tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53876088016740014662024-03-13T18:59:32.505-07:00That Girl Who Likes WhalesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-74797770962969103062014-01-05T20:26:00.001-08:002014-01-05T20:26:39.810-08:00The "Blackfish" BlowupI hope you all have seen the documentary "Blackfish." A must-see, I have to say. Now, if you need to be convinced to see it, let me do the honors...This documentary, whether you agree with the controversy discussed or not, is highlighting a hot topic in the media right now. That would be the topic of the captivity of marine mammals, specifically the majestic killer whale, or orca whale. Yes, these black and white creatures of the seas are and have been in captivity for years now in marine parks. In the documentary, Sea World is targeted. The injuries, mutilations, and killings of trainers and other individuals by captive killer whales are the main conversation in this film. I'm telling you, people blew up about it. Celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus even tweeted out to their fans to watch the film and see the cruelty. Musical guests backed out on performing at Sea World after seeing the film, such as Willie Nelson and the Barenaked Ladies. Big things are happening. People are talking. You need to see this film.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SQU5FvtYgk0/UsoqDGidK6I/AAAAAAAABb4/cJ3HmW7n6vg/s1600/Russell-Brand-tweet.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SQU5FvtYgk0/UsoqDGidK6I/AAAAAAAABb4/cJ3HmW7n6vg/s1600/Russell-Brand-tweet.png" height="166" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Russell Brand tweeting after watching "Blackfish."</b></td></tr>
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I have to say after watching this film, I never ever wanted to go to Sea World, just like Russell Brand said in his tweet. Of course I have my own stance on it. It happens to be the popular stance: killer whales, rather any marine mammal period, should not be held in captivity. I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm pretty sure that the reason why these whales are killing and mutilating people is maybe because they are frustrated. They are probably extremely tired, or stressed, or angry at their circumstance. These whales have been separated from their families, sent off to different parts of the globe, and trained to do tricks all their lives. That doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me. And that also doesn't sound like the life that killer whales in the ocean have. Killer whales in their natural habitat are predators. They hunt in packs. They're ridiculously social, just like other whales and dolphins. They have highly developed brains, which means they're smarter than your average starfish. These are beautiful animals that travel far distances every day. But now they're locked up in a cage, a fraction of the space they're used to on a daily basis. Captivity for these intelligent creatures in wrong. Period. No question about it.</div>
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People have gone to court over this controversy. This isn't just about the whales anymore. This is about the people who care for them while in captivity. Are they in grave danger while in the water with them? Should they be allowed to swim with them, or just give commands at a distance? Should they be able to interact with these whales at all? Sea World doesn't have any plans to shut down their money-making water parks, believe me. They will fight to keep trainers in contact with the whales because they want to make money. It's a business to them. To me, and to a lot of others that have seen this movie, it's more than that. It's about giving these whales the right quality of life. We cannot play God with them. They live in the ocean; that's where they were when we found them, and that's where they should stay.<br /><div style="text-align: right;">
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I hope you watch the film. It's worth the hour and 23 minutes of your precious time. And if you've seen "Blackfish," what do you think about it? Do you agree with Sea World's claims or not? Maybe this will open our eyes to the many monstrosities that happen that the public never knows about.</div>
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For more information on the "Blackfish" blowup, be sure to visit the <a href="http://blackfishmovie.com/" target="_blank">Blackfish official website</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-25959468987024589652013-01-15T15:58:00.003-08:002013-01-15T15:58:50.832-08:00The Earth's Boxing Ring<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">How beautiful is this world? How mysterious, how huge, how small, how ever-changing, how brilliant, how engaging, how full of wonder, how unfathomable, how gorgeous is this place we live in? I don't know about you, but that question pops into my mind all the time. It's funny, but I feel lucky and privileged to live on earth sometimes. Like it could've been worse. I don't get it myself. Don't you wonder sometimes how this place came to be? Like the detailed sequence of events and what that looked like. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to witness the beginning of the existence of the earth. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty; darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." -Genesis 1:1-3</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">If you haven't already noticed, my absolute favorite Bible story is the story of creation. It hits home with me, I guess. I just love it! God creating this world and creating us to rule over the earth and its inhabitants. Maybe I love the story so much because I'm a biology nerd. But mostly I love the story because it speaks of my Lord who majestically made the heavens and the earth for His glory and praise. Every thing was made by God. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">You know, there's this huge question that has passed down generation to generation: what's the meaning of life? I know, cheesy and overrated. But, seriously! Come on, I know you've thought about it. Why am I here? And not anywhere else in the universe? We can't just be here accidentally. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">"He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation; because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together." -Colossians 1:15-17</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">I think that answers the most famous question of all time right there. How relieving! Who knew that the answer to the meaning of life was in a ~2,000 year old book? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Anyway, why am I talking about the creation of earth and the meaning of life in a blog? It may seem super weird. Yeah, maybe it is weird, but that's okay. It's my blog, not yours. I don't know, I just like the thought of science, politics, and any other worldly things being fulfilled and answered by the Word of God. There's no separation of church and state, God and nature, Jesus and human. It all comes together for God and God alone. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">There seems to be a competition going on, though. This everlasting competition full of hard-hitting rivalry that pits neighbor against neighbor: God vs. science. I've heard the question before, "Do you believe in God or science?" Well, gosh, that's a hard question. Maybe it's just me, but I've struggled with this question that pops out at me every now and again in different circumstances. My answer to this question is another question: Can't I believe in both?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Now before everyone goes crazy and kicks me out of the church or kicks me out of the research building, let me say what I mean. I don't like the thought of restricting myself in science or restricting myself in the Christian faith. I think they actually compliment each other.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">People who put their trust in science alone give themselves a hard task by leaving it up to themselves to solve all the world's questions, biological and universal. How did we get here? When did we get here? Why are we here? Can we answer these questions with science? That's quite a tough task ahead, to answer those by yourselves. We as humans don't understand everything that goes on around us, even though we've inhabited this exact same place for a solid amount of time. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Believing in the Lord, our Creator, helps tremendously in this gap of the unknown. Knowing that the Lord has created all these organisms around us, but put us above them to rule them; knowing that He has given us spiritual gifts in this life; knowing that we won't ever fully comprehend why things happen, but that we can trust God; knowing that this earth will someday clear away according to His will...all of Christianity, I think, verifies science. Actually, let's switch that around. Science verifies God. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">"How countless are Your works, Lord! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small...All of them wait for You to give them their food at the right time. When You give it to them, they gather it; when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When You send Your breath, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth." -Psalm 104:24-30</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Instead of keeping science and research on one corner of the earth's boxing ring and God on the other, we should try to put them together. I'm pretty sure they won't beat each other up. Actually, I think we are the idiotic ones who are trying to tear them apart and make them rival against one another. They go together; it's a package deal. God and nature. Humans and their Savior. The earth and its Creator. The more we ignore the reality that the earth and all that is in it is reflecting and magnifying its Creator, the more confused we will become.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-35093428534528825912012-12-07T15:26:00.000-08:002012-12-07T15:26:24.913-08:00Women in Christ<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I identify myself as a woman in Christ. If you also put yourself in that category, this is for you:</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Philippians 4:6-7</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I know as women, we tend to worry. We tend to over-think things that won’t matter down the road. I do it almost every day! These crazy little things will invade my mind and won’t let me go until I almost go mentally insane. This has always been one of my biggest problems in life, whether it has to do with school work, family, relationships, or whatever else enters my life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I can’t stress enough this passage in Philippians. It is such a reassuring text. God is here for us, seeing every little thought pass through our minds. If only we knew how much He loved us! I forget sometimes that I’m allowed to complain. I can just talk to my God about how this next chemistry test is going to be the death of me, so please help my, Lord, to slow down and get a few hours of sleep. God’s peace “surpasses every thought.” What a wonderful truth that we as worrisome women need to hear. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes; instead, it should consist of the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I Peter 3:3-4</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">How beautiful do you think you are? Do you label yourself as beautiful at all? I know that I definitely don’t jump to that conclusion when I think about my attributes. As women, we are living in a world filled with fake beauty. Beauty that is only skin deep, not penetrating into the soul. I’m here to say that if you have Jesus Christ in your heart, if you believe He is the way, the truth, and the life, you are most indeed beautiful. As Christians, we all have beautiful souls. In Romans it even says “How beautiful the feet of those who bring good news!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It’s true, our beauty shouldn’t depend upon what we wear. But I want to get to the root of it all. Our beauty should also not be dependent upon others. Let’s face it, women usually depend on what people say about our looks. What we feel on the inside relies heavily upon what people in our circles of influence say about us. It makes me so mad, too! Whenever I stray from my God and His Word, I automatically replace it with what others say about me. Sometimes it isn’t even what people say to us; maybe it’s just how people act around us, or if they talk to us at all. I know I’m not alone in this. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This is definitely true with members of the opposite sex. I’m as much guilty of this as the next girl, believe me. If a guy thinks of you as attractive, you feel a lot better about yourself! You may think, “Well, gosh, I didn’t know someone out there liked any of this!” It’s nice to hear words of affirmation, whether it be about your physical appearance or your personality. It could be just the way you carry yourself that attracts certain guys. Anyways, all I’m saying is this: We can’t depend upon guys to make us feel better about ourselves! Our beauty doesn’t rely on your next crush, your boyfriend, your fiance, your husband. We as women rooted in Christ have placed our hope, our thoughts, our lives in the hands of our Lord. Shouldn’t we also place our beauty in His hands as well?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. Now I [Paul] am saying this is for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but because of what is proper, and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I Corinthians 7:34-35</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I really wanted to put the whole passage of I Corinthians 7:25-40! I challenge you to read that; it’s so good. This is obviously for the single ladies out there, such as myself. In college, I’m seeing a lot of people going off and getting married. It’s ridiculous! I’m just like, “Slow down, y’all! It’s not a race to see who can have the most kids by 25!” Of course I get jealous of these beautiful girls who are getting proposed to during the summer on the beach and getting swept off their feet and all that romantic stuff. I can’t help but wonder when that will happen to me. But then I realize: I am not content in my walk with the Lord because of this.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As Christian women, we need to be “concerned about the things of the Lord,” as Paul says. Anything else is a distraction. Yes, this includes our guy problems. I like when Paul says that his words aren’t to put a restraint on us; it’s for our benefit that he says these encouraging and uplifting statements. Paul never got married. He is the perfect example of staying the course of single life. Expounding upon that, he is also in general a wonderful example of keeping rooted in Christ.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I know that younger single women like myself will sometimes say, “If only I could just find my husband already and marry him. Things would be so much simpler. I wouldn’t have to worry about trying to find him!” What if we changed this statement to, “If only I could just be content with what God has given me in my life.” This mindset would drastically change the way we live our lives as women. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The only thing we need to depend on is God. For we know from Romans that “all things work together for the good of those who love God; those who are called according to His purpose.” All things. This include the little stuff we worry about. This includes the family problems we have. This includes all the petty boy problems we have. All things. It all works together for our good. Hallelujah, what a beautiful truth.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">On my last note, I hope and pray that these words will be of encouragement to any and all women who love the Lord. We need to see our beauty through the eyes of our Creator, not through the eyes of His creation, which is surely passing away. Know that you are greatly loved by the King.