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Artist's reconstruction of the world's oldest modern bird, Asteriornis maastrichtensis, in its original environment. 66.7 million years ago parts of Belgium were covered by a shallow sea, and conditions were similar to modern tropical beaches like The Bahamas. Asteriornis lived at the end of the Age of Dinosaurs, a time when mosasaurs (giant marine reptiles) swam in the oceans, and Tyrannosaurus rex lived on land. Asteriornis had fairly long legs and may have prowled the tropical shoreline. Credit: Phillip Krzeminski ==================================================================== The oldest fossil of a modern bird yet found, dating from the age of dinosaurs, has been identified by...

1. What determines the point at which you will turn and run and abandon the citizens you have sworn to protect and serve? 2. Can you draft a policy which gives the citizens a clear understanding of when you will turn and run? This is vital to the community because they need as much notice as possible to arm, organize, and deploy to have a chance to overcome the threat. 3. Hypothetically, suppose a crowd of thousands of thugs approaches a community and you turn and run and abandon your citizens. The next day, thousands of bodies of thugs are...

"This cat will never eat 'Chicken of the Sea' LOL"

FULL TITLE: Romanian immigrants are 'defecating in the streets and cutting off the heads of chickens', complain outraged residents of a Pennsylvania town Newly arrived Romanian immigrants are defecating in the streets and publicly decapitating chickens since moving to a Pennsylvania borough less than two months ago, residents complained during a packed town hall meeting on Thursday. Members of the Californian Borough community in Washington County said they are repulsed by the behavior of their new neighbors, with over 600 residents signing a petition demanding that they alter their lifestyle. 'What I've seen is men and children - never usually...

On the heels of a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about backyard chickens spreading illness to people in 49 states comes a harrowing tale about a woman who was killed by a rooster that delivered a lethal strike to a varicose vein in her leg.

CALDWELL, Idaho — Chicken Dinner Road is ruffling some feathers. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights organization, is requesting that the city of Caldwell, Idaho, rename the historical Chicken Dinner Road. In a letter sent to Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas, PETA condemned the name of the road, saying, “Chickens are intelligent, sensitive animals who feel pain and empathy and form strong bonds with one another, and they shouldn’t be considered ‘dinner.’” The request, apparently, has run afoul of the mayor. “First of all, it’s absolutely ridiculous — it just is,” Nancolas told the Idaho Press. “It’s...

In a presidential debate with nine candidates and one Beto O’Rourke on stage, it’s hard to stand out. So tonight, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard leaned on her credentials as a military veteran and her reputation for restrained foreign policy, taking a hard stance on the Trump administration that’s sure to stand out. She said: The president and his chicken hawk cabinet led us to the brink of war with Iran. I served in the war in Iraq at the height of the war in 2005, a war that took over 4,000 of my brothers and sisters in uniforms' lives. The...

City officials in San Antonio, who discriminated against Christian-owned Chick-fil-A in their airport contracting, are trying to hide from the public their conversations now that they’re under investigation for their behavior. WND reported in December the chain with the famed cattle urging “Eat More Chikin” has been forecast to leap past Taco Bell, Burger King and Wendy’s to become the third largest restaurant chain in the U.S. The liberal hatred for the chain erupted when Dan Cathy, the son of founder S. Truett Cathy, said in an interview in 2012 he supports traditional marriage. Since then, students on college campuses...

Farmer Jack once lived on a quiet rural highway, but as time went by, the traffic slowly built up and eventually got so heavy and so fast that his free range chickens were being run over, at a rate of three to six a week. So Farmer Jack called the local police station to complain, "You've got to do something about all these people driving so fast and killing all my chickens," he said to the local police officer. "What do you want me to do?" asked the policeman. I don't care, just do something about those crazy drivers!" So...

Live poultry in backyard flocks are linked to several multistate outbreaks of salmonella infections that have now sickened 212 people in 44 states, federal health officials warned Monday. The most recent illnesses began on June 21, with 88 of the cases reported in the last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, said in an advisory. The federal agency is working with multiple states in investigating several outbreaks of salmonella infections linked to contact with live poultry in backyard flocks, it said. A half-dozen strains of salmonella bacteria have sickened people starting in the middle of February,...

Updated 10 minutes ago A flock of uninvited chickens surrounded Jeff McLaughlin and his three grandsons as they enjoyed lunch at a picnic table at Hempfield's Tastyland. The boys didn't mind. The freeloading fowl were a highlight of their trip. “We love the chickens,” said 6-year-old Liam Bitz. His cousin, Owen Shuey, 7, agreed. “I'm going to go pet one after I finish this fry,” he said. Owen tried to keep his word but the chicken had other plans, leading Owen on an unsuccessful chase around the table, much to the amusement of Owen's twin brother, Ethan. The chickens have...

