It is Earth Month, and I’ve only posted a single acknowledgement of that, so far. Meanwhile, Ten Bears has us, with a full post of links regarding how things are, what needs to be done, and importantly, what we can still do.
Category: Love
All About The Birds
Ollie has endeared himself to some house finches who come here to eat. He’s done this by chasing the squirrel off the feeder they prefer. He doesn’t realize he’s doing favors for the birds; he wants to play with the squirrel, especially zoomies. But, for 2 days in a row, I’ve watched house finches, in pairs, chase a squirrel back in Ollie’s direction by swooping the squirrel. They also are, so far, the only birds who don’t fly up away from this feeder when Ollie goes outside. Even the crows tend to fly into the trees until he comes back inside. So the house finches fascinate me this year. Anyway, here are these about more birds, and a bat, too.
Also Known As
- Trile (Colloquial, Chile)
- Alférez (Colloquial, Uruguay)
- Varillero ala amarilla (Spanish)
About
The Yellow-winged Blackbird is a conspicuous species of the Southern Cone of South America, congregating in colonies in marshes during the breeding season, and forming larger flocks in wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural fields the rest of the year. These birds are also extremely vocal, giving a startling variety of calls, including sharp and percussive sounds, clear and musical whistles, and a range of other rattling, chirping, whining, whirring, and gargling vocalizations. Their song in particular makes use of virtuosic trills, robotic whistles, and mechanical whirring or buzzing sounds, coming across as half bird, half sci-fi robot. This iconic song is also the source of one of the Yellow-winged Blackbird’s nicknames, “trile,” and some authors propose it may also be the origin of the name of the country Chile! As if to make the most of their raucous acoustic capacity, the males of an entire colony will sometimes sing together in one big, cacophonous chorus.
In addition to nesting together in the same space, Yellow-winged Blackbirds also synchronize their nesting in time. Most of the females in a colony will lay within several days of each other. As a result, most of the nests in the colony will be on the same timeline, with eggs and nestlings developing at about the same time across the marsh. (snip)
Historic Oregon Bill Generating Conservation Funding Is Signed Into Law
Oregon will soon have a new, dedicated source of conservation funding to support the recovery of struggling bird and wildlife species across the state. House Bill 4134, dubbed 1.25% for Wildlife Bill, passed the Oregon State Senate in February and has now been signed into law by Governor Tina Kotek. American Bird Conservancy (ABC) strongly supported the 1.25% for Wildlife Bill, a proactive measure expected to raise up to $30 million annually for wildlife conservation in the state.
“This is monumental: Oregon has chosen to invest in its wildlife and its future with the passage of this historic law. Habitat restoration, recovery programs, and anti-poaching efforts are just a few of the programs that will be funded by this landmark legislation,” said Hardy Kern, ABC’s Director of Government Relations.
The Act will create a sustainable funding source dedicated to conserving imperiled species like the Marbled Murrelet, a seabird that nests in mature and old-growth forests in the state. Nest predation by jays and ravens contributes to the species’ declining population. Actions that could boost nesting success, such as campground cleanup efforts to reduce jay and raven numbers near sensitive nesting sites, are currently unfunded, but could benefit from the revenue generated by the newly signed law. (snip-MORE)
Some Peace & Justice History for 4/16 & 17:
| April, 16, 1971 The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) estimated over 2,000 people openly refused to pay part or all of their income tax. “If a thousand [people] were not to pay their tax bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them and enable the state to commit violence and shed innocent blood.” – Henry David Thoreau on the Mexican War  National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee |
| April 16, 2000 Between 10,000 and 20,000 activists blockaded meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. Sitting down at intersections and locking arms to form human chains, the protesters were opposed to Bank and IMF policies that increased third-world indebtedness and did little to directly benefit the poor in those countries. “The World Bank is subjugating our economic and social independence,” Vineeta Gupta, a doctor from the Punjab in India, said in a letter he delivered to World Bank President James Wolfensohn at his home. “It is time that we shut the bank down, and this boycott is a great start.” |
More from National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee:
War Tax Resistance
What is War Tax Resistance?
War tax resistance means refusing to pay some or all of the federal taxes that pay for war. While you can refuse income tax legally by lowering your taxable income, for many people war tax resistance involves civil disobedience.
In the U.S. war tax resisters refuse to pay some or all of their federal income tax and/or other taxes, like the federal excise tax on local telephone service. Income taxes and excise taxes are destined for the government’s general fund and about half of that money goes for military spending, including weapons of war and weapons of mass destruction.
People take many roads to war tax resistance. Most are motivated by a combination of reasons and actively work for peace in many other ways too. If you consider your motivations this will help you determine your method of resistance.
