The spider is dead.

For weeks now a spider has lived in the door opening of the Fuso Szulc.
Outside the screen door waking up as soon as it is becoming dark.
To fix the web and then wait patiently.




When it is dark, insects come to the screen door because of the light inside and many end up in the web of the smart spider.

Every evening the spider could be seen becoming active and eventually it classified as a major presence in the Fuso Szulc menagerie.
A daily show suggesting the spider is like a pet.

Over the weeks the intelligence of the spider, to make use of the light and understanding how this attracts flying insects, could be seen to have impressive results.
The spider growing bigger and bigger.
His body becoming fat.

But this morning a peculiar situation.
The fat spider dead in its web.
But accompanied by a similar spider.
Much younger and smaller.
Alive and demonstrating concern for the big dead fellow spider.





How does that work with spiders?
How do they reproduce?
Is the new spider a baby of the big one?



.

The exploding spider

In 2000 director Robert Zemeckis made a film called Cast Away with Tom Hanks.
It is the story of a FEDEX plane that crashes but Tom Hanks survives and ends up on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific.
We see how Hanks tries to physically survive and how he psychologically deals with his solitude and rather desperate situation.
One way Hanks applies to avoid becoming insane is to have an imaginary companion.
This is his friend “Wilson” with who he discusses his perilous situation.
However, “Wilson” is not a person.
It is a “Wilson Sporting Goods” volleyball from one of the FEDEX packages that has washed ashore after the plane crashed.
Hanks has painted a face on the volleyball and makes it his avatar friend.



One could claim that the current situation in which the Fuso Szulc finds itself in is in many ways similar to Tom Hanks on his South Pacific island.
One aspect is similar for sure: here it is also out of society.
Away from the hustle and bustle.
No other people in the life for a while.

Then one evening, it getting dark, a spider was noticed making its web in the door opening.
That is a smart spider was the thought, because when completely dark, a light would be switched on inside the Fuso Szulc attracting flying insects coming to the door opening ending in the web of the spider.



The next evening the spider was seen again making his web and getting ready for his night snacks.
Until it was understood that the spider was living there.
A companion!
As of then, every late evening, the spider is watched how he makes his web.
And it is observed that he is doing well.
Mr. Spider is growing fat as a result of his smart strategy.

This brings back memories from the 70’s.
At the time life then was with a woman from the Netherlands and her son.
Living in a very large house where even was a space to play table tennis.
There was a dog too and dinners with friends and evenings with wood fire and red wine.
Those were happy days for years.
There was of course a bathroom in this house and one evening when brushing the teeth it was noticed a spider was making a web in the window opening.
That time there were also mosquitoes entering the bathroom attracted by the moisture.
The idea came up to catch mosquitoes and plant them in the web of the spider.
This was done and when the mosquito was put into the web, the spider would come running and eat the free food.
This was repeated every night: the spider getting a couple of mosquitoes for supper besides what he was catching himself later.
The spider was gaining weight and growing fat because of this five star restaurant life and that was not seen as an alarming condition.
Until one night the spider, who had become like a pet, was found dead with his main body burst open.
Obviously the spider had been overeating.
Swallowing anything in his web not knowing when enough is enough.
No! His motto was: more, anything, always.
Ending in a bulimia suicide.

It was not a happy moment to find the exploded spider.
Some feeling of guilt came up because there had been an interference in the animal kingdom.
And when humans do this, often it goes wrong with the animals.

So now, the new spider in the life, is seen being successful and growing more and more fat and concerns are arising for his health.
Should he be gently moved to another location maybe?
Friend Wilson made into a volleyball again?




.

The fish that killed himself

It all depends what point of view one takes.
And one very convincing one is that we make a lot of trouble.
Worldwide we see wars take place, murders and killings.
If not carefully controlling indignation one would tend to think we live in a jungle and should be prepared for the worst constantly.

Actually, this is how most animals live.
We at least try to strive for peace and harmony.
We have the Ten Commandments and the Sutras and the Koran Verses and priests, the law and the police.
Most people live not doing anyone harm.

