A Lizards Expendable Tail
October 31, 2008
A Lizards Expendable Tail
by: Lizard Lounge
Some lizards when confronted with a predator will voluntarily shed their tail. This process is called tail autotomy (self-cut). After the tail is detached from the body it will wiggle around on the ground for a few minutes. This provides a visual distraction and draws attention away from the vulnerable head and abdomen of the lizard. Usually this allows the lizard enough time to make an escape.
Not all lizard species are capable of doing this, the ones that can have fracture points in their vertebrae. The lizard’s blood vessels in the tail area rapidly constrict after autotomy to ensure minimal blood loss. The muscles in this area are also adapted to provide easy shedding of the tail.
After a lizard drops its tail it will start to grow back a new one, however the new one will not look the same as the original. It may have different colors, shape and size. Sometimes multiple tails will grow in the place of the one that was dropped. The new tail is able to perform all the functions of the original with the exception of autotomy. That’s because the new tail does not have any fracture points in the vertebrae. For some legless lizards their tail can make up almost 2/3 of their body length, so loosing it can be a stressful ordeal.
All about Tulip Gardens
October 31, 2008
As the curtain of winter lifts, tulips are one of the first flowers to take the spring stage. As the last drifts of snow seep into the soil, these bright signs of spring dance in the sunlight. However, you don’t have to wait for spring to grow tulips. Whether it lies in a bed, under a shrub, in the crevices of a rock garden or in a container, a tulip bulb is an underground flower factory just waiting to "spring up" from whatever soil it occupies.
The whole purpose of a tulip bulb is to flower. In fact, in the center of each bulb, tiny leaves cradle a baby bud. The white, onion-like bulb that surrounds the bud stores all the nutrients that the bud needs to sprout and grow. The only real help the tulip needs to grow is a generous drink of water and some soil to keep it moist.
Selecting Cultivars
The Dos and Donts of Getting Your Child to Love Learning an Instrument
October 31, 2008
We all know that music can be inspiring, entertaining, and exhilarating. There are few things more enjoyable than listening to good music. If you’re lucky enough to be able to play a musical instrument, you know the joy that can come from strumming those strings, tapping those keys, or blowing those reeds. It’s immeasurable. But, with all the amazing aspects of music, why is it such a struggle to get your child to enjoy learning how to play an instrument? Some children naturally enjoy the learning process, while others rally against it like it with all their will.
If you’re the parent of such a willful musical holdout, thankfully for you there are simple ways to help your child love learning an instrument. For your benefit (and sanity), I’d like to share the following tips-the Do’s and Don’ts of getting your child to love learning an instrument-so that music is always a pleasure to your family’s ears.
What to Do If You Want Your Child to Enjoy Learning an Instrument
If you want your child to enjoy playing, then you should:
· Always give the highest compliments for progress and commitment
Hip Dysplasia
October 31, 2008
Hip Dysplasia
by: Sally Doyle
An Introduction to Canine Hip Dysplasia
What is Hip Dysplasia?
The hip joint consists of a “ball” on the femoral bone, and a “socket” on the hip bone.
Canine hip dysplasia simply defined is when a dog’s hips do not develop normally and the ball does not fit snugly into the socket.
What Causes Hip Dysplasia?
While there is no conclusive proof of the cause of hip dyplasia, there are 2 general schools of thought about its cause - 1) genetic or 2) environmental
These two differing viewpoints often place the dog breeders at odds with the dog owners, causing each to blame the other for the problem.
Genetic: The puppy is born with the problem
Environmental: The puppy is too heavy resulting in excessive growth and/or over or under exercising a puppy during its growth phase resulting in developmental problems.
The most common theory is that hip dysplasia is indeed genetic. Most breeders have their breeding dogs’ hips rated either by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) or Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program (Penn-HIP).
Proven Secrets Of Writing And Publishing Your Own Ebook… In Less Than A Week!
October 30, 2008
Proven Secrets Of Writing And Publishing Your Own Ebook… In Less Than A Week!
by: Ian Simpson
In their ebook “How To Write And Publish Your Own Ebook…
In As Little As 7 Days”, Jim Edwards and Joe Vitale teach
you how to adapt a proven ebook writing formula to vastly
improve the performance of your own ebook writing
techniques. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, you are
taught how to find a topic, write about it and produce your
own ebook, sometimes in as little as 7 days, reducing the
trial and error sometimes associated with writing your own
ebook.
