Friday, August 31, 2018
Found For Friday
It was the first day of school and the teacher was
asking the little boy about his family.
asking the little boy about his family.
"And what does your Daddy do?"
"He's a magician."
"That must be exciting, what tricks can he do?"
"He can saw people in half."
"That is clever, and tell me do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Yes, one half brother, and two half sisters."
The FDA approved an antihistamine that gave me horrible side effects.
I’m gonna Sue-da-Feds!
I was once a man trapped in a woman's body.
Then, my mom gave birth.
Cultural Differences Are Real.
In America we compliment a woman by telling her
she looks like a million dollars.
she looks like a million dollars.
In England, a woman will NOT be happy if you tell her
she looks like a million pounds.
she looks like a million pounds.
I'm working on a joke about Ikea.
I just have to finish putting it together.
I went to an exhibit of student art.
There was a sign that said "Art Objects."
I can't say that I blame him.
Those who get too big for their pants will be exposed in the end.
Acupuncture is a jab well done. That's the point of it.
When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she'd dye.
He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered.
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Throwback Thursday
This is a small figurine that I picked up somewhere.
The occupation of Scribe has always been one that I (as a teacher) find one worthy of emulation.
It is perhaps no surprise then that one of the most respected titles in ancient Egypt was "sesh" - "scribe". The terms is more properly translated as "to draw" or "to create" rather than simply "to write" or "to read".
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Toad Tuesday
| Boa constrictor | |
|---|---|
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The boa constrictor (Boa constrictor), also called the red-tailed boa or the common boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity.[2] The boa constrictor is a member of the family Boidae, found in tropical North, Central, and South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive. Ten subspecies are currently recognized, although some of these are controversial.[3]This article focuses on the species Boa constrictor as a whole, and on the nominate subspecies B. c. constrictor.
...Common names[edit]
Though all boids are constrictors, only this species is properly referred to as a "boa constrictor" – a rare instance of an animal having the same common English name and scientific binomial name.
All subspecies are referred to as "boa constrictors", while the nominate subspecies, B. c. constrictor, is often referred to specifically as the "red-tailed boa". Within the exotic pet trade, it is also known as a "BCC", an abbreviation of its scientific name, to distinguish it from other boa constrictor subspecies such as B. c. imperator, which is also regularly, and erroneously, referred to as a "red-tailed boa" or "common boa".
Other common names include chij-chan (Mayan),[4] jiboia (Latin American), and macajuel(Trinidadian).[5]
Description[edit]
Size and weight[edit]
The boa constrictor is a large snake, although it is only modestly sized in comparison to other large snakes, such as the reticulated python and Burmese python, and can reach lengths from 3–13 ft (0.91–3.96 m) depending on the locality and the availability of suitable prey.[6]Clear sexual dimorphism is seen in the species, with females generally being larger in both length and girth than males. The usual size of mature female boas is between 7 and 10 ft (2.1 and 3.0 m) whereas males are 6 and 8 ft (1.8 and 2.4 m).[7] Females commonly exceed 10 ft (3.0 m), particularly in captivity, where lengths up to 12 ft (3.7 m) or even 14 ft (4.3 m) can be seen.[8] The largest documented non-stretched dry skin is deposited at Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM 4961/2012) and measures 14.6 ft (4.45 m) without head.[9] A report of a boa constrictor growing up to 18.5 ft (5.6 m) was later found to be a misidentified green anaconda.[10]
The boa constrictor is a heavy-bodied snake, and large specimens can weigh up to 27 kg (60 lb). Females, the larger sex, more commonly weigh 10 to 15 kg (22 to 33 lb).[11] Some specimens of this species can reach or possibly exceed 45 kg (100 lb), although this is not usual.[12]
The size and weight of a boa constrictor depends on subspecies, locale, and the availability of suitable prey. Several populations of boa constrictors are known as "dwarf boas", such as the population of B. c. imperator on Hog Island. These smaller subspecies are generally insular populations. B. c. constrictor reaches, and occasionally tops, the averages given above, as it is one of the relatively large subspecies of Boa constrictor.[7]
Other examples of sexual dimorphism in the species include males generally having longer tails to contain the hemipenes and also longer pelvic spurs, which are used to grip and stimulate the female during copulation.[13] Pelvic spurs are the only external sign of the rudimentary hind legs and pelvis, seen in all boas and pythons.
Coloring[edit]
The coloring of boa constrictors can vary greatly depending on the locality. However, they are generally a brown, grey, or cream base color, patterned with brown or reddish-brown "saddles" that become more pronounced towards the tail. This coloring gives B. c. constrictor the common name of "red-tailed boa", as it typically has more red saddles than other B. constrictor subspecies. The coloring works as very effective camouflage in the jungles and forests of its natural range.
