Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: If you are easily offended by sheer honesty, or you think me having my own opinions is "being negative", then this is not the place for you, and I suggest you leave and head elsewhere. I call a spade a spade, and I don't sugarcoat anything.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Samhainophobia

This is the final fear we will be discussing on here. This is quite a common fear, this is the fear of Halloween, it's self. We all know what this fear stems from, Halloween is a holiday that celebrates ghosts, goblins, monsters, witches, pumpkins, and the like thereof. These things are naturally elaborated on this day to terrify people. Children dress up in costumes and go trick or treating. In the old days, people dressed up in costumes to fend off evil spirits.

The beginning of Halloween was in Old Ireland, and started as a holiday celebrating the passing-over from summer to fall. This was a day known as Samhain, and it was celebrated between October 31 and November 1. The reason we celebrate the day with scary things, in the early days, it was believed on this day, the barrier between our world and the world of the afterlife became thinner, and people celebrated the lives of their ancestors and loved ones that had passed on, and warded off evil spirits. So they often built bonfires to cleanse themselves with. They walked through these bonfires and even slaughtered and sacrificed animals to them. Unfortunately, these ancient beliefs are what set the stage for modern phobias of this holiday. The people suffering from this ailment will not go out on this day, and want nothing to do with any of it's paraphernalia.

Many people in some way suffer from this phobia, and there are ways of overcoming the fear and anxiety. Though I am not here to advertise anything that will help. Any expert will tell you, the main way to get over your fears is to face them head-on. I am no expert though. But if you have a phobia about Halloween, then it is suggested you swallow your fear and get outside today and go for a walk.

Hope you all enjoyed our week of looking at different phobias. My apologies for the "Kenny-clutter", it was his fault!!! You want to blame someone, blame him! LOL!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Chronomentrophobia

This is an unusual fear, this is the fear of clocks. This is probably one of the rarest phobias there is. I have no idea what triggers this phobia myself, though I know most phobias are caused by traumatic childhood experiences. But what is the basis for an irrational fear of clocks? In my research, I came across a blog of someone who has a friend with this condition. He said that it is a reminder that people are not immortal. Like the majority of fears, the basis for this one is death or suffering.

People do have a paranoia of being late for something, or waking up at a specific time, but paranoia is not the same as a phobia. Paranoia is just an annoyance. People who have chronomentrophobia have a fear of seeing a clock, or experiencing time, or thinking about time. Some people fear a specific time of day, like there is a lot of fear of midnight among chronomentrophobes.

I personally am very fascinated by clocks. When I see a clock, I tend to just stand and look in fascination. Some can be beautiful, mesmerizing and alluring. What home would be complete without a decorative clock? I have several in my home and I love them! If for nothing else, the fascination that they bring me.









Thursday, October 29, 2009

Spkenn36, The Sequel

Well, he's back! I knew he would be!! LOL! But I'm having loads of fun!! Oh not only is he back, but he's getting desperate! I'm serious! You always can tell when a person is getting desperate when they resort to childish-style name-calling! Well, this evening Kenny reached that point. I actually figured sooner or later he'd retort with a fat-joke. The only thing is, I never expected it to be this soon! LOL!! I actually thought he was smarter than that! Guess I was wrong. Every once in a while I am proven wrong about someone. I kinda knew when I said to him "I forgive you" that it was going to drive him CRA-ZY!!!

Well, when last we left off, I had complemented Kenny on his self-portrait, this self-portrait: (_*_) So this was his response to my post to him:


Good one Timbo! You have really entertained me with your stupidity and arrogance. But hey being a typical American we cant expect anything less from a dumbass yank!

Shame the eagle wasnt in the US...would be great to see a big mofo eagle drag a couple of stupid americans of the cliff. Hang on though...they are all too fat to drag of the edge!

(_*_) to you kid!



LOL! I see he's rewarding me with another one of his self-portraits! LOL! Dare I tell him that the "Timbo" in my name actually refers to Tim Farriss of INXS, which just happens to be a band from his own country?? Nah!! Maybe not! Let him figure it out for himself since he obviously thinks he is smarter than me! LOL!! Notice the level of name-calling he's using, not just at me, but at all Americans. But I kept my cool today!! Like I said earlier, I am in MUCH better spirits today than I was yesterday. I'm keeping up with forgiving him. This was my post in response to his:

I forgive you :) GOD loves you and so do I.

I hate preaching the sermon to anyone! But this dude obviously needs to feel someone out there loves him. But another poster, who called himself Krazimuffin got offended by Kenny. Not that I blame him. But he called Kenny another brainless sheep that jumped on the Anti-American bandwagon. This was my response to krazimuffin, and it's a classic:

Well heck! At least he entertained me for a few days. ;) But later on the atmosphere will suffer from the amount of methane Kenny spewed with each word. But eh! It's his business which end of his body he talks out of. hehehe!

I may be a "stupid, arrogant, dumbass yank", but even the most critical comedian has to agree that was a classic statement! Sorry for tooting my own horn so loud. I fully expect Kenny will be back! And I know what he's going to say. I can practically see the name-calling from him getting much more intense after this. But I promise to keep my cool and keep forgiving him. This is actually very good practice for me now. I needed to work on forgiving those who offend me. And nothing offends me more than racists like Kenny!!! That is, if you can call his kind of hatred being "racist"? Maybe it's called "Continental Supremacy"? Or maybe he's just a male-chauvinist pig who likes to pick fights with women!! Some men feel the need to do that because it makes them feel more 'manly'. I don't know about Kenny though. I'll just sit back and wait to see what he will do next. But no matter what, I'll keep on forgiving him. I'll keep you all posted. Watch how it drives him nuts! hehehe!

