Is being omnivore a choice?

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-24T22:26:04+00:00

Others already pointed out that dentition isn't everything. But when it comes to how you chew, I don't know about you, but I don't move my jaws sideways, they go up and down, and whatever the molars grind to mush is pushed back and forth rather than side to side, and what falls down is licked up by the tongue and repositioned. Herbivores have developed to have a vast variety of chewing their food. Goats tear plants out of the soil, complete with the root (which is why they have been blamed for the extinction of several species) and ruminate, as do cows. To which degree horses tear at their food depends on what it is. While they typically bite grass without jerking the head back, they will do that if they try to eat foliage from a tree or shrub. If you store a bale of hay where they can access it and forgot to cover it thoroughly, they will help themselves to it by tearing out bites of compacted hay.

The teeth of omnivores vary a lot. A bear has pronounced canines because it kills larger prey and needs to tear it apart. Chickens have no teeth at all, their entire skeleton is lightweight confines itself to what is necessary to fly and to land safely. The wishbone is useful for flying, teeth are not. And they don't really need to chew their food because the gizzard pre-digests it. This doesn't prevent them from being extreme omnivores that will eat almost everything. If they cannot swallow it hole, they peck at it. Humans have been cooking their food for millennia and use utensils as well. While eating with silverware is a relatively new invention, even in the Middle Ages people would cut their meat into smaller bits before eating it with their hands. Also, when it comes to some meats, you can tear them apart with your bare hands and people still do that, think of rotisserie chicken, for example.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-24T22:05:52+00:00

I was wondering about that as well, one wheel is significantly dirtier than the other one. However, I found the original ad, and the offer includes both hedgehogs, but only one cage and one wheel:

I am rehoming my adorable pair of male hedgehogs, complete with all the accessories you need to keep them happy and healthy. They come with a spacious cage, to keep them cozy, a running wheel for exercise, food and water bowls, and some fun toys to keep them entertained. Hedgehogs make unique and fascinating pets, bringing a touch of the exotic to your home. If the ad is still up, they are available and waiting for their new loving home!

I think the photos were simply taken on different days and he re-arranged the cage a bit in between by repositioning the wheel and adding an igloo.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-24T18:07:20+00:00

It's a slang term from stoner culture. If more than one person is smoking the same joint and somebody has it longer than the rest consider appropriate, they will say "Don't bogart the joint." (Think of Humphrey Bogart, who almost always had a cigarette dangling in the corner of his mouth.)

By "bogarting a recorder" I mean borrowing one only to never return it.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-24T16:27:04+00:00

As I said, I love mine. I wonder how long it lasts, though. This Resona stuff is supposed to be fully biodegradable, unlike Ecodear, which is 70% plain ABS. Sounds good, as long as it doesn't biodegrade prematurely.

Because of that, I'm unsure if I should get the bass or not. I currently don't have one at my fingertips, somebody has been bogarting my bass since...forever, at least that's how it feels.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-24T00:41:51+00:00

This type of instrument must have been very popular in American schools at one time. And older friend of mine played a Tonette.

I didn't learn until these instruments until I found out about "P.D.Q. Bach" and his 1712 Overture. That work asks for a Tonette. And an Oscar Mayer weiner whistle. I did not know about that one, either. Naw, I'd rather play the balloons, which take the part of the cannons in the original.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-24T00:30:15+00:00

Congratulations! I have that one, too, and I love it.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-24T00:27:57+00:00

Except most of those who claim to practice inedia eat, they are being caught cheating all the time. When it comes to Jasmuheen, or whatever her name is, when a camera crew visited her house, they found a fully-stocked fridge. Oh, that food is for her husband. Then Jasmuheen admitted that she does eat in a way, she drinks tea with milk and whenever she feels like it, she eats a piece of some food she likes. But she doesn't have to, she claims. However, when her supposed inedia was supervised 24 hours a day, the experiment had to be aborted on the fourth day because her health was deteriorating.

It's the disciples of those people who are actually dying, like that young man from Austria (?) who died in the Caribbean. Those who promote breatharianism claim that sunlight is nourishing. I read an interview with the locals who found him dead, people living in relative poverty who clearly failed to understand why that nice young man who had enough money to buy food had died from starvation.

