There are those who do stop and apologize, no matter the time limit for the apology.  There are those who keep the statement going in spite of the impression in the room, waiting and expecting others to join in or side with their wit.  And there are those who would never apologize, even after they have stopped and knew that others had  turned away.

     Ever try to talk to someone but couldn’t get them to listen as you tried to get your point across?

     There are those who would listen and are willing to say, “Sorry, I just don’t get what you mean.”  There are those who do listen but with a defensive ear.  Aiming to criticize you and bring up the level of annoyance, just because you gave them more to think about than what they wanted to hear.  And there are those who listen in order to give you back a purposely positive response with no or little complications added to your life.

• a)   There are those who can’t hear you due to many fault factors.
• b)   There are those who won’t hear what you have to say because of pride, embarrassment, or guilt.
• c)    And there are those who have matured enough to openly hear you and respond respectfully.

      In the back ground are those who observing but do not get involved….necessarily.

• a)   There are those who see what’s happening but never ask why.
• b)   There are those who see but could care less to even wonder why.
• c)    And there are those who see to understand more and may adventure to ask the question why.

     Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?  In this world we obviously have trust issues with listening and being apart of stepping up.  The many, many, stories that are heard and shared by one another serve as living examples.  Even the laws of the land, backed up by our court systems are given as a reflection of this dilemma.

     The best position for attack, when there is an enemy of some sort, is from the inside out.  It can hurt our feelings, create doubt and unbelief, or even give us physical illness which ultimately effects us mentally speaking.  It is the order of things.  From the inside out.  To be feeling as though an attack is happening.

     Cancer of the air is when people shake up an atmosphere of peace, just to trade it in for a little hell.  But hell was already with the person before the shake down could begin.

STORY:  Your on the edge of the pond.  Watching as the ducks paddle in the water.  In the pond are many ducks swimming gracefully.  Viewing this, you interpret that the ducks appear to move without struggle or very little effort.  On top of the water they seem to move across the waters as though the wind is moving them gently.

But in order to be understanding the whole picture, you must see underneath the water.  It becomes a little bit of a different story.  Under the water, you see rapid movement.  A faster pace and an appearance of being a bit frantic as they peddle their way from here to there.

     People can be a lot like this.  On the outside of what you see of them looks to be calm, in control and well balanced.  Things look worked out and can give an appearance of smoothness.  But generally when you look closer, deeper into their belief systems, their life’s experiences and choices, it can look to be a bit more chaotic than you thought.  When you spot this dilemma, they don’t seem to be who you thought that they were.

     People like to hide their imperfections and misgivings. Giving others a false sense of security and respect about who they are when your looking.  The problem is who are they when no one is looking?

     Preachers, teachers, parents, relatives, governmental officials, Friend or Foe can fall to taking this approach. According the Bible no one is perfect.  But we can give the impression that we are.  A lot of never get to our full potential of truly who we are.  So keep that in mind.

Revealing this kind of evidence to a person who has been hiding, can intensify and overwhelm them to a negative response. Plain and simple, some people don’t want to hear it and they hinder their human growth experience by avoiding change.  Non-change requires no growth.  And growth requires maturity which is built upon listening.  If you are reading this, you have just put another notch in your belt for growth.

Being a prisoner to your own life rituals can result in shackling yourself to rebellion, selfishness, and soon after, abandonment by you or by others.  And no one likes a know it all.

If you find yourself in place for being uncomfortable secretly or being uncomfortable out loud, there are a few things to take into consideration in order to establish some change, on the inside of your mind.  Here are some tools that you can gather to help maintain a little bit more of a healthy life style for yourself or for others.

What does it mean to Respect?…..Well, respect means;

• No invasion of space or territory without permission.
• Truth in what you are saying to yourself and others.
• Practices wide range of patience.
• Trustworthy to being depended up.
• A caretaker or a service in gentle and favorable ways.
• Disciplined enough to be in control of ones habits.
• Thoughtfulness for being involved.
• Honesty practiced in the relationships.
• A provision of tools for many relationships to survive on.
• Listens and listens some more.
• Gives fair advice to self and others.
• Royal and loyal to communicate with others.
• Cautious about going to slow or going to fast in life.
• Intention’s of getting meaningful results in conflict.
• Obedience to the laws of the land.
• Loves to listen and listens to love.
• Understanding limits and their consequences of safety.
• Honorable behavior admired by many.
• Encouragement increasing growth.
• Forgiving acts allowing things to be move on.

     Commit your mouth not to sin.  By what you do say, or what you should say and don’t. Cussing, dirty jokes, or even gossip cast shadows of doubt up against trust.

Words are containers for power and replacement or power of drainage.  It is a either a blessing or curse to weaken or strenghten a spirit.

Get done with pettiness and have some peace.  For tomorrow is not promised to you.

Don’t grave dig by saying, “I can’t, it won’t work, I tried, it won’t happen….etc.

Teachers are held at the higher end to people falling or succeeding.  Hint, we are all teachers.

Death and life are in the tongue.

