... must the people scream continually? I guess it makes sense to the people who are on the scene, somewhere a few blocks from me — maybe Camp Randall (the football stadium)— but it just sounds like chaos from my desk next to open windows. The screaming started at 8 a.m. and has been continuous for now over an hour. I got up at 5, so it didn't wake me up, or it would have been even more annoying.
Last night, there was continual noise from the cicadas, but it didn't bother me because they're insects. I remember thinking that if the same noise were coming from a machine — the noise does sound mechanical — it would be intolerably annoying. Why are machines more annoying than insects? Because of people. People make machines and choose to run them, and I don't like that impinging on my serenity. The insects, I cut them some slack. They don't know what they're doing, and they certainly don't know I exist and have feelings.
But those screaming people right now...
OH: Speaking of the animals of Wisconsin, the other day, I was walking along the sidewalk when I unwittingly stepped on a worm. It caught my attention by going into what looked to me like writhing pain, like the biggest ham actor in a dying scene. I thought, oh, no, I hope it dies quickly and doesn't suffer, but can a worm suffer? This one sure looks like it does. I told my little story to Meade and he said, "That's a jumping worm." A jumping worm! Have you heard of these things? The worm wasn't suffering. It was doing the jumping worm thing it does all the time. I probably didn't even really step on it, just jostled it a tad.
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Maybe they are running with the bulls. Screams would be appropriate
Ann hasn't internalized the Hillary Clinton mindset about Wisconsin: the people are the insects.
Today screamers >> tomorrow’s Progressives
> but it didn't bother me because they're insects.
Yes, and? There is an easy solution here. If you live in Madison you need to become familiar the local ecology.
Hell is other people.
Although I think a heaven of nothing but insects, worms and weasels chasing chickens might not be the grandest of eternal times.
"The screaming started at 8 a.m. and has been continuous for now over an hour."
Trump tweeted.
It may have been Tony Evers at a campaign rally whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
What a curmudgeon...
"It may have been Tony Evers at a campaign rally whipping the crowd into a frenzy."
Ah! That reminds me of something I wanted to post about Evers.
Never saw a Jumping Worm: creepy.
We hear Indian drums and Indian yelling most evenings, which is kind of cool - it sounds like an old western movie soundtrack - but it's actually not cool at all, it's "cultural".
Yet another Althouse post about race.
IIRC, in order to "suffer" a creature must have a cerebral cortex as a component to its central nervous system.
Will Cuppy reports on the Hog Nosed Snake that it's harmless but when threatened puffs itself up to resemble a deadly African puff adder and then wonders why people kill it.
"They don't know what they're doing, and they certainly don't know I exist and have feelings."
I've long felt cicadas need to check their privilege. Crickets too.
I love train sounds, I find them relaxing and organic. I grew up next to train tracks and lived for many years next to train tracks and as a result find much comfort in the sounds of trains passing in the night, coupling and uncoupling, shunting to and fro in the yards, etc. One of my earliest memories is of a steam locomotive taking on water on the tracks next to the tenement apartment building where we lived, it was puffing clouds of black smoke and ringing its bell and I waved at the engineer and he waved back at me. I reckon I was four maybe even three years old at the time. A vivid memory that I treasure. I use a train sounds meditation tape to relax and fall asleep by.
Last night, there was continual noise from the cicadas, but it didn't bother me because they're insects.
We have tree frogs that chirrup outside of our opened windows at night. A LOT of tree frogs. Also bullfrogs harrumphing on the river banks below our house. I don't mind the sounds because as long as there are frogs in the world, the world is doing well.
A few days ago, when we were out of power, no cell connection, no telephone lines and a fire just a few miles from our house, we were completely out of contact with anyone. The first night it was very difficult to get any sleep from worrying that the fire might be turning our direction.
But then.....I realized if the fire were to become too close, the tree frogs would shut up. The sound became more comforting that usual and we could sleep better.
Go frogs!!!
@DBQ
If frogs are chirruping it means there are big, hairy spiders nearby. Lots of them.
