Do you know about this? It is called a fish spa. You put your feet in water and these fish eat your dead skin cells. I know it sounds really icky – but it is very relaxing! And you leave with smoother skin – it is a pedicure a la fishies.

The little fish come nibble on your toes and feet and calves. They create a vibration sensation. The spa will serve you tea and you just sit back and relax. It is good to know that the tanks hold different size fish and they all feel a little different. The larger ones were my favorite. It does tickle a little at first, but you get over that quickly.

I am sure it is all hocus pocus jibber jabber – but it was fun to try it once. Here is what they claim…

We did this while we were in Singapore. I understand these spas exist all over the world. I will definitely do it again.

We also went to the Butterfly Park on Sentosa Island. It was magical – very large butterflies flitter and flutter by you and might even land on you.

There were also other creatures like turtles, birds, lizards, and even some snakes (in cages).

There is also a tremendous insect collection inside the park. They are all pinned to boards – which sounds mean – but these are some big arse bugs – you will be v.e.r.y. thankful they are not alive and cannot move. And FYI, if you live in Colombia or Brazil, you might want to invest in some industrial strength bugspray and be very careful where you walk.

Sorry about the long wait, but work comes first.  Anyway, I am getting back in the swing of things for a little while.

Science News in Brief

The Large Haldron Collider has resumed operation and set a new world record for energy.  Its particle beams were accelerated at over one trillion volts.  This was just a precursor to the Collider’s primary scientific tests set for the year 2010.

Still No Black Hole: Just to give you a sense of the energy involved here: a lightning strike hits with about 1 billion volts.

A cross-disciplinary team of researchers from universities across America have released a study which indicates that climate change could increase the likelihood of civil war in sub-Saharan African countries by as much as 50% in the by 2050.  These wars would be fueled by decreased water supplies, fewer food sources, and increased poverty rates.

Talking World War III Blues: Already, 5.4 million people have died from civil war the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, making it the deadliest conflict since World War II.

Scientists seem to have discovered the reason for the hammerhead shark’s strange head shape.  The shape allows sharks to see almost in 360 degrees in binocular vision.

Weird Animal Fact: The mantis shrimp has the best eyesight in the animal world.  It is the only animal to to have hyperspectral colour vision.  That is, it can see across the electromagnetic spectrum.  We can only see visible light.

Cool Creature

I already covered the kakapo, but I have been dying to post this video.

Feature Story: Remember Me

Are some animal species more important than others?  A recent study which examined 222 carnivore species around the world points to the fact that certain carnivores should be more protected than others due to their ecological importance and individuality.

Even though carnivores are probably the most studied animal group, their taxonomic connections are not well understood.  Thanks to genetic testing, scientists are now able to construct much more accurate taxonomic maps.

The study supports the theory that describes the split of carnivores into two main evolutionary groups: dog-like carnivores (Caniforms) and cat-like carnivores (Heliforms).  The same study also revealed some so-called Confused carnivores which do not fit neatly into the aforementioned classification.

Researchers performing the study also isolated a number of carnivores which are unique in the ecological services they perform and the way they evolved.  They suggest that these species, including monk seals, red pandas, and walruses, should be more protected than others because they are so unique.  Because they are evolutionarily distinct, they have genes and evolutionary history not found in any other species.  This makes it important with regards to biodiversity: by increasing genetic variability.

The Cosmic Perspective

All people value equality: the right to be treated with equal respect and dignity as any other human being.  Those who value the environment tend to extend that to the animal world.  We do not like to show preferential treatment to certain animals just because they are cute and cuddly.  So, this study which claims that certain animals are more important from an evolutionary perspective comes as a bit of a shock.  Why should a walrus be more important than a snow leopard?

I look at this from two points of view: that of a scientist and that of an environmentalist, because I consider myself to be both.  As a scientist, I definitely see the merit of protecting certain species.  Different animals perform different tasks in an ecosystem.  Certain animals’ roles are more critical to the functioning of the system as a whole than others.  It is a principle of network systems thinking that  nodes (animals) in a system (ecosystem) can be ranked based on the number of nodes which connect to them and the importance of those nodes.  So, the more important connections an animal has, the more important it is in an ecosystem.  However, even a few important links can prove to elevate a species to a higher status than one with many relatively commonplace connections.

