Hundreds of birds, wedge-tailed eagles killed

[Brother Daniel]

I've been restraining myself, but I know people are expecting this from me and will be disappointed if I don't chime in:

"fiancé" is masculine; "fiancée" (pronounced exactly the same way) is feminine.

So "then-fiancé" implies he was engaged to a dude.

[spruce]

There used to be a difference back in my day.

[spruce]

I'm on yet another site now where I just learned the English pronouns are no good. I have to use "they".

If I can so easily lose my flag, have the rainbow so overrun with fresh symbolism it's taken out of use on Christian sites, and have now lost prayer from public school, the 10 Commandments from government buildings, and little baby Jesus from right out of the manger celebrating a holiday I don't even celebrate, all while still having "God" and dead presidents both on my money, why can't the self-described gender folk straighten out (no pun intended) the English language? That should have been done going in. "Gay" was semantically shifted easily enough.

[Brother Daniel]

What kind of "straightening out" do you have in mind?

[MSG]

Originally Posted by Brother Daniel

I've been restraining myself, but I know people are expecting this from me and will be disappointed if I don't chime in:

"fiancé" is masculine; "fiancée" (pronounced exactly the same way) is feminine.

So "then-fiancé" implies he was engaged to a dude.

See, I thought that was the case but when I searched for the word it wasn't making the distinction

[Brother Daniel]

Hmmm. I could be wrong, then. I was following the French rules, but sometimes when we anglophones steal a word from another language we change how it works.

[Majiffy]

Originally Posted by Brother Daniel

I've been restraining myself, but I know people are expecting this from me and will be disappointed if I don't chime in:

"fiancé" is masculine; "fiancée" (pronounced exactly the same way) is feminine.

So "then-fiancé" implies he was engaged to a dude.

Well he was a then-fiancé, but in the time since, she has transitioned into a fiancée.

[nostrum]

[MSG]

[spruce]

I think all Australians might be multigendered. I mean, Australia!

[Majiffy]

It's very progressive

[borealis]

They're all marsupials.

[Timewave]

Originally Posted by borealis

They're all marsupials.

it's very handy having a pouch.

[MSG]

Originally Posted by Timewave

"pouch"

[Zeluvia]

Originally Posted by spruce

I'm on yet another site now where I just learned the English pronouns are no good. I have to use "they".

If I can so easily lose my flag, have the rainbow so overrun with fresh symbolism it's taken out of use on Christian sites, and have now lost prayer from public school, the 10 Commandments from government buildings, and little baby Jesus from right out of the manger celebrating a holiday I don't even celebrate, all while still having "God" and dead presidents both on my money, why can't the self-described gender folk straighten out (no pun intended) the English language? That should have been done going in. "Gay" was semantically shifted easily enough.

Sucks when shit just won't stop changing.


https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/gender-pronouns


I am against the Zi Zim campaign.
"i" is biased toward the patriarchy.



Xe, Xem, Xyr get my vote!

[MSG]

https://theconversation.com/mass-sla...equences-98011

[gib]

Originally Posted by MSG

she has since married me

Reader, she married me.

[Zeluvia]

Originally Posted by MSG

https://theconversation.com/mass-sla...equences-98011

wtf. Did you forget where you were?

[MSG]

by posting on topic in a MindRomp thread? you're right, what was I thinking

[MSG]

https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/ne...eaef0b6db1a0f0

THE death toll of 137 poisoned wedge-tailed eagles is likely to be closer to 400, following revelations those involved in killing the birds had been baiting them for the past 2½ years.

...

Luci-jet is highly toxic to birds, with CSIRO research from 1985, stating “seven species of birds in Australia are highly sensitive to the organophosphorous insecticide”, including wedge-tailed eagles.

CSIRO researcher John McIlroy found “affected individuals lost their ability to stand or fly”, before convulsing.

you fucking arsehole

[Zeluvia]

Probably a Trump supporter

[borealis]

I can't express how angry stories like this make me feel. Stupid vicious people.

[Cunt]

Originally Posted by borealis

Unfortunately, he was at the time the only able-bodied living husband on my mother's side of the family. And he knew the cats were suffering quite horribly, especially in winter - we had a few bad deep snow winters around that time.

When people claim they love animals, I watch how often they take on these horrible, heart-wrenching jobs.

He was, in my opinion, the only person who witnessed that who DID care for cats. Every other person who saw what was happening, was not fit to care for a goldfish.

It's why I have such a hate-on for the local SPCA fuckers. Did you know, they 'rescued' a couple of polar-bear hunting dogs from Cam. Bay, and brought them to the City for adoption? This while they still send many dogs south (to Edmonton) because they are a 'no-kill' shelter.

My daughter and ex are deeply involved in animal rescue in Edmonton, and know exactly what happens to most of those dogs.

But I digress...

I didn't read the original article (of course) but it reminded me of something really weird.

On my last trip south, I saw at least 6 dead blackbirds on the highway. Normally, I would have said ravens, but we have been getting smaller, southern crows (or something) moving north, so I can't be sure.

Anyway, I normally NEVER see a black bird carcass on the highway, so it IS weird. Another thing I noticed, was that a lot of the live birds along the highway appeared to be panting. They were walking around with their beaks open, anyway.

It was a bit of a hot spell, but not the hottest I've seen it.

I told the ENR guys about it, but still don't know why the sudden increase.

[borealis]

If they were actually blackbirds, rather than crows or other black coloured birds such as grackles, they may have just been startled from their roost at night and flew into a vehicle. They don't fly well at night, though given the time of year that seems less likely (not much dark time). Blackbirds seem to experience multiple bird die offs rather often, but may be just a perception because there are so many of them.

The panting behaviour is usually a response to being too hot. Most birds do it, some have other cooling behaviours like wing-spreading.

ETA: You might be seeing larger numbers of normally southern birds, too. Many bird species are expanding their territories northward as climate change progresses.

[Cunt]

Originally Posted by borealis

ETA: You might be seeing larger numbers of normally southern birds, too. Many bird species are expanding their territories northward as climate change progresses.

Fucking immigrants...when does it fucking end?

That may be it. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a local raven (huge size, black bird) and a crow from the south. Not with any certainty, anyway. We have been getting more southern species around that area, so it may be that we have been infiltrated by a stupider black-coloured bird than I am accostomed to.

I suppose it's fair play though. Most animals are incapable of respecting political or cultural boundaries...