{"conf": "springark", "generated_at": "2026-04-26T08:00:02.954878Z", "threads": [{"num": 0, "subject": "", "response_count": 0, "posts": []}, {"num": 1, "subject": "Introductions in the Ark", "response_count": 112, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (11:30)", "body": "*woohoo*"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (11:37)", "body": "How appropriate that our very own prime specimen should be the first to howl her approval in her new home! Congratulations all around!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "riette", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (13:23)", "body": "We made it!! Yippppeeee!!!"}, {"response": 4, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (13:32)", "body": "Yeah! ...and I missed the beginning! Wooohooo!!! ( No time today too much work!)"}, {"response": 5, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (13:47)", "body": "Go, creatures of the Spring!"}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (16:39)", "body": "How do you like the final title of the conference? I, as you, did not like the connotation of Zoo..."}, {"response": 7, "author": "stacey", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (16:47)", "body": "Hey mammialian dingbats... introduce yerselves... in case we get some new animal lovers here... I am Princess Animainia... queen of the springerific jungle... *teehee* (or some people call me Stacey) I love kitties (we have two now) but I'm horrible trainer for any type of animal... too much of a softie..."}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (17:14)", "body": "I have been made a co-host of this conference, so if I can be of any help. let me know...He just came in to do it now...!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (17:21)", "body": "Since my concerns are of the Earth and what affects it, animals are my favorite things. I even like 2-legged ones...*grin* but I refuse to keep any as pets. I am an unreconstructed cat-lover who also is a birder and a hunter (with binoculars and camera) of bigger game in the wild. I answer to almost anything, but people usually call me Marcia for lack of a better idea (though I have been called the Marcianess of Stonehenge). Oh, yes, I am also a cuddler much more than a trainer, also. Aloha!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:30)", "body": "I am owned by two cats - should make it three, the baby-intruder-kitten from neighbourhood is getting bigger and more strenuous each day - thanks to the excellent cat-food I feed them!"}, {"response": 11, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:37)", "body": "Is this the one who was feasting on your toe when you awoke one morning?! Intruder Kitty?"}, {"response": 12, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (03:23)", "body": "ouch!!! Looks like ALL the spring gals are hosting this conference! We should call ourselves the Femmes Fantastique! (Or whatevva - I don't do that French thang.)"}, {"response": 13, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (05:19)", "body": "Hey, I LOVE cats! Lived with a bunch of them. Once I lived with five dogs, too! But my appreciation for the canine species (present company excepted) has been eroded by the neighbour's big, non-stop-barking monster-dog."}, {"response": 14, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (07:36)", "body": "That happens! I'm a big animal lover too; even used to date them...."}, {"response": 15, "author": "stacey", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (10:04)", "body": "If we squeezed Alexander into a dress we could still be the Femmes Fantastique! *hee hee*"}, {"response": 16, "author": "terry", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (10:18)", "body": "Animal dating, we're discovering new things about ree all the time!"}, {"response": 17, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (11:20)", "body": "Stacey, hon, pass me that eye shade, please..."}, {"response": 18, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (09:22)", "body": "Wow, Alexander, this pink lipstick matches perfect with your new summerdress!"}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (18:28)", "body": "...but with that mustache?!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (14:58)", "body": "You don't like that combination? I thought it very dashing. :=/"}, {"response": 21, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (03:21)", "body": "No, no it's VERY dashing - compared to Terry's big beard anyway! Come closer, so I can comb your faces..."}, {"response": 22, "author": "stacey", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (11:55)", "body": "oohhh and that aubergine shadow is simply divine!!!"}, {"response": 23, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (13:14)", "body": "On their eyelids anyway ..."}, {"response": 24, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (13:38)", "body": "Ooch! Riette, \"face\" is the forward side!!!"}, {"response": 25, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (14:37)", "body": "\ufffdblush\ufffd Sorry!! I just felt a bulge, and assumed it was your nose!"}, {"response": 26, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (14:41)", "body": "*LOL*"}, {"response": 27, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (14:43)", "body": "Does his nose grow, when he lies?"}, {"response": 28, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (17:30)", "body": "Most often when I lie down, not lie to others..."}, {"response": 29, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (17:31)", "body": "Not that anybody wanted these details..."}, {"response": 30, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (04:05)", "body": "Only twice a day.... WOLFIE!!! Pingus!! Lots 'n Lots of Pingus! An' little itty bitty feet pitter-pattering across the screen. AWE! TOO COOL!"}, {"response": 31, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (16:28)", "body": "ah-Hem...the things one learns here...*giggle* Love the little footie-prints, Wolfie! Is that the patter of tiny feet?! Too cute!"}, {"response": 32, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (17:47)", "body": "yup!"}, {"response": 33, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (03:26)", "body": "Looks just like when the guinea pigs accidently step in my paint, then walk through the house!"}, {"response": 34, "author": "patas", "date": "Wed, Oct  6, 1999 (17:22)", "body": "My dog Patas (=Paws)has a bed and a collar with the same pattern :-)"}, {"response": 35, "author": "patas", "date": "Wed, Oct  6, 1999 (17:24)", "body": "...only his have 4 toes."}, {"response": 36, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Feb 28, 2000 (21:16)", "body": "ok everybody, i'd like to do something neat. would like to create a page on my website (which is part of spring) with pictures of your pets. if you have pics, drawings, etc. please forward them to me at Wolfie . you will get all the credit for your pics and i will honor any privacy requests (i.e., first name only, age, etc.) the only thing that i ask is that you allow me to resize pics in interest of space. i will not, repeat, will not, add to or take from your stuff. when i go through some of my magazines, i love to see kids' drawings of their pets and pics of pets in action. thought others might enjoy this and be willing to share. let me know! thanks!! (terry, maybe you can link this in with the front page for more exposure, thanks)"}, {"response": 37, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Feb 28, 2000 (23:35)", "body": "Critter is on his way to your mailbox =)"}, {"response": 38, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Feb 28, 2000 (23:37)", "body": "This is such a good idea! Wolfie, you're the best!!! *hugs*"}, {"response": 39, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (14:38)", "body": "*blush* thanks marcia!"}, {"response": 40, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (15:46)", "body": "Now, gotta go tell Patas' mommy and how about Bert's mommy and the other little furrykids in your family?!"}, {"response": 41, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (18:10)", "body": "bert's already web famous (well, his picture's posted anyway) the other two are forthcoming!"}, {"response": 42, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (18:25)", "body": "Excellent news about the other two. I emailed Mother-of-Patas to see which option for sending you his portrait she liked best. Since it is the middle of the night for her now, guess we gotta wait a few more hours to find out!"}, {"response": 43, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (18:31)", "body": "i've still got someone's cat photo's, i think it was pata's mom....."}, {"response": 44, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (18:52)", "body": "email it to me...see it I can remember"}, {"response": 45, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (18:53)", "body": "Do you remember if you posted it in this conference? I have all of the topics saved to file *grin*"}, {"response": 46, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (20:23)", "body": "yes, in cats....."}, {"response": 47, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (20:41)", "body": "Betcha it's Isabel's cat. Is is a soft light overall grey rather than tones of gray? On a sofa or chair? Betcha! (gonna go look in cats)"}, {"response": 48, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (20:43)", "body": "yes! and one is a perfect pic of a cat either outside or on a piano (wow, what a memory i have, where's that ginkoba?)"}, {"response": 49, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (20:46)", "body": "Or Charlotte's - just emailed their comments on the cats. Gi has no cats unless you think her silkie looks like one!!!"}, {"response": 50, "author": "patas", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (14:13)", "body": "It's a yorkie, Marcia, and I'll look for some almost perfect pics for you, Wolf. Thanks :-)"}, {"response": 51, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (14:50)", "body": "cool beans! and depending on how many pics i get, as i work on this project, i may have to have the pics of the month or something to keep from swallowing all the available space on spring's servers!"}, {"response": 52, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (15:02)", "body": "Ray's was a Silkie - I know Patas is a Yorkie...Auwe! Wolfie, would you like me to make a smaller version of Critter for you to save spring space?"}, {"response": 53, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (15:06)", "body": "let me see if i can resize it first without taking away the quality of the pic. will have to do some work before any photo's go up (like relearning how to get my stuff onto /bayou so you can see it)"}, {"response": 54, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (15:39)", "body": "Hey! Critter's 58K portrait which I sent to you is on my spring drive. We can use one or the other. I'll try to downsize it with my photo programs, as well so we end up with only one of him on all of Spring's hard drive!"}, {"response": 55, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (15:43)", "body": "good idea (didn't know (s)he's stored over here already!)"}, {"response": 56, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (16:00)", "body": "OK, when get him pared down to smaller size I'll send you the url location for him (or do you need to have the image on your personal space?)"}, {"response": 57, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (16:04)", "body": "good question. but i can save him from the url location (think i will need it)... terry, thanks so much for the great pic and link to springark on the front page! i went there to explore the look and found it."}, {"response": 58, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (16:05)", "body": "OK, when get him pared down to smaller size I'll send you the url location for him (or do you need to have the image on your personal space?)"}, {"response": 59, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (16:05)", "body": "Got him down to 20KB http://www.spring.net/marcia/public/Portraits/Smcrittr.jpg"}, {"response": 60, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (16:07)", "body": "that may still be a bit big...lemme see what i can do......"}, {"response": 61, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (16:09)", "body": "Can make it a lot smaller! Easy!!! (where is that picture you were thanking Terry for?)"}, {"response": 62, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (16:13)", "body": "How about 8KB http://www.spring.net/marcia/public/Portraits/weecritr.jpg"}, {"response": 63, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (18:58)", "body": "it's on the page you get when you go to spring.net (a leopard or jaguar) that smaller picture is great and we can still see his wonderful eyes!"}, {"response": 64, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (19:51)", "body": "Oh man...I'm in big trouble with this computer if you are seeing anything but plate tectonics globe. Better close out my Netscape and reboot. You do mean http://www.spring.net/ Is Critter small enough, do you think? It is such a tight shot that I think it's like the Cheshire Cat's smile - the eyes would be the last things to go."}, {"response": 65, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (19:56)", "body": "yeah, critter is great! the jaguar is all the way to the right (in the black area). you may have to scroll to the right a bit and then down...."}, {"response": 66, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (19:56)", "body": "This is far too weird for me to figure out, but when I dumped the cache and closed out Netscape, then reloaded it and went to spring.net I could see across the bottom that it was loading the leopard file but it still had my globe there. If I close out the entire computer I may just see it tomorrow. Anything of mine still existing on the title page?"}, {"response": 67, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (19:59)", "body": "OK - I know where to look now, there were three blank \"where pictures should be\" squares...above Maggie's comments, the middle one was about SpringArk with a hyperlink, and the bottom one is Geo hyperlink....but those are still blank for me and like I just wrote. Waaaa! I cannot see the big pussycat!!!"}, {"response": 68, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (20:00)", "body": "yeah, it's all there, the cat is above your globe all the way to the right (not the globe in the middle of the page)...."}, {"response": 69, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (20:01)", "body": "and below maggie's comment...."}, {"response": 70, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (20:01)", "body": "You mean I got another globe there? *frown* I wanna see the stuff!!!"}, {"response": 71, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (20:02)", "body": "are you telnetting?"}, {"response": 72, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (20:04)", "body": ""}, {"response": 73, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (20:04)", "body": "do you see it NOW?"}, {"response": 74, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (20:13)", "body": "Not telnetting - there is no account available for me as it stands with the provider now. I can see your Jaguar now! Here! but, aggravatingly, not there! It reminds me of the time I got stuck with the music conf wallpaper all over all of the other conferences. Instead of defautl leaves, I got eyeballs and notes in purple on a white background. In fact, when Geo was just a thought and a blank space will default wallpaper I was asked what I saw and I replied... purple eyeballs and notes. I eventually had to delete my entire hot list then reset them. I have not had any problems since July until now...! Sheesh!"}, {"response": 75, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (20:21)", "body": "i had those eyeballs and stuff all over the place too."}, {"response": 76, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  1, 2000 (20:26)", "body": "That is some potent wallpaper. I told him it was my conscience staring back at me. *lol* He thought that was funny - especially on my pristine new Geo. I have spent considerable time looking for better wallpaper for that conference, but every time we have tried something different, Alexander complains - so back it goes. I told him it was great for little kids Jammies, but...! I am much relieved to know I was not the only one seeing it everywhere!"}, {"response": 77, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar  2, 2000 (17:02)", "body": "Ok, Wolfie...today the front page is all black and gorgeous with non-color-changing squares beside the conference names on the left. On the right I still have no images but other people have ivory background and images on the black table at the left. I have washed and sterilized the cache and I still am getting this ... what do you see?"}, {"response": 78, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  2, 2000 (20:32)", "body": "it's all black now for me as well and the leopard pic is still all the way to the right. you see maggie's comment right? and you see where it says \"marcia talks about ty rex\"? well, the leopard pic is still over there between the marcia says and maggie's comment."}, {"response": 79, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar  2, 2000 (21:18)", "body": "Yup! That's where I figured it would be. 'Tis not there, however, on my PC. If you overline the black center, my ***aloha*** comments are still there! It does look choice, however. Tres cool, in fact..!"}, {"response": 80, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (07:07)", "body": "Hi all your fur and feather lovers! I'm making my howl heard... Name is Gena, I live in Massachusetts but I used to live in Austin. I usually hang out in the sports conference, making rare appearances in motorcycling... and about to dip my toes into Geo (thanks Marcia). I share my abode with the twin sister skitzy kitties from hell, known as Nike and Reebok. Also the Diva of Dogdom, Princess of Pawville.... Pearlized Jazz (I call her Pearl), retired racing greyhound extraordinaire. I got Pearl on her 2nd birthday... she'll be 11 this summer. The cats are about the same age. Wolf, I would gladly send you a photo of Pearl. My cats refuse to be photographed. Something about talking to their agent... Let me know what your website it so I can peek. I do an annual \"Doggie Playgrooup Holiday Photo Shoot\" here in my neighborhood in September, so my neighbors can have a pet motif for their holiday cards. Therefore I have many pics of \"The Pearl\"."}, {"response": 81, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (11:26)", "body": "welcome to my zoo!! got those pics, gena, thanks!!"}, {"response": 82, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (12:19)", "body": "what's your URL, wolfie?"}, {"response": 83, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (13:03)", "body": "http://www.midnightwolf.net She does not have anything up yet, but... Aloha, Gena *grin*"}, {"response": 84, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (13:37)", "body": "Thanks Marcia! You are, like, everywhere! And love this 'Aloha' thingy. It means both hello and goodby, yes? I'm putting it in there with Howdy as a favorite salutation. Aloha to you!"}, {"response": 85, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (13:50)", "body": "Yup...aloha can also mean \"I love you\" and \"Drop Dead\" depending on the inflection and look in your eye. I see your above post answered stuff I asked in the email I just sent you...sorry! Do wheelie your way over to Geo and park wherever you'd like. *Happy thoughts*"}, {"response": 86, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (14:32)", "body": "It just occurred to me that I am not only, like, everywhere! on Spring...I am also co-host of this conference! Don't have a real life or something...*grin*"}, {"response": 87, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (17:45)", "body": "You're living life to it's fullest, Marci."}, {"response": 88, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (18:08)", "body": "Thanks to you, Terry. You have made possible a most unique experience which I plan to have last a lifetime. *hugs* What is better than great experiences shared with good friends?!"}, {"response": 89, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Sat, Dec  2, 2000 (17:50)", "body": "I love the buttons in this conference! How can I get them to appear in Babes and Business?"}, {"response": 90, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Sat, Dec  2, 2000 (18:01)", "body": "Easy, just click on the \"host\" button when you enter business, which you are now a host of and copy the code. You may have to play around with the html a bit to reference it to where the gifs are stored."}, {"response": 91, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Sun, Dec  3, 2000 (05:07)", "body": "But I'm not host in here so I can't get to the rc file..."}, {"response": 92, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  3, 2000 (23:31)", "body": "can get it for you - I am co host - hang on"}, {"response": 93, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  3, 2000 (23:34)", "body": "posting it in Inner, Mike - Q&A"}, {"response": 94, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Dec  4, 2000 (17:13)", "body": "*gush* someone wants to use my custom buttons *BEAMZ*"}, {"response": 95, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Dec  4, 2000 (18:16)", "body": "Wolfie's custom buttons now grace Geo - lava come back to me, I think..."}, {"response": 96, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Tue, Dec  5, 2000 (07:46)", "body": "Great, Marci posted it in inner, keep us posted of your progress Mike, I'll help however I can. I did set up that ftp area for you and set you up as a host in business. Go Mike!"}, {"response": 97, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Wed, Dec  6, 2000 (18:11)", "body": "I'm goin'...short of time at the moment. Having to work US time in work (saves yet *another* trip on a plane) so I don't get home till late, and for some reason I can't get in at work (must look at that - probably something simple)."}, {"response": 98, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Wed, Dec  6, 2000 (19:59)", "body": "What kind of work are you doing these day, Mike?"}, {"response": 99, "author": "marci", "date": "Fri, Apr 27, 2001 (04:04)", "body": "Wolfie, we gotta get back to work on posting in here. I have some images I will post when I get into windows. Otherwise it is just me here testing tel\bTELNET and wondering why I cannot get into certain conferences. At least I can finally post! *;)"}, {"response": 100, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, May  1, 2001 (09:12)", "body": "you're right, we do gotta do some work in here!"}, {"response": 101, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 27, 2001 (21:34)", "body": "Hey Wolfie, I had forgotten how much fun we had in here. I'll be posting a lot now that I have Geo afloat again. Happy New Year"}, {"response": 102, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (21:31)", "body": "Oooh, I found where I put the original Holly so I could copy it to my hard drive again. Seems I did the unforgivable and overwrote my original file. Wonder where MikeG is. I miss him!"}, {"response": 103, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (21:34)", "body": "great username!! geocritter!!!"}, {"response": 104, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (23:07)", "body": "It only took me a few years to figure out.. I rather like it too!"}, {"response": 105, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Jan  9, 2002 (18:43)", "body": "and i think folks will know it's you!"}, {"response": 106, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jan  9, 2002 (18:51)", "body": "Kinda hard to lose me on Spring, no matter what disguise I use, Huh!"}, {"response": 107, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Jan  9, 2002 (18:53)", "body": "that and the name \"marciah\" is right after your userid!"}, {"response": 108, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jan  9, 2002 (22:54)", "body": "Yup, I should change that userid. It has been there for years and I don't even think about it. Of course, so was it on the title page for Geo until recently! In h1-sized letters!!! How long does it take to heal a broken leg? *sigh*"}, {"response": 109, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Jan 10, 2002 (18:39)", "body": "depends (isn't that the answer to everything?) i think it depends on the type of break it is. if you change that, won't it change your login name too (when you first sign on to the spring)?"}, {"response": 110, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Thu, Jul 25, 2002 (15:06)", "body": "Australia's first camel dairy to open An Australian man plans to set up business milking camels. Neil Waters will open the country's first camel dairy near Alice Springs. Neil, who runs Camels Australia, says the milk has a similar nutritional quality to goats' milk. He told the ABC website: \"Hopefully we'll be milking half a dozen this year - and once we can sort that out we can find out how many camels it's going to take to get plenty of litres of milk. \"It'll take a while before we can actually train them up to milking - they generally don't like you playing with their teats.\" Story filed: 10:37 Thursday 25th July 2002 orange.co.uk/today"}, {"response": 111, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, Sep  4, 2002 (16:24)", "body": "If you ever lived in an apartment and thought that you had irritating neighbors. Can you imagine living in this building. Relief as the Cows Upstairs Move Out Fri Aug 30,10:26 AM ET ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish woman has begun selling the cows she kept in upstairs apartments in the city of Trabzon, to the relief of her neighbors. Local alderman Osman Terzi said health and safety officials had ordered the cows to be cleared out of the first and third floors of the building in the Black Sea port city. \"I have learned that Fatma Kocaman has started selling her cows, which is a very pleasing development,\" the Anatolian news agency quoted him saying on Thursday. It said she had kept \"a large number\" of cows there. \"It's hard to believe someone would keep cows in an apartment. For years me and the locals have wondered what to do...The area has suffered a lot. Noise, smell and manure everywhere make a very ugly scene,\" Terzi said."}, {"response": 112, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sat, Feb  1, 2003 (11:38)", "body": "Chemical Kits Can Save Pets? TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israelis bracing for possible Iraqi chemical or biological attacks can take comfort in the knowledge that their pets will be safe. Supergum Ltd, a private manufacturer of nuclear, biological and chemical protective gear, has developed a kit for animals, which the company says is the first of its kind. \"People have been calling us for months asking what solution we could offer for their pets and now we have one,\" Roni Srour, vice president of the Tel Aviv-based firm, told reporters on Thursday. Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel during the 1991 Gulf War, killing one person and causing considerable damage. With a possible U.S.-led attack on Baghdad looming, Israelis are preparing for more Iraqi missile strikes, this time possibly with chemical or biological warheads. Supergum's kits come in three sizes and cost between 890 and 1,700 shekels ($185-$350). They include plastic bubbles, which will seal animals inside cages, and air filters and blowers to supply purified air. Israelis prepa ing sealed rooms will have to use gas masks to filter out chemical agents but animals will not tolerate a mask for more than a few minutes. The kits contain four batteries that last six hours and can be changed, said Zeev Scheiner, the veterinarian who tested the equipment on dogs, cats and birds. \"They do not have any effect on the animal's health but (for) animals who are claustrophobic or nervous, we can give them animal Valium,\" Scheiner said. Srour said the company was preparing to sell the kits to Israel's police and army for their dogs. http://my.netscape.com/corewidgets/news/story.psp?cat=50900&id=200301310842000213038 SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 10, "subject": "Pet Behavior and Training", "response_count": 29, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "terry", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:57)", "body": "Cats and territoriality. They \"mark\" their territory even if it's the carpet. What do do?"}, {"response": 2, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (21:00)", "body": "Castrate! Sounds hard, I know, but the cat population is much too high, anyway! you can't let them make thousands of babies. (They're cute, I know, there's nothing as cute as a little kitten) I will look for numbers, but the population-increase of cats is unbelievably high. (Animal Right Clubs are also castrating cats, BTW) It's better to have lesser cats ( sitting in the animal shelter for their whole lifetime), but healthier ones!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (21:03)", "body": "even castration or neutering doesn't solve the problem. the key is to neuter before the kitty learns to spray. don't know how to stop the behavior though. will do some checking."}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (22:28)", "body": "We did all of our cats when I was a kid, and David did his cat, and we never had a problem with marking or spraying...but we did it when they were just 3 months old (as I recall). The trick, as Wolfie pointed out, is to get them before the hormones kick in."}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (22:29)", "body": "Or stick with a female and have her spayed when she is old enough. That is the best of both worlds."}, {"response": 6, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (07:46)", "body": "See, guinea pigs don't do that ..."}, {"response": 7, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (08:20)", "body": "Don't they procreate very fast or do you only have female ones?"}, {"response": 8, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (03:36)", "body": "Only female ones. I've thought about taking them to the pet shop, so they can do it once, because no-one should have to NEVER do it in their entire lives, but I'm just not in a position to care for 64 guinea pigs. And I know already that, once those babies are there, I'd never have the heart to take them to the pet shop to be sold, because I'd be scared they land in a place where they have to stagnate in a small cage, and where 'caring' for them might mean feeding them."}, {"response": 9, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (10:41)", "body": "My cat Fabio was neutered before he learned to spray, yet when I adopted new cats, he began to spray everything in the house. I finally had to exile him to the outdoors, where he lives happily (so it seems) every after. He comes to the back door twice a day for food and the occasional petting session, and my house is once again odor free. Of course, I am fortunate to live in Southern California where I need not worry about him freezing to death in winter."}, {"response": 10, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (03:34)", "body": "Also, my vet (or should I say my dog's vet?) says that neutering cats too young may give them urethral stenosis problems later."}, {"response": 11, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (13:16)", "body": "1/2 a year of age is ok, I think. Terry, when cats do this, sometimes it is because they are anxious, afraid or don't like a situation/place. Most often, they'll have one or two favorite places to do it. One approach is to use menthol oil (\"Japanese Herbal Drops\") and drip on the spot. THe idea is that the strong menthol will drive off the cat, thus denying this spot. Downside: the whole place smells, too - just differently."}, {"response": 12, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (13:22)", "body": "Re: Population in many animal shelters - mainly the communal ones-, they have a pragmatic policy of having animals around for a certain time (a few day to a few weeks), and if they have not been claimed by an owner or found a new home, they are just deleted. I think that was the english term given to me. And I know people whose own neighbor called the animal catcher on their cats just to hurt them."}, {"response": 13, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (16:59)", "body": "Sadistic people - for them I hope there is Karma or some divine punishment. Truly sick. We call it \"euthanized\" here...put to sleep...whatever, it is dead! I think Menthol or any other fragrance other than animal might be welcome!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct 29, 1999 (20:31)", "body": "i don't think deleting animals out of the shelter is the answer. just because someone doesn't take a dog or cat doesn't mean they're not worthy."}, {"response": 15, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (00:24)", "body": "...of course it does not mean they are not worthy...but what do we do with them?"}, {"response": 16, "author": "patas", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (03:53)", "body": "Shelters have only so many places for the animals, and probably all of them are overcrowded. I understand them killing the \"surplus\" animals, and hope they do it humanely... And mostly, try to not think about it very much. I confess to using \"the ostrich method\" about cruelty to animals a lot. I think I'd go insane otherwise."}, {"response": 17, "author": "Elena", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (15:14)", "body": "and if they have not been claimed by an owner or found a new home, they are just deleted. So whenever one wants to give a home for an animal, one should first go to one of these shelters and see if there are animals that one could rescue from being deleted. I wish that people would care to do this more often. My mother\ufffds dog Bonnie is from one of these shelters, kept by the university vet department. She was about one year old, a beautiful black mongrel and nobody came to claim her in two weeks. So we took her (eight years ago) and she\ufffds a wonderful character in spite of the fact that obviously she has been treated badly in her youth."}, {"response": 18, "author": "Elena", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (15:29)", "body": "\"the ostrich method\" about cruelty to animals a lot. I think I'd go insane otherwise. Gi, I know exactly what you mean. I simply can\ufffdt watch it when they show those horrible documentaries in tv about mishandling of cattle. I saw one a few years ago and experienced such a shock that I stopped eating meat and became a vegetarian. I don\ufffdt want cattle to suffer because of me and I guess the only thing I can do about it is not to pay for it."}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (19:10)", "body": "I always wondered what sort of people watch those documentaries...Not for me, either!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (20:07)", "body": "me either. both my dogs were free and could have ended up at the pound. my third dog, lucky, died about 3 years ago. we rescued her from the street and decided to keep her. had her for a year when we had to put her down (tumor on the windpipe). it was the most horrible thing for me to deal with. i lost it in the vet's bathroom (wrenching sobs). she had been abused but i don't know how long. she would yelp anytime your feet came near her. she overcame it by lots of tender loving care on our part. i loved that dog qu ckly and earnestly. am so glad that the last year of her life was spent in a loving environment!"}, {"response": 21, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (20:59)", "body": "Dear Dear Wolfie..*big hugs* for your kind heart and patience and love... I am moved so much by your simple story of heroics on your part and honorable treatment and response from your beloved furperson. Somewhere where furry four-footed things go, she is smiling (yes, they can smile!) down on you and yours. Bless your heart, Wolfie!"}, {"response": 22, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (21:07)", "body": "*blush* i've dreamt about her and immediately was relieved of guilt. she was so happy and healthy and frolicking. she came to say hello and then had to go on. i woke up feeling so much better and i know she's in a good place! and for those who don't think dogs can smile, you just need to open your heart a bit more. they grin from ear to ear (*lol* quite literally!!)....it is such an honor to be loved by these creatures!"}, {"response": 23, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (21:21)", "body": "Gi has sent me a priceless set of pictures of her SFO (Significant FurOther), and he is looking coy in one of them, looking like a proper little man, and then grinning wickedly with teeth showing and everything. They do, indeed, make faces and smile. I am happy she came back to let you know she was in a better place and was happy. What a load off of your heart that must have been. *sniffle* *smile*"}, {"response": 24, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Mon, Nov  1, 1999 (08:50)", "body": "Can we see a picture of Gi's doggie? Puuuleeezeee!?"}, {"response": 25, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Nov  4, 1999 (03:40)", "body": ""}, {"response": 26, "author": "riette", "date": "Thu, Nov  4, 1999 (10:16)", "body": "Oh, what a cute one that is!!"}, {"response": 27, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Nov  4, 1999 (14:27)", "body": "Hi Patas!!! Is not my furnephew the cutest one in the Universe."}, {"response": 28, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Nov  4, 1999 (17:44)", "body": "what a cutie pie!"}, {"response": 29, "author": "patas", "date": "Fri, Nov  5, 1999 (14:02)", "body": "SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 11, "subject": "Animal Specialty Careers", "response_count": 4, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (20:55)", "body": "Even as we create this stuff, there are animal specialists with their trained sniffer dogs going through the wreckage of what once was Taiwan. That is truly a higher calling for an animal and his master. So are the \"Seeing-eye\" dogs, and the search and rescue dogs of the Alpine countries. Many, many come to mind!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (21:35)", "body": "yes, and a lot of those search and rescue dogs are handled by their volunteer owners."}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (21:42)", "body": "This is true - the Fairfax, Va team are normally fire fighters and paramedics. Many other do this because of some calling. I am grateful that they do!"}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (21:45)", "body": "me too, the more eyes and noses looking, the more folks they'll find hopefully alive. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 12, "subject": "Favorite Creatures", "response_count": 45, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:05)", "body": "dolphins and wolves....elephants, penguins, dogs, horses, heck, all of 'em!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:07)", "body": "anything fuzzy, including guys...*smile*"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:08)", "body": "Oh...and eagles and peregrine falcons...and the little bird O'O brought home one stormy night in his hat..."}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:10)", "body": "how sweet!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:25)", "body": "Gotta tell you about it. It was pouring and very dark and gloomy outside and it was dusk. Ray came in soaking wet and put his hat down on the counter and walked away. I grabbed his hat to shape it over a container so it would dry right and this very loud and indignant PEEP!!! came out of it. I opened the edges very carefully, and in there was a tiny white-eye (a tiny greenish yellow bird with a white eye-ring)chick staring back at me. I quickly closed the brim again and as I wondered what to do with t, the white-eyes outside heard it and clamored around my screen porch. I took the little one in the hat out there and carefully opened the door to the outside, then opened the brim and placed the little one down on the ground. They got together around it and helped it to the safety of a nearby palm thatch. It was ssssooooooooooooo cute!!!!"}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:29)", "body": "mama bird outside, huh? wow!"}, {"response": 7, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:50)", "body": "Sometimes mama birds don't take babies back once they have human smell on them. It's nice this one did."}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:56)", "body": "He had rescued this one abandoned on a bench in downtown Hilo's Ho'olulu Park pavillion. He knew something would eat it if he left it there all wet and shivering, so he brought it home. We were astounded and delighted the way our resident white-eyes adopted the little one right away! I was careful not to touch him and so was Ray when he scooped him up in his hat. Perhaps that coupled with all the rain made our smell insignificant."}, {"response": 9, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:58)", "body": "Nice story."}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (03:05)", "body": "He's a nice guy...! It was so cute - we were just remembering it in the kitchen. We live off Haihai Street just below the Waiakea Uka, so we are about 5 miles from down town - or more! I shoulda told the whole story the first go-round."}, {"response": 11, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (05:11)", "body": ""}, {"response": 12, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (05:14)", "body": "One of the wholphins (part dolphin, part killer whale) at Sea Life park died today. They are an amazing hybrid. Now there's only one. The only one known in the world."}, {"response": 13, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (05:20)", "body": "Wow, did not know that one of our wholphins died - I know one was doing poorly...How sad!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (12:51)", "body": "Wow, that's tragic. If there is only one wholphin left the poor creature it is seriously extinct. I didn't even know they existed."}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (16:34)", "body": "i've never heard of hybrid wholphins. you guys knew that killer whales and dolphins are related, right?"}, {"response": 16, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (01:20)", "body": "Indeed! Yes they are, or there would not have been a wholphin! Interbreeding with unlike species is most rare..."}, {"response": 17, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (01:36)", "body": "now gimme a link for a pic, because even in all my watching of discovery channel documentaries on sea mammals, they've never mentioned this creature. and was the interspecies breeding their idea or researchers?"}, {"response": 18, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (02:57)", "body": "I'll look and see if there is a link."}, {"response": 19, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (03:06)", "body": "Kekaimalu, born 1985 (still living) Sea Life Park, Honolulu half dolphin, half false killer whale Pseudorca x Tursiops"}, {"response": 20, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (03:07)", "body": "If you wish to see it: http://www.womenonwallst.com/pp/Y/Yorimoto/slp.htm"}, {"response": 21, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (03:11)", "body": ""}, {"response": 22, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (03:12)", "body": "slight mistake on previous URL. It is: http://www.womenonwallstreet.com/pp/Y/Yorimoto/slp.htm"}, {"response": 23, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (14:38)", "body": "thanks for the url. what can i say? wow!!"}, {"response": 24, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (01:19)", "body": "The one that died was Kekaimalu's baby, a 3/4 dolphin, 1/4 false killer whale. Kekaimalu came as an accident. Her parents were in the same tank, but the marine biologists had no reason to believe that they could reproduce, and were shocked when she was able to as well, since most hybrids are sterile."}, {"response": 25, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (02:23)", "body": "i thought they were. so her parents were hybrids as well. wow. is there an info site where we can learn more about why they're doing this hybridizing?"}, {"response": 26, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (05:04)", "body": "Have you tried the Sea Life Park link on the picture site? I don't believe it was purposeful crossbreeding. They were just being kept in the same tank as part of the park's performance training academy \"Splash University.\" Frankly, I don't like the idea of circus animals. I don't think these magnificent creatures were put here to amuse humans, but I have paid my money to see the wholphins, since there is no other place to do so."}, {"response": 27, "author": "stacey", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (16:47)", "body": "not necessarily my fave creature but here's a great story... in today's news WEST YELLOWSTONE, Montana (AP) -- A tent-hating grizzly bear that had been living on borrowed time is off death row and heading for a wildlife shelter in Southern California. The 180-pound, 3-year-old bear was captured Aug. 22 after squashing, ripping or bouncing on one too many tents -- his eighth or ninth, the counts vary -- in Yellowstone National Park. Repeated efforts to catch the grizzly failed until rangers found the right bait: a tent. The bear, nicknamed Kelty after a brand of tents, was scheduled to be killed because a suitable home could not be found. But Christopher Servheen of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service kept putting off the execution. The Wildlife Way Station at Sylmar, California, eventually agreed to accept the bear. \"This is an unusual case. We probably won't do it again,\" Servheen said Monday."}, {"response": 28, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (15:50)", "body": "cool stor!"}, {"response": 29, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (15:50)", "body": "cool story!"}, {"response": 30, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (15:51)", "body": "Gawd, the finger-fuckers from outer space are at it again..."}, {"response": 31, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Sat, Oct  2, 1999 (17:17)", "body": "*giggle*"}, {"response": 32, "author": "riette", "date": "Sat, Oct  2, 1999 (18:24)", "body": "How you doing, my friend?"}, {"response": 33, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Oct 19, 1999 (16:30)", "body": "Just great! Answer comes a bit late...In the last time I loose survey in Spring, because work is harrassing me... Why is everybody so eager to tell you what you've done wrong in their eyes - nobody sees what good one might have done or how much work is behind things... and why do people always have to yell? Best thing is not answering the phone today, heard enough crap for one week! Sorry, no better news today!"}, {"response": 34, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Oct 19, 1999 (16:31)", "body": "Oh, sorry I forgot to ask: How are you? Hope you're better than me!"}, {"response": 35, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Oct 19, 1999 (18:11)", "body": "BTW, I just looked up the last 500 responses... Where are you, Riette????!!!!"}, {"response": 36, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (11:28)", "body": "Here!!! You mean you couldn't see me??? JIPPPEEEE!!! I'm thin again!!! Oh ... oops - no, I wasn't here! I'm sorry work was tough for you. Is it better now? I didn't come, because I was preoccupied with stuff surrounding my studies for next year; it's frustrating, because I've just found out that in order to make Bars the rules have been slightly changed, so that I now have to study a part-time course on top of the course I'm doing next year - which will be more than full-time studying. And I've got 2 little kids and a couple of commissions to complete early in the new year. It's dark...."}, {"response": 37, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (22:19)", "body": "*HUGS* all the way around the world for you two. Life should not have such stuff involved in it...not fair!!!"}, {"response": 38, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Oct 21, 1999 (17:19)", "body": "Hi Riette! Hi Marcia! Work knows no end...Got to hurry again!! See ya!"}, {"response": 39, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Fri, Oct 22, 1999 (10:45)", "body": "Drunken Elephants Rampage, Killing Four in Indian Village GAUHATI, India (AP) - Wild elephants broke into a cluster of thatched huts, guzzled rice beer fermenting in casks and then tore the village apart in a drunken rampage, trampling four people to death and injuring six, a wildlife official said Thursday. The herd of 15 elephants descended Wednesday on the village of Prajapatibosti, 180 miles east of Gauhati, state capital of northeastern Assam, elephant expert Kushal Konwar Sharma said. The elephants broke into the thatched huts with their trunks and then began drinking rice beer from casks, Sharma said in a telephone interview from Golaghat. \"After drinking the beer the elephant herd became intoxicated and went on a rampage, trampling to death four members of a family,\" he said. The animals trampled rice paddies and more huts before leaving the area Thursday morning. At least 100 people have been killed in elephant attacks during the past year in Assam, where 5,000 wild elephants are estimated to be living. Human encroachment and a shrinking forest habitat have been the main causes of the problem, Sharma said. Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved."}, {"response": 40, "author": "riette", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (18:20)", "body": "Is it okay to giggle?"}, {"response": 41, "author": "riette", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (18:21)", "body": "Look out for the drunken rice-paddy-trampling elephants!!!! HA-HAAAAAA!!!!"}, {"response": 42, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (19:55)", "body": "I thought it was funny, and I am delighted you laughed...I refrained so I did not insult any more lurkers on Spring since 4 were killed - I do not need anymore email resulting from some imagined sin I committed...!"}, {"response": 43, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (21:11)", "body": "see why you should never drink and drive? *grin* guys, i'm lurking for the most part today. but will be back soon! oh, and i have some great pictures for you when i get back to my scanner! miss you guys *hugs*"}, {"response": 44, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (21:30)", "body": "Oooh, we're all eagerness and anticipation. Sonmehow I cannot imagine you in your Hummer plowing wantonly through a rice paddy...*hugs*"}, {"response": 45, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (08:55)", "body": "Wanna bet?? ha-ha! Can't wait to see yer pics, Wolfie! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 13, "subject": "Dogs", "response_count": 156, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (01:12)", "body": "i am crazy about dogs! especially big gigantic dogs. they're not too fragile to really hug on. have two dogs. Bro looks like a miniature golden retriever. he was the runt of the litter and as far as we know, the only one who survived. his 11 years old and a gemini...have had him since he was 5 months. KoKoMo is half german shepherd and half black lab. she's my baby. she was 5 weeks when we got her. i believe she owns me and not the other way around. very gentle lovable dog. both of them are affectionate and gentle. they positively grin, frown, and get grumpy. and they're both crazy about their mama! love 'em so much!!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (01:12)", "body": "oh, koko is 9 years old and an aries..."}, {"response": 3, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (07:12)", "body": "I love gentle dogs and disapprove of people who turn dogs into vicious killers. I realize that dogs in their feral state are hunters, but don't have to be when domesticated."}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (14:40)", "body": "there is a way to train a dog to protect and the dog telling a threat from a non-threat. unfortunately, most people don't get it."}, {"response": 5, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (08:42)", "body": "Absolutely."}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (22:14)", "body": "As a consequence, people like me are terrified by them...I am not dog-chow and do not know how to convince them of that fact when I am shaking all over with fear and dread."}, {"response": 7, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (23:03)", "body": "dogs are smart. they know you're scared. you have to bluff them out. also it's good to know how not to appear threatening and the dogs will leave you alone. 1. do not approach a dog you do not know. 2. when approaching a dog that's eyeing you, don't eyeball them back. assume a position of aloofness. if the dog checks you out, stop and allow them to. they'll walk off when they're done. DO NOT RUN OFF! this is provoking to them. 3. if approaching a strange dog in order to help them or something, approach them slowly, talk very softly about anything, and allow the dog to smell your hand, palm up. DO NOTE: a dog with a very serious injury or broken bone is liable to bite. this is a normal reaction and even the sweetest dog can act this way. use a blanket to pick the dog up, don't just grab and go unless the dog is in danger of being run over. 4. do not tease any dog. this is provoking and they will react one way or another. 5. respect they're space."}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (23:15)", "body": "1. count on it! 2. I stand and look elsewhere - like heaven-ward - hoping for divine intervention. 3. I call someone better equipped to handle this situation. 4. Absolutely out of the question...If they do not tease me, I do not tease them. 5. They can have the entire side of the street! Just let me get out of the way. Good points, Wolfie...I do as you say, but occasionally I meet with one not leashed who owns the place and likes no one. People here do not train their kids...their animals are no better treated!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (00:53)", "body": "i know. i got hollered at because my little Bro, who'd never mean to harm anyone unless they're messing with his mama, was waiting at the door for me to bring in my (then) baby girl. i already told him to stay put but he saw a man run by the house on the street and took off. i called to him and told the man to stand still. of course, did he listen? (the man) no way jose, he thought he knew everything. my poor Bro is still thinking this man is gonna get his mama. the man tries to kick Bro and that not work ng decides to bend over and push him. well, the man gets a nip in the meaty part of his palm. he comes to tell me it's my fault. i tell him, ok, Bro has his papers, go wash your hand. the man then comes back to my house to tell me again that i should have controlled my dog and i present him with the papers and he's got nothing more than one tiny puncture wound in his palm. i know that he was right to be upset, however, he didn't follow any of the rules for meeting up with a strange dog. Bro didn't know what was going on, just that his mama was safe now."}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (01:13)", "body": "This is true - I learned this as a child, as all children should. All animals need to be met on their own terms and given their own space. I am afraid your neighbor did not learn anything from that encounter, unfortunately! You are a VERY GOOD Mama!!!"}, {"response": 11, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (01:16)", "body": "aw, thanks my dear! *big fat wolfie hugs*"}, {"response": 12, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (01:18)", "body": "As I have said before Dogs are not my thing, but Ray had one who liked me (and I mostly ignored.) One day when just the dog and I were at his warehouse, a bunch of teenage guys walked by quite close to where I was standing in the doorway and they were making a lot of noise. Moochie got between me and them and began a low growl - just to alert them that I was being protected and they best keep going straight ahead. I felt so privileged to be chosen like that by her...it is an incredible feeling, and I w ll never forget it!"}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (01:36)", "body": "isn't it though? once, my KoKo was playing out back. well, i snuck up on the outside of the fence gate and peeked in. she started this growl to make your hair stand on end. she was a bit confused because she recognized me a bit but she wasn't taking any chances. she started to bolt towards the fence still with her growling. then she saw it was me and bounded over and i swear she was laughing at herself!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (01:42)", "body": "If each person could have an experience like the ones we have had, there could be no animal cruelty...How could there be?! I am all chicken-skin (as they say here) just thinking about it."}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (01:54)", "body": "because humans are ignorant and do not take the time. i know people who can't stand animals. i believe it's related to something that happened to them at one point but they won't hear of it. i don't understand how they can NOT stand animals. i love them! sometimes i'd rather be around them than people!!"}, {"response": 16, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (02:03)", "body": "Amen!"}, {"response": 17, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (08:55)", "body": "(wolf)they positively grin, frown, and get grumpy. wolf, my dog sometimes smiles, his teeth showing, like a human, when he greets me."}, {"response": 18, "author": "infospryte", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (15:35)", "body": "Here are a few doggy web sites you might like to visit. To learn about teaching dogs tricks, visit: http://www.hut.fi/~mtt/belg_tricks.html To learn about companion dogs, visit: http://www.caninecompanions.org/ The American Kennel Club's site is: http://www.akc.org/"}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Feb 10, 2000 (18:07)", "body": "DOG PROVERBS \"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about little puppies.\" -- Gene Hill \"In dog years I'm dead\" -- Unknown \"Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear.\" -- Dave Barry \"The scientific name for an animal that doesn't either run from or fight its enemies is lunch.\" -- Michael Friedman \"To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.\" -- Aldous Huxley \"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.\" -- Robert Benchley \"Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that is how dogs spend their lives.\" -- Sue Murphy \"I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers.\" -- Unknown \"I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves.\" -- August Strindberg \"No animal should ever jump up on the dining-room furniture unless absolutely certain that he can hold his own in the conversation.\" --Fran Lebowitz \"Ever consider what they must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul- chicken, pork, half cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!\" -- Anne Tyler \"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.\" -- Rita Rudner \"My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to 99 cents a can. That's almost $7.00 in dog money.\" -- Joe Weinstein \"Some days you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant.\" -- Unknown \"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.\" -- James Thurber \"You enter into a certain amount of madness when you marry a person with pets.\" -- Nora Ephron \"Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.\" -- Ann Landers \"Women and cats will do as they please and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.\" -- Robert A. Heinlein \"In order to keep a true perspective of one's importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him.\" -- Dereke Bruce, Taipei, Taiwan \"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.\" -- Ben Williams \"When a man's best friend is his dog, that dog has a problem.\" --Edward Abbey \"Cat's Motto: No matter what you've done wrong, always try to make it look like the dog did it.\" -- Unknown \"Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail..\" -- Unknown \"No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.\" -- Christopher Morley \"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.\" -- Josh Billings \"Man is a dog's idea of what God should be.\" -- Holbrook Jackson \"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.\" -- Andrew A. Rooney \"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion\" -- Unknown \"Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.\" -- Mark Twain"}, {"response": 20, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Feb 11, 2000 (02:35)", "body": "marcia, thank you for posting that here!"}, {"response": 21, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Feb 11, 2000 (04:33)", "body": "Most welcome, m'dear! I am hunting other clever things to get this place jumping again - even if we have to relive nasty stories of creepy crawlies again."}, {"response": 22, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Feb 11, 2000 (19:38)", "body": "Oh dear am I never going live that one down!! I'll see if I can think up some doggy do."}, {"response": 23, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Feb 11, 2000 (19:47)", "body": "I am as guilty as you are with the mop-handle story and the one running up my arm...Yeesh!!! Um...perhaps I should have posted the pillar box mistake story here?"}, {"response": 24, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Feb 11, 2000 (20:17)", "body": "I haven't got a dog now, but I did think about taking the two guinea pigs we were fostering out on leads. I thought I could adapt cat leads. Ah, but they returned to theor true owners before I had a chance to try it out."}, {"response": 25, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Feb 11, 2000 (21:31)", "body": "We tried to leash-train our cat when I was young but she wove herself in and out of the hedges and I was constantly untangling her and me and the lead.. I came home looking like the loser in a cat fight, so we pounded a stake into the back yard and put her on a long light chain."}, {"response": 26, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Feb 11, 2000 (21:51)", "body": "Maybe it was just as well we coundn't walk the guinea pigs - they run fast!"}, {"response": 27, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Feb 11, 2000 (22:48)", "body": "couldn't you have used a ferret waist leash?"}, {"response": 28, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Feb 11, 2000 (23:09)", "body": "Possibly, but I didn't think of that. I think the cat leash I'm thinking of is quite similar, it goes around the shoulders and looks quite comfortable. I just loved the idea of walking the pigs up the street! Unfortunately one is in guinea pig heaven now and the other is getting rather geriatric."}, {"response": 29, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Feb 12, 2000 (02:13)", "body": "i've got one in gp heaven. her name was charlotte and she loved my big dog, KoKoMo. everytime koko walked by her cage, charlotte would squeal with delight and give her kisses. it was the funniest thing. this 10 oz rodent loving on my 100 pound guard dog! koko loved her though. she would always put her nose up against charlotte's cage to get her kisses."}, {"response": 30, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Feb 12, 2000 (02:13)", "body": "the shoulder harness was actually what i had in mind when i was talking about the waist leash...."}, {"response": 31, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Feb 12, 2000 (02:19)", "body": "Gotcha (thought you did!) How adorable...big fierce dog and tiny GP in love...reminds me of something...*smile*"}, {"response": 32, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Feb 12, 2000 (14:54)", "body": "That's lovely.. Some dogs are really soppy aren't they. I had a lovely beige labrador once. He was a rescue dog and we got him to look after me when my husband was working nights. Trouble was he was a scaredy cat! We had a burglar came across the back of my house, I dragged the dog (euphamistically called Gunner) to the back windows and he actually growled at me and ran back into his basket with his tail between his legs - and wouldn't get out again! Fortunately the burglar ran."}, {"response": 33, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Feb 12, 2000 (16:13)", "body": "well, it worked even if not the way you'd hoped. koko is a big teddy bear too but she will stand her ground."}, {"response": 34, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Feb 12, 2000 (18:51)", "body": "My husband used to walk him at 2.30 a.m. when he finished working and the darn dog was forever finding courting couples in the dark - he was not appreciated! He left for a new home in Brighton together with our cat when we went to Africa. It was dreadfully sad, but lovely that the people who came to see Gunner wanted to take the cat as well. we heard from the Labradour rehoming service that he settled really well and loved the beach."}, {"response": 35, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Feb 12, 2000 (19:13)", "body": "Those Labs are so happy if there is a big body of water nearby. You did him a great favor in finding him that new home. How fortunate for you and the dog and the new owners, as well!"}, {"response": 36, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Feb 12, 2000 (20:41)", "body": "I think he really was a beach dog at heart, and he and the cat were great friends."}, {"response": 37, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Feb 12, 2000 (22:00)", "body": "i'm glad that his new owners didn't separate him from his buddy! that's so sweet!"}, {"response": 38, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Feb 13, 2000 (19:36)", "body": "Mmm I still have nice memories - and photos. What's your dream breed of dog?"}, {"response": 39, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Feb 13, 2000 (21:08)", "body": "Moi? I'm a cat person, actually, but really like other people's cats...! They make me sneeze, and dogs are worse for my allergies. So, I admire them from afar. Yours?"}, {"response": 40, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Feb 13, 2000 (21:10)", "body": "But, the nicest dog I have ever met was a golden retriever / blond lab. Lovely disposition."}, {"response": 41, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Feb 13, 2000 (21:59)", "body": "I rather fancy a lap dog of some kind - not a yappy one. If I was on my own I would definitely get a dog because it would make me go out! However, I don't think I could cope with another boistrous labradour. We have a dog rescue place near us and I see some really nice mongrels being walked."}, {"response": 42, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Feb 13, 2000 (23:12)", "body": "those are the ones i love, mutts! i love big dogs because they can be hugged vigorously and we can lay on the floor and rough house easier. but my little dog is a lot of fun too. he loves to play the hand under the covers game with my husband. both of them love hide and seek and have learned to look for the kids when we ask them by name instead of just dad. and now that the kids are older, both dogs run to the door to greet them as well. oh, and they count how many people walk in. my little dog will go to the last person in line to see if anyone else is coming. and the both of them mope when i'm not home. they watch out the window. and when dad isn't home (esp at night) they sleep with one eye open and are even more vigilant. them's good dogs! i love them both soooooo much!"}, {"response": 43, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Feb 13, 2000 (23:36)", "body": "Wolfie, if I ever find myself living alone, I'm gonna get out your post 42 and read it. Then I will take my anithistimines and head for the Humane Society and adopt me a doggie. Mutt, specifically. I don't think I would feel very safe with all this dark vegetation hiding my house and the walls all around. Good idea!"}, {"response": 44, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Feb 13, 2000 (23:38)", "body": "Your dogs are more like family than the one I grew up in with two older sisters. It shows what love you gave those lucky dogs that they return it so eagerly and steadfastly. Good for you! Wish there were more like you...*hugs*"}, {"response": 45, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Feb 13, 2000 (23:51)", "body": "i don't know about that, but thanks marcia *hugs* these dogs have good personalities to begin with. bro, the little one, would always lay in my lap from the day we got him. he slept in the crook of my arm at night (now he sleeps on my feet). while pregnant with both kids, he knew not to jump up on me and he would lay his head on my belly to get some love. koko wouldn't jump up either (and those were the days when she was able to jump up). we've had her since she was 5 weeks old and now she's going on 10 (in apr). we've had bro since he was 5 months but we knew the family he came from so we actually knew bro since he was a few weeks old. he is the only one to survive of the litter and he was the pup. he'll be 12 in june. for an old man, he sure has a lot of puppy in him (and cat and rabbit we think). and if anyone tells me you can't tell what a dog is feeling or that they don't have feelings will be in for it with me. these dogs talk with their whole bodies and let me know what they want. they wait for me to say the right word and then go nuts so i'll know exactly what they need. gosh, i could just go on and on. i love those mutts! they are family and are just like two other kids (only they listen better)!"}, {"response": 46, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Feb 14, 2000 (00:08)", "body": "(They probably won't leave you when a cute member of the opposite sex wanders into view, either - at least, not for very long! *lol*) Gi convinced me with Patas that dogs communicate and make faces and smile. I am definitely a believer! You may go on and on about your furkids. I love hearing about them!"}, {"response": 47, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Feb 14, 2000 (02:52)", "body": "(i had meant to say that bro was the \"runt\" of the litter as well as the \"pup\") and those guys grin! big wide toothy grins, tongues hanging out, ears relaxed held back a bit and eyes a bit sleepy looking. both of them wink at me and will wink back if i wink at them. we can make each other yawn, and if i pretend to sneeze, koko will sneeze. and both of them throw themselves on their backs and sprawl like horses!"}, {"response": 48, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Feb 14, 2000 (03:00)", "body": "...and the runt survived? Musta been some grit and gristle he was made from. Let's hear it for the under dog *lol* Lucky pup! That is hilarious that you can evoke such things as sneezes and yawns. I guess it is not just human that sympathizes with the sleepy...! They sound absolutely adorable! \"our\" cat throws herself on her back on my feet whenever I go outside. She expects and almost demands I rub her tummy! I know all about that! I Love this stuff, Wolfie!"}, {"response": 49, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Feb 14, 2000 (14:37)", "body": "when the dogs are in trouble we send them to their \"room\". their room is the front entrance 3x3 foyer. if i come home snorting and stomping, they immediately go to their room to hide until mom's storm is over. koko is afraid of thunder. she knows when we're gonna get a storm because she hides. if i'm home, she'll follow me all over the house, even the bathroom where she'll butt the door open just to be close to me. we find her in our bedroom should it be storming when we come home. bro could care less about thunderstorms and that stuff. one thing that i can't stand: folks who get puppies, the puppies outgrow the owner's expectations, the owner puts the dog in a kennel cage even when they're home and then leave the dogs outside without playing with them. then complain that their dog is too wild. dogs love people. yes, some are more hyper than others. but the way to keep an outside dog from losing it is to play with it everyday. give it lots of love and attention and the poor dear won't attack you with requests to play."}, {"response": 50, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Feb 14, 2000 (18:48)", "body": "Ooo stop it - you're making me feel deprived!!!! *grin*"}, {"response": 51, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Feb 14, 2000 (21:50)", "body": "Me too... People should be as dedicated and as insightful. Usually, when you have a bad day, your kids have had one, too. They cry and wail at you before you get yourself entirely inside the door. The dogs are much smarter. Lay low until the storm is over, indeed! Love these goodies, Wolfie. We are vicatiously joining in your fun. Thanks for sharing. *hugs* Got any more???"}, {"response": 52, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Feb 15, 2000 (02:18)", "body": "loads but the mood isn't good for me right now (it's the v-day let down, happens every year)....."}, {"response": 53, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb 15, 2000 (03:11)", "body": "...I know...me too. Wish we could have \"done\" lunch...or dinner, for that matter *Big Hugs*"}, {"response": 54, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Feb 16, 2000 (01:00)", "body": "me too!"}, {"response": 55, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb 16, 2000 (01:10)", "body": "*sigh* Perhaps we should send all of the insensitive chest beaters off and keep the lovely fur-and-feather friends around, light the candles and let it all hang out. Sounds wonderful. Next time, Wolfie!!!"}, {"response": 56, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Feb 16, 2000 (01:33)", "body": "ohmygod, there's a remember button at the top and bottom of this conference! *GRIN*"}, {"response": 57, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb 16, 2000 (01:45)", "body": "Only for you...not for me!"}, {"response": 58, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb 16, 2000 (01:46)", "body": "btw, isn't it amazing when it happens? ...*sigh*..."}, {"response": 59, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb 16, 2000 (01:55)", "body": "*hugs* I miss...and now I feel depressed worse than before. I am Happy for you, though! I have just created a topic I think needs to be linked to ParaSpring but I cannot telnet in anymore (they only have one account.) Don't know what to do about that. Check out Geo 27 and see if you think it would go with your conf."}, {"response": 60, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (01:26)", "body": "hey, guess what i learned today????? arnold vosloo is a major dog lover and is interested in dog genetics and breeding. see his related topic at http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/drool/125.61 enjoy! so hug them dogs, they're loved by all sorts of people!"}, {"response": 61, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (01:29)", "body": "oh, i learned why the remember button showed up....i did a \"all\" click in this conference to find dogs (you'd think i'd have the topic number ingrained in my brain) and it wasn't there. so i clicked \"forgotton\" and lo and behold someone forgot this topic so i had to click \"remember\"......"}, {"response": 62, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (01:36)", "body": "Ahhhh! Never messed with those buttons...expecially in other people's conferences! I do have a lava \"remember\" button but don't know what shows up if I use the fortet one. (There are enough topics in Geo that I have to look up the upper ones and the ones I do not use very often...*sigh*)"}, {"response": 63, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (01:39)", "body": "Darcy had two Great Danes in Pride and Prejudice...you know, the Colin Firth thingy..?! Must be a good-looking guy thing (but there is one who has 2 cats who outdoes them both *grin*)"}, {"response": 64, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (01:43)", "body": "*grin* yes, and he's real, not unreachable like those other two *grin*"}, {"response": 65, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb 29, 2000 (01:59)", "body": "*s i g h* Ummmmmmmm!"}, {"response": 66, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (01:31)", "body": "Sniffer Dog Survives 600-Yard Avalanche Fall VIENNA (Reuters) - An Alsatian sniffer dog survived a 600-yard fall down a mountain when it was swept away by an avalanche in the Austrian Alps, a newspaper reported on Friday. A helicopter plucked Mona from the mass of snow on the 12,400-foot Wildspitze in Tyrol province, the Taeglich Alles said. The dog, which had been accompanying a group of Alpine trekkers when the avalanche ripped her away, came through her ordeal with only a few scrapes and bruises."}, {"response": 67, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (03:24)", "body": "Spring Weather Greets Alaska's Iditarod Mushers ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A record 81 mushers and their dogs trotted through downtown Anchorage in relatively warm weather on Saturday to start the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Temperatures hovered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, as a relative heat wave gripped Alaska's largest city. Some mushers embarking on the 1,112-mile trek to Nome fretted about the weather, which has reduced much of the area snowpack to puddles and is much warmer than their northern-breed dogs prefer. Emmitt Peters, the 1975 champion, returned to Iditarod competition this year after an eight-year hiatus. Peters said he planned to take it easy for the 20 miles from Anchorage to the next checkpoint. ``In the previous years, I used to go make it to Eagle River as fast as I can. But that ain't going to be the case this year,'' said the musher from Ruby, Alaska. ``If a team wants to go past me, no problem.'' The Anchorage-to-Eagle River stretch does not count in the race standings, a rules change instituted in 1995. It is a significant improvement for the mushers, Peters said, allowing for a warm-up run and giving more time to think about strategy and avoiding mistakes. Timed competition will start Sunday in Wasilla, a town about 40 miles north of Anchorage. Five-time champion Rick Swenson, of Two Rivers, Alaska, said he was not worried about the warmth and predicted it would create a fast trail and a quick race. Swenson, who finished fourth last year, said his dogs were well-trained for the race and that his team has a good chance to grab this year's title. Max Hall, a veteran musher from Manchester, England, predicted another victory for Doug Swingley, who won last year's race and the 1995 race. Hall's team is made up of dogs from Swingley's kennel, and he said they are fast. ``I run his B Team. I've seen what they can do,'' said Hall, who finished 37th last year. Along with the heat, the huge field of competitors might also create problems, at least in the early running, he said. Anchorage is by far the most crowded and urbanized of all Iditarod checkpoints; on Saturday the streets here were lined with spectators who came from around the country to watch the world's most famous dog sled race. Few of them had complaints about the weather. ``It seems wintery to me, plenty wintery to me,'' said Ray Tennant, a tourist from West Liberty, Ohio. Swingley holds the race record of nine days, two hours and 42 minutes, a mark the Montana musher set in 1995. This year's winner will take home $60,000, part of a total $525,000 purse."}, {"response": 68, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (03:47)", "body": "i'm so glad mona made it! you know those sled dogs love what they do! have you watched a race and seen them grinning from ear to ear?"}, {"response": 69, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (03:53)", "body": "Thedogs are so eager for the race that when they get the reins out (traces? whatever those leather leads are called) the dogs yip and dnace around and can hardly stand still! I thought you might enjoy the stories *hugs*"}, {"response": 70, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (04:07)", "body": "that i did! thanks!!"}, {"response": 71, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (04:10)", "body": "Gebhardt, Defending Champion Swingley Lead Iditarod ROHN, Alaska (Reuters) - Alaskan native Paul Gebhardt and defending champion Doug Swingley are in front through Rohn River, the ninth of 25 checkpoints at the 28th Iditarod sled dog race. Gebhardt, who also was the first musher to reach Rainy Pass, was the first to navigate the 48 miles to get to Rohn. The leg from Rohn to Nikolai, the 10th stage, is the second-longest on the trek, trailing only the 112 miles between Cripple and Ruby, the 14th and 15th stages. Five-time champion Rick Swenson struggled Tuesday, dropping from among the leaders to 12th, while three-time champion Jeff King remained in the hunt in sixth. Alaskan Mitch Seavey is third with Charlie Boulding fourth and Martin Buser, another three-time champion, fifth. Thirty-six mushers had reached the Rohn checkpoint as noon local time approached and 81 were competing over the 1,151-mile course that ranges northwest from Anchorage to Nome. Swingley claimed his second Iditarod win in five years last year at the age of 45, finishing in nine days, 14 hours, 31 minutes and seven seconds. The native of Lincoln, Montana won a new pick-up truck worth $38,000 and a check for $54,000. The 2000 winner gets a $39,000 truck and $60,000. King holds the Iditarod record for the fastest time by finishing in nine days, five hours, 45 minutes and 13 seconds in 1996 his last win. He needed more than 20 days in each of his first two wins. This year's Iditarod consists of 70 men and 11 women, including DeeDee Jonrowe, who finished second in 1998."}, {"response": 72, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (17:12)", "body": "This morning, on my favorite radio show, they had a comedic sportscast and the announcer mentioned the Iditarod. He said the \"French\" team -- which included a sled being pulled by 30 poodles in a straight line -- had dropped out of the race. Apparently, in the training process, the poodles had never been taught the proper way to slow and come to a stop. So, when the first checkpoint came along, the first one stopped and the rest came crashing in. \"Ohhh, it was horrible. Ohhh, the humanity...I mean the canine-ity.\" The reporter went on to say that the team was forced to withdraw -- not because of the carnage, but because the remaining poodles were so angry....\"and once you get a poodle angry with you, you just cain't do anythin' with 'em.\""}, {"response": 73, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (23:31)", "body": "no way! did they use standard poodles (i hope so, miniature would be a bit extreme, if this isn't already)"}, {"response": 74, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (23:48)", "body": "Poodles racing across the frozen tundra. Tres bizarre. I think all the dogs have to be Alaskan huskies, which are more or less mutts, being a mix of Siberian husky, malamute, hound, and mutt. The dogs also wear little boots on their paws."}, {"response": 75, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (01:16)", "body": "I trust it was a joke, but who knows? People are weirder than anybody!!!"}, {"response": 76, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (21:38)", "body": "There was a little pink furry pig with socks on wandering round a store in the shopping mall on saturday. he had a notice on saying that if he was found in x, x or x shop would they bring him back to his home store. He oinked rather nicely, and sidled up to customers who were taken unawares. i know it's not dogs but I thought you'd like it. He did have sockies on (I was reminded by cheryl's posting)."}, {"response": 77, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 10, 2000 (18:01)", "body": "....Only in Britain do they use pink piggies with socks on to do the advertising. Actually sounds adorable, but how did they keep him from getting trod upon?"}, {"response": 78, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar 10, 2000 (23:34)", "body": "and what about messing the place? (btw, a friend of mine had a pot-bellied pig named sadie. she was smart too! unfortunately, something happened and she passed on. she was their baby)"}, {"response": 79, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (07:30)", "body": "well, since he was electronic the mess wasn't a problem. he's big enough not to get trod on but still quite small - the best piglet size! He kept stopping and oinking and wrinkling up his nose. He could obviously detect when he was coming to obstacles. They had him for sale in other colours too minus the sockies. Esther said I couldn't have one! sigh"}, {"response": 80, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar 13, 2000 (00:40)", "body": "Pooh! You NEED one!!! Pigs are smarter than any other domestic animals that I know of. Butm I think sheep are. They have never found the wild progenitors of the domesticated sheep. Clever animals are worth more live than dead for their wool, and someone takes care of their food and shelter and medical. Not bad!"}, {"response": 81, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (00:53)", "body": "well, flea season has hit (due to the nice warm weather) and both the dogs have been dosed with a flea spray (the drop on the neck and rump). well, KoKo is suffering really bad from itchy skin. the poor girl itches on her belly, mostly. she'll be laying there and her rear leg goes to scratching the floor like we were tickling her. i've put some aloe on the dry spots in an effort to relieve her discomfort. she has nicked her opposite hind leg during these scratching episodes. (she's kinda big and has trouble getting herself all the way over to really scratch well). i've sat with her the last couple of nights examining her belly for what may be the cause of this and nothing has been found except pink skin. no fleas running loose on her underside. she suffers from dry skin but mostly on her back. you should see her face when i hold her leg so i can look without being scratched myself. pooooor baby. all i can do is hug her and rub aloe. we're gonna take her to the vet as soon as the AM has a spare moment to m ke sure nothing serious is going on."}, {"response": 82, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (01:18)", "body": "Poor baby!!! There must be something which will sink into the skin and lubricate it like some form of lanolin. Wow! Betcha some cortisone might help, as well...but the aloe can't hurt and neither can your TLC *hugs*"}, {"response": 83, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (01:30)", "body": "Oh, btw, in Hawaii it is 'uku' season all year long! (Uku can mean fleas or lice....or both!)"}, {"response": 84, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (20:07)", "body": "Reward in Dog Death Nears $110,000 SAN JOSE, Calif. (Reuters) - A man who allegedly hurled a dog to its death in California traffic in a bizarre case of road rage now has an nearly $110,000 price on his head thanks to contributions from infuriated animal lovers around the country. Leslie Baikie, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society of Santa Clara County, said Thursday that contributions to the reward fund had ballooned after an animal welfare group from Virginia ponied up a huge check. ``We had a $50,000 pledge from 'Our Animal Wards', and that comes on top of about $59,000 in cash and checks we have right now,'' Baikie said. The money is earmarked for anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the man who allegedly murdered Leo the Bichon Frise after a minor traffic altercation outside San Jose International Airport in February. Leo's sad saga was publicized this month after Sara McBurnett, owner of the 10-year-old fluffy white dog, related how she lightly bumped the vehicle in front of her. The driver of the other car, a sport utility vehicle with Virginia license plates, stormed back and began berating McBurnett. When she opened her window to respond, he reached in, grabbed Leo the dog by the collar and threw him into three lanes of oncoming traffic. Local newspapers, radio and television stations took up the story, transforming Leo into a cause celebre which has touched people as far away as Norway and Australia. Police Wednesday released a composite sketch of the culprit, described as a white male between the ages of 24 and 28 of medium height and wiry build."}, {"response": 85, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (01:21)", "body": "this is horrid!"}, {"response": 86, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (01:24)", "body": "You did not see the original story?! Horrible enough that a huge reward has been collected to catch this troll. Are our children safe at this rate?! I do not think this much rage has been engendered by any other such abduction story - of any species of critter (even the two-legged little dears to whom we are so attached!)"}, {"response": 87, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (01:25)", "body": "yes, i saw the original but it still is terrible."}, {"response": 88, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (01:26)", "body": "It is downright frightening!!!"}, {"response": 89, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (20:11)", "body": "'Dog Training' for Postal Workers LONDON (Reuters) - A British animal charity has offered to train postal workers in handling dangerous dogs after a postman booted a Yorkshire terrier into the air when it bit him, the London Times newspaper reported Wednesday. The charity dropped a court case against postman Billy Ace, who kicked the dog so hard that its skull was fractured and it had to be destroyed, but said it would be pleased to offer advice on dealing with animals. ``It is a natural tendency for dogs to feel protective of their property, but there are things that postmen and women can do to help avoid conflict,'' a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) told the paper. Ace, whose kick sent the dog flying almost four meters (12 feet) though the air, said he was defending himself against the animal and that his actions were ``reasonable.'' The Times said almost 7,000 postal workers were bitten by dogs in Britain in 1999 and almost one in 10 were forced to take time off to recover from dog-inflicted injuries."}, {"response": 90, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (21:48)", "body": "A Yorkshire terrier? Oh yeah, now there's a vicious dog. Aren't they a little smaller than housecats? Poor dog. Yes, dogs are territorial and the little guys can get into \"macho dog\" mode, but Ace's action was extreme."}, {"response": 91, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (22:40)", "body": "Ask Gi...her Yorkie is a full-fledged furperson of the first rank and member of the household. They are, ounce for ounce, the fiercest members in the canine family, I think."}, {"response": 92, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Apr 11, 2000 (23:59)", "body": "Saint Bernard Nears Record With 16 Puppies PHILMONT, N.Y. (Reuters) - A Saint Bernard dog in upstate New York gave birth to 16 live puppies, tying for the second-largest puppy litter in recorded history, her owners said on Sunday. The 2 1/2-year-old dog, King Triton's Ariel, originally delivered a litter of 17 full-blooded Saint Bernard puppies during 12 1/2 hours on Friday, but one of the puppies died shortly after birth, said her owner and breeder Greg Howard. ``She is doing great and all puppies are doing fine,'' said Howard, who has only been breeding Saint Bernards in Philmont, south of Albany, New York, since last year. He said the pups are ``feisty and hungry.'' The Albany Times-Union reported that Ariel's litter tied the record for the second-largest litter of surviving puppies in recorded history. The latest Guinness Book of World Records noted that 16 Great Danes were born in June 1987 in Little Hall, England. That litter originally totaled 23 but seven puppies died after birth. The largest litter ever was recorded on June 19, 1944, in Ambler, Pennsylvania, when 23 American foxhounds were born, the Times-Union reported. Howard said he and his wife, Renee Wendover, were taking turns with three-hour shifts to satisfy the insatiable new puppies. Ariel is recuperating from her laborious birth on a blanket in a blue kiddy pool and the puppies are brought to her for nursing eight at a time. ``She's a great mom and so is the daddy,'' said Howard, who said the dad was very interested in the birth of his 10 sons and six daughters. Last year, Ariel's first litter yielded eight puppies, which will grow to 180 pounds (82 kg) each when they are fully grown. They will be sold for $600 when they are 8 weeks old"}, {"response": 93, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Apr 12, 2000 (01:40)", "body": "16 puppies! geez...."}, {"response": 94, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Apr 12, 2000 (09:24)", "body": "I had trouble nursing one - imagine two relays of eight!!! wow!"}, {"response": 95, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Apr 15, 2000 (03:59)", "body": "Tell me about it... Poor Mom!"}, {"response": 96, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Apr 15, 2000 (04:14)", "body": "She must need a sling to keep her tummy off the ground!"}, {"response": 97, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Apr 15, 2000 (10:57)", "body": "Yay Hay!!!! I GOTTA pink furry pig!!! (for H. for her birthday, but at least I have it vicariously!) I went in the baby store (which I usually avoid) and bought some new born sockies for its little feet. I hope H.likes it (she's 22!). My husband thinks I'm mad!"}, {"response": 98, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Apr 16, 2000 (05:41)", "body": "Is this a REAL LIVE pig? (What date is her Birthday?)"}, {"response": 99, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Apr 16, 2000 (05:44)", "body": "I gotta name for it. are you ready??? S P A M"}, {"response": 100, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (17:41)", "body": "Tony Phillips' Huskies are not happy. For the past two years, the Huskies have eagerly awaited winter and their favorite pastime of dog sledding. But two years of La Ni\ufffda conditions have left the Eastern Sierra mountain range in California with less than its usual supply of snow. No snow means no sledding. And the latest U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite imagery shows the La Ni\ufffda pattern holding on in the Pacific, in a similar manner to this time last year. So the question on every dog's lips is \"When is the snow coming back?\" Unfortunately, this is a very hard question to answer, according to Pete Robertson, group leader for the Climate Diagnostics and Modeling Group at the Global Hydrology and Climate Center in Huntsville, Alabama. \"Many people in this business are trying to understand the 'teleconnections' between the La Ni\ufffda and El Ni\ufffdo conditions in the tropics and how they affect the United States' climate,\" says Robertson. \"But what is important to remember is that there is so much variability in what affects weather conditions, while you can hedge your bets about weather during a La Ni\ufffda or El Ni\ufffdo episode, we cannot directly predict the weather from just looking at these tropical systems only.