Incredible Human-Wildlife Relationships...

Piggybacking on yesterday's foray into the wild kingdom with my post about Transparent Creatures, I thought I'd share some amazing wildlife videos. These videos all feature human and wild beast(s) together. They are amazing videos in which wild animals have bonded with a human. And while I don't think everyone should go out and hug a ferocious wild animal, these relationships are beautiful statements about our mutual connection in this world.

1. Man and Pup Seals: Irish journalist, Charlie Bird met some elephant pup seals while on a recent trip to Antarctica. These seals were looking for a wee bit of a cuddle and Charlie got more than he bargained for.  It's so sweet!

2. Man and the Bear Cub: I actually posted this video in June 2012, but it "bears" reposting (pun intended).  I'm not certain where this bear "attack" happened, but it's just too adorable. 

3. Man and the Lions: Known as the Lion Whisperer, South African zoologist, Kevin Richardson, has built the most amazing relationship with a pride of African lions. These beautiful but dangerous animals have accepted Kevin as one of their own, so they think nothing of roughhousing, hugging, and nuzzling Kevin. It's stunning and slightly terrifying. [Kevin also pets and scratches hyenas.]

4. Two Men and a Lion: This is an oldie but a goodie. Back in 1969, two Australian men, John Rendall and Anthony "Ace" Bourke, bought a lion cub from Harrod's Department Store in London (it was legal at the time) and named the lion, Christian. They housed the lion in the basement of their London furniture store, until he was about a year old. After that Christian was moved to Surrey, where he lived in a huge enclosure and slept in a caravan on the property of actors/wildlife campaigners, Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna. In 1971, conservationist and lion-man George Adamson took Christian back to Kenya and reintroduced him into the wild. Here is the video of John and Ace being reunited with Christian nine months later. Brings tears to the eyes.

5. Woman and Wolves: For two years, a woman only known as Anita socialized with a pack of wolves.  After a two months absence, the video below shows the reaction of the wolves when Anita returns. Again, this is heart-warming and reminds me of when dogs greet their owners.

6. Man and Gorilla: Damian Aspinall is an English casino owner, aspiring songwriter and conservationist, who is noted for his raising and eventual release of Kwibi, a zoo-bred Lowland Gorilla. Kwibi had been born and raised at Howletts, a wild animal park in Kent. In 2005, Kwibi was released into the wild in Gabon when he was 5 years old. Five years after releasing Kwibi back into the wild, Aspinall tracked down a now 10-year old Kwibi. The 2010 video below shows their reunion.

7. Man and Polar Bear:  Mark Dumas, a bear handler from British Columbia, has formed an amazing bond with a polar bear, Agee. With his incredibly intimate bond, Mark wrestles on the grass with Agee, kisses her, puts his head in her huge jaws, and even bear hugs her as she rears up on her hind legs to over seven feet. This video footage is pretty amazing.

8. Men and Humpback Whale: On February 14, 2011, Michael Fishback and his family, while on vacation on the Sea of Cortez, had an incredible experience with saving a nearly dead humpback whale who got entangled in a fishing net. Michael has been actively involved in conservation efforts, scientific research, education, and eco-tourism related to blue whales for 20 years. Gershon Cohen and Michael founded The Great Whale Conservancy to protect whales. What happened on Valentine's Day 2011 was an experience of a lifetime. Check out the video to see the footage:

9.  Woman and Baby River Otter: A woman played mom to a baby river otter for awhile until she was strong enough to live on her own.  This is one happy baby otter.  Cuteness overload in this video:

I can admit it, I'm kind of jealous of these human/wild animal bonds.

[Updated with videos 8 and 9 on 4/6/14]

12 of the Most Unusual and Transparent Creatures!

The world is full of intriguing animals; none more so than those animals that are transparent. They are just incredibly interesting and stunning creatures.

The other day I read an article that was fascinating. Earlier this year, a fisherman from New Zealand pulled out of the waters off New Zealand's coast a transparent marine life (photo on left). Experts say that the "creature is a type of salp, which moves through the ocean by contracting and pumping water through its gelatinous body."

There are a multitude of mind-blowing beautiful transparent animals in this world and I thought I'd share them with you. I've culled the information from several different sources. (Click on the photos to see larger images.)

1. Salps: Not to be confused with jellyfish, salps are transparent, free-floating tunicates. Their viscous bodies swim by contracting and pumping water through internal feeding filters, feasting while they move.

Salps feed on small plants in the water called phytoplankton (marine algae). They are transparent, barrel-shaped animals that can range from one to 10cm in length.

They can be found anywhere, but they are probably most common in the Southern Ocean, where they sometimes form enormous transparent swarms.

2. Phronima: Meet a parasite that can create its own mobile nursery for its young. A parasite that is thought to be the inspiration behind the chest-bursting xenomorph in the film Alien. Meet Phronima, the pram-pushing, barrel-riding parasite.

