Principality of MONACO

stamp: 1,15 francs

year: 1970

mammal:  weasel / otter

–

Republic of BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA – Serb administration

stamp: 2,50 yugoslav dinars

year: 1997

mammal: weasel / otter

Dr Malcolm Read, Executive Secretary of JISC, visited the University of Leicester on 25 November. He and Norman Wiseman (Head of Services and Outreach at JISC) spent some time with us at Beyond Distance, where they familiarised themselves with the work on our current and previous JISC-funded projects. Dr Read then inaugurated the new Postgraduate Media Zoo in the David Wilson Library. He also gave a very interesting presentation on the strategy and vision of the JISC, which was attended by colleagues from across the University.

JISC is one of Beyond Distance’s main funders. It was fantastic to be able to engage these senior members of JISC with our project work and share some findings with them. It was also reassuring to hear that our research is on the right track and very much in sync with JISC’s vision and strategy. The DUCKLING and the OTTER projects, which are having major institutional impact, are very good examples of this.

Dr A Armellini
26 November 2009

Staring out at the wet

Today was too wet and windy even for our otter. We call it our otter because he trots daily across the studio deck, going about his daily chores. As yet we haven’t given him a name but I think Dudley or maybe Boris would be fitting. He passes from left to right deck wet and then back again an hour or so later dry. But today I suspect he decided the stream would prove a drier option. This was unfortunate since Tina’s husband, Allan, an ardent nature enthusiast is becoming increasingly impatient with our endless sightings without having seen even a sniff of an ottery snout. So today he decided to sit and watch the deck while we sewed. No joy. I suspect tomorrow Dudley will resume his  daily chores but probably not in front of Allan.

x Sarah

PS: This isn’t actually Dudley but he’s remarkably similar, maybe a little slimmer.

“Lucy Harmer’s shamanic astrology book is truly amazing. I use it in my work every day as a therapist to help people understand their personality and find their pathway through life.”
–Jean-Francois Beltrami, counselor and kinesiologist

Welcome to Lucy Harmer’s Shamanic Astrology monthly forecast for the Northern Hemisphere! Each month Lucy shares inspiration and ideas for the coming weeks from her book Shamanic Astrology: Understanding Your Spirit Animal Sign.

Shamanic Astrology is based on the study of the movement of the sun and the moon during the different seasons of the year. There are twelve astrological ‘”signs” which are represented by twelve different spirit animals. To find out your own personal spirit animal sign (the sign you were born under), please check the table of spirit animals at the end of this article. Shamanic Astrology teaches us that inner power derives from knowing the properties, characteristics, and qualities of each spirit animal (known as their “medicine”), and applying this in our own lives.

Each month I will focus on the spirit animal for that month, and describe the “energy” of the month itself and also the influence of the moon. I will also indicate which other spirit animal signs will find this month to be particularly beneficial, and why.

November 22-December 21: OWL

Month of Hibernation and Long Nights

Spirit Animal Sign of the Month:
Owl is the spirit animal which corresponds to November 22 – December 21 (in the northern hemisphere). If you were born at this time, your spirit animal sign is Owl and you share Owl’s strengths of being fair, honest, wise, philosophical, idealistic, optimistic, and independent. You are someone who enjoys the good life! You may also share some of Owl’s weaknesses and can have a tendency to be restless, negligent, intolerant, proud, irresponsible, tactless, superficial and excessively optimistic.

Medicine: Owl’s medicine is the ability to seek out truth and justice in all
circumstances. This can be used in any ambiguous or unclear situation, to find the path to follow and to restore order.
Element: Fire
Stone: Obsidian
Color: Gold
Plant: Mistletoe

Energy of the season:
Owl’s month, which ends with the winter solstice, is that of hibernation and long nights. The sun is at its lowest in the sky and the nights are at their longest. This is a period for introspection, spiritual seeking, visions, plans and preparation for the future. Everything undertaken during this month will need a greater dose of enthusiasm, spontaneity, and optimism than at other times and will have to be on a sound ethical basis. Projects conceived now are often highly ambitious.

Energy of the moon:
Owl’s new moon started on Nov 16th and the full moon is on December 2nd 2009. The period from November 22nd until December 2nd is the ideal time for conceiving or launching projects. These will have a high rate of success, as long as they have a sound ethical foundation. After the full moon, from December 3rd until 15th December, time is best used for introspection and deep spiritual growth. This is a time for learning from the past and for setting new goals for the future. December 16th brings the new moon in Snow Goose; this is a time for putting new structures in place for the year to come, with much determination.