**************************EDIT TO ADD*******************************************

Oh GOD!! Is Kenny ever DUMB!!! And he calls all Americans dumb!! LOL! I insulted him and he didn't even get it!! Remember when I said "later on the atmosphere will suffer from the amount of methane Kenny spewed with each word"? Basically, I was telling krazimuffin that Kenny just talks out his ass. This was his response to me just now:

Its carbon dioxide that people exhale actually...but being a dumbass american its easy to get basic consepts confused.

I forgive you Timmy...not sure that god does though...

Dont stop now kid, Im enjoying responding to your stupidity!


Notice the first sentence! My remark went WAY over his head and he didn't even see it!!! LOL!! He's an embarrassment to all Australians, and I know Australians can be very smart!! But not Kenny! This was my response to him:

I forgive you dude. :) Though I didn't exactly figure you were exhaling from the end you're thinking of. hehehe!

I'll keep you posted of more.

"Looser" Americans

Did you know Americans are "loosers"? LOL! They are according to a guy from Australia on YouTube who calls himself spkenn36 (I call him "Kenny"). Well, he's not the first Australian person I've ever seen to hate all Americans. Seems a lot of them do. Thank GOD not the ones I call friends. But then again, I don't make friends with ignorant people. What got this one all hot and bothered is on a video, the person who uploaded the video called a European golden eagle an "American eagle", and called chamois, which is a European goat-like antelope, a "mountain goat". So, strictly as a favor to the uploader of this video, and those watching it who might be misled, I corrected him. Spkenn36, BTW, was NOT the uploader of this video. But he decided he was going to chime in anyway with a full-frontal attack on all Americans. I guess he was embarrassed, and maybe a little bit jealous, because I know more about animals than he does. I don't really know, but judge for yourself. This was his initial comment to me:

Yep typical Americans attempting to appropriate something to try to prove how superior they are...

American fools...we all you are loosers...


Usually, I don't even bother with people who can barely write, but I wanted to know exactly what he meant. LOL! Of course I was just pulling his chain! This was my response to him:

"we all you are loosers... "

What?? LOL! I can't understand you dude.


Of course most American folks don't like it if you attack Americans. Someone came in and cleared my head about what Kenn was trying to say:

Yep typical douchebag attempting to be a douchebag to try to prove how big of a douchebag he is.

By the way, don't call someone a loser if A) You can't spell the word loser and B) YOU FUCKING LEAVE OUT A WORD IN YOUR DAMN SENTENCE


So now what Kenn was trying to say to me became more clear. LOL! Well, this was Kenn's response to this heroic poster:

By the way A) dont call someone a douchebag if you are one yourself and B) expect perfect grammar on youtube...

LOOOOSER!


His blind attacks had begun to get on my nerves. Usually, this is good practice for me. I need it. But in my defense, it's been a long week! And I was tired yesterday, exactly the kind of thing I need to work on. This is why I haven't been on any forums yet, even though I *think* I am ready, I still need some work. This was my comment to him when I read his last post:

Goodness, you're a jerk! And a lot of other things I won't say at this time. Thank GOD not all Australians are like you. :P

Besides being a jerk, I can see he is ignorant, shallow and petty. But I don't think it's all his fault. A lot of people have been misled about Americans, so I play along because personally, I'm not out to change anyone's opinions about anything. If he hates Americans, then he hates Americans. Why is his own business, not mine. And it's not my problem. Well anyway, this was his response to me:

Goodness what a naive stupid american.

Unfortunately all Americans are like you.

LOOOSER


Well, you all know how I am! LOL! I took his own words and threw them back in his face, minus the attacks on Australians themselves:

Goodness what a naive, stupid man. I would take to saying "Australian", but seeing I have Australian friends, I wouldn't insult them by stooping to your level. :P

Believe me, Kenn is NOT going to sway my attitude toward my Aussie friends!! Don't worry about that! I was brought up better than that. Besides I love all my friends. I got to know them and they got to know me, and they all like me for who I am. Anyway, at this point I figured him out, and I started to calculate his next move. Sure enough, this morning I found out I was right!

How gracious of you...mind if I stoop to your level though?
(_*_)
:P


LOL! He thinks he's "stooping" to my level, probably one of his own ego-boosters because he's still got it stuck in his craw that I know more about animals than he does. But notice the portrait he did of himself in that paragraph: (_*_), I think it's a rather good likeness of him! LOL!! But seriously, he's NOT that bad!!! He's just ignorant. If he were bad, I'd think I could sense it. For the most part, I find him funny. But then ignorance is always funny.

Anyway, this was my response to him this morning, complementing him on his self-portrait:

Nice image you made of yourself there Kenny. :P

But hey, seriously! I forgive you.


Well, to clarify, I told that forum when I told Kenny that was a good portrait of himself, I meant this one (_*_) hehehehe!!

Well, I know he'll be back, because he feels he has something to prove. I'll keep you all posted about what happens next. But rest assured, I'm having fun! Personally though, I think Kenny should heed his own advice: Don't call someone a loser if he's a loser himself. He's making that increasingly obvious! Yesterday was the day after a very tough day for me, but today I'm in much better spirits. I promise to all my supporters I will keep my cool.