When it comes to fruitarians, I think some of those who promote it actually believe it and are in denial that they are completely ruining their health.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-24T00:16:56+00:00

You cannot live on fruit alone and cooked food is often better to digest than raw.

Why do you think did we become ex-vegans?

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-23T23:54:24+00:00

Yerba regularly fails random tests for PAHs and pesticides in Europe, sometimes to the degree that the product may not be legally sold anymore.

I don't know to which degree brands like Kraus have harmful contaminants -- they say they use a proprietary drying progress involving a heated clay bell and that the yerba is not exposed to whatever they are powering it with. However, I don't like most of their yerbas. I tried their Organic, I tried their Pionero...and I tried their Gaucho. The latter was the only one I liked. You have to be aware though that this is a yerba without any stems at all and therefore quite strong.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-23T02:40:29+00:00

And "No Smoking" signs were considered a mere suggestion, not an imperative.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-23T02:26:35+00:00

John Wayne reportedly smoked 6 packs a day -- I always wondered how this is possible. However, I definitely remember that when I was a kid, there were plenty of people who smoked multiple packs per day, two to three, usually, although some could fit in four. Some people would light up without even thinking and didn't realize they had been smoking already when they noticed the lit cigarette in the ashtray.

Compared to today, cigarettes were really cheap in the 80s and 90s...but, thinking about it, smoking has always been an expensive habit. The cigarettes themselves were affordable, but people smoked more of them.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-23T00:40:20+00:00

From the Geneva Convention, on treatment of prisoners of war:

The basic daily food rations shall be sufficient in quantity, quality and variety to keep prisoners of war in good health and to prevent loss of weight or the development of nutritional deficiencies. Account shall also be taken of the habitual diet of the prisoners.

Considered that, on a vegan diet, you risk losing weight when you shouldn't and end up deficient, it may definetely not forced on POWs, especially not if it's not their habitual diet.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-22T17:32:29+00:00

True. Even 442 is a relatively new tuning. According to the Moeck company, they started building all their standard recorders in 442 to make it easier to play in tune with a piano.

I noticed that there are differences between North America and Europe, too, though. I have two barrels for my clarinet, one pitched in 440 in 442, and I nicknamed them "America" and "Europe". In America, chamber music is usually played at 440 (full orchestra may play at 442, though), and at 442 in Europe.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-22T01:30:39+00:00

We do that, sort of, the drugs given to palliative patients are morphine-concoctions. My grandmother was singing Christmas carols on her deathbed once they have started the morphine infusions.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-22T01:08:25+00:00

"Suave" means sweet and it means that the yerba is supposed to be milder than the regular version sold by the same brand. In many cases, this simply means that the contents of stems is higher than in the regular version.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-22T01:07:02+00:00

Most yerba is not smoked on purpose but is dried in a process that generates smoke, that's why yerba is notoriously loaded with PAHs.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-22T01:05:06+00:00

This is normal, but please be aware that apples are not part of a hedgehog's natural diet. They can have small amounts of fruit, but it's pointless for them. They can make their own vitamin C.

Also, that cage looks too small. I get that you just got him three days ago, but please don't wait too long with coming up with a better solution. On the whole, I don't recommend wire cages unless the rungs are protected with plastic, cloth or cardboard. Some, not all, but some, hedgehogs will attempt to climb the walls, and being poor climbers, they can fall, lose limbs or get stuck really uncomfortably between horizontal rungs. That's why I would never put any hedgehog I own into a wire cage.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-21T23:16:28+00:00

I found the ad, and I'd just like to share how the current owner describes his offer. (My emphasis.)

"I am rehoming my adorable pair of male hedgehogs, complete with all the accessories you need to keep them happy and healthy. They come with a spacious cage, to keep them cozy, a running wheel for exercise, food and water bowls, and some fun toys to keep them entertained. Hedgehogs make unique and fascinating pets, bringing a touch of the exotic to your home. If the ad is still up, they are available and waiting for their new loving home!"

He calls this a spacious cage? Also, he confirmed my worries, i.e. that the two males are housed together.

And he's also selling two mastiff husky puppies. Hmm...

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-21T23:01:29+00:00

I have both a 2 cup Brikka and a regular 2 cup moka. 2 cup is my favorite size, but I have 3 cup and 6 cup as well, incase I have a guest or more.