This month is particularly favorable for the following signs:

Owl:
If your sign is Owl the energy of this month is very favorable because it corresponds to the month and the moon of your birth. A new cycle is about to start in your life and this is the best time to start planting seeds. Use the sun’s energy to take stock and head off in a new direction.

Falcon/Salmon:
If your sign is Falcon or Salmon, this is a very lucky month for you, with lots of harmony because you are in your own fire element. A multitude of opportunities will open up for you in this period and this is the best time to give destiny a helping hand!

Raven/Otter:
For Raven and Otter people, this is a very dynamic month, full of energy which favors the conception and birth of new projects. You will feel new motivation and a renewal of your energy at this time.

Table of Spirit Animal Signs:

To find your spirit animal sign, just locate your birthday from the dates below, according to your place of birth. If you were born north of the equator (eg; USA, Canada, Europe), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Northern Hemisphere.” If you were born south of the equator (eg; Australia, New Zealand, South Africa), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Southern Hemisphere.”

© Copyright 2009 Lucy Harmer

Shamanic Astrology is available for purchase directly through NorthAtlanticBooks.com, as well as major book stores and online retailers.

CLICK HERE to learn more about courses, seminars and workshops offered by Lucy Harmer.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Shamanic Astrology.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Discovering Your Spirit Animal.

Tralasciando ogni considerazione su quanto sia giusto avere un animale così selvatico in casa, ma… Quanto è dolce??

No matter how bad your day is, it’s nothing that five minutes of Sidney the Baby Otter playing with toys can’t fix.

[via The Daily What]

Each month author Lucy Harmer dedicates her journal entries to the theme of “transformative and inspirational living” – finding the fun, magic and laughter in everyday occurrences! She explores ideas, thoughts and quotes from her two books, Discovering Your Spirit Animal and Shamanic Astrology.

November 2009

Shamanic Astrology
Exploring the Personality of your Spirit Animal Sign

© Copyright 2009 Lucy Harmer

Last month in my journal (October 2009), I gave an overview of what Shamanic Astrology is. This month, I am going to explore the twelve spirit animal signs of the medicine wheel a little deeper, so that you can begin to discover the special qualities each sign possesses.

There are twelve astrological “signs” on the medicine wheel, which are represented by twelve different spirit animals. Shamanic Astrology teaches us that inner power derives from knowing the properties, characteristics, and qualities of each spirit animal (known as their “medicine”), and applying this in our own lives.

To get you started, here are some of the main strengths and weaknesses of each of the twelve spirit animals. It is really interesting to note that weaknesses are often just a mirror of our strengths and qualities. What we see as “weaknesses” can often be transformed into “strengths.” Take Falcon people, for example, whose “weaknesses” can be their tendency to be impulsive and headstrong. Transformed, these qualities become Falcon people’s strengths – their spontaneity and pioneering nature.

(If you are not sure which spirit animal sign you are, you can find out by looking your birthday up in the second table below – “Which animal sign are you?”)

Strengths and Weaknesses of the twelve spirit animal signs:

I always find it fascinating to look up the qualities of my friends, family and work colleagues. It is amazing how much their spirit animal sign can tell you about why they may behave in certain ways!

You can find out more about the personality of your own spirit animal and how you relate to the other signs, in my book Shamanic Astrology: Understanding Your Spirit Animal Sign. You can also discover the different spirit animal clans that you, your friends and family belong to, and your own special plant, stone, element, color and life path.

Which animal sign are you?
To find your spirit animal sign, just locate your birthday from the dates below, according to your place of birth. If you were born north of the equator (eg; USA, Canada, Europe), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Northern Hemisphere.” If you were born south of the equator (eg; Australia, New Zealand, South Africa), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Southern Hemisphere.”

This month, I wish you lots of fun and magic in exploring the strengths and qualities of your own spirit animal sign, and discovering those of your friends, family and work colleagues too!

Love and blessings,
Lucy

Shamanic Astrology is available for purchase directly through NorthAtlanticBooks.com, as well as major book stores and online retailers.

CLICK HERE to learn more about courses, seminars and workshops offered by Lucy Harmer.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Shamanic Astrology.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Discovering Your Spirit Animal.

I have been playing Batman: Arkham Asylum for the last two evenings now and really loving it. Not so keen on the Scarecrow Nightmare scenes; I thought this game was quite tame up until the first encounter, then I had to hide behind a pillow while I played. I’m not good with scary things. I think I am over a third through it all now, collecting a load of Riddler points on the way (and Xbox Achievements too). I might write a review once it is completed…

Now… for baby animals!

