Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Pregnant Frog Files .

Hello Internet Amphibious Friends,

This is of course really not concerning pregnant frogs, but pregnant humans. Still I thought today would be a good day to learn just a tiny bit about our amphibious life on this planet, so it is also regarding frogs.

We start with a human.

A human.
Or this is rather how man developed, the evolution, but you people are clever and understand the point so far.
Somewhere at the last link of this chain we developed a bigger conscience, and this included regarding our own reproduction, so to know if we were in fact pregnant, we started to use frogs.

A frog.
Humans injected them with their urine (pardon the language, but I found no better word) and this resulted in the frogs reacting the day after, approximately 8-12 hours. ( There is a lot to learn about this when you read here on the internet, for Ladies and Gentlemen who wants more information.)

Xenopus Laevis.
I do not think this frog is reacting on just that, but it still has a Latin name, and this one was popular as a pregnancy test. (They managed to break free from one facility where they were kept.)

The frogs were used until late 60`s when more modern methods were invented. But all this might have resulted in a devastating crises in the amphibious world, the frogs had received different sicknesses from humans and brought this out to the rest of their species and then other species again, and today there is a really big crises going on, almost world wide. We might see an extinction of several species of our amphibious friends.

Most stories are about kissing frogs, I know, but I still think this one is worth being told.

Have a great Thursday and weekend people, threat our friends the frogs with respect.
F.W.G

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Fading Light Turn Feeling Bright.

Hello,
forgive my absence, we have all been quite busy being old.

It was our last day in Rome.

"...Here`s looking at you, kid." Big Gunnar said to me. He was of course Bogarting me. "That is kind of a female drink you are having there, Rick?" I answered him. (Rick was Bogarts name in Casablanca where Big Gunnar stole the line from.) "I am like any other man, only more so. So I can pull it of." "Rick" answered me.

As the day light both slow and fast faded away, as it usually does on those kind of places on this oblate shaped earth, we just sat still and watched how the surroundings changed with the growing absence of sun light, and the growing of human made light. We sat at a place with an old nice bridge, I will perhaps tell more about the nice bridge later in life. We just sat there, a little old together, among objects much older than us, and much younger, all changed but stayed the same while lights came of and on.

The nice old bridge.
The sun light faded both slow and fast away, almost same as our life's.
The man made light dominates the bridge, it changes, but is still the same, still beautiful.
A newer bridge, but still old, with new light.
And yet another bridge, with its copy in the water.
"See the difference between the man made objects being unnatural, and their natural reflections ?" Big Gunnar finally asked me. I could see it, they where the same but still totally different, both beautiful nevertheless. "We have a new camera taking old pictures." He continued. As always I both agreed and not, but decided we needed no more words regarding this. 

Have the best of Sundays and coming weeks please, notice changes that stays the same.
F.W.G

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Colosseum And Maximus Gunnarus.

Hello Rainy Wednesday Internet People!

"Look ! I am Maximus Gunnarus." Big Gunnar, or for the time being, Maximus Gunnarus pronounced as we came up to the entrance of the Colosseum.

Maximus Gunnarus pronouncing.
A young lady and a gentleman passed him on their way to the Colosseum. "I miei amici ! Questa non è una gara di Formula 1, questo è il Colosseo è il Sono qui dal 72DC, quindi non c`è bisogno di correre." of course they were Americans so they understood nothing of what Maximus Gunnarus said to them, but after this had been sorted out, they really found the tone together and I almost felt left out, and inside we all went, led for the occasion by Maximus Gunnarus. (What Maximus Gunnarus tried to say to them was something about this being Colosseum and not a Formula 1 race, and also that the Colosseum had been here since construction started approximately in 72 AD, so there was no need for any haste.)

Formula One racing car.
This of course has nothing to do with Formula One racing, but it sure is a nice car. They have maybe changed a little since this Alfa Romeo 158 from 1947, the same year Formula One was formalized. Anyway, we were inside the Colosseum, and suddenly inside history.