These tiny creatures are found throughout the world’s oceans, except polar regions, swimming in open water. This sets them apart from their relatives, crabs for example, which typically stick to the safe confines of the seabed. Phronima has broken free of the sea floor, taking advantage of the salp to survive in the open water. Phronima attack these vulnerable creatures and make them their hosts. Equipped with impressive front claws, Phronima carves away their insides to leave an empty barrel structure. It then climbs inside and sails the sea from within, feeding off food and water on the go. Yikes!

3. Transparent shrimp: The semi-translucent shells of these minuscule crustaceans make them nearly as transparent as the glass aquariums in which they are sometimes kept. In the wild, different species can be found in rivers and lakes throughout the world, including the central United States.

The animal is so clear in appearance that it only has color after it has eaten a colorful meal, which is typically plant-based and, therefore, usually green.

The palaemonetes pugio has a smooth carapace and abdomen, as well as three pairs of legs. The second pair is the strongest, while the third pair lacks chelae (claws). It reaches a length of around 5 cm (2.0 in), and has a life span of around one year.

4. Glass frogs: Native to Venezuela, the Glass Frogs belong to the amphibian family Centrolenidae (order Anura). While the general background coloration of most glass frogs is primarily lime green, the abdominal skin of some members of this family is transparent, so that the heart, liver, and digestive tract are visible through their translucent skin.

Glass frogs are generally small, ranging from 3 to 7.5 cm (1.2 to 3.0 in) in length. They are known to eat their own young. (Tastes like chicken.)

These types of frogs would be useful for the squeamish biology students who don't want to perform dissections.

5. Glasswing butterfly: Found in Central America, from Mexico to Panama, the Glasswing Butterfly (Greta Oto) is a brush-footed butterfly where its wings are transparent. The tissue between the veins of its wings looks like glass and it has an average wingspan of 5.6 to 6.1 cm (2.2 to 2.4 in).

This butterfly has a Spanish name, "espejitos," which means "little mirrors." If it wasn't for the opaque outline around the wings, the average observer might not see one perched on a leaf or flower.

Adult glasswing butterflies will often migrate great distances, and males of the species are known to lek, or gather in large groups for the purpose of competitive mating displays. Much like Saturday nights in the nightclubs.

6. Barreleye:  This unusual fish might be the most bizarre creature ever found lurking in the deep ocean. Sometimes called a "spookfish," no doubt because of its strange appearance, the barreleye has a completely transparent head.

The purpose of the clear head is that its eyes, which are located inside the head, can look straight up as it swims, presumably so that it can detect the silhouettes of available prey. Its eyes can rotate within the socket so that the fish can look in multiple directions, which would be impossible if not for the transparent cranium. The two "eye-like" spots above the mouth are actually its nostrils. The javelin spookfish is by far the largest species at 50 cm standard length; most other species are under 20 cm.

Check out this incredible video of a live barreleye as it swims. You can also check out Stephen Colbert's reaction to this weird fish. Hilarious!

7. Glass octopus: This unbelievable octopus is so ghostly and unusual that it occupies its own family, Vitreledonellidae. Little is known about this marine animal, but it can be found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world.

Thanks to its transparent skin, scientists know that its optic lobes have unusually long optic nerve stalks, meaning its sense of sight is acute. This fascinating animal has a mantle length of up to 11 cm and a total length of up to 45 cm in adults. The upper three pairs of arms are subequal in length; in juveniles about as long as the mantle, in adults 2-3 times the mantel. The fourth, ventral pair is slightly shorter.

The female broods her eggs, of which there are hundreds, within the mantle cavity. Each egg measures about 4 mm in length. Newborn larvae have a mantle of approximately 2.2 mm.

8. Crocodile icefish: Found in the cold waters around Antarctica and southern South America, the crocodile icefish feed on krill, copepods, and other fish. Their blood is transparent because they have no hemoglobin, the protein in blood that transports oxygen. They are the only known vertebrates in the world without hemoglobin.

Their metabolism relies only on the oxygen dissolved in the liquid blood, which is believed to be absorbed directly through the skin from the water. This works because water can dissolve the most oxygen when it is coldest. In five species, the gene for myoglobin in the muscles has also vanished, leaving them with white instead of pink hearts. 

They can survive without hemoglobin thanks to the subzero temperatures of the ocean where they live, since cold water has a much higher dissolved oxygen content than warmer water.  About 25 species of crocodile icefish are currently recognized. Icefish reach total length of 25-75 cm.

9. Transparent sea cucumber:  Recently discovered by researchers with the Census of Marine Life, this sea cucumber is so transparent that its digestive tract is on spectacular display.

Found at a depth of 2,750 meters, it is one of many unusual finds discovered by the marine census. When encountered, this cucumber was creeping forward on its many tentacles at about 2 centimeters per minute while sweeping detritus-rich sediment into its mouth.