That being said, all animals play an important role in biodiversity.  Biodiversity provides for the astounding variety of different organisms, genes, ecosystems in which they exist, and biological services these organisms provide for life to adapt to changing environmental conditions throughout history.  It would be foolish not to save as much as we can of the already dwindling amount of biological diversity we have on this planet.  We often do not know how important something is before it is gone altogether.

I had a very interesting dream on Tuesday night (November 17th). In this dream, I was an observer.

It began in a hospital room where an older gentleman was dying of a painful disease. The character, 13,  from the TV show House MD (one of my absolute favorites) was tending to him. He had expressed a desire to commit suicide because of his illness and the pain it caused. She agreed to assist him. She approached him with a syringe containing a deadly medication. At this point in the dream, the syringe of deadly medicine became a martini glass filled with a neon green poison. 13 placed it on the nightstand next to the hospital bed.

Then, the man sat up in his bed at which point 13 got into the bed with him and they engaged in sexual intercourse. When they were done, 13 sat up in the bed with the sheet covering the front half of her naked body. As she sat up I could see a cat with yellow-gold fur sitting on a table near her and a small green garden snake crawling through the part in her hair.

Looking back on the dream, what stands out most about the older gentleman is that he is much older than 13 (about 30 years older). Regarding 13 herself, she (the actress in real life and in the dream) has the most striking blue eyes in addition to generally being an attractive woman. In terms of some of the symbology, the poison/deadly medication is present throughout the dream but I do not actually see the man ingest it; however, he does not rise from the bed at the end along with 13. The cat and the overt sexual content of the dream made me think that it was Freyja who sent the dream to me as a kind of “hello”. She and I have never spoken before. Based on what I know of Freyja, the snake seems random though. Does she have any connection to snakes in the lore or in anyone’s personal experience? What about poison?

Upon doing some research following the dream, I also found out that the number 13 is commonly associated with Freyja! I did not know this before having the dream and then looking into it. How reliable this number association is, I am not sure. Nor am I certain of the association’s origins. However, I have the sneaking suspicion that is not the point. I think it was just one more convenient element that Freyja could use to “sign” the dream because she figured it would be easy information for me to access with a quick internet search.

I can be a bit of a “dead head” so it is hard for me to “hear” deities at times. I think this is a funny statement given that the dream was completely silent, no dialogue, yet I understood what was going on in the dream. Anyway, because I can be deaf to my intuition, I appreciated that Freyja was heavy handed about “signing” this dream .

I thought I might join in on Claire’s “What’s Hot or Not”.

WHAT’S HOT:

* I set a goal at the beginning of this month to walk every day in November. I missed 4 days so not a bad effort. Most mornings I managed to get straight out for a walk  and leave hubby to the breakfast circus. It was nice to be out early, and have achieved something for the day.  

* I have sewn the girls some summer hats, and refashioned some clothes. I quickly made up a pre-printed advent calendar panel for Ari, who didn’t have an advent calendar. The girls have the pocket kind, and I have collected a few treats, activities and goodies to fill it with. Ari’s will be filled with his dummy each night. Advent calendars are also useful as bribery for chore completion.

* I spent 10 hours on the weekend completing a 1000 piece puzzle. I needed that quiet time of nothingness. The day and the family went through their day quietly without disturbing me.

* I am cruising with the Christmas gift purchasing. These 2 adorable little girls are for my 2 adorable little girls. The pattern is from Hop Skip Jump. I am scrambling with the teacher presents, which I cleverly bought at last year’s Boxing Day sales and have now misplaced, meaning I have to start again.

* We spent Saturday catching up on gardening and mooching around the house.

* The Christmas concerts for school and kinder are done and dusted. Our calendar is looking at a pretty clear run right up until Christmas Day. Woo hoo! We need it. As we are every year, we are limping our way towards the end of the year with everyone utterly exhausted and testy.

WHAT’S NOT:

* I’m still knitting that tedious string bag. I am up to the handles now, and should run out of cotton with about 6 inches left on the i-cord handles. Sigh.

 * Ella has sinusitis. She seemed well right up until the Assembly performance was about to begin this morning. She burst into tears, and I took her home. I was up until 9:30pm last night fashioning a donkey costume, which I was only notified that she needed on Friday afternoon. She ended up missing the concert and didn’t need the costume. Sigh.