\" La Ni\ufffda and El Ni\ufffdo are opposite and extreme phases of natural oscillation in a climate system. Of current interest is the La Ni\ufffda pattern, now influencing the worldwide climate system. La Ni\ufffda is commonly defined as a lower than normal sea level or cold pool of water along the equator. This low sea level is accompanied by higher than average sea levels in a giant horseshoe around the equator, creating warm seas around the coast of Asia and Australia. Sea levels and temperatures during El Ni\ufffdo and La Ni\ufffda are alike but have opposite characteristics. With La Ni\ufffda's lower sea surface temperatures come lower than normal surface precipitation in the tropics, says Robertson. These changes in the tropics cause changes in the jet stream, which is a river of the fastest moving air on the planet. La Ni\ufffda conditions generally give the expectation that storm tracks will be more northern, resulting in drier than normal conditions for much of the southern half of the United States, and above-normal rainfall in the Pacific northwest and Canada. The past two years have seen exactly that, with heavy rainfall and lots of snow in the Pacific Northwest and upper Midwest, but relatively mild weather and significantly less precipitation than normal to date in Southern California and the Southwest. Left: The question on every dog's lips is \"When is the snow coming back?\" Pictured here, Ruby (right) and Tovic (left) enjoy a run during the El Ni\ufffdo winter of 1997-98. Recently, their sledding season has been cut short thanks to the influence of La Ni\ufffda. The rainfall associated with the La Ni\ufffda system is one thing that the GHCC and Robertson are particularly interested in studying, as rainfall and the corresponding levels of evaporation have a great impact on the atmosphere. The world's oceans are giant reservoirs of heat that influence global climate because they can cool or heat the atmosphere above. This transfer of heat impacts weather patterns across land and sea. \"We try and estimate precipitation from space. We get data collected from the Microwave Sounding Unit, which flies on the NOAA satellites, to study,\" says Robertson. \"We are particularly interested in seeing how precipitation changes in location and intensity during a La Ni\ufffda event.\" During a La Ni\ufffda event, less precipitation is seen over the tropics, and vice versa during an El Ni\ufffdo event, says Robertson. Ultimately, what studying these patterns allows them to do is study the hydrologic and energy cycles over the tropics, he continues. Energy from the sun comes in through the tropics by heating the oceans. The energy then principally finds its way into the atmosphere through evaporation. \"When we look at precipitation, we are looking at the smoking gun of how energy gets into the atmosphere,\" says Robertson. \"We can then study the year to year changes in how energy is added to the earth's atmosphere.\" Scientists at the GHCC have gathered tropical precipitation data over the past 20 years. This large data set allows them to analyze the most recent precipitation data from the La Ni\ufffda/El Ni\ufffdo patterns and to see how they are similar or different from earlier events. However, as Robertson points out, there is much more to be studied before the La Ni\ufffda/El Ni\ufffdo pattern can be understood to the stage of being able to draw conclusions about all its effects on climate. \"For now, we know it is a natural oscillation of a climate system. And it's the biggest we know of,\" Robertson says."}, {"response": 101, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (23:23)", "body": "(Marcia) excerpt from article ...\"So the question on every dog's lips is 'When is the snow coming back?'\" Do dogs have lips? The La Nina pattern even had its effects felt on the Iditarod (unsure of spelling) this past year. The winning team, which did break the record, could have made faster time at the end of the race if it had been colder. It was about 40 degrees F. -- enough for the snow to be soft, and to make the dogs feel overheated. (They do have heavy coats.) The optimum temperatures for a dog team are between -20 degrees F. and 10 degrees F."}, {"response": 102, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (23:39)", "body": "yes, dog's have lips. they just don't stick out."}, {"response": 103, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (23:46)", "body": "Being a wolf yourself you ought to know. I wasn't sure what the dark outline around their mouths was called. Now I know -- it is dog lips. How are your dogs doing? The one you mentioned as having a sort of rash or flea allergy. Is she better?"}, {"response": 104, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (23:57)", "body": "she's got fleas something fierce and nothing's working, even the expensive stuff we got from the vet. problem is the double-coat. hard to get the stuff down to the skin. but she's no longer rashy. the little one stopped itching on day one of the meds. think i need to get the oral meds for the big teddy bear. not to start a big fat fight, but....what do you folks think about people who own pitbulls, dobermans, and rottweilers? don't worry about hurting my feelings. my belief is that dogs behave the way their owners allow them to. but a healthy respect must be maintained around dogs that are bred for their fierceness. (i.e., don't leave alone with kids) but this is not to say that kids don't provoke the fight. i have seen too many kids throw rocks at dogs and tease them. this behavior is enough to make me snarl. a lot of people think that dogs should be put down for behavior that is more wildlike without regard to what provoked the dog. i'm deadset against that unless it can be proven that nothing was done that was known to have provoked the dog. i.e., just sitting there versus poking it in the eyes."}, {"response": 105, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (00:23)", "body": "A child or an animal raised with love is a cherished memeber of any community. When the inate temperament of either is antisocial to begin with, it takes more care and nurturing to make the critter more bidable. The wrong people own pitbulls and rotweillers and dobermans. For the wrong reasons...at least, out here. To protect their pakalolo patches from the Feds."}, {"response": 106, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (01:48)", "body": "that's what i see too. pitpulls for the sake of saying i've got a pitbull but not knowing the natural temperment of the dog and being unable to establish dominancy with it. i know someone who owned two pure german shephards and both selfishly guarded the babies. but i also knew a guy who owned a mutt who turned and snapped at their baby (mutt and baby in the same seat in a car) and he took that dog under a bridge and shot it on the spot. and for heaven's sake, if you want a dog think about the environment you're gonna put it in. please don't get a dog that loves to run and lock it up in an apartment. no matter how much in love you fall with it and vice versa. and remember that puppies grow up. and don't lock 'em up in crates either. they get used to it because it becomes a security blanket. dogs need the room to move. train it appropriately to play with the doggie toys, ok? i have some friends who own two dogs. these two dogs are allowed to come out at night and morning for nature calls. the rest of the time, they are locked up in cages. not a good thing. dogs are social animals. they need the pack. so give them your attention. afterall, this animal will love you with everything it's got so the least you can do is play with it once in awhile."}, {"response": 107, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (01:49)", "body": "(needed to get that out of my system. some folks were talking about dogs and turning and i can't get a word in edgewise)...."}, {"response": 108, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (02:11)", "body": "Amen, Wolfie. Well said. There should be some moral code for animal owners - but, it is hard enough to legislate what morality exists now for humans. How can we expect more from our animals?! (That guy should have been shot (or whatever) for putting the baby and mutt in the same seat then shooting the poor dog when he snapped at the baby...unconscionable!)"}, {"response": 109, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (22:05)", "body": "no joke! i've a great article that i printed from work. will post it here when i get a few minutes at once!"}, {"response": 110, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Apr 20, 2000 (02:08)", "body": "ok, luckily, the article i printed out had the link on it so let's see if it's still there.... http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/dogtalk000417.html"}, {"response": 111, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Apr 20, 2000 (02:09)", "body": "i think i'm gonna buy that book although he confirms what i already know."}, {"response": 112, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Apr 20, 2000 (02:37)", "body": "Easter Eggs Can Be Dangerous to Dogs M LONDON (Reuters) - Dog owners beware: too much Easter kindness could kill your dog. The National Canine Defense League said dog owners should think twice before feeding their pets chocolate at Easter since it contains a toxic chemical called theobromine. The charity said theobromine is harmless to humans but can kill dogs if eaten in large quantities. Milk chocolate is the least harmful; cocoa powder the worst. ``While a chocolate fix may make us feel good, it could mean bad news for man's best friend,'' said the charity. ``Avoid heartache this Easter and keep those eggs under lock and key.'' Owners who suspect their dog has overindulged symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drinking and convulsions should contact a vet urgently."}, {"response": 113, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Apr 23, 2000 (19:05)", "body": "Dogs, Not 'Goat Sucker' Kill Livestock SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Roving dogs and not a mythical, blood-thirsty beast known locally as ``chupacabras,'' or ``goat sucker,'' are responsible for the deaths of farm animals in northern Chile, a government official said on Thursday. ``They are wandering dogs, which abound in the zone of Calama,'' said Oscar Camacho, general director of the state-run Agriculture and Livestock Service. Calama sits in the world's most arid desert 930 miles (1,500 km) north of Santiago. Local press reported that more than 200 animals had been killed, and that some had incisions in their throats and their blood had been sucked out. The reports said detectives swept the zone with night vision equipment and that blood-curdling sounds were heard in the dark, causing residents not to venture outside. The legend of the ``goat sucker,'' which has never been seen, began several years ago when animals who had been killed mysteriously were discovered in several Latin American countries."}, {"response": 114, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Apr 23, 2000 (22:17)", "body": "That's horrible. I shall depart quickly before I have nightmares."}, {"response": 115, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, May  6, 2000 (09:40)", "body": "Don't put Fido through the dog-wash say RSPCA FROM EMMA DALY IN MADRID FOR families fed up with getting soaked at Fido's bath-time it seems like a good idea. But last night there was a cool reception from the RSPCA for the very latest labour-saving invention - the automatic dog wash. The invention has impressed the King of Spain to such an extent that he has had one installed at his Palace in Madrid. But the very thought of putting pets into a machine that has every programme except the final spin-rinse has horrified RSPCA spokeswoman Emma Nutbrown. She said: \"We would urge members of the public to stay well clear of this contraption. It is enclosed and totally unsuitable where an animal gets distressed. There is also a risk of young children copying this and putting a kitten or similar animal in a microwave.\" But Spanish inventor Angel Segura has no such qualms after Nina, a West Highland terrier, successfully tested the prototype. The machine has a glass-fronted cabin made of stainless steel. It works by heating water to 36 degrees centigrade and then firing jets at your pet through dozens of jacuzzi-style nozzles. Next comes a measured dose of shampoo followed by a rinse with clean water and a soothing blow-dry. So far, claims Mr Segura, there have been no reports of panic attacks in dogs and cats put through his machine.Selling for around \ufffd12,500, the pet-wash is aimed at animal salons, vets, and breeders. \"However, we are working on a model for the home,\" said Mr Segura. \ufffd Express Newspapers, 2000"}, {"response": 116, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (18:41)", "body": "I love this story. Wonder if Wolfie will...!"}, {"response": 117, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (18:55)", "body": "Would it be a one size fits all dogs? A little Rover might get drown in a large dogwash. It might not be a really good choice for those with very highly strung dogs. Your dog might have to go on Prozac because you put him in a dogwash."}, {"response": 118, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (19:27)", "body": "I know! I emailed it to Gi, the mother of Patas. She was indignant and suggested a trial run for the inventor. Talk about claustrophobia! Gotta use no-tears soap as well. This is a truly bad idea when you really think about it!"}, {"response": 119, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (21:26)", "body": "i don't know about an automatic doggie wash. hmmmm....wouldn't it be scary?"}, {"response": 120, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 10, 2000 (18:39)", "body": "The EMAZING Dog Tip of the Day - Wednesday May 10, 2000 Vizsla Have you ever heard of the dog breed Vizsla? Long a protected breed in its native land of Hungary, the Vizsla is being seen more in the United States. These striking golden-rust hunting dogs are similar in looks to the Weimaraner, which is a little better known thanks to being featured in a series of popular photographs by William Wegman. The Vizsla is an all-around hunter that can be used on deer and boar, but is mainly used for birds. Vizslas have a very high activity level and require mental stimulation to prevent them from becoming bored and destructive. They are lively, gentle and affectionate dogs and are friendly unless threatened. Click here for more information on Vizslas http://www.vizsladogs.com"}, {"response": 121, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (01:52)", "body": "Vizsla's are FABULOUS doggies!!! And such a beautiful color red... very smart, Very active, great running partners for those not of the hunting mind. Not a good apartment dog for a seditary human. If however you're a runner, skater, frisbee throwing cyclist the vizsla's your pup!"}, {"response": 122, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (02:30)", "body": "Slesk with lovely lines...but, not for the condo-bound! You could put one through her paces, I'll bet!"}, {"response": 123, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (02:31)", "body": "Well, that was supposed to be \"sleek\"...."}, {"response": 124, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (02:50)", "body": "I really think they're gorgeous. BUT I doubt that I'll ever own another 'retriever'. I've become partial to the 'sight hounds'... greyhound, saluki, ibiezan, pharoah, rhodesian ridgeback, etc. And then there are the Bourdeux Mastiffs, ohhhhh boy are they nifty! But my favorite of the strange doggies is... the chinese crested. I call them nekkid tina tuner pups. They look like little hairless greyhounds with a tina turner mop of hair on the top of their littke heads. I want one of each..."}, {"response": 125, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (03:08)", "body": "Gaze hounds. Ah yes... (I am a devotee of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show)"}, {"response": 126, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (03:09)", "body": "Yikes!!! You like those strange little doggies from outer space???!!!"}, {"response": 127, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (03:40)", "body": "yup... i admit i have a fondness for some strange looking pooches. truth be told, when Pearl the Wonder Greyhound goes to doggie heaven, i will probably not last a week before some other hound is taking up space on my carpet. i don't do well withput a dog in my space. though it is moments like this when i wonder why... Pearl just tooted a big doggie fart and it's puuuuu-eeeeeee!"}, {"response": 128, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (03:40)", "body": "i'm going to bed... upstairs where theres a fan."}, {"response": 129, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (03:42)", "body": "Just being a doggie - where's she supposed to do it? Gals have the same bodily functions as men though they're not allowed to \"express\" them as eloquently as men do... Try feeding your precious pooch something less fragrant...?!"}, {"response": 130, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (03:47)", "body": "It's that hot already and it is just May? Wasn't it freezing your buns off just a few weeks ago? What happened to spring?! G'night, Gena!"}, {"response": 131, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (14:19)", "body": "The fan wasn't for coolness... it was for air circulation ;-) And the pooch toots are ALWAYS fragrant. It matters not what goes in the front loader. When it exits out of my dog, be it gaseous or solid, it is nasty! But she's very pretty...."}, {"response": 132, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (19:05)", "body": "Collapsing Trachea Has your dog ever started wheezing and coughing like it's choking when you've been walking? If so, it may suffer from a collapsing trachea, which is not necessarily as bad as it sounds. Common in many Toy and Miniature breeds, this can be caused by a weakening of the cartilaginous tracheal rings. The trachea can collapse when the dog becomes overly excited or over exerted. Medical and surgical intervention can provide some relief in advanced cases, but a majority of the dogs can lead normal lives without any intervention. - Lisa Scott"}, {"response": 133, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 12, 2000 (21:31)", "body": "Older Dogs' Memory Do you have an older dog? Depending on breed and size, old can be considered anywhere from seven years to in the teens. If your dog is exhibiting signs such as not recognizing you, sleeping less at night, forgetting housetraining, or loss of interest in his family and pet friends, he may be suffering from Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome. This medical condition is treatable and there is a new medicine for it called Anipryl. Visit the link below for more information and check with your veterinarian to see if Anipryl is right for your older dog. Click here for more information http://www.anipryl.com"}, {"response": 134, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 18, 2000 (05:49)", "body": "What's Your Sign, Rover? I share my home with a Piscean, a Taurean, and a Libran. I often find the Piscean in the bathtub, waiting for a drip to drop from the faucet onto his nose. The Taurean is a sweet girl who loves everyone, until someone tries to snatch one of her possessions. The Libran likes things just so - or never mind! Sounds like a wacky household, yes? Well, perhaps my household wouldn't sound so wacky if I told you that the Piscean, Taurean, and Libran who share my address are our beloved dogs! Dogs and astrology? Sure! They are born with their own natal charts! (All animals are born with natal charts.) And although dogs and cats have innate behaviors, domestication seems to have given them the opportunity to express some of their particular astrological traits (many domesticated pets only have to wait until they hear the dinnertime call of the can opener for food). More tomorrow!"}, {"response": 135, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 19, 2000 (21:41)", "body": "What's Your Sign, Rover? Part Deux Looking to discover Rover's astrological influences? Lots of Web sites are devoted to pet astrology. One that really stands out is Nancee Belshaw's site. She is a licensed psychotherapist and an astrologer and she offers some great astrological insight into pets. She offers a brief (and fun) assessment of pets born under particular sun signs as well as in-depth reports for a fee. Click here to learn more about Fido! http://www.nanceestar.com/ZodiacPetsLogo.jpg"}, {"response": 136, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 19, 2000 (21:47)", "body": "Free Dog E-Postcards Do you enjoy sending e-greetings to your friends, family, and online pals? Well, if they are dog lovers, you need to stop by the link below to send one of the nifty dog postcards. Sending the postcards is as easy as selecting from several different breed pictures, entering a person's name and e-mail address, as well as your own, and typing a message. The person is notified that he or she has a postcard waiting. Send one to brighten someone's day! Click here for dog e-cards http://www.cyber-cards.com/animals/dogs/Dogs.shtml"}, {"response": 137, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, May 22, 2000 (00:56)", "body": "thanks for that!"}, {"response": 138, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 22, 2000 (01:44)", "body": "Yay!!! Wolfie was able to post! Takes real determination and more than a little Spring withdrawal...*sigh*"}, {"response": 139, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 22, 2000 (01:52)", "body": "The following breeds are now recognized by the AKC *wink* Collie + Lhasa Apso Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport Spitz + Chow Chow Spitz-Chow, a dog that throws up a lot Pointer + Setter Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet Great Pyrenees + Dachshund Pyradachs, a puzzling breed Pekingnese + Lhasa Apso Peekasso, an abstract dog Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean as a whistle Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists Newfoundland + Basset Hound Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors Terrier + Bulldog Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes Bloodhound + Labrador Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly Malamute + Pointer Moot Point, owned by....oh, well, it doesn't matter anyway Collie + Malamute Commute, a dog that travels to work Deerhound + Terrier Derriere, a dog that's true to the end Bull Terrier + Shitzu Oh, never mind.."}, {"response": 140, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 22, 2000 (19:48)", "body": "Mussels May Help Arthritic Dogs Arthritis is a common problem in older dogs. A study involving feeding 32 dogs either a placebo or a powder made from mussels shows that mussels may help arthritis. After six weeks, the dogs were examined for visible signs of lameness and levels of joint inflammation. The arthritis symptoms had improved in four out of five dogs given the mussel extract. Half of the dogs given the treatment had improved by at least fifty percent. In those not given the supplement, the scores had deteriorated slightly. Dr Linh Bui, who conducted the trial, said, \"We've been feeding this diet to dogs with arthritic symptoms and they improved amazingly.\" Sadly, once the dogs stopped eating the supplement, their symptoms worsened once more. The active ingredient of the mussels remains unclear even to its proponents, although a fatty acid called icosatetranoic acid is one candidate."}, {"response": 141, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, May 23, 2000 (18:30)", "body": "Get A Chip On The Shoulder Does your dog wear identity tags? One fault of tags is that they can be lost or removed. In an effort to make identifying lost pets easier, animal shelters across the country have begun injecting tiny microchips under the skin of animals under their care. Each chip stores a nine-digit number. The chips are 14 millimeters long--about the size of a grain of rice--and weigh about 0.25 grams. Workers use a hypodermic needle to inject a chip just under the skin of a dog or cat, usually in the animal's shoulder. When a lost or abandoned animal is brought to the shelter, workers use hand-held scanners to emit low-frequency radio waves that can read the number of the chip inside an animal. Shelters use a computer database to match the number with the pet's owners."}, {"response": 142, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 24, 2000 (20:31)", "body": "Glaucoma In Dogs Did you know that dogs can suffer from glaucoma? Glaucoma is an increase in ocular pressure, many times resulting in the appearance of an enlarged eye. Aqueous fluid (water) is either overproduced or under-absorbed within the anterior chamber of the eye. In most cases, the latter applies. There are special tools used to diagnose glaucoma in dogs and there are different treatments available. If blindness has been caused because of the glaucoma, it is possible that the blindness can be reversed. If you suspect that your dog may be suffering from glaucoma, contact your veterinarian immediately."}, {"response": 143, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 25, 2000 (06:39)", "body": "Rent A Dog Have you ever thought about renting a dog instead of owning one? While that may strike some of us as unheard of, it is all the rage at Inutama - the dog theme park in Japan. Located in western Tokyo, the park has seen a steady growth in visitors, especially those who want to interact with dogs but cannot own them because dogs are not permitted in their apartments. The cost is $10 a turn with a dog and there are more than 80 dogs to choose from."}, {"response": 144, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 26, 2000 (21:28)", "body": "Dog Park Does your neighborhood or city have a Dog Park? That is a park specifically for the dogs! This is a large fenced-in area, usually double-gated, that allows dogs to run free under their owner's supervision. This is good for the dogs and also gives the owners a chance to meet other dog owners. The Best Friend Dog Park in Huntington Beach, California has a wonderful Web site that has the rules of the park and a link for starting a park in your area. Click here to visit The Best Friend Dog Park http://www.bestfrienddogpark.com"}, {"response": 145, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 27, 2000 (17:03)", "body": "THE SCOOP Spring is the time when those winter coats start dropping off, and that means a lot of pet hair floating about. \"Double-coated\" breeds such as collies and Samoyeds can be a mess this time of year, as their soft, wooly under- coats can be pulled out by the handful. You can hasten the shedding process by combing your pet thoroughly with a wide-toothed steel comb, followed by a warm bath and more combing. Also at this time of year, I run a comb through the coats of all three of my dogs -- one long-haired and two medium-coated -- on a daily basis, and in a couple of weeks' time the worst of the spring shed is behind us."}, {"response": 146, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, May 27, 2000 (20:29)", "body": "You have three dogs??? I had enough trouble managing one!!!!"}, {"response": 147, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (05:05)", "body": "One self-imposed cat here - a redhead with all the temperament which goes with her coloring. Have you gone kitten shopping yet, Maggie?"}, {"response": 148, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (05:09)", "body": "Oops, I see the problem - I neglected to put the byline with the story. No, I am not a dog fancier, actually, though there are some I could learn to love easily."}, {"response": 149, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (10:32)", "body": "Couldn't see you with them really! No we haven't gone kitten shopping yet - daughter 2 doesn't stay still long enough and of course we went to Scotland! After relating to a delicious tabby with red who talks all the time in Scotland (and who I shall be cat sitting in August!) I just can't wait. But I have to have a talking cat!!!!! There don't seem to be that many kittens around just now. I think it must be the wrong time of year here. Once H returns from her latest jaunt away we'll ring the cat rescue place and see what they have."}, {"response": 150, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (13:57)", "body": "i know all about that double-coated thing. KoKoMo's undercoat comes out in lumps which you pull with your fingers. and now that the hot weather is upon us (louisiana), her shedding has started (did it ever end?)..."}, {"response": 151, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (13:58)", "body": "oh yeah, i use a rake type device to pull the undercoat out. it's made specifically for it and works like a charm."}, {"response": 152, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (15:59)", "body": "Yup! I used to have one of those too for our labradour. Really useful."}, {"response": 153, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sat, Jun  3, 2000 (16:52)", "body": "In the list of the mixed dog breeds, you neglected to mention this one: Chow + Akita Chokita, a dog that likes bananas."}, {"response": 154, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Sun, Jun  4, 2000 (02:39)", "body": "I just met a really cute mix: A Shar-Pei German Shephard. A Sharp-Shephard. Cute, Cute, Cute!!!"}, {"response": 155, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Jun  4, 2000 (18:24)", "body": "*lol* luv it!!"}, {"response": 156, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Jun  4, 2000 (23:04)", "body": "Wow! Here I thought it just might be dull stuff going on in here. I should know better! Love the additions to the dog-mixes. I have only known talking cats. My grand(cat)son runs from window to window warbling at the hummingbirds at my son's feeder. It is the most amazing sound. Our self-adopted marmalade talks and purrs all time even when she is irked with us. Enjoy! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 14, "subject": "Cats", "response_count": 172, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "Irishprincess", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (00:30)", "body": "What are you planning on talking about on this conference? I am a lifelong cat lover, and I'd love to get into a conversation about them! I am curious to know about why there is very little overlap between dog lovers and cat lovers--it seems that most people are either one or the other."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (00:38)", "body": "interesting question. i've noticed the same thing with people who like math and hate english and the other way around. quite curious, isn't it? i had a bad experience with a cat at a young age and so have been leary of them although i know that experiences like that are not common. have owned two cats. one was a stray who chose to stay with us until a neighbor moved out to the country. he loved Fred and we gave him to him so Fred could live in the country and not have to worry about traffic (he was an outside cat). my other kitten (Sylvester) was a cutie who just loved me. he crawled up onto my shoulder and fell asleep once! unfortunately, sylvester went outside for a bit and got into a fight with a van. i cried my eyes out because this kitty was bound and determined to change my v ew on cats! he was so sweet. my daughter ran around with him like he was a doll! he didn't fight with her at all. she even put pink lipstick on his nose!!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:05)", "body": "My first cat also got run over - That's how most cats loose their lives. Mao had several severe accidents - I really hope he has learned it now! How could you learn a cat to keep away from cars?"}, {"response": 4, "author": "Irishprincess", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:32)", "body": "Fortunately, I've never had a cat lose its life to a car. My cat, whom I adored, died at the age of 13 from lung failure. In one of my classes, we were talking about how pets were like members of the family, especially for people without children, and some people just didn't understand how anyone could become so attached to an animal. Losing my cat was like losing a child. I still mourn for her after two years, and I've never found another animal who could hold a candle to her."}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:35)", "body": "*hugs* sweetie, i understand this very well."}, {"response": 6, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (12:55)", "body": "That's very sad. I remember all the pets I had as a child far better than any of the friends I had. That says something about animals."}, {"response": 7, "author": "Irishprincess", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (13:59)", "body": "Animals never do the things that humans do--they don't decide that you're not cool enough to hang out with them, they never abandon you because they decide that their boyfriend/girlfriend is more important than you (although I have had some male cats run away when they learned that there were little girl cats who wanted them,) they know when you're sick or upset and don't hassle you about it...goodness, why would anyone NOT want a pet?"}, {"response": 8, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (17:00)", "body": "I know about cats moving into fights between people and shouting along until the people shut up and behave like decent folks again (or, like decent felines, that is!). And there are cases of cats jumping ship, and moving in with other people down the block. Happens not too seldom, either. Young cats often seek friendship of older cats, who then are often annoyed. My first cat, beautiful Valerie (then about half a year old), acquainted an old gray male, one-eyed veteran of many winters in the wild outdoors. He always came by to pick her up, and go prowl the hunting grounds together."}, {"response": 9, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (17:30)", "body": "I live on a busy corner. Before moving here, I was a very firm believer in letting cats be \"natural\", come and go as they please (cat-door), etc. I lost three cats to traffic in the space of 3 years. So when I got Korben Dallas, a purebred Ragdoll, I radically changed my philosophy. Korben, and his stepsister Bowie, will never know the outside. They're happy (and safe!) and I'm happy. Seti and Fabio are half-wild and quite content to stay outdoors all the time. I could not break Fabio from spraying, so I had to exile him years ago. Of course, I am lucky to live in Southern California where I don't have to worry about Fabio and Seti freezing in the winter! And if you've never had a Ragdoll, may I highly recommend them!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "Irishprincess", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (18:04)", "body": "Hi Charlotte! I also have a Ragdoll who came into my life quite unexpectedly. She just showed up on my mom's doorstep in all of her chocolate-point loveliness, about to starve to death. I rescued her, named her Daphne Rose, and I've had her for over a year. She's the most easygoing cat there ever was, except she isn't very lovable. She's pretty independent, but being a Ragdoll, she doesn't mind being dragged around by my two-year-old brother!"}, {"response": 11, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (01:05)", "body": "have a couple pics of isabel's cats. as soon as i figure the proper proportion, will post them but only if it's alright with terry (because of space problems). if not, i'll link them somewhere."}, {"response": 12, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (14:17)", "body": "It's fine, I just freed up 150 megs on this server. There's room!"}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (14:41)", "body": "t'anks!!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (02:16)", "body": "isabel's cats (and i forgot which one is which, so please enlighten us, isabel)"}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (02:17)", "body": "let's try the other one again!"}, {"response": 16, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (02:17)", "body": "i must say that i love the above pic!"}, {"response": 17, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (02:32)", "body": "My only Grandchild:"}, {"response": 18, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (02:33)", "body": "His (neutered and huge) name is Critter Little."}, {"response": 19, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (02:34)", "body": "what a great pic!!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (02:38)", "body": "Got a bunch more (like any grandmother worthy of the name. Son took it with his digital camera - does an excellent job! Thanks!"}, {"response": 21, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (07:43)", "body": "Both Isabel's and Marcia's tabbies look like Garfield."}, {"response": 22, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (19:10)", "body": "True, but Garfield has an attitude that is alien to Critter. Critter has never learned to meow because he has not needed to. He chirps and warbles and does all sorts of funny sounds, but no meowing. He also likes to sleep curled up against the small of my back or at the top of my head. He is very VERy dear!"}, {"response": 23, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (19:27)", "body": "The first one (Resp. 14) shows my beloved Mao on the piano, he's my little sunshine and a good and brave hunter and a very friendly person. He's a real winner, whatever strikes him down, he survives! By now he has had more then four serious traffic accidents, three cancer operations - and he's only six! The second (Resp. 15) shows Piao in the yard. The lady is a little piqued about your Garfield comment, John. It's true she looks a little round on this photo, but she is not a fatty at all! She is a quite agile and a vicious and ferocious hunter, as all the mice and rats who have met her cannot testify to anymore! Critter Little is a very beautiful cat, Marcia! Thank you for posting the pics, Wolfie!!!"}, {"response": 24, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (19:56)", "body": "Thank you, Isabel, and your furchildren are equally adorable. poor Mao...how fortunate he has seven lives...sounds like he's gonna need them!"}, {"response": 25, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (08:45)", "body": "They're gorgeous! And good at posing for the camera too!"}, {"response": 26, "author": "terry", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (15:05)", "body": "My friend Tami's cat is lost, I hope she finds it. It's a Persian and she's very attached to it. She's looked all over the woods and talked to the the neighbors, but no luck after 5 days."}, {"response": 27, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (15:28)", "body": "Great pics! Critter Little is a honey! Let's get a nice close-up of Mao with that digital camera!"}, {"response": 28, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (16:43)", "body": "Terry, when Mao got lost once, we phoned up all the animal vets around and the animal shelters. We didn't find him there (and he luckily found home by himself), but as Mao and Piao were litle kittens they got a number tattooed in their ear, that says were they come from and who they belong to. Nowadays you can even get little micro-chips implanted! If they turn up somewhere vets or shelters are able to find out their home! I don't have a didital camera yet, but many nice photos of Mao. You have to see a colour picture of him, he's sooo beautiful with his red and white fur. Mao lived trough so much grief, but is the friendliest cat there ever was. When he was a baby, I always feared somebody would take him away, because he was smooching with every stranger who came by the house. By now he has two homes, ours and the neighbors house, because there lives his girl-friend \"Bussy\" a-three-coloured beauty. He loves to stay in the neighbor-house because nobody's there in the morning and so he can sleep undisturbed. They love him just as much as we do and just can't make him go home But at least I always know where to find him! When he got his last cancer operation in August, I had to tell them that he won't visit for a few days, else they would have been in deep sorrow. The first time out again after two weeks arrest, he promtly went to the neighbors to tell them all his griefs..."}, {"response": 29, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (22:35)", "body": "And I bet his girlfriend had missed him, too. Cats are like that!"}, {"response": 30, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (22:41)", "body": "Here are my children for you to ooh and ahh over. :) Bowie on the left has one green eye and one yellow eye (but you'll just have to take my word for it from this photo!) so she's named after David Bowie. Korben Dallas is reigning over the right side of the sofa. And here is Korben Dallas showing off his blue-pointedness."}, {"response": 31, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (22:48)", "body": "cutey!"}, {"response": 32, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (00:04)", "body": "yeah, what a couple of sweeties!"}, {"response": 33, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (09:10)", "body": "They're gorgeous!! And how old are they, Charlotte?"}, {"response": 34, "author": "terry", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (15:08)", "body": "Still no sign of Jasmine, it's been 6 days now, could she have run off to the woods in heat?"}, {"response": 35, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (15:28)", "body": "Have you phoned the vets and shelters around?"}, {"response": 36, "author": "terry", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (15:38)", "body": "No luck there, either."}, {"response": 37, "author": "stacey", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (15:56)", "body": "not boding well for Jasmine..."}, {"response": 38, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (16:15)", "body": "Bowie is nearly 4. Korben Dallas was one on 4/1/99. He's still an adolescent. Ragdoll's are not full grown until around 3. *LOVE* the new background, Wolfie!"}, {"response": 39, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (17:05)", "body": "That's really sad, Terry. Some years ago, when I missed one of my cats, I hung up notes in the neighborhood, I don't know if this might bring any sucess, maybe somebody has seen her. My cats always found home by themselves. Till once when we found Konitzky, my first cat, in the road-ditch... I hope everything's ok with Jasmine and she will find her way home again! Gawd, that makes me depressed, I don't know what I would do without my little kitties - sometimes I think they're the only ones that don't think of me as a complete dumba\ufffd\ufffd - at least they don't show it too obvious..."}, {"response": 40, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (18:24)", "body": "Terry, perhaps the cat HAS gone rampaging - one just never knows with them. It must be terribly worrying for Tami - I do hope you'll find her. It is awful when pets get lost."}, {"response": 41, "author": "stacey", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (19:30)", "body": "does she have tags so that if someone else were to find her they would know who to call?"}, {"response": 42, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (19:28)", "body": "Someone just emailed me the cutest little program for Windows called felix.exe. It has been thoroughly scanned and is virus free. Is it possible to post it here somehow?"}, {"response": 43, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (00:55)", "body": "terry? what do you think about felix.exe? isabel--i know the feeling. when everyone else acts like i'm an idiot, my dogs sure know how to make me feel special!"}, {"response": 44, "author": "terry", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (03:52)", "body": "I don't know about felix.exe. It's ok to post a link I guess. Jasmine still missing, has tags."}, {"response": 45, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (04:59)", "body": "How about I email it to you, Wolfie. Or to Terry. And you can then decide. I don't think a link will work because geocities won't allow executables to be uploaded. I'm so depressed about Jasmine!"}, {"response": 46, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (09:04)", "body": "My Mom's cats have been known to stay away for a month at (in all probability) somebody else's home and then come back, so keep your fingers crossed for Jasmine!"}, {"response": 47, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (17:48)", "body": "We sure will, Terry."}, {"response": 48, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (14:37)", "body": "Any news?"}, {"response": 49, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (20:00)", "body": "My question as well...Terry?!"}, {"response": 50, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (16:19)", "body": "On the subject of cats - has anyone ever come up with a really good virtual cat? I'm a long time cat person, but can't have one at present."}, {"response": 51, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (18:12)", "body": "have you heard of dogz? they're virtual pets that play on your screen. also, karen sent me a cat that plays on the screen too. let me see if i can find it and maybe i can email it to you, but only at your request. the dogz do cost something to get the program. i saw it for free and you can play with it, feed it, and send it outside! lemme see if i can find something more feasable. surely they have cats too!"}, {"response": 52, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Dec  6, 1999 (00:44)", "body": "I just sent Maggie a virtual lamb which frolics on your screen and plays and makes cute noises. If anyone else would like Ron, just let me know!"}, {"response": 53, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Dec  6, 1999 (02:56)", "body": "yes, indeed! send away, those things are cute!!"}, {"response": 54, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Dec  6, 1999 (05:24)", "body": "He is now yours, Wolfie, and he is scampering around my monitor as well. I think he is a Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep, come to look at him closer. Whatever, he is so cute!!!"}, {"response": 55, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Dec  7, 1999 (00:22)", "body": "i was wondering why you sent a picture of \"ron\"!! (forgot he was the sheep)"}, {"response": 56, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Dec  7, 1999 (00:32)", "body": "Did you put him someplace safe so you can click on him and have him running around on your monitor? Mine is!"}, {"response": 57, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Dec  7, 1999 (01:52)", "body": "he's running around as we speak (and bouncing). you're right, he's a ram!"}, {"response": 58, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Dec  7, 1999 (02:10)", "body": "her's a virtual petz website as promised, think they have a demo to download: http://www.pfmagic.com/central/default.asp"}, {"response": 59, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Dec  7, 1999 (02:34)", "body": "Thanks for that URL... (Did he wee on your monitor yet? He is definitely a He!)"}, {"response": 60, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Dec  7, 1999 (02:48)", "body": "...think I might rename mine...*grin*"}, {"response": 61, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Dec  8, 1999 (20:47)", "body": "Whats with the space ship that came and sucked up Ron? Wierd or what!!!!"}, {"response": 62, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Dec  8, 1999 (21:53)", "body": "Have you seen the little alien, too? They give him back...*smile*"}, {"response": 63, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Dec  9, 1999 (01:16)", "body": "no aliens yet but what about the flaming ron dropping from the sky and falling into a tub? and who's his friend that shows up now and again?"}, {"response": 64, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec  9, 1999 (01:36)", "body": "Don't know...Don't remember a friend. Better Boot mine again and check. I think he does that flaming thing when you are not paying enough attention to him and he wants attention."}, {"response": 65, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Dec  9, 1999 (02:28)", "body": "this other bighorn sheep came flying out of the sky and chased ron around a bit. and ron seems to have trouble landing sometimes. he just crashes and his eyes are x'd out. i'll need to watch carefully for the alien."}, {"response": 66, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec  9, 1999 (02:49)", "body": "He falls off the program windows when you close them, too. He is a fast mender, though! I noted the little black-faced critter when I was posting about your Christmas light problem. If you put the cursor on him he stops and goes the other way. If you right click it when the hand is on him, yhou get options from which to choose."}, {"response": 67, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Dec  9, 1999 (02:54)", "body": "i tried to put the cursor on him (the visitor sheep) and nothing happened. tried to right-click on the big horn and nothing happened either. he must be happy because he's eating and running around. oh, and he watches the sky and when his friend stops by (he's been running along the top of my screen), ron just watches."}, {"response": 68, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec  9, 1999 (03:19)", "body": "It is a double click which activates your choices. Sorry! He is not a very good climber yet, is he?!"}, {"response": 69, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (20:20)", "body": "Rejoice! Rejoice! We are getting cats!!! Yes, cats plural! Daughter 2 is coming home from Uni for good in May and it has been decided we will get two kittens - if mum is willing to 'socialise' them - is she just! Husband is still grumbling about the cost - but we'll wear him down. This time they will be indoor cats (at least when we're out, I can't cope with another run over) hence the stipulation we'll get two for company. At least I'll get to enjoy them for a few months before I leave for Africa."}, {"response": 70, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (20:57)", "body": "How lovely! And, two is the proper number. How delightful for Mom, daughter and kittens. Husband is reacting just as My father did when we got our cat all those years ago. Must be something on the Englishman's makeup which does not allow for affection for cats but prizes dogs over their own children...*lol*"}, {"response": 71, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (01:26)", "body": "Instructions for Giving Your Cat a Pill 1) Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow. 2) Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process. 3) Retrieve cat from bedroom and throw away soggy pill. 4) Take new pill from foil wrap. Cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of 10. 5) Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden. 6) Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously. 7) Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered Doulton figures from hearth and set to one side for gluing later. 8) Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil, and blow down drinking straw. 9) Check label to make sure pill is not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap. 10) Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck, leaving its head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with plastic band. 11) Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus jab. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom. 12) Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil-wrap. 13) Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed, and force cat's mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth, followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour pint of water down throat to wash pill down. 14) Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room. Sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table. 15) Arrange for SPCA to collect cat, and ring local pet shop to see if it has any hamsters."}, {"response": 72, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (03:49)", "body": "*lol*"}, {"response": 73, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (03:55)", "body": "It's an oldie - but goodie...!"}, {"response": 74, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (20:17)", "body": "You betcha! Reminds me of a metaphor for the research process someone gave me. I'll see if I can find it. It feels truer every day."}, {"response": 75, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (16:26)", "body": "Here's that metaphor from Kharyssa on the Phinished message board. For serious metaphors I have always thought of the thesis as trying to catch an angry wet cat. If you have ever chased a half-bathed cat around your house, you know exactly what I mean. Things start off well... you draw the bath with the perfect kitty temperature; set up the soap and fresh dry towels; vow to stay relatively dry yourself; and bring in the unsuspecting feline (intro). As soon as you pick the animal up, he knows what is about to happen... after all you have donned your gardening gloves and are holding him by the paws and scruff of the neck. At the first touch of water the skirming worsens, but eventually the cat calms down and submits to the vigorous soapy scrubbing (theory). Realize, of course, that the cat is planning his escape. The moment you reach for more soap he is gone in a flurry of water and claws (methods). You spend the next 20 minutes trying to catch the cat (results), who's wet soapy fur makes it easy for him to slip through your hands (conclusion). Finally he makes that one fata move... he is caught; and quickly brought, hissing and squirming back to the bath, where you beg him to stay still long enough to rinse him off (committee revisions). When all is said and done, you set to the task of mopping up the sopping bathroom, ringing out the drenched towels, and changing into dry clothes (defense)."}, {"response": 76, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (19:04)", "body": "I forwarded this to John, who is, as we speak, working on his Master's Thesis. That is lovely! And all too true! Thanks for sharing it with us!"}, {"response": 77, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (19:08)", "body": "i love this, maggie!"}, {"response": 78, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (19:09)", "body": "go john go!! master thesis away!!!!"}, {"response": 79, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (19:36)", "body": "I second that - push through the tough bits, it's worth it in the end."}, {"response": 80, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (20:49)", "body": "I fancy myself as his chief Cheerleader and angst reliever. I forwarded him your messages. Thanks!"}, {"response": 81, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (20:50)", "body": "John's and My comments crossed in the email...as your comments went out this came in from him: \"Yeah, and the cat is a full-grown tiger.\""}, {"response": 82, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (20:53)", "body": "Definitely, and i ain't got a chair!"}, {"response": 83, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (20:58)", "body": "*haha*"}, {"response": 84, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (21:01)", "body": "I suggested to him that he have his personal tiger, declawed, defanged and castrated to even the playing field. Have not heard back, yet."}, {"response": 85, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (21:04)", "body": "We could offer to be the team with sticks and chairs and things helping the tamer? or aternatively we could offer tea and sympathy. Wonder which he'd choose!"}, {"response": 86, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (21:12)", "body": "John: \"haven't found the gun with the tranquilizer dart yet\""}, {"response": 87, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (21:15)", "body": "LOL...He has gotten plenty of *hugs* and sympathy from me...I sent him your comment and I also wonder which he would choose."}, {"response": 88, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (10:23)", "body": "ah, but watch out when he wakes up from the tranquilizer dart - you'll need us ladies then to protect you!"}, {"response": 89, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (21:25)", "body": "I just email him your comment...waiting for his response *grin* You are right, though! Don't mess with an Englishwoman. It reminds me of Edna Mae Oliver in \"A Tale of Two Cities\" when she was about to be taken prisoner by the rabble in Paris. She drew herself up full height and said \"I am an Englishwoman!\" in no uncertain terms. The rabble backed out and closed the door. We protect our own!"}, {"response": 90, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (21:31)", "body": "Definitely, I'm a real mothercat! (BTW daughter 2 had a birthday yesterday, today she rings up to ask how to make pancakes (crepes to you I think). We're going to see her at the weekend)"}, {"response": 91, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (21:57)", "body": "Crepes are just that - dessert and very different from the breakfast sort which we call pancakes. At least she is not making them from a box mix!"}, {"response": 92, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (07:50)", "body": "It was really funny - I was reading out to her from the cook book and she was shouting out instructions to her housemate. Did I tell you about the little kittens they had a t a house I went to for a meeting the other day. There was one which was black with white paws and a white bib. It was adorable (apart from the fleas!). The mother looked really nice too. Should I get a brother and sister or go for cats from different families? The only male cat I've had before was one of our kittens and he turned ferral. The grandmother came from chatham dockyard from the ferral pack there, and out of each litter of kittens we had half went ferral."}, {"response": 93, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (18:04)", "body": "Get your kittens from a domesticated cat or the animal shelter and let them know you want to have them be companions. Be sure they are neutered - that will keep them from wandering. Brother and sister can be wonderful companions - just don't breed them Choose them for personality! I have this most entertaining image in my mind of the pancake instructions being relayed. Wonder if they got it right!"}, {"response": 94, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (18:46)", "body": "Haven't heard yet. Wonder what she'll cook for sunday dinner. She's enjoying showing me that she's domesticated. (unlike me!) T's cooking dinner agin - chicken korma tonight. I am tempted to contact the lady whose house I was at, maybe put down for some from the next brood."}, {"response": 95, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (20:00)", "body": "Sounds like a good idea to reserve first choice!"}, {"response": 96, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (20:22)", "body": "it was a darling. i bet the next litter look as nice."}, {"response": 97, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (20:30)", "body": "Have you seen the Daddy of the litter? They will probably be as adorable as the other bunch. Who can resist a kitten or two (other than husbands, that is!)"}, {"response": 98, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (20:41)", "body": "no father in sight only two mums. husband is still being worked on!"}, {"response": 99, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (23:34)", "body": "they all are, huh? \"work in progress\" they should all carry \"danger\" signs! *grin* i'd go with the animal shelter or vet first only because the kitties have been checked (or a pet store-although one pet store around here had rabid kitties and had to vaccinate everyone who came in the store and played with them, sad)..."}, {"response": 100, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (01:52)", "body": "\"work in progress\" they should all carry \"danger\" signs! You ARE talking about the house males, aren't we? *grin*"}, {"response": 101, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (02:05)", "body": "yeah! the ones that are actually getting worked on (for years and years and years) *grin*"}, {"response": 102, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (06:27)", "body": "...The Never-Ending Story was written about that, no?!"}, {"response": 103, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (19:19)", "body": "we will win in the end and get kitties."}, {"response": 104, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (19:28)", "body": "Get siblings (and don't be upset if they start to fight occasionally, or try to breed), and make sure you don't leave one behind."}, {"response": 105, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (19:29)", "body": "Hmh, but if YOU go to Africa, does the whole Lingo-tribe follow? Or do some stay behind, and can care for the furries?"}, {"response": 106, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (19:30)", "body": "Oh, and do something so you don't get kitties yourself. Neuter both."}, {"response": 107, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (19:32)", "body": "the ONLY reason I've agreed to cats now is that daughter 2 will have finished Uni and looking for a graduate placement in accountancy and will be living at home. daughter 1 has returned to the family mansion following emotional upheaval (which then passed to mum). Boy do I sound old - I am Alexander, I am!However, They have requested that I housetrain the critters before upping and leaving."}, {"response": 108, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (19:40)", "body": "they want you to housetrain their kitties? sounds like kids!"}, {"response": 109, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (19:41)", "body": "Cats are easy to train. A couple months, and they're fine. It's easier if they spend longer time with Mommy... which would deprive you of the baby kitty-phase, but makes for healthier, fitter cats. Yes, make sure they know you before you leave. Else they will be upset when you come back - they will be upset, anyway, but it'd be much worse. There are two main problems with cats: scratching up things and spraying (marking?) in the house. For the first, get a rough coco-fiber carpet in the hallway, and for the latter, make sure they can get out whenever they want. Spraying is a sign of unhappiness, much less of marking the territory."}, {"response": 110, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (19:43)", "body": "and neuter them BEFORE they start spraying (if you get a male)....."}, {"response": 111, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (20:00)", "body": "Reason I get the job - is cos I've done it lots of times before. Also, I'm home-working just now. Also, to be honest, I volunteered."}, {"response": 112, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (20:04)", "body": "we knew the truth was in there somewhere *wink*"}, {"response": 113, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (20:05)", "body": "I'll need a support group - volunteers?"}, {"response": 114, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (20:11)", "body": "that's what we're here for! go, maggie, go!!!!"}, {"response": 115, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (20:23)", "body": "Knew I could count on you."}, {"response": 116, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (20:33)", "body": "*grin*"}, {"response": 117, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 10, 2000 (17:53)", "body": "Me too! I had kitties, too!!! (or support for anything else. ) You know Wolfie and I are good for that sort of thing! *hugs* all round!"}, {"response": 118, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 10, 2000 (21:36)", "body": "There was one in the paper today. He travelled 400 miles from scotland under the bonnet of a car. when the driver opened the bonnet (oh that's the bit where the engine is by the way) there was what looked like a feather mop. it growled. he's lost one eye and looks dreadful. i can't make the decision. it's got to be Hannah cos it's her kittens."}, {"response": 119, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar 10, 2000 (23:35)", "body": "oh this pooor baby. i'd growl too travelling that far and being rudely awakened! oh, i just want to hug him!!!!"}, {"response": 120, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (20:08)", "body": "The resident compulsive collector has another cat to add to his marmalade kitty. This one is a lop-eared blocky-built Saimese. Most strange-looking critter I ever saw but it is quiet and peaceful and they are coming to tolerate each other. The new one will also eat the bargain brands of cat food the marmalade princess would not touch!"}, {"response": 121, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (20:16)", "body": "Do you think the marmalade princess might teach the new kitty fussy food habits? She is after all a cat and has her mystique to maintain."}, {"response": 122, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar 13, 2000 (00:35)", "body": "Most likely! Like any of God's critters, what the one has the other wants, too. The new one is still a little iffy in our affections which she recognizes and is grateful for free food. However, I am sure it is just a matter of time until the cat in her surfaces and the obliging feline becomes Siamese royalty."}, {"response": 123, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (00:48)", "body": "OK... gag-o-matic moment here! I wear a heart monitor when I work out. I finished yesterday and took the tranmitter belt from around my chest and put it on the hall table... where my cat Nike promptly upchucked all over it! Yuck!!!! Makes me really want to put that transmitter back on tomorrow, uh-huh."}, {"response": 124, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (01:12)", "body": "Maybe make Nike wear it for a day, just kidding!"}, {"response": 125, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (01:15)", "body": "Nothing like having an in-house critic. What's the cat's major problem - taking you away from her???"}, {"response": 126, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (01:21)", "body": "that's what i was gonna say. nike doesn't want you to leave, huh?"}, {"response": 127, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (01:21)", "body": "No... she's bolemic. No, really, she is. Has been since she was little. Skinny as a rail, eats then urps about every other day on whatever she's sitting on. When she was younger I asked several vets about it... they found nothing wrong with her. She just wants to stay thin... Meanwhile her sister Reebok is a chunk! Rarely drops a tidbit of food, and only urps an occasional furball."}, {"response": 128, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (01:26)", "body": "(the exercise, that is) Siamese Queen cat is kitty-non-grata around here, now! A good ratter, but far too feisty with house cat."}, {"response": 129, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (01:30)", "body": "Never heard of that, but ...lots of things I have never heard of, but I am listening..."}, {"response": 130, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (17:13)", "body": "OK you guys, where's my kitten support team??? We need good kitten finding vibes just now - the hunt is on. The order is for a silver short haired tabby and one other to keep it company. I'll be contacting the cat rescue people soon. Husband is coming round - he loves cats, but is on about the expense. If we find them pretty soon, that give me five months cat time before I leave and the girls take over, and hopefully they'll be old enough to leave at home while the girls are at work. I'm really looking forward to socialising kittens again."}, {"response": 131, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (23:40)", "body": "Cats are not expensive. Dogs are expensive! Charming Kitty-beams aimed in your direction, Maggie. Just have then neutered ASAP"}, {"response": 132, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Fri, Apr 28, 2000 (01:27)", "body": "We have cats skittering around the backyard. They are not allowed anywhere in the house except in Jane and Dora's rooms. So they just go in and out of these girls rooms."}, {"response": 133, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Apr 28, 2000 (02:13)", "body": "Well diciplined! Did that missing kitty last year ever come back?"}, {"response": 134, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Apr 28, 2000 (02:21)", "body": "good luck kitty hunting, maggie. i don't think i'd get over on the customs folks trying to smuggle a cat fitting your description if i said \"but maggie must have this one!\" *grin*"}, {"response": 135, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Apr 28, 2000 (10:24)", "body": "Nope, but thanks for trying Wolfie!!! I'm putting out feelers. House male is still on about neutering costs, injections, etc. Need vibes for daughter 2 to get a well-paid accountancy placement as these will be her cats, and she will foot the bills."}, {"response": 136, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Fri, Apr 28, 2000 (12:55)", "body": "It lurks around the neighborhood maybe, or else it's a lookalike."}, {"response": 137, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Apr 28, 2000 (15:32)", "body": "Cats are opportunistic. So does the Siamese we had to chase off. Don't actually think we succeeded since there are signs arund that she/he is still here, but at least it is not fighing with ours in the middle of the night anymore."}, {"response": 138, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 10, 2000 (18:43)", "body": "The EMAZING Cat Tip of the Day - Wednesday May 10, 2000 Wild Reasons to Keep Your Cat Inside Cats kill 4-5 million birds each day. Collar bells on cats don't work because birds and other wildlife do not associate bells with being stalked. Ground-nesting birds are particularly susceptible to predation by cats. Cats will hunt small wild animals, despite how well-fed they are. Almost all young birds leave the nest before they can fly well and spend a day or two on the ground. As these fledglings are learning to fly, cats frequently catch them. Most of the birds caught by cats, but not killed outright, die of their injuries or infection. Cats that kill small rodents can eliminate a critical food source for owls and hawks. - Lisa Scott"}, {"response": 139, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (19:07)", "body": "Cloning Kitty Have you ever wished you could have another cat just like your current one? Well, that may not be too far off in the future. No one knows for certain when, or if, animal cloning will be technically and commercially possible. What is known is that since a sheep, Dolly, was cloned in Scotland in 1996, scientists have successfully cloned cattle and mice in their laboratories. Information abounds about cloning mammals and now there is a company that offers to store your cat's DNA to clone it at a future date! Viable DNA is taken from your valued animal and stored in a Bio-Shelter (trademark). Once animal cloning becomes a reality, you may be able to use the preserved DNA to clone your prized animal."}, {"response": 140, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (22:18)", "body": "Not just kitties either. Can you imagine what people who breed racehorses will make out of this?"}, {"response": 141, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Fri, May 12, 2000 (12:11)", "body": "How do you keep neighbor stray cats out of your own cats food? The cat is fed outdoors, it's an outdoor cat and I don't want to feed it inside."}, {"response": 142, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 12, 2000 (21:35)", "body": "You cannot unless you stand by the cat while it eats. Ours gets fed in the anteroom between the outside and the kitchen (in what used to be the garage but is now a storge room.) We have tried just about everything we could think of to keep the other cats away - I have not yet found a way other than isolating our outdoor (entirely - I insist on it) cat. Cat Scratch Fever Have you heard of Cat Scratch Fever? Not the song, the disease. For almost 100 years, cat scratches have been associated with illness in people. One estimate by the Centers for Disease Control found that there were 2.5 cases of CSF, or CSD (Cat Scratch Disease) as it is also known, per 100,000 people each year in the United States. Typically, a small skin lesion (resembling an insect bite) develops at the site of a cat scratch or (less commonly) a bite, followed within two weeks by swollen lymph nodes and sometimes a fever. The illness is mild and self-limiting in the majority of patients, although it may take some months for the swollen lymph nodes to return to normal. Treatment is usually not required."}, {"response": 143, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, May 16, 2000 (18:12)", "body": "DECLAWING YOUR CAT: SHOULD YOU OR SHOULDN'T YOU? When it comes to the raging controversy over declawing cats, it's important to remember that sometimes the choice comes down something this simple: What's better? A homeless cat or a declawed one? It's not a hypothetical question. In one study of declawed cats, half of the owners who had chosen the surgery reveal- ed that they would not have kept their cats otherwise. And nearly three-quarters admitted to having an improved relationship with their pet after surgery. Mind you, I'm no fan of routine declawing. I shudder when people asked me to recommend a veterinarian to declaw their kitten, as if amputating the tips of their pet's toes was an automatic part of the new pet startup kit. But I'm also realistic enough to know that in a battle of spouses over shredded furniture, or when new furniture arrives in a household with a scratching cat, declawing may be the only thing between a once-cherished pet and a trip to the shelter. You can argue that people who would choose furniture over a pet shouldn't have one. You'd have plenty of company. But I stick to my belief that in some cases declawing is the les- ser of two evils. I know many, many people who have had their cats declawed, and the animals have come through the trauma splendidly and been adored and well-cared-for pets for years. In all other respects, you couldn't ask for better owners. They said, declawing should never be a pre-emptive response to the possibility of a cat's scratching. Nor should it be the first strategy chosen when scratching is discovered. In last week's column I talked about nonsurgical alternatives to destructiveness: How to encourage a cat to scratch where you want him to, while discouraging him from digging his claws in where you don't. (That column is available in the Pet Connection archives, at www.vin.com/petcare.) If you've tried retraining, consider a couple of final steps before declawing: trimming the claws, or capping them. Clip- ping the tips of your cat's claws on a monthly basis makes them less efficient at shredding, and you can take it a step further by gluing Soft Paws nail caps over the trimmed tips. With gentle, encouraging handling, many cats get used these procedures. Have your veterinarian show you how to get started. Soft Paws are available though veterinarians, or through some pet-supply catalogs. You can also order directly from the company at 1-800-989-2542, or on the Web at www.softpaws.com. So you've tried everything and are at the end of your rope? Then talk to your veterinarian about declawing. There are two procedures used today, and you should be well informed about them both in order to make a decision. On each of the front toes, a procedure roughly comparable to cutting off your own fingertip at the first joint. The skin is then glued or stitched over the exposed joint, the feet are bandaged, and the cat is sent home to heal for the next couple of weeks. (Your veterinarian will have her own guide- lines for after-care for you to follow.) Some veterinarians offer the alternative of severing the tendons that allow a cat to unsheathe his claws. One of the drawbacks of this surgery is that the claws continue to grow, and must be kept trimmed. No matter which procedure you choose, you must remember that you have a special responsibility to the cat you have so altered. While living indoors is safer for all cats, it's especially important for a declawed one. Cats without the ability to use their claws have been deprived of an important defensive tool and are in grave danger outdoors. This decision to declaw should never be taken lightly. But in some situations, it's a hard choice that is better than the alternatives."}, {"response": 144, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 19, 2000 (23:25)", "body": "FOODS AND FELINES CAT QUIZ #2 TRUE OR FALSE? 1. Cats like chocolate and you should feed it to them regularly. 2. Cats should have some tuna in their diet everyday. 3. If your cat can't smell her food, she won't eat it. 4. Cats cannot taste sweet foods. 5. An average cat food dinner is equal to about 5 medium- sized field mice. (Check your answers at bottom.) WHO'S THAT HISTORICAL AILUROPHOBE? Famous Cat Haters: Much to our dismay, there are and have been people in the world who are total ailurophobes - those who hate or are terrified of cats. We find it hard to comprehend, but it is so. You may find this portion of the newsletter hard to read, but press on! Here are a few historical figures who could form their own anti-cat club: --William Shakespeare - probably thought the only good cat was a dead one. (Okay, Willie, I'll not read another one of your plays!) --President Dwight Eisenhower - banished cats from the White House and ordered his staff to shoot them on sight if any came onto the grounds. (That's no way for a five star GENERAL to act is it? There goes my \"I Like Ike button!\") ---Johannes Brahms, composer of some of the world's most beautiful music - refused to even go near a cat. Obviously a cat was not responsible for inspiring any of his music. (Well, Joe, I'm going to check my classical CD collection for your stuff right now!) BUT the cat hater of all cat haters - the one whose picture you see next to the definition of ailurophobe in the dictionary - is none other than: ---Napoleon Bonaparte - He had an extreme and irrational fear of felines. He would be transformed from a courageous world conquering warrior emperor into a trembling, sweating, wimp if he even thought there was a cat anywhere near him. He could conquer the world, but not his fear of an innocent pussycat! (I thought it was Waterloo that did him in, but maybe there was a cat on the battlefield!) BUT - we shouldn't be too harsh on those who are truly afraid of cats, and I'm just kidding with my remarks in parentheses. Experts on the subject say the cause probably comes from a childhood incident when a cat either attacked or frightened the person for whatever reason. But there is hope for current sufferers. The condition is treatable. The best method for a cure is to gradually relearn how to associate with cats and to realize there is nothing to fear from our gentle lovable feline creatures. (Are you ready to \"adopt an ailurophobe?\" Sounds like a good cause to me.) MORE KITTY QUOTES: --\"There's no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat.\" --Wesley Bates, American writer --\"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats. --Albert Schweitzer AMAZING CAT-STATS: Cat owners in the United States in an average year are spending a total of $2.2 billion on cat food and nearly $300 million on kitty litter. That's a lot of scooping! FUN STUFF - KITTY WEBSITE FREEBIES: From Garfield, America's favorite lasagna-loving cat, free games and e-mail. Visit: http://www.garfield.com If you don't have a website yet for your fair feline, you can get a FREE one now. Answer a few questions and upload your cat's favorite photo, and your puss will have a home on the Web. Visit: http://www.burnerkitty.com/get_page.shtml ******** Answers to CAT QUIZ #2 - True or False? 1. Cats like chocolate and you should feed it to them regularly. ----False. No way. Never feed your cat chocolate. It's poisonous and can be fatal. (Also, FYI, don't let her eat avocado, lily of the valley, morning glory, poinsettia, and Tylenol (acetaminophen) - these are all poisons to cats. 2. Cats should have some tuna in their diet everyday. ----False. Tuna is very high in mineral content and a daily diet would be harmful. It's okay as an occasional treat only. 3. If your cat can't smell her food, she won't eat it. ----True. Even with 17 million nerve cells in her nose, if your cat can't detect a scent in what she's about to eat, she won't take the risk. 4. Cats cannot taste sweet foods. ----False. Cats are able to taste sweet foods. Some like them, and some don't. 5. An average cat food dinner is equal to about 5 medium sized field mice. ----True. So, the next time you run out of your cat's favorite canned gourmet dinner... go out and hunt... well, never mind - just go to the store for more! Questions... Comments... email us at: mailto:catnip@shagmail.com"}, {"response": 145, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 19, 2000 (23:26)", "body": "Cat Sulking Does your cat seem to sulk after you scold it? You would like to think it understands you are upset and it is showing its remorse by sulking. All you have really done is intimidate the cat into feeling inferior. When you scold, you probably stare at the cat. It is a natural response for the cat to turn away to avoid hostility. This makes the cat less afraid and also keeps it from staring back, which would be a way of provoking an attack in the wild."}, {"response": 146, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (22:27)", "body": "Pet Connection - Saturday, May 20, 2000 Gee, and to think I missed \"National Hairball Awareness Day\"! Despite a pet-food company's efforts to create concern and sell a special diet -- hairballs are not a serious health issue for your cat. Sure, they're nothing you want to step on in bare feet in the middle of the night, but they're just part of living with a cat. You can reduce the number of hairballs by grooming your cat regularly, and by adding a little canned pumpkin to your pet's diet to increase the fiber and help the hair work its way through the system. Commercial preparations are fine, too, but it's really better to keep their use to a minimum. Frequent use of hairball remedies can decrease the absorption of some vitamins."}, {"response": 147, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (22:33)", "body": "hairball remedies?"}, {"response": 148, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (23:03)", "body": "The white cat has been roaming around outside my sliding glass door today. Curious about the sounds coming out of my ham radio. It's just the guys on the 442.15 repeater."}, {"response": 149, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (23:04)", "body": "I got an internal server error just now but the information posted anyway."}, {"response": 150, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (23:22)", "body": "I've been hitting the reload button before going on - I lost one long post by not having it appear before going on. But, we ARE posting! Your kitty sound nice - is it on of the two which are just allowed in the two rooms? I'm trying to figure out how to get pumpkin into kitty. Mine would not eat anything much veggie."}, {"response": 151, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (23:29)", "body": "Yep it's one of those. It's not around right now. I'm setting up a new video server, so you can watch it on the main page for a few hours."}, {"response": 152, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (23:30)", "body": "It took two tries that time. Digihost needs to reboot their server."}, {"response": 153, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (23:30)", "body": "I see Mike's online, it seems to be working better now."}, {"response": 154, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (23:30)", "body": "That time is posted with one submit. So did this one."}, {"response": 155, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (23:31)", "body": "I think we're back to normal. It was a Server error and not a Yapp error, I believe."}, {"response": 156, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (23:33)", "body": "\"The cat could very well be man's best friend but would never stoop to admitting it.\" -- Doug Larson Not here yet - took me five pokes of reload to get here. I think my last post did not go through here..."}, {"response": 157, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 20, 2000 (23:34)", "body": "You're roght! it is fixed!"}, {"response": 158, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May 21, 2000 (04:53)", "body": "Well you might have been \"roght\" but it was not fixed...*sigh*"}, {"response": 159, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 22, 2000 (19:50)", "body": "Get a Chip on the Shoulder Does your cat wear identity tags? One problem with tags is they can be lost or removed and cats seem to be Houdinis at getting collars off. In an effort to make identifying lost pets easier, animal shelters across the country have begun injecting tiny microchips under the skin of animals in their care. Each chip stores a nine-digit number. The chips are 14 millimeters long--about the size of a grain of rice--and weigh about 0.25 grams. Workers use a hypodermic needle to inject a chip just under the skin of a cat, usually in the animal's shoulder. When a lost or abandoned animal is brought to the shelter, workers use hand-held scanners to emit low-frequency radio waves that can read the number of the chip inside an animal. Shelters use a computer database to match the number with the pet's owners."}, {"response": 160, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, May 23, 2000 (18:29)", "body": "Flea Facts Summertime is coming fast and that means flea season. Now is the time to \"know thy enemy\" and prepare for battle. Here are some flea facts to prepare you for the skirmish. There are 2,400 varieties of fleas, including cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felinus). A flea can jump 150 times its own length. This is equivalent to an adult human leaping over the Statue of Liberty. A jumping flea accelerates 50 times faster than the space shuttle! Want to live without fleas? Consider moving to the mountains. Fleas do not live above 500 feet. Fleas thrive in a warm humid environment, which is about 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and about 70% humidity."}, {"response": 161, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, May 23, 2000 (20:13)", "body": "To what degree are you willing to demonstrate your total devotion and commitment to pussycats? If the sky's the limit, then do I have a project for you! I have found a fantastic recipe for a special dessert for kitty you can make if you want something REALLY DIFFERENT to serve your guests. I guarantee that this dish will not only make your next party a totally unforgettable experience, it will clearly demonstrate to all how hooked on cats you truly are. In a recent issue I've told you about a few famous \"cat haters\" or ailurophobiacs. Today it's time to balance that off with a story about a very famous cat lover. This man lovingly cared for many cats during his lifetime, and today, nearly 40 years after his death, the legacy of his cats lives on. Who could this be? You may not be able to always understand what your cat is saying to you with his various meows, but he can speak to you in a language that's very clear - body language. You can learn, in general, if your cat is friendly, playful, or aggressive by looking at him. ^..^ ^..^ ^..^ ^..^ ^..^ ^..^ ^..^ ^..^ ^..^ A SPECIAL CAT RECIPE - KITTY LITTER CAKE! (Created by Mike and Linda Will) A great recipe. Guaranteed to make your next party remembered. Are you ready to bake? Show the world what a \"purr-fect\" you are. INGREDIENTS: --1 spice or german chocolate cake mix (include ingredients listed in mix) --1 white cake mix (include ingredients listed in mix.) --1 pkg. white sandwich cookies --1 large pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix (include ingredients listed on mix. --green food coloring --12 small Tootsie Rolls --1 brand new and clean kitty litter box --1 brand new and clean kitty litter box liner --1 brand new and clean kitty litter scoop DIRECTIONS: 1. Prepare cake mixes according to package directions. (Any size cake pans.) 2. Prepare pudding mix according to package directions and chill until ready to use. Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in blender. (Scrape often, they tend to stick.) Set aside all but 1/4 cup. To this 1/4 cup cookie crumbs, add a few drops of green food coloring and mix using a fork or by shaking in a jar. 3. When the cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with half of the remaining white cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. You probably won't need all of the pudding. Mix it with the cake and feel it; you don't want it soggy, just moist. Gently combine. 4. Line new, clean kitty litter box. Put mixture into litter box. 5. Put three unwrapped Tootsie Rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie Rolls and bury these in the mixture. 6. Sprinkle the other half of the cookie crumbs over the top. Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly over the top. This is supposed to resemble the chlorophyll in the litter. 7. Heart remaining Tootsie Rolls, 3 at a time in the microwave until almost melted. Spread them on top of the cake and sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Or, only spread 5 of the remaining Tootsie Rolls over the top. Take one and heat until pliable, and hang it over the side of the kitty litter box, sprinkling it lightly with cookie crumbs. Place the box on a newspaper and sprinkle a few of the cookie crumbs around. Serve with the new scoop. Enjoy! (Thank you Mike and Linda Will, you are true credits to the cat-loving population.) OK... my dear readers.... Real cat lovers won't get grossed out, right? I thought this was hilarious the first time I read through it. (I know, I'm warped!) This is a real recipe with real food, and is a lot of fun to make and is delicious to eat! But the real fun of it all is watching the reactions of other people as they look at for the first time, and then realize what it is. Their reactions can range from \"How GROSS, I can't believe you'd make such a thing!\" to \"Oh, isn't that CUTE!\" And everyone wants to know how you made it, etc., etc. So, go ahead, have a blast, and make this! Then tell me what kind of reactions you got. Did people really \"dig\" it? Let me know the \"scoop.\" Have fun!"}, {"response": 162, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 24, 2000 (20:29)", "body": "Heartworm Disease Do you give your cat a heartworm preventative? If not, you should because heartworms can be deadly. They are literally worms that live in your cat's heart and lungs! They can cause permanent damage and even death. For many years, only dogs were given heartworm preventatives, but now there are medications for cats. Exposure to heartworms can be a year round concern, but more so in the summer, as the infection is spread by mosquitoes. Heartworm disease is 100% preventable and prevention is much easier and less expensive than treatment. If your cat is not on a preventative, please contact your veterinarian as soon as possible to get her started on one. There are many options available."}, {"response": 163, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 25, 2000 (17:41)", "body": "Cats and Heartworms Are you trying to figure out the best way to battle parasites in and on your cat? A new medication is available to protect your cat from heartworms and other harmful parasites--Revolution (trademark). This new product is a simple topical medication that protects your cat from harmful parasites, both inside and out. Revolution prevents potentially deadly heartworm disease as well as preventing and controlling flea infestations. It also treats and controls ear mites, sarcoptic mange, and ticks. Contact your vet for more information."}, {"response": 164, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 26, 2000 (21:26)", "body": "Herbs for Pets Do you take any of the popular herbal supplements on the market today? Maybe you have thought about giving a supplement to your cat. If so, you will find the book \"All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets\" a treasury of information. This book will help you learn about holistic herbalism, natural nutrition, and how to herbally treat diseases, ailments and medical conditions. Beautifully photographed and interesting to read, this book would make a great addition to any cat lover's bookshelf. Visit the link below for more information. Click here for more information on the book http://www.bowtiepress.com/herbspets.asp"}, {"response": 165, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 26, 2000 (21:37)", "body": "HEARTWORMS AREN'T JUST FOR DOGS ANYMORE! Just when you think you've got all your kitty's \"normal\" vaccinations and immunizations up to date and under control, here comes another potential fatal disease to worry about - feline heartworm infection. Dogs and cats are both at risk for this infection. The prevalence of heartworms has steadily increased and now infects cats in all fifty states. Heartworms are parasites that live in the heart and lungs of infected cats. Just one worm can cause permanent damage and even death. In fact sudden death may be the only sign of the presence of the disease. Unfortunately, indoor cats are not safe from this disease. The infection is transmitted by mosquitoes that can get into your house. Of the cats who tested positive for heartworms, 55% lived \"strictly or mostly indoors.\" Here's how it all happens: --A mosquito bites an infected dog, drawing in a small amount of blood containing immature larvae. --This same mosquito then bites a cat, depositing the larvae on the skin. --Within only 6 months, heartworms reach the heart and lungs, causing the disease. Feline heartworm disease can be difficult to detect and diagnose, and there is no approved treatment for the infection in cats. Some signs of the disease include: --Coughing --Vomiting --Breathing difficulty --Sluggishness --Sudden death However, the good news is that the disease is 100% PREVENTABLE and protection is fairly easy. Ask your vet about available preventative programs (such as Heartguard for cats) that can be administered orally once a month and at a reasonable cost. TRAIN YOUR CAT TO SIT? YES, IT CAN BE DONE! \"Here kitty, kitty! Now sit! That's a good girl!\" This is not a sentence I have ever said to my cat, nor (until now) did I even think about saying it. But according to a friend of mine, who knows and reads a lot about cats, you can teach any cat to sit if you really want to. The key to success with this lies in repetition, consistency, and little patience on your part. Of course, to the cat it's all about food. Here's the drill: Put your cat on the table or counter top, with her back facing the wall. Have in your hand the \"bribe,\" a favorite food morsel or cat treat (my kitties love Pounce.) When she gets a good whiff of the treat and shows interest, raise the treat in a line from her nose to just between her ears. Speak her name and then give the command \"sit.\" Hopefully, she will sit - maybe with a little help at first. Then you can reward her with the treat as you praise and pet her, and tell her how smart and wonderful she is. If she isn't interested in the treat, there's no use in pursuing it at the moment. She may not be hungry, or maybe you're raising it up too high, or perhaps the goodie just isn't appealing enough for her. If you persist often and regularly, say for 10 minutes a day, your trainable puss will eventually sit for you whenever she's in the mood for a treat, which may be often if you've got the right goodie. Then you can impress your friends by showing them how your trained cat can sit on command. Now that's a great accomplishment. (I'll let you know how I'm progressing.) Don't stop at \"sit\" - there's \"roll over,\" \"play dead,\" and even \"fetch!