Gephyrophobia

This is one of the few true fears I have. Gephyrophobia is the fear of crossing bridges. It actually stems from a fear of heights. I HATE crossing bridges!!! I thank GOD that to this day I've never had to live where I had to cross a big bridge. When we lived in Lakewood, the only time I had to cross a big bridge, like the Narrows Bridge, was on the occasional trip into Gig Harbor. I had a friend that lived there, and to go there, even occasionally, was Hell on my blood pressure! We have a series of smaller bridges that goes from here to Aberdeen, and even those I get scared on. But it's only temporary because they aren't that long. Hardly long enough for the fear to set in. And I cannot see the ground (or water) we're going over. But so far, the worst trips I make now is into Astoria. I like the town, but to go over that bridge is really terrifying to me!! That bridge is HUGE!!! And you can definitely see the water below it, and that scares the willies out of me!! I thank GOD I don't live in New York!

When I go over bridges, I get uncontrollable tremors up my spine, I feel nauseous, I start hyper-ventilating, and I tend to want to hang on to the side of the car. Sometimes I want to jump out, but I don't want to fall in the water. LOL! This is not a common phobia, I am only one of a handful of people who actually suffer from this ailment. For me, to walk over a bridge is not as bad as driving over a bridge. Walking allows me more control over my movements. Driving, I have no idea what the car might do!! I wish there was a way around bridges, but for me to go into Aberdeen, there is no detour. But some people will go miles around just to avoid going over bridges. Unfortunately for me, the only way to get into Aberdeen is to go over this one bridge, with the only alternative route being a one-way road heading back to Ocean Shores. I'd be going around in circles and never get anywhere except home. LOL! So I haven't got much of a choice. But if I could take a ferry to Aberdeen, that would be a nice substitute for me!

For some gephyrophobics, images like these tallest bridges, can be very terrifying!



Hangzhou Bay bridge in China. Too long for me!!


Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in France. At 1115 feet high.

Here's another view of this bridge.

Forget me going over this monster!!!


Siduhe Grand Bridge in China, currently still under construction, but fated to be the World's tallest bridge.


McDonald's Bridge in Oklahoma. At least here I can eat, if I'm not too busy being nauseous.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Ailurophobia

This is a phobia that used to be more common than it is now. This is the fear of cats. People of the ancient cultures used to fear cats because they were seen as creatures of demonic forces. Cats have always been associated with bad luck, nightmares and hanging around shady people, including witches. Black cats especially have taken a lot of the slack from people with these beliefs. People often have fears of nocturnal creatures, and cats are very silent as they creep around the house. Black cats also almost always have yellow eyes that seem to see right through your soul. These could be contributing factors to people who have this phobia.

This phobia actually has several names and spellings. Another is "Galeophobia". But the word "Galeo" actually means "weasel", not "cat". People suffering from Ailurophobia may feel anxiety either by seeing, or physically contacting the cat, or seeing someone else being injured by a cat. Like in all phobias, a person may experience hyperventilating, sweating, and physical shaking. Though today, more people seem to be afraid of dogs than they are of cats. In general, cats are gentle animals that would rather run from a person than stand and fight. If you suffer from Ailurophobia, you are not alone though. In my research, I've found several World-renouned people have suffered from this ailment as well. Napoleon Bonaparte was believed to be one of them. So was Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and LaToya Jackson. Personally, I don't care for cats, but I have no fear of them. I've met some very nice cats.

Some cats are actually quite equal to dogs in temperament. My favorite breed is the Siamese. As you can see, they are beautiful cats. Unfortunately you have to get them from the right person. Though that's not to say the "classic" siamese is not a good animal.


This is the modern, show-style Siamese.


This is the old-fashioned type, known as "applehead" Siamese.

You Aren't Going to Believe This!

I think I saw GERUSA on television on Monday!! The description fit perfectly. He was a New York bartender, big guy, blond hair, blue eyes, hated all non-whites, bad attitude, and he's more likely than anyone else to get sued. It was on a show titled "All Worked Up", it's a new show on TruTV. And this guy who works serving court summons to people getting sued, served this blond man court papers. Immediately, the blond man attacks the server. If that really was GERUSA, I'm not surprised!! And I don't envy him! LOL!! I'm still laughing about that one! I think it was just part of his ego booster to tell me I would envy him. And I do not believe he's a language teacher of any kind. His grammar and spelling was too bad for that. If he really is a language teacher, then that's a shame! Then all Italians, French and Spanish kids are going to go and tell their parents that all Americans are as dumb as GERUSA!!!! Not good!! People in those foreign countries already believe Americans are stupid! GERUSA would be just one way of proving they are right! :(

I will hand GERUSA one thing though! When it comes to trying to bring someone down, he tries very hard! Harder than a lot of people I know of. But unfortunately for him, someone like me, his tearing downs would never work on. Gotta admire his persistence though. But in my eyes, all his words were a desperate grasp at straws. LOL! Notice how he kept trying to convince me I was stupid, trash, a slut, a nobody. LOL! I almost felt sorry reading his attempts, he tries too hard, but gets nowhere with me. hehehe!

