Althouse: The morning puddle.

April 14, 2026

The morning puddle.

That crane video is by me, emphasizing the puddle. Here's Meade's crane video, stressing the freneticism of the feeding:

19 comments:

Iman said...: Thanks for the feature of this ancient creature.; 4/14/26, 4:16 PM
rehajm said...: Spring aeration time..:; 4/14/26, 4:21 PM
Aggie said...: The courteous duffer always replaces his divots.; 4/14/26, 4:42 PM
Tina Trent said...: We have a sad crane, used to show up with his partner, now is lonely. Is there a Crane Grinder?; 4/14/26, 4:50 PM
Tina Trent said...: My husband says I'm not allowed to make any more single dates for friends, but it's a frigging crane. What could go wrong?

Though in fairness, I say the same thing about the human dates.; 4/14/26, 4:53 PM
Leland said...: That crane was fiddling around.; 4/14/26, 5:07 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Cool.
Maybe they could teach 'em to repair divots on golf courses. They'd have to teach 'em to use a cat box too, though, probably.; 4/14/26, 5:32 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Is there a Crane Grinder

Indeed there is. It works by grinding cranes into a fine slurry, making it easier to transport them through narrow pipes.; 4/14/26, 5:38 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: “In Just”

in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
Lame baloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it s
spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer
old baloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's
spring
and

the

goat-footed

baloonMan
whistles
far
and
wee

E. E. Cummings; 4/14/26, 5:43 PM
Saint Croix said...: One of the most horrific crimes in the world is the gang rape. That's so horrible, I don't even want to think about it. People have written stuff about it. For instance, the The Central Park jogger case. We were all horrified at the time. I think DNA might have cleared some of the people convicted? Can't remember.

Anyway, people have written about "wilding". I think they talk about how exciting it can be to be part of a mob and do evil shit.

The "me too" movement is sort of the feminist version of that. Since feminists control the media, that's where feminist lawyers take their clients to allege rape, sex assault, sex misconduct, whatever. And then the pile on starts. And before you know it, Bill Cosby has 29 accusers, or whatever. I'm not saying Cosby is innocent. He was convicted in a court of law, so I'm assuming he was guilty of that crime. The jury heard everything, and I know very little.

But in the public imagination, when you hear "30 women accused so-and-so of sexual assault," I would not presume from the number of claims that that accused is guilty. They are trying to flip the presumption of innocence into a presumption of guilt. And in many cases, they are seeking money. Bill Cosby was rich. So if you're wondering why a woman would make up a claim, years after the fact, to profit from the civil lawsuit, that's why.

Another comparison we might make is the "gossip." Women talk more than men. Not me, I'm a big yapper. But the average woman uses a heck of a lot more words than the average man. They talk a lot. And it's a stereotype that women gossip. There may even be a genetic component to it. Women are physically weaker than men (on average) and so they gossip and trade warnings and start whisper campaigns for their own safety.

Anyway, I'm not omniscient. I wasn't in in these hotel rooms. I can't read minds. The initial attack on Swawell seemed to me to be really suspicious. It still does. It's possible the two serious allegations are valid. (Even though they happened years ago). I don't know. But what I suspect, is that this was an oppo research move to get Swallow out of the race. Organized by Cheyenne Hunt and Annika Albrecht. And now it seems to be spiraling into another "me too" pile on. And women are coming out of the woodwork, claiming that a Congressman raped them years ago.

For the life of me, I don't know why a woman who was roofied and raped and strangled and almost died would not go to the police.; 4/14/26, 5:46 PM
Curious George said...: I've been enjoying watching all the birds using the puddles in my neighbor's yard as a bird bath.; 4/14/26, 6:02 PM
Peachy said...: @DLinder

"A California news team finds a left-wing group, “Build a Better California,” paying homeless people $5 a signature to sign petitions for ballot measures using other people’s names. This transpired in the Tenderloin area of San Francisco. The man became violent when the reporter asked about the petitions on the hood of his car. He then said the reporter was violating his privacy rights when the man had the petitions on the dashboard of the car where they could be seen through the windshield. The ballot measure would block government audits and also block a billionaires tax. Now why would the left want to do that?"; 4/14/26, 6:06 PM
Curious George said...: Althouse, large 3+" hail in Madison. How'd you fare?; 4/14/26, 6:41 PM
Derve said...: Saint Croix said...
One of the most horrific crimes in the world is the gang rape.
-----------

Dude, this is a Pizza Hut.
Did the little birdies splashing in the puddle trigger you?; 4/14/26, 6:45 PM
Peachy said...: btw - perfect musical accompaniment.; 4/14/26, 6:45 PM
rehajm said...: I’m partial to the Sportsball-Hail Scale. That would be polo ball sized hail…; 4/14/26, 6:45 PM
James K said...: "For instance, the The Central Park jogger case. We were all horrified at the time."

That case was a travesty of justice. The perps got off when some loser, who I think was already in prison for a different crime and had little to lose, took the rap. Not only did they get off, but they got a big cash payoff from the city and were turned into heroes. Ann Coulter has written a lot about that case.; 4/14/26, 10:38 PM
Tina Trent said...: We had the most amusing cranes in Florida. There was an empty part of a strip mall they commandeered, with mirror tinting on the windows (Florida heat). They would strut up and down the sidewalk all day together, pausing to stare at their perfect reflections. Were they striking a pose? Double dating? They became quite an attraction. Ever since the Amateur Amateur Wrestling School cut back its hours, people would go watch the cranes watching themselves in the mirrored glass.

Not much to do in Ruskin unless you like to fish, but what there is, is good.; 4/15/26, 6:53 PM
mikee said...: I, for one, admire the camera quality of the cell phone videos. What are you and Meade using? Samsung, Pixel, iPhone?; 4/16/26, 8:48 AM