About the ugly and sometimes scary

Grew up in California and remember seeing vultures almost every day. Most interesting, was when they circled the hospital 2 blocks from where I lived.

Roadtirement

Does a kettle of vultures circling in the sky give you pause?

Took this picture a few years back one early morning

Turkey vultures often get a bad rap. Yes, they are pretty ugly. They do perform a vital role in the ecosystem by cleaning up the carrion. It is for some kind of scary seeing a lot of them circling overhead. Here’s some other information:

  • Yes, a group of turkey vultures circling is called a kettle of vultures
  • They spread their wings to warm up or dry off, usually in the morning
  • They can soar for  hours at a time, rarely flapping wings
  • They clean up the carcasses of dead animals, keeping diseases down
  • Wing spans reach up to six feet
  • They stick their heads in carcasses so no head feathers to keep clean
  • Buzzard is not the correct name for turkey vultures
  • They DO NOT kill dogs, cats…

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Covid: US officials express disapproval over states lifting mask mandates

CDC director says ‘now is not the time to release all restrictions’ after Texas moves to end coronavirus measures

Public health officials on Wednesday expressed disapproval of US states that are lifting mask mandates and reopening businesses and urged that safety measures are still essential even though Joe Biden announced his administration was ahead of schedule on vaccinating all US adults against the coronavirus.

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CDC director says ‘now is not the time to release all restrictions’ after Texas moves to end coronavirus measures

Public health officials on Wednesday expressed disapproval of US states that are lifting mask mandates and reopening businesses and urged that safety measures are still essential even though Joe Biden announced his administration was ahead of schedule on vaccinating all US adults against the coronavirus.

Government experts have spoken out loudly this week to sound the alarm that America is at risk of yet another Covid-19 surge as states such as Texas rushed to dispense with public health orders designed slow the spread of the disease.

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Ultrasonic salad cleaning technique could greatly reduce food poisoning incidents

salad green leaves

SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom — Despite thorough cleanings by both consumers and suppliers, lingering bits of bacteria on salad leaves can still cause food poisoning from time to time. Now, a new study finds water infused with “sound and microscopic air bubbles” may be the key to never fearing another salad bar nightmare again. Besides just…

The post Ultrasonic salad cleaning technique could greatly reduce food poisoning incidents appeared first on Study Finds.

Pope Francis condemns Myanmar junta ahead of landmark visit to Iraq

Pope Francis on Wednesday reiterated his call on Myanmar’s military junta to release all political prisoners and allow the country to continue its journey toward democracy.

The country’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi is among those detained, facing several charges, including causing “fear and alarm” and possessing illegally imported communications equipment.

“I would like to draw the attention of the authorities involved to the fact that dialogue prevails over repression and harmony over discord,” Pope Francis said, speaking at the end of his general audience.

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Pope Francis on Wednesday reiterated his call on Myanmar’s military junta to release all political prisoners and allow the country to continue its journey toward democracy.

The country’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi is among those detained, facing several charges, including causing “fear and alarm” and possessing illegally imported communications equipment.

“I would like to draw the attention of the authorities involved to the fact that dialogue prevails over repression and harmony over discord,” Pope Francis said, speaking at the end of his general audience. 

His comments came in the wake of another violent crackdown on protesters who were demonstrating peacefully against the coup. Security forces have killed at least 30 people participating in pro-democracy marches since the military coup on February 1.

“I repeat the wish I expressed a month ago,” he said, “that the path towards democracy taken in recent years by Myanmar may be resumed through the concrete gesture of the release of the various political leaders imprisoned.”

Only on Wednesday, the day of the Pope’s appeal, police forces in the country killed at least 9 people participating in the protests. 

On March 5, the Pope will visit Iraq, his first foreign trip since the outbreak of the pandemic. The landmark move was labelled as an “act of love for this land, for its people and for its Christians.”

Israel denies COVID vaccine to Palestinian student at Tel Aviv University – +972 Magazine

In the wake of the incident, the university president wrote a letter to the director general of the Health Ministry on the same day, requesting a plan that would allow Palestinian students with an entry permit into Israel for the purpose of studies to be vaccinated the same way all other students are. We hope that the change in the Health Ministry’s approach regarding the vaccination of Palestinian workers, which was announced yesterday, will also provide a plan for the vaccination of [Palestinian] students.Source: Israel denies COVID vaccine to Palestinian student at Tel Aviv University – +972 Magazine

Police disarm pipe bomb at Iowa polling site

Police in Ankeny, Iowa, say they disarmed a live pipe bomb after it was found by a pair of dog walkers at a polling location as voting took place in a local election Tuesday.”

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Police in Ankeny, Iowa, say they disarmed a live pipe bomb after it was found by a pair of dog walkers at a polling location as voting took place in a local election Tuesday.”Ankeny Police officers were called to t…

‘Facebook has a blind spot’: why Spanish-language misinformation is flourishing

Researchers say Spanish-language content is less often and less quickly moderated for misinformation than English content

In the last year, Facebook adjusted some of the most fundamental rules about what gets posted on its platform, halting algorithmic recommendations of political groups, banning lies about vaccines and removing a number of high-profile figures for spreading misinformation and hate – including Donald Trump.

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Researchers say Spanish-language content is less often and less quickly moderated for misinformation than English content

In the last year, Facebook adjusted some of the most fundamental rules about what gets posted on its platform, halting algorithmic recommendations of political groups, banning lies about vaccines and removing a number of high-profile figures for spreading misinformation and hate – including Donald Trump.

Related: Twitter targets Covid vaccine misinformation with labels and ‘strike’ system

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