Yes yes I know, that baby otter is ridiculously gorgeous. I wants!

The last few days I have been reading a blog by a lady named Monica Solorio-Snow, going by the name Happy Zombie.

I love all of her posts and ideas, I have been so inspired and cant wait to make things, and buy new fabrics and yarn. She also works for Moda Bake Shop. Here are a few of her favourite pictures that I have found so far:

I also found some adorable animal ears silver rings by The Golden Plague.

I also signed a petition here today to pass a law which makes micro-chipping pets mandatory to keep them safe. I think it is a good idea, it would help a lot of animals.

Anyways, True Blood is on and I am missing it!

Jenn x

New image in the animal musicians photoshop contest

…
Blues Jazz Otter photoshop picture

Yes that is indeed correct: you are reading the blog of the award-winning OTTER team. Admittedly the prize was a box of chocolates but it was a prize nonetheless. What exactly did we win this award for? Well for having the winning entry in the virtual poster competition that was run by JISC as part of the OER Interim Meeting on the 20th October. You can view all the other competitors alongside our winning entry here: http://www.slideshare.net/heather_jisc/oer-project-posters-201009-compress2-2229165

I’ll stop bragging about the award-winning OTTERs now and talk about the poster in more detail. We wanted something that would stand out and that would be memorable so we took a more humorous approach by choosing to include representations of ourselves in the poster. We’re each being asked a key question by a panic stricken lecturer struggling to juggle all her commitments alongside being asked to make their resources open. The questions are answered by the relevant OTTER expert who provides the detail required in a clear concise manner.

The poster also provides an opportunity to welcome the two newest OTTER members: myself and Richard Mobbs. We’re both working as Learning Technologists for the team. It’s also, with regret, a farewell to a former OTTER, Simon Kear, who is now our resident Zookeeper.

The OTTER team are always available to answer any questions you might have on OTTER and OERs, please feel free to contact us or leave a comment in the blog.

Emma Davies
Learning Technologist

Otter in Water

Frequent Photo

There are 13 different species of otter. Ours, here in Humboldt County, are called the North American River Otter, Lontra canadensis.

This one had just surfaced and the water was pouring off him as he swam.

See other otter photos here and here.

When I was growing up there was only one explanation of heaven that made it sound remotely appealing: the idea that lambs would lie down lions. I was fixated on animals as a kid and the idea that predator and prey might set aside their differences to cuddle satisfied my adolescent yearning for cuteness. Religion was a thoughtless encumbrance when I was growing up, it was always there, ruining my wont for fun and implying guilt for having done something like drinking soda or stealing a cigarette.

Heaven sounded like an awful place, quiet and pious, like an eternity spent at your grandparents house surrounded by outdated furniture and weird smells. But if there would be animals there, then my eight year-old logic admitted that a case could be made for such a place. I didn’t realize lions and lambs aren’t always pitted against one another in mortal combat, this is a trick of development and community as much as it is genetic code.

One of the biggest arguments against atheism is that something can’t have come from nothing. Peering back into the history of the universe, no one in science can account for the origin of any of the matter in the big bang. Because its origin can’t be attributed to any scientific law, it must be proof of the existence of a creator. Stephen Hawking points out that if the conditions of the big bang had changed in any small way, and the resultant rate of expansion of the universe had been altered by one one-millionth of a percent slower or faster, the necessary conditions to form planets, and sustain life on them, would never have been met.

We cannot account for our origins, the “something” from which the universe sprang, we can say with a fair amount of certainty that there is a great deal of nothingness waiting for us. Leonard Susskind described the theory of conservation with an example of an ink drop falling into a bathtub.

As the ink diffuses, eventually becoming invisible, it would still be possible to determine where that ink had come from, from what height it had been dropped, what shape and size the dropper had been, and how much ink there might have been in it. The only stumbling block is that we’re not that good at math yet, and we don’t have instruments fine enough to detect the movement and energy exchange of sub-atomic particles.

While we will eventually be able to infer a great deal about our origins, and the origins of the stuff with which we are made, I don’t think there’s any reason to believe our ends will be divine. The ink may have come from a dropper held in some ethereal otherness above the bathtub, but it is not going to be returning to that dropper ever again. Things fall apart, they don’t fall back together again. If there is a heaven somewhere, it’s behind us, not waiting up ahead.