God uses those who ask.  But be not surprised by the long hours and the commitment.  Because the benefits are great.  And can be long lasting past your death.

Who we are means that before you can experience the yes’s in life, you’ll generally have to understand the No’s in your life.  So that what you do comes out of who you are suppose to be.  We are not just to have respect for others but ourselves too. Take care. Nan

1. 馬刺し (Basashi): Popular in Japanese cuisine, raw horse meat is served with ginger,onions, soy sauce…etc. Horse meat tastes richer than beef, tender and less fatty.

2. PB&J sandwich: The classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich, easy to make at home, if you haven’t tasted one I suggest that you make one right now.

3. 雞蛋糕 (ji dan gao): An egg cake sold at Taiwan’s night market vendors. The more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop.

4. Durian Fruit: Found in South-east Asia. The taste of this fruit is indescribable. The unusual flavour and odour of the fruit have prompted many people to express diverse and passionate views ranging from deep appreciation to intense disgust.

5. Baba Ghanoush: Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern dish of roasted eggplant mashed and mixed with various seasonings. It’s often eaten as a dip with pita bread, and often also accompanied with hummus (dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas).

6. Escargot: A dish of cooked land snails, usually served as an appetizer. It’s commonly cooked with garlic, butter, and parsley. They are one of the most recognizable symbols of French cuisine.

7. Fugu: Puffer fish from Japan. It can be lethally poisonous if prepared incorrectly, so choose the restaurant where you will eat it very carefully. (Very, very carefully.)

8. Roasted Ginger Duck: Subtle texture, great taste with ginger flavours.

9. Australian Oysters: Try both raw freshly caught or cooked in a restaurant.

10. Bubble Tea: Most people have had this all their lives, but its really important that you do have a sip.

11. Snake: Popular in Vietnam. People say that snake tastes like chicken.  Try it for yourself!

While Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the U.S., it’s celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada. 

The first Thanksgiving was in 1620. It was in Plymouth, Mass. and lasted for three days. 

In 1789, George Washington proclaimed the first National Day of Thanksgiving. 

In the 1800s, Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, wrote editorials in her Boston Ladies’ Magazine andGodey’s Ladey’s Book. She began campaigning that Americans recognize Thanksgiving as a holiday. This took her forty years; she wrote letters and editorials to presidents and governors. Finally, her efforts paid off when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed in1863 that Thanksgiving become an annual holiday for the first time. 

In 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to lengthen the holiday season. He proposed moving Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of the month and this caused an outrage among citizens. 

In 1941, Congress made Thanksgiving a legal holiday. 

There were four women and about forty percent children at the first Thanksgiving. They celebrated with a feast and thanked God for sparing their lives; half of their crew had died the first year after coming to the new world.

Gimbel’s Department Store was the first store to hold a Thanksgiving parade in the 1920s. 

Duck, lobster, squash and corn were all served at the first Thanksgiving dinner. 

Cod and bass, among other fish, were also part of the first Thanksgiving in America.

The modern Thanksgiving foods, such as pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, and cranberries were absent at the first Thanksgiving feast. 

John Alden made barrels of beer for the Pilgrims to take on their voyage to the American colonies. 

I have the room; I love animals so it just seemed natural to add baby ducks and geese to my eclectic group of critters.  My husband did not understand my logic in having them “just because I loved them”.  His idea of a duck is dinner with Zinfandel-cranberry sauce and geese are demons sent from hell.  Why on gods green earth would you want them he asked?  Needless to say I prevailed; I flung open the proverbial gates of hell and absconded with six of its feathered residences.  Around the same time a stork avoiding the talons of death dropped its blanket which parachuted down to my doorstep, naturally I adopted the sixteen ducklings inside.

2

I raised the gaggle as my own.  The first six weeks of life they lived in my Barbie pink guest bedroom, basked on a beach of sawdust and were warmed to a toasty 98 degrees by the artificial sun.   They learned that mom was that crazy woman who picked them up two to three times a day and let them play in her acrylic pond filled with ninety degree water.

3

At twelve weeks old they resemble gawky, gangly teenagers having a bad hair day.  They were all fuzz with very little finesse, ugly ducklings waiting to turn into the beautiful swans.  Their chatter was nothing more than fingernails raking across a chalk board, with the occasional operatic high note.

4

Five months and counting the ducks have become an exterminator’s worst economic nightmare.  They swarm the yard like a heard of feathered anteaters, picking off the bugs one by one in a fashion known only to a sniper.  Mice, weeds and grass stand no chance against the spawn from hell. 

5

A neighbor stopped by recently and asked how we kept our grass so thick and green.  I replied organic fertilizer.  Oh Cow Dung? Uh, well no, more like bird dung.  My husband chimed in about that time, “Those geese should work for Hasbro they leave green logs lying around everywhere.  If you used that gooey brown tar yuck from the ducks to color the logs, you could have your first organic Lincoln Logs play set”.  Then added, “On a serious note it is very awesome fertilizer, it does not burn the lawn or shrubs in the heat of summer”.

