Back to Eden

"Esperando El Gran Milagro"

2011-12-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

Aquí, otra historia que pude terminar

a tiempo para este blog...

Este era uno de esos pueblitos comunes en lugares alejados, sin muchos habitantes, pero capaz de autoabastecerse. Sin embargo, un 20 de Diciembre, algunas cosechas se perdieron; y todo indicaba que por dos o tres meses sólo podrían contar con lo guardado en los graneros.
Distribuyeron algunos sacos entre los pobladores, dejando el resto almacenado.
Al día siguiente, sin poder creer realmente algo tan perjudicial para su bienestar, vieron que una plaga de ratas los había dejado con muy pocas reservas. Los notables y los campesinos se reunieron en la plaza pública para buscar una solución; de momento trajeron del poblado vecino todo lo que necesitaban. Era entonces el 20 de Diciembre.
21 de Diciembre: cuando un incendio dejó arrasados los campos y destruidos la mayoría de los graneros, la gente del pueblo empezó a creer que de algún modo habían ofendido a los Cielos, tal era su parecer en cualquier circunstancia. Así que se congregaron en la iglesia para pedir perdón y misericordia, sintiéndose como Job.
Pero el día siguiente, lejos de encontrar un alivio para tantos males, fueron asaltados en sus propias casas por un gran grupo de bandidos... Ahora cada uno de los habitantes del poblado pensaba que el Día del Juicio había llegado, si era que no estaba a punto de venir. ¿Cómo podía estar pasando todo eso?
23 de Diciembre: siendo la víspera de Navidad, ellos sólo tenían la esperanza de que el Cielo les enviara un gran milagro para compensarlos por todas esas pérdidas. Volvieron a la iglesia y, esta vez, casi actuaban como penitentes.
Esa noche durmieron tristes, confiando apenas en una señal que cambiara todo.
24 de Diciembre: Los preparativos para la celebración de esa noche estaban casi terminados, si bien sobre el pueblo flotaba una nube de congoja que podía seguir hasta medianoche.
¿Y cómo podía ser el gran milagro que les devolviera sus importantes bienes?
Pero cuando llevaron, escritos, sus ruegos hasta el pie del altar, quienes estaban fuera de la iglesia pudieron ver algo realmente increíble.
Una fila de hormigas iba muy ocupada llevando cada una un grano de algún tipo; lo dejaban a la entrada de la iglesia y no mucho después volvían con más. Nadie entendía lo que estaba pasando, porque ¿De dónde venían? ¿Por qué actuaban así?
Como si las hormigas no fueran suficiente misterio, por el camino que venía del otro poblado llegaban unos caballos trayendo diversas provisiones... Esto no podía ser posible, para la mayoría; pero empezaron a comentar que algo totalmente inimaginable estaba a punto de pasar frente a ellos.
Las primeras encargadas de ello fueron ahora las propias ratas: pues cada una traía en este caso una mazorca, y ninguno sabía de dónde podía venir semejante obsequio.
Justo frente a la iglesia había entonces, amontonados hasta cierta altura, granos comestibles de todo tipo, mazorcas listas para comer o conservar, hortalizas y otros víveres como para uno o dos meses... Hasta que pudieran recuperar una cosecha.
Pero además de costarles creer en lo que habían presenciado, se preguntaban por qué de pronto la naturaleza se mostraba tan generosa a través de sus criaturas.

La respuesta (o respuestas) era en realidad bastante simple, según algunos lograron comprender:
Un milagro suele venir sólo cuando uno más necesita de él; no necesita ser grande para hacer lo que uno espera; y los caminos que elige pueden ser los más insospechados.

Seis Imágenes Edénicas

2011-11-10T09:26:00.001-08:00

Seis imágenes que ilustran un muy posible nuevo Edén. En la primera, se hace evidente el regreso en paz de los Dragones; en la siguiente, todos los seres terrestres conviven estrechamente unos con otros.

"Calmando La Sed"

"All Together Now, And Again"

En la tercera esos seres son aceptados desde que nacen incluso en nuestros hogares; en la que le sigue, muchas almas con distinto grado de evolución comparten un estado de gracia.

"Armonía Interior"

"Melodía Y Luz"

La quinta imagen nos muestra dos figuras muy distintas en apariencia, pero capaces de recorrer juntas un mismo camino hacia la plenitud espiritual.

"Comunión Entre Almas"

Y en la última, se ven tres estados muy distintos en cuanto a la cercanía respecto de la Luz Eterna: a la izquierda, un grupo de penitentes intenta penosamente alcanzar la cumbre liberada de esas nubes oscuras que le impiden dejar atrás el sufrimiento. En el extremo opuesto, un condenado en un mundo de condenados tiene sin embargo detrás de él una llave con la cual podría liberarse de sus cadenas, pero que su dolor interno no le permite ver.
Y en la gloriosa escena del centro, unas almas hermanadas bailan felices un Rikkudim, completamente iluminadas por la Luz Divina mientras una Loba con alas se encarga de criar un bebé de lo que hoy se conoce como raza negra (es algo perfectamente aceptable en ese estado espiritual; aunque eso ya ocurrió muchas veces ella permanece así sentada y con el pequeño en brazos), y un Delfín salta fuera del agua para verla de cerca.

"Ningún Castigo Es Eterno"

"Los Buenos Gatos, A Través Del Tiempo"

2011-11-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

No tiene lugar en esta entrada ni una de las funestas formas en que durante por lo menos cinco siglos los Gatos fueron torturados y exterminados por creencias medievales que por desgracia se mantuvieron hasta el S. XVIII. Quedémonos mejor, con los ejemplos de tolerancia y veneración hacia los Gatos, esos eternos Gatos que intentaron vivir junto a nosotros lo mismo en Egipto que en Francia y la Alemania de los tiempos del miedo.

Freya poseía un carruaje tirado por gatos.

Ya se sabe lo que representaban para los Egipcios antiguos.

Para todos los Celtas: Animal beneficioso.

Para algunas Tribus americanas: Intuición y destreza, fuerza de reflexión y acción combinadas.

En leyendas africanas: Un Ser capaz de recibir las almas de un clan entero.

En China, el dios Li Shu tenía el aspecto de un gato y, en la India, Sasti era el equivalente de Bastet.

Los árabes del siglo VII veían en el gato un alma pura.

Muezza, la gata de Mahoma, se quedó dormida en los brazos del profeta, y este prefirió cortar la manga de su traje antes que molestar a su compañera. La gata se lo agradeció, entonces su amo pasó afectuosamente tres veces su mano por el lomo, confiriéndole así la facultad de caer siempre de pie y tener siete vidas.

Durante el siglo XVII, en la era Edo, en la época de los señores feudales, existía en Tokio un templo que había conocido días mejores y que tenía serios problemas económicos y estaba semi-destruido. El sacerdote del templo era muy pobre, pero aun así, compartía la escasa comida que tenía con su gata, Tama.
Un día, un señor feudal, un hombre de gran fortuna e importancia llamado Naotaka II fue sorprendido por una tormenta mientras cazaba y se refugió bajo un gran árbol que se encontraba cerca del templo. Mientras esperaba a que amainara la tormenta, el hombre vio que una gata de color blanco, negro y marrón, le hacía señas para que se acercara a la puerta del templo. Tal fue su asombro que dejó el refugio que le ofrecía el árbol y se acercó para ver de cerca a tan singular gata. En ese momento, un rayo cayó sobre el árbol que le había dado cobijo. A consecuencia de ello, el hombre rico se hizo amigo del pobre sacerdote, financió las reparaciones del templo y éste prosperó, con lo que el sacerdote y su gato nunca volvieron a pasar hambre. Tras su muerte, Tama recibió un solemne y cariñoso entierro en el cementerio para gatos del Templo Goutokuji, y se creó el Maneki Neko en su honor.

En la Gran Bretaña del siglo XIX, el que un gato negro se paseara por delante de unos novios a punto de casarse representaba felicidad y fecundidad para los contrayentes.

"Distinta sería la historia, si los Animales la contaran"

2011-10-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

Lo que desde siempre buscaron presentarnos

en la pantalla de Hollywood,

en lo referido a criaturas terroríficas.

Hormigas...

Pájaros...

Tiburones...

Perros...

...Y también Serpientes.

...Pero en forma similar a una fábula donde un León mira una pintura que muestra a un cazador con su presa recién abatida y dice "Distinta sería la historia si los Leones la contaran", la siguiente es una muestra de lo que ellos llamarían una película de terror si tuvieran la oportunidad de filmarnos:

"HOMBRE"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THIODWTqx5E

Desde los Pájaros hasta los Delfines, en distintos ambientes,

por diversos motivos,

todos parecen estar ante nosotros destinados

a sufrir nuestros errores.

Si lo que se ve aquí todavía se repite,

es de esperarse que de algún modo,

la Iglesia instaure un nuevo "Martirio de los Inocentes".

"Una Victoria De Hoy, Algunas Por Venir"

2011-10-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

España: los catalanes vivieron su última corrida de toros

El Comercio, Perú
Domingo 25 de septiembre de 2011 - 10:04 pm
En la Plaza Monumental se puso fin a esta tradición ante una medida que prohíbe las corrida de toros en la región catalana. Los aficionados se llevaron la arena como recuerdo.

Barcelona (AP). La región catalana presenció su última corrida de toros en la Plaza Monumental de Barcelona antes de que se efectúe una polémica prohibición regional sobre esta tradición española, luego de una campaña de defensores de los derechos de los animales.
La corrida fue la última de la temporada en tierras catalanas y se agotaron las entradas pese a una capacidad de 20 mil espectadores. Tres de los toreros más importantes de España, incluyendo a José Tomás, considerado el número uno, protagonizaron el espectáculo. El torero catalán Serafín Marín cerró la corrida al matar al último de los seis toros en medio de aplausos.
Muchos aficionados invadieron después la pista para recoger un puñado de arena a manera de recuerdo. Más tarde, los toreros salieron en hombros del ruedo a las calles que rodean la plaza, mientras la multitud coreaba consignas en favor de la libertad y en contra de la prohibición, cuando sucedió un breve forcejeo con unos 20 activistas de los derechos de los animales, pero no hubo reportes de heridos o arrestos.

Si en México y en Perú, por ejemplo, todavía pretenden continuar con estas fiestas dignas de coliseo romano (¿Por qué no muestran también gladiadores luchando a muerte?), los activistas deberían poder irrumpir en medio de esas plazas y sacar como puedan al más noble y valiente de los lidiadores...
...Ah, me refería al Toro.

"El Día de Little Tyke"

2011-09-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Así como elegí un día para las Gatas que adoptaron por propia iniciativa a Ratas y Ratones, pensé hace mucho en el 1ro de Septiembre para el de la Leona Tyke, que depués de un nacimiento muy malo fue salvada y adoptada por la familia Westbeau; y tanto dentro como fuera de su nueva casa fue la mejor compañera de cuantos vivían allí: los propios dueños del Hidden Valley Ranch, los Perros, Gatos, Aves, Vacas, Caballos, Corderos, Ciervos y Conejos.

Su aparición en Estados Unidos fue un antídoto contra la guerra que estaba destruyendo Europa y golpeando a otros continentes; su partida (vivió alrededor de cuatro años), dejó un mensaje que no todos pudieron asimilar.

Este es un video que pude encontrar de ella.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/withbob/videos/1/

"Governments, Do Something Soon!"

2011-08-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/k4VZWppoTCc

http://youtu.be/t3hnIJx0-UM

Modern tribes... Not the urban ones.

The members of these tribes must believe that by killing they can obtain a good place for themselves in their town or their city.
September is about to start this year; unless the governments give orders to stop the killing, this will happen again:
Many friends will return to them; many bodies will float again in a red sea.
And in Japan they don't want any photo taken. But blood is impossible to cover... In Faeroe Islands, or Taiji, that blood will fall on many souls.
Because for us, there's not much to do that can prevent the slaughters unless we make a direct and violent confrontation. But to those who can count each drop shed by Dolphins, the Law will turn the accumulated pain into years of justice.

"Pequeña Historia de un Dragón aparentemente exigente"

2011-08-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

Cierto día, un Dragón ya casi anciano y bien conocido en el pueblo situado entre un valle, la montaña y un río, se dirigió desde su caverna al mencionado pueblo para hacer un anuncio:
"Estuve solo allá arriba durante los últimos seis años con siete meses; de modo que vine a buscar un buen compañero, que además pueda realizar algunas tareas. Los que se consideren aptos, pueden empezar desde hoy, yendo hasta la entrada de mi cueva y respondiendo allí a una única premisa, que conocerán si aceptan mi pedido. Me vuelvo, pues, a mi hogar, esperando a los que quieran estar conmigo allá.
Todos los aldeanos, aún sin saber qué les pediría el Dragón, se sintieron capaces de cumplir con sus misteriosas exigencias.
"Yo cocino muy bien, eso sin duda lo convencerá de aceptarme" -Dijo un viejo cocinero.
"Pero yo puedo limpiar todo lo que él me pida; a mí, sin duda, me querrá en su cueva" -Replicó una mujer desde una ventana.
"Bah, yo conozco muchas historias que le gustará oír... A ellos les gustan esas cosas. Yo voy a estar en esa cueva". -Dijo ahora uno con aspecto de aventurero. Al parecer, ninguno consideraba inaceptable la idea de pasar sus últimos años en una fría caverna.
Pero cuando todos subieron los casi seiscientos metros hasta la entrada de su caverna, el Dragón les hizo una señal para que permanecieran bajo los árboles.
"Van a venir, pero de a uno; y me dirán lo que tienen para mí. Después, sabrán si son aceptados".

Tal vez a causa del azar, le tocó ir primero al de las historias. "Hasta pronto..." -Se despidió de todos, pensando que los demás deberían descender poco después, de la montaña.
"Bien, tú pareces conocer muchas cosas -le dijo el Dragón una vez que ambos entraron. ¿Qué puedes ofrecerme?"
"Pues yo, Señor (todos los del pueblo usaban con él este apelativo), conozco la historia del juego de ajedrez y el monarca que había perdido a su hijo..."
"Yo también, desde hace ochenta y tres años. Puedes volver con los demás". -Lo despidió, sin prestar atención a sus quejas.

Siguió el Carpintero, que no perdió tiempo en declarar lo que podía ofrecerle.
"Sabe, Señor Dragón, yo puedo hacerle muchas cosas excelentes trabajando la madera, que es como mi..."
"Me parece bien, pero no es lo que necesito. Ve y deja pasar al siguiente".

"Bueno, aquí estoy -Dijo la mujer que había estado mirando por la ventana, más rápido aún que el frustrado Carpintero. -¿Por dónde hace falta que empiece a limpiar?"
"Espera, espera, mujer apresurada... Que yo no te pedí nada de eso. Y ahora vuelve un poco sobre tus pasos. Listo, quédate ahí un momento".
El Dragón respiró una o dos veces mirándola, y luego:
"Mi cueva está lo suficientemente limpia en este momento, como para hacer pasar a un Rey con todo su séquito. Puedes irte, y ver quién quiere venir ahora".
A pesar del lenguaje cortés de él, la mujer salió de la caverna con su cara roja de furia.
"¡No quiso que limpiara! ¡Qué persona difícil!"

Y tal vez era cierto, porque el Dragón también despidió de inmediato al cocinero, a unos médicos, a una costurera y a tres jardineros. ¿Qué quería, el exigente Dragón?
Cuando ya no quedaban más gentes de oficio, entre los que trabajaban el campo, o cuidaban el ganado, ninguno estaba seguro de poder ser aceptado al decir lo que hacía.
"¿Qué piensas hacer en esa caverna, ordeñar sus Vacas?"
"Por supuesto, en el caso de que las tuviera..."
"Y acaso querrá que le siembres papas...?"
Pero mientras todos se hacían mutuamente preguntas parecidas, uno de ellos empezó a caminar hacia la entrada de la caverna.
Lo vieron atravesarla y perderse en las primeras sombras que provenían de la cueva. Algunos seguían preguntándole cosas como que si iba a cosechar verduras.

Pocos minutos después, todos pudieron oír una gran carcajada... Y comenzaron a hacer sus conjeturas.
"Le dijo que podía ordeñar las Vacas..."
"No, le ofreció esquilar Ovejas".
"Es obvio que se ha puesto en ridículo él mismo".
Pero a él no lo vieron salir de la caverna. Sólo el Dragón apareció imprevistamente, para decir: "No se molesten en seguir allí, todos ustedes pueden regresar a sus casas y sus actividades; yo ya encontré lo que necesitaba. Hasta pronto..."

Ya al anochecer, el anciano Dragón tenía todo dispuesto para cenar.
"Toma, sopa de cebolla, como creo haberte oído decir que te gustaba".
"Gracias, Dragón..."
"Por nada; sabes, tú eres el que necesitaba para pasar mis últimos años... Los demás parecían creer que buscaba un sirviente, o un esclavo. Y cuando hice ese anuncio les hablé claramente respecto de lo que quería. Pero era como si sólo quisieran decirme cuánto sabían hacer. Y yo lo único que pedía era un buen compañero, un amigo".
"Me siento muy feliz de serlo, y espero que podamos seguir juntos muchos años..."
"Yo deseo lo mismo... Ahora, podrías contarme de nuevo esa historia tan graciosa de los tres granjeros?"

"Referencia breve, a una entrada muy larga"

2011-08-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

"In The Memory Of Thelma, The Cat" siguió creciendo!!!

Si tuviéramos diarios del Siglo XII, también veríamos muchas noticias parecidas.

Esta entrada tuvo que ser así de corta; pero la que mencioné, por suerte...

"Dragons Of The World, Fly For Us"

2011-08-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

With this, at least, the Dragons can get close to us; and we may look at them into their eyes, thinking of how much is lost since they're called legends, or maybe hope secretly that they return from far and hidden places to fill our modern -but chaotic- life with their great magic.

Interspecies Friendship For Ever!!!

2011-08-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

After many stories where an interspecies friendship took place, this year two creatures come to surprise us again. But first, let's see some of those old cases:

The Lioness who became the best protector that seven Antelopes could find.
The Leopard of Antoli, who used to visit by nights a Cow.
A young Leopard in Italy, living with a baby Gazelle.
Two little Tigers and a Deer who were only anxious to be in the same cage to play the moment they saw one another.
Aochan the Snake and Gohan the Hamster in Japan.
An Eagle who befriended a Bunny instead of eating him.
Three Cheetahs and a Gazelle sharing some minutes of companionship.
The Leopardess Legadema nursing a newborn Baboon for one night.
Tigers and Rabbits in China.
Other Tigers and Chickens (there again).
A Wolf and a Bear who grew up together.
The Tigress Sai Mai and her many Piglets.
Another Wolf and a Goat in China.
A Cougar and a Deer in perfect freedom and harmony.
Another Cheetah and an Impala in a Zoo.
Little Tigers and Orangutans (China again).

And, this very year, the following story, to keep us amazed...

What do a black leopard cub and a cute rabbit have in common?
At a wild animal park in Germany, the answer is "playtime."
Paulchen, a ten-month old black Amur leopard at Germany's Hodenhagen Serengeti wild animal park, was abandoned by his mother at birth and brought up by a human foster family.
So he wouldn't be lonely, the caregivers allowed a rabbit named Lisa to keep him company.
The two became great friends and play together all the time.
"In the morning they would be lying cuddled together on their little armchair and licking one another," said Regina Hamza, Paulchen's foster mother.
When the two are playing around, Hamaza said, Paulchen doesn't seem to recognize Lisa as a possible prey.
And watching the video, it is not always clear just who is chasing who through the enclosure.
But since the leopard might weigh 500 pound when full-grown, it's too dangerous to keep the two of them together indefinitely, so the human caregivers will separate the two friends and put them in their own enclosures at some point.

Story and video here:

http://www.krtv.com/news/leopard-bunny-form-unlikely-friendship/

"Espíritu de la tierra - Una interpretación"

2011-07-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

Los Elementales más cercanos a nosotros, son por supuesto los pertenecientes al elemento Tierra. Ellos en general cuidan un lugar muy limitado, el que además es su hogar, pero también protegen nuestros jardines y gustan de estar allí; a los de este grupo se los conoce como Duendes, Elfos, Gnomos... Y no faltan las Hadas, ocupadas siempre entre las flores. Por eso cuanto más arreglado esté un jardín, más posibilidad hay de que atraiga Elementales beneficiosos para nosotros, las plantas y nuestro entorno.

"Motivo De Un Cazador Para Arrepentirse"

2011-06-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Casi acompañando lo que publiqué hace unos días, llegó esta historia ocurrida en La Pampa (provincia), sobre un rescate efectuado por un Perro a quien ya no esperaban verlo regresar; menos aún con ayuda.

No era su amo. Ni siquiera un vecino de toda la vida. Pero igual cumplió con su rol y no se despegó de su acompañante hasta que decidió salir a buscar ayuda. Hoy, pese a la momentánea distancia, los une algo para toda la vida: la inquebrantable amistad entre el Hombre y el Perro.
Dos semanas atrás, Héctor Frete y un par de amigos habían ido a cazar a la zona de La Adela, en La Pampa, en el límite con las provincias de Río Negro y Buenos Aires. La jornada de cacería comenzó complicada porque dos Jabalíes se cruzaron con el grupo y mataron a dos Perros. El inesperado enfrentamiento fue separando a los cazadores dentro del cerrado monte pampeano hasta que Héctor, de 46 años, decidió subirse a un árbol para divisarlos.
Así como subió, cayó al piso. La caída desde unos tres metros de altura le provocó quebraduras y lo dejó sin víveres y sólo. Al menos, eso era lo que el cazador creía.
“El Perro nunca se me separó. Se echó sobre mi pierna herida y me dio calor en el medio de la noche” le cuenta a Clarín desde la cama de terapia intermedia del Hospital Penna de Bahía Blanca, su provisorio hogar dentro de los próximos treinta días.
Tenía quebradas la rodilla y el fémur y ni se podía arrastrar. Así estuvo toda la noche, siempre con la fiel compañía de Blanquito a su lado. “Él también estaba herido por el ataque. A las nueve y media del otro día, vi que husmeaba algo y se fue”, recuerda.
Las horas pasaban y la desesperación crecía. Héctor se alimentaba de impotencia porque la sequedad de su boca, debido a la deshidratación, le impedía gritar y no tenía nada para alumbrar. “Que sea lo que Dios quiera, pensé cuando sentí que el Perro no volvía”.
Un día más duró la incertidumbre hasta que su fiel compañero retornó. Y no lo hizo solo. Con él arribaron al lugar un grupo de brigadistas y sus dos compañeros de caza, entre ellos Gabriel Gorosito, el dueño de Blanquito, de cuatro años. “Es una mezcla entre Galgo y Dogo que siempre nos acompaña en las salidas de caza”, explica. Y atribuye su actitud protectora al trato que recibe.
“Para mí él y los otros (Gabriel tiene varios Perros más) son como seres humanos,” agrega.
Ahora Héctor, con varios clavos en su pierna derecha, no ve la hora de dejar el hospital para reencontrarse con su salvador para acariciarlo y agradecerle.
Dos enseñanzas le dejó la odisea que lo puso al borde de la muerte: el espíritu de compañía del animal y la inconsciencia de internarse en el monte sin los elementos apropiados. Por eso dice que no va a volver a cazar. “Y les pido a los que lo hagan, que lleven todo lo necesario. No hagan como hice yo”, recomienda.
Y por supuesto, no se olviden de llevar Perro.

"Día Del Perro" - Distintos sigificados

2011-06-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

Como hoy es el Día del Perro aquí en Argentina, no está de más ver a algunos integrantes destacados de esa gran familia, con lo que representan para nosotros...

Héroes... (Japón)

Héroes... (Honey).

Amigos De Todos...

Muy Amigos De Todos...

Grandes Amigos De Todos...

Gourmets...

Compañeros De Juegos...

Buenos Padres...

Muy Buenas Madres...

Todavía Mejores Madres...

...Y También Hijitos!

Esto es en Brasil.

http://youtu.be/9JnyZHXCIKM

"The Most Human Dragon"

2011-05-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Just as another story I found, this one shows how the evil is punished, and very well, by a Dragon who knew the kindness of some human family.

