EARTH SHIPS: saving the earth one house at a time…

Who can say why the “ship” part of the title…In any case, you could save up on all sorts of bills living in these VERY environment-friendly homes. They’re home-made, made up mostly of recycled tires or bottles (sometimes other recycled items), and can be quite decorative depending on how much you’re wiling to spend after $7,000 of building them. You save up on electrical/water bills because you can also build your own gardens within them to sustain your food supply; the layers make the temperature inside pretty moderate, winter or summer, 70-ish degrees, especially with the amount of glass panels they’ll have to let sunlight in; and the designs help catch and use water from the environment without bringing in water from the centralized source (inside the earthship); the undrinkable greywater is channeled through a miniature machine within the Earthship to produce food. 

For more detailed info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship 

Animal or Human?

Doesn’t matter. Animal or human. We don’t slaughter either. The atrocities in “The Cove” was immoral to both humans and animals: slaughtering dolphins in the daily, ruthless manner shown, and ignoring the mercury poisoning in dolphin meat sold to humans for food. What’s sad is that this documentary was so powerful, yet it seemingly had little effect on everyone. It ends with Ric O’Barry standing in the ignorant crowds of Japan, a TV strapped to his chest (like at the global animal protection conference!). However, as the camera pans away, there was hope in the few people that walked up to him staring in shock at the dolphins slaughtered on his TV.

This documentary made me shake my head at humans, but regained my faith in them as I watched Ric’s dedication to dolphins. Even though he helped start the “Flipper myth”, he still showed his dedication and companionship with dolphins throughout his career, to when Flipper’s death changed him–to the very end. Regardless the arrests and the physical threats by the Taiji fishermen.

The “spy” style to the documentary was adrenaline-rushing but was appropriate to lure our attention. It wasn’t too flashy of a documentary, either. It felt realistic as we followed Ric’s crew, even in its message: you gotta do what you gotta do for what’s right, even when it’s wrong. That was a lot of sneaking in. Their bravery was inspiring. I admired the interesting crew Ric had: the married couple free-style divers, the adrenaline king who climbed the world’s highest structure, and even artists to disguise Ric’s cameras with fake boulders, trees, etc!!!! (We artists CAN make a difference, too!) The amount of pushing and hollering they received from the fishermen–with their hooks, harpoons, signs, cameras–was hard to watch. Especially since they had to witness that one baby dolphin trying to make its way toward them, asking for help. That was upsetting. Sometimes I feel like people don’t do anything because they’re too disturbed by the truth–but the truth motivated Ric’s crew even more. Sometimes the graphic, bloody truth is necessary to open up people’s eyes…

Speaking of truth, the documentary was also very factual regarding the uselessness of dolphin meat, the effect its mercury had on thousands of people (especially students of Taiji), and what even goes on at those global meetings about animal protection. Even the methods the fishermen used to lure the dolphins and kill them was educational–it validates what’s going on. It raises awareness–better than no one knowing anything about it, even though that number was very high. Nonetheless, the film, and Ric’s devotion to traveling around educating people, raised people’s awareness. I mean, he made the film, and here I am watching it, learning about it, reflecting on it, and hopefully sharing and spreading awareness in my little class blog…:/

About animal captivity. I have mixed feelings about it because it’s helped science progress learning about all sorts of species. Zoos have brought people together to love, appreciate, learn about animals, and interact with them. Not everyone can just go out into the wild like most scientists to study animals–well, they COULD. If they wanted to. ANYWAY, I am completely sentimental and aware of the cons. We saw in “Blackfish” and “The Cove” how the noises created by excited crowds, and all that banging from the boats or hand commands, has stressed out animals separated from their families. I do not blame those in captivity. I can’t imagine how scared, isolated, and confused I’d be if I were an animal in captivity. So, of course, I completely support the recent documentaries studying stressed animals in captivity.

I can’t say I want to go to Sea World and other places like it, now that I know how those sea creatures got there…All I see is Taiji’s fishermen stabbing dolphins, pulling them up with hooks into their boats, crushing them or separating them with their boats, and BANG BANG BANG on the boats–just to give water shows their circus creatures. They did not need to kill SO many dolphins every day, for meat that on one really likes or knows about, in the method they used…

Overall, if you’re going to study creatures, why not immerse yourself with them and live next to them instead of capturing them? If you’re going to kill them for food, don’t SLAUGHTER, don’t scare them, don’t OVERKILL…

Tsuki and Cean’s Rubix Cube

We chose something kids of any age could play with. It’s safe, fun, simple, and educational. We ordered this small Rubix Cube online, drew our pictures and printed them on sticker paper from Staples. We split between us certain endangered species to draw. Each marine species is depicted in the center of each side of the cube, surrounded by drawings of the causes for its endangerment. Twisting, mixing, and toying with the Rubix Cube’s endless possibilities reinforces the idea that the causes for endangered species are similar. For instance, oil, fishing hooks or bait, and litter are huge threats to each species. In addition, each side/species are also color-coded to specify the threats to their lives.

