We’ve been on a mini-vacation this week, which included hiking and birdwatching for a few days in Southwest FL. The region is one of the best in North America for observing birds, but summer (which is already is here, despite what the calendar suggests) is the worst time for it since a) migratory birds have already decamped, and b) it’s hot AF.
Still, it has been a wildly successful trip in terms of birds spotted. Yesterday, we saw a Mangrove Cuckoo, which even highly skilled birdwatchers (not us!) find challenging to spot. It was pure luck — we heard it and had the good fortune to see it fly across the road right in front of us.
We also saw innumerable Magnificent Frigatebirds, Ospreys, Bald Eagles, Egrets, Herons, Double-Crested Cormorants and Anhingas. We saw plenty of Ibises as well, but since they routinely de-bug our lawn, an Ibis spotting is ho-hum to us — we’re spoiled!
I’ve resisted investing in a camera so far, but this week, I’ve regretted that. Here’s a drawing of a Great Egret that landed on the dock railing at our rental:
And here’s a lovely Green Heron who was almost close enough for a decent iPhone photo:
We saw a gorgeous Reddish Egret too, but he was too far away to photograph without a telephoto lens. The bonus sighting of the day was when we were looking up and then happened to look down long enough to see a little otter scamper across the trail.
Overall, a worthwhile trip despite the wretched heat. Open thread!
NickM
Myakka River State Park? I kayaked there in January and it was just great for wildlife-spotting — it was a really nice state park and I’d love to go back. (Must make Rick Scott angry)
Betty Cracker
@NickM: Nope, further south (Pine Island and Sanibel), but I have been to Myakka, and you’re right — it’s a great spot. Lots of gators, though! Corkscrew is another excellent wildlife observation spot. If you have not yet seen the vid of the FL panther scaring the crap out of a woman on the boardwalk there, it’s worth Googling!
Hillary Rettig
Googled Mangrove Cuckoo – what a flashy guy (or gal).
That pic is great! Makes me want to drop everything and head down south.
Humboldtblue
Age and gender play a role in the upcoming California primary
Chris
It really is a pretty state.
I don’t miss the lack of Medicaid expansion, but I do miss the scenery, among other things.
some guy
we saw a bald eagle when swimming in the springs last weekend. very cool.
Jerzy Russian
I had always associated otters with much colder places after seeing many nature programs in my youth showing otters sliding down ice trails and the like. The google machine tells me that they are endemic over a wide range in North America.
raven
@Betty Cracker: My buddy just moved from Tucson to Ft Meyers after 40 years in the desert. We’ll see.
Lamh36
Obama’s gonna ether him…it’ll be a tag team pairing between Liz Warren and Obama with an assist from Joe Biden, doing what HRC can’t afford to do too much of…taking it to Trump and getting under his skin.
Davebo
Egrets, whites and greys, are everywhere on the lake my parents live on. They are incredibly territorial. I love to watch them spar with one another.
jeffreyw
Great Blue Heron on the critter-cam.
NCSteve
If you’re resisting getting a real camera despite feeling the pull, you need an iPhone camera lens set.
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-iphone-lenses,review-2366.html
Jerzy Russian
@Lamh36: My one recurring nightmare concerning Trump is that the GOP suddenly comes to its senses and nominates an actual human at their convention. I then wake up to reality.
Can you imagine the alternate universe where Trump gives many of the recent public speeches that Obama gave, like his recent speeches in Japan, his eulogy of the victims of Dylan Roof, etc.? Putting aside all of the “policy” things that Trump would bring, Trump has got to be the least presidential candidate for president in history.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Please proceed…. we need some kind of honorific to finish that…
Please proceed, Giant Hairy Vulgar Talking Yam.
MomSense
@Lamh36:
It is going to be glorious when Obama feels free to go after Der Trump. And when they release the Biden–well we know how much fun that will be.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Nothing to see here, I’m sure
Abbott got $35K, Bondi got $25K. Of passing interest is that Bondi’s money seems to have come from a “Trump Foundation”, which at least sounds like some kind of tax shelter to me, though who knows, but I think some kind of tax exempt or tax sheltered outfit giving to a super-pac might raise some questions.
Jeffro
I missed this when it came out a couple days ago and it’s right on point…until the very end, when Frum just can’t quite seem to put 2 and 2 together:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/the-seven-broken-guardrails-of-democracy/484829/
Nevertheless, I’ll take a 7-point, extremely accurate dissection of all the ways that Trump is unfit for office and well outside of any acceptable norms, even if it doesn’t have the courage to answer the question: “Why was this man able to take over the GOP and speak for it?”
Mike in NC
Been invited to visit Tampa for July 4 holiday but looking for an excuse not to experience the heat and humidity.
Poopyman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’ll bet Pam Bondi is pissed now that she knows Trump gave $10K less to a her than he did to the guy. (Or “guys”, assuming there’s more dirt to be found.)
hovercraft
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Trump has been attacking O for at least 5 years now, and every time he comes he loses. This is going to be so much fun. The tag team of Obama, Warren, and Biden to name a few will make Trump wish he was back in his fake WWF arena. Someone needs to tell him to stick to the people he can beat up on, these ones are in a whole different league.
Jeffro
@Jeffro: Frum’s own unanswered questions (although to be fair, in earlier essays he’s pretty clear that the party was led down this path by ‘self-seeking’, unprincipled leaders)
PurpleGirl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Trump Foundation is like many other family-named foundations being a way to distribute money to charities and non-profits. How it usually works is that the family or named person gives money to an entity (the foundation) which then gives the money out. It reduces the taxes of the named person. They are supposed to distribute at least 5% of their money each year. Trump isn’t known as being particularly philanthropic.
ETA: Don’t really have the time to look them up with either the Foundation Center on-line data base or one of charity watchers.
prufrock
I hope you get to see an Anhinga Betty. Gotta love a diving water bird that doesn’t have waterproof feathers. The way it pauses after each dive to dry its wings like sheets on a clothesline reminds me of a video with a lot of stops for buffering.
