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From: ma4cc@sdcc3.UUCP (Tim McLarnan)
Newsgroups: net.rec.birds
Subject: Re: Birds vs. Wedding Rice
Message-ID: <2693@sdcc3.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 16-Feb-85 22:22:37 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcc3.2693
Posted: Sat Feb 16 22:22:37 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 20-Feb-85 06:22:16 EST
References: <594@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: Dept of Mathematics, UC San Diego
Lines: 35

> Although I enjoy reading net.rec.birds, it isn't a very active 
> newsgroup.  In the interest of possibly sparking a little 
> discussion, I thought I'd share with you a tidbit I picked up off 
> the AP wire earlier this week.  
> 
>                  *************************
> 
> Connecticut State Representative Mae Schmidle has introduced 
> legislation that would ban the throwing of uncooked rice at 
> Connecticut weddings.  According to Mrs. Schmidle, birds eat the 
> raw rice left on the ground.  The birds are unable to digest the 
> rice; it expands in their stomachs and causes violent deaths.  
> She is quoted as saying, "I've heard from several ministers who 
> say that the next morning after a wedding, they see all the birds 
> toppled over because they got poisoned by the rice."

     I have no insight about birds eating rice from weddings
apart from the fact that my wife tells me the theory is that
Minute Rice absorbs a great deal of water, and is said to
result in fatal dehydration.  The legislation proposed in
Conn. is claimed to outlaw only this sort of rice, not
ordinary dry rice.
     In the interest of further controversy, however, let me
mention a recent wedding at our church in which a pair of
white doves were released after the service.  In view of the
size of the local raptor population, I suspect this
basically amounts to providing a healthful lunch for a nearby
hawk or 2.
     Does anyone have any reaction to this act of charity,
or to what symbolic meaning the release of these feathered
snacks might have?
_________________________________________________
Tim McLarnan
Dept of Mathematics, UC San Diego
..sdcc3!ma4cc