The Princess, The Dragon & The Very Bad Knight
By Stuart Baum

Part One
Once upon a time there was a Princess named Nyssmah. When she was born, she was a very little baby. When she was a one-year old, she was a very little one-year old. When she was a two-year old, she was a very little two-year old. And when she was a three-year old she found a Dragon's egg.
Princess Nyssmah knew that she wasn't allowed to bring anything into the Castle without checking first with the Royal Steward. The Royal Steward, thought Nyssmah, was in charge of saying "No". Which is why, when she brought the Dragon's egg into the Castle, she did not check first with the Royal Steward. He would have said "No". Instead she put the Dragon's egg into her closet. And, like all little girls, forgot all about it.
Our story begins with the sound of a Dragon's egg hatching. The sound attracted the Royal Dog, which sniffed at the closet where Princess Nyssmah had stashed the Dragon's egg. The Royal Dog attracted the Royal Housemaid who was sure there was Some Sort of Animal in the closet. The Royal Housemaid was afraid of many things. But, more than anything else, she was afraid of Some Sort of Animal in a Closet. She went to get the Royal Steward who went to get the Royal Butler who went to get the Royal Exterminator (who is in charge of removing All Sorts of Animals from closets or from anywhere else). The Royal Exterminator opened the closet door and found a baby Dragon.
All this excitement attracted Princess Nyssmah, who was not afraid of Some Sort of Animal in the closet- especially since she knew exactly which sort of animal was in this closet. The excitement also attracted the King.
The Royal Exterminator knew what to do about Mice. He knew what to do about Bugs and Snakes and Raccoons and all Other Sorts of Animals. But the Royal Exterminator did not know what to do about a baby Dragon in a closet. Princess Nyssmah did.
"Can I keep him?" she asked.
The Royal Steward quickly said, "No".
Princess Nyssmah put on her very best "I Love My Daddy Face" and asked the King, "Can I keep him, oh Daddy that I love? Pleeease?"
"Of course", said the King. The Royal Steward threw up his arms and shook his head and rolled his eyes and sighed a long sigh.
Now that we have begun the story and hatched our baby Dragon, it's time to meet the Knight. Like all knights, this one started out as a baby boy. When he was born he was a very big baby. When he was a two-year old, he was a very big two-year old. When he was a four-year old he was a very big four-year old. And when he was a six-year old, Princess Nyssmah had asked her Daddy, the King, if she could keep the Dragon.
The boy-who-would-become-a-knight's name was Brophy (with a hard "o"). Brophy's dad was the Royal Champion. The Royal Champion did not like Princess Nyssmah's baby Dragon, because he thought it was a bad idea to have a Dragon in the Castle. The Royal Champion knew that baby Dragons grow up to be big Dragons. And he knew what big Dragons did: big Dragons carried away Princesses and ate them. The Royal Champion's job, among many, was to rescue Princesses when ever they had been carried away by big Dragons. Princess Nyssmah had yet to be carried away by a big Dragon, but should she ever be, it was the Royal Champion's job to get her back uneaten.
Brophy, like his father, did not like Princess Nyssmah's new pet. But for a different reason. He did not like the Princess' pet because he was spoiled. He wanted the Dragon to be his pet. Since he could not have the Dragon himself, he decided that no one would have the Dragon. So this is what he did:
One day, when Princess Nyssmah and the Dragon, who was bigger now, were playing, Brophy ran to the Royal Champion and said, "Daddy! The Dragon bit me!" The Royal Champion looked at Brophy's hand, which was indeed bitten (Brophy had bitten it himself ), and took Brophy to the King.
"Your daughter's Dragon has bitten my son", the Royal Champion said to the King.
The King, who was busy sitting on his throne doing what Kings do when they are busily sitting on the throne, said to the Royal Steward, "Bring the Princess and the Dragon here at once".
When the Princess and the Dragon arrived, the King asked, "Nyssmah, is it true that the Dragon bit Brophy?"
The Princess glared at Brophy and said, "No, Daddy. The Dragon was not even near Brophy".
"Well, then", the Royal Champion asked Princess Nyssmah, "how do you explain this?" He showed her Brophy's bitten hand.
"I don't know", she said. "Maybe Brophy bit it himself ".
"Don't be fresh!" said the King. (We all know that Brophy had bitten his own hand, but no one else did ). The King took another look at Brophy's bitten hand and said, "This is not too bad. Perhaps the Dragon was just being protective of Nyssmah".
The Royal Champion began to protest, but the King waved him off.
"Please try to be more careful", said the King.
Princess Nyssmah said, "I shall be careful, father".
Brophy was upset that his plan did not work. So like all little boys, he tried it again. He bit his hand once more and told his father once more, who told the King once more, that the Dragon had bitten him. And once again, Princess Nyssmah was told to be more careful, but the Dragon was allowed to stay in the Castle. Then Brophy thought up a different plan.
The Dragon had learned to breathe fire. It is far Too Complicated to explain why Dragons can breathe fire while boys and girls cannot, so this story will not try to explain how fire-breathing works. But the fact that Princess Nyssmah's Dragon can breathe fire gave Brophy an idea. It was a rotten idea. It was a really rotten idea. It was such a rotten idea, in fact, that when Brophy thought of it, his eyes turned from blue to brown- just for an instant.
Brophy went in to Princess Nyssmah's room and set fire to her dollhouse. Then he ran up to the Royal Steward and yelled, "Fire! Fire! The Dragon has set fire to the Princess' room!" I told you it was a rotten idea!
This plan worked. The King did not mind so much that the Dragon was biting Brophy. (Remember, no one else knew that Brophy was biting himself ). The King was actually pleased that the Dragon was protecting his daughter. But a fire-breathing Dragon was a dangerous thing to have in the Castle. And the King told the Royal Champion to take the Dragon far away. So far away that the Dragon would never find his way back to the Castle.
Princess Nyssmah cried and cried for days and days, but soon the King got her a puppy, which she named Puppy, and she was happy once more. Brophy giggled and giggled for days and days, but when the King got Princess Nyssmah a puppy he was jealous once more. And since the puppy did not breathe fire, still. Too Complicated to explain, Brophy never managed to get the puppy thrown out of the Castle.

Part Two

We rejoin the same story thirteen years later. Princess Nyssmah has grown up into a beautiful, though still somewhat small, young woman of sixteen. Her puppy, named Puppy, grew into a big Dog named Puppy, got old, got very old and, like all animals, eventually died. Her new puppy, this one named Droopsy, also grew into a big Dog, which is what he is now. Her father, the King, did not grow in size, but he did grow older. He also grew happier. His daughter was going to be married the following day. The man she was marrying was a Prince named Alladrio. Prince Alladrio was from another land and was strong, tall and as nice as anyone could be. The King was happy that Princess Nyssmah had found a man as wonderful as Alladrio to marry.
Brophy grew up to be Sir Brophy, the knight. He was the biggest, strongest, fiercest man in the whole kingdom. He wasn't afraid of anything or anyone. Since he was so strong and so fearless, he was named the Royal Champion and it was his job to rescue the Princess if she were ever carried away by a Dragon. But child(ren), listen, because this is important: The only thing worse than a bad child is a bad grown-up. And, unfortunately, Brophy was a bad grown up -or in his case- a Bad Knight. He still wanted whatever anyone else had. And the one thing he wanted most of all was Princess Nyssmah. He wanted to marry her. And he was very mad that she was marrying Someone Else- no matter how nice or good that Someone Else was. Since he could not marry Princess Nyssmah himself, he decided that no one would marry her.
He did not know what he would do to make sure no one married her, but he knew that it would be Something Rotten.
Now child(ren), you have to fly for a moment. While you cannot fly in real life -it is Too Complicated to explain why not- you can fly in a story. And if you want to see the Dragon again, you must fly. Our Dragon, like all Dragons, live at the top of a tall mountain. So, grow your wings and come fly for a short while. Let's go see our Dragon.
Fly up into the air, across the land and over the hills. Fly past the gigantic forest and over some more hills. Here come the tall mountains and here we go! Up, up, up, and more up until we get to the very top of the tallest mountain in the world. Right at the very top, there is a a cave and in that cave -Look closely, but don't touch!- is our Dragon. He has grown up, too. Like Brophy, the Dragon has grown up to be very, very big. And very, very strong. Fortunately he has not grown up to be very bad. However, he has grown up to be very unhappy.
The Dragon still missed Princess Nyssmah. No one gave him a puppy and no one was there to love him, so he was all alone on top of the mountain. Once in a while, he would fly down into the country looking for castles. When he found a Castle, he would fly in, carry away whichever Princess lived there and -no, he did not eat them- he would look at them very careful to see if they were Princess Nyssmah. When they weren't, and they never were, he would put them back unharmed. Over and over he did this. And every time the princess he looked at was not the right Princess he would grow sadder and sadder.
So, look into the cave and see the biggest, strongest, yet saddest Dragon in the whole world.
But quick! Let's fly back to the castle! Hurry now! Fly as fast as your can! You don't want to miss what happens next!

What Happens Next

Good! We got back just in time! Just in time for the party. Everyone, even Droopsy the Dog, is at the party. It's the night before Nyssmah and Alladrio's wedding and it seems as though everyone in the castle is as happy as can be. There are parades and jugglers and puppet shows and marching bands. There are Elephants trumpeting, Horses neighing and All Sorts of Animals making All Sorts of Noises.
"Look at all these animals!" shouted the King over the noise. "There must be every animal in the world here!"
"Yes", said the Royal Steward, who was also very old now. "Every animal in the world, except Dragons!"
"That's right!" said the King. "There are no Dragons". Then he thought about the time when Princess Nyssmah was a little girl and she had a pet Dragon. "I wonder what that baby Dragon is doing now?" the King asked the Royal Steward.
"Probably carrying off Princesses and eating them", said the Royal Steward matter-of-factly.
"Probably", said the King. But somehow he could not imagine our Dragon carrying off Princesses and eating them.
Meanwhile, Brophy had heard every word of the King and the Royal Steward's conversation and it gave him an idea. It was a rotten idea. It was such a rotten idea, in fact, that when Brophy thought of it, his eyes turned from blue to brown- and they never turned back.
After the party was over, when everyone was asleep, Sir Brophy snuck into Princess Nyssmah's room and stole her. He put her into a big sack and put her onto the back of his Horse. Then he set fire to her bed to make it look as though a Dragon had flown into the Castle and carried off Princess Nyssmah. Then he galloped his Horse as fast as he could away from the Castle toward the tallest mountains in the world. He planned to kill Princess Nyssmah and leave her in a cave, so it looked like a Dragon had killed her.
In the morning, on the day of the wedding, Princess Nyssmah was gone and her bed was burned up. It looked just like a Dragon had carried her off.
"Quick!" said the King. "Call Sir Brophy the Royal Champion!" But the Sir Brophy was gone, too. (Again, only we know that he had stolen Princess Nyssmah ).
"Perhaps he has gone to fight the Dragon", said the Royal Steward.
"Yes", said the King. "That is what must have happened". And everyone sat down and started to cry- even Droopsy the Dog. They already missed Princess Nyssmah and hoped that Brophy would rescue her so they could have the wedding.
Once again, child(ren), you must fly if we are going to see what happens next.
Quick! Grow your wings! Grow your wings and let them carry you over the land, over the hills, past the forest, over more hills until we get to the tall mountains. And there, halfway up the mountain, is Sir Brophy carrying the Princess-In-A-Sack. And there, right at the top of the mountain, is a cave. Sir Brophy climbed up to the cave and pulled the Princess-In-A-Sack inside.
"Help!" screamed Princess Nyssmah. "Help! Someone please save me!"
Brophy opened the sack and let the Princess out. At first, she was happy that Sir Brophy was there. "I am saved!" she shouted. But then she soon realized that Sir Brophy had taken her and that he had pretended she had been carried off by a dragon. Which all means, she thought, that he is going to kill me. "Help!" she yelled again. "Help! I have been carried off by a Very Bad Knight!"
Sir Brophy put his hand over her mouth. "There is no use shouting, Princess", he said. "Nobody can hear you. We are too high up in the mountains for anybody to come rescue you".
Sir Brophy was right. Nobody could hear her screams. But something could: our Dragon. Our Dragon heard Princess Nyssmah's screams and knew that he had finally found the right Princess. He quickly flew over to the mountain -it was just two mountains away- and he arrived just in time.
Until you have seen a fight between the world's strongest Knight and the world's strongest Dragon, you have only seen skirmishes, disagreements and meddlings. This was a true fight. A battle. A fire-breathing, sword-smashing, teeth-gnashing, shield-crashing battle like no battle has ever been battled before. First the Dragon had the upper hand- or wing as it were. Then Sir Brophy had the upper hand.
Then the Dragon. Then Sir Brophy. Then neither. Then the Dragon again. Then Sir Brophy again. Then, well, Sir Brophy again. Then, well, still Sir Brophy. Then it looked pretty bad for the Dragon. Then it looked really bad for the Dragon. Then it looked hopeless for the Dragon and you would think that Sir Brophy had won and he would kill the Dragon and then kill the Princess. And that would be that.
But the Princess picked up a loose rock and threw it at Sir Brophy. The rock hit him squarely in the head and he looked up for a second and turned toward the Princess. This gave the Dragon his chance. He took a deep breath. So deep that he breathed in almost all the air in the cave. Then he breathed out the biggest breath of fire he had ever breathed out. Probably the biggest breath of fire any Dragon had ever breathed out in the history of the world. Right at Sir Brophy.
The blast of fire-breath knocked Sir Brophy out of the cave and off the side of the mountain. It was such a long way down that he might still be falling today. In any case, Sir Brophy was never seen again.
Princess Nyssmah got onto the Dragon's back and down they flew to the Castle. They got there so fast that the Princess had just enough time to say one sentence. She said, "I will never let you go away again".
But quick, child(ren), don't just sit here in the cave! Grow your wings again and fly, fly, fly to the Castle. You don't want to miss the wedding do you?

The Wedding

No matter how many weddings you have been to -especially if you have never been to any- you have never seen a wedding like this one. Picture the world’s most beautiful Princess dressed in a wedding gown so sparkly and white that it is too bright to even look at. Picture the world’s most handsome Prince dressed in a tuxedo so smart that it could solve the world’s hardest mathematical problems all by itself. Picture a Dragon in a bow tie as the Best Man- or Best Dragon as it were.
And picture Droopsy the Dog as the flower Dog, holding a basket of dried rose petals and daffodils and all your Favorite Flowers. Still not enough? How about a wedding hall filled not just with people, but also with animals of All Sort and Kinds? And imagine them all dressed in people clothes. A Lion in a suit and tie!
An Octopus in a fancy party dress! And a Giraffe in a top hat! In other words it was a wedding like never before. And it lasted all night long and through the better part of the next day.
And, of course, everyone and everything lived happily ever after.

The End

Now, in this site, a video which illustrates, more or less, part of the story about this Dragon:

http://randommization.com/2011/03/02/dragonboy-the-story-of-a-dragon-in-love-with-a-princess-short/

"Matando Una Leyenda Y Una Criatura Real"

2011-04-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

El Delfín Rosado o Boto como lo conocen los pobladores de la amazonia, es el Delfin de agua dulce más grande del mundo. Mide hasta 3 metros de largo y pesa unos 125 kg.
Suele vivir en parejas o formando pequeños grupos familiares de hasta 6 individuos.

Ha estado desde siempre ligado al misterio y la leyenda. A pesar de su tamaño y su relativa abundancia, los habitantes de los grandes ríos de la selva peruana no lo cazan y lo consideran un animal con poderes especiales.
Se cree que el Delfín Rosado puede vivir cerca de 30 años, pero los datos acerca de su periodo de vida aun son poco conocidos. No se conocen registros de predadores para esta especie.

De acuerdo con la leyenda, el Delfín Rosado fue un joven guerrero indígena. Pero uno de los dioses le envidió sus atributos masculinos y decidió transformarlo en Delfín y con esto condenarlo a vivir en los ríos y lagos de la Amazonia.
Los indígenas cuentan que esto ocurrió ya varias veces. El Delfín Rosado convertido en un hombre atractivo y un amante insaciable se acerca a la orilla. Está vestido de blanco y la cabeza la tiene cubierta por un sombrero de paja. Bajo el sombrero esconde la única característica que le quedó del Delfín, el orificio en la cabeza por donde respira. Es por eso que cuando algún hombre de sombrero se presenta durante el mes de junio, los habitantes de la selva amazónica piden que se quite el sombrero para asegurarse de que no sea un Delfín. El atractivo Delfín baila perfectamente y ninguna mujer puede huir ante sus encantos. Él escoge a la muchacha más bonita, le dice piropos, baila con ella y al final le propone un paseo al borde del río. Al día siguiente, la mujer no recuerda nada de lo que había pasado en la noche. Al rato se da cuenta de que está embarazada.
Otro mito cuenta que cualquier mujer que ande por el río en una canoa en la época de su menstruación, algún día recibirá la visita del Delfín que irá a dejarla embarazada.

A causa de estas leyendas se le ha acreditado a los delfines rosados la paternidad de todos los niños sin padres de la región y se cuenta que en algunos casos hay niños registrados en las notarías como hijos del Delfín. Los hombres de la región en algunos casos intentan acabar con la vida de estos animales pues no quieren que ellos embaracen a sus mujeres.

En la actualidad se encuentra al Delfín Rosado como una especie de peligro en extinción; entre las principales amenazas que se encuentran esta la sobre-pesca, que acaba con su alimento; la contaminación de algunos ríos por la actividades petroleras, y el intenso trafico fluvial en algunas regiones del oriente. Por ello esta especie se encuentra protegida legalmente a nivel nacional e internacional.
El Delfín Rosado está presente en la reserva nacional pacaya-samiria, en el Perú. También en la amazonia colombiana.

Gabriel Blejman

"Acerca De Varios Fines Del Mundo"

2011-03-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sólo por catástrofes naturales, tal vez hayan desaparecido en los últimos veinte años unos tres millones de personas. Los que como yo hasta ahora, parecen haber sobrevivido, tendremos que esperar algo muy bueno, o muy malo; o bien contribuir a algún final preferiblemente positivo.

El tan repetido estos días "Fin del Mundo" según los Mayas y algunos nuevos profetas, no va a llegar tan pronto como lo dicen. Por lo de Indonesia, Haití, Chile y Japón, en cada caso oí hablar del "Gran Final". Pero si los Mayas anunciaron algo para el 2012, también están los que hablan hace rato de Acuario y del Planeta Nibiru.

Respecto de estas tres cosas, debo traer lo que ví en un libro en el que habla de todo eso:
Acuario: Los ciclos para cada Era, que se inició con Piscis en el año 60 de nuestro calendario -y van en sentido inverso-, duran 2160 años (Aquarius en 23820 AC., Capricornio en 21660 AC., Sagitarius en 19500 AC., Scorpio en 17340 AC., Libra en 15180 AC., Virgo en 13020 AC., Leo en 10860 AC., Cancer en 8700 AC., Gemini en 6540 AC., Taurus en 4380 AC., Aries en 2220 AC., Pisces en 60 AC., Aquarius en 2100 de nuestra Era).

Esos cuatro grandes terremotos ocurrieron en lugares alejados entre sí, y en una etapa de cuatro o cinco años. La profecía de los Mayas no habla al parecer de un sismo que vaya a hundir el este de Asia o el de América, de norte a sur.

Por último, Nibiru... Como ya muchos habrán podido ver, éste era el nombre de un planeta conocido por los sumerios. Uno de sus satélites, dice en el Enuma Elish, golpeó la Tierra en una etapa muy temprana de su formación, dejando una gran cavidad (la cuenca del Pacífico). Miles de años después -siempre según el Enuma Elish-, ese gran planeta volvió al sistema Solar y dejó a nuestra Tierra en su sitio actual. El nombre de Nibiru hace referencia únicamente a su situación respecto de la Tierra, cuando éste regresa al sistema Solar (estando en ese momento entre Marte y Júpiter). Pero su regreso, tal como el principio de la próxima gran Era, se calcula recién para el siglo que viene.

De modo que... Si hay realmente un fin del mundo, no será por ninguna profecía.

"Sociedades verdaderamente secretas"

2011-02-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

Masones, Illuminati, Rosacruces, Mistéricos, Círculo Negro... Algunas de las Sociedades secretas más conocidas. Pero por lo tanto, secretas ya no más. En cambio habrá al menos una en algún lugar recóndito de la Tierra, de muy pocos miembros y alejada de los asuntos terrenos. Deben poder vivir más de cien años, trasladarse en Unicornios o en Pegasos, comer únicamente vegetales, hortalizas y frutas, o jugar de niños con Dragones y Duendes Padrinos.

Otra cosa que estuve imaginando en cuanto al régimen de un grupo verdaderamente apartado de lo terrenal, es la posibilidad de vivir únicamente tomando agua... Claro que ésta sería un agua nacida de la montaña y con todas las cualidades de la comida más completa y saludable.

Todo esto que visto desde aquí parece casi inaceptable, es un ejemplo de lo que algunos pudieron obtener convirtiéndose en anacoretas en la antigüedad.

Always St. Valentine, For Many Little Souls

2011-02-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

Last Monday the world celebrated St. Valentine. The following case took place in 2006, but there were many more couples like them, and there will be; for to them, every day can be St. Valentine.

A German Donkey is making an ass out of herself after falling in love with a Gander.
The farm where the unlikely couple live, in the Saxon town of Cottbus, has been besieged by journalists and curious visitors since the affair featured in local newspaper, the Lausitzer Rundschau.
The gander, whose name is Hannibal, met Heidi the Donkey when he was put into her enclosure for being too aggressive to be kept with the other birds.
Staff say the couple quickly fell for each other, eating and sleeping together and are now completely inseparable.
The Gander jealously attacks any male Donkeys who go near Heidi. Heidi in turn is not interested in other Donkeys, and follows Hannibal around all day long.

In the Year of the Rabbit...

2011-02-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

...A story to celebrate their cleverness.

THE RABBIT AND THE CROCODILES

Once there was a little Rabbit. He was small but he was very clever. He lived on an island in the middle of a river. He was the only Rabbit on the island. One day he wanted to cross the river but he could not find a bridge anywhere.
"What can I do?" he asked to himself. "There isn't any bridge. How can I cross?”
Just then he saw a big Crocodile by the river.
"Ah, ”he thought. "Now I know what I can do?" He went up to Crocodile.
"Good morning, Mr. Crocodile", he said.
"Good morning", replied the Crocodile.
Then the Rabbit asked, "How many Crocodiles are there in this river? Do you know?"
"No, I don't", the Crocodile answered.
"You don't know?" the Rabbit said. "I know exactly how many Rabbits there are in this river".
"I've never counted them", answered the Crocodile. "My grandfather never counted them, and my father never counted them, and I have never either".
"Why don't you count them?" asked the Rabbit.
The Crocodile answered sadly, "Because I can't count".
Then the rabbit asked, "Do you want to know how many Crocodiles there are?"
"Yes, I do", answered the Crocodile. "Can you help me?"
"Yes, I can", the Rabbit replied, "But call all the Crocodiles together first".
So, the big Crocodile called the other Crocodiles, and the all came to him. There were bygones and little ones, large ones and also small ones, old ones and young ones, long ones and short ones.
They all came together. Then the big Crocodile said to the Rabbit, "Now, Mr. Rabbit, here we are. Please count us".
"All right", said the Rabbit. "But first make a line. Then I count you".
When they were ready, the Rabbit cried, "Here I go!" and he jumped up from one Crocodile to another. He counted while he was going across.
"One, two, three, four, five... twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight..." and he jumped onto the last Crocodile and called out, "Twenty-nine!".
Then the little Rabbit jumped up on the other side of the river, turned around and said, "There are exactly twenty-nine Crocodiles in this river. Now you how many Crocodiles there are?".
The big Crocodile was very pleased. He, said, "thank you, Mr. Rabbit, for counting us. Now we know exactly how many Crocodiles there are in this river".
The other Crocodiles were pleased, too. "Now we know", they all said happily.
Then the big Crocodile said to the little Rabbit, "And now, Mr. Rabbit, please tell us how many Rabbits there are on the island".
The little Rabbit said, "There aren't any Rabbits on the island. When I was on the island, there was one. I was the only Rabbit on the island, so there was exactly one- me".
When the Crocodiles heard his story, they all laughed, and the big crocodiles said. "You are very small, Mr. Rabbit, and you are very clever. But thank you for your counting to us".
The little Rabbit laughed, too. He said, "And you are very kind. Thank you for making a bridge for me. You made a beautiful bridge. Thank you very much. Now... Please don't forget. There are exactly twenty-nine Crocodiles in this river". And the little Rabbit ran away.

"La Voz De Los Duendes"

2011-01-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

Los Duendes son conocidos en todo el mundo con distintos aspectos, y en cada país pueden ser buenos o malos; llevarse cosas nuestras o prestarnos su servicio. Pero siempre intentarán mantener de algún modo el pequeño lugar en que viven, principalmente si están en un jardín. Un grupo de estas entidades, precisamente, cuida las plantas y revolotea en torno a éstas al amanecer.

(Editada hoy, 19/1/2011)

Leprechaun irlandés; a simple vista muy trabajador.

Brownie; bastante buenos y útiles para con nosotros,

pero mejor no hacerlos enojar...

Duende, en su representación más común

...Y alguien que quiso salir en una foto

Uno de los llamados Cheneques, de México; pero como se ve más arriba, tienen muchos otros aspectos más aceptables para nosotros (no importa el aspecto, por supuesto, si se dedican a hacer el bien).

Y hablando de Duendes buenos... El de esta canción sí responde a esa imagen de Duende benefactor, tanto como la voz que habla de él; la Voz de los Duendes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McjY5Uxv6pU

Hasta siempre, M. E. Walsh !
Los seres mágicos de todas tus canciones te esperan entre un jardín y la espuma del mar.

"Primera Historia del Año - Un Calendario"

2011-01-05T18:10:00.000-08:00

Primera nota interesante del 2011... Viene bien, además, pues estaba pensando en un "Calendario Back To Eden", que ahora puede incluír la historia siguiente:

Mujer amamanta a Mono. Tras ser abandonado por su madre, un bebé Mono Araña requería de leche materna para sobrevivir y la esposa de un veterinario, la cual estaba criando a su hijo, decidió darle el pecho para evitar su muerte.
En una tierna historia de instinto maternal, la esposa de un veterinario del zoológico de Guangzhou, en China, aceptó la lactancia de un pequeño Mono Araña para evitar que éste muriera. El bebé había sido abandonado por su madre, por razones que aún no se logran explicar y el pequeño requería ser amamantado, para sobrevivir.

Vista la situación la esposa del veterinario residente, quen recientemente había dado a luz, intercedió por la vida del Mono y decidió compartir con él la leche que estaba dando a su hijo recien nacido.
Curiosamente no es la primera vez que una mujer se ofrece de voluntaria para dar el pecho a un animal de un zoológico en China. Hace unos años dos Osos Panda huérfanos requerían de leche materna y otra mujer se ofreció a alimentarlos.
En ambos casos, el gesto maternal fue efectivo ya que tanto los Panda como el bebé Mono Araña crecieron sanos. Y ahora la mujer del veterinario tiene la satisfacción de haber salvado a uno de los 3,500 Monos Araña de esta especie, que quedan en el mundo.

El Calendario, entonces, sería este:

1/1: Mujer amamanta un Mono en Zangzhou

1/3: Lea, la Leona Napolitana - 11/3: Thelma (por todas las Gatas que adoptaron Ratas) - 20/3: El Pez Que Habló

3/4: La Leona Kamunyak (tiene en su historia muchos días memorables pero ese 3 de Abril luchó casi hasta la muerte por una pequeña Oryx)

14/4: Madre India que adoptó un Venado - 19/4: Sally la Ratoncita (mejor busquen la historia ustedes mismos en la entrada que habla de Thelma)

1/5: Dharma (Perra que adoptó Ardillitas y Gatitos) - 5/5: George el Terrier (murió defendiendo a unos niños de unos Perros) - 12/5: Mona que adoptó a un Perrito) - 14/5: Daisy (Perra que adoptó o ayudó a 45 Gatitos) - 26/5: Musya (Gata que aceptó criar dos Lobeznos) - 27/5: Perra en India que adoptó a un Mono

9/6: Leones (ayudan a una joven en Etiopía) - 20/6: Foca que salva a un Perro en un río.