But not so with those other living creatures with who we share the planet.
The animals have organized a community for themselves where the rule is that if you don’t kill and eat, you will be killed and eaten.
Except for the pandas.
Most other live in constant fear.
They depend on defense abilities they have developed during their evolution.
Nevertheless, the chance they will enjoy a relaxed old day are minimal.
As soon as they are not in top physical condition anymore the crocodile or the owl will be able to catch and eat them.

It is a horrible world and be aware that animals are afraid of us not for who we are.
They are afraid of any living thing because they know they are hunted to be eaten.
Animals live in a tremendous fear and stress.
Nervous and tense, fearing for life from morning till the next morning.

Besides fear, many animals are vicious too.
Especially fish.
They have a voracity that even humans don’t have.
They eat as much as they can and then even more.

In the days of fishing it has happened frequently that a fish was caught who still had in the throat a small fish it had caught seconds before.

And yesterday the oyster diver friends came by who had found on the beach minutes before a large fish that had killed itself by overeating.
It was a fish called a white seabass who had caught a smaller one called a pompano.


The pompano was too big to eat but the seabass was too vicious and voracious and tried anyway.
The pompano got stuck in his mouth: couldn’t get it in and couldn’t get it out anymore.
To die and wash on the beach.



Better be human.




.

The small dog that believes it is big

There is this friend in La Paz who is a cattle dealer.
He buys from ranches in the southern part of Baja California their cows.
Brings them to his own ranch near the town of La Paz.
There the cows get the best time in their lives.
No more roaming in the mountains looking for the meagre food that can be found there and needing to walk all the way back to the water hole.
No, at the ranch of the friend in La Paz, they are all cozy together in a large corral with plenty of food and fresh water available day and night.
In a short while they grow fat and content.
But then when the price of meat is high, the cows are sold to the slaughter house and soon they are juicy steaks on the tables.

When meeting the friend, the cattle dealer from La Paz, he shakes hands in a way that immediately concern is raised for the well being of the own hand.
He squeezes it as if every bone needs to be crushed.
It is that kind of guy: a fantastic aura and strong presence.
He owns the world.
He is good looking, well off, simpatico and clever.

But his marriage failed.
You can’t have it all, dear fervent and loyal blog readers.
His wife and the two kids moved out and they live now in a house somewhere else in La Paz.
The friend is these days by himself in the house where he used to have family company.

This is devastating for him.
His aura is not so brilliant anymore.
Doesn’t shave every morning as he used to do and his mood is down too.

But he came up with a solution for his misery.
A remarkable initiative to anesthetize his loneliness and feelings of failure.
He got himself a chihuahua.
This is a small dog.
Mexican breed.
An affectionate canin.
But very vicious when necessary.



It is the kind of dog that doesn’t realize it is small and slightly ridiculous but probably very able to imagine it has Rottweiler capacities in case of danger.
How they can bark!
And make these moves like attacking sending the intruder to hospital.

Somehow, this chihuahua alleviates the life of the friend.
But it looks weird though to see this big and strong man sit on the sofa in his empty living room with in his lap the small dog.
Finding a grip on life again thanks to this sausage doggie.

On a recent visit the metal gate was knocked on of the house the friend lives in.
To wake him up because now he sleeps a lot.
Immediately the chihuahua came running to the fence barking like mad suggesting that no one was going to step on the property to stay alive.

The friend woke up, controlled the dog and we sat down in the living room.
The chihuahua had calmed down and could handle emotionally better two guys quietly sitting and talking.
He even got a little curious to learn who was the visitor.
The chihuahua jumped off the friend’s warm lap and nervously moved closer and closer to the visitor.

Now, fervent and loyal blog readers, you know you must talk to dogs, correct?
To explain them things like you are not an intruder with bad intentions.
You say you could even be friends.
And this kind of talking to a dog calms them down and before you know he acts like a purring pussy cat.

It doesn’t matter of course what you tell the dog.
What is important is the tone.
It must be sweet and friendly and soothing and understanding.
Indeed, you can say the most awful things to the dog but if you do it in a beautiful sing song way the dog likes you a lot soon.