Also, some individuals exhibit pigmentary disorders, such as albinism. Although these individuals are rare in the wild, they are common in captivity, where they are often selectively bred to make a variety of different color "morphs". Boa constrictors have an arrow-shaped head with very distinctive stripes on it: One runs dorsally from the snout to the back of the head; the others run from the snout to the eyes and then from the eyes to the jaw.[7]
Boa constrictors can sense heat via cells in their lips, though they lack the labial pits surrounding these receptors seen in many members of the family Boidae.[14] Boa constrictors also have two lungs, a smaller (nonfunctional) left and an enlarged (functional) right lung to better fit their elongated shape, unlike many colubrid snakes, which have completely lost the left lung.
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Depending on the subspecies, Boa constrictor can be found through Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) to South America north of 35°S (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina), and in the Lesser Antilles (Dominica and St. Lucia), on San Andrés, Providencia and many other islands along the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America. An introduced population exists in extreme southern Florida,[15] and a small population on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands now appears to be reproducing in the wild.[citation needed] The type locality given is "Indiis" – a mistake, according to Peters and Orejas-Miranda (1970).[1]
B. constrictor flourishes in a wide variety of environmental conditions, from tropical rainforests to arid semidesert country.[16]However, it prefers to live in rainforest due to the humidity and temperature, natural cover from predators, and vast amount of potential prey. It is commonly found in or along rivers and streams, as it is a very capable swimmer. Boa constrictors also occupy the burrows of medium-sized mammals, where they can hide from potential predators.[7]
Behavior[edit]
Boa constrictors generally live on their own, and do not interact with any other snakes unless they want to mate. They are nocturnal, but they may bask during the day when night-time temperatures are too low. As semi-arboreal snakes, young boa constrictors may climb into trees and shrubs to forage; however, they become mostly terrestrial as they become older and heavier.[17] Boa constrictors strike when they perceive a threat. Their bite can be painful, especially from large snakes, but is rarely dangerous to humans. Specimens from Central America are more irascible, hissing loudly and striking repeatedly when disturbed, while those from South America tame down more readily.[16] Like all snakes, boa constrictors in a shed cycle are more unpredictable, because the substance that lubricates between the old skin and the new makes their eyes appear milky, blue, or opaque, so that the snake cannot see very well, causing it to be more defensive than it might be otherwise.
Full Article.
Full Article.
Now This.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Molly and Todd on Monday,
Nothing much happening here.
There was rain, lighting, fog, and the temperature has been moderate.
It is still green but B G noticed that the grass is just getting a little brown.
We have enjoyed the lawn and Todd and I like to go around in the bushes.
Todd and I enjoy our air conditioned home.
Then we got some treats. We like those.
Woof.
Oh, By the way Jon sent us two pictures of Owen. We miss him.
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Sunday
"Were I to be the founder of a new sect,
I would call them Apiarians, and, after the example of the bee,
advise them to extract the honey of every sect."
- Thomas Jefferson
Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays in the palm; clutch it, and it darts away. -
Dorothy Parker, author (22 Aug 1893-1967)
I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
-Edgar Guest, poet (20 Aug 1881-1959)
"We can speak without voice to the trees and the clouds
and the waves of the sea. Without words they respond
through the rustling of leaves and the moving of clouds
and the murmuring of the sea."
~Paul Tillich (1886-1965)
“Live by the trinity of what is true, good and beautiful.
” Alexandra Stoddard, philosopher of contemporary living
"If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm,
you'll never enjoy the sunshine."
- Morris West
Better appreciate a sunset than to be lord of a thousand conquered
cities. The man that can be moved by music is happier
than he whose acclaim is shouted from the hilltops.
The soul grows not by material things, but only by thought.
If a man thinketh not, even though he sits upon a throne
his soul is still in embryo."
Taylor Caldwell
“...the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry
no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only
that they who live under its protection,
should demean themselves as good citizens.”
- George Washington
“Take time first to be holy. Don’t let a day go by without
meditation and prayer for some definite purpose,
and not for self, but that self may be the channel of help
to someone else.
For in helping others is the greater way to help self.”
(Edgar Cayce reading 3624-1)
...I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility
against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
- Jefferson to Dr. Benjamin Rush, September 23, 1800
" The ultimate meaning of the Bible escapes human limits
and calls us to a recognition that every life is holy,
every life is loved, and every life is called to be
all that that life is capable of being.
The Bible is, thus, not about religion at all
but about becoming deeply and fully human.
It issues the invitation to live fully, to love wastefully
and to have the courage to be our most complete selves."
John Shelby Spong
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