My sister Michele took these pictures of the wild turkeys who frequent her front yard in Wilton.
Wildlife
November 27, 2008
November 26, 2008
September 17, 2008
Aerial Killer
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund
We’re getting the word out to voters about Governor Sarah Palin’s barbaric record on killing America’s wildlife, especially her active promotion of the brutal aerial hunting of wolves and bears.
Since Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund released our hard-hitting video on her support for the wolf slaughter last week…
- Nearly 450,000 potential voters have read our email!
- More than 68,000 potential voters have viewed the video on YouTube, with many more spread the word by re-posting the video on their websites and blogs and forwarding it to friends.
- CNN and other news outlets have picked up the story, running clips from Defenders of Wildlife Action fund and our sister organization Defenders of Wildlife.
To reach hundreds of thousands of swing voters who will help decide this election, we’ve created a powerful new television spot detailing Governor Palin’s efforts to kill wolves and bears. But we can only run it with your financial help today.
As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has proposed paying a $150 bounty for the foreleg of each dead wolf. The aerial hunting program she champions has already killed nearly 800 wolves. She’s opposed efforts to save America’s polar bears from extinction. She’s fought against efforts to save some of the world’s most endangered beluga whales.
At nearly every opportunity, Governor Palin has sided with Big Oil, mining companies, wealthy trophy hunters and other entrenched special interests in support of policies that would greatly harm the wild animals we treasure.
September 03, 2008
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
This email was forwarded on to me. I do not know the writer, but I got a kick out of what she wrote, so I am quoting it here. Obviously, what is of particular importance to me is her love of hunting wolves.
I also find it charming that a woman who is against sex education in schools is now blessed with a pregnant teenage daughter.
"As an Alaskan, I am writing to give all of you some information on
Sarah Palin, Senator McCain's choice for VP. As an Alaska voter, I
know more than most of you about her and, frankly, I am horrified that
he picked her.
The most accurate description of her is red neck. Her husband works in
the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay and races snow mobiles. She is a life
time member of the NRA and has worked tirelessly to allow
indiscriminate hunting of wildlife in Alaska, particularly wolves and
bears. She has spent millions of Alaska state dollars on aerial
hunting of these predators from helicopters and airplanes, dollars
that should have been spent, for example, on Alaska's failing school
system. We have the lowest rate of high school graduation in the
country. Not all of you may think aerial predator hunting is so bad,
but how anyone (other than Alaska wolf-haters, of which there are
many, most without teeth), could think this use of funds is
appropriate is beyond me. If you want to know more about the aerial
hunting travesty, let me know and I will send some links to
informative web sites.
She has been a strong supporter of increased use of fossil fuels, yet
the McCain campaign has the nerve to say she has "green" policies. The
only thing green about Sarah Palin is her lack of experience. She has
consistently supported drilling in ANWR, use of coal-burning power
plants (as I write this, a new coal plant is being built in her home
town of Wasilla), strip mining, and almost anything else that will
unnecessarily exploit the diminishing resources of Alaska and destroy
its environment.
Prior to her one year as governor of Alaska, she was mayor of Wasilla,
a small red neck town outside Anchorage. The average maximum education
level of parents of junior high school kids in Wasilla is 10th grade.
Unfortunately, I have to go to Wasilla every week to get groceries and
other supplies, so I have continual contact with the people who put
Palin in office in the first place. I know what I'm talking about.
These people don't have a concept of the world around them or of the
serious issues facing the US. Furthermore, they don't care. So long as
they can go out and hunt their moose every fall, kill wolves and bears
and drive their snow mobiles and ATVs through every corner of the
wilderness, they're happy. I wish I were exaggerating.
Sarah Palin is currently involved in a political corruption scandal.
She fired an individual in law enforcement here because she didn't
like how he treated one of her relatives during a divorce. The man's
performance and ability weren't considered; it was a totally personal
firing and is currently under investigation. While the issue isn't
close to the scandal of Ted Steven's corruption, it shows that Palin
isn't "squeaky clean" and causes me to think there may be more issues
that could come to light. Clearly McCain doesn't care.
When you line Palin up with Biden, the comparison would be laughable
if it weren't so serious. Sarah Palin knows nothing of economics
(admittedly a weak area for McCain), or of international affairs,
knows nothing of national government, Social Security, unemployment,
health care systems - you name it. The idea of her meeting with heads
of foreign governments around the world truly frightens me.
In an increasingly dangerous world, with the economy in shambles in
the US, Sarah Palin is uniquely UNqualified to be vice president. John
McCain is not a young man. Should something happen to him such that
the vice president had to step in, it would destroy our country and
possibly the world to have someone as inexperienced and inappropriate
as Sarah Palin. The choice of Palin is a cheap shot by McCain to try
to get Hillary supporters to vote for him. when McCain introduced her
today, Palin had the nerve to compare herself with Hillary and
Geraldine Ferraro. Sarah Palin, you are no Hillary Clinton.
