Free Republic

So there's this bird that has been making a ruckus every morning outside my window. Can't for the life of me tell what kind of bird it is; have never heard this call before. Anyway, here's a .wav file of its song, captured in so-so audio quality with my cell phone.

ONE of the greatest living US writers has praised terrorists as "very brave people" and used drug culture slang to describe the "amazing high" suicide bombers must feel before blowing themselves up. Kurt Vonnegut, author of the 1969 anti-war classic Slaughterhouse Five, made the provocative remarks during an interview in New York for his new book, Man Without a Country, a collection of writings critical of US President George W. Bush. Vonnegut, 83, has been a strong opponent of Mr Bush and the US-led war in Iraq, but until now has stopped short of defending terrorism. But in discussing his...