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The Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake is an annual event held in the month of May at Cooper's Hill, near Cheltenham and Gloucester in the Cotswolds region of England.
It is traditionally by and for the people of Brockworth - the local village, but now people from over the world take part.
The event takes its name from the hill it occurs on.
From the top of the hill a round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled, and competitors race down the hill after it.
The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese. In theory, competitors are aiming to catch the cheese, but since it has a one second head start and can reach speeds up to 70 mph (enough to knock over and injure a spectator as it did in 1997), this rarely occurs. Accurate information is hard to come by, but the tradition is at least 200 years old.
Suggestions have been made that the event may either date back to Roman times or have been a pagan healing ritual, but there is no evidence for this.
Only 24 more days until the Cheese Rolling event!
http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/
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I've been talking to my aunt a lot more lately. Her treatment went well so far (Hep.C), although it won't be definate as to whether or not the virus is gone until sometime in May.
She's now working with her husband Frank on their next big trip.
Two years ago, she and her husband sailed to New Zealand from Oakland, California.
They sold their ship (SS Starship) to a legally blind couple (who wanted to sail around the world blind/document
the journey), bought a house in Arizona and have been doing various fixes on the house (added a pool etc).
Ever the traveler however: I'm SO JEALOUS of her atm..
They're going to Antarctica..
That's right!
Come Fall, they will head to New Zealand via plane and sail with a crew to Antarctica.
Now what the heck is so great about Antarctica?
You can't just decide to go there. There's quite a process involved in such things.
If you ever get a chance to go: It literally can be a trip of a lifetime.
Secondly:
Antarctica boasts quite a few species/plants found nowhere else in the world.. Ones that are adapted to the
environment their with highly unusual traits/characteristics. Antarctica literally IS the coldest recorded place on
Earth.
For example:
Body fluids of mites/midges there contain glycerol (antifreeze liquid that keeps them from solidifying).
Animals in the region:
Emperor, Adelie, Rockhopper, King, Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins. Think .. March of the Penguins aye?
Blue whales, orcas, fur seals, Weddell seals, and leopard seals.. Think .. Eight below :D
The region has two primary flowering plants as well (most are lichens/bryophytes):
Antarctic hair grass
Antarctic pearlwort
In any case: Who wouldn't be jealous of something like that?!?
Woops! Probably most people on the planet. :)
I think it's absolutely fantastic though!
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I've posted a bit today.
On a positive note:
I didn't get the BabyPlanet stroller, but I did find something that was equally nice. :)
I got a Maclaren Triumph, and after testing it out these past few days I have to say: I absolutely LOVE this stroller!
It's very light, so it's easy to maneuver around crazy people who can't figure out which way they want to go. It's a breeze to turn around, lock and fold.
I also got the accessory kit so I can store a bottle/drink and random goodies in the little bag.
Aviva's buggy came in the mail the other day, and she was absolutely ecstatic over it! She loves her little car. :)
I also got a bunch of clothes for her (she's starting to fit into 18mos. clothes NOW), so that means I'll probably have to get 24mos. for the summer.
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This is old but I thought it was interesting nonetheless:
A new species of mammal has been discovered in the mountains of Tanzania, scientists report.
The bizarre-looking creature, dubbed Rhynochocyon udzungwensis, is a type of giant elephant shrew, or sengi.
The cat-sized animal, which is reported in the Journal of Zoology, looks like a cross between a miniature antelope and a small anteater. It has a grey face, a long, flexible snout, a bulky, amber body, a jet-black rump and it stands on spindly legs.
"This is one of the most exciting discoveries of my career," said Galen Rathbun, from the California Academy of Sciences, who helped to confirm the animal was new to science along with an international team of colleagues. Despite its name, the creature, along with the 15 other known species of elephant shrew, is not actually related to shrews. Dr Rathbun told the BBC News website: "Elephant shrews are only found in Africa. They were originally described as shrews because they superficially resembled shrews in Europe and in America." In fact, the creature is more closely related to a group of African mammals, which includes elephants, sea cows, aardvarks and hyraxes, having shared a common ancestor with them about 100 million years ago. "This is why they are also known as sengis," explained Dr Rathbun. The new species was first caught on film in 2005 in Ndundulu Forest in Tanzania's Udzungwa Mountains by a camera trap set by Francesco Rovero, from the Trento Museum of Natural Sciences in Italy. Dr Rathbun said: "I got these images, and said to myself: 'Boy, these look strange'. But you can't describe something new based just on photographs, so in March 2006, we went back in and collected some specimens."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7213571.stm
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Milestones:
Aviva learned to pick herself up and stand this morning (while leaning on something: We're not 100% there just yet).
