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Peter

In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. - Carl Sagan

About Me


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I have various interests from art, music, movies and video games to the study of natural history, pre-history, zoology, evolution, phylogeny and anthropology but on this page I want to show my particular emphasis on the issues of global warming, alternative and renewable energy sources, and the preservation of the planet's amazing biodiversity. Over millions of years, plant and animal species have evolved, creating an intricate web of life unimaginable in variation and complexity. In the last hundred years, due to human civilization, natural habitats have been destroyed or forever altered, causing a mass extinction not seen since the dinosaurs. This dramatic loss of species poses a major threat to human existence in the next century. I think it is imperative that we congregate in thought and start making changes.
Learn about this and discover ways in which simple actions can make a difference.

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I have a very strong interest in various bird species, curiosity which started when I was a little kid.
Deep Ocean Glass Squid (Teuthowenia pellucida)

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata) - Closest relation to the Terror Birds (Phorusrhacids) that roamed pre-history.
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Keel-Billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo Atthis)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
McCown's Longspur (Calcarius mccownii)
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudata)
New Zealand Fairy Tern (Sterna nereis davisae)
Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Argentavis Magnificens - Largest bird of prey to be discovered. Can you just imagine a bird this big soaring through the sky? Amazing.
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Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) Need I say more? Well perhaps I do. Yet another victim of human aggressive, inexorable and often cynical advancement into their territory. Hands down one of my all time favorites, a bird of absolute mysticism and legend. Ivory-billed Woodpecker (IBW) is a very large and extremely rare bird, some believe it's now completely extict and has been for over 62 years but hope is in the air, as we all know, nature does find a 'way' If you were to trust anybody it would be the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and they have a very convincing video of a rare sighting. Watch the report here.
Enjoy, and please do Google Ivory-billed Woodpecker and read various articles which will surely make you think this bird is a huge celebrity and not just among birders and conservationists, but people with 'hope' in general. Long live IBW and Elvis has nothing on you in my world :) - Peter
Magnificent Manakin Birds (Pipridae)
Voted as #1 Favorite Attenborough Moment, the incredible Lyrebird.
Birds Of Papau New Guinea.
Crows in Japan develop new techniques to gather a otherwise unattainable food source.

Sample from Life Of Mammals.
Blue Whale.
Elephant Shrew.
Carl Sagan Speaks.
David Attenborough - NTA Special Award Part 1.
David Attenborough - NTA Special Award Part 2 (Few things make me cry but the end of this did.)
Sir David Attenborough: The Truth About Climate Change
Jane Goodall: What separates us from the apes? (Amazing talk)
On The Turning Away: Pale Blue Dot
Classic Attenborough Moment
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi
New Caledonian Crows Find Two Tools Better Than One
A Little Larceny Comes Naturally To Northwestern Crows
Crows Alter Their Thieving Behavior When Dealing With Kin Or Other Birds
Crows Can Recognize The Calls Of Relatives
Tiny Crow Camera Spies On Clever Birds
Birds Communicate Reproductive Success In Song
Pigeons Show Superior Self-recognition Abilities To Three Year Old Humans
New Bird Species Discovered
Bird family trees predict decline
Bird Nerds: Using the Web to Net Our Feathered Friends
More than a million birds killed in Cyprus
Why birds are birds: looking at dinosaur fossils to understand evolution
Feather Colors Affect Bird Physiology, Barn Swallows Show
A Little Bird Told Me
Joining-up conservation - from Canada’s boreal forest to South America
Rare book delivers
Avitourism 'takes off' in South Africa
Price of power
Lesser White-fronted Goose shot in Greece
Biodiversity conservation works... but more is needed
419 protected birds shot down in 2007
Dead birds falling from the sky
Revealed: the reason birds sing in spring
Rare bird found off Papua New Guinea
'New type of bird' found in Nepal
Secrets of bird flight revealed
Extinction threat to Scots bird
In Study of Human Patterns, Scientists Look to Bird Brains
Schwarzenegger gets the lead out
Experts bid to help birds of prey
Clever crows are caught on camera
Godwits' epic journey tracked
Rise in divers mystifies experts
Climate fear for visiting birds
Cleverest crows opt for two tools
Ancient American bird was glider
Tropical giant penguin discovered
City birds sing for silent nights
Flowers Evolve to Suit Birds and Bats
Birds to become latest indicators of climate change
Ornithologist David Sibley describes lifelong study of birds
Birds exhibit thuggish mafia-like behavior as nest enforcers
Robot watches out for rare bird - Ivory Billed Woodpecker!
Prime Ministers of China and Japan united in efforts to conserve Endangered Ibis
Single Whooping Crane survives Florida tornadoes
Wings over Wetlands (WOW) Project
Large birds vanishing from West African Sahel
EU to ban imports of wild birds
Anti-cancer chicken eggs produced
Red kites threatened in Scotland
Urban-based birds 'learn to rap'
Global warming could wipe out most birds: WWF
Rare bird's stronghold protected
Birds have brilliant brains, say experts
Prince: 'Duty to save albatross'
Hawk migration spectacle in Veracruz, Mexico
Zoo celebrating rare dove birth
Now Free--Visualize Sounds with Raven Lite Software
Charismatic island dwellers saved from extinction
Ray of hope for endangered bird
'Extinct' quail sighted in India
'New rare bird' spotted in India - Bugun Liocichla
Finches named for Darwin are evolving
SAVE THE ALBATROSS -
100,000 albatrosses die each year on fishing hooks. They are being killed in such vast numbers that they can't breed fast enough to keep up. This is putting them in real danger of extinction.
Mystery shrouds loss of migrant birds
Beck’s is back
BirdLife Statement on Avian Influenza
FAO says human activities, not wild birds, spread H5N1
Joining hands to preserve a flyway: Yucatan to New Jersey
Learn about the incredible New Caledonia Crow here