To those of you who, like me, supported Hilary and were upset that she
did not get the nomination, please don't think that Sarah Palin is a
worthy substitute. If you supported Hillary, regardless of what you
think the media and the democratic party may have done to undermine
her campaign, the person to support now is Obama, not Sarah Palin. To
those of you who are independent or undecided, don't let the choice of
Palin sway you in favor of McCain. Choosing her shows how unqualified
McCain is to be president. To those of you who are conservative, I
guess you have no choice for president. But please try to see how the
poor choice of Palin tells us a great deal about McCain's judgment.
While the political posturing inherent in the choice of Palin is
obvious, the more serious issue is the fact that the VP is, literally,
a heartbeat away from the presidency. Sarah Palin is totally and
unequivocally unqualified to be vice president, let alone president.
I know this is a lengthy and emotional email, but the stakes are high.
I thought it might help for all of you, regardless of political
affiliation, to know something about Palin from someone who has to
live with her administration in Alaska on a daily basis.
Jackie S."
August 25, 2008
Pat Flew the Coop
Today, Saturday, August 23rd, Pat seems to have flown the coop for the last time. A couple days ago I received this email from Lori, so I raced down the hall to get a few last photos. Pat had moved from the filthy air conditioner to the other window sill.
"I wanted to send you some updated pictures of Pat as I think that his days left with me are few. He is really grown up now. When I go up to the wall, he is not phased by my presence and no longer pecks on the window. He is spending most of the day practicing flapping his wings. While I haven't seen him practice flying yet, he does get right on the edge of the air conditioner and flap his wings so fast that I get dizzy."
Strangely, Lori and I miss Pat now that he is gone. The super came and took the air conditioner out of the window. It seems like yesterday that we stood there and looked out at the eggs on the pile of sticks that would become Pat's nursery.
Farewell our Pat - good luck out there in the big city.
To look back on Pat's early days click on the following links.
http://www.frankpicchione.com/frank_picchione/2008/08/happy-birthday-dudley.html
http://www.frankpicchione.com/frank_picchione/2008/07/baby-pat.html
http://www.frankpicchione.com/frank_picchione/2008/07/berries-and-birdies-updated-together.html
http://www.frankpicchione.com/frank_picchione/2008/07/pet-pigeons.html
http://www.frankpicchione.com/frank_picchione/2008/07/mice-not-rats-and-pigeons-continued.html
August 22, 2008
August 13, 2008
Protect Wild Horses
BLM: Don't Kill Our Wild Horses
Target: Director James Caswell, Bureau of Land Management
Sponsored by: Care2.com
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced plans to kill America's wild horses rather than effectively manage our wild natural heritage.
BLM claims it can no longer afford to round up wild horses and confine them until it finds people to adopt them, and the agency wants to euthanize these majestic wild beauties or sell them to the highest bidder "without limitation" - meaning sell them to anyone, even if the bidder also plans to kill these horses.
Why does BLM need to round up wild horses and send them to slaughter? The BLM claims that the agency can't "allow horses to multiply unchecked on the range without causing an environmental disaster." But there are less than 30,000 wild horses on the range versus at least 3 million grazing cows. So rather than address the environmental damage caused by cattle overgrazing and expanding oil and gas exploration on our public lands, the BLM would rather placate corporate cattle ranchers who view mustangs as competition for forage, and drive wild horses - our country's symbol of freedom and independent spirit - to extinction.
This plan is simply outrageous. Stand up for our wild horses and send a comment to BLM today. Urge our government to abide by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burro Act of 1971 and effectively manage the land to preserve wild horses rather than kill them!
Please follow thise link to sign the petition and forward it to others.
And this is from the HSUS
"Over the past few weeks, countless news articles have circulated regarding the BLM’s dilemma of caring for 32,000 warehoused wild horses and the announcement that in addition to halting gathers, the agency may begin euthanizing horses in holding centers in order to "balance the budget." Please take action to urge the BLM to develop humane, sustainable programs for managing these animals on the range and in holding centers.
There are many options that would both significantly reduce the costs of wild horse management and improve the welfare and conditions of these horses through immunocontraception. Studies have shown that wild horse management costs could be significantly decreased by treating more mares with the immunocontraceptive Porcine Zona Pellucida (“PZP”) and returning them to the range, rather than detaining them indefinitely in holding centers.
TAKE ACTION
The agency has always favored “quick fixes” such as capture and removal programs, rather than developing sustainable long term in-the-wild management programs, but we cannot allow these animals to pay the ultimate price for the BLM’s short-sighted mistakes. The BLM is currently accepting public comment until August 31, on the wild horse and burro management. Please send an email to Jim Caswell, Director of the BLM, to keep wild horses and burros on our public lands safe.
And don't forget to tell your friends and family how they can help, too."
August 11, 2008
Compo Beach, Westport
August 06, 2008
Fashion Statement
This is the T-shirt I got at Nigel Barker's exhibit. Nigel created the design, which is printed on American Apparel super soft cotton shirts, and costs only 24 bucks. You can order them here. Are my glasses straight? Thanks Sara.
