Deciding what to feed your budgie can be tricky‚ especially when it comes to human foods. Lettuce‚ though seemingly harmless‚ raises questions for many parakeet owners. This article will explore the types of lettuce that are safe for your feathered friend and how to incorporate them into their diet properly. Key Takeaways Can Budgies Eat... Can Budgies Eat Lettuce?

The post The Vocal Talents of Cats: Olga’s Repertoire of Sounds by Christopher Bays appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren't considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Hi‚ I’m Christopher! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my silly Russian Blue cat‚ Olga. I cared for a Siamese cat for nearly 20 years and grew accustomed to his constant chatter and howling. Unlike Olga‚ he never stopped talking unless I was petting him or he was sleeping. I wasn’t used to having a quiet pet when I adopted Olga‚ and when she was a kitten‚ she sounded more like a mouse than a cat because her meows sounded like squeaks. She’s more talkative now‚ especially in the morning before breakfast‚ and her vocal range is more expansive. Olga doesn’t have the chops of my Siamese‚ but she’s much louder and harder to ignore than when she was a few years ago. She didn’t make a sound in her carrier when I adopted her‚ but after her first trip to the vet‚ she became more vocal during car rides. Watch out! Your hand looks tasty. The Carrier Meow Convincing Olga to get into her carrier is a struggle. Since her veterinary appointments are always early in the morning‚ she knows she’s heading to the vet’s office if I don’t feed her breakfast. She hides from me and runs away until I finally catch her and put her in the carrier. She doesn’t stop whining until I take her out of the carrier in the examination room. Her meows in the carrier are repetitive and sound sadder than the ones she uses to beg for food. They’re so repetitive that I’m surprised she has time to take a breath‚ and although I’m always patient with her‚ the constant meow‚ meow‚ meow is difficult to endure. Luckily‚ it’s only a 30-minute trip. The Olga Grunt Without opening her mouth‚ Olga grunts if I look at her when she’s hungry. She sits next to my chair and stares at me when it’s close to dinnertime‚ but sometimes‚ the staring begins a few hours early. I ignore her stare to discourage her from begging too early‚ which doesn’t help‚ but she’s quiet unless I make eye contact. She also makes the grunt if I pet her when she’s trying to sleep or show her a toy or paper ball I’m about to throw. This is how I strut! The Howl at Dawn I usually get up before dawn‚ and even on the weekend‚ I can’t sleep very late because my Russian Blue turns into a feline alarm clock without a snooze button. She’s loudest in the morning‚ and the longer I try to sleep‚ the louder she gets. I didn’t think she was capable of howling until recently‚ but now she’s nearly as skilled at it as my Siamese cat. She runs around the house‚ screams‚ and usually jumps into the bathtub so the sound echoes and carries farther. It’s a warning that if I don’t feed her soon‚ she’ll find something to destroy or bat around in the house. When I finally wake up and walk to the kitchen to feed her‚ she’ll whine if I’m not moving fast enough. I’m happy she’s no longer a squeaker and is more talkative‚ even when the pleas for food become obnoxious. The post The Vocal Talents of Cats: Olga’s Repertoire of Sounds by Christopher Bays appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren't considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Book Recommendations Science Fiction Never Mind the Torment Nexus‚ Here’s Five SF Ideas I’d Like to See in Reality Hey‚ tech billionaires—if you want to steal ideas from science fiction‚ start with these… By James Davis Nicoll | Published on February 26‚ 2024 Photo by AbsolutVision [via Unsplash] icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Photo by AbsolutVision [via Unsplash] Headlines are filled with the exploits of billionaires attempting to create in reality the Torment Vortices about which they read in such works as Don’t Create the Torment Nexus (popularized by @AlexBlechman). Who among us has not dreamed of screaming eternally in a Torment Nexus? Nevertheless‚ there may be drawbacks to Torment Nexuses. Being the boundless font of positivity that I am‚ I prefer not to focus on the negative aspects of our current circumstances. Instead‚ perhaps we could refocus billionaires’ efforts on science fictional goals every bit as shiny as Torment Nexuses! Here are five science fictional ideas I’d love to see made real‚ arranged in order of decreasing possibility. The Joymaker from Frederik Pohl’s The Age of the Pussyfoot Joymakers are amongst the most prominent features of the year 