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-55452821159231573382012-11-22T22:00:00.000-08:002012-11-22T22:00:29.827-08:00A Sea of Mystery<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">So sorry that I haven't written anything in a while. Life's been quite hectic lately, to put it simply. A lot of people have been asking me lately what my views on Auburn are since I've applied there and such. Well, I don't know. I really just have no idea. Like no idea. I have hunches every now and then on what I should do, but never a pressing, undeniable, adamant, "Yes, I need to stay where I am," or, "I need to move on to Auburn." I'm going to keep praying about it. Thinking about it on my own is just going to make me go insane. I mean, more insane.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">For those of you who don't know, the ocean is a mysterious and dangerous place. Let's face it. We might as well go ahead and call it another planet. This body of water is filled with all kinds of weird and alien-like organisms. The surface of the moon has been more traversed than the Earth's ocean floor. In short, we have no idea as humans what's going on down there in "our" seas. Hopefully I can illuminate as much as I can to the public what I already know/what I learn along my way. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">I will attempt to delight you with a few marine organisms you may have never learned about in detail, let alone heard of or seen. You may have heard of a certain organism before, but maybe never actually known about them. Let the education begin!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>Humboldt Squid</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/182/cache/squid10-squid-california_18218_600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/182/cache/squid10-squid-california_18218_600x450.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The very elusive Humboldt squid.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">How can I begin to tell you about the Humboldt squid...What an interesting animal to learn about! They usually live in the ocean depths; however, they rise up to the surface of the water at night to feed and do other mysterious things. They are extremely violent and attack not only their prey, which could be each other, but also divers and even boats. Scientists also think they have complex forms of communication via chromatophores in their skin. These chromatophores are known to change colors very quickly. The squid flash from red to white back and forth like a strobe light. There are different sequences, probably filled with messages to one another pertaining to who knows what. Hunting? Their stance with each other, whether it be civil or evil? Mating intentions? It could be many things. In southern California and Mexico the local fishermen call the Humboldt squid the "diablo rojo" or "red devil." Not many scientists and cameramen are courageous or crazy enough to jump into the water with these guys. Think about it, you're in the ocean amidst multitudes of cannibalistic squid darting at 15 mph. Oh, and they're known for attacking humans on the drop of a hat for no reason. I'd consider the Humboldt more frightening than sharks if you ask me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.islandgazette.net/photo2/pictures/May-9-2012/Page_16B_ASK_Aqua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://www.islandgazette.net/photo2/pictures/May-9-2012/Page_16B_ASK_Aqua.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The mola mola sunfish.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">The mola mola is one of 3 species of sunfish. I've personally never seen such a marine animal quite like it. They are called many different names; the French call them moon fish, the Germans the swimming head, and the Taiwanese even call it the toppled car fish. I like the swimming head name the best! The mola mola is considered the largest bony fish in the world, weighing up to over 2 tons. Its skin feels like sandpaper (like a ray or a shark), but covered in a layer of slimy mucus. The mola mola is actually the most common species of sunfish; its cousins are very rare and seldom seen by humans. Their skin can be completely white, to freckled, to strikingly spotted patterns. These fish become extremely infested with parasites as well. They will invite other smaller fish and even birds to come onto their skin and eat the parasites. Some people have even seen them breaching to shake the pests. Now that'd be a sight to see. Their diet consists of jellyfish, algae, and other small planktonic organisms. Obviously they swim extremely awkwardly. I mean, come on, just look at their appearance! I would definitely call these guys gentle giants. No attacks on humans have ever been recorded. They are more curious than anything, readily approaching divers. I would love to swim with one someday.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>Flying Fish</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ra-re.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/flying-fish-over-sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.ra-re.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/flying-fish-over-sea.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A flying fish, well, flying.</b></td></tr>
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<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">We've all heard of them at least once in our lives. I didn't know that they actually existed until a few years ago; I thought it was all just stories. These fish don't literally fly, however. Sorry to burst your bubble! They glide over the water more than anything. They can get enough height and speed to regularly land on ship decks, though. Just imagine sailing on a yacht in the middle of the ocean and all of the sudden it starts raining fish. Now that's what I call a vacation. Anyway, these fish have diet of mainly plankton and other small organisms. There are about 40 different species of flying fish, and they aren't endangered or anything like that. To "fly," they will build up a lot of speed in the water (over 30 mph) right before they break through the water's surface. Once they break through, they sort of wiggle their tail back and forth to gain speed. The longest recorded "flight time" for a flying fish is just over 1,300 feet. What a distance!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">The ocean is full of mystery and wonder. So many gorgeous and fascinating creatures cover this planet and fill its seas; we are so fortunate to have this much knowledge about our world. I believe we will never fully realize the extent of the ocean's diversity in my lifetime, or maybe even ever. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">God's creation, not only in the ocean but in general, is so interesting and telling of His power. It sounds weird, but learning about this earth and its biological contents can be a form of worship. Just sitting back and seeing how many wonderful things He has made really puts life into perspective. I must be a legitimate science nerd if I'm worshiping through it! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Just think about it. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Wouldn't it be something if we came to know the full extent of the living things in the seas of mystery? </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-40858859479636782912012-10-19T10:10:00.000-07:002012-10-19T10:10:21.795-07:00But Him<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">I just went to an awesome poetry reading, so I'm feeling really artsy. And I usually don't feel that way. Odd. But, still, when these spurts of artsiness consume my brain, I have to get it out of my system. So I will do this. I will do this through a poem. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">I hate poetry, by the way. Just reading and talking about it in a classroom setting. But if I'm just hearing it or reading it leisurely (which almost <i>never </i>happens), I kind of enjoy it. Kind of.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">This is my shot at some poetry writing. I wrote it because I love fall. And fall reminds me of different things. It reminds me of different things in life. I overanalyze, I know. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">"But Him"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fall.<br />Falling.<br />Falling down.<br />Falling dreams.<br />Falling love, falling hate.<br />Falling colors, red, yellow, brown.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Those leaves are falling,<br />My dreams are calling,<br />To me,<br />My dreams are screaming, falling.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I try to catch them.<br />They slip out through my fingers.<br />I am watching them fall to the ground.<br />BOOM.<br />They disintegrate,<br />They are gone.<br />I am screaming, dreaming, falling.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alone I cry out.<br />I cry, for I am falling.<br />I am screaming,<br />I am falling.<br />Now I am but a dream, falling.<br />Falling down,<br />Calling out,<br />Screaming.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">BOOM.<br />I stop.<br />My heart falls into my stomach,<br />My brain turns to mush,<br />My hands, they start trembling,<br />I am trembling.<br />But I am not falling.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A Man, a Light,<br />Looks into my eyes, my soul.<br />My soul looks at His soul,<br />His soul at mine.<br />I am not falling.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He keeps me in His hands,<br />His enormous, silky soft hands,<br />His warm, weird, wonderful hands.<br />His fingers wrap around my soul<br />As if it were but a wisp of hot air,<br />And He catches me.<br />He catches me.<br />He caught me.<br />He bought me.<br />He loved me.<br />He loves me.<br />I am not falling.</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">His eyes look into my eyes, my soul.<br />My soul looks at His soul,<br />His soul at mine.<br />I am captured.<br />No, I am enraptured.<br />My body may be fractured,<br />But my soul,<br />My soul is enraptured.<br />I am not falling.</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For I was falling,<br />wasn't I?<br />I was falling, calling, screaming,<br />falling in the darkness,<br />calling for a witness,<br />screaming for…<br />something.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had seen my dreams falling,<br />they were falling.<br />They had fallen.<br />They fell.<br />BOOM. They had disintegrated.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My dreams.<br />MY dreams.<br />Those leaves,<br />colors of red, yellow, brown.<br />They had fallen down.<br />I had fallen down. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was falling into darkness,<br />I was screaming,<br />I was calling,<br />And falling,<br />But Him.</span></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-24732249007913367942012-10-15T23:14:00.000-07:002012-10-15T23:14:18.716-07:00For Science!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">I have found how much I truly enjoy/hate every single hour away from school. The few hours I get at home are essential to my sanity, yet are saturated with thoughts consisting of, "When I get back to school, I need to..." and , "I wish I were back at school just because of..." </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Is that weird? I feel like it is, but it isn't at the same time. This paradoxical situation in my brain can be illustrated through the famous video game of Pong. Maybe I should be put in a mental institution of some sort so I can "get my life together" or at least agree with myself. I've talked to friends in the same scenario, and they've kind of admitted to this; however, I feel like I may be the only one in the extreme version of the mental state. Lord, may you keep me sane just until this semester ends!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">I have yet another project in speech I feel obligated to inform you of. I unfortunately have to present a highly technical topic in an academic field and "dumb it down" so that a public audience of a high school education can understand it fully. That, I have learned through these past couple days, is easier said than done. I take this as a challenge to educate the masses of extremely complicated areas in marine biology. This won't be as awful and tortuous if I just think of this as a battle, me on the good side and masses of uneducated people on the other. I scream out as I run into the massacre, "For science!" (I won't, sadly, scream that out right before I present my technical topic in class this Thursday. I know you're disappointed.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/07/05/gallery/acidocean2_zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/07/05/gallery/acidocean2_zoom.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Phytoplankton bloom taken by NASA.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">My technical topic is on oceanic iron fertilization. It sounds really interesting and boring at the same time. That's why I picked it! I learned about this through a professor in the chemistry department and became very intrigued by it. Pretty much, this guy named John Martin in the 80s and 90s hypothesized that if iron is added to the oceans, phytoplankton (like algae and diatoms) would grow like crazy and photosynthesize like crazy as well. The process of photosynthesis, if you don't know, takes in carbon dioxide as it produces oxygen. So, think about it. With more phytoplankton that photosynthesize, there would be more oxygen production and carbon dioxide absorption. Then the phytoplankton eventually die and sink to the bottom of the ocean, along with the carbon dioxide. Bam, there's the answer to the carbon dioxide problem for our atmosphere. Right? Is it really that easy of a fix?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Of course it isn't. Please don't tell me you've fallen for it! The ocean is a complicated place, so we can't just go out on a boat and hope to God that when we throw in 1,000 tons of iron, no one will get hurt and everything's as it should be. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Let's look at this a little closer. Over the years there have been multiple research expeditions that have tested this whole idea. Some have been huge successes, like the pioneer expedition in 1994, and some have been complete busts, like one of the latest endeavors this century. I believe this has happened because the system in the experiments have been the ocean. The ocean is huge. And convoluted. And weird. And mysterious. And wild. Do you get where I'm going? No matter how many calculations and equations, the natural environment of our oceans will do whatever it wants. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">The successful expeditions have seen the following happen: the scientists carefully monitor a certain amount of dissolvable iron with chemicals and GPS systems injected into an area of the ocean once "iron-deficient." They observe an immediate phytoplankton bloom because of the iron, which dissipates after a short amount of time (like a few days). A large portion of carbon dioxide was absorbed in this time frame of the bloom.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">The less-than-successful expeditions have seen something like this: the scientists throw in the iron. They watch the phytoplankton bloom as the others before them have seen. Zooplankton and copepods (predators that gorge themselves on phytoplankton) then eat all the phytoplankton from the bloom. Oops. That wasn't in the script. Just goes to show how the food chain and the forces of nature are above anything we do. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/feb10/epilepsy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/feb10/epilepsy2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Pseudo-nitschia, </i>a producer of domoic acid.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Also, experts have come to observe another negative aspect </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">in this tested hypothesis</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">. One of the species of phytoplankton in the bloom has been the <i>Pseudo-nitschia</i>. Scary. These guys are known to produce a neurotoxin called domoic acid. This is toxic to other animals as well as humans. If the blooms produce huge amounts of toxic plankton, then maybe we should step back and think about the negative affects. Scientists don't even really know all the consequences of high levels of domoic acid in the ecosystem. Obviously many things will die, but how will that affect humans? Will it affect the overall toxicity of fish? Will we be swimming in a toxic ocean? Will the oceanic food chain become lop-sided? Who knows.