* There was a copperhead snake in our chook yard on Friday afternoon. I went in to collect the eggs with Ari on my hip, and walked straight back out again. The Snake Man was called to collect said copperhead. He informed me to “Wacth it and see if it moves. If it moves, follow it and see where it goes so I can try and find it. I will be there in half an hour”. I paced nervously outside the chook yard, and watched the snake through the door of the chook house with some binocluars, in between rushed trips to the house to calm the kids down and stop them coming outside.   

When the Snake Man arrived he went into the shed, where much banging and crashing was heard.  Then silence. Eventually he called out, “Hey! Can you give me a hand? “(!!!!!). Apparently the snake had been halfway through eating a mouse, saw the Snake Man, spat out the mouse, and made a dive for the mouse hole. The Snake Man had hold of just 10cm of its tail. After sending some water down the hole, the snake relented and the Snake Man extracted it, but not before I had to run to the house and collect a torch, some wire cutters, and a crowbar to lift the tin on the shed wall. I was happy to wave them both goodbye. And pour myself a Cointreau.

This morning I decided to use my Dutch Lenormand deck (Het Lenormand Spel).  I shuffled the cards while focusing on the question, “What will happen today?”  Then I spread the deck out face down and randomly picked three cards for my Lenormand Daily Draw:

Dog + Snake + Lady

The Lady represents a woman in my life, and the Dog represents someone that this woman knows.  It could be a friend or even a boyfriend.  The Snake indicates that there are problems between them.  It could be a difficult relationship, or maybe a betrayal.

I’m not aware of a woman in my life who is having problems in a friendship or relationship.  I’m interested to see what happens today to fit the message in these cards.

Update Nov 30, 2009:

A female friend (Lady) contacted me yesterday to share that she had heard from an ex-boyfriend (Dog) who broke her heart many years ago.  He contacted her through facebook, and let her know that he regrets how things ended between them.  My friend is married with a baby, and this was not a contact she was happy to deal with (Snake). It took her many years to get over the past relationship, and she does not want to open the old wounds.

A while back we told you about the roomba which is an automatic vacuum cleaner that sucks up your dust around the house. Well according to this article in Israels Yediot Acharonot Newspaper, this Roomba “captured” a deadly viper while a little girl was in the room. As the picture shows, the snake not only of captured but pawned, image being sucked in by a robot.

i think im in love from french vogue ;}

Pretty amazing footage from Brazil

This is the time where I say to myself,
Don’t take a bite,
Just sleep off the tears,
And swear to the rest will be gone by morning.

Yet I hear a voice that begs me to stay awake with it,
It screams: Wait! Don’t leave me here alone inside!
It cries: Please God kill me here!
Why should I have to awake with such fear!

Yet I hear a quake of a sound nearby,
Below the floor,
Or outside my door.
And I take a look,
And notice I am awake.
Only from another escape,
That was planned to drown the pain,
Yet only seemed to smother in the rain.
And as I wake from such a quake,
I see the snake slither out my door and as it passes,
The flowers, they whither,
The grass, it dies,
And the bushes, they burn.
All dead within an instant.
I say to the snake goodbye forever,
I don’t want your fruit,
I can see it’s diseased,
Be gone! Never to return!

But this is the third day,
Of the third month.
And this is the third song,
And the third time,
That i forgot the third hour of the morning is not mine.

And I lie on my couch,
As I lie to my friends where I am,
And say with a grin,
“Yes, I’m okay.”
As I lie down with sin.
Again and again.

And the apple lies on the ground,
Covered with bites,
Covered with lies.
Because wearehound,
And i whither with the thought that I’m safe and sound.

These pictures were taken in Cloudbreak, Arizona. This snake was attempting to eat a Sand Monitor Lizard. Just amazing!!! Thanks Caroline for the info!

My brother in law (he knows snakes) from the Jacksonville Zoo says this is a Blackheaded Python from Australia – I’m not sure where this picture was taken but its still amazing.

  Tonight we had a testimony of a miracle that God did a week ago.  A humble father and pastor came to report what God had done.  He shared how a large cobra, possibly a king cobra, had bitten his son in the leg.  His body was beginning to shut down and there was no way that they could get him to any hospital.  Yet, even if they did, it would be very unlikely that in the rural Philippines that anyone would have anti-venom. 

