The Luck of the Amish

From Holmes County, Ohio, Kenn writes: When I moved to Ohio about four years ago, one of the big surprises for me was to learn that the east-central part of the state has a very active community of Amish birders.

The Amish country centered on Holmes County, Ohio, attracts many tourists. This is partly because it's the most beautiful rural country you can imagine, and partly for the novelty of seeing the traditional lifestyle of the Amish people, living without electricity and traveling by horse and buggy. The lifestyle may be "simple" in some ways but there's nothing simple about the people, who are hard-working and savvy and well educated about the world. And some of them are extremely sharp birders, attuned to every callnote overhead and every flit in the thickets, aware of every bird in their surroundings. Some of Ohio's top birders happen to be Amish, and it's a pleasure and an inspiration to go birding with them.

None of their beliefs prevent the Amish from using good binoculars and telescopes. And in fact, Ohio's best-known dealer of optics for birding is an Amish gentleman named Robert Hershberger, who owns a shop called Time & Optics Ltd near Mt. Hope. Kim has known Robert for several years, and now he's a friend of mine as well. We spent the last two days birding with him: Tuesday along the Lake Erie shoreline, and yesterday in areas closer to his home base in Holmes County. Robert showed us all kinds of birds: Pileated Woodpecker in the woods near Mohican, American Kestrels in the open country, flocks of American Robins feasting on crabapples at the local arboretum, Pine Siskins everywhere in this invasion year. And in the evening, Robert and his wife Barbara welcomed us into their home to spend the evening with their family.

Robert Hershberger and Time & Optics Ltd have been big supporters of the Ohio Young Birders Club, and Robert's own kids are the most adorable tykes you could ever meet. They were shy at first, but it wasn't long before Kim was down on the floor romping with them. Robert and I were talking about details of bird distribution and migration, with Kim tossing in comments periodically from amid the heap of laughing children on the floor. Altogether it was a delightful evening, capping off a delightful two days, and we felt privileged to have been there.

Blonde ambition

When a woman feels bad about the way she looks, there’s nothing like a visit to the hair salon to make it all better. Women derive much of their confidence from the hair on their heads, which should explain the power of a ‘bad hair day’.

Long, short, wavy, fringed, bobbed or bee hived, when it comes to hair and the feel good factor, it’s less about the style and all about the colour. Goth kids prefer pitch black and punks prefer electric blue but as for gentlemen, they prefer blondes.

Many women agree too.

Thanks to Western media, a beautiful mane of blonde hair oozes glamour and sex appeal. It’s feminine, seductive and carefree - hence the legendary quip ‘blondes have more fun’. But can a bottle of peroxide really hold the secret to achieving the best out of life?

Does a Jackie really need to become a Marilyn to find her perfect love match or get ahead at work?

According to latest research, bleaching hair does wonders for a woman’s self-confidence. Lighter locks make women feel significantly more confident, impulsive, exciting and attractive.

Dyeing their hair gives women a chance to reinvent themselves and to put on a new persona. It simply gives women a chance to express feelings and behaviours that were already there.

It’s estimated that somewhere in the region of 60-80 per cent of women dye their hair. The motivation varies enormously depending on age. Younger women like to keep up with celebrities and fashion trends, whereas a lot of older women dye their hair to cover up the signs of ageing.

The change in levels of confidence and women finding themselves more attractive (after dyeing their hair) was huge.

Buying a new pair of designer jeans or shoes could make someone feel a little more confident. But in the case of dyeing their hair, it seemed to make women feel a whole lot more confident.

Most women start experimenting with hair dye at the age of 20 and will try an average of four shades during their lifetime.

According to statistics, red is the tone which most women test out first, but the colour they stick to the least. Light and dark blonde are the most popular colours followed by chestnut and dark brown. Black is the least popular.

IT’S IN THE GENES

Jena Pincott, author of ‘Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?’ is convinced men’s preference for blondes is down to genetics.

“Modern men are attracted to blonde hair for the same reason as their cavemen counterparts: it’s eye-catching,” she says.

A Clinical Affair

What do David Duchovny, Russell Brand and Michael Douglas have in common?

It might not be quite what you think. As well as being on the celebrity A-list, they have all admitted that they have a problem with sex addiction.

Most recently, it was X-Files star David Duchovny, married to actress Tea Leoni since 1997, who announced that he needed help. And according to reports, the actor has just left rehab after “successfully” completing a course for sex addiction. Duchovny’s revelation has opened up the debate on whether sex addiction really exists. Are so-called sex addicts suffering from an illness or are they just making excuses for being unfaithful?

The debate in the medical world comes from whether the ‘syndrome’ is just a form of human behaviour or an actual medical condition. However, that a person can be addicted to sex in the same way others are addicted to alcohol or drugs. If you think of addictions, it’s a psychological compulsion. And with sex addiction, people have a compulsion to do stuff.