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">So, what do you think? Should experts be tossing iron into the ocean? What if they do it in the name of science? I told you that the ocean is complicated. The answers relating to situations in the ocean should be complicated as well. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">I really enjoyed learning about this subject. There's more information out there online if you want to look into it. Judge it for yourself. I know you're going to research it yourself for hours! You just can't wait to start learning, right? Nah, I know you better than that.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">This subject is much more complicated than I just summarized. There are scholarly papers on iron fertilization that zoom right over my head in one sentence. Hopefully I can simplify this into something more fitting for a public audience. The ideal person I can present this to is my 80-something year old grandmother. Now that right there will be a make it or break it moment that tests how simple I have really made it. Wish me luck on my presentation! For science!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-49565230379616706332012-09-29T20:07:00.000-07:002012-09-30T14:25:08.069-07:00Whaling Down to a Science<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Ahh, what a relief to be back home! Relaxation at its finest, people. I can actually go a couple minutes without thinking about my next calculus test or literature paper. Now that's saying something. Of course, all good things must come to an end. This good thing will come to an end in the next 24 hours, sadly. Then back to school for another couple of weeks. Oh, the life of a college student.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Currently I'm in a communications class and I'm working on a small speech due this upcoming week. I get the amazing chance to talk about something I care about! Guess what it is? Whales! And how whales are being negatively affected by humans! Yeah, bleak. It truly is a sad story of decline and ruin in the whale populations. Let me tell you about what I'm going to say! This could be good practice for me, even though I'm not standing in front of all of you and speaking it aloud. Just imagine it. I'm supposed to talk for a maximum of 2 minutes; I don't think my teacher understands the magnitude of fascination I have with this subject. He may have to give me like 20 minutes to talk about it, at least! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ycitizenjgreen.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/6a00d8341c730253ef0120a504eb17970b-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ycitizenjgreen.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/6a00d8341c730253ef0120a504eb17970b-800wi.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Diver and Humpback whale.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Whales. We all have come to know them as the biggest mammals in the world. This is correct. Actually, the biggest animal in the history of the world is the blue whale, which still roams the planet's seas today. Most people don't know more than that about them, though. Hopefully I can help change that today. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">These amazing animals are extremely intelligent. In fact, the sperm whale is known to have the largest brain in the animal kingdom. They have a beautiful, other-worldly form of communication that can echo through the ocean deep for literally hundreds of miles. People comment that their audible communication sounds lyrical or like that of singing a song. They don't only communicate verbally; they can also communicate through gestures such as tail-slapping or breaching. Socially, their ways of hunting and migrating are incredibly complex. Some species hunt alone, like sperm whales, but many will hunt in groups called pods. It is essential that they communicate with each other to obtain food for themselves. Also, touching on their intelligence, they can learn very quickly. Their "cousins," shall I say, the smaller cetaceans such as dolphins and porpoises, have been known to learn and be easily trained for entertainment purposes for the masses. As humans, we don't have a clue how truly intelligent these marine mammals are.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Throughout history, whales have been hunted. They have been hunted by many different people groups for many different reasons. Some hunted for whale blubber or oil. Others hunted for the bones or just purely the meat itself. They would use these whale parts for oil in lamps, clothing, food, and tools and other crafts. So, why have whales been in decline just recently if they have been hunted for centuries? It all comes down to traditional whaling technique versus commercial.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/64833/1849779/PILOT%20WHALE%20TOWING-%20NORSKLI%20FAROE%20ISLANDS%201981%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/64833/1849779/PILOT%20WHALE%20TOWING-%20NORSKLI%20FAROE%20ISLANDS%201981%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Killing pilot whales is tradition in the Faroe Islands. (1981)</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Traditionally, small groups of people would go out on a small boat and wrangle in a whale to beach itself. Some hunters even learned how to use certain weapons, like handmade harpoons and knives, against the mammals while in the sea to successfully kill them. Obviously through these types of whale slaughter, the populations of whales species didn't drastically decline.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Commercial whaling is a much different and wilder mutation of traditional whaling. Technological advances over the years have pushed the envelope. Pretty much, the act of killing is put down to a science. Quotas are estimated. Ways of killing are perfected. Mass killing by sending out fleets of ships is formulated. Over the recent decades, certain countries have developed their killing methods to perfection, so much so that the whales are on the brink of endangerment and extinction. Ecological damage is much more prevalent with modern-day whaling compared to traditional.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">The IWC, or International Whaling Commission, has been in existence since the 1940s. This organization brings countries together to meetings based on the subject of preserving whale populations. In 1986, the IWC made a moratorium (temporary prohibiting of something) on commercial whaling. Here's the catch: if the whale hunting is used for research purposes, then it is permissible. That's the "loop hole" that certain countries took advantage of, specifically Iceland, Norway, and Japan.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Japan is now the big name in whaling. It's been getting huge amounts of press on the subject lately. They still have a government funded operation that sends a fleet of ships down to the Southern Ocean to hunt whales annually. Usually their quota is about 900 to 1,000 whales, just recently including 50 of the endangered humpback whales. They claim this is for scientific research. They are taking blood samples. They are checking their stomach contents. However, they're packing up and shipping off the whale meat to be sold in Japanese markets for profit. How does that make any sense?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-43Qabyxhoig/Tv5VDyzdsUI/AAAAAAAAYA0/96RBJNLVhBs/s1600/Cove_110Pyxurz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-43Qabyxhoig/Tv5VDyzdsUI/AAAAAAAAYA0/96RBJNLVhBs/s320/Cove_110Pyxurz.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Packaged whale meat in Japan.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Anyway, no one should be eating whale meat in the first place. It's toxic. Yeah, it's toxic. Whales and other big marine predators of the ocean, like sharks and tuna, have large amounts of mercury in their bodies. This is because of the smaller creatures they eat that contain mercury as well. The amount of mercury will get larger and larger as the animal is a bigger predator. So, if you eat whale meat, just remember that you're deliberately putting toxic levels of mercury in your body.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Thankfully there are activists and organizations out there that say enough is enough. These intelligent creatures are being murdered and eaten, and for who to benefit? Certainly not them. And certainly not us as consumers because of their meat's toxicity. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Be sure to check out the Causes tab and learn about the some organizations that combat issues like these. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and GreenPeace are the big ones. Thanks for letting me practice my whole speech on you guys! I have a feeling this will need to be trimmed down a lot for my 2 minute boundary...</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-25304284598675030392012-09-21T11:13:00.003-07:002012-09-21T11:22:03.748-07:00Finding No One<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I find it funny how the movie Finding Nemo is named Finding Nemo. Only because I've taken Latin in high school and learned what "nemo" is in Latin. Nemo means nobody or no one. So, from the get go, the movie Finding Nemo is a tragedy. It's surprising Marlin found the little guy in the end.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Am I the last person on the face of the planet who hasn't seen Finding Nemo 3D? Because that's how I feel! Every other person I've asked to join me in this ceremonial event at the movie theater has told me they've already seen it. Every time. May I ask this question, then: Why not go see it again? I mean, it is the greatest movie in all of eternity, so do your old pal a favor. However, if there is no one to accompany me into the theater, I will go by myself. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QaPzpdQZbZ8/UFyeMcI5McI/AAAAAAAAAtM/CkKECRCVe38/s1600/article-1224900-0710647C000005DC-554_306x283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QaPzpdQZbZ8/UFyeMcI5McI/AAAAAAAAAtM/CkKECRCVe38/s200/article-1224900-0710647C000005DC-554_306x283.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fish are friends, not food.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Yes, I said it. I would go by myself to watch Finding Nemo 3D. I would submit myself to ridicule from annoying young children sitting in the theater with their apathetic parents. I would be "that girl" who you see walk in alone, watch the film alone, and walk out alone. But, you know what? I would enjoy every single golden moment of my solidarity. Think about it. If you're by yourself watching a movie with a bunch of random people you don't even know or care about, you can be as loud as you want when you laugh or cry or cackle at the movie screen. (I don't know about you, but I perform all 3 of these actions while watching Finding Nemo.) Usually my number one rule for movie-going is never go alone. This case is the <i>only </i>exception. Other than Finding Nemo 3D, I am abiding by that rule.</span><br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Thankfully, today I found a friend going to the movie. Phew, that was a close one! I actually thought for a few days this week I would be laughing obnoxiously aloud at the screen alone; now I'm going to be laughing obnoxiously aloud at the screen with a couple people sitting beside me. Huge difference. It will now be socially acceptable, I think. So, the moral of the story: if you have a desperate friend going to see Finding Nemo 3D by themselves, save them from ridicule and humiliation and just tag along. It will save millions of lives. The more you know.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">(Transition to another subject) Earlier this week I had been thinking more about my next move in my college career. If you haven't heard, I've sent my application to Auburn University. War Eagle! I'm not 100% sold on transferring to Auburn, though. I'm still praying about it and seeing where God leads me. Still, I need to be able to know what my next move is, whichever road I take. If I don't go to Auburn I'll stay at my present university and major in biology. Either way, I have fantastic news! Like, this news is groundbreaking. Positively joyous. Heavenly. Wondermous. Hallelujah-worthy. Never-endingly amazazing. I'm making up new words. Anyways, I don't have to take a second organic chemistry class!! Whooo! (This is the appropriate time to ensue a celebratory dance or shout, depending upon your preference.)</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I can't stress how much weight that sentence right there has lifted off of me. If you've never had the burden of taking organic chemistry ever, you are one lucky duck. If I stay where I am, I won't take any more chemistry. If I leave for Auburn, I only take an overview of biochemistry. Now what I have to really worry about is the physics I have to take. Ugh. Physics. College problems. My life is so tough, isn't it? That reminds me, I need to find a friend who is decent in the field of physics. By that I mean I need to find a person I will befriend probably only because they are decent at physics and I am not. I won't call it full out "using" someone. Maybe we can rename this "getting to know" someone (getting to know their brain, more likely). Yeah, that sounds less parasitic. Let's end on that note.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-66455592024948491752012-09-12T10:26:00.000-07:002012-09-12T10:26:43.092-07:00Big Bad Bugs<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">You may think I am in love with all wildlife on earth just because I consider myself one who enjoys biology. That I love all things nature. All the weird and ugly animals of this world are my best friends or something. Boy, are you wrong! I do enjoy nature. However, I do have a limit. My limit's label: BUGS. If you put me in a cage surrounded by sharks in the water, my heart would be racing, but I would overall be fine. Like I would be enjoying myself. But if you dare to put a spider or cockroach in front of my face, doesn't matter how small, I will freak to the point of complete embarrassment. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Example. Today I was sitting in the 3rd row of my organic chemistry class. I was focused on trying to understand whatever my professor was saying (which is impossible) and all of the sudden I saw a humongous spider crawling 6-odd inches away from my feet. Needless to say I freaked to the point of complete embarrassment, as I usually do. (Whenever I tell someone a bug is big, they don't believe me because any bug to me is big. Big in scariness. I think my brain tells my eyes to multiply the size of the bug 2 or 3 times. Maybe it's a health condition. Or a mental illness.) </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pKp3GfGEvYY/UFDDKAjYNVI/AAAAAAAAAsw/a8iWdADI9wE/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pKp3GfGEvYY/UFDDKAjYNVI/AAAAAAAAAsw/a8iWdADI9wE/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A Brown Recluse Spider.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">It crawled right to me, like it knew. Yeah, it knew. It knew I was the one to go for. They probably talk about me in their bug meetings or conventions or whatever they do. They probably have me on like a "list to kill" or something. At the end of their meetings they all say, "...and remember: if you see her, you know what to do." </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">So it started to come to me, closing the gap between it and my feet. I started to see black spots. All at once I felt a heaviness in my stomach, my lungs collapsing, and this intense heat in my throat.