  The father is a church leader and the only thing he knew to do was pray.  The son’s body was nearly completely paralyzed and in excruciating pain.  He could feel his body shutting down as the venom went closer and closer to his heart.  The father, at a point of desperation for the life of his son, placed his Bible on his son’s heart and began to pray.  Immediately after placing the Bible on his son’s heart, the pain started to subside.  Within one hour, the son’s body was completely back to normal as the anti-venom of the Holy Spirit was working to expel the cobra’s venom.  The leader told us that his son could feel the venom moving away from his heart where the Bible was and slowly being flushed out of his body. 

   The Great Commission as recorded in the Gospel of Mark says, “¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:17-18). Indeed, this father knows Jesus’ words to be true and is living them out.

UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS

stamp: 10 kopeyka

year: 1977

reptile: snake

People’s Democratic Republic of LAOS

stamp: 1 kip

year: 1986

reptile: snake - Lampropeltis doliata annulata

Black shirts. FLAGG. SNAKE. OBAMA.

Please tell me which colour scheme you like most! I’ll be putting this design on threadless soon, so if you like it please vote for it. The silver and bronze will be done in metallic foil, while the background is a large-scale print covering the entire front of the t-shirt. Any comments or suggestions are also welcome.

The first rule of  fight club is you do not talk about fight club… the legendary dialogue from the movie Fight Club. Hollywood has made some  really cool and awesome movies on Mixed Martial Arts… Fight Club, Never Back Down, Red Belt, each of these leave one awe struck!

All the awesome workout sessions, your head automatically has the Rocky Balboa, “Eye of the Tiger,” playing…  Shootfighters have all of these amazing training sessions, that would transport you to any one of these flicks… strengthening exercises, conditioning, free- running… all of that you can ask for!

But there is a catch! When it comes to Shootfighters, there is more than what meets the eye… there is always something new and exciting to be offered by Shootfighters… While speaking of MMA, we have, taken this term very seriously and to the point!

Ashwin has been practising martial arts for over 2 decades now… and these arts range from Karate, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jujutsu, a bit of Sambo, Taekwondo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Kalaripayattu, Tamil Kalaripayattu, Wing-Tsun, Kenjutsu, Garadi, Vajramushti, Judo, Tai Chi, Baghuazhang, Various types of Kung Fu- Eagle Claw, Tiger, Snake and a bit of Manthis… and each of these forms have been blended in Shootfighters…

This unique blend makes the classes, complete fun and totally exciting. Martial Arts has a huge history, and there are wide array of arts… each place has adapted and taken an art form to suit their own needs and requirements. Thus, the existence of this melting pot of so to say, martial arts under one roof… makes it a complete martial treat!

“One needs to enjoy what they teach… and I would personally find only striking pretty boring… after sometime plain old kickboxing without grappling, take-downs… gets very boring. It is not even practical in a real fight, where you are grabbed, pushed, clawed, slapped. Also, in most cases, you are up against more than one opponent… where one person does the hitting, while the others do the holding.” Says Ashwin.

Hmmm, only strikes and kicks seem like so much of a constriction here… one needs to know different techniques and ways to get out of any attack situation. Shootfighters Inc, takes in all the useful martial arts and makes it a part of their course curriculum.

Sounds fun right! Different martial arts, being blended and taught with some really cool moves… but behind all of this is a serious effort made, with tremendous hard work, and passion for Martial arts.

Ashwin has been in constant touch with different people in the world of Martial art, making friends, getting to know their art forms. Many masters do not teach you some art forms that easily… they need to know whether one can handle it. Ashwin had to go through years of patient waiting before he was introduced into numerous arts.

“It is a complete course you need to go through, most teachers do not teach you what part you want and leave the rest… you need to wait it out patiently and get the useful information out. Every martial art has some very useful and amazing techniques, and some may not work.”

With real-time experience of numerous fights, Ashwin knows that one needs to have a multitude of techniques that work.

“My instructors like Siddarth are very good fighters, because they have only learnt techniques that work and nothing else.” Adds Ashwin.

The most tough to capture have been the Indian Martial Arts… these seem to be very well hidden and shrouded, many have been lost and left only to a chosen few., as they need to make sure whether one can wield the power given by the arts.

The organization is doing a lot to preserve and document lesser known Indian martial arts such as Garadi, Vajramushti, Varmakalai, Silammbam so that they don’t die out entirely.