10. Glass squid: There are about 60 different species of glass squid, so-called because many of them appear completely transparent. This transparency keeps them hidden from predators, since they spend much of their lives in partially sunlit shallow waters.

Many species are bioluminescent and possess light organs on the undersides of their eyes. Since the digestive gland can still be seen through the transparent skin, it is typically held in a vertical position to reduce its visibility.

Found on the southern hemisphere's oceans, the Glass Squid has light organs on its eyes and possesses the ability to roll into a ball, like an aquatic hedgehog. It is prey of many deep-sea fish (eg goblin sharks) as well as whales and oceanic seabirds. But can you make calamari out of them? 

11. Jellyfish:  Perhaps the most well-known types of transparent creatures are jellyfish.

Many of the free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria are transparent, a trait that makes them occasionally hazardous because of their sometimes deadly stings, which can surprise swimmers. Their translucent bodies also make them among the most elegant and beautiful of the ocean's creatures.

They are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. The one shown here is from the Arctapodema genus, with a size of an inch-long (2.5-centimeter-long).

12. Transparent Zebrafish: This see-through zebrafish was created in 2008 by scientists so they can study disease processes, including the spread of cancer. The transparent fish are allowing researchers at Boston Children's Hospital to directly view fish's internal organs and observe processes such as tumor growth in real-time in living organisms. 

In January 2013, Japanese scientists genetically modified a transparent zebrafish specimen to produce a visible glow during periods of intense brain activity, allowing the fish's "thoughts" to be recorded as specific regions of its brain lit up in response to external stimuli. Check out the video of the thinking fish.

Got to love science!

This concludes your science lecture for today.  Make sure you study for the upcoming test.

English is a Weird Language...

Nearly all of my students are or have been English language learners and when I work with them one on one, I am reminded of what a crazy language English is and am extremely happy that my first language is English. Don't get me wrong, I love all languages and really wish I was fluent in another language. But English is such a difficult language, I cannot imagine trying to learn to read, write, and speak English after growing up with another language as my primary language.  

Have you ever wondered why it's such a hard language to learn - particularly the spelling and pronunciation of English? 

English is mostly challenging because of inconsistent rules. Because English is a "borrowing language" containing a hodge podge words from different languages, the rules are all over the place. I admit I do get very sad when I see how poorly people (particularly my students) spell. For me, it matters if students struggle to spell.  Despite autocorrect and spellcheck, people still need to learn the proper spellings of words.  Of course that would be my take as I'm an English major, teacher, and grammar/spelling Nazi. I love the intricacies of the English language, but I'm probably in the minority. 

I came across the following anecdotes and it sums up quite well the problems with learning English:

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?

If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.
                         - Anonymous

Some other reasons to be grateful if you grew up speaking English:

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. There is no time like the present, he said it was time to present the present.
8. At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18. After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
22. I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

Let’s face it – English is a wacky language. A few more things to consider:

• There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine In pineapple.
• English muffins weren’t invented in England.
• Quicksand can work slowly, 
• Boxing rings are square 
• A guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
• And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham?
• Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?
• If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
• If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught?
• If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
• Only in English, do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
• We park in a driveway and drive on a parkway.
• Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
• Have noses that run and feet that smell?
• How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wiseguy are opposites?
• You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm goes off by going on.
• If Dad is Pop, how come! Mom isn’t Mop?

GO FIGURE! That’s American English and I love it! But I completely understand why my students struggle to understand this beautiful language.

You Should Be "Looking for Alaska" Too...

Because I'm in the profession of teaching young adults, I often find myself reading a lot of Young Adult books. This weekend, I spent a few hours reading the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award winner Looking for Alaska by John Green. If you recall, I reviewed Mr. Green's novel, The Fault in Our Stars a few months ago, which I enjoyed immensely and had planned on catching up on all of his novels. I finally got around to Looking for Alaska.

Summary: "Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .

After. Nothing is ever the same." (Amazon.com)

Review: As you can tell from the summary, this book is split into two parts: Before and After. As I was reading the first half of the novel, I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to like the book. While I really liked nearly all the characters (Alaska being one that I didn't particularly care for), I found much of the story to be fairly predictable. I had figured out the "twist" and the "solution" long before they occurred. Of course, I am not exactly the person for whom this novel is meant -- being three times the age of the target audience. Therefore, it must be said that perhaps a teenager might be surprised by the plot twists. Despite knowing what was coming, I continued to read because I do like most of the characters. Then I read a portion of the book which hit me hard. It was like getting punched in the face with a two by four.  

Miles, in speaking about another character, states: "You can't just make me different and then leave...Because I was fine before, Alaska.  I was fine with just me and last words and school friends, and you can't just make me different and then [leave]." It was with this section of the novel that I made the connection to my own life. When you have someone who impacts your life in a huge way and then disappears out of it, you struggle to regain your balance and composure, not to mention the sorrow over the loss, which is ultimately one of the themes of the book.

