rgbstock
The Darker Side of New Year Celebrations
1. xymonau31 December 2011, 12:46 GMT +01:00
About a half hour ago I heard thousands of screeching birds outside. It's just after 9:30pm here. I went out, and could hear a multitude of birds in the night sky. Someone was setting off fireworks somewhere, and these birds were frantic. Most can't see to fly at night, so I have no idea what will happen to them. And then it all happens again at midnight. Not to mention the dogs and cats that are terrorised. I see nothing funny about it, and I see no reason to waste millions of dollars on a few minutes of a light show that causes so much misery to helpless animals. A laser show could just as easily be done, without the noise. And the money could be spent on people rather than sent up in smoke.
Sorry, but all these panicked birds just breaks my heart.
2. xymonau31 December 2011, 12:54 GMT +01:00
And another example of blatant cruelty just so morons can "celebrate" the new year. I really hope all involved in this have the worst year of their lives.
http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2011/12/16/Opossum-to-Be-Terrorized-for-New-Year_2700_s-Eve.aspx?utm_campaign=1211 Opossum Drop Blog&utm_source=PETA E-Mail&utm_medium=E-News
3. happyture31 December 2011, 17:28 GMT +01:00
Just another example of people putting themselves before anything else, sadly this celebration ie New Year will never change, maybe they think that the wild birds/Animals will get use to the mayhem ......one day.......without too many fatality's ..??
4. weirdvis1 January 2012, 0:09 GMT +01:00
I don't "do" New Year for the same reason I don't "do" Xmas. I can't stand being slobbered by sentimental drunks and having my personal space invaded because it's New Year, innit so therefore the normal social rules are thrown out with the turkey carcase. There is nothing to celebrate as far as I'm concerned because there's nothing much to look forward too thanks to the political muppets that royally fracked up our lives with their serial venal stupidity. I don't see the point in blotting that out for a few hours because you still have to wake up to the reality which is made a whole lot worse if you've given yourself a hangover.
So I'm sitting quietly at home right now, glass of a decent Aussie Shiraz in hand. While people go silly over the Big Ben Bongs I'll be catching up with the latest Poirot I recorded earlier in the week and saved for the occasion. The only fireworks in my house will go off if my other half wakes me up when he gets back from the pub (I don't enforce my solitary withdrawal from the so called festivities on anyone else). Thank goodness it's almost all over for another year.
While 2012 will probably bring some small but good things (like the growth of rgbstock) I'm pessimistic about the general outcome on the national and international level.. So here's to the good things.
Cheers!
5. Ayla871 January 2012, 9:27 GMT +01:00
Dez, it is awful how much animals suffer from these fireworks. We were quite busy with calming our cat, too. I think all this money could have been spent much better instead of blowing it into the air. Artificial fireworks are much less expensive, e.g. when you use soundfiles like these: http://www.wetterfoto.de/silvester.html (random fireworks sounds when you click on the photo, but don't turn your loudspeaker too loud).
Lynne, you are right, the outlook (even internationally) isn't optimistic for the new year (and the next ones to come, too). So it is a pretty good idea fo focus on the positive exceptions like rgb, which I'm proud to be a small part of.
--Michael
6. xymonau2 January 2012, 2:24 GMT +01:00
Blackbirds fall from the sky for the second year in a row
Yahoo!7 & AAP
A small town in Arkansas, USA has seen dozens of blackbirds fall from the sky for the second year running.
According to TV station, KATV, a large mass was seen over Beebe, Arkansas a few hours before midnight on Saturday night.
Shortly after, the birds began falling from the sky just like New Year's Eve the year before.
Last year thousands of birds landed on roofs, sidewalks, streets and fields. One struck a woman walking her dog. Another hit a police cruiser.
The blackbird die-off, coupled with tens of thousands of dead drum fish that washed up on the shores of the Arkansas River, flung the state into the national headlines and drew conspiracy theorists and filmmakers to the town.
Scientists offered a plausible explanation: they said the loud cracks and booms from celebratory fireworks likely sent the birds into such a tizzy that they crashed into homes, cars and each other before plummeting to their deaths last New Year's Eve.
After last year’s bizarre occurrence, the town banned fireworks from its New Year’s Eve celebrations and it’s unclear whether fireworks were the cause this year.
Lieutenant Brian Duke of the Beebe Police Department told US’s ABC that the deaths weren’t nearly as bad this year and that the deaths were concentrated to smaller areas. There were not any reports of people being hit by a falling bird.
Although a full report hasn’t been made, Duke admits that fireworks are probably the reason for the deaths this year.