My friend Rannie died this Sunday. She had been fighting cancer since 2008, when a mysterious toothache turned into a metastatic growth in her salivary gland. She died four days after being married.

When my other friend N left for New York last year she told me to be thankful for the brief romance we had. We had the best part of any relationship, she said; the idealistic beginning, when everything is in orbit around the center of gravity that inevitably becomes more and more distant over time. We got the warm glow of those first moments, the big bright bang, the smiling hello.

If you look back on these experiences, it’s mind-boggling. It’s all but impossible to imagine two specific people might have bumped into one another and felt some common and innate gravity. To follow the history of each of our separate lives up to that point of meeting is to tempt the notion of fate. A cosmic sneeze could have thrown the whole thing off. The odds are two in seven billion, which is close enough to zero so as to be considered null. And still it happens; all the time, everywhere, and every day.

And then, almost as soon as it’s happened, by the very nature of its origin, the interminable drift begins. The interim is a process of holding on for as long as possible against the pull of infinite dissolution.

I hardly knew Rannie. I used to get her emails in the mornings when I’d come into the office and turned on my computer, rifling through the days first wave of press releases. I saw her a few times at parties and press events, we made small talk. We had a common interest in a charity.

Today she’s gone. But I can still remember her when. And so I will. For as long as I can.

Creative Commons (CC) licenses have been hailed by the Open Educational Resource (OER) community as an answer to the challenges posed by copyright. As an alternative to the “permission culture” of traditional “all rights reserved” law, CC licences have turned copyRIGHT into “CopyLITE” by providing creators of works the opportunity to relinquish some rights of their work for use and reuse by the wider society. In spite of the advantages CC licences bring to the Open Education movement, the multiplicity of licences available (six in total), and the conditions associated with them (four in total), means that the CC licence is not as straightforward as users would like it to be.

At a recent JISC institutional strand meeting on OER, it emerged that existing CC licences are not adequate for application to clinical materials, due to the high proportion of complex images from various sources that need clearance, and calls were made for more sophisticated CC licences to respond to the perceived gap. If such calls are heeded, CC licences will become more complex, and the list of licences will continue to grow in future. However, this complexity is likely to increase the existing confusion around licences and rights. Is there a need for a complete shift in thinking away from the “some rights reserved” philosophy which underpins CC licences?

Some have suggested opting out of the Berne Convention, arguing that CC licences are only watered-down versions of traditional copyright laws. I suggest an alternative solution: instead of copyright laws being automatically in force upon the creation of a work – a new global convention, CopyFREE – where the default position is that there is no need for any form of licence. Under copyFREE, the onus would be on creators of works to make a case for their work to be protected from copying. The copyFREE argument would be similar to the “presumed consent” position put forward by the British Medical Association for organ donation, where persons are deemed to have given their consent to organ donation unless they have registered to opt out.

We need to acknowledge that traditional copyright laws emerged at a time in our collective development history when there were no mash-ups, digital natives or generation Y. We need a 21st century copyright treaty which is more responsive to the needs of a society where openness is a defining feature. Will CopyFREE lead to more creativity, innovation and knowledge sharing for public good as opposed to private profit? Let the debate start.

Samuel Nikoi (26 October 2009)

Otter Amazement

Frequent Photo

Before attempting to cross the path I was on,  this fellow stared at me, gathering information. If you see otters in Humboldt, you can describe the encounter here. This is a citizen science project that allows HSU to describe “the distribution and demography of otters on the coasts, wetlands and watersheds in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.”

According to the web page, Otters are a “key bio-indicator of the health of our environment as they sit at the top of this water-based food chain. Unlike most otter habitats around the world, it is thought that the Pacific north coast still supports a thriving otter population.”

——————

I hope to have more photos processed in the next few days.

See my first otter photo here.

See my

Alert Otter

Frequent Photo

Yesterday, four river otters stopped me in my tracks at the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I stood for almost an hour watching as they searched for food in a small creek.  They watched me almost as intently in between searching for food and eating it.

One small piece of a plant forms a beauty mark on the cheek of this otter.

A year and a half ago I went to the refuge and came away determined to get a camera that could capture otters.  Today, I got to see the results of getting that camera!

———————————————————————————

This is the first photo I processed.  I hope to have several more in the next few days. (here’s one.)

Taukah rekan-rekan tentang siapa kah itu otter?
Ada apakah dengan otter ?
Bagaimanakah keadaannya ?
Apakah dia masih ada di Bumi ini ?