This book deals with the big issues: suffering, loss, and grief, but it does so with such compassion and humor that the net impact is uplifting. Even the hard-nosed dean of students turns out to be a human being. There are no cardboard cut-out characters here.

Be aware that the teenagers in this story do what many of them actually do (smoke, drink, and have sex). If that bothers you, read it anyway. There are more important things in life than observing proprieties and pretending that teenagers aren't exploratory. You don't have to approve of these characters. It is enough to love them and learn from them.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Tonight Show is Back!

I can hear you all saying, "But Sandi, The Tonight Show has never gone away." For me it did, on May 22, 1992, when Johnny Carson said "goodbye" and handed the reins over to the unfunny, untalented, and annoying Jay Leno. After that date, The Tonight Show was dead to me. I stopped watching it and found other shows far more entertaining and interesting to watch; i.e., The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Late Show with David Letterman.

But I am so happy to report that after only a little more than a month of the hilarious, smart, and gracious Jimmy Fallon hosting the longest running entertainment show, it is better than ever! I still miss Johnny, Ed McMahon, and Doc Severinsen, but Jimmy has taken this show and returned it to its former glory from the Carson days. Some of my favorite highlights of the past couple of weeks are: Jimmy's $100 bet, Kevin Bacon's Footloose Entrance, the lip sync battle between Jimmy and Paul Rudd, the history of rap with Jimmy and Justin Timberlake (is there anything that JT can't do?), and the evolution of hip-hop dancing with Jimmy and Will Smith. There are so many more, but I can't list all 25 (to date) episodes. I'm not sure how Jimmy will be able to continue to match some of the fantastic bits that he's already done, but I can't wait to see.

Perhaps my favorite is the 6 part harmony duet that Jimmy and Billy Joel sang of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (see video below). Two of my favorite entertainers are having a best time. Pretty amazing and puts a smile on my face every time I watch it! 

"Rex Factor" is Royally Engaging!

I've mentioned it before - I have never been much of a podcast listener - with the notable exception being Welcome to Night Vale and I've even stopped listening to that. I get bored too easily. But thanks to a friend and fellow Anglophile's suggestion, I am currently addicted to a new-to-me podcast -- Rex Factor!

Rex Factor is a "podcast reviewing all the Kings and Queens of England from Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II" (Rex Factor site). The podcast was created by two history enthusiasts (Graham Duke and Ali Hood) and is set up as a quasi-reality show format, like X Factor, Idol, or Hell's Kitchen. In each episode, the hosts look at one monarch, going over their life and reign before reviewing them on a number of factors:

• Battleyness:  how good they are in battle and warfare;
• Scandal:  their notoriety and tendency towards naughtiness;
• Subjectivity:  how well and justly they ruled (i.e. would you want to be a subject?);
• Longevity:  how long they ruled for;
• Dynasty:  how many legitimate, surviving children they had;

And then, finally, they consider whether or not they have that "certain something, that lasting legacy, the star quality that [Graham and Ali] call the Rex Factor". The scores are totaled up and one monarch will eventually be 'crowned' [pun  intended] as the monarch who has the "Rex Factor". The podcasts are well researched, lighthearted, and unscripted which provides a more accessible and fun approach to British history. 

The podcast debuted in August 2010 and three and half years and 70+ episodes later, they have completed the entire list of monarchs and have started on the playoffs. Holy cow! I am way, way, way behind (I just listened to number 6). Consequently, I have to be very careful not to read any results before hearing all the episodes, but I've got my favorite royals and will cross my fingers that one of them has enough 'Rex Factor' to win!

This podcast is definitely for the Anglophile with Anglophilia . . . or anyone who loves history . . . or anyone who loves listening to two very funny British men chat. You can find Rex Factor for free on iTunes, Podcast Gallery, or Pod Bean. 

Happy listening!

Rex Factor "contestants" - the Kings and Queens of England

What's Your Personality?

This posting is purely for fun!  Friends, family, and I have all taken this "personality test" and it appears that it's pretty accurate at deciding your personality. Here are the instructions:

Let your choice of colors and shapes tell you more about your personality!

Relax, look at the pictures below, and pick the picture to which you are most attracted:

Now read the personality descriptions posted below which coincide with your picture. I picked #3 and it's almost scary how much that is me!

Personality Test Results:

1. Freedom loving

Freedom is important to you - nothing is worse than when you feel tied down. You may find you move jobs or location frequently because the idea of staying in one place too long unnerves you. The same can apply to relationships! People see you as fun loving, and you are. You attempt to enjoy life to the full, in accordance with the motto: "You only live once." You tend to attract less energetic people as friends or partners, like moths to a flame, they see you as the light. Careful they don't drain you! You are very curious and open about everything new and thrive on change. Quite simply, you are a breath of fresh air.