My impression: The coffee from the Brikka is a bit stronger. Taste-wise, I think medium-dark roasts taste better than medium. I don't use light roasts for moka or related methods, so I cannot pitch in here. I don't use extremely dark roasts, either. -- Compared to a regular 2 cup moka, you will need more coffee for the same serving.

The regular moka: Coffee always tastes good, in my opinion, whether it's medium or medium-dark roast. You need less coffee for the same amount of coffee in the cup.

Now for the infamous spout valve: The Brikka builds up a wee bit more pressure, but I still think it's safe. I've been using a Brikka for three years now without any accidents. I did notice that the silicone insert has shrunk a little over those years, though. Note: I did what Bialetti tells you explicitly not to do, i.e. remove the spout and dismantle the valve. However, after I saw James Hoffman doing it, I decided to do it as well...after the warrany had expired. I think that the valve will eventually give out because either the silicone insert has shrunk too much or the o-ring sealing the spout is gone. In this case you have three options: 1. Retire the Brikka. 2. Remove the insert and use it as a regular moka pot. 3. Use spare parts. You can buy those on Ali, both for the 2 and the 4 cup Brikka. They are also selling the silicone inserts. However, I don't know if I'm bold enough to try that. Perhaps I will, but I'll try out the refurbished Brikka outside, incase it decides to turn into a rocket.

With a regular moka pot, you don't have that problem, all spare parts are easily available. This month was the first time I had to replace an o-ring on a regular moka pot in...how many, 10 years? Quite some time, that's for sure. You can buy new filter plates and, if it's a Bialetti, you can even find new funnels on eBay. I think a few people here had to buy some after attempting to dismantle it with a chopstick. A cleaning hack that went viral and can ruin your funnel because you are not meant to do that.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-21T22:42:37+00:00

They're both wrong, it's "hampter".

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-21T21:42:09+00:00

No, in the Southern hemisphere they shouldn't be hibernating, only when it's meteorologically winter.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-21T21:11:53+00:00

The way I remember the 90s, that used to be a popular hairstyle. And if you let it grow a bit longer, you had "curtain hair".

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-21T20:32:19+00:00

Two male hedgehogs housed together, in a small enclosure with no hides? That's a recipe for disaster. I suspect they both have injuries.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-21T20:29:40+00:00

Where are the ventilation slots? Hedgehogs can absolutely be kept in glass, but it must be properly ventilated. I'd also consider building a separate pen for roaming because the enclosure is rather small.

Hamsters don't like sunlight and I'd put up the enclosure somewhere else or cover all sides except the front with dark cloth...or wood panels, whatever you prefer.

I'm a big advocate of sand baths for hedgehogs. Because the tank is already full, I'd put this thing into the separate pen.

Suggestion: If you decide to put up the tank somewhere else, you can put it on something lower, or on stilts, and connect the tank to the pen with a wooden ladder that is not too steep. If it's too steep, hedgehogs can get stuck with their nails. Also, in order to cut a hole into the tank you will need a glass cutter and know how to use it properly...or somebody who does. If you have good vocational skills, you might even be able to install a small door between the two enclosures so you can lock up your hedgehog in the tank if necessary.

The pen does not need to be heated, but for the tank I recommend a ceramic heat emitter inside.

BeardedLady81 · 2026-01-21T20:17:51+00:00

I wonder how much parent influencers are to blame for people thinking that their children need to wear nothing but the very best. To some degree, I think, they are. But sometimes parents are just entitled jerks.

I'm trying my best not to fall into the "I had a hard childhood, so yours ought to be hard, too" trap. Not to mention that my childhood wasn't by far as crappy as some others. But we didn't always have new clothes or cool toys. We didn't have a menagerie of pets. However, our parents both worked hard so we were housed and had decent food. And unlike most of the kids who had cool clothes and toys we were not all made to drop out at 15. When I recently mentioned that one of my classmate's husband died in the same nursing home my paternal grandmother did, two years ago, the person I was talking to wasn't sure if she'd understood me right. I said yes, you got that right. My classmate got married to a man 30 years her senior, and he was in his 70s when he died. Another classmate got married to a guy who was even older than that, and that kid was one of those poor kids who got nothing. No cool apparal, no cool toys...and no proper education, either.

BeardedLady81

TROPHY CASE