Pertanyaan – pertanyaan itu merupakan hal yang tidak menjadi perhatian penting bagi seorang insinyur, apalagi bagi seorang elektrikal. Tapi jangan kaget jika saya, seorang insinyur elektro, ingin sedikit menulis sesuatu tentang otter, sekaligus sebagai sosialisasi tugas kuliah kesehatan lingkungan..

Kita awali dengan “siapakah otter itu?” Otter adalah salah satu makhluk ciptaan Tuhan, berkelas mamalia, berhabitat semiakuatik dan makanan kesukaannya adalah ikan. Taksonominya, Kingdom: Animalia ; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Carnivora; Family: Mustelidae; Subfamily: Lutrinae.

bila kita lihat dan mencermati lagi, otter adalah binatang yang biasa kita kenal dengan berang-berang yang hidup di air (sungai).

Setelah kita tahu tentang jati diri dari otter, pertanyaan selanjutnya adalah “ada apa dengan otter ?”. Otter adalah hewan yang terancam punah dari permukaan bumi. Terancam punah sejak abad 19, entah sekarang keberadaannya masih ada tau tidak.
Sejak jaman dahulu otter sudah diburu untuk diambil bulunya sebagai bahan utama pembuatan mantel, pakaian dan busana-busana yang trend pada jaman itu. Bulunya lembut dan indah membuat permintaan akan bahan makin meningkat sehingga perburuan terhadap otter menjadi membabi buta. Sir Edwin Landseer, seorang seniman, melimpahkan rasa keprihatinan terhadap perburuan otter yang berlebih kemudia dengan kritikannya melaui lukidan pada sebuah kanvas. Lukisan dengan cat minyak menggambarkan seorang pemburu dengan ajing-anjingnya menangkap seekor otter.

Lukisan ini sangat terkenal di dunia pada jaman itu sebagai bentuk protes terhadap perburuan otter.

Namun, usaha yang dilakukan Sir Edwin Landse tidak memberikan efek yang signifikan tentang perburuan. Di Inggris, perburuan otter merupakan sebuah kebiasaan yang sudah membudaya dari turun temurun. Di akhir pekan musim perburuan otter, mereka telah menyiapkan berbagai peralatan lengkap perburuan beserta anjing-anjing pelacaknya. Mereka berburu tidak hanya puas dengan satu ekor atau 3 ekor tapi langsung menuju pada sarang utama dari ekor. Perburuan semacam ini memang tidak jauh beda dengan perburuan liar tanpa aturan. Dengan menyerang sarang langsung, mereka akan mendapatkan berpuluh-puluh ekor otter. Apalagi perburuan dilakukan tidak oleh satu orang saja dan dilakukan membudaya turun-menurun. Bisa dilihat, hal ini akan berakibat fatal terganggunya keberlangsungan hidup jenis otter di suatu daerah.

Pada dekade akhir, para pemburu mulai sulit menemukan keberadaan berang-berang. Bahkan di beberapa daerah, berang-berang tidak ditemukan sama sekali tanpa alasan yang jelas. Selain pemburu, beberapa orang juga menyadari bahwa hewan nokturnal (hewan malam) telah hilang dari habitatnya yang tak lain juga merupakan habitat otter yaitu sungai.

Setelah dua dekade berikutnya, para ahli konservasi melakukan studi penelitian atas hilangnya popolasi otter. Selama berbulan-bulan mereka terus mengadakan studi sampai mereka menemukan sebuah catatan rekor perburuan. Setelah menganalisis catatan tersebut dan dihubungkan dengan kondisi-kondisi saat itu, para ahli konservasi tersebut menulis sebuah tulisan sebagai laporan studi penelitian dengan menyimpulkan bahwa otter hilang karena perburuan.

Selama selang beberapa waktu, ada beberapa dugaan lain muncul. Hilangnya otter dan hewan nokturnal dikarenakan adanya maraknya penggunaan Pestisida Dieldrin untuk keperluan pertanian. Dugaan ini baru resmi benar setelah pada tahun 1980-an para peneliti Inggris menganalisis dampak penggunanaan pestisida dieldrin yang terjadi hampir di seluruh Eropa. Pestisida dieldrin merupakan senyawa sejenis DDT yang bersifat persisten (terurai dalam waktu yang lama). Senyawa ini terkenal dengan sifatnya yang toksik. Senyawa ini berdampak pada makhluk hidup dalam tingkat penyerapan tubuh terhadap vitamin A yang akan menganggu sistem penginderaan. Senyawa tersebut ketika digunakan dengan tujuan untuk melindungi tanaman dari serangan hama ataupun gulma. Namun ketika senyawa itu digunakan/disemprotkan sebagian dari senyawa tersebut akan terbawa melalui sistem saluran irigasi dan kemudian bercampur dengan aliran sungai. Hal ini akan membuat sungai tercemar termasuk biota-biota yang di dalamnya dan yang bergantung pada sungai dalam hal ini otter, ikan dan hewan-hewan nokturnal.