2. Independent and unconventional

Your lifestyle is highly individualistic. You do not follow the crowd, on the contrary, you seek to live according to your own ideas and convictions, even if this means swimming against the tide. You need a free and unattached life that allows you to determine your own course. You have an artistic bent in your work or leisure activities. Your urge for freedom sometimes causes you to do exactly the opposite of what is expected of you. You are rather unique, so don't bother comparing yourself to anyone else. Live life your way.

3. Sensitive and reflective

You are comfortable spending hours alone with your thoughts and rarely become bored. You dislike superficiality; you'd rather be alone than have to suffer through small talk. Your relationships with your friends are very strong, which gives you the inner tranquility and harmony that you require. You love deeply but if someone betrays you it is next to impossible to forgive. You are an old soul, someone who has lived many times before and has seen it all. All you crave now is simplicity and the chance to focus your attention on a meaningful existence.

4. Down to earth and charming

You have a natural authentic charm, what you see is what you get. People admire you because you seem so 'together'. You have both feet planted firmly on the ground and they can depend on you. While others complicate their life with ifs and buts, you know your own mind. You provide security and space to those close to you. You are a rock, and although others may not tell you, you are the sun around which they revolve. You dislike superficiality and tend to be skeptical toward the whims of trends. Where others crash and burn, you motor on, quietly achieving all you need to do. You are a woman (or man) of substance.

5. Professional and self-assured

You take charge of your life, and place less faith in your luck and more in your own actions. You solve problems in a practical, uncomplicated manner. You take a realistic view of things in your daily life and tackle them without fuss. You are given responsibility at work, because people know that you can be depended upon. You project self-assurance to others. You are a born leader and organizer. Although you work well in a team, ideally you should be the one giving the orders. After all, you are usually right!

6. Peaceful and timeless

You are easy-going yet discreet. There is a timeless elegance about you (think Audrey Hepburn). You make friends effortlessly, yet enjoy your privacy and independence. You like to get away from it all and be alone from time to time to contemplate the meaning of life. You need space, so you escape to hideaways, but you are not a loner. You are at peace with yourself and the world, and you appreciate life and what this world has to offer. You have a strong life purpose and when you discover it, you project your personal brand of magic on the world.

7. Cultured and classical

Cultured and sophisticated you value the things money can't necessarily buy - good conversation, original ideas, music and the arts. You have a fair mind and can see both sides of an argument. You rarely let emotions get the better of you, preferring to assess situations rationally. Calm, logical and yet compassionate and kind. You have 'old-fashioned' principles, which at heart make you a real lady (or gentleman). A timeless, vintage classic - the sort of person everyone secretly admires and likes to copy.

8. Sensitive and spiritual

You are a highly sensitive and spiritual person. You refuse to see life only from a rational view point. You have great intuition and trust your feelings. You must have dreams to aspire towards or you won't feel happy. You like to improve yourself, and in so doing make a difference in the world - even if only in little ways. You find it hard to understand people who are only guided rationality. You form true relationships with open souls, people who know there is more to life than we can touch, see or hear. Your psychic sense is highly evolved, trust it and work with it.

9. Dynamic and sparkly

You are a mover and a shaker! You are willing to take risks in return for interesting and varied work. Routine tends to have a paralyzing effect on you. Being stuck behind a desk 9-5 would destroy your soul and enthusiasm for life. You need to be given the chance to express your ideas and put them into action. You have a rainbow personality, and can cheer others up, even on the gloomiest of days. If you ever feel you have lost your sparkle it is because the situation you find yourself in is not right for you. Follow your enthusiasm, even if it means you chop and change for years. The journey is as important as the destination.

Cecily Neville is "Queen by Right"!

It's been well documented that I am a crazed Anglophile with Anglophilia. England and its rich history is a fascination for me and I have been devouring information about England for decades. My love of England started in my 'tweens when I read novels based on English history. Not only did my love of England start back then, but my love of historical fiction. Historical fiction is a "literary genre that takes place in the past. The setting is drawn from history, and often contains historical persons. Writers of stories in this genre work to portray the manners and social conditions of the persons or time(s) presented in the story, with attention paid to period detail" (Wikipedia). Because of this love of England and historical fiction, I was thrilled that my book club picked the historical fiction novel Queen by Right by Newburyport resident, Anne Easter Smith, to read this month.

Synopsis:  "From the award-winning author of A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, and The King’s Grace comes another masterful historical novel—the story of Cecily of York, mother of two kings and the heroine of one of history’s greatest love stories.
 

Anne Easter Smith’s novels are beloved by readers for their ability 'to grab you, sweep you along with the story, and make you fall in love with the characters.'* In Cecily Neville, duchess of York and ancestor of every English monarch to the present day, she has found her most engrossing character yet.