\" INCREDIBLE SURVIVING CATS A FREE-FALLING FELINE: In the 1970's a cat named Andy lived with his owners on the sixteenth floor of an apartment building. You guessed it! One day poor Andy fell out of the window and plummeted down all 16 stories - that equals nearly 200 feet! (two thirds of a football field!) Fortunately Andy survived and still holds the world's record for the longest non-fatal feline fall. EGYPT OR BUST! I WILL SURVIVE! Here is a remarkable story that testifies to the fact that cats are extremely self reliant, adaptable, and just plain \"tough.\" One day a female cat was accidentally enclosed inside a shipping crate full of automotive parts in Detroit, Michigan. SIX WEEKS LATER the crate was finally opened up in Egypt. What did they find inside after all that time? The cat was alive, although pathetically weak - but that's not all they found. This hardy puss had given birth to a litter of four healthy kittens! The little family had endured in total darkness without food or water, but miraculously the mama cat was able to feed her babies and keep them and herself alive during the whole ordeal. Truly amazing. ********* CAT SCRAPS: WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE COULD BE A RICH CAT: A few years ago an alley cat named Charlie Chan became the sole beneficiary of an estate worth over $250,000. It included a three bedroom house, a seven acre pet cemetery, and a collection of valuable antiques. The will also stipulated that when Charlie Chan passed on, all the proceeds from the sale of the estate must be donated to several designated humane societies. Many wealthy, possibly eccentric (?) cat lovers have bequeathed millions to their surviving beloved cats. I wonder what the relatives thought about it, if there were any, especially if they were left"}, {"response": 166, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 27, 2000 (17:04)", "body": "PETS ON THE WEB The Feline Diabetes Web site (www.felinediabetes.com) is an obvious labor of love that is also a unique and thorough resource for anyone who's trying to cope with a cat diag- nosed with this disease. The well-organized site is packed with information on the disease in cats, as well as advice to make the daily treatment of the animals easier. As important as anything else on the site is the sense of community and support -- the folks here are a great bunch! Feline Diabetes is one of the best pet health sites I've visited."}, {"response": 167, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, May 30, 2000 (21:57)", "body": "Have you ever thought of having a first aid kit available in case your cat is injured and needs immediate attention? It never really occurred to me until one day (before I started keeping my furry fab four inside) when a dog viciously attacked Tribble, my beautiful tortoiseshell. She is okay now, but it would have been helpful to have had some sort of kit close at hand. I'll share a list of what you'll need to make up a good pet emergency box. How about a little cat poetry today? I've got one about a \"high tech\" cat I know you'll enjoy (and can identify with.) Does your cat like to sharpen her claws on the sides of the box spring of your bed? Or has she clawed her way through that piece of weird gauze-like material that's supposed to cover the very bottom of the box spring? Well, if this is a problem for you, like it was for me, I'll tell you the simple trick I did to put a end to that nonsense! And finally today - you knew all along that the cat is THE most popular pet in America. I have some figures to back up that claim that you will be delighted to share with all your dog-owning friends, I'm sure!"}, {"response": 168, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Jun 19, 2000 (14:51)", "body": "*sniff* We were turned down by the RSPCA for homing a kitten because of our postcode! We are on a bus route, but it only runs every 1/2 hour, and apart from some 'rat run' traffic during the rush hour, the road is paractically deserted most of the time. I am so mad about it, that I couldn't write this on Saturday when we heard. We have a couple of other possibilities to follow up, but even one of the charities is asking \ufffd30 per kitten (and that's without innoculation, spaying and stuff - the RSPCA fee included that). If I am to socialise our kittens before leaving for Africa in October, and H (daughter 2)beginning work in September then I need to find them SOON. Sorry, I'm upset and fed up by the elitist/class attitude we hit because of where we live."}, {"response": 169, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Aug 23, 2000 (04:29)", "body": "WHAT IS YOUR CAT THINKING? Is the constant cleaning obsessive-compulsive? What's with that purr? Are they cool or cold? Take a little trip inside the feline mind to find out. http://animal.discovery.com/ex/ad/newsletter/cat_guide/cat_guide.html"}, {"response": 170, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Nov 15, 2000 (01:49)", "body": "This glorious bit of writing from Neil (who will do his own posting frome henceforth) I've always been tremendously fond of cats--their lithe grace, and cool, confident aloofness. But two of the cats we've had, among many, were an orange, male tabby named Simon, and a Siamese female named Thea who were genuine characters. Simon was a closet beagle, a dog in cat-drag, full of vim and vigor and endlessly mischievous, but he could be as gentle, relaxed, and lazy as an old bloodhound. Thea, on the other hand was a schemer, always trying to figure clever ways of getting more than her share of food. But the best fun we'd ever have with her was when we'd give her catnip. Whereas many cats get a little squirrely on the stuff, Thea got, well..., stoned. She'd sit in the kitchen, flat on her butt, with her back propped up by the corner cupboards she rested against, her tail beneath her, her rear legs sticking out front with her front paws sitting atop her haunches, her head lolling back into the corner, watching imaginary mice on the ceiling, completely blissed-out. We half expected her to say, \"Oh WOW, man!\". Instead of a cat, we had a feline Timothy Leary! It was very comical..."}, {"response": 171, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Wed, Dec 13, 2000 (17:22)", "body": "Our cat, Petey, hasn't been home for days, and last night we had a horrible ice storm. I'm beginning to suspect Petey went off to the woods to die."}, {"response": 172, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Wed, Dec 13, 2000 (18:16)", "body": "Oh that is so sad! Is Petey old...or ill? Why do you suspect he went off to die? SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 15, "subject": "Fish", "response_count": 6, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (18:03)", "body": "Of all the fishies in the sea My favorite is the Bass. He climbs the little seaweed trees And slides down on his... Hands and knees."}, {"response": 2, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (21:07)", "body": "Hands and knees ??????"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (21:12)", "body": "It rhymes with \"seaweed trees\"...."}, {"response": 4, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (07:56)", "body": "ha-ha! Some people would call that female logic!! But we understand you perfectly!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (17:23)", "body": "Just keeping the little rhyme in the G-rated category *wink*"}, {"response": 6, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (12:49)", "body": "right-ho, lass! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 16, "subject": "Arachnids and Other Crawlies", "response_count": 78, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (12:56)", "body": "I hate all those things, except for dungbeetles - they are little geniusses!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (22:27)", "body": "Oooh, and I put lots of links of beetles and other insects on your links topic. Great pictures in there...where all good insects and spiders should be in a perfect world...but without honeybees, we would have no fruit or nuts. They are the pollenators."}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (22:42)", "body": "Hey, dung beetles are those scarab beetles one wears as jewelry...pretty fancy for dung beetles, huh!"}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (00:57)", "body": "doesn't the so-called scarab beetle and the jewelry originate in egypt?"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (01:23)", "body": "Indeed! Since they lay their eggs in the dung balls they roll, it seemed to the Egyptians that they were creating life out of something so lowly as dung. Creation and Reincarnation and all that! They were considered sacred. And, I have a set of the jewelry, too."}, {"response": 6, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (17:50)", "body": "I find those little dungballs so amazing. It is like those little goggos are rolling the very planet with those blunt little ar$es of theirs."}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (23:10)", "body": "Isn't that the truth! We have them on the Kona side of the Island, and nothing gets in their way. They roll them ceaselessly, seemingly. Incredible, considering that the balls are four times the size of the beetles!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Dec  3, 1999 (23:22)", "body": "Does anyone else have a tolerance size for spiders? Little ones - no problemo rather cute really, smallish ones - no problemo, sort of inch (2.5cm) ones - beginning problems, two inch (5cm) ones - yuk yuk and more yuk, big fat hairy ones - you won't see me for dust, large dinner plate flat ones - ditto."}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Dec  3, 1999 (23:35)", "body": "I certainly do. We have little \"hoppy\" spiders which are zebra-striped and are pretty tiny and they are not problem whatsoever. We also have cane spiders which are a variety of Wolf Spider (sorry Wolfie) - and I do not like spiders of a size which I could skin to make a fur coat, nor one on which I could throw a saddle and ride off into the sunset. Spiders are definitely a size-tolerant item - but it never occurred to me before..."}, {"response": 10, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (04:04)", "body": "I'm tolerant of all shapes and sizes (as long as I'm not required to groom the larger ones) except for 2 species -- black widows and brown recluse. I confess a weakness for the jumping spiders myself, but I actually prefer the larger sizes on those in order to clearly see the full set of eyes ... they look like teddy bears! No, I think my \"tolerance\" is more dictated by location than size. If it's in my lap, drink, or bed, I tend to lapse into intolerance pretty quickly!! ;-)"}, {"response": 11, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (04:11)", "body": "Yo Karen! Welcome to the Wild Kingdom...*lol* I had no idea you liked to get eyeball-to-eyeballx8 with Wolf spiders. Yeesh! I am feeling crawly all over right now just thinking about it. One night one of those big'uns fled our capture into the linen closet and none of us was going to sleep until the critter was on the other side of the walls and doors from us. My ex rigged up a big jar taped to the handle of a rag mop (this guy was an entomologist) and started zeroing in on the unwelcome visitor. J st as he pushed enough of the handle out to get the jar into range the mop rags tickled his arm. He lept off the floor and dropped the entire assemblage. I do not recall how we got rid of the spider, but I do remember that!"}, {"response": 12, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (04:13)", "body": "I am a big fan of Teddy Bears. Never did I see a spider I though I wanted to cuddle up with. What? You do not share your food with your Teddies? Cruel and unusual, one would think...*lol*"}, {"response": 13, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (04:16)", "body": "Too bad I cannot import my handly all-purpose spellchecker for posts. That should be \"thought\" not though..."}, {"response": 14, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (04:27)", "body": "(Marcia) I had no idea you liked to get eyeball-to-eyeball x8 with Wolf spiders. Yeesh! I am feeling crawly all over right now just thinking about it. Masters in BioScience. Capture and release Wolf spiders, for sure, but I meant a nice size on the jumping spiders, with their short stubby little legs. Real teddy bears. I love how they stand there, bobbing right, left, up, and down in order to look around (can't roll their eyes very well) and then *pop* -- launch. If you move, they swivel right toward you and tip up and down so you know you are being examined with interest. (I like mantises because they turn their heads to look at you while the rest of them stays absolutely still. Neat!) Most other bugs don't rely on binocular vision as much as those two."}, {"response": 15, "author": "patas", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (04:37)", "body": "Spiders of all kinds (well, maybe not the very tiny ones) have me shaking and crying with panic. I know, they're nature's creatures like any others, but show me things with more than four legs or less than two and I want to run :-("}, {"response": 16, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (04:54)", "body": "Indeed (love the leg count!) My reaction, as well!"}, {"response": 17, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (14:31)", "body": "Memorable encounters part 1: Scene: in bed asleep Action: slap! what was that? yes, you've guesed it a nice juicy spider, fat hairy and ... on the floor with one hairy leg left on my stomach. no electicity. where's the torch ..... Meanwhile 5 legged spider scuttled away fast. I feel bad having maimed a creature and left it to suffer. Also feel very sick! Memorable encounters part 2: Scene 1: colleague working in Zaire boasting about how their spiders were bigger than ours (Gambia) Scene 2: colleague in my bedroom (innocent honest) looking at big(ish) flat spider on wall. No problem, where's the broom? Action: Spider attacks, runs up broom handle, colleague screams and runs! I laugh, and feel much better."}, {"response": 18, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (14:32)", "body": "Do cockraoches count in here? I had one up my nightie once."}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (19:54)", "body": "Yeesh....Great spider stories. Maggie. *lol* Druther read about them than to experience them. Yep, Cockroaches belong here. I had one run up my bare arm once. I washed for about 1/2 hour and still could not disuade the nerve-ending to stop remembering that nasty feeling. BTW, don't waste any of your precious time lamenting spiders lost limbs - they can regenerate them by the next molt! Let's hear the rest of your nightie story...!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (20:23)", "body": "i have troubles with the house spiders (yeah, the black jumping ones with all those eyeballs looking at you). they spot me from across the room and threat jumping. those bug me (*lol* get it?).... now the big wolf spiders don't bother me too much if i see them and they go the other way. perhaps because i know they aren't poisonous. but black widows and recluses scare me. i think the thing that bothers me most is walking into a very sticky spider web anchor. then i don't know where the spider is and swear it's crawling down my backside."}, {"response": 21, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (20:38)", "body": "Oh yeah...those webs which you walk into and deposit a disgruntled spider down your neck or into your hair...Eeeeeeeeek! Hate those!!! Wolf spiders and I keep away from each other unless they are in my house. We have no recluse or black widow spiders here, but we had the latter in West Virginia. My welcome as a new bride was to reel down out of our mailbox beside the front door and rotate so I could see the red hourglass. I put a big sign on the mailbox and left it for the new-husband-entomologist to handle."}, {"response": 22, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (20:39)", "body": "(*lol* Yep, I got it!)"}, {"response": 23, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (21:20)", "body": "(Gi) but show me things with more than four legs or less than two and I want to run :-( I much prefer that reflex to the other common one: GET A STICK!! KILL IT!! KILL IT!! ... often practised when you don't know what you are attacking. The Gambian spider above demonstrates that that particular reflex isn't always wise. (I will leave my related commentary on snakes for another time and Topic). Retreat is always the better part of valour (cheez, I'm getting more British every day! Hee hee!). (Marcia) Yep, Cockroaches belong here. I had one run up my bare arm once. I washed for about 1/2 hour and still could not disuade the nerve-ending to stop remembering that nasty feeling ... I have no compunction about reverting to the unwise reflex cited above when it comes to Roaches, I'm afraid. I am sickened by the stench left by a well-established population, the tickle of their transversing my skin is more revulsion than terror, and the quick scuttle of a dark object when the light is turned on gives rise to a weary sort of annoyance. I salve my conscience whenever I off one of the critters (or even mass murder if I can possibly accomplish it) by remembering that they've been around since before the dinosaurs and will probably still be scuttling after Homo sapiens has blown itself away, so the removal of a trifling portion of the population is not an exercise in arbitrary extinction. No regrets."}, {"response": 24, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (22:41)", "body": "We have large and mildly toxic centipedes over here. My Inconsequential Other is terrified of them, so I take care of their removal. They eat roaches and other nasties, so I never kill them. I capture them in a jar then take them outside and turn them loose. I agree on your accessment of the roach situation. They will inherit the earth just as the sharks and ants and other things we think are annoying and/or a threat will. If we do not have a snake topic, I can make one,but I think Reptiles would suffice. What think you? (We are a bit British - Drool hangover, I think!)"}, {"response": 25, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (22:43)", "body": "Roaches do carry skin diseases to humans and add things to your food which are not good for you. They are NOT a benign species by any means!!!"}, {"response": 26, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (22:56)", "body": "However, that said (and I can barely bring myself to tell you this)...Cockroaches - those huge brown ones - are fed cornmeal for a few days then fried and eaten in the Orient. (Sorry...I shall NOT open a topic for them in the Food Conference!) My favorite spiders are the huge hissing ones which rear back on their hind four legs and hiss at their enemies to scare them away. I think that is unnecessary - at least for me! I'm gone!"}, {"response": 27, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (22:58)", "body": "we have flying palmetto bugs. those things set a shiver up me. thank God for the orkin man!"}, {"response": 28, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:11)", "body": "I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with palmetto bugs (although I'm familiar with palmettos). Of what Order are they? (i.e. True Bugs, Hemiptera? or is \"Bug\" a familiarization?) What are their closest relatives?"}, {"response": 29, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:12)", "body": "Yeah - another one which you can saddle. Don't like'um that big."}, {"response": 30, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:18)", "body": "Ok getting out the books...not there...sending an email to my ex. He will know and I will report back."}, {"response": 31, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:19)", "body": "Oh, I dunno. With my failing eyesight, I appreciate a scale that doesn't require optical enhancement to study. I was always rather fond of June beetles, not only because of their iridescence, but also their size (And the golden brown\"fur\" around the underside.)"}, {"response": 32, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:21)", "body": "I like mantises for the same reason ... on a scale of watchablility."}, {"response": 33, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:22)", "body": "What is a Palmetto Bug? While discussing the creation of our newsletter, our article in VW Trends and then these web pages, it occurred to me (and some of my fellow VW nuts) that we should probably describe what a Palmetto Bug actually is. Odds on, if you live in South Florida, you have already encountered a Palmetto Bug or two. What are they? Simply stated, a Cockroach. But not your ordinary run of the mill cockroach. No, they are nothing like the cute little creepy crawlies you see in Orkin commercials. For one thing, Palmetto Bugs tend to be a bit larger then your average roach. I'm not kidding when I say that I have seen them grow to three inches or more. You may think cockroaches are gross, but the experience is much more vivid when all the gory details are magnified. As if that wasn't enough, Palmetto Bugs can fly! Yes, fly. You have never been creeped out, until you see a three inch roach fly up and land on the table next to you. And it gets worse, Palmetto Bugs aren't afraid of the light. You're just as likely to encounter one during the day as at night. The last little detail to distinguish the Palmetto Bug from your average cockroach is that they are armored. Step on one and you're lucky if you get its attention. You don't even get the pleasure of squishing one. Palmetto Bugs are larger then you would expect, they fly, you see them day and night, and they are very rugged."}, {"response": 34, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:24)", "body": "Love Mantises...have them here and bring them home if I find one which seems lost and put them on my Gardenias. As I suspected, Palmetto bugs are Blattidae...cockroaches!"}, {"response": 35, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:25)", "body": "Oh, and all mature insects can fly...cockroaches and all."}, {"response": 36, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:27)", "body": "The above \"What is a Palmetto Bug\" is from http://www.dudeface.com/pbdefinit.html"}, {"response": 37, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:28)", "body": "Oh, and that makes them Orthoptera - like crickets and grasshoppers."}, {"response": 38, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (00:44)", "body": "Thanks, I appreciate the thorough description and diligent scholarship, all for an idle point of curiosity. I suppose I wouldn't be so languid about all those members of Insecta, Arachnida, Chilopoda, etc. If I lived closer to the tropics ... they come in the giant economy size there on a rather regular basis. But still, things like Rhinoceros -beetles are more intriguing than terrifying. (I've always been amazed that something as chunky as a giant rhinoceros beetle CAN fly.) If, as you say, palmetto bugs are blattids, then I might be as repulsed as you (although I've seen those giant oriental hissing cockroaches and didn't find them repellent, just weird). But something that size flying into my soup would have a distinct negative side to their personalities, and limit their acceptability, I suspect. (actually, such things seen behind glass improve their acceptability tremendously!) ;-D"}, {"response": 39, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (01:01)", "body": "Actually, I find them all fascinating when there is a glass enclosure assuring they and I will not have a close encounter of the third kind. When they happen to get into your home by hiding under the flaps of a cardboard carton where they sleep in the daytime, and emerge at about 7pm (really!), and start flying around the room I find it most disquieting. In fact, I can get pretty noisy about it! Indeed, there is just about nothing which comes in the small sample size in the tropics."}, {"response": 40, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (01:03)", "body": "i like mantises too, butterflies, and ladybugs. oh, katydids, rolly pollies, and some beatles are neat too. we have some that live in the sludge with the crawdads. they're beautiful because of their shiny irredescent shell but they aren't shy one bit and will run right at you! the spiders we find in there aren't very much fun either. in fact, i'm getting shivers just thinking about them. and speaking of spiders, i really like those big yellow and green garden spiders. when i was a teenager, we had one make a web on the woodpile. we took great pains not to disturb her. and what's up with those cockroaches (?) that are huge and are allowed to crawl around on a person's hand? i've seen them on bug specials on discovery. can't remember if they're hairy or what. just dark in color and the shell seems hairy looking."}, {"response": 41, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (01:41)", "body": "(Wolfie)...and some beatles are neat too. Still pinin' for the lads from Liverpool, are ya?! (Couldn't resist! *lol*) We have crayfish (crawdads) in the \"moat\" surrounding my yard...those buggers can nip you if they get too close! You have sluge-dwelling spiders? *shudder* Ah, yes...Argiope, the Golden Garden Spiders. They are here by the jillion. All the ones you can actually see are females. The male is a tiny little thing and very drab. Good fun, those! Oh heavens...never seen hairy cockroaches...Yuck! But, seeing as they have a chitonous exoskelaton, it was most probably an optical illusion."}, {"response": 42, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (16:10)", "body": "Good grief! I go away and sleep for a night - and this topic has spawned!!! OK Marcia - nightie story part 2. Again electricity cut (frequent in Gambia I'm afraid) wake up clutching aforesaid nightie. Realise what I'm clutching is wriggling. Shock, horror. Pitch black. Stumble to bathroom drop clutched wrigger in loo (brit English for toilet pan), shine torch (flashlight) to see what I've caught, feel VERY nauseated. Large 2 inch dark brown cockroach, don't know which variety. Worse thing was the water was off too so I couldn't bathe. Here's two more to try and identify - a sort of fishing cockroach nightmare. Never did see the whole of it, but it (or they?) lived under the shower, and fished with long 2 inch+ things out of the plug hole. We often had guests run screaming out of the shower - a good source of fun! Colour brown, definitely exoskeletal. The body must have been smaller than a 'regular' african cockroach because on occasion it 'fished' out of the shower head too. We wondered if it was some sort of cockroach cum crab, as it seemed to scuttle sideways. - a blister beetle. Large (2 1/2 inch) olive green coloured flying beetle which buries it's head in skin on landing and secretes a blistering fluid. VERY nasty. One which I dug out of an African friend left a 2 inch scar which took weeks and weeks to heal."}, {"response": 43, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (18:16)", "body": "euwwww!!"}, {"response": 44, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Dec  6, 1999 (00:02)", "body": "Oh heavens...How ghastly! See why they call the tropics \"Paradise\"? It is only done so by those not living here *grin* I am familiar with the blister beetle...will post information on it...but yours were much larger than ours on the US mainland (none out here that I know of) I'll check on that fishing nightmare...have no idea what it could be but I do have my sources...! When insects are in their immature and smaller instars they can get into the most incredible places...perhaps that is how they got into your shower head? Have you seen an entire one of these things? *S H U D D E R* BTW, South African Cockroaches are the biggest there are - a guy had a colony of them at Penn State while I was there and you could smell them before you could see them. I avoided looking or breathing in their direction whenever possible."}, {"response": 45, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Dec  6, 1999 (00:09)", "body": "from: http://www.funkandwagnalls.com/encyclopedia/low/articles/b/b003001710f.html BLISTER BEETLE, common name for any beetle of the family Meloidae, so called because the dried bodies of certain species can raise blisters on human skin. The insects of this family pass through a complex metamorphosis, some having as many as nine distinct stages from egg to adult. The larvae are parasitic on other insects, some living in nests of wild bees and others on locust or grasshopper eggs. The adults are mostly black, gray, or striped with yellow and are pests in flower and vegetable gardens. The chief genera of the family are Meloe, the oil beetles; Lytta, the Spanish flies; and Epicauta, which includes potato and tomato beetles."}, {"response": 46, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Dec  6, 1999 (00:15)", "body": "from: http://cbs.infoplease.com BLISTER BEETLE common name for certain soft-bodied, usually black or brown, mostly elongate and cylindrical beetles belonging to the family Meloidae. Blister beetles are common insects found feeding on the flowers and foliage of various plants. Occasionally some, e.g., potato beetles, become serious defoliating pests of potatoes, tomatoes, beets, asters, and other crops and flowers. The larvae are predacious or parasitic, feeding on the eggs of grasshoppers and of bees. Blister beetles undergo hypermetamorphosis, a complex life cycle with several different larval forms. The first of the six larval stages, called a triungulin, is a minute, active, and long-legged form that seeks out the host's nest; the following stages are grublike. Adults emerge in midsummer. One group of blister beetles has body fluids that contain cantharadin, a substance that can cause the skin to blister, from which the family gets its name. The Spanish fly (Lytta vesicatoria), a bright green or bluish blister beetle, is a common S European species from which cantharides are extracted and commercially prepared by crushing the wing covers (elytra) of the adults. This quite poisonous chemical is used medicinally as a skin irritant (in plasters), a diuretic, and an aphrodisiac. The lethal dosage for man is about .03 grams. Another group of meloid beetles has no cantharadin and is sometimes called the oil beetles because of the oily substance they secrete as protection against predators. Blister and oil beetles may be brushed into pans of kerosene or killed with systemic poisons or contact insecticides. Blister beetles are classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Coleoptera, family Meloidae."}, {"response": 47, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Dec  6, 1999 (00:19)", "body": "And, on our favourite, Blattids(That's how I learned to spell it!), from the same source, COCKROACH name applied to approximately 3,500 species of flat-bodied, oval insects forming the suborder Blattaria of the order Orthoptera. Cockroaches have long antennae, long legs adapted to running, and a flat extension of the upper body wall that conceals the head. They range from 1/4 in. to 3 in. (.6\ufffd7.6 cm) in length. Some cockroaches have two pairs of well-developed wings, the front pair covering the hind pair when at rest; others have reduced wings or none at all. In some species only the wings of the female are reduced or absent. Many species are able to fly well, although the familiar household species do not fly. Most cockroaches are shiny brown or black, but bright yellows, reds, and greens occur in some tropical species. Cockroaches are night-active insects and most live in damp places; most are omnivorous scavengers. They are worldwide in distribution but are most numerous in the tropics. Most species live in the wild in their native regions, e.g., the wood cockroaches, species of the genus Parcoblatta, found under forest litter in the NE United States. A few tropical and subtropical species that have been introduced into the temperate zone have become residents in human homes, where they multiply rapidly and are serious pests. They invade food supplies and emit foul-smelling glandular secretions. Their shape enables them to use tiny cracks as hiding places. They are popularly believed to be carriers of human diseases, although this has not been proved. The large, dark Oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis, is a cosmopolitan household species. The smaller German cockroach, or Croton bug, Blattella germanica, native to Europe, is the common urban cockroach of the NE United States. The American cockroach, Periplanata americana, is a large light-reddish species that invades houses in the S United States. Cockroaches reproduce sexually. Their eggs are encased in capsules called oothecae, which in some species remain attached to the abdomen of the female until the eggs hatch. In a few species the ootheca is retained within the body of the female and the young are born live. Young resemble the adults except in size. The group as a whole is extremely old; fossil evidence indicates its extreme abundance during the Carboniferous period, about 350 million years ago. These ancient cockroaches were able to fly and were probably the first flying animals. Cockroaches are classified in five families of the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Orthoptera, suborder Blattaria."}, {"response": 48, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Dec  6, 1999 (00:21)", "body": "BTW, anytime I get something I do not want crawling back out of the ceramic flushable receptacle in the tiled room, I squirt it with detergent to break the surface tension. They sink and drown."}, {"response": 49, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec 12, 1999 (23:17)", "body": "Earlier on in this topic Ree and I were applauding the ingenuity of the dung beetle (scarab). I just discovered in one of my archaeology magazines that Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, had one engraved on his seal-stone (bulla)...rolling a dung ball! As King of the Israelite kingdon of Judah, that is pretty high praise, indeed!"}, {"response": 50, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec 12, 1999 (23:19)", "body": "Oh, yes...that beetle rolling that ball of dung represented the movement of the rising sun and symbolizes the deity bringing salvation. Ahaz ruled from 727BC to 698 BC... (according to the article)"}, {"response": 51, "author": "patas", "date": "Tue, Dec 14, 1999 (17:02)", "body": "\"Funny\" how this topic thrives while others about wonderful creatures like dogs are dormant... to say the least..."}, {"response": 52, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Dec 14, 1999 (17:59)", "body": "I think dogs is derelict because they are fur-people and are taken to all the conferences with any well-trained child of the Master. They just sleep in the dog conf as they might a kennel, perhaps! I have wondered about that, as well!"}, {"response": 53, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Dec 14, 1999 (18:03)", "body": "Actually, I think topics wax and wane depending on the inspiration and availability of the contributers. It seems all topics have this problem whether it be precious stones or collecting Barbie dolls or even things Arthurian."}, {"response": 54, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Dec 22, 1999 (23:55)", "body": "True, but this one does have the attraction of horror movies - you hate to watch them, but can't resist peeping!"}, {"response": 55, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 23, 1999 (00:29)", "body": "Peeping through your fingers? I know...and I hate myself for seeing what I didn't want to see in the first place. Why is that?!"}, {"response": 56, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 23, 1999 (00:36)", "body": "And, like peeping through your fingers, remembering a particularly nasty episode (like the cockroach running up my arm) makes it fresh and creepy all over again."}, {"response": 57, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Dec 23, 1999 (02:55)", "body": "indeed! there must be a little morbid curiosity in each of us. but if we didn't peak, how would we ever know if the yucky part was over?"}, {"response": 58, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 23, 1999 (04:16)", "body": "I went to my first Phantom of the Opera movie with my \"best\" friend. I hid my eyes when she tore the mask off and trusted my friend to tell me when it was safe to look. She said, NOW! I looked and it was a full screen tight shot of the deformed face...I was so angry! And, I can still see it. Yeesh!"}, {"response": 59, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Dec 23, 1999 (19:37)", "body": "my point exactly!"}, {"response": 60, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (20:22)", "body": "We sort of dried up didn't we? Never mind, I'm just thinking of all the creepy crawly tales I can tell when I get back from Mali next time. At the moiment my life is surprisingly un-creepy crawly filled and I'd really rather it stayed that way."}, {"response": 61, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (20:51)", "body": "Mine is, as well. I am not complaining, just making the observation. Looking forward to your heart-stopping hair-raising tales which make us shudder for you."}, {"response": 62, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Apr 12, 2000 (17:00)", "body": "Since biblical times, locusts have never enjoyed a good press. Think plague, swarm and crop devastation. But all that may be about to change: the humble winged insects possess a unique talent which may help cars and planes dodge approaching objects. Despite rheumy eyesight and unexceptional intelligence, they are a whiz at avoiding oncoming hazards. The key to locust lightening reactions is a large neuron, called the lobula giant movement detector positioned behind each of their compound eyes, which partly controls their sudden leaps and steering in flight. A neurobiologist at Newcastle University shows dog fight sequences from Star Wars to locust to study how the neuron functions and to mimic its reactions. With Swiss scientists a three wheeled robot with the insects vision system has been constructed. They found it avoided fast moving objects 91% of the time."}, {"response": 63, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Apr 15, 2000 (04:20)", "body": "I guess that is reassuring... We are having termite swarming so its lights out in the early evening or you invite in the ones roaming around for new munchies. Ah, Paradise!"}, {"response": 64, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Apr 15, 2000 (10:45)", "body": "do your termites build huge mounds like the African ones?"}, {"response": 65, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Apr 16, 2000 (05:50)", "body": "Nope. Ours are subterranean. It is Bizarre. At night they shed their wings and are all over the counters so I spray them with alcohol. By morning, the carnivorous ants have gleaned every last body off the counters and down the drains and even root the stuff out of the toaster I left out by mistake last night....but leave all of the wings behind. Wild kingdom right in my kitchen. The house was to be fumigated for termited three years ago when I was on the mainland but guess who spent the money on the greatest idiocy and it was MY money. I am furious. I would like to poison him...arrrrrrrrgh! I'll trade him for someone else's husband who might be underappreciated where he is....!!!"}, {"response": 66, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Apr 16, 2000 (15:10)", "body": "what did he spend your money on?"}, {"response": 67, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Apr 16, 2000 (16:59)", "body": "I am almost too humiliated to tell you. More walls, a concrete fountain complete with concrete squirrels (no squirrels in Hawaii) built in to one by the front door; fiberglass fake-lava-rock facing for the bottom half of the front of the house and a matching chimney (also fake) which is far too big for the roof and is so out of place it angers me every time I see it. He knows better than to bring up the subject because fire shoots out of my eyes when we \"discuss\" the subject. Worst of all, that facing holds moisture and makes the redwood siding rot faster and protects the termites giving them new entry to the house."}, {"response": 68, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Apr 16, 2000 (19:42)", "body": "oops!"}, {"response": 69, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Apr 16, 2000 (20:45)", "body": "! P O W ! is more what I feel, but I have never struck a male until he bragged about hacking into....well, you know that story, too. I'd say more, but I cannot here...!"}, {"response": 70, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Apr 16, 2000 (22:23)", "body": "got it!"}, {"response": 71, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (19:34)", "body": "Urban Legend -- Earwigs Eat Your Brains! There is an old myth that states that earwigs--small, roach-like insects with a forceps-like appendage on their rear--will occasionally crawl into the ear (hence the name) of an unsuspecting person, burrow into their skull, and munch on their brain. This is not true. Earwigs are small herbivorous insects feeding on dead plant material. Although they look odd, they are quite harmless."}, {"response": 72, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (22:48)", "body": "*whew*"}, {"response": 73, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 15, 2000 (17:28)", "body": "We have them all over the place - the love the bathroom fixtures as well as the kitchen sink area. More annoying than anything else! *Whew* Indeed *lol*"}, {"response": 74, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, May 16, 2000 (22:34)", "body": "I remember having breakfast during earwig season in Gambia and having them them fall out of the ceiling into my bowl. Yuk! Yuk! Yuk! why is that when they feed on dead plant material they like coming in houses?? No, maybe i don't want the answer - looking at my house!"}, {"response": 75, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 17, 2000 (01:45)", "body": "They are hunting for more wet than there is available outside - usually during a time when it has not rained for a while and is not filling the petiole reservoirs. They like your sinks and sponges for that reason. In your bowl? Yuck!!"}, {"response": 76, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 19, 2000 (20:10)", "body": "Tarantula Hair Most New World tarantulas have a rather unique defense mechanism that they use against perceived attackers. They have small, barbed \"urticating\" hairs on their abdomens. When the spider scrapes its leg over the hairs, they are rubbed off the surface and released, where they can be very irritating and painful to skin and eyes. Interestingly, the hairs have little or no effect on some predators, such as reptiles and frogs."}, {"response": 77, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, May 27, 2000 (11:07)", "body": "Hey! I just found this site dedicated to the Ants of West Africa. someone's put in a LOT of work on this. check it out. http://ibis.life.nottingham.ac.uk/~plzbt/wafants/antcover.htm"}, {"response": 78, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 27, 2000 (17:42)", "body": "Woman Dies After Being Bitten by Ants SARASOTA, Fla. (Reuters) - An 87-year-old woman died in a Florida nursing home after being bitten 1,625 times by stinging fire ants, state health officials said on Thursday. The Sarasota County Medical Examiner's office said on Thursday the woman died in her bed last Friday in North Port, near Sarasota and health officials were still investigating the exact cause of death. A North Port police spokesman said the woman was severely bitten by the ants, which were believed to have entered her room from the outside through the baseboard of the building. Reaction to fire ant stings is similar to that of the stings of bees, wasps and hornets with some hypersensitive people suffering a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction. Fire ant infestation is a serious problem in the Southern United States from Florida to West Texas, where they have spread rapidly since coming into the country on ships from South America. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 17, "subject": "Reptiles", "response_count": 14, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (07:58)", "body": "snakes snakes snakes!!! Love them! My favourite is the mamba, that long, streamlined, shiny black death pipe!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (08:24)", "body": "with apologies to Oscar Hammerstein: Cobras and vipers and nasty puff adders Lizards that blow their face up with air bladders beaufiful coral snakes with colored rings These are a few of my scariest things Venomous rattlesnakes ground up for chili When beef's available, this seems so silly There's the black mamba that kills when it stings These are a few of my scariest things When the snake bites Neurotoxins Spin around my head If there's an antidote Give me it, please! And then I won't feel So dead!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (08:32)", "body": "Should have composed and edited it elsewhere. Here's a better version. Again sorry Oscar H. (Copyright 1999, John Burnett) Hissing pit vipers and nasty puff adders Cobras that blow their face up like air bladders beautiful coral snakes with colored rings These are a few of my scariest things Venomous rattlesnakes ground up for chili When beef's available, this seems so silly There's the black mamba that kills when it stings These are a few of my scariest things When the snake bites Neurotoxins Spin around my head If there's an antidote Give me it, please! And then I won't feel So dead!"}, {"response": 4, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (03:48)", "body": "Written by city boys, of course!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (07:18)", "body": "I wrote these lyrics all by myself, and I came from a town of less than 2000 people. I dealt with snakes until I left the mainland, but after having been bitten by the water moccasin, I've always been afraid of the poisonous ones."}, {"response": 6, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (14:40)", "body": "Okay, okay, you got me! But you get paid like MILLIONS of dollars probably to come up with wise cracks; whereas I - nothing. That's why every second one is a groaner!"}, {"response": 7, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (14:53)", "body": "If I get paid millions, I'm being swindled by my agent! ;=) I wonder who Steve the Crocodile Hunter's agent is..."}, {"response": 8, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (04:11)", "body": "why?"}, {"response": 9, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (04:09)", "body": "John, love the poem and agree wholeheartedly!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (09:25)", "body": "Thanks, Gi. Ree, so I can get my million$!!! ;)"}, {"response": 11, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (12:52)", "body": "ha-ha! Yeah! And if you were a television host, you'd also have MILLIONS of people wanting to come and live in your house, and drink your water from those ugly little news mugs! Some people just have it all!"}, {"response": 12, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (18:14)", "body": "Yup! That's our John...*grin* (great poem, btw)"}, {"response": 13, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (23:09)", "body": "Two snakes were crawling along when one snake asked the other, \"Are we poisonous snakes?\" The other replied, \"You're darn right we're poisonous! We're rattlesnakes. Why do you ask?\" To which the first replied, \"Because I just bit my tongue.\""}, {"response": 14, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May  3, 2000 (22:30)", "body": "Deadly Viper Finds There's No Place Like Home TORONTO (Reuters) - Residents in a west-end Toronto neighborhood were breathing easier on Tuesday after police and Toronto Zoo staff tracked down an escaped deadly viper that turned out to be a homebody. The saw-scaled viper whose venom can kill a human -- was reported missing from a tank in its owner's apartment on Monday morning. Police evacuated the apartment building and issued warnings to neighboring businesses and residents. But despite the viper's reputation for being aggressive, the 45-centimeter (18-inch) snake stayed put, finding a warm corner in the apartment more inviting than the cool spring air outside. It was tracked down late on Monday afternoon, just one meter (3 feet) from its tank, nestled under a radiator. A 19-year-old man who owns 20 venomous snakes -- will be charged under a city by-law that prohibits the ownership of exotic pets. The fine is around $250 per animal, police said. ``You're not allowed to keep an animal like this in a regular residence,'' explained police Sergeant Niels Sondergaard. ``The antivenin was not (immediately) available so it posed an extreme risk to the public.'' Some antivenin, costing about C$10,000 ($6,730), was located in a New York hospital and flown to Toronto on Monday as a safety precaution. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 18, "subject": "AviCulture", "response_count": 158, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:24)", "body": "got a quaker parrot. click the link to see him: Bert the Moody Quaker Parrot"}, {"response": 2, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (08:00)", "body": "He really IS cute! A parrot called 'Bert' - really!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "Elena", "date": "Wed, Oct 13, 1999 (12:54)", "body": "I have recently found out that one of my parrots is actually blind. This is surprising because she acts quite normally in her cage. She obviously has lost her sight at some point but she knows her cage so well that blindness is not a big problem! She is an Agapornis Roseicollis and about 20 years old. My husband takes care of the birds mostly and has often said to me that Hedelm\u00e4 is possibly blind but I never believed it. Now I\ufffdve done some tests like putting my hand silently into her cage and moving my finger carefully across her face, and she really does not react AT ALL. But she eats a lot and takes care of her feathers ok so maybe losing one\ufffds sight is not such a big deal for a bird in captivity."}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Oct 13, 1999 (18:33)", "body": "as long as you don't frighten her and she flutters off. have you had her checked by a vet?"}, {"response": 5, "author": "Elena", "date": "Thu, Oct 14, 1999 (13:09)", "body": "Haven\ufffdt yet showed her to a vet because everything seems to be fine. I\ufffdm checking her regularly myself to make sure that she\ufffds not losing weight etc......the only change in her life is that she doesn\ufffdt come out of the cage anymore. They have their own room where they can fly freely and peel tree branches (their favourite activity) but she has lost her interest in flying, understandably. D \ufffdyou keep Bert alone without other birds, Wolf? I guess he needs a lot of your company then to stay happy. The Agapornis can learn to talk too but only if they don\ufffdt have a mate of their own species around. I\ufffdve never been interested in taming them or teaching them tricks so they still seem to think that I\ufffdm a potentially dangerous beast of some kind!"}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Oct 14, 1999 (17:55)", "body": "bert is a loner bird. but he does have the dogs around and his cage is near a window with a bird feeder outside. he has quite the view and actually does enjoy it. in fact, he cranes to see me as i fill the feeder. since my dining room (where he is) and my living room are open to each other, bert is with us all the time when we're home. plus, as soon as i come home, i open the door to his cage so he can play inside and out. because of ceiling fans, his wings are clipped and the dogs know not to mess with him. in fact, i've forgotten to close his door when i've left and have come home to find bert sitting in a chair and the dogs minding their own business! if i were to get another bird, it would have it's own cage, otherwise, the two would bond to each other and hate me!"}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 14, 1999 (18:16)", "body": "Does that really happen? Birds gang up on their owner?!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Oct 14, 1999 (21:05)", "body": "yup. they're full of personality. bert is 12 inches long from beak to tail tip and the way he acts, you'd think he was all beak!! at least, he thinks so. and it works because as gentle as he can be with that thing, he can be extremely aggressive coming right at you with it. he's drawn blood on me already. and it hurts like heck too! the kids are afraid of him and the dogs just lay back their ears with a worried look on their faces. they run the other direction!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 14, 1999 (21:25)", "body": "(knowing she would approve) A Verse for the Birds The Canary The song of canaries Never varies, And when they're moulting They're pretty revolting. Ogden Nash"}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 14, 1999 (21:27)", "body": "Is Bert's other name Alfred Hitchcock?! That is pretty amazing!"}, {"response": 11, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 14, 1999 (21:33)", "body": "The Sea-Gull Hark to the whimper of the sea-gull; He weeps because he's not an ea-gull. Suppose you were, you silly sea-gull. Could you explain it to your she-gull? Ogden Nash"}, {"response": 12, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Oct 14, 1999 (21:40)", "body": "i knew you'd post it!! *haha* thanks, marcia *hugs* bert is really a sweet guy. when he goes through his hormones, he's just awful and snobbish. the AM tells him \"Bert's a Jerk\" playfully. but bert still says \"i love you\" every morning when i leave for work. he is going through a summer molt right now which probably doesn't help his hormones any. his poor head is full of pin feathers and when i can coerce him to get off the cage, i'll remove the keratin myself (preening for him). he loves this of course and it makes him feel much much better! oh, and he's completely off the seed diet. i've gotten him to take pellets quite happily now (he was a seed junky-makes them fat). have to fill his bowl more often but as long as he's healthy, i don't care! oh, he loves to play with empty toilet paper rolls. he sticks his head inside and runs around the bottom of his cage with this cardboard roll on his head. it's a riot!!"}, {"response": 13, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 14, 1999 (21:46)", "body": "*lol* Poor Bert having a bad feather month! The Canary was posted to let him know that all birds have bad feather days...and weeks...! He sounds hilarious! I had no idea they had such evident personalities!!! Keep 'um happy if they tell you they love you, I say!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Oct 14, 1999 (21:50)", "body": "and boy do they know when to say it too!!"}, {"response": 15, "author": "Elena", "date": "Fri, Oct 15, 1999 (12:05)", "body": "Yep, if you keep more birds than one they\ufffdll never forget the difference between humans and birds and they won\ufffdt be easily tamed.....but I like it that way, I feel that animals need the company of their own species primarily. Btw, I had to separate my birds because of Hedelm\u00e4s blindness. Her friend began to show some signs of hostility towards her. You know, animals don\ufffdt easily tolerate disability in each other and they also try to take advantage of it. Hedelm\u00e4 has a box in the cage where she sleeps (they are hole nesters) and her friend who is much younger tried to conquer her house. There was a fight and I decided to separate them for good. They see each other all the time of course and talk to each other but I wo \ufffdt let the younger one bully Hedelm\u00e4 anymore."}, {"response": 16, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct 15, 1999 (14:02)", "body": "..*sigh* I think Bert needs to be added to your Babes list, Wolfie *grin* He sounds too good to be real...how wonderful it must be to have a critter like him around for morale! Elena, nature dictates survival of the fittest in nature...but we do not have to condone and tolerate that in our homes. We put these wild things in an artificial setting. Good for you for protecting your little blind one!"}, {"response": 17, "author": "Elena", "date": "Fri, Oct 15, 1999 (14:21)", "body": "Artificial setting, that\ufffds it.....actually I\ufffdve always felt a bit guilty for keeping birds because it\ufffds no bird life what they lead. For instance, the reason why they ended up fighting is not only because of blindness but because of the fact that they\ufffdre both female, unfortunately! I naturally meant to buy a male and a female but since the sexes look exactly the same, they can\ufffdt tell the sexes from each other in pet shops (you need an expert to see the difference in their genitals). But the girls have been doing very well together for years which is typical of the Agapornis of course, so I never went back to the shop to complain. Still I believe that a male bird wouldn\ufffdt attack his mate if she turned blind."}, {"response": 18, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct 15, 1999 (15:19)", "body": "Oh heavens!!! Two females in close proximity with no place to go to be alone?! I had two sisters with whom I had to share bedrooms at one time or another - I would not wish that on any living thing! My ex, who taught anatomy and physiology, told me the only REAL way to sex a bird is to disect it...and then it is too late! Fortunately, the birds can tell much more easily *grin*"}, {"response": 19, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct 15, 1999 (16:35)", "body": "they do dna sexing now. so just a wee blood sample will give them enough info (you know, xx or xy)... actually, birds bred in captivity don't know anything else. they cannot forage for food or protect themselves. yes, there are feral quakers loose in this country but they were wild caught, not domestically bred. bert's afraid to go outside. he cowers on my arm or neck. one time he scared himself so bad he fluttered off into the grass to get away from what scared him (which was outside!). he enjoys rides in the car (in his pet carrier) and i've yet to take him back to the petshop for free nail/wing trims. he was very good for them but is impatient with me. he knows when i bring the towel i'm either gonna force him out of his cage or clip his nails! he enjoys spray bottle baths and my setting a bowl out for him. he probably would take a shower with me but i have no reason to get him up at o-dark-thirty when i'm getting ready for work! bert's crazy about chips, french fries, potato (the meat, no skin), cantalope, grapes, chicken, eggs, steak, green beans, rice, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, and ice cream (though he doesn't get that anymore since he can't process it anyway). the next bird i would love is either a male eclectus or african gray. the AM almost got me one at a bird show but i said no, as there's no place to put one. the babies were going for $800 and then i'd still need a cage!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct 15, 1999 (20:03)", "body": "My ex did his stuff a l o n g time ago...of course, DNA testing would be simple and non-invasive and incontrovertable. Bert likes the good stuff, no bark, rind or shell, apparently. Interesting that he eats chicken...and I am sure your family appreciates your not getting him up at o-dark-thirty to shower with you! Fascinating stuff! We have mynah birds - that is as much sass as I plan to take from anything on two feet with feathers!"}, {"response": 21, "author": "Elena", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (03:02)", "body": "What d\ufffdyou mean Marcia, do you keep mynahs at home or do you mean the ones in your yard? I think mynahs are wonderful, very intelligent and they move beautifully. Last winter I was in Malaysia and there were mynahs everywhere, even in the hotel restaurant, sitting and singing on the chandeliers hanging high up from the ceiling. And they were obviously clever enough not to shit on people or try to steal any food from tables (only picking crumbs under them.) Wolf, Bert must have a very sound digestion to be able to eat all that stuff! My birds get only water, vegetables and various sorts of seeds, hemp especiallly. And I suppose they get a lot of tree fibres too because of continuously peeling and dissecting branches to bits."}, {"response": 22, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (09:19)", "body": "elena, bert's a very hardy bird. all the info i've read encourages table foods to ensure a complete diet. i keep frozen vegees on hand as well. but don't overindulge in the fried foods because these guys will get fat like the rest of us! last night, i coerced him off his cage (with a hand towel) and was able to take a good look at his feathers. he's got so many new feathers that i can't imagine he's comfortable. i wrapped him up in the towel so his head was sticking out and commenced to preening the loose keratin from his new feathers. he loved it!"}, {"response": 23, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (13:19)", "body": "Elena, we have stupid wild mynah birds all over the place...outdoors. They are not the species which can talk, but they are a noisy and gregarious bunch. Ever the opportunists, they will steal anything not tied down including jewelry and other shiny things which they love. Christmas tinsel is a big hit with them! I can just see you, Wolfie, cradling bert in his towel in your rocking chair and preening him. No wonder he liked it...sounds wonderful!"}, {"response": 24, "author": "Elena", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (13:54)", "body": "Marcia, sounds like your mynahs are far from stupid! I have this thing for the crow type of birds, I love crows because of their great wit and playfulness. I almost think that they have some birdie sort of humour. A crow used to belong to our family in the eighties when my mother found a wounded baby, obviously fallen down from a nest. We called her Laura and took care of her for a long time before I found a zoo for wild animals that took her in in spite of the fact that she practically couldn\ufffdt fly. I still remember her big black warm feet on my shoulder and that huge appetite. I stuffed food into her open red and screaming mouth practically all the time. We had our tender moments when I gently blowed warm air into her feathers. She obviously thought that I was her mother until she became adolescent."}, {"response": 25, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (14:09)", "body": "How lovely it is to have birds imprint on you. One Mother's Day we visited a friend who kept a few large yard Geese to eat the weeds and keep out the unwanted visitor. I went down to see the babies, and they all ran out when I called to them. They nibbled my fingers as I talked to them. When I went to go into the house with the humans they all followed me peeping loudly. Then they nestled at the bottom of the stairs which was as close to me as they could get. Meanwhile the Alpha Female was giving me very stormy looks. It turned out I was the first person they had seen - first anything, for that matter - they had just hatched!!! They peeped a forlorn farewell when we drove away...I was honored and felt terrible that I had not been warned. However a student renting a room in the house quickly and happily took my place in their little hearts! That was a REAL Mother's Day experience!"}, {"response": 26, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (14:11)", "body": "Our mynah birds are sassy and far too smart. They will never fly from the road kill on which they are feeding - they stroll away as though they though cars were beneath their contempt. Very funny, indeed, and w a y too clever by half!"}, {"response": 27, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (15:55)", "body": "yes, that's what the ravens do here. they just look up, walk a few paces, then back to the carcass they go! marcia, i sit on the recliner which is a close to a rocker i can get!"}, {"response": 28, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (16:26)", "body": "Sounds lovely, wolfie! Now, I'm gonna go see where and how you put up your buttons I am totally clueless about that though I can see how they were sone. Any suggestions?!"}, {"response": 29, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (06:31)", "body": "This is amazing stuff. I never knew birds could be so full of personality and so full of $hit. I swear I might get one!"}, {"response": 30, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct 22, 1999 (00:55)", "body": "Sent to me from Australia (and this David is not my son...) David received a parrot for his birthday. The parrot was fully-grown with a bad attitude and worse vocabulary. Every other word was an expletive. Those that weren't expletives were, to say the least, very rude. David tried hard to change the bird's attitude and was constantly saying polite words, playing soft music, anything he could think of to try and set a good example. Nothing worked. He yelled at the bird and the bird yelled back. He shook the bird and the bird just got more angry and became even more rude. Finally, in a moment of desperation, David put the parrot in the freezer. For a few moments he heard the bird squawk and kick and scream. Then suddenly, there was quiet - not a sound for half a minute. David was frightened that he might have hurt the bird and quickly opened the freezer door. The parrot calmly stepped out onto David's extended arm and said: \"I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I will endeavor at once to correct my behaviour. I really am truly sorry and beg your forgiveness.\" David was astonished at the bird's change in attitude and was about to ask what had made such a dramatic change when the parrot continued: \"May I ask what the chicken did?\""}, {"response": 31, "author": "riette", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (13:22)", "body": "ROTFLMAO!!!!"}, {"response": 32, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (14:58)", "body": "...me too...think Wolfie will be upset that we added a little humor to her conference (in which we are also co-hosts)?!"}, {"response": 33, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (16:12)", "body": "not in the least! i've read that one before and loved it!"}, {"response": 34, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (16:32)", "body": "Happy me...! Thought it might have missed a few so put it here since we had been talking about parrots and their kin."}, {"response": 35, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (13:40)", "body": "Here's a sad story reported by the BBC. Residents of a town in the Czech republic were taken aback when it started raining geese on Saturday. A flight of geese was struck by a freak lightning storm and the electrical discharge paralysed their wing muscles. the birds were unable to remain airborne and dozens of them crashed to the ground in the town of Havirov. A vet who examined the birds said they died of their injuries after hitting the ground, not from the lightning storm."}, {"response": 36, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (14:45)", "body": "Sad, but for the hungry village, an Act of God?! They have had precious little fit to eat since the fighting began! I think more than likely this belongs in ParaSpring!"}, {"response": 37, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (14:52)", "body": "Well, actually i wondered about geo ......"}, {"response": 38, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (15:03)", "body": "can you say manna from heaven? amazing!"}, {"response": 39, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (15:05)", "body": "Ah but just imagine if one hit you, talk about splat! worse that what they usually send down."}, {"response": 40, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (15:23)", "body": "They mostly migrate at night...probably did not hit anyone or the Beeb would have said as much. Yeah...I know all about the usual kind of flying splat! Btw, did you know \"manna\" translates \"what's that?!\" or \"whatchamacallit\" in modern terms. The Hebrew \"children\" had no idea what all that stuff was on the ground - so they called it the equivalent of Hawaiian \"da kine\""}, {"response": 41, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (15:27)", "body": "and i thought it meant bread!! that's interesting!!"}, {"response": 42, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (19:23)", "body": "I think we all did since in Sunday School they tried to tell us curious little kids what it was like. I can only remember being told it was bread and wondered how they stayed alive for 40 years on bread. But, as a good little girl, whose mind was far too active but was well behaved, I never asked. Now you know! Dontcha wish we had some to analyze and know what all was in there?!"}, {"response": 43, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (21:27)", "body": "hmmmmm....."}, {"response": 44, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (21:50)", "body": "*grin*"}, {"response": 45, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (09:26)", "body": "we put up a martin box the past weekend and already, househunters and checking the place out. just a little while ago, a starling was going through all the \"rooms\", a sparrow is trying to rent out a first floor flat, and the martins were acting like the landlords! there were two starlings and two martins sitting on top chattering away!! the other two birdhouses (one by the front door and one by my bedroom) have occupants who wait patiently when we go out to garden. it's a predatory response but those little cuties know we know they're living there!"}, {"response": 46, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (09:29)", "body": "the male sparrow making house beside my bedroom just had two female visitors! wonder which one was the mother-in-law? *grin*"}, {"response": 47, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (09:50)", "body": "there have already been reports of first sightings of hummers so get your feeders out. please don't buy the nectar in the store, first, it's too expensive, second, hummers can die from the red dye (or food coloring) used in the nectar. i've been feeding hummers for a couple of years and only last year did i learn about the red dye. don't want to think about how many hummers i killed accidently. so make it at home....here's a recipe i use: 1 gallon of nectar = 8 cups water, 2 cups sugar (remember, 4 parts water to 1 part sugar) bring the water to a boil and then add sugar. let it boil for 2 or 3 minutes but no longer (this is to purify the nectar). don't use honey instead of sugar and don't overdo the sugar, weaker is better. let it cool and place in your feeder. i keep a gallon jug in the fridge clearly marked hummer food so the kids don't mistake it for koolade or something. remember to clean out your feeders every 2 or 3 days (due to bacteria buildup)... the above recipe came from the following site: http://www.orchidlady.com/personal/humming.html remember, those hummers will come in droves then slack off, they haven't left, but are nesting and will be back. you can keep your feeders up through october in the southern states. another great site i found for hummers is: http://www.hummingbirds.net enjoy!"}, {"response": 48, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (09:54)", "body": "from the migration maps on hummingbirds.net, i have just learned that hummers were spotted around monroe, louisiana which means, i need to get my feeders up today! (since the report date was march 5!!) hawaii isn't on their maps (but alaska is, curious). marcia, do you have hummers all year?"}, {"response": 49, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (10:01)", "body": "[Good Morning, Wolf!]"}, {"response": 50, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (10:04)", "body": "hi alex!!"}, {"response": 51, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (12:48)", "body": "Wolfie, Hummers would be a disaster in Hawaii. They like to sip nectar from the tiny purple trumpet flowers which bloom on pineapples. In the act of doing so, they pollenate the flowers which then produce large hard seeds. Can you imagine a pineapple riddled with large hard black seeds?! No, there are none here! I sent your recipe to my son who has hummers all of the time and Critter warbles at them as he watches them play in the air outside the Window. If you don't believe it, I have a sound file of him doing it!"}, {"response": 52, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (12:52)", "body": "Loved reading about the Bird house-hunting and the mother-in-law along for the choosing just the right place for the grandkids!"}, {"response": 53, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Mar  7, 2000 (15:08)", "body": "*lol*"}, {"response": 54, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (14:57)", "body": "A Bird in the Hand Is Hard to Find WINNIPEG (Reuters) - Canadian pet bird owners are in a flap over news that the country has been hit by a coast-to-coast budgie shortage, the president of the Western Canadian Budgerigar Association said Tuesday. ``Pet stores are really scrambling to get budgies,'' Jim Bertrand told Reuters by telephone from Abbotsford, British Columbia, where he breeds exhibition birds. ``There's obviously a shortage,'' he said, adding that prices may rise for consumers wanting to buy the brightly-plumed, chattering birds. Pet store owners in the Prairie city of Winnipeg, the geographical center of Canada, attributed the scarcity to the recent demise of two large bird breeders in Montreal forcing shops to demand supplies from smaller breeding companies. But breeders have been squawking because budgies cannot reproduce fast enough to fill the demand. ``There are any number of smaller breeders and pet stores are bugging them for birds,'' Bertrand said. ``If large-enough central breeders go under, it produces a shortage.'' Bertrand said there is a constant demand for budgies, native to Australia. ``They're the number one selling pet in the world,'' he said."}, {"response": 55, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar  8, 2000 (17:38)", "body": "why don't they give in a get a bigger bird? (hey, maybe the prices for them will go down since their demand is lower?) we've got lots of budgies over here (parakeets)....my dog ate the one i had (had it for 2 weeks and it finally got used to me, something startled it so it flew off and my little dog, never being around birds, didn't want it to kill his mama so he mouthed the little guy, gave that bird a heart attack and it died in my hand *sniff*)"}, {"response": 56, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (00:24)", "body": "How sad! Poor Wolfie....*sniff* *hugs*"}, {"response": 57, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (13:27)", "body": "Did I tell you about our red kites which are a rare British species? When we first moved to the area 15 years ago they had just set up a captive breeding programme for them and released a pair in woods about 10 miles from us. over the years since the colony or whatever you call it has really got started. now the birds have spread acros the woods from their starting place to the woods right by me. Sometimes I have seen six birds riding thermals. Some local farmers have not been too pleased, but we've only had one bird poisoned since the programme started. Like most birds of prey they have a reputation for taking young lambs etc."}, {"response": 58, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (13:35)", "body": "kites are that big? i didn't think they were. (i adore birds of prey, see a similar discussion in falconry, this conference) well, i got over it (Sam is in heaven now with Lucky the stray and Sylvester the cat) and then i got bert. who, btw, has had a spray bath and is sitting on my shoulder while i'm typing on the computer. he must be really happy to sit here with me quietly. he's purring into my ear.....(and doing unmentionable things to my t-shirt!)"}, {"response": 59, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (13:36)", "body": "(oh, and milton the hamster, who went to heaven late last year, oh, then there was charlotte the guinea pig)...."}, {"response": 60, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (13:43)", "body": "Kites are huge (well comparatively). They have lovely forked tails which make them very distinctive. Well, our red kites do. I think they rate as my faourite bird, next to blue tits, nuthatches, wrens, um I'm sure I should be able to think of some more."}, {"response": 61, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (13:46)", "body": "my fave raptor is the red-tailed hawk. have always loved them and always look for them.....i love cardinals, starlings, robins, blue jays, etc......"}, {"response": 62, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (15:34)", "body": "the starlings area really fun just now, fighting over who can hang upside down on the fat ball holder. The sparrows are sensible and wait for them to finish squabbling and then dash in and pick up the remains. I have new tanants in the bird house on the shed. two blue tits are dashing in and out. but i'm not sure she's laid yet."}, {"response": 63, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar  9, 2000 (15:34)", "body": "that should be tenants"}, {"response": 64, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 10, 2000 (11:02)", "body": "Peregrine Falcons are my favs. When I was visiting in California one hunted for dinner during our afternoon walks, and when he swooped down on his prey you could hear the wind through his feathers. Remarkable! Big and beutiful - they are our fastest birds of prey and pretty large. Yuck! Starlings. We do not have them nor seagulls nor any carrion-eaters here."}, {"response": 65, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar 10, 2000 (17:37)", "body": "the AM doesn't care for starlings very much. those peregrine falcons are cool, but i've only seen pics. they can swoop down on other flying prey too. redtails rarely do that."}, {"response": 66, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar 10, 2000 (17:39)", "body": "oh, when i was at school in virginia beach, i would go out on the terrace with a snack, those birds would swoop down and sit on the railing. so i started leaving a bit or two of cereal for them in the morning. this was probably not a good idea but it was too cool."}, {"response": 67, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar 10, 2000 (17:39)", "body": "(sea gulls, that is, not falcons or redtails)"}, {"response": 68, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (01:32)", "body": "Sea gulls have become a real problem in some british seaside towns. They are attacking residents and visitors."}, {"response": 69, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (08:57)", "body": "*sigh* because of folks like me who feed them *grin*"}, {"response": 70, "author": "Ree", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (12:56)", "body": "If a sea gull should ever attack me, I'll take it home, stuff a turkey up its ar$e and bake the nonsense out of it."}, {"response": 71, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (20:52)", "body": "*lol*"}, {"response": 72, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (18:29)", "body": "You have much bigger sea gulls than we see...could never stuff a turkey into one in either direction - but I like the thought. I have had particularly rude ones walk brazenly onto my beach blanket and steal my cookies...one by one! Land's End is particularly hazardous for tourists with food. They will dive-bomb you until you drop it and run. Then, they feast!"}, {"response": 73, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Mar 14, 2000 (15:30)", "body": "In my list of favourite birds I forgot kingfishers - how could I? Ours are blue, and orange and flash by you if you are lucky to see one. I have a growing kitsch collection of kingfisher thingumies. Latest addition was a cushion cover from daughter 2. Sweet thought. We had a whole range of them (kingfishers i mean, not cushion covers!) in the Gambia. The largest was balck and white and sort of speckldy. The smallest was a pigmy kingfisher which was a minute version of the british one. It used to bathe in the duck pond on my comound, until my cat caught it ( a VERY sad day!)"}, {"response": 74, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Mar 14, 2000 (17:29)", "body": "i'll bet! i usually see a kingfisher on one of the electric lines above a ravine. think he's waiting for crawfish. oh, i love cranes and herons and birds in those families. so graceful and they are not like nervous little birds at all."}, {"response": 75, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Mar 14, 2000 (21:57)", "body": "I haven't seen one here for ages. They're really quite rare in England. I don't know if there's a Malian one or if they're the same a Gambia. I'll let you know when I'm there."}, {"response": 76, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (19:26)", "body": "Yesterday, March 15 the buzzards returned to Hinkley, Ohio, as they do every year."}, {"response": 77, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (16:19)", "body": "They did...but it lacks the esthetics of the swallows and Capistrano, does it not?!"}, {"response": 78, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (17:43)", "body": "Could Concorde Be Throwing Pigeons Off Course? LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of homing pigeons could be flying around hopelessly lost and unable to find their way home because of the supersonic passenger jet Concorde. A California-based scientist thinks shock waves from the aircraft may throw the birds off course and prevent them from hearing low-frequency sound that helps them navigate, New Scientist magazine said Wednesday. ''Researchers have shown that pigeons have a built-in compass that allows them to navigate using the Earth's magnetic field and the position of the sun,'' according to the weekly magazine. ``But to reach their destination the birds also need to have a map sense a mental chart linking their starting position and destination so they know which way to go.'' Jon Hagstrum, of the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, believes low frequency sounds, or infrasound, that birds can hear but humans can't could be the key to their map sense. He suspects the Concorde caused a third of 60,000 birds taking part in four races between France and England in 1997 to loose their way because it interrupted the low-frequency sounds. ``To find out, he compared the birds' predicted routes home with Concorde's flight paths and departure times on the days the races took place,'' the magazine said. ``The calculations showed that in all the races, the hapless pigeons would have entered the cone-shaped shock wave. This could have temporarily or permanently deafened the birds to the infrasound,'' it added."}, {"response": 79, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (14:02)", "body": "So that's where all the extra pigeions in High Wycombe came from! Mystery unveiled. Who do the town council send the cleaning bill to?"}, {"response": 80, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (14:18)", "body": "Indeed! Good question..*lol*"}, {"response": 81, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (11:39)", "body": "The swallows return to San Juan Capistrano on March 19, which is very asthestic."}, {"response": 82, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (14:55)", "body": "I have a blue tit/s (can't tell if it's the same one) behaving madly around the nesting box on the shed. He/she pops in, pops out, hangs on the side, goes on the roof, jumps up on the shed roof, pops down to the box again, sticks his/her head in, pops it out again, flits about two yards from the box and back again, and then starts the popping onto the box, up to the shed roof act again. I stood for about fifteen minutes this morning watching, thoroughly engrossed. I couldn't see he'she was catching flies or other usual things. Anyway it was fun. Saw two crested grebes down by Marlow weir this afternoon."}, {"response": 83, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (20:18)", "body": "the sparrows act that way here. all this nervous chitchat behavior. we have purple martins for which we all put up special condos. they have to compete with the starlings and sparrows for the boxes. but, they come back every year to the same box to nest. as i said earlier, this is our first year with a martin box. we think one family has moved in, but i saw a sparrow trying to remove nesting material this morning while a bunch of starlings hogged the seed from my feeders. no hummingbirds yet at least that i've seen. they also remember where the feeders are and will come back to those spots. we had to cut down one of the trees they hung out in because it was pushing up the roof tiles, but, they're are babies growing where the big one was and i'm gonna transplant soon! (they love crepe myrtles and our elm tree)"}, {"response": 84, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (20:42)", "body": "The lace-necked doves and barred doves are nesting in the huge Poinciana tree in the front yard and the cardinals and white-eyes are nesting in the palm thatch."}, {"response": 85, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (04:02)", "body": "I have two collared doves which keep trying to get onto my bird table. They are a lovely soft salmony dusky pink and very pretty. But they are really too big to get under the roof of the table and look so funny falling off! I put seed on the ground too, but they seem convinced that the food on the table is better even though it's the same."}, {"response": 86, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (10:58)", "body": "they're just well-mannered birds! *grin* we have mourning doves all over the place. love that squeaky swing sound they make. they're so funny because they'll sit wherever they are and you think you're gonna get real close. then, at the last second, swoosh, they're off. they sit on their babies til they're half-grown! my neighbor has a huge live oak which shades our front yard in summer and the doves (as well as a menagerie of other birds) nest there every year."}, {"response": 87, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (13:45)", "body": "Had a greenfinch visiting yesterday for the first time. Nuthatches are not coming so often now."}, {"response": 88, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (16:51)", "body": "Saw a very rare glimpse of a kingfisher down by the Thames at Marlow. First time I have seen one for a number of years."}, {"response": 89, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (17:50)", "body": "i did a search for woodpeckers and came across a site about all sorts of north american birds. according to that site, the kingfisher doesn't do anything in louisiana. will do another search and this time get the address to post."}, {"response": 90, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (18:01)", "body": "http://www.mbr.nbs.gov/"}, {"response": 91, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (18:03)", "body": "Thanks! Will check it out."}, {"response": 92, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 25, 2000 (20:26)", "body": "oh, hummingbird sitings have been report in my area (ruby-throated). haven't seen any at my feeders, which reminds me, i've got to refresh the feeders.... two or three martin families have reached a mutual agreement with the house sparrows. 2 martin families on one side and a martin and sparrow family on the other."}, {"response": 93, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 26, 2000 (16:40)", "body": "I have never heard of Sparrows in a Martin house...and this is not even the 90's anymore! Just as long as peace reigns...His Emminence (the resident Cardinal) awakened me at 5am by singing as loudly as possible just outside my window. Oh well, it is a cheery sound even if it is an early hour. He must have gotten all of the worms and awakened all the rest of the birds, too."}, {"response": 94, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 26, 2000 (18:58)", "body": "swallows will take whatever they can. they'll even remove the martin's nesting material and rebuild."}, {"response": 95, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 26, 2000 (19:35)", "body": "Oh...Swallows! Yes! They are in the same family as Martins, so that is a natural association. I was thinking sparrows. It has been a while since I was on the Mainland to see the birds =)"}, {"response": 96, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 26, 2000 (19:39)", "body": "...but I never lived where there were so many swallows that I learned they are thieves. Cuckoos, Yes! and worse!!!"}, {"response": 97, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 26, 2000 (20:19)", "body": "no, i meant sparrows. the house sparrows will sneak over to the martin house and try to move in while the martins are out foraging. (i know i said swallows, but what's one letter? *GRIN*)"}, {"response": 98, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 26, 2000 (20:36)", "body": "(whew! I do that, too)...Ah! Yes, Sparrows are almost as bad as Starlings - just smaller!"}, {"response": 99, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (04:25)", "body": "I have a huge gang of starlings who regualrly raid my birdtable and everything else in sight. They roost under the eaves of the houses and make a dreadful racket. But they are so perky and cheeky that i don't really resent them, only when they drive my very valued nuthatch away. (yes, i am online during the day - but only because T was sending work emails and i hitched a ride!)"}, {"response": 100, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (09:34)", "body": "i like starlings. it's the crows and blackbirds who roost in the trees and yards and steal all the seed i put out for the songbirds...."}, {"response": 101, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (09:41)", "body": "oh, and the AM saw a hummer the other day. my feeders have been refreshed and i wait rather impatiently for the little ones to show up...."}, {"response": 102, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (09:50)", "body": "That's something I have never seen apart from on TV! I'm really jealous!"}, {"response": 103, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (10:05)", "body": "not even rufous hummers? they summer in alaska!"}, {"response": 104, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (14:57)", "body": "No hummers in the UK I'm afraid. *sigh*"}, {"response": 105, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (18:40)", "body": "well, right after i posted the hummer stuff, i went outside to sit on my front porch. a feeder hangs close by (within 3 feet). i sat quietly watching the sparrows inch closer and closer to their house which is really close to where i'm sitting. when lo and behold, what do my wondering eyes see? a ruby-throated hummer eyeballing the feeder. wondering if she was thirsty enough to risk feeding with such a large predator nearby. she took the sip and made off like a streak. but i was glad to get a peek for myself!"}, {"response": 106, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (19:33)", "body": "WooHoo! Caught in the act. You have passed and are approved as a feeding station. Excellent news! David has bunches of hummers at his feeder hovering and taking turns. They are so adorable - like living jewels!"}, {"response": 107, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (19:38)", "body": "yup, and they're so cute when they fuss at each other. one feeder hangs on the edge of my carport (my house is surrounded) and i can watch it from my kitchen window. a fence separates my house from the next and hummers have been known to sit there and guard that one feeder and chase off everyone else that tries to take a sip. methinks that hummer has a nest nearby and wants to stockpile nectar for the babies! too early for babies right now. they come in droves in the spring, slack off while they nest during june and july, then frenzy about until october before heading back to their wintering grounds."}, {"response": 108, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (19:38)", "body": "No hummers in Hawaii, either. We have birds which are only found here, like the i'iwi and apapane along with imports like the Brazillian cardinal, red cardinal, Indian Mynah, white-eye, mannekin, rice birds and those infernal house sparrows (which are really finches.)"}, {"response": 109, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (19:41)", "body": "Yup! Need protein to feed the babies so they can grow. Then put on fat for the migration by eating more nectar. Just like humans and candy, huh?!"}, {"response": 110, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (19:44)", "body": "yup. we've got purple finches out the ying-yang too. why are they called purple when the males actually have red heads is beyond me. and bluebirds are a fave around here too but they require specific type of houses. only if i put a bluebird house up, the sparrows would take over!"}, {"response": 111, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar 27, 2000 (20:13)", "body": "Well, we have strawberry finches and they aren't strawberry-colored, either!"}, {"response": 112, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (00:25)", "body": "You really hae blue birds? I thought they were a figment of Walt Disneys imagination in Mary Poppins!"}, {"response": 113, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (00:35)", "body": "Eastern Bluebirds are not really all-over blue...there is an orangish breast involved. They are blue on their backs and wings and sides, though!"}, {"response": 114, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (00:46)", "body": "I like the Disney ones! Go rest your hand!"}, {"response": 115, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (08:55)", "body": "We have a lot of Cardinals out in Cedar Creek, and I remember them as a kid in Mo."}, {"response": 116, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (09:57)", "body": "i love the cardinals and i think waxwings venture into our area too though they are easily confused with female cardinals. and though they are mishievous, i love bluejays! and then there are the mockingbirds and their beautiful songs. funny to watch though. they'll chase anyone and anything away from their territory. the bluebirds are lovely when in flight and you catch glimpses of that blue."}, {"response": 117, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (11:52)", "body": "Are they really all blue? i don't think i've seen a picture of the real thing."}, {"response": 118, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (13:22)", "body": "Yup! They are really blue - a sort of turquoise to medium sky-blue. Cedar Waxwings used to eat the holly berries when we lived in West Virginia and get drunk on them - too funny with all the staggering around. None ever seemed to get hurt during the binge!"}, {"response": 119, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (13:23)", "body": "I'll look for a picture of one for you...."}, {"response": 120, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (13:39)", "body": ""}, {"response": 121, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (16:23)", "body": "aren't they gorgeous? they prefer the woody parts around here and seldom venture into one's backyard to roost."}, {"response": 122, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar 28, 2000 (17:47)", "body": "They must have been pretty scarse when I was a child (NOT before God created them in case you think I am older than dirt...) because of the DDT use. I do not remember seeing them at all until after I was married and living in the mountains of West Virginia. They are, indeed, gorgeous!"}, {"response": 123, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar 29, 2000 (05:58)", "body": "I think the nearest we have are blue tits. I had the idea that yours were blue all over but they aren't are they."