Amazingly, she did it for the remote control.
Yes, she learned to stand so she could play with the remote.
Now, whether she got so sick of listening to my playtime crap that she learned to stand as a result, or if she was really aching for some Backyardigans: I'll never know.
Either way I'm ecstatic!
Shopping crap:
I bought Aviva this little push car:
I thought it was cute, it has a little trunk that opens (for Aviva's toys), a seatbelt, and a handle .. Figured it would be nice to run her to the park with this toy sometimes, since we live so close by.
As for strollers:
It's time for me to get a new one. The Metrolite I bought just aggravates me to no end. In any case, I want something lighter, and easier to handle in the city.
I have my eyes set on this stroller (BabyPlanet's endangered species series), but the only place to get it at the moment is Amazon.com, so I'm waiting a week or so to see if they get it in the stores here.
Here's the stroller:
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as to what my notes look like:
LOL
... no scribble or slacking at all!
I do have to say .. my cat's hypothalamus looks like a giant sac of .. *cough* *cough*
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I usually don't bother to post on here (most people know that if they want to reach me, they should just PM me on yahoo [collectivecow@yahoo.com]).
In nice to be back in the Big Apple...
I had a great 26th birthday this year!
As for Aviva:
My daughter has now progressed to the crawling stage!
She crawls forwards, and backwards like a champ. She sits up on her own, has a small vocabulary (mostly consisting of hah hah, mama, mmmm, hello, hi, dada and baba), and dances whenever I play any music around the house.
I took Aviva for her first trip to the zoo this past week, and it was a huge success. At almost 9months, I wasn't sure if she'd enjoy her time there, but as soon as she saw the sea lions, it was pretty much oooh's and wow faces from there. She especially loved the penguins, puffins, birds and seagulls.
Life has lately just been a collaboration of taking care of my daughter, studying animal anatomy & physiology, taking care of my daughter, and more studying.
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It's been a while since I opened Photoshop up..
I love this time of year though. Here's my latest ps design. :)
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I spoke with a friend about a job recently and I talked to her over the phone about it. I sent in my resume and heard back today.
I was asked if I could come in tomorrow, because it would be easier to start training someone over the weekend. Because of the 6hr drive and Eric's work schedule - I told them I can't come in until Monday.
I'm wondering if that would effect my chances at this job. I think the cover letter I wrote was the most emotional and personalized thing I have EVER done for any resume.
I'm excited but really really nervous. I'm hoping the fact that I can't come in until Monday, won't change their outlook on how badly I want this position.
It will be part-time M-F as a receptionist and tech. The clinic is small, 2 DVM's and 1 tech currently. They work with mostly dogs/cats and do most regular surgeries on T-TH.
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Well here's a picture of my daughter Aviva Marisol, who is now a little over a month old.
After a few weeks, Eric and I attended the Sweetpea Festival in Bozeman, MT. Tomorrow, I'm heading over to my mother-in-law's house for the unofficial "baby shower". It won't be until Sunday, but I'll be staying with the family for a few days in order to help set things up.
I'm curious as to how things are* going to be set-up because I honestly have no clue.
I'm getting ready to head back to work and I'm excited. I got a heads up that the veterinary clinic in Ennis, MT. is looking for a new assistant. Apparently the girl that's there, is leaving/moving so they need a new tech. Great news, I've even got a reference from my mother in law.
They specialize in outcalls/large farm animals, but they also have an emergency clinic and supply center. I really hope I get a position with this clinic!
Anyhow, Eric dedicated a song I'm in love with to me. It's from Incubus - Dig.
Other then that, we've had some really good luck lately. Eric found a lottery ticket in the trash that hadn't been cashed and checked it to see if he was a winner. Well whadda ya know it was! He won $400 off the ticket! Can you believe that? I mean what are the odds of something like that happening? 37873897349879348:1 or something to that effect haha.