Well, I still gleem from ear to ear about how I kept my cool during that ruckus with GERUSA. Believe me, it was no fluke that I started a debate with the kind of person I hate the most: racists! I figured if I could keep my cool with him, then I can keep my cool with anyone!! It all went as planned! Believe me when I say that I knew exactly how he was going to react to each and every post I made. I've been through all of it before. Seems everywhere I go, I stir up shit because I'm not afraid to express my views. Even if the other person is not going to like what I have to say! LOL! So when I got into that argument with GERUSA, I carefully mapped out my responses, and calculated what his responses would be, and I was generally right! GERUSA is no different than anyone else I've been in confrontations with on the internet!! When I'm in a spat with someone, I choose my words carefully. Then I think about "how is this person going to respond to this?" In my experiences on the internet, I've noticed that if you show someone kindness that you are arguing with, they will get meaner and nastier. Remember the spat I had on the PETA Sucks forum with Mr. Cutthroat? I learned a lot about peoples' responses on the internet from that. When I said to the forum that I could have wished the deer he hit with his car had killed him, but I was actually glad it didn't. I knew right there what Mr. Cutthroat's reaction to that was going to be. And I was right!! He said "I wouldn't give a shit if you had wished the deer killed me and my whole family because you are a worthless piece of shit!" Yes, I actually knew that was going to be his reaction! I know his type! I probably knew that was what he was going to say before he even knew! LOL!

I typically get the "you don't know me" speech, or "you don't know shit about me" speech. But I always find it funny, the people who say that are always the most predictable ones! LOL! I always know what their next move is going to be. I just don't say anything because I don't want the other person's reaction to be hampered by what I believe they're going to do. I like to get their most honest reactions. It's fun when I am proven right. The only one who can genuinely say to someone "you don't know me" on the internet, is me! I'm too complex of a person. Whatever you think someone's reaction to something will be, I always do the opposite. That's just because that is who I am. I don't like being like other people. Though I have taken more to blocking people on YouTube, rather than get into another argument with them. I had to block someone the other night, who kept accusing me of being biased about the meat industry. Just because some years ago, I worked on a beef farm (for a very short while) and I know what I saw. And I took the side of the beef farmer. But she was twisted!! She kept saying "let's kill all people because their suffering is only temporary!" She was too crazy for me!

Anyway, I was proud of how I kept my cool with GERUSA. Very proud. I managed to keep my cool with the kind of person I hate most; racists. Second only to snobby show breeders on my shit list! But people like GERUSA hate other races and that is something that no one has control over. A person cannot help it if they are Mexican, Puerto Rican, white, mixed, black or American Indian! But a show breeder doesn't have to be snobby! They can be nice, and yes, I've seen a few nice ones in my day. I only wish there were many more of the nice ones.

Ya know, I remember on the Pluba forum, there was a show breeder named Carla. I kinda wonder what happened to her. I kinda liked her. LOL!! Sort of ironic. Everyone else thought she was nasty, and I've been saying how much I hate snobby show breeders. But I don't think Carla was snobby at all. I've met show breeders who were snobby, and gave their opinions and don't even say why they give their opinions! Not even when asked. Or they simply give opinions based on facts that don't matter anymore. Or they do anything to embarrass someone. Carla just told it like it is! And I like that! And when she wanted to trash someone, she did it to their faces. She didn't go into PMs and trash that person, not giving the other person a chance to respond. And that's another thing I hate about show breeders, but I liked about Carla. I wish I'd had half her gut and grit when I was trying to educate people. But I was always afraid of hurting them. It wasn't until afterwords that I realized I should have been honest from the get-go!

Murophobia

About as many people suffer from this phobia as suffer from the last one we discussed. This is the fear of mice. My ma has this fear really bad. I'm quite the opposite. Small, furry mammals don't scare me. As long as they have no more than 4 legs, I don't see the scary in them. But that's just ME. There are a lot of people that are afraid of mice. There is good reason for this. We are brought up from a really young age to believe that mice are carriers of diseases. And this has been scientifically proven to be true. Deer mice in the southwest have been known to transmit hantavirus, which is an often fatal disease that attacks the respiratory system. All mice carry tapeworm and salmonella. Mice also transmit such diseases as Leptospirosis, a disease that causes your kidneys to fail. Mice also carry the bacteria that causes Staph infection. If you come into contact with their droppings, you can get E. coli, Salmonella and even Giardia, which are serious diseases of the digestive system. So there is good reason to be afraid of mice. For a complete list of diseases transmitted directly from mice, check out the CDC's website here.

When my ma sees a mouse, she tends to run, scream, and even wants to stomp on it, but she doesn't want to get close to it. I usually have to try and catch it for her. But those little guys are FAST!! For her, it's the mere sight of a mouse that scares her. Some are terrified by the mouse's fast movements as they scamper about across the room. Some are just disturbed by the sight of a little furry animal with a long, naked tail. This is one of the most common phobias, not only in humans, but in other animals as well. Did you know it's actually true that elephants are afraid of mice? In my research on this subject, I read it is true. I always thought it was a myth! There is a reference to this subject in Naturalis Historia, book VIII by Pliny the Elder. The book was translated in 1601 by Philemon Holland, and it said that elephants cannot abide rats or mice. What triggers this is elephants have a natural fear of nearby noises that they cannot make out. Mice are too small and fast for an elephant to notice right away, and often they hear the mice before seeing them, and that is what scares them.

Before humans invaded the land, mice lived in meadows and woods, and fed on grasses and seeds, causing the natural changes in the types of grasses that grew in an area. This is good for herbivores, big and small, and also helped in spreading different species of grass. So mice had a very important role in the ecosystem. But humans moved into meadows and chopped down trees and persecuted rats and mice. It wasn't until humans had to live with rats and mice (that adapted well to man's environment) that he finally discovered these animals spread nasty diseases. In the 1300s, two-thirds of the population of Europe succumbed to the plague epidemic. Before then, rats and mice were worshipped. It was actually cats that were destroyed because they were seen as omens of evil.

