Let's Give You Some Folks to Crow About: Tony Fitzpatirck & Kevin J. McGowan

Birds of a Feather Flocking Together

Though they don't really flock together, or even know one another, but the renown Chicago artisan Tony Fitzpatrick and Cornell University Ornithologist Kevin J. McGowan have much in common. Both of these dudes are obviously Irishmen and they both make their living from their obsession with birds! And both have a particular (some might say peculiar) affinity for crows or starlings.

Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of birders, (featured at left with Saint Clare and chatting with some of his lovie-dovies) noted that Fitzpatrick has painted thousands of bird portraits throughout his career and likewise, McGowan has observed and studied thousands of birds, beginning at childhood.

McGowan, being a behavioral ecologist, tries to get into the bird brains of crows, better known to Saint Francis, (perhaps the original "birder") as Corvus brachyrhynchos.

McGowan says the American Crow is a very "cooperative breeder." They tend to stick around and help raise their siblings children and stuff like that. Of course, if a member of the bird family gets separated he or she will "make do with something else" and "hang out with another species" (of birds, of course, and certainly not felines). McGowan cooed and wooed his bird knowledge to C. Claiborne Ray, a writer who has published in the New York Times.

Whether these two gentlemen have seen Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds," or Matthew Modine, in "Birdy," or listen to "A Flock of Seagulls" or "The Counting Crows" remain unanswered questions. But now that the inquiries are out and about on the world wide web, perhaps one of these gentlemen will someday make a comment and answer on this www.SaintsforSinners.com blog subsidiary. If anyone wants to encourage Kevin McGowan to post a reply, his e mail address is KJMZ@Cornell.edu.

Saints Elicit True Confession: Scientists Declared Gossipmongers

Famous Scientist "OUTS" Himself & Others,

Declares Scientists "Gossips!"

The famous Pulitzer Prize winning Scientist, Bert Holldobler, made an astounding public confession to the patron saints of Confessors, Edward the Confessor & Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney (widely known as the "Cure D'Ars" and pictured above in a hand-painted http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ medal) and admitted that "Scientists Gossip A Lot!"

Holldobler offered his scandalous and scintillating bit of information about national and worldwide Scientists to www.SaintsforSinners.com after having fully outing himself, exclaiming "I gossip like a Scientist!" to the writer Claudia Dreifus. The New York Times first reported about Holldobler's confession in their June 16, 2009 issue of Science Times. Holldobler specifically identified the Scientist Edward O. Wilson as a Scientist he gossiped with while at Harvard University. (Note: SaintsforSinners' calls to Harvard have yet to be returned.)

Reactions about the gossip mongering of Scientists was mixed. Saint Matt Talbot, the Recovery saint, lauded Holldobler's admission, saying "The first step toward healing is acknowledging there's been a problem."

It should come as no surprise that Scientist Bert Holldobler, a professor at Arizona State University and professor emeritus at the University of Wurzburg, in Germany, is "one of the world's great ant experts." Edward O. Wilson also knows a lot about ants. Saint Teresa of Avila, our patroness of truthfulness and sincerity, blithely stated, "It should come as no surprise those two know a lot about ants, since ants, like Scientists, are very good at spreading the dirt around."

Saint Vincent de Paul, Abby & Eli Manning Help Saints Margaret & Philomena with Birthing Babies!

Saint Vincent de Paul ( featured, bottom left ), Saint Margaret ( featured, center ) and Saint Philomena ( featured top-left hand corner ), together with Abby and Eli Manning, are teaming with the Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center, among others, to help "connect Science and Compassion" when bringing new babies into the world, it was announced today, in the New York Times.

Abby and Eli Manning are probably most well-known as graduates of the prestigious "Old Miss," located in, you guessed it, the State of Mississippi.

We asked Saints Vincent de Paul, Margaret, and Philomena, how Abby and Eli Manning became involved with the hospital and charity and Vincent replied that the couple have "always been involved in philanthropic endeavors in efforts to help others." Margaret and Philomena chimed in that Eli Manning was "some guy who liked sports in New York City" and "Abby has always been maternalistic."

Saint Sebastian, patron of athletes, pulled us aside and noted that Eli Manning is a professional football player, Super Bowl Champion, and the winner of USA Today's Weekend Magazine's "Most Caring Athlete," to which Saint Margaret and Saint Philomena said "Whatever!"

The Baby Ball Fund Raiser will be held at The Ciprian, 55 Wall Street, New York, N.Y. (Telephone 212.699.4099) on June 18th, with NBC Televisions NFL Analyst Bob Costa serving as Master of Ceremonies.

The Eli & Abby Manning Birth Center at Saint Vincent's Hospital, will aid its longstanding reputation as a hallmark "Midwifery College," and help create a superior environment for Obstetrics and Natural Child Birthing.

Becoming further interested in the topic of Natural Child Birthing SaintsforSinners contacted a young woman in New Orleans, Katie Anderson, who said her child Samuel Lennon Anderson, was "born naturally, with no anesthesia, no pain medicine, no drugs at all." Katie said that giving birth to Sam naturally was "the most important, most life-affirming, womanhood affirming" event of her life. Anderson continued, adding "Natural Child Birth is important. Obstetrics can be invasive and pharmaceutically driven and tech-heavy." It is better for a pregnant woman to simply "listen to her body. Listen to her baby. I want to have another baby just so I can experience natural childbirth again," she added.

Katie Anderson praised Eli and Abby Manning for becoming involved in the field of Natural Child Birthing. 'We went about the birthing with the help of an experienced midwife or "Doula," Rebecca Hageman, who served as our birthing coach." Rebecca Hageman has been assisting women with Natural Child Birth for decades and in New Orleans and other places, including Guatemala.

We asked Katie Anderson if she had anything to add and she said she was happy that Abby & Eli Manning were part of the Natural Childbirth Movement. She said that people interested in the topic and other prospective parents can learn more about Natural Child Birth by watching the Documentary "The Business of Being Born." Katie, Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Margaret and Saint Philomena, as well as Katie's infant son Samuel, all congratulate the Mannings for creating The Eli & Abby Manning Birthing Center" and helping pregnant woman realize the viable, rewarding, "life-affirming" experience known as Natural Child Birth.