It may be easy to look at famous people - like Duchovny, Douglas or Brand - and think that they have chosen to ‘out’ themselves as sex addicts rather than admit they’ve been caught cheating but sex addiction is a real condition.

In fact, somewhat alarming statistics claim that about one in 20 people suffer from it. Sex addiction is a very real addiction and it can be quite serious. It can take over a life.

A sex addict can start wanting and craving things at all sorts of strange hours. They may know that it’s wrong, but it gives them a type of temporary high. I would classify this type of behaviour as a disease, not just an excuse.

Sex addiction is a disorder, a condition that can be aggravated via forms of media. The internet and media based on sensationalism, do not cause sex addiction, but can definitely exacerbate it. People who do have vulnerabilities may find that those vulnerabilities are intensified because of the modern environment.

Does this mean that everyone who watches television is prone too sexual addiction? Not at all - but what it does mean is that there are those sexually addicted people who will have trouble controlling that behaviour.

Apart from the swarms of celebrities stepping forth into rehab clinics to deal with sex addiction, a common stereotype is that lonely males are more likely to be a sex addict than someone who is married. But this is not necessarily the case. Many of the cases that I see are married men and they have good jobs; it’s not like they are socially isolated in any way.

It appears to be prevalent in the celebrity world because these people’s lives are under the magnifying glass, but we really don’t know what goes on in other people’s lives, do we?

It works like any other addiction, and with similar symptoms - but it’s curable. Just like it’s possible to get over drugs and alcohol. If people want to get over sex addiction, they can.

Extreme Birding

From Huron, Ohio, Kim Writes:

You have the sense that a birding trip—any trip—is going be good when it starts out looking like this~

Today I did something that I’ve wanted to do for years. I spent the day freezing my bird-loving behind off birding the Eastern Lake Erie shore line with a very fine group of boys. My posse included: Kenn Kaufman, Robert Hershberger (of Time & Optics LTD), Samuel Weaver, Phil Chaon, Jeb Chaon, and Ethan Kistler.

Our first stop was the Huron Harbor. I have never seen so many Bonaparte’s Gulls in my life! Seriously. The place would have made Alfred Hitchcock run screaming. We estimated somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 at the end of the break wall.

The sight and sounds of the massive flock were almost overwhelming; but at the same time, completely wonderful. “Bonee’s” are such sleek, elegant gulls. Alongside the Ring-billed Gulls in the area, they made the Ring-billeds look lumpy and dumpy. Yes, it sucked to be a Ring-billed at this spot.

But, it wasn’t just about gulls. We had repeated fly-bys from a young Pomarine Jaeger, a distant Surf Scoter hauling rectrices West, and great looks at a Long-tailed Duck as it flew in over us and landed about 300 yards away.

It felt so good to be out braving the elements to see birds. It made me feel kinda tough; like extreme birding. I thought this sign had a somewhat different connotation this time of year. As if to say, "Hey fool, it's cold out here." "You stand around idle for too long and you might not wake up!"

Now you have to understand that it wasn’t just that we were out in the bitter cold. ugh ugh. On top of a stiff North wind, and freezing temps, getting to the end of the break wall--where all the action was--

proved to be challenging as well. Slippery, uneven surfaces, with large gaps between some of the massive rocks revealing deep crevices just waiting to gobble up a $2000 scope if you miscalculated your step…Oh yeah, extreme birding!

We were out at the end of the break wall for a long time before finally deciding that we had to move on to the next spot. When we left, I walked back along the break wall with a little “Chick Swagger” goin on, and singing that old Bob Seagar tune in my head. Remember, “They Love to Watch Her Strut?” That’s right...Me, the lone female in this flock of boy birders, showin the boys a thing or two.

A Pretty Cool Day...Literally and Figuratively!

From "Home Base", Kim writes: After attending the 75th annual banquet of the Toledo Naturalists’ Association (TNA) last night, this morning I loaded up 12 lucky TNA members (chosen from a lottery) and, along with Kenn and guest star Pete Dunne, I took them all birding to some of our favorite spots, i.e., Magee Marsh and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Believe it or not, this was Mr. Dunne’s first visit to our area. I took a photo just to prove he was actually here.
He teasingly told me that he was going back to New Jersey and telling everyone that he hadn’t seen a single warbler, and that the place had been seriously overrated. I told him he had to come back in May. He told me he’d have to retire first.

At some point during the trip I had this sort of weird experience where time and space were passing by in snapshot moments. I realized that I was driving this awesome bus owned by the bird observatory where I am the director, and I was chauffeuring two of the world’s most recognized and acclaimed birders and authors. It was a good day to be Kim!

We saw some great birds too. On the way into Magee, just past the visitors' center, I spotted a Great Horned Owl perched up high on a snag. It posed for several minutes allowing great looks for everyone. Cool! Lots of swans around, Trumpeter and Tundra, and we had a great time trying to separate the two species. Ducks were plentiful too, with great looks at Northern Shovelers, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, and Northern Pintails.