Of course, we know about ebooks don’t we? You cannot log on
without being offered one. There are various degrees of
credibility associated with ebooks from the brilliant
informative ebooks that you hope that you are buying to the
downright useless regurgitated rubbish that you are
sometimes duped into buying. Well, we do not want to go
down that route do we? No of course we don’t, we want to
produce a well thought out, well written and informative
Ode to: The Ice Maiden of Ampatos Summit [now in: English and Spanish]
October 30, 2008
Dedícate to Antonio Castillo. L. Of. Los Andes Universitario
Ode to:
The Ice Maiden Of Ampato’s Summit
English Version
Part One The Climb
In the spring of my life, in my village
By the Andes, I awoke one morning
To find I was chosen for a journey
How shall I say: to the summit of Ampato!
Ampato, our sacred mountain
I climbed with our holy priests.
I found myself twenty-thousand feet high;
I would be the sacrificial offering
Ordained so, by our celestial chief priest.
Once on top, death could scarcely be
Any bitter than its wild arduous winds;
And the icy cold Andean ceremony?.
And there I sat, within the clouds, and rested
With figurines of silver and gold,
And beautiful textiles adorning me
All dressed, in fine indulgent funerary,
I was to be, the Inca Ice Maiden
Now ready for death and burial.
‘I hoped the gods of Ampato,’ so I prayed
‘Are pleased today’; for my body,
Will be frozen soon, anyway.
Yet, I’m so very cold, and my hands clutch,
Tips And Info On Pet Medications And Pet Health
October 30, 2008
Tips And Info On Pet Medications And Pet Health
by: Sardool Sikandar
The keyword pet meds is abbreviation of pet medications. The pet medications or meds include the pet drug or pet medicine especially compounded for the pets. These are those med pet supplies that are essential to keep good pet health.
Pet keeping is very much in vogue all over the world. The pets are domesticated for companionship or amusement, so, it becomes the duty of the masters to take proper care of their pets and keep them in good health.
Pets are pets after all, they easily fall prey to numerous pet diseases and ailments. The major cause of pet illness is careless pet grooming and lousy pet cleanliness or hygiene.
The pet meds play cardinal role in pet grooming and keeping good pet health. A master needs to have a professional savvy about pet medication or pet medicine or pet drug. There is a great plethora of pet medicines available on the counter. One needs to have ample of knowledge to pick the right and effective ones.
Make Your Scrapbooking Efforts Easier With a Journal
October 30, 2008
Make Your Scrapbooking Efforts Easier With a Journal
by: Vera Raposo
(We would love to give you a journaling-tip to help you along…..)
Journals are a great way to keep track of dates, places, and events that you wish to include in your scrapbooks. You can use a special notebook, PDA, or a calendar to keep track of your scrapbooking ideas.
A journal is also a wonderful way to remember special times in the lives of your friends and family. Amusing thoughts and sentimental feelings can be recorded in your journal to give you ideas for captioning and titles in your scrapbooks.
It is important to keep your journal current. This will save you a lot of time when creating your scrapbook pages. You can write the dates and times of family outings and special occasions such as visits to the zoo, visits from grandparents and other relatives, and make notes as to what each person experienced during these times.
Scrapbooks are more than simple photo albums. They are a chronological history of the places and people that shape our lives.
Writing Resources: 7 Books For Improving Your Manuscript
October 29, 2008
Writing Resources: 7 Books For Improving Your Manuscript
by: Britt Gillette
Whether a crawling novice or polished professional, writers from every walk of life have room for improvement in their work. An endless array of rules and techniques must be kept in mind when writing - punctuation, grammar, transition, show don’t tell, etc. As a result, it’s extremely important to have a firm grasp on the fundamentals. By stressing the fundamentals, coaches and trainers have transformed individuals of modest talent into world class competitors. Why should writing be any different? Focus on the fundamentals and success will follow.
Below is a list of seven books I believe every writer should read and re-read. Some of these books focus on writing fiction. But even if your exclusive domain is as a nonfiction writer, you can benefit enormously from the tips in these books. Remember, the best writers show instead of tell. And there’s no better way to paint a vivid picture in the mind of a reader than by employing some of the basic principles of fiction writing. So keep an open mind. And if you long to improve your writing skills, devour these books with the utmost enthusiasm.
How to Grow Apples
October 29, 2008
The first thing you need to grow apples is a long-term commitment. Growing apples takes considerable time and quite a bit of work. Still, if one of your fondest childhood memories is the apple tree in your backyard, producing your own apples is a satisfying part of gardening.
Site Selection
Before you begin growing apples, make sure you have room for at least two trees. Typically, two apple trees bear enough fruit to keep a family of four in good supply. Apple trees need to grow in full sun, which means they need at least six hours of sunlight each day. Even dwarf varieties need to be spaced at least 8-feet apart. It is also essential to provide your trees with good drainage. Although apple trees tolerate a variety of soil types, they prefer sandy loam to sandy clay loam with a pH of about 6.5.
Choosing cultivars