History remembers Cecily of York standing on the steps of the Market Cross at Ludlow, facing an attacking army while holding the hands of her two young sons. Queen by Right reveals how she came to step into her destiny, beginning with her marriage to Richard, duke of York, whom she meets when she is nine and he is thirteen. Raised together in her father’s household, they become a true love match and together face personal tragedies, pivotal events of history, and deadly political intrigue. All of England knows that Richard has a clear claim to the throne, and when King Henry VI becomes unfit to rule, Cecily must put aside her hopes and fears and help her husband decide what is right for their family and their country. Queen by Right marks Anne Easter Smith’s greatest achievement, a book that every fan of sweeping, exquisitely detailed historical fiction will devour." (Amazon.com)  (*Historical Novels Review)

Review: For anyone who is fascinated with the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses, this book is for you. Wife of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and mother of two kings (the popular King Edward IV and reviled Richard III), Cicely Neville is one of the more enigmatic figures in English history. Despite her connection to some of the most important historical events, including the fact that all English monarchs, beginning with Henry VIII, are descendants of Cecily Neville, not much is known about the Duchess and her life. Anne Easter Smith's novel changes all that. Queen by Right is a well-researched, mostly historically accurate, yet fictional, account of the life of the "Rose of Raby" - Proud Cis.

Told in flashback, the story begins with Cecily mourning the loss of her beloved husband, Richard, her 2nd surviving (and favorite) son, Edmund, and her brother, Richard, 5th Earl of Salisbury -- all three died in the Battle at Wakefield five weeks earlier -- and struggling to figure out how she got where she is. Consequently, Cis begins to look back on her life. As the youngest and favorite offspring of her father's 22 children, Cicely was a spoiled child who grows into a fiery, passionate woman. Cecily often demonstrates her courage through very dangerous times. As a grown woman, Cicely has trouble restraining herself from speaking her mind and making decisions usually made by men during a time when women are seen and not heard. 

The relationship between Cicely and Richard is a fascinating one. Cicely was merely nine years old when she became betrothed to thirteen year old, Richard. They married when Cecily was fourteen and even though Cis and Richard's marriage was an arranged one, the two have a deeply felt love and a strong commitment toward each other. I became very attached to Cecily and Richard as a couple, and truly it left me with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye at the end. Considering I already knew how the story was going to end, this indicates a well-written story. That's why I love historical fiction; I can read dry, boring history books all day long, but it's when those figures are shown to have been living, breathing people that their story really hits home.

In Cecily Neville, Ms. Smith has created a wonderfully vibrant character; a character that flies off the page and attaches herself to your heartstrings so that you feel every up and down of her roller-coaster story along with her. I got a strong impression that the author spent a lot of time with this character, shaping her in a way that is absolutely human, with strengths and flaws. I love when authors are able to do this; bring an historical figure to life and show their hopes and aspirations as stemming from the same place that our own come from -- the desire to see our loved ones safe, secure and successful.
 

Throughout the turbulent Wars of the Roses, it was not often that Cecily's family could truly feel secure, and therefore it is not surprising why the conflicts increased as they did. Each side felt threatened and felt the need to make a stand, battle soon followed, which of course leads into the seemingly never-ending spiral of revenge: an eye for an eye. Anne Easter Smith showed this brilliantly. Whilst reading this book, I learned a vast amount about this time period - far more than any history book has ever done before. I will say that there are an awful lot of names contained in this book, some of which hardly pertain to the main storyline but were a significant player during the time period. Perhaps this did not add to the story of Cecily and her family, but I still enjoyed their inclusion as I could research them and find out to whom they were related, giving me a better understanding of the family ties that are so closely linked to the opposing forces of York and Lancaster. It really is a fascinating time period, and this novel definitely helps to bring that to light.

One aspect of this novel that I particularly liked was the inclusion of the early years of Cecily's life. As the daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, she can in fact be said to have come from the Lancastrian line. An interesting twist, considering how she become the wife of the Yorkist claimant to the throne.

This is a long novel at 484 pages, but it is time well spent. My only true complaint about the novel was that when I got to the end, I wanted more. The story ends with the coronation of Edward IV in 1461. Cecily lived another 34 years. What happened in those years? Cicely rejoices in two sons being crowned King of England. She suffers through both of those sons dying far too young. She lives to see her granddaughter, Elizabeth of York (Edward IV's eldest daughter) become the Queen of England when she marries Henry VII. There is so much more to know about this woman. As Ms. Smith has graciously consented to be at our next book club meeting in order to discuss her book, it will give me the opportunity to ask her if she might consider finishing the story. I am looking forward to reading more of Anne Easter Smith's novels.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Cecily Neville, Duchess of York

Do Parallel Universes Exist?

I recently re-watched a couple of my favorite Doctor Who episodes, "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel". In these episodes, the Doctor (played by THE BEST DOCTOR, David Tennant), Rose Tyler (the lovely Billie Piper), and Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) have traveled through a rip in the time vortex to a parallel Earth and, as usual when the Doctor is around, mayhem ensues. 

Parallel universes or alternate realities are a favorite plot point in books, films, and television, i.e., The Wizard of Oz, Back to the Future Part II, Star Trek, and the list goes on and on. But what if they aren't merely works of fantasy? What if parallel universes actually exist? How cool would that be?

