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LucyTrice's avatar

Good morning - or what's left of it.

The cockatoo is beautiful! However, just reading the candy corn lable had the effect of knocking the beauty down a few pegs. Weird.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

What a gorgeous bird! I especially enjoyed the last video that talked about owning one. Definitely not something that would interest me, personally.

It’s been raining for two days now, and I’m ready for some sun again.

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BikerChick's avatar

I can't believe how much it poured last night! I am waiting for dry streets to walk the dogs.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

I’m tired of dealing with wet horses! The dog always wants to be out with us, even though he is limited to the yard. You’d think he could at least sit in the garage. Instead, he sits in the wet grass. Thank goodness he’s small.

Yeah, we had how many weeks of no rain at all, and now it’s November, and we’re making up for it. I do, however, remember that November can be rainy in past years. I’m not looking forward to really cold weather!

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Allison S's avatar

I worked with cockatoos in my first career and had one (an Umbrella Cockatoo) as a pet for many years. Beautiful, loving creatures with exceptionally loud, unpleasant screams.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Very interesting, thanks. One of my friends here has a parrot rescue and training organization.

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Allison S's avatar

They do amazing and heartbreaking work. Most people who get parrots have no idea what they're getting into.

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CynthiaW's avatar

They've rescued some with amazing vocabulary.

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BikerChick's avatar

I walked around with a towel clipped around my neck with a cockatiel on each shoulder for many years to keep them quiet. Poor Georgie was retired to a zoo because she was insufferable. Sweet Marco flew off my shoulder (his wings were clipped, he must've caught a breeze) never to be found. I had the door cracked to tie out the dog and off he went. Our family was devastated and I live with that guilt.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

That’s a huge commitment! And, I can just imagine how awful you felt about losing Marco. 😢

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

I couldn’t handle the noise! What happened to your bird?

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Allison S's avatar

We actually had two birds, the cockatoo and an African Grey. We had to rehome them when my kids were little; it got to be too much. I worked with a parrot rescue to find them good homes; it remains one of the hardest things I've ever done. I still miss them daily and it's been 8 years.

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BikerChick's avatar

I wonder if they would recognize you. It's crazy how attached one can get to a bird. Cockatiels are much smaller than your birds but we loved him so much, he was a character. Whenever my husband lay down on the floor to watch TV while holding Marco, he would climb down his body to his feet and whistle at his socks. Funny bird. He loved me, never once even tried to bite me (he did peck at the hubs nose a fair number of times.)

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

I’ve rehomed a couple of dogs, and worried about them. But I was very lucky that the new owners kept in touch, and even sent photos. African Greys are beautiful.

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Allison S's avatar

I am able to get updates on them, which helps. Still miss them, though.

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MarqueG68's avatar

Belated recognition of CynthiaW as the correct author: Thank you for TSAF, Cynthia!

...looking forward to the day when someone invents a machine by which I can finally automate such matters for enhanced efficiency and improved accuracy...

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M. Trosino's avatar

They already have. It's in your noggin' and the mechanism needing activation and application here is... is... darn. Just on the tip of... oh yeah! Memory!! See. Couldn't be any easier!!

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BikerChick's avatar

Is it just me or are comments collapsing? I have to hit the reply button to see a full comment. Annoying. I’m finding you have to hold down a link for it to open. This is all on an iPhone.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

That was happening to me in the app on my iPad. I’m using the Duck Duck Go browser now, but not sure how well it works on a cellphone if that’s what you’re using.

It’s weird how things on these various comments sections suddenly stop working or do odd things. The TD website is still messy IMO.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Haven’t had that. Using the DuckDuckGo browser on iPad.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Thangs again for recommending it. Much better.

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Phil H's avatar

I have the same problem when I post from my IPad first thing in the morning,

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M. Trosino's avatar

Maybe your comments are collapsing because they're overtired from lack of sleep, you getting them up first thing in the morning like that?

I'd say Good morning, Phil, but it's now half past noon, me not having gotten up first thing in the morning. But my comments are just fine, having gotten plenty of rest and In spite of what anybody else may think. 😏

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Duck Duck Go works great.

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BikerChick's avatar

Everything he said about the “cons” of owning the cockatoo in the last video applies to cockatiels! Fun birds but buyer beware! Beautiful candy corn crest!

