bye bye blackbird

this week, the christian science monitor has a piece on the USDA's role in mass killings of birds. pretty upsetting stuff (millions of birds dying to protect an industry based on killing animals (cattle)? seems hard to reconcile)- but at least it reminds of the importance of one of the missions of the museum of the everyday- acknowledging those little feathered tragedies we may pass by:

"Some 5 billion birds die every year across the US, most largely unnoticed."

here's to noticing. r.i.p. to all those blackbirds, starlings, etc. etc. cows too, but those rarely wind up on the sidewalk.