Today's quiz

[Anne Kilmer]

Patrick Foley wrote:

> Dear class,
> 
> It is that time again, first quiz of the semester!!! Based on our
> readings from the leps-list during the semester so far, please circle
> the answer you agree with most.
> 
> 1) Humans are part of the earth's ecosystem, therefore
> a) we should do anything we please since that is what all the other
> animals and plants are doing.
> b) we should take some responsibility for our messes and mistakes, and
> leave a little room for others.
> 
> 2) Paul Ehrlich's predictions of doom have not all come true, therefore
> a) he is an evil genius attempting to destroy the American way of life.
> b) he does exaggerate, but almost all of the dangers he identifies are
> real, do need attention, and have gotten attention precisely because of
> doomsayers like him.
> 
> 3) Jeffrey Glassberg believes most butterfly natural history is better
> done with binoculars than nets, and he may also have a law degree,
> therefore
> a) he is an evil genius attempting to enlist hordes of birdwatchers to
> destroy the American way of life.
> b) he is helping to improve some natural history skills of the general
> public and produce a few nice photos on the side.
> 
> 4) E. O. Wilson spends more time on ants than butterflies, but among his
> thousands of pages of writings, he dares to mention butterflies,
> therefore
> a) he is an evil genius, bent on destroying the self esteem of people
> who own butterfly nets.
> b) he likes butterflies, and thinks that in overpopulated, urban
> settings it would be the sensible thing to watch them more than kill
> them.
> 
> 5) The US Endangered Species Act of 1973 puts limitations on the
> collection of an incredibly small fraction of the butterfly checklist,
> therefore
> a) soon we will be hunted down in our homes like drug criminals, and our
> nets confiscated as paraphernalia.
> b) Americans do care about things as economically insignificant as a
> subspecies of blue, and, in order to protect it in an even-handed way
> towards all citizens (required by the US Constitution's concept of equal
> protection and due process etc.) will go to slightly ludicrous lengths
> to assure the survival of both the butterfly and the Constitution.
> 
> You may grade your own quiz answers in any way you like, because here in
> America, we can say anything we want no matter how dumb. If you live in
> some other country, you may ignore this quiz as just another example of
> kooky American self-absorption.
> 
> Yours academically,
> Dr. Patrick Foley
> patfoley at csus.edu
> 
> PS For extra credit, please find out what 'paraphernalia' really means
> and see how it connects to the release of butterflies at weddings!
> 
> PPS This quiz is dedicated to the dark humorist Anne Kilmer, hoping she
> is well enough to enjoy it.
> 


And my secret agenda? Yes! Yes! Yes! I love it.
I thought "paraphernalia" meant the same as "wedding tackle" and is, for 
instance, the way we know that the Miami Blue butterfly is Cyclargus, 
rather than Hemiargus thomasi bethunebakeri, just in time to add 
confusion to the melange.
I will have a bowel resection on Tuesday and am proud to say that I am 
probably the only one in this august assemblage who is not full of 
you-know-what. And am savoring these moments, thank you very much.
You guys have a good time in the Keys, and send me some more photos, 
please.
My doctor says brutally that I can perfectly well continue the Miami 
Blues thingie with my laptop, however sick I may be.
And I can't wait for the wedding at the Mounts Botanical Garden, and the 
release of those Miami Blues. (Larval hosts should be growing nicely by 
now.) About time the commercial breeders made themselves useful, all 
hail to them.
I think there's room for all of us, in this best of all possible worlds, 
with our peculiar tastes, foibles and talents, but I sure am sick of the 
sniping.
On the other hand, anybody that has free time, we can put you to work.
If we make this one work, there are some other butterflies that deserve 
our attention, and the next ones won't be so easy. They may not be so 
thoughtful as to package themselves in cute little red heartshaped 
seedpods, just right for Valentine's day.
Gazing into my futurescope ...
ah well
Cheers
Anne Kilmer
Task Force Director
Miami Blue Butterfly Recovery Team


 
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