SiubhanDuinne
@jeffreyw:
LOL. That heron must have been following the Trump comments!
rikyrah
@Lamh36:
Our President is going to have so much fun going after Trump.
rikyrah
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Crooks
SiubhanDuinne
@Jeffro:
This, too, is a fascinating read (warning: Politico!), a conversation among five authors who have written books about Trump. Well worth your time.
Shell
Hahahahahahahahahaha.
After watching Obamas public forum last night on PBS, that confrontation would be a thing to behold. Yes, Trump, Im sure Obama is just trembling in his shoes at whatever mighty Twitter blast you might send his way.
And just looking at his demeanor when he, Trump, gave that little threat…..I fully expect him to physically implode way before the election.
Betty Cracker
@Lamh36: I guess in Trump’s tiny brain, his overtly racist birther campaign doesn’t count as an attack? It still infuriates me that the media is allowing the birther thing to go down the memory hole.
Jeffro
@SiubhanDuinne: Thanks!
I thought this was quite telling, between a couple of the Trump-authors:
Trump sells optimism? This is news to me. Even at his (ugh) ‘best’ he has been selling envy, bombast, and false hopes his whole career. That’s not optimism.
I thought the article was insightful but I’m not sure anyone really needs more insight on the guy or why he is the way he is – just a full & constant airing of his fake businesses, lack of principles, and utter unfitness for office.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/04/donald-trump-2016-campaign-biography-psychology-history-barrett-hurt-dantiono-blair-obrien-213835#ixzz4AQrELOUc
Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook
hovercraft
@PurpleGirl:
I read/ heard somewhere, I’m not sure where, that virtually all the funds in the Trump foundation are from outside donors. He does not actually give money to his own foundation, he only donates in kind, things like passes to his golf courses and hotels. Kind of like what he did with the central park ice rink, he got other people to donate their services, he got the credit for saving it and he also got paid for it. Nice scam.
A Ghost To Most
@hovercraft:
D58826
@Poopyman: Seems only fair. Why should a woman politician be any different than a woman in any other career – work twice as hard for half the pay. :-) Besides it fits the GOP world view.
Roger Moore
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
So not only did they prostitute their offices, they’re cheap prostitutes. Good to know.
hovercraft
@Shell:
Remember the GOP retreat where they invited Obama to confront him about Obamacare. That didn’t go so well, they had all their big guns ready to go, but they all fired blanks. Notice they never invited him back, I wonder why he’s just an empty suit after all who can’t function without a teleprompter.
AnotherBruce
@Hillary Rettig: I don’t know how much of a birder you are, but as far as birding goes, you probably have plenty of birding opportunities where you are. Exotic birds are everywhere especially this time of year. Apologies if you are a birder and already know this.
hovercraft
@A Ghost To Most:
Yes?
MattF
@Jeffro: Trump’s a con artist, basically. The catch is that a successful con artist disappears after the marks have been fleeced– and The Donald can’t do that now. It’s a different game in a different world with different rules, and from what I’ve seen, he can’t really cope with that.
Roger Moore
@Lamh36:
Not quite the right metaphor. See, in a tag team, only one team member is supposed to be in the ring at a time; they have to tag to change places. What we really want is a dog pile, where everyone jumps on him at once, and the ones at the bottom who the refs can’t see can break the rules about the allowable level of violence.
boatboy_srq
@SiubhanDuinne: It’s 2016. “Republican” and “crook” seem synonymous. And “crook” is less bad than “serial rapist/molester” a la Hastert, Craig, Foley et al.
bemused
Speaking of hot and humid places, I read recently about two of the longest lasting, about 7 hrs, insect repellents not containing deet. One had lemon eucalyptus in name, possibly repel. The other was an All Terrain product. A brand can have several different products so I want to find the ones mentioned. Anyone familiar with this?
Sigh. I posted this comment on wrong thread below.
hovercraft
Trumps secret weapon to get women to vote for him use the charm he is so famous for.
rikyrah
@hovercraft:
Remember, they were so arrogant, they even invited the media to cover it, because, of course, they KNEW that they were going to humiliate the President.
And.he.phucking.DESTROYED.THEM.
on their own turf.
at their own meeting.
it was a sight to behold, and, I’m so glad it was on camera.
AnotherBruce
The last few days I headed to woodpecker central in northern Washington State. Spotted Downy and Hairy woodpeckers as well as Red Naped and Yellow Bellied sapsuckers. I kept hearing a Pileated Woodpecker in my campground, but never could spot him. I also saw Bullock’s Oriole, Western Bluebirds, Black Headed Grosbeaks, Yellow Warblers and a host of others.
Paul in KY
Was at Gulf Shores a couple weeks ago for Hangout Music Fest & saw 2 frigate birds circling around. Never had seen them that North before. One badass bird right there. Also, great egret drawing, Betty.
boatboy_srq
@Poopyman: She probably thinks that because she’s in Florida and he’s in Texas her money will go farther.
/snark
Paul in KY
@raven: Have been to both places. Like city of Tucson better, but I sure like that ocean even more.
boatboy_srq
@Betty Cracker: Ah, Sanibel. Pretty, but a tad warm. Are Cap and Tiva still separated?
bystander
If you had bothered to listen to Moanin’ Joe today, you’re would know that when Obama criticizes Trump it hurts Trump. When Biden decides to chime in, he’ll be able to land real blows. But when Hillary says the very same things, it seems to have no effect whatsoever. I’m sure it’s her lack of leadery leader skills of leadership skills, of which she has none.
MomSense
@bemused:
Yes, I’ve read about those products. All Terrain and I think Naturapel might be another brand name. I haven’t been able to find them in stores near me and I don’t like to shop Amazon. I may check Bean’s (even though they piss me off because there are only a handful of things actually made in this country for sale there!!!).
hovercraft
@rikyrah:
The bubble they live in lets them believe their own lies, then reality interferes, Benghazi hearing, said retreat. They seem to always think this will be the time we show that the emperor has no clothes. But alas some people can’t learn.
Mustang Bobby
In 2001 my parents and i spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day birding in Flamingo, which is at the very tip of the state of Florida; the mouth of the Everglades. I added a lot to my life list, including Betty’s aforementioned herons, egrets, and anhingas (aka “water-turkey”). Because of the time of year we saw a lot of migrators resting up for their trip across the Florida Straits to Cuba where they don’t have a problem with visas.
