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Mike Kaspari

@mikekaspari.bsky.social

3.1K followers 270 following 1.2K posts

I’m a college professor immersed in #teaching and #ecology. I visit lots of ecosystems, combine observations and simple experiments, and look for generalities. I #garden, #cook, play #music and #read to round things out.

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Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · Nov 18

Nutrient Dilution and the Future of Herbivores: a short thread
The fossil fuel folks claimed that all the extra CO2 is great for plants. Indeed, plant mass has increased globally by about 30% in the past century.
But when you load a plant up the carbs, what happens to all its other nutrients?

The density of N, P, K, Na in grasses declined over 30+ years in a Kansas prairie

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Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 11h

This one wins my personal internet award for the day.

Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 11h

Perfect.
And I bet XX sent his papers to journals promising “rapid publication” and all the sloppiness that entails.

Carlos M Herrera @cmhmaliani.bsky.social · 16h

Way too often I am reminded of this old comment by Nobel laureate physicist Wolfgang Pauli:

"The fact that XX thinks slowly is not serious, but that he publishes faster than he thinks is inexcusable"

Reposted by Mike Kaspari

Norm Eisen @normeisen.bsky.social · 1d

The overreach of the Jim Crow regime in response to peaceful lawful protest brought it down

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 1d

Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.

(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire.

“We could hear them laughing,” Black said.

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Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 20h

My favorite version of “Another Day” by Neil Innes and The Rutles

youtu.be/TWoLvZmJpyk?...

The Rutles: Another Day

YouTube video by SgtRuttersClubBand

youtu.be

Reposted by Mike Kaspari

Charlotte Clymer @charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 1d

"So, Democrats have three words for this: no fucking way. It's literally life or death. We will not let Republicans blow up our health care system."

This is, hands down, the best comms work Chuck Schumer has done in YEARS. Surprisingly good.

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Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 1d

Alt frame:“what is the most effective 5 year investment of my time?”.

As grad students rarely read books, if you divided your outline into three review articles for AREES, TREE, QRB, would you collectively reach a more folks, more quickly?

A book for a wide audience has different calculus.

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Reposted by Mike Kaspari

A. Whitney Brown @awhitneybrown.bsky.social · 1d

@tracesoftexas.bsky.social
RIP Speedy Sparks, bass player for the Texas Tornados and many others. And a real gentleman.

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Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 1d

Smoky tea? Not so much.

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Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 1d

Two you recommend as a starter pack?

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Reposted by Mike Kaspari

George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 2d

Love this. Superbly done. Please send this far and wide. @donwinslow.bsky.social

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Reposted by Mike Kaspari

Lee Dyer @gusanero.bsky.social · 2d

Poster for course on Lepidoptera in Colombian Amazon with a traditional house surrounded by butterflies.

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Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 2d

To leave all your family thinking your unhinged

And just when they figure what to watch on TV

You veto their choice citing Emily…

Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 2d

Keep an eye out for driver ants (Dorylus). They like to be fed by hand as well.

Reposted by Mike Kaspari

Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 3d

They’re using American tax dollars to fund infrastructure in Argentina because that’s where they’re all going to flee when we kick them out of office

Ryan Grim @ryangrim.bsky.social · 7d

After announcing a $20 billion bailout of Argentina, the White House now says it's pausing $18 billion in funding for NYC infrastructure projects

Russ Vought would love nothing more than to tear this country down to its studs

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Reposted by Mike Kaspari

NANCY COMICS BY ERNIE BUSHMILLER @nancycomics.bsky.social · 3d

SLUGGO’S SUNDAY
I'LL SPEND THE DAY UP IN THE ATTIC READING OLD COMIC BOOKS

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Reposted by Mike Kaspari

Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 3d

This from @govpritzker.illinois.gov on @cnn.com

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Jim Elser @drlimnology.bsky.social · 3d

This is what you can watch on Voice of America channel in Kenya.

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Reposted by Mike Kaspari

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 4d

👇🏽

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Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 4d

The musicianship alone…

youtu.be/jtbZ8dp2AIw?...

Ida Red - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys

YouTube video by ClassicCountry1978

youtu.be

Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 4d

The bond between dog and owner is one of the most sacred on gawd’s green Earth.

Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 4d

The promised sheep dog competition has thus far been remarkably sheep dog free.

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Reposted by Mike Kaspari

Democrats @democrats.org · 5d

This is Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva.

She'll be the final vote to release the Epstein files—but the GOP won't call the House back into session to swear her in.

If you live in a red district, call your rep and tell them: SWEAR IN @adelitaforcongress.bsky.social NOW—RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES.

Image of Adelita Grijalva wearing a denim jacket and a gray top, with a blurred natural background.

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Reposted by Mike Kaspari

Gremliny Nussboo @emilynussbaum.bsky.social · 5d

I'm trying to read something in an Acrobat PDF & this repulsive bloated purple-peach AI Assistant GROWTH is practically throbbing in the corner of the screen. It's maddening; it's useless; and when I try to turn it off in Preferences, nothing seems to work. So I've come here to pointlessly gripe!!

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Reposted by Mike Kaspari

Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock @warnock.senate.gov · 5d

These are the lowest cost insurance options for a 62 year old Georgian making $65k.

2025: $228
2026: $1142

She will lose $704/month in credits because of GOP cuts to health care.

This is a crisis. We cannot wait to fix this.

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Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 5d

Oooh, we are gonna have the best porch display for Halloween…