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I booked it outta there! I was gone. My neighbor, the poor guy who doesn't know me very well at all, almost got sacked. There was no way I would try to kill the spider by putting myself nearer to it. Nuh-uh. No siree. Thankfully someone squished and killed it with their tennis shoe. Lord, thank you for the brave soul who took one for the team! It would've taken me hours to kill that. Goodness, I wish I had taken a picture so you see how huge this thing was! The girl who killed it looked over to me and said in the most quiet and tranquil way, "Glad we killed him. I'm pretty sure that was a brown recluse." Then she turned back around like everything went back to normal as I sat there in horror, still shaking to the point where I couldn't even write legibly. The rest of class time consisted of me looking at my feet every 30 seconds, searching for the spider's army of friends surely coming after me soon. Was it a brown recluse? We'll never know. Unless we obtain a sample from the bottom of that nice girl's shoe...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">As you can tell, I don't like spiders. Bugs in general are just my ultimate fear, but spiders...they are the big kahuna. The big enchilada. The top banana, shall we say. You will never catch me dead with a spider in my presence willingly. Of course, they're everywhere, so I don't have much choice. I heard some time ago that in life there will always be a spider in a certain small circumference of your person. Like a few feet or something horrifying like that. Now there's a scary story to tell your kids at night. They won't sleep for weeks.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GnjMzwxEXjU/UFDDh7MyJbI/AAAAAAAAAs4/K_d-7bLUaOo/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GnjMzwxEXjU/UFDDh7MyJbI/AAAAAAAAAs4/K_d-7bLUaOo/s320/images.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Why, God, not multitudes of bunnies?? Look at their cuteness!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">It's just too bad that the biggest group of animals in this world is the bug population. Why, God, can't it be birds? Or bunnies? Or platypuses? Platypi? Who cares. Just not bugs! Okay, I can deal with multitudes of butterflies or lightning bugs. But not the beetles or the roaches. I cringe just typing it out! If you like bugs, you must be so mad at me right now. Sorry for the huge slap in the face of bugs, but I can't stand them.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">They are definitely necessary for our world. Sadly, this is true. If it weren't for certain types of insects that eat decomposing material, we would have a bunch of (you guessed it) decomposing material stinking up the world. If not for certain insects that eat other even worse insects, we would have a world filled with overbearing populations of dangerous bugs, even more than we have now. I can't imagine. Ughh...I guess we should thank them for their services. I'll thank them. But not as much as I thanked tennis shoe girl for the defeat of my arch nemesis.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-8901615995418881292012-09-06T15:28:00.001-07:002012-09-06T16:01:05.836-07:00Einstein and the Blowfish<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">It's official. I've started the process of applying to another school: Auburn University. Well, it's been official in my mind for quite awhile that I'm going to apply there. I guess I can say it's "officially official." You may be asking me why I'm doing this. Do I hate where I'm attending now? What's so bad about where I am that is pushing me to the point of applying to move multiple hours away? Let me assure you, oh, dear reader, I am not doing this out of malice towards the university I am attending presently.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I don't know how many times I'm going to say this, but, let me say it again, I'm currently a chemistry major whose future goal is marine biology. I've realized since my declaration of major that I'm here on this earth to study marine biology. Not chemistry. Not physics. Not whatever else you can put under my nose. Marine biology. And, let me tell you, the chemistry department is not the place to be for someone like me. Now I know this!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">It's nothing personal toward chemists. Or the study of chemistry for that matter. I like the way the great scientist Albert Einstein puts it:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb up a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.</span></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Why try to say it when Einstein says it so poetically? I may be "good" at chemistry in some aspects (like in the classroom, usually), but when it comes to research and hands-on approaches to the science, I've learned that it is definitely not my cup of tea. Now that I have come to realize this, I can move on from it and try out some other things. I will repeat this cycle either until I get tired of it or until I find that one aspect of science that I know I'm made for. Who knows, it could be research, conservational work, tourism, education, etc. Maybe it could be a mix! That's for God to know and me to find out!</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZOacq_U4jg/UEac8isXuJI/AAAAAAAAAsI/08WBixf8Zgk/s1600/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZOacq_U4jg/UEac8isXuJI/AAAAAAAAAsI/08WBixf8Zgk/s200/Unknown.jpg" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The pufferfish pre- and post-puff.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Let's get to the good part of the blog: the biology. Today's topic of conversation is the famous pufferfish, or blowfish as some may call it. This little fish is so cute when it isn't mad and territorial to the point where it puffs out its spikes at you in defense. All they do is just suck in a bunch of water, and voila, you have an angry-looking pufferfish telling you to get away or else. By the way, the terms "pre- and post-puff" in the caption I completely made up off the top of my head. They aren't scientific whatsoever. Far from it. But you get what I'm saying!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Pufferfish have a toxin that is usually lethal to fish. (Some marine animals aren't affected by the pufferfish toxin, such as tiger sharks and sea snakes. They're the lucky ones.) According to National Geographic, the toxin made in the pufferfish, called tetrodotoxin, is over 1,000 times more lethal to humans than cyanide. One pufferfish holds enough toxin to kill 30 humans. So that means, kids, don't touch these cute little things!...Or you will surely die. When I say surely I definitely mean surely. Why? Because there is no known antidote for the pufferfish's tetrodotoxin. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Not every single species of pufferfish makes this toxin, so you have a small chance of living if you dare to test your luck.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Unlike a lot of the marine creatures I talk about, the pufferfish population is considered quite stable. Some species are vulnerable because of overfishing, loss of habitat, and pollution, but what animal these days isn't negatively affected by any of these 3 things? Not many, if any. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_eeNWJsT0XI/UEkfOC_2RPI/AAAAAAAAAsc/u51K3JiEf1k/s1600/pufferfish_673_600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_eeNWJsT0XI/UEkfOC_2RPI/AAAAAAAAAsc/u51K3JiEf1k/s400/pufferfish_673_600x450.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Pufferfish language saying, "Get away!"</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I have never seen one of these guys in their natural habitat, but I have seen them in tanks. Like in a few aquariums and at university marine labs. When I first saw them, they were much smaller than what I thought they would be. Maybe it's just me. Probably. And I don't know if the ones that I've seen were the smaller of the species. Anywho, the biggest they can get is about 3 feet, which is huge for a pufferfish.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">This may seem obvious and I probably don't even need to mention this: it is not the best swimmer. Duh! If you were a big puff ball half of your life then you might not be able to swim too well either. Even still, they are capable of defending themselves extremely well. Yes, the pufferfish has its downfalls, but it can also kill 30 humans without breaking a sweat. (Okay, some can. Not all poisonous...) I respect them for that. So whenever I see one in the wild, I will observe from a safe distance!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-33445423968269420862012-08-30T12:54:00.001-07:002012-08-30T12:54:12.976-07:00Everyone Likes Turtles!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I'm back in my college town again, waiting for school to start and be over at the same time. I don't know what my feelings are on this semester. I don't want to go to school and get all that oh-so-familiar stress built up. Still, I'm excited about what's in store. A new school year yields new people, places, and things. Especially new experiences. Of course, new experiences can't always be positive, but it's life. I just got to roll with the punches.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">If you've read on one of my earlier blogs, you may remember my vivid description of my trip to St. Maarten, specifically the sea turtle experience. If you haven't done this, I will save you the time and recap: Went to St. Maarten. Snorkeled in a marine wildlife refuge. Saw 2 turtles. Screamed underwater. One swam away. Left one sea turtle. Swam with it. Life almost complete. Now all I need is to swim with a whale. And a shark. And a whale shark. Bam. Story over. I'm a pretty dang good story teller, aren't I?</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SP_j_tKCXBM/UDxAVmNLmeI/AAAAAAAAArE/71q1sQnuikI/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SP_j_tKCXBM/UDxAVmNLmeI/AAAAAAAAArE/71q1sQnuikI/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Loggerhead Sea Turtle.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Now that you're caught up with that experience in my life, we can now move on. Sea turtles. Gotta love 'em. They're cute as babies, and even when they're adults. They are herbivores, so you don't see them mercilessly slaughtering a seal with razor sharp teeth like a shark. That's a plus. And they swim so gracefully. It's like they're in slow motion. Or in a dream. And, come on, they're turtles. Everyone likes turtles. If you don't like turtles, you've got a problem. I'm not talking about the marine turtles' crazy cousins, the snapping turtle. Now they are ugly and mean. But the Loggerheads, the Hawksbills, the Greens...they're like the popular kids of Turtle High School.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">On a more serious note, sea turtles have some cool attributes. First off, if you had read more into my post I mentioned earlier about my St. Maarten trip, you may have read that these creatures are air-breathers. They aren't like their fishy friends who have gills and such. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">If you've never ever watched the Crocodile Hunter or Jeff Corwin in your life, then you may not have seen the specials they would air every now and then showing the annual mass hatching of young little turtles. There are a handful of special beaches in the world that will house hundreds of pregnant females once a year while they "do their thing" and lay their eggs (usually 3-8 eggs) in a self-dug hole in the sand. After a couple months, the eggs will hatch little baby turtles!</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Eai9kd2KCs/UD-_lZcUkiI/AAAAAAAAArg/1l1o4dNt3sk/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Eai9kd2KCs/UD-_lZcUkiI/AAAAAAAAArg/1l1o4dNt3sk/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The race to the shore!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Their main instinct is to go to water. It's better for them to hatch at night since the cover of darkness saves many turtle lives. If they end up hatching in the daylight, they just gotta run for it. More like topple and flail, but you get the main idea. Many birds and lizards wait for this time of year to come around since the scrumptious little bite-size turtles will be so prevalent on the beach. Many baby turtles die, sadly. Sorry for the sob story, but as Disney says, it's the circle of life. But usually a good number of hatchlings will make it to the shoreline. Even then, however, they still have a lot ahead of them. Swimming against the current of the ocean when you're not even an hour old is kind of insane, but they're just wired to survive and do whatever it takes to get to water.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Once they get past the predators from when they were eggs, the predators from when they hatched, and the strong ocean current, they still have to find food. And I haven't even mentioned that they're pretty much alone out there in the big blue. Their parents don't wait up on them, you can be sure of that. They're on their own from day 1. More like second 1. Turtles are pretty darn tough once you think about it, and I don't just mean their tough shell.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I really have this awesome dream of going to the Galapagos Islands. If you've never heard of this island, I feel for you. It's kind of noted as the famous spot correlated with Charles Darwin, the esteemed and controversial scientist who made the theory of evolution a common worldwide topic of scientific conversation. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qPTk0UwvNcI/UD_DKWe-R5I/AAAAAAAAAr0/tUigBkPTA_4/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qPTk0UwvNcI/UD_DKWe-R5I/AAAAAAAAAr0/tUigBkPTA_4/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Adult Galapagos Tortoise vs. Adult Human.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Anyways, the reason why I want to go there is this: the Galapagos tortoises. (FYI: tortoise is to land as turtle is to water.) Man, those things are huge. Huge, I tell you. Like if a tortoise was a T-rex, it would be the Galapagos tortoise. Many biologists and other scientists claim that the tortoises, along with other flora and fauna on the island, have evolved separately from their ancestors (because of the isolation). The animals and plants somehow got there by sea or air a long time ago and started evolving to enhance their adaptability to their specific surroundings. I'm getting on a very broad subject here, but that's the widely accepted reason why they look so different.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Turtles, and I guess now tortoises, are some awesome reptiles. They look ancient because they are ancient. And they move like they're ancient. I guess one word to describe any turtles would be ancient. That would be my best word. And of course they're cool! Because everyone likes turtles!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-46311129756840496422012-08-24T09:33:00.003-07:002012-08-24T09:33:29.267-07:00Life As I Know It<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Have you ever had the experience of seeing yourself about to walk down a path you kind of know isn't right (or right for you, at least)? And something saves you from that at the very last minute? Well, that has happened to me today. Actually it's kind of been throughout these past couple months. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-68isu8QuYYU/UDere_YD02I/AAAAAAAAAqk/i-a2z12O6Dc/s1600/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-68isu8QuYYU/UDere_YD02I/AAAAAAAAAqk/i-a2z12O6Dc/s200/Unknown.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">You may not believe in a God, but if you do, then you might understand where I'm coming from when I talk about this. You guys may have read in earlier posts that I've done chemistry research at my university even though my area of interest is marine biology. Far cry, yes. I've been fully aware of this. Lately I've just been thinking and praying about my future a lot. I know God knows my heart more than even I have. Whatever His will is for my life, I would follow. I've tried to follow this hard road my whole Christian life. Key word is <i>tried</i>, folks. I've definitely made mistakes. Even so, God loves me and will mercifully keep me in His plan.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Life as I know it has been full of happiness and sadness, ups and downs, right turns and wrong turns. Life as I know it is extremely sheltered; I realize this day after day. Life as I know it is really a waste of everything. It sounds bleak and dark. Like I'm just running in circles with all my might, going nowhere in the process. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Life as God knows it, though, is full of grace and mercy, love and compassion, judgment and redemption. Life as God knows is His creation and under His control. Life as God knows it is unfathomable. Man, it never will fully sink in to my thick skin that life with God is the life fully lived. No awesome career or 6-digit salary can fully satisfy. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldREclQht90/UDesHm0XYiI/AAAAAAAAAqs/_vx0ZBzuKiI/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldREclQht90/UDesHm0XYiI/AAAAAAAAAqs/_vx0ZBzuKiI/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">There's one thing that keeps me, personally, from obtaining this powerful fully lived life through Him. Trust. Trust turns life around. If I could just let go of trying to figure out every little thing every waking minute of my life, God could do such a work in me and my circles of influence. I've talked to other Christians about this and I'm not the only one. Trusting in someone you can't see and sometimes not even feel is demanding. But, goodness, is it wonderful once it happens. I'm free, but a servant of Christ. I'm loved as a child of God, but still a sinner in this dark world. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Obviously you can tell that I've decided to take a break today from writing about marine life! Hopefully you guys aren't mad. Not like it matters. For the record, God is the reason why I have this passion for marine life in the first place. I shouldn't even label this passion as my own. It's all Him. He has given it to me as a gift in this life to praise Him. What a cool way to look at it. I truly have nothing without God's presence. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Okay, that was my God rant. Feels good to put it out there. By the way, if you have any questions about this kind of stuff, I'm not an expert, but I can at least listen! I'm not all about the ocean and its inhabitants. I do have a personality separate from that, believe it or not. And I'm a girl, so obviously I have many facets of my personality! Have a great day, and thanks for reading!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-85819734984382625302012-08-17T11:15:00.000-07:002012-08-17T11:15:59.962-07:00Fintastic Facts<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">If you've been watching Shark Week, which I expect you have, then you can agree when I say this is one of the best years so far! I have loved each and every special, even the ones I didn't expect to care for as much. Commenting on Shark Week like it's Monday night football sounds so extremely geeky, but I don't give a hoot. It's just too much fun!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Since it is Shark Week, I'd like to elaborate on some cool shark stuff! There are a lot of facts that would have astounded many people just a few years ago. Let's name a few...</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lbpd8Mg3ZzQ/UC3HvyZvb-I/AAAAAAAAApo/sxTnKx3Buug/s1600/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lbpd8Mg3ZzQ/UC3HvyZvb-I/AAAAAAAAApo/sxTnKx3Buug/s320/Unknown.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The aptly named Black Tip Reef Shark.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>Sharks maintain the marine ecosystem.</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>You might have heard this quite a few times over the years once Shark Week comes around. When scientists and conservationists say this, they are alluding to the food chain phenomenon. Sharks are obviously the big bad predators of the deep. They have a diet of smaller fish and organisms which, if not kept down in populations, can and will overpower the seas. Then their prey will become scarce, maybe even to the brink of extinction. Some of these prey items are autotrophs (organisms that make their own food, mainly from photosynthesis, such as algae). These guys take carbon dioxide in and eventually convert this to oxygen, along with food for themselves. Without these marine autotrophs, carbon dioxide levels will go up and oxygen levels will go down. This is obviously bad.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Anyways, the shortened version is that things will get out of whack. If shark populations are jacked up, the oceans are jacked up. If the oceans are jacked up, we're jacked up. And we don't want to be jacked up. Because that means we die. I know, way to be positive, Claire.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>Some shark species can't breathe unless they're constantly moving. </b>Certain species, such as the frightening great white, must always have water passing through their gills to have oxygen flow. That means if you're a great white shark, you will be moving for the rest of your sharky life. No exceptions. Unless you want to suffocate. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">If a shark gets caught in a net (which is actually highly likely), most of the time it will die from suffocation. After much struggling to get out of the net, it will become extremely tangled and trapped. It's quite sad. So far these facts aren't too positive! Sorry, y'all.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b9KxGiNBzx0/UC3K3rqto1I/AAAAAAAAAp8/blnE8Tp9v0k/s1600/Fig.4-Ampullae-of-Lorenzini-300x187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b9KxGiNBzx0/UC3K3rqto1I/AAAAAAAAAp8/blnE8Tp9v0k/s1600/Fig.4-Ampullae-of-Lorenzini-300x187.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A nose full of ampullae of Lorenzini.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>Sharks have a sixth sense. </b>It's like a story off the movie screen. A top predator of the ocean has an incredible ability of electroreception. If you get close enough to the head of a shark you can see these pores in their nose. They're called the ampullae of Lorenzini. These jelly-filled pores can sense electric fields in the water. Even if the water is murky, they can sense movements of prey. Science is even showing that these sensory organs can give the sharks an awareness of where they are on the earth magnetically. So they may be using their ampullae while migrating great distances. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>Sharks have high-tech teeth. </b>Yes, I know it sounds insane. Scientists have found behaviors that point to sharks' teeth actually "tasting" objects. For example, once a shark bites an unwanted object, like a buoy or a boat propeller, they will usually "spit it out" and look for their real prey (fish, seals, squid, etc.). They don't swallow or chew it around for a bit; they sink their teeth into it and then let it go. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Also, their teeth are extremely sharp. Duh. They're sharks. Shark teeth have been compared to steak knives and razors. Even shark tooth fossils buried in the ground for millions of years are considered dangerously sharp to the touch. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HSV5vQz8_2I/UC6GGIzgQ5I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/g0EgROinwLA/s1600/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HSV5vQz8_2I/UC6GGIzgQ5I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/g0EgROinwLA/s200/Unknown.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rows of teeth in a bull shark.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">A shark's teeth are made like clockwork in their mouth. The action is compared to a conveyor belt. Once a tooth is lost because of a brawl with a whale or a hunt of a seal, it's replaced by one right below it. Throughout their life, sharks must go through hundreds of teeth. And each one of them can cut through most anything with a couple head shakes. A shark's main weapon is definitely their teeth, no doubt about it. I know I wouldn't want to get face to mouth with one of those guys with no protection!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Some sharks, however, don't have this conveyor belt system of steak-knife-sharp teeth. Basking sharks and whale sharks are considered filter feeders, so they'll gulp in large amounts of water containing small organisms and "filter out" the yummy goodness. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><b>They're not all bad. </b>Not all sharks are large, ferocious creatures that resemble Jaws. Actually, out of the hundreds of species of sharks in the world, only a handful of them have been reported to attack humans. There has been so much drama associated with sharks in the history of mankind, but we only know of the "big bad" great whites or the "big bad" bulls. What about the docile whale shark? What about the slow-moving Greenland shark? What about the nurse shark, considered the "catfish of the sharks?" Let me tell ya, folks, they're not all bad. And once we see that, we'll want to conserve them so we can learn more about them and save our oceans in the meantime.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-9247114305981024262012-08-12T15:40:00.000-07:002012-08-12T15:40:02.547-07:00The Best Week of the Year<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Wow, what a few days it's been. I've experienced a break in. A break in. It was the scariest event in my life. Okay, it wasn't my apartment that was broken into, but the one next door! Just as frightening, take my word for it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Three A.M. Thursday morning. All of the sudden a loud banging on my door accompanied with a booming voice shouting, "Sheriff's Department!" over and over. I finally came to my senses and opened the door to find a flashlight in my face. The policeman at my door informed me there had been a break in the apartment adjacent to me. I looked over to see the front doorway without a door. It had been completely kicked in by the burglar. I was in complete shock. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">The owner wasn't there, thank goodness, so no one was hurt. I ended up waiting outside for an hour or so with my newly-found neighbors while watching the police investigate in each apartment. They adventured into the attic (of which I had no previous knowledge of) to see any signs of the mystery man. No luck. The policemen left without a burglar. I was sad because I wanted to see the man responsible. Well, that's probably been the most eventful my life has gotten lately. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">On a more positive and less traumatizing note, this upcoming week will be by far the best week of the year! Why? It's Shark Week! The 25th anniversary of shark week! I seriously can't wait for tonight's new specials airing on the Discovery channel. I feel obligated to give you guys a heads up for what'll be on this week, so here's your master list. (This is according to Central Time, by the way.)</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4NmL2j6bCv4/UCgt2XtsBEI/AAAAAAAAApU/Pl4Iz3djjIA/s1600/Photo+on+2011-07-24+at+11.59+%232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4NmL2j6bCv4/UCgt2XtsBEI/AAAAAAAAApU/Pl4Iz3djjIA/s320/Photo+on+2011-07-24+at+11.59+%232.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ah! Watch out!</b></td></tr>
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<h4>
Sunday</h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>7 - 8 Ultimate Air Jaws Reloaded </i>: Chris Fallows and Jeff observe breaching great white sharks in South Africa.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>8 - 9 Air Jaws Apocalypse </i>: Chris Fallows takes photos of great whites.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>9 - 10 Shark Week's Impossible Shot</i> : Cameramen attempt to get good shots of great white sharks off the coast of South Africa.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Monday</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>7 - 8 Air Jaws Apocalypse Reloaded </i>: A camera crew tracks the huge great white shark named Colossus.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>8 - 9 Sharkzilla </i>: The Mythbusters team helps create a mechanical version of the prehistoric ancestor of great white sharks, the Megaladon.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>9 - 10 Mythbusters Jawsome Shark </i>: The Mythbusters team tests 25 shark myths.</span></div>
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Tuesday</h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>7 - 8 Jaws Comes Home Reloaded </i>: Greg Skomal tracks 5 great whites in the waters where the famous movie "Jaws" was filmed.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>8 - 9 How Jaws Changed the World </i>: The science behind how the movie "Jaws" impacted humanity's vision of sharks. </span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>9 - 10 Adrift: 47 Days with Sharks</i> : The story of American soldiers who survived shark-infested waters.</span><br />
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Wednesday</h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>7 - 8 Rogue Sharks Reloaded </i>: Past shark attacks are investigated to see if sharks deliberately attack humans.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>8 - 9 Shark Fight </i>: Stories from shark attack victims.</span></div>
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Thursday</h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>7 - 8 Great White Invasion Reloaded </i>: Researchers investigate the sightings of great whites near California, South Africa, and Australia.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>8 - 9 Great White Highway </i>: Great whites are tracked off the Californian coast.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>9 - 10 Shark Week's 25 Best Bites </i>: A countdown showing highlights of Shark Week.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Now you know! The one I am looking forward to watching the most is the special on Tuesday, How Jaws Changed the World. I'm really excited about that because not a lot of people nowadays think of sharks without thinking of Jaws. Another I want to see is Sharkzilla. Megaladon was a great white, but like 10 times bigger. It'll be interesting to see a mechanical one (probably made life-size). </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lcPR531XoUQ/UCgszLUTDmI/AAAAAAAAApM/2MyJanutDGg/s1600/134473702362473.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lcPR531XoUQ/UCgszLUTDmI/AAAAAAAAApM/2MyJanutDGg/s400/134473702362473.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I wish this picture was real!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Last year I decided to start making pictures of me with sharks to celebrate Shark Week. (The picture I made last year is above.) This year I edited and pasted a picture of myself snorkeling in Mexico to a picture of a whale shark in the sea. Looks so real, right? I know it doesn't, but it just goes to show how desperately geeky I am. I thought y'all would like to see it! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">If you want to see more of Shark Week, be sure to visit the Discovery channel's Shark Week website! There's a bunch of fintastic videos and merchandise. Plus, facts, news stories, and conservation knowledge galore. <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/shark-week/" target="_blank">www.Discovery.com/SharkWeek</a></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-54008783219233692422012-08-08T13:45:00.003-07:002012-08-08T13:45:56.275-07:00Mermaids: The Body Found<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">So you guys are going to be so surprised at this. I slept in. Again. Until 11. I know, shame on me! I just couldn't go to sleep last night for some weird reason. Whenever that happens I try to watch a movie to put me to sleep. My usual movie I've used this summer has been Tangled. (Yes, it's a cartoon Disney movie. And, yes, it puts me to sleep. It takes me to my happy place!) </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Well, I didn't have that with me in my apartment, so I resorted to Finding Nemo. It's only my favorite movie of all time, but it wasn't doing its Disney magic for me and putting me to sleep! So I found a Target gift card in my wallet and bought a skirt online at 1 in the morning. What a deal I got! I expect it in the next 5-7 business days. It's sad that the highlight of yesterday was online shopping in the middle of the night with a gift card...