“I had this curiosity to understand and know, why an agriculture based civilization would need Martial Arts. Hunters and gatherers, it is understandable, but Indus Valley Civilization, the first civilization to develop a deep cultural setup of Martial arts was something I wanted to learn about.” Says Ashwin.

The great sages of India like Agastyar, Thirumular, Boghanathar… all of them have made huge contributions to Martial Arts, also incidentally the word ‘Chi‘ is derived from Chivaya (a tamil way of saying Shiva). The insights provided by them in Martial arts is very profound and deep. It set a base for the growth of martial arts all over the world.

“Martial arts, is about being strong, self-defence and all of that… but then there is more to Martial arts… it has a deeper ethereal meaning. When many students had signed up for self-defence or fitness, they continued classes even after achieving fitness and self-defence. Out of sheer curiosity I enquired, and found out that they felt a sense of achievement and strong confidence while be a part of our classes.” Says Ashwin.

Thus, martial arts works directly on the mind of the person, which in turn reflects in the body. “Martial arts is like Kundalini Yoga, where the aim is to achieve enlightenment, thus sages like Agastyar practised the arts. In order to see a mental change, physical vigour need to be done, once there is a mental change it is seen in the spirit… all of them are interconnected. “ Adds Ashwin.

The best part about these arts are, they are very nicely blended and gelled in to make a perfect school for martial arts- Independent Shootfighters Inc.

Miss Maree placed an order with me for four custom-designed draft snakes for Christmas.  One for each of her brothers and their families, and one for her Mum.

Would you like to meet the family?

This is Florence!

Likes: Fairy floss, flourescent felt pens and flavoured fudge

Dislikes: Foul smells, figs and feral cats

And this is Herbert!

Likes: Hemingway, hummingbirds and hotdogs

Dislikes: Hermits, hunting and having to hurry

And this is Hunter!

Likes: haggling, habaneros and hula hoops

Dislikes: haggis, Halloween and housekeeping

And lastly, meet Cordelia!

Likes: Cordial, crumpets and cat naps

Dislikes: Car racing, cabbage and cellphones

Maree picked the family up last night.  She said that if she didn’t already have lilith she’d have snake-envy for Florence!

]]> http://randyisanomad.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/stepping-on-a-snake-almost-well-not-really-close/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:25:48 +0000 randyinsing http://randyisanomad.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/stepping-on-a-snake-almost-well-not-really-close/

I was walking down the hiking trail, nearly to the ranger’s station, when I was a bit startled to see a long black streak heading into the trees in front of me.  It was about 6 feet long with 3 distinct curves.   I watched as the snake climbed a tree, and noticed the yellow and white markings on the underbelly.

This is the best pic I could get.

It’s PROBABLY (but not confirmed) a harmless black milk snake.  But when I asked one of the guys at the store by the entrance, he was sure it was a ‘fer-de-lance’ … the most aggressive, and lethal snake in Central America.  I’m pretty sure he was just playing ’scare the tourist’.

Agora eu vou cutucar bicho bravo, e me embrenhar num terreno perigoso de onde posso sair muito machucado! Para todos aqueles que gostam de Metal Gear de alguma forma, mas nunca entenderam direito as tramas que sua história envolviam, resolvi fazer a seção que desmembrará a história desse jogo desde seu começo, cronologicamente falando. Cada jogo significante de Metal Gear terá um post pra si, pra explorar individualmente, porém cronologicamente, todo esse mundo. Já aviso agora, Abcdario, como tu é muito mais viciado em Metal Gear do que eu, se perceber algum erro me avisa que eu corrijo! OoO

METAL GEAR SOLID 3

Embora esse jogo seja um dos mais recentes, ele conta a primeira história na linha cronológica de Metal Gear. O primeiro acontecimento histórico a influenciar na história é segunda guerra. Durante as árduas batalhas dessa guerra surgiu uma guerreira americana muito habilidosa, que liderava uma equipe russa, cujo codinome era Unidade COBRA. Nesse período EUA e Rússia ainda eram aliados lutando contra um mesmo inimigo. Por possuir habilidades além do normal, e ser imbatível em campo, essa guerreira ganhou o título de Boss. Sua vida foi muito conturbada, sendo criada como uma guerreira desde criança. Ela teve um caso com um de seus melhores amigos, e companheiro na Unidade Cobra, um homem que usava o codinome Sorrow (que representava o sentimento de sofrimento que ele tinha durante as batalhas).