Shell
But at least, for the first time, he called a NON-female politician, “shrill.”
hovercraft
@bystander:
It’s her shouty shrill voice.
different-church-lady
J. Major J. Thorough, comprehensive J.
trollhattan
@MomSense:
Am a big fan of bug-repellent clothing, which doesn’t eliminate slathering on repellent but greatly reduces how much.
MomSense
@trollhattan:
Sunblock clothing is great, too but I’d love to know how to get my kids to wear it. My dog brings in mosquitoes. I swear they hide in her fur like some kind of trojan horse military assault just so they can get in the house and eat us while we sleep.
Miss Bianca
Just put up the second hummingbird feeder a couple days ago – now both of them draining ! : ) And the bees are loud outside, going after the blossoms on the current bushes – somewhere there must be a hive close by…
Mary G
@MomSense: Release the Biden ! Can’t wait.
Awesome drawing , Betty.
trollhattan
@MomSense:
I never thought of the dog as a skeeter transport device. Would need to be floofier than mine, but I can see the possibilities here.
Because we’re in the West Nile range I pay more mind than I once did.
bemused
@SiubhanDuinne:
Yes, very interesting.
Ramping Up
Those of you like me who live in the DC metropolitan area might be frustrated by Metro–and rightly so. But can the system be fixed simply by throwing money at it, or is there something more insidious going on?
Metro workers are public employee union members with essentially lifetime employment, as pointed out in the article. Why not introduce a little market competition and appoint an Emergency Director with ability to renegotiate union contracts and fire incompetent employees? And why not introduce a little bit of diversity to metro’s workforce (it’s 97% black in a city that’s 50/50:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/26/metro-derailed-by-culture-of-complacence-incompete/?page=all
bemused
@MomSense:
I think I’ve seen some of them on sites like Lucky Vitamin. REI and other more natural products sites. I seem to remember All Terrain products at my local health food store in the past. Now to go search online.
Another Holocene Human
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: As if I didn’t need another reason to loathe Pam Bondi.
trollhattan
@Ramping Up:
They could put the emergency director in charge of the water system. Everybody wins!
So you’ve remoraed to union-busting?
Another Holocene Human
@hovercraft: Sounds like some people’s exes I know.
Not enough of them are in jail, tho.
Jeffro
@bystander:
Considering how three decades’ worth of GOP slime have (unfortunately) damaged the perception of HRC with much of the public, I have no problem whatsoever with Obama, Biden, and Warren taking the roles of prominent attack dogs for her from now ’til November. Let her keep doing small group appearances, policy speeches, and positive ads (whether traditional or social media ones) while they take Trump to the woodshed on a daily basis. No problem here.
Another Holocene Human
@Ramping Up: I worked at a place just this dysfunctional and I believe every word these operators are saying about the controllers (they would be called “dispatchers” at any other job)
controllers are just human and under tons of pressure. and operators get blamed for causing problems that are due to shoddy maintenance by mechanics, supervisors, and customers alike.
trust me, it’s the operators with the lower life expectancy, not the controllers.
Another Holocene Human
@Ramping Up:
Are you fucking serious?! Transit operators and mechanics have lower life expectancies, worldwide, than other workers. It’s only lifetime because they DIE ON THE JOB and never enjoy that “cushy” retirement.
eric
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: i guess that can scratch Bondi from the VP list.
bystander
@Jeffro: She will be criticized for having others do her dirty work unless she voices her own critiques.
Another Holocene Human
Sorry I’m so ANGRY about it, just a little thing like Florida Legislature deciding since these lazy blue collar workers die early and throw all that sweet sweet pension cash back into the pot that governments should be able to take advantage of that by going on pension holidays to facilitate lowtaxes, or letting white collars take the money through underpriced “buy-ins”.
And the main victims of this scheme? African American males who seek these government jobs because they discriminate less. Black males in the South have the lowest life expectancy of any racial demographic in America.
PS: JEB! and his bandits screwed worker’s comp to so instead of pressure to make the workplace safer (lololololol) or at least give the worker rehab to return to work they force workers to sue them for pittances, retire off early and live disabled and broke.
Another Holocene Human
GoTT Damn it I’m pissed now. Doc said I need to keep blood pressure lower. Later, y’all.
Shell
What the fuck. At first I thought they were talking about the flooding in Texas
France’s Hollande declares natural disaster as Seine bursts its banks
Another Holocene Human
Okay, I know I flounced but this thought percolated up so I’m gonna put that out there, okay?
The union that represents Metro (WMATA) operators is ATU, and their local president is named Jackie Jeter. She is a strong, African-American woman. (Her husband is a union guy too, dunno if he is an officer but let’s hope not financial secretary, those of you who have been in tax exempt orgs know what I mean.) She takes a public role defending the honor of her members who are maligned from all corners in the media and on social media and comments sections.
There are sectors of the right wing world who have Jackie Jeter derangement syndrome. They post memes with her photo to their boards. They post in all caps about her any time Metro woes come up. (I know because I used to follow WMATA stuff for years, but I guess I gave up because they never change. Did get sucked in again when they built the extension to Dulles. Yes, I am a foamer.)
It’s like the hatred of Michelle Obama or that friend of the Obamas who was working in WH staff (forget her name), but on a smaller scale.
They hate all unions but they truly hate a union represented by an articulate, activist, liberal, outspoken, dark skinned Black woman who is not ashamed of any of that.
I saw her once in person at a union event, too shy to introduce myself but wanted to because I know how much shit she has flung at her on a daily basis and yet her head was held high and she was speaking about feminism and women in unionism, unphased.
It’s funny how Jackie Jeter had to be elected to be in her position but WMATA board and CEO are appointees and they can’t seem to do anything right. And the true unelected lifers are the bureaucrats in WMATA’s antiquated and overly bloated administrative offices. Armies of planners as if the personal, desktop computer never happened. Unneeded middle managers. Heads of depts who aren’t qualified and don’t accomplish anything. A hot mess. WMATA has had endless trouble with vendors* that the white collars can’t handle, but let’s blame blue collars for the maintenance troubles because they’re lazy, uppity, n******s who willed all those trains to break down.