In all honesty, if one can get past the fear they feel for mice, you can see what beautiful and truly graceful animals they are! I don't mean the fat, lazy labratory mice that do nothing but eat and dump. House mice, the ancestor of the white labratory mice, are actually very sleek, and streamlined. You might actually compare them to a sportscar by design. If wild house mice can be compared to a sportscar, the labratory mice are the 1970s Dodge stationwagons. By comparison, they are slow and bulky and not really made to last. There are even mice that don't look like mice! And there are some totally awesome species of Murids (rats and mice). Some of the ones I find most fascinating are:



Australian Water Rat.


Egyptian Spiny Mouse. I used to raise these, and I did the impossible with them, I managed to tame them like puppy dogs!


Madagascar Giant Jumping Rat.


Zebra Mouse. I also used to raise these, and I think they are the most attractive and graceful of all mice.


Panay Cloud Rat. A rat that to me doesn't even look like a rat. It may be the long, fluffy, squirrel-like tail that confuses me. :P

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Ophidiophobia

This is a very common fear, and I admit, I used to have it myself. This is the fear of snakes. You very often hear of people who say they hate snakes or are afraid of them. I personally think it's a shame because the non-venomous species are a LOT of FUN!!!!! But I admit I used to be afraid of snakes myself. I've always been an animal lover! But my first encounter with a snake was terrifying. I was 5 years old at the time and me and my sis and a friend of her's were playing in the backyard together. All of a sudden, this little green grass snake races across our yard. All I saw was how fast it was moving and it scared the petunias out of me! I started screaming and crying. My pa came out and caught the snake and put it in an old coffee tin and put it in his tool shed. A few days later, I actually got curious about it, and I went out to his shed, found the coffee tin I saw him put the snake in, and looked to see if it was still in there. It wasn't. I think he took the snake and dumped it out in the woods. To this day I have no idea what my reaction would have been like if the snake had still been in that coffee tin and it crawled out at me when I opened it! But for some reason, I was ready to see that snake face-to-face. I think it was more the sudden movement in the grass, and the fact I couldn't see the snake very well at first that scared me more than the actual animal.

The fear of snakes is totally inborn. It has been suggested that it goes all the way back to our early primate ancestors. Lemurs and monkeys have always been preyed upon by snakes, and snakes have been chowing down on primates much longer than any of their other predators. Many kinds of primates even have a specific alarm call exclusive to spotting snakes. Today, monkeys and lemurs still fall prey to snakes, and even captive-bred specimens react in a violent way to the sight of even a small snake. I was searching around for some info on this, and I came across an article that said that it was our early ancestor's fear of snakes that made us what we are today. We are more intelligent than other animals our size, and we have very good eyesight, better than those of other mammals. This is an adaptation primates developed early on to be able to detect venomous snakes and stay away from them. Today however, snakes are among the most misunderstood animals of them all. Though it is true that there are some snakes that have a poisonous bite, and many people do die of snakebite each year, not all snakes are venomous. And any snake is beneficial in that they eat destructive rodents.

In religion, snakes are totally maligned. You'd be hard pressed to find a christian person who loves snakes, except me. And even the person who wrote this article I read refers to all snake lovers as "freaks", except her daughter, who owns a corn snake. Well, by now you know how I am, I proudly admit I am something of a "freak", and I love being different! As a child, I became more afraid of dogs than I was of snakes. But the fear of snakes is a part of our nature, and you will notice many people still hold those primordial fears of snakes.

Well, I actually learned to love snakes when I got older and understood them better. I used to go out and catch garter snakes in this grassland near our house. That was my fun as an 8-year old child, lifting rocks and logs and looking to see if there was a snake underneath. I always got excited when I did see one. I've even had snakes as pets in the past. They are the most docile and gentle of pets. Though they can feel even the slightest bit of fear in a person, and sometimes will attack because of that. Though some snake species are rather flighty even in captivity, there are many very sweet, and gentle species that make wonderful pets. And of course there is another thing. Snakes, whether you like them or not, are BEAUTIFUL!!!! Snakes are like Nature's canvas to display her remarkable talent in painting. And the World is her gallery. Snakes have unbelievable patterns on their bodies that make them so unique among animals. Some of my most favorites are:



Green Tree Python.


Malaysian Blue Coral Snake (though these are venomous).


San Francisco Garter Snake.



Rainbow Boa.


Coral Snake (These guys are venomous too).



Honduran Milksnake.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Coulrophobia

This is a fear that mostly attacks children, it is the fear of clowns. Most of it's victims are children, but there are some adults and teenagers that have this fear as well. The fear mostly stems from the fact that clowns are "hidden" behind their face paint. I was never afraid of clowns, I'm just a tad uncomfortable around them. Just seems a bit awkward to me to talk to someone I cannot relate to, and I cannot relate to clowns. I don't know why. Seeings I've made a clown of myself several times! But people who suffer from Coulrophobia, are irrationally afraid of clowns because they cannot see their facial features under the paint. Most clowns though are quite nice, and they enjoy making people laugh. That's their job.

