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I recently wrote a blog post on the ways that ducks come to symbolize various elements of American culture.  Specifically, I explored how Scrooge McDuck embodies capitalism in the United States.

It is worth further exploring this notion in light of a recent pop culture display in Saturday Night Live’s recurring sketch Weekend Update, the ever relevant bastion of American satirical news.

You can view the quick sketch here  -

During this interview with the Weekend Update anchors, we see Scrooge McDuck (played by Andy Samberg) gloating about his sound investment strategy of owning pure gold.  By owning nothing but gold coins, he has limited his risk exposure rather than subjecting his financial well being to the ebbs and flows of the US stock market.  I believe this hyperbolic boast has some legitimate economic commentary.

The primary investment vehicle of the average American is the 401k.  However, did you know that you cannot directly own gold (or fine art) with your 401k?  Granted, you can invest in securities which have an interest in gold, but you cannot actually own the precious metal as Scrooge McDuck does.

In order to receive the tax-deferred benefits of a 401k, you cannot invest in a collectible since it creates little to no economic capital for growth.  Thus, the chief vehicle of American investing inherently discourages the conservatism that has yielded so much wealth for Scrooge McDuck in a cyclical economy.

There is a fundamental conflict of interest between the individual investor and Wall Street when the manner of investment is the 401k.  While a 401k can be an excellent tool to grow personal wealth, it also can be a mechanism for a relatively small number of Wall Street bankers to enslave the discretionary capital of the masses via enticement with tax benefits and the illusion of a worry free retirement.

Of course, the intention of the SNL sketch was not to illustrate this point.  However, when one examines the roots of Scrooge McDuck, and his evolving reflection of American capitalism, it becomes apparent that the financial practices which made him wealthy, and the fiscal policies which gave him and all other Americans the opportunity to become wealthy, are today being suppressed by the interests of Wall Street plutocrats.

A Plutocracy has nothing to do with this Pluto

It is also worth noting that in this SNL sketch we see Scrooge McDuck lament his freakish and isolated nature brought on by his fowlish form.  He claims that he was once a human, but the side effects of swimming in gold coins have yielded diseases polymorphing him into a duck.  He even goes so far as to say, “My life is like a deleted scene from The Island of Dr. Moreau.” This aboration of devolving from a human to a duck , although not a part of official Disney Scrooge McDuck cannon, is similar to my own commentary in which I wrote -

[Scrooge McDuck's] ambition and material greed have placed him up as a duck for sale, owned more by his riches and their ensuing responsibilities than his own character.  Thus Scrooge McDuck may be able to swim through oceans of gold coins in his expansive mansion, but he will always be a goofy, waddling duck – holed up to live in solitude in his fortress of lonely extravagance.

However, in the end of this SNL bit, Scrooge McDuck decrees that “It’s worth it! Gold coins!”

Is it worth it?

Many avid gardeners consider their vegetable and flower patches as more than just hobby level agricultural endeavors.  Rather, one’s garden is a reflection of one’s natural self.  Thus, just as you don’t want to use harmful herbicides and pesticides on a large scale as it is unsustainably damaging to the environment, you likewise do not want to use the same practices in your own garden.

Pesticides are bad for a lot more than pests

How then can you control harmful weeds and pests from destroying your prized herbs, flowers, and vegetables without employing the very practices which you may be opposed to on a large scale?  One innovative solution is to keep ducks in your garden.  That’s right, ducks….quacking, waddling, goofy yet adorable waterfowl.  Ducks will literally take your garden pests and nuisances and convert them to natural fertilizer and eggs (which by the way are suitable for human consumption).

Gardener Amy Grisak of Grit.com wrote a piece on how she received such wonderful help and valuable work from her feathered friends.  She writes -

Ducks will eat just about any pest. Grasshoppers, which can decimate a garden in short order during heavy infestation years, are quickly gobbled up when in reach of a hungry duck and so are Japanese beetles, June bugs, grubs and even mice. Ducks will also chase and catch flies, and root their larvae out of fresh manure and decaying vegetables.

Using ducks as an environmental and low cost gardening and farming aide is nothing new.  Chinese farmers have herded Pekin ducks by the hundreds through their rice paddies for thousands of years.  These avid foragers would seek out and consume any pest or weed they could find, yet leave the more mature rice crop alone.  Furthermore, their droppings would serve as fertilizer for the plants and soil.  A recent episode of The Amazing Race featured a challenge where contestants were to herd large amounts of Pekin ducks, as an homage to this ancient practice.

Ducks are best used in your garden when there aren’t any sprouting seedlings, as they will likely tear up the ground enough and prevent the seedling from taking root.  Ducks should be allowed to forage when the plants are mature enough that they can survive some physical movement and won’t be hurt by some disruption in the soil.  Ducks essentially use their beaks as plows, and will actively seek out even buried pests and weeds.