*the companies who manufacture and warranty all the parts that keep breaking down and causing fires and safety violations
burnspbesq
An interesting real-life example of the effects of Republican intransigence may be headed to the Supreme Court.
An employer is trying to set aside the results of a representation election that it lost. Its argument: (1) NLRB regional directors can’t exercise the powers delegated to them by the Board when the Board lacks a quorum of three members and (2) it matters not that the Board lacks a quorum because Mitch McConnell threw a three-year hissy-fit and wouldn’t allow ANY of Obama’s nominees to be confirmed.
I shit you not.
http://www.scotusblog.com/2016/06/petition-of-the-day-938/
CONGRATULATIONS!
Huh, funny how the media has already forgotten Hillary’s ten-hour destruction of Trey Gowdy’s (who?) career live on camera, or as I prefer to call it, the “GOP Flopsweat Symphony”
But yeah, she’ll fold like a cheap suit against Trump, amirite? No ammo in her magazine.
Between Hillary and Obama, Trump will be a sobbing pile of “hair” before this campaign is over, if not dead of an actual stroke (dude ain’t lookin’ too good these days), and then Uncle Joe can administer the coup de grace with pointed comments about tiny fingers. Which Trump does, in fact, have.
MomSense
@Another Holocene Human:
I share your fury. Ramping Up is another fucking death eater.
Ramping Up
@Another Holocene Human:
You think it’s fair that workers in the metro are 97% black in a city that’s 50/50? And that doesn’t even go into the demographics of the region which are even less black.
This is a classic case of union corruption and ethnic networking. The Democrats are experts at it and have been doing it since the days of Tammany Hall, taxpayers be damned.
MomSense
@bemused:
I’m going to check, too. Will let you know what I find.
@trollhattan:
I had to get an AC unit to keep her cool in the summer. She seems to have all the floof. I could probably knit a sweater if I were so inclined. She has the dense lab fur, the long border collie fur, and the shepherd long overcoat and dense undercoat. No wonder she likes to wade in the freezing ocean water.
Ramping Up
What we have here is a case of people that would rather defend unions and their favored ethnic group no matter what true cost to the taxpayer and the commuter.
The Metro is run like a cross between Tammany Hall and the Soviet Politburo. If it wants more funding it needs to be contingent upon it cleaning house.
D58826
‘old little finger’s’ brown shirts:
This is way way past funny anymore.
And Cnn is reporting that yesterday’s UCLA shooter had a kill list.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/06/trump-delegates-patriot-movement-militias
boatboy_srq
@Shell: What, and have TX admit that they’ve neglected their infrastructure spending and emergency mgmt for decades? France declares an emergency; Texas recommends its people learn to swim.
I drove through Houston 13 years ago when a TS flooded the lowlands: interstates were rim-dep and bumper-to-bumper, and all the frontage roads were impassable. This s##t isn’t new; the only things that change are the faces in Austin feigning shock and insisting that Nobody Could Have Predicted….
Come to think of it, few Texans COULD have predicted, given how little TX textbooks are allowed to discuss actual science.
MomSense
@bemused:
Ok, found it on their website. Looks like the free gift of Aqua Source sunscreen is one of EWG’s top picks. I’m going to order some and try the sunscreen too.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ramping Up: No, what we have here is a racist troll.
Emma
@Ramping Up: You have got to be performance art. Nobody can be so jejune, obtuse, and all around inane and still breathe and type at the same time.
LAO
Sorta off topic but, no offense to Mrs. Cracker and all you other Floridians, but having spent the morning dealing with an unreasonable Florida probation officer, I’m not feeling the love for your state. In 20 years of practice, I have never dealt with such an awful prick!
Back to arguing with trolls.
Lamh36
More and more of this deaths from pain med overdoses. Maybe wake up call for folks that Pain med addiction is real people…not all addiction are recreational drugs. imagine having to live in CONSTANT pain and just wanting relief…
Sad all over again…RIP Prince
gindy51
@trollhattan: Advantix II functions as a skeeter repellent for dogs. Mine never get bit by anything but I sure do. I have to wear long pants, a hoodie, a mosquito net for my head, and gloves during dawn and dusk outings or else. Welts the size of silver dollars that itch like fire for 2 weeks if I don’t.
As for birds, we have green herons that breed not 40 feet from my front door and train their offspring in my front pond. Red shouldered hawks do as wee and keep the bull frog population in check. All told we have over 90 species that are here during the 4 seasons on our farm, which is now a wild life sanctuary. We’ve seen otter, mink, squirrel, opossum, deer, coyote, fox, skunk, chipmunk, and maybe even a bobcat. Nature sure rewards you if you are nice to her…
ArchTeryx
I’ll tell my Great Blue Heron story, as the big waders (Herons, egrets, ibises, and so on) are among my favorite birds.
I was in my home stomping ground, David’s Pond, trying to get up close and personal with a Great Blue Heron for a picture. Great Blue Herons, despite their size and intimidating beaks, are actually very shy birds outside of their rookeries, and spook easily. Nontheless, I used a little trail through a swampy bottomland to get close to one fishing the shore, and was lying on my belly.
Something – I’ll never know exactly what – spooked the bird, and he took off. Right at me. Herons, like most birds, dump ballast during an escape takeoff, and the only ballast they have to dump are their droppings.
I was faced with an instant choice: The swamp mud to either side of me, or getting bombed by the heron. I chose the former. A split second later, the trail I was lying on turned white.
Took me the better part of an hour to shower that swamp mud off myself and clean up my optical equipment, but I still consider the alternative to have been WORSE. The things we do for pictures some times!
Bobby Thomson
@Poopyman: not even 78 cents on the dollar.
ArchTeryx
@Lamh36: I know exactly what that’s like, being a colitis sufferer. Pain med addiction is one of my greatest fears, but it’s so often a Hobson’s Choice: Do you want to live with the pain, or live with the addiction?