What are parallel universes? "In 1954, a young Princeton University doctoral candidate named Hugh Everett III came up with a radical idea: That there exist parallel universes, exactly like our ­universe. These universes are all related to ours; indeed, they branch off from ours, and our universe is branched off of others. Within these parallel universes, our wars have had different outcomes than the ones we know. Species that are extinct in our universe have evolved and adapted in others. In other universes, we humans may have become extinct." (How Stuff Works)

Just imagine the possibilities of alternate Earths. Perhaps Hitler is never born, maybe dinosaurs might still roam the Earth, or even better, maybe the Library in Alexandria has not been destroyed. Best of all would be a world in which religion doesn't exist! On a personal note, I would like to think that there is another Earth out there in which I'm a successful stage performer. Or one in which I have that loving spouse. Or perhaps one where I have a Golden Retriever for a pet. Maybe there's an alternate Sandi who has all three of these items. Dare I dream?

What would you wish to find on a parallel universe? Do you think they exist and if so, is there any chance that one day we will be able to travel to them? 

Zeppelins hover over London in "Rise of the Cybermen".

A True "Romeo and Juliet" Story...

We've all grown up hearing the tragedy of the Shakespeare's young lovers that was written over 400 years ago. The story: Romeo and Juliet is about "two star-crossed lovers in the depths of forbidden love despite an ancient family feud". The story ends with the deaths of the lovers.

Do you think Shakespeare would possibly surmise that over 400 years later, his story would become a reality? Yes, in 2014, there is a true Romeo and Juliet story and it starts in rural Afghanistan in the town of Bamian (not quite Verona, is it?).  

18 year old Zakia and 21 year old Mohammad Ali, both children of farmers, have fallen in love. This would seem to be an easy story in which two adults who have fallen in love should marry and live happily ever after, but such is not the case, because Zakia and Mohammad Ali live in a country which has not yet gotten out of the 15th century. You see, Mohammad Ali is a Hazara (a Shia Muslim) and Zakia is a Tajik (a Sunni Muslim), which is apparently part of the problem - as these two factions cannot live in harmony with each other (sound familiar? The Capulets and the Montagues?).  Additionally, this is a country in which arranged marriages are still the norm. As a result of all this issues, these two lovers are forbidden to wed and are being threatened with death on a daily basis by members of their own families. Zakia is currently hiding in a local woman's shelter in fear of her life, but will not give up on her dream of marrying her love. There isn't an end to the story, but I am hoping that it will be a happier ending than the one in which Shakespeare wrote.

I found the story on the New York Times website and it just breaks my heart. You can read the full text of the story here. I want to be able to do something to help these young lovers, but I cannot. I can only keep following the story and hope that true love will prevail. This is an untenable situation where two grown adults cannot decide who they can or cannot marry.

Then again this is a country in which a 14-year-old girl who had been raped by an old man and the court has ordered both of them tried for adultery and dropped the rape charge. While the U.S. is far from perfect, at least the justice system  is moderately more evolved that most of the countries in the Middle East. 

To Zakia and Mohammad Ali: keep fighting the good fight!

4/22/14 Update: Zakia and Mohammad Ali married. Check out this blog post.

Stay Out of My Dreams!

Have you ever noticed that dreams are often riddled with lost relationships? You know, the people whom you have cut out of your life or those who have cut you out of theirs. What is that about?  It's quite annoying. It's not like you have thoughtful, relationship repairing conversations. No, it's weird stuff happening.

For example, last night I had a dream. In the dream, I am walking along a beach and am interviewing for the evening news someone from my past. The interview is about how this person is so happy that months after a major hurricane, the beach erosion has been stopped and is ready for summer. It was sort of a Chris Christie-type interview about the NJ beaches after Hurricane Sandy, but with this lost friend in the role of the governor. It was completely impersonal, yet spoke volumes.

I know that dreams are symbolic and I completely understand the symbolism of this dream. Yes, it's my subconscious working through my desire to have my relationship with this person repaired and have them back in my life -- that our relationship was as turbulent as a hurricane, my desire for the relationship to stop eroding and for our relationship to be "ready for summer", etc.  Symbolically, summer "is the time of romance and infinite potential...If Spring is the time of birth, then summer is the time of youth where one moves through the world with godlike ease and comfort" (symbolism.org). Yeah, okay, I get it. Now go away.

Why does my subconscious do this to me?  It's cruel, depressing, and painful. Having these lost relationships end up in my dreams is sheer torture. Why don't I dream about my healthy, loving, and stable relationships? Oh, right - because they are healthy, loving, and stable.

I'd like to think that I'm not unique in this phenomenon. Does everyone try to work through their problematic relationships in their dreams? Sometimes it makes you not want to go to bed at night.

If Animals Could Talk, What Might They Say?