Also, ducks can serve as a wonderful alternative to a bug zapper. Simply keep a light over their water supply and it will attract countless insects at night, which the ducks will gladly eat out of their water.  Thus, you will have a natural, environmentally sound, and fun alternative to an unsightly blue light and power consuming device.

Which breeds of ducks make the best for this innovative and green gardening solution?  eFowl.com recommends four key types -

• Runner Ducks – these wine bottle shaped ducks are far and away the most active foragers
  

  A type of avid foraging duck, the Black Indian Runner

• Khaki Campbell Ducks – not only are these birds great foragers, they’re also one of the most prolific egg layers of all ducks.
  

  Khaki Campbells are avid foragers and prolific egg-layers

• Cayuga Ducks – these ducks are a medium size, and very popular as pets for their unique iridescent green color, as well as their quiet demeanor.
  

  Cayuga Ducks are great for pets and great for your garden

• Swedish Ducks – who knew Daffy Duck was so helpful in the garden?
  

  Daffy Duck is modeled after a Black Swedish Duck

What are you waiting for?  Get some ducks and take green gardening to a whole new level!

The week on FOX marks the season premier of the popular cartoon comedy block known as Animation Domination.  This TGIF of raunchy cartoons serves a weekly staple for college kids across the country.

Animation Domination, which is now 75% created by Seth Macfarlane. Hang on tight Matt Groening!

The main change to the line up is that Mike Judge’s down home style King of the Hill is no longer.  FOX has filled the vacancy with yet another one of Seth MacFarlane‘s animated attempts at Family-Guy-but-with-different-characters in The Cleveland Show.

You can catch all the episodes on Hulu, which in my opinion were quite entertaining, especially the highly unique episode of Family Guy.

Some of the most astute of cartoon viewers may have noticed a recurring joke that arced from The Cleveland Show to American Dad.  MacFarlane, who is most notable for his hodge-podge of obscure cultural nods and references, recreated a familiar movie scene in two of his premiers.

Here we have a duck crossing in American Dad as some Vietnam War reenacters pause their intense combat display to admire some mallard ducklings.

We are all familiar with the movie and TV joke of the ducks crossing.  Characters are somehow speeding down the road, only to come to a screeching halt at the sight of a mother and her ducklings crossing the road.  This is usually followed by a cutesy comment that is ironic given the character’s normal disposition.

It is funny because no matter what the scenario, humans will drop whatever they’re doing to allow the adorable ducklings to cross their path.  This cultural reference seems to expose a soft spot in the human psyche for ducklings.  The insertion of a duck crossing scene into an inopportune time makes us smile and chuckle.  Scene’s such as this are reminiscent of the common Springtime local news story of a person going out of their way to assist a mother and her ducklings.

Here we have some ducklings crossing the road in The Cleveland Show, right after Cleveland pulls and aggressive u-turn on the road. Anyone know what duck breed this is supposed to be?

It is interesting to see how frequently this gag is used throughout American entertainment.  We are compiling a list all the Duck Crossing scenes in TV and movies.  Can you think of any?  Please tell us in the comment boxes below.

Short answer - No, never.

A sign from Waneka Lake in Lafayette, CO

Long answer – You should never feed ducks bread, whether they are wild or domestic. It is very damaging to a flock, and potentially devastating to an overall ecosystem.

Here is the explanation of how feeding ducks bread is damaging, for both wild and domestic flocks

Wild – Wild ducks are not pet ducks.  They do not need to have human interference with their food sources.  Furthermore, they can easily become reliant on humans tossing them bread, and neglect their foraging skills to naturally acquire food.  This has to potential to knock an entire ecosystem out of balance, as the food chain will become altered by the introduction of a new food source.

Domestic – Obviously, your pet mallards are already reliant on you for their food.  While they may have foraging skills, they already depend on you for their sustenance.  Is bread okay then?  No, not at all.  The reasoning here is that bread is not an adequate source of nutrition for ducks.  It does not contain the protein levels and nutritional diversity that waterfowl need to thrive.

Furthermore, ducks have a trait which causes them to stop eating once they are full, they won’t overeat, regardless of how much actual nutrition they’ve acquired (perhaps it would be good if some humans developed this).  Thus, they’ll fill themselves up on bread, and ignore the other food available to them once they’re full.  This will yield an undernourished flock.

Now most of us grew up feeding ducks and other birds bread when we were kids.  It was an engaging and simple way to interact with wildlife.  However, as our conscious evolves to better understand our impact on the environment, it has become painfully apparant just how improper it is to feed wildlife.  We must ignore some of the fond memories that we’ve had with this practice, and learn to love and enjoy waterfowl and other animals through observation, not interaction.

UPDATE: 07/01/2009 – It has come to my attention that it is against NYC regulations to have a pet duck in the city.  I am not advocating the practice, I’m simply pointing out a humorous pop culture anecdote.  Both Joey Tribbiani and myself are sorry if anyone interpreted that as endorsing a pet duck in NYC.

More and more people are raising ducks as pets in urban areas and even city apartments. This practice gained lots of popularity from the 90s TV show “Friends”.