Good evening! Every night, Top Comments rounds up some of the site's best, funniest, most mojo'd and most informative commentary. We'd like your help with talent spotting. If you see a comment that deserves recognition, please send it to topcomments over at gmail dot com by 9:30 p.m., Eastern. Please include a few words about why you sent it in as well as your user name, so we can credit you with the find.
Though I'm not a bird watcher, I had the opportunity to have a gander at a flock of tundra swans earlier today. They're lovely and amusing; majestic until they go diving, and then they are nothing but feathered tails saluting the sky. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says that their wingspan is longer than I am tall and -- cool fact --that they sleep on the water.
Closer to home, I've recently sighted snow geese in a nearby field. They flock by the thousands and it is magnificent to see them lift off, like metallic white confetti falling up. The robins are back, of course, and so are the red-wing blackbirds. The hawks thinned out for a while but never really went away, and the chickens keep wary eyes on them.
"Going away" are the operative words tonight as Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today released "The State of the Birds," "the first ever comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States, showing that nearly a third of the nation’s 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats."
But, good news: "At the same time, the report highlights examples, including many species of waterfowl (Ed. Note: Including snow geese!), where habitat restoration and conservation have reversed previous declines, offering hope that it is not too late to take action to save declining populations."
I haven't sat down with it yet but have it bookmarked. Birding? I must be getting old. Years ago, I came across a lengthy and wonderful poem by Mona Van Duyn, "Letters from a Father," which is part parental complaint and part the reawakening of wonder. Go read the whole thing, but here is a snippet:
IV
Almost called you on the telephone
but it costs so much to call thought better write.
Say, the funniest thing is happening, one
day we had so many birds and they fight
and get excited at their feed you know
and it's really something to watch and two or three
flew right at us and crashed into our window
and bang, poor little things knocked themselves silly.
They come to after while on the ground and flew away.
And they been doing that. We felt awful
and didn't know what to do but the other day
a lady from our Church drove out to call
and a little bird knocked itself out while she sat
and she bought it in her hands right into the house,
it looked like dead. It had a kind of hat
of feathers sticking up on its head, kind of rose
or pinky color, don't know what it was,
and I petted it and it come to life right there
in her hands and she took it out and it flew. She says
they think the window is the sky on a fair
day, she feeds birds too but hasn't got
so many. She says to hang strips of aluminum foil
in the window so we'll do that. She raved about
our birds. P.S. The book just come in the mail.
Spring is here, bird by bird.
*******************************************************************
From you:
TheFatLadySings writes:
dadanation posted this excellent comment about the importance of science-based evaluation in TheFatLadySings' diary The Feds Ask: Did You Have Butt Sex 100 Times?
A Kossack writes:
This comment from this thread from this diary: Big-News...Obama-to-Iran:-Eid-eh-Shoma-Mobarak!
Kossack COkdub writes:
This snarky answer from Kossack kgooding is the perfect reply to the question asked by Kossack Crashing Vor. From an openthread type FR story by Jed.
bagman and psilocynic aka Nick Zouroudis both sent
this.
Ed. Note: Tell us how you really feel, Virgil RK.
ms citizen writes:
Orinoco has a great comment today explaining why the No Child Left Behind testing process is fundamentally flawed.
The top mojo-go-getters are brought to you tonight by the letter M and by Sardonyx.
Top Mojo (cskendrick/sardonyx-style) excluding search-identifiable tip jars, first diary comments, Cheers and Jeers, and Mojo Friday:
1) Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak by Vappid — 203
2) no accident that Obama quoted Saadi by QuickSilver — 123
3) Now by dr fatman — 122
4) This is fucking awesome. by robertacker13 — 121
5) the Persian blogosphere by QuickSilver — 116
6) If that ain't extending an open hand by MTmofo — 116
7) How can they? by elliott — 91
8) It means he's Muslim, of course by wader — 88
9) Hai tricia! Hugs bud! :-) by Common Sense Mainer — 80
10) Krauthammer will burst a vessel in vitriol. by doinaheckuvanutjob — 79
11) rrrrrROWR!!! FITE, kittehs, FITE!!! by boofdah — 79
12) Happy Nowruz everyone! by soms — 78
13) Aw, come on. Don'tcha wanna get your outrage on? by Angry Mouse — 78
14) Hear'z anuthur kyoot wun: by boofdah — 74
15) i just sent this to all my relatives in iran by robertacker13 — 72
16) My cat says hi: by Dauphin — 71
17) Please consider writing... by Abe Frohman — 70
18) Hi, everyone! by mayim — 70
19) If I were them by captainlaser — 69
20) btw by Debbie in ME — 69
21) oh hai everyone! by a girl in MI — 67
22) Fed up with the media also by gulfgal98 — 66
23) Or, I found this one by LaFeminista — 66
24) Happy Friday everyone by leftynyc — 65
25) "Spin Cycle" by Tricky — 64
26) Link to diarist's first comment/tip jar by Abe Frohman — 64
27) It is big news in Iran by dancewater — 64
28) It makes perfect sense that he is on Leno by sara seattle — 63
29) Obama is more dignified on the Tonite Show by mkfarkus — 62
30) REC THIS DIARY! by Brainwrap — 62
31) Aaaaaaa! by Ray Radlein — 62
Top Mojo with No Exclusions:
1) tip jar by Front Toward Enemy — 458
2) Tips for presidential dignity by droogie6655321 — 393
3) Tips/Mojo: 19 March 09 by A Siegel — 367
4) Tip Jar by Muzikal203 — 319
5) I know... by PLU Tim — 267
6) Friday tips! by DJShay — 244
7) Tips for a little orange juice by WineRev — 227
8) I know that "we" care more about families by clammyc — 219
9) Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak by Vappid — 203
10) Great!!!! by JoanMar — 199
11) Don't forget to wear protective headgear when by Asinus Asinum Fricat — 166
12) Mojo Mug by TexDem — 165
13) I love the theater... by ajewella — 162
14) The Lounge is Open by TexDem — 140
15) Tips for teaching responsibility. :) by NCrissieB — 138
16) Mojo Friday Wants You by TexDem — 138
17) That's too bad about your friend, TD. by donnamarie — 135
18) Have some Mojo by TexDem — 134
19) 12 - 4 in my brackets by TexDem — 131
20) I know, I know. by RenaRF — 125
21) There's hope by TexDem — 123
22) no accident that Obama quoted Saadi by QuickSilver — 123
23) Now by dr fatman — 122
24) Always by Ex Con — 121
25) This is fucking awesome. by robertacker13 — 121
26) Heh-lo by Floja Roja — 120
27) Good Mojo Friday Vernal Equinox Tex Dem! by politik — 119
28) Let's not forget that the $160 million by buhdydharma — 119
29) For this by TexDem — 118
30) Mojo for Spring! by bethcf4p — 116
31) If that ain't extending an open hand by MTmofo — 116
32) Not too shabby... by Jimmm — 116
33) the Persian blogosphere by QuickSilver — 116
Happy Friday night, everybody. Looking forward to the weekend?