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I don't know if you watch Animal Planet, but I sure do. Can't get enough of it. Earlier this summer the network advertised this special 2-hour documentary called "Mermaids: The Body Found." That right there caught my attention. Mermaids! Yeah, they're a mythical creature that occurs in stories of old from fishermen and old sea captains. Surely this "species" wouldn't actually exist. I was quite skeptical, and still am even after watching the special.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ObFgxiNuMhw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">This is an actual clip from the documentary. Some of this stuff, like the spears made out of bones found in fish over decades and decades, is unexplainable. Maybe a small fishing tribe could have made the spears and tried to kill the fish. Or people are just plain making it up to make a ruckus. Who knows. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">What I liked about the show on Animal Planet was that they had interviews of scientists who had apparently seen this firsthand. I enjoyed that the most. Everything else was weird. They put in clips of completely made up scenarios of how mermaids may have come into existence through evolution and other stuff. First, it looked extremely fake. Second, I can't bring myself to believe in evolution. Third, when they put those clips in the show, it made the special seem like it was all a hoax. Like they were saying, "Look at this stuff we made up that looks really stupid and probably never happened, and then watch this real footage of credible scientists being interviewed. It all points to the mermaids' existence!" I say, take out that stupid filler footage you made up and let the science people talk more! That's who everyone's going to listen to. But I'm not Animal Planet, so that whole rant was for nothing. Darn.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CEC4jf_LFnM/UCLO7tfvRbI/AAAAAAAAAo0/VqZhW5-9CdI/s1600/Mermaid-Fish-Tale-mermaid-autopsy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CEC4jf_LFnM/UCLO7tfvRbI/AAAAAAAAAo0/VqZhW5-9CdI/s400/Mermaid-Fish-Tale-mermaid-autopsy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Some of the evidence of mermaids existing was the body that they apparently found in a great white shark in South Africa. It was eaten and chewed up, of course, but they still did an autopsy and such. The main body parts they claimed to have possession of were examined. They had a huge part of the tail, so they looked at that closely. They determined that it couldn't be a myriad of things like a whale, a dolphin, a dugong, etc. Conclusion: they knew it was a mermaid. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">They couldn't finish their research on the subject because one day the South African government came in and took all of it. Nothing remained. They took the files and everything. So pretty much no evidence to support their claims of mermaids. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">The scientists still believe that mermaids are out there. They know the government is hiding it. I don't know if I believe it all, but it was really interesting to watch. Just all the evidence they had before the important people came and took it all. So what about you? Be sure to find out when the special comes on again on Animal Planet. Do you believe?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-9579865408470684102012-08-07T11:41:00.001-07:002012-08-07T16:00:46.711-07:00The Not-So-Fab Five<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Confession time. Woke up later than yesterday. Yeah, I did it. I thought, "What the heck. I might as well! No schedule set in stone = extra sleep time for this girl." And, let me tell you, it was awesome. I should do this more often! I even had extra time to think about the next few blogs for y'all. So in the end everyone wins!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">What did I think up this time, you ask? Well, be prepared. I have decided to do my own version of a fab five countdown, but with a twist. This countdown will be the top five ugliest (in my opinion) marine creatures in existence. And while I'm at it, I'll throw in some cool facts. It'll be relatively hard for me since I automatically react to marine animals as cute, but I'll try really hard to find the ugliest. This is going to be so much fun! Get ready...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;">#5: The Frilled Shark</span></h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">The frilled shark has to be in the top five! Just look at its eel-like appearance. To me it's more scary or frightening than "ugly." It's called the frilled shark because it can flare its gills out to make this intimidating look. Usually this guy lives in the depths of the deep ocean, contrary to the picture above. Actually, this shark was thought to have been extinct. In fact, people call the frilled shark prehistoric. In '07 a fisherman saw this creature and it was transferred to a Japanese marine park soon after. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">This just goes to show that we don't know too much about our oceans! Or know as much as we think we do at least.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;">#4: The Goblin Shark</span></h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Okay, I know so far the first two ugliest have been sharks. Don't think I consider sharks ugly, though. It's not my fault. Some shark species are extremely odd-looking in appearance. And by odd-looking I'm trying not to say ugly. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Getting back on track, the goblin shark! Ugly, isn't it? We're just getting started...This shark isn't like the rest of its cousins. Most sharks are muscular and fast-moving. The goblin is more flabby and slow. It lives in the deep ocean like the frilled shark. Fact: the deep ocean is less explored than the surface of the moon, so who knows what all really goes on down there. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">How does it hunt, you ask? Because of the way its body is made, it can stay still in the water unlike most other sharks. (Other sharks would suffocate if they stopped swimming because they need to actively pass water through their gills to breathe.) The goblin shark literally hangs motionless until something unknowingly swims across it. Then, SNAP! Lights out.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;">#3: The Fangtooth</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Ooh, the name itself strikes a shudder in your spine and causes children to cry for their mothers! Where do you think it lives? In the deep sea! Spoiler alert: all of the not-so-fab five are deep sea creatures. I didn't actually mean for that to happen, but let's face it, there are just some ugly fish in the ocean's depths.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">This toothy creature lives so far down in the ocean, it's ridiculous. They live 6,500-16,500 feet down! Woah! That pressure would completely crush us like we were a grape if we ventured down there. Astounding, isn't it? They're only about 6 inches big. However, with those fangs, they have the largest teeth relative to body size of any fish. All they have to do for hunting is to suck in their prey and impale them with their fangs. If I had those teeth, hunting would be pretty easy. Chewing would be hard, though...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;">#2: The Hairy Angler</span></h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Another deep sea animal! What a surprise. They're called hairy anglers because, well, they look hairy. With those long hair-like projections coming off of their body, they have extremely heightened senses of their surroundings.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A male angler fish.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Side note. Sorry, I have to. You'll thank me later. Anglers themselves, not just hairy anglers, have the most peculiar way of reproduction. When I first heard this, I was mind-blown for a few days. The anglers you and I see are all females. The males are much smaller. Like almost microscopic. They don't even look similar to the females. Their sole purpose in life is to find a female. When they do, they bite into the female's skin and eventually fuse themselves to the female until the male just looks like a growth on its companion. The male completely degenerates except for it reproductive organs. I know, it's fantastic. Whenever the female wants to reproduce, she can. She now controls the male completely. And she can also have multiple males on her as well (up to 6). </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Sorry for the side note. Anyways, the hairy angler. Hunting would be an interesting event to watch. Their lure that develops from its spine protrudes from its skin and "lures in" prey with bioluminescence and movement. Then it sucks in the prey and has a nice 5-star dinner. No matter what the size of the prey (even bigger than the predator), the angler's highly-extendable stomach can find room.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;">#1: The Blob Fish</span></h4>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Da da da dahhh! The ugliest fish I have ever seen! And probably the ugliest fish you have ever seen. And yet another deep sea creature. It should be an alien. If you think about it, though, all deep ocean creatures are somewhat aliens. Actually, the blob fish looks more like an ugly man...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">This "fish" looks like a blob, is called a blob, and also acts like a blob. Whatever it can get its mouth on, it'll eat. It exerts almost no energy whatsoever to find a certain prey. It'll just sit there eating what floats by its face. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Even though it isn't being eaten by humans, it's now considered in danger of going extinct. That's why it looks so glum! Fishermen for lobsters and crabs (which live at the same depths as the blob) have brought the blob fish up with their catches. Over-fishing is causing scientists to worry about the population levels. What a sad life for a sad fish!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I hope you liked the countdown! It was fun for me! And maybe you can look up some other ugly fish. You can trust me when I say there are many.</span></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-69962059791148969592012-08-06T13:32:00.002-07:002012-08-06T13:32:45.488-07:00Flipper: Faster Than Lightning<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Yet another Monday has come around, sadly. Folks, I think I'm allergic. Because I can pretty much pick whenever I want to come in to work, I decided to sleep in a little bit this morning...Okay, maybe I slept in a few hours. Whatever. I like this job just because of the schedule! And don't call me lazy! This research job is harder than it sounds. It's my last week here doing this so I'm relishing it while it's here in my life. By sleeping in.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Spinner Dolphin.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">So, dolphins. Dolphins are some of the most intelligent of all marine creatures. Do you believe me? If not, you might once you read the rest of this blog. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I got the opportunity to have an up close encounter with a bottlenose dolphin when I was 12 in a Florida marine center. Man, was that thing so much bigger than I had expected! Even if you see a dolphin in real life, you can't thoroughly grasp how big it is until you're in the water right next to it. I don't remember the name of this dolphin, but I remember it was a male. He flipped and dove and jumped and splashed. He even kissed and hugged me in his own little dolphin way! I was in heaven, as you could imagine. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I also got to hold onto his dorsal fin while he swam in the pool. The trainer had told us how to hold his fin. She pretty much said hold on tight. I did, thinking this would be the smoothest ride ever. No. No, it wasn't. It was more of this huge, muscular cetacean kicking me with his huge, muscular tail. It was still cool, don't get me wrong, but I was expecting bruising on my legs later on that evening. More than anything I learned how powerful they are that day. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">There are over 40 species of dolphins, 5 of them as freshwater river species. They are marine mammals, like whales. Also called cetaceans, which is a fancy word for the order that contains whales, dolphins, and porpoises. I personally learned they are nothing but muscle! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">They're highly social animals that swim in pods up to 100 strong. Most people know that their main form of communication is echolocation. Y'all have all probably heard a dolphin make that high-pitched noise before; well, that's echolocation! A dolphin will make those sounds and be able to sense what is around them. If they're ever in really murky or dark water, they will use their echolocation to find prey. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">We make sounds with our vocal chords. However, dolphins don't have those. They make these sounds from this nasal passage in their head, the sound waves bounce off of objects, and the reverberations come back to the dolphin. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I totally stole this thing from SeaWorld's website. I just couldn't resist! It's not plagiarism because I told you I stole it. Boom.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">The most well known dolphin of all time, Flipper, caused a huge flow of public adoration for dolphins. Everyone wants to see these guys. People go to dolphin shows and pay loads of money to swim with them in pools (like I did) every year. Because of this crazy demand to see the real life Flipper who is adored by millions, aquariums and marine parks will go everywhere to find that star dolphin. They take the intelligent animal from its habitat and stick it in a little pool to do flips for children the rest of its life. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Bottlenose Dolphin.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Yes, it sounds harsh, doesn't it? I hadn't thought of it like that until maybe a few years ago when I saw this documentary "The Cove." Everyone needs to see this movie! You will learn so much! I won't go into extreme detail since the movie puts it so beautifully put together. Plus, the reality of a dolphin's life isn't all fun and games. There are humans that hunt and kill these intelligent creatures actively.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Visit my Causes tab and there is a link to the Save Japan Dolphins website. This organization has all the information that "The Cove" outlines. It's really interesting, believe me. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">When dolphins are kept in a tank, they become ridiculously stressed and develop ulcers. They are given pills to calm them down, but the animals are still in that little tank for the rest of their life. They're used to open ocean! Catching fish in huge pods! Going anywhere and everywhere whenever they want! But they're stuck. Stuck in a little glass box. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">If I had known about this stuff when I was 12, swimming with the dolphin, I probably wouldn't have done it altogether. Paying good money to that marine center further funds something wrong. Unfortunately most of the public has no idea this is going on. Knowledge is power!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">In Australia, I fed wild dolphins on the beach. Now that right there was by far so much better. They are literal wild dolphins. Being intelligent, they just learned that coming into a specific part of the beach will initialize a grand feeding frenzy of yummy fish. Then they leave afterward and go on with their lives until the next night. If you ever want to fully appreciate a dolphin, do it in its own habitat. When it isn't in a cage or enclosure. Then, and only then, will you fully see their amazing intelligence.</span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-1468379370675758942012-08-02T15:55:00.003-07:002012-08-05T14:29:46.391-07:00Jellies!