Shadow Void

Please Sign This Petition

Hi! I thought you would be interested in this petition from United States Association of Reptile Keepers http://www.rallycongress.com/united-states-association-of-reptile-keepers/2705/

My Great Nephew At Three Months

Little Drummer Boy; One of my favorite Christmast Songs

My Brothers

I have two brothers and one sister but you know what, I want to talk about my brothers. As you would expect, we are each as different as we can be. I'm short, into the whole nature thing, and gay. My older brother is taller, married, straight, has 4 kids, and is already a grandpa. He is also a wonderful mechanic. He's also become a great friend. Growing up I did my best to avoid him. Now, I go over to his house when I just want to hang out.

My other brother is the baby of the family. He's also my bigger, older brother. This poor guy is the one that had the accident involving the drunk driver. By the way, he is also making good gains.

I have brothers at church. I find it a little hard to associate with them. I'm just not sure why. Though when you're idea of an activity is basketball or shooting guns, you're going to get me out. I'm just not into sports or shooting guns. There just isn't much in common between me and them. Most of them have kids and wives, sorry that isn't me. Oh I am shy too so that doesn't help me any.

Then there is you, the gay guys out there. I call us brothers even though I don't know very many of you. We do share a common link though. To me, it's an important one. It may only be our sexuality but it's also the trials of coming out. Well I am cutting out for now.

Introducing The Woolly Mammoth

Wooly Mammoth - Mammatuthus

I wanted to do something a little bit different. So you get two helpings of nature weekend!

The mammoth was common across Europe, Siberia, and North America. It lived some 2 million years to 6,000 thousand years ago. It feed on grasses, mosses, small shrubs, leaves, and even flowers. Scientist believe that it behaved very much like modern elephants. We know that the hair was very thick about 3.3 feet thick. The tusks were 14 ft long. It's thought that they were used to push snow away so they could feed. In Siberia they were given the name Earth Mole because, the people believed that they lived underground. These relatives to our modren day elephants stood 5'6" to 11 feet at the shoulder and weighed perhaps as much as 6.6 tons. It's possible that they lived till they were at least 60 years of age. The very first fossils were discovered around 500 years ago, but it wasn't until 1796 that they were classified as an elephant. It's widely known that humans hunted this animal. We might have helped this animal on its road to extinction, however as the Ice age came to close and the ice sheets pulled back that this animal and many others began to die off as the climate warmed up.

I thought I would do a few prehistoric critters for you to enjoy.

Ostrich

Ostrrich - Struthio camelus

Ostriches are the tallest bird in the world. They can be 7 foot- 9' 1/4 inches tall and weigh in at 220 to 350 lbs. Sometimes they reach weights of 400 lbs. They live in deserts, semi-deserts, and grasslands. They feed on leaves, stems, flowers, seeds, grasses, and some animals; insects, small lizards, snakes, and even tortoises. The male will mate with 5 females. Males have harems of 2 to 5 harems. Male and females guard the nests. Females can lay up to 12 eggs. The major hen will lay 5 to 11 eggs. Females can recognize their own eggs which is quite a feat considering that there maybe 40 eggs inside one nest. The dominant female may actually kick eggs out of the nest. The sexes help to incubate the eggs. They may kidnap chicks and they will even take in other chicks. The nest is 9 ft. 10 inches across. The eggs will hatch 40 days after being laid. Ostrich only breed during the dry season. Females can breed at 2 years of age. Males can breed 3 to 4 years of age. Ostrich eggs are the largest egg of any bird on the planet. They are 6 to 8 inches long and weigh in at 2.2 - 4 lbs. Dad is in charge once the eggs hatch. The family stays together for one year. An ostrich can run faster than a racehorse. In fact, they can run 40 to 45 miles an hour . One book suggests that the top speed for an ostrich is 37 mph which they can hold for as long as a 30 minutes. In case you're wondering they are the fastest bi-ped alive today. Each stride these birds make covers 11.5 feet. As they run, the ostriches spread out their wings to help them keep balance. I wonder if that balance problem is because they only have 2 toes. Just one of those weird thoughts that I have from time to time. Pretty good huh? There are four subspecies of ostrich known to exist. The Arabian subspecies is now extinct. Ostriches can live for up to 40 years. In the wild you'll often find ostrich mixed up with the big herds. They help the herd animals keep an eye out for predators. Their major predators are lions, leopards, and cheetahs. Don't know how to tell the males from the females. It's easy. Males have black feathers and the females have gray feathers. Get this, Ostriches are the only member of its scientific order and family.