Ketika senyawa toksik tersebut masuk ke dalam ikan dan akan mengalami bioakumulasi dan biomagnifikasi yang kemudian akan sampai menyerang otter. Ketika otter telah terkontaminasi maka sistem penginderan otter akan terganggu bahkan akan mengalami kebutaan. Dengan keadaan otter yang seperti itu, dijamin otter tidak dapat melanjutkan kehidupannya sampai kegenerasi berikutnya.
Akhirnya pada tahun 1989, senyawa Pestisida Dieldrin dilarang penggunaannya.

One American River Otter seems to be whispering "sweet nothings" to his or her mate. The otters, residents of the Little Rock Zoo, put on a good show, swimming and cavorting as otters do.

Most of us, yours truly for certain, have had that mild curse tossed in our directions. However pointed, the encouragement could not be more appropriate in this day and time. While the world around us seems to reinvent itself on a daily basis, the critters at the zoo are still tigers, they are still giraffes, and they are still otters and antelopes, you get the drift. Before we venture further, this zoo adventure started on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot com. Click here to see a fine tiger and a 15-pound antelope with a suspicious name and get in on the start of the story.

Two giraffes at the Little Rock Zoo seem to enjoy each others company. While observing the gentle giants glide-walk around their compound, one thinks of ballet on steroids.

If for no other reason than to put ourselves in the company of creatures unconcerned about memory upgrades, car payments, tanning beds, liposuction, dripping faucets, expired car tags, and pizza coupons, there is great value to a zoo visit. You get an instant reminder that Mother Nature’s forces are running in the background, 24/7/365. And, your visit helps keep the zoo in business, so others and succeeding generations may receive the same gentle reminder.

Ring tailed lemurs at the zoo seem to be turning the tables on zoo visitors. At the Little Rock Zoo, lemurs have their own private island which is viewable from two sides and one end, a good thing, since these little critters like to stay on the move, Or at least that's been my observation.

The value of the reminder, is that it helps us, at least temporarily until mental contamination mutates again, to put things in proper perspective. To see the immensity of an elephant, the elegance of a giraffe, the frightening beauty of a big cat, should, if we allow it to sink in,  give some relief to creeping feelings of self importance and the dreaded woe is me syndrome. Then when the wind shifts, and we get a olfactory reminder that these are fully functioning creatures with which we have a systemic similarity. The zoo educates us in all sensory areas, no senses left behind.

On the cute scale, these African Spotted Neck Otters are stiff competitors. They are smaller than sea or river otters. This pair seemed to enjoy having an audience. Short legged like Basset Hounds, on land, their gracefulness as swimmers quickly goes to the nether regions in a hand basket. On terra firma, they are hopeless waddlers.

On the other hand, some critters are well, cute, despite my railings on cuteness. Since they are, you might as well enjoy this dessert of genetic appearance. On the flip side of that, remind yourself that they are predators and consume other living things. For those of us who savor raw oysters, or just about anything else that won’t eat us first, that is no big deal.

This Malaysian Siamang is displaying some very human like emotions. Perhaps news of the old 401k tanking just arrived. In reality, not. But the look is surely there.

Bottom line, a trip to the zoo can be therapeutic. For this therapy to work, there are two requirements. First, go to the zoo. Second, let the therapy work. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

This is the 57th edition of Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind which means that five weeks ago, our first anniversary passed sans fanfare and hoopla. Fortunately, we survived this self-imposed ignominy to shoot and write again.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

PS: The Little Rock Zoo, of which we are obviously fans, uses “You belong in a Zoo” as one of their slogans. We could not agree more.
JPD

Sea Otter Crab Festival, originally uploaded by NaturalLight.

Oh, otters! One of our household’s favourites, but not featured here nearly enough in some people’s opinions!

And now I’m really craving crab meat!

Enjoy today’s photo! If you like the photo, please drop a comment to the original photographer at Flickr.