2527‚ in which Charles Dalgleish Forrester finds himself revived. Joymakers combine “telephone‚ credit card‚ alarm clock‚ pocket bar‚ reference library‚ and full-time secretary‚” as well as other functions‚ in an affordable‚ compact package. Virtually every 26th century person carries and relies on their joymaker. Readers may notice that joymakers sound a lot like smartphones‚ pocket bars aside. This is because they are essentially smartphones. In his 1968 afterword‚ Pohl speculates that it probably won’t take five centuries for bulky 1960s computers to become multifunction conveniences one could fit into a pocket. He guessed it might take fifty years. If one counts the IBM Simon as a smartphone‚ it took about twenty-five years. I include joymakers as a proof of concept: it is possible for SF predictions to become physical reality‚ sometimes sooner than one might expect. Extreme paleo-archaeology‚ as exemplified in H.P. Lovecraft’s 1931 At the Mountains of Madness There is no compelling reason to think there were technological cultures prior to humans. However‚ absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence. Who knows what dread interesting secrets are hidden in Earth’s past… or if we could survive discovering them? Let’s find out! Even if the Silurian hypothesis is wrong‚ and there were no previous civilizations—or if there were‚ none of them involve sanity-rending revelations that leave us with underpants on our heads‚ muttering “wibble‚ wibble”—what we do discover is certain to be fascinating.1 Universal Basic Income‚ as exemplified in Rachel Swirsky’s January Fifteenth There have been a number of UBI experimental projects carried out of late‚ in nations from Canada to Finland to Kenya. The results: providing people with a minimum assured income reduces the effects of homelessness and health problems and increases investments in education and entrepreneurship. Since this runs contrary to the accepted wisdom that only anxiety and the possibility of a lingering death by malnutrition can sufficiently motivate proles‚ no nation ever actually implements UBI‚ preferring to run test program after test program until they get the answers they want. Some might ask how UBI benefits the 1%. For one thing‚ the people at the bottom of the social pyramid are likely to spend their UBI; the money will soon find its way into the accounts of the wealthy. Also‚ people confident they can buy food and pay rent will finally have the time to properly appreciate the far grander crises bearing down on us‚ from climate change to nuclear war.2 Symbiotes‚ as imagined in Clifford Simak’s ​“Ogre” (Collected in I Am Crying All Inside and Other Stories‚ 2015) Ogre’s alien lifecloaks enjoy a commensal relationship with humans‚ trading food‚ warmth‚ and health in exchange for access to higher cognitive functions. The result from the human perspective is transformation into a form suited to a far broader range of environments than Mark 1 humans (that is‚ without advanced technology like spacesuits). As it happens‚ humans already enjoy intimate mutually beneficial relationships with other species‚ such as the gut bacteria. Some estimates put the fraction of the human body that is non-human microbiome at around sixty percent. Add-ons analogous to Cloaks would only be a continuation of a process already in progress. Superluminal communication‚ as exemplified by Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed To be a total buzzkill‚ all evidence to date suggests that the speed of light is a hard limit on how quickly information can travel. None of the suggested work-arounds appear to be realizable in this universe. Whereas most of my favored torment nexuses need only overcome intractable social or technological barriers‚ a device that allows instant communication over vast distances appears to be precluded by natural law. Still‚ consider how useful it would be to have real-time control of distant space probes… As well‚ superluminal communication would facilitate intra-temporal communication: the same device that allows one to send commands to Voyager without time lags would also allow one to send messages to the past‚ which could only result in great hilarity. Who among us has not wanted to mail forged invitations in the name of various 19th-century luminaries‚ inviting Hans Christian Andersen for lengthy visits? Those are my five preferred torment nexuses (or perhaps‚ worthy alternatives to inventing the torment nexus). Which SFnal development would you like to see made reality?[end-mark] The Boring Billion (a geological era in which nothing of note appears to have occurred) aside. ︎Is there a Maslow’s Pyramid of Existential Threats? ︎The post Never Mind the Torment Nexus‚ Here’s Five SF Ideas I’d Like to See in Reality appeared first on Reactor.