So who now, let's do something a little different. Who are the biggest of the big among the different groups of animals:

Without a doubt the largest mammal on the earth today is the blue whale at 108 feet and 190 tons.

The largest bird in the world is the Ostrich which can top off at around 9 feet and weigh in at 345 pounds.

The largest reptile in the world is the Saltwater crocodile usually reaches 16.5 feet long but the record is 23 ft long and around 3,000 lbs.

The largest amphibian in the world is the Chinese Giant Salamander weighs in at a surprising 140 lbs and can grow to be 6 ft in length.

The largest bony fish in the world is the Oceanic Sunfish. It can grow to a length of 12 ft, a height of 15 ft, and can weigh close to 5,000 lbs.

The largest fish period is the whale shark. It can grow to 45 feet and weigh up to 44,000 lbs.

I'm not going to list the every group of inverts but I'll hit the high lights.

The largest earthworms are the African Giant Earthworms which can reach 22 ft long and weigh up to 3 lbs.

The largest mollusk and the largest of all the known invertebrates is the Colossal Squid which can grow to 39 to 46 feet and weigh 1,098 feet

The largest Arthropod is the Japanese Spider Crab. It can weigh up 44 lbs, has a body that is 2 feet long, and has a leg span of 13 feet.

Hope you enjoyed this!

The Earth Is Dead

This idea, that the Earth is just a dead hunk of rock is crazy, and I don't mean dead as in it can't support life. I like the idea of the Earth being one giant organism. I first found out about this idea back when I was in college. You know it really clicked. It really isn't just a ball of rock. It is our home. Her health and the health of everything that lives here depends on us. We can no longer afford to treat the Earth as a dead thing.

For much of our recent history, humankind has lay siege to the Earth. We've poisoned her blood, polluted her breath, and caused numerous cancers to show up on her skin. Her oceans, sea, rivers, and lakes are laced with a multitude of drugs and other poisons. Some of the poisons have entered the bodies of animals and humans alike. Her air that keeps plants, animals, and humans alive also carries toxins that rain down upon the Earth's inhabitants. In the name of progress, the Earth has lost swamps, grasslands, and forests of all kinds. What fuels this appetite of destruction? This next sentence may sound silly but in many cases it is just that our appetites. In some cases, it boils down to our survival.

Among the native cultures of the world, myths fill their lives. Myths about spirits that thrive amongst nature are popular. Among the Greek and Roman myths, there are stories of tree nymphs. They are spirits that thrive within the tree. Their lives depend on the trees and lives of the trees depend on them. As crazy as that sounds, sometimes I swear that I can feel the spirit(s) of nature when I'm out in it. It seems to me that there is a line of text that paraphrased goes something like this "Anything that is physical was at one time existed as spirit. This line makes me question a lot of the old myths. I personally believe that every living thing has a spirit.

Native peoples tend to respect the Earth. They seem to know that they are linked to the Earth and every life form on the planet. They know that to mistreat the Earth or any of its inhabitants is too suffer. The First People who lived on the North American plains knew that to take to many buffalo would mean that wouldn't be enough to go around. The same can be said for any plant that they gathered. Their lives were tied to the land, to the plants, and to the animals that live with them and with us. The so called primitive people seem to be closer to the Earth than we are.

Respect for our planet doesn't run on everyone's mind. Luckily, it weighs on the minds of some of us. Still, I am afraid that a few of us think not with our minds but the all important dollar sign. Point blank, you live here and you should be doing something to ease the pressure on her and on the organisms that share the world with us.

