up and out

"Look how did the dog escape"

asllvn 10/27 Why I Love Beagles ::
It's all about freedom. Watch this little bugger escape.


I like best how he climbs with his back feet on the fence-wall which is at right angles to the fence front door his front feet are on, so his body spans a corner

Happy birthday little bear

"Happy 50th Birthday Paddington Bear!"




Google Logo Helps Celebrate Paddington Bear 50th Birthday - Original Technology: The Post Chronicle:
Fifty years ago today, on October 13, 1958 "A Bear Called Paddington" was first published. English author Michael Bond recalls how Paddington first came into being: "I bought a small toy bear on Christmas Eve 1956. I saw it left on a shelf in a London store & felt sorry for it. I took it home as a present for my wife Brenda & named it Paddington as we were living near Paddington Station at the time. I wrote some stories about the bear, more for fun than w the idea of having them published. After ten days I found I had a book on my hands. It wasn't written specifically for children, but I think I put into it the kind things I liked reading about when I was young."


Paddington Bear - Wkp:
The polite immigrant bear from Darkest Peru, with his old bush hat, battered suitcase and marmalade sandwiches has become a classic English children's literature icon.
Paddington is an anthropomorphised bear. He is always polite (always addressing people as "Mr.", "Mrs." and "Miss" and very rarely by first names) and well-meaning (though he inflicts hard stares on those who incur his disapproval), likes marmalade sandwiches and cocoa, and has an endless capacity for getting into trouble. However, he is known to "try so hard to get things right".
In the first story, Paddington is found at Paddington railway station in London by the Brown family, sitting on his suitcase (bearing the label "WANTED ON VOYAGE") with a note attached to his coat which reads, "Please look after this bear. Thank you." Bond has said that his memories of newsreels showing trainloads of child evacuees leaving London during the war, with labels around their necks and their possessions in small suitcases, prompted him to do the same for Paddington. He has arrived as a stowaway coming from "Darkest Peru", sent by his Aunt Lucy (one of his only known relatives, aside from an Uncle Pastuzo who gave Paddington his hat), who has gone to live in the Home for Retired Bears in Lima. He claims, "I came all the way in a lifeboat, and ate marmalade. Bears like marmalade." He tells them that no one can understand his Peruvian name, so the Browns decide to call him Paddington after the railway station in which he was found.

Happy birthday little bear - Sunderland Echo:
The Paddington books proved such a great success that, in 1965, Michael Bond was able to retire from his job at the BBC to concentrate on writing.
But the global popularity of the little bear is still rather a mystery to 82-year-old Michael, who was awarded an OBE for services to children's literature in 1997. "I am constantly surprised by all the translations, because I thought that Paddington was essentially an English character," he said.
* Read more about Paddington Bear and Michael Bond on the official Paddington Bear website at www.paddingtonbear.co.uk

but does he still have the original bear he bought on xmas eve?
michael bond still "the original bear - Google Search
... Bear from 'darkest Peru' returns for new adventure -by Danica Kirka, Associated Press (13 June 2008, Daily Herald) :
oh- he and his ex-wife, with whom he is still on good terms, still share custody of the original bear.

"He's very real," Bond says. "If I met him on the street, he'd raise his hat to me."

Inside Picture Books - By Ellen Handler Spitz Google Book Search preview p27:
Apparently, at bedtime one evening, a little boy of eighteen months had heard Goodnight Moon five times and after the final rendition was contemplating the book as it lay open before him, its last pages revealed. These pages are the ones in which the "great green room" has grown dark and quiet and the little bunny has closed his eyes. The words read: "Goodnight noises everywhere." The small boy in question stared at the open book before him and then deliberately placed one of his feet on the left hand page and struggled to get his other foot on to the right-hand page; thereupon, he burst into tears. His mother, watching this behavior, took only a second to to realize what he was doing: he was trying with all his might to transport his whole small body into the cozy, loving world of Goodnight Moon (Marcus 1987, p.22) oh-


I'd suppose: trying to prolong the book and the presence of his mother reading. (defer moment when book is closed, she leaves, he is alone w night). & using his feet, bcs yes, in a way trying to keep book open by being physically inside it. ~ but I think he may want the reading, his mother there, as he wants the world of the book.

my glasses are lens free, also

Facebook | Steph Lane












my glasses are lens-free, also



About Me: I wish more people were looking into how to build intentional, creative, democratic, feminist, affordable, self-sustaining, renewable walkable hoods.

"sings them to sleep" - Google Search
seems ~ video was named 'He Sings Them To Sleep'
YouTube - Lets see the Dog Whisperer do this!!
1 min 40 sec - www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCnAjel02lM



also....
butterfly washington post christian lion - Google Search
"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly. "One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." -- Hans Christian Anderson ...

here go:
Washington Post Magazine - washingtonpost.com:

The Butterfly Effect

A man's one-in-a-million close encounter with an insect.