}, {"response": 124, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 29, 2000 (10:34)", "body": "we had to reseat the martin box yesterday and it was funny to watch these birds so high circling. waiting patiently for these yucky people to put their house down so they could check the nests! this morning i was checking one of my birdhouses and watched a squirrel meander across the yard. the female house sparrow came shooting out of the box and attacked that squirrel. never saw anything like it before. have seen robins and mockingbirds chase off would-be predators but never a sparrow!"}, {"response": 125, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar 29, 2000 (11:44)", "body": "The Kingfisher (by John Heath-Stubbs) When Noah left the Ark, the animals Capered and gambolled on the squadgy soil, Enjoying their new-found freedom; and the birds Soared upwards, twittering, to the open skies. But one soared higher than the rest, in utter ecstasy, Till all his back and wings were drenched. With the vivid blue of heaven itself, and his breast scorched With the upward-slanting rays of the setting sun. When he came back to earth, he had lost the Ark; His friends were all dispersed. So now he soars no more; A lonely bird, he darts and dives for fish, By streams and pools \ufffd places where water is \ufffd Still searching, but in vain, for the vanished Ark And rain-washed terraces of Ararat."}, {"response": 126, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 29, 2000 (12:23)", "body": "similar to stories of the unicorn! thanks for that...."}, {"response": 127, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar 29, 2000 (12:52)", "body": "I couldn't decide whether to put it in your poetry conference or here, but thought here was nice."}, {"response": 128, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 29, 2000 (16:40)", "body": "it is, since it has to do with birds *grin*"}, {"response": 129, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Apr 11, 2000 (18:56)", "body": "Ostrich Kicks Man Mistaking Him for Rival Bird OSLO (Reuters) - A Norwegian farmer was in hospital Monday after an ostrich kicked him in the ribs, apparently mistaking him for a flightless feathered rival in the mating season. Oeystein Froeysnes, 38, suffered broken ribs and punctured lungs when the two-meter (six-foot six-inch) tall male bird kicked him as he entered a cage also containing two females in southern Norway, the daily Agderposten said. ``We heard that the ostrich is in its mating season. It probably saw him as a rival and attacked him,'' a neighbor told the daily. Ostrich farms have sprung up in many nations in recent years and the giant birds are prized for their meat."}, {"response": 130, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr 11, 2000 (20:41)", "body": "*lol*"}, {"response": 131, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr 11, 2000 (20:50)", "body": "An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain. (from news) that would probably explain why he thought the guy was a rival *grin*"}, {"response": 132, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Apr 12, 2000 (04:26)", "body": "we had one (ostrich farm) near us when it was the rage a few years back. could see it when i drove a particular route to uni. seems to have gone out of business now. there was a lot of fuss over conditions. never did fancy the meat. ha ha wolfie good one!"}, {"response": 133, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (17:16)", "body": "There once was a lady who was very concerned about her missing parrot. Not knowing what to do, she called 911. \"You gotta help me find my parrot!\" The operator patiently replied, \"We can't help you with that, ma'am. This number only deals with emergencies.\" But the lady persisted, and then the operator told her not to be concerned, that the parrot should fly back in a few days. Then, out of desperation, the lady begged, \"But you don't understand! The only thing he says is \"Here, kitty, kitty!!!\""}, {"response": 134, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (17:20)", "body": "Chuckle, chuckle. I knew some people who had an amazon (parrot) named Gaylord. One day Gaylord got loose and flew away. He was found in the next county living on an Amish farm with chickens. Go figure."}, {"response": 135, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (17:22)", "body": "That does not sound a whole lot safer...could have gotten eaten there!"}, {"response": 136, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (17:29)", "body": "He was a lucky bird in that he made it home safe and sound. The only parrot joke I know is this one: A man gives his mother a parrot as a bithday gift. When he next sees her, he asks, \"Mom how did like the parrot I gave you?\" His mother replies, \"Oh, it was delicious!\" Her son says, \"How could you have eaten it! That bird cost $5,000 and spoke seven languages.\" To which the mother replies, \"So he should have spoken up.\""}, {"response": 137, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (23:05)", "body": "That is hilarious! Thanks for that. I think she was the mother of my high school boy friend..."}, {"response": 138, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, May  6, 2000 (20:18)", "body": "this afternoon, we found two baby birds in the grass of our front yard. feathers just coming in. we rescued them (hopefully) and at first, placed them in a bowl in a protected area of the garden hoping mama would hear their cries and help them. we also fed them small pieces of worms (which they were able to swallow). later, still alive, we checked on these guys and fed them again. then we decided to try and put them in my front birdhouse. (the nest they most likely fell out of was too high for any of our ladders to reach). so, i undid the front door of the house, used a mirror to see if anyone was home and to my surprise, mama bird is sitting on her eggs and just held so still. i placed the babies in with her and boy was she in for a shock. i hope mama sparrow doesn't kick the little guys out. so we wait. and back to the bluebird info we were talking about, besides the eastern bluebird (with the orange belly) there is an all blue one like in pinnochio--the mountain bluebird. will dig for a pic and post."}, {"response": 139, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, May  6, 2000 (20:20)", "body": "http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/keith/birds/bluebird.html there ya go, maggie!"}, {"response": 140, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May  6, 2000 (23:38)", "body": "Good for you, Wolfie! How darling they most be!!! Like the little guy in the hat on my dish washer...!"}, {"response": 141, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (02:50)", "body": "That's lovely! Thanks Wolfie. I've now put our bird table near the back door, and they are still coming to visit. so i hope I might get a nice photo of our blue tits. if I do you'll definitely see it."}, {"response": 142, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (13:43)", "body": "Wish they had a better name, but imagine how many people that would attract to SpringArk if we advertised it...!"}, {"response": 143, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (13:56)", "body": "They might think it the feminine counterpart to \"blue balls\"."}, {"response": 144, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (14:33)", "body": "There you go!"}, {"response": 145, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (16:25)", "body": "baby bird update: mama bird, after getting over her initial shock, is apparantly taking care of her new arrivals. i checked the box this morning and baby birds were chirping away. plus, mama and daddy were out foraging among my roses and, of all things, were removing the assortment of aphids that have moved in. good thing i didn't spray. had no idea birds ate those things."}, {"response": 146, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (21:41)", "body": "They are soo teeny (the aphids) I'll bet it takes a teaspoon full to make any difference. Cheers for the foster Mom and Dad! And for the Matchmaker...Wolfie"}, {"response": 147, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, May  8, 2000 (17:03)", "body": "well, they were chirping at lunch today. i think the bird i saw in the house was a baby sparrow. the reason for this is a huge nest fell out of my neighbors tree with 3 baby sparrows in it fully feathered lying perfectly still even when the nest was moved. so i'm really hoping mama and daddy are taking care of the babies i forced into their home."}, {"response": 148, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May  8, 2000 (17:37)", "body": "Considering what cuckoos get away with, she should raise them ok. Bring on the caterpillars and juicy bugs."}, {"response": 149, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, May  8, 2000 (20:22)", "body": "they were chirping like mad this afternoon. during lunch, i saw a mama robin feeding two full-sized baby robins and they were fluttering their feathers and begging. it was a sight to see."}, {"response": 150, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May  8, 2000 (22:02)", "body": "Ah...things I miss about not being in a place with seasons...but our birds are doing the exact same things. Cardinals and mynahs and rice birds, mannikens, chinese thrushes, barred doves, lace necked doves... I'iwi, Apapane..."}, {"response": 151, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Tue, May  9, 2000 (18:05)", "body": "What about those Hawaiian geese?"}, {"response": 152, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, May  9, 2000 (18:48)", "body": "Ah...the Nene. Yes! The are into goslings on the fairways of the Volcano Golf Course and everywhere else up there. For those who have not seen them, the look like Canada Geese with buff where the Canadas have white. This is the time of year one can see mated pairs in the sunset flying over the caldera of Kilauea. It is poetic and always makes me stop till they are out of sight."}, {"response": 153, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, May  9, 2000 (20:19)", "body": "well, your birds sound enchanting. to be around all the time! guess i should say something about wild animals and their babies. the best thing to do, if you come across a stranded baby bird, is to leave it alone. but, if you're like me and can't bear to, call the wildlife agency in your area and ask what to do. they'll tell you and depending on the bird, they may come and pick it up."}, {"response": 154, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, May  9, 2000 (20:21)", "body": "and for goodness sake, DO NOT try to make a pet of it. after you handle it, the chances for survival can be slim as some birds are very territorial and cannot/will not tolerate the scent of humans on their babies. this can put their nest in danger. i have no idea how the baby birds in the house are doing, as i was unable to check on them today. but, hopefully, they were strong enough to survive and adopted mama took care of them."}, {"response": 155, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (13:49)", "body": "Saw my first swallow of the year on Tuesday near the coast. Haven't seen any inland yet. That really means Summer is coming *grin*"}, {"response": 156, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (14:52)", "body": "Summer is coming here means the Pacific Golden Plovers have appeared in their nuptial plumage. They migrate to colder climates in the summer."}, {"response": 157, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Jun  3, 2000 (17:14)", "body": "PETS ON THE WEB Many people put out feeders for songbirds and hummingbirds, and enjoy watching the beautiful creatures the food attracts. If you want to provide for neighborhood birds, or if you wonder if your setup can be improved, you'll want to visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's collection of online pamphlets http://www.fws.gov/~r9mbmo/pamphlet/pamplets.html The complete text of five pamphlets has been placed online, with information on attracting birds, setting up houses and feeders, and dealing with challenges such as orphaned or injured birds, or seed-steal- ing squirrels, mice and rats. The information isn't presented in any fancy way (no awards for graphics here), but the online pamphlets are easy to navigate and read."}, {"response": 158, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Sep 23, 2000 (03:32)", "body": "Friday September 22 4:03 PM ET http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20000922/sc/brazil_macaw_dc_1.html World's Loneliest Bird Soon to Meet Captivity Kin By Mary Milliken SAO PAULO (Reuters) - He has been called the world's loneliest bird, believed to be the only member of the Spix's macaw species left living in the wild for the last 10 years. But the social life of the brilliant blue Brazilian bird could pick up as biologists next year bring in five Spix's macaws born in captivity to learn the lessons of the wild, Brazil's environmental agency Ibama said Friday. They want to introduce the Philippine-born birds in the Spix's macaw's native habitat in northeastern Brazil and create conditions for reproduction. Ibama calls it ``a new hope in the attempt to avoid its extinction.'' The only surviving male, which is around 18 years old, will not mate with two young females included among the five birds being sent to Brazil, which were born one year ago and are too young to reproduce. The task of mating will be left to the young males in the group when the time comes. ``It is a very complicated process and we probably will not see any chances for reproduction for another five or six years,'' said project coordinator Yara de Melo Barros. Biologists are counting on the male wild bird to cooperate with his kin over the rest of his lifetime. The birds live 30 to 35 years. ``He has all the species' wildlife memory. The hope is that he teaches the other Spix's macaws to seek food, nest and seek refuge from predators,'' Ibama said in a statement. The bird may be the only member of his species out in the thorn scrubland of Bahia state, but he is not living a monastic life. He has been seen trying to mate with a female of another macaw species. The gray-headed Spix's macaw was discovered in Bahia in 1819 by a naturalist named Spix working for the Emperor of Austria. It always has been rare and was believed to be extinct in the wild by the 1980s, but ornithologists found the surviving male in 1990. The Spix's Macaw Project created by Ibama and a Spanish parrot foundation has dedicated much of its resources to educating the local population, old accomplices in the destruction of the bird's habitat and trafficking. The British-based World Parrot Trust calls the Spix's macaw the world's rarest bird and last year estimated that there were around 50 held in captivity in the Philippines and Switzerland. The five Brazil-bound birds were donated by Philippine breeder Antonio de Dios, Ibama said. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 19, "subject": "Falconry", "response_count": 19, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:26)", "body": "this is something i'm really interested in. in fact, when i retire from the military, i plan to pursue this. will post some good links and book titles that are excellent in learning this art."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:33)", "body": "oh yeah, for folks who've never heard of falconry here's what it's about. the art is to train raptors (falcons, hawks, and owls) to work with you to obtain prey. it is a federally regulated hobby that requires licenses and tons of training. it is not cruel and is beneficial for both parties as long as the highest respect for these magnificent creatures is maintained. my interest in falconry is in the rehabilitive portion and to enjoy a one on one relationship with these magnificent birds. i plan to limit myself to red-tailed hawks as i've been fascinated with them for as long as i can remember. the raptors are not treated as pets (as you would a parrot or cockatiel). however, the handling is much the same with some protective measures for you and the bird. golly do i sound dry tonight (sorry, am tired)!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (08:02)", "body": "NO, this is pretty interesting, Wolf! How is it done? Do you enter into a programme in which you sort of get a bird to train? And is it that sort of thing where orphan animals get trained to go back to the wild?"}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (19:37)", "body": "Falconry is fascinating/ Drone on Wolfie, it is music to my ears! (...aiming for a peregrine falcon, are we?)"}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (21:31)", "body": "not for several years in the least. you have to go through an apprenticeship first where you can only handle hawks. this period lasts 5 years minimum. then one can move on to master license. both of these licenses are hard to acquire and one must test for them and have all the equipment on hand for inspection and be under the wing (as it were) of a master falconer sponsor. there is only one in my area. i contacted him several years ago but thought it would be better to wait. this sport is one enjoyed by women, children, and men of all ages. my books are packed away right now, but as soon as i get them out, i'll give you some great titles as well as a few good websites. it is still enjoyed in europe and is slowly catching up in the states. falconry is used employed as a bird deterent at airports and flightlines all over. even the military employs them to keep damage to their aircraft engines to a minimum. one can also hunt using both the raptor and dogs. and would you believe, these birds respond to your whistle and your glove!"}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (16:00)", "body": "...and you get to train them by tying some chunk of meat to the end of a rope and swinging it around your head. Is that not the first object on which the apprentice bird learns to play \"catch?\""}, {"response": 7, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (16:44)", "body": "*haha* something like that. you actually train the bird to get the prey without eating it and allowing you to take it from them. the bird already knows how to hunt (you work with them as passage birds, at least 1 year old and through one season). the rope is actually baited with bird feathers to work the bird into taking other flyers in flight. and meat is used to teach the bird to sit on your arm and to learn to trust you as beneficial not harmful."}, {"response": 8, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (03:53)", "body": "Wow, that's REALLY interesting. I think it such a cool thing that humans and animals can actually learn to understand each other, to work as a team with equal mutual respect and to do stuff that pleases and stimulates both parties."}, {"response": 9, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (16:42)", "body": "indeed! and this is where my interest stems-the bonding between humans and animals, wild or not. because even wild animals will take a human into their territory once mutual respect and trust is earned. and that bond is amazing to me. have always believed that when an animal likes you, it's the best compliment there is. because they see who you really are. you could feed a dog snacks all day and the dog not like you in the least. and i trust that instinct of theirs."}, {"response": 10, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (04:12)", "body": "Absolutely. Didya see 'Instinct', Wolfie? I thought is a remarkable film."}, {"response": 11, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (11:58)", "body": "yes because i saw in this movie something deeper. a lot of people didn't get the movie but i was there!"}, {"response": 12, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (13:25)", "body": "Me too, it really haunts me. Jim says the same thing."}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (20:00)", "body": "i understood exactly why he was the way he was. this movie was sad because it truly shows the way people react to the wild. we may have dominion over the beasts but that does not mean we can treat them any way we want. God made them too!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (04:18)", "body": "(Wolf)you could feed a dog snacks all day and the dog not like you in the least. and i trust that instinct of theirs. Not my dog's! As nobody has treated him badly in all his life (at least since I've had him) he will befriend anybody after a proper introduction (like, pizza-deliverers beware!), although he knows that he can completely trust only me, because I shall always tell him the truth. Like, when trying to find out whether he's going out with us or not, his \"Dad\" can tell him what he wants, but he'll believe it only after I confirm it. :-)"}, {"response": 15, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (12:58)", "body": "That's really sweet! Wolf, I also found that 'Instinct' tried to make a point about what real freedom is; something liberating and terrifying. It means giving up the fancy car and the fancy house and the fancy friends, stripping oneself of all the masks, then recognizing what is REALLY there, what is REALLY you, then dealing with that. But how many people are willing and able to recognize the iron bars in a car and a house, how does one deal with the fact that those things turn us into mindless prisoners? It's a very diff cult subject; I can hardly stop thinking about it all."}, {"response": 16, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (16:41)", "body": "i saw that and i saw that animals have their own lives not much different from our own. that who is the real savages?"}, {"response": 17, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (18:20)", "body": "Your points hit right where I live, Ree and Wolfie. We are indeed prisoners of our possessions!"}, {"response": 18, "author": "riette", "date": "Sat, Oct  2, 1999 (02:40)", "body": "The most tragic thing about it is that we are WILLING prisoners and savages."}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct  2, 1999 (21:51)", "body": "Yup!...even when we are willing to admit it we remain in this sorry state! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 2, "subject": "Conference News and Business", "response_count": 5, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb 23, 2000 (17:04)", "body": "Hey, Wolfie, Look at our conference!!! Isn't it pretty?! So is Paraspring. The magician spent considerable time this morning (my time) making everything alright again. Bless his heart and all of the rest of him, as well *grin*"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb 23, 2000 (17:07)", "body": "So I asked him stupid questions on Porch and he was unfailingly polite and non-commital. Now, I have my lava buttons back and the marble horizontal bars. I am all in a quandry whether to change back or not...I will from time to time, I think! Btw, he got confifty working again!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb 23, 2000 (17:10)", "body": "Don't you want any ads in this conference? I noticed that we don't have the Amazon or the Visto thingies. Do you suppose this might be an ok time to ask for a crafts conference?"}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Feb 23, 2000 (17:14)", "body": "i just saw the magic worked in paraspring and am completely thrilled! *woohoo* i don't know what to link up over here yet. would like to find some appropriately related sites to add. don't worry, i'll look!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb 23, 2000 (17:24)", "body": "Ok!!! I already asked on Porch for our crafts conference. I'll bet you are Ghost again too but only you and he can see it!!! I am world builder on mine again *big grin* SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 20, "subject": "Farm Animals", "response_count": 13, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (18:15)", "body": "Please tell me this is not where we learn to butcher them prior to taking them over to the Food Conference and the Recipe Master for cooking...!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:17)", "body": "no! silly goose."}, {"response": 3, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (08:05)", "body": "ha-ha! My grandpa had one pig; her name was Doll - he got her for christmas once, didn't know what to do with her, so he gave her to us as a pet. She was great! We used to ride her and everything! Pigs are pretty good with kids. I didn't like orphan calves though - they get really nasty as they get bigger."}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (17:54)", "body": "Perhaps there is a divine purpose in that mean-ness as they grow older...you don't feel so bad about eating them, then!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (12:59)", "body": "ha-ha!!! EEEK!!! But how true!"}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May  5, 2000 (16:48)", "body": "'Attack' Chickens Cause Flap SONOMA, Calif. (Reuters) - Chickens have long ruled the roost in this picturesque California town, where a wandering flock of hens and roosters has given the downtown plaza a homey, rural charm appreciated by tourists and residents alike. But something has put Sonoma's chickens into a foul mood, and after a flurry of attacks on neighborhood children, city officials have voted to ban the belligerent birds. ``It's not charming when you have to see your baby attacked,'' Monica Garcia of nearby Boyes Hot Springs told Sonoma's City Council on Wednesday evening after her 16-month old son was jumped by a rooster. ``Seeing the blood going down his face and seeing him screaming ... I can't sleep at night,'' Garcia said. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported on Thursday that the Sonoma council, faced with horrific stories of mounting chicken aggression, decided it was time for the chickens to go approving a plan to roust them from the downtown plaza and distribute them to local farms in this northern California county. One theory circulating in Sonoma is that too few hens among the many roosters has made the chickens more aggressive. ``I don't know if it's possible to envision a roosterless plaza,'' Councilman Ken Brown said after the vote. ``But I have to tell you, when it comes to a question between a kid and a chicken, it's the kid.''"}, {"response": 7, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, May  5, 2000 (18:03)", "body": "roosters are viscious!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May  5, 2000 (18:21)", "body": "For a while they were trying out red contact lenses but it did not work and they fell out and all that. Oh Yeah, they are vicious! Ask the Cock Fight afficionados in Hawaii - and world-wide, actually!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, May  5, 2000 (22:06)", "body": "i know. i saw a rooster get mad irl. my friend's dad took a leather belt to him."}, {"response": 10, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, May  6, 2000 (04:56)", "body": "Did i ever tell you about 'Henry' our African rooster who terrorised us? We got him 'free' from the Senegalese supemarket during a promotion (yeah, they had chicks at the front of the store and you chose which ones you wanted - they all turned out male!). Well, Henry was a survivor of our trip to Gambia and ruled his two lady hens with an iron beak. He tried to rule us too, and attacked anyone who went outside, usually by taking chunks out of the heel of someone hanging washing out. He was one horrible chicken!! I was delighted when he was fat enough to eat. I have never eaten chicken with such relish before (and I am part veggie!)"}, {"response": 11, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (13:45)", "body": "Just deserts?! (couldn't resist!)"}, {"response": 12, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May  8, 2000 (14:09)", "body": "Turkey Terror: Wild gobblers go bonkers in Boston area. B O S T O N, May 7 \ufffdAttacks by roving flocks of wild turkeys are on the increase around suburban Boston, and state wildlife experts can\ufffdt explain why. In Danvers, a postal worker was attacked so frequently that he carried a broom for protection for several months. A Peabody woman was recently rushed by a flock when she opened her door to get the morning paper. And in Walpole a woman was attacked while walking with her grandchildren. The bizarre turkey behavior might bring to mind other recent attacks by chickens in Sonoma, Cal. (see related story). Jim Cardoza, a wildlife biologist for the Massachussetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said there\ufffds no explanation for the turkeys\ufffd transformation into neighborhood thugs. \ufffdNothing\ufffds changed that much that could have caused this,\ufffd he said. Cardoza theorizes that an unusually large number of turkeys survived the warm winter and are being lured to the suburbs because people keep feeding them\ufffdsomething Cardoza urges people not to do. Mating Season He also noted that it\ufffds mating season, a time when male turkeys are unusually aggressive. So far, no serious turkey-inflicted injuries have been reported, but Cardoza said he\ufffds worried the half-tame birds could take disease back to other wildlife, the Boston Herald reported. Wild turkeys were once indigenous to Massachusetts, but disappeared in 1850 after many of the state\ufffds forests were cleared for farmland. Since 1970, state wildlife officials have been reintroducing them to different parts of the state. The recent spate of attacks is a new phenomenon. One Danvers postal carrier was attacked so often that he stopped delivery to several houses on his route. \ufffdThey would fly against the vehicle, peck the tires and if I stepped out to deliver parcels, they would chase me,\ufffd said the carrier, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid embarrassment. \ufffdIf you swing at them, they take two steps and then come back.\ufffd In Walpole, officials have tried to capture two of the more aggressive turkeys with a \ufffdnet gun.\ufffd But it hasn\ufffdt been easy because the turkeys can run up to 30 mph. The turkey-caused trouble isn\ufffdt confined to assault. They\ufffdve also been blocking traffic, tearing up gardens and littering lawns with their droppings. If the turkeys are caught, state officials plan to relocate them to Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth, where it\ufffds hoped they won\ufffdt be as annoying. Copyright 2000 The Associated Press."}, {"response": 13, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Jun  2, 2000 (14:36)", "body": "THIS LITTLE PIGGY MADE A RUN FOR IT - AND NOW LIFE'S SWILL Friday, June 02, 2000 20:21 A plucky piglet saved his own bacon after making a daring dash for freedom, it emerged today. One-week-old Wilbur went on the run from his farm and trotted two miles before he was found. He crossed two main roads and at least four fields after hearing the call of the wild and escaping from Wotton Farm at Lympstone near Exeter, Devon. His adventure eventually ended when he was spotted foraging in a garden on a housing estate where a surprised resident put him in a rabbit hutch for safekeeping. Police contacted the farm, which rears pigs for slaughter. But after collecting wandering Wilbur his owners Tracey Webb and Rob Harding decided he was not for the chop and adopted him as a pet. \"We're bottle feeding him at the moment because he picked up a chill during his walkabout,\" said Tracey. \ufffd Press Association SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 21, "subject": "Rodents", "response_count": 33, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (08:06)", "body": "Yes!, bleugh, hmmm,yes!, hmm, bleugh and such...."}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (17:55)", "body": "Guinea Pigs are rodents!!!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (20:02)", "body": "yup!"}, {"response": 4, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (13:01)", "body": "How DARE you say such a thing??? Rodents are like rats or such things! Guinea pigs are not rodents, they are sweet, cudly, gnawy, hairy little pigs who just happen to have teeth like a rabbit."}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (18:25)", "body": "...but...but...bunnies are rodents, too...perhaps we should put them in a Cuddly Animals topic rather than under their classification (done by some unfeeling churl, no doubt!)"}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (19:30)", "body": "HEY!! it was me, i'm a wolf, so i call em as i see em! *grin*"}, {"response": 7, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (19:39)", "body": "there's now a cuddly animal topic reserved for the pet rodents. we'll keep this topic for wild rodents. k?"}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (20:07)", "body": "...pets to 26...more plebian mousy things stay here?! Oook...is there anyone who wants to admire \"Ben\" - the movie?"}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (20:11)", "body": "Oh Wolfie, YOU did not put cuddly critters into the Rodent classification in the beginning - you are not the Churl I was referring to...*hugs*"}, {"response": 10, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (20:18)", "body": "i thought i was as i created the topic, but am not offended in the least *hugs*"}, {"response": 11, "author": "riette", "date": "Sat, Oct  2, 1999 (02:41)", "body": "Thank you for my cuddly animal topic."}, {"response": 12, "author": "KarenR", "date": "Mon, Oct  4, 1999 (20:58)", "body": "Oh goodie!! There's a rodent topic. Can anyone tell me how to spot the difference between a mouse and a rat? Or better yet, post some pics that clearly show the difference. And please don't tell me that certain mice wear little pants and sing and dance to silly tunes and have girlfriends named Minnie. ;-D"}, {"response": 13, "author": "KarenR", "date": "Mon, Oct  4, 1999 (20:59)", "body": "and btw, these are definitely not *cuddly pets* :-("}, {"response": 14, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Oct  5, 1999 (19:30)", "body": "no they are not cute and cuddly...at all!!! I will hunt up something which will demonstrate the anatomical differences between mice and rats. It is not size. The native Hawaiian rat is a little wee thing but it has tiny rat ears, not big round mouse ears - there is not mistaking it!"}, {"response": 15, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (06:34)", "body": "I like mice, but not rats. They're not at all cuddly, and they don't get tame. THey only come to you, because of food. Mice are too small to cuddle - they'd just get scared. Not like guinea pigs. They geniunely love me. They say that if you have a few they won't get tame, but that's not true. Mine get jealous of each other to be petted, and to sit behind my back and lie between my legs when we're watching tv. It's too cute."}, {"response": 16, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Dec  3, 1999 (17:27)", "body": "Who says Rats can't be tamed? I Love rats. I 'socialised' the nursery rats and they would sit on my shoulder quite happily, we did have them from babies though. I must admit I like guinea pigs too and fostered two of them for eighteen months recently. I find them SO funny, and the noises they make ...."}, {"response": 17, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Dec  3, 1999 (17:39)", "body": "Ah, so yours come under the cuddly animals topic, not the rodent topic. *lol* we had to create a new one for Riette because she refused to believe her beloved Guinea Pigs were in the same category as wharf rats. I also just adore Guinea Pigs. Not really adore, perhaps, but I think they are really cute and fun to play with."}, {"response": 18, "author": "patas", "date": "Fri, Dec  3, 1999 (22:39)", "body": "I was delighted when I found out they will not refuse an item of food - just store it inside their mouths (guinea pigs and hamsters *are* the same, aren't they?)"}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Dec  3, 1999 (22:57)", "body": "No - not really. Hamsters are about rat size and Guinnea Pigs are twice or three times that size - like a half-grown kitten."}, {"response": 20, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (08:18)", "body": "Some guinea pigs are real PIGS! (greedy I mean)"}, {"response": 21, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (13:48)", "body": "Yep, they are! Best to have a feeder for each one when meal time comes around."}, {"response": 22, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (14:25)", "body": "i hate cleaning their cages (hamsters too)."}, {"response": 23, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (14:41)", "body": "This is not abnormal, Wolfie *lol*...I do not like scrubbing toilets, either. Oh well, it must be done...!"}, {"response": 24, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (17:00)", "body": "yes, but do you put it off? (maybe not the toilets)"}, {"response": 25, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (18:07)", "body": "The only one I was familiar with (talking cages here) had hardware cloth for the bottom and it was not mine - belonged to the boy next door when I was young and innocent and all that. I do not remember what cleaned it...they lived outdoors in their cage as I recall. (No, I do not put off the bathroom cleanup...hate it as I might)"}, {"response": 26, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (19:06)", "body": "i've seen pet bunnies living outside here and in Kansas. never seen a guinea pig living outside."}, {"response": 27, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (19:36)", "body": "(Marcia) .....but...but...bunnies are rodents, too.. Sorry, they're not. They've got their own Order, Lagomorpha, because they don't have just a single pair of chiselly incisors like rodents, but two pairs, one behind the other. Damn!, I've got to quit this and get back to Drool and then home at a decent hour! I've got an Art show to plan for besides the work! Yipes! So bye-bye Bunnies (non-Rodentia)"}, {"response": 28, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (20:17)", "body": "Yeahyeahyeah....they are lagomorphs...pickypickypicky!!! We cover them under Cuddly critters which is non-sectarian or classification-neutral. Come back when you get bored with Drool (and you will!)"}, {"response": 29, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (09:48)", "body": "Our fostered guinea pigs (tufty and smoothie - guess why!) had an ouside run all summer. Far better than a lawn mower -we just rotated the pen around. The vet castigated me for keeping them inside in the winter!!!!! said I was pampering them - who me???"}, {"response": 30, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (18:31)", "body": "(Marcia) Come back when you get bored with Drool (and you will!) HA! And I say \"Ha!\" again! Now don't bother me, I've got work to do having absolutely nothing to do with bunnies, etc.!"}, {"response": 31, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (18:50)", "body": "Well...one thing is for certain - if you hang around Drool long enough you learn how to make all sorts of fonts and sizes of type...(are you sure you are not working in your local Playboy Club, KJArt?!) *lol*"}, {"response": 32, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (19:21)", "body": "In spite of the fact that that sort of thing appeals to Mr. Darcy (Mark, not Fitzwilliam), I'm afraid I've got too much tail to be further enhanced by a cotton one! ;-)"}, {"response": 33, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Dec  5, 1999 (19:29)", "body": "*lol* I doubt that, but you would know better than I. Perhaps it is your perspective? We are not objective observers of ourselves, I think! (Yep! Mark would love that sort of male bonding stuff) SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 22, "subject": "Hermit Crabs and Snails", "response_count": 12, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (01:59)", "body": "I think I must be part hermit crab...I have an extensive and catalogued shell collection. However, let me state right now that I do not take live critters. There are plenty enough good ones which something else has cleaned out for me. There a jewel-like tree snails over here - mostly extinct due to collecting. Will try to find a picture to post of them. Most lovely! We also have cone shell critters here which can kill an adult. Collectors know all about them and how to avoid paying the ultimate price for one shell."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (14:43)", "body": "killer crustaceans, who'da thunk!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (18:16)", "body": "Killer Gastropods, actually..."}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (22:55)", "body": "thank you for the correction *grin*"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (00:27)", "body": "This is a wee tiny picture, and none of my three programs will enlarge it without serious blurring, but these are some of the Hawaiian Tree Snails:"}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (02:36)", "body": "is there a website perchance for us to view these guys?"}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (02:41)", "body": "I am still looking for one - lots of them are text only that I have found. Will continue to work on it. That picture came from Altavista/corbin archives. They are really beautiful!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (08:54)", "body": "THat would be great!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Sep 22, 2000 (08:40)", "body": "Couldn't find anywhere else to put this afticle ...sorta fits here I think ... noisy shrimps Snapping shrimps are the noisiest creatures in the shallow ocean, capable of drowning out submarine sonar by the \"snap, crackle and pop\" of bubbles generated by their claws. That is the verdict of researchers who have been studying how the tiny marine organisms make such a din. Go to to read the rest of the article, see pix and HEAR noisy shrimps!!! http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_935000/935855.stm"}, {"response": 10, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Sep 25, 2000 (15:49)", "body": "Monday September 25, 3:00 PM Having a snail of a time! http://uk.news.yahoo.com/000925/15/akk6h.html World's first ever online snail race, organised by Blue Square, is a trailblazing new entry onto the gambling scene. The first ever snail race in the world to be broadcast on the Web took place Monday, at http://www.bluesquare.com . UK betting service Blue Square organised the race, which involved six snails racing up 427mm poles away from water. Snails were randomly chosen and colour-coded, and every snail given odds of 4-1. Races are to take place every day at 12:30pm from Monday through to Saturday, and you can tune in for live streaming coverage. In today's race, the \"black\" snail roared to the finishing line like a true pro, while the less orthodox \"red\" snail left its own pole and began climbing up the blue one."}, {"response": 11, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Oct 13, 2000 (18:00)", "body": "Dunno where else to put this!!!! Thursday October 12 4:41 PM ET Scientists Find Completely New Animal in Greenland http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001012/sc/life_animal_dc_1.html COPENHAGEN, Denmark (Reuters) - Danish scientists have found a completely new kind of animal down a cold well in Greenland and are keeping a colony of them in a fridge, the Arctic magazine Polarfronten reported on the Internet Thursday. The 0.1-millimeter long freshwater organism does not fit into any one of the previously known animal families -- making it only the fourth such creature to be discovered on the planet in the past 100 years, Polarfronten said. Studies of the animal named ``Limnognathia maerski'' show that it shares some characteristics with certain seawater life-forms. Scientists from Copenhagen University and Aarhus University in Denmark have established a new phylum -- or family -- for the tiny animal, whose most remarkable feature is a set of very complicated jaws. It has now got its own branch, Micrognathozoa, on the tree of the world's known animals, which are divided into slightly more than 30 families, Polarfronten said. Limnognathia maerski, which reproduces through parthenogenesis, uses its jaws to scrape the bacteria and algae it feeds on from underwater moss growing in icy wells which freeze over during the long Arctic winter. The animal was found in samples taken in 1994 from a well in Isunngua on Disco island in northwestern Greenland. A colony of the tiny creatures, all females, is in a refrigerator at Copenhagen University. Greenland, the world's largest island, is part of Denmark."}, {"response": 12, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct 13, 2000 (22:48)", "body": "maggie, i've created a topic specific for things like this. very interesting and thanks!! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 23, "subject": "Marine Mammals", "response_count": 136, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "stacey", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (17:16)", "body": "no whales 'round here..."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (19:05)", "body": "none here either, but still fascinated with them!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (19:19)", "body": "am really crazy about dolphins and even wrote a poem about them. just click the link: Dolphins"}, {"response": 4, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (19:20)", "body": "The blue and humpback whales will soon be coming back here to winter...mostly on the Kona side of the island, and off Maui, but do see the occasional one off Hilo as well."}, {"response": 5, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (19:22)", "body": "Nice poem, Wolfie..."}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (19:24)", "body": "*blush* thanks...."}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (19:31)", "body": "I guess you never forget your first whale. I was on Maui with my family and one obligingly spouted (more like a spray than that fountain they draw in pictures), then did a surface maneuver and went into dive mode finishing up with a fluke salute to us. A perfect whale's tail against a blue sky...poised just like in the pictures. Icredible!!!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (04:14)", "body": "'Would I remember the way to breathe there' - it is beautiful, Wolfie. The fascination and the fear, and the beauty of what we love lying also in unattainability."}, {"response": 9, "author": "stacey", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (11:00)", "body": "i liked the poem Wolfie... 'mingle...'"}, {"response": 10, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (11:57)", "body": "thanks *blush*"}, {"response": 11, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (13:27)", "body": "Are you ever going to publish your poetry?"}, {"response": 12, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (13:37)", "body": "Well, that one is web published. There are now web poetry journals, as well. I just got two of mine accepted by e-zine Poetry Now . The poems are \"A Well-Made Man\" (a Walt Whitman parody) and \"Pretzel Logic\" (an almost throwaway piece of humorous doggerel I wrote as a college poetry student). Wolfie, if you don't publish (either hard copy or on-line)...you should."}, {"response": 13, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (13:38)", "body": "closing the stupid tag"}, {"response": 14, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (13:22)", "body": "ha-ha! John, I'm impressed! We have a published writer in our midst!"}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (20:07)", "body": "thanks for the word of encouragement! um, i did publish one poem, Flight of the Midnight Wolf . but have been leary of webzines. am a member of a couple of writer's zines (part of my webrings) but haven't submitted anything. AND am suffering from major writer's block."}, {"response": 16, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (21:00)", "body": "It won't be long until webzines have more credibility than paper and ink. They already have a bigger readership than most bound poetry journals."}, {"response": 17, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (04:28)", "body": "Wolf, lovely poem and website, I just visited!"}, {"response": 18, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (13:07)", "body": "Wolf, what a GREAT GREAT poem! It really made the hairs on my arms stand on end, really. You are damned good at this! I'm sorry you're suffering from block, but just REMEMBER that you are really very good. And post more of your poems if you have any about animals - they are so great. I'm going to go open a topic."}, {"response": 19, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (16:42)", "body": "*blush* thanks, ree *hugs*"}, {"response": 20, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (18:35)", "body": "Not sure how close to Dolphins you have actually been in the wild, but your poem captures the essence of what I felt when aboard a boat watching them cavort in the wake. It is truly an awesome experience! Thank you for sharing it with us!"}, {"response": 21, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (19:34)", "body": "i've touched tank bound dolphins and have seen wild ones off in a distance. the feeling they gave me was so deep that it was as if they were in me, a part of me. seeing them brings tears to my eyes."}, {"response": 22, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (19:36)", "body": "...I know the feeling, Dear, I know...! *hugs*"}, {"response": 23, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (19:38)", "body": "It was as though they had captured my heart and flown with it through the waves with them! Only one person has had that effect on me..."}, {"response": 24, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (19:41)", "body": "it was wonderful to look into their eyes. it was as close to heaven as i imagine i could get on earth! the same with a killer whale. i was able to go all the way up to the bars at sea world and looked him in the eye. i was told to keep my arms in (i was trying to hang on to the bars so no one would push me out of the way)."}, {"response": 25, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (19:55)", "body": "...please don't feed the \"killer\" whale?! How extraordinary it is to look at them and see the intelligence in their eyes! (chicken-skin time, again)"}, {"response": 26, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (19:57)", "body": "...it is almost beyond words, but it is like they are saying \" I know you, and I know you know I know you!\""}, {"response": 27, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (20:19)", "body": "indeed! it's as if i'm in the presence of something greater than i. it's pure and honest and unintimidating (except for the very size of these critters, how could one not feel tiny in their presence?)"}, {"response": 28, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (22:56)", "body": "Yet another great \"Wolf\" poem, Wolfie"}, {"response": 29, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (01:05)", "body": "''Free Willy'' star roams Iceland bay REYKJAVIK, Iceland (Reuters) - Keiko, the killer whale star of the ``Free Willy'' movie, swam out of his pen into the enclosed waters of a remote Icelandic bay Friday to the delight of a nature group preparing him for a return to the wild. The five-ton whale poked his nose through an underwater cage at 4 a.m. EST, and moved into another pool where he will have medical tests. But the netting closing off the pool has been removed, allowing the black and white orca to roam an enclosed area of Klettsvik Bay in the Westman Islands off Iceland's south coast about 22 times bigger than his current home. ``It's been just a terrific day. Everything that we had hoped would happen has actually occurred,'' Charles Vinick, executive vice president of Ocean Futures, which is rehabilitating Keiko, told Reuters by phone from Klettsvik Bay. The bay enclosure will be a halfway house for Keiko before he is released into the sea, possibly later this year, and will allow him to experience an ocean environment for the first time since his capture off Iceland more than 20 years ago. It is the first attempt to reintroduce a killer whale to the wild. After a few forays into the bay, Keiko struck out at about 5:40 a.m. EST, swimming out 150 yards and moving around the bay under a blue sky in bright winter sunshine. ``He is really now getting familiar with the area,'' Vinick said. Although there are plenty of flat fish and other marine creatures in the bay, Keiko, who is used to downing an 8-pound fish in one go, will still need food thrown to him. Keiko was captured off Iceland in 1979 at about the age of 2, and was the star attraction at a Mexico City amusement park before rising to fame in the popular 1993 film in which a boy befriends a killer whale in a theme park and helps him escape. His stardom drew attention to poor conditions in the park and triggered an international campaign to save him. In 1996 he was taken to an aquarium in Newport, Oregon, nursed back to health, and returned in a blaze of publicity to Iceland in 1998. Keiko fans can follow his progress on the Internet on www.oceanfutures.org."}, {"response": 30, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (12:21)", "body": "thanks for that story. they had a show on discovery where they moved keiko to his larger tank. i just sat there and cried! esp. when his trainers had to say bye. oh my....thanks for this wonderful story!"}, {"response": 31, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (12:26)", "body": "I saw that other program and wondered if larger tanks were Keiko's future. I was delighted to find this story and a link to follow his life where he belongs. *Hugs* and G'morning, Wolfie!"}, {"response": 32, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (12:29)", "body": "i'm so weird...i see those great mammals and i just bawl like a baby! the beauty is so overwhelming...."}, {"response": 33, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (12:39)", "body": "I hadn't heard about that, although I had heard there was campaign to free him. That's lovely. We haven't had anything about it yet on our TV."}, {"response": 34, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (12:43)", "body": "i can't believe he's so close to being free. they were, at one point, trying to locate his family via their sound signatures but i don't know if they've had any luck. can you imagine his family's reaction when keiko comes home? oh, the stories they'd have to tell! good luck, keiko!"}, {"response": 35, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (12:54)", "body": "I echo that!"}, {"response": 36, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (15:27)", "body": "*sitting here full of chicken skin* Amen! Should I see any further articles, I'll post them. The thought of reunion with his family boggles the mind. Incredible chills!"}, {"response": 37, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (21:52)", "body": "an article i just found on msn says keiko has been fending for himself for at least half a day's worth of food. that's great! he had been living in a pen the size of a soccer field (don't know if that's the one they had specially built for him or not). can you imagine his trepidation when he first sees all the room he has? he has no predators (just man, sadly)...."}, {"response": 38, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (15:45)", "body": "That's a lot of room, even for an Orca. He can still echo-locate the fence enclosing him which should keep anxiety attacks in check for a little while."}, {"response": 39, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (16:25)", "body": "and then the curiosity will set in, what's out there? i'll bet that he will keep his bond with humans even as he learns to live on his own and outlives the folks who took care of him...."}, {"response": 40, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (17:18)", "body": "Yes, I'm sure of that! He will come back from time to time but will be curious and have urges to be with his own kind...*smile*"}, {"response": 41, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (17:21)", "body": "of course he will. did his dorsal fin ever straighten out?"}, {"response": 42, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (17:35)", "body": "Don't know him that intimately, but other mammals have unstraight thingies - why should he be different? *grin*"}, {"response": 43, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (19:09)", "body": "well, they said his was laying over because of an illness....hmmmm......."}, {"response": 44, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (19:25)", "body": "Poor baby...all he needed was a Orchess?!"}, {"response": 45, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (13:10)", "body": "*lol*"}, {"response": 46, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (16:06)", "body": "Maggie asked me to post this for her: Pods of killer whales have been sighted off the coast of Cornwall, England. Some whales were seen near a group of basking sharks off Land's End. 'I was watching thesharks and then I saw the killer whale leap virtually out of the water. It went like a rocket' an observer said."}, {"response": 47, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (18:46)", "body": "are there seals over in that part of the atlantic?"}, {"response": 48, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (18:46)", "body": "thanks for that marcia and maggie!"}, {"response": 49, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (18:52)", "body": "Good question, Wolfie. Been there and do not recall seeing any, but it is rich in fish. The coast is very rugged and craggy cliffs all over - no beaching places much for seals right there, but up a ways north should be just fine for Orcas. They like cold seas and they have it there!"}, {"response": 50, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (18:55)", "body": "good thing orcas have no natural enemies (well, except for us)....must be really rich in food!"}, {"response": 51, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (19:09)", "body": "As long as they are happy with fish, they will be sleek and happy."}, {"response": 52, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (14:43)", "body": "I was disappointed not to find pics on the news. There are seals off devon and cornwall, mainly around the offshore islands. We had a lot of grey seals in Northumbria. We used to take our lunch down by the harbour in Berwick on Tweed and seal watch. never ceases to fascinate me."}, {"response": 53, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (15:05)", "body": "Any in the Severn area, Maggie? I was hoping for your input here. I was hoping a bureau of wildlife (or whatever they are there) helicopter would go out and have a look-see and take some pictures."}, {"response": 54, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (15:17)", "body": "I think so (seals). They run boat trips to see them."}, {"response": 55, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (19:50)", "body": "just came back from a wonderful showing at our local IMAX theatre. it was called \"Dolphins\" and was rather short, but beautiful! oh, it fueled me up with their wondrous beauty again. renewed my desire to be around them (not that it was ever distinguished). if i could pack a bag and head out on a plane tomorrow, i'd do it. it is illigal to swim with dolphins in the usa because of incidents of misbehavior due to curiosity on human parts which results in injuries due to wild dolphins trying to protect themselves (getting slapped with a tail fin or bitten). BUT, go to sea world, in my case, florida, and spend the money to go on the trainers seminar. they provide a wetsuit and only 5 people in addition to the trainers are there. you get to jump in the water with them and can take pictures. a friend brought back two lovely pictures for me when she tagged along with another friend who did this seminar. also, if you're interested in benefiting dolphins in the wild, visit this website: http://www.dolphinsfilm.com"}, {"response": 56, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (20:08)", "body": "You can swim with them and feed them at a hotel in Kona on this island. The Dolphin Experience, they call it. Sending you literature on it!!!"}, {"response": 57, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (20:14)", "body": "thanks girl! wonder if the AM would make that my promotion present? (he already told me when i make my next paygrade, he'd send me to florida to do just that)"}, {"response": 58, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (20:36)", "body": "Hmmm...!!! They'll have to drag you kicking and screaming out of the pool. *lol* I can just imagine how great it would be to be there with you for this experience. Something like this has to be shared with special people! *Hugs*"}, {"response": 59, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (04:09)", "body": "envy, envy envy!!!"}, {"response": 60, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (04:18)", "body": "Hey you guys! This is what I was reading last night just before I went to sleep, I was definitely here with you in spirit!!!: Hear the Whales I want to float in warm sweet water Watch dolphins chase through waves of blue Where coral spreads its spiny stems See neon fish of parrot hue But most of all to hear the whales sing. I want to paint the gemstone colours of the butterfly To feel the deep blue velvet of the swallow's wing To tread old rock where eidelweiss does lie But most of all, to hear the whales sing. I want to smell the scent of tropic flowers And touch the soft sweet bloom against my cheek To walk in Spring's pure rainbow'd showers But most of all, to hear the whales sing. To see the sunrise over mountain and strike the heart of glen And view the Northern lights as they shine clear. To watch old 'Will-owisp' as he trips o'er the fen But most of all, to hear the whales sing. To know crisp snows and desert sands and soft warm sinds that blow. To sail, to drift around each bend 'til river meets the sea. I want to take the hands of all those that I know And lead them out to hear the whales sing!"}, {"response": 61, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (04:57)", "body": "Whoops - that was by Jan Eve."}, {"response": 62, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (11:00)", "body": "loved it!"}, {"response": 63, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (13:47)", "body": "Knew you would! I almost did dolphins for henna body art today, but decided on celtic knotwork instead."}, {"response": 64, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (17:54)", "body": "i've gotta get one of those kits!"}, {"response": 65, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar 21, 2000 (23:01)", "body": "Oooh...lovely poem - just like it is here where you can hear the whales breathing as you watch the eruptions at night and you can watch the spinner dolphins herd fishes into coves to eat them around dawn. And the water out here is almost body temperature! Sheesh! Am I gonna be the only unilluminated person on Spring? Henna, tatoos *s i g h*"}, {"response": 66, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (04:36)", "body": "I'll set up virtual shop!!! What pattern do you want? My celtic one is much appreciated *blush*"}, {"response": 67, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (11:32)", "body": "dolphins! what else?"}, {"response": 68, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (11:32)", "body": "Oh Yes! Love the Celtic one! Go for it, Maggie!"}, {"response": 69, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (11:34)", "body": "Celtic interweave with dolphins leaping over the spaces between them..? Dolphins would be lovely...but is there a template for them? (sorry Wolfie - we posted at the exact same time!)"}, {"response": 70, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (11:36)", "body": "that's ok! just checkin' in on my lunchbreak. be back later!"}, {"response": 71, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (12:20)", "body": ""}, {"response": 72, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (12:25)", "body": "oops, sorry pressedthe wrong button. Am scanning in the sheet now. On it's way,Marcia."}, {"response": 73, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (13:27)", "body": "No dolphins, though. Should I post it here? Or elsewhere? Wolfie???"}, {"response": 74, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (13:43)", "body": "There are two lovely dolphins - look again!"}, {"response": 75, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (18:44)", "body": "I saw them - in a lovely circle. Wolfie will love them!"}, {"response": 76, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (20:02)", "body": "send it to me!"}, {"response": 77, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (20:07)", "body": "Will do - right away but it might take a while to get from my computer to yours. HOL is sending me stuff but I need an email coming in to trigger my outgoing. Send me a blank email, please..."}, {"response": 78, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (20:11)", "body": "k...."}, {"response": 79, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (20:14)", "body": "done"}, {"response": 80, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (20:20)", "body": "Nothing happening here yet...Thanks for trying...I know it is getting me online because I see the posts I am writing appear on the topics - like this one... ...and Penn State just made the semi's of the NIT in forever (we are not known for basketball) by beating Kent 81-74. Ya HOO!!!"}, {"response": 81, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (20:25)", "body": "Thanks for trying - it is bound to show up..but nothing is coming in or going out and have no idea why."}, {"response": 82, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (20:44)", "body": "Nothing's happening so I am gonna close out and try later. Your artwork is loaded and ready to send as soon as Hawaii-OFF-line gets their act together. g'bye for now... *special hugs* Wolfie!!!"}, {"response": 83, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (20:44)", "body": "to you too! *HUGS*"}, {"response": 84, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (12:11)", "body": "You should have you mail this morning. There were 51 incoming when I logged in this morning - and all those outgoing email, as well...At least it is working agin - and I found \"here comes the dolphins\" from you as they were disappearing from my computer and onto yours. They are on the top right side of the template."}, {"response": 85, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (16:50)", "body": "Another sad one I'm afraid: In the Solomon Islands a total of 38 whales (unspecified type) are stranded on the Choisen Island and are dying. Villagers have managed to return three others to the water. Police say the main problem now is how to dispose of the bodies before they begin to decompose and become a health risk to the village."}, {"response": 86, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (17:47)", "body": "worry about returning them first, then worry about their bodies!"}, {"response": 87, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (18:26)", "body": "A story better saved for another day, perhaps..."}, {"response": 88, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (19:46)", "body": "*sigh*"}, {"response": 89, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (19:54)", "body": "*sniffle*"}, {"response": 90, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (19:54)", "body": "*hugs*"}, {"response": 91, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (19:58)", "body": "thanks....."}, {"response": 92, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:15)", "body": "ANY time...! For you I am on call 24/7 *warm and loving hugs*"}, {"response": 93, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:16)", "body": "You know - those really Huggy Hugs..."}, {"response": 94, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:18)", "body": "yup, the kind that really feel good. thanks a bunch sweetie..."}, {"response": 95, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:21)", "body": "Like I said...any time! My honor and pleasure."}, {"response": 96, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:24)", "body": "likewise *HUGS*"}, {"response": 97, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:29)", "body": ""}, {"response": 98, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:31)", "body": "i think i have that one some where! thanks...."}, {"response": 99, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:32)", "body": "shoulda made'um go all the way across the page...*sigh* (my first multiple, actually!)"}, {"response": 100, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:33)", "body": "just takes practice!"}, {"response": 101, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:34)", "body": "g'night, lemme go while i'm cheered up.....(gotta get up at 5 for spinning)"}, {"response": 102, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (20:36)", "body": "g'night Wolfie - I gotta go make dinner...*hugs*"}, {"response": 103, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (01:26)", "body": "Hey - I feel left out!"}, {"response": 104, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (11:31)", "body": "Jump on in....we were handling the crisis when it was happening and you were sound asleep. *Hugs* We mentioned you and I forwarded the conversation to you. Please don't feel left out!"}, {"response": 105, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (13:03)", "body": "OK - so long as I'm not in trouble for the whales posting."}, {"response": 106, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (18:33)", "body": "Last month the were about 14 whales which beached themselves in the Bahamas; 9 of them were freed back into the ocean. The problem, according to some marine biologists, was that the US Navy was conducting sonar detection testing in the area. The Navy says it doesn't think the testing of its equipment had any effect on the whales. The biologists think it may well have disoriented and frightened the whales. Their reasoning is that just as humans depend to much on sight and are in fact highly visual creatures; whales are extraordinarily accoustical creatures. The marine biogists also noted whale beachings in the Canary Islands about 4 years ago, and in Florida slightly before that, while the Navy was carrying out the same sorts of tests in those areas."}, {"response": 107, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (18:41)", "body": "wonder if they can use different frequencies (navy)...."}, {"response": 108, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (19:33)", "body": "Of course they can! So can the whales! Seriously, I sent the posts above to Lance. His father worked on Sonar in its infancy...perhaps he can answer this."}, {"response": 109, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (20:50)", "body": "then are the sonar sounds similar in song as the whales'?"}, {"response": 110, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (21:18)", "body": "Not really, but in the same frequency range...whales make an enormous range of sounds from those too high for us to hear to clicking sounds to metallic and whistling sounds. Maybe it is the lure of the Islands making them sing so much, but they are extraordinarily vocal when playing. You can hear it from the shore under the right conditions."}, {"response": 111, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Apr 17, 2000 (21:22)", "body": "Geez, I wish you'd have named this topic Oceanic Mammals... Marine just antagonizes me to bits when I think... (sorry....never mind me...)"}, {"response": 112, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (17:06)", "body": "*hugs*"}, {"response": 113, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (18:18)", "body": "Thanks...I really need that today...I has been really bad."}, {"response": 114, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (19:32)", "body": "ok, where's that long email?"}, {"response": 115, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (21:14)", "body": "I don't want to burden you again... I will email you, though. Did you check MMM?"}, {"response": 116, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (21:18)", "body": "guess not, what's mmm?"}, {"response": 117, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Apr 18, 2000 (21:23)", "body": "Babes topic 45"}, {"response": 118, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (11:19)", "body": "(duh!) will check it out!"}, {"response": 119, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (13:41)", "body": "And, so you did. Thanks more than I can say for your concern. A dead whale washed up on one of our lovliest beaches on the Kona side last week and attracted sharks and the Fed Wildlife guys. They removed the whale but kept the beach closed for a week waiting for the sharks to move on. They did not have any trouble keeping the people snacks out of the water..."}, {"response": 120, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (13:51)", "body": "I just went through the humiliating experience of shredding his mail to me. Never print it out...or live with an insecure snoop."}, {"response": 121, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (17:01)", "body": "free food. bet their were people who wanted to watch though."}, {"response": 122, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (23:07)", "body": "Of course. They had to police the area so people would not swim (and feed the sharks even more) nor take souvenirs of the poor late whale. Weird!"}, {"response": 123, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (23:08)", "body": "(did shred paper, but not those precious papers...just throwaways from the junk mail *grin*)"}, {"response": 124, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (23:10)", "body": "Sorry for crepe-draping all over the place. Shall not do that again!"}, {"response": 125, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Jun 24, 2000 (03:21)", "body": "SING OUT LOUD, SING OUT LONG Some male humpback whales lengthened their songs while others ceased to sing altogether when exposed to low-frequency sonar tests off the coast of Hawaii in 1998, suggesting that sonar transmissions by the U.S. Navy could disrupt whale breeding and cause other behavioral changes, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. On average, the whales' songs were 30 percent longer than normal, a strong shift given that the sonar was tested at less than full strength, said Patrick Miller, lead study author and a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Still, he said the researchers didn't notice any \"extreme reactions\" in the whales such as breaching. Many environmentalists are calling on the Navy to end some of its uses of sonar, saying that it can disorient and killwhales. BBC News, 06.22.00 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_801000/801458.stm"}, {"response": 126, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Aug 25, 2000 (15:47)", "body": "Dolphin 'Nicknames' Help Them Hook Up in Murk By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000825/sc/dolphins_dc_2.html WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dolphins greet one another by ``name,'' using signature whistles to keep track of one another in murky waters and across distances, a researcher says. While he hesitates to say the dolphins are actually using language, the researcher said the study shows dolphins have a clear and consistent vocabulary and are able to identify one another as individuals. ``Each dolphin develops a very specific signature signal,'' biologist Vincent Janik of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, who conducted the study, said Thursday in a telephone interview. ``They always use the same call. Some people call it a name.'' But because the dolphins seem to develop their own signature whistles, Janik said the calls are more like Internet screen names or handles. Janik studied wild bottlenose dolphins off the Moray Firth, Scotland's coast. He recorded 1,719 whistles using six hydrophones and a computer-based method for finding individual dolphins as they made the calls. The dolphins were coming into the bay to catch salmon. ``You have lots of dolphins all over the place,'' Janik said. ''Obviously at some point they want to get together again.'' Each dolphin makes its own, distinctive whistle, Janik found. Other dolphins will imitate that whistle, presumably to contact and keep in touch with that particular dolphin. ``It's like keeping in acoustic contact,'' Janik said. ``It's something that we know from birds and humans, too.'' To check his work, Janik used five human ``judges'' to confirm the calls were identical. People are very good at hearing differences in tone, he said. ``I used human judges because a computer is not up to the job yet,'' he said. ``I can say the same word in a high-pitched voice or a low-pitched voice and it's still the same word but the computer could confuse it.'' Janik has also found that, like monkeys and other primates, the dolphins use distinctive calls when they have found food. This one is a low-pitched ``bray,'' he said. ``It really sounds like a donkey bray,'' Janik said. ``It was very clear that this was a feeding call. If one dolphin found food, they would produce this call. The others would rush in.'' So does it qualify as language? ``I always try to avoid the term 'language,''' Janik said. ``But it is certainly a complex communication system.'' Now Janik is working in Shark Bay, in Western Australia to see if mother dolphins and their calves use the distinctive signature calls. ``We know they have to get back together again,'' Janik said."}, {"response": 127, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Aug 25, 2000 (16:14)", "body": "I knew I should have linked this topic with Geo 36... but I can no longer telnet to do so, have forgotten the command... *sigh*"}, {"response": 128, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Aug 29, 2000 (18:07)", "body": "August 28, 2000 1:52 pm EST MANFREDONIA, Italy (Reuters) - A dolphin saved a 14-year-old boy from drowning in the Adriatic sea on Monday, pushing him to the surface and helping him to a nearby boat. The boy, who could not swim, told Italian news agency ANSA he fell from the boat as he was sailing with his father in the gulf of Manfredonia, off the southern Italian coast. As he was slipping under the water, something pushed him up. \"When I realized it was Filippo, I hung on to him,\" the boy said, referring to the dolphin. The mammal carried the boy to the boat and swam away. The dolphin has lived in the gulf's waters for years, locals say, and has been dubbed Filippo."}, {"response": 129, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Tue, Aug 29, 2000 (19:19)", "body": "There are stories of dolphins saving drowning people going back to atleast classical times. A bit of note on dolphin names. Some current research suggests that dolphins may have their own individual names which they call each other in their own \"language\"."}, {"response": 130, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Aug 29, 2000 (19:25)", "body": "that's right! it would be wonderful if we could learn the names and call them by it even if we can't figure the rest of it out."}, {"response": 131, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Sep 10, 2000 (10:30)", "body": "Hey try this virtual whale watching tour.... http://www.princeofwhales.com/virtual/intro.htm"}, {"response": 132, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 14, 2000 (21:22)", "body": "this is neat! thanks maggie......"}, {"response": 133, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Sep 15, 2000 (04:22)", "body": "Looking forward to doing the real thing in a few weeks time ....."}, {"response": 134, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Sep 17, 2000 (04:49)", "body": "Dolphins to desert dying British seas Jonathan Leake, Environment Editor Sunday Times 17th Sept http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/ DOLPHINS and porpoises could soon disappear from the seas around Britain, driven away by overfishing and pollution, says a report out this week. It predicts that large parts of the English Channel could become a dead sea, and re-veals that fish in the Irish and North Seas have been devastated, with birds, shellfish and many plankton species also threatened. The report, for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), studied 10 key species, including dolphins, porpoises, cod, salmon and oysters. It also looked at coastal habitats, including mudflats, rocky reefs and salt marshes. It concludes that two-thirds of the species fished for food are overexploited, and that without tougher controls on fishermen and industry some will disappear. The WWF said: \"Cod has been fished unsustainably for years. It is threatened with commercial extinction.\" However, figures from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food reveal that fishermen are stripping more life from the sea than ever, taking 772,000 tons of fish and shellfish last year, up from 600,000 in 1990. The ministry says the en-dangered species include cod, monkfish and nephrops, otherwise known as scampi. The decline of dolphins and porpoises is perhaps the most obvious sign of damage. Populations of bottlenose dolphins around Britain were stable until they recently suddenly started falling. Destruction of their food supplies through overfishing is a big factor, but many also drown after being caught in nets. The effect of pollution is also severe. Scientists said a baby bottlenose dolphin washed ashore in Cardigan Bay was one of the most polluted animals ever found. Inland, wild salmon are disappearing from many British rivers largely because of fish farming, the report warns. The WWF wants changes in legislation to halt the damage and give threatened species a way of recovering. These include turning some of the waters around Britain into protected areas where fishing and other commercial activities are banned, and an oceans act to protect the coast, seas and sea bed."}, {"response": 135, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Dec 12, 2000 (18:56)", "body": "this from MSN Pets & Animals Baby right whale sighted Productive year anticipated The sighting of a baby right whale -- just days old -- off the coast of Georgia has given researchers hope that the rarest of the world's large whale species is fighting off extinction by having a productive year. A newborn found this early in the season suggests a strong year for the right whale which was hunted to near extinction in the late 1940's. Last year only one newborn was seen during the entire birthing season, which lasts from December to March -- typically, seven or eight are sighted. These massive black whales can reach almost 60 feet in length and weigh up to 70 tons. Scientists estimate there are about 300 right whales left in the world's oceans."}, {"response": 136, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Dec 12, 2000 (22:54)", "body": "Yup, some were afraid they had a breeding population so small that they were essentially extinct. This is good news, indeed!!! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 24, "subject": "The Big Cats", "response_count": 4, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (18:00)", "body": "Ligers and tigons and panthers and Nittany Lions?!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (20:09)", "body": "i love the big cats. did most of my science (biology) reports on the cheetah. that cat is fascinating."}, {"response": 3, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (13:07)", "body": "And FAST!"}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (18:57)", "body": "Another Cell Phone-Related Danger MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A 25-year-old Mexican man escaped with only minor injuries after a lion attacked him as he tried to retrieve a cell phone in the creature's cage, the Reforma daily newspaper said on Tuesday. Guillermo Orozco received injuries to his chest, back and face when he entered the cage of ``Zeus'' at an amusement park in Pachuca in the central Mexican state of Hidalgo. But his life was not in danger, the paper said. Reforma said the Pachuca resident had been drinking and made a wager with a friend that he could recover his phone before climbing into the cage. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 25, "subject": "Animals in Poetry", "response_count": 3, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (17:49)", "body": "The Owl and the Pussycat I The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea In a beautiful pea green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money, Wrapped up in a five pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, 'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!' II Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl! How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?' They sailed away, for a year and a day, To the land where the Bong-tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood With a ring at the end of his nose, His nose, His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose. III 'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.' So they took it away, and were married next day By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon, The moon, The moon, They danced by the light of the moon. http://www2.pair.com/mgraz/Lear/ns/pussy.html"}, {"response": 2, "author": "riette", "date": "Sat, Oct  2, 1999 (02:43)", "body": "That's really cute! Thanks, Marcia!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct  2, 1999 (21:44)", "body": "I recited this poem to my son when he was tiny - so many times we can say it together, even at this far remove. It is one of my favorites. Happy you enjoyed it! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 26, "subject": "Cuddly Animals", "response_count": 43, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (19:52)", "body": "This is too funny!!! I was telnetting when I wrote that comment to Ree about her guinea pigs, and I thought about creating such a topic. When I got back to windows, there it was! *lol*"}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (20:20)", "body": "did i read your thought, perhaps? (or just the comment in rodents??? *laugh*)"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct  2, 1999 (21:46)", "body": "With you, my dear wolfie, it is sometimes hard to differentiate! *lol*"}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (21:07)", "body": "well, much to the dismay of my children, their pet hamster, milton, passed away yesterday apparantly from old age. they've had him since he was 4 months old. it was kind of funny how they found out--he didn't move when they messed with his cage so they put the cage on the floor and took him out. of course, he still didn't move and my daughter comes running down the hall hollering for me to check milton. they were sad but got over it really quick. i think we had him for 2 years so he's actually lucky to live as long as he did!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (21:24)", "body": "Oh My! I don't know if I could handle an animal attachment which only lasted 2 years...David came totally unglued when his goldfish died and a dog ate his turtle (out for some sunshine - the dog thought it was snack time). Of course, he was very young (and 2 years is a very short life span!)"}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (21:29)", "body": "yeah, but this was a hamster! *grin* my husband said he was always losing his as a kid. the thing would get out of the cage and end up holed up in the wall and they'd just run out and get a new one. my son had some apprehension concerning the rat because he would bite. he was upset but i told him it wasn't his fault. milton had lived a long good life with us considering what could've happened. (like if we hadn't found him underneath the washing machine when tim left the lid to the cage off)!!"}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (21:35)", "body": "Oh heavens!!! I guess! It also helps that you have lots of pets around with Bert and the dogs... (Did they not begin to smell bad when they holed up in the walls? I know warehouse rats do!) Shhhh...don't mention that it was *just* a hamster...Ree is sensitive to these things, and we would not wish to offend her *grin* How long do Guinea Pigs live? Those I played with next door lived a long time - I do not recall their having died...!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (23:05)", "body": "I got to cuddle with a juvenile koala in Sydney many years ago (sounds like a statutory offense). It was an absolutely spiritual experience. He was curious, gentle, soft, furry, and smelled like a eucalyptus cough drop. His name was Gray, but I called him \"Smitty\" (Smith Brothers, furry and mentholated)."}, {"response": 9, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Oct 19, 1999 (12:14)", "body": "Wow, I never thought of that! Do koalas really smell like eucalyptus candy? Oh, and that's why babies and little kittens smell so nicely like milk, I love this!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (06:41)", "body": "Oh, the poor hamster! I once had a hamster called Charlie when I was 19. He was a sweety. One day, when I was 21, and 9 months pregnant with Isa, I picked him up out of his cage, and noticed he had suddenly gone tame! I ran to show Chris - that's when he fell over in my hand, and I noticed he was no longer a living Charlie. Then I cried so much a baby came out the next day. And 2 months later my bunny, Darradi, died too. That was even sadder, because she was like a dog - she didn't even have a cage she was potty trained, and followed me everywhere. Marcia, guinea pigs live about 5 years, but some live longer. I hope mine never die. They have even more personality than Charlie had."}, {"response": 11, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 21, 1999 (12:44)", "body": "Ah Ree, that explains the Darradi topic I found elsewhere. I am sorry about yout Charlie...how sad. It is gonna be bad when your immortal Guinea Pigs go - if they go - before you do. Ideally, our children and pets should bury us, but it does not always work out that way. I can't even imagine how a bunny manages to use a potty without falling in, but I imagine that is for another topic altogether."}, {"response": 12, "author": "riette", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (13:26)", "body": "She just sort of pushed her backside into a baby potty that I bought her, and that was it. At first when she made bitsies on the floor I'd scoop it into the potty, and that's how she learned. But she was a clever one too. I really don't thinks my guinea pigs will die though - they just don't seem the type."}, {"response": 13, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (15:04)", "body": "I am sure those ones I played with and fed next door to us lived several years...perhaps many...I most assuredly would have remembered if they'd died when I was young and playing with them...and I do not recall anything of the sort! Vive les Guinea Pigs!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (15:06)", "body": "It is good you chose a female...if you had a male, he would have left the seat up and hit all around the potty rather than into it...*grin*"}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (16:15)", "body": "*lol* bunnies can be trained to use a litter box too."}, {"response": 16, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (16:35)", "body": "I have heard of litter boxes for them but never potties. They do not do \"liquid\" waste? Just Rabbit \"pellets\"?"}, {"response": 17, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Oct 25, 1999 (14:22)", "body": "i imagine they do liquid. most rodents do (i know, they're cuddly)."}, {"response": 18, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Oct 25, 1999 (14:49)", "body": "I know they are cuddly - there are even angora ones...and the tiny bunnies are so soft you can hardly feel the fur with your fingers - you must put them next to your cheek. I am sure they do liquid...it was not metioned in Ree's potty story and I was curious how that fared as to actually getting inside the container...but it is not something I really NEED to know to live...I am just too curious *grin*"}, {"response": 19, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (03:59)", "body": "My bunny peed like a hose! No aiming problems - it worked just like with us girls. It never occured to me to get a litter box! I had this potty from my baby days that my grandma wanted me to take along when I came to Europe (the don't-forget-your-roots-thing), and it seemed a handy thing to have when Darradi came to me."}, {"response": 20, "author": "patas", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (13:39)", "body": "OT, I know, because apparently dogs don't have many fans in this conference... But Patas uses a cat litter box, only it has to have high walls for him to lift his leg at."}, {"response": 21, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (20:01)", "body": "I KNEW there was something good about being a girl..."}, {"response": 22, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (20:02)", "body": "Patas is NOT a dog, Gi...he is your furson!"}, {"response": 23, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (13:15)", "body": "I had to take my son's hamster to the vet. Here's what happened: Just after dinner one night, my son came up to tell me there was \"something wrong\" with one of the two hamsters he holds prisoner in his room. \"He's just lying there looking sick,\" he told me. \"Oldest trick in the book,\" I informed him. \"You go in to see what's wrong with the sick one and the other one sneaks up behind you and bonks you on the head. Then they change into your clothes and escape.\" \"I'm serious, Dad. Can you help?\" I put a hamster-healer expression on my face and followed him into his bedroom. One of the little rodents was indeed lying on his back, looking distressed. I immediately knew what to do. \"Honey,\" I called, \"come look at the hamster!\" \"Oh, my gosh,\" my wife diagnosed after a minute. \"She's having babies.\" \"What?\" my son demanded. \"But their names are Bert and Ernie!\" I was equally outraged. \"Hey, how can that be? I thought we said we didn't want them to reproduce,\" I accused my wife. \"Well, what did you want me to do, post a sign in their cage?\" she inquired sarcastically. \"No, but you were supposed to get two boys!\" I reminded her. \"Yeah, Bert and Ernie!\" my son agreed. \"Well, it was a little hard to tell,\" she informed me. By now the rest of the family had gathered to see what was going on. I shrugged, deciding to make the best of it. \"Kids, this is going to be a wondrous experience,\" I announced. \"We're about to witness the miracle of birth.\" \"Gross!\" they shrieked. \"Great; what are we going to do with a litter of tiny little hamster babies?\" my wife wanted to know. \"Well, when my parents' dog had puppies, I took them up to the grocery store in a cardboard box and gave them away,\" I recalled. \"So what are you going to do, go up with a pair of tweezers so people can pick out their hamster?\" she asked. We peered at the patient. After much struggling, what looked like a tiny foot would appear briefly, vanishing a scant second later. \"We don't appear to be making much progress,\" I noted. \"A breech birth,\" my wife whispered, horrified. \"Do something, Dad!\" my son urged. \"Okay, okay.\" Squeamishly, I reached in and grabbed the foot when it next appeared, giving it a gingerly tug. It disappeared. I tried again, with the same results. \"Should I dial 911?\" my daughter wanted to know. \"Maybe they could talk us through it.\" \"Let's get Ernie to the vet,\" I said grimly. We drove to the vet with my son holding the cage in his lap. \"Breathe, Ernie, breathe,\" he urged. \"I don't think hamsters do Lamaze,\" I told him. The vet took Ernie back to the examining room and peered at the little animal through a magnifying glass. \"What do you think, Doc, an epidural?\" I suggested scientifically. \"Oh, very interesting,\" he murmured. \"Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, may I speak to you privately for a moment?\" I gulped, nodding for my son to step outside. \"Is Ernie going to be okay?