We get Mississippi Kites in late Spring; they’re about gone now. They give amazing air shows! Watching them makes a day better.-Ali
About
With pearlescent gray feathers and a sleek silhouette, the Mississippi Kite glides gracefully through the skies on wingbeats that manage to look effortless. While this medium-sized raptor with long, pointed wings and a squared-off tail may resemble a Peregrine Falcon in flight, the Mississippi Kite’s bouyant and easy flight can quickly distinguish it from the rapid, businesslike flight of the falcon. Its aerial acrobatics have earned the kite nicknames like “Hovering Kite.”
A long-distance migratory species, the Mississippi Kite breeds throughout the southern and central United States, making use of wooded areas in a range of settings — in large, low-lying forest tracts, windbreaks (stands of wind-resistant trees and shrubs) in prairies, and even in urban settings. Their habitat use and even their social behaviors vary throughout their range, with kites in the west being more likely to nest in colonies than their counterparts in the east.
Threats
The global Mississippi Kite population is increasing, and its range has expanded into parts of the Southwest since the mid-20th century. Even so, the cumulative impacts from threats like habitat degradation and loss, pesticide use, and collisions may make the Mississippi Kite more vulnerable across parts of its range.
Heather Scott [photo] last appeared here in January 2025 when the Idaho House advanced her resolution which would have launched a formal state lawsuit against Obergefell.
She appeared here in February 2024 for her bill to ban the composting of human remains because people might dig up the bodies and eat them. (Yes, really.)
Scott first appeared here in 2020 when she called Idaho’s Republican governor “Little Hitler” over COVID lockdowns, which she compared to concentration camps.
She appeared here in 2022 when she held a talk on “the war of perversion against our children” by the LGBTQ community and invited a militia group to the stage.
Scott first made national news in 2017 when she defended white nationalism in a Facebook post.
Later that year she was stripped of her committee posts when she said that women only get Idaho leadership posts if they “spread their legs.”
Photos show Scott, an Oath Keepers supporter, brandishing the Confederate battle flag at her campaign events.
Remember when he was the mayor of a dying town in Western Pennsylvania and he was promising to do everything possible to save his constituents that were abandoned by big business?
This dumb-as-rocks statement is a dog whistle.
No one is quitting their jobs for free food, but to racist MAGA and garbage people like Trump, stealing food, laziness, and ungratefulness are sentiments directed at non-white communities and urban populations. ‘They’ are gaming the system.
Meanwhile, theft, dullness, and ungracious are all descriptions of Trump: the betrayer, the manipulator, the liar.
JD Vance has never commented on all the pictures of himself in women’s clothes yet he is openly calling for the persecution of everyone else who has done it. Republicans are the kings of hypocrisy.
I am a huge Stevie Wonder fan; as bad as any given day has ever been, if I hear him, the day gets better. This is not Stevie Wonder, it’s Playing For Change doing a fine job with a Stevie song, in the name of peace. Enjoy!
*** I think the soldiers did get paid, but maybe it means the upcoming pay. Remember they normally are paid twice a month ***
This son-of-a-bitch is going to be doing color commentary while we are publicly executed at Madison Square Garden if we don’t get our acts together and fight back hard. And by we I mean every marginalized person, democratic voter, educated person, and union member. Virtually everyone who doesn’t support MAGA will be a target of opportunity on the streets of America.
A post from Bee with a song (It’s Muse-click through and turn it up!!), then my selection beneath; leave the volume up for that one, too. Peace Out! 🕊 ☮
Leave the volume up for this one, too. Yes, it seems Christmasy, but it’s a peace song. We used to go to Wichita to see them every year. They told the story during the concert. From notes on the video:
“For anyone who wants to know the story of this song, I looked it up: The city of Sarajevo was in a war with another city, in the middle of the Bosnian War, and his city was destroyed by his own people. Desperate to do something the old man would go to the highest place he could find, and play music on his cello, things like Mozart and Beethoven. A reporter went to try and find him and ask why he did such a crazy thing. He responded because it was his only way to show that there was still a little bit of humanity in the world.”