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

I was wondering about that. At one point I thought maybe a cockatiel would be fun.

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BikerChick's avatar

A lot of work...there was a lot of fun too but it definitely came at a cost.

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M. Trosino's avatar

I had a small cockatiel+ sized parrot once. I forget the name of the breed now as it was a very long time ago. Fun but definitely a ton of work. It escaped much the same way as your bird did. Was kind of sorry to see it go. But not that much in the end.

There used to be a pet shop that carried birds on my way home from work. Would stop in occasionally to look 'em over, and when occasionally the urge struck to get another one, I'd just remember all the work the first one was and that was the end of that.

So. What did I eventually end up with many years later? A barn full of horses. 🤣🙄

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BikerChick's avatar

When I told my 7th grade daughter when she got home from school she said, "nuh uh, mom, you're just kidding." No honey, I'm not. She went to her room and didn't come out until morning. I found a garbage can full of tissues in her bedroom the next morning. Still makes me teary thinking about it. He was officially her bird.

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M. Trosino's avatar

Yeah, it's hard like that sometimes. Have 3 daughters myself. Really hard for daddies to see daughters cry for any reason.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Sounds like having children! What did the guy say, something like living with a 4-year old. Adorable when they’re someone else’s!! 😉

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Kurt's avatar

Today's 8 character Chinese idiom. (don't count on a tomorrows idiom...this shit is hard.)

"Those who receive benefits from their lord should also share in his worries."

食君之禄担君之忧

It directly translates as "to eat" (食 shí), "the ruler’s" (君之 jūnzhī),  "salary" 禄 (lù), "to bear" (担 dān), "the ruler’s" (君之 jūnzhī), "worries" (忧 yōu). The character "eat" (食) can mean to “consume”, or receive, which is what it means in this context.

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M. Trosino's avatar

Does it eat up much of your time doing this?

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CynthiaW's avatar

Cool.

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Kurt's avatar

TSAF is for the birds. In a good way.

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Kurt's avatar

Today is the anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Rosalyn Carter died on this date, too.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Don’t you mean “Lincoln’s Gettysburg Tweet”?

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Kurt's avatar

Stay after class for detention and cleaning the blackboard erasers...

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M. Trosino's avatar

Clean erasers hell... I'd make him write Lincoln's Gettysburg Address so many times on the board that those erasers would never come clean!

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C C Writer's avatar

I'm envisioning a new form of civil disobedience: the write-in, or the chalk-in. (I suppose dry-erase markers where there is a whiteboard.) A small team goes to a classroom and asks the teacher's permission to write Lincoln's Gettysburg Address on the board, doing it from memory. They get permission, they complete the task, they say thanks and leave. The teacher has something interesting on several levels to talk to the class about.

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M. Trosino's avatar

I like it.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Very good, Kurt! These people need to be kept under control!!

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Bill Mc's avatar

[Groaning.]

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

The greatest 272 words in history.

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Bill Mc's avatar

In United States' history, yes.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

You mean there’s other history?

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Bill Mc's avatar

OMG, Optimum is going to be appointed to the State Department! Or perhaps the Ministry of Truth.

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M. Trosino's avatar

It's just a rumor, but I've heard that he's angling for the top job at NOAA so he can use those Presidential Sharpies on the weather maps to be sure his mountain has adequate amounts of snow for his personal skiing pleasure.

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LucyTrice's avatar

If only. Sigh.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Sadly, I would be a better candidate than some.

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Phil H's avatar

From our greatest President (possibly excepting George Washington).

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

At least we had two.

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Phil H's avatar

One founded our Constitutional republic. The other re-founded it.

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CynthiaW's avatar

I memorized that in elementary school.

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DougAz's avatar

So did I !

1963. 100th anniversary. From memory.

Then President Kennedy was assassinated 3 days later. 4th grade

Horrible sadness

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Bill Mc's avatar

Sorry to like this.Thanks for sharing, Doug..

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DougAz's avatar

It was a time in America we never want to see again. Then watched on live TV, Jack Ruby pull his pistol, as the Dallas cops holding Lee Harvey Oswald move away and push him forward. Ruby had a clean shot killing Oswald.

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Kurt's avatar

I have it in my Notes app, and read it from time to time. I have never not felt a still a calming presence when I read it. It's one of a very few absolutely perfect human statements ever written.