Have you ever looked at your pet and wondered what they might say if they could talk? I do. I assume that Lotta, the wonder cat (pictured) would ask why I don't feed her more often, complain that I leave her alone all day, and explain how I am a terrible, terrible mum.  Mostly she would think I'm terrible because I leave her alone all day, don't feed her all the time, and bug her when she wants to sleep.  Such a terrible mum.

BBC One's Funny Talking Animals - Walk On The Wild Side created a bunch of clips of animals "talking". Okay, animals talking is funny enough, but add a British accent and it's just hilarious!  Yes, this video is silly and ridiculous, but it is one of the funniest videos I've ever seen.  If you have about 10 minutes to spare, take a look. I dare you not to laugh!

The Three Month Checkup... (A Cancer Update)

Here's the latest on the cancer front:

As I mentioned a couple of weeks back, I needed to get an MRI to check to see if there were brain metastases because of a never-ending headache. In addition to the MRI, it was time for my 3 month cancer check and another CT to see what was going on with the lung nodules.  Saturday, February 22nd, I had an MRI of the brain and the following Tuesday, on the 25th, I had the CT of the chest and abdomen. Today, I met with the oncologist and got the results.

Good news all around.  The lung nodules are currently stable and have not grown. The MRI shows that there are no metastases in the brain. The only problem remaining is that I have no idea what is causing my now 37-day persistent headache.

Next steps:  Go to the eye doctor for a checkup. Perhaps the headache is eye strain because my prescription has changed. If that's not the problem, then it's on to a neurologist to see what might be causing the headaches. Of course, my brother thinks he knows the solution to my headache: "I think I know what the headaches are from. Students. It's my non-professional opinion and belief that you are allergic to stupid students. I know I have a similar reaction to children, stupid people and commitment. I break out in the punching of faces. It's a muscular tick."  He may be onto something, except I don't really have any stupid students.

As for the cancer portion of my medical issues, it's another three month wait until the next check on the lung nodules.

Random Fun Facts!

Here are some fun facts to brighten your day:

• If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.  [Did someone actually do this or is this a math thing?]
• The strongest muscle in proportion to its size in the human body is the tongue. [Yes, men - the tongue!]
• Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. [Oh, good. I don't have to go to the gym!]
• A person cannot taste food unless it is mixed with saliva. For example, if strong-tasting substance like salt is placed on a dry tongue, the taste buds will not be able to taste it. As soon as a drop of saliva is added and the salt is dissolved, however, a definite taste sensation results. This is true for all foods. [Try it! It's weird.]
• Humans are the only primates that don't have pigment in the palms of their hands.
• Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. [This does not surprise me.]
• Starfish don't have brains.  [Neither do politicians.]
• The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds (over 300 feet). [Guess the chickens in Chicken Run didn't need a plane.]
• The fingerprints of koala are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene.  [Next time, blame your crime on a koala.]
• Snails can sleep for 3 years without eating.  [I do not want to be a snail.]
• Armadillos are the only animal besides humans that can get leprosy and can pass it onto humans.  [Don't pick up roadkill!!]
• Porcupines float in water. 
• A male emperor moth can smell a female emperor moth up to 7 miles away. [Guess they don't need a dating site.]
• A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue!  [Perhaps Q-Tips doesn't make big enough cotton swabs.]
• Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from the sale of vodka.  [Don't buy Russian vodka.]
• The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.  [They were looking to sleep in a comfortable bed.]
• Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. Spades - King David; Clubs - Alexander the Great; Hearts - Charlemange; and Diamonds - Julius Caesar.
• Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.  [Would it make a murder undetectable?]
• It was discovered on a space mission that a frog can throw up. The frog throws up its stomach first, so the stomach is dangling out of its mouth.Then the frog uses its forearms to dig out all of the stomach's contents and then swallows the stomach back down again.  [That's just nasty.]
• Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor of a building, it has about thirty percent less chance of surviving than a cat that falls off the twentieth floor. It supposedly takes about eight floors for the cat to realize what is occurring, relax and correct itself.  [From a 1987 study of actual cats who fell from high buildings in NYC.]
• Certain frogs can be frozen solid, then thawed, and survive.  [Then cooked up for dinner.]
• A rat can last longer without water than a camel. 
• To escape the grip of a crocodile's jaws, push your thumbs into its eyeballs - it will let you go instantly. [Noted]
• Every person has a unique tongue print. 
• Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.  [Wow, I can barely walk and chew gum at the same time.]
• Sherlock Holmes never said "Elementary, my dear Watson" in the novels.
• In Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart never said "Play it again, Sam".
• In the TV series I Love Lucy, Ricki Ricardo never actually said "Lucy you have some 'splaining to do".
• The mask used by Michael Myers in the original film Halloween was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white. [I will never be able to watch Star Trek again.]
• Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% Percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
• The US Interstate road system was designed so that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.
• The dot over the letter 'i' and "j" is called a tittle.
• Most lipstick contains fish scales.
• Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.  [To cure...???]
• The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska.  [Brrrrrrr]