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[PDQ Mobile]

"maybe the reds deserve to die out? maybe not so clever as the greys?"

Given the Reds are a European species and the Grey are American I rather doubt it!!

It occurs to me that the Americans hate "the Reds"!

[Cugel]

Exotic animals cause a lot of trouble Down Under, there are plans to eradicate some of them

Vultures are among my favourites, they tidy away the mess left by others, are there any in West West Wales?

You mean bankers? I thought they were all in London

No no, I mean the birds that eat rotten meat, they have special digestive systems and doubtless enjoy it
Have you seen one in London?

In the cities and other locales of dense human population, the fox, rat, cockroach and myriad other beasts proliferate - and a jolly good thing that they do since they consume enormous amounts of human waste which would otherwise provide yet another of the Great Stinks suffered in London and other cities in past times, all due to human waste and pollution.

Humans are often foolish about an ecology. We think it should be some sort of fluffy place with only cute puppies and pretty birds in it. Yet even wet rot has it's virtues. We would otherwise be awash in ugly buildings from the year dot. And what a good job the corpse-eating beetles and flies are out there, eh? On the other hand, we could use the bodies as fuel. But think of the resulting smog!

Cugel, quite fond of necrophages.

[mercalia]

You mean bankers? I thought they were all in London

No no, I mean the birds that eat rotten meat, they have special digestive systems and doubtless enjoy it
Have you seen one in London?

In the cities and other locales of dense human population, the fox, rat, cockroach and myriad other beasts proliferate - and a jolly good thing that they do since they consume enormous amounts of human waste which would otherwise provide yet another of the Great Stinks suffered in London and other cities in past times, all due to human waste and pollution.

Humans are often foolish about an ecology. We think it should be some sort of fluffy place with only cute puppies and pretty birds in it. Yet even wet rot has it's virtues. We would otherwise be awash in ugly buildings from the year dot. And what a good job the corpse-eating beetles and flies are out there, eh? On the other hand, we could use the bodies as fuel. But think of the resulting smog!

Cugel, quite fond of necrophages.

or Soylent Green

[Cugel]

No no, I mean the birds that eat rotten meat, they have special digestive systems and doubtless enjoy it
Have you seen one in London?

In the cities and other locales of dense human population, the fox, rat, cockroach and myriad other beasts proliferate - and a jolly good thing that they do since they consume enormous amounts of human waste which would otherwise provide yet another of the Great Stinks suffered in London and other cities in past times, all due to human waste and pollution.

Humans are often foolish about an ecology. We think it should be some sort of fluffy place with only cute puppies and pretty birds in it. Yet even wet rot has it's virtues. We would otherwise be awash in ugly buildings from the year dot. And what a good job the corpse-eating beetles and flies are out there, eh? On the other hand, we could use the bodies as fuel. But think of the resulting smog!

Cugel, quite fond of necrophages.

or Soylent Green

That Green is old hat now. Instead there is "gruff, deedle, and wobbly to fill up the cracks" - a series of bland foodstuffs made from "sturge" - a conglomerate of all the wastes generated by the "egalistic" society of the planet Wyst: Alastor 1716.

https://orthosphere.wordpress.com/2018/ ... -dystopia/

On Wyst one has to do only 13 hours a week of "drudge" (work of various kinds) in order to receive the necessities of life, including an apartment and the aforementioned foodstuffs. Many become bored so there is a carnival place where various modes of suicide may be arranged. All of the many bodies go into the sturge along with all the other stuffs, as do the bodies of those dying naturally. (On Wyst, murder is regarded as just a natural phenomenon associated with humans and therefore not requiring any policing or other apparatus of justice, which concept has more to do with the elimination of all property rights).

Perhaps if "basic income" becomes established in the coming age of the robot and AI, we will have some form of Wysteria here on the Erf? If so, I have a cunning plan for improving the variety of the gruff, deedle and wobbly, which involves variable permutations of the sturge constituents. Of course, I will need to do experiments. Any volunteers to become sturge-fodder? I know many are depressed at the thought of Brexit, even me sometimes.

Cugel

[thirdcrank]

On the subject of alien species, there seem to be more than enough reports of apparently abandoned pet snakes being found. eg

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-c ... e-45627037

If one fell out of my loft, I'd never be able to sleep in the house again. I can hardly face watching them on the telly.

[661-Pete]

Everyone's got a least-favourite animal, I suppose. Snakes (and spiders) don't bother me at all, but I draw the line at maggots - especially if they've infested anything edible. Cue unpleasant past experiences with a pre-cooked chicken (this was in the days before I gave up meat, of course....)