10/7: St. Cristóbal - 12/7: Venado y Tigres que quieren estar juntos en un Zoológico - 15/7: Patches (por todas las Gatas que adoptaron Ratones) - 23/7: Hiroko (Gata que adoptó Patitos)

12/8: Gata en Canadá (adoptó Zorritos) - 22/8: San Guinefort- 26/8: Ginny de long Island (ayudó a cientos -o miles- de Gatos callejeros y enfermos) - 29/8: Mujer en India que amamantó a un Becerro

1/9: Tyke (la Leona Vegetariana) - 7/9: Gata que crió a 7 Ardillitas con sus 5 Gatitos

5/10: Día Mundial de los Animales - 7/10: Namita Dass (amamantó a un Mono en 2001) - 15/10: Vaca y Leopardo de Antoli que se reunían de noche - 29/10: Janine Hammond (amamantó a su Gato, a un Conejillo de Indias y a un Potrillo)

8/11: Vaca de India que amamantó a un niño - 9/11: Kine Skiaker (en Noruega, amamantó a seis Perritos huérfanos) - 19/11: Coneja que adoptó a seis Gatitos - 25/11: Linda (en España, Perra que adoptó a seis Cerditos)

4/12: Sai Mai (en Tailandia, Tigresa que amamantó a muchos Cerditos) - 14/12: Legadema (Madre Leopardo que intentó criar a un Babuino recién nacido) - 24/12: El Lobo de Gubbio

...Y seguramente podré agregarle más días!

"Navidad Planetaria (O Universal)"

2010-12-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

Haciendo apenas un poco de historia, con esto de mandar mensajes y saludos a otras partes del mundo.... Algunos de los que "sólo vieron las últimas computadoras hogareñas" tal vez no sepan que hasta el año 1970 del S.XX eran comunes los aparatos de onda corta (ahora no se usa mucho ese sistema en radiodifusión). Esos aparatitos podían oír cosas de Inglaterra igual a como ahora se captan desde Argentina vía internet. Lo que importa para esta entrada, es ver si todos los saludos pueden llegar a todas las regiones del mundo, o si por el contrario en Samoa o el centro del Amazonas no tienen forma de recibirlos. Este año, entonces, con una pequeña ayuda del "Gran Internet", los saludos de Navidad y Fin de Año deberían poder llegar por lo menos hasta Saturno (Y tal vez debería decir muchos años luz más allá).

Afrikaans - Geseënde Kersfees
Akeanon (Philippines) - Maayad-ayad nga Paskwa
Albanian Gëzuar Krishtlindjet e Vitin e Ri
Aleut - Kamgan Ukudigaa
Alsatian - E güeti Wïnâchte
Amharic (North Central Ethiopia) - Melkam Gena. Merry Christmas
Apache (Western) - Gozhqq Keshmish
Arabic (Modern Standard) - أجمل التهاني بمناسبة الميلاد و حلول السنة الجديدة (ajmil at-tihānī bimunāsabah al-mīlād wa ḥilūl as-sanah al-jadīdah)
Armenian (Eastern) Շնորհավոր Ամանոր և Սուրբ Ծնունդ (Shnorhavor Amanor yev Surb Tznund)
Armenian (Western) Շնորհաւոր Նոր Տարի եւ Սուրբ Ծնունդ (Shnorhavor Nor Daree yev Soorp Dzuhnoont)
Aromanian (Southeastern Europe) - Cãrciun hãrios
Asturian - Bones Navidaes y Gayoleru añu nuevu!
Aymara - Sooma Nawira-ra
Azerbaijani - Yeni Iliniz Mübarək
Basque - Zorionak eta urte berri on
Belarusian - З Божым нараджэннем (Z Bozym naradzenniem)
Bengali - শুভ বড়দিন (shubho bôṛodin)
Bhojpuri (north-central, eastern India) - शुभ क्रिसमस और शुभ नव वर्ष (subh krismas auur subh nav varsh)
Bikol (Central Philippine) - Maogmang Pasko
Blackfoot (Montana) - (i'taamomahkatoyiiksistsikomi)
Bosnian - Sretan Bozic i sretna nova godina
Breton - Nedeleg laouen ha bloavezh mat
Bulgarian - Честита Коледа (Čestita Koleda)
Catalan - Bon Nadal i feliç any nou
Cebuano (Philippines) - Maayong Pasko
Chamorro (Guam, Marianas) - Felis Nåbidåt yan Magof na Åñu Nuebu!
Cherokee - Danistayohihv & Aliheli'sdi Itse Udetiyvasadisv
Cheyenne - Hoesenestotse & Aa'eEmona'e
Chinese
(Cantonese) singdaanjit tùhng sànnìhn faailohk
(Mandarin) shèngdàn kuàilè xīnnián kuàilè
(Shanghainese) sendaijiq kualoq
(Taiwanese) Sèng-tàn-chiat Khòai-lok - Merry Christmas
(Teochew) siandang kuailak
Choctaw (Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana) - Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Comanche - Tsaa Nuusukatu Waa Himaru
Cornish (United Kingdom) - Nadelik Lowen ha Blydhen Nowydh Da
Cree (Canada) - Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Creek (Oklahoma) - Afvcke Nettvcakorakko
Croatian - Sretan Božić!
Czech - Veselé vánoce a šťastný nový rok
Danish - Glædelig jul og godt nytår
Dutch - Prettige kerstdagen, Zalig kerstfeest
East Inuktitut (Canada, Greenland, Alaska and Siberia) - Quviasummi Quviasugitsi
Elvish - Ná merye i turuhalmeri!
Estonian - Rõõmsaid Jõule
Faroese - Gleðilig Jól og eydnuríkt nýggjár
Fijian - Me Nomuni na marau ni siga ni sucu kei na tawase ni yabaki vou
Filipino - Maligayang pasko at manigong bagong taon!
Finnish - Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta
Flemish (Flanders, Middle Dutch) - Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
Frisian (Netherlands) - Noflike Krystdagen en folle lok en seine
French - Joyeux Noël et bonne année
Friulian (North Italy) - Bon Nadâl e Biel An Gnûv!
Galician - Bo Nadal e próspero aninovo
Georgian - გილოცავთ შობა-ახალ წელს (gilocavth shoba-akhal c’els)
German - Fröhliche Weihnachten
German (Swiss) - Schöni Fäschttäg
Greek - Καλά Χριστούγεννα! (Kalá hristúyenna)
Greenlandic - Juullimi Ukiortaassamilu Pilluarit
Guinea-Bissau Creole - Bom Natal ku boas entradas, pa ano entrano diritu
Gujarati (Indo-Aryan language) - સાલ મુબારક (sāl mūbārak)
Hausa (West Africa) - barka da Kirsimatikuma barka da sabuwar shekara
Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou
Hebrew - חג מולד שמח ושנה טובה (Chag Molad Sameach v'Shanah Tovah)
Hiligaynon (Philippines) - Malipayon nga Paskwa
Hindi - शुभ क्रिसमस (Śubh krisamas)
Hungarian - Kellemes karácsonyt és boldog új évet
Icelandic - Gleðileg jól og farsælt komandi ár
Ilokano (Philippines) - Naragsak a Paskua
Indonesian - Selamat hari natal dan tahun baru
Inonhan ( Philippines) - Malipayon nga Paskwa
Inuktitut (Canada, Greenland, Alaska and Siberia) - Kuvianak Inovia
Iñupiaq (Alaska) - Quvianagli Anaiyyuniqpaliqsi suli Nakuuluni Ukiutqiutiqsi
Inupiatun (Alaska) - Annaurri Aniruq-lu Paglaun Ukiutchiaq!
Irish (Gaelic) - Nollaig shona duit (Happy Christmas to you)
Italian - Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo
Japanese - merī kurisumasu
Javanese - Sugeng Riyạyạ Natal lan Warsạ Énggal
Jèrriais (Channel Island of Jersey) - Bouan Noué
Judeo-Spanish / Ladino - Noel alegre
Kapampangan (Luzon) - Masayang Pasku
Kazakh - Жаңа жыл құтты болсын! (Jaña jıl quttı bolsın!)
Kinyarwanda (Rwanda) - Noheri nziza n'umwaka mushya muhire!
Kirghiz - Жаратканнын туысымен Жана Жылыныз кутты болсын (Žaratkannyi tuysymen Žana Žylynyz kutty bolsyn)
Klingon - QISmaS DatIvjaj 'ej DIS chu' DatIvjaj
Korean - jeulgeoun seongtanjeol bonaesigo saehae bok manhi bateusaeyo
Kurdish (Kurmanji) - Kirîsmes u ser sala we pîroz be
Kurdish (Sorani) Kirîsmes u salî nwêtan lê pîroz bê
Lao - Souksan van Christmas
Latin - Natale hilare et annum faustum
Latvian - Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus un laimīgu Jauno gadu
Lithuanian - Linksmų Kalėdų ir laimingų Naujųjų Metų
Luganda (Uganda) - Mbagaliza Christmass Enungi Nomwaka Omugya Gubaberere Gwamirembe
Luxembourgish - E schéine Chrëschtdag an e glécklecht neit Joer
Macedonian - Христос се роди! (Hristoc se rodi!) - Christ is born
Malagasy - Mirary noely sambatra
Malay - Selamat Hari Natal (Christmas)
Malayalam (India) - പുഥുവല്സര ആശംസകല് (puthuvalsara aashamsakal) - Christmas
Maltese - Il-Milied Ħieni u s-Sena t-Tajba
Manx - Nollick Ghennal as Blein Vie Noa
Māori - Meri Kirihimete me ngā mihi o te tau hou ki a koutou katoa
Marathi (India) - शुभ नाताळ (Śubh Nātāḷ)
नवीन वर्षच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा (Navīn varṣacyā hārdik śubhecchā)
Mongolian - Танд зул сарын баярын болон шинэ жилийн мэндийг хүргэе (Tand zul sariin bayriin bolon shine jiliin mendiig hurgey)
Navajo - Ya'at'eeh Keshmish
Na'vi - lefpom trr, fpom srekamtxon [lɛ.ˈfpom tṛ fpom sɾɛ.ˈkam.t'on] - Happy Day, peace before midnight (Lo mejor que pude hacer, para que el saludo también estuviera en este idioma).
Nepali - क्रस्मसको शुभकामना तथा नयाँ वर्षको शुभकामना (krismas ko subhakamana tatha nayabarsha ko subhakamana)
Norwegian - God jul og godt nytt år (Bokmål)
Occitan (Southern France) - Polit Nadal e bona annada
Ogoni (southeast Nigeria) - Eenyie Mea Krist Ne Eenyie Aagbaa
Old English - Glæd Geol and Gesælig Niw Gear
Pangasinan (Philippines) - Maabig ya Pasko
Papiamentu (Curazao, Bonaire, Aruba) - Bon Pasku i Felis Anja Nobo
Persian - كریسمس مبارک (kerismas mobārak)
Polish - Wesołych świąt i szczęśliwego nowego roku
Portuguese - Feliz Natal e próspero ano novo
Punjabi (India) - ਕਰਿਸਮ ਤੇ ਨਵਾੰ ਸਾਲ ਖੁਸ਼ਿਯਾੰਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਵੇ (karisama te nawāṃ sāla khušayāṃwālā hewe)
Quenya - Alassëa Hristomerendë! Alassëa Vinyarië!
Rarotongan (Cook Islands) - Kia orana e kia manuia rava i teia Kiritimeti e te Mataiti Ou
Romansh (Swiss canton of Grisons) - Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal ed in bien niev onn!
Romanian - Crăciun fericit şi un An Nou Fericit
Russian - С Рождеством Христовым (S Roždestvom Khristovym)
Samoan - Manuia le Kerisimasi, ma le Tausaga Fou
Scots (Lowland Scotland, Ulster) - A Blythe Yule an a Guid Hogmanay
Scottish Gaelic - Nollaig chridheil agus bliadhna mhath ùr
Serbian - Христос се роди (Hristos se rodi) - Christ is born
Ваистину се роди (Vaistinu se rodi) - truly born (reply)
Sesotho (Austral Africa) - Keresemese e monate le mahlohonolo a selemo se setjha Sicilian - Bon Natali e filici annu novu
Sindarin - Mereth Veren e-Doled Eruion! Garo Idhrinn Eden Veren!
Sinhala ( Sri Lanka) - (subha natthalak)
Slovak - Veselé vianoce a Štastný nový rok
Slovenian - Vesel božič in srečno novo leto
Somali - Ciid wanaagsan iyo sanad cusub oo fiican
Spanish - ¡Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo!
Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Congo) - Krismasi Njema / Heri ya krismas
Swedish - God jul och gott nytt år
Tagalog (Philippines) - Maligayang Pasko, Manigong bagong taon
Tamil - கிறிஸ்துமஸ் மற்றும் இனிய புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள் (Christmas matrum puthaandu vaazthukkal)
Tahitian - Ia orana no te noere
Telugu (southern India) - సంతోషకరమైన క్రిస్ఠ్మస్ !(saṅthoashakaramaina kristmas)
Tetum (Austronesian) - Ksolok loron natal nian no Boas entradas!
Thai - สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส และสวัสดีปีใหม่ (sùk săn wan-krít-mâat láe sà-wàt-dee bpee mài)
Tibetan - Losar La Tashi Delek - Happy New Year
Tigrinya (Ethiopia) - rHus beˋal ldet (ygberelka))
Tongan - Kilisimasi fiefia mo ha ta'u fo'ou monū'ia
Tsotsil (Chiapas) - Xmuyubajuk ti avo'one ti ta k'ine xchu'uk ti ta ach' jabile
Turkish - İyi Noeller ve Mutlu Yıllar
Tuscarora (Canada, United States) - Ujhenetya Kriswen tihsne? Nu Yah!!
Ukrainian - Веселого Різдва і з Новим Роком (Veseloho Rizdva i z Novym Rokom)
Urdu (Pakistan, India) - کرسمَس مبارک 'Merry Christmas' = (krismas mubarak)
Uyghur (Eastern, Central Asia) - يىڭى يىلىڭىزغا مۇبارەك بولسۇن Merry Christmas - (rojistiwa bayrimingizge mubarek bolsun)
Uzbek - Yangi yilingiz bilan! (Happy New Year)
Vietnamese - Chúc Giáng Sinh Vui Vẻ và Chúc Năm Mới Tốt Lành
Volapük - Lemotöfazäli yofik e nulayeli läbik
Võro (south-eastern Estonia) - Hüvvä joulu ja õnnõlikku vahtsõt aastakka
Waray-Waray (Mindanao) - Maupay nga Pasko
Welsh - Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda
West Inuktitun - Quvianaq Qitchirvik/Quviahugitsi Quviahugvingmi amma Quvianaq Ukiuaq Nutaaq Tikingmivuq!
Xhosa (Botswana) - Siniqwenelela Ikrisimesi Emnandi Nonyaka Omtsha Ozele Iintsikelelo
Yiddish - אַ פֿרײליכע ניטל און אַ גוטער נײַער יאָר (A freylikhe nitl un a guter nayer yor)
Yorùbá (West Africa) - Ẹ ku Ayọ Keresimesi ati Ọdun Tuntun
Zulu (South Africa) - Ngikufisela uKhisimusi oMuhle noNyaka oMusha oNempumelelo

"Arashi No Yoru Ni" - Some artists

2010-12-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

Images from one of my favorite japanese movies,

the pictures made by different artists;

representing the same innocent,

strong, and honest relationship

between two very different souls.

"Are You Over There...? Gabu...?"

eronine - deviantart

"I'm Always Close To You!"

kinah - digital dreams

"True Smiles Come From True Friends"

chibi9 - digital dreams

"I Know, I'm Just Enjoying This Moment"

edgar corona - digital dreams

"Stay Here, Baby Mei..."

insomniacawake - digital dreams

"In The Calm Of Our Shelter"

glad_sad - deviantart

"Sharing The End Of The Winter"
Reverse Alchemist - digital dreams

"Don't Worry, Little Mei"

jerome jacinto - deviantart

"A Big, Perfect Family"

thecheesecracker - deviantart

(Gabu and Mei just found that green forest;

now other evicted Wolves and Goats joined them there)

"El Templo De los Tigres De Tailandia"

2010-11-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua - Le Temple Des Tigres

En 1999, les habitants d'un petit village de la province de Kanchanaburi en Thailande ont découvert dans la forêt deux bébés Tigres blessés dont les parents avaient été tués par les braconniers.

Ne sachant quoi en faire, ils les ont apportés au temple bouddhiste Wat Pha Luang où ils ont été recueillis et soignés par les moines.
Le "Temple des Tigres" venait de voir le jour.
Depuis de nombreux bébés Tigres orphelins furent emmenés au temple et élevés par les moines y résidant.
Les Tigres sont apprivoisés et habitués à ne manger que de la viande cuite afin d’éviter qu’ils ne développent le goût pour le sang. Ils sont traités comme des membres de la famille du temple.
C’ est un lieu communément considéré comme un sanctuaire pour animaux et un centre de préservation.

Le temple est ouvert aux touristes

Les employées gardent les Tigres sous contrôle et sont prêts a intervenir si les Tigres deviennent agités.
Les visiteurs sont invité à laisser un don si ils désirent être pris en photo avec les Tigres.
C’est le seul endroit au monde ou il est possible de caresser des tigres en liberté.

...Así, al menos en un lugar del mundo se logra lo que todos intentan: proteger a los Tigres de la extinción mientras se aprende a convivir con ellos.

Cuando las Criaturas más salvajes...

2010-11-14T09:29:00.000-08:00

...Muestran compasión hacia las más débiles,

pueden ocurrir cosas como esta:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrvu7P1Sp24

O esta...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYy6iOR8s1w

O tal vez esta...

The helpful Hippo that rescues helpless animals from Mara river

Visitors to a safari camp close to where the film Out Of Africa was shot stood in awe as they witnessed the annual Wildebeest migration.
But as they watched thousands of animals cross the raging Mara river they were astonished to see a Hippo come to the rescue of two drowning stragglers.
The strong current separated a Wildebeest, or Gnu, from her calf and she watched helplessly as it was swept away.
'To everyone's amazement the Hippo came to the Gnu's rescue and pushed it gently to the river bank', said Abdul Karim, the head guide at Sanctuary Olonana in the Masai Mara, Kenya.
The infant panted for a moment before getting up and running to its watching mother.
But the female Hippo's work did not finish there. Within ten minutes she spotted a little Zebra crossing the same stretch of water and pushed it across, its tiny head struggling to keep above the torrent.
'It was an unforgettable incident', said Mr Karim.
Maternal love can be so strong it can even surpass species boundaries', he added.
Huge concentrations of game move between Kenya and Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park every year in the constant search for fresh grazing.

Y también esta:

A Zebra appeared to dice with death by leaning its head into the jaws of a Hippopotamus –but it emerged unscathed after 15 minutes cleaning the mighty mammal's teeth.
The Hippo is one of world's most aggressive animals and can kill with one snap of its powerful jaw.
Visitors to the zoo where both animals live were amazed to see the Zebra craning its neck into the mouth of the water-loving mammal.
But their surprise increased when they realised the striped creature was cleaning the Hippo's teeth.

Si bien en todos estos casos los grandes protagonistas fueron Hipopótamos, seguramente hay muchas demostraciones similares por parte de otras Criaturas.

...Y aquí las tienen. En tres de estas historias, los héroes, o salvadores, son Serpientes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEhJzpfFHFg

http://www.lusakatimes.com/2009/05/18/snake-saves-ndola-woman-from-rapists/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1109035

http://www.africancrisis.co.za/Article.php?ID=3609&

"Our Sweet Last Breath"

2010-11-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

Imagen como para una historia de amor

entre una Princesa y un Dragón...

En este momento ella y él acaban de darse

el último adiós mutuamente

y tan felices de haber vivido juntos

como de irse al mismo tiempo.

"What Trees And Plants Still Hadn't Show Us"

2010-10-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Smarty Plants: Inside the World's Only Plant-Intelligence Lab

SESTO FIORENTINO, Italy -Professor Stefano Mancuso knows it isn't easy being green: He runs the world's only laboratory dedicated to plant intelligence.
At the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology, about seven miles outside Florence, Italy, Mancuso and his team of nine work to debunk the myth that plants are low-life. Research at the modern building combines physiology, ecology and molecular biology.
"If you define intelligence as the capacity to solve problems, plants have a lot to teach us", says Mancuso, dressed in harmonizing shades of his favorite color: green. "Not only are they 'smart' in how they grow, adapt and thrive, they do it without neurones. Intelligence isn't only about having a brain".
Plants have never been given their due in the order of things; they've usually been dismissed as mere vegetables. But there's a growing body of research showing that plants have a lot to contribute in fields as disparate as robotics and telecommunications. For instance, current projects at the LINV include a plant-inspired robot in development for the European Space Agency. The "plantoid" might be used to explore the Martian soil by dropping mechanical "pods" capable of communicating with a central "stem", which would send data back to Earth.
The idea that plants are more than hanging decor at the dentist's office is not new. Charles Darwin published The Power of Movement in Plants -on phototropism and vine behavior- in 1880, but the concept of plant intelligence has been slow to creep into the general consciousness.
At the root of the problem: assuming that plants have, or should have, human-like feelings in order to be considered intelligent life forms, Mancuso says.
After the folksy 1970s hit book and stop-motion film The Secret Life of Plants, which maintained, sans serious research, that greenery had feelings and emotions, the scientific community has avoided talking about smarty plants.
So while there has been a bumper crop of studies demonstrating that green matter can be nearly as sophisticated as gray matter -especially when it comes to signaling and response systems, few talk about intelligence.
To christen the lab in 2004, Mancuso decided to use the controversial term "plant neurobiology" to reinforce the idea that plants have biochemistry, cell biology and electrophysiology similar to the human nervous system. But although LINV is part of the University of Florence -where Mancuso teaches horticulture- funds for this fertile field of research weren't forthcoming.
Studies at LINV were eventually given lymph -1 million euro so far, with about 500,000 euro to come- from the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, a bank foundation that mainly supports cultural events and art restorations.
What convinced them to provide seed money?
"Looking beyond the name at the research", says Paolo Blasi, a physics professor at the university who's on LINV's board of directors. "It sounds almost like a pseudoscientific field, but now even skeptics are convinced because of the validity of the work".
In addition to studies on the effects of music on vineyards, the center's researchers have also published papers on gravity sensing, plant synapses and long-distance signal transmission in trees. One important offshoot of the research activity is an international symposium on plant neurobiology. Next year's meeting will be held in Japan.
Leopold Summerer, advanced-concepts team coordinator at the European Space Agency, remembers that the term "plant intelligence" raised a few eyebrows when collaboration with the lab was proposed -even on a multidisciplinary think-tank team that's used to pondering ideas out of left field. Nonetheless, Summerer says plant research may provide important ideas.
"Biometrics can provide some of the most inspiring resources for us", he says. "Solutions found by nature that might not seem related to real engineering problems at first sight actually are related and give technical solutions".
Radical as the LINV sounds, if it weren't for a lone sugarcane stalk perched on a cabinet, the lab looks like any other.
While white-coated researcher Luciana Renna patiently tests for DNA markers, molecular biologist Giovanni Stefano analyzes data on two computer monitors around the corner.
During a visit to the lab's two greenhouses -where research is being conducted on the effects of light on olive trees and reactions in Venus flytraps and the Mimosa pudica- Mancuso points out a few neglected office plants sent there for a little TLC.
Mancuso, however, is no plant-whisperer. Under-tended plants are a long way from understanding sweet nothings spoken softly to them, he explains.
"Plants communicate via chemical substances," Mancuso says. "They have a specific and fairly extensive vocabulary to convey alarms, health and a host of other things. We just have sound waves broken down into various languages, I don't see how we could bridge the gap".

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/10/veggie_intelligence

More Examples...

In 1966, Cleve Backster claimed that his Dracena plant could read his mind. More recently, botanists at Penn State University discovered that the five-angled dodder vine could hunt down its prey by scent. In fact, there is evidence to suggest that plants are not only intelligent, but they also communicate this intelligence to the ecosystem.
As Stephen Harrod Buhner states in The Lost Language of Plants (Vermont, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2002), "all things possess a soul, a sacred intelligence or logos" because all things are made from the sacred. Plants have demonstrated versatility with this sacred language. Some believe that man, who used to be able to communicate with plants, has lost touch with this language.
For example, healthy plants can sense what their community's need in terms of soil chemistry; they deliberately increase their production of the missing ingredients and send them into the soil for distribution. Trees that have been cut or injured are supported with nutrients through a network from neighbouring healthy plants.
Moreover, some believe plants know how cry for help. Ecologist Richard Karban of the University of California, Davis, examined this plant version of communication in a 2008 paper in which he details how plants release a complex blend of volatile chemicals when they are attacked by mites. These chemicals attract other insects that prey on these mites. Moreover, the volatile signals are "read" by neighboring plants which immediately "beef up" their own defense mechanism.
If problem-solving is one of the signs of intelligence, then some say plants are very intelligent. The dodder vine mentioned in the introduction of this article knows enough about its surroundings to bypass human throats for tomato stalks, which it embraces tightly before sucking out its juices.
The Amazonian Stilt Palm knows how to track its area for sunlight. Once it has found the right location, it sends out new roots and "de-activates" old roots that have grown in the shade.
Several studies also show that rhizomes know enough to "construct a three-dimensional perspective of their local space... to exploit resources, thus receiving rewards for successful behavior".
Plants can also change their genetic structure when they are under stress, and in a very short period of time, they can produce a highly variant offspring that can adapt to the new environmental demands. Their capacity to learn and adapt, discover solutions to problems attests to their evolutionary advantage –they learn to function within the ecosystem, not against it.

www.suite101.com/.../does-plant-intelligence-exist-a155651

And yet another wonderful fact, though now about trees: if one makes a cut in two trees, confronted, they will turn their trunks so that the cuts be not in front of each other...
With just half of this, we can now consider trees and plants much closer to us than we thought for hundreds of years.
And then, knowing this, maybe respect them all instead of burning, or throwing them down like they were simple and senseless pieces of wood.