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Kurt's avatar

some weird glitch suddenly hit my post....is this common on Substack?

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BikerChick's avatar

See above....it started for me late last week. Comments were seemingly cut off and the "see full comment" prompt wasn't appearing. I typically use my phone when I open the email and it seems to be limited to my phone. Perhaps if you hit the "read in app" button under the title it won't be as glitchy?

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Apparently. You aren’t alone this morning. I was having problems last week, and stopped using the app.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Brevity, as Shakespeare observed, is the soul of wit.

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Kurt's avatar

It is the soul of good writing, and good writing is organized thinking.

I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter.”
— Blaise Pascal,

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Phil H's avatar

Good morning. Rain here today, likely most of the week. And there is talk of the “S-word,” and I don’t mean “sunshine”.

The mothership is covering the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, her oddball views and her lack of intelligence experience.

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M. Trosino's avatar

Did they mention anything about her lack of intelligence maybe?

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

My brother sent me a link to something about her on X, and he was really impressed. Of course, the tweet was very favorable, and made her look like some kind of hero. 🙄

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Bill Mc's avatar

The mothership also reported on Russia's reaction to Ukraine's potential use of US long range missiles to stike into Russia. Would love to hear any thoughts from this august body.

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M. Trosino's avatar

https://apnews.com/article/russia-nuclear-doctrine-putin-91f20e0c9b0f9e5eaa3ed97c35789898

To which my response is SFW? Let Putin blow. Let the Ukrainians blow him or anything else on Russian soil right straight to hell. As a bonus, let 'em start with any facilities housing Vlad's North Korean cannon fodder.

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Phil H's avatar

The Biden Administration's dithering and half-heartedness of Ukraine support had been a grave mistake. But it is about to be eclipsed by whatever Trump does or tries to do, likely at least reducing support if not cutting it off to force Ukraine to negotiate and accept territory loss.

Then there's Trump's ambivalence about NATO, the cornerstone of peace in Europe and the world since the end of WWII.

Trump's attitude toward Ukraine and NATO was a major reason not to vote for him, second only to his attack on the Constitution on 1/6/2021.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

I agree.

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IncognitoG's avatar

My thoughts are mainly angry rants that we’ve been insufficiently serious about the Putin threat and seeing to the defense of democratic allies, as well as to the complete defeat of the murderous Russian regime. That’s probably less “august” and more “a gust”.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

I’m very frustrated with the way our country has started making things easier for these bad players. And now I’m worried about Tulsi Gabbard being confirmed. People forget too easily that allowing these dictatorships to expand is not in our best interest.

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Brian's avatar

I think I maxed out on post-election coverage the last couple of weeks and can’t get too worked up over Trump’s nominees. Let’s see the Senate do its job with them, then maybe I’ll be able to generate some outrage. Or not. Side note: Gabbard’s pretty attractive. Sorry if that’s sexist, guess I’m letting my human nature get the best of me again.

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Jay Janney's avatar

I think Tulsi isn't ugly, she's okay, but she doesn't cause my heart to beat faster. She could if the gun was aimed at me, but...

That James Brennan opposes her is enough for me to support her. Brennan chose to interfere in an election, plying on his "intelligence expert" status. I hope Trump actually pulls his security clearance...

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Phil H's avatar

Like many women in public life, Tulsi Gabbard is conventionally attractive. I don't think it works to a public woman's advantage to play up her appearance past a certain point, otherwise she will not be taken seriously.

I have seen pictures of Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, that make her look drop-dead gorgeous. Maybe she is an exception.

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Jay Janney's avatar

Purtiest woman to put a shotgun to a dog that I've ever seen.

Note. I've not seen many women put a shotgun to a dog; so technically Jabette the Hutt could be the puriest woman to put a shotgun to a dog that I've ever seen.

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M. Trosino's avatar

I don't know how seriously South Dakotans take her. But the dogs and goats out there had better take her seriously, stylishly coiffed, dressed and made up or bleary-eyed-just-out-of-bed-in-a-bathrobe-plain-and-ordinary.

But pretty is as pretty does in my book. And this gal's definitely not worth a second glance by that standard.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Gabbard is very attractive, and I hope she doesn’t get approved.