The Sorrow

E o destino brincou com a Boss, tomando-lhe o filho de seu ventre no campo de batalha. Ele foi tirado dela, e levado para ser criado pelos “Philosofos”. Enfim, a guerra acabou, dividindo o mundo em Leste e Oeste, o que foi chamado de guerra fria. E Boss foi separada de sua Unidade. Passou a servir os EUA como agente especial, num período em que “adotou” um aprendiz para treiná-lo. O jovem Jack aprendeu tudo que sabe sobre como ser um guerreiro com sua mentora Boss. Um dia ela teve que cumprir uma missão para seu país, o que mudou para sempre a sua forma de ver o mundo. Nessa missão ela teria que assassinar Sorrow, já que agora estavam de lados opostos na batalha. E como uma verdadeira guerreira ela o matou.

Snake

Muitos anos se passam. Estamos no ano de 1964, quando a guerra fria começou a esquentar. As ameaças de ataque aconteciam rotineiramente, e o povo vivia em constante regime de medo. Jack, agora agente da CIA, é enviado em uma missão secreta para o solo Soviético, com a função de resgatar Sokolov, um engenheiro de foguetes. Sokolov tinha desertado de seu país para não ser obrigado a fabricar mais armas, e tinha ido viver exilado nos EUA, com sua esposa e filho. Mas num atentado terrorista aos EUA os soviéticos, especificamente a Unidade Cobra, conseguiram reaver o seu engenheiro, em uma negocição com o governo. Jack entra na operação com o codinome Naked Snake, pois deverá agir como uma cobra para realizar a missão de maneira indetectável, e “pelado”, o que significa que seu governo não lhe providenciaria nenhum tipo de equipamente realmente útil, e que este deveria ser obtido pelo agente durante a missão, em campo.

Sokolov

Snake conta com a orientação do Major Zero, Para-medic e de sua ex-mentora Boss. Com isso ele consegue transpor os obstáculos da missão facilmente, e começa a escoltar Sokolov par ao ponto de extração. Mas Snake é interceptado no meio do caminho pela Boss, que está novamente encabeçando a liderança da Unidade Cobra, e resgata Sokolov para seu lado. Ela também entrega à Coronel Volgin, o então líder dos Cobras na União Soviética, duas bombas nucleares Davy Crockett, das quais ele usa uma para encobrir as suas atividades, destruindo completamente o laboratório de pesquisas de Sokolov. Snake consegue sobreviver ao ser jogado pela ponte por Boss, mas ela vai para o lado de sua antiga unidade.

Volgin

Esse incidente gerou um desconforto entre a União Soviética e os EUA. Os soviéticos detectaram o avião que Snake usou para penetrar em sua floresta, e acusaram-no de ter feito o ataque nuclear. A retalhação não demoraria a vir em forma de outros ataques nucleares. Snake então recebe outra missão. Ele tem que voltar para a mata da União Soviética para salvar Sokolov de uma vez por todas, e capturar Boss viva ou morta, para entregá-la aos russos como culpada pelo ocorrido. E Snake vai para lá, como o bom soldado que é, fadado a ter que enfrentar sua antiga chefe, por quem ele tem uma relação afetuosa muito grande. O combinado era Snake encontrar um ex-agente da CIA de codenome Adão, para ajudá-lo em sua jornada pelo país. Mas ele acaba encontrando Eva, que diz estar substituindo Adão, uma agente secreta muito sexy para os padrões dos anos 60. ^^

Eva

Assim que ela surge para ajudá-lo, eles são interceptados pela unidade Ocelot, comandada por Ocelot. Essa unidade já estava atrás de Snake e de seu contato secreto. Eles falham, devido às habilidades somadas dos dois agentes, mas Snake deixa Ocelot vivo, por ser muito jovem, mas não sem antes zombar com a falha de sua pistola semi automática, por ela ter travado bem na hora que ele ia atirar. A missão de Snake é passada então por Eva. Ele precisa penetrar em uma estação científica onde supostamente estariam mantendo Sokolov.