Editor's Note:

By Tom Shroder, Page W02

IS THERE ANYONE who hasn't seen the video of Christian the lion?

at 00:38 of 02:28 winding down from playing ball, the lion puts his arm across the shoulder of one of his guys and they both

lion

YouTube - Christian the Lion - the full story (in HQ)
at 00:38 of 02:28 winding down from playing ball on church grounds in London, the lion puts his arm across the shoulder of one of his guys and they both lower to sitting, the lion looking over his own shoulder at the camera I love that part


LiveLeak.com - Lion Reunites with Humans: This lion was reared by the guys in the vid,he was then released into the wild in africa but a year later the guys returned to see if he was doing OK.
Check out the look on the lions face as he realises-"thats not food its my MATES!!"
Whats mad is the wild lions hes friends with never met the humans but they are totally passive towards them. y I was struck by that.


wkp at some pains to clarify which visit was videotaped & when:
First Reunion (videotaped): When Rendall and Bourke were informed by Adamson of Christian's successful reintroduction to the wild (reported in some newspaper articles to be in 1971, and by George Adamson to be 1972^[3]), they travelled to Kenya to visit Christian and were filmed in the documentary Christian, The Lion at World's End. According to the documentary, Adamson advised Rendall and Bourke that Christian may not remember them, but the film shows a first cautious lion suddenly leaping onto the two men, wrapping his arms around their shoulders and nuzzling their faces. The documentary also shows the female lions, Mona and Lisa, and a foster cub named Supercub welcoming the two men.
Second Reunion: Rendall details a final, unfilmed reunion that occurred (reported in some newspaper articles to have been in 1974, and by George Adamson to have been in 1973^[4]). By this time Christian was successfully defending his own pride, had cubs of his own and was about twice the size he was in the earlier reunion video.^[5] Adamson advised Rendall that it would most likely be a wasted trip as he had not seen Christian's pride for nine months. However when he reached Kora that Christian and his pride had returned to Adamson's compound the day before their arrival.

Rendall describes the visit: "We called him and he stood up and started to walk towards us very slowly. Then, as if he had become convinced it was us, he ran towards us, threw himself on to us, knocked us over, knocked George over and hugged us, like he used to, with his paws on our shoulders."

A viral video of the first reunion (edited from the documentary) received worldwide attention more than 30 years after the event

Christian, the lion who lived in my London living room | dailymail.co.uk 04 May 2007:
"Christian used to lie beside me while I did the accounts at weekends," remembers a woman who worked at the furniture shop on the King's Road in London. "He was very loving and affectionate - he liked to stand and put his paws on your shoulders."
He eventually grew too big to be kept as a pet and was taken to Kenya, where he was rehabilitated into the wild by the 'Lion Man', George Adamson.
Now, his story is to be told in a new book, written by the Australian John Rendall who, along with his friend Ace Berg, bought Christian from Harrods in 1969. I find no listing at az or az-uk for a new book... and why-how did the video come to internet attention (even screened on the today show) in July 2008, why not sooner.

George Adamson photos fatheroflions.org.: George Adamson with Christian the Lion. Christian flew to Kenya all the way from Chelsea England. There is a fascinating movie titled 'Christian the Lion' which tells the story of how Christian moved from England to live a life in the wilds of Kenya, East Africa.

little face

clockwise from top left: 07-05-07_0632; 07-21-06_2130; 09-10-07_1216; 04-29-07_1134
so that's last summer, then previous summer, then last fall (most recent), last spring.
in order: summer 2007, spring 2007, summer 2007, fall 2007:



and earlier still, fall 2006: 10-28-06_1141 a previous time I was happily playing on computer

pretty pink

-


9-10-07 on way out to Hawaii, the before pic.

and 09-18-07 the after pic:










and earlier in the summer 07-29-07, kept on phone as desktop background:

earth and see

going through photos from phone for first time in long while - this from last summer 6-17-07 around 8pm - what is it? where could I have gone?
to me looks like an aerial shot of grassy land shoreline water.
followed by photo of lisa's cat rico, hiding under bed, so must have been out w rg & bon - went somewhere, then to lisa's.
finally I see that it is pavement, must be not water but road. walked along to see the deer who was still at the same house as when we drove by couple hours earlier. and I met two black cats, or were they raccoons. and then when I found the deer still standing still I stayed still near the deer for some time.

got wheels yay

Chihua-wheels: Disabled dogs get rolling -- Newsday.com: Three Chihuahua puppies, born without front legs due to a genetic defect, now have what the North Shore Animal League calls 'front-wheel drive.
The three now have a permanent home, the shelter said. They were adopted together by a North Shore Animal League veterinary technician.