Then there is also the image of the "evil clown". Take the Joker on Batman, for example. He's made up to look like a clown, though without the big red nose and oversized shoes. He's enough though to terrify anyone, even those not afraid of clowns! He shoots people in the movies and then laughs about it. But that's who his character is. But for some reason, we all love him. The Joker is always what keeps Batman fans returning to the theaters everytime he appears in a movie with Batman. Perhaps we all love the Joker for the same reason most other people love large carnivorous animals. Because he scares and fascinates us.

Stephen King also apparently contributed to the rise in Coulrophobia among children. In 1990, his novel titled "It", was made into a movie, and it was a movie about a demonic clown that murdered children. And this movie was just one of several similar movies depicting clowns as evil beings. Small wonder today's kids are more afraid of clowns than they used to be. Though today's kids don't seem to be afraid of anything else. Perhaps if clowns were once again portrayed in the old fashioned, innocent manner they always were, there would be less reason for children to fear them. I'll tell you though I am much more afraid of anime-style drawings than I am of clowns!!

What people go through that suffer from Coulrophobia is very well defined in this short film of a grown woman, who has a family of her own, and cannot take her kids to the circus because of her own fear of clowns.




Here's some images of innocent clowns so not to pose a threat to those suffering from this problem.


A clown with all the coloring removed.


A popular icon from my childhood!


A false percula clown fish.


OK, not really an "innocent" clown, but a familiar one nonetheless.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Triskaidekaphobia

This is a very unique fear, Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13, and it is more common than you think. People regard the number to be an unlucky number, almost ever since the days of Jesus Christ. At the last supper, Jesus was said to be the 13th guest. Maybe even beyond that. In my research I found this phobia probably also affected the vikings. The Norse God Loki was the 13th God, and may have been responsible for the murder of Baldr, who was the God of light and beauty. Loki was also the 13th guest to arrive at Baldr's funeral. Then of course there are modern superstitions about Friday the 13th. Did you know that any month that begins on a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th? It's true! I've seen it over and over again! And this past year, I believe I counted about 4 months with Friday the 13th--more than I've ever counted in a single year before!

Today, the fear still lingers. Many hotels have eliminated the 13th floor. Those that have more than 12 floors will jump from 12 to 14 because some guests will refuse to stay in rooms on a floor labeled "13". A lot of people refuse to buy houses with the number 13 in the address, or live in number 13 apartments. These people will even refuse to leave their houses on Friday the 13th. There is also a 13th constellation that astrologists refuse to discuss, called Ophiuchus. It is said to be a constellation of disaster. In 1970, Apollo 13 was launched at 13:13 hours, and the mission had to be aborted on April 13, because of an exploded oxygen tank. Coincidence? Maybe. Bad luck? I guess it depends on how you look at it. No one in the Apollo 13 mission was killed, they made it back home safe and sound. But I guess to someone with Triskaidekaphobia, it doesn't matter. About 50,000 people suffer from this phobia, and the 13 Club that meets every Friday the 13th is set out to prove this number is not as unlucky as it seems.

Associated with this phobia is other, similar phobias like Paraskevidekatriaphobia, which is the fear of Friday the 13th, and Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, which is the fear of the number 666. But if you suffer from Triskaidekaphobia, you probably don't want to see images like these:



The original 13-colony American flag.


Most ponies are usually 13-hands high.


The movie Thirteen (2003).


A 13-lined ground squirrel.


A 13-year old girl.


A 13-year old boy.

Acrophobia

This is probably the most common phobia of all. Acrophobia is a fear of heights. Why we fear heights is unknown to me. We evolved from animals that lived in trees, so we should be naturally comfortable in high places. Our ancestors took to trees when predators threatened, and when they wanted to pluck fruits from the branches or leaves. So retreating to high places provided ancient monkeys and apes with places to live, sleep, eat and protection. But there were also dangers attached, the danger of falling. Falling often meant serious injury or death. Though most monkeys and apes can travel through the trees with little or no trouble, there is always a danger of falling even for the most agile species.

For some people, the fear of heights is so great that for them to stand just a few feet from the ground is terrifying. For others, it'd take much more than that, but I've seen grown men squeal to their knees at the sight of high places. My father is scared to go up in an airplane and he's usually not scared of anything. Fear of flying is often associated with acrophobia as well. Since 9/11, many people have become afraid of flying in a plane, and I cannot say I blame them. It was a very scary point in our history.

People who suffer from acrophobia often experience sweating, shortness of breath, sometimes tremors, I often experience a sharp shock going up my back. Yes, I am one of those that is scared to death of heights. Though the fear kinda comes and goes on me. When I was a teenager, the one thing I enjoyed most was going into my own backyard, and climbing up my favorite tree and sitting on the highest branch I could get to, and just watch the World go by. It was always so peaceful up there! I became a darn good tree-climber because of that, which led to my second passion as a young adult, mountain-climbing! So that's why my fear of heights is not really that intense. But since I've gained weight, I don't trust my balance anymore! My center of gravity shifted somewhere along the way, and I just don't want to take the chance anymore.

Sometimes, just looking at pictures of high places makes my palms sweaty! Like these:

I don't want to be this guy!!
How'd you like to fall down this cliff?
If you suffer from acrophobia, you are not alone. You are one of half of the World's population who have this intense fear of heights.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Arachnophobia

I thought I would discuss things that terrify me. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. Of all the animals in the World, none terrifies me more than these 8-legged beasts! I first noticed I was scared of spiders when I was 15 years old. Adolescence is usually the time when most phobias set in. I was lying on the floor of my bedroom listening to my boombox. I had stopped to fast foreward to a favorite song. All of a sudden, this big, black, hairy-legged spider appears from behind my boombox and crawls along the side of the wall. I let out a shrill, froze, then when I recovered I knew I had to grab something and kill it. I grabbed my tennis shoe and bopped it on the wall. This was my earliest memory of being so terrified of spiders. I was never afraid of spiders as a child. In fact, I used to actively go out and capture them and put them in glass jars and keep them as miniature pets. But apparently that all changed when I was a teenager.