Hollywood finally spared us of all the sanctimonious political lectures this year during the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards that aired live on Netflix on Saturday night‚ which is a stark contrast to previous years.  You have to wonder if they were told to avoid politics from the higher-ups‚ or if they individually decided to do so on their own‚ especially considering that it’s an election year‚ the world possibly being on the brink of World War III and that our nation is facing the worst border crisis in U.S. history under President Joe Biden. One might think that these mostly liberal celebrities who helped get Biden in the White House would be telling their fans to re-elect him‚ but no‚ Biden’s name was not even brought up once. The lack of politics during the 2-plus hour show‚ is truly stunning when you take into account how much Hollywood had to say when Donald Trump was president.  As you may remember‚ when it came Trump’s presidency‚ clueless celebrities typically had something negative to say whenever they were given a platform to do so.  To be frank‚ it was a good thing that we didn't have to listen to celebrities blab on about politics during the awards show. That's how it should be. Although‚ actress and singer Barbara Streisand did lightly denounce the rise of anti-semitism after receiving a Life Time Achievement Award‚ but failed to mention the atrocities committed against Jews by Hamas terrorists‚ the Biden Administration’s handling of the conflict or leftists openly supporting Hamas in the U.S. I can't help but think back to the people who built this industry. Ironically‚ they were also escaping their own troubles. Men like Szmuel Gelbfisz‚ who changed his name to Samuel Goldwyn‚ Eliezer Meir who became Louis B. Mayer and the four Wonskolaser brothers who became Warner Brothers‚ –– they were all fleeing the prejudice they faced in Eastern Europe‚ simply because of their religion. And they were dreamers too‚ like all of us here tonight. And now I dream of a world where such prejudice was a thing of the past." While the actors were quiet on politics‚ they were very outspoken on the Hollywood strike victory‚ with many actors using the stage to discuss the positive results of the strike.  The SAG awards viewership had been sinking for years‚ some believe because of how political Hollywood has become.  The question is now - with Hollywood being mum on polarizing political events‚ will it bring in more viewership in the future?  We will have to wait and see. 

This week‚ Vladimir Putin finally — allegedly — murdered his chief political rival and critic Alexei Navalny. Navalny’s death followed an attempt by Putin’s operatives in 2020 to kill him by poisoning; Navalny survived the attempt‚ worked with online specialists to unmask the actual agents responsible for the poisoning and then returned to Russia‚ where he was promptly arrested on trumped-up charges and sent to a Gulag in the far north. Now‚ Navalny is dead. And Putin isn’t stopping there. This week‚ the Russian government announced an arrest warrant for Navalny’s brother‚ Oleg‚ on unspecified charges; Putin’s agents likely murdered a Russia defector to the Ukrainian side‚ who was found riddled with bullets in Spain; Putin’s government arrested a Russian-American dual citizen on treason charges for giving some $50 to a group called Razom for Ukraine‚ which sends medical and hospital equipment to the beleaguered country. Meanwhile‚ Putin is stepping up his international outreach efforts. This week‚ Putin invited the terror group Hamas to Moscow to talk‚ along with fellow terrorist leaders from Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Authority. He also received plaudits from far-left corrupt Brazilian president Lula Da Silva‚ who refused to condemn Russia for Navalny’s death but found time to accuse Israel of perpetrating a new Holocaust in the Gaza Strip. And‚ of course‚ last week he hosted Tucker Carlson for an interview‚ in which he laid out his historic grievances against NATO and Ukraine; Carlson then followed suit by issuing a series of videos praising Russian metro stations and supermarkets‚ claiming that Russian food prices should “radicalize” Americans into despising their leaders. Putin feels unbound. And he should. Joe Biden is a weak leader with no centralizing principles. He has slow-walked aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the war; he has insisted on continued funding for the war while refusing to articulate what an end to the war would look like; he has refused to even justify the war to Americans beyond simply repeating the word “democracy” over and over — empty rhetoric that no longer tugs at the heartstrings in a complex world where the U.S. has non-democratic allies of its own. Biden refuses to take serious action on the southern border in order to achieve the Ukraine aid package he insists he desires; he even refuses to negotiate with the speaker of the House‚ Mike Johnson‚ on the issue. He seems to prefer tearing into Republicans for their insufficient zeal in funding Ukraine. All of this focus on Republicans allows Biden to elide the split in his own party — a split between Wilsonian interventionists and Noam Chomsky anti-Americans‚ who believe the United States to be a malevolent force in the world. Meanwhile‚ Republicans are split‚ too. There are essentially four camps into which the Republican Party has split: neo-conservative interventionists‚ a remaining rump from the Bush years‚ who have historically supported nation-building efforts in far-flung regions with the goal of cultivating democratic allies even in inhospitable places; realpolitik devotees‚ who seek to assess each foreign conflict and all foreign aid with an eye toward hard American interests‚ ranging from the economic to the military; isolationists‚ who oppose all American interventions‚ both economic and military‚ on principle‚ believing that foreign policy generally represents a betrayal of priorities closer to home; and anti-Americans‚ who meet with the Chomsky-ite left in a perfect example of horseshoe