I just found 3 comments in Spam from a newer subscriber. The comments are fine, but I am unable to approve or release these comments from Spam. When you get a chance, you’ll see them. Thanks!
I hope today is treating you kinder than days have been, Scottie!
This post continues my thoughts on the quote from “Ted Lasso” who said “be curious, not judgemental”.
Some time ago I learned that the psychotic magic of any supervisor or manager is the ability to take the attitude and issues of the workers in stride and gather them towards getting a task done. I’ve worked with some interesting people; rapists, drug dealers, people who were mentally disturbed, folks who used drugs and alcohol, the violent and even just the stubborn and immature.
Each of these men and women brought their own magic along with their own baggage, and I have been routinely blessed and amazed with what they can do. When working with rough people – those who rose above were a joy, others ultimately did not fit the organization, some went to jail, a few actually died.
But, this year, wow – it has really pushed me to lengths and depths I’d hoped never to see, and that has taken its toll on me. I’ve experienced depression, anger, and pain that required me to see a very unaffordable doctor – but not before I finally lost my temper. In that moment, the fear of the shop failing, the anger of the current political environment, the depression and the debilitating pain came together to have me behaving in an unprofessional, if verbally artistic and vulgar, manner.
Others who have been subject to this person’s ways were very understanding, two were quite giggly about it and no one was critical of me for my lost temper. Quite frankly, the guy is a prototypical engineer: thinks he’s smarter than everyone. But he’s also taking care of a recently disabled wife, is in financial hardship, frustrated that he’s tied the end of his career to this business. Once you get beyond his insecurities, he’s fairly funny, has had a lot of interesting experiences, and is surprisingly smart.
I knew I was wrong; took a short cut to feel self-righteous. Yet somehow I became a part of a group because I lost my temper and did something stupid. I responded unprofessionally because I was hurting, I was angry, I felt abused and disrespected. I responded unprofessionally not because of what he said that time, any time, but because of my own inability to deal constructively with my problems, and the task did not get completed.
That person is outside of my authority. And yes, the ceo should have put better controls on him so he wouldn’t abuse his people. But, it got me thinking. The aftermath of this had me curious about group mentality, shared grievances, and how maga people are acting.
Right or wrong, they feel they have grievances. They feel angry, abused, disrespected. I find it very interesting that they have chosen to latch on to the first charismatic fool that blasts out their pain for them to the point that they refuse to recognize this foundering wreck for what he is! Maga’ts follow his words like mana, respond violently when countered, and all for a person who doesn’t share their goals or their reality. In short, their pain and emotional turmoil has caused them to lose their curiosity.
Now there is fair evidence to say that magats have not been abused and disrespected, to which I would argue that they have. These folks have taken the words of faux news and those such to heart; they have had their fears stoked, they are defensive and angry because they confuse their fears and angers for a reality that doesn’t bear investigation.
So disillusioned and angry with reality in the scope of the manipulation their preferred information sources provide that they sometimes aggressively believe everyone is a liar except, ironically, those lying to them. Worse, they misconstrue opinion bias for research, and really don’t appreciate being told that.
So, some of you who have weathered this are screaming in your head “who cares!” – and some of you have actually screamed this out-loud. This is not our fault, I can hear you say – but it is our problem. As any of us who have tried to reach these folks can attest, seeking to change their outlook, to get them to consider things differently, to listen to f’ing reason! is incredibly difficult.
And, somehow, 70million of these fools voted in the last election. 70million defensive, angry, uninformed and misinformed people who can’t listen to anyone not associated with tRump are voting on our future. They think we are wimps, naive snowflakes because a 30-second news-cycle bombastically bullshitted them, and they liked it.
I find that very curious and extremely frightening, and I have no idea what to do about it.
Part III coming soon to a Scottie’s Blogs near you. 🙂
Scottie's Playtime 