers for centuries.
So much so that in 1890, a German immigrant named Eugene Schieffelin decided it would be a great idea to introduce as many of Shakespeare's birds as possible to North America. One cold winter's day he released 60 starlings into New York's Central Park in the hope they would start breeding.
Unfortunately, they did. Hey, Eugene!?
The US is now home to an estimated 200 million European starlings. Thickset and pugnacious, starlings are the bruisers of the avian world. And they are now such a nuisance they are one of the few bird species unprotected by law.
But, they are the stunning sight in the late fall.
Starlings
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Motorcycle Industry Council Announces
New Board Officers
Chuck Boderman Assumes Chair,
Bill Jenkins Elected Vice Chair
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The Motorcycle Industry Council has unveiled new officers for its board of directors and the results of the 2021 board election. Chuck Boderman, vice president, General Administration Business Unit, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., assumes the chairmanship after Paul Vitrano, senior assistant general counsel, Indian Motorcycle and Polaris Inc., steps down. Vitrano will be joining the executive leadership team
of a new company operating the GEM and Taylor-Dunn businesses being divested by Polaris. Bill Jenkins, senior vice president of sales and operations for Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., was elected vice chair. Jim Woodruff, CEO of National Powersport Auctions remains the board’s secretary/treasurer.
“I have been honored to have been affiliated with the MIC, in various capacities, for over 20 years,” Vitrano said. “I am proud that the MIC has been and remains the organization to which the industry turns when there is a significant challenge, like the lead ban or COVID restrictions – or opportunity, like fostering collaboration between OEMs, the aftermarket and dealers or growing ridership. I wish the board and the staff the best as they carry on this legacy.”
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MIC
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Asteroid Nereus Flyby Today
It’s worth $5B in
precious metals!
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1,083-foot (330-meter) asteroid is creating a buzz on social media this week. Yes, it will pass Earth on Saturday, December 11, 2021. Closest approach will happen 0:51 a.m. EST; on December 11. No, it will not strike Earth. At its closest, Nereus will pass about 2.4 million miles (3.9 million km) away. That’s close on a cosmic distance scale. But it’s still about 10 times the
moon’s distance. Yet this close pass and others has caused 4660 Nereus to be classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid. It makes close approaches several times each century. And – in part because it comes close and in part because it’s “slow” – space entrepreneurs have cast their gaze toward Nereus as well. By some reports, the space rock is worth an estimated $5 Billion in precious metals.
Earth Sky
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When a Guitar Finds
its Way Home
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It's happened, famously, to Peter Frampton and Jimmy Page. Frampton lost his beloved Les Paul Custom in a cargo plane crash in 1980, while Page lost one of his favorite Les Pauls (also, coincidentally, a black LP Custom) while Led Zeppelin traveled from Minneapolis to Montreal, Canada in 1970. Two beloved guitars, both with so much magic, lost forever. Or so it was thought.
Frampton's Les Paul was miraculously located in Curaçao in 2011, while Page's was re-discovered after it was taken to a Minnesota repair shop a few years ago. Both guitars would eventually, after a few twists, be returned to their very happy rightful owners.
Bachman
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Mike Nesmith 'Different Drum'
Mike Nesmith - the best of the Monkees and a true song writer. He wrote this for the Monkees, but it was made famous by, first, the Greenbriar Boys and ultimately The Stone Poneys and Linda Rondstadt. Here are Linda and Mike's versions. RIP.
Mike Nesmith
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Backroads' December Issue
Now in Shops!
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Here Comes the December issue of Backroads!
This end of year edition has so much...
Places to go, things to do, all the usual fun stuff and MotoAmerica, the International Motorcycle Show and MotoGP from COTA with a farewell to The Doctor - Valentino Rossi!
So, Ride Far, Ride Safe - Ride the Backroads!
Backroads
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2022 Triumph
Speed Triple 1200 RR
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By Chris Northover
The Speed Triple may not be the full-on superbike we’re all still secretly hoping Triumph will make, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the performance of this new RR. That’s my resounding impression of the new, sportier Speed Triple as I chased old racing mates on track, popped wheelies out of the slower turns, and slid into the chicanes. If you’re watching lap times, then sure, it’s never going to lap as fast as a
1,000cc sportbike . But for the sheer pleasure of flowing around a track, it’s a belter. Put it on the road where it belongs, and it’s one of the most enjoyable sportbikes money can buy.
Cycle World
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