\" my wife asked. \"Oh, perfectly,\" the vet assured us. \"This hamster is not in labor. In fact, that isn't EVER going to happen....Ernie is a boy.\" \"What?\" \"You see, Ernie is a young male. And occasionally, as they come into maturity, male hamsters will, ah...\" He blushed, glancing at my wife. \"Well, you know what I'm saying, Mr. Cameron.\" We were silent, absorbing this. \"So Ernie's just...just...\" \"Excited?\" my wife offered. \"Exactly,\" the vet replied, relieved that we understood. More silence. Then my wife started to giggle. \"What's so funny?\" I demanded. Tears were now running down her face. \"Just...that...I'm picturing you pulling on its...its...\" she gasped. \"That's enough,\" I warned. We thanked the veterinarian and hurriedly bundled the hamsters and our son back into the car. He was glad everything was going to be okay. \"I know Ernie's really thankful for what you've done, Dad,\" he told me. \"Oh, you have no idea,\" my wife agreed, collapsing into laughter as I gave her a dirty look."}, {"response": 24, "author": "patas", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (19:15)", "body": "Loved it (twice!):-)"}, {"response": 25, "author": "patas", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (19:16)", "body": "Marcia, Patas is my furson, but he is a dog :-)"}, {"response": 26, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (20:13)", "body": "I emailed you the second copy so you could forward it to whomever you wished to see it. You mean to tell me my furnephew is a DOG?! Not! I have seen the faces he makes and they are more expressive than a lot of humans I could mention...! *grin*"}, {"response": 27, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (15:15)", "body": "Yet your furnephew trades news through urine drops at street corners and not through email or Spring posts... But you are right, he thinks very much like we do. Did I tell you how once he took responsability for waking me up every morning at 7.30? And did it, workday or sunday... for a loooong period. I'm glad he stopped, although it was done very nicely... but very insistently! And it wasn't like he wanted to go out, or to eat, because as soon as I was up he would go back to sleep."}, {"response": 28, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (15:16)", "body": "Oops! I thought I'd closed the tag, sorry."}, {"response": 29, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (16:08)", "body": "Patas is like a little kid who is so delighted he has pleased you that he cannot turn off the machine making him do it. How funny and how sweet!"}, {"response": 30, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct 29, 1999 (20:40)", "body": "i thought we had a topic for our furothers! my dogs are definintely expressionists! they use their whole body!! every night around 9 or 9:30, they wait anxiously for me to go to bed so they can settle down too!"}, {"response": 31, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (00:25)", "body": "*LOL* ...furothers...Love that!!! (We do have a topic for them...I guess they did not like being left with the ordinary Dog-dogs!!!"}, {"response": 32, "author": "patas", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (03:56)", "body": "Fact is, our \"furothers\" (I like the term too, Wolf) tend to pop out everywhere :-)"}, {"response": 33, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (19:11)", "body": "...sorta like my son...is there a conference in which I have not mentioned him?! furothers are the same way...*smile*"}, {"response": 34, "author": "patas", "date": "Wed, Nov  3, 1999 (14:18)", "body": ":-)"}, {"response": 35, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar  2, 2000 (19:15)", "body": "Rio's Pet Owners Dress Dogs, Hamsters RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Rio's pampered pets can now get into the spirit of the city's world-famous Carnival with party costumes including tutus and wedding gowns to take them through five days of revelry. The options are limitless for those owners wanting to indulge their dogs, hamsters or parrots with the ultimate holiday treat. A ballerina or a bridal outfit? A bow-tie or a veil? ``Whatever the customer asks for we will make it, for all types of animals'' said Monica Morgata, owner of the ``Mon Amie'' pet store in Rio's fashionable Ipanema district. Carnival kicks off on Friday evening with a street parade in the city center and will continue next week. ``We've got tuxedos and ballerina outfits for hamsters and we've already done a small parade for them. Cats don't really like dressing up but we have bow ties for them and we once made an outfit for a parrot. But that didn't last too long.'' Other fashion accessories include masks similar to that worn by last year's unofficial Carnival queen, Tiazinha, a scantily-clad dominatrix whose trademark is a black eye mask and riding crop to whip her admirers into line. The most popular item was a T-shirt for dogs with this year's official theme of Brazil's 500-year anniversary, retailing at just five reais ($2.85), said Morgata. ``Carnival is for everyone. People like to joke around and get into the Carnival spirit, so they dress their dogs up when they go parading,'' she said. ``Last week I saw somebody dressed as a dog in a parade. So why not the other way around?''"}, {"response": 36, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar  2, 2000 (20:33)", "body": "yeah, i've heard about this! i forgot about their carnival."}, {"response": 37, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar  2, 2000 (21:20)", "body": "Don't we need to have a carnival, too? For our Fur-others?"}, {"response": 38, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar  3, 2000 (10:58)", "body": "well, we have mardi paws around here!"}, {"response": 39, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar  3, 2000 (17:38)", "body": "That is good!!! Fat feet...hmmm..."}, {"response": 40, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar  3, 2000 (17:39)", "body": "Oh, I have a neighbor who named her cat Mena-Paws. She claims her hot flashes arrived with the cat. Honest!"}, {"response": 41, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar  3, 2000 (18:50)", "body": "haha! that's a good one (maybe she's allergic? *grin*)"}, {"response": 42, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar  3, 2000 (19:32)", "body": "(Could be!) Apallingly, she is the only other Penn Stater on this side of the Island who admits to being one!!! (There are several on the UHHilo faculty)"}, {"response": 43, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Apr 23, 2000 (14:07)", "body": "Rabbit Rescuer Braces for Easter NEW YORK (Reuters) - Easter is definitely not the favorite holiday for a rabbit rescuer. Just ask Mary Cotter, head of the New York metropolitan area's chapter of the House Rabbit Society and founder of a group called Rabbit Rescue and Rehab. Easter inevitably ushers in a round of calls from people who have found, or who want to ditch, unwanted pets, said Cotter, who helps tend to scores of rabbits abandoned in New York each year. Some calls come from parents with regrets over buying a rabbit for a child's Easter gift, while others have discovered abandoned rabbits dumped in the city's parks or lots, she said. And the system of foster care for rabbits awaiting adoption in New York City is already overflowing, she said. ``This has been a terrible year for 'dumps,' the worst year I can remember,'' Cotter said on Thursday. ``I've had more calls with fewer people able to take care of their rabbits than ever before.'' Waiting for homes are rabbits like Ginger, a big orange and white bunny found dumped on a golf course who needed to have her diseased front teeth removed, and Stubs, found abandoned in Manhattan, whose ears were somehow chewed off. Others are happily ensconced in new homes, like Lance, a white rabbit who was rescued from a Manhattan butcher selling him for meat and now lives with Iris Farrand in Brooklyn. The rabbit's quirky personality helped Farrand survive the tough times following the recent death of her husband, Farrand said, by greeting family and friends who came to pay condolences. ``I may have made a couple rabbit converts while they were here,'' she said. ``He thinks he's a puppy. He doesn't know he's a bunny.'' Plenty of other sad rabbit tales have had happy endings as well, Cotter said. There was an executive who adopted the rescue group's sickest rabbit, despite the sky-high veterinary bills, and a child who chose the most bedraggled bunny, fearing otherwise it would be homeless forever, she said. ``Just when you have think your faith in human nature is destroyed, someone will do something wonderful that you just can't believe,'' Cotter said.'' And of course Cotter, a photographer and writer, puts plenty of love into every bunny that hops across her doorstep. ``I've stood at the door and really embarrassed myself by bursting into tears when a rabbit left here,'' she said, adding, ''If you don't get attached, you're not giving them the care they deserve.'' SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 27, "subject": "Wild Canines", "response_count": 21, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (20:24)", "body": "this topic is meant to include all wild canines including wolves, coyotes, hyenas, feral domestic dogs, dingos, etc. i am a big time wolf lover, as if you couldn't tell! i have several links of good information on the wolf."}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (21:34)", "body": "Your very own topic not in Screwed or Babes! Imagine that?! Of course, you are a four-wolf fold, are you not, and you have your very own Alpha Wolf? Could we see a picture of him?!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Oct  3, 1999 (18:28)", "body": "al intra's wolf site: Wolves"}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct  3, 1999 (20:29)", "body": "Nice Wolfies, but no Midnight Wolf and no Alpha Wolf (or are you the ones in those neat paintings where they are part of the background?!)"}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Oct  3, 1999 (20:55)", "body": "you got it! *grin* am really too shy to get my pic made and to have it plastered all over the internet...."}, {"response": 6, "author": "terry", "date": "Sun, Oct  3, 1999 (21:06)", "body": "There's a pack of wild dogs howling some nights in the woods by my Cedar Creek house. They really get going."}, {"response": 7, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Oct  3, 1999 (21:09)", "body": "feral dogs...not that uncommon though less heard of in cities."}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct  3, 1999 (21:31)", "body": "When I visited Southern California last year for 4 months, the room we slept in looked out on undeveloped parkland (yes, there still is some!) and each night the coyotes would sing. The first few times they were close and had made a kill so they were especially exhuberant. Man...I sat up in bed with the sheet tucked between my chin and knees and stared boggle-eyed into the inky darkness. It was a blood-chilling sound that took me about the 4 months to appreciate without shaking!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Oct  4, 1999 (17:00)", "body": "haha! at ft riley, kansas, a few of the houses in the housing area had back yards that attached to some undeveloped land (for hunting). a few of the families that lived there left raw chicken for the coyotes. we saw them all the time running around in the field."}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Oct  4, 1999 (17:21)", "body": "They make the most amazing yipping noises when they have a kill - just like little humans when they are excited! I think they are neat - but they always look so forlorn in the daytime. I guess nighttime is REALLY their time to Howl!"}, {"response": 11, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Oct  4, 1999 (19:14)", "body": "i always felt bad for the coyotes. they seemed like underdogs to me. (nevermind my pun). and then i learned that wolves were as well. didn't really know about the persecution they endure until i started reading and researching. doesn't help that fairytales use wolves as the bad guys. i don't know if hyenas are in the canine family but they don't really seem like cats, although they could be. i saw an interesting documentary about them on discovery (my fave channel). they laugh out of nervousness! i'll do some more checking on them and give you a few more links for my fave wolf sites!"}, {"response": 12, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Oct  4, 1999 (19:19)", "body": "Indeed, Hyenas are Canines...they are very pack oriented and alpha status for male and female leaders. I agree that for the most part, wolves have had lousy PR."}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Oct  4, 1999 (19:19)", "body": "got an answer on the hyena. according to the following url, hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs and really belong in their own family. it also said that they're closest to meercats and such. here's the link: http://www.csulb.edu/~persepha/hyena.html"}, {"response": 14, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Oct  4, 1999 (19:21)", "body": "marcia, you slipped me *hugs*"}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Oct  4, 1999 (19:33)", "body": "k, here's a wolf website i visit a lot! http://www.wolves-on-web.com/"}, {"response": 16, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Oct  4, 1999 (20:04)", "body": "Not only did I slip you - I had the incorrect answer - they must have reclassified hyenas. I was sure...but I love meercats. They are adorable to the extreme! *hugs* returning...*smile*"}, {"response": 17, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Feb  8, 2000 (20:17)", "body": "This will not endanger you, will it Wolfie??? Hunting for Wolf-Dog Hybrids OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian hunters set out on Monday to kill four wolf-dog hybrids in an unprecedented step to protect Scandinavia's endangered pure-bred wolves. ``We'll shoot to kill,'' Svein Nic Norberg, one of eight people involved in the hunt, told Reuters via mobile phone from a forest in southeast Norway. ``We have an extremely difficult task ahead of us. It could take weeks or even months.'' Norwegian authorities, who have spent recent years trying to reintroduce wolves after they died out in Norway in the 1940s, ordered the hunt after genetic testing of a cub killed by a car showed it was a mixture of wolf and dog. Scientists fear that four other cubs from the same litter, born in May 1999, could grow up to breed and wreck the gene pool of Norwegian wolves. The hunt has support from environmentalists who see it as a way to protect a stock of about 20 pure wolves. Norberg, a spokesman for the Directorate for Nature Management, said his team had located three of the hybrids in Oestfold county, in woods near the Swedish border, together with their pure-bred wolf mother and a new pure wolf mate. ``What is complicating the hunt is that we have to be extremely careful not to hurt the adult animals they are fully protected,'' Norberg said. A lack of snow in the area made it difficult to monitor the tracks. ``They move around a lot. They can easily go 200 kilometers (125 miles) in 24 hours,'' he said. The last of the four hybrid cubs was wandering around alone in the north of the county, apparently lost, Norberg said. The dog father of the hybrids has not been identified."}, {"response": 18, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Feb  9, 2000 (18:10)", "body": "not this wolfie. it hurts my feelings but i understand why they're doing it."}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb  9, 2000 (18:20)", "body": "Yeah, I know...I worried and worried about posting that article, but decided pure wolfies are important to save...so I posted it!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 22, 2000 (15:17)", "body": "Werewolf Lore Do werewolves lurk among us? Thanks to movies and childhood stories, just about everyone knows what a werewolf is. But did you know that the word \"werewolf\" is Old English for \"man-wolf\"? Just in case you don't quite remember, a werewolf is defined as a man who can transform himself into a werewolf. In the Middle Ages, European peasants believed that these man-wolves would go out hunting for food (children were reputedly the morsel of choice for these predators) during the full moon. Bandits were the only ones to have actually preyed on the fears of peasants - they clothed themselves in wolf skins to inspire fear. Werewolf lore is evident in many parts of the world - and throughout the ages. From ancient Greece to (generally isolated regions of the world) today, folklore still exists about these man-wolves. More tomorrow!"}, {"response": 21, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, May 23, 2000 (15:17)", "body": "Do Werewolves Lurk Among Us? According to psychologists, people who believe that they transform into werewolves have a mental disorder called lycanthropy. In this disorder, one thinks he or she can transform into a wolf or other animal, depending on the region of the world in which he or she lives. In general, people who suffer from this disorder believe that they transform into the most powerful and feared animal that lives in their part of the world. But the perceived 'ability' to transform one's self into an animal has great spiritual implications in many religions. Is this simply just a mental disorder - or are there times when chosen people experience a transformation into an animal form? SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 28, "subject": "chimps", "response_count": 0, "posts": []}, {"num": 29, "subject": "Jurassic Park", "response_count": 216, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (20:23)", "body": "Competing with my Paleontology or Fossils Topics, or are we talking Live Dinosaurs???! *hugs* it is good to have you busy again in here *smile*"}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (20:24)", "body": "Actually, I wanted to use this topic to supplement yours and thought we could link the two up. Want to use this to explore the dinosaur age and whether or not the world is as old as \"they\" say it is. And to discuss theories as to what killed them off. A huge virus, meteor, what....."}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (20:26)", "body": "OK, I'll add this to my request for linkup between Collecting rocks and Geo..."}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (20:35)", "body": "Cfadm may have to create a new Paleo topic in Geo since this one is written in and there in one post in my Paleo...which is easily dispensed with as it was not important. I think this is an exciting prospect. I have loved dinosaurs since I was very little and taken to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. I still have my books about dinosaurs from when I was a kid!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "riette", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (14:29)", "body": "Dinos are so cool!! Apparently new evidence shows that the T-REX lived in colonies. Don't you find that SCARY?? Imagine such mean animals in a pack! But apparently they weren't very nice to each other, and always picked on the smaller T-REX."}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (16:16)", "body": "They were the ultimate killing machine of the Jurassic, and they helped evolution out a lot by getting rid of the lame, stupid and slow so they did not pass those genes on to their offspring. Whatever happened to Natural Selection?! I think we need to have it back..."}, {"response": 7, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (05:00)", "body": "We do. That's why bad people get away with being bad so often..."}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (21:21)", "body": "I'm afraid you are right...It seems as though they are propagating faster than the good folks of the world, as well."}, {"response": 9, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (04:12)", "body": "Of course. Survival by means of depleting other people's means."}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (16:00)", "body": "As soon as there were two people on the Earth, there was the problem of depleting the other person's means...if for nothing else than to eliminate the competition. Seems we were at it from the very beginning. It is amazing that we survive as well as we do! We are now linked to Geo. Happy thought, Indeed...so now we can legitimately discuss gastroliths and coprolites *grin*"}, {"response": 11, "author": "riette", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (06:39)", "body": "You mean farting and burping?"}, {"response": 12, "author": "terry", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (09:58)", "body": "They've found a completely intact mammouth and are planning on cloing the dna and inseminating an African elephant with it (I may have the details garbled, I heard it on the car radio a few days ago), but the gist is that mammouths will walk the earth again. Jurrasic Park is real."}, {"response": 13, "author": "riette", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (14:07)", "body": "You're late!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (15:10)", "body": "Terry, I think we discussed this on SpringArk 30 / Genetics:Animal Kingdom. I am really excited for them to do this and I hope they are successful. Not quite the Jurassic period, but far enough back that it piques our interest and imagination."}, {"response": 15, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (15:16)", "body": "(Ri\ufffdtte)You mean farting and burping? If we are talking coprolites, it is long past the flaming point and into fossilization (wouldn't that make a nifty engagement ring stone?!), as for Gastroliths...yup! But belching stones is not a pleasant thing to contemplate. Bouncing around in your gut at that size could be the cause of more than gastric distress! It might knock two stones together, cause a spark and ignite the whole Dinosaur. BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!"}, {"response": 16, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (16:18)", "body": "I wish these intersecting topics would show as \"read\" in all the conferences once they are read in one of them. Can this not be done, Marcia, Terry?"}, {"response": 17, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (16:54)", "body": "When I enter a conference I do it like this: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/browse/Geo/all/new after I have accessed them and I go to SpringArk or Collecting (to which Geo is linked - as well as News and Parents - I do the same using browse/all/new. The ones already read should not appear again on the other place since you have accessed it."}, {"response": 18, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (16:57)", "body": "Well, so much for that. It did not work this time... Since each conference is independent one of the other it might be impossible to do what Gi requests."}, {"response": 19, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct 29, 1999 (21:42)", "body": "i've wondered the same thing myself!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct 29, 1999 (23:41)", "body": "I have done some looking at yapp capabilities, and this seems to be too convoluted for it to handle."}, {"response": 21, "author": "patas", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (04:47)", "body": "Well, then, never mind! Some genius may think of that, though, the next time they write such a program :-)"}, {"response": 22, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (15:00)", "body": "I think it just might take an exasperated non-expert to write such a program. I have been thinking about it, but am far from the stage of making useful suggestions - so I keep plugging at it, and another program which would keep posts on private boards from general display...!"}, {"response": 23, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (20:12)", "body": "And, here I sit in telnet (actually double telnet) and am still coming up empty"}, {"response": 24, "author": "patas", "date": "Wed, Nov  3, 1999 (15:32)", "body": "I wonder if I Forget it in one conference will it be Forgotten in the other? Will try it. But then the object is defeated, which was to link to it from either conference."}, {"response": 25, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Nov  3, 1999 (20:15)", "body": "Hmmm....I think it is conference specific, but not sure. Please report your findings on this matter!"}, {"response": 26, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Nov  4, 1999 (16:42)", "body": "I Forgot it on SpringArk but it still showed up in Geo."}, {"response": 27, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Nov  4, 1999 (17:40)", "body": "Thank you! I was wondering, but since I am host on both of those conferences I did not think it would be a fair test."}, {"response": 28, "author": "patas", "date": "Fri, Nov  5, 1999 (09:26)", "body": "And it is still forgotten in SpringArk. So now we know :-)"}, {"response": 29, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Nov  5, 1999 (13:39)", "body": "Aha again! Good to know these things. Thanks, again *hugs*"}, {"response": 30, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Jan  7, 2000 (20:12)", "body": "Mammoth Stuck Outside New Museum NORMAN, Okla. (Reuters) - A life-size bronze sculpture of an Ice Age mammoth is proving to be a mammoth headache for the University of Oklahoma, which has been unable to fit the beast through the doors of the country's newest natural history museum, officials said on Thursday. When the massive bronze, whose 12-foot (3.6-metre) tusks make up more than half its 23-foot (6.9-metre) length, arrived on Wednesday, workers discovered the head was eight inches (20 cm) too high to fit upright through the loading doors of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Natural History Museum. The new University of Oklahoma museum is a large state-of-the-art facility built to showcase a university collection that has spent decades scattered in buildings across campus and in dilapidated storage sites. It is due to open on May 1. ``It's going to be a big pain and a lot of guys are going to be working on it,'' museum spokeswoman Linda Coldwell said. ''But we will get it in.'' She said a large crane would be brought to the site and the sculpture would be turned on its side to fit through the door, ''like you'd bring a sofa into your living room, around the door frame.'' The sculpture is of an Imperial Mammoth, a species that lived more than 10,000 years ago. The bronze weighs 5,000 pounds (2,250 kg). It will be mounted in a display called the ``Pleistocene Plaza'' alongside bronze sculptures of an early Native American family encountering the beast, a scene which could have easily occurred on the site of the new museum around 12,000 years ago, Coldwell said. The sculpture, by Nebraska artist Fred Hoppe, is based on the bones of a mammoth found in the fossil beds of Lincoln County, Nebraska, in 1922."}, {"response": 31, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jan 18, 2000 (20:20)", "body": "Internet Auction Flogs T-Rex Bones for $5.8 Million SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In a monster sale on the Internet, online auctioneers on Monday put a fossilized Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton on the block with the opening bid set at $5.8 million. The fossil dubbed ``Mr. Z-Rex'' and boasting the largest male skull with the longest teeth of any T. Rex ever discovered is being jointly offered by online auction sites run by Lycos Inc. (LCOS.O) and Millionaire.com. ``The fossil is absolutely breathtaking,'' its discoverer, paleontologist Alan Detrich, said in a statement. ``This truly is the King of T-Rex's.'' The fossil was estimated to bring in between $10 million and $12 million, according to the auctioneers. A 1997 Sotheby's auction for ``Sue,'' a female T. Rex dubbed ``The Queen of T. Rex's,'' fetched $8.36 million, the highest price ever paid for dinosaur fossils. That purchase was made by a group led by Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner on behalf of the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History. ``Mr. Z. Rex'' was discovered on Oct. 6, 1992 by Alan and Robert Detrich on a private cattle ranch in northwestern South Dakota. It is currently co-owned by Detrich Fossils and Fred J. Nuss Fossils, both Kansas-based paleontological groups. This is not the first time the massive fossil has been put up for sale over the Internet. In July 1999, Detrich Fossils offered the item over another online auction site, but the sale was scrapped after phony bidders put in too many illegitimate offers. The new sale will be limited to pre-qualified buyers, which could include natural history museums seeking to add the T-Rex to their attractions, company officials said. Appraisers have estimated that a T-Rex exhibit can boost museum revenues by as much as $40 million a year. ``When a significant boost in ticket sales is combined with revenue from souvenirs, casts of giant teeth, etc., the revenue from a T. Rex display could total millions of dollars per year, quickly earning back the original cost of the fossils,'' the companies' statement said. The auction, which closes on Feb. 10, is visible at www.auctions.lycos.com and www.millionaire.com."}, {"response": 32, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan 18, 2000 (21:42)", "body": "that's absurd! is it a hoax?"}, {"response": 33, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jan 18, 2000 (22:18)", "body": "Nope. Complete T-Rex skelatons are so rare that this is up for the highest price it can fetch. There is world-wide interest in this guy without any meat on his bones and probably not gastroliths or coprolites, either."}, {"response": 34, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan 18, 2000 (22:22)", "body": "*wow*"}, {"response": 35, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jan 18, 2000 (22:41)", "body": "Actually, if I am remembering correctly, this is the Only complete T-Rex skelaton ever found let alone successfully excavated. Btw, it is a female!"}, {"response": 36, "author": "laughingsky", "date": "Wed, Jan 19, 2000 (20:57)", "body": "Was it \"Sue\"? Then, again, I think that that Sue was the largest T-Rex, though not complete...missed the exhibition - rats!"}, {"response": 37, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jan 19, 2000 (21:32)", "body": "No name that I remember seeing. I guess that honor goes to the person or institution willing to shell out $5+ million for the privilege of taking her home. But, I have not gone to the websites holding the auction...have been busy posting about the eclipse instead. I have seen the one in the American Museum of Natural History which is by far the largest of the ones currently on exhibit in major museums. I was disappointed by the small size of the British Museum of Natural History's specimen. But, a T- ex is impressive in any condition...I would jump at the chance to see another specimen."}, {"response": 38, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Jan 19, 2000 (21:51)", "body": "see, i don't understand why it's on the auction block. i thought those things were taken to museums not purchased. been to the natural history museum in d.c. and that thing was huge (the dinosaur, ok, the museum was too)"}, {"response": 39, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jan 19, 2000 (22:04)", "body": "There is no law in this country that I am aware of which deals with \"treasure\" found on land not owned by anyone (is there such thing anymore?!). In Britain the discoverer can take possession and sell it to the highest bidder if it is lost property...anything dropped on the ground or lost by the owner. Finders Keepers. If it is buried or placed somewhere where the owner could reasonable be considered to return to use it, then it is in the custody of the state and as such it goes to the British Museum. e are a prickly bunch when it comes to the government taking things we discover in the wilderness - like Gold or dinosaur bones...!"}, {"response": 40, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jan 19, 2000 (22:07)", "body": "I am all for things as unique as dinosaur bones or meteroites belonging to the nation and being kept in a museum for all to see. But, where do you draw the line??? It is almost a no-win situation!"}, {"response": 41, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Jan 19, 2000 (22:14)", "body": "wait, i didn't know the museums were govt run. i knew they got money, but the pieces were property of the museum and the general public, not the gov't. maybe i need to move to a smaller scale. finding an arrowhead is no big deal but finding a whole dinasour is just infathomable to me. can you imagine? my finding this thing in my backyard (of course, if i did, wouldn't that make headlines) and then what do i do with it? i dunno. just a question, not trying to start a fight! speaking of things we find in the wilderness, there are laws regarding the taking of certain feathers found lying about. the only \"civilian\" people allowed to take them are indians and then for ceremonial purposes. (of course, bird feathers are covered in mites and junk, so clean it really well!)"}, {"response": 42, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jan 19, 2000 (22:23)", "body": "You will never get me to fight with you, Wolfie! *Hugs* is more like it =) I am just stating what exists in the world of archaeology...like the Dead Sea Scrolls and other things of that magnitude which should belong to all mankind. Most museums are run by a board of directors and get endowments from many sources. The Smithsonian is that way, but is also the Nation's repository of historically significant things. Most finds of the American Museum were by people hired to go out and find. Margaret Meade was on their payrole as was the man who did all of the dinosaur finds in Mongolia. Therefore his things belong to the museum. Other things, like the Hope Diamond were either sold or donated to the museum by their owners/discoverers I think all finds should be first the nation's and second the finder's...but this is the fight Mel Fisher is fighting over his gold salvage finds in the sea."}, {"response": 43, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Jan 19, 2000 (22:37)", "body": "if i found something significant, depending on what it was as to whether i'd want to keep it, i'd definitely want credit for unearthing the thing. perhaps the idea behind musuems and such is to preserve it for mankind and to take ownership away. i don't know. i thought archeology was for everyone's benefit. i guess there's the \"pirate's treasure\" deal going on for folks. to me, that's just greed. but i'd sure be tempted to keep it, am only human (thank goodness) just hate how things get exploited for t e sake of the almighty dollar. who's got $5M to lay out for some dinosaur bones anyway? what are they gonna do with it? put it in the foyer of their castle and hang christmas lights off of it? it belongs in a museum or such place so people can take a gander and see it to know that it's real IMMHO. i'd love to see it and touch the bones and know that this thing used to be alive. i'd love to pet the mammoth and feel the texture of it's fur and know that that thing, too, was alive."}, {"response": 44, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jan 19, 2000 (22:56)", "body": "I agree! Put most eloquently, Wolfie...you expressed the frustration we all feel who care about these things. I am afraid the altruism which once was the rule in the world is long gone. It is now, \"What's in it for me?\" and getting worse by the moment!"}, {"response": 45, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Jan 20, 2000 (19:05)", "body": "Found this interesting article which addresses some of our worst fears: Wednesday, September 17, 1997 Fossil may be biggest T-rex ever Last modified at 1:36 a.m. on Wednesday, September 17, 1997 HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- What may be the largest Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever found has been unearthed on a Montana cattle ranch, touching off a dispute over who has claim to the site. University of Notre Dame paleontologist Keith Rigby said identification of the fossil is not yet complete, but if it is not a T-rex it may be a completely new variety of dinosaur -- and the largest meat-eater ever found. \"There is some possibility that it may be new, and T-rex may have to become 'T-who?\"' Rigby said Tuesday. Rigby said he found a pubis bone, one of three bones in the pelvis, that measures at least 52 inches, compared with 48 inches in the largest T-Rex fossil ever measured. However, the femurs, or thigh bones, which paleontologists normally use to estimate the size of dinosaurs, are still unexcavated. The find is \"exciting, but not earth-shattering,\" said J. Michael Parrish, a dinosaur expert at Southern Illinois University. He said only a couple of dozen T-rex specimens are known and the largest size keeps changing, but that Rigby is probably right that his would be the biggest T-rex known. Parrish said other carnivores found recently in South America and Africa are thought to be larger than a T-rex, but comparisons among species are difficult. Rigby said he was forced to reveal the find before the fossil could be confirmed because of an unauthorized excavation over the weekend, which prompted federal agents to intervene to keep bones from being taken away. James Rector, a lawyer who has been helping Rigby, said he saw two sons of the former landowner and other relatives using a tractor to dig at the site on Sunday. Rector said he alerted the FBI and the federal Farm Service Agency, which owns the land. No one was arrested, but the FBI is investigating. Rector said he asked Steve Walton, a son of former landowner Edmund Walton, what he intended to do with the bones and the man replied: \"I'm going to save my farm and feed my children.\" T-rex fossils can be extremely valuable. A 50-foot fossil nicknamed Sue, which was found in South Dakota in 1990, is expected to bring more than $1 million when it is auctioned next month at Sotheby's in New York. Rigby said he began work at the Montana site more than a year ago with permission of people who claimed to own the land, but he later became suspicious. He said he did a title search and found that FSA took ownership of the land several years ago. Two men who identified themselves to The Associated Press in separate calls as Steve Walton and his cousin, Fred Walton, said Tuesday the group did not take anything from the site and were there merely out of curiosity. Both said ownership of the land is still in dispute and they might be entitled to some money from the dinosaur find. A similar fight was waged over Sue, one of the most complete T-Rex fossils ever found. It was seized by the government in 1992 from Peter L. Larsen, the fossil dealer who excavated it. The government said the land where Sue was found was under federal jurisdiction and off-limits to Larsen. Sotheby's is selling the fossil on behalf of the Sioux Indian on whose ranch Sue was found."}, {"response": 46, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Jan 20, 2000 (19:09)", "body": "The T-Rex Fossil The fossil, currently owned by Detrich fossils, a Kansas-based paleontological group, contains the most perfect skull and largest teeth (some measuring 13 inches) ever discovered. The fossil is nicknamed Mr. Z-Rex in honor of the owners of the private property where the fossil was discovered. Bids for the T-Rex are beginning at $5.8 million. Appraisers believe a T-Rex fossil of this quality can bring an additional $40 million in permanent, annual revenue to the museum that acquires it. Mr. Z-Rex was discovered on October 6, 1992 by paleontologists Alan & Robert Detrich while exploring fossil deposits on a private cattle ranch in northwestern South Dakota. The skull was found in a sand formation. It is thought that the T-Rex died on the sandy shoreline of a prehistoric river, sea or lake. Mr. Z-Rex has the best skull with the largest teeth I have seen. The fossil is absolutely breath-taking. This truly is the King of T-Rex's - a paleontologist's dream come true. -Alan Deitrich -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The specimen was excavated according to professional standards and transported without damage. Skeletal elements have been exposed by partial preparation from the original undersurface of three major blocks. These blocks contain, respectively, the skull, the presacral vertebrae, and elements of the hind limbs and anterior portion of the tail. Great care was taken to collect all fragments of bone from from the locality, which may permit the reassemblage of several bones which would otherwise have been lost. Stabilization of the skeletal parts will present no unusual problems, and the extraction of the bones from the sediment in which they are preserved will vary from relatively easy to requiring considerable skill. Details Length of skull 1370 mm Length of tooth row, left maxilla 560 mm (approximately) Length of tooth row, left dentary 530 mm Length of articulated cervicals from the anterior zygapophysis of C4 to the posterior zygapophysis of C10 985 mm Length of dorsal 4-6 taken at base of transverse processes 393 mm Length of posterior dorsal vertebra 140 mm Height of posterior dorsal vertebra 653 mm Length of 13 articulated caudal vertebrae 2780 mm Length of centra of two isolated caudals 152 and 132 mm Length of femur 1330 mm Circumference of femur 588 mm (indicating a weight of 5.5 metric tonnes) Length of fibula 965 mm (approximately) Length of metatarsal II 620 mm Length of metatarsal III 750 mm Length of metatarsal IV 640, 655 mm Length of phalanx r-1 120 mm The total length of the reconstructed skeleton is estimated to be approximately 10.8 m (35 feet). The total reconstructed height at the hips is estimated to be approximately 3.45 m (11.35 feet)."}, {"response": 47, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Jan 21, 2000 (12:53)", "body": "I wonder if this will affect the price of the one being auctioned now: BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) \ufffd Scientists working in the remote Patagonia region of Argentina say they have discovered partial remains of what may be the largest dinosaur species on record. Carlos Munoz, director of the Florentino Ameghino Museum of Natural Sciences, said Thursday a team of paleontologists unearthed the bones of a huge plant-eating dinosaur thought to have roamed Earth some 105 million years ago. The dinosaur is believed to have stretched between 157 and 167 feet from head to tail and weighed more than 10 tons. The creature is said to have been 27 feet longer than the 100-ton Argentinosaurus, considered by some experts to be the largest dinosaur ever recorded. The new dinosaur, which had a small head and a lengthy tail, has yet to be named or classified, Munoz said. Munoz said scientists working on a tip from a villager found a femur and two parts of a vertebra. The pieces of cervical vertebrae were nearly four feet high, he said. ``This is a spectacular find,'' said Munoz, whose team of nine students is still working in the remote area near the city of Neuquen, 640 miles southwest of Buenos Aires. Munoz said his team would continue to dig until the end of the month before returning to the museum to clean and classify what they uncovered. The scientists plan to officially release their findings in March in an Argentine paleontology magazine. John McIntosh, a dinosaur expert at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., said in a telephone interview that if the new creature truly did reach 167 feet in length, ``it certainly would be the largest dinosaur yet recorded.'' But paleontologists say there are different ways of measuring the biggest dinosaur, which might add some controversy to the Patagonia discovery. Though possible shorter, the 100-ton Argentinosaurus would have been as much as 10 times heavier than the new dinosaur, according to scientists' estimates. And in November, researchers at the University of Oklahoma reported the discovery of a 60-ton, 60-foot tall giraffe-like creature that lived 100 million years ago along an ancient seacoast in what is now the south-central United States. Those measurements would give that dinosaur, called Sauroposeidon, the greatest height and longest neck \ufffd 40 feet \ufffd of any recorded species, researcher Richard Cifelli said."}, {"response": 48, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Jan 21, 2000 (21:02)", "body": "i heard about that one on the news and for some reason thought this and the one up for auction were the same. guess i was wrong! a 40 ft long neck?"}, {"response": 49, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Jan 21, 2000 (21:41)", "body": "You don't want to imagine a sore throat... Annette...Response 45 is about Sue. I Finally found the female. T-Rexes are very confusing. They all look alike..."}, {"response": 50, "author": "laughingsky", "date": "Sat, Jan 22, 2000 (08:24)", "body": "LOL, the female of the species is the largest (T-Rexes, guys! :-) )...but, it seems there might could have been different sizes within the species, male and female. I am digging desperately for an article that I cut out of our local newspaper, last year, re: the unearthing of a specimen which appeared to be T-Rex, at first, but, the head resembled that of a crocodile! I think that the dig took place in or around the Gobi desert. This species was thought to have actually used it long jaws to pluck fish and other small animals out of the rivers, similar to herons, and other water bir s...birds...?? (*wink!) Does anyone remember reading about that or seeing anything regarding it?"}, {"response": 51, "author": "laughingsky", "date": "Sat, Jan 22, 2000 (09:16)", "body": "http://jurassic.unicity.com/ Good Luck! ;)"}, {"response": 52, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Jan 22, 2000 (13:14)", "body": "I have no memory off-hand regarding the incredible crocodile-headed dino, but I would not be surprised. The Gobi Desert is where most of the American Museum's fossils came from including that gigantic T-Rex I remember from childhood. Once upon a time it must have been one enormous swamp teaming with animals I do not ever wish to meet tooth-to-tooth. Thanks for the URL..."}, {"response": 53, "author": "laughingsky", "date": "Thu, Mar  2, 2000 (11:06)", "body": "Has anyone tried the game, yet? (the URL that I listed above...) I am not much of a gamer, which probably explains why I keep getting eaten by the Velociraptor...! Seems I can't make it to the next level...oh, well...maybe that is my fate, being lunch for the raptor, and all...;)"}, {"response": 54, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar  2, 2000 (12:52)", "body": "No..I don't dare. That is not my thing, and if I get going on it I could really mess up my latent Carpal-Tunnel problem. Typing for 16 hours a day is about all I can handle. Not much of a gamer, actually, but I'll bet there are some out there with kiddies who might like to try it. *lol* You must be very tasty!!!"}, {"response": 55, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (10:03)", "body": "ok, this may be old news (haha, a pun, get it?), today's paper has an article about finding a carnivorous dinosaur larger than t-rex, 45 ft bigger! can you imagine? the bones were found on the eastern slopes of the andes in south america."}, {"response": 56, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (13:12)", "body": "I heard that on the radio yesterday and spent considerable amount of time chasing it down. Never did find out anything before we had to leave for Baseball. Thanks for posting at least that much. Oxymoron for sure about the old news. *grin*"}, {"response": 57, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (13:36)", "body": "ok, then here's the whole article from the shreveport times: Scientists have discovered the bones of what could be the largest meat-eating dinosaur ever to walk the Earth--a needle-nosed, razor-toothed beast that may have been more terrifying than even the Tyrannosaurus Rex. A team of researchers from Argentina and North America unearthed the fossilized bones of as many as six of the previously unknown species in Patagonia, a desert on the eastern slopes of the Andes in South America. The discovery of the predators' graveyard challenges the theory that the largest meat-eaters were loners. It also raises the possibility that they lived and hunted in packs--which would make them even more terrifying to their prey. \"You always think of these things as being solitary--now we know they traveled in packs,\" said Philip Currie, one of two scientists to make the discovery. He works with the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada. Currie said the newly discovered species lived about 100 million years ago, and was heavier and had slightly shorter legs than the T-rex, which roamed North America. It had a tail and short front legs that were basically useless. The dinosaur also was characterized by a long, narrow skull and a jaw shaped like scissors. That suggests it could have dissected its prey with an almost surgical precision, \"where the Tyrannosaur had a nutcracker skull,\" Currie said. Researchers estimated the meat-eating giant was 45 feet longer, bigger than the reigning king of the carnivores, the 41-foot Gigantosaurus. The better-known T-rex was about 40 feet long. \"I think it would look just as nasty, if not worse,\" Currie said. She said the animal is apparantly related to the Gigantosaurus, but it's a new species and genus. ----- maybe i can find something on line. all msn news shows is stuff about the sun."}, {"response": 58, "author": "Ree", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (13:57)", "body": "Must have been difficult to have been such a huge beast with so many useless bits."}, {"response": 59, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (14:56)", "body": "Post a picture or send it to me and I'll post it if you find one. I have to leave for the Softball games in a little while. Thanks for the article. Amazing!"}, {"response": 60, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (15:06)", "body": "Maybe it dined on siesmosaurus, one of the largest herbovorous dinosaur fossils ever found."}, {"response": 61, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (22:11)", "body": "here is a rendition of the new beast, thanks to abcnews.com Courtesy of Robert F. Walters/Dinosaur Productions/AP Photo"}, {"response": 62, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (23:28)", "body": "Thanks wolfie. That critter is mostly head! An eating machine!"}, {"response": 63, "author": "Ree", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (06:09)", "body": "I wonder how those things managed to balance. I mean, it's got a huge head, it's arms are useless and it seems have such an akward spine. How could the spine hold all that weight? Amazing though, isn't it? Did you see that computer animated series about the dinosaurs? THat was GREAT!"}, {"response": 64, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (18:50)", "body": "Ree, that computer animated series WAS great. I hope they run it again! Speaking of such, on Discovery Channel this evening they are uncovering the Mammoth live from Siberia. Check your local schedules to see when it is on - it starts here at 6pm and re broadcasts at 9pm. It runs about 3 hours."}, {"response": 65, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (21:08)", "body": "that mammoth show is on right now (7-9CST)....will catch the beginning again at 9CST (back to back showing)"}, {"response": 66, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (21:19)", "body": "Thanks for that, Wolfie. I'll catch it at 6pm HST ( which is 11pm Eastern)"}, {"response": 67, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (21:21)", "body": "not a problem! they've got it out of the ice right now and showing his fur. amazing!!"}, {"response": 68, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (21:25)", "body": "Wow! Can't wait!....Must be really neat!"}, {"response": 69, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (21:31)", "body": "yeah, the stuff they've found is amazing. but am not gonna let the cat outta the bag, you'll just have to wait!"}, {"response": 70, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (21:35)", "body": "*sigh* we are always the last to know...*sigh* *Grin*"}, {"response": 71, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (21:40)", "body": "actually, i figured you'd be watching this right now too."}, {"response": 72, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (21:42)", "body": "\"Walking with Dinosaurs\" will premiere on the Discovery channel on Apr 16. be there!!"}, {"response": 73, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (22:55)", "body": "Remind me again and I will be there! It starts in 4 minutes so logging off for the eveing.. G'night, Wolfie! It was great again *hugs*"}, {"response": 74, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar 13, 2000 (12:49)", "body": "so didja like it? (i was unable to watch the second showing)"}, {"response": 75, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar 13, 2000 (14:44)", "body": "I really loved it. I was spellbound and all nervous that they would not get it out of the pit before winter set in again... Thanks for not giving away the ending. When it was over I was all elated and looked over at the house male and said how much I had liked it. He said it was boring. Back to the computer! This man is clueless...*sigh* I can't wait till they let us know what they did discover from tests and such."}, {"response": 76, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (18:47)", "body": "the news just reported that monkey bones the size of a human thumb have been discovered in China. they say that this may change the way they look at how monkeys evolved and later humans (!!)....anyway, the bones are very very old (didn't catch how old they were)..."}, {"response": 77, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (18:54)", "body": "L O N D O N, March 15 \ufffd Scientists have discovered 45-million-year-old foot bones in China from an extinct primate that may fill in a missing branch of the evolutionary tree. Paleontologist Dan Gebo of Northern Illinois University said Wednesday the tree-dwelling, mouse-size animal, called Eosimias, could solve the hotly debated issue of the origins of higher primates \ufffd monkeys, apes and humans. \ufffdThese fossils for the first time actually bridge that anatomical gap between the lower primates and the higher primates,\ufffd Gebo said in a telephone interview. Fossil Provides Crucial Link Contrary to expectations, the bones of Eosimias were found in Asia, not Africa, and they are older and tinier than scientists thought they would be. Until now only jaws and teeth of Eosimias had been found. \ufffdThese fossils are much smaller than what other people had been thinking about in terms of the ancestral condition of higher primates,\ufffd said Gebo. On the evolutionary tree, the creatures are somewhere between prosimians such as lemurs and tarsiers, which leaped and clung to trees, and anthropoids such as monkeys, apes and humans, which walk on four or two limbs. \ufffdThey are half prosimians and half anthropoids. They really do make that connection. Much of the debate in the field has been to figure out which of those early prosimian fossil primates gave rise to anthropoids,\ufffd he said. \ufffdWe needed something that is 50-50 and that\ufffds what we think Eosimias is.\ufffd Gebo and other scientists from the United States and China discovered the fossils in a limestone quarry 100 miles west of Shanghai and along the Yellow River, about 350 miles southeast of Beijing. The finding was reported in the science journal Nature. Complex Anatomical Features The lack of physical evidence led to doubts about whether Eosimias was a primate, and if it was, where it fit into the family tree. \ufffdThe most interesting aspect of these new foot bones is that they represent a mosaic,\ufffd Gebo said. \ufffdThey possess primitive lower-primate features as well as several advanced or higher-primate characteristics.\ufffd Scientists from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology & Paleoanthropology in Beijing contributed to the study. the above was from abcnews.com"}, {"response": 78, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (19:10)", "body": "Fascinating stuff - thanks for posting it, Wolfie! At least it will show which way one branch of primates went...!"}, {"response": 79, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (19:12)", "body": "maybe they're related to the marmosettes (sp?)....."}, {"response": 80, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (19:30)", "body": "or lemurs or other little primates witht he big starey eyes which l@@k so cute."}, {"response": 81, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (20:10)", "body": "can you imagine how cute these guys must've been?"}, {"response": 82, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (20:39)", "body": "Incredible! I am smiling just thinking about them!"}, {"response": 83, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (22:02)", "body": "they have a terrible rendition of what the monkey might look like on msnews but i'm not gonna post it. the one on tv was cuter!"}, {"response": 84, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (22:08)", "body": "found a pic of the new monkey (that was on abc news):"}, {"response": 85, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (22:09)", "body": "can you imagine a primate this little?"}, {"response": 86, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (22:20)", "body": "i believe tamarins are the smallest primates existing today. they'll fit in your hand."}, {"response": 87, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (22:24)", "body": "That is Teeny indeed! Looks like the plastic ones kids get. It is adorable. I guess tamarinds are the tiniest ones now. How enchanting! Thanks for posting the picture - I had not seen it!"}, {"response": 88, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (22:24)", "body": "here's an informative website on the golden tamarin, who, btw, is an endangered species. i'll copy this info over to our ape topic as well. http://www.si.edu/glt/facts.htm"}, {"response": 89, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (13:16)", "body": "Cute and furry little dickens, isn't he?!"}, {"response": 90, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar 21, 2000 (12:57)", "body": "Space Science News for March 21, 2000 Scientists have discovered molecular buckyballs containing extraterrestrial helium from the era of the dinosaurs. The find comes from the global Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary layer. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast21mar_1.htm Buckyballs from Outer Space"}, {"response": 91, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Mar 21, 2000 (18:36)", "body": "what in the heck is a buckyball?"}, {"response": 92, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar 21, 2000 (20:10)", "body": "Have you ever seen a geodesic dome on a sports arena or some such thing? Buckminster Fuller, an engineer/architect invented the structure and it has been since applied to all sorts of physics and chemistry. (I have a caller bugging my phone and I do not get them out here very often. Sorry if I sound rattled...I am!) I'll check it out on the web and post a picture!"}, {"response": 93, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar 21, 2000 (20:15)", "body": "Saying that about the geodesic dome, if you go to that URL I posted, you'll see the similarity. \" Fullerenes -- better known as \"buckyballs\" -- are hollow, cage-like molecules made of carbon atoms. They are named in honor of Buckminster Fuller, designer of the geodesic dome that resembles the molecule. This image shows how extraterrestrial gases such as helium can be trapped inside the fullerene cage. One view shows a broken bond, or open \"window,\" with an atom moving out through window. \" http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast21mar_1.htm"}, {"response": 94, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (13:42)", "body": "This isn't exactly right here but since David attenborough is the dinosaur bloke I guess it fits. I've added an brit/US glossary at the end.Film director Lord Attenborough locks himself out of his car and flies into a panic because he has an important ceremony to attend. Luckily his brother David passes by, and the movie-maker is certain he\ufffdll have a good suggestion to get him out of the scrape. \ufffdoh, darling, just in the nick of time! With all the horrible places you have had to visit, you must have learned a few survival tricks. Can you get me into my car?\ufffd \ufffdNo problem, stand aside\ufffd says Sir David. Then he steps forward and begins rubbing his trouser leg up against the car door. Within a few seconds there is a click and the door is opened. \ufffdDarling David, you\ufffdve done it! \ufffd declares the delighted Dickie. \ufffdBut do tell me, were you taught the secret by some isolated tribesman?\ufffd \ufffdNo, not really\ufffd said his smiling brother. \ufffdYou were just lucky that I am wearing my khaki trousers\ufffd. (Key: Richard Attenborough \ufffd movie director; David Attenborough \ufffd naturalist and \ufffdwalking with dinosaurs\ufffd etc. movie maker. Trousers = pants. Khaki \ufffd dullish green colour, pronounced \ufffdcar key\ufffd in Brit English)"}, {"response": 95, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (15:00)", "body": "LOL....You had me going until I wondered about the Khaki trousers (we call'um trousers too, on occasion, and Khaki is a very popular color here now as is olive drab (probably what you call khaki!) Thanks for another chapter in the Attenborough saga."}, {"response": 96, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (15:02)", "body": "Actually, more Americans might be curious about two men calling each other \"darling\"...!"}, {"response": 97, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (17:47)", "body": "Didn't you know - they're luvvies!!! IMHO all theatre people do it! ALL the time!"}, {"response": 98, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 23, 2000 (19:52)", "body": "...and they call eachother by diminutive names...dickie...larry...ralphy (you might know of whom I speak if you are a certain age and all that...!"}, {"response": 99, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (02:26)", "body": "who me??"}, {"response": 100, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (13:40)", "body": "Ah, you did not read all of Olivier's books then?!"}, {"response": 101, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (13:58)", "body": "books? - i thought he was an actor?"}, {"response": 102, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (14:39)", "body": "Oh, My Dear! He was the first great love of my life. He wrote two books and I have about 7 others written about him. An actor? That's like saying Shakespeare was a writer or that Beethoven wrote music...*sigh* But, that is where I learnt about luvvies (though they were not called that when they were written)"}, {"response": 103, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (14:53)", "body": "I never knew that. I did sort of grow up with the teatre though. Wrote, produced and danced in my own ballet - the little mermaid."}, {"response": 104, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (15:01)", "body": "I AM impressed! Bet you were just as cute as the proverbial button, too *grin*"}, {"response": 105, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (15:22)", "body": "Gave it up when I was sixteen - back injury. gotta sweet photo somewhere I'll dig it out."}, {"response": 106, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (17:01)", "body": "I read somewhere that \"khaki\" was British Army slang for, ahem I'll be polite, crap. It got the name when when the Army stopped wearing their famous red coats and the new uniforms where this beige sort of color. The soldiers thought the color was like that of crap."}, {"response": 107, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (17:08)", "body": "Kaka is babytalk for it over here... think it was a contribution of another language other than English, though."}, {"response": 108, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (17:12)", "body": "Probably, the word was borrowed from another language. I think the khaki uniforms were first issued by the British Army to soldiers in India."}, {"response": 109, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (17:21)", "body": "Indeed! I just looked it up and it is Hindi for \"dust-colored\" in my Webester's Collegiate Dictionary."}, {"response": 110, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 25, 2000 (13:51)", "body": "olive drab is the perfect color of baby stuff. and that's what we wear all over....khaki is tan over here and rather a nice color when compared to olive drab *smile*"}, {"response": 111, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 25, 2000 (15:27)", "body": "Got that right, wolfie. On all counts, actually. I uderstand the wisdom of making uniforms the color of dirt in the locality - especially in a very dry area. However, wonder why they thought you'd get \"baby stuff\" all over you in the military - who uses olive drab more than any other color, I think!"}, {"response": 112, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Mar 25, 2000 (17:07)", "body": "I guess i really started something here!! *grin*"}, {"response": 113, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 25, 2000 (17:54)", "body": "Just a little off-topic conversation to entertain us until the next dinosaur makes the newspaper and some kind soul posts it in here *grin*"}, {"response": 114, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 25, 2000 (20:33)", "body": "actually, the bdu (battle dress uniform) is effective in camoflauge. there are also desert uniforms that are various shades of khaki."}, {"response": 115, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Mar 26, 2000 (13:47)", "body": "OK here's the latest dinosaur dropping courtesy of The Times newspaper. One of the world's most important dinosaur skeletons has bee offered for sale over the internet for \ufffd15 million in a move that has appalled archeologists who fear historic specimens are being lost to private collectors. Alan Detrich and American fossil dealer, spent 2 half months digging up a 41 foot long 16 geet high tyrannosaurus rex with his brother, and is keeping it in his store house at Bend Point, Kansas. He claims to be close to selling what he says is the finest male tyrannosaurus in the world to a private buyer. Dietrich found the skeleton in south Dakota.'We found it in clay and sand which is why it is so well preserved' he said. 'We haven't cleaned it up yet becuase we figure the new owner can make money out of getting poeple to pay to see it being cleaned and prepared.' Paleontologists blame films and documentaries such as Jurassic park and the BBCs Walking with Dinosaurs for boosting the market in fossils. Many specimens for sale come from the American West where large numbers of fossils are found. However, fossils from britain's premier dinosaur site on the Isle of Wight have disappeared from digs in the past few months while paleontologists were still working on the sites. Scientists are calling for tighter controls, and want the law which at present covers man-made archeological objects to be extended to the collection of fossils."}, {"response": 116, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 26, 2000 (15:38)", "body": "Thanks, Maggie. Think that is the one we were discussing should belong to all mankind rather than some odd collector with more money than social conscience. There must be a huge black market in such finds - something I cannot imagine! Check Geo 2 for an interesting picture of Geologist David from his college days."}, {"response": 117, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 26, 2000 (21:22)", "body": "went and saw. how brave or crazy it must be to live near the vent (wrong topic but....)"}, {"response": 118, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 26, 2000 (21:39)", "body": "That is what we say when other volcanoes are erupting...then people look at us and shake their heads.... But, ours is so well-mannered...so far..."}, {"response": 119, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 19, 2000 (20:40)", "body": "We're just a few dinosaurs short of a full tank By DAVE BARRY If you've been to a gas station lately, you have no doubt been shocked by the prices -- $1.67, $1.78, even $1.92. And that's just for Hostess Twinkies. Gas prices are even worse! Americans are ticked off about this and with good reason, our rights are being violated! The First Amendment clearly states: \"In addition to freedom of speech, Americans shall always have low gasoline prices, so they can drive around in 'sport utility' vehicles the size of minor planets.\" And don't let any so-called \"economists\" try to tell you that foreigners pay more for gas than we do. Foreigners use metric gasoline which is sold in foreign units called \"kilometers,\" plus they are paying for it with foreign currencies such as the \"franc,\" the \"lira\" and the \"doubloon.\" So in fact, there is no mathematical way to tell WHAT they are paying! But here in the US we are definitely getting messed over and the question is, what are we going to do about it? Step one, of course, is to file a class-action lawsuit against the cigarette companies. They have nothing to do with gasoline, but juries really hate them, so we'd probably win several hundred billion dollars. But that is a short-term answer. To truly solve this problem, we must understand how the oil business works. Like most Americans, you probably think that gasoline comes from the pump at the gas station. Ha ha! What an idiot. In fact, the gasoline comes from tanks located UNDER the gas station. These tanks are connected to underground pipelines which carry large oil tankers filled with oil from the Middle East. But how did the oil get in the Middle East in the first place? To answer that question, we must go back millions of years to an era that geologists call the Voracious Period, when giant dinosaurs roamed the Earth eating everything that stood in their path, except for broccoli which they hated. And then, one fateful day (Oct. 8), a runaway asteroid, believed by scientists to be nearly twice the diameter of the late Orson Welles, slammed into the Earth and killed the dinosaurs, who by sheer bad luck all happened to be standing right where it landed. The massive impact turned the dinosaurs, via a process called photosynthesis, into oil. This oil was then gradually covered with a layer of sand, which in turn was gradually covered by a layer of people who hate each other and thus the Middle East was formed. For many years, the Middle East was content to supply the United States with as much oil as we wanted at fair constitutional prices. But then the major oil-producing nations -- Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Texas -- got all snotty and formed an organization called OPEC, which stands for \"North Atlantic Treaty Organization.\" In the 1970s, OPEC decided to raise prices, and soon the United States was caught up in a serious crisis -- The Disco Era. It was horrible. You couldn't go to a bar or wedding reception without being ordered onto the dance floor to learn \"The Hustle.\" At the same time, we also had an oil crisis which was caused by the fact that every motorist in the United States was determined to keep his or her automobile gas tank completely filled at all times. As soon as your gas gauge dropped from full to fifteen-sixteenths, you'd rush to a gas station and get in a huge line with hundreds of other motorists who also had nearly full tanks. Also a lot of people, including me, saved on heating oil by buying kerosene space heaters which enabled us to transform a cold, dank room into a cold, dank room filled with kerosene fumes. Buying gas and dancing \"The Hustle\" with people who smelled like kerosene -- that was the seventies. So anyway, the oil crisis finally ended and over time we got rid of our Volkswagen Rabbits and replaced them with Chevrolet Suburbans boasting the same fuel economy as the World Trade Center. Now, once again, we find ourselves facing rising gas prices and the question is this time, are we going to learn from the past? Are we finally going to get serious about energy conservation? Of course not! We have the brains of mealworms! So we need to get more oil somehow. As far as I can figure, there's only one practical way to do this. That's right, we need to clone more dinosaurs. We have the technology, as was shown in two blockbuster scientific movies, \"Jurassic Park\" and \"Jurassic Park Returns with Exactly the Same Plot.\" Once we have the dinosaurs, all we need is an asteroid, or, if he is available, Marlon Brando. If this plan makes sense to you, double your medication dosage, then write to your congressperson. Do it now! That way you'll be busy when I siphon your tank."}, {"response": 120, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Fri, Apr 21, 2000 (11:29)", "body": "During the Voracious Period the broccoli plants were the size of oak trees and you should have seen those cabbages. Why do Americans think it their undisputable right to have access to cheap gasoline?"}, {"response": 121, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Apr 21, 2000 (16:17)", "body": "Cheryl, it is a complex problem. The US produces a great deal of oil. Alalska alone could supply us pretty well, but we cannot use it in the US - all of it is marked for export to Japan. (Don't ask!!). You don't think it is manipulated like DeBeers manipulates the prices of diamonds? Sooner or later we are gonna have to give up being greedy and share what we have - or use our own. America has rich natural resources. That is why. it is here and cartels are getting rich over selling cars which burn huge amounts of the stuff when they have already built the engines which would put them out of business. Power and Control. Don't blame the American tax-payers so quickly. It is a very difficult and tortuous situation. I'd be interested in hearing your suggestions on how to rememdy this problem."}, {"response": 122, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Fri, Apr 21, 2000 (18:59)", "body": "Maybe it's just a crazy theory, but could it be that George W's dad called on his Gulf War cronies to jack up the prices while his son runs for election? Bush can't win in a sparkling economy."}, {"response": 123, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Apr 21, 2000 (19:24)", "body": "Anything is possible, including your idea. It did not occur to me...but it certainly is plausible...scary!"}, {"response": 124, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Fri, Apr 21, 2000 (20:26)", "body": "Just a crazy idea. But who knows?"}, {"response": 125, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Apr 21, 2000 (20:46)", "body": "Indeed! Crazier things than that have happened. All's fair in love, war, and politics, I hear...!"}, {"response": 126, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Apr 21, 2000 (21:46)", "body": "John agrees that with such high stakes, anything goes; nothing is outside of the realm of possibility."}, {"response": 127, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (00:24)", "body": "Protesters Knock 'Cents' Into Oil Company TORONTO (Reuters) - The annual meeting of Canada's biggest oil company, Imperial Oil Ltd., was disrupted briefly when protesters showered shareholders and directors with pennies. ``Outrageous! Esso penny pinches while Torontonians choke!'' yelled one person protesting the high sulfur content of Imperial's gasoline, marketed under the Esso brand. Exxon Mobil Corp. of Irving, Tex., owns 69.6 percent of Imperial. Imperial and several other Canadian oil companies have warned the Canadian government that implementing new, lower sulfur, regulations for gasoline would result in higher gas prices. Gasoline sold in Canada now has some of the highest sulfur levels among industrialized countries and Esso gas has the highest levels of sulfur in Canada, according to figures supplied to the government by Imperial. ``Come on Imperial can't afford to spend a penny a liter to clean up the gasoline, reduce smog and protect our children from asthma? Nonsense!'' three protesters shouted Thursday. Imperial Oil maintains it meets current government standards and is working to meet new requirements for cleaner gasoline by 2004, a year ahead of schedule. Lobby group Friend of the Earth said sulfur particles spewed from cars are the most health-damaging component of smog. The lobby group is calling for a boycott of Esso gasoline in the heart of summer driving season between Earth Day, April 22, and Labor Day. Sulfur in gasoline causes increased emissions of sulfur dioxide and sulfates particles from cars which can contribute to asthma, chronic heart or lung disease, said Trevor Hancock, chair of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, in a statement. The protesters were escorted out of the meeting without further incident. ``Well, for long time attenders, that was a change of pace,'' said Imperial Oil chairman Bob Peterson."}, {"response": 128, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, Apr 26, 2000 (18:53)", "body": "Excuse me while I atempt to get my virtual foot out of my virtual mouth. I do take your point Marcia that American tax-payers have been and are continuing to be manipulated by businessmen and politicians. It's like Eisenhower said in his farewell speech as president, \"Beware of the military-industrial complex.\" I also know something of advertising and marketing. The American consumer is courted by the safety factor in driving an SUV. Yes, you are statisically and realistically safer in a larger vehicle than a small one. That is an important point, and it well used on consumers. Mass transit and rail travel were eviscerated in the US from circa 1946 through 1960 by the automobile industry. What was good for General Motors was good for America. GM wanted the interstate system and they got. The ruse which Congress used was National Security. The roads were there for use by the Army in case of national emergency. The laws were passed, the land appropriated. The dream of two cars in every garage. The most famous of the mass transit scandals was the Red Car Scandal in Los Angeles. It's hard to believe but Los Angeles once had the most enviable mass transit system in America. The trolleys went everywhere, and the ran every 8 to 10 minutes. So this is the lifestyle of enormous petroleum consumption to which Americans have been conditioned by many factors. About the assertion that George W's daddy might have his cronies in the oil business pulling strings to affect the presidential election -- scary stuff. It is, however, plausible. The elder Bush was once the head of the CIA."}, {"response": 129, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 26, 2000 (19:38)", "body": "Excellent points, Cheryl! (You did not have your foot in your mouth - you were provoking discourse!) As a non-driver (yup, there are still some of us out here) and on a finite island with everything fuel brought in by ship, we are very aware of the crippling effects of things we cannot control - such as strikes by longshoremen and such - and that we are at the mercy of the big boys when it comes to petroleum prices. We can hardly drive to the next state or the next island, for that matter for better prices. I would put nothing beyond the rich and powerful. Thanks for that well-considered post, dear!"}, {"response": 130, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Wed, Apr 26, 2000 (19:54)", "body": "You don't drive, wow! I never knew that. I guess it's easy to get around on a small island with a bike or a bus. One of my room mates at Quail Creek, Dora, walks or takes the bus everywhere. She got a job at Dell, which is real close by the house. Dora cleans the pool, mows the lawn, cleans the bath rooms, and vacuums the carpets. She was just out by the pool cleaning the bbq grills and the tarp. We like having Dora around here!"}, {"response": 131, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 26, 2000 (20:14)", "body": "You did not read my discourse with Alexander in Cultures on the subject?! He suggested it was because I had so many admirers circling for the honor of driving me places...but not the case, necessarily and not the reason, in this case. Dora sounds Heaven-sent. Be sure you tell her how nice she is making the place...(not too much or she'll ask for a raise, but...)"}, {"response": 132, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Apr 26, 2000 (20:44)", "body": "i can't imagine life without my car. why do you think i drive to all my classes? (and to think i used to be afraid to go anywhere of distance)...."}, {"response": 133, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Wed, Apr 26, 2000 (21:13)", "body": "You've gotta have a car in Austin, but I can see where it wouldn't be that desireable on a small island."}, {"response": 134, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Apr 26, 2000 (22:01)", "body": "Guess I'd better avoid Austin...or get me a chauffeur..."}, {"response": 135, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (06:47)", "body": "Actually, there's a pretty good bus system here. It just takes longer to get places. I've enjoyed the bus rides I've taken around town, just not the waits at the bus stops. And there are some good bike trails."}, {"response": 136, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (19:31)", "body": "...I had thought to visit, sometime. Perhaps I should bring my own driver."}, {"response": 137, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (19:33)", "body": ""}, {"response": 138, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (20:46)", "body": "Mega-Artichokes to Power Homes? LONDON (Reuters) - Spanish farmers are growing three-meter high artichokes for burning in special power stations to produce electricity, the Independent newspaper reported on Thursday. The genetically-modified monster vegetables, which boast seven meter roots, will be generating power for 60,000 people when operations in the northern towns of Villabilla de Burgos and Alcala de Gurrea begin in two years. The newspaper said twin power stations will burn 105,000 tonnes of the dried and pulped Cynara Cardunculs each year. Farmers were persuaded to sow the prickly plant by EU subsidies and price guarantees from the electricity generator. Burning plants for energy is not a new idea, but the biomass sector has seen a revival in recent years as environmental concerns rise. While there are already a number of biomass schemes in Europe they often struggle to compete commercially with other green energy schemes. An Irish scheme to burn cannabis as a fuel foundered last year because of it was considered too expensive compared with wind power projects."}, {"response": 139, "author": "sprin5", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (21:28)", "body": "Wow, pot powered cities."}, {"response": 140, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Apr 27, 2000 (21:46)", "body": "Can you see the Chamber of Commerce ads now? Stressed? Come to PotTown and take a deep breath. Or something like that, anyway. I gather they are gonna burn industrial waste from the fiber hemp plant and not the mind-altering sort."}, {"response": 141, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sat, Apr 29, 2000 (16:44)", "body": "Burning cannabis for electricity. That doesn't seem to likely in the US. Can you hear the political debate on that one. What would the Religious Right make of that? I mean no offense to those posting who hold conservative views. It's just that it would fuel (pardon the pun) debate. Fun fact: both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew cannabis on their plantations. It was an ordinance in Virginia. So much acreage had to be planted in hemp. It was used for rope and sailcloth for the sailing ships of the era."}, {"response": 142, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Apr 29, 2000 (17:08)", "body": "Like I said before somewhere (here?), the Hawaii Visitors Bureau could advertise that the air here is not only clean but is stress-relieving. Our public workers don't get much work done now...can you imagine the Polynesian Paralysis which would ensue downwind of the power plant?! Lest someone get the wrong idea about the industrial hemp grown by our founding fathers, it contains so little of the stuff which makes marijuana so popular, that it is not worth mentioning. That, however, would not keep the rabid right from attacking it just on the name Hemp alone. I agree!"}, {"response": 143, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 15, 2000 (12:48)", "body": "Fossil gives clues into T. rex's behavior CHICAGO (AP) - In ''Jurassic Park,'' the terrified kids held perfectly still so a hungry celluloid Tyrannosaurus rex couldn't detect them. In reality, scientists say, they would've been lunch meat. CT-scanning of the desk-sized skull of Sue, the most complete T. rex fossil ever found, suggests the supreme carnivore in North America 65 million years ago had acute senses. Its forward-pointing eyes provided a wide field of view, and ear structures suggest it could hear well. But Sue's key advantage was smell. Its olfactory bulbs were grapefruit-sized. The skull opening for the bundle of olfactory nerves leading to the brain is wider than the spinal cord. ''The olfactory bulbs are larger than the cerebrum,'' said paleontologist Chris Brochu of the Field Museum of Natural History, the only scientist to have extensively examined the Sue fossil. The dinosaur ''smelled its way through life,'' he said. Sue's skeleton will be unveiled at the Field Museum on May 17 after nearly three years of cleaning and assembly. For now, it is off-limits to outsiders. Brochu has yet to reveal many details. At a recent paleontology meeting, he said it was unlikely that the bones, however complete, would settle key debates about the superstar of dinosaurs. Among them: T. rex's color and vocalizations, whether it was warm-blooded, hunter or scavenger, male or female. Others are more hopeful. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. of the University of Maryland examined Sue briefly before it was auctioned in 1997, but key parts were still jacketed in protective plaster. ''The complete tail of a T. rex has not yet been described,'' he said. ''I would like to see if the furcula, or wishbone, is present.'' Peter Larson, president of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research in Hill City, S.D., directed the fossil's excavation in 1990. He spent two years examining the bones until they were seized by federal agents in a legal dispute. He believes the Sue fossil is an older female. Among predatory birds, fish and insects, females are larger than males, he notes. Sue has a wider pelvis that would accommodate egg-laying. And, similar to crocodile anatomy, she lacks an extra bone that male crocs and smaller, presumably male T. rex skeletons both have. Reading behavior based on bones is trickier. Sue's teeth are foot-long cylinders with serrated edges. Her stomach contents included acid-etched bones of a duckbilled dinosaur. Other T. rex remains include bones from triceratops and other plentiful herbivores. A T. rex gulped everything and relied on a powerful digestive tract to process bone and horn. In the movies, T. rex is a solitary killer. But many scientists believe the real-life carnivores hunted in packs. Evidence? The Sue excavation also yielded juvenile and infant T. rexes in the same location. Long before dying, Sue suffered a broken left leg that was slow to heal. ''She couldn't have hunted on it,'' Larson said. ''I think her mate helped her.'' How did Sue die? T. rexes fought each other, probably over territory, food and mates. Embedded in Sue's ribcage is the tooth of another T. rex. The left side of the skull is smashed, with holes along her jaw. Brochu doubts it is evidence of a fatal encounter. The holes don't line up with the bite of a T. rex, he said. Larson disagrees. ''In her last fight she didn't do so well,'' he said. T. rex might have ruled North America in the late Cretaceous Period. But on the roster of the biggest and baddest dinosaurs, some formidable predators are emerging around the world. In March, scientists announced the discovery in Argentina of a yet-to-be-named meat eater that lived 100 million years ago. At 45 feet, it was 10% longer than T. rex. It had a long, narrow skull with scissor-like jaws, whereas the T. rex had nutcracker jaws. ''It probably attacked and dismembered its prey with a surgical precision,'' said Phil Currie of the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada. ''T. rex was a creature of brute force.'' In 1998, researchers in central Africa found Suchomimus tenerensis. It was as large as a T. rex, but it prowled 30 million years earlier. Its pointy crocodile-like jaw sported 100 teeth. It also had 16-inch sickle claws. In Argentina, Gigantosaurus was discovered in 1995. It weighed 50% more than T. rex and was a contemporary of Suchomimus about when Africa and South America were connected. It had thin, flat teeth like daggers."}, {"response": 144, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 24, 2000 (18:31)", "body": "HERE WE GO AGAIN The price of gasoline is going up again. The latest Lundberg Survey shows that gas prices went up by five cents over the past two weeks. Nationwide, the average price for a gallon of self-serve regular last Friday was $1.58.41. Trilby Lundberg, who publishes the survey, says the two main reasons for the higher prices are higher prices for crude oil and a new federal requirement that refineries turn out more environmentally friendly gasoline. Refineries have taken steps to produce \"greener\" gas by reducing sulfur content and cutting down on other pollutants in the final product. Prices dropped over the past two weeks in some states, such as California, where stricter emissions standards have already forced refiners to produce \"greener\" gas."}, {"response": 145, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Jun 18, 2000 (22:07)", "body": "saw an interesting show on discovery today: two dinosaur experts had opposite theories concerning our beloved T. Rex. was the t. rex a scavenger or a predator. both really held up their theories with what is known about scavengers and predators today. for example, t. rex has a better sense of smell than of sight. how does this influence whether they were scavengers or predators? i don't know but they thought it was significant. most predators today have excellent eyesight as well as smell. also, the teeth played a role in their theories but i only heard the predator theory of where the teeth curved inward so for a critter to attempt escape, they'd have to (ironically) go down the t. rex's throat. of course, i'm no expert. but does t. rex being a predator or a scavenger seriously affect our whole idea of dinosaurs and rearrange the \"givens\" significantly? (unfortunately, i didn't see the conclusion of the show)."}, {"response": 146, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Jun 19, 2000 (00:51)", "body": "Did not see it. However, considering the musculature in the hind legs T-rex would almost certainly have been a preditor. Who needs legs like those to run down a dead animal?"}, {"response": 147, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Jun 19, 2000 (09:11)", "body": "curious. i think an animal like the t. rex could have his meal anyway he'd like it-dead or alive. *grin*"}, {"response": 148, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Jun 19, 2000 (15:30)", "body": "I think he was probably an opportunist as well as a predator. you are right!"}, {"response": 149, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Mon, Jun 19, 2000 (16:46)", "body": "Even today predators will scavenge when they can. Lions are prime examples of this. They are adept hunters, but aren't beneath driving another animal off its kill. That's one of the reasons leopards carry their kills into trees; so it won't be stolen by lions. Lions are too large to climb and leopards are the most athetic of the cats."}, {"response": 150, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Jun 19, 2000 (17:35)", "body": "Indeed!"}, {"response": 151, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Jun 29, 2000 (19:26)", "body": "Science News - Week of June 24, 2000; Vol. 157, No. 26 Overlooked fossil spread first feathers S. Milius A new look at a fossil that had been lying in a drawer in Moscow for nearly 30 years has uncovered the oldest known feathered animal, says a team of U.S. and Russian researchers. First honors go to the 10-inch-long, lizardlike Longisquama insignis, which is not a dinosaur itself but a related ancient reptile, say Terry D. Jones of Oregon State University in Corvallis and eight colleagues. It sported six to eight pairs of long, narrow feathers on its back, the researchers argue in the June 23 Science. The creature didn't fly but may have been able to glide from tree to tree, they suggest. Longisquama dates from some 220 million years ago, at least 75 million years before Archaeopteryx, the first known bird, the researchers note. They don't claim that Longisquama gave rise to birds, explains coauthor Alan Feduccia of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. However, he says, the fossil \"points toward the right time to look for the ancestors of birds.\" More... http://www.sciencenews.org/20000624/fob2.asp"}, {"response": 152, "author": "terry", "date": "Fri, May 18, 2001 (10:03)", "body": "I hear there's a new Jurassic Park movie due out this summer. They crash on another island full of 'saurs. Ya' think they would have learned . . ."}, {"response": 153, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, May 18, 2001 (19:34)", "body": "i heard that too!"}, {"response": 154, "author": "terry", "date": "Fri, May 18, 2001 (23:44)", "body": "And what do you want to bet, they will chased by dinosaurs?"}, {"response": 155, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May 20, 2001 (00:36)", "body": "Can't wait .......Grin"}, {"response": 156, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 21, 2001 (00:15)", "body": "And, more parents will take little kids to see the cute little dinosaurs and have the living whatevers scared out of their little skulls full of mush. Sounds like a sure thing, to me!"}, {"response": 157, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, May 23, 2001 (20:01)", "body": "Marcia, do I detect a hint of irritation and disapproval of those computer generated dinos and \"The Jurassic Park\" franchise?"}, {"response": 158, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 24, 2001 (01:32)", "body": "Moi?! Not at all. This is America where parents give their kids money instead of raising them properly. Let um go get the Beejeepers scared out of um. Mine is all raised and can hold his own hand if he is scared in the dark! Seriously, I did hear that little kids, who were hooked on dinosaurs, got their parents to take them to Jurassic Park movie and it is not for little kids! I have seen none of the movies and probably will not see them. Rather read a good book than watch mechanical dinosaurs. Just my 'umble opinion. Has anyone seen this stuff and is it fit for kiddies?"}, {"response": 159, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, May 24, 2001 (02:09)", "body": "Well, I have to admit I enjoyed the first movie ..and look forward to the second. Actually the dinosaurs were pretty good ... for mechanical items ....Enjoyed a very good expose on TV on how they made them."}, {"response": 160, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, May 24, 2001 (19:59)", "body": "the whole family enjoyed the movie. but, my kids understand the \"it's all pretend\" part and though we jumped at the appropriate moments, my son still wanted themed bed linen. parents just need to be involved and not let these movies and tv's become babysitters. we enjoy going to the movies together."