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Hi Cia~

That was very funny, . Not too much was familiar to me, except for the slightly 'off' jokes and socks on the floor! Mine is very well 'house trained', cleans and cooks for me at times too.

Oh, yes, I forgot the snoring; but they don't have control over that so I can't hold it against 'em.

Hugs to you too,
~Mkera

Cia
You forgot the remote control!!!!!!!!!!!!
We must have the remote control

or even remote controls.

We are all powerful with our remotes.
We panic if we cannot find them.
I have 4 remotes next to my armchair. They are mine...all mine

I point them everywhere. I have complete control over everything with my remotes.

Next time you send Byron to do your dirty deeds Cia I will point the deluxe left handed remote at you and then you'll be sorry

Pete

Makera ~

I had to leave for work this morning in the middle of a National Geographic segment on NPR, on the illegal, wildlife trade in Southeast Asia, totaling approximately $10 billion a year. Normally, the segments don't surface on the site until the following day; however, I thought I'd check it, just in case. It's there, but under "Monday, November 3," so for whatever reason, my local station aired it a day late.

However, I think you'd be very interested in reading it [can probably hear it, in fact, if you want]. If you go to http://www.npr.org and then click on Morning Edition, it will bring you to the page where it's at [second one down, in the middle of the page]. A little more synchronicity for the books, albeit a sad one .

~ Lizzytysh

YES Pete!!!!

I did forget the remote control, but I haven't seen it for years. Must be lying on the sofa, which I haven't been near either.

Pete, do not point you remote control at me, I might go away to another channel

hugs as always - even to lefthanded Pete
Cia

Lizzy~
Oh yes, nothing much new; the greed goes on, and so the slaughter! Interesting that small reference to a possible link between the trade in civet & the SARS virus in S. China! (boomerang karma?). I'm afraid I don't have audio on my pc, so I couldn't listen to my elephants.
Reminds me I need to re-subscribe to my favourite magazine, National Geographic, too. Thanks Liz.

Love,
Makera

Hi Makera ~

I guess $10 billion a year didn't surprize you, but that figure does surprize me. The pervasiveness of it is forever astounding to me, and not a single part of me can feel blase about it. The fact that borders are little more than a "speedbump" to them, and that most of the illegal activities regarding the wild animals are conducted by the same ones who are doing the illegal gun dealing. It's that magnitude and "sub-cultural institutionalization" [contradiction in terms, but still what I mean] of it that is very, very scarey for me, in terms of effectively ever being able to put a dent in it, much less stop it [with the governments' turning a blind eye, all the more difficult]; and on behalf of the innocent animals that are suffering the slaughter and disappearing from the earth, virtually a species at a time. I haven't had a chance to go back and read the segment, and I'll need to wait till I'm at work, to hear the elephants. I haven't heard/read the SARS detail, yet, that you mentioned.

You're welcome.

~ Lizzytysh

Liz~
Not 'surprise'... . I thought that conveyed it better. I have been aware of the growth in that 'trade in death' for many years now, that's why it's not really 'new' to me . The trade in "bush meat" in Africa, i.e. killing chimps and gorillas by the locals for food, is a problem too.
At least there are still some intrepid souls out there 'chipping away' at it. God speed & God bless them.

Love,
Makera

Yes, I've been aware of it for years, too, Makera. Have seen numerous specials on public TV, heard it on public radio, read it in magazines and newspapers, and saw the films ~ my reaction to it is the same every time, however. It's not that it's new. It's that it's old and I Never get used to it, and I am still stunned by the magnitude and entrenchment of the problem. The dollar amounts only continue to increase, and $10 billion per year is an astronomical figure.

~ Lizzy

Something Linda said earlier on this thread, i.e. the familiar saying:
"Be everything your dog thinks you are", reminded me of my all-time favourite poem, from when I was a child. (I think fellow dog-lovers will find it as moving as I; it always brings tears to my eyes.)

'Thy Servant a Dog'
~ His Apologies ~ by Rudyard Kipling

Master, this is Thy Servant. He is rising eight weeks old.
He is mainly Head and Tummy. His legs are uncontrolled.
But Thou hast forgiven his ugliness, and settled him on Thy knee...
Art Thou content with Thy Servant? He is very comfy with Thee.

Master, behold a Sinner? He hath done grievous wrong.
He hath defiled Thy Premises through being kept in too long.
Wherefore his nose has been rubbed in the dirt,
and his self-respect has been bruised.
Master, pardon Thy Sinner, and see he is properly loosed.