Ocelot

Snake penetra na base, mas ao invés de encontrar Sokolov ele encontra outro cientista, um velho de nome Granin, que está puto da vida por ter sido substituído de seu cargo de cheve de ciência. Ele é um patriota russo, e não põe fé na habilidade de Sokolov. Ele confessa o plano de Volgin, que estaria usando Sokolov para desenvolver o sistema propulsor dos foguetes de um tanque, que seria capaz de atirar mísseis nucleares de qualquer parte do mundo para qualquer outra parte, à baixo custo e a alta velocidade. Granin disse que o futuro não estava nos tanques, e que ele mesmo tinha desenvolvido um projeto de arma ultra avançada, a qual foi ignorada pelos Soviéticos, então ele mandou esse projeto para um amigo seu na América chamado Emerich. Esse é o primeiro projeto de uma Metal Gear. O tanque que estava sendo desenvolvido recebeu o nome de Shagohod, que é a mesma coisa que Berremoth, ou, o maior ser terrestre do mundo.

Pain

Fear

A missão de Snake passa a ser, então, a de resgatar Sokolov mas impedir a construção do Shagohod, que seria capaz de instaurar a terceira guerra mundial. Seu próximo objetivo é então o laboratório onde está sendo contruído o Shagohod, onde está obviamente Sokolov. Até aqui Snake já enfrentou e derrotou dois dos antigos membros da unidade Cobra, Pain (o codinome singifica que nas batalhas ele sente dor) e Fear (o codinome significa que nas batalhas ele sente medo). E para chegar até o laboratório Snake tem que passar por uma das melhores lutas contra bosses de todos os tempos, uma treta contra um atirador de elite com o codinome The End (o codinome significa que ele está apenas esperando chegar o seu próprio fim…).

The end

Algumas observações valiosas para a história: Até esse ponto Snake já observou uma mulher loira muito jovem e bonita, a quall está, para nós, na cara que se trata de Eva, que se diz esposa de Sokolov, e se deixa ser usada por Volgin para ficar de olho nele. Obviamente por ser uma agente secreta Eva foi capaz de penetrar atrás das linhas inimigas para estudá-los. Ela carrega consigo uma série de equipamentos que a ajudam. Boss parece dividir com Volgin a liderança da equipe, mas fica o tempo todo discordando de suas opiniões. Parece que ela quer ensinar à Snake uma lição. No que se baseia a guerra, e porque eles, como guerreiros, lutam? Se uma hora você está lutando de um lado e da outra você está contra seus antigos amigos, será que tudo que os guerreiros fazem é morrer por causa de burocratas? Como se não  bastasse, Ocelot também está te seguindo, agora usando uma magnum, o que o nomeou futuramente como Revolver Ocelot. Em certo ponto da história o Legado dos Philósofos passa a ser parte da missão de Snake também, já que tanto Boss, quanto Volgin, quanto Eva estavam atrás desse documento.

Fury

Antes de conseguir finalmente penetrar na base onde se está sendo contruído o Shagohod, Snake enfrenta e derrota o último membro da unidade Cobra, the Fury (ou seja, ele sente fúria nas batalhas). Uma vez penetrando na base, Snake começa a desvendar seus segredos. Ele vê Eva interrogando Sokolov sobre o Legado dos Philósofos (?) e prometendo ajudá-lo. Quando Snake está prestes a salvar Sokolov, é interceptado por Volgin, que descobriu a sua presença. Ele é levado para a sala de tortura. Lá, Volgin, Boss e Ocelote se encarregam da tortura de Snake, logo depois de matar Sokolov. Eva fica observando de seu disfarce. Então Ocelote começa a questionar a identidade de Eva, e ameaça matá-la, em um abrincadeira de roleta russa. Snake impede que ele faça isso, mas perde um olho no processo, devido ao tiro que disparou do seu revolver. Mas Snake não é condenado à morte, devido à intervenção de Boss. Ele é mandado à prisão do laboratório. De lá Snake consegue escapar, e se comunicando via rádio com Eva, consegue uma rota de fuga pelos esgotos. Ele quase fica preso lá debaixo, pois Ocelot o intercepta, e resolve matá-lo, usando a mesma bala que não disparou de sua pistola antes. Mas Snake foge pulando no rio. Uma vez dentro do Rio, ele quase morre afogado, e enquanto está desacordado acaba tendo um encontro com Sorrow. Vencendo o desafio de enfrentar a morte daqueles que ele matou, Snake acorda em uma clareira, e vai para o ponto de encontro com Eva, atrás de uma cachoeira, onde ela devolve seus equipamentos, e de onde eles partiriam para o resto de sua missão.