"No Matarás Ni Siquiera A Un Mosquito"

2010-09-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

En entradas anteriores hablé de Leones, Perros, Lobos y otros animales que en algún tiempo se destacaron por actos dignos de los mayores Santos; tanto que ellos mismos eran dignos por su propio mérito, y hasta participaban de algún modo en los designios de lo Alto. Más exactamente, como el León de Pablo que pìdió ser bautizado, el Perro San Guinefort (quien fue venerado como tal tras su muerte) y el Lobo de Gubbio cuya historia post mortem dejé en una entrada, todos fueron precisamente dignos símbolos de muchos creyentes Cristianos.

¿Pero acaso alguno de nosotros podría imaginar a un grupo de Mosquitos rezando?

Ahora que tal vez se esfumaron las últimas risas, podemos leer la historia que sigue, relacionada con Santa Rosa de Lima, su grupo de Mosquitos adoradores de Dios junto a ella, y en el final, la anécdota de cómo salvó a un Gallo enfermo:

Cruel enemigo es el zancudo o mosquito de trompetilla, cuando se le viene en antojo revolotear en torno a nuestra almohada, haciendo imposible el sueño con su incansable musiquería. ¿Qué reposo para leer ni escribir tendrá un cristiano si en lo mejor de la lectura o cuando se halla absorbido por los conceptos que del cerebro traslada al papel, se siente interrumpido por el impertinente animalejo? Creo que una nube de zancudos es capaz de acabar con la paciencia de un santo, aunque sea más cachazudo que Job y hacerlo renegar como un poseído. Por eso Santa Rosa, tan valiente para mortificarse y soportar dolores físicos, halló que tormento superior a sus fuerzas morales era el de sufrir, sin refunfuño, las picadas y la orquesta de los alados musiquines. Sabido es que en la casa en que nació y murió la Rosa de Lima, hubo un espacioso huerto en el cual se edificó la santa una ermita u oratorio destinado al recogimiento y penitencia. Los pequeños pantanos que las aguas de regadío forman, son criaderos de miríadas de mosquitos y como la santa no podía pedir a su Divino Esposo que, en obsequio de ella, alterase las leyes de la naturaleza, optó por parlamentar con los mosquitos.
Así decía: –Cuando me vine para habitar esta ermita, hicimos pleito homenaje los mosquitos y yo, de que no los molestaría, y ellos de que no me picarían ni harían ruido. Y el pacto se cumplió por ambas partes.
Aun cuando penetraban por la puerta y ventanilla de la ermita, los bullangueritos y lanceteros guardaban compostura hasta que con el alba, al levantarse la santa, les decía: –¡Ea, amiguitos, id a alabar a Dios! Y empezaba un concierto de trompetillas, que sólo terminaba cuando Rosa les decía: –Ya está bien, amiguitos: ahora vayan a buscar su alimento. Y los obedientes sucesorios se esparcían por el huerto. Ya al anochecer los convocaba, diciéndoles: –Bueno será, amiguitos, alabar conmigo al Señor que los ha sustentado hoy. Y repetíase el matinal concierto, hasta que la bienaventurada decía: –A recogerse amigos, formalitos y sin hacer bulla.
No obstante, parece que alguna vez se olvidó la santa de dar orden de buen comportamiento a sus súbditos; porque habiendo ido a visitarla en la ermita una beata llamada Catalina, los mosquitos se cebaron en ella. La Catalina, que no aguantaba pulgas, dio una manotada y aplastó un mosquito.
–¿Qué haces, hermana? –dijo la santa–, ¿Mis compañeros me matas de esa manera? –Enemigos mortales que no compañeros, dijera yo –replicó la beata. ¡Mira éste cómo se había cebado en mi sangre, y lo gordo que se había puesto! –Déjalos vivir hermana: no me mates a ninguno de estos probrecitos, que te ofrezco no volverán a picarte, sino que tendrán contigo la misma paz que conmigo tienen. Y ello fue que, en lo sucesivo, no hubo zancudo que se le atreviera a Catalina.
También la santa en una ocasión tuvo que valerse de sus amiguitos para castigar los remilgos de Francisquita Montoya, beata de la Orden Tercera, que se resistía a acercarse a la ermita, por miedo de que la picasen los jejenes. –Pues tres te han de picar ahora –le dijo Rosa–, uno en el nombre del Padre, otro en el nombre del Hijo y otro en nombre del Espíritu Santo. Y simultáneamente sintió la Montoya en el rostro el aguijón de los tres mosquitos.

Santa Rosa Y El Gallo
La madre de nuestra santa criaba con mucho mimo un gallito que, por lo extraño y hermoso de la pluma, era la delicia de la casa. Enfermó el animal y postróse de manera que la dueña dijo: –Si no mejora, habrá que matarlo para comerlo guisado. Entonces Rosa cogió el ave enferma y acariciándola dijo: –Pollito mío, canta de prisa, pues si no cantas, te guisa. Y el pollito sacudió las alas, encrespó las plumas y muy regocijado soltó un ¡Quiquiriquí!

"La Leona Tyke Y Sus Seguidores"

2010-09-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

(Como había dicho al final de mi entrada anterior, ya pueden ver cosas nuevas en http://forevermeerkatwhiskers.blogspot.com/ y en http://kabbalah-myths.blogspot.com/ ; También hay una actualización en "In Memory Of Thelma, The Cat" y una en "Strong Family Bonds From The Beginning").

En esta, como quería hablar del vegetarianismo, busqué y encontré estas imágenes; algunas, acompañadas de una historia alusiva. Pero todas nos dicen que es absolutamente posible vivir bien sin nada de carne...

Meet Dante: Britain's first vegetarian cat who refuses to eat meat or fish
By David Wilkes
Last updated at 1:19 AM on 14th April 2009

When he was found starving in an alleyway, the abandoned kitten clearly needed a square meal.
His rescuer Becky Page took him home and prepared a hearty bowl of chicken- but the black and white bundle of fluff just turned his whiskers up.
A plate of fish prompted the same response.
It was only when the kitten spotted some leftover vegetables by the kitchen bin that he began licking his lips.
He 'wolfed' them down, says Miss Page- and ever since he has stubbornly stuck to a vegetarian diet.
Now aged two, the kitten Miss Page went on to name Dante continues to refuse to eat tinned cat food, and could even be the world's first vegetarian cat.
Instead of meat, he happily feasts on fruit and vegetables his owner grows, such as Brussels sprouts and rhubarb.
He also has a penchant for melon and asparagus and has been known to raid the fruit bowl for bananas.
Dante's eating habits have baffled experts because cats are natural carnivores and unlikely to willingly forgo meat from their diet.
Unlike humans and dogs, they can only derive certain vital nutrients in sufficient quantities from meat.
These include taurine, an amino acid essential for cats but not for other mammals.
In the prolonged absence of taurine, a cat's retina slowly degenerates and it can become irreversibly blind. Others include arachidonic acid- a fatty acid vital for helping wounds heal.
Dante, however, has remained as fit as any puss his age- perhaps because his owner secretly tries to hide scraps of meat in his food.
Yesterday Miss Page, 21, a child minder, said: 'Since he had that first plate of veg, he won't go near anything fatty and prefers the things I grow in the garden'.
Maggie Roberts, director of veterinary services at the animal charity Cats Protection, said: 'This is extremely rare, I have never before heard of a cat that will not eat meat.
'We advise that cats be fed a complete cat food, which provides all of the necessary nutrients in the right balance'.
Miss Page is convinced Dante does not supplement his diet by hunting for wild prey.
'He doesn't really like going outside much, he finds it all a bit too scary,' she said.
'I've never seen him chase any birds or small animals. He hunts bits of string around the house instead to fulfil his predatory instincts.
'I have to smuggle bits of meat in among the veggies because I want him to get all the nutrients he needs. But sometimes he spots the meat and will just leave it'.
Miss Page, who lives with her partner Adam Carpenter, 26, also keeps three chickens, a rabbit, two guinea pigs, a rat, a hamster and fish at her home in Tasburgh, near Norwich.
But Dante has not been tempted to try to catch any of them either.
A Vegetarian Society spokesman said: 'Although it is possible to keep dogs on a vegetarian diet satisfactorily, cats are more specialised'.
Some vegetarian cat foods are available which include synthesised forms of the nutrients they need from meat.

"After I had given a brief discourse in Hindi on Vedanta, our group left the peaceful hermitage to greet a nearby swami, Krishnananda, a handsome monk with rosy cheeks and impressive shoulders.
Reclining near him was a tame Lioness. Succumbing to the monk's spiritual charm -not, I am sure, to his powerful physique!- the jungle animal refuses all meat in favor of rice and milk.
The swami has taught the tawny-haired beast to utter "Aum" in a deep, attractive growl- a Cat devotee!"

Dos imágenes de Little Tyke (las más conocidas)...

TIGRE VEGETARIEN !
Posté par Archives le 20 juin 2009

Lettre d’un Citoyen du Monde (ex anesthésiste-réanimateur en T.O.M., acupuncteur, écrivain et créateur d’art) à Mme Aharonian qui a eu la gentillesse de nous la communiquer. Celle-ci retrace un événement peu banal qui donne à réfléchir…
Marseille, le 16/09/1998

« Madame,
Sur votre demande téléphonique, j’ai recherché dans mes archives de 1989 la découverte et l’élevage d’un bébé tigre royal de quelques jours, en pleine jungle montagnarde d’Asie du Sud-Est.
Alors que notre jeune pépiniériste recherchait en jungle des arbustes à transplanter dans notre domaine de 4800 hectares, il fit la découverte d’une tigresse pendue dans un traquenard de braconnier, lequel piège avait été mal conçu pour que la bête soit prisonnière et non pendue.
Notre pépiniériste ayant constaté des mamelles très développées a compris que cette bête devait avoir un bébé, d’où il se mit à parcourir les alentours pour chercher la progéniture de l’animal. Après une heure de recherche, il découvrit 2 bébés tigre de quelques jours à demi morts de faim. Vite mis dans un sac, ces animaux furent transportés en toute hâte vers le campement de notre confraternité Confucianiste. Aussitôt, il fut confectionné des récipients avec des bambous et nous nous mîmes à recueillir du lait de nos chèvres pour alimenter plusieurs fois par jour ces 2 bébés tigres. Le lendemain, le bébé femelle était mort, alors que le mâle continua à être alimenté. Après quelques jours, il n’était plus utile de le tenir à plusieurs personnes pour lui faire avaler son biberon. Après plusieurs semaines, il a été décidé de le nourrir avec la pâtée que nous faisions pour les animaux de basse cour (poule, canard, oie, phacochère). Cette pâtée est confectionnée avec des légumes, des germes de plantes diverses, de la farine de graines diverses. Ce mélange est légèrement cuit mais on y adjoint des fruits de saison. Cette pâtée pourrait convenir à une alimentation pour carnivore vu le soin que nous prenons pour qu’il y ait tous les ingrédients, vitamines et minéraux, ainsi que protéines. Nous nous aperçûmes vite que les ongles de cet animal étaient très acérés et capables de nous causer des blessures, donc nous avions décidé de couper ses ongles et de les limer tous les 2 ou 3 mois. Cet animal, que nous avons nommé d’un commun accord « Ghuan », était au début un chat, puis un gros chat, puis un énorme chat, auquel on a institué un régime lacto-fructo-végétarien intelligemment équilibré, ce qui ne l’a pas empêché de croître et embellir. Après deux ans de cette nourriture, nous avons essayé de mettre dans sa pâtée de la viande de volaille qu’il prit entre ses dents, la mit de côté sans y goûter, ce qui pourtant fit le délice des phacochères.
Ce tigre pèse actuellement 270 kilos. De temps à autre, on le voit se promener avec 2 ou 3 gosses sur son dos. Lorsqu’il juge la promenade suffisante, il se couche sur le côté et va donner des coups de museau aux enfants pour, sans doute, se faire pardonner. Il dort tantôt dans une case, tantôt dans une autre, au gré de sa fantaisie au milieu des hommes, des femmes et enfants qui sont là. Parfois, alors que je travaille à écrire mes mémoires sur une machine à écrire, il vient mettre sa patte gauche sur la table, l’autre sur mon épaule pour me lécher abondamment le cou, les oreilles, la joue. Après un moment, je lui donne une tape sur son museau, ce qui le fait grogner et venir avec moi sous la douche.
Bien des gens qui se prétendent défenseurs des animaux m’ont demandé l’autorisation de venir dans ce coin du monde, que je tiens secret afin de ne pas nuire à la quiétude des animaux « animal » et des animaux humains qui y vivent. Dans ce domaine, il est interdit de photographier et de filmer quoi que ce soit. Les animaux « animal » prétendus fauves et les animaux humains vivent tous en bonne entente et sont des apprentis de la sagesse universelle.»

Lea, The Lioness From Italy

Watched by camera-toting journalists, in January 2002 a very remarkable Lioness named Lea arrived at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve near Johannesburg, South Africa, after a 30-hour journey from Rome, Italy.

Why 'very remarkable'? Because this seven-year-old female feline did not fit the 'ferocious carnivore' Lion stereotype, having been raised not on meat but on a diet of potatoes, green vegetables and cheesy pasta. Lea had in fact been nicknamed the 'Spaghetti Kid' after her favourite food, spaghetti, which she especially loved flavoured with Neapolitan sauce.
And now the caretakers at her new home in South Africa were facing 'the real challenge', for the first time in Lea’s life, of introducing this 'Spaghetti Kid' to meat and to the companionship of other Lions.

Lea's mother lived in Naples Zoo, which had a policy of selling the cubs born there. So at the tender age of six weeks, Lea found herself in the Italian village of Nettuno in the care of a man called Antonio Vincenzo. The two seemed inseparable; Lea slept on Antonio’s bed at night and accompanied him everywhere by day, without any leash or restraint- across busy streets, among crowds and even to the local supermarket. No wonder that 'everyone in Nettuno knew Lea', and of her diet of spaghetti, vegetables and tomato sauce.
But when Lea was a year old, Antonio's work circumstances changed and he could no longer look after his 'pet' at his home. A zoo on the outskirts of Rome agreed to accommodate Lea, provided Antonio supplied the zoo with her food. And so Lea continued to grow on her diet of pasta, ricotta cheese and vegetables. But, seeing her confined to a 4 m x 4 m (13 ft x 13 ft) concrete enclosure at the zoo, Antonio resolved to find Lea better living quarters. (Antonio visited her every Sunday- the Lioness would whimper and cry when it was time for him to leave.
After years of fruitless searching, eventually the way was clear for Lea to be sent to South Africa- Antonio would accompany her on the journey and remain at Lea's new home for a few weeks to help her adapt.
Given Lea's distinctive nickname ('Spaghetti Lioness') and the publicity associated with her move to South Africa, many people got to hear of what Lea had eaten for the first seven years of her life—and were amazed. One journalist wrote: 'Not with standing her strange diet she thrived'. This Lioness had not only survived (for seven years), but thrived on a meatless diet from infancy.

But Lea is not unique in recent (Lion) history in having successfully been raised on a meatless diet. A renowned vegetarian lioness in the USA did not eat meat at all during her entire lifetime. And many other animals normally regarded as being meat-eaters (e.g. dogs, vultures), are known to be able to live on meatless diets.
To understand such a situation, we need to go back into history. But which history is correct- evolution or the Bible? It just doesn't make sense if one has an evolutionary perspective- that this is a 'dog-eat-dog' world, and that animals with sharp teeth, claws and beaks evolved over millions of years to be meat-eaters.
In contrast, the Bible tells us that felines were originally created vegetarian (Genesis 1:30) and it also speaks of a time when 'the Lion will eat straw like the Ox' (Isaiah 11:7, 65:25). So, from the Bible, vegetarian ‘carnivores’ make much more sense.
As Lea emerged from her transportation crate at her grassy new home, a crowd of camera-clicking reporters awaited the photo opportunity: Lea devouring her first South African meal of pasta, cheese and sliced tomato.
But Lea took one sniff and walked away.
"No, no, no", said Antonio. "It has to be Italian pasta and cheese, and tomato sauce- never cut tomatoes".
As they say- you can travel the world, but there’s nothing like good old home cooking!

La comida favorita de Lea

"Mucho Más Que Dos Canes"

2010-08-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

El 22 de Agosto, si no me equivoco ahora, en Francia se reccuerda todavía seguramente a San Guinefort... Yo tendría que haber dejado esta entrada el mismo día pero tal vez no haya estado tan mal el descuido. Porque hace muy poco fue el día de honrar a Ginny, la gran Protectora de los Gatos que nació y vivió en Long Island.
Y ella, además de haber sido adoptada (rescatada de la calle), parece haber querido devolver ese gesto ayudando a más de mil Gatos que entre ella y su dueño encontraban por las calles, especialmente de noche, que es cuando salían ambos a buscarlos o llevarles de comer. Ginny por su parte, no sólo iba con él; como ya se sabe, podía saber si uno de ellos tenía alguna enfermedad o una falencia, como sordera o problemas de visión.

Si bien la historia de San Guinefort nos viene de la Edad Media, la de Ginny bien puede ser la de una Santa de hoy, digna de tal consideración.

En cualquier caso, aquí tenemos dos videos (los únicos que pude encontrar), que nos muestran algo más sobre los dos Santos Canes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ROTGGR5LyA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP3xz8qPA1

(Como creo que ya saben de mis otros blogs, en pocos días habrá algo nuevo en "Kabbalah-Myths y For Ever Meerkats).

"Leyendas Actuales"

2010-07-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

Algo que acabo de terminar para otro de mis blogs, dedicado en parte a leyendas antiguas o actuales. En el caso de Back To Eden, corresponde que sean de hoy, como algo que hubiera sucedido uno o dos días antes. Porque, ¿Cuántos habrán ahora, que quieran ver a una de estas Criaturas en persona?

Como una invocación

Ven, Dragón, de tu hogar de misterio,
aunque hoy tu historia no sea más que fragmentos
de un móvil viejo y olvidado,
pero construído con tus propias escamas,
creado para traernos cuentos
que hablaran de tus alas extendidas
entre el Sol y nuestros sueños.

¿No has vuelto, acaso, a surcar los vientos?

Pues hoy te nombran más de mil historias:
altivo, fuerte, y nunca conquistado,
a no ser por una gema legendaria
o una mujer, de ti aún más digna,
con quien vivir por siempre
entre un jardín del Cielo
y un sueño de la Tierra.

¡Ven, Dragón! ¡Regresa!
Que las leyendas de ahora
te reclaman y esperan. ¡Regresa!

"Especial - 5 de Julio"

2010-07-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

Algo que escribí hace más de 15 años -aunque ahora le cambié un poco el final-, relacionado con el día de la Independencia de Venezuela.

"Una parte del himno"

Este día ha de brillar más
el Sol de San José y Curiapo;
han de ser más doradas las estrellas
y más azul el cielo sobre la roja tierra.

Un polo margariteño
lo celebra en Nueva Esparta,
en compañía del Sol.

Más allá del Orinoco,
en cada golpe 'e tambor
laten corazones libres.

El Sol despierta al Llanero,
y hasta el cuatro se contagia
el entusiasmo nacional.

Bella Luna Valenciana...
Cuando haya acabado el día,
bailará un vals en el cielo.

En los Andes se oirán
alegres cantos, y las estrellas
se bañarán en el Torbes.

Zulia dirá adiós al Sol,
y se mecerán las palmas
como banderas al viento.

Con su voz y su cantar,
cada cual canta una parte
del himno, que en Venezuela toda
se oye igual que el viento que alcanza la inmensidad.

"Foto 'Back To Eden', Nueva Serie"

2010-06-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

El primer año dejé estas imágenes para ver si elegían la "Foto Back To Eden" de cada año; ahora dejo las siguientes, esperando que por lo menos les den los respectivos puntajes...

"Una parte del mundo de hoy..."

2010-05-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

Aunque haya mucho movimiento en el mundo a nivel energético, no todos están de acuerdo con tales ideas; y algunos directamente las cuestionan o se les oponen, ya sea usando argumentos racionales; buscando medir algo mucho más grande que el Universo; creando hábitos cómodos entre los jóvenes (1); desacreditando a aquellos que realmente practican alguna Religión (2), o haciendo que pierdan la confianza en ellos; monopolizando negocios o manejando la información como un mazo de naipes; o directamente trabajando para el Enemigo de la Humanidad y de la Creación.

Allí están ellos, buscando separar y alejar a los seres en lugar de unirlos o hacer que colaboren para la Reintegración.
Pero en su Palacio invisible de Shamballah, el propio Señor del Mundo -o Sanath Kumara-, observa todo lo que ocurre en la Tierra... Y tal vez gracias a su vigilante presencia, ninguna Criatura se encuentra hoy completamente desamparada, o viviendo sin que sus obras la acompañen.

Otros tres signos de estos últimos años, tienen mucho que ver con una canción llamada Cambalache, con la idea del Gran Atractor, y con los Tsunamis.
Porque si en ese tango decía "Siglo veinte, cambalache, problemático y febril..", en apenas diez del XXI se vio lo que no ocurrió ni en el último milenio.
En segundo lugar, cada acontecimiento ocurrido desde 1990 hasta hoy, cada libro, espectáculo o noticia de alto impacto, parece venir a decirnos "Vamos, vengan a verme... Pues soy un Sol opacando con mi luz a todo lo demás, y eclipsando con mi corona todo lo anterior a mí"
Y en tercer lugar, de esta idea surge la de un Tsunami: un acontecimiento provocado que también viene a hacernos olvidar en gran medida todo lo que hayamos podido ver.
Pero tal vez, al fondo de todo esto, haya todavía un reloj de péndulo marcando las horas; acompasado e imperturbable... Tic, tac... Tic, tac... Tic, tac...

(1) -De esto, el ejemplo actual más importante es lo que pasan en las FM argentinas y en los canales de aire... ¿Qué clase de gente podrá haber de 30 años si ahora, teniendo por ejemplo 15, se pasa los días escuchando cosas repetidas diez veces por semana como mínimo, o viendo por canal de aire algo muy inferior al libro más simple, porque de todos modos no quiere buscar otra cosa? ...Yo ya vi esto, cerca de donde vivo.

(2) -Respecto de la Religión, lo que escribí ahora me hizo acordar al tema de mi entrada relacionada con los Animales en la iglesia... Hasta hoy, sólo en una pude entrar con un determinado animal. De la iglesia donde me dejaron hacerlo, pienso entonces, entienden un poco mejor el profundo significado de la palabra Religión (cual un acto de estar reunidos todos los seres como iguales ante el Padre de la Creación).

"Un San Guinefort del Siglo 21"

2010-05-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

Unas horas después del día en que ocurrió el siguiente caso, traigo esta entrada para hablar del Terrier George, que con una valentía diez veces mayor a su tamaño y a sus fuerzas, salvó a unos niños en Nueva Zelanda del peligro inminente que representaban unos Pitbulls. Él murió más tarde como consecuencia del enfrentamiento, pero si aquí en la Tierra ellos aún lo recuerdan y seguirán haciéndolo, en el Cielo tal vez George esté junto a San Guinefort intercambiando sus respectivas experiencias.

Honor en la Tierra, Luz en el Cielo...

"Tres Imágenes, Distintos Temas"

2010-03-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

También en este caso, tengo versiones un pooco mejores, y voy a ver si las traigo más adelante; o subo otra serie...

"Dos Cosas Escritas Y Una Imagen"

2010-03-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Estas dos cosas las escribí -o las publiqué- hace dos años; aohra las traigo de nuevo, pero con la imagen correspondiente (más abajo).

My Best New Found Dream

When the Sun
covering the valleys
looks down on us
while you take me in your arms...
I fly with you
smiling and protected,
as your open wings
cut through the dawn
close to a Sun of dreaming.

You turn to look
again, my golden eyes;
words coming out
through them, say that they need you...
and of how much
my soul is being cradled
even with a single
smile in your eyes
so tender and caressing.

We've been for years
two hearts beating with sorrows,
wasting all the love
they had for one another...
I go with you now
in a never ending tale,
where I feel also cradled,
my everywhere love,
in this beautiful morning.

This newborn day
is perfect since you're with me,
kissing my lips
as your golden hair glitters...
Treasure of sweetness
of our daily honey moons,
before your eyes,
a star is just
a pale ghost in the evening.

Oh, my sweet love,
my for ever white Dragon,
to fly with you
is now my best new found dream...
Since we found something
much stronger than we are,
our sweet encounter
started for us
a love story in the making.

Happiness Of Angels

If I could turn
In words my little heartbeats,
They would say just
My love, my love, my love!
The only words which would go
Like Butterflies to your heart.
The only conversation
Which yours can have with mine.

When you're not here,
I think I miss the Springtime,
And the Sun light
That brings hope in the dawning.
The same light bright in softness
That makes me smile as I watch,
And then enters my spirit
Sowing flowers of sweetness.

If you're with me,
All I know turns to nothing...
My only strength
Is to love, need and have you.
The only power in me,
Is given by the soft touch
Of your silky loving hands
Which mine need to feel so much.

When you're not here,
I feel myself like drowning
With all this land
And everything above it
Now that I take you higher,
Both ground and skies are nothing...
Just your life here in my arms,
And your tenderness smiling.

Our flight, my love,
Is like and endless feeling
Of clear blue skies,
And happiness of Angels.
The winds which now are blowing
Just sing with us the same song...
Of stars shining inside us,
And souls blended like fire.

Hay una versión mejor de esta imagen en otro lado, pero si puedo la traigo otro día.

"In Memory Of Thelma, The Cat" - Past & Future

2010-03-11T16:39:00.000-08:00

Of all the notes and pictures which you will see here, the first I found was that of Patches (British Columbia, 2003, 04); later I started to see one or two more here and there... When I found the picture of Thelma (right under this paragraph), I thought that the series was already over. Then I saw those of Squirrel and Kitty (1st and 2nd after "Dongguan, Guangdong - 12/10/03"); then the images and notes about the Cats of Changchun, Shijiazhuang, Zonguldak, Yantai, the Cat Mimi, the three images right before "2008" and the Cat of the last image; and I thought again that with those it all was finally over...
But now it's like having been looking Dragons who walked freely by my street, with all the ones I've been finding in less than five months. Because, simply, none of the things that you're about to read can be fake or invented. In the really big ocean that is Internet, I found all these pearls, most of which now can be seen only here...