Master, again Thy Sinner! This that was once Thy Shoe,
He hath found and taken and carried aside, as fitting matter to chew.
Now there is neither blacking nor tongue,
and the Housemaid has us in tow.
Master, remember Thy Servant is young, and tell her to let him go!

Master, extol Thy Servant! He hath met a most Worthy Foe!
There has been fighting all over the Shop -- and into the Shop also!
Till cruel umbrellas parted the strife
(or I might have been choking him yet).
But Thy Servant has had the Time of his Life -- and now shall we call on the vet?

Master, behold Thy Servant! Strange children came to play,
And because they fought to caress him, Thy Servant wentedst away.
But now that the Little Beasts have gone, he has returned to see
(Brushed -- with his Sunday collar on) what they left over from tea.

. . . . . . . . . . . *. . . . . . *. . . . . . . *. . . . . . .*. . . . . . . .

Master, pity Thy Servant! He is deaf and three parts blind,
He cannot catch Thy Commandments. He cannot read Thy Mind.
Oh, leave him not in his loneliness; nor make him that kitten's scorn.
He has had none other God than Thee since the year that he was born!

Lord, look down on Thy Servant! Bad things have come to pass,
There is no heat in the midday sun nor health in the wayside grass.
His bones are full of an old disease -- his torments run and increase.
Lord, make hast with Thy Lightenings, and grant him a quick release!

WoW, Makera ~ That's a wonderful poem by Kipling, both endearing and sad. It really brings you into the relationship that the dog has with his Master. It's so true what our dogs invest in us emotionally, with their unconditional love. As Linda said, "Be everything your dog thinks you are"......not only can they become blind with old age, but they have lived their lives blind to our flaws. A very touching poem. Thanks for putting it here.

~ Lizzytysh

Makera, what a loving and touching poem!
It has made me cry!

Love, Susanne

I love your avatar, Susanne! Isn't it wonderful to see the dolphins paddle backwards, "above" the water, seemingly laughing as they do it !?!

~ Lizzytysh

lizzytysh wrote:I love your avatar, Susanne! Isn't it wonderful to see the dolphins paddle backwards, "above" the water, seemingly laughing as they do it !?!

~ Lizzytysh

Thanks, Lizzytysh!
I love dolphins so much! They are so sweet and sensitive! Yes, they always seem to have a smile on their faces.

I've got the avatar from another website. The original picture is animated, and the little dolphin splashes joyfully around, beating his flippers, bouncing up and down in the water and laughing!
He expresses such a zest for life!

Sadly the animation doesn't work on my computer, but here you can see the original picture - it's so cute!

http://katebush.proboards6.com/index.cg ... name=admin

Love, Susanne

Thanks for that link, Susanne! At first I thought I wasn't going to be able to find the dolphin, but had been led to Kate Bush....clicked on one thing that brought me more related to her. Gave up, came back to the first page, and by then, the rest of it [with your animated dolphin] had come up !

Yes, I love them, too.....worked at a restaurant in the Keys, where they had two of them in a large pool, with regular feedings that customers could view through the building-long, floor-to-ceiling windows. When I worked, they would let me do the lunchtime feedings. I can't remember why, but the dinner feedings were always done by the dolphin's caretaker. What an awesome feeling it was to have such a huge and beautiful creature leap from the water to take a fish from your outstretched hand. I stood at the end of a diving board, suspended high above the water, so it was a splendid sight.

However, at the other end of that is the fact that this beautiful creature lived a contained life , even though it reportedly leads to increased longevity [diseases, etc.]. There used to be two of them. I can't recall what happened to the one. They tried to bring another one in for companionship, but the one absolutely rebuffed all efforts at that, including more than one, different dolphin being brought in, one at a time. So, they finally gave up.

Now, I can't remember whether it was this place, or another facility, where the dolphins had the choice of swimming in the open water or staying pretty much inside the pooled area, but the choice they made was the pool area. I wish I could remember whether it was this one. I've always wanted to swim with them, just once for the experience. I have such mixed feelings about what could be considered "exploitation" and whether this falls into that category.

Meanwhile, your avatar doesn't come into any of that, as they do that back-peddling in the open waters .

Love,
Lizzytysh

Hello from Byron. Have a look at this website. It belongs to a cousin of mine. If you like dolphins you'll love his work.

http://www.idw.org/html/graham_gibbs.html


Do NOT mention where you got this link from. We have had our differences recently. But that does not detract from his artistic skills.

You'll enjoy the art.