Meridianhawk42

I have been feeding birds (mostly sparrows, finches, and cardinals, and doves) from my balcony for the past few years. I mainly do this during the winter months to ensure they have a steady supply, but lately I've also put out food and water during the summer as we're under a terrible drought here in Central Texas. The problem is that I will be moving to a new apartment at the end of November and I want to figure out the best way to ween the birds off my food and successfully find another ample source. I can think of three options.

1. Stop feeding them altogether now and let them find something while it is warm.

2. Slowly reduce the amount of food on a daily basis until I leave.

3. Continue feeding them until I move.

I'm not crazy about the third option as it would leave them high and dry during the beginning of the winter months. Any opinions as to the other options or something I haven't considered. Thanks!

I'm looking for a book or website that details the histories of any cultures or religions that feel that reality can be created by belief....so that if you believe hard enough in something that it can become reality. Not that I believe this way, just need it for a story I'm working on.

So for example, if enough people believe in the Easter Bunny, then a real Easter bunny could be created from the power of those thoughts. Hard to find a one-stop locale for this topic without getting mired down in New Age flimflamery. Thanks!

I'm in the middle of my first challenge, but I'm going camping in a few days. I'm wondering what happens to my challenge if I miss a few days. Do they get pushed back until I return or does the system skip those workouts? Will the lady trainer go ballistic and call me lazy?

I know the policy is for a "spouse or household member", but when I was signing up the girl helping me said it could be someone in another town. I'm just wondering if she's just fast and loose with the policy or if this is common practice. Anyone else have this arrangement?

I have a 12 year old cat who's had a weight problem during the latter portion of his life. About a year or two ago, I started feeding him Science Diet for older cats and got him an autofeeder. At first, I had it feeding him 1/4 cup of food three times a day. He seems to spend most of his time sleeping a lot and his weight didn't improve. After a couple of months, I switched him to two meals instead of three. For months he was okay with this and started losing weight. He would only wait at the machine an hour or two before he got fed and the rest of the time he was okay. For the passed few weeks, he's been getting more and more aggitated, begging all the time, sitting by the machine for hours trying to get food out of it. He also looks more raggedy than usually, but he is reaching "old man" stage. I can't tell if he needs more food or if something else is wrong. I don't want to put him back on 3 meals if it makes him fat again....he's just starting to look good. Any ideas?

I had the flu about six weeks ago which really blocked up my sinuses. Even after I got over the illness I was experiencing sinus pressure and pain one the right side of my face that would occasionally shift into my jaw and sometimes disappear altogether. That cleared up after about 2-3 weeks. Now I still have this strange, occasional tickling sensation inside my ear that only goes away when I pop my ears. Rubbing them does nothing so it seems to be something to do with pressure in my ears. Seems strange since I can usually pop them....why does this keep coming back? It's not swimmer's ear....I've had that before. This is more of a bother than anything else. It doesn't hurt, but it sometimes drives me nuts having to pop my ears a few times a minute. Tried antihistamines, but they don't seem to help. Any other ideas?

So I've been told that you can remove "bias" in the value of standard deviation but subtracting 1 from the denominator. My question is why? How did they decide that bias in the formula equaled one of whatever measurement you're evaluating. Why not subtract 2 or add 1? Most folks I ask just tell me to do it and don't ask, but it's driving me crazy. I have to know how it works to be able to use it accurately.

Also, does this only really apply to large data samples? If you used the unbiased method for smaller samples, I've noticed the answer is WAY off of the actual SD. For example, common sense tells us the SD for the range {4,8} should be 2. Using the unbiased method it's 2.8xxx.... How is this making the data more accurate? Again, is it because the sample size is really small and I need to get a lot of data points to make the unbiased method more valid?

The last time I visited my parents, I noticed my mom had put out some ceramic frogs by her bird bath. In the past, I've had to listen to her complain about some of the things people stick in their yards, and now here she is doing it herself. I'm wanting to get her a garden gnome as a gag gift for Christmas, but the cheapest ones I can find are horribly expensive for a gag gift. I'm looking to spend $10 or less for a decent sized one. I want to get her a real gift too, but I won't be able to afford it with the price of these ceramic nightmares. It doesn't have to be perfection, I just want it to resemble the gnome on those commercials, maybe pushing a wheelbarrow.

Does anyone know a place that sells cheap garden gnomes? I've already tried some of the local hardware stores and garden centers, but surprisingly enough....no gnomes. Where are the little buggers hiding? Thanks.

I want to make sugar-free popsicles like the ones that Popsicles brand makes. I've tried using sugar-free Jello and sugar-free drink mixes in varying amounts, but they still come out like a block of ice and they have that nasty sugar-free taste. Anybody know what Popsicle does to get there's to be so slushy?

I have the hardest time telling the difference between a woman wanting to be friends and a woman wanting to be more than friends. So this question is for the girls......What is the difference between the two? What will you do to attract a guy you are interested in as opposed to a guy you just like for his company?

If you watch insects like june bugs or moths....they fly totally out of control. They bounce and slam into walls and the ground...it's crazy. How can they possibly function in the world; locate food and potential mates if they have not control over where they go? Do they just stumble onto these things as they zoom around helter skelter?

I've been using the same litter box for my cat since he was little, which was eight years ago. I've cleaned it out regulary and used antibiotic sprays on it, but over the years it has gotten a little stained and old. Other than the visual aspect of seeing a ratty old catbox, is there a reason to replace this box? BTW - I keep it outside on my balcony to help keep the odor out of the house. Because of this, the elements have had some effect on it as well.

Think about biting into a mouthful of Skittles....is your mouth watering?

Any electricians want to explain why this is? Is it a safety feature?

I've come across a formula that has a plus sign right after the equals sign and I can't figure out what it does. Does anyone know? It looks like this:

=+concatenate(A1,B1)

I need to get a new sofa and I'm looking for a place that sells the best but cheapest new furniture. I've never really purchased a sofa before so I was hoping someone here with experience couch shopping could point me in the right direction. And I'd love to have a sofa bed if possible. Advanced thanks for the input!

I've noticed that anytime I reply to a question and mention any sort of attraction to women, I always receive some negative feedback. I don't do this in a rude or vulgar way, just that I find women in certain situations more attractive. Any "decent and respectable" theories as to why this happens?

I have a friend I met online a couple of years ago and we've been corresponding ever since. Lately we've been talking a lot more and sending stuff to each other through the mail. I even sent her a fairly large Christmas present awhile back. Anyway, I went away for the holidays and forgot my phone. When I got back, I noticed she had called a couple of times and sent me some text messages. I tried to call her but got no answer so I left her voice and text messages letting her know I forgot my phone while away. I went to her Myspace page and also left her a message there, but I have yet to recieve a response. So here's the thing: she's been on Myspace since I've left those messages and she's not replying to them. The only thing I can think of that might have upset her is that I mentioned I'd been sending her a lot of things lately and for some people that could be seen as strange. I told her I just had a big heart and I wasn't a wierdo, basically. Do you think she's mad at me?

My hair gets really frizzy right after I shampoo it. I wipe if off gently and air dry it, but after brushing, it tends to stick straight up. It's not that short so it looks really strange. Hair dryers only seem to make the situation worse. I've tried mousse and gels, but they make my hair sticky and give me that Elvis look.

The last time I went to my barber, he put something in it that was thinner than gel, but it made my hair calm down without getting stiff or sticky. It was like an oil or tonic of some kind and it seemed to mimic natural oils. I plan on asking him the next time I go, but that's going to be weeks from now. Anyone know what he might have used?