Eva dá a Snake alguns explosivos C3, para armar nos tanques de combustível do Shagohod, destruindo-o. Era o que eles podiam fazer, já que Sokolov morreu de qualquer jeito. Ele continua sua missão, armando os explosivos no Shagohod, mas quando ele termina de armar o último Volgin aparece, depois de ter descoberto a farça de Eva. Ele resolve enfrentar Snake no mano a mano, enquanto Boss leva Eva para outro lugar. E Ocelot fica só torcendo pela vitória de Snake de longe.

Snake vence essa batalha, e corre para fugir da explosão. Ele encontra Eva no meio do caminho, que foi libertada por Boss, na condição de que ela entregasse o Legado dos Philósofos à Snake. Ela diz que a antiga mestre de Snake o espera para lutarem no lago. Ambos escapam da explosão, mas o Shagohod vai atrás deles, controlado por Volgin. Depois de uma longa fuga, e uma árdua batalha, Snake vence Volgin e o Shagohod, e Volgin morre atingido por um raio. Snake então parte para a batalha contra Boss. Ele vence o confronto contra ela, e atende seu pedido de eliminá-la com um tiro de sua própria arma. Após isso Snake e Eva tentam fugir de avião, mas são interceptados por Ocelot. Depois de uma batalha dentro do avião, Ocelot e Snake concordam em duelar com duas pistolas. Independente de quem pegou a pistola com a bala, nenhum dos dois morre, pois em um caso a bala recocheteia na parede do avião, no outro caso ela era só de festim. Ocelot faz um gesto de quem acabou de reconhecer um rival à altura, e pula no lago, deixando Snake e Eva escaparem com vida.

Boss

Uma vez com o Shagohod e com os planos para sua construção destruídos, Snake passa uma noite com Eva antes de retornar ao seu país. Ele cai no truque mais antigo da mulher bonita. Foi seduzido, e Eva roubou o Legado dos Philósofos. Afinal de contas, o que diabo é o Legado dos Philósofos? Bem, durante a segunda guerra as três maiores potências do mundo se uniram para controlá-lo. EUA, Russia e China. A união desses países levantou fundos para subsidiar suas necessidades na guerra, e esses fundos foram deposidados e divididos em diversos bancos do mundo.  Só que quando o mundo se dividiucada país começou a zelar por seus próprios interesses, e os Philósofos se separaram. O Legado dos Philósofos é um documento que contem todas as informações necessárias para se sacar esse dinheiro dos bancos. E todos os três países estavam interessados nesse legado. Eva trabalhava para o governo Chinês, como uma agente dupla, e teria levado o Legado para o seu país. Ela também conta a verdade sobre Boss.

Acontece que a Boss tinha recebido uma missão ultra secreta do governo americano. Ela estava em solo Soviético SOMENTE pra obter esse legado dos filósofos de Volgin, e já sabia disso, que estava condenada a manchar seu nome pra sempre em prol do seu país, e que deveria perecer nas mãos de seu próprio aprendiz. Por isso ela queria que Snake levasse o Legado dos Philósofos. Eva também diz algo que supõe que Ocelot é o filho da Boss. Snake então descobre que tudo que ele fez foi ser controlado feito marionete por seu governo, até mesmo assassinando sua própria mestra, e que ele ainda ia receber uma medalha por isso. E o pior, é que ele não conseguiu ficar com o Legado dos Philósofos. Snake então homenageia o túmulo de sua mestra com flores, a sua arma, e uma longa continência. Após os créditos ficamos sabendo de mais um grande segredo da história. OCELOT!

Ele era um agente triplo. Era pra ele ser o Adão que encontraria com Snake no início, mas não trabalhava para a Cia. Então como ele não conseguiu contato sendo um agente da Cia a ajudar Snake, ele se infiltrou nos exércitos soviéticos. Então ele finge ser agente da cia sob ordens diretas do diretor da cia, mas também finge ser um militar soviético. Na verdade ele é um agente secreto dos philósofos, e está seguindo ordens diretas do presidente norte americano, para reaver o Legado dos Philósofos. E ele realmente consegue. O legado que Eva leva consigo é uma cópia inútil…

Puta plot complicado. Nossa, temo agora só de pensar em escrever o dos outros jogos. ToT Não percam a continuação em posts futuros ein. XD

E não deixem de acessar os últimos cinco posts abaixo:

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