4JC-Ambivalence #1

[MexicoDoug at aol.com]

Alex- When stirring up the pot, it is best done evenly for a rapid, 
sustainable boil

Michael- Your response looks like a legal suit, but with all the good points, 
I didn't catch a judgement...perhaps that is your point...so my subsequent 
mumbling here is not intended to be as coherent nor as serious as your points.

Doug-In addition to Michael's points, semi-random time charted butterfly 
inventorying provides a disciplined socioeducational function for our species 
(typically those under an American influence which encourages this type of 
Pavlovian behavior) together with a clearly defined end which gives our species a 
sense of accomplishment (the list) and closure, even if recording some species is 
in error and the only result of the list is that a photographer or collector 
Lepidopterist know where to stalk his/her prey.  As to what a Lepidopterist 
is, well, it is easier to say what it isn't.  It's not a cow, nor a cattle 
egret, typically is a human, though perhaps a Chimp could be trained, and many 
spiders are certainly consumptive gastronomolepidopterologists.  Back to the 
holiday inventorying, it has spawned a niche cottage industry, though curiously 
frequently is critical of "scientists", so unlike many birding activities, on 
many butterfly counts, a Lepidopterist who knows the scientific names doesn't get 
to show off name dropping in front of a bunch of wide-eyed neophytes who view 
the count as a sport.  Those 'neophytes', Alex, certainly have something else 
to do, like get paid to do inventory at Wal-Mart, or take a nature walk for 
sport and relaxation, shuffle & count their stock portfolios, or play the 
license plate game with their kids when on road trips, or chat on the internet 
about politics, or play trivial pursuit (new expanded version 8.0 including 
corrections standardized, homogenized, liquified, decantered, gel-separated 
conforming scientifically well hung ananomously politically neutral (those red 
litmused) unanimous God-given 'common' names).  No go figure...whose actually 
contributing to science or commerce...  Meanwhile, a bonifide no nonesense 
Lepidopterist might look at a butterfly's scale under a microscope all night trying to 
figure out what pretty colors can be made depending upon what position he/she 
holds said scale...taking a good inventory and then figuring out how to fit in 
Hooke's or Newton´s laws.  Thanks for reading this!  Now, I am hanging the 
sign: "Gone Butterflyin' ", and contemplating the meaning of life, if it's not to 
count butterflies...
Best butterflying...Doug
Monterrey, Mexico
PS for those captivated by names (as I am), here's the official USGS/NADA 
site with all 60 dogs pictures (except for John), names, and descriptions.
http://www.cshl.edu/PDogs/
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