Reinventing of God’s creations, whether it’s laboratory beef or a freakish feathered dinosaur, these strange concepts are symptoms of unchecked pride – that man can build a better mousetrap or, in this case extinct “terrible lizard,” than God. After all the years of telling us that genetic engineering is unhealthy for people and upsets the natural order of the environment, advocates of all things organic are finding themselves in something of a bind. Overzealous health nuts keep pushing everything vegan but have never let go of deriding genetically modified foods, consistently going after Monsanto and other corporations that monkey with...

For the Polynesian islands, that meant the arrival of agricultural crops like breadfruit, yams and taro, as well as domesticated animals like dogs, pigs and chicken. The early settlers also used slash-and-burn agriculture to remove forests and fertilize the soil and likely hunted many seabirds to extinction. To get a more precise view of how human behavior impacted the islands, Swift and her colleagues used stable isotope analysis. Carbon analysis is based on the way plants process carbon dioxide: most agricultural products are classified as C3 plants, while tropical grasses are usually C4 plants. If rat bones show a higher...

Johan Land has a life that stands out even among Silicon Valley’s tech elite: He’s the lead product manager at Waymo (formerly known as Google’s self-driving car project), a job that keeps him glued to computer screens and fixated on the future. Excelling at his work, Land said, requires an obsessive focus on it. But maintaining that passion — especially with his fourth child on the way — means knowing when to detach. Land’s secret to success: relaxing with a glass of wine in the back yard alongside his wife, kids and the family’s 13 chickens and three sheep. It’s...

“Peppa” the chicken struts around in his newly-made sweater. (Washington Corrections Center for Women) So, uhm, prisoners at Gig Harbor’s Washington Corrections Center for Women are spending some of their time behind bars knitting sweaters for chickens because, well, they’re cold. It’s a weird and, admittedly, adorable story. The WCCW currently has two chicken coops. The fertilizer produced is used on the prison’s gardens, which grows food for local food banks. But given the chilly temperatures, the chickens are freezing. That got Human Resources Consultant Paula Andrew (aka the “Chicken Lady”) thinking: why not get the prisoners to knit them...

What is the big deal about New Year’s Resolutions? They are not effective. If resolutions were successful, then why do so many people make the same ones every year? Do they exemplify the definition of insanity attributed to Albert Einstein? “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Folks resolve to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle, but there are no measurable results at the end of the year. If the resolution fails over and over again, what is the point of offering up the same plan the following year? More to the...

The ups and downs of country living can be challenging and entertaining. You can get down and dirty, mucking around with chicken poop cleanup and other related fun. Or, you can be a country squire, enjoy the shelled emissions of said chickens without actual direct contact. This writer shuns interaction with the chickens, proclaiming herself a country squire. What she did not count on, but should have, was her filter-free, sassy daughter’s comment. “Mother, a country squire is a male landowner or a gentleman who escorts a woman.” “Well then, I’m the lady of the manor,” her mother huffed. “In...

“For one salmonella case we know of in an outbreak, there are up to 30 others that we don’t know about,” CDC veterinarian Megin Nichols said. A “large contributing factor” to the surge, Nichols said, comes from natural food fanciers who have taken up the backyard chicken hobby but don’t understand the potential dangers. Some treat their birds like pets, kissing or snuggling them and letting them walk around the house. Poultry can carry salmonella bacteria in their intestines that can be shed in their feces. The bacteria can attach to feathers and dust and brush off on shoes or...

French authorities warn farmers of Jewish thieves ahead of Yom Kippur Municipal veterinary service says Jews and Muslims may try to steal chickens and sheep to use in ‘unauthorized sacrifices’ for holidays Veterinarians in a municipality near Paris warned farmers of an elevated risk of theft of sheep and fowl ahead of the Muslim and Jewish holidays of Eid al-Adha and Yom Kippur, respectively. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories FREE SIGN UP! The warning, which provoked angry reactions on the part of communal leaders who felt it was discriminatory, came...

Costco has broken ground on a $300 million chicken processing plant near Fremont, expected to generate more than a billion dollars in economic activity in Nebraska. Jonathan Luz of Costco said during groundbreaking ceremonies today that a lot of work has been put into the planning stages for the plant, but more work remains. “As much as it’s an achievement to be here today marking this auspicious occasion, the work really has just begun,” according to Luz. “It’s now time to put the vision that we all share into action and results.” The poultry processing plant, hatchery, and feed mill...