This post comes only because I chose the 11/3 as the day of the mother Cats who opted -and still do that by own will- to nurse newborn Mice, or Rats; and so giving some message to the World right since the 18th Century. The first picture shows Thelma, from Ontario, with her eight (or maybe even nine) baby Rats, to whom she adopted around 1950.

Updated again!!! - December 17, 2011

To Nurse Mice And Rats Was Always Our Job

...But We Always Did It With Love,
And Of Course We'll Keep Doing It.

A new voyage to Italy, Maximilien Misson - 1714 - History
"The Stones of Tivoli put me in mind of a memorable accident related by Alexander Taffoni, in his Various Thoughts. Not many days ago, says that author, the workmen that were employ'd to dig stone at Tivoli, having cleft a great mass, found in the middle of it an empty space, in which there was a living Crayfish that weigh'd some pounds, which they boyl'd and fiat I have read in another author, that Alexander found a wrought diamond in the heart of a great piece of marble, and a considerable quantity of sweet and odoriferous oil in another piece of like marble, which is less incredible, that Tassoni also relates, that the same year a Cat suckl'd a Rat in Tivoli; but before I employ'd my Time in reasoning upon such sort of facts, I would be sure of the truth of 'em, by undoubted proofs".

Social Science - 1787
Cirencester, few years ago. A farmer’s son, near that place, being at work in the harvest met with a litter of Mice. Recollecting that they had at home a Cat who just had Kittens, he put them into his pocket alive; and when he returned he immediately committed them to the Cat, who at that time hung up in a basket in the house. Soon after, when some of the family took down the basket in order to give milk to the Cat, as they occasionally did, it was observed that the Mice were alive, and drinking the Cat’s milk.

1797 - Sports & Recreation
RATS SUCKLED BY CAT.
The following circumstance is, however, still more extraordinary, and may be depended on as a fact. A Cat that had kittened in a barn at Horse-Lunges Farm, near Lewes, on having her brood taken from her, went in pursuit of them, but, instead of her Kittens, she found some young Rats, two of which, apparently not more than a day old, she brought to the place from which her young had been taken, and there suckled and defended them with as much care and tenderness as if they had been her Kittens. One of them lived only about two days; the other the Cat reared till it was able to run about, when one of the workmen, unknown to his master, killed it, to prevent its escape.

1804
Doctor Carradori, of Prato, in Tuscany, has observed lately two phenomena,- from which the patients would not have failed to draw various inferences. The one is a Cat suckling a Mouse; the other, a Serpent with two heads. In a farm belonging to Signor Martini, a short distance from Prato, was found a nest of Mice. They carried them to the Cat, who had just kittened, and was nourishing her young. She devoured all the Mice but one, which she placed with her Kittens, and likewise gave it her teat. I cannot (says Carradori) affirm that I saw this extraordinary production myself, because the Mouse had been dead some hours when I arrived at the place; but the master of the Cat, and the neighbours, all attested the truth of the fact. They said also, that the Mouse, faithful to its instinct, kept away from the Cat, and endeavoured to avoid her caresses; but that the Cat went after it, and brought it back to her young ones. One night the Cat went out of the house, and the Mouse, deprived of its aliment during a number of hours, was found dead the next morning.

Priscilla Wakefield - 1811
http://books.google.com.ar/books?id=ef75uqYduk4C&pg=PA174&lpg=PA174&dq=%22cat+suckled%22+rats&source=bl&ots=pWwdVoF1-_&sig=Ng6zCB52IR2wxTiFCa0nGN9Lc0E&hl=es&ei=JTiwTuaLLoT50gGyobTIAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
(End of page)

Published 1822 - Printed by J. Kendrew, Colliergate Full text of "Adventures of the beautiful little maid Cinderilla, or, The history of a glass slipper: to which is added, An historical description of the Cat"
"Cats seem particularly disposed to adopt the offspring of a stranger; but the most extraordinary instance that I have heard, was related to me by a lady, who was an eye-witness of the fact. Her Cat had a litter of Kittens that were kept in a hamper in the cellar. In order to please her children, she one day went down to see them. On looking into the hamper, she found a young Rat amongst the Kittens, which she ordered to be taken out. But, the next day it was again found, a quiet inhabitant of the same place; and there was no doubt that the Cat suckled it, and was disposed to bring it up with her own family".

Animal sagacity: exemplified by facts showing the force of instinct in Birds, Beasts & c. Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor of Ireland
1824 - Science
Cats seem particularly disposed to adopt the offspring of a stranger: but the most extraordinary instance that I have heard was related to me by a lady, who was an eye-witness of the fact. Her Cat had a litter of Kittens that were kept in a hamper in the cellar. In order to please her children, she one day went down to see them. On looking into the hamper, she found a young Rat amongst the Kittens, which she ordered to be taken out. But, the next day, it was again found, a quiet inhabitant of the same place; and there was no doubt that the Cat suckled it, and was disposed to bring it up with her own family.

The New York mirror: a weekly gazette of literature and the fine arts, Volume 7
Samuel Woodworth, George Pope Morris, Nathaniel Parker Willis
1830
"These extraordinary arrangements are sometimes the effects of accidents, and sometimes of the greater force of one instinct over the lesser force of nature. A Rat catcher, having caught a brood of young Rats alive, gave them to his Cat, who had just had her Kittens taken from her to be drowned. A few days afterwards he was surprised to find the Rats in the place of the drowned Kittens, being preserved by their natural enemy".

James Rennie - 1833
A more singular instance still is related by Mr. Broderip. "On the 27th of April, 1820, I saw a Cat giving suck to five young Rats and a Kitten; the Rats were about one-third grown. It was diverting to observe the complacency with which the young creatures sucked in the liberal stream, which the teats of their foster-mother supplied; and curious to see the prey cherished by the milk of the destroyer. The Cat paid the same maternal attentions to the young Rats, in licking them and dressing their fur, as she did to her Kitten, notwithstanding the great disparity of size. The man, who exhibited this phenomenon in the Strand, near Essex-street, said, that the Cat had kittened fourteen days, and at that time had three Kittens at her teats, when he found this nest of young Rats, which seemed a few days old, and turned them in at night to the Cat for her prey; in the morning he found the Kittens sharing the milk of their mother with the Rats. Two of the Kittens were afterwards destroyed, for fear of exhausting the Cat, by so numerous a family. The man said that the Cat was a good mouser; but admitted that he had taught her to abstain from white Mice, which he had been in the habit of keeping.

Chambers' Edinburgh journal, Volume 3 Written by Robert Chambers, William Chambers
1835 - Edinburgh (Scotland)
A MOUSE SUCKLED BY A CAT.
A Cat belonging to Mr Smith, the respectable agent of the Earl of Lucan, at Laleham, is in the constant habit of taking her place on the rug before the parlour fire. She had been deprived of all her litter of Kittens but one, and her milk probably incommoded her. I mention this, in order to account in some degree for the following circumstance: One evening as the family were seated round the fire, they observed a Mouse make its way from the cupboard which was near the fireplace, and lay itself down on the stomach of the Cat, as a Kitten would do when the is going to suck. Surprised at what they saw, and afraid of disturbing the Mouse, which appeared to be full grown, they did not immediately ascertain whether it was in the act of sucking or not. After remaining with the Cat a considerable length of time, it returned to the cupboard. These visits were repeated on several other occasions, and were witnessed by many persons. The Cat not only appeared to reject the Mouse, but uttered that sort of greeting purr which the animal is so well known to make use of when she is visited by her kitten. The Mouse had every appearance of being in the act of sucking the Cat; but such was its vigilance, that it retreated as soon as a hand was put out to take it up. When the Cat, after being absent, returned to the room, her greeting call was made, and the mouse came to her. The attachment which existed between these two incongruous animals could not be mistaken, and it lasted sometime. The fate of the Mouse, like that of most pets, was a melancholy one. During the absence of its nurse, a strange Cat came into the room. The poor Mouse, mistaking her for its old friend and protector, ran out to meet her, and was immediately seized and slain before it could be rescued from her clutches. The grief of the foster mother was extreme. On returning to the parlour, she made her usual call, but no Mouse came to meet her. She was restless and uneasy, went mewing about the house, and showed her distress in the most marked manner. What rendered the anecdote I have been relating the more extraordinary, is the fact of the Cat being an excellent mouser, and that during the time she was showing so much fondness for the Mouse, she was preying upon others with the utmost avidity. She is still alive.
Jesse's Gleanings in Natural History

1844 - Literary Criticism Portland Advertiser - Google Books.
A Rat Nursed By A Cat!
A gentleman of this city, upon whose veracity we can rely, informs us that he has a Cat which has recently fostered and nursed a large Rat with as much care as she would show towards her own offspring. She first brought it into his house about a fortnight ago, carrying it by the neck in the manner the Cats usually carry their Kittens. She seemed particularly anxious to shield it from harm, and finally carried it to a snag in one of the closets where she was accustomed to sleep, and laid down with it- the Rat all the while seeming to take her manoeuvres as coolly though they were in the common course of things. Curious to know how far she would carry her strange penchant, the gentleman pushed the Rat back into the middle of the room. Grimalkin was evidently displeased, and quickly returned it to her side, and showed it a deal of attention for two or three days, when our informant turned it out of the house. It has since, however, been seen in one of houses, playing with its strange nurse, as familiarly as a Kitten, and seems perfectly tamed and docile. This is the most famous departure from the usual order of nature that we have ever known.

Commercial Advertiser - Apalachicola, Saturday, May 16, 1846
RAT AND CAT ARTICLES
There is now to be seen at the shop of Mr. Eben Ames, on North Main Street, says the Providence Journal, one of the greatest natural curiosities we have heard of: a young Rat suckled by a Cat, together with four Kittens; the Kittens are about fifteen days old. On Thursday last, the old Cat left her Kittens for a foraging expedition on Canal Street; she soon returned, bearing in her mouth a young Wharf Rat, which she has ever since nursed and taken equal care of with her Kittens.

1849 - Juvenile Fiction, Google Books
A Cat Nursing Mice - A Cat with a brood of Kittens in the family of Mr. Graham of Woodbury, in this state, recently adopted two young Mice into their circle. One of them died soon after, but the other continues to enjoy maternal care and social affection. "The Constitution" says: the Mouse is two-thirds grown and entirely tame. It was very active, running about fearlessly, and permitting the children to take it into their hands and pet it. If it runs away, or Pussy miss it, she leaves her Kits and goes after it, mewing till she finds it, when she brings it carefully back. She is very uneasy when it leaves her. When the Kittens suck, the Mouse being too short to reach the milk, mounts on the back of the Kittens and is thus enabled to lay hold, and draws its share of nourishment from its adoptive mother, with the entire confidence of all concerned.

A similar case was recently reported by a Cincinnati paper... A Cat in Mr. Bigelow's family, having been deprived of 5 of 6 Kittens, was found soon after nursing three young Rats with her own solitary offspring. All alike enjoying her care.

William Kidd - 1852
A Cat nursing three Rats and two Kittens
Our young readers do not need to be reminded perhaps that Cats have often been known to rear strange children. The following instance, which though but lately made public, occurred a few years ago, in one of the most remarkable stories of a foster family that we are aware of. A Cat kept in a stable to catch Rats, and excellent at the business, gave birth to five Kittens, three of which were at once drowned. A stall in the stable had been set apart for her use, and the next morning she brought into it three young Rats, which she nursed along with the two surviving Kittens. A few days later these Kittens were killed, and the next day puss fetched two more young Rats. A board had been fixed at the end of the stall to prevent the Rats from escaping. As soon as the Cat jumped over the board and lay down for the purpose, her singular family ran to her and took their refreshment. It may be mentioned that this story is well authenticated.

Gilbert White. The natural history and antiquities of Selborne - 1853
"On the 28th of April, 1820", writes Mr. Broderip in "Zoological Journal", "I saw a Cat giving suck to five young Rats and a Kitten. The Cat paid the same maternal attention to the young Rats in licking them and dressing their fur as she did to her Kitten, notwithstanding the great disparity in size".

Ballou's dollar monthly magazine, Volume 3
1856 - Language Arts & Disciplines
A gentleman in Buckingham comity, Virginia, has among his domestic animals a large Rat, which was caught twelve months ago by a Cat; but instead of devouring it, the Cat nursed and fed it, and they now play and sleep together like Cat and Kitten.

H. G. M. Williams, Creek House, near Cheeptow, Aug. 27, 1857
Young Water Rat suckled by a Cat
On the 16th of last June I found, in a Willow's stump, the nest of a Water Rat, containing four young Water Rats, quite blind. One of them I flung into the water, and although blind it swam to land. I kept one and killed the rest. I took the one who was alive to a Cat who had kittened the day before, and put it on the ground. The Cat immediately jumped out of the basket, and returned to it with the Rat in her mouth. The next day, in order to see which of the Kittens should be killed, I found to my surprise, the Cat suckling the Rat and two Kittens. I had three of the Kittens killed, and kept the other with the Rat. On the 23rd of the same month the Rat's eyes opened, and from that time I had much difficulty in catching it, as it got quite wild, but was still suckled by the Cat. When I took the Rat away the Cat followed me, and directly I put it down she would take it in her mouth and carry it back. In the beginning of July I found the Rat dead in the nest. What the cause of his death was I cannot say, but there were no marks upon it to show that the Cat had killed it. The most extraordinary circumstance is that the Cat suckled it before she had her Kittens taken away.

The Rat: its history & destructive character, James Rodwell - 1858
At Rochester, some few years ago, a singular incident occurred. The Landlords of the Office Tavern had a beautiful Tortoiseshell Cat, the admiration of everyone who came to the house. One day she kittened, and all the Kittens were drowned. The poor Cat felt the loss of her sucklings, and was whining and mewing all over the place in evident distress, but no notice was taken of her. But some few days after, some of the children came across her nest, and saw her in the act of suckling what they thought to be a young Kitten. They mentioned the circumstance at the dinner table, and were laughed at for their trouble; but upon their insisting on the fact, or created some curiosity, and a search was the result, when, to their great surprise, they found the Cat suckling not a Kitten, but a young Rat!
Now it was clear that the poor Cat had been in extreme pain for an overcharge of milk, and meeting with the young Rat, had fondled it up, and from its giving her ease by drawing her milk, her attachment had grown as strong for the Rat as for one of her own progeny, which was afterwards manifested to the great delight of numerous customers. If a strange Dog came in the house, she would defend the Rat with all the vicious determination of her nature; and even after he had grown up a fine, strong fellow, he would in time of danger run to her for protection. This curious circumstance spread far and wide, and proved a great attraction for the house. For the Rat was as tame as a Kitten, and would allow any of the children or the customers to nurse and play with him.
But, however, to the great sorrow of the landlords and their patrons, a traveller one day called and, in the absence of the Cat, his Dog killed poor Master Rat. This was not only a pitiable affair, but a great loss to the landlords; for there is no doubt but many a man has made his fortune by a far less pleasing and remarkable phenomenon of nature.

At the railway stables of Wolverhampton, there was a Cat which had a litter of five Kittens. Three of the Kittens were drowned shortly after their birth, and the Cat seemed much distressed at their disappearance. She soon after, however, discovered a Rat's nest with a large litter of young ones, upon which she killed the old Rat and all the litter but three, which she carried to her own nest, and suckled them with her own remaining two Kittens.

The children's picture - book of quadrupeds: and other mammalia John George Wood - 1861
"She has been known to supply the loss of her Kittens by the young of other animals; and cases are known of young Hares and Puppies having been reared by Cats. On one occasion, a Rat-catcher threw to a Cat who had lost her kittens some young Rats, and instead of tearing them to pieces she took them under her care and brought up the whole brood; and the Cat, with her strange progeny, were publicly exhibited".

Mary Howitt - 1862
This occurred at the house of a Mr. James Greenfield in Maryland, North America. The Cat had Kittens; and probably hunting for Mice, either to amuse them or for her own dinner, she carried in a young Rat, which from one cause or another wasn't only not killed amongst them, but found itself so much at home that when the little ones went to suck it did the same. The servants, being witnesses of this strange fact, went to inform their master and he ordered the Rat and the Kittens to be carried downstairs and laid on the floor. The mother followed them as she was sure to do, licked them all over and then was allowed to carry them away, which she did in her mouth, treating the Rat with just as much tenderness as the Kittens.
(Image a little upwards through this URL)
http://books.google.com.ar/books?id=UsYBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=%22mother+cat%22+young+rat&source=bl&ots=wMoKAB9WID&sig=NTUTy08QaZglNuPkoE0zTGNvq-Y&hl=es&ei=2EWzTLCIE4OC8gae87GdCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDAQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22mother%20cat%22%20young%20rat&f=false

Some years ago, a young Rat was found sucking from a Cat along with the Kittens.

Thursday, February 17 - 1876
A curiosity in natural history can be witnessed at the residence of Mr. Fisher, Hokitika, in the shape of a Cat suckling a young Rat in company with her two Kittens.

CAT SUCKLING A RAT. - Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 94
12 September, 1877
An old friend, Mr John Stuart, of Helensbrough, sends us a letter this week, from which we take the following: There was a strange thing brought to my notice the other night when passing my friend. He called me to see what he had got in a barrel; and on looking in, there was a Cat with two Kittens and a young Rat suckling. Mr. M. says the Cat allows it to play with her like one of her own Kittens. The strange thing is that, not only is this Cat known all round as one of the most determined ratters about the town, but only the day before she killed (as is believed) this very young Rat's father and mother, and four of the family but this one she took to her nest beside her Kittens. The Rat has now been five days with the Cat, and she must have been suckling it most of the time, or it would have died before this time, as it cannot get away to get anything.

Nyack, June 1, 1878
THE ROCKLAND COUNTY JOURNAL
A Rat Nursed by a Cat
A correspondent writes from Meriden, Conn., to The Turff: We have something in the shape of a local curiosity, or, it would be more proper to state, a specimen of animal instinct for once overcome. A certain storekeeper, a dealer in newspapers, confectionery, etc., had a Cat that had a small Kitten. When this Kitten was about two weeks old, a young Rat, also of about the same age, was brought into the store for the old Cat to eat for her dinner; but instead of eating it, she took it in her mouth and carried it to the nest of her Kitten and left it there. Young Mr. Rat seemed to like his new quarters well as he nestled by the Kitten. The old Cat continued to nurse both Kitten aud Rat, and the three lived in contentment. The little Rat went out of the nest once during last week, but returned of his own accord. The owner had a wire cage built for the trio to inhabit, which was convenient for all. But the door to the cage was narrow, and as the Cat and Rat attempted to come out together the other day, the little Rat was squeezed to death. So Mr. Rat was cast away, and for two days the old Cat mewed and smelt around for her lost protégé.

Intellect in Brutes
Dudgeon, P. Nature, Volume 20, Issue 499, pp. 77
1879
Some years ago the late Hon. Marmaduke Maxwell, of Terregles, took me to his stable to show me a Cat which was at the time bringing up a family of young Rats. The Cat some weeks previously had a litter of five Kittens, three were taken away and destroyed shortly after their birth; next day it was found that the Cat had replaced her lost Kittens by three young Rats which she nursed with the two remaining Kittens; a few days afterwards the two Kittens were taken away, and the Cat very shortly replaced them by two more young Rats, and at the time I saw them, the young Rats -which were confined in an empty stall- were running about quite briskly, and about one-third grown.
The Cat happened to be out when we went into the stable, but came in before we left; she immediately jumped over the board into the stall, and lay down; her strange foster family at once ran under her and commenced sucking. What renders the circumstance more extraordinary is, that the Cat was kept in the stable as a particularly good ratter.

"National Live Stock Journal". Old Fulton NY Post Cards
Brookfield, NY Courier, 1882
Young Rats Nursed by a Cat.
A few years ago, when visiting a neighbour's house, it was mentioned in the course of conversation that there was a singular case of a Cat having adopted children from a nest of one of her natural victims. On my expressing a wish to witness this phenomenon, I was at once taken to the stable yard, and there shown a fine female Cat nursing a family composed of two Kittens and two handsome young Rats, the whole four living in perfect harmony.
On my inquiring the history of this remarkable group, I was informed by the coachman in charge that shortly after the Cat mother had given birth to a litter of Kittens she had been deprived by him of all but three. The mother evidently did not approve of this reduction in her family, became restless for a time, and, on her again settling down, it was discovered she had replaced one of her murdered children by a fine young Rat. Seeing this, and knowing that Rats were too numerous to please the gamekeeper, the coachman determined to destroy one of the three remaining Kittens, which was done.
On the following morning the coachman, on visiting the Cat's nursery, was not a little surprised to discover that the mother, in lieu of her murdered offspring had introduced into her nursery a second young Rat. The two Kittens, in company with the two Rats, had been impartially nursed, and were, when I saw them, living in perfect harmony. They were at that time about two months old, and were residing together in an old wine case, with a piece of wire netting thrown over the top. The young Rats were pretty looking, sleek creatures, with bright brown eyes, and evidently well nourished. They were, however, of different dispositions, for while the one would with confidence return the visitor's gaze, the other disliked being looked at by strangers, and would on the approach of the latter make rather frantic endeavours to conceal itself amongst the fur of its foster mother.
This story has a sad ending (not because the Cat suddenly killed her new babies), and I didn't want to bring it here.

Ashburton Guardian
Putanga 2094, 22 Poutiterangi, 1889
Page 2
A Queer Family - A peculiar freak of nature is now, we (Press) understand, to be seen at the Wellington Meat Export Company Freezing Works, Waterloo Quay, in the shape of a Cat suckling two young Rats and two Kittens. We hear it is the intention of the engineer in charge of the establishment to have a case made for the family so as to see what will be the end of the unnatural motherly affection on the part of the Cat when the Rats grow to an eatable size.

Image from a book - Yellow domestic Cat mothering one Kitten and five baby Muskrats. Courtesy of Stanley C. Arthur Group in Milwaukee Museum, by Carl Akeley, 1890

The 1897 Judd translation of this classic by Wundt - Outlines of psychology
Many animals will hatch any kind of eggs placed under them, or rear the young of other animals; thus a hen has been induced to brood over young Weasels, and a Cat suckled young Rats in the place of the Kittens she had lost.

Evening Post, 8 January 1898
In a workman's room at Parkhead, Glasgow, in November of last year, anyone might have seen a Cat nursing a young Rat with three of her own Kittens. The Kittens of a Cat belonging to Mr. Mc. Farlane of Woodside, near Coupar Angus, had been killed by a Dog. The bereaved mother forthwith collected five young Mice and lavished them upon the milk and affection for which her maternal feelings compelled her to find an outlet.

HAMMONTON, 3ST. J., JULY 13, 1901
MICE ADOPTED BY A CAT
Three of Them Take the Place of Kittens that met untimely death.
Kate, the little striped Cat that has been a pet at the Louisville (Ky.) Union Station for the last year, has been tenderly caring for an adopted family consisting of three Mice. The little Cat was picked up on tho street about a year ago by Night Watchman Timmons.
Since then she has been the common property of every one at the station. She is unusually small for a mature Cat.
About two weeks ago Kate had her first family of Kittens and she was very proud of them. While she was out foraging a stray Dog happened in and when Kate got back she found only the lifeless remains of her little family left. She gave many slgns of her grief for about a week.
Then some of the workman at the station who were tearing up the floor uncovered a nest of Mice. The old Mouse was killed and Kate was called to make a rich meal of the three Mice that were left. She answered the call of the men, smelied the tiny black Mice, and rolled them tenderly about in their nest.
Then, one at a time, she lifted them and carried them, carefully into the baggage-room. The adopted ones were deposited In Kate's basket in the baggage-room, where they remained ever since.
The Cat seems to take as much pride in the Mice as she did in her Kittens, and spends most of her time nursing and licking them.

Daily Iowa State Press - 09-26-1901
Louisville reports a Cat that has adopted Mice babies in the nest. Perhaps she was a nest full of baby Mice. The Cat Kate, a little striped mouser that has been a pet at the Tenth Street Union station for a year past. Two weeks ago Kate had her first family of Kittens. A Dog killed them all during her absence, and her mother heart was sad. Just then some of the workmen about the station, tearing up a portion of the floor, uncovered a nest of Mice. They killed the mother Mouse and called Kite to feast upon the three tiny Mice babies in the nest. Perhaps she was thinking of her own recent loss. At any rate she lifted the wee Mice one at a time and carried them carefully into the baggage room and placed them in her basket, where they have since remained. Kate is apparently as proud of her adopted children as she could have been of her own, but the railroad men predict that when the foundlings grow large enough to leave they will desert Kate for their own free life.

NEW YORK DAILY TRIBUNE. SUNDAY. JUNE 21, 1903
CAT ADOPTS YOUNG RATS.
Four weeks ago a Cat, the property of Hans Hansen, a grocer of Muskegon. Mich., gave birth to a litter of Kittens. Mr. Hansen. who is as well known in Muskegon as a power in the ward in which he lives as Squire McMullen was ever known in Philadelphia, was making some alterations in his store, and three days after three Kittens were born the labourers who were excavating for a cellar foundation discovered a nest of young Rats, whose mother had evidently been frightened away from them by the onslaught of the shovellers. The men decided that the young Rats would make a nutritious feed for the mother Cat, and, collecting them, they carried the vermin to the empty bin in the store where the Cat and her little family were housed. The Rats were thrown in and the feelings of the onlookers can be better imagined than described when they saw the Cat lick and pet the little animals Instead of making an onslaught on them.
Up to the present writing the Cat has faithfully and jealously guarded and nursed the young Rats, and it is a noticeable and peculiar met that the whole nature of the Rats appears to differ from that of their progenitors. They play and frisk with the Kittens and jump all over the back of the old mother, who play, with them. It is truly a happy family. When the news of the peculiar case became bruited abroad crowds flocked to Mr. Hansen's Store to see the animals. Those who saw. told other doubting Thomases, and they also inspected, going away wondering.
The great Interest now is to find out whether the family will continue to live in harmony. Despite the peculiar makeup of her family the Cat continues to retain her well earned reputation as a "ratter”. She has killed many vermin since she adopted the Rats. (Philadelphia Press).