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BikerChick's avatar

There’s a double standard,..it’s 💯 OK for women to say “he’s hot” but a guy says it and he’s sexist. Well, not in my book. I love Tulsi's voice. I don't have much of an opinion about her because I don't know much about her.

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Phil H's avatar

One of our regular female posters calls some men "cute". No names (but the initials are "CW"). 🙂

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BikerChick's avatar

CW has a crush on KR.

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M. Trosino's avatar

She's so into animals, are you sure it's not a case of puppy love?

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Phil H's avatar

I'm not into bad puns (are there any other kind?) -- 🚪

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Phil H's avatar

Yep.

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CynthiaW's avatar

She's a real kook.

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M. Trosino's avatar

Delivered with your usual flair for understatement. 😉

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Thank you, Cynthia. I completely agree.

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Bill Mc's avatar

Hmm. The current spatial proximity of this comment to Phil's "cute" post creates confusion about the meaning of "she." 😉

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Phil H's avatar

That's an interesting comment. Cynthia was, of course, replying to me about Tulsi Gabbard. I guess the way Substack displays it didn't make that clear.

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Phil H's avatar

Tusi Gabbard has been on my radar ever since she took down Kamala Harris in one of the 2020 cycle primary debates. She also deviated, ever so slightly, from Democratic Party orthodoxy on abortion by questioning third trimester abortions.

But that debate was the high point of her political career. Her campaign went nowhere, and afterwards, she went off the rails. She was always a bit isolationist (as a combat medic in Iraq, she came by that honestly), but has been drinking Putin's Kool-Aid and now Trump's.

And in my professional experience from my Army days, she is woefully unqualified to head the US intelligence community. Like Gaetz, Hegseth, Kennedy and others, she is now simply a Trump toady. Sad to see.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Another confirmation of my feelings about her.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Cool bird, whatever the current nomenclature police want to call it.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Today’s special animal friend is the African finfoot, Podica senegalensis, a water bird of the Heliornithidae family, which includes only three species, each in its own genus. After the large herbivore excitement of the last couple of days, I figured you would all like to lounge a little. You’ll have to look closely to see the finfoot, which lurks under cover at the water’s edge. It has a dark head and back and a lighter underside which is barred and spotted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZyhPigHNJY

The African finfoot is a medium-sized duckish bird, two feet or so in length, weighing something over 1 lb. Females have a stockier body than males and slightly lighter coloring. Males also have iridescent blue-green coloring on their head and some of their wing covert feathers. This species is nonmigratory and highly territorial, especially during breeding season.

https://ebird.org/species/afrfin1

Although this species has the build of a diving bird such as a loon or anhinga, they feed at the surface and occasionally on land. They are carnivorous, with a varied diet of insects – both aquatic and terrestrial – crustaceans, fish, frogs, reptiles, and birds. They have been observed eating insects from the backs of hippopotamuses. Unfortunately, there’s no video of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXfwJtTW-Rk

Pairs are believed to be monogamous. Finfoot females build cup-shaped nests out of sticks, reeds, and twigs, in vegetation and above water. There will often be a covered walkway from the waterside to the nest. The female lays two or three eggs and does all the incubation as well as the care and feeding of the chicks. “Hatchlings are semi-precocial, ptilopaedic, and nidicolous.” They are able to swim in less than a week, and they stay around their mother’s nest for several months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o-UviJ3ZaU

The African finfoot is a species of Least Concern. Their population might be declining in some areas, but they are so difficult to observe that ornithologists aren’t sure. The major threats are habitat loss, including invasive plant species such as water hyacinth which disrupt the entire aquatic food web. Sedimentation of water bodies is also a threat; this is a result of poor soil conservation in agricultural lands.

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Jay Janney's avatar

Pairs are believed to be monogamous. Isn't that what they all say? 😉Well, at least in DC....

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Phil H's avatar

A twofer! Nice!

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M. Trosino's avatar

Yeah. Not bad. But a better match up for a twofer today may have been...

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/pink-fairy-armadillo

But that's just my personal aesthetics concerning twofers.

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IncognitoG's avatar

> “Hatchlings are semi-precocial, ptilopaedic, and nidicolous.” <

It’s my new goal in life to be accused of all of those.

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C C Writer's avatar

At first glance I took "nidicolous" for "ridiculous." But I know to take a second glance.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Two birds in one CSLF! We are not worthy!