The trouble is, nobody’s yet discovered the Holy Grail: A pain med with the strength of opiates, but none of their addictive properties. And it is a devil’s bargain: Over time, the opiates work less and less well, and you usually need to move to stronger ones…and eventually, you end up in a situation like with Prince or Michael Jackson, where ‘enough to stop the pain’ ends up being ‘enough to stop your heart’ and it’s all over.
It’s not a moral failing. It’s just a wish not to fucking suffer, and there are no good long term options for many of these folks.
A Ghost To Most
@hovercraft:
Must have butt commented
Betty Cracker
@ArchTeryx: Hilarious story! You dodged a major poop bombing!
One time my dad wasn’t so lucky…we were motoring down a river at dusk in a small boat with a covered cockpit. Dad stuck his head and shoulders through the top hatch just as we startled a flock of coots into flight. They crapped all over him.
ArchTeryx
@Betty Cracker: Whoops! At least they were coots, and not some giant dinosaur remnant. ^.^
At the time, I was a teenager and was absolutely swearing a blue streak about my parent’s camera, my binoculars, and my clothes – not to mention the fun trying to drive home without covering my parent’s car in mud, too. And almost all the curses were directed at that bloody great birdbag of a heron.
Nowadays, though, I laugh about it. It wasn’t the heron’s fault, after all – they may be giant predators in their world, but other things can and do eat them too, and the poor fellow was just trying to stay alive. He didn’t even know I was there – I just got in the way. So I don’t begrudge the heron his due. I just made damn sure I had an out whenever I put myself in that situation again!
Brachiator
@Lamh36: RE: Prince cause of death: opioid overdose, AP reports yahoo.com/news/prince-ca… via @Yahoo
yeah. Some posters and commenters keep wanting to see this as a drug addiction issue, but it really seems to be more about pain management. I also don’t know how this fits in with reports that Prince was avoiding hip replacement surgery that might have alleviated the pain issue.
We may never know all that we might want to know, and the only thing that remains is sadness.
ETA: Going back over some Prince related podcasts and media, I ran across this great episode of the LA based Mo Kelly show, featuring an interview with someone who knew Prince as a child and who observed him off and on as part of the wildly creative Minnesota music scene. I think there is also mention of Prince as a quiet philanthropist. From the program notes:
Paul in KY
@Ramping Up: Doing what that operator is said to do is a fireable offense. Just catch her doing it & terminate.
rikyrah
@Another Holocene Human:
thanks for this lesson in CONTEXT.
Paul in KY
@Ramping Up: Fuck off racist dickwad.
Paul in KY
@Betty Cracker: Once you get crapped on by a bird, chances are it won’t happen again.
For those of you who haven’t had it happen yet….just wait.
boatboy_srq
@Paul in KY: Butbutbut yoonyuns and lifetime
entitlementsemployment and Those People. Because waste/fraud/abuse./snark
Is it really so surprising that Drumpf does so well when it’s so much easier to say “lazy good-for-nothing niCLANGs” than it is to spew out all the dogwhistle equivalent?
Ramping Up
@Paul in KY:
Doesn’t work that way in the Unionized Metro. Lifetime employment and cushy pension, competence be damned.
We need an Emergency Director, under the direct control of the Congress, to go in there and crack some heads.
Tilda Swinton's Bald Cap
@Ramping Up: Here’s a delicious pancake recipe for you. Make sure your griddle is hot !
Mnemosyne
I’m hoping to spot some wild parrots tomorrow — yes, wild parrots, in Los Angeles. There’s a large flock that spends its days flying between cities.
Rumor has it that they’re escapees from a long-ago pet store fire that have gone feral, but no one is really sure. They’re green parrots and they raise one hell of a ruckus as they travel back and forth.
Olduvai George
@CONGRATULATIONS!: YES. Hillary Clinton’s testimony before the Benghazi committee on October 22, 2015, erases any doubt that she’s the one we want. Over 11 hours of testimony, she never lost her composure or her focus. She even kept her sense of humor, laughing, in the 10th hour, after a Republican congresswoman, referring to a particular night, asked Clinton if she was alone that entire night. Here are links to the testimony:
c-span link 1
c-span link 2
c-span link 3
boatboy_srq
@Paul in KY:@boatboy_srq: Afterthought: isn’t it curious that the same voices that whinge constantly about “competence” and “professionalism” and “competition” for adult workers are the ones championing doing fvckall to train for those exact things because School Choice and religulous libertee? You would think that if “the system is broken” for this generation of workers they’d have a better solution for the next generation than sending all the education dollars to griftacular charter schools.
Poopyman
@Emma: We used to have better trolls around here. Does Cole need to raise some scratch to contract with higher-class trolls?
Jeffro
@bystander: She’ll be criticized no matter what, so she should just let the good campaigners/great public speakers/awesome Twitter-hounds do their thing while she does hers.
D58826
@Paul in KY: Seagulls at the beach used my wheelchair bound wife as a target. Got to be a family joke as we tried to disguise her when we did the boardwalk.
MattF
@Ramping Up: Ah. Someone was ‘explaining’ to me that the big safety drive on Metro was really part of a plot to prepare us all for higher taxes. Now I get it. Higher taxes = ‘them’. THANKS!
D58826
@Ramping Up: Better idea – union control of congress to crack some congressional heads
Paul in KY
@Ramping Up: Last time I will respond to you. You can fire. It takes more time than in the private industry, but it certainly can be done.
Betty Cracker
@Mnemosyne: We’ve got wild Quaker Parrots here in FL. I’ve mostly seen them in barrier island communities, though I’ve also seen them in downtown Tampa more than once. They are bright green and about the size of a pigeon — loud as hell, too. Wonder if it’s the same type of bird?
Mnemosyne
@Lamh36:
There was a fascinating (and sad) article a few weeks ago that pointed out that Prince could very well have been taking opioids to doctor’s recommendation and still overdosed, because doctors are not staying on top of interactions and drug changes like they should.
We really need some better solutions for chronic pain. Really, we can’t do any better than drugs we’ve known to be dangerous and addictive for 200+ years?