Nelson Evening Mail, 20 October, 1904
Cats are supposed to be the natural enemies of Rats, but in Auckland just now there's a Cat who has actually breastfed two of these rodents when two of the litter had been destroyed. The mother seemed perfectly satisfied with her new children and the Rats apparently flourished under their strange mother, for they were in excellent condition when found.

The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times Wednesday 8 March, 1905
CAT SUCKLING A RAT!
On Sunday several residents, including Sub-Inspector Palmer and Police Constable Montgomery, witnessed a sight that is of sufficiently rare occurrence to be chronicled. On certain premises not very far from the police court they saw a Cat suckling a Kitten and a Rat! Contrary to nature the small rodent was taking its share just as easily and comfortably as the Kitten, and although the Rat was held up to the Cat so that she might see it, yet she disdained the idea that she did not know of its existence and allowed it to resume sucking. The prophecy of the Lion and Lamb lying down together has, therefore, been anticipated by such enemies as the Cat and Rat being found on such familiar and friendly terms. It is surmised that the young Rat has been brought to the Kitten 'by its mother and after a time partaking of the same smell as her own progeny, was allowed to obtain nourishment with the Kitten. By Monday morning, however, the Rat had disappeared, and it is supposed that a Terrier on the premises devoured it.

The evening world. (New York, N.Y.)
February 14, 1908
CAT MOTHERS FAMILY OF SIX YOUNG RATS - YORK
In defiance of all natural instinct a house Cat on the farm of Joseph McDonald in Lower Windsor Township hills county has for the past week been mothering a family of six young Rats. One day last week the farmer honed a bin in his barn and a big Rat scampered out in a corner. It left six tiny young and for extermination McDonald tossed his house Cat to them. He was astonished to see the animal at once curl her body in a protecting manner about the shivering little creatures. Many of the neighbours came to witness the unusual sight until the Cat for the safety of the litter carried them one by one in her mouth to a more secluded part of the barn. Farmer McDonald secured a club and killed them.

Citizen (Berea, Ky.): Thursday, July 2, 1908.
"A story from York, Pa. about the Cat mothering a family of six Rats makes the most prominent members of Nature Fakers organization look like tyros".

MARGARETVILLE, FRIDAY APRIL, 1909
Strange Freak of a Cat. William McDonald of Davenport has a freak, in the nature of an adopted Rat by one of his Cats, About three Weeks ago the Cat gave birth to four Kittens and, in a few days, one died. Last week the Cat caught a young Rat and has adopted it, the Rat nursing the Cat the same as its three little brother or sister Kittens.

Hopkinsville Kentuckian - July 22, 1909
MATERNAL INSTINCTS
Cat Adopts Rat to Take Place of One of Her Litter St. Louis Mo., July 19
To fill a vacancy in her litter one of which 1 died, an old black Cat owned by George Link adopted a big Rat about the size of the Kittens. Whether by coercion, love or force, the Rat is making itself at home in the little family and plays about with the Kittens under the watchful eye of mama Cat.

The Evening News - Jul. 23, 1909
Cat adopts white Rat Greensburg, Ind., July 23
Ed Hamilton, living north of this city, has a Maltese Cat that adapts herself to circumstances when dealing with Rats. The Cat is a good ratter, having killed hundreds in her six years of life. A few days ago she gave birth to seven Kittens and Ed killed all but one. Mrs. Hamilton visited the barn yesterday and found that the Cat had two young ones in the nest. She watched for a while and saw that the Cat was equally attentive to both little ones, but on examination she found that one was a young Rat. Mr. Hamilton immediately killed the little Rat, but regrets doing so, as there is much speculation as to how the Cat would have treated the adopted youngster after it had grown to Rat size.

The Victoria Advocate - Aug. 25, 1910
Little Rat Adopted and cared for by a Cat along with her Kittens East Moline - Aug. 23
The strangest thing that any inhabitant whereabouts claims to have seen is the sight of a Maltese Cat nursing a Rat among her own four Kittens. The Cat and her composite family are now on exhibition at the City Hotel. A gray Maltese Cat recently gave birth to four Kittens, which have not as yet got their eyes open. Monday the odd Cat was seen coming from a barn nearby with a little Rat in her mouth. The Cat has always been a terror for Rats and Mice in the neighbourhood. The Cat carried the little thing by the neck, in the same manner that she always carried her own little Kittens, to the box in the kitchen in which was her own little family, and placed the little stranger inside; and there it remained ever since. The Cat nurses the little Rat, licks it and takes care of it just the same as she does with each one of her Kittens.

THE CALL - SAN FRANCISCO. April 8, 1911
CAT ADOPTS 3 BABY RATS MADE ORPHANS BY HERSELF - LOS ANGELES, April 7.
After killing a large Rat, Polly, a striped Cat, given a home in a laundry in this city, has adopted its three baby Rats and is raising them with the one Kitten which remains of the four recently born to purrs contentedly over them and shows no disposition to kill the Rats. Scores have seen them and they have been photographed to substantiate the story that seems at variance with the nature of Cats. It is believed the mother instinct in Polly saved the little Rats. Rats and Kitten are nestled together in one box with the Cat.

Sioux County Herald - 8-22-1912
Cat Nurses Rats. Hamilton, Ohio
Employers of the Goodman paper plant found a Cat some days ago acting as a mother to a nest of eight young Rats, found by the employees after they had killed the mother Rat. The Cat was taking care of the young Rats as if they were her own offspring. Bets were offered and taken that pussy would, in time, yield to temptation, and eat one just for luck. That is just what she did and bets were paid, but there are seven more left and even money still prevails. This first test is not considered a fair one, as the dope on the form sheet is. One of the workmen at the mill found one of the Rats playing outside its cage and, picking it up, was bitten in the finger. He quickly tossed the rodent to the cement floor, stunning it, and then placed the young Rat in the Cat's crib. Her devouring of it and her returning to the care of her strange family is all out as animal instinct.

Kentucky New Era - Oct. 11, 1912
Cat mothers Rats
A Cat at Cate's mill lost her litter of Kittens this week and about the same time the mother of a family of six Rats died or was killed leaving her offspring uncared for. The disconsolate mother adopted the young Rats and mothered them in the most solicitous manner for a day and a night, but the inexorable law in all mills that every possible Rat shall be killed prevailed in this case and the mill employs put an end to the unusual domestic arrangement.
(Another beautiful story, with a sad ending...)

The Spokeman Review - 11 Nov, 1912
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19121111&id=L_BVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=teADAAAAIBAJ&pg=1651,5275396
Kittens Dead, Cat Mothers Litter Of Rats Found In Chinese Store
The spectacle of an old Cat mothering five young Rats was witnessed by several chinese when preparations were being made by them to move from the old Lotus block, just back of the city hall on Trent Avenue, last week.
Ah Woo, employed as a clerk by one of the importing concerns, found the Cat and the strange litter. The Cat had made a sort of bed of rags in a far corner of the kitchen back of an old box used for coal and wood.
The Cat is probably ten years old and had been with the chinese all her life and was regarded as a good Rat catcher.
About a month ago the feline, who answers to the name of "Ah Back Seld", gave birth to a family of Kittens. The Kittens all died soon after birth.
A few days later, according to Ah Woo, the Cat brought in a large female Rat she had killed. After that she was seldom seen, and this was remarked upon, as it was her custom to stay in the room with the men, especially in the evening.
(Part of the text; the ending seems to be so sad once more).
In Page 3

English Mouse suckled by a Cat in 1916

EUCALOL: Card #1 from Series 235 (Believe it or Not)

Spokane Daily Chronicles - Sep. 13, 1918
Cat mothers Rats with her Kittens
A Cat owned by Ben Price, a grocer, has three Kittens and along with these Kittens she is mothering three young Rats, says a report from Huntington, West Virginia. Rats and Kittens play together in a box provided for them, and whenever the Rats stray away the mother goes forth and brings them back, the same as she does with her Kittens.

THE CATO CITIZEN AND TRI-COUNTY LEADER THURSDAY.
JUNE 19, 1919
CAT ADOPTS BABY RATS
Takes Two Into Nest With Kittens; Nurses Them Tenderly.
Indianapolis. Cats and Rats are traditional enemies, but Jerry, a Cat at No. 4 fire house, at West and Morris streets, has upset all tradition. She is the mother of four black and white Kittens about two weeks old. A week ago a nest of baby Rats was uncovered in a building across the street from the fire house and two of the baby Rats were brought to the fire house as toothsome dainties for Jerry and placed on the floor in front of her. Jerry immediately carried them into her nest, picking them up by the back of the neck as carefully as she would her own Kittens. By her behaviour she made it known that she wished to adopt the baby Rats as her own, and for the last week she has been nursing and fondling them with all the mother instinct shown toward her Kittens.
Michael M. Mountain, captain of the No. 4 company, says that she appears to be even more concerned over the welfare to her adopted babies than she is over her own. News of Jerry and her strange family has spread over the neighbourhood and she is receiving many callers.

April 7, 1921 - The New York Times
Mouse in the litter cared for by a Cat
Leviston, Me., Apr. 6. - The discovery that his grocery Cat was mothering a Mouse with her own litter of Kittens astonished Charles Dub and his customers today. Snuggled together in the bottom of a rain barrel the rodent and the Kittens seemed a happy family, with all sharing in the food supply.

The Milwaukee Journal - Ago. 29, 1921
Motherly Cat adopts a Rat
Rocky Mount. N. C. - Two small Kittens and a young Rat make the happy family of a fond mother Cat at Enfield, according to J. T. Ethridge, who took a peep into a barrel which serves as the family home. The mother Cat, according to Ethridge, found two Kittens many days ago, and on the day after the Kittens came caught a young Rat and carried it to her barrel home. Evidently the mother instinct got the better of her on else, the Kittens and the Rat developed a case of love at first sight, for the mother speedily changed her killing intentions and welcomed the Rat into the freedom of her home. Now she is nursing the Rat and the two Kittens, while the adopted member has developed into an affectionate youngster, playing with his mother and licking her fondly as do the young Kittens. On top of that the new life appears to be agreeing with the rodent, as he has grown considerably since his adoption. (Maybe the most beautiful story of all these, with the Rat son fondling her, because it also comes to prove that Rats and Mice can really thrive with Cat mother's milk).

The Deseret News - Mar. 14, 1922
Cat mothers Rats with litter of Kittens and breaks previous records. Bloomington, Ills., March 15. By mothering two infant Rats with her newborn Kittens, Susie, a Cat in the blacksmith shop of Jack Crawford, breaks down all previous suppositions of Cats. Last Sunday, she added four small Cats to the feline population of the world. Soon afterward, Lou Wright, a neighbour, thinking to give Susie a treat, took her to a nest where there were five newborn Rats. Instead of making them a meal, Susie started to purr, and laid down and played with the strangers. However, she remembered her own waiting children and carried two of the Rats back to her family home, in a cupboard in the blacksmith shop. Susie struts and purrs when complimented on her unique motherhood, while four Kittens and two infant Rats crawl over each other on the floor.

The Fayetteville Bulletin - June 1, 1923
Cat mothers Rat when Kittens die.
York, Pennsylvania. A Cat in the fibber board plant here is mothering a Rat which she adopted when her three Kittens died. The Rat and the Cat are together constantly and never fight.

Popular Science - Aug. 1923
Store Cat mothers Mice The show window of a Los Angeles, Calif., store was the place chosen by Betty, the office Cat, to nurse a brood of Mice. Beautiful picture here:
http://books.google.com.ar/books?id=2igDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=%22cat+mothers+mice%22&source=bl&ots=2XiMeDabKJ&sig=ZqzGBKMI_tpJ8-aIr9H6H_1YRIc&hl=es&ei=zufNS633NsGLuAf9jZkt&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22cat%20mothers%20mice%22&f=false

Robesonian - 10-11-1923
CAT ADOPTS MICE
Dr. T. A. Norment states that on Tuesday morning he found a live Mouse being kept warm by a Cat and Kittens on his premises. Thinking the Mouse must be dead or badly injured and that the Cat had it nested away just to play with, he took it from the nest and examined it, finding it perfectly alive and showing no signs of mistreatment. He put it back, returned that Wednesday, and found two Mice bedding with the Cat. All seemed happy and contented.

Tyrone Daily Herald - 09-05-1924
Cat Adopts Rats
There is a Cat in Monkton, N. R. that has adopted five young Rats. The Cat feeds the Rats and any time she calls they go into her and nestle around as Kittens would. The Rats are about a month old and the owner of the Cat has made quiet a sum of money exhibiting the quaint family

1924 - The Life Of The Bat
"The same Nique, having only three Kittens of her own, conscientiously nursed a white Rat I had added to her brood. I even think she felt for this animal, which must have seemed to her timid and ill begotten, more solicitude than for the others. A month later the three Kittens and the Rat played together under the vigilant eye of the mother. Yet I must remark that this creature from the Far East was a ferocious and exemplary Rat catcher. After seven years the Rat nursed by the Siamese Cat lives on, but he is turning grey, and that means old age for a Rat, too".

IRONWOOD, MICHIGAN, TUESDAY EVENING, JUNE 25, 1929
Cat Mothers 5 Young Rats
Chicago, June 25
Molly, the big Maltese Cat who has been the scourge of Rats at the Sangamon Paper Grading company warehouse, has become foster mother to five young unweaned Rats. A porter last night came upon the Cat and her adopted brood, and, not believing his eyes, called his boss. Later newspaper cameramen made a photographic record of what would have seemed without it to be hardly plausible. The opinion was expressed that Molly had killed the mother of the brood and then had assumed the maternal role herself. She refuses to permit anyone to take the tiny Rats from her.

Papers Past Evening Post, Rōrahi CXII, Putanga 98, 22 Whiringa-ā-nuku
1931
Cat mothers baby Rat
A strange case is reported from the residence of Mr. J. Parkin, of Maunu Road, Whangarei, namely, that of a Cat mothering a baby Rat (states a local correspondent). Mr. Parking was digging in his garden and discovered a nest of young Rats. He killed all but one, which he told one of his children to give to the Cat. It was placed with the Kittens and their mother, but the Cat made no attempt to kill it. The Cat has three Kittens about two and a half weeks old, and the Rat is estimated to be about the same age. When the baby Rat nestles against the Cat, it is usually found among the three Kittens, and it appears to have become one of the family, not only feeding with, but playing with the Kittens.

The Montreal Gazette - 10 May, 1931
Cat nurses Fox pups, Rat
St. Martins, N. B. A Cat owned by Mrs. And Mr. Errol Miller here has mothered a young Rat, two black Fox pups and a Kitten. All at the same time. The Cat had three Kittens, two of which were removed from the nest and the Fox pups substituted. Later the Rat cuddled up with the group and was nursed by tabby without discrimination.
(This story had another sad ending due to a decision of the owners...)

Jun. 1931
Cat Mothers White Mice
PATSY, pet Cat of Miss Madge Mahoney, of Brooklyn, must have read all about the peace talk in Washington and decided to take it to heart, for she has put aside all her feline hatred of her age-old enemies, Rats, and is mothering four white rodents as if they were her Kittens.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette - June 24, 1931
Cat mothers Mouse
Escanaba, Mich. Mr. Arthur Gaumont of Masonville, near here, has a Cat who is mothering a baby Mouse in addition to two Kittens. When Tabby washes her little ones, the Mouse also receives a bath. No one knows how the Mouse got into the box with the Kittens, but it has been there ever since last Friday.

TERRIL RECORD - 4 / 27 / 1933
Cat Mothers Baby Rats With Her Kittens
Henryetta, Okla. (UP) - An ordinary black and yellow speckled house Cat has adopted two Rats to raise along with her brood of four Kittens at the Miracle Sweet Feed mill here. E. A. Croom, part owner of the mill, found a nest of young Rats in the building. Intending to furnish a wholesome meal for the mother Cat and her four young ones, Croom placed the baby Rats in the Cat's pen. Instead of devouring them, however, the sympathetic cat promptly began to mother them.

Reading Eagle - 5 Sep. 1935
CAT MOTHERS MOUSE - Baraboo, Wis. - (U.P).
A mother Cat has added a Mouse to her family of four Kittens at Harry Simmon's Farm.
The mother, Mouse and Kittens are the best of pals, Simmons said.

THE MANSFIELD NEWS-JOURNAL
THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1936
CAT MOTHERS MOUSE
LONDON - A Cat mothering a Mouse?
Ed Myers, guard captain at the London prison farm, said a Cat at his farm home is raising an orphan Mouse and a Rabbit.

The Free Lance Star - May 4, 1936
Cat mothers infant Mouse Portsmouth, Va., May 4. (AP).
K. T. Beauchamp of Cradock, Norfolk County, believes he has a Cat that can qualify for a place in Ripley's "Believe it or not" Department. The Cat is caring of a brood of Kittens. Among the brood is a Mouse which the mother Cat is feeding and caring for as one of her own. Since Cats are accustomed to feasting on Mice and Rats, Mr. Beauchamp's may be considered in a class by herself.

The Deseret News - Oct. 24, 1936
Cat mothers a Rat
Bubbins, the mother Cat, had that motherly feeling when Bob, the Rat, arrived to the scene some weeks ago. Since then she has taken care of him as though he were her own baby Kitten instead of a Rat, which, under ordinary circumstances, she would have very much to eat. Both are owned by Mrs. Ethel Main, Sacramento. However, there came a time when Bob's nose was kind of out of place, so to speak, for his mother had a family of her own. A picture of Bob was snapped when he was trying to share a meal with the three baby Kittens, but without much success. Bob was not entirely deserted, though, as can be seen by the unusual pose in another picture which shows Bubbin's and her new child eating together.

Sarasota Herald - May 22, 1937
Cat mothers Rat Johnston City, Ills.
Tabby, a store Cat, recently mothered three Kittens and a baby Rat. She brought the rodent home from a foraging expedition and dropped it in the nursery. At feeding time the foreigner nursed with the Kittens and was accepted peacefully. After feeding time, Tabby washed her baby along with her offspring.

WOODBRIDGE LEADER - JOURNAL, JANUARY 21, 1938
CAT MOTHERS RAT
Danville, Va. - A mother Cat caught a Wharf Rat and gave it to her three Kittens to play with. Now the Rat nurses with the Kittens and the strangely assorted family lives in apparently complete harmony.

1938 - Cat Adopts Rat: Johnnie, a baby Muskrat, was discovered by Fred S. Parmaiee, who was plowing a corn field. At first the Parmalee family fed Johnnie with a spoon. One morning they found the house Cat nursing Johnnie along with her own four tiny, day-old Kittens. She has mothered him ever since.
Cass City Chronicles

The Miami News - 14 May, 1939
Atlanta, May 13 - Baby Rats suckled by Cat.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19390514&id=7mAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5tcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1566,1599965
An unusual phenomenon took place at the home of W. L. Zimmerman, residing near Nashville, Tenn., when six motherless baby Rats took refuge with a barnyard mother Cat, after she had lost all but one of her new-born Kittens. The little rodents made themselves right at home, and neither the Cat nor her strange bed-mates seemed to mind.
In Page 20

SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1941
CAT AND MOUSE PALS
Minneapolis, Minn. (UP) - A white Mouse belonging to Marshall Couch, 17, not only plays with the Couch family Cat, eats from the same dish, sleeps in the same box, but the Cat is nursing a litter of Mice.

TORHANCE HERALD - Torrance, California
THURSDAY. APRIL 17, 1941
CAT ADOPTS TWO RATS
ASHTABULA. O. (U.P.)
NEWS OF THE DAY
Bone, a large tiger-striped Cat, has adopted two baby Rats into her family of Kittens. The four nurslings play and feed together.

Cat adopts young Rat, Rodent thrives on new formula - August 7, 1943
When five three day-old Kittens open their eyes at the Production Engineering Plant, 9th St. and Dwight way, they will find a little brother who will surprise them. For mama Cat, big hearted feline that she is, has adopted a baby Rat as a sixth member of the family. Plant employs tell that an old shed torn down on the place uncovered a Rat's nest with five Rats apparently the same age as the Kittens. Inspired by the Berkeley's Anti-Rats Campaign, workers slaughtered the young rodents, but not before the Cat had effected a rescue. Picking up one Ratling by the neck she bore it off triumphantly to the family home where she proceeded to give it liquid refreshment. The Rat, approximately the same size as his brothers and sisters, is reported to be thriving on its present formula.
(And in this case, the question is that she rescued him... Just like she would have made with them all if she could have done it. A very good proof of her intentions toward the little baby who was loosing his brothers).

The Register Guard, Eugene, Oregon - Oct. 12, 1943
Cat adopts baby Rat to replace Kitten!
Sacramento - A pet Cat, used to keep Rats out of the Sacramento Wool Company, gave birth to seven Kittens. But one of Pachita's new arrivals died. So she found a baby Rat, adopted it, and now feeds, washes, and takes care of the Rat like one of her own Kittens. She carefully runs off other Cats who are still good mousers.

LIFE - Google Books, 4 / 22 / 1946
"Mother Cats in Texas, Washington, New York and other places have adopted baby Rats or Mice and nursed them along with their own Kittens".

Friday, June 18, 1947
CAT MOTHERS 4 CATS, 3 RATS
ONECO, 111
Brownie, the Cat, has added three baby Rats, about the size of mature Mice, to her family, which already included four Kittens. The Cat adopted the Rats after catching them in the store of her owner, Stanley Becker, and feeds them along with her Kittens.

Cat Adopts Three Rats - Ottawa Citizen - May 21, 1947
Oneco, AP. Strange bedfellows occupy a nursery set up in a box in the Stanley Becker Store. In addition to her four Kittens, Brownie, a four year old Cat, is feeding three newborn Rats, about the size of mature Mice. Brownie adopted the Rats after catching them in the premises. Her Kittens are about three weeks old.

(Year unknown, I chose the 50's...)
http://video.excite.co.jp/player/?id=99bacf4a1b447270&title=che+ha+appena+partorito+allatta+anche+un+topo

Reading Eagle - March 22, 1950
Jersey City: Minnie, the railroad Cat, has temporarily abandoned her reputation as a good mouser to adopt a baby Mouse. She added the baby to her litter of three Kittens yesterday and since then the Mouse is one of the family.

Herald Journal - Jun 29, 1950 - Cat Nurses Rats
Copenhagen - Farmer Christian Harpoeth of Toender, South Jutland, found his Cat nursing 5 well-fed young Rats. Some time ago her Kittens had been drowned and since then, the Cat had hidden. When traced she was taking care of the Rats. Now she is mourning the loss of her other children, who had been drowned, too.
(How bad for those who did that... And what a love of hers to cry for some little Rats to whom besides she was mothering...)

Here should be Thelma, the Cat of the first picture, for being who more baby Rats nursed at a time, and only to them.

RONWOOD DAILY GLOBE, RONWOOD, MICHIGAN
Tuesday May 8, 1951
Seattle, UP
Cat Mothers Rats
Paul Holmes mother Cat didn't waste any time grieving when one of her Kittens died.
She promptly headed into a nearby woodland and returned shortly with a new baby in her mouth.
The new baby -now nursed by the mother Cat- is a Rat.
"The Mouse actually is the best eater of the family and often lingers after the Kittens have left the table".
The Milwaukee Journal - Aug. 2, 1951
Cat takes on role on her Rat victim.
Vancouver, B. C.: Dopey, a white and Black Cat from a warehouse, must have been remorseful. Five baby Rats became orphans when she killed a large mother Rat in her prowling by the warehouse. Now the Cat is feeding a little Rat and two litters of Kittens. The other four Rat babies died later. Dopey is mothering her own Kittens and her daughter's, who passed after two weeks since giving birth.

Newspapers - The Singapore Free Press
18 May 1954 - Page 8
CAT MOTHERED RATS - When her Kittens were destroyed, a Cat owned by Mr. P Poynter of Denton, Norfolk adopted two baby Rats found on the farm. But Mrs. Poynter objected strongly when, alter growing up, they ran all over the house. So they, too, have just been destroyed.

The Straits Times (Singapore) - March 15, 1955
Osaka, Japan: A Cat here is nursing her four Kittens and a Rat

Reading Eagle - March 24, 1955
Ohara, Japan: Seikichi Yamaguchi's Cat, Koma, blissfully nurses her 4 Kittens, and a 6-inch Rat. A pet Cat's maternal instinct has made her overlook the fact that one of the youngsters she’s nursing happens to be a baby Rat.

Mason City Globe Gazette
MASON CITY, IOWA, MONDAY, APRIL 29, 1957
http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=108885168This peaceful maternal scene is enacted daily in the storeroom of a Los Angeles coffee shop.
Yes, that's Baby, a mother Cat, nursing a Mouse! Baby's job is to keep Mice out of the storeroom, but the Mouse squeezed in with Baby's newest litter of four Kittens and "mom" doesn't seem to mind. The Mouse actually is the best eater of the "family" and often lingers after the Kittens have left the table.

Times Daily - Apr. 29, 1957
Los Angeles - Ever heard of a Cat adopting a black field Mouse? Baby, Al Orozco's Cat, had four Kittens recently. Orozco, admiring the Kittens, was amazed to find a field Mouse contentedly nursing with the Kittens. "She thinks more of that Mouse than she does of her Kittens", said Orozco. "She keeps the Mouse spotless, always nuzzling it and licking it". "What a Cat", Orozco said, "Know why we got her. To keep Mice out of the storeroom- and just look at her..."

The Singapore Free Press, 14 April 1960, Page 6
Odd things animals do
In a village 80 miles from Saigon, a Cat suckles three Mice. The owner of the Cat, a farmer, finds it difficult to move around his house because of the crowd of unbelievers. While the sight is understandably surprising, it also shows up how our minds are filled with preconceived notions about what is natural in life. The Cat suckling three Mice destroys an established concept of what is natural. Will the South-Africans, for instance, ever shatter their concept of black being an unnatural colour for human beings?

The All-American Show System for 1963-64
By Mrs. A. M. Dickie
The Maternal instinct is so strong in Cats that they have been known to suckle puppies, Rabbits and even Rats. In a certain stable there was a stall in which five young Rats were playing. A mother Cat had five Kittens, three of which were taken from her and drowned. Pussy went to the stall caught up two of the little Rats, suckled them and brought them up, which was all the more remarkable as she was a noted enemy and hunter of Rats and Mice.
Denlinger.