In all realness, people should be more afraid of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes have killed more people, through the many diseases they carry, than any other living animal on Earth. Spiders are beneficial in that they kill and eat harmful insects like mosquitoes. There are however, several spider species that are known to be venomous enough to kill people. Tarantulas are venomous and if you are bitten by one it can cause cramping and sickness, but usually is not fatal. Whether it is this fact, or the sight of one racing across the floor or images like these:




That makes us terrified of spiders, the fact still remains that this is one of the most common phobias there is. It's among the top 10, and with good reason. Here are some of the most dangerous spider species in the World.



This is a common garden spider. Quite common in the USA. You probably have about a dozen of their webs around your house right now. Their bite will make you nauseous, though it is usually not fatal. It still packs a whollop though.



This is our old arch-enemy, the black widow spider. They are found throughout most of the USA and their venom is well-known for being harmful to humans. Black widows also have a relative in Australia, the red-backed spider, that causes the same problems down there.



Another familiar species known to cause trouble is this brown recluse spider. It is tiny, but one bite from this little monster and you could suffer a condition called necrosis, which causes your flesh to rot away and could take months to heal.



One of the most dangerous spiders in the new world is this Brazilian wandering spider. Though they look like tarantulas, they are in no ways related. Their venom is powerful enough to kill an adult human. These have often been imported into the US unintentionally by way of crates full of bananas. They don't eat bananas, but in their home land of Central and South America, they do like to roost in banana trees.



This is the Sydney Funnel-web spider. These spiders not only pack a highly potent venom, they are also the most aggressive spiders. Whereas most spiders will flee from people, funnel-web spiders will stand and fight. Their fangs are so long, they've been known to pierce through leather boots.



Last but not least, this is the hobo spider. Originally they were only found in Europe, but now have been imported into the USA. Particularly in the northwest. Like the brown recluse, the bites from these spiders will cause necrosis and it could take months for a victim to recover.

Now that we've seen the spider's bad side, there is one family of spiders that simply look scary, but pose no threat to humans at all. They are the jumping spiders. Though they look scary, and they have been known to bite, their venom is not potent enough to affect humans. Their venom only works on insects and other such tiny creatures. Though most of us have seen jumping spiders that look like this:




There are some very highly attractive species. Most of them found in the Orient or in Australasia. Here's a very colorful species found in Malaysia:





Here are some more very colorful representatives of the jumping spider family:




But if you are an arachnophobe like me, this makes little difference. For I will not go near a spider, no matter what. For me, though I know there are those that will not harm humans, I'd rather not take any chances. If you suffer from arachnophobia, you are just one in about 5 million sufferers in the World.

Chiroptophobia

This is an interesting idea I had this morning to celebrate the coming of Halloween. I thought I would talk about interesting phobias between now and the 31st. There are so many different kinds, some are common (like mine, I have a severe case of arachnophobia), some are rare, and some are just unusual. This one is actually quite common. Chiroptophobia is the fear of bats.


Many people fear things that move about at night. That's because we are not night creatures, so we do not understand nocturnal animals. Bats are no exception to this rule. Bats are one of the most beneficial, successful and misunderstood animals on the planet. Most people know more about outer space than they do about bats. And a lot of the popular knowledge we do know about bats is mostly fiction. For example, bats are not blind. It is proven they can actually see quite well. They do not have miracle vision though, so they evolved the wonderful ability to echolocate, which allows them to find small prey, like mosquitoes, in the dark.

Another common misconception is that all bats carry rabies. This is also mostly untrue. Only about 0.05% of the bat population has rabies. Many people have been bitten by bats and have suffered no ill effects. Another very popular myth is that bats will fly into your hair and get caught. According to Peter August, a professor of natural resources at Rhode Island University, this is totally a myth. There has never been a reliable reported case of a bat getting entangled in anyone's hair. If a bat flies close to you, it's most likely because your movements have stirred up insects, or insects that are attracted to carbon dioxide omitted by all warm-blooded animals. But I have had bats fly close to me before and I've never had any get tangled up in my long, flowing hair. Not even close!


Now, I admit I do not like vampire bats, but vampire bats are only of 3 species, and they live in Central and South America. 3 species out of more than 1000 does not necessarily constitute the fixed stereotypes most people have placed on the family of bats. Some bats, in my opinion, are very cute!! Check this handsome guy out:





This is a greater flying fox (Pteropus giganteus), from a family of bats I simply refer to as "pteropods". The common collective name is "flying foxes". It's not hard to see why they are called "flying foxes", the face is almost dog (or even deer) like. Definitely not what most of us see when we think of bats. These animals are gentle, and feed on fruit, and their large eyes provide them with vision that rivals our own. Even when caught wild, they have never been known to bite, and these bats will never get tangled in your hair.

One of the most endearing bats I've ever seen is this one:





This is the Dawn bat (Eonycteris spelaea), and it has probably one of the cutest faces in the animal kingdom. It's in the same family as the flying fox above, but these little guys are smaller and have semi-long tails.


Just for the record, here is a vampire bat. Notice the difference?