theory made real. Putin sees all of these splits. He sees the fact that Americans are distracted by domestic concerns‚ pried apart by competing narratives of the country‚ at each others’ throats over everything from the definition of sex to the role of the government in everyday life — and split even on the question of whether America is a force for good or ill in the world. Vladimir Lenin once supposedly said‚ “Probe with bayonets. If you find mush‚ you push. If you find steel‚ you withdraw.” Putin is probing. And he’s finding nothing but mush. Ben Shapiro‚ 39‚ is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School‚ host of “The Ben Shapiro Show‚” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author; his latest book is “The Authoritarian Moment: How The Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent.” To find out more about Ben Shapiro and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists‚ visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

President Joe Biden made a point Friday of trying to get an Abraham Lincoln quote right when addressing members of the National Governors Association at the White House. Despite his best efforts and having the notes at his fingertips‚ the 81-year-old Democrat bungled his reference to the Republican president's first inaugural address‚ once again providing fodder to those critical of his advanced age. Governors from over 40 states and territories joined Biden‚ Vice President Kamala Harris‚ and various cabinet members Friday for the NGA Winter Meeting. The NGA indicated that those assembled discussed possible bipartisan solutions to some of the various issues now confronting the American people‚ including housing affordability‚ AI risks‚ and disaster response. After kicking off his brief remarks with an ethnic jibe‚ suggesting‚ "I may be the only Irishman you ever met that's never had a drink‚" Biden noted the portrait of President Abraham Lincoln looming behind him. "You know‚ standing here in front of this portrait of the man behind me here‚ he — he said — and I want to make sure I get the quote exactly right‚" said Biden. "He said‚ ''The better angel.' He said‚ 'We must address the counsel — and adjust the better angels of our nature.'" "And we do well to remember what else he said‚" continued Biden. "He said‚ 'We're not enemies‚ but we're friends.' This is the middle of‚ in the part of the Civil War. He said‚ 'We're not enemies‚ we're friends. We must not be enemies.'" Contrary to Biden's suggestion‚ Lincoln issued his first inaugural address prior to the Civil War on March 4‚ 1861‚ stating‚ "We are not enemies‚ but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained‚ it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory‚ stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land‚ will yet swell the chorus of the Union‚ when again touched‚ as surely they will be‚ by the better angels of our nature." After struggling with the quote‚ Biden quipped about his advanced age‚ saying‚ "Folks‚ I've been around‚ I know I don't look it‚ I've been around a long while." Biden went on to bemoan the bitterness of politics‚ claiming that "politics has gotten too personally [sic]." Just days earlier‚ the Democratic president indicated that he prefers his segregationist mentors to present-day House Republicans whom he stressed are worse than "real racists." Biden completely malfunctions as he tries \u2014 and fails miserably \u2014 to read a quote from "the man behind me here" — (@) Unable to turn back time‚ Biden and his campaign have repeatedly appealed to humor in hopes of defusing concerns about his advanced age. Those concerns have not‚ however‚ gone away. A Quinnipiac University poll revealed last week that 67% of likely voters think Biden is too old to effectively serve another term as president. By way of contrast‚ 57% of voters said that former President Donald Trump‚ only four years Biden's junior‚ is not too old to effectively serve again as president. If re-elected‚ Biden would start his second term at the age of 82 and conclude his term at the age of 86 — roughly twelve years higher than the average life expectancy for the American man. 62% of voters told Quinnipiac that Biden lacks the necessary physical fitness; 64% said the Democratic president lacks the mental acuity. Blaze News previously reported that Biden will not take a cognitive test as part of his upcoming annual physical. Between the new polling numbers and Biden's latest gaffe‚ Democrats appear keen to once again paint a happy picture. California Gov. Gavin Newsom‚ 56‚ told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday that Biden's advanced age is an asset. After suggesting Biden's first three years in office were a "master class‚" Newsom claimed that "it is because of his age that he's been so successful." Newsom further credited "the wisdom and the character" that Biden has developed over his many decades in politics for the various policies Democrats have been able to drive through in Washington since 2021. The California governor was not the only Democrat to defend Biden in the face of concerns over his age in recent days. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blasted the New York Times Wednesday for daring to ask questions about Biden's mental and physical fitness. During a press gaggle aboard Air Force One on Wednesday‚ Jean-Pierre quoted a leftist blogger's sense that "'the Times and other major media outlets ought to look in the mirror.'" Quoting Margaret Sullivan's Substack post further‚ Jean-Pierre added‚ "'Self-scrutiny and course correction are not among big media's core strengths.'" Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