6

Six months old and the critters have started to pay for their keep.  The birds have molted and I have zip lock bags full of multi-color feathers, a hat maker and crafters paradise.  Daily I collect organic eggs; green, tan and beige, colored by nature not Paas dye.  Advertized as a baker dozen, there is no shortage of customers, “great for baking and wow what fluffy omelets” are the comments I receive.

7

We are testing a new environmentally friendly alarm system, no wires or electricity needed.  My husband has dubbed it “The Screaming Chickens”.  It is very effective and has many applications.  If the phone rings outside, a strange car drives up the driveway or stranger’s walk on the property and if things go bump in the night the demons from hell, create quite the screechy ruckus.  Outsiders are often the object of stealth covert operations.  Once the target has been acquired, the team silently surrounds the enemy.  When the target gets the eerie feeling they are being watched, and turn to look, they are rewarded with a hiss.  Wild ducks and geese are received with a lynch mob mentality, and soon feel the need to flee.

8

Eight months old and my critters are fully grown.  They are all beauty and no beasts.  My husband, though the will never openly admit it, loves them to.  He sits with geese and ducks in the evenings and hand feeds them lettuce.  He talks to them and often tells me of their daily antics.  In the public eye he threatens to cook them and all other manner of things, but I know they have won him over.

9

I never knew fun and benefits of raising ducks and geese until I raised this group.  They perform the much needed tasks of being my exterminator, mulcher and fertilizer.  All this can be achieved without the use of toxins that harm the environment.  They have proven to be a most reliable alarm system and best of all they are great entertainment.  They will sit silently next to me one moment and the next they can perform; a full non-harmonious musical or their own form of a klutzy ballet.  My husband and I have come to appreciate the beauty and friendly antics of our critters.  My mind is branded with one thought where these hoodlums are concerned “what are they doing now?”

During the Second World war United States recruited not only human soldiers but dogs also. It sounds funny but there was actually an organization called Dogs for Defence. This organization started a company during which people had a chance to give their dogs to the military. This company ironically had a huge success because more than 50 000 dogs were recruited to help the US military. In war dogs had many jobs starting with message delivering ending with disarming bombs.

Image credit

Duck Freda

During World War II citizens of one small German city decided to build a statue for Freda, and guess what – Freda is not some mythical  hero, it’s actually a duck.  You might ask what did this duck do to deserve such a honor. Well she was better than an alarm system, because she had an extraordinary hearing. Freda could hear enemy airplanes when they were many miles away, thus prior air attacks she would start quacking and running around. It didn’t take long for the people of the city to realise that the air attack is coming. Freda saved many hundred lives. What a hero!

Image credit

Chicken Parachutist

Back in the 1944 when the Allies freed France, it was decided to finish the war until Christmas with one single operation Market Garden. Parachutists were essential for the success of this operation.  It’s interesting to find out that one of the parachutists from the UK Pat Glover had a very nice pet – a chicken parachutist.  You see Pat Clover really loved his pet, actually he loved it so much that he used to take his chicken Mirta to his practise parachute jumps.  You might not believe but Mirta actually participated during the D Day parachute landing.

Annoying Parrots

There’s actually a popular story, that during the Second World War people who had parrots, which told jokes about Hitler caused many troubles to their owners. There is even a story that one parrot owner was sentenced to death because of his chatty parrot. It’s clear if these stories are true, but it’s a fact that parrot owners had similar problems during the Russian revolution.

Birds and Bats

I’m sure you know that air forces were very important for both sides during the war, but you it’s very funny to find out that there were actually plans to use bats and birds during the war.  You might think that birds and bats are useful to deliver messages, but you know what – military actually had plans to train birds and bats to drop bombs.

Image credit

Mice

Back in 1942 when the most important events of the war between Soviets and Germany took place, 48th corp of panzers faced another dangerous enemy – mice. It’s hard to believe but mice actually lived among the panzers of the 48th corp and caused a lot of damage.  Actually only 42 out of 104 panzers had a chance to participate in later attacks against the enemy, due to the severe damage to the wiring system caused by mice. To bad they didn’t bring cats to the war.

Links: 1) Join Triond

2) Ice Cold Science Blog

3) History of Clocks

Tully the Duck

     Tully the duck was shot in the head with a nail gun. Luckily for him, the 4 inch nail missed his eye and his brain, causing no serious damage. It took the rescuers 3 days to catch him, and only 15 minutes to perform the surgery to remove the nail. Tully is recovering now and taking antibiotics.

Sticky the Kitty

     Sticky got her name from the situation she was found in. Poor Sticky is a one year old cat that was found completely wrapped by a roll of duct tape. Whoever wrapped her up used the entire roll, wrapping multiple times around her body and also around her legs. The cat was left abandoned, but when found was imediately taken to the Philidelphia SPCA. They unwrapped Sticky and are now trying to wrap up her case.

Images come from here.

There are many other heartbreaking tales of surviving animals. Just check out your local spca website to hear more. These animals deserve our love.