3 Two Legged Chihuahuas - nsalamerica.org/campaigns/chihuahuas: Two females and a male - all in good health - are hopping around, playing, barking, pouncing, and learning to use their back legs to stand upright. We have named them Venus de Milo, Carmen and Pablo. They have no idea that they are disadvantaged and seem very happy to have each other and to be alive. They are as sweet as can be and get around surprisingly well.

pigeon a friend to a motherless monkey

oh -



The macaque nestles his head against his feathered friend
The abandoned monkey who has found love with a pigeon | the Daily Mail: The 12-week-old macaque was abandoned by his mother and close to death when rescued on Neilingding Island, in Goangdong Province. After being taken to an animal hospital his health began to improve but he seemed spiritless until he developed a friendship with a white pigeon.

Fotogalerij: Odin de duikende witte tijger

I'm worried that he is mad.

Planet - Fotogalerij: Odin de duikende witte tijger

Odin tall, feet on grass

beautiful white tiger, laughter

Planet - Fotogalerij: Odin de duikende witte tijger

Gazpachot:


26 July. Fearful symmetry... Do our actions in life simply mirror the contents of our consciousness, which is haunted by the ghosts of memories and emotions and dreams?



11 Aug. Dangerous playmates (cont'd)... The dangerous playmate is coveted and crowned for their natural ability, in private, to seize the moment, buck convention, voraciously spark the imagination, lift the spirits by sheer example, challenge the mind, and terrify the soul. But it ain't all serious. In fact, the most dangerous skill of all is the ability to inspire true,
uncontrollable
laughter.

"He is here to help Grandma get to heaven."

NEJM -- A Day in the Life of Oscar the Cat

A Day in the Life of Oscar the Cat

David M. Dosa, M.D., M.P.H.

Making his way back up the hallway, Oscar arrives at Room 313. The door is open, and he proceeds inside. Mrs. K. is resting peacefully in her bed, her breathing steady but shallow. She is surrounded by photographs of her grandchildren and one from her wedding day. Despite these keepsakes, she is alone. Oscar jumps onto her bed and again sniffs the air. He pauses to consider the situation, and then turns around twice before curling up beside Mrs. K.
One hour passes. Oscar waits. A nurse walks into the room to check on her patient. She pauses to note Oscar's presence. Concerned, she hurriedly leaves the room and returns to her desk. She grabs Mrs. K.'s chart off the medical-records rack and begins to make phone calls.
Within a half hour the family starts to arrive. Chairs are brought into the room, where the relatives begin their vigil. The priest is called to deliver last rites. And still, Oscar has not budged, instead purring and gently nuzzling Mrs. K.
A young grandson asks his mother, "What is the cat doing here?" The mother, fighting back tears, tells him, "He is here to help Grandma get to heaven."
Thirty minutes later, Mrs. K. takes her last earthly breath. With this, Oscar sits up, looks around, then departs the room so quietly that the grieving family barely notices.
On his way back to the charting area, Oscar passes a plaque mounted on the wall. On it is engraved a commendation from a local hospice agency: "For his compassionate hospice care, this plaque is awarded to Oscar the Cat." Oscar takes a quick drink of water and returns to his desk to curl up for a long rest. His day's work is done. There will be no more deaths today.
Note: Since he was adopted by staff members as a kitten, Oscar the Cat has had an uncanny ability to predict when residents are about to die. Thus far, he has presided over the deaths of more than 25 residents on the third floor of Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island. His mere presence at the bedside is viewed by physicians and nursing home staff as an almost absolute indicator of impending death, allowing staff members to adequately notify families. Oscar has also provided companionship to those who would otherwise have died alone. For his work, he is highly regarded by the physicians and staff at Steere House and by the families of the residents whom he serves.

26 July 2007

for his compassionate hospice care

Oscar the cat curls up next to nursing home patients during their final hours.-CNN.com:
"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," Dr. David Dosa said in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
"Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one," said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.
The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses. After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours. Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. "This is not a cat that's friendly to people," he said.
Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home and is an expert on care for the terminally ill, was convinced of Oscar's talent when he made his 13th correct call. While observing one patient, Teno said she noticed the woman wasn't eating, was breathing with difficulty and that her legs had a bluish tinge, signs that often mean death is near. Oscar wouldn't stay inside the room, though, so Teno thought his streak was broken. Instead, it turned out the doctor's prediction was roughly 10 hours too early. Sure enough, during the patient's final two hours, nurses told Teno that Oscar joined the woman at her bedside.
Doctors say most of the people who get a visit from the sweet-faced, gray-and-white cat are so ill they probably don't know he's there, so patients aren't aware he's a harbinger of death. ok. Most families are grateful for the advance warning, although one wanted Oscar out of the room while a family member died. When Oscar is put outside, he paces and meows his displeasure.
Nursing home staffers aren't concerned with explaining Oscar, so long as he gives families a better chance at saying goodbye to the dying. Oscar recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his "compassionate hospice care." good cat.

photos of Oscar - The Boston Globe

photo/day

[daily dose of imagery 29 Aug 07] house and three walkers: Salzburg, Austria.