Here are a few close-ups of the drawings:

Some of the pictures also hint what you could do to prevent harm to these species. Here are examples:

The Turtle:

1) shield lights or turn them off if your house is on the beach

2) cover up holes on beach (in case hatchlings fall in them)

3) remove litter/furniture/debris (it’ll crush, confuse, or trap hatchlings and their mothers)

4) use red Turtle Safety-Light (it doesn’t disturb hatchlings or nesting mothers)

 

The dolphin:

1) slow down in your motor/powered boat, for its propellors will cut or kill them

2) DO NOT feed them. It encourages them to rely on humans for food, reducing their wariness to predators or boats and reduces their socialization with other dolphins. It increases their aggression toward humans because they expect food, and it increases chances of them TEACHING other dolphins to rely on humans. They’re hunters, not beggars. Beggar the Dolphin was a good example of human interaction endangering dolphins. He fed on human food like pretzels, beer, hotdogs, etc, which didn’t provide him the nutrients he needed as a dolphin. It starved him, especially whenever he waited and waited for humans to float by. He couldn’t survive with other dolphins because he didn’t know how to socialize with them. He was found dead a week ago with many wounds from encounters with boats, but it was his reliance on humans for food that starved and killed him…

The Manatee:

1) same applies with any marine life: slow down with your motor/powered boat, for its propellors will cut or kill them

2) do not attempt to swim with them for it encourages them to rely on humans for food and care

3) be aware that they can get trapped, crushed, and killed in flood canals

 

 

Greetings from the Praying Mantis

 

 

 

Wazzuppp? 😀

Another fascinating species of  2,200 that comes in TOO MANY shapes, sizes, colors, and awesomeness…

Like this.

 

Or this.

“Praying mantis” comes from their “prayer-like” stance but also can be referred to as “preying” mantis for the fact that it creeps on its prey, like a monk wishing you good fortune with a nearly 100 degree rotation of its creepy, yet majestic head and multiple eyes–

HOLYL, ALSDJLDSJFL! 

 

If not wingless, it has a gorgeous 2 sets of wings: the outer opaque, leathery wings for camouflage, and its delicate, broad hindwings designed for flight. They whip them out and spread them to seem scarier if they feel threatened:

 

What’cha gonna do about it???

They eat insects, but are cynically known for going for creatures bigger than themselves: scorpions, lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, fish, even rodents! I hate photos like these, but here’s a sad example of their prey:

We all know they’re also known for cannibalism amongst their own, especially during mating. Male mantis (as Dr. Zoidberg struggled, from “Futurama”): “Live or mate?” Female mantis eating: “Yum, yum, yum–whup, I’m bored. CHOMP!” There ya go. Domestic violence. Male’s gone. Eaten by the female…her fangs like a mustache with fangs hidden inside her mouth.

God, doesn’t matter how big or small a mantis is. They’ll find any way to survive, even if it means putting on some boxer gloves like this Boxer Mantis Nymph. 

 

At any rate, considering the endless kingdom of kinds there are, these are definitely one of the kings of hunting in the insect world: 

YES. Yes, they are…

Anyway, “The True Fact About the Mantis” couldn’t say it any better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aSCPmabRpM. 

ASSASSIN SPIDER (or hysterically a.k.a “Pelican Spider”)

OK, guys. My favorite new insect. At first I cringed, but I laughed at the cynic nature/adaptation of this unique spider unlike any I’ve   

seen so far. Yeah. That’s a @#$@!! spider. Thank god it’s only in Madagascar, Africa, and Australia. Not much is known about them since they’re a recently discovered species, so I can’t say much.

I cringed for sure. But got used to it the more I read about it. It’s kinda cute the way it slopes/tucks its neck like like a pelican. But that’s about it. Its neck is long, its eyes at the very tip. It has two scissor-like jaws that act individually: one reaches out stabs its prey from a great distance, waits till it wriggles and dies, then the other jaw comes up and crunches on it.

Its legs are so much longer than its body: mid-legs can hold a giant egg sac while the rest help the son-of-a-gun hunt or defend against predators. 

Other defense mechanisms: sit like a bird in its nest and fake death? 

 Don’t worry. It’s only 2-8 mm. It hunts only spiders. It mostly comes out at night. But its clever hunt strategy is just…creepy.

It’ll follow other spiders’ web “draglines”. At the edge of another spider’s web, it plucks it as if playing some tune–similar behavior spiders share when courting each other. Prey comes along curiously. Assassin reaches out and…well….stabby, stabby, stabby.

