On an otherwise unremarkable afternoon, I watched what appeared to be a lone quail pick its way down a hillside, turning first this way, then that, gradually charting a zig-zag course west to east, north to south across the field.
As I was wattching, five chicks came into view following their mother. They too turned from west to east, north to south, replicating her course almost perfectly.
I’m sure there were slight deviations in their paths but I didn’t notice anything dramatic. They were a team — one big one leading the way, five little ones following and learning in the process.
As they gradually snaked their way out of view, something else caught my eye. It was a sixth chick, far behind, lurching wildly from further up the hill. This one didn’t replicate the path of its mother and siblings.
Instead it forged its own route as it raced to catch up with the clutch.
That sixth chick, always somehow out of step. We’ve probably all known one.
***
The great tomato plant mystery came to its sad end when the sixth and final plant disappeared overnight. The camera we had trained on the plant ran out of batteries, so the thief got away undetected.
HEADLINES:
Justice Department expands Trump settlement to cover his tax audits (Politico)
Another Trump victory: Republican Rep. Thomas Massie loses Kentucky primary (CNBC)
Senate Votes to Take Up Measure to Force Trump to End Iran War (NYT)
Trump endorses Paxton in Texas, gambling on a challenger with baggage in a crucial race (BBC)
DOJ official told GOP ally that big payouts were coming for Jan. 6 defendants (NBC)
Trump Just Created a White Grievance Reparations Fund (Nation)
A MAGA Judge’s Shocking Power Grab Crosses Over Into an Impeachable Offense (Slate)
Memphis Is “Under Full-Blown Occupation” by ICE. Here’s Why You May Not Know That. (Mother Jones)
E.P.A. Clears a Weedkiller, Saying It Won’t Push Species to Extinction (NYT)
Iran says its peace proposal includes reparations for war damage as the US-Iran standoff risks fresh conflict. (Reuters)
Global scramble underway to contain Ebola outbreak (CNN)
Europe’s secret Plan B to replace NATO (Economist)
NPR trims jobs in newsroom overhaul as it confronts era without public funding (NPR)
Disney erased FiveThirtyEight (Silver Bulletin)
What Colbert’s cancellation means for the rest of late-night TV (WP)
Musk’s Failed OpenAI Lawsuit Underscores xAI’s Struggles (Time)
The new college graduation ritual: booing AI (Axios)
Before Mass Layoffs, Meta Reassigns 7,000 Workers to Focus on A.I. (NYT)
NASA Announces Rover Has Found Beauty In The Mundane On Mars (Onion)
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