}, {"response": 161, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 24, 2001 (20:23)", "body": "I did see the program about how they did the dinosaurs. perhaps it is just me with no kiddies to take along. I am relieved to know seen under the right parental accompaniment, that it is a good bit of entertainment. I guess I am still hoping to see real ones..."}, {"response": 162, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 25, 2001 (14:48)", "body": "Did anyone know they are filming the new Jurassic Park movie here on the Big Island? Lots of locals are being used for extras, but you won't see me. /\\~~~"}, {"response": 163, "author": "terry", "date": "Fri, May 25, 2001 (14:56)", "body": "Oh, come on, Marci, do it!"}, {"response": 164, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 25, 2001 (15:12)", "body": ""}, {"response": 165, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 25, 2001 (15:14)", "body": "correcting spelling on the above post: Terry, they requested Wild long unkempt hair for the locals (guess they wanted us to be the savages or some other indignity) and I think they specified in some politically correct way that they also wanted Someone with much darker skin and nappier hair than I have. Alas, you may have to wait for another movie. Our car with me inside was in a Debra Winger grade zilch movie some years ago, \"The Black Widow\" I think it was called. They used Hilo Junior High School for the court house. It was fun to watch!"}, {"response": 166, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, May 25, 2001 (16:35)", "body": "(they were filming outside the gym while I was on the bike the other day ...dunno what but I did see one character looking like a panto dame so it was probably a Christmas thingy ..oh the gym is on the Thames at Marlow ..where Steve Redgrave comes from Marcia!)"}, {"response": 167, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, May 25, 2001 (17:10)", "body": "Scientist: Brazil Dinosaur Find May Be Oldest Yet By Carlos DeJuana SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - A Brazilian (news - web sites) paleontologist said on Friday he may have discovered a new ``strange'' prehistoric reptile, which, if proven to be a dinosaur, could be the oldest one ever found. The creature, which had a 12-inch-long head and was about 8 feet long, appears to be about 235 million years old -- placing it on the edge of the middle and high Triassic period, said Jorge Ferigolo of the Rio Grande do Sul Zoobotanical Foundation. Discovered in Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state in February, the fossil shows signs that appear to make it either a very old dinosaur or very evolved thecodont, which were early pre-dinosaur reptiles. ``If it is a dinosaur, it's a pretty strange one,'' Ferigolo told Reuters by telephone from his office in the city of Porto Alegre. The fossils were found about 155 miles (250 km) west of the city. ``We still can't tell if it's a dinosaur or not,'' he added. ''If it was a dinosaur, it would have been the world's oldest.'' He said the carnivorous creature appears to have walked on the flat of its foot, like a thecodont, and not on its toes, like most dinosaurs. However, early examination of the fossils also showed dinosaur-like traits in its backbone and skull. The fossils, which were found alongside two other creatures of the same species, are most similar to the Coelophysis -- a type of flesh-eating North American dinosaur that weighed about 35-65 pounds (16-30 kg). But Ferigolo said it's still not clear whether the new find walked on four legs or on two, like Coelophysis. He hopes to be able to publish his first finds in at least a year. ``The south of Brazil and northern Argentina is where the dinosaurs were born, it's where you find some of the most ancient dinosaurs. So it wouldn't be so strange if it was (a dinosaur),'' said Sergio Azevedo, a paleontologist at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro. A number of important dinosaur fossils have been found in Brazil and Argentina in recent years, including last year's discovery of the Santanaraptor, one of the oldest dinosaurs in the world and predecessor to its more famous cousin, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Azevedo agreed the fossils needed to be further studied. ``If it's really a primitive dinosaur, it's pretty important,'' he said. ``If it's not, it's also great. If it's a thecodont, it is still a good piece of information.''"}, {"response": 168, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, May 25, 2001 (17:11)", "body": ""}, {"response": 169, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, May 25, 2001 (17:14)", "body": "Friday May 25 1:14 PM ET U.S. Museum Unveils Computer-Enhanced Triceratops By Deborah Zabarenko WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With a bigger skull, better posture and a computer-engineered look, a 65-million-year-old Triceratops began its latest incarnation this week at the U.S. Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. The Triceratops, an elephant-sized vegetarian dinosaur with two big horns above its eyes and a bony ruff around its neck, probably lived in what is now Wyoming when it walked the earth, said museum paleontologist Ralph Chapman. Its skeleton had been on display at the Smithsonian since 1905, and conservators noticed about two years ago that the bones were literally decaying from the inside out. They decided to take the bones down from their metal supports and to use new technology to capture each bone on a computer. Chapman was in charge of what came to be known as the virtual Triceratops. Using a laser scanner and other devices, Chapman said he and others got detailed images of every available bone in the skeleton. They found that at least a dozen different Triceratops were used to make the original exhibit. From these images, they built miniature copies of the Triceratops, about one-sixth actual size. These were used to help paleontologists and other researchers figure out how the bones went together, which would have been impossible with the decaying but still unwieldy full-sized bones. What they found made big changes in how the Triceratops would be exhibited, Chapman said in a telephone interview. The Triceratops skull the exhibit used to have was too small to belong with the body; Chapman said it was the head of a younger, smaller dinosaur. The museum's researchers believed that the younger animal was probably at a stage where the proportions would have been the same as it matured and grew, so they made a new head to fit with the body based on the old head's measurements. The old head was about 6 feet long, while the new one measures about 7 feet. From nose to tail, the skeleton measures about 21 feet, Chapman said. ``It's an impressive animal with this big head,'' Chapman said. Exhibited right across from a skeleton of the carnivorous Tyrannosaurus rex, the Triceratops looks as if it might hold its own, he said: ``The Tyrannosaurus would probably have avoided it.'' Researchers also realized that the back feet were all wrong; in fact, they belonged to a duck-footed dinosaur, according to Chapman. These were changed to more accurately reflect the Triceratops. The dinosaur's posture was also changed from its earlier state, which had the front end ``more sprawled'' than it is now, Chapman said. ``The animal looks like a real animal,'' he said. ``It looks like if you were to look at the skeleton of a rhino or a horse or a cow ... It's lovely.''"}, {"response": 170, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 26, 2001 (23:33)", "body": "Oooh have you seen him? Thanks for posting. Your little town is so pretty it should be in all the archetypal English movies... *Looking for Maggie in the extras*"}, {"response": 171, "author": "terry", "date": "Sun, May 27, 2001 (09:33)", "body": "Early Preview of JPI: Dinosaur Field Guide A few lucky site readers got a chance to review a copy of the upcoming \"Jurassic Park Institute: Dinosaur Field Guide, the first in a new series of JP3 tie-ins about the science of dinosaurs. The book, written by several dino experts, will be released June 12. Here's Jordan Mallon's review: At first glance, the book seems rather smallish, although it does contain a good 160 pages of text. It starts off with an essay written by the authors (Dr. Thomas Holtz Jr. and Dr. Michael Brett-Surman) called \"Why Are Dinosaurs So Popular?\" This commentary is followed up by an article on the dinosaurian timeline and other typically paleontology-related topics (including \"Finding Fossils\", \"How to Draw Dinosaurs\", \"How Dinosaurs Are Classified\", etc.) The bulk of the book, however, consists of what is basically a large dinosaur dictionary, featuring some 100 genera. Each dinosaur has at least one page dedicated to its history, trivia, friends/enemies, and even \ufffdfun facts\ufffd. (Did you know that _Psittacosaurus_ has horns on its cheeks called \ufffdjugal horns\ufffd?) Interestingly, some of the old dinosaur inaccuracies made in the JP series are also clarified, which is something any paleo-buff can appreciate. (_Velociraptor_ was only 1.5 feet tall at the hips! Ahem! Excuse me.) Some non-dinosaurian animals are also listed in the back, such as the pterosaurs, mosasaurs, and other archosaurian relatives. The dinosaur paintings are beautifully executed by professional paleolife artist Robert Walters, and I think the book is worth buying for his illustrations alone. If not that, then perhaps some of the readers might enjoy looking at some of the screen shots taken from the JP movies, including the upcoming Jurassic Park 3 film. Most interestingly, the Field Guide also contains a \ufffdfree dinosaur poster\ufffd inside! It\ufffds basically an illustrated list of all the dinosaurs in the book and features the Jurassic Park Institute logo at the top. At any rate, that\ufffds about it review-wise. The back of the book lists a website to go to if you\ufffdre looking to \ufffdbegin an adventure of a lifetime.\ufffd It can be found at www.jpinstitute.com, although it is not yet open to the public (I tried!). Overall, I\ufffdd say this book is easily one of the most accurate and up-to-date works for children, although I would think that even most adults would enjoy this one too. It\ufffds not clich\ufffdd like some of the older dinosaur books, and I feel it\ufffds well worth the $10.99 pricetag. http://www.dansjp3page.com/index2.asp"}, {"response": 172, "author": "terry", "date": "Sun, May 27, 2001 (09:35)", "body": "And from the same site: New JP3 Theater Display Spotted Nate wrote in to say that he spotted a JP3 standee last night at his local theater, which he describes as \"HUGE -- at least 8 or 10 feet tall, and 16 to 18 feet long. It was made of a thick cardboard and it was just a huge image like the new posters that are out, with the JP3 logo and then the wing span of the [pteranodon] across it. It was awesome, that was all there was too it, but it looked like from a distance that there actually could be a dino flying over head and that was the actual shadow it was casting, that is how big this thing is. The display was in 4 panels, and it had the sturdy supports in the back of it to hold the beast up. All I can say is I will be waiting in line to take this home the moment they want to throw it away, the only problem is, I dont think I have any where to put it, more over a car or van large enough to bring it home! \" Hey, I want one!"}, {"response": 173, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, May 27, 2001 (14:53)", "body": "i saw previews when i went to the theatre on friday....it looks good."}, {"response": 174, "author": "terry", "date": "Sun, May 27, 2001 (17:38)", "body": "Wow, the previews are out already."}, {"response": 175, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May 27, 2001 (19:02)", "body": "I want one too. Would be great with the Volcano erupting for a backdrop. Sounds amazing. I think this one I will do to see!"}, {"response": 176, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Jun  1, 2001 (07:37)", "body": "Thursday May 31 2:05 PM ET http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20010531/sc/science_dinosaur_dc_1.html Fossil of Gargantuan Dinosaur Unearthed in Egypt By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fossilized remains of a gargantuan plant-eating dinosaur, the second most massive animal ever to walk the Earth, have been unearthed in a desert oasis in Egypt at a site that eons ago was a lush coastal paradise, researchers said on Thursday. The discovery of a partial skeleton of Paralititan stromeri was made by 31-year-old University of Pennsylvania doctoral student Joshua Smith, who went on a dinosaur hunt at a remote site that had yielded spectacular finds in the first half of the 20th century in expeditions led by German paleontologist Ernest Stromer von Reichenbach. But the fossils of the four new dinosaurs Stromer uncovered were lost to the world during World War Two when British warplanes bombed the Bayerische Staatssammlung museum during a raid over Munich on April 24, 1944. Stromer's excavation site remained largely ignored in the decades since then. Paralititan (pronounced pah-ral-ih-TY-tan and meaning ''tidal giant'') lived 94 million years ago during the middle of the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era. The long-necked, long-tailed quadruped looked much like the familiar Brontosaurus (formal name Apatosaurus) that lived tens of millions of years earlier, except that its back may have been studded with bony body armor as protection from predators. The finding was published in the journal Science. ``It was an enormous dinosaur by anybody's reckoning,'' Smith, who was 29 when he found it, said in an interview. ``We think that a large individual might have massed about 70 tons, 75 tons maybe and it might have approached 100 feet in length. As far as tall, stack four African elephants on top of each other. That's about the height. It would look through a third-story window without much problem.'' FIRST RUNNER-UP IN THE WEIGHT CATEGORY The only dinosaur known to be heavier than Paralititan is Argentinosaurus, which looked much like the new dinosaur (both are classified as titanosaurid sauropods) but is estimated to have been about 7 percent more massive. The remains of only one example of these two colossal dinosaurs exist. Smith found the partial skeleton preserved in fine-grained sediments full of plant remains and root casts in the Bahariya Oasis in the Sahara desert some 180 miles southwest of Cairo. He said the evidence suggests that the arid Bahariya site once resembled the tropical mangrove coasts of Florida, a low-energy, shallow water area of tidal flats and tidal channels. He compares it to the Everglades. And based in part on Stromer's earlier finding of three massive carnivorous dinosaurs at the site, Smith said the area must have been teeming with life. Smith believes the massive herbivore was standing on the edge of a tidal channel in very shallow water when it died. His team also found evidence that the carcass had been scavenged by a flesh-eating dinosaur, including a tooth that may come from Carcharodontosaurus, whose name means ''shark-tooth lizard'' and whose size, 45 feet (13.5 meters) long, was comparable to Tyrannosaurus rex. In addition, the pelvis was ripped apart as if it had been eaten. It's unclear whether Paralititan lost a life-or-death struggle with the predator or became a meal after dying for other reasons, Smith said. ``All we know is that the animal died and somebody came along and munched on it.'' PARTIAL REMAINS FOUND Smith said the skeleton of Paralititan is only 20 to 25 percent complete. Most impressive is a humerus (upper forelimb bone) that measures 6 foot, 7 inches long. The remains also include several vertebrae, ribs and both shoulder blades. The Penn team also found fossils of fish, sharks, turtles, marine reptiles and other dinosaurs. Dumb luck played a role in the discovery, Smith admits. He and University of Pennsylvania graduate student Matthew Lamanna, who at age 25 is a co-author of the study, dreamed up the idea of finding the sites that had been so productive for Stromer, who worked there extensively starting in 1911. Smith said in 1999 he tagged along on another Penn expedition to Egypt and was given all of two days to search for dinosaurs. Another problem was finding the Stromer's exact site because he did not leave behind any maps or directions. Scientific literature found in Cairo pointed the way, but Smith ended up in the wrong place anyway. But as luck would have it, on Feb. 23, 1999, Smith spotted from the window of his Toyota Land Cruiser three pieces of Paralititan's forelimb. He said he may have stumbled on ``dinosaur heaven,'' adding: ''Nobody thought for a second that we'd find anything, including me. Paralititan was the first thing we found the first morning we looked. It's just ridiculou .''"}, {"response": 177, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Jun  2, 2001 (22:53)", "body": "Just when we thought it could not get any bigger...! Thanks Maggie! That is amazing!"}, {"response": 178, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Jun 14, 2001 (16:29)", "body": "From Maggie, who is really allowed to post her own stuff... *sigh* Just finished watching today's report of the five-day dinosaur dig at the isle of Wight. here's the web site for you ......do look ..it's fascinating. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dinosaurs/dinosaur_island/index.shtml"}, {"response": 179, "author": "terry", "date": "Fri, Jun 15, 2001 (10:43)", "body": "There's a story in the news conference today about a Kimono lizard, perhaps it should have been in this topic. You'll gasp when you read it."}, {"response": 180, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Jun 15, 2001 (14:26)", "body": "Here's Terry's story about the Komodo Dragon. They eat people!!! Yeah, it's really weird and more than a little ghastly! Thanks, I think! Phil Bronstein, of SF Chronicle, is in the hospital after having been bitten (mauled sounds more like it) on the foot by a Kimodo Dragon at I forget which Zoo (LA I think). He was on a special just for him for father's day back stage tour of the zoo, esp. to see the Kimodo Dragon. Apparently he was wearing white sneakers and was told that they might appear to resemble the white mice fed to the Kimodo Dragon. So instead he was barefoot when he was attacked by said KD. Sounds like he's lost much of a big toe and is danger of umpteen different kinds of extemely nasty bacteria which can cause sepsis. Apparently there are left over particles of food in the KD's mouth which fester in nasty ways. This happened about a week ago. Here's the story: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/06/10/MN156967.DTL Should I have put this in the Jurassic Park topic? Isn't this the weirdest story?"}, {"response": 181, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Jun 15, 2001 (14:47)", "body": "I think that is why they put \"Don't Feed The Animals\" Signs on the cages!"}, {"response": 182, "author": "terry", "date": "Fri, Jun 15, 2001 (16:37)", "body": "Not mentioned. The guy's married to Sharon Stone and the visit was a gift from her."}, {"response": 183, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Jun 15, 2001 (23:17)", "body": "That helps!!!"}, {"response": 184, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jun 16, 2001 (11:07)", "body": "*laugh* i imagine that man's getting his share of vaccinations now."}, {"response": 185, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, Jun 16, 2001 (11:40)", "body": "What was the movie Sharon Stone was in with Michael Douglas called, does sending her hubby in with an attack lizard remind you of this? Or maybe I'm thinking of Glenn Close? This white guy with white shoes and white socks takes them off so he'll be in his white as can be feet."}, {"response": 186, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jun 16, 2001 (13:58)", "body": "oh, terry, i know what movie you're talking about...it was along the genre of romancing the stone (which had michael douglas and that other blonde lady--oh, i can't think of her name!)"}, {"response": 187, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Jun 16, 2001 (14:34)", "body": "Kathleen Turner, Wolfie. Yup I remember that movie to whihc Terry refers and I cannot think which it is."}, {"response": 188, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jun 16, 2001 (17:54)", "body": "the one with glenn close and michael douglas was...hmmmm....now i can't remember that one either (have a whiny daughter in the background which may have messed up my brain files for the moment)...."}, {"response": 189, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Mon, Jun 18, 2001 (18:10)", "body": "errr.....Fatal Attraction???"}, {"response": 190, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Jun 18, 2001 (20:22)", "body": "Uh Huh!!! Our resident Babe expert comes to the rescue!"}, {"response": 191, "author": "terry", "date": "Mon, Jun 18, 2001 (20:30)", "body": "That's it."}, {"response": 192, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jun 19, 2001 (21:27)", "body": ""}, {"response": 193, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jun 19, 2001 (21:27)", "body": "Go to http://www.discovery.com and punch in your zip code- they will give you a list of what dinosaurs used to live in your area."}, {"response": 194, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jun 19, 2001 (21:30)", "body": "cool!"}, {"response": 195, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jun 19, 2001 (21:33)", "body": "mine came up with sauropods..."}, {"response": 196, "author": "autumn", "date": "Tue, Jun 19, 2001 (23:00)", "body": "Allosaurus and Tenontosaurus here."}, {"response": 197, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jun 20, 2001 (01:07)", "body": "I want to know where my ichytheosaurs are!!! We are not nearly old enough. I think the machine looked at my zip in the middle of the ocean and BINGO. Had to be some sea-dweller."}, {"response": 198, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jun 20, 2001 (01:08)", "body": "WOW, Autumn, you got BIG stuff in your area. Great going!"}, {"response": 199, "author": "autumn", "date": "Mon, Jun 25, 2001 (16:37)", "body": "Yeah, well, you know what they say about big prehistoric dinosaurs in your area--we're overcompensating!!"}, {"response": 200, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sun, Jul  1, 2001 (16:01)", "body": "My neighborhood was once the home to Theropods and Ornithischians. They allegedly left footprints."}, {"response": 201, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Jul  1, 2001 (18:43)", "body": "Wow! I have trod your sacred land and did not realize upon which I stepped. I think I dated one of those Ornithiscians, but how was I to know he was in a very old religious sect?! (They sound birdlike so I will be off to www.google.com to find them)"}, {"response": 202, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Mon, Jul  2, 2001 (19:43)", "body": "Please tell us more about the Ornithiscian you'd once dated and the arcane religious practices of their sect. That is if you don't have to kill the person(s) to whom divulge such information."}, {"response": 203, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Jul  5, 2001 (16:39)", "body": "*GRIN* I was sworn to secrecy, but it did involve a great deal of unbuttoning and attempts to rebutton faster than it was undone. As for the feathers... Perhaps that is best left to the imagnation."}, {"response": 204, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sun, Jul  8, 2001 (15:57)", "body": "Marcia, it seems it might have been a bit of a ticklish situation. *Grin* Say no more."}, {"response": 205, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Jul  9, 2001 (22:22)", "body": "*Laugh* Cheryl, I can tell you have been to college, too!"}, {"response": 206, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Jul 15, 2001 (04:34)", "body": "Welcome to this week's edition of DINOSAURNEWS. For the full story visit the FREE webzine at this address: http://www.dinosaurnews.org . The headlines: ** War victims include rare fossils Allied bombing in September 1943 damaged the Natural History Museum at Humbolt University in Berlin, home of the largest mounted dinosaur skeleton in the world, the mighty Brachiosaurus ** County chipping in for Sue skeleton A signed contract will end a month of nail biting by museum officials, who have been worried the deal would fall through ** Dino tracks par for course The West's past and its future came down to a gritty conversation Monday in an old clay mine here, where a golf course is pitted against dinosaur tracks. ** Eggs of dinosaur found Scientists from the Florentino Ameghino museum will continue to excavate the site in August in the hope of finding more nests as well as the skeletal remains of adult dinosaurs ____________________________________________________________________________ ___ Advertisement: SURVIVAL OR EXTINCTION The Dinosaur game NEW Package! Winner of 10 industry awards for quality and value! Ideal for ages 5 & up Become a dinosaur!! Learn to Survive! Fun for the whole family! In the DINOGAMES section http://www.dinosaurnews.org ____________________________________________________________________________ ___ ** Dinosaur special includes newly discovered species Among the new dinos featured are a two-legged, meat-eating member of the Coelurosaur species, yet unnamed, and Nothronychus, a bizarre, long-necked plant-eater ** Fossil being freed from ancient rock Project Prosauropod is enabling fossil fanciers with Internet access to watch the unearthing of a 200 million-year-old dinosaur's fossilized bones from the comfort of their own home. ** T-REX may throw paleontologists a bone Bone-hunting paleontologists will walk behind earthmoving equipment during the T-REX highway project, searching for fossilized plants and the remains of dinosaurs ** Dino Went Down to Georgia Recently, two of the world's most unusual dinosaur fossils went on display at that city's Fernbank Museum ** Dinosaur State Park plans eventful summer Dinosaurs will not be the only creatures making tracks at Dinosaur State Park this summer, according to a park spokesperson. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____ FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO DINOSAURNEWS - Send an email to subscribe@dinosaurnews.org ____________________________________________________________________________ ____ ** Day of the 'Dinosaur' Several leading paleontologists are gathering Sunday at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for \"Dinosaur Discoverers,\" a five-hour-plus symposium ** Prints reveal dinosaurs may have hunted in packs It's the first evidence found in Africa to contradict the belief dinosaurs were solitary beasts ** This Month's Feature Website A Dinosaur's Neighborhood - What if a dinosaur, like this one, lived in your neighborhood?. Activity sheet from National Geographic ** Dinosaur Tracks - New Mexico QTVR Panoramas from New Mexico In conjunction with New Mexico State University. ____________________________________________________________________________ __ DINOSAURNEWS webzine with the latest Dinosaur Books, Dinosaur Games, Dinolinks and a Dinomall. Read something ferocious this week: http://www.dinosaurnews.org"}, {"response": 207, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Jul 16, 2001 (17:19)", "body": "Wow!!! Dinosaur news! Thank you Maggie *HUGS* for posting this!"}, {"response": 208, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jul 24, 2001 (18:25)", "body": "watched the movie this weekend and i really liked it. i think the dinosaurs are cool and no nightmares for the kids!"}, {"response": 209, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jul 24, 2001 (23:51)", "body": "I guess I got spoiled by seeing real ones all those years in the American Museum of Natural History. The archaeologist and paleontologist in me also rebels at putting feelings into these creatures. We have found so few of somes of them we have no idea how they lived. Yeah, I know. I just take the kids and be quiet. Only I don't have any kids to take. Too dark in there to read a good book...*sigh* I'm delighted you enjoyed it, Wolfie!"}, {"response": 210, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Jul 25, 2001 (22:18)", "body": "i don't know if anyone can say exactly what these creatures did but i could hardly contain myself thinking about all the work that went into these creatures whose roars sounded like they came out of their mouths and the dilating pupils, and to think that T Rex was my fave out of all their critters. that's what amazed me the most!"}, {"response": 211, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Jul 26, 2001 (01:07)", "body": "I was watching a special on the movie on Discovery Channel and there is a 1000 hp (one thousand horse power) motor running that T Rex. Check out that chariot that gets you to the grocery store. That whole movie represents Huge amounts of money. Whether it might have been better used is a question I will not even think of answering. I am delighted both you and the kids (or is it all of you kids?!) enjoyed it."}, {"response": 212, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Jul 26, 2001 (18:58)", "body": "the kids and i enjoyed it while the big kid did not."}, {"response": 213, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Jul 27, 2001 (16:04)", "body": "Big Kids are always the most difficult. I have one of my own, so I know... *HUGS*"}, {"response": 214, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sun, Jul 29, 2001 (15:39)", "body": "Marcia, could you imagine getting to the grocery store in a 1,000 hp motorized T.Rex. That could make the neighbors sit up and take notice. Wolfie, glad that you and the kids enjoyed the movie. I haven't seen it yet."}, {"response": 215, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Jul 29, 2001 (18:50)", "body": "In California, a 1000 hp T Rex is the ONLY way to get from point A to point B on the freeways. At least we would be intact. No guarantees on scratches or dents, though. Don't you wonder what something like that eats? Anything it wants!"}, {"response": 216, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Mon, Jul 30, 2001 (18:59)", "body": "Whenever it wants! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 3, "subject": "Constructive Criticism", "response_count": 39, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (11:35)", "body": "be back later to do some work on this place, you know, a little sweeping and stuff!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (13:38)", "body": "Yes! Go for it Wolfie!!!!!!!!!!! How about some funny animals for the backdrop? I'm totally exited!!! It's like having birthday and getting presents and all that stuff, isn't it!?"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (13:53)", "body": "Any problem with having me added to the host list since I am here most of the time and have some knowledge of what to do...? Cadfm asked and I told him to add my name to the host list...let me know if that is not OK...!"}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (17:50)", "body": "i've got a great background for this page just let me work at it a bit!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (18:07)", "body": "Ok - and of course that should have been cfadm...how could I have?! (lashing myself with wet noodles...) How about tropical fish buttons?!"}, {"response": 6, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (03:24)", "body": "Cool, wolfie! Shall I do us a little logo?"}, {"response": 7, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (11:23)", "body": "There's a critter-top in the Home-conf... We could also include that here (Terry?)."}, {"response": 8, "author": "terry", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (16:07)", "body": "Sure."}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (20:24)", "body": "Oh Ree! That's a splendid idea. Get out your crayons and stuff. We NEED your critter up there as a logo!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (20:34)", "body": "indeed. and i promise i've got a great background as soon as i figure out how to get it over here (it's a style in netobjects)....."}, {"response": 11, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (03:25)", "body": "Can't wait!! Think I might make my logo from a design I did yesterday ...."}, {"response": 12, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (06:34)", "body": "This new background looks great, Wolf!"}, {"response": 13, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (07:55)", "body": "Those other thingies in the backdrop, are these hydrants, like, for dogs?"}, {"response": 14, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (11:53)", "body": "you got it. i've got to figure out how to fix the buttons so don't stress about those!"}, {"response": 15, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (13:19)", "body": "Lotsa different bugs perhaps?"}, {"response": 16, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (17:49)", "body": "netobjects has a set of buttons that go with this theme (they're too cute!) but the program doesn't allow me to save the buttons separately and i don't have a program that will allow me to write on the buttons and then save them separately. i'll figure it out!"}, {"response": 17, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (18:04)", "body": "Hmmm....sounds ideal if you could cut'n'paste to them..."}, {"response": 18, "author": "stacey", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (09:21)", "body": "I made some cheesy buttons for something I did here... I'll send em if you want to use them in the interim"}, {"response": 19, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (20:27)", "body": "ok, i've been busy today! the buttons you see now are actually the second set i've tried out. like these much better though as they're not so disruptive to the eyes (matching the background and such). let me know what you think!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (20:28)", "body": "stacey, didn't mean to ignore your post, i had actually forgotten to answer you. send them anyway and lemme take a gander!"}, {"response": 21, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (20:42)", "body": "I like the white ones...! The green ones are so GREEN and so LARGE..."}, {"response": 22, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (20:45)", "body": "You just might have to wait till the new Mrs T gets back from her honeymoon in Greece..."}, {"response": 23, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 16, 1999 (20:53)", "body": "well, she better not rush on my account *grin*"}, {"response": 24, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Oct 19, 1999 (12:08)", "body": "I've missed the green ones... but those now look great! (the ones in collecting, too!) Gawd, Piao drooled on my computer keyboard,while sitting on my lap, now it's all wet and slimy! Does anyone have a cat that drooles so much? My clothes are always soaking wet when she sat on my lap!"}, {"response": 25, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (06:22)", "body": "It's 'cos she loves you SOOOO much!"}, {"response": 26, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (17:05)", "body": "I have a spill cover (like a thin skin which is made to fit your keyboard like a second skin) on my keyboard. Sounds as though you could use one...and your keyboard, as well *grin* Yup! Your kitty loves you. Big time!"}, {"response": 27, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (17:07)", "body": "Hi Ree! ...missed you...*hugs*"}, {"response": 28, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (19:11)", "body": "hi people!! i miss everybody very much *hugs*"}, {"response": 29, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (19:12)", "body": "We miss you, too!!!"}, {"response": 30, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (19:14)", "body": "well, i'm not gonna post a whole lot cuz i only have 5 or 10 minutes left (at the library and given 30 mins-15 of which, i cleaned out the cache so the pc would operate faster!) have got a couple of new ideas for topics and will take care of posting them while i'm here. so let me know what you think of 'em!!"}, {"response": 31, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 21, 1999 (12:27)", "body": "I like 'um. Potential for serious discussion in those new ones, and (by looking at Geo) you can tell I like to get some real information in with the opinions, or else the topic dies. I love the ones you can link with Geo, too. It can only help with both Conferences. Keep thinking!!!"}, {"response": 32, "author": "riette", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (13:17)", "body": "Wolfie, are you having a good time!!!! I missed you both too."}, {"response": 33, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (14:43)", "body": "...almost as much as we missed you, I'll bet! *hugs* Welcome back!"}, {"response": 34, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Mon, Oct 25, 1999 (16:04)", "body": "Where's our Wolfie these days?"}, {"response": 35, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (03:53)", "body": "Sniffing the bush."}, {"response": 36, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct 29, 1999 (20:27)", "body": "am back! did ya miss me, huh? huh? huh? i'll tell you what, my doggie's were so happy to see me, the big 'un tried to get in my lap and give me a bath!"}, {"response": 37, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (00:22)", "body": "yup...yup...yup...yup...yup...yup...Sluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp!!!"}, {"response": 38, "author": "patas", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (03:49)", "body": "That must have been a big bath! :-)"}, {"response": 39, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (19:08)", "body": "*LOL* SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 30, "subject": "Genetics - Animal Kingdom", "response_count": 20, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Oct 21, 1999 (00:22)", "body": "Just learned on the news today that there will be an attempt to recreate the mammoth. As many of you know, a giant mammoth was uncovered in Siberia. In tact, complete with fur! Which, in and of itself, is a momentous find, to actually be able to touch the fur of an animal that existed so long ago in our history. But would it be a good idea to try to duplicate it's DNA? I had heard that \"they\" were going to mix the DNA of the elephant with that of a mammoth. What do you think will occur? Is this rig t? And, Dolly, the sheep, was not a technical clone. But I'll have to delve further into that to give you the facts."}, {"response": 2, "author": "riette", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (18:31)", "body": "The mammoth business is truly amazing. What I find incredible is that all those pictures of mammoths that they came up with just from looking at the sceletons that have been found, were correct all along! Shows you, scientists are really doing a hell of a job. I HOPE they make a mammoth - just to see. And the result will be interesting - for good or for bad. $hit, I sound like such a sensationalist!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (20:20)", "body": "I hope they make one, as well...just to see. I remember seeing that baby Mammoth in the freezer at the American Museum of Natural History...looking like it was sleeping with buttercups sticking out of its mouth...!"}, {"response": 4, "author": "patas", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (23:21)", "body": "I too hope they clone the mammoth. Why is Dolly not a real clone? Actually, as far as I know, to clone the mammoth they would not use elephant DNA but elephant cells (ova) in which they'd inject mammoth DNA then implant the ova back in utero. Is this not what they did for Dolly?"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (01:31)", "body": "To be a true technical clone does not the entire individual have to develop from a single cell of the parent?"}, {"response": 6, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (08:19)", "body": "I recently read something about that. Dolly is a geniune clone - she was developed from a single parent cell. But the weird thing is that, although she was born a lamb, her chromosomes were much older than that of a normal baby leaving its mother's womb. That is, she looked like other newborns, but was in fact already a few years old when she was born. Apparently it has something to do with the number of divisions the cell undergoes before being cloned. But whether she will have a shorter life span han other lambs her age is not clear. All this apparently suggests that genetic blueprints may wear out over time, making it impossible to clone creatures endlessly."}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (21:20)", "body": "I watched Discovery in the Classroom (Discovery Channel for schools) and they said the same thing. They said the DNA breaks down (whatever that means) over time and could cause some very alarming offspring were two cloned animals to mate (but I thought by the very nature of cloning they had to be female - or am I confusing this with parthenogenesis?!)"}, {"response": 8, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (00:26)", "body": "You are. To get a normal animal: you get a sperm (with a certain number of chromosomes, including a Y chromosome) plus an oocite (with the same number of chromosomes including an X chromosome)that join and develop as an egg with twice the number of chromosomes. To get a clone: you eliminate the chromosomes from an oocite and put in all the chromosomes of an adult cell, be it male (XY) or female(XX)and make it develop like an egg. To get a parthogenetic animal: you give birth to your own twin. :-)"}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Oct 28, 1999 (01:17)", "body": "Oh yes, Thank you! Now I remember. Parthenogenesis means virgin birth, as I recall. How very odd to give birth to one's own self, as it were. Not a \"why\" chromosome in the batch!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (01:45)", "body": "re: #8, that idea is gross!!"}, {"response": 11, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (05:37)", "body": "Unfortunately..or fortunately, Gi is a medical doctor and can give you the correct information. Thanks for that. Gi. Gross or not, that is how it is done."}, {"response": 12, "author": "patas", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (09:00)", "body": "What exactly is gross about it, Wolf? Or is it too gross to even mention ;-)?"}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Oct 30, 1999 (14:47)", "body": "just the thought of carrying your own twin! i mean, i don't know how to describe it! so are you their mother or sister and then talk about the tree with no branches!!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 31, 1999 (00:14)", "body": "Remember that song: \"I'm my own grandpa\" ??? I think the birthing individual is called the mother and the other is the daughter - regardless of other circumstances."}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Oct 31, 1999 (01:11)", "body": "gives new meaning to the phrase, \"you look just like your mother\"!! *giggle*"}, {"response": 16, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Nov  3, 1999 (08:26)", "body": "ha-ha!!!"}, {"response": 17, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Nov  4, 1999 (20:35)", "body": "Exactly!"}, {"response": 18, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May  8, 2000 (00:24)", "body": "Thank you, Maggie, for this: http://www.lineone.net/cgi-bin/loadcontent.pl?page=/cgi-bin/drecgi/express/00/05/06/news/n1920dna-d.html LIVING LEGEND: Even the mythical unicorn could be brought to life CANCER will be consigned to the history books, meat will grow on trees and mythical beasts such as the unicorn could come to life, all within the next few decades, according to Britain's leading genetics scientist. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Express, Dr John Sulston, director of the Sanger Genome Centre outside Cambridge, predicts that humanity will be soon be able to take over the reins of evolution itself, creating new animals and plants to order - and perhaps even reviving some long-dead species. The Sanger Centre is the British powerhouse of the Human Genome Project, the massive multi-billion dollar British-American-Japanese effort to unravel the genetic code - the instruction manual for Homo Sapiens. Conceived in the 1980s, the HGP was supposed to finish its work sequencing the three billion letters of our genetic code by 2010. Instead, thanks to massive improvements in computing technology the genome, the first draft of the \"book of life\", will be finished in just a few weeks. Dr Sulston said that once every one of the 100,000 genes is known, things like heart disease and cancer will soon be a thing of the past. \"I suspect that scientists will be able to use our data to fix cancer in the next decade or so,\" he said. \"We will soon have handles on heart disease, too.\" But the consequences of the \"project of the millennium\" stand to be far more bizarre than simply conquering diseases. Now the technology is in place, the genomes of dozens of other species will be deciphered in the next few years. Chimpanzees, fish, cats and mice will all be sequenced by 2010. By comparing the genomes of different animals - a technique called comparative genomics - biologists will be quickly able to work out which genes do what. What makes a human cleverer than a chimp, for example, or what are the key genes for size, shape or colour. This work will not be carried out by the HGP, but by hundreds of scientists all over the world using data released on to the Internet by the Sanger Centre and its sister institutions in the States and Japan. Using the same technology already used to create GM plants, DNA could then be \"cut and spliced\" into the genomes of any species - creating \"designer animals\" with any properties that you want. \"You can actually turn one organism into another by genetic engineering. You can accelerate evolution,\" Dr Sulston predicts. \"In this century we will be able to build animals to order. We can create the perfect farm animal, with no brain, no feelings. With no sentience you have no cruelty. The vegetarians could eat meat with a clear conscience.\" Using comparative gen-omics, he says, scientists could effectively turn animals into plants. \"If you want pork, then create a pig with no head and no legs, just a slab of meat growing on a farm, fed with nutrients,\" he said. \"Efficient and totally humane. You could even put plant genes in and get it to photosynthesise. Or what about a headless turkey?\" Once the genes that govern muscle and protein production in vertebrates are known, it will be possible to insert them into plants to get them to grow animal protein. \"I think it will become rather fashionable,\" said Dr Sulston. \"The chattering classes will lap up the new designer foods. Once the products get really exciting the controversy over genetic modification will disappear.\" The Sanger Centre, built and run by the Wellcome Trust, is an extraordinary institution, perhaps nothing quite like it exists anywhere else on Earth. Inside, the brushed aluminium buildings make the bridge of the Starship Enterprise look like a Morris Minor. Four huge machines automatically select bacterial cultures that have had inserted unique strands of human DNA. Trays of culture and banks of needles whizz around the culture chambers, often moving too fast for the eye to follow. \"When I started doing this we did it by hand, using a sterile platinum loop and a Petri dish,\" said Don Powell, the Sanger Centre's information officer. Snippets of the genome are inserted into simple bacteria, and these are grown in colonies of billions of individuals. Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of \"designer\" plants and animals. Greenpeace food campaigner Dr Doug Parr said the new technology would leave a lot of people feeling queasy. \"Should we welcome this?\" he said. \"This is a moral issue rather than one about risks. Even if you can do these things safely, you have to ask, is this what we want to do? This is redefining our relationship with the natural world, and there is no easy answer to that.\" In Germany, Dr Janni Nussleim-Volhart is sequencing the genetic code of the zebrafish, an important animal as it is a relatively simple vertebrate that grows rapidly with a transparent body that can easily be studied. Knowing the key"}, {"response": 19, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Tue, May  9, 2000 (23:10)", "body": "A unicorn? What about something like Pegasus? A really big problem with a flying horse would be, if you hate sometimes being dumped on by pigeons, just imagine being dumped on by a horse!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, May  9, 2000 (23:50)", "body": "*LOL* We always said it was lucky elephants can't fly...Never thought that about Pegasus! I think he is one of a kind and of another realm - namely godly regions. Do they have to do that, too? Like real animals? Never thought about it! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 31, "subject": "Genetics and the Human Animal", "response_count": 14, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct 22, 1999 (17:17)", "body": "...as if we did not do enough damage to the insides of our children, we are inventing a way to make them more discontented with their bodies. This is NOT what the Creator intended, I think!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "riette", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (13:33)", "body": "Gene-manipulation is wonderful thing to help with illnesses, but a dreadful thing as soon as human vanity gets involved ..."}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (15:25)", "body": "Makes me wonder if there should not be a panel of arbitors to oversee what is being contemplated...but they are subject to greed just as their scientific counterparts are. Divine intervention? There MUST be some limits put on things like this, lest vanity take over and we create the monster who will eventually kill the creator."}, {"response": 4, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (04:02)", "body": "I'm sure the appropriate laws will be created - and then violated."}, {"response": 5, "author": "patas", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (18:24)", "body": "In my country they are already being discussed - not that we will clone anything in the present millenium!"}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (20:39)", "body": "I am sure it is not only being conducted sub rosa but the profits are being laundered as we speak somewhere in this greed-driven world. America, for all its purtianism, is not above any of that ugly business."}, {"response": 7, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (03:19)", "body": "A side-effect of capitalism."}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (16:22)", "body": "...or testosterone poisoning..or both!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (12:18)", "body": "from msn news : PPL THERAPEUTICS, which cloned Dolly three years ago, said today that five healthy piglets were born March 5 in Blacksburg, Va. They were cloned from an adult sow using a slightly different technique than the one that produced Dolly. Independent tests of the DNA of the piglets \ufffd named Millie, Christa, Alexis, Carrel and Dotcom \ufffd confirmed they were clones of the sow, the company said. Scientists have been studying pigs for several years as potential organ donors for people. The cloning might hold out hope that pigs could be genetically engineered so that their organs or cells would be more readily accepted by the human body, making them more easily transplantable. \ufffdI think this is a big step forward they\ufffdve made. I applaud it,\ufffd said Dr. Fritz Bach of Harvard Medical School, who studies genetic and immunological aspects of transplants from animals to people. Genetic engineering is one potential benefit, Bach said. In addition, scientists could simply clone pigs that prove exceptionally well-suited for transplants to humans, he said. But Bach stressed that ethical issues about animal-to-human transplants, mainly the risk of introducing new germs to humans, must be solved before such procedures are done. Imutran, a Cambridge, England-based company that is pursuing similar research, called PPL\ufffds announcement \ufffdinteresting news.\ufffd \ufffdIt is potentially a useful technology to develop new lines of pigs for (transplant),\ufffd the company said. \ufffdHowever, the next step is to see if the technology can be applied to developing genetically modified animals whose organs can be transplanted into humans without being rejected.\ufffd PPL, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, said transplantation of genetically altered pig organs could be tested on humans in four years and that analysts believe the market for them could be worth $6 billion. PPL scientists plan to try to \ufffdknock out\ufffd a gene responsible for incorporating in pig cells a sugar group recognized by the human immune system as foreign. The gene triggers an immune response in the human body, prompting it to reject the organ. Three new genes would then be introduced into the pig cells, and the transplant patient would receive a blood transfusion containing modified cells taken from the pig supplying the organ. Scientists hope this process will reduce long-term rejection of the transplanted organ. \ufffdAll the known technical hurdles have been overcome,\ufffd said Ron James, PPL\ufffds managing director. \ufffdIt is now a case of combining the various strategies into one male and one female pig and breeding from these.\ufffd The idea of using animal organs for transplant, known as xenotransplantation, is controversial because some believe diseases could cross from pigs to humans. But scientists are excited by the prospect of using animal organs for transplant because of the shortage of human organs. Many people die while waiting for a transplant, and experts hope that pigs will be able to provide a steady supply of organs. \ufffdAn end to the chronic organ shortage is now in sight,\ufffd James said. The names of the first cloned piglets each have their own significance. Millie was named for the millennium. Christa, Alexis and Carrel were named after Dr. Christiaan Barnard, who performed the first human heart transplant, and Dr. Alexis Carrel, who won the Nobel prize in 1912 for his work in the field of transplantation. And as for Dotcom ... \ufffdAny association with dotcoms right now seems to have a very positive influence on a company\ufffds valuation,\ufffd said James. \ufffd 2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. so what do you think?"}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (13:03)", "body": "I think those little piggies are NOT going to market! I don't have a problem with it. I hope one day they will be able to clone organs which will allow children to live full and happy lives."}, {"response": 11, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (17:22)", "body": "me too."}, {"response": 12, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (17:36)", "body": "I need to give you big hugs.... * hugs *"}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (17:39)", "body": "aw, thanks, marcia!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (19:03)", "body": "*grin* SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 32, "subject": "Snakes", "response_count": 36, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (17:22)", "body": "Thank you, St. Patrick...I really would not have created the topic here without your permission...honest! Now, where is Karen (KJArt) the snake lady...or was it Maggie? Ree loves snakes, too. Puff-adders as I recall...yeow! Wonder why men hate snakes more than women....don't like the comptition?"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (17:25)", "body": "No snakes to mention in Hawaii - yet. All we have is an earthworm-sized blind cave-dweller which I have never seen in person. They are pretty rare."}, {"response": 3, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (18:56)", "body": "Couldn't that last be an amphibian? Re: New Topic -- you shouldn'ta. \"Reptiles\" would have been perfectly acceptable -- and they're much closer to \"crawlies\" (numerically). You realize, I hope that this is the weekend and the only time I have to indulge in this nonsense. I cannot hold up a Topic solo as half the time I'm in a zomby-ized state of mind from work. (besides, I only discovered \"ark\" a coupla weeks ago and this is the first chance I had to return to it since then."}, {"response": 4, "author": "KJArt", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (18:59)", "body": "And I hope I remembered to close the tags! Hee hee!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (19:09)", "body": "me, too! *grin*"}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (19:29)", "body": "Karen, you at least keep me from talking to myself on weekends when everyone else is otherwise occupied. Today has been a happy change - both a Karen and a Wolfie are here to play with me and the ookies of the animal kingdom. *grin*"}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (19:32)", "body": "The Hawaiian snake could be an amphibian, but it is not. It is a true snake, thus a reptile. For someone who likes her *bugs* big so she can see them, she uses double small html to write her messages...;)"}, {"response": 8, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (19:48)", "body": "do you have sea snakes, marcia?"}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Dec  4, 1999 (20:00)", "body": "Probably...we get anything pelagic and reef-dwelling that can get here either under its own power or hitch-hiking on the hull of a ship. We do not hear much about sea snakesm but we have the most amazing array of morays - some bright yellow, ones that are magenta with black-rimmed white spots, electric blue ones. It is very colorful on the reef."}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Feb 25, 2000 (15:40)", "body": "I couldn't resist posting this one from Food Conference posted by John: Response 54 of 60: John Burnett (mrchips) * Thu, Sep 9, 1999 (05:44) * 5 lines I'll never forget the Kalahari bushman grabbing the cobra and whacking him on the ground to kill him in the beginning of The Gods Must Be Crazy. One night in Thailand (1974), I had missed the final bus from town back to base (Sattahip) and was walking along my merry way when a cobra lifted its ugly head and challenged my right to cross his/her path on the road. I tried walking around it, but it kept mirroring my lateral moves. This was long before Gods, so I'd never seen the bushman's trick. Anyhow, I'm too slow, too cowardly, and was too drunk to try anything like that. It was about 2:30 am, and it was cooler on the road than in the dense underbrush on either side, so the cobra was staying put. I kept a respectful distance (15-20 feet), not knowing whether or not common Thai cobras can spit venom into your eyes (they can't, but I didn't know that). I wasn't going into the underbrush either, because there are snakes far more venomous than cobras in Thailand (such as Russell's adder, a beautiful green snake servicemen there call a \"three stepper\" because you have about three steps left in your life if one bites you). It was after curfew, so there were no vehicles on the road. When the sun came out, the road started to warm up, the cobra slid back into the bushes, and I walked the remaining mile to the base, physically shot for the day, but alive and unpoisoned. I hate snakes...occasionally have nightmares about them. I was bitten in the abdomen by a water moccasin while swimming in an Illinois creek as a child (nine years old). My mom was hysterically yelling at me, and I had to slap her back into reality to get her to take me to the doctor. Water moccasins are water loving pit vipers, are about as deadly as the common cobra or a rattlesnake, much less deadly than a mamba or a Russell's adder. But without medical attention, the bite could kill a nine year old boy in about 45 minutes. I was sick for a week. As a young man, my now deceased father saw a man die from a coral snake bite at Fort Benning, Georgia. He immediately cut the man's ankle and tried to suck out the venom to no avail. The young soldier was dead in five minutes. The coral snake, a colorful, beautifully banded adder, is the deadliest snake on the North American continent."}, {"response": 11, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Feb 25, 2000 (19:11)", "body": "oh my God! i loved that movie (the gods must be crazy). the AM and i would watch it over and over again and laugh our butts off!"}, {"response": 12, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Feb 25, 2000 (22:37)", "body": "That was hilarious from the descent of the coke bottle onward...Brilliant! Glad there are not snakes yet in Hawaii!!!"}, {"response": 13, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (14:10)", "body": "GOVERNMENT POLICY: SNAKE ATTACK The following is from the US Government Peace Corps Manual for its volunteers who work in the Amazon Jungle. It tells what to do in case you are attacked by an anaconda. Now an anaconda is the largest snake in the world. It is a relative of the boa constrictor, it grows to thirty-five feet in length and weighs between three and four hundred pounds at the maximum. This is what the manual said: 1. If you are attacked by an anaconda, do not run. The snake is faster than you are. 2. Lie flat on the ground. Put your arms tight against your sides, your legs tight against one another. 3. Tuck your chin in. 4. The snake will come and begin to nudge and climb over your body. 5. Do not panic. (emphasis added) 6. After the snake has examined you, it will begin to swallow you from the feet and - always from the end. Permit the snake to swallow your feet and ankles. Do not panic. (emphasis added) 7. The snake will now begin to suck your legs into its body. You must lie perfectly still. This will take a long time. 8. When the snake has reached your knees slowly and with as little movement as possible, reach down, take your knife and very gently slide it into the side of the snake's mouth between the edge of its mouth and your leg, then suddenly rip upwards, severing the snake's head. 9. Be sure you have your knife. 10. Be sure your knife is sharp."}, {"response": 14, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (14:15)", "body": "Good grief Marcia - where did you find that!!!!!!! It made me crawl just reading it. Are they really serious? I mean, this isn't a spoof is it?"}, {"response": 15, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (14:45)", "body": "Maggie, I just dug through all of my email outgoing and incoming and in mailboxes and I cannot find where I got it. But, it WAS forwarded to me without omment, so I rather think it is parody. I certainly hope it is!!!"}, {"response": 16, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (14:49)", "body": "The mind boggles if it isn't. It rather reminds me of a children's colouring book I once saw about missionary life in South America, which had one poor chap being swallowed by one of these snakes, and his friend cutting the snake open to let him out! - for children??????"}, {"response": 17, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (14:59)", "body": "Gadzooks! Reality check for little children's survival?! Way too grim for me. In a coloring book, yet! It would give me nightmares!"}, {"response": 18, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (17:37)", "body": "i'da panicked way before the snake even got close enough to me to think about swallowing me feet and ankles first. *yuck*"}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Feb 27, 2000 (18:03)", "body": "That cool only Indiana Jones can muster. I am NOT Indy anything! How about dying of fright first?!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Feb 28, 2000 (09:09)", "body": "speaking of indy jones, supposedly another movie is in the works. don't have specifics, just heard of it...."}, {"response": 21, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Feb 28, 2000 (11:16)", "body": "Gotta had Harrison Ford or it won't fly! Round up the nasties and creepies from your most skin-crawling topics...Hollywood might just be calling you soon."}, {"response": 22, "author": "Ree", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (13:03)", "body": "What I don't get is: how do people MANAGE to get swallowed by snakes?? I mean a person can probably WALK faster than such a huge snake. And anyway if the snake is big enough to swallow a man it can be safely assumed that one doesn't have to stand 10cm away in order to see the damned thing. So, how does it happen?? I know, they probably try to feed the things peanuts. And you know how it is ... you give it a peanut and it takes head, tits AND knees."}, {"response": 23, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (14:12)", "body": "Actually, I was hoping it was an apocryphal sort of story which makes a good tale but did not really happen - sort of like an Urban Legend. I am clueless to know how a live healthy person would get swallowed, as well. And,since you are the resident snake expert, I trust your opinion on the issue. Guess you give them an inch and they take the whole thing!"}, {"response": 24, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 11, 2000 (20:56)", "body": "haha!! ree, i almost sat on a copperhead as a kid (it was just a baby though)...my dad spotted it and told me to hold up whilst he took a knife to it."}, {"response": 25, "author": "Ree", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (05:18)", "body": "WOW! That's scary, Wolfie!! Brrrrrrr... I can still understand not seeing a copperhead, but the snakes that are reputed to eat humans are Brazilian pythons - and it's not a myth either. Brazilian pythons are so huge, though, I cannot imagine a person overlooking it. I mean, God, one would have to be blind and WEARING a blind AND armless AND legless to be so totally unaware of it's presence as to invite that huge snail to gobble you up on land. And a plain imbicile to go into those snake infested waters where the pythons are in their element and rather a good deal faster than on land."}, {"response": 26, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (10:05)", "body": "i can't imagine walking through brazil and not seeing a snake that size! would definitely cause this wolf to turn tail and run!!"}, {"response": 27, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (11:06)", "body": "How about \"I cannot imagine walking through Brazil. Period!\" Everything there is bigger and faster and more hungry than anywhere else on earth, I think. (I wonder what it is like to be slowly digested...)"}, {"response": 28, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (20:03)", "body": "no, don't wonder that!! you might find out, euw!!"}, {"response": 29, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 12, 2000 (20:08)", "body": "Just what I was thinking...don't want to know...don't need to know...don't tell me!"}, {"response": 30, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (14:23)", "body": "Posting this without comment (but I am thinking of some really snippy ones) Caught Smuggling Snake in Underpants PARIS (Reuters) - French police on Tuesday caught a man trying to sneak through customs at a Paris airport with a snake hidden in his underpants, an airport spokeswoman said. The 30-year-old Frenchman, who was trying to smuggle the 16 inch boa into Roissy airport from Colombia, was caught out after a sniffer dog latched on to the reptile's scent through his bulging trousers, she said. The man told customs officials he wanted to add the snake export of which is outlawed as an endangered species to his reptile collection. The snake was confiscated and placed in the temporary care of airport officials."}, {"response": 31, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (14:26)", "body": "T had a ferret put down his trousers once - I had the photo to prove it but he tore it up so I couldn't send it!"}, {"response": 32, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (17:56)", "body": "All I can say about the snake story is -- \"tres bizarre\". It's too strange and really funny."}, {"response": 33, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (18:27)", "body": "Wonder if French egos are as large as their imaginations. He though a 16-incher would go unnoticed as part of his natural anatomy?! Yeah...sure..."}, {"response": 34, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (18:46)", "body": "It would seem that Frenchmen are, no doubt, much to their mortification, not much different in that respect than their American counterparts. Must be a universal Y-chromsome linked trait."}, {"response": 35, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (18:51)", "body": "Ah Yes! My resident male did not think the Frenchman was very smart. I guess it is too close to the most important Significant Other in their lives - sorta like THE best friend who's been with them since childhood and all that?! Yup! It's that \"why\" chromome."}, {"response": 36, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Mar 22, 2000 (18:51)", "body": "...chromosome...sheesh! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 33, "subject": "Primates", "response_count": 35, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (21:28)", "body": "well, if you've been reading the jurassic park topic, you'd know we've been discussing the discovery of foot bones belonging to a primate no bigger than a human thumb. in the modern world, the smallest primate that exists is the tamarin, an endangered species, see link... http://www.si.edu/glt/facts.htm"}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (21:31)", "body": "i've retired the chimps topic but didn't kill it, no entries were posted in there so i've created this topic to encompass the many animals that make up the primate family, where chimps belong. here is the link to the conversation going on in jurassic park: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/SpringArk/29/77"}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 15, 2000 (21:32)", "body": "ok, let me try that link again: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/SpringArk/29.77"}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (16:17)", "body": "I think the sketch of the new primate progenitor is so darling with a cute shy smile and all that - btw, anyone know how they knew he was smiling just from his foot bones?! Good idea, this topic!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (18:48)", "body": "that's a good question! i believe they found two sets of foot bones. how they figured out it was a primate is beyond me (not to mention, he was smiling from ear to ear)...."}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (18:55)", "body": "Probably because it resembled present day primate foot bones. And, in the fossil record they can probably place it and it developed. (No, the Fossil Record is NOT the record your Mom used to dance to when she was your age!)"}, {"response": 7, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (14:36)", "body": "Did you see the programmes about chimps learning to read and communicate. it was on a while back here and was really amazing. One chimp is now teaching others, and makes complex sentences. It brought up a discussion at home about chimps and souls."}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (15:11)", "body": "Fascninating - and I'll bet the soul discussion was just as interesting! Did not see the one about one chimp teaching another, though they have shown the Gorilla who learned sign language."}, {"response": 9, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (15:18)", "body": "there was one about pigs too, but the chimps beat them all!!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (15:48)", "body": "Probably smarter than some of the kids nowadays..."}, {"response": 11, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (15:57)", "body": "Which, the chimps or the pigs?"}, {"response": 12, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (16:47)", "body": "In my neighbourhood - both!"}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar 17, 2000 (19:27)", "body": "well, chimps do use tools, so it doesn't surprise me that they are clever enough to teach each other complex lessons. *lol* maggie!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (07:09)", "body": "Does that make then sentient - what is sentience? Is sentience a prerequisite for a soul?"}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (10:17)", "body": "you know, i'm not sure about that. i've always believed that Heaven is gonna be filled with animals but whether they have a soul is something i've always wondered. does it mean that to have a personality one must have a soul?"}, {"response": 16, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (14:30)", "body": "I hadn't really thought about it properly until I saw that programme with chimps. it really made me think. Perhaps I need to think more about what the soul is. In one sense it could refer to that deep inner place in ourselves, in another the spiritual heart. So is the soul the spirit? Questions, questions. But I saw something in that chimps eyes!"}, {"response": 17, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 18, 2000 (20:19)", "body": "of course you did, intelligence! a meeting of minds. it's lovely to look directly into the eyes of an animal (but do be careful because some animals take it as a sign of aggression)...."}, {"response": 18, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (13:48)", "body": "The Eternal Question If my soul is part of me If it really belongs to me, Why, unliike the rest of me, is it not my responsibility? I am one, Or am I one? Am I really two, divided between soul and body? I know that I am me. But who is \ufffdme\ufffd? Is \ufffdme\ufffd the body that I take responsibility for? Or is \ufffdme\ufffd my soul after it has left \ufffdme\ufffd? I don\ufffdt know \ufffdwho\ufffd I am I don\ufffdt know who \ufffdme\ufffd or \ufffdI\ufffd am I don\ufffdt know much abut myself, whoever \ufffdmyself\ufffd is Is there really a \ufffdme\ufffd, do I really exist? (Jodie Rogers, 14 years)"}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (15:22)", "body": "My first visit to a primate house at a large zoo was my last. When I saw the caged \"exhibits\" looking back at me with the same light of intellect, I was horrified and never went back."}, {"response": 20, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (18:00)", "body": "i don't like concrete zoos. went to one in san antonio and it was awful. i paid $8 for them to keep the concrete washed down once a month....."}, {"response": 21, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar 19, 2000 (18:33)", "body": "I hope enlightenment has struck the San Antonio Zoo. Nowadays they cage the visitors and let the animals wander around. Makes sense to me! (How horrible, Wolfie!)"}, {"response": 22, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar 20, 2000 (11:59)", "body": "it was. i was upset. the animals were pacing and kids were poking at the glass of some of the exhibits. i wanted to tell them a thing or two but isn't that what their parents are for?"}, {"response": 23, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar 20, 2000 (14:01)", "body": "Parents?! Of course it is what they are for, but no one wants to be a parent anymore. no one is responsible for their actions and it is gonna just get worse. Wait'll these selfish children start having their own children! Makes me want to punch out the \"parents\"....*arrrrrgh*"}, {"response": 24, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar 20, 2000 (17:53)", "body": "tell me about it. maybe i'm not such a hardbutt afterall (my kids think so) but i'm always in their face. i think the other parents are afraid someone will hear and turn them in. (or they don't care at all, which i don't want to think about)"}, {"response": 25, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Mar 21, 2000 (23:07)", "body": "You hang in there, Sweetie! You are being a parent, and it is NOT a popularity contest if you do it right. They will, however, use your strength eventually to shape their own children. I have! And I have also been talked to sternly by a son who really did know better at the time. It really is worth the aggravation because the alternative is unthinkable!"}, {"response": 26, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (03:03)", "body": "*grin* hope you didn't mind the ape card Wolfie - just kidding!"}, {"response": 27, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (16:27)", "body": "no i loved it!"}, {"response": 28, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (21:38)", "body": "It does not look the way I pictured Tony...I am disappointed."}, {"response": 29, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, May  8, 2000 (20:36)", "body": "*LOL*"}, {"response": 30, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May 14, 2000 (03:09)", "body": "(he was dressed up for the occasion! *grin*) A word in your ear, it's bananas for tea From David Dillon in Uganda A LITTLE over a year ago teenager Laura O'Reilly was fighting for her life. As the 16-year-old battled a rare form of cancer, she prepared for the worst. But Laura made a pledge that if she beat the disease she would fulfil her dream of meeting the orphaned baby chimpanzee she had lovingly adopted and now longed to hold in her arms. That wish came true last week when Laura, after overcoming her illness, flew 8,000 miles to the heart of Africa where the two-year-old chimp named Yiki was preparing for a return to the wild. \"I just cannot believe I am here,\" said Laura. When the time came for them to meet, tiny Yiki ambled through the dust towards her. First he shot up a nearby tree and cheekily stole her sun hat. Then in a moment that will stay with Laura for the rest of her life he flung his arms around her neck and hugged her like a baby. Laura said: \"He is so beautiful. I never thought I would ever get the chance to meet him and now here he is in my arms. He is so lovely. I am just happy he is going to be all right and be well cared for.\" Yiki's new home is a chimpanzee sanctuary on the beautiful rain forested Ngamba Island in the middle of Lake Victoria, Uganda. He is the latest addition to a colony of 27 orphaned chimps rescued by the Born Free Foundation and five other charities. Last year the Sunday Express told how Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst helped introduce the first 15 animals to the \ufffd115,000 project. Yiki was left alone and hungry when his mother was shot for food by a soldier fighting in the civil war in the Congo. The soldier then tried to smuggle Yiki out of the country to sell him into the illegal pet trade. Luckily the chimp was confiscated by a border guard and eventually found his way to Ngamba Island. He was weak, barely able to walk and traumatised by his ordeal, but careful nursing by a dedicated volunteer has brought Yiki back from the brink of death. Now he is slowly being introduced to the other chimps and will eventually become part of their group. His contact with humans is carefully monitored but Laura was allowed a few precious hours to get to know him. She said: \"I have always loved chimpanzees. I read about the terrible things that happen to them and how endangered they have become. I adopted Yiki through the Born Free Foundation so that he would have a better chance of surviving but it is scary how many more chimps are out there suffering and dying. \"Now that I have seen this place I know Yiki is going to be OK. When I was very ill I believed I would die. It was very scary but I tried not to give up hope. Thinking that one day I could see Yiki and the other chimps helped me a lot.\" Laura, from St Helens, near Liverpool, was struck by cancer when she was 14. After complaining of pains in her chest doctors discovered a rare malignant tumour, known as PNET, that eventually grew to the size of a melon. Months of chemotherapy were ineffective and Laura reached rock bottom, losing five stones in weight and all her hair. Her schoolteacher mother, Linda, 40, said: \"She was very low and refused to let her friends see her in hospital. She asked me if she was going to die and a couple of times she asked me to just let her go. It was the hardest thing in the world for a mum to hear.\" In February last year doctors decided to operate and Laura underwent 11 hours of surgery to remove the tumour. The operation was successful and after a further period of chemotherapy Laura has been told the cancer is in remission. Linda said: \"She has been so brave and I am very proud of her. I think that she is only just coming to believe she has a future and this trip has helped her realise that.\" The childrens' charity Make A Wish Foundation teamed up with Born Free to fly Laura, her mother and step-father Alan to the sanctuary just a few miles south of the equator. The 100-acre island is also home to deadly bugs, hippos, biting soldier ants and millions of lake flies. It is an extreme environment where the searing heat of the sun is interrupted daily by deafening tropical storms that lash the island with torrential rain. For the chimps it is paradise. By day they rampage through the jungle swinging from tree to tree, stuffing their feet and hands with as much fruit as they can find. At night they return to a spacious pen for a supper of porridge and corn on the cob. Because they have been through so much suffering the chimps cannot fend for themselves completely, but there are plans to introduce the strongest back into the wild. Many have been subjected to savage cruelty. Trapped and snared they are abused to within an inch of their lives. Sadly the numbers of orphaned chimps is on the increase and soon the sanctuary will reluctantly have to turn some of them away. VIRTUALLY all the chimps on the island started their troubled lives in the Congo. The conflict has as sparked a s"}, {"response": 31, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Aug 22, 2000 (07:29)", "body": "Chimps take cooking tips By BBC News Online's Anne Lavery Apes have taken another step closer to human behaviour. A group of captive chimps in Spain have started to pur\ufffde their food. This is the first known case of chimps preparing food purely to please their palettes. Chimps are very creative when it comes to obtaining food. They can spend hours fishing termites out of mounds using a thin stick or cracking open nuts with exactly the right shaped stones. However, primatologist Dr Samuel Fern\ufffdndez Carriba at Autonoma University, Madrid, who has been observing the chimps, says there is a difference between getting hold of food and \"transforming it the human way\". The chimp behaviour is reported in New Scientist. Gourmet chefs The master chef of the chimp group is Linda, whose teeth were removed by a previous owner to avoid being bitten. Chimps at the university zoo are fed whole fruits and vegetables so Linda worked out that she could eat apples by rubbing them over a sharp corner and licking the pulp off the wall. Carrot, lemon and orange pur\ufffdes soon followed. Other chimps began to imitate her technique and now nearly the whole group indulges in this culinary pursuit. Unlike Linda, the other chimps have no practical need to prepare their food. Dr Carriba believes that since they choose to take the time to do it, they are enjoying the new tastes and textures produced. New tricks Renowned chimp expert Dr Jane Goodall said: \"This is totally fascinating. It's one more example of the ingenuity of chimps. Young chimps can pass on their tricks to new groups \"They've started this behaviour in this case because they're captive and have more time and are bored. In the wild, only the young are inventive because they have more time to play around. The reason we don't see this kind of adult behaviour in the wild is probably because they simply don't have time. Instead, chimps spend lots of time on complex food acquisition.\" Dr Goodall said that chimps could often be observed learning new tricks from each other. Experiments in zoos around the world have shown that when young chimps are moved from one group to another, the new group picks up the young's useful behaviour patterns. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_884000/884070.stm"}, {"response": 32, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Aug 22, 2000 (18:42)", "body": "i sure hope they don't give them blenders! i think it's a prime example of adapting and overcoming to ensure survival. thanks, maggie"}, {"response": 33, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Thu, Aug 31, 2000 (18:19)", "body": "Maybe the chimps will want food processors."}, {"response": 34, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Sep  3, 2000 (17:17)", "body": "http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/primates.html Try this site for some great pix and sound clips...."}, {"response": 35, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Sep  4, 2000 (00:06)", "body": "I once dated an animal from Indiana U. Not all that sure he was a primate, though... SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 34, "subject": "Birds of Prey", "response_count": 20, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, May  6, 2000 (16:40)", "body": "EAGLES Though many of us have seen pictures of a huge eagle's nest high in the branches of a tree or in the crag of a cliff, few of us have gotten a glimpse inside. When a mother eagle builds her nest she starts with thorns, broken branches, sharp rocks, and a number of other items that seem entirely unsuitable for the project. But then she lines the nest with a thick padding of wool, feathers, and fur from animals she has killed, making it soft and comfortable for the eggs. By the time the growing birds reach flying age, the comfort of the nest and the luxury of free meals make them quite reluctant to leave. That's when the mother eagle begins \"stirring up the nest.\" With her strong talons she begins pulling up the thick carpet of fur and feathers, bringing the sharp rocks and branches to the surface. As more of the bedding gets plucked up, the nest becomes more uncomfortable for the young eagles. Eventually, this and other urgings prompt the growing eagles to leave their once-comfortable abode and move on to mor mature behavior. Today in the Word, June 11, 1989"}, {"response": 2, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, May  6, 2000 (16:40)", "body": "HERITAGE While walking through the forest one day, a man found a young eagle which had fallen out of its nest. He took it home and put it in his barnyard where it soon learned to eat and behave like the chickens. One day a naturalist passed by the farm and asked why it was that the king of all birds should be confined to live in the barnyard with the chickens. The farmer replied that since he had given it chicken feed and trained it to be a chicken, it had never learned to fly. Since it now behaved as the chickens, it was no longer an eagle. \"Still it has the heart of an eagle,\" replied the naturalist, \"and can surely be taught to fly.\" He lifted the eagle toward the sky and said, \"You belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly.\" The eagle, however, was confused. He did not know who he was, and seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again. The naturalist took the bird to the roof of the house and urged him again, saying, \"You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly.\" But the eagle was afraid of his unknown self and world and jumped down once more for the chicken food. Finally the naturalist took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain. There he held the king of the birds high above him and encouraged him again, saying, \"You are an eagle. You belong to the sky. Stretch forth your wings and fly.\" The eagle looked around, back towards the barnyard and up to the sky. Then the naturalist lifted him straight towards the sun and it happened that the eagle began to tremble. Slowly he stretched his wings, and with a triumphant cry, soared away into the heavens. It may be that the eagle still remembers the chickens with nostalgia. It may even be that he occasionally revisits the barnyard. But as far as anyone knows, he has never returned to lead the life of a chicken. from Theology News and Notes, October, 1976, quoted in Multnomah Message, Spring, 1993, Page 1"}, {"response": 3, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (12:59)", "body": "This anecdote concerns red tail hawks. A few years ago the Pittsburgh Zoo had two of it red tail hawks stolen. The birds were later found. The man who had stolen them was keeping them in a pen in his back yard with a rabbit. The hawks and been born in the zoo and had lived there all their lives; so they didn't know anything about hunting. As far as they were concerned their meals were chunks of meat delivered to them every day. So there they were, the hawks on one side of the cage, not sure what that thing wedged in the corner trembling in abject terror was. It was the rabbit. The story has a happy ending the rabbit was unharmed, and the red tail hawks went back home to the zoo."}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (13:08)", "body": "How incredibly nightmarish. Imagine one of us being caged with two leopards or tigers..."}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (16:29)", "body": "and the tigers not knowing what to do! that's good. very true about captive bred birds though but funny none-the-less. (i love red tails btw)"}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May  7, 2000 (21:37)", "body": "...two, white Las Vegas Tigers, then...."}, {"response": 7, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, May  8, 2000 (20:31)", "body": "much better!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, May 27, 2000 (04:42)", "body": "I almost sure I saw a golden eagle near Gleneagles golf course in Scotland. It came and perched in a tree by the road. I was so excited we swerved!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 27, 2000 (13:01)", "body": "Oooh! How extraordinary! Eagles are really cool...NO! they are better than cool, but I don't know the word... I am still looking for my first Bald Eagle even though I have stared past one IRL and did not know it. I have a panoramic photo I took to prove it. It is sitting on a dead limb very spectacularly, but we must have been looking elsewhere! How disappointing!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, May 27, 2000 (15:07)", "body": "That's why we nearly swerved!!! I was SO excited. We had an Osprey (Fish hawk) visiting regularly in a creek in the Gambia, and i had a Goshawk visit my birdbath in the village. Here (in HW) we get buzzed by red Kites all the time. It's still thrilling to see them."}, {"response": 11, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, May 27, 2000 (15:08)", "body": "I gotta new 'intelligent' search tool which sits on my desktop. It just turned up this: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/watchable/prey.html#1 have a look!"}, {"response": 12, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (09:01)", "body": "great info, thanks maggie! you always find stuff for birdwatching but not too much is out there on watching those magnificent raptors!"}, {"response": 13, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (10:56)", "body": "Here's another one it turned up! It has some nice pictures. http://www.raptorsoftherockies.org/birds.html"}, {"response": 14, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (12:22)", "body": "excellent!"}, {"response": 15, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (13:08)", "body": "Thought you'd like it *grin*"}, {"response": 16, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, May 28, 2000 (13:24)", "body": "Sounds like a guy movie mixed with a Jeanette MacDonald one...\"Raptors of the Rockies\" Great site!"}, {"response": 17, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Sep 20, 2000 (23:38)", "body": "http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid%5F860000/860700.stm Solar powered Ospreys! Solar-powered satellite tracking devices are being fitted to ospreys as part of a project to re-establish the birds of prey in England, 150 years after they disappeared. For the past five years, a small number of osprey chicks have been brought down from Scotland to Rutland Water in the Midlands and released. Last year, electronic transmitters were attached to the fish-eating birds so that scientists could keep track of their movements. But because the devices were battery powered, the birds could only be monitored for a single season. So when this year's chicks are released on Tuesday morning, they will be carrying more sophisticated transmitters powered by sunlight. This should make it possible to track each individual osprey for up to three or four years, giving a much more complete picture of the lifestyle of these majestic creatures. Last year's tracking confirmed that once they leave Rutland Water in late August or September, the ospreys fly as far afield as Mali in West Africa to spend the winter months. The devices send their signals back via satellite, and the ospreys' progress can be monitored by scientists - and the public - via the internet. One disappointment for the project is that this was the first year when the original chicks would have been old enough to breed - but so far, the English air does not seem to have got them in the mood."}, {"response": 18, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Sep 23, 2000 (03:34)", "body": "Eagle survives virus scare http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/substory.asp?storyKey=41891&BCCode=WNILE&SubCategory=WN GUILDERLAND -- A bald eagle has narrowly escaped death from what is most likely West Nile virus, the mosquito-borne illness that has claimed the lives of hundreds of birds throughout the state this year, including 49 species that are at risk of becoming endangered. The bald eagle -- which is listed as a threatened species likely to become endangered -- is expected to be released back into the wild Thursday. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the state total of dead birds climbed to 704, including a crow and great blue heron in Albany County, where two more bats also tested positive for the virus. While blood tests have yet to confirm whether the eagle contracted West Nile virus or was sickened by pesticide or rat poison -- two other common culprits in the deaths of birds of prey -- veterinarians who nursed the raptor back to health suspect West Nile virus. Birds are the virus's hosts, meaning that they multiply the virus to a level where it can be passed onto a mosquito, which then transmits it to a human through a blood-drawing bite. The virus -- which has spread throughout the state -- has developed into West Nile encephalitis in 11 New York City residents. But while some birds -- such as crows and blue jays -- die from the virus, others are simply carriers, with few symptoms. \"We don't know specifically with the bald eagle how vulnerable they are to (West Nile virus) because this would be the first one we've seen,'' said Ed Becker, a veterinarian at the Animal Hospital in Guilderland, where all of New York's injured endangered species are taken for rehabilitation. \"We know that with other birds that if you treat them for encephalitis, half of them will get better,'' he added. \"If we can keep them alive long enough for their own immune system to kick in they have a fighting chance.'' The adult male bald eagle, which weighs seven pounds and has a 4 1/2-foot wing span, was dropped off at the animal hospital last Wednesday being discovered in a back yard on Elizabeth Court. It was barely able to stand and was suffering from seizures. A band on its ankle indicated it had flown here from Delaware. \"We didn't expect him to make it through the first night, or the second,'' said Becker. After days of being fed intravenous fluids and medication for the life-threatening inflammation of the brain that can develop after being bitten by a West Nile-infected mosquito, the eagle has been eating fish on its own since Sunday. On Tuesday, it was released into a flight cage, a 24-by-24-by-18-foot outdoor cubicle where it will redevelop the muscle tone it lost by being caged for more than a week. It flexed its wings, bobbed its head and flew around the enclosure looking for a way out -- all good signs."