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CynthiaW's avatar

I'm posting reruns at the Mothership, so I need to check the video links. Anyway, many people have lives and didn't see the whole African safari series in its first run.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Tell me more about these people who have this thing you call "lives."

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CynthiaW's avatar

It seems to correlate with having a "real job with pay."

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Bill Mc's avatar

I see where you're coming from. And agree that unemployed Son needs to get a life. Working for a start-up also shows me the other side - all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Now you've completely lost me.

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Dsfelty's avatar

Thank you for this morning's TSAF! I, for one, have decided I'm too old and "set in my ways" to totally accept the American Ornithological Society's new nomenclature. It'll always be a Blackburnian warbler, and a Wilson's snipe. If they're named for politicians or confederate generals, well, ok, change them. And , by the way, it's still a gypsy moth, not a spongy moth!

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C C Writer's avatar

Pluto is a planet.

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M. Trosino's avatar

Really? Thought that was some kind of big ol' goofy dog. Wait. Maybe that was some dog named Goofy? Drat. Now I'm just so confused. Never did understand astronomy too well.

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C C Writer's avatar

Comic book/cartoon animal-character taxonomy is way different from the regular kind. They have different laws of physics, too.

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M. Trosino's avatar

Guess if I'd boned up on that beforehand...

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C C Writer's avatar

All I can say is that reading comics is the fun kind of homework ;)

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M. Trosino's avatar

🤔👍

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Phil H's avatar

"Gypsy moth" is offensive? As are those bird names?

People in the grievance industry need to get a life -- and real jobs.

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M. Trosino's avatar

No. They need to be permanently laid off due to offshoring. Or maybe just permanently offshored. Maybe Congress could come up with a tax policy to encourage that. Wait... that won't work, considering how politicians get elected these days. Ha! Silly me!

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C C Writer's avatar

Thinking about "offshoring" conjures up an image of coral reefs.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Agree 100%. The spongy moth thing is what tipped me over the edge.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Best not to stand too close to the edge anyway, especially when visiting Moscow.

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Phil H's avatar

Or stand too close to an open window.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Das.

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CynthiaW's avatar

I feel negatively about the spongy moth, too. And for today's right-thinkers, everyone in the past was absolutely horrible, so we might as well just accept that and use the names anyway. 200 years from now, people will think all of today's right-thinkers were absolutely horrible.

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M. Trosino's avatar

Are these right-thinkers using their left brains? Maybe?

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IncognitoG's avatar

We should name animals after sports teams and sports teams after animals, therewith completing the circle once and for all.

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Phil H's avatar

We certainly can't name sports teams after people, lest some sensitive souls get offended, which is why the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins replaced those names with 2 unbelievably bland names.

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LucyTrice's avatar

I actually saw a guy wearing a Washington Commanders shirt during early voting. He was nice but the shirt would not inspire anyone to much of anything.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Morning!

I seem to have eaten a lot of pink things, judging by the results. I try to counterbalance it with sun exposure where possible.

Hard to imagine that a forecast for chilly, potentially snowy, wintery weather is this much cause for concern. But what else is there for the human mind to do? Outside of the sleep/recharge phase, there’s some proportion of the time and energy it consumes involved in worry/concern/anxiety. Probably. Which would account for the popularity of bad news and general negativity. That doesn’t really rank as an hypothesis, so let’s call it a conjecture…or a WAG.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Please send cold, snowy weather this way.

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Phil H's avatar

When it arrives here, I'll send it your way.

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IncognitoG's avatar

It’s sure to be blown your by the collective force of mass hyperventilation.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Good morning. I guess it's a little cold here. I need to get the youth moving. Envirothon is studying wildlife today, and we have frogs to dissect!

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Whenever I hear frogs to dissect, I think "frogs legs" and one of my favorite New Yorker cartoons:

https://images.app.goo.gl/mcLjqnXRKzdRYLfT9

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BikerChick's avatar

My mom to my dad after a few cocktails: “Larry, do chickens have frog legs?” She was trying to convey frog legs taste like chicken. It’ll never die. My husband loves to repeat that one. 😂

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CynthiaW's avatar

That's sad.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

But also funny, in a New-Yorker-cartoon-way.

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Kurt's avatar

We had frog legs for lunch today.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

And I bet you can't now get that cartoon out of your head.

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