dugdale@camlot.DEC (Susan Dugdale, 264-4824, MK01-2/K13) (02/15/85)
Although I enjoy reading net.rec.birds, it isn't a very active
newsgroup. In the interest of possibly sparking a little
discussion, I thought I'd share with you a tidbit I picked up off
the AP wire earlier this week. Since there has been so much
discussion in the newsgroups lately about reproducing copyrighted
material, I have decided to summarize and selectively quote from
the article rather than actually post it. (Does anyone know if
news stories carried on the wires are copyrighted?)
*************************
Connecticut State Representative Mae Schmidle has introduced
legislation that would ban the throwing of uncooked rice at
Connecticut weddings. According to Mrs. Schmidle, birds eat the
raw rice left on the ground. The birds are unable to digest the
rice; it expands in their stomachs and causes violent deaths.
She is quoted as saying, "I've heard from several ministers who
say that the next morning after a wedding, they see all the birds
toppled over because they got poisoned by the rice."
The article goes on to quote three Connecticut Audubon members.
""It sounds crazy," said Roland C. Clement of Norwalk, a past
president of the Connecticut Audubon Society and currently
president of the Connecticut Ornithological Association. "I have
50 years of professional experience as a practicing ornthologist
and I've never heard of such a thing before. Of course, there can
always be a first time, but I would have to see some evidence
before I would promote the idea." Asked if he thought it was
possible that birds would be killed by raw rice, Clement said: "I
personally doubt it.""
"Karl Wagener, a former top official with the Connecticut Audubon
Society who now heads the state Council on Environmental Quality,
also questioned the need for Mrs. Schmidle's bill. "I've never
heard of anything like that ever, and I read an awful lot of
bird-oriented literature," he said.""
"David Emerson, assistant director of the Connecticut Audubon
Society, said the topic had never come up in any discussions he
knew of within the society."
The bill would impose a $50 fine for throwing rice.
--from Associated Press Tues 12-FEB-85
AP Writer Judd Everhart
***************************
So how 'bout it? Anyone out there have any experience with this
sort of thing?
Susan Dugdale
DEC
Continental Blvd MK01-2/K13
Merrimack, NH 03054
I'm new at this, but I think the return address is something
like... decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-camlot!dugdale
dugdale%camlot.DEC@decwrl.ARPAma4cc@sdcc3.UUCP (Tim McLarnan) (02/17/85)
> Although I enjoy reading net.rec.birds, it isn't a very active > newsgroup. In the interest of possibly sparking a little > discussion, I thought I'd share with you a tidbit I picked up off > the AP wire earlier this week. > > ************************* > > Connecticut State Representative Mae Schmidle has introduced > legislation that would ban the throwing of uncooked rice at > Connecticut weddings. According to Mrs. Schmidle, birds eat the > raw rice left on the ground. The birds are unable to digest the > rice; it expands in their stomachs and causes violent deaths. > She is quoted as saying, "I've heard from several ministers who > say that the next morning after a wedding, they see all the birds > toppled over because they got poisoned by the rice." I have no insight about birds eating rice from weddings apart from the fact that my wife tells me the theory is that Minute Rice absorbs a great deal of water, and is said to result in fatal dehydration. The legislation proposed in Conn. is claimed to outlaw only this sort of rice, not ordinary dry rice. In the interest of further controversy, however, let me mention a recent wedding at our church in which a pair of white doves were released after the service. In view of the size of the local raptor population, I suspect this basically amounts to providing a healthful lunch for a nearby hawk or 2. Does anyone have any reaction to this act of charity, or to what symbolic meaning the release of these feathered snacks might have? _________________________________________________ Tim McLarnan Dept of Mathematics, UC San Diego ..sdcc3!ma4cc
larryg@teklds.UUCP (Larry Gardner) (02/18/85)
Well, I do not know about rice killing the birds. I think that here in Oregon the birds don't really eat it so a lot of weddings I have been to have started throughing birdseed. The reason being that the rice got left and made a mess but the birdseed got cleaned up right away. I think it is an excellent idea and a great way to let the birds celebrate your wedding, too!! karen