Totem: Pigeon

From Animal Totems:

The Pigeon
Pigeons originally lived on the wild cliff faces of the European
and Asian seacoasts. Used by the Chinese for hundreds of years to send
messages they also carried money exchange rates between banks in Canton and Hong
Kong. Pigeons have been used extensively for delivering messages in times of
war. Early navigators took pigeons to sea in hopes that, if they became lost the
pigeon would show them the way to land. Pigeons can fly for 550 miles in
one day and can travel in bursts of speed up to 60 knots. They teach us
how to preserver and keep our focus on the goal at hand.
This amazing bird
holds the qualities of home, security and maternal instincts. Those with
this totem often experience unsettling childhood's and will be challenged
continually to acquire a solid secure foundation in all areas of their lives.
The pigeon assists us in finding the stability of home that has been lost.
No matter where pigeon ends up or how it gets there, it knows the way
home. The Pigeons gift to us is the ability to accomplish. They do
not get lost because they are in tune with the natural ways of earth, and are
always aware of their goals. They use all their senses equally and navigate
their lives in a balanced way. If Pigeon comes to you, it is asking you to
keep your sights and sensitivities clearly set on where you want to be, and
start moving. Even if you don’t know exactly how to get there, by
following your inner guidance you can find your way.

Pigeon Problems

Sonny Valerio: Where's he live? (regarding Ghost Dog)

Louie: That's the next strange thing. I mean, I can't just call him up. Instead, he contacts me every day through a bird.

[pause] Sonny Valerio: Did you just say he contacts you through a bird? Did I just hear you say that?

~Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

I don't know where to categorize this in my mind. "Hollywood turns to birth control to clean up its (pigeons') act". I admit that I did not particularly care for the pigeon poop raining down on me in Amsterdam so that I was forced to raise my sweatshirt hood. I, too, have called them "rats with wings." Then in 2005 I met a woman whose husband breeds show pigeons. ("You can show pigeons?" I asked. "Yeah, there're all different colors and types," she answered) Then I saw the Forest Whittaker movie, Ghost Dog, and started thinking about the services pigeons can provide, as he used them to deliver messages. In the movie, and this just might be Hollywood, the pigeons seemed to show some sort of affection or at least loyalty to Ghost Dog. Then I read the article on forced pigeon birth control. I don't know how to feel about this. OvoControl P is basically a poison that they are putting in the pigeon feed. It is supposed to just interfere with egg development. How they're going to make sure only pigeons eat it is beyond me. What they will do if it completely sterilizes the pigeons is also beyond me. I know there is a difference between pigeons and humans, but it still brings to mind what hospitals used to do when undesirable women gave birth-- they would birth the baby by c-section, then just take the uterus while they were at it.

The first country to concertedly undertake compulsory sterilization programs for the purpose of eugenics was the United States. The principal targets of the American program were the mentally retarded and the mentally ill, but also targeted under many state laws were the deaf, the blind, the epileptic, and the physically deformed. Native Americans were sterilized against their will in many states, often without their knowledge, while they were in a hospital for some other reason (e.g. after giving birth). Some sterilizations also took place in prisons and other penal institutions, targeting criminality, but they were in the relative minority. In the end, over 65,000 individuals were sterilized in 33 states under state compulsory sterilization programs in the United States.

~"Compulsory Sterilization" on Wikipedia

I know this isn't the same, but it still strikes me. I still feel like something bigger or more metaphorical might be being said, but I'm not sure what. My feelings on pigeons are somewhat nebulous at this point, so I am seeking more knowledge. I ordered Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird. Perhaps it will help me process this.

Whose Food Is Safe?

I had heard about the Bees dying. I had noticed a particular lack of them flying around. It was tossed about that this had to do with the weather changes, with cell phone signals... Now some scientists at the Dept of Agriculture wonder if some Honey Bees may have consumed commercial bee feed tainted by the same thing that caused the deaths from the dog and cat food that was later recalled-- melamine, the industrial chemical used to raise protein levels.

I was already afraid of what to give to my dogs. Whatever I put in their food bowl they eat. They don't have any reason to suspect it's poisoned. They are trusting. I have already been a little worried about all of the diseases that have been around in livestock, like Mad Cow and Bird Flu (though not enough to stop eating chicken when I was overseas...). It concerns me that so much of this could have been prevented or at least diminished. If you recall, the brain disease in farm animals was caused by feeding them stuff they should have been fed (meat and bone meal with ground-up brain in it, when cows are herbivores-- cutting corners to get them protein). The companies trying to make more money without spending more money put the melamine in the dog food to raise the amount of protein (and now maybe in the bee food).

Not to mention all of the hormones that are pumped into livestock. Not to mention the horrid conditions of factory farming. Not to mention the inhumane treatment of the animals humans kill for food while they are yet alive.... I'm not exactly saying we reap what we sow....but at the addage "we are what we eat" is becoming more threatening than ever.




Sources:
"DOA Has a New Theory On Why Bees Are Dying, Disappearing"
A Scientific American Article on Mad Cow

Zoobilee Zoo

You Are Entering the Stingray Tunnel!!!

Zoobilee Zoo! No, this is not a post about Bulder-da-Beaver... It was sunny and warmish Friday, so I thought: Let's go to the Zoo. So I did. Here are some pics:

Momma and Baby

Curious George?

A Diana Model---errr---Monkey

Monkeyin' Around

Can you dig it?

Me and the Lion

Lion King

Play Fetch!

He didn't look too happy! This was right after he tried to kick in a door and right before I ran away screaming like a little girl.

Flying Turtle!!

Pretty jellyfish. Did you know they don't have brains?

My attempt at being artistic- a pic of my friend Crystalee and a Sea Lion