Yeah, it's that big. As one guide told us, You ain't braggin when you are draggin'.~~~ Provocative Quote
"If we were intended to talk more than we hear, we'd have two mouths and only one ear."
Anonymous
~~~Free Ramblings
Elephants are really big. You may think you already knew that, but until you have been in the wild with them, you really don’t. Unless of course you have taken a ride on one. We had to get up early to take our elephant ride—left camp about 6am to get to the elephants about 6:15. The elephants were rescue elephants. It all started at Kampara when one of the reserve guides decided to take care of an orphaned, isolated one. After raising this elephant, it became attached to humans and could not return to the wild. Over the years other elephants were added. They are very social animals and all in the herd take care of others. They currently have about 15 elephants and 20 or so handlers. To prevent bonding by either the handlers or the elephants, handlers all use the exact same commands with the elephants and change elephants regularly. If an elephant bonds with a human, and then the human leaves, the suffer grief—not a good thing. Upon arrival we watched the elephants go through their morning exercises.
After my camel ride in Egypt, I was really wondering how I was going to get up on the huge elephant. Turns out, they you climb up a staircase and just step over to sit up there. Much easier than the camel that kneels down and then gets up. The elephant then walks on a trail, eats trees, drinks water, and walks on the trail. They don’t seem to even know they have riders. The view of the bush while sitting on an elephant is unbelievable. It is a little strange when they step into a watering hole and drink. A novice rider never knows if they are going to drink the water, fill their trunk and spray their back, or decide it is time for a swim. Of course the handler knows that all they are going to do is drink.
Elephants cool themselves through their ears. The back of their ears have huge blood vessels and when the elephants heat up, they flap their ears. The blood is cooled as it pumps through the thin ears. Very efficient.
Elephants have a very easy gait for riding. This is very encouraging, as it is a long way to the ground. As we were riding my elephant was hungry. The trunk twists around the branch of the tree, snap, the branch is in his mouth. Leaves are quickly removed, bark is twisted off, and the branch is tossed away. Of course the elephant gets treats from the handler. Sometimes, when the elephant wants a treat, he will provide the handler with a branch—minus the leaves and most of the bark. I guess they think the handler likes the part of the branch they don’t. Up comes the trunk and branch. It is waved around a little, the handler takes the branch and the trunk sniffs around waiting for a treat.
We had another cold night, down to 17°, but it made it to 50° and there was hardly any breeze, so it was a nice day. I had to run some errands and I enjoyed being outside. I am still acclimating to the weather, but each day is a little easier.
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~~~Random Facts
It takes 3500 calories to make a pound.
The original name of Sesame Street was 123 Avenue B, but that was considered too "New Yorky." Sesame Street airs in over 120 countries. Some simply dub episodes while 25 others have their own version that represent the country culturally through the characters and segments.
~~~Unusual News
* An Alaskan assemblyman authored legislation to punish "public flatulence, crepitation, gaseous emission, and miasmic effluence," with a $100 penalty.
* Firefighters in Thurston, Washington slept through a fire in their own station. A passing police officer noticed the blaze and called in the alarm.
* In 1986, firefighters used wire cutters and pliers to free a San Jose, California woman from a tight pair of designer jeans.
~~~Before They Were Famous
Rosie O'Donnell once worked in the catalog department at Sears.
Ozzy Osbourne once worked in a slaughterhouse.
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~~~November Month Long Observances
Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month ~ American Diabetes Month ~ American Indian Heritage Month ~ Lung Cancer Awareness Month ~ Military Family Appreciation Month ~ National Adoption Month ~ National Homeless Youth Awareness Month ~ National Inspirational Role Models Month ~ National Novel Writing Month ~ Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month ~ Transgender Awareness Month ~ Vegan Month
~~~Week of 17 November
National Children’s Book Week
~~~17 NOV Observances
322 days so far this year…43 days remain in 2009
National Educational Support Professionals Day
Mickey Mouse Day—Steamboat will premiered
Push Button Phone Day
YWCA : World Fellowship Day
^Albania Independence Day 1912
^Haiti : Army Day
^Latvia: Independence Day 1918
^Morocco : Independence Day 1956
^Oman : National Day
~~~Births on this day
~ The ARTS)
1836 William Schwenck Gilbert composer (Gilbert & Sullivan)
1901 George Gallup public opinion pollster (Gallup Poll)
1908 Imogene Coca comedienne (Your Show of Shows)
1909 Johnny Mercer lyricist (Moon River, That Old Black Magic)
1939 Brenda Vaccaro Brooklyn NY, actress
~ATHLETICS
1869 James E Sullivan founder (Amateur Athletic Union)
1881 Percy Lesueur hockey player/inventor (large goalie glove)
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1926 - Roy (Roy Edward) ‘Squirrel’ Sievers baseball
1948 - Jack Tatum football [safety]: Oakland Raiders: longest fumble return in history: 104 yards
~POLITICS/BUSINESS/EDUCATION
1931 - Roberto Goizueta businessman: CEO of Coca-Cola
~SCIENCE/RELIGION
1789 Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre developed a method of photography
1832 Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskjold Arctic explorer
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1923 Alan B Shepard Jr Rear Adm USN/astronaut
~~~In Remembrance–
1886 Chester A Arthur (21st President), Bright’s Disease @ 56
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1962 Niels Bohr physicist Nobel Prize in 1922, @ 77
1969 Joseph P Kennedy @ 81
1978 Jim Jones, American cult leader (suicide) @ 47 +931 others
~~~Historical Events on this day
1497 Bartolomeu Dias discovers Cape of Good Hope
1626 - St. Peter’s Basilica was dedicated in Rome by Urban VIII.
1787 1st Unitarian minister in US ordained, Boston
1813: Members of the Hillabi Clan of the Muskogee Creeks have offered to surrender to General Andrew Jackson with Scots trader Robert Grierson acting as intermediary
1865 Mark Twain publishes "Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"
1883 Standard time zones established by railroads in US & Canada
1894 1st newspaper Sunday color comic section published (NY World)
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1922: This was the start of Benito Mussolini’s term as the new Italian premier.
1960 Copyright office issues its 10 millionth registration
1964 J Edgar Hoover describes Martin Luther King as "most notorious liar"
1991: Terry Waite the special envoy of the archbishop of Canterbury, is released by Shiite Muslims after more than four years of captivity.
1997 - The Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays begin taking shape with 35 selections apiece in baseball’s expansion draft
~ Holy Mackerel
1307 William Tell shoots apple off his son's head
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Word Ladder Puzzle
Simply substitute one letter at a time on each rung of the ladder to move from the start word to the end word.
Hear
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Boom
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Scroll down for answers
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ANSWERS
HEAR, REAR, REAM, ROAM, ROOM, BOOM
* Note, other answers may be possible