My Interests

Peter the Wild Boy, Birds of Prey, Arctic Fox and other Vulpes family members, African Lions and other Big Cats, Birds of Paradise (Paradisaeidae), Ornithischian Dinosaurs, music, film, animation, video games, Wii, Warcraft 3, SF3:Third Strike, TF2, ICO, Shadow of Colossus, samurai spirit, Galapagos Islands, yoga, the moon, salt water, human emotion, environmentalism, natural history, ornithology, zoology, evolution, phylogeny, ethology.

Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys)

Hunter's Sunbird (Nectarinia hunteri)
Raven (Corvus Corax)

Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)

Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus)
Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)

Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda)

Bali Starling (Leucopsar rothschildi)

"How Ignorant Is Your Country Chart"

I'd like to meet:


Everybody on www.imdb.com
Sir David Attenborough
Richard Dawkins (met on 03/14/2008!)
Alfred Russel Wallace
Charles Darwin
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Leonardo da Vinci
Pieter Bruegel
Hayao Miyazaki

Stevie Wonder
You

Music:

Sigur Ros & Radiohead ARE my favorite bands of all time, its interesting that after listening to music all my life I can narrow it down to two bands. I think it comes from nature of the ethereal sound and lyrics, they can be applied at anytime because they are no cultural cliches which are time sensetive. Others I also enjoy are NiN, Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Arcade Fire, ABBA, Roxy Music, Wizzy Noise, Bryan Ferry, Issa Bagayogo, Led Zep, Depeche Mode, Bowie, U2, Feathered, Pearl Jam, Aesop Rock, Air, QOTSA, Aphex Twin, Beck, Bjork, Coldplay, Cure, Dave Matthews, Daft Punk, David Byrne, DFA1979, Jethro Tull, Sex Pistols, Iggy, Ellen Allien, Stevie Wonder, Elliot Smith, ENON, P.Gabriel, Fiona Apple, Stravinsky, Interpol, Jeff Buckley, KMFDM, Massive Attack, T-REX, Nick Drake, Nirvana, Ordinary Men, MM, Outcast, Boy Kill Boy, PJ Harvey, Queen, Portishead, Smashing Pumpkins, The Strokes, White Stripes, Johnny Cash, Steve Miller, Joy Division, Clash, YYyeas, The Books, Iron and Wine, Muse, Postal Service, Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins, Kashmir, Morrissey, Belle & Sebastian, Hendrix, Lou Reed, Mong Hang, Mazzy Star, Killers, Calexico, Placebo, Sage Francis, Le Tigre, Sade, Seal, Pixies, Mogwai, Sonic Youth, Pinback, Thee More Shallows, Azerty, Cary Brothers, Mars Volta, Grandaddy, Harold Budd, Suede, Mouse on Mars, Dead Can Dance, Amiina, Mum, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and a few others that I'm currently forgetting.