Apr. 15, 1965 - Reading Eagle
Cat adopts Mouse
Palermo, Sicily (UPI):
A mother Cat, suckling three Kittens, has adopted a fourth infant: a tiny Mouse. Pensioner Biaggio Martillaro, who owns the Cat, says that the Mouse bumped into the Kittens a week ago, stayed to play with them and was adopted into the family.
(There had to be one also in this year…)

Jul. 1, 1967 - The Owosso Argus Press
Cat nurses baby Rats
Albuquerque, N. M. - A four year old Siamese Cat is nursing four baby Rats along with her five Kittens at the home of Dan Juech. The baby Rats were brought home by one of the family's youngsters who held the Cat's mouth until she got used to the idea.

The Evening Independent - Jun. 24, 1970
Cat mothers Rat Spooky, a mama Cat owned by Mr. and Mrs. Donald Guidry of Atlanta, Tex., evidently hasn't heard that Cats and Rats just aren't supposed to fraternize. Spooky took the tiny Wood Rat to raise along with her Kittens.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19700624&id=Sm5IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PlcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4626,5688793
(Spooky)

(Taken from an edition translated and published by Charles Schindler in 1976 from Hergiswil, Switzerland).
"A third example is a story describing how a Cat on a strip sailing from New York to Hamburg whose Kittens had been thrown into the sea, took young Rats out of their nest to mother them".

Ocala Star Banner - 25 Jul. 1977
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19770725&id=_J5PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6QUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3363,5387145
Fluff, a Cat at the J&H Feed Store in Greeneville, Tenn., ate the parents of these two baby Rats on her back but decided to rear infants with her own brood of six.
Now here could be Houan, the Cat who found a baby Mouse in Thailand and adopted him instead of making a good meal; only I'm not sure if she actually gave him her mother milk.

(Where in that big ocean will be now the other pearls? ...I'm still looking for all the "Cat breastfeeds Rats/Mice" stories from 1960 to 2001).

Canadian Press - July 15, 2003 - 05:15 PM
CRANBROOK, Canada - A family awoke Tuesday to find their Cat nursing two Mice along with her seven week-old Kittens. Irene Weller said one of her daughters found some baby Mice in their home the day before. "I didn't want Mice in the house". Weller said. So the baby rodents were promptly thrown outside. But on Tuesday morning, the Wellers saw their Cat Patches nursing and caring for the Mice as if they were part of her litter. She's actually feeding the Mice. Patches was upset they weren't in the bed. All she wanted to do was lick them.
"When we put them back in the bed Patches calmed right down".

(A picture of Patches Weller, with her Mice)

Dongguan, Guangdong - 12 / 10 / 03
Deadly Huntress Mothers Potential Meal Cats are commonly thought to be every Mouse's nightmare. But a Dongguan resident surnamed Wang has learned this isn't always the case, reported Information Times.
He’s seen for himself that a Cat can be a rodent's best friend. Shortly after Wang's Cat gave birth to three Kittens, Wang caught an infant Mouse to feed the mother to keep up her strength, but he was surprised the next day to find the baby Mouse and Kittens happily playing together... And the mother even let the infant Mouse feed from her milk.

(Squirrel with one of her Rats, 2003)
(Kitty and her other children, 2003)
As she had her Kittens, in the same house a mother Rat had her babies. Suddenly the baby Rats ran to Kitty and the Cat accepted them full of happiness... But, what about the Kittens?

"Well... Given the circumstances, I found these Sweety-Baby-Kitties to nurse as my own children"
(The truth of this, at the end of the entry)

May 10, 2004
Cat gets maternal with Rats
A female Cat in Changchun, Jilin Province, shows maternal love to Rats when she breastfeeds both her own Kittens and six baby Rats at the same time. A woman has a female Cat, which recently delivered four Kittens. One of her friends later gave her six baby Rats, so that the Cat could eat them during the breastfeeding time. However, to the surprise of all, the mother feeds them too.

Cat Gives Birth To Mouse-Like Kitten (CBS4 News)
TUNISIA - Mar 13, 2006
3:47 pm US/Eastern
A Cat in Tunisia has given birth to something strange. According to the owner of the Cat, the litter included 5 regular Kittens, and one that more resembles a Mouse. The owner says the nose, mouth and ears look like that of a Mouse, but the rest of the body is that of a Cat. The mother Cat doesn’t seem to notice or mind. She's nursing and taking care of it, just like the Kittens.

2006-06-04 - 13:45:41 - China Daily
Two baby Mice rest near a Cat's head as she feeds her new litter on a farm in Dongfeng County, northeast China's Liaoning Province. The owner says she gave the Mice to the Cat to eat, but the feline soon adopted them.

August, 2006 - Cat breastfeeds Hungry Rat - In Brazil

China Pets - 2006:
Mimi Is The Mother Of Four Kittens And A Rat From China. It was one of two Rat babies that her owner brought for her, few days after Mimi gave birth. Surprisingly, Mimi cleaned them up by licking. The two Rat babies haven't opened their eyes at that time; they crawled over to Mimi, found her nipples and started drinking milk. One of her Rats passed away in an accident. However, Mimi's still breastfeeding the remaining Rat and Kittens everyday.
(Video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTd2hpt3R1c

April 11, 2007 - Mother Cat In Shijiazhuang
The Cat was brought into a children's clothing store to catch Mice, reports Yanzhao City News. Ten days ago, the Cat gave birth to five Kittens. "She stays in the box all day long, taking care of her babies, but three days ago, my colleague found a small Mouse playing with the Kittens", said a spokesman for the store in Shijiazhuang City. The Cat brought the Mouse to her residence in the market one day after she gave birth to her Kittens. "The Cat was protecting the Mouse, and would become alert if anyone came too close". The store staff threw the Mouse out once, but immediately the Cat -who dotes upon the Mouse as if it were one of her offspring-, showing distress and searching for her baby, ran to bring it back and let it play with her Kittens.

Mama Cat nurses baby Mice - 13 May 2007:
A mother Cat in the Turkish city of Zonguldak shocked her owners recently with her adopted family, a group of baby Mice she feeds alongside her own Kittens. Placed in a shed to catch Mice, the Cat, who had just given birth, began nursing and caring for the baby Mice who now sleep and play with their feline siblings.

(A Cat with her ten baby Rats, around 2007)

A Mother In A Shelter, Few Years Ago...

"Mom, Tell Them I Also Need Milk!!!"

dumbblnddzzy (10630) ranked 85 out of 5,710 in cats - 2007
http://www.mylot.com/
Yes Cat's quite often come to the rescue of some baby or another. It is quite common here in the US for this to be happening. My friends Cat nursed some Mice as the momma had died. It was the cutest thing you ever saw... Lori

(Another Cat feeding her Mouse; Flickr, around 2007)

Cat Miracles: Inspirational True Stories of Remarkable Felines - Google Books, 2008
Joseph tells an even more remarkable story in the instance of a barnyard Cat in Beaumont, Jersey, England, that adopted a baby Mouse. The Cat had eaten the little rodent's mother with great relish, but then, instead of bringing the helpless Mouse back to her own Kittens to be a live demonstration of hunting skills, the Cat had pity on the tiny thing and brought it back into her fold and began nurturing it together with her own Kittens. Several weeks later the Mouse, having survived the attentions of his feline siblings, wandered off into the nearby woods. Then, as astonishing as it may seem, the mother Cat, distraught at loosing one of her babies, yowled mournfully into the night until the wayward Mouse returned home to the strangest nest a Mouse has ever occupied.

From Topix, Local News, Honolulu Forum, 2008:
"I had a pet, momma, Tabby Cat that would nurse domesticated, irish gray, baby Rats! But, when the momma Rat came around looking for her baby Rats, the mommy would attack".

June 2008 - And A Mother In Yantai
A pet Cat in China has adopted a Rat which she is nursing alongside her four Kittens. Sun Shujun, of Yantai City, says the Rat has been living with her Cat since the Kittens were born four weeks ago. 81 year old Sun says that a neighbour came to see the Kittens on the day they were born and was amazed to see a Rat suckling alongside them. "At the beginning, I thought I must have seen wrong. So I took a flashlight and had a clear look", said the neighbour. The Rat not only drinks Cat's milk, but also plays with its Kitten brothers and sisters, according to the Qilu Evening Post. The Cat reportedly treats the Rat exactly the same as her natural Kittens and it has become part of her family. Sun reckons her maternal instincts must have overwhelmed her predatory instincts to allow her to adopt an animal she would normally see as prey.

(The Cat of Yantai, 2007)

Book "Rabbits, Cats And Cavies" - 2009
A remarkable curiosity of natural history is reported from Swanage. A Cat belonging to Miss Vincent of the Victoria Royal Hotel, was the proud mother of four Kittens, which she was rearing in a Cow shed. One of the servants on going to the shed was surprised to find a Rat suckling with the Kittens, the Cat nursing the rodent with as much solicitude as her own progeny.

December 2009
Image and link to the story of a Siamese Cat and a white Mouse, according to the description. The video, however, seems impossible to be watched...
http://www.publicworkscomics.com/search/persian-cat

With this very recent photo, one would say with 90% security, that the Cat has been nursing the Mouse... And the Cat Meeko, with her nine baby Mice, 2009 (Meeko could be actually a Tomcat, if it were not because "he" would hardly allow the little Mice to cuddle like that...)

10 October, 2010
A Cat Feeding A Small Rat in Sivasagar. My birthday present!!! - (It's October 11)
Oh, how I was waiting this... And the video appeared right in my birthday. It also must have come in the most right moment, with some threats which may come from the countries between middle East and China. This must have been the year of all those real Cats (with all the stories I found), from past, present, and of course, a future of nursing many more Rats and Mice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrngW3ldbo8

Yahoo Answers - 21 Nov 2010
"No one really owns a Cat, they cannot be possessed. As for having a Rat as a pet along with a bunch of Cats, yes, this is very possible. We had a Cat who miscarried her litter and was grieving over her loss. And a friend had 3 young Rats who had lost their mother, we put the Rats to nurse with the mama Cat and this was perfect. Our Cats accepted the new babies as part of our family. Life expectancy for Rats is only about 3 years, it was sad when they died. We were just as attached to them had they been feline children. They died within 3 to 6 months of each other. They were such little sweethearts. They never knew they were Rats.
Edited 2 months ago"

22-04-2011
http://issuu.com/dimeoxide/docs/
Page 17
"Arch-enemies form unlikely bond - Fans of cartoon nemesis Tom and Jerry have reason to be outraged over the show's factual authenticity in Thailand, Cats and rodents apparently form quite different partnerships. In Samut Prakan Province's Pra Pradaeng District, the neighbours of Sompong Koocharoen were puzzled to see a two-year-old female Cat breastfeeding a small baby Rat along with one of her own new-born Kittens.
Mrs Sompong said her Cat had just delivered three Kittens on March 1, but two of them had been separated from their mother and adopted by a friend. She said that a week after the Kittens were separated, the mother returned home with a young baby Rat -its body still red and hairless-and put it beside her Kitten.
"I thought she would give food only for her baby, but she let the Rat drink her milk along with her Kitten", Mrs. Sompong said. The unlikely family have become a neighbourhood sensation, with community members inundating the household with photo requests.
Story from Matichon Online".

"My Kitten And Them"

Red Bubble, john44 (2011, I guess).

Now we can make some counts... There were more than 35 in EEUU; one in Glasgow, 1898; one in Auckland, 1904; one in New Zealand, I think, 1931; one in Montreal, 1931; one in Ottawa, 1947; one in Copenhagen, 1950; one in Ontario (Thelma, around 1950); one in Vancouver, 1951; one in Japan, 1955; one in Corea, 1960; one in Sicilia, 1965; one in Canada, 2003; six in China, from 2003 to 2008; one in Brazil, 2006; one in Italy, 2007; one in Turkey, 2007; one in India, 2010; and one in Thailand, 2011. So where will appear the next Real Cat?

Here, something I wrote about the excellent mothers described and shown here:

At Last United
So What Has Made Our People,
From Days Forgotten,
To Fear And Chase Each Other?
And Why Did We Have To Hunt You,
If We Could Love You So Much?

The Time Had To Come For Us
In Which Cats, And Mice, And Rats,
Could At Last Unite Their Lives,
With All The Love Each One Has,
And Everyone Living Free.

For Now We Can't Stand More Chains
Than Those Of Heart, Soul And Milk...
When Your Newborns Need A Mother,
A Mother Cat There Will Be
With Mice Or Rats To Breastfeed.

Even Names Shall Be In The Past...
No Cat Will Hunt Rats And Mice.
We Just Want Them All Alive,
By Mothers Breastfeeding Babes,
And Brothers Sharing Their Meals.

And I wrote in other entry: "From the beginning of times, this was commended to us..." -referring precisely to what all these mothers did- "...And now at last we started doing it".
But now I can see that it happened through all the centuries since we started to count the time.
I also read in an article: "A Cat has been known to nurse and bring up a Rat with her own Kittens" ...But it's clear that she wasn't in any way the exception to the rule, for now the exception is a Cat who doesn't breastfeed Rats or Mice.

Image of Tantu, from Zonguldak, with one of her babies; the favourite of her, it seems.

...And of course, somebody had to give back all that love! Nothing crazy here! ...See this:
http://books.google.com.ar/books?id=cvIDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=%22mother+cat%22+nurses+mice&source=bl&ots=4N-fKuuNhb&sig=mHBGKCQLL1jmtgChnKBpPDiRAfg&hl=es&ei=K_TATKYVwf7wBpLvtdsG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CE0Q6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

Well... And the future?
It may come anywhere, anytime.

But if I can do something, it will come soon
and be like a dream come true.

At least for me, at first; the world will have to wait.

"En Honor Del Tigre, O Por Su Extinción"

2010-02-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

Saludando al Tigre, todos los orientales del mundo reciben el año dedicado a él, porque al igual que el Dragón, es un símbolo del Emperador.

No pueden decir en China, entonces, por qué en este parque los mantienen así; y por qué siguen comprando productos absolutamente inútiles elaborados con órganos y otras cosas que sacan del Tigre, traído a través de alguna frontera por traficantes de fauna en el peor de los casos. Peor, porque como saben que ya quedan pocos en China, van a buscar los de otros países.

Clarín, y 1bp.blogspot.com

"Strong Family Bonds, From The Beginning - 2"

2010-01-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

(Editado de nuevo, 6/9/2011)
Todo lo que viene después de "Otra Increíble Maternidad", está en esta entrada únicamente para mostrar cómo en algunos lugares del mundo, incluyendo los países más civilizados, es posible tener una clase especial de contacto con los hermanitos del Reino Animal; no las dejé por ningún otro motivo, lo mismo que la imágenes de "Strong Family Bonds, From The Beginning - 1", "Mundo O Paraíso" y "Segunda Serie de Imágenes de un Mundo que no acostumbramos ver".

Y ahora, las mujeres.

En Tailandia...

En Japón...

En Missouri...

En Inglaterra...

En India...

En Guinea...

En el Amazonas...

En Perú...

En Sudáfrica...

En algún lado del mundo... (aunque esta sea una ilustración).

...Y en Argentina (las dos que siguen).

Algunos Videos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHdnwjB1wGA
India

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgC7wskIqLs
India - 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0bgnejjo4A
Nueva Guinea

http://vxv.tipete.com/video/1nGsBcDEYI2K/mujer-amamanta-perros-en-cronica-tv.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K73ufZBBQHo
"Gatinha"

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xevnwx_woman-breastfeeding-cat_fun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YxDfOs48NM
Dos Perritos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXv1TCcUnk8
"Cachorrinho"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIoK6v_D6a
Salvando Una Vida

...Y algo de China

http://books.google.com.ar/books?id=Zi6a9oXZYksC&pg=PT583&lpg=PT583&dq=amamanta+mono&source=bl&ots=OO8jCGiqoC&sig=0lESrL1I67mjkXGdbPjAf8FlM-E&hl=es&ei=xW-qTIyIBcL78AarzLmsDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDAQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=amamanta%20mono&f=false

"Cats Really Love Mice And Rats" - 1st half

2010-01-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

"Cuando El Gato No Está, Los Ratones Lloran"

"¡Volvieron, Ratoncitos! ¡Vuelvo A Ser feliz!"

"¿Quieres Que Juguemos Otra Vez?"

"¡Mejor, Con Todos Tus Amigos!"

"Tengamos Dulces Sueños..."

"Y El Gato Comerá Con Ratas Y Ratones"

"Locura De Amor Por Ti"

"¿Me Amas...?"

"Conociéndonos Bien"

"Qué Guaaapo! Qué Hermosa!"

"¿Te Desperté?"

"Desde Hoy, Sólo Besos Entre Nosotros"

"El Primer Beso"

"No Sólo Un Beso De Amor"

"Dulces Sueños..."

"Amor y Confort Mutuos"

"Me Siento Tan Bien Contigo..."

"Quédate Conmigo"

"Sueños Compartidos"

"¿Quieres Casarte Conmigo?"

"¡Sí, Yo Te Amo!"

"Y Yo Te Quiero Mucho Más"

"Y El Gato Comerá Con Ratas Y Ratones - 2"

"Cats Really Love Mice And Rats" - 2nd half

2010-01-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

"¡Por Fin Volviste, Ratita...Te Extrañé Tanto...!"

"Quiero Decirte Algo..."

"¿Por Qué No Habremos Sido Hermanos?"

"¡Siempre Que Podemos!"

"Romeo And Julietta"

"Siempre Comeremos De Este Modo"

"Manitos Sanadoras"

"Houan And Tua-Lek"

"Comer Contigo Es Mejor"

"Cena Romántica"

"Siempre Te Recordaré"

"Que Esto Sea Para Siempre"

"¡No Toquen A Mi Hermanito!"

"¿Por Què No Podremos Casarnos...?"

"Si Pudieras Seguir Conmigo Para Siempre..."

"Ojalá Hubiera Sido Siempre De Este Modo..."

"¡¡¡Mi Amigo Es Un Bebé!!!"

"...Con Lo Que Teníamos Para Darnos Mutuamente"

"No Llores, Yo Estoy Aquí"

"¡En Verdad, Eso Y Mucho Más!"

"No Llores, Mamá Volverá Pronto"

"La Vera Storia Del Lupo De Gubbio - 3"

2009-12-30T18:37:00.000-08:00

El 24 de Diciembre es el día que elegí para que el mundo honrara a este noble ser, si era capaz de aceptar todo cuanto dice en el siguiente párrafo (aquí, algo de información adicional):

Il 25 aprile del 1340, come scritto in un documento, il Consiglio Comunale di Gubbio introdusse per la prima volta la norma per cui i quartieri dovevano essere suddivisi ognuno in sei contrade, a capo delle quali c'era un gonfaloniere. In caso di pericolo tutti con le loro armi dovevano radunarsi presso il rispettivo gonfaloniere riconoscibile dal vessillo. Una delle sei contrade del quartiere, proprio questa in cui fu edificata la nostra chiesa, si chiamava "Mors Lupi", e cioè morte del Lupo, e il gonfaloniere aveva come segno distintivo una testa di Lupo.
Ma che questo toponimo volesse ricordare la morte del Lupo di san Francesco non possiamo affermarlo con sicurezza.
Avvalora l'ipotesi anche il ritrovamento in quest'area, nel 1873, durante lavori di scavo, dello scheletro di un Lupo.
Il cranio di quest'ultimo fu inumato all'interno della chiesa, unico caso di animale sepolto in terra consacrata, e con lui anche la pietra che copriva la sua tomba.

Agli inizi del 1500, e precisamente nel novembre del 1503, i frati del Convento intitolato al Santo assisiate ottennero dal gonfaloniere di Gubbio la facoltà di erigere una chiesa in onore di S. Francesco della Pace, sul luogo della grotta, scelta come dimora, per due anni, dal famosissimo Lupo addomesticato, nei cui pressi, nel 1873, fu ritrovato il sepolcro, ove religiosamente fu sepolto l'animale.
La costruzione fu però rimandata al 1618.
Il sacro oratorio venne costruito dall' "Università dei Muratori" nel quartiere di S. Andrea, al bivio detto "Mors Lupi".

All'interno, posta ai piedi della statua di "S. Francesco e il Lupo", che attualmente funge da mensa dell'altarino, è la pietra sulla quale S. Francesco avrebbe sostato nel fare il patto di pace con la feroce belva; su di essa è scritto: «Havendo San Francesco con la santa croce humiliata fuor di Gubbio quelle Lupo che homini e bestie divorava con stupor del populo la menò qua et su la presente pietra predicando si fece dare la fede con la zampa con patto di non far più danno alcuno et con patto d'esser dalla città nutrita sì che attutti poi obbediente nella vicina grotta habitava. 1220».
Accanto alla lapide è la pietra tombale del sepolcro del Lupo.
Nella chiesa sono inoltre conservati i "Ceri mezzani" e le statuette di S. Ubaldo, S. Giorgio e S. Antonio collocate in cima ai Ceri nella celebre festa del 15 maggio.
Il quadro rappresentante la Madonna con il Bambino e Santi è opera di Giovanni B. Michelini da Foligno.

All'esterno, sull'architrave della porta della chiesa è la dicitura: «Deo pacem largitori, (rilievo di figura di Lupo) Francisco dicatum…».

Ahora bien, el propio San Francesco parece haber seguido muy vinculado al Lobo... Y en cualquier caso, no podía ser San Francesco uno que lo domesticara y lo olvidara poco después.

"Atrévanse A Soñar..."

2009-12-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

...Un nombre muy parecido tenía un viejo programa seriado argentino; pero ahora, si les parece, pueden escribir alguinos de sus mayores sueños.. Que no son como decir "Quiero viajar por todo el mundo" (Eso todavía se consigue con algo de esfuerzo). Los verdaderos sueños pueden ser lo mismo que decir: "¡Me encantaría ir volando hacia la Luna!"

Este es el verdadero nivel que alcanzan los sueños; y para hacer que los demás se animen a escribir algo, yo contaré uno de los míos: Me encantaría ver Dragones volando libres y viviendo en paz junto a nosotros.

Bueno, ahora les toca a ustedes... Quiero ver quién más puede soñar algo por el estilo.

Pues lo que para nosotros son nubes, para el Gran Arquitecto son precisamente simples materiales de construcción.

Por supuesto, además, tenemos muy cerca la Navidad... Y si esta no es la época de pedir las cosas más imposibles (para nosotros), no sé cuál podría ser.

"Round Of Faeries"

2009-12-08T17:41:00.001-08:00

Round Of Faeries

There, around the elder Oak,
where Nature Spirits used to walk,
Faeries gathered in the Forest
under the midday sunlight.
Round the Tree they danced in circles;
leaving no trace, their feet so little...
A smooth clean breeze played in their hairs
as long and golden as the wheat.

All were dancing an ancient dance...
The Oak watched those moving Swans.
Countless rays of Sun were flowing
through the canopy in flames.
When sudden clouds, then veiled the Sun,
they vanished in the golden light...
But one, who didn't reach the last soft ray,
remained there, lonely and sad, watching the rain.

Another little poem I wrote some years ago. First it was in spanish, then came this better version translated.

Comparaciones: Leyenda y fragmento de un relato

2009-11-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

Leyenda Cheyenne, y luego un fragmento de "Juan Darién", escrito por Horacio Quiroga. Así, ahora pueden notarse las similitudes de ambos relatos, y comprobar que por lo menos dos componentes tradicionales están muy relacionados entre sí.

"A Cheyenne woman lost a small child that was nursing. Soon after her child died she had found a nest of young Kitten Panthers, she waited until the mother Panther was away to hunt food, then she went and took one of the young Panthers out of the nest and ran off with it and the young Panther gave a moan or whine which sounded like the cry of the baby she had lost and the reminder of her dead babe caused the woman to hug the Kitten Panther to her breast and when she did so the Kitten Panther which no doubt was hungry began nursing from the woman. Thus it was taking the place of her dead babe and an affection for the Kitten Panther sprang into her heart and the woman loved this Kitten Panther and she raised it as if it had been her own child, and as it grew up it would kill Deer and other large game and furnished food for the Cheyenne much easier than they could get it in any other way. So other women got hold of young Panthers and raised them the same way as this woman had done".

Una vez, a principio de otoño, la viruela visitó un pueblo de un país lejano y mató a muchas personas. Los hermanos perdieron a sus hermanitas, y las criaturas que comenzaban a caminar quedaron sin padre ni madre. Las madres perdieron a su vez a sus hijos, y una pobre mujer joven y viuda llevó ella misma a enterrar a su hijito, lo único que tenía en este mundo. Cuando volvió a su casa, se quedó sentada pensando en su chiquillo. Y murmuraba:
-Dios debía haber tenido más compasión de mí, y me ha llevado a mi hijo. En el cielo podrá haber ángeles, pero mi hijo no los conoce. Y a quien él conoce bien es a mí, ¡pobre hijo mío!
Y miraba a lo lejos, pues estaba sentada en el fondo de su casa, frente a un portoncito donde se veía la selva.
Ahora bien; en la selva había muchos animales feroces que rugían al caer la noche y al amanecer. Y la pobre mujer, que continuaba sentada, alcanzó a ver en la oscuridad una cosa chiquita y vacilante que entraba por la puerta, como un gatito que apenas tuviera fuerzas para caminar. La mujer se agachó y levantó en las manos un tigrecito de pocos días, pues aún tenía los ojos cerrados. Y cuando el mísero cachorro sintió el contacto de las manos, runruneó de contento, porque ya no estaba solo. La madre tuvo largo rato suspendido en el aire aquel pequeño enemigo de los hombres, a aquella fiera indefensa que tan fácil le hubiera sido exterminar. Pero quedó pensativa ante el desvalido cachorro que venía quién sabe de dónde y cuya madre con seguridad había muerto. Sin pensar bien en lo que hacía llevó al cachorrito a su seno y lo rodeó con sus grandes manos. Y el tigrecito, al sentir el calor del pecho, buscó postura cómoda, runruneó tranquilo y se durmió con la garganta adherida al seno maternal.
La mujer, pensativa siempre, entró en la casa. Y en el resto de la noche, al oír los gemidos de hambre del cachorrito, y al ver cómo buscaba su seno con los ojos cerrados, sintió en su corazón herido que, ante la suprema ley del Universo, una vida equivale a otra vida.
Y dio de mamar al tigrecito.
El cachorro estaba salvado, y la madre había hallado un inmenso consuelo. Tan grande su consuelo, que vio con terror el momento en que aquél le sería arrebatado, porque si se llegaba a saber en el pueblo que ella amamantaba a un ser salvaje, matarían con seguridad a la pequeña fiera. ¿Qué hacer? El cachorro, suave y cariñoso -pues jugaba con ella sobre su pecho- era ahora su propio hijo.