Back at the famous boardwalk I forced everyone to pose for photos, and after everyone ran away from me and my camera, I walked a few feet back on the boardwalk. Wow! What the change in seasons can do to a place. As I stood there all alone it was almost as if I could hear the echoed voices of spring---birders calling out to each other---“Burnie at 9:00." "Oh…Oh look here--Black-throated green right over my head." "Yeah, but check out this gorgeous Parula three feet from my face!"
It’s like that--here in this magical place. Even now, with winter crackling all around, the boardwalk looking like a tapestry, decorated with the molted leaves from trees now sporting their winter plumage, and nary a bird in sight--save the occasional fly-over of Ring-billed Gulls--the place still has an energy that makes your heart beat a little bit faster. I love this place; and I think it loves me too!

After leaving Magee, we headed for Ottawa, and drove through the auto tour route -- opened especially for our trip. While the wind was howling and the wind chills freezing outside--we all stayed toasty inside the awesome BSBO Bird Bus. I have a lit'l rap song I do about "my" bus. I'll subject you all to it eventually!

Today was a big day--for sure--but it was just another chapter from a very crazy weekend. The festivities kicked off with our band’s first live performance in Port Clinton on Friday night! It was a benefit concert for the Port Clinton High School girl’s basketball team. We're sort of the "house band" for a place called Mango Mamas, which has a very large space, and the place was packed!! While we still need to add more songs to our arsenal, things went pretty well. The first set is a little more "subdued" but the second set is filled with high energy rock! It felt so good to be on stage singing my heart out! I’m really looking forward to the next gig on December 5th. Kenn was great on bass guitar, and was rewarded with a brand new “toy” at the end of the night, when a friend of ours delivered a Rickenbacker bass that he hauled back all the way from South Carolina. He made it clear that Kenn didn’t HAVE to take it--but, once we cracked open the case and saw this blond beauty--I knew she would be with us for a long time! Check it out….

I love our life!

Acid attack girl defiant

An Afghan girl whose face was burned in an acid attack by suspected Taliban extremists has vowed to continue going to school, even if it puts her life in danger.

Men on motorbikes used water pistols to spray acid into the faces of Shamsia and around 12 other girls as they arrived at school in Kandahar.

Shamsia, 17, was the worst wounded in the horrific attack and had some acid enter her eyes. She was transferred to a military hospital in Kabul where she was visited yesterday by her fellow pupils.

“I will go to my school even if they kill me,” she said. “My message for the enemies is that if they do this 100 times, I am still going to continue my studies.”

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack but it bore the hallmarks of the Taliban, which banned girls from school during its hardline rule from 1996 to 2001.

President Hamid Karzai and other officials blamed the attack on the “enemies of Afghanistan” - a broad term that most often refers to the Taliban insurgents.

However a Taliban spokesman, Yousuf Ahmadi, said his group would “never do such a cowardly thing against girls and children”.

The insurgents have attacked and destroyed hundreds of schools across the country since they were forced from power in 2001.

This year around 115 schools have been set on fire, bombed or bulldozed in attacks education ministry spokesman Hamed Elmi blamed on “the opposition”. About 120 people in the education sector have been killed in attacks, he said.

The acid attack drew condemnation from the Afghan women’s ministry, which said yesterday “the enemies” could not stand in the way of education of women through such attacks.

“In Islam getting an education is the duty of men and women and being against this is being against religious orders,” it said.

Shamsia was equally defiant: “I’ll continue going to lessons. I’m studying to be able to build our country,” she said, her face covered in healing ointment.

Around 6.2 million children are now enrolled in school in Afghanistan. About 35 per cent of them are girls.

Birders and Rockers

From Port Clinton, Ohio, Kenn writes: So, yeah, we're crazed about birds, but that's not the only thing in our life. We're also crazed about everything else in nature, from butterflies to bats, from fish to ferns, from reptiles to rocks. Especially rocks. We spent last night rocking out with our classic-rock band, 6-7-8-OH, playing a major gig at Mango Mama's in Port Clinton. There were probably more than 200 people there at the peak of the night. Kim is the lead singer, and I'm not exaggerating when I say she's fabulous; people go crazy when she launches into hits from Led Zepplin or Pat Benatar or Bon Jovi. I'm the bass player, so I get to hang out on the back of the stage with the drummer and enjoy the scene from that perspective. The local paper did a story about the band a couple of nights before the gig, and it was the first time I'd seen myself referred to in print as "a noted bird expert and bass guitarist" -- no kidding! But there are surprising numbers of keen birders who are also rock musicians. Maybe we'll write about that in more depth at some point. In the meantime, we're going to be playing at Mango Mama's again on December 5th, for anyone who happens to be in the area.