Quickies
Skepchick Quickies 1.22
- Fake eagle video could be behind increase in bird shootings – “An online video of a hawk grabbing a baby that was revealed to be a hoax could be behind an increase in bird shootings, one wildlife rehabilitation expert says.”
- Chipmaker races to save Steven Hawking’s speech as his condition deteriorates – From Critical Dragon1177.
- Miss Piggy’s version of global warming: What about me? – Featuring an interactive map.
- Why feminism can’t afford to ignore transgender women – “”When you hear anyone policing the bodies of trans women, misgendering and othering us, and violently exiling us from spaces, you should not dismiss it as a trans issue that trans women should speak out against. You should be engaged in the dialogue, discourse, and activism that challenges the very fibers of your movement.””
Love the article on transgendered women. Very important points. I think the lead singer of Against Me! Coming out as transgendered really has helped put transgendered people back in the spotlight. Awareness is good.
Hey Knitty – I know it sounds pedantic, but the word is “transgender” and not “transgendered.” It’s an adjective. For more info on why this is important: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanne-herman/transgender-or-transgende_b_492922.html
The wildlife rehabilitation expert seems to be doing nothing more than speculating and guessing with no evidence at all. The eagles were shot not too far south from me and local law enforcement and wildlife officials have offered a sizable reward. The notion that someone shot the birds as a way to protect wayward toddlers and drooling pugs seems absurd at best. The only logical options are that some local kids, drunken adolescents, red neck shit heads or poachers simply went out and saw the eagles sitting in trees chilling, which is what they do a lot of this time of year, and took easy shots. Eagles are not typically that wary of humans because they know we don’t usually offer a threat. I’ve watched bald eagles hunt and feed no more than thirty feet away in water or above me in a tree and they are amazing up close. I cannot imagine someone shooting a bald eagle for the reason the article suggests when they are known to be shot by poachers because of the money that can be made on the black market for their feathers, talons and other bits. So I expect a poacher shot the eagles and someone happened to come by and they fled knowing that federal prison time and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines were in the mix if they were caught.