Ramping Up
What would the response of progressives be if the staff of Washington DC’s Metro was 97% white?
Major Major Major Major
good morning ? everyone‽ (apologies to rikyrah)
Ramping Up
@Another Holocene Human:
Having a workforce that’s 97% black in a city that’s only 50% black is, by definition, an institution that is practicing widespread discrimination.
Paul in KY
@boatboy_srq: Everything they say is bullshit. They don’t want these workers properly trained, because then they would be competent & that would stop their agitprop about lazy, untrained, union employees.
When your political strategy is to break stuff & then complain because whatever you broke doesn’t work properly, maybe you should re-examine your life.
Paul in KY
@D58826: I have had some crap at me when I got near their nests (these were terns). It tasted like salty fish paste.
Paul in KY
@Mnemosyne: Prince was also 5’2″ and weighed 90 pounds.
The Thin Black Duke
@Mnemosyne: This is depressingly too close to home, unfortunately. My wife is in constant pain all the time because of the damned Fibromyalgia, and the doctors can do nothing for her. It sucks.
ArchTeryx
@Mnemosyne: The sad part is, no, we can’t. I just talked with a a pain specialist the other day, and the opioids are, in many cases, actually BETTER then the alternatives. Though for certain chronic pain issues, you can inject antiinflammatory steroids or even do nerve-deadening surgery. My beloved just had one such procedure done on herself for a shoulder injured in an accident.
But that’s only for specific sorts of pain issues. For others – like my colitis – opioids are right now literally the only game in town. Though medical marijuana shows distinct promise as being a safer alternative, it’s not yet the law of the land in many places. Drugmakers have been trying for nearly all those 200+ years to find safer alternatives – in our War On (some) Drugs culture, such a pill would command instant market share. But so far, we’ve found that whatever suppresses the pain centers also tends to tickle the pleasure centers (i.e. make us high) and thus, addictive potential. And we develop tolerance over time.
MattF
@Mnemosyne: There’s steroids. Unless you’re prone to blood pressure spikes…
Mnemosyne
@Betty Cracker:
I’m looking at the California Parrot Project website and apparently most of ours are Amazona parrots, which are green with different colored crowns. My coworker thinks they were the Lilac-Crowned ones — he got some good pictures of the flock hanging out on some telephone wires.
LAO
@ArchTeryx:
As a person with Crohn’s Disease — marijuana is an absolute game changer in terms of managing pain. Hopefully, it will come to your state soon.
hamletta
@bemused: Late to the @MomSense: Jumping in here to suggest Thistle Farms, if you’re looking for natural bug repellent. It’s a residential rehab program in Nashville that helps women who’ve faced homelessness, substance abuse, prostitution, and other horrors.
They make all natural personal care products to help raise money, and they’re real nice folks. I’ve not used the bug-free stuff, but their lippies and body balm are awesome.
Major Major Major Major
“Mangrove cuckoo” makes me think of “duck mango”.
Emma
@Poopyman: I’ll kick in a few bucks towards the hiring of a better class of trolls.
ArchTeryx
Bleah. Somehow, my last comment got stuck in moderation.
smith
@Mnemosyne:
We have them in Chicago, as well, mostly in Hyde Park and the SW suburbs. They’re in a lot of cities where you’d not expect them. I’ve seen them at my neighbor’s bird feeder, even. Years ago when I worked in Hyde Park, going to work on a bright spring morning, a small flock flew in making their raucous calls and landed on a very green lawn. As soon as they were down and quiet they virtually disappeared. Made me wonder if we’re wandering around unknowingly stepping over parrots all the time.
Mnemosyne
@Ramping Up:
Still waiting for your link showing that you didn’t pull that “97%” number out of your ass like you usually do.
rikyrah
A Question of Racism
What’s behind the vitriol in the opposition to Obama?
By Michael A. Fletcher
……………….
The First Black President
A series exploring the cultural impact of Obama’s White House
“You lie!”
The words cut through the air as President Obama, not eight months into his first term, laid out his signature health care proposal in a prime-time speech to a joint session of Congress.
The outburst by South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson, challenging the president’s factual assertion that the health care law would not extend coverage to illegal immigrants, drew audible gasps in the room and withering stares from Obama as well as Vice President Joe Biden and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who were sitting behind the president on the rostrum.
It’s unprecedented for a president addressing Congress to be heckled like a referee at a summer league basketball game. Not surprisingly, the incident still rankles Obama supporters, including some of his closest confidants.
“Somebody should have smacked his a–,” former Attorney General Eric Holder said of Wilson in an interview. “They should have . . . told him to sit the f— down.”
Wilson apologized and was formally rebuked by Congress. Still, for many the incident stands as a prime example of how the unwritten rules dictating public respect for the nation’s chief executive and his family have shifted for the worse since the nation’s first black president took office. Instances of obstruction, scorn and outright insult have mounted over his seven-year tenure.
“There is a unique feeling of fear — hatred is too strong a word — but a feeling of anger, dissatisfaction with this president,” Holder said.
All of which raises a disturbing question: Is racism to blame?
The continuous challenges to the president’s legitimacy and authority offer a troubling counterpoint to the shimmering achievement his election and re-election represent for a nation founded on both the dream of equality and the reality of white supremacy. They evoke a shameful history, when whites routinely addressed blacks by their first names and adult men were called “boy” and otherwise diminished without a second thought, no matter their age or standing.
Any one or two or three of the slights to Obama could be dismissed as insignificant one-offs, the last gasps of a dying order that relegated people of color to a lesser place.
Major Major Major Major
@Poopyman: It looks like he purchased a grammar upgrade for whoever does Ramping Up’s afternoon shift.
Patricia Kayden
@Lamh36: Of course President Obama is going to campaign for Secretary Clinton. That’s a given and I hope that will give her the push she needs to win in November.
No one on our side is afraid of Trump’s foolishness and stupid “insults”. Let him try to come for Obama. Obama will nuke the hell out of him.