Refusing to pay federal income taxes is an act of civil disobedience with a long history in the U.S. America’s most well-known war tax resister was Henry David Thoreau, whose refusal to pay his poll tax because of the Mexican-American War earned him an night in jail and the experience that led him to write his influential essay, Civil Disobedience. While those of us who refuse to pay war taxes believe our refusal is just and imperative — and some of us cite international law to back up this belief — the government considers the refusal to pay these taxes to be illegal, and there are potential repercussions through the IRS collection system. For most of us who resist, the dire consequences of voluntarily paying for war are far worse that what the IRS and government can do to us. (snip-MORE)
| April 17, 1959 22 were arrested in New York City for refusing to take shelter during a civil defense drill. |
| April 17, 1960 Inspired by the Greensboro sit-in of four black college students at an all-white lunch counter, nearly 150 black students from nine states formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, with Ella Baker, James Lawson and Martin Luther King, Jr., the founders set SNCC’s initial goals as overturning segregation in the South.   They also considered it important to give young blacks a stronger voice in the civil rights movement, as many had participated in sit-ins that had proliferated to dozens of cities over the previous three months. At the Raleigh conference Guy Carawan sang a new version of “We Shall Overcome,” an adaptation of an old labor song. This song would become the national anthem of the civil rights movement.People joined hands and gently swayed in time singing “black and white together,” repeating over and over, “Deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall overcome some day.” What SNCC did to make change happen |
April 17, 1961 Cuban leader Fidel Castro during the Bay of Pigs invasion. An army of 1500 anti-Castro Cuban exiles, mercenaries equipped and trained at a secret Guatemala base by the CIA, landed at Bahia de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) in an attempt to “liberate” Cuba from Communist rule. Within three days, the invasion proved disastrous with nearly 1200 members of Brigade 2506 (who had been trained in the U.S.) taken prisoner. Known as Operation Zapata, it was conceived by Vice President Nixon, planned and approved by the Eisenhower administration, and executed shortly after President John Kennedy’s inauguration.  President Kennedy receives the Brigade 2506 flag in Miami in 1962 and declares: “I promise to return this flag in a free Havana.” Soviet General Secretary Nikita Kruschev sent a telegram to President Kennedy: “Mr. President, I send you this message in an hour of alarm, fraught with danger for the peace of the whole world. Armed aggression has begun against Cuba. It is a secret to no one that the armed bands invading this country were trained, equipped and armed in the United States of America. The planes which are bombing Cuban cities belong to the United States of America, the bombs they are dropping are being supplied by the American Government . . . .” What actually happened |
April 17, 1965 The first national demonstration against the Vietnam War took place in the nation’s capital. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the organizers, had expected about 2000 marchers; the actual count was 15,000–25,000. This was the largest anti-war protest ever to have been held in Washington, D.C. up to that time. The number of marchers approximately equaled the number of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam. Several hundred students in the protest broke away from the main march and conducted a brief sit-in at the U.S. Capitol’s door. An exam prepared by SDS about the Vietnam War (answers available) |
April 17, 1965 Gay rights advocate Jack Nichols The first demonstration promoting equal treatment of homosexuals, Jack Nichols, Barbara Gittings and others picketed in front of the White House. There were no media present. Read more (Go-it’s interesting!) |
| April 17, 1986 Reverend Jesse Jackson, future congresswoman Maxine Waters and others co-founded the Rainbow Coalition, initially intended as a progressive public-policy think tank within the Democratic Party.  Representative Maxine Waters, Harry Belafonte, John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Willie Nelson August 6, 2005-Atlanta, Georgia. Brief history of Rainbow Push Coalition |
| April 17, 1992 On Good Friday morning, about 50 people accompanied Fr. Carl Kabat and Carol Carson to Missile Silo Site N5 at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the same silo that Carl and other members of the Silo Pruning Hooks (see below) disarmed in 1984. They cut through a fence and, once inside, Carol used a sledgehammer on the concrete lid of the silo while Carl performed a rite of exorcism. Eventually, the police arrived and arrested Carl and Carol. They were jailed and held until their court appearance. At that time, they made a preliminary agreement with federal prosecutors wherein they would plead “no contest” to trespass in exchange for the property destruction charge being dropped; they were sentenced to six and three months, respectively, in a halfway house.  Carl KabatA History of Direct Disarmament Actions About the Silo Pruning Hooks action |
One More Short Video, & A Story
These are informational, rather than fun, except that Pete Buttigieg is fun even while serious. I’d like to see him run for something this time. Then, any time a very wealthy person thinks of others before themselves, it’s good news; Meals On Wheels is a fine thing.
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated again—a week after gifting millions to a colege, she’s just given $70 million to Meals on Wheels America
MacKenzie Scott, worth $41.1 billion, is on a philanthropic tear and has donated an estimated 46% of her net worth.Dia Dipasupil / Staff / Getty Images
While billionaires have come under fire for not living up to their philanthropic promises, one person is rising from the rest: MacKenzie Scott. She’s pouring billions into education, public health, and the environment—and now, she just funneled some of her fortune to help feed and support millions of Americans. (snip-MORE)
Trae’s Got Something To Say-
From Friend Of Playtime, ‘The Bee Writes’:
some really cool fiction. We all need a brain cleanser, and this is short and sweet. The bit underneath the End emojis is in German, though your device may translate, which will be a duplicate. I included the German in case someone will enjoy that one, too.