Because the friend was there, not only the tone was most friendly communicating with his chihuahua, but the nicest things were said.
“What a beautiful dog you are, Mister chihuahua!”
“Yes, there is a visitor and he likes you already a lot!!”
“Are you going to be the friendly dog you can be?”

The chihuahua was most curious.
Such a friendly person in the house.
And before it was known, he jumped on the lap of the visitor.
The small dog being shy and nervous for the situation he was talked into, OK, but keeping his ground nevertheless.

The friend’s mouth fell open.
He said that this had never happened with his chihuahua before.

How about working in the circus?





.

The hampering harmony

It is a dilemma.
Here at El Triple there is nature with its flora and fauna.
And into this an expedition vehicle drives itself with a human being on board.
That has an impact.
Although limited.

The impact is the least on the flora.
It is hibernating now because the rainy season has not brought any rain at El Triple.
So, nature looks like it is death.
No flowers and no green leaves.
In any case, when walking through nature to the beach, always the same path is walked that twists and turns around the plants.
Not to step on them even when they look death.

But the animals is another story.
In spite of the dryness, they are around.
Even close to the Fuso Szulc.

There are small lizards.
But they are cute and in harmony with the human presence.

And there are coyotes walking by even close to the camp.
Usually at night or early in the morning.
They are shy animals but one coyote during a recent night came inside the camp and rummaged in search for possible food.
There is a strict rule never to leave food outside the Fuso Szulc and for this specific reason.
It would attract animals and bring a confrontation and thus complications closer.
With this policy the coyotes can be heard giving concerts at night but they never make other trouble.

The other representatives of the animal kingdom visiting are the insects.
Because there has been no rainfall here this year, there are not too many insects.
Besides, the daily northwest wind blowing from the Pacific Ocean keeps them away as well.
The stronger the wind the less insects.
The Fuso Szulc has bug screens and a screen door to keep the insects where they belong.
A good idea but at night, when it is dark outside but a light is on inside the Fuso Szulc, somehow certain small insects manage to come inside anyhow.
They stay around the lamp and when not bothered they are peaceful visitors.
But outside, specific insects are vicious and aggressive.
And there are bees that become upset easily.
Small bees that are curious but also hot tempered.
Yesterday one came to pay a visit.
During the preparations for the daily run.
The shirt was waved at the bee to make it go away.
That was too much for the bee.
Unnoticed he landed on the naked arm.
Where he viciously drilled his sting into the skin.
When that was noticed the bee was with a similar viciousness removed of its attack location.
But the bite had been performed and now the arm at that spot has been swollen to tumor like proportions and there is a terrible itching.

And then there are mice.
Followed by desert rats.
They not only look for food but also for a safe and comfortable place to stay.
And are specialists in gnawing anything: cables, wood, hoses and even aluminum.
If possible they make a nest inside RV’s and this has happened on a few occasions.

Hence, it is a good thing if it can be avoided that mice and small rats enter the Fuso Szulc to make havoc.
Like they seem to have done: two lights are not working anymore because probably somewhere in a hidden place in the Fuso Szulc they have been gnawing cables.

Now, what to do ?
There is one effective and beautiful solution to this problem of mice and small rats making the Fuso Szulc their place to stay.
It is to move out of the situation.
To leave the animals in peace and their world for themselves.
The confrontation harmoniously ended.

But this is not accepted as an option.
And that does not make feel full of pride, harmony and peace.
Because by staying, action has to be undertaken.
Like a small war.
The single human versus the multiple mice and small rats and El Triple is the battlefield.
Pretentiously the human is claiming that the mice and small rats have the whole desert to play in but not the small area where the Fuso Szulc is parked.

Obviously this is a proposition hard to understand for the rodents.
A man can talk forever and explain time and again, but they keep on coming and they insist on destroying what basically is a beautiful expedition vehicle.

On board the Fuso Szulc is a bottle with rodent poison.
Mice traps and one rat trap.
These are the weapons used in the battle against the persistent pestering predators.
To basically wipe out the rodent population in the vicinity.