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Wow, I am just a busy bee! I've been in and out of the lab for the past two days quite a lot. I guess it's a positive thing. Working more than 1-2 hours a day was getting pretty old, I have to say. But now everything is picking up and I'm pretty sure it's just going to get worse and worse. Well, I enjoyed it while I could!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Let's talk about something that I can get happy about. What about jellyfish? Yeah, let's do that. Anyone who has seen them knows they aren't the cutest marine organism ever, but they have a cute name, right? Not a cute reputation, however. They are known for their awful sting! Thankfully I can say I've never been stung by a jellyfish. Yes, I am very lucky. I had quite a close encounter, but not a sting.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Moon Jellyfish.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I was in the waters of St. Maarten snorkeling, minding my own business. Usually when you snorkel, you're looking downward to the ocean floor admiring the reefs and such. Thank goodness I looked up at one point and saw a small-ish jellyfish the size of a ping pong ball floating just inches from my face! Scary, much? My reflexes turned and twisted me past the highly feared creature with ease.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Some jellyfish are more venomous than others. Some don't even sting. Like the moon jellies. They can sting, but it can't penetrate our skin. That's good news, right? The moon jellyfish are pretty popular in aquariums and zoos. If you go to an aquarium to see jellyfish, you're bound to see these guys. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">What happens when a jellyfish stings you? How does it all work? How can you treat jellyfish stings? Can you die from a jellyfish sting? I know you'll be asking these questions, since I'm a mindreader. Don't worry, your questions will hopefully be answered!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">1) How does a jellyfish sting work? Great question. It's all a really cool process if you ask me! On a jelly's tentacles, there are multitudes of cnidoblasts which contain nematocysts. These nematocysts are triggered when an object (or a human) comes across them. Like a bullet bursting out of a gun, stinging thread comes out of the nematocyst into your skin. This then releases all the toxins into your body, which is the part when you start feeling that awful burning sensation and regretting ever jumping into the ocean for a quick swim. Now you know.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">2) The next thing you want to know once you get stung: How do you treat a sting? There are a few rumored ways to treat stings. Some more appealing than others. The least appealing, I would say in my opinion, would be urine. It may be the easiest way to treat a sting, but definitely not the most attractive option. Sometimes urine won't help because there might not be any acid in it, so it's a hit and miss. Some say hot water, like over 100 degrees, can help. The standard and most popular treatment of stings is distilled vinegar. So keep that in mind if (or when) you get stung!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">3) After trying to treat your sting, you might be sitting there in pain and wondering if you could die from this. Well, I'd now like to tell you about the most venomous jellyfish (and most venomous animal) in the world: the box jellyfish. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xWWfiO4jD5g/UBsDd2wA3DI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/-iDe_0UjbEU/s1600/Australian-Box-Jellyfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xWWfiO4jD5g/UBsDd2wA3DI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/-iDe_0UjbEU/s320/Australian-Box-Jellyfish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">The box jellyfish has killed over 5,000 people, on record, since 1954. Its sting is <i>extremely</i> venomous. <i>Extremely</i>. And when I say extremely, I mean <i>extremely</i>. So if you're stung by a box jellyfish, get to the hospital. ASAP. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">You may say, "Oh, I'll just be on the lookout for them next time I'm in the ocean. I'll be fine...right?" Hate to burst your bubble, but the box jellies are virtually transparent. And some species are extremely small. Some can get really big, like up to 10 feet long. These guys are found in the South Pacific, so I'm good. I don't know about you guys in northern Australia, though...</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-24314159569090924422012-07-30T16:31:00.001-07:002012-07-30T16:31:08.599-07:00Snorkel Like You Mean It!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I don't know, I think Mondays are overall the worst day of the week. It doesn't even matter what happens on a Monday! It's like the Monday label poisons everything in that 24 hour period. All the little good things that might happen on another day (like getting lunch with a friend or finding $5 in your old pair of jeans) are somehow downplayed for the fact that it's Monday. Maybe it's just me. I'm probably sounding crazy. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Just a question: have you ever snorkeled? If your answer is yes, you're in my good graces. If it's a no, then march right on out to the beach, young sir/madam, and get your tail into that water! Snorkeling isn't like rocket science; you don't even need a license, like scuba-diving. And should I mention, it could probably be one of the coolest things you could ever do! You can see the world in a whole different light. You're pretty much experiencing a whole new world altogether. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-52kMuLuj_as/UBcPZL6gZoI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/L2hKU4hGauU/s1600/190125_1639798510283_5743427_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-52kMuLuj_as/UBcPZL6gZoI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/L2hKU4hGauU/s400/190125_1639798510283_5743427_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The reef my dad, my brother, and I snorkeled at off Mexico.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I still consider myself a rookie, I guess. I mean, compared to some people who are certified scuba-divers who snorkel all the time and live on the beach, I'm not up to par! I think I've snorkeled 4 times (or at least in 4 different places). I've snorkeled in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a reef off the northeast shore of the Dominican Republic, a reef near Cozumel in Mexico, and a few reefs around the island of St. Maarten. All are fantastic places to visit, trust me!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">After each of my few chances to snorkel over the years, I've taken some things into mind for the next snorkel experience. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">When I experienced the Great Barrier Reef, it was my first time, so obviously I was learning every second I was in the water. The biggest thing I took away from that one was that flippers take a little bit to get used to. At least for me! If you've ever snorkeled you might know what I'm talking about! Having flippers while swimming in the water is like tacking on an automatic webbed extension of your legs.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">In the Dominican Republic, I learned more of how to swim with snorkeling gear underwater. It's definitely harder to do so with flotation devices on, mind you. Duh, you're wearing a <i>flotation </i>device...You will float!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VY6147Pk1DA/UBcWGMo8N1I/AAAAAAAAAlg/fCBuVY9Ex3o/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VY6147Pk1DA/UBcWGMo8N1I/AAAAAAAAAlg/fCBuVY9Ex3o/s320/images.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brain Coral</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">In Mexico, I definitely experienced something different than any other snorkeling trip. To reach the reef, we had to literally swim against the current from the beach all the way out to it (maybe a little less than a mile out), swim across the reef that was parallel to the beach (maybe a mile), swim back to the beach, and then walk in the sand all the way back to the beginning point of our journey. Phew! That exhausted me just typing it! Even though I was absolutely out of it once the day was over, I loved every minute of it. Plus, the reef was one of the most abundant I've seen so far. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Oh, snorkeling in St. Maarten...I just loved it! Probably because I had the amazing opportunity to see sea turtles, but also because of the abundant reefs there. Most of the places we snorkeled at were in nature reserves, so the nature was very pristine. I would say it's a wonderful place to visit. I learned to put on tons of sunscreen here! I already had a sunburn from the day before, so I had a double sunburn all over my back. Let's just say it was the worst sunburn I've ever had! Ugh, awful.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">So, what did we learn today, folks? Snorkel like you mean it! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-79506077448401147562012-07-29T12:31:00.000-07:002012-07-29T12:31:05.265-07:00Jonah and "the Whale"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">This weekend has been just so much fun! And especially busy! I can now say I've officially moved in all the big furniture to my apartment (with help from my gracious parents). Okay, not <i>everything</i> is moved in that my roommate and I will need for the upcoming semester, but the big things are set. I have to say, sleeping on a real bed is something I don't take for granted any more! (These past 3 weeks I've been sleeping on an air mattress!)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CjfAbnsexvk/UBWLb5T_fuI/AAAAAAAAAk8/2TBlN4q47eA/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CjfAbnsexvk/UBWLb5T_fuI/AAAAAAAAAk8/2TBlN4q47eA/s320/images.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jonah and the Big Fish</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">This morning my mom and I went to church and the sermon was really good. He spoke about the first chapter of Jonah, a small book in the Old Testament of the Bible. If you don't know the story, Jonah was a prophet of God. He was told by God in the beginning of the book that he should go preach in Ninevah, this place of violence and intolerance. Let's just say you wouldn't want to vacation there! Jonah didn't want to go, so he decided to go the exact opposite way, to another city named Tarshish. He got on a boat with other men heading toward Tarshish to run from what God had called him to do. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">A great storm came upon them in the sea and they all realized Jonah was the reason why. They ended up throwing him into the sea. And what do you know, the storm stopped. Then, my favorite part, he was swallowed by a big fish and survived in it for 3 days and 3 nights. While in the fish, Jonah prayed to God and repented from his sin of trying to run from Him. God had the fish vomit him out onto dry land. Then Jonah journeyed to Ninevah and told them to repent. And, surprisingly, they did. So God decided not to destroy their city. The book of Jonah ends on a weird note, in the middle of the story almost. Jonah was angry, sitting under a tree right outside Ninevah, and God was speaking to Jonah explaining why the city shouldn't be destroyed.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I always heard this story when I was a kid as "Jonah and the Whale" or "Jonah who was swallowed by the Whale." In the Bible, though, Jonah is swallowed by a big fish. As you all know, a whale is not a fish. It's big, but it's not biologically a fish. A whale is a mammal. A marine mammal, but a mammal nonetheless. So my childhood was a lie. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BWTG1g3fBAg/UBWI8WQSE0I/AAAAAAAAAks/El6A-jOzWXs/s1600/Unknown" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BWTG1g3fBAg/UBWI8WQSE0I/AAAAAAAAAks/El6A-jOzWXs/s1600/Unknown" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A sperm whale.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">So what could this "big fish" be? If the writer of this book of the Bible was being slightly vague, it could've been an actual whale. Like a sperm whale or a blue whale. But let me throw this wrench into the mix. What if it was a shark? Yes, like the ones with hundreds of razor sharp teeth and are known as being man-eaters (which they aren't). What if it was a whale shark? Or even a great white? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">If you really want to get into the details of the story, you might ask, "How in the world did Jonah get swallowed into a whale/big fish/whatever the heck it is, and not get digested after 3 whole days?" That's a very good question. Some people have thought about this over the years, and they might have an answer. A couple marine scientists who work in Sea World: San Francisco say it must've been a great white shark. They say a shark because their metabolism is very slow. Certain sharks, like great whites, won't usually eat every day. Something as large as a human body wouldn't even start deteriorating in 3 days time. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Let's say it was a whale. Well, whale's stomachs are kind of like a cow's. They have multiple chambers. The first crushes the food, and the second will digest it with digestive juices. If Jonah were to have survived in the first chamber, he wouldn't have had to deal with acidic conditions. Of course, he would have to worry about being crushed, but that's not as bad as being dissolved by digestive whale juice, I think. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Of course, the whole point of the story isn't to think about what the big fish was. Jonah was running from God, and God still wanted to use him. The big fish was used in the story like a supporting actor in a movie! It wasn't the main character, but was useful in the story line. But, I got to say, I do like thinking about what that fish was!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-35660099749102787382012-07-27T16:38:00.000-07:002012-07-27T16:38:22.685-07:00Just Seahorsing Around...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I'm writing to you all from the new blog-writing headquarters of my apartment! Finally, I can say that. Phew, it's been a long time coming. I have yet to purchase wifi, so I'm literally sitting in the middle of the living room floor, held captive by my finite amount of ethernet cord, typing to you out there in cyberspace. I sacrifice so much for you! All in a day's blogging.</span><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Seahorses are probably God's cutest marine creation, I have to say. Except for maybe a bottlenose dolphin or a baby fur seal...oh my gosh, those seals are so adorable!! Getting back on track, no one really knows how many species of seahorses there are in the world. (One conservation group says they officially recognize a mere 38 species, even though over 100 species have been proposed!) Scientists have proposed many species, but usually they are mistaken for a species already known. This happens quite often since seahorses are constantly changing their appearance to blend with their surroundings.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lmGbCTuwEek/UBMNmnIvAuI/AAAAAAAAAkM/DhQPYwUQAps/s1600/seahorse-varieties-pygmy_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lmGbCTuwEek/UBMNmnIvAuI/AAAAAAAAAkM/DhQPYwUQAps/s400/seahorse-varieties-pygmy_0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Camouflage at its best. Can you spot the seahorse?</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">How big do you think they are? They look pretty small from the pictures, so small, right? The biggest (Big-bellied seahorse) can get 30 cm or more; the smallest, however, can get as tiny as under 2 cm (Pygmy seahorse). If you want to go out and look for one, bring your underwater magnifying glass! Just kidding, they might not even make those...Anywho, if someone comes across one, it's more serendipity than anything. My family and some friends had serendipity at the beach in Florida this summer!