Inside with Maximus G.

Just imagine all that these walls have witnessed, our advice is to buy a good travelling book and not be persuaded to join any tourist groups when you visit, take your own tour in your own tempo and touch the walls with respect and care as much as possible. They tell their own history, all the way until recent history with their claw marks from animals, bullet holes and graffiti names. "Just think how Russel Crowe suffered and won here!" Maximus Gunnarus said. This of course made the Americans very involved in all the history.

Russel Crowe being very Gladiatory.
I might not need to mention how much better Johnny Weissmuller probably would have been in the role? Even if Russel Crowe did a decent portrait of a gladiator I think. (Gladiator means a swordsman, it suits the title that he is carrying a sword here.)

Johnny Weissmuller.
Johnny Weissmuller seldom wore a sword, but this obviously did not make him any less popular. Just see how popular he was, probably telling tales of great swinging and monkeys that really were chimpanzees. 

"They sure are concerned about the safety here." Maximus Gunnarus said. "Just check out how tall fencec they have put up all around the places you walk. Things sure has changed regarding how people treat each other and take care of each other inside this place over the years."

A really tall and safe safety fence.
"Maybe such starts in the worst places and expand in time also to the outside world, that people will take as much care of each other there also in time?" He said. I took his beginning of philosophy as a clear signal that it was soon lunch time and therefor suggested we went for some lunch, maybe dumplings.

Dumplings lunch.
These of course are Italian dumplings, excellent for both lunch and dinner, and why would they not be? 
They are after all made from our friend the potato. 

We took one last look at the Colosseum from the outside and went for lunch.

One last look on the Colosseum from the outside.
We concluded that it was not half bad in the outside world either, even without safety fences and the general concern of people for people. "Did you notice the great balls of support inside?" Big Gunnar now renamed on the outside asked me. "Beg your pardon?" I answered, concerned we may be much more late for that lunch than I originally had thought. "I will tell you about them later, lets go for lunch." He said, and then: "I am concerned we are late for it, since you obviously have reduced attention skills."

So we went for lunch, and so should everybody who is hungry.
Have a nice Wednesday!
F.W.G

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Roman relaxing And The Indecent Wax.

Hello Monday and Internet people!
No, it is Thursday, already really.

Big Gunnar was relaxing roman style on the veranda at the apartment we had borrowed from our old Italian friend. When you are in Rome you walk a lot, there is so much to see and learn, you get the feeling you are inside history, at least Big Gunnar and me feel this way about Rome. It sometimes then is very important to relax your feet and mind maximum, so they are ready for more.

Big Gunnar relaxing.
We had promised our friend that we would water the flowers on his veranda while we stayed at the apartment, and Big Gunnar was (as he always does) planing how to do the task. "First we start with relaxing, since we are in rome." He said. "While we relax we can plan how much water each plant should receive."
( You always feel safe around Big Gunnar because of his planing, I was thinking of just watering the plants, but of course they did not need the same amount of water and such, so it would sure be nice to have it planned.) "They do of course not need the same amount of water and such." Big Gunnar said.

Different types of plants that demands different types of attention.
"Look at how dry they look, these sure need a lot of water." He said.

Another type of plant again.
He then said. "These ones are beautiful, they do not need so much water."

Yet a different type.
And then he continued. "The big one needs of course a lot of water. But wait a minute!"

"But wait a minute."

Then Big Gunnar said: " What? What is that? Why is that pot being so rude? What is in it? Have you offended it? That one is your responsibility. Whatever it is it sure looks thirsty."  

Big Gunnar had of course forgotten that our old friend had told us that he kept wax in one of the pots on his veranda, this so it got warm and he could make his special candles. I reminded Big Gunnar of this, but then he just answered me: "It is still very rude, and I only work with decent things, so it is your responsibility."

Anyway, have a decent Thursday and appreciate our water resources. (I will get back to this later.)
F.W.G