"Siempre habrá una madre para un huerfanito"

2009-10-29T04:32:00.000-07:00

...Porque donde haya un recién nacido abandonado, habrá cerca una madre que podrá o querrá aceptarlo; es casi otra Ley de la Naturaleza.

(Estas también son para una Galería que hice).

Con El Ejemplo De Kamunyak

"Después Te Dejo Criar A Mis Pollitos"

Nada Puede Alterar Esta Calma

La Primera Gata Con Patitos

Otra Madre de Ardillitas

Más Que Amigos... Hermanos!!!

2009-10-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

Serie de imágenes que después irán a una Galería mía en Discovery Channel...

Más Tranquilidad, No Existe

Una Visita Muy Pequeñita

De La Puna Con Amor

"Y El Gato Comerá Con Ratas Y Ratones"

Podría Quedarme Aquí Para Siempre

Mis Dos Pequeños Tesoros

Te Llevaré Hasta Donde Quieras

"Entre Hermanitos"

Pequeño Grupo familiar

"¿No Nos Conocemos de Antes?"

"¡Saquen Esta Reja Ahora Mismo!"

Ningún Amor Es Pequeño

Nuestra Madre Duerme Cerca

¿Te Acuerdas De Cuando Me Llevabas En Tu Boca?

Perdí Las Piernas... Gané Un Amigo

Quédate Conmigo, Aquí Estarás Bien

Comidita En La Boca Para Todos...

Very Special - Mother's Day

2009-10-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

¿Sólo un Talismán?

2009-10-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Imagen de un amuleto Tailandés; el mantra que tiene inscripto es para traer buena fortuna, pero puede servir para muchas cosas, como tal vez que eso, precisamente, siga ocurriendo. Porque si el símbolo representa además la idea, la imagen tiene que haber sido bastante común en la realidad... Y como para demostrarlo un poco mejor, ahora están esas imágenes más abajo (algunas ya las publiqué, pero...):

(Encontrado en Photobucket)

2007 - Yes, I'm Their Happy Mother

2009 - Mother... Of Nine Mice!!! (Found in Flickr).

"Yes, I Nursed Them"

Owned originally by a member of writing.com

Kamunyak, con sus Terneritas 1ra y 3ra

2009-10-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

En Diciembre del 2002, la Leona que más tarde fue llamada Kamunyak-Maa comenzó a asombrar a todo el mundo con su devoción hacia los Oryx recién nacidos. Este es mi primer doble homenaje:

When the Sun
looking down the valleys
was subduing
every soul and body...
She was hunting
some kind of dream
inside her,
some kind of memory
that only her
could bring back for the living.

Her eyes she turned
from the burning breath;
her heart there found
a fragile, lonely creature...
With little steps,
the Oryx was
beside her,
and then the Lioness
remembered
her mission for that evening.

Both of them were
two souls in solitude,
being left behind,
finding each other...
They walked then
in a world made by themselves,
and no one else would enter
to make them being not
side by side and sleeping.

But some sad day,
the Nature that was jealous
reclaimed her child,
the little baby Oryx...
So she kept hidden
with mother tears
inside her,
to herself swearing
never again
with Lions have a meeting.

Now the Lioness
knows better what she wants,
as the Oryx Herds
browse by the hills foot...
She only watches
feeling a sea of fondness,
and walking near them,
she remembers
in each, her baby missing.

Now the Lioness heart
came from the night
inside her,
a month of empty evenings,
to wake on Easter
and turn her into mother
again, for the third Oryx.

Someone loves you more,
someone needs you more,
my baby,
and you're so little...
Let me be the one
to be with you the whole day,
and rest by me at nap time.

The jealous Nature
wojn't take you now
from me, babe...
Just stay quiet and watching.
Mom will face both Pride and jaws,
mom will break them teeth and claws,
so that they pay for my Calf.

The fight was over
with unexpected
opportune help
at her most hopeless moment...
Then she turned slowly
her back on the past danger,
to join once more her Calf girl.

What kind of fondness
they'll have enjoyed
together again
sharing their love in secret?
Only the fight is to remember...
Angels mostly stay unseen,
making Heaven's job around us.

Kamunyak, con sus Terneritas 5ta y 7ma.

2009-10-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

Entre el 8 y el 9 de Octubre (2002), la Leona de Samburu intentó por 6ta y 7ma vez ser madre de dos Antílopes: Oryx e Impala, en este caso. Aquí va entonces este segundo y doble homenaje.

Five stars for you
now shine there in the dark skies...
A crown of blessings
that only you
can enlarge with a new gem.

Come, Naisimari,
I'll take you through the bushes,
until the Sun light
fade out behind
the Hills that live from old days.

The Herds are moving,
and yet you walk beside me...
Mother and daughter
under the face
of a smiling and bright Moon.

Again at sunrise,
my girl is sleeping calmly,
and in the meanwhile,
I watch her dream
with golden eyes of honey.

My merry daughter,
my biggest living treasure...
If I could give you
my gift of milk,
you'd always be my baby.

Go, sweet Kamunyak,
the Herds are moving, join them!
A Guiding Spirit
and Antelopes
enjoying one another.

The breeding season
will bring again new babies
for your loving eyes
to find again
a treasure warm and tender.

Antelopes browsing
and Lioness protecting
their Calves among them...
Her one true place,
her only big desire.

Mother of the Herds,
your love is growing stronger...
Some day you will be
part of them all
in body and soul for ever.

Go now, Saint Blessed,
surely they're waiting for you...
The day you get there,
your Calves will dance
in circles all around you.

2009-09-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Nico, por supuesto... el símbolo de un parque que ahora enfrenta los malos comentarios de la opinión pública (con comentarios igualmente enfrentados entre sí); y después de 15 años -en los que unos 2.000.000 de visitantes disfrutaron jugando con grandes felinos, haciéndoles caricias, dándoles biberones o paseando sobre Elefantes como hacen en la India y en Tailandia- sólo por la visita de unos periodistas británicos muchos se volvieron contra el propio Zoológico, argumentando que los Leones y los Tigres recibían tranquilizantes similares al Halopidol... Ahora bien, cada vez que a una criatura salvaje se le administra tales calmantes, en cuanto se le va el efecto hay que estar a una distancia muy prudente, porque puede llegar a atacar al primero que ve. Y eso es algo que decididamente nunca ocurrió en el Zoo Luján.
Allí, según cualquiera pudo ver y puede comprobar aún, todos los Leones, Tigres, Monos, Panteras, Osos, etc., son criados personalmente desde el primer año de vida, en una muy cercana relación con sus cuidadores; y también son habituados al contacto con otros animales, o con los visitantes. Si todavía queda este tema, para hacer acusaciones al Zoo Luján, sigue estando la cuestión de que estuvieron haciéndolo por 15 años, y recién ahora deben cambiar sus métodos a causa de una noticia del diario The Sun.

Quiero Tener Muchos Más Amigos...

The Woman's Bear Son

2009-07-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

An Eskimo Legend

Long ago in the far north, there lived a village of people known as the Inuit. They lived on the shores of the icy Arctic, and they depended upon the bounty of the salmon and seal and the creatures of the snow to feed themselves. All the young men of the village were hunters and fishermen. One old woman lived alone She had no husband and no sons to hunt or fish for her, and though her neighbors shared their food with her, as was their custom, she was lonely. She longed for a family of her own. She often walked along the shore, looking far out to sea, praying that the gods might send her a son.
One cold winter day, the woman was walking by the sea when she spotted a tiny white Polar Bear sitting all alone on the thick ice. At once she felt a kinship toward him, for he looked as lonely as she. His mother was nowhere in sight. "Someone must have killed her," she said softly, and she walked onto the ice, picked up the cub and looked into his eyes. "You will be my son," she said. She called him Kunik.
The old woman took her cub back to her home. From that day on, she shared all of her food with Kunik, and a strong bond grew between the two.
The village children loved Kunik, too. Now the woman was never lonely, for her son, the Bear, and all the village children kept her company all day. She would stand by her igloo and smile as Kunik and the children rolled in the snow and slid on the ice. Kunik was gentle with the children as if they were his brothers and sisters.
Kunik grew taller and smarter. The children taught him to fish. By springtime he was fishing on his own, and every afternoon he came home carrying fresh salmon for his mother, The old woman was now the happiest of all the villagers. She had plenty of food and a son she loved with all her heart. She was so proud of her little bear that whenever he returned home, she would say proudly to anyone nearby, "He's the finest fisherman in all the village!"
Before long the men began to whisper among themselves. They knew the bear was the most skillful fisherman of the village. They began to feel envious. "What will we do?" they asked each other. "That Bear brings home the fattest seals and the biggest salmon". "He must be stopped," one of the men said. "He puts us to shame". They all turned and looked at him. They nodded slowly for although they were envious , they knew how much the old woman loved the Bear. "We'll have to kill him. He has grown far too big", one man said. One by one the others agreed, for their envy made them stupid and mean. "Yes", the others said. "He is a danger to our families".
A little boy overheard the men talking. He ran to the old woman's home to tell her of the terrible plan. When the old woman heard the news, she threw her arms around the Bear and wept. "No", she said, "they must not kill my child". At once she set off to visit every house in the village. She begged each man not to kill her beautiful Bear. "Kill me instead", she wept. "He is my child. I love him dearly".
"He is fat", some of the village men said. "He will make a great feast for the whole village". "He is a danger to our children", the others said. "We cannot let him live".
The old woman saw that the men was determined to kill her son. She rushed home and sat down beside him. "Your life is in danger, Kunik. You must run away. Run away and do not return, my child". she wept as she spoke and held him close. "Run away. but do not go so far that I cannot find you", she whispered. And though her heart was breaking, she sent Kunik away. He had tears in his eyes, but he obeyed his mother's wishes.
For many days the old woman and the children grieved their loss. And then one day the old woman rose at dawn and was determined to find Kunik. She walked and walked, calling out his name. After many hours, just as the old woman feared she would never find him, she saw her bear running toward her. He was fat and strong, and his coat was shimmering white. They embraced, and the old woman whispered, "I love you".
But Kunik could see that his mother was hungry, and so he ran to get her fresh meat and fish. With tears in her eyes, the old woman cut up the seal and gave her son the choicest slices of blubber. Promising to return the next day, she set off for home, carrying her meat, her heart filled with joy.
The next day, as she had promised, she went to visit her son. And every day after that, the old woman and her son met, and the bear brought his mother fresh meat and fish.
After awhile the villagers grew to understand the love between the woman and the Bear was strong and true. And from that point on, they told with pride and respect the tale of the unbroken love between the old woman and her son.

-Native American Indian Legends-

"Houan Nanongtoom Y Su Hijito Jenna"

2009-07-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hace unos siete años, una Gata de Tailandia

encontró en un armario a Jenna,

el Ratón, cuando él aún era casi un recién nacido...

Y ella decidió entonces que él sería siempre, únicamente su hijo.

En esta publicación, mi pequeño homenaje

a esa madre tailandesa llamada Houan.

"Por Algo, Se Llama Casa De Dios" - 2

2009-05-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Algunas historias que nos trae la tradición, y dos noticias que hacen pensar...
En "Holy Dogs & Asses; Stories through Animal Saints", se conocen las historias de distintos animales que de algún modo se relacionaron directamente con la religión y sus actos.
Sin contar los casos -indiscutibles aunque sólo sea por la fé- de Leones que ayudaron y hasta defendieron a santos, o criaturas que se sacrificaron para ofrecerse como comida, están el de un León que a la muerte de S. Jerome se apenó profundamente; el de otro que solicitó ser bautizado; y el de una Mula ciega que llevó el féretro de un santo fallecido a la iglesia.

En cuanto a las noticias, el Terrier George salvó a cinco niños en N. Zealand del ataque de dos Pitbulls y terminó muerto a raíz de ese hecho... Más de uno de nosotros, por hacer ese sacrificio fue considerado santo, en algún momento después de su muerte. ¿Cómo deberíamos considerar a George? ¿Podría estar presente en una iglesia, al menos habiendo sido enterrado allí?
Y la segunda nos habla de un grupo de Leones que salvaron y defendieron a una niña en Etiopía de un grupo que la había obligado a contraer un matrimonio forzado.
Aquí la historia traída por la tradición se cumple nuevamente... Si esos Leones ahora no tienen forma de estar en una iglesia, ¿Podrían entrar acaso a una los que intentaron someter a esa joven?

-St. John's Episcopal Church-

Más casos aún...

"En mi parroquia hay un perro que va todos los días a la misa de la tarde, no sé por qué no en la mañana. Solo asiste por la tarde. Llega, se echa en medio del pasillo y no se levanta hasta que la ceremonia termine.

Ya lo conozco muy bien. Él espera hasta que abran la iglesia. No molesta, ahí está. Me agrada su presencia. Es más, cuando algún día no hay misa, queda viendo al sacristán y le dice: Qué!, Hoy tampoco hay misa. Bueno!... No dice eso, pero como si lo dijera". - Blog de Ricardo Bulmez.

"En la Iglesia episcopal de St. Francis en Stamford, Connecticut, las bancas están ocupadas por fieles inusuales: los perros se sientan al lado de sus dueños y los gatos asoman la cabeza a través de las jaulas. En una celebración vespertina de la Eucaristía, en la cual la gente comulga y las mascotas reciben bendiciones especiales, se escuchan ladridos y ronroneos o sonidos de plegaria’, como los llama la iglesia. El servicio, de media hora, se enfoca en la relación especial que tienen las personas con sus mascotas. ‘En nuestra iglesia hay personas solteras o que han perdido a algún ser querido y que su mascota son su principal relación’, comenta el reverendo Mark Lingle". - Bestiario - La Nación

Más casos que encontré... Y me faltaba agregar (¡Sin duda hay muchos más!)

"Psychic Animals", "The Dogs and their ways" y otros libros - Un comerciante que iba a caballo y con su Perro transportando una bolsa de dinero, de pronto la olvidó junto a un árbol; al querer avisar de esto, el abnegado perro terminó arrastrándose moribundo, hasta el árbol al lado del cual estaba el dinero abandonado... Su dueño había creído que el Perro estaba rabioso y le disparó, pero sin matarlo inmediatamente. Fue entonces "otro San Guinefort", muriendo por intentar ayudar a su amo.
Un Perro en Liverpool rescató a un Gato que estaba siendo maltratado y lo llevó hasta la posada en que vivía, donde también le dio algo para que comiera.
Durante la guerra de Secesión, un Perro impidió que su amo -o amigo, o protector- fuera ejecutado... Sólo que pudo hacerlo justo después de que lo mataran a él.
En cuanto a los Gatos, en 1944 uno de ellos salvó a un hombre amigo suyo sacándolo de su casa poco antes de un bombardeo (ciudad de Magdeburg).
Fueron famosos a principios del S. XX los Caballos de Elberfeld, capaces de hacer cálculos, indicar fechas, leer una partitura -Hans el Sabio-, dividir, restar, sacar raíces cuadradas dobles, reconocer todas las letras -Muhamed y Zarif-, y ... Hablar -Muhamed, al menos una vez-.
Yendo muy atrás en el tiempo, encontramos incluso dos Cocodrilos que ayudaron respectivamente al Rey egipcio Menes -salvándolo de una jauría- y al Abate Helenus, ayudándolo dos veces a cruzar un río.
Los Cuervos también tuvieron ocasión de prestar servicio a Elías, a San Benedicto y a S. Pablo el Eremita.
Por su parte, un León se dejó morir de hambre tras el deceso de su gran amigo S. Gerásimo.
Unos Elefantes cubrieron cuidadosamente con ramas y hojas a un niño que dormía, para que las moscas no lo molestaran...
Y en la Edad Media, un muy humilde Saltamontes permaneció en una iglesia en una helada noche invernal -mientras todos en la ciudad habían preferido quedarse en sus hogares-, durante una misa de Navidad.
Si cualquier persona indigna puede entrar a una iglesia manteniendo su culpa en secreto, ¿No serían muchos de ellos más merecedores de estar en una?

Más casos aún...

Un Perro comenzó a seguir a una de sus dueñas a la iglesia; se deslizó por la puerta lateral, caminó y se recostó sobre una alfombra a observar el servicio religioso. Los fieles lo miraban maravillados.
Luego, Skippy -que así se llamaba-, salió por la misma puerta. Para sorpresa y alivio de su dueña, el pastor quedó tan impresionado por la actitud respetuosa del Perro que le permitió continuar asistiendo a los servicios. Mary, la dueña, concluyó que su Perro había hecho notar a todos que incluso un animal podía honrar a su Creador cada Domingo, en Su iglesia.

Misa y bendición de animales en St. Joseph’s Glasthule - 2004

Al principio, la ceremonia era efectuada por Brian O’Sullivan, el Pastor de esa iglesia fuera del edificio, pero cinco años antes -y en adelante-, Brian O’Sullivan decidió hacer misas especiales con ellos adentro.
Este último Domingo hubo entonces 150 animales, entre Perros, Gatos, Hamsters, Conejos, etc (Todos domésticos).
Cualquiera habría esperado oír un gran griterío de Perros y de Gatos, pero sólo hubo ocasionales ladridos de los asistentes caninos.

Sólo al final del servicio religioso, el Pastor procedió a la bendición de los animales; siempre en el interior de su iglesia.
THE IRISH ORGANISATION FOR PETS AND PEOPLE

...Pero aquí en Argentina, lo que puse en la otra entrada -de la familia refugiada con su Perro bajo ese altar- y lo de Skippy, no podría ocurrir por nada del mundo, como si en la Casa de Dios nosotros decidiéramos quién entra y quién no.

¿Qué piensan entonces? ¿Irían a escuchar misa

junto a su animal de compañía?

"Por Algo, Se Llama Casa De Dios..."

2009-05-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

-Imágenes, de Flickr-

Todos deberían poder entrar, durante todo el año, en cada celebración...

Pues en las propias Iglesias se nos dice que "Dios es Padre de todos los Seres". Entonces, ¿Cómo negarles a ellos la entrada a tales lugares?

Voy a buscar material relacionado, o que justifique lo que acabo de escribir/proponer.

Do Dogs and Cats and other animals belong in church?
Fortunately The Rev. Jim Morris, pastor of Thibodaux Church, thought so when he found a family and their Poodle sleeping under the altar of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center on the Nicholls State University Campus. According to an article by Millie Ball, "Thibodaux Church Sheltering Pets" on the Animal Liberation Front website, the family could not check into a shelter for Hurricane Katrina victims because it didn’t allow pets. When The Rev. Morris found more people standing outside the college shelter with their pets, he invited them into his church — 130 people with Dogs, Cats, Birds, and a pot-bellied Pig took him up on the offer. PetSmart and PetCo later donated cages. People slept on the floor and the pews. The pastor likened the scene to Noah’s Ark. Most of these people would not leave New Orleans because they couldn’t abandon their pets. The Rev. Morris says, "Animals calm people down. And pet lovers usually have gentle hearts. If you go into the other shelter, people tend to sit still and idle. Here, there’s a lot going on. And what’s wonderful is the way our students are volunteering and helping wherever they can.

For us this is a mission that helps the evacuees and their pets as well as our students who are here taking care of them.

"Angel Animals in Church"

We asked readers of our "Angel Animals Story of the Week" to weigh in on the question of whether animals should be in church with people.

Below are some of their answers. Tia Dawn says, "Why not? They are members of the family." Ana D. Cruz of Valley Stream, New York says, "I definitely feel animals belong in church, for God loves all his creatures, so why shouldn’t they be welcome in His house? Christine Smith from Pennsylvania writes, "Yes, I do believe animals belong in churches. When I first joined my parish, they had a Cat. You could see him strolling around church. It was always a joke when we had a novena. Many non-parishioners attended, and all of a sudden you would hear an exclamation here or there when they saw the church Cat. Theresa Finck lives in Oklahoma in what she calls "the land of tornadoes." She thinks Animals belong in church because after all, Christ called himself the Good Shepherd. She says, "Our new priest recently blessed animals on the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.

They are God’s creatures and in some cases, a lot nicer than humans. I had a priest who was speaking to an elderly lady whose dog recently died. She asked him if she would see the Dog in heaven. Monsignor said, ‘Would that make you happy?’ She said it would make her ecstatic. So he replied, ‘Then you will see him in Heaven.’ We also have a lady who brings her Iguana to church nearly every Sunday. He does nothing but sit on her shoulder and never moves or makes a sound." Gail Parker of Philadelphia writes, "My Dog Renegade had to stop in the chapel before going on our rounds each and every visit we made to the St. John Neumann Nursing Home. It was his idea; not mine. He’d stand there looking toward the altar for a minute or so, and then we could leave.

I’d say a prayer too. Carmen Villegas writes, "Animals definitely belong in church.

At the birth of Christ, Animals were around the manger." Cathy Gorgenson says, "It is my belief that animals probably have more of a right to be in a church than most humans. You don’t see them trying to kick someone out because of the color of their skin, hair, species, sexual preferences, etc. I don’t go to church because of the difficulty in finding a true heart preaching the scriptures. I think, though, after reading about Rev. Morris in Thibodaux, it would be an honor to attend his church.

We need more souls like him on this planet." Judy Morris in Key Largo, Florida gives an interesting twist to the question. She says, "I belong to a church that chants or sings the word HU, which is an ancient name for Godand is very holy.

We get together in groups and joyfully sing this sound.

Sometimes we get together in my home to do this. I have a Cat named Willie. He is special in many ways and he loves the sound of the HU. He crawls onto my lap and lays his head against my chest while watching my face, then places his hand on my throat to feel the HU. He stays that way for about twenty minutes until we stop. I believe he is consciously participating in the group HU. Also, another Cat named Dusty sometimes attends and sings along with us by meowing repeatedly.

What a way to express the joy of soul!" Sandi from Phoenix, Arizona writes, "When my mom died, I was at her side along with my Dog Bunny. We had spent the previous summer living with and caring for her. Oh how she loved Bunny. In fact, he was also recovering from surgery and had difficulty standing, so she began hand feeding him as she had with her own little Dog. There were mystical moments around Mom’s death. Bunny was seeing things the rest of us couldn’t. Her funeral was held in her hometown church, and Bunny attended, lying quietly in front of the pew. When I got up to deliver her eulogy, he stayed in place. The next day, as we journeyed to the cemetery to inter her ashes, Bunny accompanied me.

I was not about to leave him out when I needed the best support I could have.

"Skippy Gets Religion"

In our book, "God’s Messengers: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine", Mary Elizabeth Martucci, a retired university administrator from South Bend, Indiana, says that parishioners in her childhood church renewed their relationship with God in an unique way. One Sunday, Mary’s Dog Skippy started attending services. The dog followed the then eight-year-old girl to church, sneaked through the side door, walked down the aisle, lowered himself onto the sanctuary carpet, and observed the service.

The congregants watched in awe and amusement.

Afterwards, Skippy walked back out the side door. To Mary’s surprise and relief, the pastor was so impressed with the Dog’s respectful demeanor that he allowed Skippy to continue attending services. Skippy’s close attention to the proceedings prompted parishioners to become more mindful and reverential. Mary concluded that her Dog had reminded everyone that even an animal could honor his Creator in church on Sundays. What do you think? Would you like to attend church with your animal family member?

From http://www.angelanimals.net/

(levemente modificado y en inglés, pero pronto habrá algo en castellano).

"The Little Teachers In Their Day"

2009-04-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today, April 29, the world should say something very special

to every animal, or at least, have a good thought to them.

Much more to the creatures in these pictures...

For they came to teach one -but not without much importance-

lesson to us humans: that killing

is no longer necessary to live better.

Dante the rescued tom is a cat which is thought to be the UK's only vegetarian Cat

- and turns his whiskers up at anything but organic fruit and vegetables.

13 Apr 2009 Dante refuses to touch traditional cat food of any kind in favour of less fattening home-grown alternatives. Current favourites include melon, bananas, broccoli, rhubarb, asparagus, aubergine and Brussels sprouts, but he also has a taste for uncooked potatoes. The two-year-old is so insistent on getting his five-a-day that he even raids the fruit bowl if he's feeling peckish. Experts confirmed Dante's peculiar appetite was "extremely rare". Maggie Roberts, director of veterinary services at the animal charity Cats Protection, said: "This is extremely rare - I have never before heard of a cat that will not eat meat". "Cats are obligate carnivores, and cannot be vegetarian". Dante was abandoned as a kitten and was found close to starvation in an alleyway by owner Becky Page, 21. Becky, a child minder, tried to fatten him up with tasty treats like chicken, tuna, seafood and biscuits. But she said Dante "wolfed down" a plate of leftover vegetables which had been left near her kitchen bin. Becky, who grows her own organic fruit and vegetables at her home in Tasburgh near Norwich, Norfolk, said: "I tried feeding him meat, fish and everything else cats usually like, but he turned his nose up at all of it. "But just when I was thought nothing would work, I caught him wolfing down a plate of vegetables that I was going to throw out. "Since then, he won't go near anything fatty and prefers the things I grow in the garden". Becky, who lives with long-term partner Adam Carpenter, 26, added: "Dante is part of our family and although we have lots of other animals he is more human than any of them. "He loves attention and loves being with us so the least I can do is let him have his favourite foods. "I admit he has a very, very unique appetite - but he's certainly healthy". Sarah Medway, who runs a web site dedicated to cat behaviour, said "I have never heard of a purely vegetarian cat. Nutritionally cats need to eat meat to survive. "Unlike some other animals that can live quite happily on a vegetarian diet cats are natural carnivores and are likely to look and hunt elsewhere to eat meat". "There are certain nutrients that a cat needs that can't be obtained from plant foods". Mrs Roberts, from Cats Protection, added: "Cats Protection advises that cats be fed a complete cat food, which provides all of the necessary nutrients in the right balance".