Other hunting methods: creep along upside-down above prey.

 

If you’re still conscious from looking at this dreadful thing, check out the following link for further details: http://pbertner.wordpress.com/spider-assassins-archaeidae/

True Facts About the Chameleon

Sorry, but how can one resist this guy’s videos? I actually didn’t know that chameleons do NOT change color for camouflage but due to mood/temperature.

LIdo Beach Walk with Class

That was a very relaxing class. Being a graduating senior trapped indoors, I really appreciated the fresh air and the reminder that there are other things out there, how big and diverse our world is. I really enjoyed simply looking around and seeing a mundane organism such as the raccoon, the starfish someone found in the water, the blue heron stalking the shores (?), or even the everday ant hives. All those networks of holes! Still very cool to me! Then there were unexpected organisms like the cacti, the horse-shoe crab, or the beehive hidden in the mangroves (although it seemed planted there by humans). Things we see every day, and yet not because we’re indoors whether for school or because we just don’t like going outside. The sun is soooo good for you!

With that said, I wish we had explored the mangroves. Everyone seems to love the vastness and soothing atmosphere of the beach, which is my favorite–but because we didn’t swim, I felt restrained to trying to find shoreline things…which felt limited other than the occasional “hitchhikers”, those nasty spiky little balls. Maybe I just wasn’t looking hard enough. But going into the mangroves had more diversity to offer, so I really enjoyed it while it lasted. Next time we should really get lost in those paths we did near the end of our fieldtrip. I was hoping to see more crabs overwhelming the trees or exploding back into their tiny holes…

True Facts About the Aye-Aye

Haha. This guy is funny and always shares the most interesting facts about animals. His “True Facts” vids always show the best adaptive species.

Mixed Breeds

Have fun with this super uber cuteness. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/29/mixed-breed-dogs_n_4688026.html

My Title Called Dogs

I’ve seen “Science of Dogs” twice now. As fascinating as it is how much people put time into breeding them, sometimes I wonder if we have the right to do that. I see its benefits in rescuing people or protecting people from intruders/ferocious animals, but sometimes it makes me feel uneasy that we put them in dog shows and of course the hidden dog fights (not that all of us do that). Or, for example, we can domesticate wolves so easily, as demonstrated  in the documentary. How easily their mind changes and how they depend on us. Since science over the years have proved that animals have feelings and DO get affected by us, I can’t help but question how much our science affects the true, wild nature of them…

Anyway, so, my dog is a border collie named Fern. She’s around 14 years old as of now. Her “clingy” behavior varies on the activity. Meaning, she doesn’t care about you. Haha. Unless you’re throwing a ball, she won’t care what you do–but if you throw it in a pattern she finds predictable, or if you don’t throw it far enough, she’ll just stand there and look at you. Not in a begging way, but more like, “REALLY?” (She also does this hysterical thing where if she does go receive the ball, she’ll only meet you halfway, then just lays there with the ball at her feet, expecting you to come to HER). When we’re hiking, Fern definitely shows the typical border collie’s “herding” behavior–she’ll trot around us, run ahead of us but look at us, or stay behind us, making sure we’re all together. She spends her day barking at horses and dogs on the TV or our neighbor riding by on a real horse; sitting there and staring up at who knows what on the blank ceiling (sometimes it’s the reflection of my dad’s glass of wine or something, lol); or just wandering around in our mountainous home all day without any dependency on us until she wants food lol.

The following photo was from this Winter break. Fern believes  snowballs are real,  so when one disappears into the snow, she’ll scoop the snow out with her front paws, going backwards, thinking the snowball is still in there. lol. This is her camera-shy, but anticipating more snowballs. lol

My girlfriend’s mom’s pet, Meesha, is a long-haired chihuahau. Because the mother BABIES THE CRAP OUT OF HER, Meesha whines the moment she’s out of sight. One time we left her for a few hours in the bathroom behind her dog gate. When we came back, the puny runt ate through that thick gate!!! However, it’s because her “mom” does everything with her and takes her everywhere, even sometimes to work; she carries Meesha in those purse/dog cages. They are great sleeping companions as long as you know where they are under the covers. It gets nerve-racking whenever I hear a yelp lol. They also are fun to cuddle with watching TV, but will hiss and snarl at the dogs coming near. Meesha will just flail those tiny paws expecting it’ll hurt the crap out of the Great Dane or brown Labrador. lol….She will constantly fight with Susie Q, a Chihuahua Yorkie of a friend they decided to adopt. Over nothing, usually. You’ll walk in the house and suddenly see two little bodies missile into each other from opposite ends of the earth right in front of you. It’s surprising how fast and ferocious these little things are. Bratty, but lovable.