And rats. I reckon I share that phobia with Winston Smith, the hero of 1984....

Grey squirrels? Well, they are rodents, so a bit like rats - and I wouldn't like to handle one. Luckily they don't usually give you that chance...

[Cugel]

Everyone's got a least-favourite animal, I suppose. Snakes (and spiders) don't bother me at all, but I draw the line at maggots - especially if they've infested anything edible. Cue unpleasant past experiences with a pre-cooked chicken (this was in the days before I gave up meat, of course....)

And rats. I reckon I share that phobia with Winston Smith, the hero of 1984....

Grey squirrels? Well, they are rodents, so a bit like rats - and I wouldn't like to handle one. Luckily they don't usually give you that chance...

I know lovely nice girls who have pet rats. If a nice girl can love her rat why not you? Many are sleek and have a humorous streak (the rats and probably the nice girls too).

The squirrel also has a sense of humour, going by how well they tease the collies with a "chase me" then sit up a branch pelting them with husks and other detritus. They are quite accurate and can hit a collie-conk at 15 yards.

As to the maggots, they are apparently adept at eating your wound to remove the rot and are still employed in that way here and there. Imagine! (Don't faint). Down under they eat a Witchetty Grub, which is very like a large maggot. Yum!

Winston Smith? He wasn't really the hero in 1984 - there weren't any heroes in that dystopian vision, just a foretelling of what it'll be like post-Brexit after Farrago becomes Dictator.

Cugel

[thirdcrank]

I see that Wiki describes Winston Smith as the protagonist, with a helpful link to a definition of the word.

[661-Pete]

I see that Wiki describes Winston Smith as the protagonist, with a helpful link to a definition of the word.

Definitely a requirement, seeing as it's a four-syllable word! I'll stick with "hero", thanks: works OK for me!

I think I can understand people's aversion to spiders - but I've never understood fear of snakes. Lovely elegant creatures! And most of them are harmless to humans. OK OK - I know some of them are venomous. So is the duck-billed platypus, and I don't suppose people flee shrieking when the encounter one of those...

[pwa]

I see that Wiki describes Winston Smith as the protagonist, with a helpful link to a definition of the word.

Definitely a requirement, seeing as it's a four-syllable word! I'll stick with "hero", thanks: works OK for me!

I think I can understand people's aversion to spiders - but I've never understood fear of snakes. Lovely elegant creatures! And most of them are harmless to humans. OK OK - I know some of them are venomous. So is the duck-billed platypus, and I don't suppose people flee shrieking when the encounter one of those...

I like snakes too but I know others aren't okay with them. My daughter is even freaked out by butterflies!

[thirdcrank]

... Definitely a requirement, seeing as it's a four-syllable word! I'll stick with "hero", thanks: works OK for me!...

I'm indifferent to what word is used there but it was raised so I googled it. Although I'm familiar with the word protagonist, I'd have been unable to give a precise definition and I think it's probably often misused. I suppose it's a matter of seeing a word in context and assuming the meaning; if it's incorrectly used, then it's an example of how usage gradually changes the meaning of a useful word. So, I'd a mistaken impression that protagonists came in pairs, rather like opponents.

I seem to have upset you in my search for knowledge. It wasn't my intention.

[661-Pete]

My daughter is even freaked out by butterflies!

Oh dear! Beware if you take her to some parts of south-west France. There's a large dark-brown-and-white species, quite common in those parts, called the Great Banded Grayling*, which just loves to fly at us, buzz us, and often settle on us, as we're walking along. I think maybe they're attracted to the scent of human sweat...

*no relation to a certain "failing" politician of that name!

[661-Pete]

I seem to have upset you in my search for knowledge. It wasn't my intention.

Upset? Absolutely not! Amuse me? Yes! You misunderstood me: I was seeing the funny side of your post .

[thirdcrank]

Any humour has gone right over my head but I'll move on.

[pete75]

The squirrel also has a sense of humour, going by how well they tease the collies with a "chase me" then sit up a branch pelting them with husks and other detritus. They are quite accurate and can hit a collie-conk at 15 yards.



Cugel

I've seen them teasing dogs but it appears they don't know the difference between a dog and a cat. One did that to our cat. Came home from work that evening and found he'd killed four squirrels. He hadn't really bothered with them but after that took to killing them regularly. Never seemed to eat them though.