S 373 Python ban

Today the Senate Committee on the Environment & Public Works (EPW) held a business meeting on S. 373. Committee Chair Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Member Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) presided. After brief statements the committee held a mark up session on S. 373, to amend title 18, United States Code, to add constrictor snakes of the species Python genera to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. Senator Inhofe expressed concerns about the bill. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) offered an amendment to limit the scope of the bill to only the 9 snakes addressed in the USGS report on large constrictors. Senator Cardin further agreed to work with Senator Inhofe to improve the bill prior to a vote on the Senate floor. The amendment was passed by voice vote. S373 was then voted out of Committee by voice vote with Senator Inhofe registering a NO vote. S373 has now passed committee. It can not become law until it is voted on and passed by the full Senate and House of Representatives. There is still much work to be done prior to the Python Ban becoming law. S373 in its current form in unacceptable to USARK and the Reptile Nation. We will continue to work with Senator Inhofe, Senator Cardin and the EPW Committee Staff to shape the future of this bill. Please make an appointment to visit with your Senator and express your concerns with S373. Everyone needs to step up and make contact with your Senator. Let USARK know about your meeting. It is time to step up our game and show Washington we are serious about this. Continue the good fight. The Reptile Nation thanks Senator Inhofe for his even handed treatment of our industry. Following is the statement of Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK): Regarding S. 373, which is designed to ban the import and export of certain constrictor snakes, I believe we need to follow the process already established, which allows stakeholders to have input. Commonsense reforms are needed to prevent the proliferation, importation or breeding of species that would be harmful to ecosystems or human health and safety. We are setting a dangerous precedent of continuing to address these species outside of normal agency channels. Although I will not be offering an amendment today, I will support efforts on the floor to mitigate the negative effects to those snake owners and breeders who legally acquired their snakes, but through no fault of their own now find that their property is worth nothing. S373 has been amended to include ONLY: Python molurus Broghammeras reticulatus Python sebae Python natalensis Boa constrictor Eunectes notaeus Eunectes deschauenseei Eunectes murinus Eunectes beniensis

Hey Readers

** Started writing this on Dec. 4, 2009

Hey readers, it's another day without my machine. I've been focused on beating some Xbox 360 games, working on some posts, and working on my church duties. I'm about ready to go crazy. I am checking my email but not visiting any sites.

I'm really, really trying to get use to the idea that work is now suddenly harder. It's taking a lot of energy to just get out the door in the morning. Tensions among the staff seem higher. The kids seem to be a little bit at edge. There just doesn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel. I just want one good day. Actually today ( December 7, 2009 ) hasn't been all that bad.

Going to try getting back on track with my writing. In a weird sense, I miss being spending time with my guys, my characters. I would like to spend one hour a day on them, but that doesn't always happen. Currently working on Jason and Shaun chapter 9. Once this is posted, I'll get to work on it.

Cry

Written By C.B. © December 20009

I can hear you even if you think that I can't. You've cried yourself to sleep many nights in a row. Every time, I've heard your tears, it makes me want to die. You tell me lies saying that you're okay and yet everyone can see the pain that you try to hide.

What's so bad that you can't share your cars with me. Sometimes, these walls are paper thin like the mask that you try to wear, so you can hide from the world. All your costumes might as well be invisible because they don't hide your emotions. Your front isn't working so drop your little act.

You want to keep it bottled up, while everyone else wants you to release. Keeping quiet isn't you, so why have you kept this under wraps. Your writings might hold a clue to this pain that has you trapped. I just can't get myself to pry the pain from out of your pages and into my head.

I will only go so long without you voicing this trouble that's keeping you awake at night. Wish that you would tell me, just come out and say it. I think, I might just take a peek and see what your pen has to say about your nightly tears.

** This is a piece that might make it into one of my stories. I just don't like all that much so I doubt it will.

Another Belated Post

Last night, Nov. 29, 2009, a friend called me. It was a little later than I would have liked but I decided to go ahead and answer it. We talked for at least an hour. A small percent of that time was the usual chit-chat. What followed was some serious venting of life's little and not so little problems.

It's weird to me how hearing a friend's issues at times makes your problems lighter. Okay so maybe it doesn't make your problems fly away but it does put them in a different light. How can my computer being in the shop and my week at work being rough compare one friend being sick in the hospital and another friend dying in the hospital? The one sick in the hospital is a mutual friend. It really does put things in perspective that's for sure.

I think it's weird how that happens. Still, it's a good thing. Your problem really do seem to melt away. My problems didn't change any. In fact, I am now worried about my friend, but to be honest it does help to discuss your problems with someone.

BTW: My computer isn't gone at this point but I am not using

One last night: My computer is now back and has been since Saturday. This post was originally written Nov. 30.