There is reportedly a loophole in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid that allows Texas students with non-citizen parents to apply for financial aid to colleges and universities before the March deadline‚ according to the New York Post.The issue has lingered since the latest version of the online federal financial aid form was first made available in December. Parents who did not have a Social Security number would not have been able to add their financial information to complete the form. However‚ that has changed. The U.S. Department of Education has made a temporary way for students to fill out the financial aid application without a parent's signature. The report noted that the students who do this will be notified via email that their FAFSA form was completed. They will be able to send out their applications to colleges and universities before the deadline hits.KSAT reported that students who decide to go this route will need to insert the missing information after the loophole is closed‚ which the Department of Education said would happen before March 15. The report mentioned that it will be critical for students to get their parent's signatures‚ as their applications will be rejected if they do not do so. The Department of Education also noted that students who do not have pressing deadlines can wait until the form is officially fixed before filling it out. College counselors are reportedly checking each student's situation before recommending whether they should wait or go ahead and fill out the form.The New York Post reported that Every Texan — a left-leaning think tank — has estimated that one in four children in Texas has at least one parent who is not a legal citizen of the U.S. And those parents often do not have Social Security numbers.The FAFSA is generally considered the best option for around 1.6 million Texan college students to access government funding for college or university study.The federal government's decision to roll out the temporary loophole marks the first time the Department of Education has acknowledged the glitch and its potential impact on immigrant households. However‚ some immigration advocates have suggested that the process is confusing.It is not clear how many Texas families will take advantage of the temporary loophole. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A frustrated mother decided to take action after her 3-year-old daughter came home from school and complained that her teacher made comments about how she ate her lunch‚ according to the New York Post.Caroline — who posts on TikTok under the username @pezzi.shop — posted to the social media platform about her how 3-year-old daughter came home and said that her teacher told her to eat the "good" parts of her lunch before the "bad" parts.The "good" parts of the girl's food were apparently a sandwich and cucumbers‚ and the "bad" part was the cookie Caroline packed for her daughter. The mother went on to say that the teacher's comments go against what she has tried to teach her child about food neutrality‚ suggesting that there are no "good" or "bad" foods. @pezzi.shop Here’s the story: My three-year-old came home from school yesterday‚ telling me that her teacher told her that she had to eat all of her “good” foods before she ate her “bad” foods. She couldn’t have her cookie before eating her sandwich and cucumbers. In this moment‚ I felt a little frustrated by the antiquated instruction from the teacher‚ but I responded saying‚ “Well that’s silly. There are no good foods or bad foods. Food is just food!“ I will say‚ this was not my internal dialogue growing up‚ but because of the information that I have from so many great accounts created by moms and experts‚ in the field of childhood and nutrition‚ I am armed with better responses‚ knowledge and practices for my kids. Three years old. At three years old someone has told her that foods are good or bad. I am so proud that she had sensed something was off - to know that was not right enough to tell me about it. We talk about it all the time at home… If you only eat carrots or broccoli your body won’t have protein it needs to grow strong muscles. If you only eat chicken‚ your body won’t have enough energy to do things like run and play all day long. We need little bits of everything to make sure that we are able to learn and play and grow all day long. So to the accounts that make sure we have the words‚ knowledge and confidence to write the note and practice it at home‚ I thank you‚ thank you‚ thank you. It has changed our family for the better. What you do and what you share is so important to young families. #kidsnutrition #kidseatincolor #solidstarts #kidfood #babyledweaning toddlers moms babies family @Jennifer Anderson‚ MSPH RD @Feeding Littles @Kacie Barnes‚ MCN‚ RDN @Food Science Babe In the description of the video‚ Caroline wrote: "In this moment‚ I felt a little frustrated by the antiquated instruction from the teacher‚ but I responded saying‚ ‘Well that’s silly. There are no good foods or bad foods. Food is just food.'"The mother decided that the best way to address the issue was to leave a letter in her daughter's lunchbox for the teacher‚ which read: "Hi! Evelyn has permission to eat lunch in any order she chooses. None of her foods are 'good' or 'bad' — they are just food!"However‚ some TikTokers thought the mother was being passive-aggressive with the note. One user responded: "I’m sure the teacher wasn’t trying to be cruel … maybe you could have talked to the teacher instead of a passive aggressive note on your three-year-old’s lunch."A second user commented: “As a teacher‚ your response is 100 per cent right. The narrative of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food can actually encourage harmful eating habits to develop.”Another user suggested that what the teacher said was "way too controlling. No one should tell anyone in what order to eat their food. That’s their meal to enjoy."Caroline went on to say that the idea of food being neutral — neither "good" nor "bad" — is something she realized after she was an adult. And learning this has allowed her to make more informed choices about her own daughter. Another user seemed to agree with Caroline‚ writing‚ “As long as my daughter is full enough to concentrate I don’t care what part of her lunch she eats first. It’s usually mostly fruit and deli turkey anyway … but she could start with Oreos for all I care.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!