A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania 30 Aug 07: Mr. Darcy (A Baby Pygmy Goat)

phylum chordata - class mammalia - orders:

about.com: An Introduction to Mammals
To understand mammals, it first helps to understand how they fit into the classification system of all animals. Mammals, as a group of animals, belong to the Class Mammalia. The Class Mammalia, in turn, belongs to the larger group known as the vertebrates (animals with backbones; also called the Phylum Chordata). Other classes in the Phylumn Chordata include fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and birds.
Looking within the Class Mammmalia, we can subdivide mammals into smaller groups (known as orders). Although scientists differ on the number of orders that exist within the Class Mammalia, the list below summarizes one possible approach to their classification:

• Monotremata (egg-laying marsupials) platypus
  
• Marsupialia (marsupials)
• Insectivora (insectivores) hedgehogs
  
• Chiroptera (bats)
• Dermoptera (flying lemurs)
• Macroscelidea (elephant shrews) wha...
  
• Scandentia (tree shrews)
• Primates (primates)
• Xenarthra (anteaters and relatives)
• Pholidota (pangolins)
• Lagomorpha (rabbits, hares, and pikas)
• Rodentia (rodents) two suborders: squirrel-like and mouse-like
  
• Cetacea (cetaceans)
• Carnivora (carnivores)
• Pinnipedea (seals and sea lions)
• Proboscidea (elephants)
• Tubulidentata (aardvark)
• Hyracoidea (hydraxes)
• Sirenia (dugongs and manatees)
• Perissodactyla (odd-toed hoofed mammals) horses
  
• Artiodactyla (even-toed hoofed mammals) giraffes

The odd-toed hoofed mammals include animals such as horses, zebras, rhinoceroses, and tapirs.
The even-toed hoofed mammals include animals such as pigs, boars, hippos, camels, llama, deer, elk, pronghorn, giraffe, okapi, yak, and American bison.


two sub-orders of rodents:
Squirrels and their relatives belong to the Suborder Sciuromorpha: squirrels, beavers, chipmunks, marmots, prairie dogs, gophers...
Mouselike rodents belong to the Suborder Myomorpha: mice, rats, voles, lemmings, hamsters, gerbils, jerboas...

cats, dogs, bears

Mammal Classification: Understanding How Mammals Relate to One Another (Part II):
so cats & dogs & bears are the three families that make up the Carnivore order

Carnivores
Carnivores include mammals such as dogs, foxes, wolves, bears, racoons, hyenas, and cats.
Although the term carnivore is used to refer to meat-eating animals, members of the Order Carnivora are not exclusively meat-eaters (some have mixed diets or herbivorous diets). Yet, most carnivores are well-suited for hunting. Many are fast, agile creatures with keen vision, hearing, and smell.

• Family Canidae: Dogs, foxes, wolves, coyotes, and jackals all belong to the family of mammals known as the canids. The most familiar member of this group, the domestic dog, descended from wolves over 10,000 years ago. Many canids are social creatures, forming packs, hunting together, and defending a common territory.
• Family Ursidae: The bear family includes eight species: the polar bear, American black bear, spectacled bear, giant panda, sloth bear, sun bear, brown bear, and Asiatic black bear. In general, bears feed on a mixed diet that includes insects, fish, and plants. The polar bear is unique in its eating habits though, feeding exclusively on meat.
• Family Felidae: The cats are muscular, agile hunters with sharp claws, acute vision, and specialized teeth. This family includes tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, leopards, lions, and of course, the domestic cat.

also, others orders are meat-eaters. like: Primates. also an order, within the mammal class.


MIACIDS: This ancestral group gave rise to cats, bears, dogs, skunks, mongooses, and hyaenas.
In zoological classification cats belong to
the Class : Mammalia (they are hair covered animals that suckle their young with breast milk)
the Order : Carnivora (they eat meat)
the Family: Felidae.

Genus: Within this family there are three further subdivisions called genera
Panthera (cats that roar) rooooar. like tigers and lions.
Acinonyx (the Cheetah) why's he get his own?
Felis (all other 'small' cats) like house kitties.

and each genus contains individual species, which is a group that normally breeds and produces fertile offspring.

Kingdom -three right? Plants, Animals, and.. Fungi? what do these make up? all the phyla make up a kindom. all the kingdoms make what? life on earth?
Phylum
Class
Order -remember class above order. ( kate says: 'king philip came over from germany stoned.' )
Family
Genus
Species

I was thinking whether raccoons are more like cats or like dogs. or like bears. so then I was thinking what is the difference btw cats and dogs? and bears? why classified differently? how is a pug less like a kitty cat than like a greyhound?