Thanks for the link and information about the worms; I did not know that. In exchange, here's Wikipedia's link on same: Asian earthworm invasion.
Its what you're used to.
I find unmuffled engines and car horns soothing, the road noise of a third world city.
The street vendors cries of "baluut!" and the dustmans " botejaryooo! " are to me as the peaceful cry of the muezzin is to the mussulman.
The Madison Half Marathon ran today. I think they call it a Mini-Marathon, a foolish name.
Why are machines more annoying than insects?
I think it depends on the mechanical noise. During the warmer part of the year, I always have a fan on. During the winter a humidifier. Even if not needed. The hum helps me fall asleep. I'm pretty much dependent on it.
Insect noises are relaxing when they are a multitude at a distance. A solitary cricket in your room will drive you crazy.
You're right. It's our perception of the sound that influences our reaction. Aside from one really annoying mockingbird that wouldn't shut up all night long, I've seldom been offended by nature. Barking dogs, because they are domesticated by people are more annoying than, say, coyotes howling.
I think they call it a Mini-Marathon, a foolish name.
That and jumbo shrimp.
”The insects, I cut them some slack. They don't know what they're doing, and they certainly don't know I exist and have feelings.”
Yeah, but the damn woodpecker who insists on drumming a hole though my fence (and the next door neighbors siding) at 5am knows exactly what he’s doing and how annoying it is.
mockturtle:
I love coyotes howling. We often vacation at a remote ranch outside Durango Colorado and the best thing about the place is the coyotes howling at night. We identified three distinct clans of coyotes located at different points on the compass and when they commence howling it's really quite something to hear, a raucous and joyful chorus. It seemed to me that they were singing to each other and I got curious about this and did a lot of reading on the subject and discovered that singing to each other is precisely what they're doing. I also learned that each coyote has its own voice and style identifiable to others in its group and to other clans. In time I was also able to identify individual voices. I learned that coyotes and wolves get together for these howling sessions simply because they enjoy them, as a way of expressing and feeling solidarity with the pack.
BUMBLE BEE said...
IIRC, in order to "suffer" a creature must have a cerebral cortex as a component to its central nervous system.
This is the same argument used by Klansmen when they would torture negros before lynching.
NOTE: i am NOT saying that some people don't have a cerebral cortex; i am saying that when people want to excuse their behavior, they say that their victim is Too Stupid to feel it.
People say that fish can't feel. People say that earthworms don't writhe in pain when you hook them. GILBAR says Bullsh*t. Use your eyes next time you impale a worm on a hook, or when you take a knife to a trout's belly. I don't know if All Animals feel pain; but earthworms and Trouts sure do. On the other hand, Fishing is FUN! so, there's that too
Next time you encounter jumping worms don't just jostle them a tad, jostle them a lot. Jostle them to eleven. Jostle them up to and beyond the fatality limit. Jumping worms, a destructive non-native annelid, must die! Faster, pussycat. Kill! Kill!
Amexpat wrote, "A solitary cricket in your room will drive you crazy."
As will a single mosquito. Although a cricket is not circling your head, wanting to suck your blood and leave a big spot that itches for hours.
Waking to the sounds of birds chirping makes one smile, even if it's still dark outside the window.
You know you're getting old when harmless actions of fellow humans make you cross.
It’s a half marathon that was run today called Madison many. I ran it last year when I visited the state. It was a really fun race :-)
We have lots of cicada killer wasps at my workplace. They circle and circle around 6 inches off the ground waiting to pounce on emerging cicadas. I saw one successful wasp the other day, dragging a cicada across the path I was using. Those things could be the basis of a great sci-fi thriller. The female wasp paralyzes the cicada with her stinging venom, drags it off to her burrow, and implants an egg in it. The egg hatches and the maggot or whatever slowly eats the cicada, keeping its meal ticket just alive until it's ready to spin its cocoon. Nightmare for the cicada, just ramp it up to human size and blockbuster.
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