Movies:

EVERYTHING by David Attenborough - Planet Earth, Life, Life on Earth, The Living Planet, Trials of Life, Life of Mammals, Life of Birds, Living Planet, Life in the Freezer, Blue Planet, The Private Life of Plants, Life in the Undergrowth, Life in Cold Blood Carl Sagans Cosmos, PBS Nature Series, BBC The Human Animal, Walking With Series by BBC, Galapagos, Pale Male, Nice Guys Finish First by Richard Dawkins. Miyazaki, Kurosawa, Woody Allen, Pixar, Tarkovsky.

Television:

Growing up in the Universe by Richard Dawkins, Peep Show (BBC), Smoking Room (BBC), The Daily Show, Office (british original version), Extras, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ali G Show, Adult Swim, PBS Nature, Jeff Corwin Quest, The Most Extreme (Animal Planet), BBC.

Books:

"Secret Life of Plants", "Life of Mammals", "Life of Birds", "Life On Air", "Life In The Undergrowth" by David Attenborough. "The Selfish Gene", by Richard Dawkins, "A Devil's Chaplain", by Richard Dawkins, "The Blind Watchmaker", by Richard Dawkins, "Unweaving The Rainbow", by Richard Dawkins, "Climbing Mount Improbable", by Richard Dawkins, "Richard Dawkins: How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think: Reflections by Scientists, Writers, and Philosophers" "The Ancestor's Tale" by Richard Dawkins. "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. "River Out Of Eden" by Richard Dawkins. "The Voyage Of The Beagle", "On The Origin Of Species", "The Descent Of Man", "The Expression Of The Emotions In Man And Animals" by Charles Darwin. Principles of Animal Behavior by Lee Alan Dugatkin. Evolutionary Biology. "Pale Blue Dot" by Carl Sagan. "The Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan. "Our Inner Ape" by Frans De Waal. "A Game Of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin.

Heroes:

www.wikipedia.org
www.youtube.com
My family,
Shadow Of The Colossus (ps2), Koko, Filmmakers, Hayao Miyazaki, Leonardo da Vinci CHARLES DARWIN, Carl Sagan, Alfred Russel Wallace, Richard Dawkins, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Steve Irwin, Cesar Millan, Shigeru Miyamoto, Fumito Ueda (creator of ICO and Shadow of Colossus), Aleksandr Pushkin, Judge Judy, Dian Fossey, Desmond Morris, Frans De Waal, Jane Goodall, Primates, Comedians in general, Borat / AliG, Eddie Izzard, Mitch Hedberg, Zach Galifianakis, Ricky Gervais, Dave Attell, Vince Vaughn, NYC, Dogs,

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David Attenborough - to me he is simply the best human that has ever lived on planet earth.

My Blog

www.godisimaginary.com

http://godisimaginary.com/ Spread the word, it all starts somewhere. How will we change the world, so that it becomes rational rather than religious? It is fascinating to think about how the transi...
Posted by Peter on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:36:00 PST

Intelligent people ’less likely to believe in God’

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2111174/Intelligent-p eople-%7Cless-likely-to-believe-in-God%7C.html ...
Posted by Peter on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:51:00 PST

Platypus Genome Coverage Complaint

Over and over again, the newspaper lead is that the platypus is "weird" or "odd" or worse, they imply that the animal is a chimera  "the egg-laying critter is a genetic potpourri  part bird, part re...
Posted by Peter on Sun, 11 May 2008 08:42:00 PST

"Astrologers fail to predict proof they are wrong"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08 /17/nstars17.xml ...
Posted by Peter on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:01:00 PST

Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss

http://richarddawkins.net/article,2472,Richard-Dawkins-and-L awrence-Krauss,RichardDawkinsnet ...
Posted by Peter on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:08:00 PST

Richard Dawkins Press Conference 3/11/08

Casual Richard lovely as ever....
Posted by Peter on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:28:00 PST

Parents Pick Prayer Over Doctors, Girl Dies

http://ny.metro.us/metro/national/ap/Daughters_Death_Prayer. html ...
Posted by Peter on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:34:00 PST

EXPELLED! (must read)

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/03/expelled.php ...
Posted by Peter on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:53:00 PST

Meeting Richard Dawkins.

I recently had a chance to meet my idol, Richard Dawkins. There are photos in the "Random Blast" album, check it out :) Here is a video I took during his wonderful presentation. ...
Posted by Peter on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:06:00 PST

Full house captivated by Dawkins’ take on religion!

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/276768
Posted by Peter on Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:56:00 PST