}, {"response": 19, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 23, 2000 (18:40)", "body": "maggie, you have been doing some serious research for us here. thanks so much!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Sep 24, 2000 (04:11)", "body": "(sorry it won't last ...I'm off in less than four weeks ...you'll need to check Cultures and Travel conferences for postings from Africa!!!! - via Marcia. I'll be on email though I won't have full internet access) SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 35, "subject": "Bonding", "response_count": 2, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Aug 26, 2000 (10:12)", "body": "Main experience we've had, apart from cats .... has been ducks and birds. Can't remember if I wrote elsewhere... we had a duckling called 'Dingle' who we found trapped in a shed in a park. T.he park keeper couldn't be bothered with it and told me to take it home. We were RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) members so I rang them for advice. I figured the duckling was only a day or two old. I got him to feed by standing him in a dish of water with bird seed in it. He bonded with me as his main carer and followed me everywhere, although he did have a tendency to change direction and follow someone else who crossed his path. He would 'roost' in the crook of my arm, or nestled up under my long hair. Once he got larger, and messier he went into a large enclosure outside. Unfortunatley we had a vixen and cubs in the neraby military cemetary and she burrowed under the enclosure and took him one night. Sad tale.... As kids we were always 'rescuing' animals, particularly birds. I had quite a good success rate with broken legs, binding them with matchsticks and hand feeding. We had a starling's nest on the conservatory roof and everyyear we would have fallers - young ones who slid down the roof on to the ground. Those who we successfully rehabilitated would become quite tame and visit often. My brother had a starling which fell down the chimney into the closed fireplace in his room. We unboarded the fireplae and rescued it. It had a broken wing which I set. We hand fed it in a box for s few weeks, and then released it. As it was becoming better it became very tame and definitely 'bonded' with my brother. Like the others it would visit frequently and alight on us to be fed. Now with both these stories I think one key element of the bonding was feeding. It's difficult to tell whether it really was bonding (as we liked to think) or just a learned response to the provision of food and shelter. Starlings in partocular seem to 'think' and do appear to work things out. I find them most captivating to watch and observe. They are 'flock' birds and appear uneasy on their own, and think that may well also have contributed to the bonding. Just a few thoughts....."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Aug 26, 2000 (21:25)", "body": "thanks for them, maggie! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 36, "subject": "Elephants", "response_count": 15, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Sep  4, 2000 (16:42)", "body": "i just saw a most amazing thing on film concerning a herd of elephants in a zoo. (this was on the travel channel) a family went to the zoo and noticed an african elephant playing with a tire swing. she got her foot stuck in it and tried in vain to free herself before panic set in. she began to sound out in her panic and the herd responded to her cries for help. they discovered the problem and freed her from the tire! i'm telling you, i had tears in my eyes. and told my husband \"see, see!!\" it just further validates my belief in animal intelligence. and while we're here, i mentioned african elephants. the main difference between african elephants and asian elephants, besides their location, is the size of their ears. african elephants have larger ears (noticeably) than asian elephants. any wonder why that is? i don't have the answer, i'm asking!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Sep  5, 2000 (03:58)", "body": "Found an answer for you Wolfie.....More on Ears Elephants do not have sweat glands, but use their ears as a cooling system. They have very large veins in their ears that enlarge in warmer weather and constrict in cooler weather. When it is hot the elephants will flap their ears, sending the cool air over the enlarged veins. This cools the blood, that is then recycled back through the body, cooling the elephant. (Of course this is only one way that elephants keep cool.) Is there an advantage to having large or small ears? One theory on ear size is that the open African plains have a much warmer climate than the dense forests of Asia. Therefore the African elephant would need larger ears to help it disperse more heat. Another theory has to do with habitat. Asian elephants live in forested areas, and having large ears would be cumbersome. In other words, small ears are less likely to get caught up in the trees and other plants within the forest. http://natzoo.si.edu/zooview/exhibits/elehouse/elephant/afrvsasn.htm#Ears"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Sep  5, 2000 (14:57)", "body": "Spanish Elephants are my specialty and they love mangoes, I understand..."}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Sep  5, 2000 (19:04)", "body": "never heard of spanish elephants (are you being silly?)"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Sep  5, 2000 (21:31)", "body": "No, Wolfie, just reflective. Someone told me there was a resemblance to a Barcelona native and a pachyderm. I do not believe it for a second, and I have not heard of elephants in Spain since the last ice age, 10,000 years ago. Sorta like Hawaiian elephants. They might be self-perceived but not apparent to others. Poetic Spanish elephants are the best in the world but they resemble Pegasus more than pachyderm!"}, {"response": 6, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Wed, Sep  6, 2000 (01:33)", "body": "And I thought I gave a sensible answer to Wolfie's query!!!!!! *grin* I always used to be called a 'fairy elephant' can't think why????? dainty soul that I am...."}, {"response": 7, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep  6, 2000 (19:33)", "body": "no one has ever gave me such an endearing term of affection *grin*"}, {"response": 8, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, Sep  7, 2000 (03:08)", "body": "Maybe I'm more like Dumbo?????? *grin* (At least tht keeps the ears theme going....)"}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep  7, 2000 (13:04)", "body": "Wonder how much an elephant's tongue weighs..."}, {"response": 10, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Sep  8, 2000 (18:39)", "body": "why?"}, {"response": 11, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Sep  9, 2000 (02:35)", "body": "took the word right out of my mouth Wolfie....."}, {"response": 12, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Jul 10, 2001 (13:25)", "body": "KENYA RELOCATING 56 ELEPHANTS http://www.newsday.com/ap/international/ap898.htm Mzee is 42, headstrong and notorious for crashing through the electrified fence that surrounds a sprawling ranch in north central Kenya. On Thursday, the 4.2-ton bull elephant stumbled out of a truck, shook off his stupor and flapped his ears, ambling free in his new, fenceless home following the most intensive elephant relocation effort to date in eastern Africa."}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Aug 29, 2005 (17:55)", "body": "check this out--prosthetics for elephants: http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,167267,00.html"}, {"response": 14, "author": "terry", "date": "Mon, Aug 29, 2005 (19:39)", "body": "I saw something on the news about how the elephant population is out of control. From near extinction to overpopulation."}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Aug 29, 2005 (20:04)", "body": "the problem is that people are taking over elephant territory. i saw an article in national geographic with a picture of an elephant walking right through a hotel lobby to get to its favorite tree....fortunately, they still allow the poor thing to do that. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 37, "subject": "New Species/Genera", "response_count": 1, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct 13, 2000 (22:47)", "body": "thanks Maggie! Thursday October 12 4:41 PM ET Scientists Find Completely New Animal in Greenland http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001012/sc/life_animal_dc_1.html COPENHAGEN, Denmark (Reuters) - Danish scientists have found a completely new kind of animal down a cold well in Greenland and are keeping a colony of them in a fridge, the Arctic magazine Polarfronten reported on the Internet Thursday. The 0.1-millimeter long freshwater organism does not fit into any one of the previously known animal families -- making it only the fourth such creature to be discovered on the planet in the past 100 years, Polarfronten said. Studies of the animal named ``Limnognathia maerski'' show that it shares some characteristics with certain seawater life-forms. Scientists from Copenhagen University and Aarhus University in Denmark have established a new phylum -- or family -- for the tiny animal, whose most remarkable feature is a set of very complicated jaws. It has now got its own branch, Micrognathozoa, on the tree of the world's known animals, which are divided into slightly more than 30 families, Polarfronten said. Limnognathia maerski, which reproduces through parthenogenesis, uses its jaws to scrape the bacteria and algae it feeds on from underwater moss growing in icy wells which freeze over during the long Arctic winter. The animal was found in samples taken in 1994 from a well in Isunngua on Disco island in northwestern Greenland. A colony of the tiny creatures, all females, is in a refrigerator at Copenhagen University. Greenland, the world's largest island, is part of Denmark. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 38, "subject": "Kangaroos", "response_count": 4, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Jan  3, 2001 (00:55)", "body": "everything you wanted to know about kangaroos: http://www.anca.gov.au/plants/manageme/kanidx.htm"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jan  3, 2001 (19:30)", "body": "Do Wallabies fall under those 50 kinds of Kangaroos? They look like cute little baby ones. Ever eat Kangaroo tail? (Don't tell me it tastes like chicken!)"}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Jan  3, 2001 (22:42)", "body": "they weren't listed on the link i posted? (no, i won't eat kangaroo unless i'm in australia and starving to death--do they have wolves in australia?)"}, {"response": 4, "author": "marci", "date": "Fri, Apr 27, 2001 (09:05)", "body": "I've only heard of Dingoes in Australia as native to the animal kingdom. No wolves, but I will check on both the status of wolves and the kangaroo stuff. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 39, "subject": "Penguins", "response_count": 31, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 14, 2001 (02:36)", "body": "I adore Penguins!!! They are most excellent creatures, indeed! http://users.mwci.net/~chuckbri/geeklinks.html A SEA OF PENGUINS"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 14, 2001 (02:39)", "body": "Mother's Day for Father Penguins"}, {"response": 3, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Mon, May 14, 2001 (04:11)", "body": "God damn penguins...they are the best thing that has ever happened to the Universe :-)))) My friends are often worried about me because of my obsession with penguins... I went down to Brighton last weekend, where I went to University, and I went past the stuffed toy shop that started off my obsession (called Animal House - they do fantastic stuffed penguins). I was stood staring in the window for at least five minutes before I was dragged away... :-)"}, {"response": 4, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Mon, May 14, 2001 (04:11)", "body": "Those pictures were great. Sorry, I meant to say :-)"}, {"response": 5, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Mon, May 14, 2001 (04:12)", "body": "This is one of the best penguin sites I've found ( http://sung3.ifsi.rm.cnr.it/~dargaud/Antarctica/Penguins.html )"}, {"response": 6, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Mon, May 14, 2001 (04:14)", "body": "Just chillin'"}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 14, 2001 (04:19)", "body": "Too Cool, Mike!! What a great shot."}, {"response": 8, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Mon, May 14, 2001 (04:23)", "body": ":-) I'm going back to bed before I have to really get up in half an hour (it's only 5.25 am here :-)"}, {"response": 9, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, May 16, 2001 (00:57)", "body": "Thank you, Mike, for adding this topic!! I adore penguins too!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Wed, May 16, 2001 (09:34)", "body": "HONK HONK!!!!! A quick run down of my stuffed penguins 1. Beethoven - a very realistic King penguin, with a hilariously serious look. He is so cute I could die and he pretty much kicked off the penguin thing. Probably my favourite penguin :-) 2. Clifford the Gay Penguin. Given to me by a friend of mine who's gay and was seeing a guy called \"Clifford\" at the time. Hey, I thought it was pretty funny :-) I'm all for diversity. 3. Escobar the Colombian Street Penguin. Escobar was bought by my best buddy Matt when he was travelling in South America for a year. Escobar really is a genuine Colombian street penguin (purchased from a street seller) and he has a really, really mean look to match. It's quite uncanny how dangerous he appears :-) 4. Mergle the Alien. Mergle is an honorary penguin, even though he's a green-skinned, three-eyed, blue-space-suit wearing being from outer space. He's happy. He still says \"oooooooooo.....\" :-) There are more, but I'll spare you ;-)"}, {"response": 11, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, May 17, 2001 (01:56)", "body": "indulge me, i love stuffed animals! never grew out of that (the AM simply cringes when i fall in love with another one--esp. bears)"}, {"response": 12, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Sat, May 19, 2001 (07:54)", "body": "I will never grow out of \"The Guys\", as they are collectively termed :-) The thing with stuffed animals is that they are always your friend, whatever is going on in your life. I find them very non-judgmental :-)"}, {"response": 13, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, May 19, 2001 (09:16)", "body": "Very comforting .... Daughter 2 deciding right now how many of her 'friends' she will take with her to new lodgings. I guess we're a cuddly family."}, {"response": 14, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Sat, May 19, 2001 (14:16)", "body": ":-) The answer is: ALL OF THEM *grin*"}, {"response": 15, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May 20, 2001 (04:35)", "body": "You must be joking!!!!! A HUGE bag of them goes into the loft. She decided on the four foot teddy her fiance bought her ,, plus a few other special ones ... no penguins Mike I'm afraid ..."}, {"response": 16, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Sun, May 20, 2001 (09:17)", "body": "In the loft? That's so mean :-( I put some of my toys in the loft when I moved to the US for a few months and I felt so guilty. I still get guilt about it now - they bring it up when they want to make me feel bad. God I need help ;-)"}, {"response": 17, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May 20, 2001 (10:01)", "body": "Oh Mike you make feel so good on a Sunday morning. Now ...am I as mum sposed to feel guilty that I insisted the room got cleared and they went in the bag ...GRIN C'mon I NEED the study space ... anyway ..I've toys of my own ... They bought me a silly little cow that goes moo for mothers day, and ot coursethere's the little white angel teddy that marcia sent me, and the larger brown one my husband bought me when i grumbled that the fgirls had their teddies and I didn't have one (that one predated marcias). Think of a name for the cow ... she's black and white with a big pink nose. Daisy is a bit too obvious. she's shaking down well with the others though ..."}, {"response": 18, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Sun, May 20, 2001 (16:22)", "body": "I'm glad I amuse, Maggie. It's nice to have some small purpose in life ;-) I haven't been to see penguins for quite a while now...I'll have to make a trip. HONK HONK. Oh, quick question for you. Do Japanese penguins speak Japanese?"}, {"response": 19, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, May 20, 2001 (21:46)", "body": "dunno ... I'll have to ask our rats Nice to have someone to talk to around here Mike. I was about to give up ...."}, {"response": 20, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Tue, May 22, 2001 (19:28)", "body": "I kept forgetting about this conference...even though it was on my list. One thing I could never get bored with is talking about penguins... :-)"}, {"response": 21, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, May 22, 2001 (22:40)", "body": "do you have a favorite species of penguin?"}, {"response": 22, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Thu, May 24, 2001 (11:29)", "body": "Here's a great story: SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Fairy penguins are all set for winter and any oil spills after 1,000 tiny woolly jumpers were specially knitted and sent, some from as far away as Japan, to the Australian island state of Tasmania. The jumpers, which cover the 40 cm (15 inches) tall penguins from neck to ankle, stop oil-coated penguins preening themselves and ingesting poisonous oil. And for the fashion-conscious penguin there is a wide choice of colours and designs, even a black and white tuxedo jumper, complete with bow tie. The Tasmanian Conservation Trust made a local appeal earlier this year for the penguin jumpers after oil spills on the coast of Tasmania, not realising they would be inundated.,\"They have come from everywhere, even as far away as Japan. Someone in New York asked for a pattern, but we haven't received it yet,\" Jo Castle, a spokeswoman for the Trust said on Monday. The jumper pattern is based on one used for seabirds in the northern hemisphere, only smaller. \"It was re-designed for the lit le penguins in the southern hemisphere,\" said Castle. \"They (the penguins) are not very happy about them, but they cover them from neck to ankle which stops them preening themselves and ingesting poisonous oil,\" she said. Castle said knitters, many old ladies in nursing homes, made jumpers in their favourite football team colours, used scraps of wool to make patchwork jumpers, and some knitted woolly tuxedos in keeping with a penguin's natural style."}, {"response": 23, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Thu, May 24, 2001 (18:42)", "body": "I saw that story, Maggie - absolutely hilarious!!! If I could knit I would have made some :-) My favourite penguin type is the King Penguin. So majestic, yet still somehow hilarious :-)"}, {"response": 24, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, May 24, 2001 (23:48)", "body": "Ok, THAT was what I came in the middle of the conversation on last evening's news. They were showing what amounted to little ribbed (knit two, purl two) tubes that resembled the beginning of sweater sleeves. I thought it was little sweaters for some unfortunate children of wars, but I now see they are wee wolly jumpers for Fairy penguins. How adorable!"}, {"response": 25, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Fri, May 25, 2001 (11:40)", "body": "HONK HONK!!!"}, {"response": 26, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, May 25, 2001 (21:27)", "body": "Same to you ..with brass knobs on!!!"}, {"response": 27, "author": "mikeg", "date": "Thu, May 31, 2001 (21:28)", "body": ":-) I still have to decide which stuffed penguin comes with me to Italy..."}, {"response": 28, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Fri, Jun  1, 2001 (18:11)", "body": "Have any of you ever seen the 1971 film \"Cry of the Penguins\" (sometimes known as \"Mr. Forbush and the Penguins\")? I saw it years and years ago and it has haunted me since. It was that film that made me a fan of John Hurt. I kept looking for it on TV, but it never reappeared. Recently I learned that it is now available on DVD. Bowled me over! It is so obscure, I thought it would never get released on DVD. Heck, you can't even get \"Strictly Ballroom\" on DVD! I have, needless to say, just ordered it. If you love penguins, this movie will touch you deeply. I hope you are able to see it someday. Charlotte"}, {"response": 29, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Jun  1, 2001 (20:21)", "body": "Hi Charlotte! Long time, no see! Never heard of the movie, but i am a big fan of John Hurt!"}, {"response": 30, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Jun  3, 2001 (02:10)", "body": "never heard of the movie either--is it scary or what?"}, {"response": 31, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Tue, Jun  5, 2001 (15:59)", "body": "Not scary, really...unless you think John Hurt as a romantic lead is scary. :) Here's what AMG says about it: A great deal of director Al Viola's version of this film was pruned away for its general release. The missing portions are not only the heart of the story, but they are the heart of the novel by Graham Billings which gave rise to the film. The whole story is that Forbush (John Hurt) is going nowhere in his romance of Tara (Hayley Mills) because he is basically an uninteresting, shallow man. In desperation, he decides to go off to Antarctica and study penguins. He hopes that his heroism in doing this will prove his sincerity to Tara. Once there, he grows genuinely enchanted by his project and develops a real interest in penguins. It is this, rather than his courage, which wins him Tara's affections. The truncated version omits most of the film's reputedly spectacular and affecting Antarctic footage (shot by Arne Sucksdorff) in order to concentrate on the love story. \ufffd Clarke Fountain SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 4, "subject": "Links and Resources", "response_count": 30, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (16:40)", "body": "Oooh, gotta get out of telnet and post some good ones here! Great topic!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (18:37)", "body": ""}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (18:38)", "body": ""}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (18:39)", "body": ""}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (18:44)", "body": ""}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (18:46)", "body": "Ok doin' it right this time: Check out David's fav site - The Cat Fancier's Web site. http://www.fanciers.com/ Zoo links Austin Zoo http://www.austinzoo.com/ Lincoln Park Zoo http://www.lpzoo.com/menu.html Givskud Zoo (Dk) http://www.givskudzoo.dk/ Electric Zoo Resources http://netvet.wustl.edu/srchform.htm Oklahoma City Zoo http://www.okczoo.com/ Global Zoo Directory http://www.cbsg.org/gzd.htm"}, {"response": 7, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (21:19)", "body": "thanks for those, was wondering what you were trying to spit out!!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (14:05)", "body": "I would get a few in the post box and it would send it before I got back with more...and before I had checked that they worked. Very frustrating, and I am so sorry for messing up the beginning of your topic. Will post more tomorrow. (am contemplating dire things today...)"}, {"response": 9, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 26, 1999 (16:31)", "body": "messing up the topic? no you didn't. what's the matter marcia? *hugs*"}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (16:38)", "body": "as the military has it: SNAFU...! Hope I am thinking more clearly Herewith are the beetles (not the musical ones - spelt differently - not the vehicular ones...the 6-legged ones) http://dfwpest.com/beetles.htm Welcome to the Minibeast world of insects and spiders: http://members.aol.com/YESedu/welcome.html"}, {"response": 11, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (16:44)", "body": "For those wishing a complete website from scientific to kids resources: http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/entomol/images/images.htm British (not musical) insect ecology http://www.bio.bris.ac.uk/research/insects/insect.htm One you all want to know about - Food Insects - how to harvest and prepare them (perhaps this belongs in the food conference?!)Loads of links! http://www.hollowtop.com/finl_html/finl.html"}, {"response": 12, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (17:52)", "body": "does it include earth worms?"}, {"response": 13, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (18:07)", "body": "I did not look into the site, but with all the links I saw, I am sure earthworms were in there somewhere. Cookbooks were included in the links...got to be some of those chewy cookies made with mealworms...! Just don't tell me about it if they taste good...!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "terry", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (22:50)", "body": "Like monkeys? I do. http://www.duke.edu/web/primate/lemgal.html Yer golden crowned sifakas and more . . ."}, {"response": 15, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (23:02)", "body": "but you know what Duke does to 'um...! Mebbe you do not want to know..."}, {"response": 16, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (03:02)", "body": "Hallo, may I join you? I found this link to camels: http://www.spideyweb.net/~tardis/camels.html"}, {"response": 17, "author": "terry", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (09:53)", "body": "How does that song go, \"Midnight at the Oasis\"? What's the line about the camel?"}, {"response": 18, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (03:27)", "body": "Hey, Gi! How are you doing??"}, {"response": 19, "author": "infospryte", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (16:22)", "body": "DENLINES Issue #1 Defenders Environmental Network (DEN) October 1, 1999 1. WOLVES: Farm Bureau Receives 100,000 E-mails Supporting Wolves 2. ALASKA: State Legislature To Reinstate Airborne Wolf Control 3. CONGRESS: House and Senate Continue Sneak Attacks on Environment 4. HABITAT: Congress May Increase Conservation Funding 5. BEARS: Lawsuit Seeks to Protect Imperiled Florida Black Bear 6. WOLVES II:Yellowstone Welcomes Wolf Pups 7. DID YOU KNOW?: Polar Bears 8. THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER: Imperiled Swift Fox Reintroduction ======================================================================== 1. WOLVES: Farm Bureau Receives 100,000 E-mails Supporting Wolves The results are in! In a dramatic display of public support for wolf restoration, concerned citizens sent 100,000 e-mail messages to Farm Bureau President Dean Kleckner protesting that group's law suit threatening recovery of endangered gray wolves to the Northern Rockies. The Farm Bureau's lawsuit would force the \"removal\" of wolves from Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. \"Removal,\" however, would mean a death sentence for these endangered wolves as there is no place else for these magnificent animals to go. Defenders of Wildlife will fight for the wolves all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary. On July 29, Brian O Neill, litigating the case for Defenders, gave a persuasive oral argument in front of a packed Denver courthouse. O'Neill argued convincingly for keeping wolves in Yellowstone. A decision by the three appeals court judges is expected soon, but Defenders remains optimistic about the fate of the wolves. Stay tuned for further news. Click Here for more: http://www.defenders.org/den/dl00001.html#wolves 2. ALASKA: Alaska Legislature Re-Authorize Airborne Wolf Control Alaska lawmakers voted by a single vote to ignore the Alaskan citizens and their Governor and repeal a key element of a 1996 citizen-enacted initiative which banned airborne wolf shooting in Alaska. On September 24 during a special session, the state legislature overrode a veto by Alaska's Governor Tony Knowles and enacted controversial legislation (SB74) which would expand the circumstances under which state officials could use aircraft for wolf control. An Alaska-based coalition, including Defenders of Wildlife, has worked hard to mobilize Alaska citizens and other concerned individuals to defeat the effort to overturn the Governor's veto. Coalition efforts included a targeted state media campaign, grassroots action, and direct appeals to specific swing votes to sustain Governor Knowles' veto. While losing by a single vote is a great disappointment, the coalition was able to defeat legislative efforts to repeal the entire initiative and allow private citizens to hunt wolves with aircraft. Click here for more: http://www.defenders.org/den/dl00001.html#alaska 3. CONGRESS: House and Senate Continues Sneak Attacks on Environment Special interests and their allies in Congress are mounting a sneak attack on our nation's environmental laws. At issue are legislative provisions that would prevent long-waited recovery of threatened grizzly bears in Montana and Idaho, preserve subsidies for big oil companies, and allow mining companies to dump more toxic waste on federal lands. More than 50 such controversial \"riders\" that have been buried in must-pass government spending bills. Each year, Congress must pass spending bills by September 30 for the next fiscal year or risk a government shutdown. In recent years, powerful special interests have used these backdoor attacks on the environment using these budget bills. Through this strategy, they avoid the public scrutiny that accompanies congressional hearings, committee approval, and subject specific votes in the House and Senate. Conservation organizations are working hard to expose through the media this sneak attack on our environmental laws, and to persuade the President to veto any spending bills containing anti-environmental riders. For a list of all anti-environmental riders currently attached to spending bills visit Defenders web site at http://www.defenders.org/riders/riders.html . 4. HABITAT: Congress May Increase Conservation Funding Right now, Congress and President Clinton are weighing landmark conservation legislation that could save America's most valuable but unprotected ancient forests, wildlife habitat and other natural and historic resources. For the past several decades, more than $12 billion has been legally set aside in federal revenue from offshore oil drilling to permanently protect these national treasures through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). But special interests have blocked spending the money on its legally mandated conservation purpose. Earlier this month, 12 conservation organizations, including Defenders released a report, entitled \"Saving America's Geography of Hope: Why Congress Must Protect Our Land & Ocean Legacy.\" The timely publication takes an in-depth look at the different legis"}, {"response": 20, "author": "patas", "date": "Wed, Oct  6, 1999 (17:31)", "body": "I'm fine, Ree, thanks, how are you? Haven't been in Art for a while..."}, {"response": 21, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (06:23)", "body": "Same here. Couldn't be bothered. I prefer reading my books where I don't have to be driven nuts by trying to get those pictures up. How guilty can one person be of laziness??"}, {"response": 22, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct 20, 1999 (17:15)", "body": "I posted stained glass which I put on my spring space so it would not disappear like the others you posted did...! Bummer... I guess Maggie and I have been the only ones in there for a while!"}, {"response": 23, "author": "riette", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (13:19)", "body": "They dissappeared?? You sure they're not just hiding behind all those lines??"}, {"response": 24, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Oct 24, 1999 (14:51)", "body": "Nope...those nasty little blue and pink \"you goofed\" boxes showed up where the pictures used to be. I clicked on them to see where the location of the pictures was, and it was not on Spring, so I checked and found they were no longer on Cambridge's webpage...."}, {"response": 25, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (03:54)", "body": "Man, I wish somebody would arrest those damned aliens!"}, {"response": 26, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Oct 26, 1999 (19:57)", "body": "...oh, so do I! Did you know that the technical term for that nasty little square which tells everyone And God that you goofed is called a \"where a picture should be\" ???!!! Dontcha just love technical talk?!"}, {"response": 27, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Oct 27, 1999 (03:10)", "body": "Way out gone, woman!"}, {"response": 28, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Dec  3, 1999 (17:04)", "body": "This is the BBC's Animal Zone site and it full of pictures and further links (and lynx *grin*) http://www.bbc.co.uk/animalzone/"}, {"response": 29, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Dec  3, 1999 (17:23)", "body": "Oooh, and my favorite things on the Internet...WebCams: http://www.bbc.co.uk/animalzone/webcam.shtml This place has SealCam, BarnOwlCam, PenguinCam and FrogCam to mention just a few"}, {"response": 30, "author": "patas", "date": "Fri, Dec  3, 1999 (22:32)", "body": "Must be fun! Have to check it sometime... soon. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 40, "subject": "Sitings", "response_count": 27, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Dec 27, 2001 (20:54)", "body": "i would personally not go diving to see a giant squid but if you would or did, please say something about it here!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 27, 2001 (21:24)", "body": "I'm with you sitting on the shore. I'll look for where I first found the subject and post my results. Hey, does this include some Neanderthal-types I happpen to have hanging around?"}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Dec 27, 2001 (21:26)", "body": "*laugh* yup!!"}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 27, 2001 (21:27)", "body": "UNDERWATER ROBOT HELPS SCIENTISTS SEARCH FOR GIANT SQUID 04-29-97 Giant squid hunters from MIT Sea Grant's Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) Laboratory recently returned from a month-long mission to search for the elusive animal in the depths of Kaikoura Canyon, off the coast of New Zealand. Although they came back empty-handed in regard to squid, the crew was happy with the performance of their research vehicle, the Odyssey IIB, which was outfitted for the mission with a National Geographic video camera designed for capturing deep sea animals on film. \"The vehicle did what is was supposed to do,\" said James Bellingham, MIT Sea Grant AUV Laboratory's Principal Research Engineer. \"We learned a lot about how to run biological experiments and we learned a lot about how to search for squid. Our primary mission was to characterize the ecology and underwater habitat of Kaikoura Canyon. We knew the odds weren't great for seeing squid.\" The Odyssey was chosen for the mission because of its small size, its ease in working in deep water systems, and the relative economy of its operation in comparison to other deep-rated systems, Bellingham said. The mission was one in a planned series led by Clyde Roper, a squid expert at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History. Next month, the crew begins field work to prepare for the Odyssey's deployment in the Labrador Sea in early 1998. The team will test the feasibility of docking the AUV to a mooring in the open ocean which would make it capable of providing an unmanned presence in remote regions of the world. CONTACT: Andrea Cohen, MIT Sea Grant Communications, (O) 617-253-3461; E-Mail: alcohen@mit.edu http://www.seagrantnews.org/news/tips/tip_apr97.html#squid"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 27, 2001 (21:32)", "body": "For your *Sightings* file (I'm still looking for the recent article about the squid): http://users.ntplx.net/~astalvey/touchinghearts/science.htm#The Stronsay Beast"}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 27, 2001 (22:27)", "body": "FOUND IT!!! http://www.nature.com/nsu/011227/011227-3.html From a Very reliable science source."}, {"response": 7, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Dec 28, 2001 (21:46)", "body": "these are sitings of living creatures, that one site is bringing out the dead. but the mammoth article was very interesting. imagine a mastadon running around in the 1800's! wouldn't that make you wonder about other dinosaurs? the squid article was good too. very interesting!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Dec 28, 2001 (23:30)", "body": "I'm really skeptical (too much of a scientist?) to take some of these sightings with much credibility! However, I try to keep an open mind. Closed minds learn nothing! yes, I know..."}, {"response": 9, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Dec 29, 2001 (12:52)", "body": "ooooooooo, i LOVE them!!!!!! *HUGS*"}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (19:20)", "body": "Me too. You'sd be amazed how John and I managed to do three of them, then insert the letters (his genius, my insertion in the config files.) Get well soon, John... I miss you terribly... *hugs* (He'll never see this!) I did not know where to put the squid trivia, so here it goes! HOW DOES A GIANT SQUID EAT? A giant squid has two long tentacles that make up much of the total length of the animal. Each tentacle terminates with a flattened club that has several hundred suckers on one side. The tentacles grab prey and transfer it to the eight arms where the squid\ufffds muscular, beak-like mouth bites out chunks to swallow. The food then travels down the esophagus, which runs through the squid\ufffds brain. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS BELIEVE THAT NASA IS KEEPING SECRETS ABOUT ALIEN LIFE? 36 percent of Americans. HOW OLD IS THE SPECIES OF FISH KNOWN AS THE COLELACANTH? This ancient creature existed 350 million years ago. Scien- tists had believed that the fish became extinct 60 million years ago, until a living specimen was caught in the Indian Ocean of Southern Afica in 1938. HOW LARGE WAS THE LARGEST SQUID EVER CAUGHT? The largest giant squid ever measured was discovered at Timble Tickle Bay, Newfoundland, on November 2, 1878. Three fisherman were working not far off shore when they noticed a mass float- ing on the ocean they took to be wreckage. They investigated and found a giant squid had run aground. Using their anchor as a grappling hook they snagged the still-living body and made it fast to a tree. When the tide went out the creature was left high and dry. When the animal died, the fishermen measured it and then chopped it up for dog meat. The body of the squid was twenty feet from tail to beak. The longer tentacles measured thirty five feet and were tipped with four inch suckers. It weighed two tons."}, {"response": 11, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (19:39)", "body": "that just adds more fuel to the interest in finding one! 4-inch suckers? that sounds like the size of those used to transport glass window panes! imagine that clamping onto you, no, don't!! i saw something about big squid on discovery, they have beaks! it was so gross to look at but interesting too."}, {"response": 12, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (19:39)", "body": "(or maybe it was an octopus?)"}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (20:54)", "body": "got a website for giant squid: http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/squid.html"}, {"response": 14, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (21:35)", "body": "Cuttlefish have cuttlebones. All cephalopods have beaks. That's the way they chew! I can put my fossil ammonites there, too!!! Great links, Wolfie!"}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (21:37)", "body": "we're going to continue the discussion on giant squids in the new squid topic of springark...... glad you liked the links!"}, {"response": 16, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Mon, Jan 14, 2002 (09:44)", "body": "I think this belongs in here Wolfie. Snowy owl makes stop in Indianapolis ( http://www.indystar.com/article.php?snowy11.html ) Rare Arctic birds usually don't venture this far south; it may have been searching for extra sources of food. By George McLaren george.mclaren@indystar.com January 11, 2002 A rare snowy owl -- like an escapee from Hogwarts -- showed up Thursday in the parking lot of an industrial company Downtown. \"It was so beautiful you just had to love that. It was such a beautiful sight. It was awesome,\" said Joan Mason, who works in the employment office of the Diamond Chain Co., 402 Kentucky Ave. While employees gawked at the strikingly white owl, Mason grabbed a camera and snapped a few photos. Snowy owls, which are about 2 feet tall and have yellow eyes, spend summers in the Arctic. Some stay there year-round and others migrate south to Canada or the northern Midwest. \"They are reported in Indiana virtually every winter, but the only reliable places would be right along the lakeshore from Michigan City to the west, all the way to the Gary area,\" said John B. Dunning Jr., a Purdue University professor and bird book author. The owls are seldom seen elsewhere around the state. But when the population of lemmings -- the owl's main prey species -- crashes, the predators head south to find o her food sources. Several snowy owls have been seen in Indiana, including at least four in the area of Tippecanoe, White and Boone counties, Dunning said. One owl hunted for three weeks along U.S. 52 south of Lafayette before being struck and killed by a car a few weeks ago. Dunning said the birds, being from the Far North, lack the normal wariness of urban dangers such as traffic. \"They are much more trusting and naive about things like cars than a great horned owl would be,\" he said. Dunning said there was no way to predict what the owl might do next. Some recent sightings have been for a day or two, and other snowy owls have stayed put for weeks. The owl already has learned one hazard of living in the heart of the city -- but it wasn't danger from humans. The two peregrine falcons that nest Downtown discovered the intruder on their territory. First one, then the other, showed up to harass the owl. \"It was diving at it and screeching at it,\" said Rachel Morris, another Diamond Chain office employee. \"The alcon would go straight up and right back down on it. Finally, the owl flew away.\" It was last seen heading north toward Hogwarts, er, IUPUI."}, {"response": 17, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Jan 14, 2002 (16:46)", "body": "I'd love to see a snowy owl. I like owls of any sort, actually. Hi Maggie! *Hugs*"}, {"response": 18, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Jan 14, 2002 (19:26)", "body": "thanks maggie, i like owls too. they're creepy to sneak up on though (yeah, they know we're there and allow us to look at them)."}, {"response": 19, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Tue, Jan 15, 2002 (15:56)", "body": "I hear them a lot in woods near us, but rarely see them. Hi everyone .. trying to get my life back together ... but I am around ..."}, {"response": 20, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan 15, 2002 (19:06)", "body": "glad to hear it!"}, {"response": 21, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Apr  1, 2002 (16:45)", "body": "in the science file section of the L.A. Times: \"Scientists have identified what they believe is the largest octopus ever seen, a 13-foot-long, 165-pound giant hauled from the depths near New Zealand's Chatham Islands. The specimen, caught in a trawler's net, was badly damaged, but it was clearly a massive animal, said National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research marine biologist Steve O'Shea. He had provisionally identified the specimen, caught at a depth of more than 3000 feet, as Haliphron atlanticus , a bright red, jelly-like species of octopus not previously found in the South Pacific.\""}, {"response": 22, "author": "terry", "date": "Tue, Apr  2, 2002 (08:02)", "body": "I didn't know they fished at such great depths. Wonder if this needs to be curtailed or regulated if these species are being damaged."}, {"response": 23, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr  2, 2002 (11:02)", "body": "i wanna know how'd they know he was caught that deep or that he was caught at all until they brought the net in."}, {"response": 24, "author": "SBRobinson", "date": "Tue, Apr  2, 2002 (11:40)", "body": "caught at a depth of more than 3000 feet, what are they fishing for that deep?"}, {"response": 25, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr  2, 2002 (12:56)", "body": "really!! am gonna go on the web and see if they have any updates to this \"fish tale\" *grin*"}, {"response": 26, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr  2, 2002 (12:59)", "body": "here's a link to the story on reuters: http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=756492"}, {"response": 27, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr  2, 2002 (13:00)", "body": "it reconfirms the 3000 foot depth (unless they did their math wrong) SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 41, "subject": "Bugs", "response_count": 3, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (13:04)", "body": "bugs, you know, roaches, beetles, yuck!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (21:29)", "body": "Yuck!!! Like the one who did a Tony Perkins one me in the shower? Then, last night I found something hard and sharp on my slippers. Someone had smashed another one (they hide under box flaps and go from the store to your home if you bring your groceries home in boxes.) I said I would not tell who had done such a messy deed and let my slipper uncleaned. *Shudder*"}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (21:32)", "body": "they will also go home with you in paper bags! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 42, "subject": "Vermin", "response_count": 4, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (13:05)", "body": "how do you get rid of vermin in your backyard? we used to use the orkin man to deal with mice and rats. is there a natural remedy?"}, {"response": 2, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (21:26)", "body": "Snap traps with natural peanut butter as bait. Put the traps near trees or objects so they don't appear like something new in the environment. Make sure to coral or contain other pets that might get caught in the traps. Eliminate any food and water sources they might be attracted by. Clear up any debris or piles of lumber, etc. If you have to store lumber outside put it high off the ground on skids. Poison. Bad."}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (22:29)", "body": "indeed! thanks, terry"}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Jan  7, 2002 (23:16)", "body": "are squirrels considered vermin? i happen to like them but i don't like it when they raid nests. (this is food to them, i know) i've seen some here with homes high up in the palm trees. there are some raccoons hanging out up there too (haven't seen them yet) but they raid the dumpsters at night. what do you consider vermin? voles, skunks, rats, moles, skinks, mice? i don't like it when the pigeons and blackbirds raid my bird feeder. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 43, "subject": "Sharks", "response_count": 13, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (13:06)", "body": "one of the world's most misunderstood creatures (thanks to film). not that i'm in a hurry to go pet one or swim with them, does the shark family deserve the reputation it has?"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (14:47)", "body": "What would you like to know about Chrondithyes? I happily live surrounded by them - me on dry land or tide pools too small for them to enter, and they in the deep seas surrounding the island keeping the food chain healthy and eliminating those who would not improve their species. Fifteen-foot tiger sharks are the ones who are particularly lethal here. Maui has had the fatalities, but the people were\"asking for it\" in little kayaks in our open oceans?! I suspect sharks have their own Darwin Awards which they present with all teeth and jaws set at the deadliest."}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (15:14)", "body": "One of the more famous fossil sharks is the Miocene Carcharodon megalodon, with serrated, triangular teeth (pictured on the background of this page) ranging up to 17.5 cm (7 inches) in length. An early reconstruction of Carcharodon from its teeth suggested that this shark reached 30 meters (100 feet) in length. However, this reconstruction was made only from the largest single teeth found, without taking into account the fact that shark teeth taper in size from the center of the mouth to the edges. A revised estimate of the size of Carcharodon puts its length at \"only\" 12 meters (40 feet) -- about twice the size of the largest great white sharks of today. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates/basalfish/chondrofr.html"}, {"response": 4, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (21:27)", "body": "I saw a great show on sharks earlier today, on the animal channel. Apparently, it's a weekly series."}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (22:32)", "body": "yeah, they do jaws week a lot! that's where i learned that the bitten off arms and other appendages were just samples--the sharks were tasting to see if the \"meal\" was edible. apparantly, we taste bad! we have great whites in the pacific and they have been known to dive deep for food (just on the news the other day)...."}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (23:57)", "body": "the following site contains links to all sorts of info on sharks: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sharks/resources.html"}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Jan  6, 2002 (00:06)", "body": "That is a great resourse - the PBS site you posted. I am trying to get mike to post here, too. He did make his maiden post in Geo nominating me as Queen of something. He would be a great addition!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Jan  6, 2002 (00:15)", "body": "oh yeah, i remember that!!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Jan  7, 2002 (23:13)", "body": "ok guys, i'm trying to figure out who the guy is that does shark research and is trying to undo all the damage jaws has done. this guy has long brownish hair and wears a shark tooth pendant around his neck on some leather or cording. i can see his face but don't remember his name. he has been featured on shark week (discovery) and other shows. (it's not the crocodile hunter or that other guy named niles)"}, {"response": 10, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, Jan 19, 2002 (09:54)", "body": "I watched the shark show called \"Shark Gordon\" on Animal Planet. They showed tiger sharks off the coast of Waikiki. There are about 3 shark attacks a year on these beaches."}, {"response": 11, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, Jan 19, 2002 (09:59)", "body": "They flipped the tiger shark on it's belly and it quieted down, for some reason they incapacitate themselves when they're flipped on their belly."}, {"response": 12, "author": "terry", "date": "Sat, Jan 19, 2002 (10:00)", "body": "I should have added that 3 a year is pretty good odds for swimmers. There is no need to eradicate these sharks."}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jan 19, 2002 (11:28)", "body": "yeah, i think it's funny about sharks and their bellies being rubbed! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 44, "subject": "Creature Specific Phobia", "response_count": 8, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (12:03)", "body": "to get you started, here are the names of different phobias dealing with animals (thanks to http://www.phobialist.com/reverse.html) : Animals- Zoophobia. Animals, skins of or fur- Doraphobia. Animals, wild- Agrizoophobia. Ants- Myrmecophobia. Bees- Apiphobia or Melissophobia. Birds- Ornithophobia Cats- Aclurophobia, Ailurophobia, Elurophobia, Felinophobia, Galeophobia, or Gatophobia Chickens- Alektorophobia Creepy, crawly things- Herpetophobia Dogs or rabies- Cynophobia Feathers or being tickled by feathers- Pteronophobia Fish- Ichthyophobia Frogs- Batrachophobia Fur or skins of animals- Doraphobia. Horses- Equinophobia or Hippophobia Insects- Acarophobia or Entomophobia or Insectophobia. Insects that eat wood- Isopterophobia. Insects that cause itching- Acarophobia. Lice- Pediculophobia or Phthiriophobia Mice- Musophobia, Murophobia or Suriphobia Moths- Mottephobia Otters- Lutraphobia Parasites- Parasitophobia Rat, great mole- Zemmiphobia Reptiles- Herpetophobia Sharks- Selachophobia. Shellfish- Ostraconophobia Snakes- Ophidiophobia or Snakephobia Spiders- Arachnephobia or Arachnophobia Tapeworms- Taeniophobia Termites- Isopterophobia Toads- Bufonophobia Wasps- Spheksophobia Wild animals- Agrizoophobia Worms- Scoleciphobia I know they sound a little weird but bet you didn't know their were actual names for them! (I didn't)"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (13:36)", "body": "If there is a phobia, there is a name for it. i am happy that I am not that terrified of anything, Phobias go far beyond the normal *shudder* dislike for a creature clear into the mere mentioning them sending the afflicted into some aberrant mental state. This fellow-earth inhabitors include for me, Great hairy spiders INDIDE my house. Cockroaches of 3-inch adult size complete with wings who fly at you in a closed-in shower and you cannot get out. I can deal with any animal who is not trying to devour me (as do sharks) outside and we both have the freedom to leave the other alone. I don't like being attached by swarming termites, either. What's yours Wolfie? I'm trying to get the dog lover here to post. He has rescued more than one percious dog from a puppy mill. I did not know such things existed! He's not particularly fond of humans, but he does love all of nature."}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jan  5, 2002 (21:36)", "body": "do bring him here, marcia! i can't say that i get the heebie geebies from anything but roaches do give me a fright (not to mention chills up my back). and have you ever stared down a jumping house spider? you know, the black kind with the white on their back? those little boogers can see you enter a room and turn to watch your every move. don't care much for centipedes either and i did get the wits scared out of me while netting grass shrimp in the woods. stuff came out of that ravine that you wouldn't believe. i have a cousin-in-law who suffers from aracnaphobia--she screams bloody murder at the site of them. more about puppy mills in the doggie woggie topic."}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Jan  7, 2002 (13:31)", "body": "Oh yes! Jumping spiders. We used to have them in some quantity around the house with 8 beady eyes staring at you. They;re the ones which got me over being afraid of spiders! Then the gekkos arrived and ate them all. *sigh* The ones I really don't like are the cane spiders which are furry and are up to 3 inches from tip to tip. Shudder, indeed! Roaches revolt me. They carry diseases. Yes, I know John of Volos told me they are on the planet just as we are and are just looking for food. NOT MY FOOD!!! Perhaps he needs to have a *Psycho* moment in the shower with a 3\" one flying at him. Yup, I don't like um even out in the wild!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Jan  7, 2002 (18:34)", "body": "oh yeah, palmetto bugs--we had them big time in Louisiana. orkin man kept them at bay but every now and again, you'd catch one sneaking around the house. my son refused to go back into his room one evening when he saw one slinking about the floor molding."}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Jan  7, 2002 (18:35)", "body": "oh, i don't care much for lice bugs. in fact, i positively hate them. so why on earth are they here? what is their purpose?"}, {"response": 7, "author": "lnny", "date": "Fri, May 10, 2002 (21:22)", "body": "well i'm not scard of bugs at all becase i have them everywere in my yard so you may be afraid of them but i'm not well goodbuy/"}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 11, 2002 (00:25)", "body": "Amanda, where are you? It sounds as bad or hospitable (depending on your thoughts) as Hawaii. Wolfie, they and the carrion eaters of the earth are the bio-disposal squad. Other bugs are pollenators without whom we would have no fruits or nuts or seeds of any kind. They are more necessary to our welfare than we are to theirs! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 45, "subject": "Squid", "response_count": 9, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (20:57)", "body": "here's a website to get you started: http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/squid.html and for more info on the search for the giant squid, see this conference, sitings topic."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (20:57)", "body": "did you know they have beaks?"}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (21:10)", "body": "and another site: http://www.oceanlab.abdn.ac.uk/archi/"}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (21:26)", "body": "Yup, I knew they had beaks. Did you know that they are the source for the cuttlebone your birds gnaw on? I guess we can discuss all things cephalopoda here? They also have the world's largest eyeballs."}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (21:28)", "body": "yeah, one of the species' eyes are big as grapefruits! and that beak is vicious looking too!! learned they have to puree their food because the stomach tube goes through their brain!"}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jan  8, 2002 (21:30)", "body": "check this out-- http://www.ucc.ie/ucc/research/adc/img/arch.jpg"}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Jan 10, 2002 (20:11)", "body": "Stomach tube goes through their brains I am having fits of laughter at thinking of some humans with this problem, too!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Jan 10, 2002 (20:13)", "body": "as for that photo - excellent that you were able to find this old print. There are so few like this - well done! I think dated this guy's brother in college! Those long ones are for grasping, of course!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Jan 10, 2002 (21:26)", "body": "*laugh* the stomach tube route makes one wonder where it comes out! *giggle* SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 46, "subject": "Bears", "response_count": 4, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Feb 20, 2002 (19:47)", "body": "heard on the news today of a brand new polar bear at a zoo in ohio (correct me, please, if i'm wrong). not the first polar bear born there in captivity but still a cute little fuzz ball. bears are very protective of their young, fiercely, i might add. so if you ever come across anything that even feels like bear territory, or spring in the woods, leave, or make sure you have an expert guide with you. the behaviorists who are able to interact with bears have worked extremely hard to gain their trust in order to provide some instinct into these creatures lives. please don't ruin it for them by proving that humans are not to be trusted."}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb 20, 2002 (19:54)", "body": "The only bears I want to have anything to do with close up is a teddy bear. DON'T mess with a baby bear, just like Wolfie said. You're dinner if you do!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 15, 2002 (23:38)", "body": "* Polar bears on the web * The first website is launched to track polar bears through the Arctic by satellite. Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1989000/1989707.stm"}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Aug  5, 2002 (19:44)", "body": "a mama and her cub broke into a home and knocked down a lamp, sparking a fire that killed both of them :( http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/080502_nw_bears_fire.html SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 47, "subject": "Endangered Species", "response_count": 10, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 14, 2002 (15:38)", "body": "They put people in jail for this in Hawaii! Group Asks Pope to Declare Sea Turtles 'Meat' Reuters Mar 14 2002 2:28PM LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A conservation group wants Pope John Paul II to declare that sea turtles are meat not fish in a bid to cut down on the illegal practice in parts of Mexico of killing and eating them during Lent. \"The tradition of serving sea turtle ... is largely due to the fact that the Catholic Church asks its members to abstain from eating meat during (Lent),\" the conservation group Wildcoast said in a statement. It said some 35,000 sea turtles are killed off the coasts of Baja each year by poachers, \"the highest mortality rate anywhere in the world.\" \"Many eaters think sea turtle flesh is \"fish\" because it swims. Wildcoast is attempting to reach the Vatican to have the Pope declare that the sea turtle is ... not appropriate to eat during this time,\" the group said. U.S. Wildlife officials said they did not see much illegal trafficking of turtle flesh despite the group's insistence that there is a thriving black market for it, particularly in Mexico. The killing of sea turtles has been protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act since 1973 and by Mexican law since 1990, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. Penalties for turtle poaching in Mexico, where the practice of eating sea turtles during Lent is a longstanding tradition, were raised last month from three years to a maximum of 12 years in prison, the newspaper said. The conservationists believe that the Pope would have a great influence on discouraging predominantly Catholic Mexicans from eating turtle flesh. The 40-day period of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Easter Sunday."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 14, 2002 (17:06)", "body": "thanks for this topic marcia!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Mar 14, 2002 (19:21)", "body": "*Hugs* I shouda asked you first, but I had this sea turtle article and more will appear as Hawaiian Monk seals begin spring whelping and turtles come ashore to lay eggs. I thought we should have it - sad though it is!"}, {"response": 4, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Wed, Mar 20, 2002 (15:44)", "body": "Another reason that some people in Mexico may think that it is acceptable to eat turtle during lent is that as reptiles they are cold-blooded. It is the flesh of warm-blooded animals, which includes poultry, which is prohibited on fast days. Hence, you wouldn't be breaking abstaining from meat if you ate snake, or lizard, or even alligator. That is some people's thinking on the subject, anyway."}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Mar 20, 2002 (17:12)", "body": "interesting, thanks!!"}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Apr 23, 2002 (19:53)", "body": "Pacific Sea Turtles Diving Toward Extinction SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Giant Pacific leatherback sea turtles are on a fast track to extinction as commercial fishing and man-made destruction of their beach nesting areas threaten to wipe out the 150 million-year-old species, scientists said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Leatherback International Survival Conference in Monterey, researchers said only a handful of females returned to nesting beaches along the Pacific coast last season -- down from thousands who did so just 20 years ago. The week-long meeting that began Tuesday is aimed at bringing together marine biologists, environmental activists and fishing industry representatives to seek ways to ensure the survival of the only sea turtles without shells. \"The decline is an example of the greatest extinction of a population of animals that we have probably witnessed since humans have recorded this sort of thing,\" James Spotila, a researcher at Philadelphia's Drexel University told a telephone news conference. \"It is almost as rapid as the extinction of the bison in North America in the 1800s.\" Currently there are some 30,000 leatherbacks swimming in the world's oceans, down from about 115,000 in the 1980s, the researchers said. The turtles can reach 9 feet in length and weigh 2,000 pounds. The females come ashore once a year to lay their eggs. PACIFIC NUMBERS DWINDLING FAST But the situation of Pacific leatherbacks -- which are genetically distinct from those in the Atlantic Ocean -- is particularly perilous because their numbers have sunk to about 3,000 from 91,000 just 20 years ago. This creates a downward spiral where fewer and fewer females are left to reproduce, leaving the leatherbacks swimming toward an uncertain future, scientists said. For example, last year just 68 of the animals, which spend most of their time in the water, nested on Costa Rica's most popular leatherback beach, down from 1,600 only 15 years ago. More worrying, along Mexico's coast -- once described as the largest and most important leatherback nesting area in the world -- only 50 females returned to lay eggs this past season, researchers said. \"The decline in the last five years is nothing short of catastrophic,\" said Sylvia Earle, an Explorer in Residence at National Geographic and leatherback expert. \"The number has dropped at a precipitous rate.\" Pacific leatherbacks are facing extinction mainly because of commercial fishing and from commercial development of their nesting areas, the researchers said. The main ocean threat comes from longline fishing where a ship can send out thousands of baited hooks on hundreds of lines that total 60 miles in length, snagging sea turtles, seals and other sea animals, in addition to the target catch of swordfish and tuna, the scientists said. BEACH HOTELS A BIG THREAT Problems on land stem from rapid development of hotels and resorts that encroach on the beaches where leatherbacks come to lay their eggs, they added. Egg poaching is also a danger. But scientists also said there is hope for the sea turtles, so long as something is done soon. This makes it important to hold conferences like the one in Monterey where representatives from disparate groups can search for ways to address the problem, they added. \"Scientists have been talking to each other for a long time,\" Todd Steiner, director of Turtle Island Restoration Network, the nonprofit group that put on the conference. \"But it really needs to get into the policy arena.\" Some ideas for staving off Pacific leatherback extinction included better regulating fishing or exploring technology that could scare the turtles away from the hooks. Other scientists said solutions were as simple as donating money to environmental groups looking to buy beaches to hold off development of hotels and resorts to protect the Pacific leatherbacks' nesting areas. \"If we could just set aside some of these beaches that historically are critical for the survival this species, we can make a difference,\" said Frank Paladino, a biologist at Purdue University. \"It is not going to cost billions of dollars, it is only going to cost a few million dollars.\""}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 29, 2002 (00:01)", "body": "This is more of a resurrection than an endangered species and very exciting. Extinct Tasmanian Tiger One Step Closer to Cloning Reuters May 28 2002 12:52AM SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian scientists announced on Tuesday a breakthrough in efforts to clone the extinct Tasmanian Tiger, saying they had replicated some of the animal's genes using DNA extracted from preserved male and female pups. The scientists from the Australian Museum in Sydney said they hoped to clone a Tasmanian Tiger in 10 years if they were successful in constructing large quantities of all the genes of the Tasmanian Tiger and sequencing sections of the genome to create a genetic library of Tasmanian Tiger DNA. \"We are now further ahead than any other project that has attempted anything remotely similar using extinct DNA,\" Mike Archer, director of the Australian Museum, told a news conference. \"What was once nothing more than an impossible dream has just taken another giant step closer to becoming a biological reality,\" he said, adding that the ultimate aim was to clone a viable reproducing population of Tasmanian Tigers. The Tasmanian Tiger (thylacine) was a dog-like carnivorous marsupial with stripes on its back that lived on the southern Australian island state of Tasmania. The creature originally roamed Australia and Papua New Guinea, but sometime between 2,000 and 200 years ago disappeared from the Australian mainland, only to be found in Tasmania. It took man only some 70 years to make the Tasmanian Tiger extinct, as farmers in the 1800s began shooting, poisoning, gassing and trapping the animal, blaming it for attacking sheep. The last known Tasmanian Tiger died in 1936 and it was officially declared extinct in 1986. COMPLEX OF GUILT The project to bring the Tasmanian Tiger back from extinction began in 1999 when Australian Museum scientists extracted DNA from an ethanol-preserved female pup in its collection. In 2001, further DNA was extracted from two other preserved pups -- the tissue source for this DNA was bone, tooth, bone marrow and dried muscle. Archer said the alcohol-preserved female pup's DNA had given scientists the Tasmanian Tiger's X chromosome and the other samples the male Y chromosome. In May 2002 the museum's scientists, using the extracted DNA, replicated some of the Tasmanian Tiger's genes using a process called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). \"The supposedly dead DNA in fact reacts in the way live DNA does. Clearly the DNA we collected was not extinct -- it works,\" Archer said. \"It makes molecule cloning possible.\" Archer said if the museum was successful it would seek to clone a viable population of Tasmanian Tigers, using the Tasmanian Devil, another carnivorous marsupial, as a host. \"We want a viable population. We don't want a strange animal pacing back and forth in a laboratory. What we want to do is put that animal back in the wild and for that we need a viable, reproducing population,\" he said. But Archer said the technology for the final stage of cloning, putting the Tasmanian Tiger's genetic material into a Tasmanian Devil host cell which has been stripped of the devil's genetic material was still to be developed. \"We don't know the length of this journey. Its up to the speed with which technology keeps pace with the vision. But I am optimistic,\" he said. \"The Tasmanian Tiger is an iconic Australian animal, its woven in a complex web of guilt because Australians made it extinct. We need to lift this burden of guilt.\""}, {"response": 8, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, May 29, 2002 (17:42)", "body": "thanks for posting the above, marcia!!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 29, 2002 (22:20)", "body": "I'm trying to remember to post each time I have something pertinent for Geo that I also put it here. Some co-host I am!! Keep kicking me in the shins to remind me, Sweetie!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, May 30, 2002 (21:35)", "body": "don't worry about it sweetie! i'm not doing a very good job keeping up on my hosting duties either!! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 48, "subject": "Wildlife Refuges, Parks, Zoos", "response_count": 5, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar 31, 2002 (20:48)", "body": "L.A. Zoo--we went last weekend--it was fairly nice and not too crowded. they are working on updating the habitats and i had heard that it's not like it used to be--i hate going to zoos and seeing animals pacing around cages with no stimulation and people poking things at them and making a general nuisance of themselves. Sea World-San Diego today. this park is one of my faves but i've not been to a busch gardens. it was hard to follow the maps and the signs around the place and we spent some time walking around in circles. people were rude and pushy (which is the norm, i think). the dolphin tank was hard to get to and even harder for the kids to lean over the walls (as we were instructed to do). the dolphins are like trail horses and know just how close they can get to you and stay out of reach of your strained hand. but, they are my favorite attraction. we watched the dolphin show and were amazed to see people actually trying to climb the glass wall to touch the dolphins at play before the show began. and these were kids! and a recording kept saying that we need to keep our hands out of the tank to protect the animals (probably to keep from getting a lawsuit because some ignoramous stuck their hand in the tank and got bit). only two people were there to make sure folks resisted the temptation to touch. not enough if y u ask me. and what's more--one guy got a talking to but not two seconds later a kid was trying to do the same thing-and he was within earshot of the attendant! other than that, we liked our visit."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Apr  1, 2002 (12:56)", "body": "ok, now that i've had a chance to relax (the drive to and from this place was nuts). we will be going back to Sea World as we were able to pick up the Fun Pass. only thing is it expires in Dec this year so we've missed three months of the promised 1 year. that's ok though."}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Apr  6, 2002 (10:15)", "body": "my pics came back from sea world and i've managed to capture some great pics of the dolphins. as soon as i can, i'll upload and post them (in one, you can really see their eyes!)"}, {"response": 4, "author": "LEBOWSKI212", "date": "Sat, Jan  4, 2003 (10:29)", "body": "WHERE DID YOU POST THE PICS PLEASE LET ME KNOW"}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jan  4, 2003 (14:27)", "body": "haven't yet--my PC didn't come with an FTP program! please be patient as I figure it out. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 49, "subject": "Marine Birds", "response_count": 2, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Apr 24, 2002 (18:56)", "body": "Marine birds are now falling ill to the same virus local dolphins and sea lions are. The fish they feed on are infected with a virus that is passed on to the consumer. The local rehabilitation center is hard at work to bring this guys back to health. For more info, http://www.ibrrc.org/index.html"}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Apr 24, 2002 (18:57)", "body": "Here is a link to the article mentioned above: http://www.ibrrc.org/pr_04_23_2002.html SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 5, "subject": "What is your pet's name?", "response_count": 33, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (16:41)", "body": "Miss Kitty (a redhead like the one in \"Gunsmoke\")"}, {"response": 2, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (16:43)", "body": "\"Matthew, Miss Kitty says for you to get your ass over to the Long Branch!\" \"Where the hell does she think I've been getting it for the last fifty years, Festus?\""}, {"response": 3, "author": "stacey", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (16:48)", "body": "*laugh* Tahja and Rafikki are my girls... (grey kitties)"}, {"response": 4, "author": "Irishprincess", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (17:36)", "body": "\"Bonny Sweet Robin Dudley\" (his call name is just \"Dudley\") is my Jack Russell Terrier, and my two cats are \"Spook\" and \"Daphne Rose\" (for the character on \"Frasier\")"}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (18:12)", "body": "hi Amy, welcome from Drool to the Wild World of Animals"}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:15)", "body": "Bro, KoKoMo (KoKo for short), and Bert the Quaker parrot."}, {"response": 7, "author": "Irishprincess", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:27)", "body": "Hello, Marcia and the other non-droolers!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:08)", "body": "I did not think I had been away from Drool that long...I am considered a non-Drooler, now?! Wow! Not sure how to take that...thanks, though! David's cat is Critter (one of my aliases)"}, {"response": 9, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:37)", "body": "Mine are Mao ( a red and white tomcat) and Piao ( a tabby-lady). You would never guess the name of the baby-intruder-kitten : MONSTER!"}, {"response": 10, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:37)", "body": "He's black and white, BTW"}, {"response": 11, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:49)", "body": "Sounds like from the way you are feeding him, he will rapidly grow into the name! Yin/Yang Kitty!"}, {"response": 12, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (03:27)", "body": "Hey, Amy!!!! Great to have you here!!! You're good at giving pet names, Isabel!! Y'all know my guinea-pigs, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La-La and Po, don't you? La-La has been developing lesbian tendencies lately... Funnily enough for Tinky Winky; this is not good."}, {"response": 13, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (08:05)", "body": "I don't know why I had this funny idea six years ago, that it had to be chinese names.... Mao just means cat, and Piao means tabby cat (somehow) - so easy!"}, {"response": 14, "author": "Charlotte", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (08:27)", "body": "I have four cats: Fabio, SETI, Bowie, and Korben Dallas."}, {"response": 15, "author": "stacey", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (10:08)", "body": "Wolf ~ my grandmother had a brown mutt ages ago... his name was KoKoMo too!"}, {"response": 16, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (11:28)", "body": "Hi Girls! Wasn't KoKoMo also a Beach Boys song in the Eighties/early Nineties?"}, {"response": 17, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (11:31)", "body": "yes indeed!"}, {"response": 18, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (11:42)", "body": "And how's a dog's name come from that, hmh?"}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Sep 25, 1999 (18:51)", "body": "Isn't it also a city in Indiana?! Hmmm..."}, {"response": 20, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (03:28)", "body": "Welcome, Charlotte!!! Haven't spoken to you for a long time! KoKoMo a dog's name? Hmm.... well, ANYTHING is better than Lassie, isn't it?"}, {"response": 21, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (17:40)", "body": "Hey, there was a band by that name - Die Lassie Singers. (That's the German \"die\" as in the, not \"die\" as in \"to die\", FYI. They were to die for, though, as many fans - especially guys - attested during the farewell tour. The creative minds behind that act now run a record label together in Berlin.)"}, {"response": 22, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (17:42)", "body": "And! They are two really nice and supremo folks, those two are!"}, {"response": 23, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (04:08)", "body": "They HAFTA be with a band name like that!! What is the record label called??"}, {"response": 24, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (07:52)", "body": "Hey I love their song \"Hamburg\"! You know it? Maybe I should post it in \"Hamburg\"?"}, {"response": 25, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (12:15)", "body": "Riette, the label is called Flittchen Records, run by Almut Klotz and Christiane R\ufffdsinger, who has toured extensively this year with her band Britta. They also did a tour featuring female artists and bands with at least 50% women in the line-up; this was called \"Stolz & Vorurteil\" (= Pride & Prejudice), and - together with the compilation of the same name on CD - it introduced the public to good underexposed acts."}, {"response": 26, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (13:21)", "body": "Flittchen??? ha-ha!! That's good! Isabel, I don't know 'Hamburg' - maybe you should play it LOUDLY."}, {"response": 27, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (15:56)", "body": "Yeah, I will as soon as I find this darn text! They express their love for Hamburg in it, and it's all about touring and having to stay in a bus the whole day, going from one city to another, it's a wonderful song!"}, {"response": 28, "author": "riette", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (13:19)", "body": "Great. Do you like Gr\ufffdnemeyer?"}, {"response": 29, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (03:17)", "body": "(Isabel)Mao just means cat It does? So Mao Zhedong was just a very mean old cat? ;-)"}, {"response": 30, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (03:18)", "body": "BTW, my dog's name is Patinhas (= little paws), or Patas (= paws) for short."}, {"response": 31, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (09:39)", "body": "Gr\ufffdnemeyer? Sorry don't like his music very much... May be his voice... Gi, I think the chinese leaders name is something like \"fur\". Chinese is a very dificult language and I know nearly nothing about it, but they have different tones to pronounce the same sign or something like this, and then it's another word..."}, {"response": 32, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (03:29)", "body": "I don't listen to much german music either, but I've seen Gr\ufffdnemeyer on tv a few times; you're right, his voice is crap, but there is something about the WAY he sings that I find cool. He sings right from the stomache, you know?"}, {"response": 33, "author": "zx6rider", "date": "Mon, Apr 24, 2000 (18:01)", "body": "My kittie twins are Nike and Reebok. My greyhound friend is Pearl. We belong to a doggie playgroup at a nearby park, so we have lots of doggie buddies as well... I'd name them but it would take a long time. The humans in Doggie Playgroup sometimes help one another out by walking our doggie friends if somebody gets stuck at work or something. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 50, "subject": "Wildlife Rehabbing", "response_count": 76, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 10, 2002 (12:32)", "body": "Thank you for this topic. What a great idea. We share the world with a great many species, and simply because we have been granted the ability to be stewards of the earth, we need to care for the creatures - large and small - who share the planet with us. This is fantastic! Many thanks!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 10, 2002 (12:32)", "body": "Now you are a member of the Geo family, you get a warm Hawaiian hug and leis for your new topic."}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, May 10, 2002 (16:54)", "body": "may we link this topic with springark? i love that we rehab both domestic and wild animals."}, {"response": 4, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Fri, May 10, 2002 (19:04)", "body": "sure wolfie that;s fine with me. I do both and my house looks sometimes like a battlefield with all the little critters. You would not believe what my lion cubs did to my sofa. LOL BJ"}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, May 10, 2002 (20:38)", "body": "i only rehabbed one animal--a stray who had been abused. we brought her around and she trusted us. she was such a sweetie pie. am very much interested in rehabbing dogs and birds. while visiting in-laws in conn, we made a day trip to vermont and went to their raptor rehabilitation center--i was amazed."}, {"response": 6, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, May 10, 2002 (21:46)", "body": "I'll request it in geobusiness. I have one link request pending. Woooohooo Wolfie you got a bunch of activity going now!"}, {"response": 7, "author": "AotearoaKiwi", "date": "Sat, May 11, 2002 (03:30)", "body": "Hi all I can vouch for Brenda. She is also a John Denver fan and likes watching thunderstorms from her porch. I think there is a good future as veterinary medical science has come a long way. Rob"}, {"response": 8, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 11, 2002 (14:06)", "body": "Thanks, Rob! I was going to Email you to find out if this BJ was the same Brenda who has talked with you in IM and who joined your groups in Yahoo. What a happy concidence that she is also a John Denver fan!"}, {"response": 9, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Sat, May 11, 2002 (20:01)", "body": "Marcia, Yep. One and the same. Poor Rob, he just can't seeem to get away from me. LOL I'm really enjoying Geo and hope to make many more new and wonderful friends. Yea, i'm a John Denver fan and have been since the beginning. (aging myself) Thanks again. BJ"}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 11, 2002 (22:29)", "body": "You fit right in with us, BJ - something which is a real delight to me. You'll find this a lot like a warm family which is supportive and compassionate rather than combative. Wiggle those toes, or pop on your hiking boots and I can show you a live volcano or a dormant one with the most magical assortment of telescopes on it. You'll really love Hawaii."}, {"response": 11, "author": "AotearoaKiwi", "date": "Tue, Jun 18, 2002 (07:01)", "body": "Hi all We had a duckling that was abandoned by it's mother which we found on the Waimakariri river bed years ago. For reasons I cannot remember why, we called it Peep. Unfortunately Peep went missing one night after dinner and was found dead the following morning. Because we also had a dog we had to keep the two separate, which meant Mendi (our black labrador)was hopeless finding ducks or rabbits that we shot on shooting trips (Dad and Craig do duck shooting, while Dad takes me rabbit shooting. Rabbit shooting is all year round and done with a .22. Duck shooting is done with shotguns and is from early May-July). Rob"}, {"response": 12, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Jun 24, 2002 (14:41)", "body": "Guess who is going to be another student of the fine art of shoooting. I have an expert here to teach me and an assortment of things to shoot with. My prey? Clay targets eventually and paper ones to begin with. I suspect I will be less than expert even after much practice but there is a method in my madness. and a bit of respct from those who are mean enough to understand such things. I actually never thought I'd see the day when this might seem appealing. Killing things I cannot eat still seems wasterful so I am happy to aim at paper. If I don't lose the nerve to do it and he does not lose the nerve to teach me!"}, {"response": 13, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Mon, Jun 24, 2002 (22:02)", "body": "Marcia, many people think hunting is cruel but what is more cruel. Letting a population grow until it starves itself to death or dies from disease? I too, do not like to kill but I have seen what happens when animals are left to reproduce without having preditors to cull out the sick and the old. I do rehabbing, so i want to see wildlife flourish but until we can reintroduce their preditors than we will have to do the job. Brenda"}, {"response": 14, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jun 25, 2002 (11:10)", "body": "You're right Brenda! And, the person offering to teach me this skill knows I will not use it on critters since wild boar and gamebirds are not my things to eat in Hawaii. Speaking of which, nothing like being in the middle of teh rural South of the US and seeing suchi bars and Chinese buffets! That is when I really look for thefast food stuff I recognize. I've eaten hominy (did not like it this time either!) and had hush-puppies (delicious!) I should have packed my handy can opener. I like unusual food but not in unusual places!"}, {"response": 15, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jun 25, 2002 (11:12)", "body": "There are bears, wildcats, panthers (mountain lions)and all sorts of small game animals here. Deer and raccoon and opossum have been seen by me as well as wild turkeys and phesant. I am still looking for the elisive Bald eagle!"}, {"response": 16, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Thu, Jun 27, 2002 (20:22)", "body": "Well it's here....Baby time. LOL There is a few things I would like to say. If anybody comes across any baby birds or animals,please remember this. Parents of birds will come back even if you handle that babies. If you can see the nest and reach it,place the baby back in it and just watch it. If they haven't returned in about 4 hours contact your local vet for info as to where to send them to. it's against federal law for someone to raise any baby without a permit. My nursery is starting to becomw full. I just sent 15 baby possums out into the world and from the looks of it this is going to be a year for a bumper crop of babies.right now I've got 6 squirrels that came in today. someboody cut down the tree and now I've got them. They're trying to remove a family of groundhogs out from under a swimming pool tomorrow. I don't know if I'll get them or what.One year I had over 250 babies during the whole season. I've already had over 60 and w're not even into it fully yet."}, {"response": 17, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jun 29, 2002 (10:39)", "body": "i once found two baby birds who fell into a wheelbarrow after a heavy storm. they were sopping wet. hating to see them drown, i put them in a box with a towel so they could dry off. the first chance they got, they flew away (had them in a shed to protect them from neighborhood cats)."}, {"response": 18, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jun 29, 2002 (10:44)", "body": "on the other hand, i found a baby robin who died within an hour (i did attempt to give it water as it was very hot that day) but then i left so mama bird could find it. kept watching from the windows but no one came. when i went out to check on it, the poor thing had given up. nowadays, i have no place for birds to nest (no trees) and my lone birdhouse remains empty. but my feeders are always busy!! thanks for the tips concerning federal law. us soft hearts are always wanting to save something but the best thing to do is to contact your local wildlife departments because they are equipped to handle the situations. sometimes we animal lovers can do more harm than good."}, {"response": 19, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jul  9, 2002 (14:55)", "body": "Mama Brenda is busy and no resting for the weary. How cute the little ones musgt be! I once returned a soggy little white-eye (bird) to the flock though not the one it originated in. HM brought home a little sodden bird in his hat and placed it on the dishwasher. I went to hang up the wet hat and heard an indignant \"CHEEP!!!!\" Imagine my amazement! This tiny ball of fluff was making such a loud cry that the white-eyes outside gathered at the screen porch to call back to her(?) Soon, the shock and wetness went away and this little bird was eased onto the porch. Then I closed the inside door and opened the outside door. The little one popped through the doorway and into the welcoming flock that was her new home. What a happy feeling that was!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Tue, Jul  9, 2002 (15:14)", "body": "We take in stray dogs and cats all the time here. After my old dog Molly ran away and go thit by a car, I felt it was crucial to help other dogs and cats find their owners and keep off the dangerous streets. About 5 months ago I was walking to the bus stop near my house on MacArther Blvd. MacArther Blvd is one of the most busiest streets in Orange County. All of a sudden this little Chihaua (can't spell) comes walking right up to me. I look around and see no one out of their houses except one person. I ask her but she said she didn't know who the dog belonged to. I was going to be late for school so I tried to call the dog over so I could take it back to my house. Suddenly, the dog darted out onto MacArther Blvd. I freaked out and thought about Molly's accident. I raced out into the street and scooped him up just as a huge truck roared by. That was close! I carried him back to my house and I put him outside on a leash with some water. Needless to say I was late for school, but I would rather be ate than seeing another body laying in the street again. Fortunatly, the little dog was picked up by his careless owner later that afternoon."}, {"response": 21, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jul  9, 2002 (15:20)", "body": "God durely looks after you, Julie! You have worn your guardian angel to a g\\frazzle but they know you have the most tender of hearts. Please don't let us have to scoop YOU off of MacArthur Blvd. I've seen the traffic there. It never lets up!"}, {"response": 22, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jul  9, 2002 (15:24)", "body": "Coming back from Tennessee on an early Sunday morning, we saw the wildlife that did not make is past Saturday night traffic. Several deer and a few smaller creatures like groundhog and opossum plus one raccoon. *sigh* It is not a happy situation but at least none were suffering and we hit nothing except for a few large juicy bugs..."}, {"response": 23, "author": "tsatsvol", "date": "Fri, Jul 12, 2002 (06:05)", "body": "Ionian birds The Ionian Islands (West Greece) are a very important flight path and stronghold for various migratory and resident birds. The very rare Elenoras Falcon Their rich vegetation and lush climate providing the ideal stop over for birds following their breeding routes from and to Africa. The dense macquis landscapes are especially favoured by the birds. http://www.earthseasky.org/birds.htm John"}, {"response": 24, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Jul 12, 2002 (10:03)", "body": "i love raptors! thanks john, if you visit springark, you'll find a topic for birds and one for falconry!"}, {"response": 25, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Mon, Jul 15, 2002 (13:45)", "body": "Well the nursery is starting to get filled. As soon as I get one group up and out here comes the next one. I just had a litter of groundhogs brought here. They are so cute. They grab their bottles and holds to them. You should see them when it's potty time..LOL Any way, new point. I just had one brought in so I'll give you a hint. I had a Blue Jay brought here that had a fight with a window.He's fine but if you find one here's somethings that might help you. First, put in a small box but make sure it's lying on it's stomache and not no it's back. If you don't turn him over HE will die. they can't breathe on their backs. Keep him warm and check on him regularly. He should be ready to take off in a few minutes. If however you should see blood coming out of his nose or mouth contact help."}, {"response": 26, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Jul 15, 2002 (18:20)", "body": "thanks for the tip (kinda like gator eggs)...is this true for most wild birds? (parrots can sleep on their backs and breathe just fine)."}, {"response": 27, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Mon, Jul 15, 2002 (21:49)", "body": "yes but only if they are stunned. For some reason they can't get it to regulate for the first little bit after it happens but as they start to come around it becomes easier for them."}, {"response": 28, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jul 16, 2002 (19:15)", "body": "what an interesting fact!"}, {"response": 29, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jul 17, 2002 (19:15)", "body": "BJ is a veritable ARK in her own home. Lovely image, John! I too love raptors. I see many more of them here than on Hawaii, but the one there is native and only seen in Hawaii. Anyone for an IO? Found only on the Big Island of Hawaii below 8,500 feet, the endangered `io, or Hawaiian Hawk, glides over the forest canopy preying on small birds, rodents, and insects. It is a symbol of royalty in Hawaiian legend."