Hope everyone else is doing well.
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Welcome to the world Aviva Marisol Saunders!
Born on July 20, 2007 at 7:55a.m.!
Weight: 7lbs.9oz.
Length: 19 inches
Blonde hair and blue eyes just like mommy!
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The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington engineering mid-term. The answer was so "profound" that the Professor shared it with colleagues, and the sharing obviously hasn't ceased...
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or Endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote Proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law, (gas cools off when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
"First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let us look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.
Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand as souls are added. This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa Banyan during my Freshman year, "...that it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you.", and take into account the fact that I still have not succeeded in having sexual relations with her, then, #2 cannot be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze."
This student received the only A.
- Unknown
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On April 10, animal advocates celebrated a victory almost six years in the making as the U.S. Senate unanimously approved H.R. 137, the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act. The bill, which was also approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in a vote of 368 to 39 on March 26, will now go to President Bush for his signature.
"The passage of this legislation should deal a devastating blow to the vast underground network of dogfighting and cockfighting operations doing their miserable business every day in every state in the nation," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, which has led the nation's fight against staged animal fights. "We have a zero tolerance policy for animal fighting, and the passage of this legislation embeds that concept in federal law."
The HSUS has documented the cruelty associated with animal fighting, but also a range of other criminal practices, such as narcotics trafficking, gambling, and violence against people.
The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act establishes a felony-level penalty of up to three years of jail time for any interstate or foreign transport of animals for fighting purposes (until now only a misdemeanor) and makes it a crime to move cockfighting weapons in interstate or foreign commerce.
Animal Fighting Violence
The fighting dog's life is one of misery. Valued only for their ability to win, dogs who survive a match often receive little care for their injuries and are barely provided with the basics they need to survive—food, water and shelter. Many live on chains or in stacked cages in extended isolation, only getting off for training or a match.
Fights may last for as long as two hours, with dogs often succumbing to shock and blood loss. There is also no rescue for fighting dogs, as confiscated fighting dogs are typically euthanized due to their unsuitability for adoption.
Dogfighting is banned in all 50 states, and is a felony in all but two.
Cockfighting is a barbaric practice in which two or more specially bred birds, known as gamecocks, are placed in a pit fight for the entertainment of crowds of people who place bets on which bird will win. The birds commonly sustain punctured lungs, broken bones, and pierced eyes—and sometimes both birds die in the combat. Lethal wounds are inflicted by razor-sharp knives or ice pick-like gaffs that are strapped to the birds' legs.
Cockfighting is illegal in every state except Louisiana, and is a felony in 33 states.
The attendance of young children at these events is especially disturbing. Lawmakers have expressed concern about the potential for the worldwide trade in fighting birds to spread bird flu and other deadly diseases.
The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act
H.R. 137, the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, introduced by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), was endorsed by more than 500 groups, including all major humane organizations, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Chicken Council, the National Sheriffs' Association, and more than 400 local law enforcement agencies covering all 50 states.
The Senate companion legislation, S. 261, was introduced by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
"With the passage of one of the strongest animal protection laws in the nation, we expect to see many cockfighters and dogfighters pack it in and stop flouting the law," added Pacelle. "But some dogfighters and cockfighters will not cease their criminal activities, and The HSUS will do all within its power to find these operators and bring these would-be felons to justice."
All I have to say is woo hoo!
http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/federal_legislation/cruelty_issues/animal_fighting_bill_forward.html
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I wonder at times how learning about the nature of medicine/medical conditions seems to alter one's perception on the topic.
It seems that the further I delve into my studies, the more I find things I would have previously considered horrible as humorous. This can be equally reversed and said for things like behavioral problems which I would have considered funny, but now take very seriously.
Perhaps it's because you begin to understand the nature of the problems and how they counteract with one another. Maybe in medicine, we begin to desensitize ourselves from the problems by cracking jokes as a way to relieve stress.
I find myself caught in this weird drift where I'm fascinated by the conditions I'm studying, yet I'm having a harder time relating to people that don't share the same passion/understanding for medicine.
Anyone else ever feel this way?
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