construction styles

Outside my window at the office I've observed a turtle dove couple that have been busy building a nest. Previously this Spring, before the cold snap there were robins building a nest. I finally went out to investigate the outcome. It seems the robins abandoned the nest and the turtle doves built a nest over the top of the robin nest. It was interesting to see the different construction styles. The robins brought in string, twigs, grass and mud and put together a very strong and structurally sound nest.

The turtle doves, on the other hand, brought in a few twigs, laid them on top of the robin's nest and even though the nest doesn't seem very substantial the parents seem quite unconcerned. There must be eggs there because one of the birds is always sitting on the nest. Does the robin have more of a brain? Is the turtle dove a poor parent? I suppose that if the dove nest fails the robin nest will be there to catch the offspring.

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Little Z and The Princess...each in a photogenic moment. Leave a comment caption.

new link (or is it linc)

Check out the new link on the side bar. Initials are DH. This guy is the classical anarchist that churches love to put in charge of their teen ministry...if they want to reach kids. His sense of humor, creativity, and potential for keeping the senior minister chewing his fingernails is just right. By the way, his picture on his blog displays his relaxed expression.

Sambo joins my banned book collection

I bought the children's book "Little Black Sambo" this week in a silent book auction at the Brownsburg Public Library. $13 was all it took and I can put it in with other books that have been burned or banned or death threats put on the authors.

I read "Little Black Sambo" again for the first time. It's a pretty good story of a little boy in India who outsmarts some vicious tigers. It also has a moral because the tigers illustrate the futility and undesirable consequences of stubborn rage. From what I've been able to understand the main objection to the book is the name "Sambo," but Sambo's parents' names are apparently not so objectionable: Mama Sari and Papa Simbu. In my opinion the book's illustrator has a much stranger name: Watty Piper. The publishers were Platt and Munk.

Other banned books on my shelf include:

The Holy Bible...banned in many places and times for a revolutionary message.

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie...banned in India and Islamic countries for its mention of verses that have been removed from the Koran. It is considered blasphemous and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the author's death. Some book stores in some countries refuse to sell it out of fear.

The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine...banned in the UK for blasphemy in the 18th Century.

Animal Farm by George Orwell...Publication delayed in UK because of anti-Stalin theme. Confiscated in Germany by Allied troops. Banned in Malaysia for religious reasons. I've never read this one but my curiosity is up now.

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak...Published in Italy in 1957 it was banned within the USSR until 1988 for its criticism of the Bolsheviks Party. It was also a boring movie, yet with good music.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain...One of my all-time favorites. When I was a kid I would have liked to have gone on some of Tom Sawyer's and Huck's adventures. Banned in the USA for use of racial slurs.

For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemmingway...Banned in Spain during Francisco Franco rule for its pro-Republican views.

Now that I've purchased "Little Black Sambo" I think I'm going to get real reckless and try to find "Black Beauty" which was banned in South Africa because it has the word "black" in the title. (Honest, I'm not making this up)