Mnemosyne
@ArchTeryx:
When you say “we can’t,” I’m assuming you mean that there’s no societal will to try and find safer alternatives, not that all of the possible scientific routes have been explored in vain. There’s still so little scientific understanding of what pain is and what the mechanism underlying it is that I doubt the problem is that there are no other possible solutions. But as long as we as a society feel that chronic pain is somehow “immoral” and people with chronic pain are lazy sinners, the problem is going to continue.
Patricia Kayden
@Mnemosyne: That must be a sight to behold. I have an African gray parrot and she’s quite spunky and extroverted. Absolutely adorable. Hope you are able to take some photos of those green parrots and post them here.
smith
@Mnemosyne: Also, have you seen the documentary The Parrots of Telegraph Hill? It’s about a guy who made it his mission to care for the wild (actually I guess feral) parrots in SF, which come in a fairly wide variety. I found it really touching.
Major Major Major Major
@smith: I love when there are people in from out of town who notice the parrots.
“Is that a–”
“Yyyeah, we have those.”
Gravenstone
@burnspbesq: An interesting tactic. But doesn’t their argument boil down to, “we’d have totally won this case if Obama’s nominees had been seated on that panel!”? Yeah, good luck with that one.
ArchTeryx
@Mnemosyne: It’s that drug companies actually HAVE explored many of the scientific alternatives and so far, they haven’t come up with anything better. One of the key exceptions is marijuana and its derivatives. So is Ultram, though it’s LESS evil then opioids, it still has many of their strengths – and warts. Precisely BECAUSE we think being high is such an immoral thing, there’s an instant huge market share for painkillers that WOULDN’T make us high (and thus, less risk of addiction) and yet, they still haven’t found any besides the two exceptions listed.
Ramping Up
@Mnemosyne:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/26/metro-derailed-by-culture-of-complacence-incompete/?page=all
The Times got its number straight from the WAMTA itself. There are only six (SIX!) white women in the entire WAMTA workforce! What do you have against more diversity in Metro?
Paul in KY
@Patricia Kayden: You want to laugh at Trump. He hates that. Stuff like what the President zinged him with at that correspondents dinner. Also keep hitting him hard on all the scams he has going on. Make him defend the undefendable.
MomSense
@hamletta:
Thank you. Sounds like a great program. I’ll check it out.
Mnemosyne
@Ramping Up:
(A) Washington Times? Really?
(B) Read your own link, dumbass. This is the very first paragraph:
You realize that not every employee of WMATA is a driver, right? Dumbass.
SiubhanDuinne
@smith:
I love that movie! Somewhere I own it on DVD. Should look for it and watch again — it’s been quite a while.
SiubhanDuinne
@Major Major Major Major:
It makes me think of “Mangrove Throatwarbler,” spelled “Raymond Luxury Yacht.”
Major Major Major Major
Salon’s top headline right now is “Bernie Sanders Could Go Green: The democratic socialist hasn’t ruled out a 3rd party run–and it could be the only way to stop Trump.”
Tilda Swinton's Bald Cap
@Ramping Up: Here’s another one. Blueberry, yum.
Trollhattan
@Major Major Major Major:
Thing one does not lead to thing two. The end. Thanks, Salon.
Reggie Mantle
@Major Major Major Major:
Of course, if you read the actual article, you find no evidence whatsoever that he intends to do so. It’s all wishful thinking from someone in the Greens.
But don’t let that stop you from gettin’ your hate on.
bemused
@Lamh36:
Agree. People need to get up to speed on addictions, esp to the pain meds. From remarks I hear from some, they seem to still feel addictions are moral failings. It’s never, ever that simple. A dear friend said almost immediately after we all learned of Prince’s death was she heard “everywhere” that it was a drug overdose, way too early for speculation. Then when it appeared to be an overdose, she said “what a waste”. Sigh.
Ramping Up
@Mnemosyne:
So no discrimination is going on in a job occupied, 97% of the time, by blacks? You don’t want more diversity among drivers and operators?
Mnemosyne
@Patricia Kayden:
I’m going to try — it depends on if the birds cooperate or not tomorrow morning!
@smith:
I haven’t seen the movie, but it sounds interesting. There are feral parrots all over California, mostly assumed to be pet shop escapees. We get lots of interesting urban wildlife out here, including bears and mountain lions.
Major Major Major Major
@Reggie Mantle: Why would I read something with such a stupid headline?
Reggie Mantle
@Major Major Major Major:
Why would you repost the stupid headline?
bemused
@hamletta:
Thx. Another lovely site to explore.
Cat48
@bemused:
Skin repellant that some use here in SC is Avon Skin-So-Soft and they swear by it. I’ve never used it so can’t advise.
Mnemosyne
@Ramping Up:
Yes, those numbers need to be improved, but anyone who thinks that the problems of a multi-state transit agency that hasn’t done maintenance or upgrades in 20 years are caused by a lack of diversity in a specific job category is a dumbass.
Of course, we already knew that about you.
Patricia Kayden
@Major Major Major Major: Salon has really gone down since the departure of Joan Walsh (or perhaps before that since I stopped reading it after 2008). Tis a shame. Back in the day, Paglia was the only annoying writer. Looks like they’ve hired more trolls since then.
Gus
Florida is a birder’s paradise.
Major Major Major Major
@Reggie Mantle: To make fun of Salon.
You’re the one who read the article.
rikyrah
@Cat48:
LOL
someone on another blog asked the same question this past weekend about repellant, and more than one poster SWORE by Skin-So-Soft.
Patricia Kayden
@Mnemosyne: Lucky you to have roving parrots in your vicinity. All I’ve seen where I live in Southern Maryland are groups of vultures eating road kill. Oh well.
Bex
@hamletta: Thanks for mentioning Thistle Farms. They do incredible work. If I ever get to Nashville, I want to have coffee and treats at their Thistle Stop Café.
hovercraft
@rikyrah:
It’s a mystery. Why do I get more can I help you’s in stores, everyone is so anxious to help me to help me, I wonder why. I must be the most helpless looking person, lucky me.
Reggie Mantle
@Major Major Major Major:
Sure it wasn’t more reflexive Bernie bashing?
Cat48
@Ramping Up:
If there is ethnic discrimination & your white, we learned it all from you!