}, {"response": 30, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Jul 17, 2002 (19:17)", "body": "Tbhe above is from http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/io.html"}, {"response": 31, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Jul 18, 2002 (21:28)", "body": "what a pretty raptor--is he really that yellow? as far as falcons go, kestrels are some pretty birds--they have lovely markings and are about the size of a dove."}, {"response": 32, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Jul 19, 2002 (14:09)", "body": "No, not yellow at all and I thought the Bishop Museum would have a better picture. I'll find another to post. It is white where the photo looks yellow."}, {"response": 33, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Jul 19, 2002 (14:12)", "body": "I really like falcons. BJ, do you ever get any falcons?"}, {"response": 34, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jul 20, 2002 (13:42)", "body": "or any raptors for that matter? i am very much interested in falconry (which has its own topic)"}, {"response": 35, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Sat, Jul 20, 2002 (20:05)", "body": "I've work with a few hawk's. Mostly Red Tail's. I've alo had the joy of working with and releasing a female Golden Eagle. She was beautiful and watching her soar into the sky is a sight I will never forget. This morning as I was sitting on my front porcg watching the squirrels eating the peanuts we put in the trees, this Great Horned Owl dove from out of the tree next to the wall and grab a rat from under the tree and flew back up into the tree. These guys are amazing. You can hear them fly because their feathers are hollow and they make no sound when they fly. Brenda"}, {"response": 36, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Sat, Jul 20, 2002 (20:07)", "body": "I should say you can't hear them flying. LOL Brenda"}, {"response": 37, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Jul 21, 2002 (12:04)", "body": "no no, i understand, the swooping of the wings, and yet they are silent. don't know they're there until they're on top of you! in my old neighborhood, a hawk would spend some time hunting prey--the birds would send up quite a chatter and this bird just sat in the live oak waiting and watching. i used to see them outside my office window too. the blue jays would have a fit!"}, {"response": 38, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Jul 21, 2002 (12:05)", "body": "oh, they were red-tails too, my fave hawks. am not familiar with the raptors here in so cal, aside from kestrels, i've seen a few falcons but am not familiar enough to make a positive id."}, {"response": 39, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Sun, Jul 21, 2002 (15:01)", "body": "You can't hear an owl when it's in flight. Their feathers are hollow so there is no sound until they are catching their prey. They desend so quickly and silently that they can not be heard. Unless you happen to be around and watching you will never know they have even been there. Brenda"}, {"response": 40, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Jul 21, 2002 (15:49)", "body": "i've only seen one wild owl in flight and that was waaaaaay cool!! we used to go out in the back country owl spotting. they're really spooky!"}, {"response": 41, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 29, 2002 (11:16)", "body": "Rare vultures tagged and released by into the wild By Soteris Charalambous ON TUESDAY, a very rare Black vulture and two Griffon vultures were released by the Forestry Department after being captured, tagged, and fitted with transmitters, as part of the department's fauna conservation programme. According to Haris Nicolaou, Assistant Forest Officer at the Forestry Department, the presence of the Black vulture represents quite a fillip for Cyprus. \"For the Black vulture to come to Cyprus and remain here for so long suggests the programme is going well. If we are lucky, others will come next winter with the possibility that they will start breeding,\" said Nicolaou. The bird is one of the largest birds of prey, weighing up to 13kg with a wingspan of three metres but has been virtually extinct in Cyprus for approximately 20 years. The last of them are believed to have been shot for target practice by Turkish soldiers camped in the Pentadactylos Mountain range years ago. This Black vulture is approximately two to three years old and arrived in December. It is believed to have flown from Turkey, Georgia or Ukraine, attempting to avoid the heavy winter conditions, and trapped at a cage in Ayios Ioannis in the Paphos District, tagged, and measured and then fitted with a transmitter to enable its movements and habits to be studied. Such practice mirrors a host of other European countries where the bird's numbers have dropped to virtual extinction. The fact that it arrived late last year having not been previously tagged is also a 'feather in the cap' for the island. \"The black vulture is unique in Cyprus. It existed in large numbers during the 80s but became virtually extinct because of poisoning, illegal hunting and destruction of nesting sites,\" said Nicolaou. The forestry officer was also keen to emphasise the importance of the survival of the species. Often depicted as the harbingers of doom that swirl around helpless victims in Westerns, their true role is that of 'nature's noble caretakers' according to environmentalists. \"They are very important creatures because they clean the eco-system. They are exclusively carrion feeders and they prevent the spreading of diseases because they only feed on carcasses and thus clean the eco-system. They have to be protected and helped to recover to its former numbers,\" said Nicolaou. In addition to the Black, two Griffon vultures were also released after being captured as part of a project launched 12 years ago by the Forestry department for the conservation of Griffon vultures. \"We released them in accordance with an action plan launched by the UN two years ago which we co-operate with to help Griffon numbers recover,\" said Nicolaou, \"They used to be very common 20 years ago but present numbers are down to 30-40 birds. During the 80s, there were more than 20 nesting sites, now there is only one. We are trying to encourage the birds to breed further inland at other fauna mating sites because they are very vulnerable. One poisoning could wipe out these birds forever.\" All three birds arrived on the island in good condition, but others that do not are kept and looked after until they are ready to survive in the wild again. It has been difficult to gauge quite how many vultures have been lost over the years because, \"there wasn't anybody studying them 20 years ago but we know for sure from records of ornithologists in other countries and visitors here that they were in good numbers in Cyprus.\" http://www.goGreece.com/news/headlines/story.html?id=8660"}, {"response": 42, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Oct  9, 2002 (19:21)", "body": "Fantastic! I am still on the hunt for my first eagle. They are hiding in plain sight in the area south of us. I just need to SEE them!"}, {"response": 43, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Oct  9, 2002 (21:18)", "body": "don't look too hard and then you will!"}, {"response": 44, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Thu, Oct 24, 2002 (15:17)", "body": "Are these golden eagles or bald eagles? Or both?"}, {"response": 45, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Wed, Oct 30, 2002 (21:36)", "body": "You can tell fall is here and winter can not be far away. Our colony of vultures have moved from behind my house to ths cliffs. I will miss seeing them come in at night and soaring until they land in thye trees. this year we hit a record of 87. It is so wierd to see these birds flocked around my kennel at night. It's even more cool to see and hear them take off in the morning. They will return after the last frost. You should see the pics I have of them in the trees. BJ"}, {"response": 46, "author": "terry", "date": "Thu, Oct 31, 2002 (07:52)", "body": "Fall definitely rolled in here today, Brrrr. Yesterday was warmand sunny. There is a pack of dogs? hyennas? ??? down by the creek last night."}, {"response": 47, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Thu, Oct 31, 2002 (19:51)", "body": "Depending where you're at, I would venture a guess and say a pack of coyotos BJ"}, {"response": 48, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Dec 11, 2002 (14:28)", "body": "Brenda, your picture of Nanook is ready to post. Met up with a huge flock of birds last month. I had forgotten how migrating birds do that. Like something out of Alfred Hitchcock. It is winter everywhere now. Cold and wet most places I know of. Where is more snow?!"}, {"response": 49, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Thu, Dec 12, 2002 (01:40)", "body": "Marcia Do you still have it or do i need to resend it to you. Also, i have some of the babies i raised this summer. Brenda"}, {"response": 50, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 12, 2002 (09:46)", "body": "I emailed you how to find it on the internet so you can post it. Or did you wish for me to send you the command string so you can. I have the photo both on Spring's Hard drive (here at Geo) and on my computer. I'll email you the command. Be sure to center it so it looks good!"}, {"response": 51, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Thu, Dec 12, 2002 (10:05)", "body": "Marcia, I just e-mailed you back. Love, i am one of the few who has no idea what on earth you are talking about. Ask Rob....LOL He gave up on my ages ago. Brenda"}, {"response": 52, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 12, 2002 (18:39)", "body": "*Grin* remember I knew nothing when this whole conference was plopped into my lap and I had to populate it with topics and images. We all have to learn.Will email you right away.*HUGS*"}, {"response": 53, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Sat, Dec 14, 2002 (22:56)", "body": "ok!!!!!! how do i get it from point A to point B....I'm going crazy. if i click here it goes there and then i can't find where i put the first thing. AGGGGGGGGG.Computers and me just don't like each other. i do better with a cage of lion cubs then I do with this little monster. It's possessed and i know it knows more then me. Brenda"}, {"response": 54, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Dec 19, 2002 (15:43)", "body": "If you highlight from right to left it won't boot the url."}, {"response": 55, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Mon, Dec 23, 2002 (12:18)", "body": "Hi all, I know this isn't where this should go but since i'm not to sure where to put it, this is for all of you out there with kids. you grown-up ones might like this as well. It's my Christmas gift to you all. God bless you all for helping me through a very rough and hard year. Love you guys, Brenda http://www.noradsanta.org"}, {"response": 56, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Dec 23, 2002 (15:00)", "body": "I was going to post that, too My Dear you are brilliant. I had forgotten. Yes, NASA and NORAD will be tracking Santa Claus as he makes his magical trip around the world. It makes me smile to think of it."}, {"response": 57, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Sun, Jan 19, 2003 (20:43)", "body": "hi all, well snow and ice have hit here, bringing with it lows of around 1 degrees. All critters are bedded down with the exceeption of some very stubborn ducks who prefer to be in the lake then on the island. Hence, early morning rescues of chopping them out of the ice and thawing them out. it's the only time you can get near them...lol someday, i hope they learn. Brenda"}, {"response": 58, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, Jan 21, 2003 (23:15)", "body": "OH my!!! Brenda! *HUGS* They are lucky to have your tender care as we are to have you post. Keep warm!"}, {"response": 59, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Sat, Feb  8, 2003 (22:05)", "body": "hi all, Hope all is well. babies here are doing fine. it's snowing again as it has for almost every weekend sincethe first of January. Last weekend we got 6 inches and more due on Sunday. We're having to rescue and bring in several birds what with the below feezing temps we've been having. not to mention the -35 wind chills we've been having. we bring them in,thaw them out and then let them go. I'm running out of bird food...LOL most of the time we go through 50 pounds every 2 weeks but with this last cold spell we're using around a 100 pounds a week. you would not think such little things could each so much. the deer are up to over 200 pounds of feed a week. altho i have a feeling they are getting some help from the local wildlife.LOL i think i'm going to write a book and call it Mrs. Dolittle..LOL Nobody would believe half of what goes on when you get started with these guys. Brenda"}, {"response": 60, "author": "terry", "date": "Wed, Feb 12, 2003 (02:51)", "body": "Phyl and Steve put up a birdhouse out in the middle of the field by our home. The idea is to attarct birds that keep the grasshopper population down in he summer. I'll keep you posted on wether it works or not (as in, if the birds show up and then eat the grasshopppers)."}, {"response": 61, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Fri, Feb 21, 2003 (23:31)", "body": "Please read this article. http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=26562\u00a7ion=NEWS&subsection=FOCUS&year=2003&month=2&day=21 I can't believe someone would do such a horrible thing like that. There was only 80 birds left in the wild of CA and AZ. Now there is only 79 left. I hope they catch who ever it is that did this cruel deed. And I hope they get more than having to pay a $100,000 fine and a year in jail. This is awful! I hate to think that this poor bird will go extint during my lifetime. Its such a magnificint bird. I put a few websites down below so you can learn a bit about these amazing birds and their struggle to survive. http://www.lazoo.org/cstats.htm http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/condors.html"}, {"response": 62, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Mar  7, 2003 (11:00)", "body": "This sounds like the demise of the Dodo. Only a few were left, and rather than try to breed them, they were killed so the selfish men could have specimens for their collections!!! Mankind never ceases to amaze me with its greed. I am happy that not all fall into this category. Thanks for posting it, Julie! Are you also feeding squirrels, Brenda? They can outeat the birds rather impressively."}, {"response": 63, "author": "Breea", "date": "Sat, Mar 12, 2005 (16:04)", "body": "WEll, I'm back..aka duffuses..computer crashed and lost everything. just found you all again. Breea"}, {"response": 64, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar 12, 2005 (16:32)", "body": "YES!!!! Welcome back, Sweetie. Missed you like crazy. How many are you currently nursing back to health? What are they? I'd just so glad to have you back with us !!"}, {"response": 65, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar 12, 2005 (17:36)", "body": "am very glad to see you back here!"}, {"response": 66, "author": "terry", "date": "Mon, Mar 14, 2005 (12:27)", "body": "Yay, Breea!"}, {"response": 67, "author": "Breea", "date": "Sat, Mar 19, 2005 (19:09)", "body": "hi all, thanks for the warm welcome back. Right now no babies..to early..that and having to totally rebuild all the cages. the rain and floods really took a toll on everything so I've had to start from scratch. Hopefully things will be up and running before long. I can still give updates,etc or answer questions. Breea"}, {"response": 68, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar 21, 2005 (18:02)", "body": "where are you again?"}, {"response": 69, "author": "Breea", "date": "Thu, Mar 24, 2005 (21:20)", "body": "I'm in western north carolina"}, {"response": 70, "author": "cfadm", "date": "Thu, Mar 31, 2005 (09:05)", "body": "A tar heel. You're in the Final Four!"}, {"response": 71, "author": "Breea", "date": "Thu, Mar 31, 2005 (19:18)", "body": "Go heels...LOL..wish it could have been like the ACC"}, {"response": 72, "author": "terry", "date": "Thu, Mar 31, 2005 (23:07)", "body": "It's the big 10 honey. But NC has a 1 in 4 chance. I'm a Fighting Illini! Go Illinois."}, {"response": 73, "author": "Breea", "date": "Mon, Apr  4, 2005 (18:09)", "body": "Terry, This ought to a good one tonight...May the best team win..Even though I'm a die hard tarheel..i think both of these teams are great and either one deserves first place. Breea"}, {"response": 74, "author": "terry", "date": "Mon, Apr  4, 2005 (18:45)", "body": "OK, slap me a high 5 Breea and may the best team win. Go Illini!"}, {"response": 75, "author": "Breea", "date": "Mon, Apr  4, 2005 (22:48)", "body": "Terry, Wow!!! that was some game...Illini fought hard and it wasn't an easy win for us. I applaud Illini, they are a great team...That's the kind of game I like when it's right down to the wire...Congrats for making it a game worth watching. Breea"}, {"response": 76, "author": "terry", "date": "Tue, Apr  5, 2005 (06:08)", "body": "Congrats Breea. The Tarheels were due and Roy Williams was due even more. I think he had lost 4 straight Final Fours before last night. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 51, "subject": "Grieving", "response_count": 37, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Tue, May 14, 2002 (20:42)", "body": "Wolfie is our special person who is facing the passing of a cherished pet. How does one know when it is time to let them go? Please share your experience and wisdom with us. I am almost too close to Wolfie to do this right and she needs every *HUG* you can spare."}, {"response": 2, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Wed, May 15, 2002 (01:36)", "body": "Hi Wolfie. I am so sorry about your dog. I am going through the exact same thing as you are. In fact, I have gone thru this again and again and it is so very hard. I know exactly what you are going through. For some reason my dog Terry has a very strong will to live. She never wants to give up, even when the vet says she probably won't make it through the night. My family and I have had a rough ride with Terry from the begining. We bought her when she was only a few months old. She was a beautiful tan and black terrier. At the age of 3 she collapsed having a moderate size seizure. We rushed her to the vet and they began to run all kinds of tests. The bill must of been 3 or 4 thousand that first time. The vet finally got the results back and said that she had a liver shunt or liver disfunction (can't remember the specific medical name). She had been born with this birth defect, but it had not shown up until now. The vet said even with medications she probably won't last past age 5. So we took t ings day by day. We had to give her about 5 pills down her throat 2 times a day. Sometimes she would still have seizures though, but unlike a human you can't talk her through it, so we would just be there to make sure she didn't bump into things and just pat her and calm her down. It was very hard watching her go through this and we had considered many times to put her down, but it seemed when ever we talked about it she would perk up and go back to her normal doggie life. We have nearly lost her 10 times if not more throughout the years. Terry is now 12 years old and just this past weekend we almost lost her again. She now has kidney failure. Her kidneys are probably only funtioning about 25%, which the vet says is okay for now, as long as she gets lot of fluids every day. My brother Sean who is a pharmacist and works in the hospital is going to be giving Terry fluids interveinously at home from now on. So now I think we have all gone to the extreme to keep Terry alive. Is it worth it? I don't kno . Terry doesn't want to give up and we have had her so long that we are willing to go the extra mile to keep her alive. She may only have another few months or maybe a year left. Dad tells me when Terry is ready she will look at you differently as if to say \"its time\" This is when you will know when the right time is to let your dog go. It will be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. Just remember what a good life you were able to give you dog and all the fun things you did with her/him. You will never forget those things and you will treasure them in your heart for as long as you live. And remember, there is a doggie heaven. There was this story I read once about the Rainbow Bridge. One side of the rainbow there were trees, grass, waterfalls, and fire hydrants. On the other side was a simalar place except it was for humans. Once the dog gets to heaven it will wait patiently near the rainbow bridge until its owner eventually passes on and then they will both be reunited once again, fo eternity. Julie"}, {"response": 3, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Wed, May 15, 2002 (07:53)", "body": "Wolfie, Honey, here's the site for Rainbow Birdge. it's a wonderful place to go when you have to go through this. It's http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm Now this may sound silly to some but fi you've ever watched \"Crossing Over\" and I know there are peoplw who don't believe but I for one do. He has on many occassions mentioned pets who are there with family members waiting for you. with all the ones I have waiting for me, and I know they are, I'm going to have a wonderous and very LOUD reunion. I've cried over many and each is as specail as the next. I've been with them holding them for that last breath never letting them cross with out being held by me and telling them one last time that i love them. Do that for her and even tho it will be hard on you,it will give her comffort to know you were there for her. Hugs and much love, Bj"}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 15, 2002 (16:53)", "body": "Thanks BJ. Julie has the same problem with her dog Terry. She told me about the rainbow bridge but lacked the url for it. Big Hugs for finding it for all of us."}, {"response": 5, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, May 15, 2002 (17:34)", "body": "thank you for finding the link. you guys are so sweet to comfort me. Bro is a fighter too. he was the runt and the only one to live so long. a couple of his siblings died during puppyhood and the others lived just a little while longer. Bro gives me this gentle look (like he always has) that says he loves me. today, he has really perked up (i think just from being home). my husband says this dog is in love with me *laugh* i am a firm christian but have felt my heart lurch to think that my guy and the other dogs i've loved wouldn't be waiting for me-made me not even want to go there then. it is so comforting to know that there are others who have a link--i've had it since i was little-animals are part of my soul. there are people people and animal people and i know you guys know what i'm talking about!! i know Bro will tell me when he's ready, i just hope i'm paying attention. my hope is, too, that he will go quietly in his sleep. to spare me the stress and him the stress. he deserves to go peacefull -he has been a loyal and good friend to me. and truly my first child! he's also the AM (alpha male)'s first dog ever. i'm so glad he got to have a good experience! we are taking it day by day. i've already had a talk with Bro and told him to make sure he's loud and clear when he's ready. i know he understood me. thanks you guys! *HUGS*"}, {"response": 6, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Fri, Jun  7, 2002 (21:58)", "body": "I think Terry is slipping away from us very slowly. She went to the vets yesturday to get fluids again. I went to visit her today. They brought Terry and her IV into one of the little rooms. It was almost too much for me to bear. She was shaking and she looked so frail. I held her for a bit and told her how much I loved her. She stopped shaking and relaxed in my arms. It was hard for me to leave her. The vet said she can go home tomorrow, but this is it. She will not being going to the vets again. Its costing too much to keep her in the hospital. If she gets worse again, Mom, Dad, and Sean all said that will be it, and we will have to let her go. I don't know why I keep denying everything. Its just too painful for me I guess. I start yelling at Mom and Dad if they try to talk about it with me because I can't handle it. I don't know what I am going to do. Why can't I just accept things? *sigh*"}, {"response": 7, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jun  8, 2002 (11:28)", "body": "*HUGS* julie, i completely am here for you. if you read the dogs topic, you'll know that we had to put bro down on thursday. it was very hard but the greiving i've already done helped me through it. everyone has their own way to handle the grieving process and you have already begun it sweetheart. (and i wanted to thank you for your email awhile back too) thank you for trusting us with your grief--to be able to talk about it here is a wonderful step."}, {"response": 8, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Thu, Jun 13, 2002 (18:31)", "body": "I can't handle this! I just got back from the vets a few minutes ago. Terry's kidneys have had enough and so we decided after careful thought to let Terry go. But this seemed to have come at a rather bad time for me. We are going to have her put to sleep at the end of the weekend, so probably Monday. But the problem is I am having ankle surgery on Tuesday and since I will be laying around for weeks I will have nothing to do but be depressed and think about Terry. I can't go out and get my mind off it like Mom, Dad, and Sean will be able to do. And if I have to go through that, I won't last one week until I finally lose it for sure. *sigh* I'm not even sure how to say goodbye. Our old dog was taken away from us instantly when she was hit by a car so none of us got to say goodbye and I was way to young to understand much anyway. Now I have some time left, but I don't know what to say or do. Terry has been with me my entire childhood. I don't remember my old dog much because I was too little, so Te ry is all I know. I'm very thankful we took so many pictures of her. I will be looking back on those for years to come. It was wonderful growing up with a special friend by my side who comforted me when I was sad and played with me when I was bored. For some reason I feel like I am letting go more than just Terry. I feel like I am letting go part of myself too. Even though Terry is not allowed to sleep in anyone's room, Mom has allowed me to have Terry sleep with me tonight. *sigh* I wonder what Terry is thinking. Terry is a very sweet and lovable dog. So Wolfie, it looks like Bro is going to have a new playmate, so don't worry about him being lonely. Terry will take care of him. We are going up to L.A on Monday to take Terry to the pet cemetery. Mom had a few of her dogs buried there when she was younger. So we will always get to visit her. *sigh* This is so difficult, I don't even know what else to say."}, {"response": 9, "author": "AotearoaKiwi", "date": "Thu, Jun 13, 2002 (22:16)", "body": "Hi all Come to Rob for a hug. I know this is hurting you Julie. Rob"}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Jun 13, 2002 (22:21)", "body": "Julie!!! We love you enough to hurt for and with you. Please let us share your grief! *HUGS*"}, {"response": 11, "author": "terry", "date": "Fri, Jun 14, 2002 (07:09)", "body": "Sorry to hear about this Julie."}, {"response": 12, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Fri, Jun 14, 2002 (17:29)", "body": "HUGS! Thanks guys for all your support. I really appriciate it and need it way more than I am willing to admit. I never had this when my old dog passed away. In fact people were very cruel to me. It made me feel better to have Terry sleep next to me last night. I thought I would get another day with her, but we have decided to put her to sleep tomorrow morning and go into L.A in the afternoon. *sigh* You know, looking at the Rainbows Bridge website really helped. Mom and I have decided to write a memorial for her there. I wish Terry could have made it for 4th of July. We go on a picnic every year to this park next to a lake. Terry loved running through the grass, eating hotdogs and chips, chasing chimpmunks up the trees, and taking the train ride through the woods. *sigh* These memories seem like only yesturday. This has turned out to be the worst summer of my life so far and it has barely began. I wish I could just go back to school right now instead of staying here and drowning in my own tears."}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jun 15, 2002 (10:47)", "body": "Julie, one thing about dogs is that they know our hearts. no words need be said. allow yourself to grieve, sweetie, it's the best thing. *HUGS*"}, {"response": 14, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Sat, Jun 15, 2002 (20:47)", "body": "Today was truly the most painful and hardest day of my life. I have never felt so much pain before. Terry on the other hand felt none and she left this world quite peacefully. I held her the whole car trip to the vets and even in her last moments. It was so so difficult, but I didn't want to put her down. I didn't want to go in the room with her, but I knew Terry needed me so I did it anyway. Once the vet gave her the injection she went limp in my arms. After that, I lost control and handed Terry over to Dad who helped the vet put her in a box. Then the next 2 hours we drove to Calabases. It was the hardest longest drive I have ever taken in my life. I was exhausted from crying so I fell asleep part of the way right next to the the box. When we got to the cemetery though, I felt a little bit better. It was so beautiful, even more so than human cemeteries. There were flowers, pinwheels, pictures, and toys scattered all over the area. When we parked we even saw a chimpmunk and a yellow bird. We kn w Terry would be very happy here. I keep looking in the backyard thinking she will come if I call her name. I miss her so much already. Now I have realized that the hardest thing you will ever have to do in life is learn how to say goodbye."}, {"response": 15, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Jun 16, 2002 (12:24)", "body": "*HUGS*"}, {"response": 16, "author": "duffuses", "date": "Sun, Jun 16, 2002 (15:15)", "body": "Julie, Terry will be with you always,hon. Never doubt that for one moment. love, Brenda"}, {"response": 17, "author": "AotearoaKiwi", "date": "Wed, Jun 19, 2002 (01:55)", "body": "Hi all Hugs Julie. I know this is hard, which is why I wrote this song for you - sung to the tune of John Denver's This old Guitar (take a hint. I will sing this at some opportune moment): Terry This old dog threw me a lifeline, She stayed with me through the hardtimes, Showed me how to laugh, how to cry, Made friends with me in my time. This old dog was faithful until death, She made us breathe with wonder, And she stole our thunder, With her calm resilient way, Oh what a dog, what a friend, what a companion, Terry"}, {"response": 18, "author": "terry", "date": "Wed, Jun 19, 2002 (06:07)", "body": "How sweet!"}, {"response": 19, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Fri, Jun 21, 2002 (02:01)", "body": "Thanks, Rob. That was very very sweet of you. All these things help me so much. It has been quite hard coping with this and it hasn't even been a week yet since she left me. I keep playing those last moments over and over again in my head. *sigh* Thanks everyone for being so sopportive during this tough time for me. I fully appriciate it. Hugs!"}, {"response": 20, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Jun 22, 2002 (09:39)", "body": "the sad memories will be replaced with the good ones in time!! and keep thinking about rainbow bridge--i know that has helped me. *HUGS*"}, {"response": 21, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Jul  9, 2002 (11:04)", "body": "guys, remember how i said i would post pictures of bro? well, i just developed a roll of film yesterday that had pictures of bro on it taken the day before we set him free. i could really see how sad and tired he looked. and it broke my heart all over again. the good thing is that i am remembering more things about his better days. i can almost feel him around me. and if you've read my posts about dreams in paraspring--you'll remember that i've been visited by my lost pets and friends. well, bro has only stopped by twice and it was so brief that i don't remember much of it. i am saddened that he hasn't visited me like the others have. julie, you sound so pepped in geo, how you hanging in there sweetie? *HUGS* thank you guys very much for being here for us."}, {"response": 22, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Tue, Jul  9, 2002 (13:42)", "body": "*HUGS* I'm hanging in there Wolfie, thanks for asking. I know what you mean about sseing Bro and feeling him around you. I've been feeling the same way about Terry. Every time I go past the living room, I always turn my head to look at her bed still sitting on the floor by the fire place. I always think she's just laying there because the bed was bigger than her and sometimes we could barely see her in it unless we walked right up to it. I keep seeing ghosts of her walking trhough the halls like she used to do while we were sleeping. I wanted to go back and see her but I couldn't because on my ankle, but since its better now I will make a trip up to see her again sometime in the next few weeks. Since the day Terry left me I have been in the Pet Loss Chatroom at the Rainbows Bridge Website. It has helped so much. You should stop in there and you will see what I am talking about. It helps to share to others about your wonderful dog and it also helps to listen to other people talk about their cherished fu babies as well. Everyone is very sweet on there. Some of the people on there are acually pet loss counsolers and they help you get through things. They helped me out so much. But some days I still start crying for no reason at all. I really do feel lost without her and I am still figuring out what to do about this huge hole in my heart as well as my life that will never be completly filled again. But deep in my heart, I know she is standing right beside me, running when I take Allie for a walk, and snuggling next to me when I go to bed. Her spirit will always stay with me and Bro's will always stay with you too. Remember those memories that you had together and treasure them in your heart forever."}, {"response": 23, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Jul 14, 2002 (07:16)", "body": "(((Wolfie)))Sorry I haven't been around Julie, I haven't met you before ... but you are in my thoughts now."}, {"response": 24, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Aug 18, 2002 (21:30)", "body": "Don's cat of 20 years died today. I cleaned and put away her dishes while he buried her. She was a grey on grey tabby with slanted blue eyes. I am sorry I did not get a photo of her - but she looked pretty terrible while I knew her. I sent him a card and was here for him to hug when he wanted me to be. I guess that is all I can be! Suggestions?"}, {"response": 25, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Aug 18, 2002 (21:35)", "body": "Julie and Wolfie, My computer chose a really bad time to break down. I see you were in good hands with Brenda and Maggie and eachother. You know you have my love and concern always - and Hugs!"}, {"response": 26, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Aug 19, 2002 (09:34)", "body": "just to have patience (which you're full of) and to be there while he grieves and to remind him that he is allowed to. she lived to be a ripe old age too--never heard of cats living to be 20! *HUGS*"}, {"response": 27, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Aug 19, 2002 (13:10)", "body": "We're doing ok. Thanks, Wolfie. I have been sweeping and cleaning up evidences of her presence (masses of cat hair on the cellar steps and spilled kitty litter) so he will not have to do it. I worry about him being without her when I leave a week from today. *sigh* and I am going back to a very hostile HM. I am more than a little afraid."}, {"response": 28, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Aug 19, 2002 (13:16)", "body": "Sometimes nature takes cruelty to the maximum in allowing a critter to live as long as Kitty Girl did. She had long since stopped grooming herself and her hair was matted thickly. She was mostly skin and bones and her knees did not bend so when she lay down, she just did a soft fall sideways. I had discussed with Don the possibility of humane death for her and he said when she stopped appearing for supper, he would do so. She stopped late last week. He told me Saturday night that he thought she was dying. I agreed softly. Nothing else was said until he told me he was going to the basement yesterday. We both knew unspoken. He has plenty of hugs whenever he needs them! Thanks for being so understanding. This is a great topic, guys! Support at a time like this is all-important!"}, {"response": 29, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Sat, Aug 24, 2002 (11:35)", "body": "I thought I was getting better, but I am not. I keep having nightmares about Terry. I have them almost every night now. I keep seeing her every where I go. I still cry about it too. Like last night, I just started crying for no reason at all. I don't know what to do. I tried talking to people about it but its not helping. I still spend a lot of time with Allie. I hold her and play with her, but then I accidently call Terry's name instead without thinking. Then I start crying again. I don't think my friends or even my parents understand how much I am hurting inside. I think I have come to the conclusion that my heart is completly broken and it will not ever mend again."}, {"response": 30, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Aug 24, 2002 (15:57)", "body": "It will mend, honey, but those scars will always remind you of the pain of Terry's loss. Terry was your child - it makes sense to me! I am having pre-departing grief and I do not leave until Monday. I get hostile email from home and I am just about sick thinking of leaving here. I also worry that KittyGirl will not be here to keep him company. *SIGH*"}, {"response": 31, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Aug 24, 2002 (16:11)", "body": "*HUGS*"}, {"response": 32, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Sat, Aug 24, 2002 (16:16)", "body": "I'm sorry about KittyGirl, Marcia. Its so very hard. *sigh* Maybe you should show Don the rainbow bridge website. It may help him. It did help me a little. http://www.rainbowsbridge.com I hope every thing goes okay when you leave. I am keeping my fingers crossed. We are all here for you."}, {"response": 33, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Aug 24, 2002 (16:38)", "body": "Thanks Julie! I will seek refuge in my PC when not packing. I think Rainbow Bridge is for females. The male of the species does not admit to being so moved. Don seems like the sort who pushes that stuff out of his mind as much as possible, but I will leave notes to remind him. Thanks Guys! I know I will make it with all your hugs and concern."}, {"response": 34, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Thu, Aug 29, 2002 (01:40)", "body": "Why do scents fade away? I was cleaning the corner of my room today and I found the clothes I had worn on that aweful day. I had held Terry for so long in those clothes. I remember coming home and seeing haris and dirt all over my shirt and shorts. I decided I just counld't wash them so I folded them up that night and put them in a corner in my room. I took them out today and they don't smell like her scent anymore and I can't see any hairs anymore either. I suppose there is no point in not washing them anymore either."}, {"response": 35, "author": "cascadeclimber", "date": "Sat, Jan 18, 2003 (23:57)", "body": "Memories never fade. It was something I learned all too well yesturday. We stopped by at the vets office to pick up Allie's Heartgaurd. It was my first time going in the office since that hard day back in June. I was in there for 5 seconds and then I had to run out tears streaming down my face. I just couldn't handle it. Today though we went up to Calabases to the L.A Pet Park to see Terry. I had forgotten how beautiful and peaceful it was up there. We had a hard time finding Terry cause her marker was covered up with grass. Sean and I have decided that we will pitch in and get her a stone so it will be easier to find her amoung the hundreds of other pets in the memorail park there. While we were there, 8 other familes came to see their beloved pets. One guy even brought his dog. 7 months and still I feel like Terry has been gone a lifetime. How are you doing Wolfie?"}, {"response": 36, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Jan 20, 2003 (10:19)", "body": "I miss Bro every single day and still feel guilty for leaving him before the vet gave him the final shot. It was hard just to be in the room knowing he wasn't leaving with me. He has since visited a couple of times in my dreams and has forgiven me. But I still swear I hear him in the house. I don't even say his name around KoKo because I'm afraid she'll be sad too. And when I go to the vet for her, they still have Bro's name on our file with the word \"deceased\" next to it. I hate seeing that. *HUGS*"}, {"response": 37, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Apr 21, 2003 (23:29)", "body": "the guilt has returned. of course, it could be part of PMS, since i am feeling vulnerable right now. I MISS BRO!!! i feel selfish for walking out on him and for also letting him suffer as long as i did. i want him back really bad, maybe so i can tell him i'm sorry. i know i'm on the verge of losing kokomo too (she's 13 now). she doesn't act like she's in any pain but i know it's hard for her to get up. what am i going to do with her gone too? it's a rhetorical question, i know the answer. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 53, "subject": "Fish", "response_count": 0, "posts": []}, {"num": 54, "subject": "Aquariums", "response_count": 0, "posts": []}, {"num": 55, "subject": "Stolen Pets", "response_count": 3, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 26, 2002 (20:51)", "body": "And here is a posting I received from the Parrot Society of Los Angeles: ........ From: Joshuableu@aol.com Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 20:17:25 EDT Subject: Please help Dear Bird Friends in Colorado; I am writing to all of you because I need help from bird lovers in Colorado. I live in Scottsdale, AZ. In December the following story will be detailed in two avain publications and and a major animal health magazine. I am writing this letter to ask for any help, in any manner possible, with the recovery of my 4-year-old Hyacinth Macaw, 'Sophia.' My family was out of town the weekend of July 25, 2002. During that time someone we know came into our home and took our pet with the intention of making quick cash from the sale. The police were contacted. The bird was quickly sold to a bird wholesaler (Bird Finder, Inc. in Scottsdale, AZ) who in turn sold the bird to a man identified as Brian Staples. Sophia was shipped via Continental Airlines to Brian Staples in Camp Hill, PA. Mr. Staples supposedly had a traveling animal show and also owned, Staples Safari and Animal Rescue in Washington State. Sophia can now be seen on his web site at www.staplessafari.com (She is the large blue bird on peoples shoulders). Within three days (7/30/02) I traced Brian Staples to a telephone number in California. I spoke to Mr. Staples on the telephone and at that moment he wholeheartedly agreed to return Sophia after hearing she was our family pet. During that conversation he went so far as to ask to be considered the bird's 'godfather.' Brian Staples was extremely nice and understanding of the situation. Bird Finder, Inc. agreed and continues to agree to refund all his money, $7,000. For twenty days the phone number to reach Mr. Staples (310-717-1324) was not been functional. The outgoing message stated that the voice mailbox was full. Suddenly, on Thursday (8/29/02) Mr. Staples' telephone accepted a message. I left a message for Brian Staples. He now wants $12,000 ransom for the safe return of the bird. He would not listen to reason on the telephone but only said the bird was \"under contract\" and he would sell her back for $12,000. He claims to have a receipt but a receipt on stolen merchandise is null and void. I have documentation to support what I say above including; purchase receipt for the bird, pictures, a DNA test and a signed confession by the person who took her from our home. I am not trying to slander or defame any of the people I mention in this letter. I am only stating the facts of this matter. Sophia is a CITES 1 legislated bird and because of such I have been able to contact the FBI. They have no idea where Mr. Staples is at this time. Two days ago I was mailed a recording of a recent conversation between the thief who took the bird and Brian Staples. Brian Staples clearly states in the conversation that \"....if I continue to harass him he will kill the bird and send her back to me in a box.\" DIRECT QUOTE. Since birds have very recently come under the jurisdiction of the U.S.D.A. and since Mr. Staples has a U.S.D.A. license my attorney has forwarded to them a transcript indicating potential harm to an endangered species. Since that time Mr. Staples has also made the claim to harm the bird to the owner of BirdFinder. Lastly, I have a very, very, very heartbroken 7-year-old who has helped raise Sophia. I am not threatening or harassing anyone, I am asking Mr. Staples not to harm her pet and return this bird as a kindhearted gesture of his good will and to end a child's pain. I have just found out that Brian Staples is in Colorado with his traveling animal show. He has 5 monkeys, birds, reptiles, etc. He does shows at county fairs, state fairs and the like. His show may be called Staples Safari or Animal Magic. I need to know if anyone has seen a circus, fair or show in the Colorado area that had a Hyacinth Macaw. THAT IS MY MACAW. Please feel free to circulate this e-mail to all bird lovers in your area, I really need your help locating Mr. Staples and my bird. Thank you for your time and please feel free to call me if you have any questions. Dave Bartlett Home (480) 488-4700 Fax (480) 488-4240 Cell (480) 703-2345 ................................. here is a link to see what a hyacinth macaw looks like in case you see one at any of your local fairs: http://www.blackstone-aviaries.com/hypage.html"}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 26, 2002 (20:52)", "body": "another note on the hyacinths: there were several stolen from a local boarder and the owners have posted a reward for their safe return (upwards of $20,000)."}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Sep 29, 2002 (18:24)", "body": "and the truth comes out about \"Sophia\" the \"stolen\" Hyacinth Macaw: September 27, 2002 Ray Ghassemi Bird Finder Inc., 7024 W. Sweetwater Scottsdale, Az 85254 To Whom It May Concern: Re: The true account of David Bartlett\ufffds alleged stolen Hyacinth Macaw. Mr. David Barlett and his partner Mr. Donavon Gilbreath purchased a four year old Hyacinth Macaw from Bird Finder Inc. approximately a year and a half ago. At the time of the purchase, they both came to pick up the bird. Mr. Barlett told the staff of Bird Finder Inc. that he is buying the bird for Mr. Donavon as a Christmas gift. On July 25, 2002, Mr. Donavon sold the bird back to Bird Finder Inc. and immediately Bird Finder Inc. in turn sold the bird to Mr. Brian Staples, dba Animal Planet. A few weeks later Mr. Barlett claimed that Mr. Donavon stole the bird from him and he wants Bird Finder Inc. to return him the bird. Bird Finder Inc. immediately contacted Mr. Donavon and Mr. Staples regarding the alleged issue. In the meantime Bird Finder Inc. put a stop payment of the check that was made to Mr. Gilbreath. However, Mr. Gilbreath told Bird Finder Inc. that the bird was a gift from Mr. Barlett and he has every right to sell the bird. The whole story of the stolen Hyacinth was a fabrication by two emotionally involved partners of a relationship turned sour. Mr. Barlett and Mr. Gilbreath are now \ufffdpartners\ufffd again and have acted in cohort in fabricating the rumor that someone else has stolen the bird and sold it to Bird Finder Inc. Mr. Gilbreath has asked Bird Finder Inc. to lie about the stolen bird to the police. Bird Finder Inc. flatly refused to do so. Bird Finder Inc. has been in business since 1994 and has never bought any questionable bird from any individual or questionable sources. Bird Finder Inc. was told by Mr. Staples that if Mr. Bartlett and his partner Mr. Gilbreath want the bird back he is willing to sell the bird for $12,000.00. Bird Finder Inc. is willing to mediate between the parties to resolve the issue. Bird Finder Inc. would like to state on the record that the sale and purchase of the bird was properly conducted and there were relevant sale and purchase agreements for the transactions. The malicious e-mails spread around on the Internet by Mr. Barlett are damaging the reputation of Bird Finder Inc., as well as Mr. Brian Staples. Bird Finder Inc. may institute legal action against Mr. Barlett and Mr. Gilbreath. Meanwhile, Bird Finder Inc. would appreciate that all in the bird communities would stop circulating the malicious e-mail without first investigate the truth. Bird Finder Inc. would be happy to clarify any question or doubt regarding the alleged stolen Hyacinth Macaw. Sincerely, ___________ Ray Ghassemi Bird Finder Inc. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 56, "subject": "Careers in Working With Wolves", "response_count": 5, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "terry", "date": "Tue, Sep 30, 2003 (12:59)", "body": "Waiting for the resident wolfologist to answer this one."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  3, 2003 (19:03)", "body": "krystal, it depends on how you want to work with wolves--in the wild, rehabilitation, captivity. for the most part, to lead such research endeavors, an education is required--at least to get grants and so forth, and some credibility. tell me what your education level is and in which direction you were headed with working with wolves (so broad)."}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  3, 2003 (19:07)", "body": "terry, please move this topic (copy and paste or such) into springark topic 11 Animal Specialty Careers (wolf). krystal, a topic already exists for these kinds of discussions. please continue in the springark conference topic 11 - http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/SpringArk/11"}, {"response": 4, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  3, 2003 (19:11)", "body": "i've already copied and pasted the entire posting over to Springark 11. I'll give Krystal a chance to respond before deleting this topic. (no big deal, sometimes we just need to keep our conferences from getting huge with repeat topics)"}, {"response": 5, "author": "terry", "date": "Sun, Oct  5, 2003 (07:05)", "body": "Topic frozen SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 57, "subject": "Rhino's", "response_count": 1, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Oct 21, 2003 (18:39)", "body": "S.Africa and Mozambique Bust Rhino Poaching Gang Mon October 20, 2003 11:24 AM ET JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa said Monday it had smashed a cross-border gang of rhino poachers in a joint operation with neighboring Mozambique, but the incidents have raised concerns about security in a planned transfrontier park. The first incident occurred in early September, when a heavily pregnant female rhino was found shot dead with her horn removed in South Africa's famed Kruger National Park, the country's Environment Ministry said in a statement. Then earlier this month, two white rhino adult males were shot dead and had their horns hacked off by poachers. South African officials linked up with their counterparts in Mozambique -- which shares a 200-mile border with the Kruger Park -- and tracked the suspects into Mozambique to a base where four rhino horns were confiscated. Six Mozambican men have been arrested by Mozambican police in connection with the poachings. \"Investigation into ... her rhino poaching incidents in the same area over the past two years, is likely to lead toward more arrests,\" South Africa's Environment Ministry said. South African Environment Minister Valli Moosa said the cross-border cooperation should assuage security fears surrounding the planned creation of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which will include South Africa's Kruger and reserves in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. \"It is this sort of operation that proves that the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park will become a sanctuary against poachers for Africa's precious wildlife,\" Moosa said. But animal rights activists have questioned the wisdom of tearing down fences along Kruger's border with Mozambique before proper anti-poaching units are set up. \"The fact of the matter is that those animals are dead so there is still a long way to go,\" said Jason Bell-Leask, the regional director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Rhino horn is prized in many parts of Asia for its supposed medicinal qualities and in the Arab state of Yemen, where it is used to make traditional dagger handles. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 58, "subject": "Purple Martins", "response_count": 3, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Feb 21, 2007 (18:39)", "body": "My husband and I have been landlords for these sweeties for approx 8 years (though not all in one place). We had a 2 year break when we moved to LA and couldn't put up a house. About 5 years, we had purple martins in our backyard in Louisiana and now, in Texas, we've had a box for about 3 years. Our first siting of our colony was yesterday, 20 Feb and they reclaimed their house. We had a colony the same year we put the house up and we did that late in the season. I'll be posting pics and links when I get a chance."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Mar 29, 2007 (18:23)", "body": "we have 3 pair in our house. already had to kick out a sparrow. the sparrow had an egg so we carefully moved the entire nest to a new site but they decided to move back into the martin box and started rebuilding their nest. will have to go up there again. martin housing should only have martin colonies. sparrows will hound the martins for space and sometimes this causes the colonies to leave (depending on the level of harrassment)."}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Tue, Apr  3, 2007 (18:36)", "body": "we tried to remove the sparrow housing again but already 2 new eggs were laid so we put everything back. those sparrows are like rabbits *grin* SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 6, "subject": "Should landlords allow pets?", "response_count": 15, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (17:50)", "body": "What about folks who WON'T take care of their children? That is a bigger annoyance, yet you are not allowed to discriminate against them for having children. Somewhere, sometime, accountability must come back into the picture and pets as well as children will be welcome additions to the mix. Nothing is more dreary than an elderly facility with neither of them..."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:21)", "body": "that's why landlords don't allow children nor pets in some places. i think a clause should be in the contracts that say you can have pets but if they aren't taken care of, the animal shelter will be called and charges will be filed. damages should be payed for by the tenant. (don't wanna go there with kids, because some people act like they're pets as in: oh, lookit how cute they are, i want one and then when they lose the cuteness, don't want to have anything to do with them and i could just go off)"}, {"response": 3, "author": "terry", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:52)", "body": "I've been allowing pets at my place in Cedar Creek, but sometimes it results in proglems, for example Anita and her cats brought fleas, I had to do an expensive flea treatment. And Helen's cat shits on the floor and she doesn't know how to clean it up. And now I have a lady with two dogs about to bring them Sunday and she says they might eat cats. Sometimes I think it's foolish to allow pets, because of these kinds of situations but I haven't drawn the line yet."}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:14)", "body": "You are a very patient man, Terry (or else these ladies are to die for)...no amount of damage is worth the grief of having to recify it yourself. If they cannot take proper care of their animals (to health department standards), they should have to make the choice of buying their own housing (usually out of the question) or visiting an animal elsewhere. I am very cold-blooded about this because I have had stuff ruined by other people's animals, and they do not seem to care!"}, {"response": 5, "author": "terry", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:44)", "body": "It's resolving itself because Tess is moving out (the lady with the two cat eating dogs) and Helen is moving out in another month. She has a dog she calls a \"sharpei\" or something and and aging cat that can't keep in togetgher in the house and \"marks\" it's territory. The Persian cat in Sylvia's room is no problem, it's well trained and a scaredy cat."}, {"response": 6, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:48)", "body": "In Germany they take your animals away, if you don't care for them as you should. You can call an Animal Right Club or the animal shelter, if you witness somebody who does wrong ( like beating or neglecting), they will look after it, and if neccesary, take the animals with them. This does not happen seldom!"}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (00:52)", "body": "That is a great idea, Isabel! Wish we had such compassion here. Terry, I am delighted your problems will resolve themselves for you - my favorite way to deal with things!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "stacey", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (10:11)", "body": "Great idea indeed Isabel and in some counties that is an acceptable and working program... too bad it's more difficult to demand children get proper treatment in some cases! (i could go off too Wolfie!)"}, {"response": 9, "author": "aschuth", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (12:18)", "body": "The dog could be a Shai Pei, a chinese breed. Terry, that's a difficult question you pose, because as life-long tennant, I'd say \"Yeah, any time!\". But then, there's the investment and peace in the place to consider. Most landlords draw the line at small pets (fish, birds, guinea pigs, etc.), and ban cats and dogs. Dogs are the main cause for trouble. Many owners may not believe this, but a lot canines go mad barking (possibly because they are barking mad) when their people leave the flat. Miraculously, they stop the terror as soon as they hear the car's engine coming back. Cats and dogs can both do serious damage to wooden doors and windows, even wooden floor-boards. If you rent out with wall-to-wall carpeting and furnished, that's arguments against pets. You can either calculate that cost into the rent, or check if everything is left intact after the tennant moved out - before handing back a certain deposit they made at the biginning of their renting term there (remember - deposits must be invested securely so they gain interest from it!)."}, {"response": 10, "author": "terry", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (16:28)", "body": "Good advice and thanks for the spell check. Like I say, it's resolving itself since Tess, a lovely woman, found herself a new place. I have two home networking guys moving in who work at http://www.rizer.com who don't have any pets. And Helen is moving out at the end of October. She got her own land and is moving a house there."}, {"response": 11, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (03:29)", "body": "I think it is just not fair on dogs to keep them in a flat. Walking them once a day isn't enough."}, {"response": 12, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (03:13)", "body": "Hi all. Twelve years ago I was living on my own and feeling rather lonely and decided I wanted a dog and was ready to take responsability for it. I lived in a flat, and didn't have regular hours, so I thought \"small dog\", although the only dogs I knew I liked were big ones. I bought a Yorkshire Terrier, a small dog who thinks it is a big one. I house-trained him like a cat so I didn't have to worry about not being able to take him out for long periods during the day (and night). Still, when he got really bored and nervous about my absence, he would pee on my books... I agree that if you rent a furnished place owning a pet should be out (or vice-versa) or you should be prepared to pay for the damage done."}, {"response": 13, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (03:32)", "body": "You're right. Having a pet is a bit like having a kid. You have to be prepared to take the same kind of responsibility for the damage they can cause, otherwise you'll have a real hard time dealing with them."}, {"response": 14, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (17:26)", "body": "...and so will everyone else!"}, {"response": 15, "author": "riette", "date": "Sat, Oct  2, 1999 (02:36)", "body": "yep! SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 7, "subject": "Got Pets?", "response_count": 15, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:13)", "body": "got two dogs and a bird. luv 'em!!"}, {"response": 2, "author": "terry", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:52)", "body": "Just roommates with pets. That keeps me occupied."}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:20)", "body": "A cat O'O adopted who is NOT allowed into the house."}, {"response": 4, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (07:38)", "body": "You poor thing. It must be terrible being allergic - especially when one is a kid. I mean ALL kids want pets at some point or other to cuddle, and fish - well, they're hard to cuddle."}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (16:53)", "body": "That's ok...I cuddled my cats when I was a kid and they ended up sending me to speech class because my nose was always stuffed and I could not say my name properly...came out Barcia Hebbidg...so I got sent to speech class to learn how to blow my nose?! Was interesting."}, {"response": 6, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (17:54)", "body": "!!"}, {"response": 7, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (18:09)", "body": "Your school board tax dollars at work..!!"}, {"response": 8, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (03:24)", "body": "LOL Marcia! I've had pets all my life but my parents were the responsable adults caring for them. Patas, my yorkie, is my real first. He is almost 12 years old and he's saved my life a few times just by being there when I was very depressed."}, {"response": 9, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (14:17)", "body": "Perhaps I should replace the depressing dictatorial male here with a compassionate four-legged one. I would feel better protected and I could do...whatever I wanted."}, {"response": 10, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (14:18)", "body": "Of course, I would have to change my name to something without M's and N's in it..."}, {"response": 11, "author": "patas", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (03:02)", "body": "(Marcia) Of course, I would have to change my name to something without M's and N's in it... Why? You'd also have to get rid of your allergies... and fears..."}, {"response": 12, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (03:35)", "body": "Is there no form of medication that one can take to keep the allergy away? A friend of mine's daughter is allergic to lots of things, pollen, cats, dogs, rabbits, everything. But she was desperate for a pet, so my friend bought her a bunny. Sure enough she was allergic. But then we got the idea of letting her inhale at night before she goes to bed, and that seems to be helping a good deal. It's been 4 weeks, and she is doing pretty good - the bunny too."}, {"response": 13, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (16:49)", "body": "just keep the bunny out of her room..."}, {"response": 14, "author": "riette", "date": "Sat, Oct  2, 1999 (02:37)", "body": "Yes, that must help. The bunny isn't allowed into her bedroom or on furniture. But it's a SWEET bunny!"}, {"response": 15, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, May 13, 2000 (16:11)", "body": "Pet Connection - Saturday, May 13, 2000 Brewer's yeast for fleas? The stuff has been touted as a \"natural\" cure for years, but if you're counting on it to handle an infestation of the pests, you'll likely be very disappointed. Whether given as a food supplement or sprinkled on the pet as a flea-deterrent, the best you can say about brewer's yeast is that it probably won't do your pet any harm. Alas, it won't do the fleas any harm, either. I'm surprised that I still get so many letters about fleas. I remember the days when I put on rubber gloves to dip my pets monthly in chemicals that smelled so strongly they triggered my asthma -- and still, we had fleas! But with the newer products available from veterinarians, Frontline and Advantage (among others), I can honestly say I haven't seen a flea in years. PETS ON THE WEB Pedigreed cats are fairly rare, with some experts guessing that less than 10 percent of all pet cats are of a recogniz- able breed. And while most people would recognize a Persian or Siamese, few would likely be able to identify by sight most of the dozens of other breeds that pop up at cat shows. Learning about these breeds is a kick, and one of the best places to start is the Fanciers Breeder Referral List (www.breedlist.com). This incredibly well-organized and easy -to-use site is clearly a labor of love by cat fancier Barbara French, who has done a real service to anyone look- ing for information about any breed of cat. I could barely click away from this super Web site! I especially liked the push for the adoption of retired show cats, and the links to breed-focused e-mail groups. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 8, "subject": "Captivity", "response_count": 49, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "terry", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (19:54)", "body": "They're about to pass legislation banning elephants from cicuses. Circuses won't be teh same, but I can see why such large animals would be hard to care for on the road. I wonder woat the rationale is and who is behind this?"}, {"response": 2, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:53)", "body": "I don't go to circuses, I can't see how the animals are treated there. A baby-giraffe in a disco-spotlight? Can't have it!"}, {"response": 3, "author": "wolf", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (20:58)", "body": "elephants are social animals. the isolation is enough to make any critter lose it. plus, trainers are not trained to treat such a large animal (or small)with respect. think it boils down to education and compassion. i've not been to a circus in ages. not even the ones that pass through here. really don't care for them."}, {"response": 4, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 23, 1999 (21:49)", "body": "Absolutely hate circuses. Don't like clowns and the animals are so sad, and the freak show is revolting. Other than that...they're ok...! I think circuses are a guy thing."}, {"response": 5, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (07:43)", "body": "I love love love the circus. The animals are rather sad, so I think it's good if they have legislation against that. The horses seem to enjoy themselves a good deal though. And I love those juggling acts and the contortionists and trapeze acts. Clowns are naff things though - they should dress them up as animals and make them take the elephants' place; that would be far more entertaining than blowing whistles and hooting hooters and pretending to fall over their own feet."}, {"response": 6, "author": "Isabel", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (08:16)", "body": "We've got one big Circus in Europe called Roncalli (Isn't that even a Swiss one, Riette?), which doesn't have exotic animals, just horses, dogs, cats and even ferrets! That's a nice one! Many of the little circuses think they must have exotic animals to be interesting, but they don't have the money to feed them and they are not even able to handle them right. At one of the circuses visiting our little village (and if they come here, they have to be REALLY little)I saw them beating up the camels and then wondering why the poor animals got so embarrassed!"}, {"response": 7, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (03:33)", "body": "Roncalli? I've not heard of that one actually, Isabel. The only famous Swiss circus I know of is Knie. Apart from them we get the Connelli and another one, but I never go to those; nothing happens. Knie is excellent though. The best circus I've ever seen was the Boswell Wilky, an African circus with a VERY african feel. Lots of music and dancing and stuff."}, {"response": 8, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (09:15)", "body": "Circus owners and bookers are generally fly-by-night shady operators with no compassion for either the people or animals in their employ. Six or seven years ago in Honolulu, a circus came to town with an African elephant named Tyke. Tyke had rampaged and in three or four cities before, including Syracuse and Dayton (the circus had covered that fact up, but one of the Honolulu dailies uncovered it), and had to be tranquilized, but the circus did not take her out of service. Tyke snapped again, trampled er trainer to death and went on a rampage through town, breaking the leg of one of the publicists who tried to shut a chain link fence on her (DUH) and making a beeline for the state's largest shopping center, Ala Moana. Honolulu police didn't have tranquilizer guns (and for some reason, neither did the circus). HPD also didn't have a large enough caliber weapon to kill Tyke, so they pumped round after round into her with riot guns and .45 service revolvers, taking 20 minutes to bring her down and anoth r 20-30 minutes to kill her while hundreds, including dozens of traumatized children, watched. If that isn't reason enough to outlaw circus animals, I don't know what is. Also, dolphins in captive \"swim with humans\" programs have also been known to act agressively and unpredictably. Humans love being the lords and masters of all we survey, but I don't believe that God put these magnificent creatures on Earth for our amusement."}, {"response": 9, "author": "stacey", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (12:05)", "body": "A-men"}, {"response": 10, "author": "riette", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (13:18)", "body": "I also don't think wild animals should be in circusses - it is cruel. Circusses would be just as much fun without them; humans at least enjoy putting on spectacular performances."}, {"response": 11, "author": "terry", "date": "Mon, Sep 27, 1999 (14:40)", "body": "They had a big story on this on Dateline NBC last night. They have these big metal hooks they poke the elephants with and some trainers just beat the elephants up because they're having a rough day and the elephants dont' talk back. Well they do, actually. After years of abuse some elephants go berserk and are often shot to death to stop them. But they are responding to all the abuse. There were a lot of graphic scenes of trainers whipping and beating the elephants with big sticks. The biggest problem is that they have to confined in boxcars and cages so much of their lives, and are only let out when they have to perform stupid tricks they're not in to doing. They did do justices to the ohter side and showed some examples of good treatment."}, {"response": 12, "author": "riette", "date": "Tue, Sep 28, 1999 (04:08)", "body": "$hit, I wouldn't beat up an elephant, even if a bus ran over my big toe."}, {"response": 13, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (17:02)", "body": "John, I well remember the Tyke incident. Terrible. Again, I say I can't stand circuses. Cirque de Soliel (spelled wrong, I know...) is only the two-legged variety of performer, if I recall correctly. Has anyone seen it?"}, {"response": 14, "author": "wolf", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (17:55)", "body": "nope but heard of it..."}, {"response": 15, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (21:17)", "body": "Cirque du Soleil is a wonderful performing troupe...I don't even really think of it as a circus. I antagonized my boss at the radio station a few years back when I refused to ride on the back of an elephant in a parade through town. Captain Craig Kamahele did it instead (he admitted afterwards how scared he was). Tyke rampaged a year later. I went to that boss (now deceased) and told him he owed me an apology. He died without giving it to me."}, {"response": 16, "author": "patas", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (03:45)", "body": "How about bullfights? Every summer now (since 2 or 3 years ago) there is much discussion in Portugal because a small border village has its traditional festivities which include bullfights in the spanish style, with the bull being killed in the arena, although this is forbidden by portuguese law. They discuss whether to stop this forcefully or pass a special law for this village alone, and in the end do nothing. The hypocrisy of it all angers me. I hate all bullfights and all animal suffering, be it for \"entertainment\" or \"scientific\" purposes. I usually and consciously play the ostrich about it, though, bury my head in the sand to not see, because I get too sick when I must face it."}, {"response": 17, "author": "stacey", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (09:39)", "body": "Regarding the Cirque... I've seen 'Quidam' and 'O' live I've seen 'Mystere' and part of another (the name I cannot remember) on television. Gosh... incredible and enthralling are probably the most appropriate adjectives to describe the Cirque. Mystifying and engaging... Amazing... and yes, animal circuses tend to make me ill... as did the last trip to the zoo. The tigers had to share a habitat pen so they had these teeny 'cages' and then for a couple of hours everyday, they were put out in the 'habitat' (also very tiny). With all the animals sharing, most tigers spent the whole time just pissing to mark it as their territory again. Except for one tiger... he just kept licking the plexiglass... neurotic behavior, brought on by captivity..."}, {"response": 18, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Thu, Sep 30, 1999 (14:22)", "body": "How incredibly sad...!"}, {"response": 19, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (03:40)", "body": "I've seen the Soleil - they're FABULOUS!! Zoos here are absolutely appalling - even though THEY think they're doing a great job. I don't understand how they can take lions out of africa and stick them in a zoo; in Namibia, as in most african countries, there are SEVERAL rehabilitation programmes for orphaned wilde animals - there is no excuse for sending them to zoos. Cats are hunters - you take the hunting away from him, you might as well kill him. It's like taking away a person's Think."}, {"response": 20, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (05:42)", "body": "Zoos may be a necessary evil if we want to preserve animal species, but keep encroaching on their habitat. But circus, making animals \"entertain\" humans and locking them up in small cages instead of large outdoor habitats is absolutely cruel. And as much as I love Hemingway, I hate bullfights and cheer for the bulls when the testosterone-overloaded morons run with them in the streets of Pamplona."}, {"response": 21, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (10:48)", "body": "Zoos should hold those animals which are growing extinct, not lions and zebras and giraffes. Those animals HAVE a home - zoos make them into a circus act of another kind."}, {"response": 22, "author": "mrchips", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (11:34)", "body": "Good point."}, {"response": 23, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (16:55)", "body": "this is true, but many people never get to see these animals in reality to understand what they're about. this is why i like busch gardens and their open habitats. the zoo in san antonio made me sick. i paid 8 bucks to keep these animals in concrete. it's education. that's what it boils down to. and to understand and have compassion. this is also why i'd like to work in a zoo. but zoos these days are all politics. i met an animal behaviorist (just what i want to do) who worked in the san diego zoo and he said he had to quit because he couldn't deal with the b-s anymore."}, {"response": 24, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (17:35)", "body": "My ex began as an animal behaviorist but could not stomach the stuff they wanted him to do to the test animals just to find out things we do not need to know. Somewhere, somehow, rational people who cannot stand animal abuse must confront these things where they happen and promote legislation to outlaw them. It is just so hard to get anything going...and not be tossed off as an environmental whacko!"}, {"response": 25, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (19:26)", "body": "well, just like some folks like math and others english, there are people people and animal people. i am of the latter, for sure. there are some things i condone that some of these radical protestors would be infuriated over. you know, stuff like eating meat! wearing fur coats if you can't get a synthetic coat (i.e., native peoples), hunting but only if you eat what you hunt, etc. everything in moderation, you know? people just want to belong to something and then lose their mind in the middle of a \"herd\" movement. for this reason, i am against greenpeace, who promote violence in their efforts to help animals, and abortion clinic protestors who kill the doctors."}, {"response": 26, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Oct  1, 1999 (23:50)", "body": "Amen!!! I could not have said it any better. I agree totally with what you say and your reasons for it. Moderation - whatever happened to it?! Sorry to post this herem but we need to get the word out as widely as possible - and your conferences seem to be busy (hey, I am a host here, too!!! Yippee!) If you value Spring and the discussions herein (not to mention the venting going on), do you realize this is Terry's web site for which he pays all the bills? Please, it is time to help with any donation you can afford. He has some pretty big bills to pay and he needs your (and my) help to sustain all of the stuff we are posting. Think if he had to cut back and eliminate some of - or all of - the conferences?! Please! Send contributions to: Paul Terry Walhus The Spring 9011 Quail Creek Dr Austin, TX 78758"}, {"response": 27, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Feb  9, 2000 (16:38)", "body": "Lawmakers Try to Ban Elephants at Circuses TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - The death of a Florida elephant trainer and the subsequent killing of the elephant responsible prompted two state lawmakers to file bills on Tuesday to ban the animals from most traveling circuses. Citing repeated incidents of abuse and the deaths of six people from elephant stompings since 1989, Rep. Curt Levine, a Democrat from Boca Raton, called on fellow lawmakers to ban elephant rides at circuses or traveling shows and prohibit the confinement of elephants for more than 36 hours at a time. The latest death occurred Jan. 26 when an 18-year-old, 4,500-pound (2,025 kg) female African elephant named Kenya killed Teresa Ramos-Caballero, 52, at the Ramos family's compound in a rural area near Tampa. On Saturday Kenya was found dead of undetermined causes. A criminal investigation was launched. ``These animals are perceived to be money makers for circuses,'' Levine said. ``But these attractions have enough else going on ... I think the shows would be better (without them).'' The measure also would prohibit the participation of elephants younger than 7 in circus performances and would ban the importation of elephants into Florida unless they spend 300 days a year within the state. Sen. Daryl Jones, a Miami Democrat, filed a companion bill in the state Senate. Animal rights activists have blamed occasional outbursts of violence from elephants on abusive training techniques that leave the massive animals wary and dangerous. ``The incidents we see are the direct result of abusive training,'' Pat Derby, director of the California-based Performing Arts Welfare Society, said."}, {"response": 28, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar  3, 2000 (14:11)", "body": "Just seen a news thingy that three camels have been remanded in custody in Russia en route to some Zoo or other. Apparently their papers are not in order. The Russian Ministry of Agriculture has demanded they put down. I find this incredible."}, {"response": 29, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar  3, 2000 (14:39)", "body": "were the camels on their way to a zoo in russia? i hope not, how would they stand the cold? granted it gets cold in the desert but not THAT cold..... i'm not surprised that they were held because of not having the proper papers. animals as well as plants can be smuggled with the false pretense of going to zoo or someone's garden. the plants i ordered from gurney's came in with a statement right on the package about them being legally obtained and stuff."}, {"response": 30, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Mar  3, 2000 (14:39)", "body": "thanks maggie, that's the first i've heard of it (haven't been watching the news like i should)"}, {"response": 31, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Fri, Mar  3, 2000 (15:08)", "body": "I think they were en route to somewhere else. I'll let you know if I hear anything."}, {"response": 32, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (16:39)", "body": "I found the newsitem. No further news. Three camels from Kazakhstan have been ordered to be destroyed after spending weeks in Belarus, held up by bureaucratic wrangling. The camels were bought last year by a zoo in the Czech Republic and were being delivered overland through Russia. But when they reached Belarus, the authorities said their papers were not in order. Eventually, the only zoo in the country agreed to give them a home. But then the Belarus Agriculture Ministry stepped in, and said the animals must be killed, because of the danger of disease. Belarus State Television was outraged, calling the decision barbaric and pointing out no ministry vet had even examined the camels. Customs officers refused to carry out the death sentence, and officials say a final decision will now be made on Friday. From the newsroom of the BBC World Service"}, {"response": 33, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (17:42)", "body": "Please keep us notified as to the result of the final decision. Terrible stuff!"}, {"response": 34, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (21:45)", "body": "no, all they have to do is quarantine them and get them examined by a vet. why do people think it's easier to destroy them than to deal with them. see, if i had room and lots of money, all the wayward beasts would be safe in my menagerie."}, {"response": 35, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (21:58)", "body": "There is a lady in Virginia who was on Discovery Channel who does that with old circus animals and all of those sorts of lovely creatures. I can just see all 4 feet of you tall trying to lady-handle elephants and camels!"}, {"response": 36, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sat, Mar  4, 2000 (22:04)", "body": "all it takes is a kind word and gentleness (i firmly believe that)"}, {"response": 37, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (14:15)", "body": "I don't think I'll try! *lol*"}, {"response": 38, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (15:47)", "body": "Wolfie, you are such a tender morsel you'd better have me hanging onto your feet just in case they are putting you on!"}, {"response": 39, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (16:22)", "body": "haha!!"}, {"response": 40, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (16:23)", "body": "i also believe they sense the inner you and know the kind of soul you are, so if you have a gentle soul, the better time you'll have with the wild things! (and a dose of healthy respect doesn't hurt either)...i wouldn't throw myself in with lions thinking saying \"here kitty kitty\" would prevent them from eating me! *lol*"}, {"response": 41, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (17:25)", "body": "Good! I shall rest easier knowing you are not gonna play Daniel in the Lion's Den. My house male loved ALL dogs until we were canvassing door to door to get people to register for the upcoming election last year. We were met by a land-shark (Doberman) who sword-swallowed his little umbrella and came for the arm attached. Fortuately we made it to the far end of the chain before the dog did and we never looked back. I no longer do door to door stuff for anyone!"}, {"response": 42, "author": "wolf", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (19:06)", "body": "*lol* he was doing his job, marcia! *haha* i don't blame you, if you see such a dog chained up in the front, don't chance going to the door!"}, {"response": 43, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Sun, Mar  5, 2000 (19:28)", "body": "Yup! I think he had just eaten the Welcome Wagon Lady and was looking for dessert. I do not get anywhere near strange dogs anymore. Out here Pit Bull mixes are big favs amongst the Pakalolo growers!"}, {"response": 44, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (13:06)", "body": "they make good guard dogs but because of their breeding (dobermans included) they are more aggressive even with gentle handling...."}, {"response": 45, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (13:31)", "body": "...and I understand from their owners that they are one-person dogs. So much for a family dog!"}, {"response": 46, "author": "wolf", "date": "Mon, Mar  6, 2000 (13:36)", "body": "with brains as small as theirs, i can see why...."}, {"response": 47, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, May 10, 2000 (16:54)", "body": "Drunken Raccoon Czechs In - Stowaway Lived on Beer and Dog Chow V I E N N A, May 9 \ufffd The stowaway arrived in the Czech Republic with a nasty hangover. The illegal was apprehended by the authorities \ufffd but not without a fight. But instead of being sent back on the first ship out, he\ufffds become a star. Meet Vaclav, the raccoon who survived for weeks on beer and dog food. Did it Come With Cable? \ufffdHe was one lucky raccoon,\ufffd says Vladimir Thichor, head of the animal clinic in Pardubice. \ufffdIf that consignment of beer had not been on board, he would not have lasted three days.\ufffd Vaclav \ufffd named by Czechs with a wink at their ex-dissident President Vaclav Havel, another great survivor \ufffd traveled in a container all the way from Canada to the East Bohemian town of Pardubice, deep in the provinces. He probably crept in for a free meal when the container was being loaded in Toronto. But when the door closed, he was trapped for more than three weeks. Vaclav tore into the packs of dry dog-food, then looked for something to quench his thirst. Something told him to sink his sharp teeth into a six pack, and from that moment on, Vaclav was one happy puppy. So to speak. Didn\ufffdt Want to Leave As a result, when the container was opened, Vaclav did not want to come out: he had found beastie bliss. Two policemen specially trained in the capture of vicious animals were called in. Clad in protective suits and armed with gladiator nets, the team spent two hours trapping the rancorous raccoon, who fought them tooth and claw all the way to his allotted cage. There, he sulked in a corner and slept it off, suffering the raccoon equivalent of cold turkey. Nor was he charmed when he was given a bath to wash the beer residue out of his matted coat. Vaclav is now the darling of the Czech media. The Pardubice animal clinic\ufffds phone has been jammed with calls offering him a home. Director Thichor, however, was not moved by the outpouring of sentiment. \ufffdA raccoon is not a family pet,\ufffd he said. \ufffdVaclav will go to a zoo where everyone can come and see him \ufffd and where we will try to find him a mate.\ufffd Now if he could just get a television and a six pack ..."}, {"response": 48, "author": "CherylB", "date": "Thu, May 11, 2000 (17:14)", "body": "Don't forget the remote to go with the television. He's just a regular guy, albeit a bit furry."}, {"response": 49, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Mon, May 15, 2000 (12:27)", "body": "Yup! Gotta keep 'um occupied. SpringArk conference Main Menu"}]}, {"num": 9, "subject": "Species Over or Under Population", "response_count": 6, "posts": [{"response": 1, "author": "terry", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (00:56)", "body": "Austin has a couple of endangerd birds, the golden spotted warbler and another one, that keep the city council and the develpers in turmoil. If a pair were to have sex on your land and you are a developer you might as well pack it up, cause you ain't developin' no more. Barton Springs has it's endanged salamander. Bastrop has endangerd toads. They built toad tunnels under the county highways but the snakes moved in and the idea backfired."}, {"response": 2, "author": "wolf", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (02:01)", "body": "they don't have any protected areas? even our air force base has a wetlands preserve."}, {"response": 3, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (03:20)", "body": "Ask any conscious Hawaii resident about species depopulation and extinction. Hawaiian Monk Seal and the Green Sea Turtle are just the big ones. Loads of bird species are now extinct as are local plants and small animals."}, {"response": 4, "author": "riette", "date": "Fri, Sep 24, 1999 (12:45)", "body": "In Namibia we have the elephant and rhino poaching problem."}, {"response": 5, "author": "MarciaH", "date": "Wed, Sep 29, 1999 (22:05)", "body": "We have human species over-population just about everywhere..."}, {"response": 6, "author": "sociolingo", "date": "Sat, Sep 23, 2000 (08:39)", "body": "The call of the wild panda Researcher endures primitive conditions for strands of hope http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20000921/2668783s.htm By Julie Schmit USA TODAY Having transcended its mountain home to become a citizen of the world, the panda is a symbolic creature that represents our efforts to protect the environment. A round, rather flat face, large black eye patches and cuddly and clumsy appearance give the panda an innocent, childlike quality that evokes universal empathy, a desire to hug and protect. And it is rare. . . . These and other traits have created a species in which legend and reality merge, a mythic creature in the act of life. -- George Schaller, The Last Panda, University of Chicago Press, 1993 WOLONG RESERVE, China -- His hair lies matted against his forehead. Grime covers his clothes. He exudes an odor of one who has gone 16 days without a shower and has hiked 150 miles. But he is smiling. The Wisconsin native has in his backpack 60 strands of hair plucked from the ground where giant pandas slept -- and defecated. From the hairs' DNA, he hopes to identify individual pandas and ascertain whether the local population is large enough to sustain itself. Crawling through the muck, ''you can find 20'' -- his eyes widen -- ''even 50 single hairs,'' he says. Matthew Durnin, 34, is one of the few Western scientists to live among the endangered pandas of remote China in an effort to understand them better and prevent their demise. It is a tall order. The last census, 15 years ago, said about 1,000 pandas exist in the wild, all in China. Another census is expected in 2002. Panda habitat has shrunk by half in 20 years. Farming and logging have destroyed the bamboo the panda eats. Panda skins fetch high prices. Decades of illegal poaching have decimated the population. More pandas are being successfully bred in captivity; controversial work has begun to clone them. Yet experts express only cautious optimism that the species can be saved in the wild. ''Unless we turn things around soon, the risk of extinction in the next 25 years is very high,'' says panda researcher Don Lindburg of the San Diego Zoo. Durnin knows that all too well. He spent two years off and on in the forest before spotting his only wild panda. One of his Chinese colleagues went 15 years without seeing one. Over the past 30 months, Durnin has walked in the footsteps of Hu Jinchu, the first Chinese wild-panda researcher, and George Schaller, who in 1980 became the first Western scientist to study wild pandas in China. From the same camp they used, named Wuyipeng and situated at 8,300 feet, Durnin forages the forest, looking for clues about the giant panda as he works toward a doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley. Durnin majored in biology and got a master's in environmental management. While working as a consultant in China in 1994, he met Pan Wenshi, China's foremost panda researcher. Pan's exuberance was contagious, and Durnin began setting up his field research plan. When he's in Wuyipeng, lonesome for his wife of one year and the comforts of their San Francisco Bay Area home, he hugs one thought: ''I'm doing something most people will never do.'' Pandas were scarce, much scarcer than I had expected. . . . There were evenings when I returned to camp with my clothes sodden and body chilled, my knees aching, my notebook virtually empty. . . . One point was insistently clear to me: the essence of panda tracking was discomfort. -- Schaller, The Last Panda Field research has changed in two decades. Schaller lived in a tent without electricity; Durnin had a wooden hut with a dirt floor and recently upgraded to a prefab, cell-like room that will have a bathtub soon. He uses a laptop computer and a handheld Global Positioning System device to map his data. For weeks, his only contact with the outside world is the BBC news on shortwave radio. Breakfast is rice gruel, steamed bread and pickled vegetables. Then it is off to slog through a mangled mess of logs, underbrush and bamboo in search of sites where pandas feed, sleep and make dens. Fog and drizzle are constant companions, as are ticks and leeches. At night, tired and wet, Durnin huddles over a 12-inch hotplate for warmth. One year, his team constructed 22 traps to collect panda hair. They strung strands of barbed wire in the forest at the right height to harmlessly snag hair from pandas' backs. But as Schaller noted, ''Human logic is not necessarily panda logic.'' Durnin got just 15 samples. Still, with 248 hair and 200 fecal samples, Durnin hopes to determine: * The demographics of the panda population in a 64-square-mile area of the 785-square-mile reserve. If he finds deforestation has isolated populations, resulting in too much inbreeding, ''connective corridors'' of habitat could be established to encourage mixing. * Whether more dens are needed. Pandas use dens to rear their young. If the forest doesn't provide enough dens to support a larger population, "}]}]}