Just A little Dittie
Beatrice Halton – Bee Writes Apr 14, 2026
“He’s done it at last?”
“I guess so, look at how he is jumping around!”
“Like a rabbit on speed!”
“There is this rumour he had trouble with drugs back in the ’80s.”
“Is that when he started building this… this well… I know it’s what they called a house on earth”
“Yes, I remember when he pulled the whole planet out of the other dimension. I think he had planned to build the house on the planet but of course, that’s not possible. You can’t build from one dimension to another. ”
“But it’s in this dimension!!!!”
“No, it’s not. See that’s the problem with quantum physics. Nothing is how it seems.”
“Ah. So he got frustrated and into drugs?”
“Probably.”
“He managed somehow though…”
“As we can see but he has a planet stuck on his entrance door.”
“Stupid!”
“Yes, really stupid”
🏠🤣🏠🤣🏠🤣🏠🤣🏠🤣
„Hat er es endlich geschafft?“
„Ich glaube schon, schau mal, wie er da herumhüpft!“
„Wie ein Kaninchen auf Speed!“
„Es gibt dieses Gerücht, dass er in den 80ern Probleme mit Drogen hatte.“
„Ist das die Zeit, als er angefangen hat, dieses … dieses … nun ja … ich weiß, man nennt so etwas auf der Erde ein Haus.“
„Ja, ich erinnere mich, als er den ganzen Planeten aus der anderen Dimension geholt hat. Ich glaube, er hatte vor, das Haus auf dem Planeten zu bauen, aber das ist natürlich nicht möglich. Man kann nicht von einer Dimension in eine andere bauen.“
„Aber es ist doch in dieser Dimension!!!!“
„Nein, tut es nicht. Siehst du, das ist das Problem mit der Quantenphysik. Nichts ist so, wie es scheint.“
„Ah. Also war er frustriert und hat mit Drogen angefangen?“
„Wahrscheinlich.“
„Er hat es aber irgendwie geschafft …“
„Wie wir sehen können, aber er hat einen Planeten an seiner Eingangstür hängen.“
„Dumm!“
„Ja, wirklich dumm.“
Josh Day, Next Day!
Woot! He has mentioned in other posts that this one is longer than usual, so relax and enjoy. Also, remember Josh is on The Late Show, with Stephen Colbert, tonight!
Some News From The Poor People’s Campaign:
Randy/blundersonword is correct about moral turpitude in the US’s government, though of course many believe that moral is as moral does for each person. What I consider moral can be immoral to others (though I never get why… Anyway.) This came in my email today, and maybe others wish to participate with this absolutely moral activism. Thanks for checking in!
Please join us on Tuesday, April 14 at 8:30AM ET for an emergency press conference convened by Bishop William J. Barber, II, DMin, President & Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, Professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy, and Founding Director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School.
Bishop Barber will respond to President Trump’s widely circulated AI‑generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ, recent statements from Franklin Graham, and the Pope’s global call for renewed moral commitment to the poor and to pluralist democracy.
Bishop Barber will address the theological and democratic dangers of these developments and call faith leaders nationwide to resist the misuse of religion to sanctify policy violence and division.
You can watch the press conference on the Repairers of the Breach website here: https://breachrepairers.org/get-involved/live/
This Seems Like A Wonderful Idea!
Not before free public restrooms, but still. Maybe service organizations or churches can help out with space, etc. Anyway, enjoy simply reading about a nice thing.
This ‘wind phone’ in Phoenix offers a space to talk through grief after someone dies
KJZZ | By Sam Dingman
Published April 9, 2026 at 12:43 PM MST
The “wind phone” set up at New Vision Center for Spiritual Living in Phoenix.
Back in 2020, a woman named Amy Dawson lost her 25-year-old daughter, Emily.
In the midst of her grief, she discovered a monument in Japan, built by a man named Itaru Sasaki: a small white phone booth on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in the town of Otsuchi. Sasaki, who’d suffered a loss of his own several years earlier. He called it a “wind phone,” and the idea was simple: step into the booth, pick up the receiver and speak to those you can no longer reach on a regular phone.
Dawson fell in love with the idea as a way of communicating with Emily, and set up a wind phone of her own. And Dawson set up a website encouraging others to set up or find their own wind phones.
Here in Phoenix, the idea connected with a member of the congregation at the New Vision Center for Spiritual Living, who told Rev. Karin Einhaus about it.
Einhaus was moved by the story, and resolved to set up a wind phone that’s open to the public on the center’s campus.
And not long after, she got a call from another member of the congregation. (snip-go read it! It’s not at all long.)
This Week’s “Lay Lines”
is a fundraiser for a friend of the cartoonist. I’m posting it not so much to try to help, but because I promised I’d post this every week. There is, as always, great art here!
Scottie's Playtime 