Reggie Mantle
@rikyrah:
It works like a charm for some folks. Others, not so much. It never did anything for me.
Not sure why. It’s worth a shot.
Brachiator
@Jeffro:
Very interesting stuff, even though some of the supposed “guardrails of democracy” are really the guardrails of Republican Orthodoxy. For example:
But Trump supporters don’t care about an empty blind obedience to “conservative” ideology.
But do like how Frum highlight’s Trump’s absolute ignorance of, well, anything related to government and governing. Sadly, this very ignorance appeals to many of Trump’s supporters, who foolishly believe that he will be able to fill in any gaps in his knowledge with “good” advisors.
Major Major Major Major
@Reggie Mantle: You’re… new here.
Yes, I’m sure.
Miss Bianca
@rikyrah:
Gee, Michael…ya think?
bemused
@MomSense:
I found All Terrain on the drugstore site and then saw their green and natural section had some discounts on other products I needed & free shipping with 35$ total.
Doing search on insect repellents, I was amused to learn that bugs hate Victoria’s Secret Bombshell cologne.
Reggie Mantle
@Major Major Major Major:
Edited. Misread response.
hovercraft
@Paul in KY:
This should make Trump happy. Via TPM
After Thursday’s “At This Hour” on CNN, the network was lauded for fact-checking presumptive nominee Donald Trump in its chyron.
While CNN (among other cable news networks) frequently report on Trump’s shifting stances on the air, it’s a rarity to see reflected in its on-screen captions.
After correspondent Jason Carroll reported Trump claimed yesterday he never said he wants Japan to get nuclear weapons, the network rolled footage of Trump earlier saying Japan should have “nukes” at its disposal and the chyron read: “TRUMP: I NEVER SAID JAPAN SHOULD HAVE NUKES (HE DID).”
Tilda Swinton's Bald Cap
@Reggie Mantle: Did you ever try that recipe ? Here’s another one for you.
Ramping Up
@Cat48:
Two wrongs make a right, eh?
The Lodger
Still waiting for our commenter in Norway to respond to the parrot topic.
Major Major Major Major
@The Lodger: I know what you’re trying to do, but we have one? Who’s that?
Brachiator
@Major Major Major Major:
Wow. This is borderline delusional.
I can’t wait for the next round of primaries. I get to vote in the California primary. I don’t know if the Tuesday results will settle everything, but I hope that it finally starts to move us in that direction.
Mnemosyne
@The Lodger:
I hear their parrots have beautiful plumage.
@Major Major Major Major:
IIRC, commenter BGinChi is currently working there.
catclub
@Roger Moore: I think the quality of Democratic politican that will be going to bat for Hillary will contrast dramatically with the GOP politicians who will be hiding rather than appear with or for Trump.
catclub
@Patricia Kayden:
There has been a Notable lack of former GOP presidents to have campaigned for GOP Presidential candidates lately. GWBush did not campaign in 2008 or 2012.
Funny that.
hovercraft
StringOnAStick
Ah, sanibel island; we went there last November and it was hotter than usual for that time of year for some anthropogenic reason. Saw a small gator in the Ding Darling wildlife refuge, tons of birds and got lots of photos for painting projects. The coolest thing I saw was just an ordinary turtle who ran across the trail in front of my bicycle – such wild patterns on it’s shell.
J R in WV
The commenter who recommended a set of attachable lenses for you iPhone was right on.
And if you want a high-end camera for birding that’s easy to learn to use, I highly recommend the Panasonic Lumix cameras with Leica lenses.
I have one of these from 2012 – Lumix DMC FZ200; they’re still available new, and they are excellent sturdy cameras that shoot in low light levels and have optical vibration compensation. I learned by accident that they can shoot multiple exposures of a very dim scene and combine them to produce a well exposed photo that looks professionally lit. Amazon for $349, they have a 24X zoom F2.8 lens with Leica on it. There’s argument over what that name means, but they are one of the 2 or 3 top lens makers in the world. Video too!
There are also FZ300 and FZ1000 ($497 and $697) models, which I haven’t used, but which I feel sure are top end at what they do.
The spring garden pictures AL has posted from me were taken with this camera, but they were also resized and post-processed for publication.
boatboy_srq
@Mnemosyne: Doesn’t help much that WMATA looks to most candidates like a horrible place to work. Ancient facilities, decrepit offices, and don’t get me started on the rolling stock. The one advantage over other public sector employers is there’s no need for a security clearance as HUD/DoD/DHS/etc have.
I interviewed there recently. I was not impressed in the least (bad space, bad attitudes, toxic work environment) and they initially passed as well, yet they had the nerve to reach out recently and ask me (in bored furmulaic bureaucratese) whether I was still interested. I can only think that their preferred candidates ran screaming, and they’re looping back because I’m more polite and have a stronger stomach.
boatboy_srq
@Cat48: If RU is going to nitpick, selecting as an example a city whose architects never planned for permanent residents (or at least permanently residing citizenry – property could stay as long as it was needed to keep up the housing and public buildings), whose ethnic makeup is informed by that as much as anything else, and whose governance has been until recently the purview of a Congress almost completely disinterested in the city’s residents’ welfare, is probably not a good choice. But then s/he probably doesn’t like getting reminded that the Great U S of A was largely built with slave labor, or that Brown v Board of Ed was necessary, either.
boatboy_srq
@J R in WV: Ditto on Lumix, especially on the Leica glass. My nine year old FZ50 is still going strong.
AnotherBruce
I agree with Ramping Up. 97℅ is way too many black people to place in one industry. So I propose a 1 for 1 swap. Let’s trade a black transportation worker for a white congressman proportionally from either party. This affirmative action solves the racial bias problem fairly. Although I fear that it will lead to profound transportation problems.
boatboy_srq
@AnotherBruce: Congress is a large part of why WMATA is so dysfunctional now: between direct action (nonfunding of transit) and indirect action (outsourced public functions enticing antigummint types to metro DC, which puts pressure on the transit system while robbing it of revenues) they’re a prime reason the current system is fvcked. Net change will be minimal if they’re driving the trains instead of denying the funds for maintenance and improvements.