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">It was right after tropical storm Debby had passed through the Gulf of Mexico and we were on the panhandle of Florida. The jellyfish were rampant; we had spotted at least 5 in a couple hours just floating into the sandbar/shoreline from the open ocean. If we kept our feet still for just a few seconds, we could feel the nipping minnows on our toes. Pelicans were diving, shark fins had been spotted, sand crabs scuttling along the sand, it was just crazy. I mean, compared to the abundance of life just the day before, which was barely anything. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Okay, so we had this lemonade jar that we caught jellyfish with. Every 10-15 minutes we would see one and one of the boys would simply dunk the container and somehow come up with a jellyfish floating in the jar. Then the little kids around would want to see it before we set it free and so on. We repeated this set of actions multiple times. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jU9R6cdIKi4/UBMVjjQhm0I/AAAAAAAAAkc/7kFZnQwwJrc/s1600/SOTW2010_FilipStaes_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jU9R6cdIKi4/UBMVjjQhm0I/AAAAAAAAAkc/7kFZnQwwJrc/s320/SOTW2010_FilipStaes_0.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A short-snouted seahorse.</b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">All of the sudden one of the boys comes up to me and my friend and shoves the lemonade jar in our faces. Guess what it is? Yes, this tiny barely a few centimeters long seahorse. Colored like a maroon or deep red. It was just floating in the middle of the ocean! I couldn't help but think of the atrocities it had been through on its journey here. We made our usual rounds to everyone on the beach who wanted to see it and then let it go. I miss that little guy!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">One of the coolest things about seahorses is that the males actually give birth to their young. At some point during the mating process, the female will put her eggs into the male's pouch. From there, the male will fertilize the eggs inside the pouch. So fertilization actually occurs in the male! Weird, but amazing. I think one of the first things I learned about seahorses was the fact that the dad "did all the work" when it came to making babies. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Maybe something else that's not as known about these guys is that they are monogamous. In other words, a boy and a girl get together, make some new seahorses, and never mate with another for the rest of their lives. In the animal kingdom, you see a lot of species that just mate with the nearest female they can impress. It's quite special to see monogamy in animals! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Be sure to check out the Causes tab above! One of them is about saving seahorses from overfishing (yes, people overfish seahorses) and other threats. Talk to y'all later!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-78841740022802803902012-07-26T15:32:00.000-07:002012-07-26T15:32:17.947-07:00Gentle Giants: The Basking Shark<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Today was another record breaker. Total of 2 and a half hours at work today! I know, I work a lot. It's just something I've got to live with. And...get ready...I'm moving tomorrow! Yes, I'm moving into my new apartment! Actually my first apartment. I can't wait to have "my own place." Since I'm renting it's not really my own, hence the quotations. </span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3KaT3PcBux8/UBG8k4vyJ_I/AAAAAAAAAj0/CrXZSe_ymRw/s1600/2062011101730_1308560999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3KaT3PcBux8/UBG8k4vyJ_I/AAAAAAAAAj0/CrXZSe_ymRw/s200/2062011101730_1308560999.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Anyways, let's get to the meat of the blog. Has anyone ever heard of a basking shark? Maybe a couple? Hmm. Well, if you haven't ever heard of them, they look extremely daunting but they're in reality extremely docile. The adults are huge, ranging from 20 to 30 feet in length. Like a whale. But a shark. But not a whale shark. Those are completely different! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Fact: the basking shark is hunted for its liver oil, meat, cartilage, and of course its fins. The fins should be a no brainer because of the foul shark finning industry. If you take anything away from this blog (factually), you should take away the fact that every shark is being targeted in the ocean because of the finning industry! Shark fins are sold as souvenirs and such, but most of the fins go to Asia for shark fin soup. It doesn't sound very appetizing to me, personally. Just my thoughts. Or tastebuds. Whatever.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Other than the awful reasons why this creature is hunted, there's so much to learn about the basking shark! It is 1 of the 3 filter feeding shark species (the other 2 are the whale shark and the extremely rare deepwater megamouth shark). It basks its mouth open while swimming to get food! (See what I did there...) </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UK7yx47mpyY/UBHFPvnplII/AAAAAAAAAkA/evoEdpaF8E4/s1600/Basker_breaching_Cropped-An.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UK7yx47mpyY/UBHFPvnplII/AAAAAAAAAkA/evoEdpaF8E4/s320/Basker_breaching_Cropped-An.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Apparently they've been spotted breaching. Yes, breaching. Like a whale. Or a shark. But not a...okay, you know where I'm getting at. They'll launch themselves completely out of the water. For what reason scientists haven't a clue. But some hunches have been explained. They may be doing this for mating. Like to show off to all the girls or something. Another hypothesis is that they might be trying to get rid of a parasite on their skin. (Scientists have kind of icksnayed that one since it's so much effort for little joy at the end of it all.) </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I actually found a website to adopt a basking shark. I'm just as surprised as you are, believe me. Adopt?! That's amazing! Super amazing! I want to adopt one! Too bad I'm a poor college student. But if I could, I would so adopt one. It's not like you literally adopt one and bring it home or something. That wouldn't be as amazing. You know how you can adopt a tiger or other wild jungle animal through WWF (World Wildlife Fund)? Just like that. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I have to say, the basking shark isn't as "adorable" as a baby tiger advertised on your television screen, but how cool is it to say that you adopted a shark? Maybe it's just me pushing the subject. Hey, I could be a salesman for this kind of stuff. You already want to be a new adoptive parent now, don't you? You know you want to! The website that has all the information about adopting and just anything in general about these sharks is here: <a href="http://www.BaskingSharks.org/" target="_blank">www.BaskingSharks.org</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">You won't regret that you visited! It's full of awesome facts that you can say in random conversations. Then you can impress all your friends!</span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-61508765786269974302012-07-25T14:28:00.000-07:002012-07-25T15:41:41.286-07:00The Northern Alaskan Frontier: Drill Central<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Good, solid day today. Not too much excitement, but I did some grown-up stuff today! Like buying internet for my apartment! It's like grown-up Christmas! I don't know why I was so ecstatic about it. Maybe because I went and did it all by myself. Yes, thank you for your applause. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Has everybody been hearing the news with Shell? If not, I will inform you! Well, apparently Shell has announced that they will be doing explorative drilling in the northern Alaskan seas. President Obama had given the go ahead to them kind of out of the blue, and now they're planning on starting the project this month. (It was so out of the blue that I didn't even hear about it until maybe a week ago.) Of course, since the Alaskan wilderness they are planning to drill in is considered one of the last pristine parts of the world, people went off their rockers. Activists from all over the world are in an uproar desperately fighting Shell's plans. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Of course Shell is saying they are doing everything in their power to prevent what happened in the Gulf of Mexico not too long ago. They say they aren't going to drill in as deep of waters as they did in the Gulf. Yeah, yeah. That doesn't mean a spill won't happen period. No plan, no matter how much ground-breaking engineering work is involved, will be full-proof. Impossible. So Shell can't look those activists and those Alaskan natives in the eyes and tell them they won't kill the Arctic environment. If they do, they'll be bluffing, hoping to God that everything will be smooth sailing. Smooth sailing, pssh.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1LKpt6W55_E/UBBgp3k9R7I/AAAAAAAAAjY/JSHSb28eziU/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1LKpt6W55_E/UBBgp3k9R7I/AAAAAAAAAjY/JSHSb28eziU/s320/images.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">No one wants to kill off wildlife, but some people are just gambling with it a little too much (some people = U.S. gov't. and Shell). They're gambling their money and reputation, hoping the people who care about the environment won't rip their heads off. Well, bad news. People who care about the environment want to rip their heads off. I consider it good news, though. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">It just goes to show that humans actually care about this land we live in and the other creatures that live in it. It's refreshing. Obviously you can tell my side on the subject of Arctic drilling. I've been as subtle as an elephant in your kitchen. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">So, what are your thoughts on it all? Oil drilling altogether? Specifically in the Alaskan frontier? Activists being more of a nuisance than a helping hand? Bueller? </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-67166326791460227062012-07-24T15:00:00.001-07:002012-07-24T15:00:39.181-07:00Everyone Likes Pie!...Octopi I Mean.<h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Happy Tuesday! It has been a happy Tuesday, really! This morning I spent a record amount of time in the lab at work (90 minutes) and kind of knew what I was doing? I put a question mark there because I really want to say that I knew what I was doing but if I do I might curse myself. Then tomorrow and for the rest of my days in research I will forever be oblivious to anything and everything. Hence, the question mark.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">In hindsight, I think I will be glad I did this whole chemistry research thing. Now, however, I don't think I have it in me to appreciate the life lessons. I'd rather be in my house, watching TV, and drinking some sweet tea. Oh, that sweet tea sounds nice...Still, I wouldn't get anything accomplished doing that. I've heard that any task worth completing must take some sort of sacrifice. The bigger the accomplishment, the bigger the sacrifice. (It's a direct proportion, even though I wish it were indirect.) </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I never talk about octopuses (I prefer to say octopi, because it's fun), so I think this is what we will talk about today! Be prepared for some cool stuff. These guys have the most amazing tactics in defense and even offense. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">First off, hopefully most everyone knows that they have 8 arms/tentacles (<b><u>octo</u></b>pus) and suckers all throughout the bottom of these arms. Some species of octopi and squids have small razor sharp teeth on their suckers. That would definitely leave a mark...ouch. Their life spans are pretty short, but they are <i>extremely</i> smart. Their brains are huge, if you haven't seen the size of their head compared to their whole body. All of this is cool, but I think they have something that's even better.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zbg8f0PMZxg/UA8XlGg1-9I/AAAAAAAAAjM/Z61vnk-cQTQ/s1600/octopus-3b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zbg8f0PMZxg/UA8XlGg1-9I/AAAAAAAAAjM/Z61vnk-cQTQ/s200/octopus-3b.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">They're called chromatophores. Because of chromatophores, which are all over the cephalopod's skin, they can change colors in a flash. Some scientists even think that color changing is being used by these animals for communication! In the picture on the right, this tiny octopus is using its chromatophores to camouflage itself, which is mostly what these skin pigments are used for. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">There are these other things on the octopus's skin called iridiophores. They pretty much mirror the animal's surroundings to help further camouflage themselves. It's all a very complicated and beautiful system of defense. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">And, another cool thing about them, they have a beak. Yes, like a bird's beak. No one ever sees it since said beak is underneath their tentacles on the bottom part of their head. But don't get any ideas the next time you see an octopus or squid. If you want to see that beak, you better wait until it's dead on a dissecting table. Those things are sharp! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I hope you enjoyed the octopi! Talk later!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387608801674001466.post-34628060559513223892012-07-23T13:01:00.000-07:002012-07-23T13:01:39.071-07:00<h3>
July 23, 2012</h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I just love whale sharks. Like, it's kind of a problem. But a good one I want to hold onto for the rest of my days. Is it okay to be obsessed like that? Oh well.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I love this video, too! Why? Because it's about whale sharks, of course! I can't seem to get over their awesomeness. So guess what I do when I'm bored...Google search the migration patterns of whale sharks. Yes. I do. I google it to see if I might make my next trip near a hotspot so I can swim with one. But, of course, not much is known about the species in general except for general anatomy, feeding habits, and geographical hotspots. Every time I google it, it never fails. Gosh, I feel like I'm telling you guys my inner secrets. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">However, just recently I found this awesome website all about whale sharks. I know, it's such a life-changing discovery! This Whale Shark Project website has everything. History, biology, geographical hotspots, distribution, etc. Lord, thank you! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Voila! A map of whale shark distribution! I now know where I need to go in my hunt for whale sharks! (Not a real hunt, I'm not a ghastly shark-finner) Actually, I've been around the red area in the Gulf of Mexico, but still I've not seen one. Maybe they are playing hide and seek with me. I can't tell you why, really. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">But let me tell you this: when I see one in real life in the ocean, I will be a different person. No joke! I don't know how that will happen, but it will change my life. I just know it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Have you ever had that feeling? Like you know something is about to happen but you don't know when it'll come about? And you know it'll change you for the better. Or for the worse. And you just want it to happen! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I don't know any of you, but I'm going to make a guess that some of you might be wired like me. I just want to have control! Control of everything that happens! If not, then I will go insane! There's a beauty to this, though. Despite the chaos of trying to contain the chaos in my brain, there's this force other than me that can take it all away. My God. When I just can't take any more burdens (of which I usually put on myself), He can lift them off of me and I can live for Him rather than for myself or those heavisome burdens. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I know, I'm all over the place. More later! </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266729627444152094noreply@blogger.com0