Wednesday, May 23, 2007

merkin strikes again

Eschaton commenter Merkin Patriot has struck again:

I have an appointment this afternoon with clients who are French. The wife has a sexy voice and may use her wily charms to turn me into a cheese-eating surrender monkey. How do I resist such temptation without losing their business?

OMG SORRY I GOT TO THIS LATE - DONT LOOK HER IN TEH EYE!!!! IF YOU DO YOULL TURN INTO A GORGONZOLA AT LEATS THATS WHAT GREEK MITHOLOGY SAYS AND YOU KNOW THEY DONT LIEK TO TEMPT FETA


So poetic. And cheesy.

I call bullshit!

I don't for a minute believe this guy's story.

The family's statement said Schreck was beneath a log and covered with leaves for warmth. He suffered no serious injuries, they said. When deputies interviewed him about 1 a.m. Tuesday, he appeared in perfect health.

"No injuries, no bumps or bruises," Urquhart said.

The statement said Schreck "came to on Monday" and began working to get himself out. "Scrambling up the ravine, he filled his water bottle with muddy water and at around 2 p.m. began retracing his steps."


They searched for him, with dogs, all weekend long. He was gone for 3 and a half days, then just shows up; he claims he was out for three days, but doesn't go to a hospital, not even for dehydration. It's got hinky written all over it. Personally, I think he either spent the weekend with a lover or partying with hookers down on the SeaTac strip. LOOOSER.

Apparently he's had to have rescuers called out on him before, while skiing. I think maybe this guy should 1) not be allowed anywhere without a callphone and locator beacon and 2) have to pay for any future rescue operations himself.

Monday, May 07, 2007

hey parents....

you're screwing up your kids:

One-fifth of infants and toddlers under age 2 have a television in their bedrooms, according to a new study that suggests saturation with media could affect brain development as more shows start to target America's youngest children.


If you aren't even willing to spend time with them, why have them? It isn't like birth control has been banned (yet). It really would be better for the planet if you didn't breed.

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Friday, May 04, 2007

Friday bird blogging

Not my birds, today....but I thought I would share this clip from David Attenborough's The Life of Birds.

This is a QuickTime clip of a lekking Superb Lyrebird, from Southern Australia. Lek describes a mating system in which males call and display their plumage in order to attract females, often in an arena scratched out on the ground, or sometimes perched in trees. Sometimes it is done competitively (lots of males within sight of each other), in other cases the males are solitary. Lots of different birds (and apparently even some mammals) use this mating system, from the grouse and peacock to the kakapo (a flightless parrot from New Zealand).

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trifecta!

Drunk, high, and talking on cell phone:

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock was drunk and talking on his cell phone at the time of his fatal accident, and marijuana was found in the sport utility vehicle he was driving.


(Oh, and did I mention he was also speeding?)

This has been your Friday edition of Stupid Rich White Men.

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Thursday, May 03, 2007

parrot update

Been a few weeks since I updated! Here's the latest from the world of parrots!

Aziza is responding well to her hCG treatment. Her last shot was last Saturday. Since about April 20, she's been acting much more like her old self, so much so that I've even started bathing her again. She's still getting terbenefine for her respiratory infection, and hopefully that is also resolving. She has two more months of treatment for that. Last week, she started molting - which seems to indicate that she's probably done making eggs for now (though we will probably keep her on hCG for awhile longer). She is gaining weight little by little, but she has a nice slimmed down profile now, like a normal bird. She isn't all heavy-looking around her abdomen, like she had been before, so I imagine her liver has shrunk back to normal size.

Everyone else is doing well. One funny thing. After I medicate Aziza in the evenings, I give her a treat so she can get the nasty taste out of her mouth. When she gets treats, the other birds want them too! Usually, Kelele will be on top of Koga's cage, which is next to Kianga's cage. Recently, Kelele has been sneaking up to my shoulder while I'm bending over to put treats in Kinaga's dish. A couple of times, he has tapped me on the shoulder with his beak. Once, I slowly turned and even got him to approach and give me a kiss. Bear in mind that Kelele was a wild-caught bird and has still not been hand-tamed. But he has become a lot more trusting of us, just as a result of daily interaction with him. Trusting to the point where he will initiate physical contact. That fairly amazes me, really.

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