There are only 3 species of vampire bats, and they are in a seperate family of new world bats called the Desmodontidae. None of these species live in North America.

If you have a fear of bats, you are not alone. More than 20,000 people also suffer from Chiroptophobia. As time moves on though, and more people become educated about the ways of bats, it's going to seem pointless to carry on with this fear.

Friday, October 23, 2009

45 Lessons Life Has Taught Me

I received this in an e-mail, and I am posting this here because these are good lessons learned for all of us! Most of them I've already learned myself. Which is why I always have this "devil-may-care" attitude that no one can talk me out of. Some of these I know, and still need to work on. I don't know if the story is true or not, but the list of things life has taught this person are definitely things to remember.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. (one of those things I need to work on)

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. (I wish more people took this attitude)

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. (I've given up resistance too!)

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. (I cannot tell you how many times I said this to ma before she let us meet John!)

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. (I still have my dogs and my Timmy pics! The 2 "things" I enjoy most)

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. (some nosy-bodies always insist on interferring with this!)

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. (I'm living proof of that!)

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything. (Another thing I know I need to work on)

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

RIP Kanye West

Is it true? Naaaaaaaah! People like Kanye West never die!! They always live to be 100 years old, reining terror on those who make it big in the music awards with his own views about who should win and who shouldn't!! Nevermind that the person he thinks shouldn't win is a good singer! No. The world has to turn Kanye's way, or no way at all. Stupid jackass!! But I did see on the internet what I think was a spoof article that Kanye was involved in a car accident with another luxury car in LA. But I don't think it's true! Though Kanye has plenty of reason to want to kill himself I'm sure. He really displayed a big chunk of his stupidity to the World when he stole the mic from Taylor Swift on her moment of triumph, because Kanye thought Beyonce should have been given the award. I'll tell you that act is still being talked about a lot. Even by MC Hammer on Twitter, one of the few people I am following! I'll tell you if I were Kanye, I'd want to kill myself right now!!

It's sort of ironic that people like that go on to live forever! That's why the World is going to Hell! It's always the best people who die first. The shitty people are the ones still going on. Before you know it, the whole World is going to be nothing but shitty. But this article apparently is leading to a surge of tweets about this subject. I did hear Kanye went into hiding, but I don't believe he is dead. I don't blame him a bit for going into hiding! It's what he deserves. He should have sat down and kept his mouth SHUT and let the awards show go on the way it was supposed to!! But I know how this feels. I went through the same thing when I had that bout at the AcmePet site! I felt bad because I somehow felt I had to lie just to get a bunch of losers, who didn't matter to me anyway, to like me again! It was the worst feeling in the World!! It wasn't until I said a little prayer and apology to GOD that that feeling was finally lifted! And I swore I would never allow myself to go through that again! No matter how bad the opposing side gets!

Of course I believe Kanye has a right to his own opinion, but he has no right whatsoever to steal the mic out of someone else's hands and get up on stage and announce to the World who he thinks should have won! Especially when nobody asked him!!! That's the difference between my situation and Kanye's situation. I was ASKED for my opinion on AcmePet. Those people may not have liked it, but I was indeed asked for my opinion! No one asked Kanye for his opinion!! He just did it to be rude!! Or who knows? Perhaps he wasn't thinking. No one really knows but Kanye. But I do know one thing, his music will never fill my halls, especially after that act he pulled that night!!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Vultures or Buzzards?

I thought this would be a nice Halloween-based subject. One mistake people typically make is calling a vulture a buzzard. And I just want to set the record straight. A buzzard is not a vulture!! Buzzards and vultures do share the same family, a family called the Accipitridae. The same family that contains hawks and eagles. But buzzards are very different birds. Buzzards are typically birds in the genus Buteo. Buteo is a genus that also contains the familiar red-tailed hawks. "Buzzard" is the name given to the smaller specimens in the genus. Here's some pics of buzzards. These are all birds that can truthfully be called "buzzards".
This is a Lizard Buzzard.

This is a Honey Buzzard.


This is an Augur Buzzard.
Get the picture? Don't worry, this is a mistake made by a lot of people. We've been brainwashed by old movies, TV shows and cartoons to believe buzzards are the birds with the long, naked neck and head. But it is not so. Those are typically vultures.
Vultures are regarded as omens of evil and seen by most people as possibly the world's ugliest birds. Personally, I like vultures! They have an inner beauty that so few of us actually see. But they are the ones that have the almost prehistoric-looking heads. They are designed that way for a reason. They feed on large, already dead animals killed by other animals, or by disease. Vultures are virtually immune to anthrax, botulism, and all those other nasty little diseases that contaminates dead animals and the environment. This is why I see the beauty in these birds that others do not see. If it weren't for them, our world would be crawling with all kinds of nasty germs!! The heads of vultures are designed to dig deep into carcasses and not get their plumage too dirty.
As for vultures being evil, I don't agree with that either. Vultures are a lot less vicious than their relatives, the hawks and eagles. They don't even kill their own prey. They rely on the success of other predators. And unlike scavenging mammals, like lions and hyenas, vultures are not apt to steal kills. This Red-headed Vulture is actually the bird that many of us have come to know as vultures:

But there are actually several forms. Check out the hair-do on this Egyptian Vulture:



And I think even the most discriminating person would be impressed with the colors on this King Vulture:
IMO, they are beautiful birds in their own way. But now you know the difference between buzzards and vultures. Though they are closely related, they are not necessarily one in the same.