One whale of a show
Doris, a humpback whale in Falmouth Bay off the shores of Cornwall, England, was caught last month in lobster pot-rising ropes. Unable to surface, the whale risked drowning until she was summarily rescued.
But Doris didn't merely swim away. Instead she rewarded all rescuers and onlookers with a joyful display of thanksgiving, breaching the water some 25 times. Sunnyskyz news reports, "Keith Leeves, who runs AK Wildlife Cruises, said 'We know it's the same whale that got herself entangled in nets in Devon because we could see rope burn marks on her.'"
Here's an example of just what breaching looks like in a clip taken by kayakers in British Columbia.
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It's good to be alive! Even for a whale.
What is love, anyway?
"I want to be watched by someone who loves me!" was the lament of one of my children when her grandmother had the nerve to put her in time-out for less-than-good behavior.
But what is love? Adults ponder endlessly over that question; but what about children? Hard-wired to cry and fuss until every need (real or imagined) is fulfilled, who can say what they really think?
Take a peek at the following clip that associates love, like, and how that associates to a steady cookie supply:
Out of the mouths of babes, right? This child is honest. I love you Mom, but I don't like you. Not all the time. I love you when you give me cookies. When the child grows up, however, his tune changes. He's not so much changed his attitude, but is embarrassed. Over what is the question; his honesty, his recorded lack of sophistication, or the understanding that love shouldn't be dependent upon one's receiving sugar treats?
Take a look at the follow up footage below:
While both admissions from the child are true – and charming – one has to wonder if the child's tune has really changed. Does he love mom all the time? Does he like mom all the time? Or has the child only learned that masking one's true, gut feelings isn't the most prudent choice when dialoguing with the proverbial cookie supplier?
You decide!
The "polished" man? Not what you think
Have you seen that guy on the bus, in the office, or – oh, no! – dating your daughter with the single, brightly polished fingernail? Don't freak out. Check out the video below and know that there's a rising movement, despite what appears to be sophomoric trappings, intended to raise male awareness about a serious problem concerning men: Men and the women and children nature intended them to protect.
The Mission statement of Polished Man, begun by Elliott Costello of YGAP, an international non-profit dedicated alleviating poverty via global entrepreneurship, is bold and easily understood:
Being a Polished Man means you don't turn your back on the vulnerable. You raise your voice – and nail – to say, "not on my watch." You embrace the smirks and know it doesn't matter; there are worse things than being embarrassed by a little mani. … Because nailing it isn't about shouting the first round, or how much you lift. Nailing it is saying no to violence against children.
The "one out of five" polishing is a direct reference to the one out of five children worldwide who, in what most are led to believe is a civilized age, are subjected to physical or sexual violence. Costello confronted that stat head-on when, during a trip to Cambodia, he met Thea. Having lost her father, the sole breadwinner for the family, at age eight, this vulnerable child was sent to a Western-run orphanage only to be sexually abused for two successive years by the very men who were supposed to lend her aid and stability.
Costello was one of the first Western men Thea encountered after her rescue. They met over a game of tic-tac-toe after which the abused child, in a playful exercise, painted Costello's fingernails.
What you think, you think; but what you do – that's what you become! Even without the nail polish.
The octopi have it
Ever wish you could just change yourself? I don't mean work toward change, but just – wham – different. Like programming a computer. Forget the root causing, just do it!
Well, while humans are indisputably at the top of the food chain, it looks like our lithe, aquatic neighbors have it over us in the department of self-direction and control. Want to be smarter? Forget the DNA, just tweak the RNA (the ribonucleic acid messenger that distributes DNA direction and is present in all living cells).
According to New Scientist:
Octopuses and squid have confirmed their reputation as Earth-bound "aliens" with the discovery that they can edit their own genetic instructions. … Unlike other animals, cephalopods – the family that includes octopuses, squid and cuttlefish – do not obey the commands of their DNA to the letter. … Instead, they sometimes interfere with the code as it is being carried by a molecular "messenger." This has the effect of diversifying the proteins their cells can produce, leading to some interesting variations.
Got that? No therapy, no surgery, no daily meds or soothing mantras required.
When do they (octopi and squid) turn it on, and under what environmental influences? It could be something as simple as temperature changes or as complicated as experience, a form of memory," says Joshua Rosenthal, lead author from the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, U.S.
Maybe the song in the clip below is more than mere fantasy!