It is a dilemma that has found this status.
A story that unravels anywhere on the planet when humans settle somewhere in nature.

Flora and fauna in combination with human beings.
Total harmony is impossible.




.

Birds and pasta

Dinner was vegetarian pasta.
Now that many days have been spend at El Triple, Baja California, Mexico, far away from civilization and the supermarket, supplies are low and dinners become more and more simple.
But the conversation during the dinner remains rich.

Like the question that was discussed last night why birds never fly into each other.
Humans drive cars and have such poor coordination that frequently one man crashes with his vehicle into the other.
We can see many birds together, circling in hundreds, and not one collides into another.
Not even the wings touch accidentally.

Why is that?

According to the Queen of Dreams, birds have brains.
But they don't think when they fly.
They have as their flight-control their instinct.
And they trust their intuition 100 %.
Attitudes for flying that wouldn't bring a pilot in a plane very far.
While it makes the bird fly crash and colliding free.

Birds use their brains for other purposes than flying.
For example, seagulls find shells on the beach in which live a creature the seagull wants to eat.


The bird takes the shell up in the air and drops it on a stone.
The shell cracks open and voila, the seagull can eat the creature that lives in the shell.

Crows do the same.
With walnuts.


In Japan and California there are even crows who take their walnuts to where is a road with traffic lights.
When the light is red, the crows put their walnuts in front of the waiting cars and next they wait patiently in the nearby tree.
When the traffic light turns green, the cars start driving and crush the walnuts.
Once the traffic light is red again, the crows come back and are able to eat what is inside the walnut.

Hence, birds know to do something we don't know: WHEN to use the brain.
This is called Synesthesia.
The production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body.
For example colors are heard or music is seen or a smell is tasted or vice versa.
The theory is that birds in a flock, for example starlings, sense each other's closeness not visually but as "touch".
In this way they know exactly where each of the birds around them are and thus do not collide.
Despite making sudden and frequent changes of direction.



Birds are very sophisticated creatures.
But they can't make pasta.




.

GO HOME

His name is Coocho.

He is the puppy dog of Juaquin, the guardsman of the resort under construction not far from the Fuso Szulc.

Juaquin had been passing by last week to inform he was going to La Paz to see a doctor.
He has three dogs: two large ones and this puppy Coocho.
The crew of the Fuso Szulc was requested to feed his dogs every day.

But yesterday the two adult dogs decided to go for a stroll.
And Coocho, with his short legs, ran after them.
The trio first came to see the Fuso Szulc.
But not finding anything interesting (food, food, food) they moved on.
Into the direction of La Ballena where guardsman Leonardo lives with some dogs.

That is a 20 minutes walk and Coocho, having done that before, decided to let the two big dogs go and to stay himself with the Fuso Szulc.
To avoid getting exhausted again.

Puppies are specialists in breaking harts.
And Coocho managed expertly to do the very same thing.
He charmed the crew of the Fuso Szulc in giving him water and a comfortable place to sleep.
And this morning he was served 4 oatmeal cookies as breakfast.
While constantly he was showered with hugs and pats.
To hear sweet words spoken in lovely voices.

Later this morning the walk will be made to the location where Juaquin lives in his Terry trailer that is also the home of the dogs.
Included Coocho.
How hard it will be on everybody's heart, Coocho must go back to where he comes from.
Because if he gets pampered and spoiled living with dog friendly people, one day soon they leave and he will be in deep trouble.
Back to the rough life of being a Mexican dog and then he will cry day and night for a long time.
Missing his warm friends.

Therefore: Coocho, for your own sake:

GO HOME

.


.

An unexpected meeting

One of the privileges in life for many years now is to be able to wake up when the sleep has ended.
No alarm clock, no sergeant, no screaming kids.
Peacefully the eyes open when enough unconsciousness and dreamland wandering has been had.

Usually this is always at about the same time.
Before the sun comes up.
When the first light of the day announces.
Therefore in winter time the sleep is much longer than in summer.

After rising the first thing is to walk to the end of the cliff in front of the Fuso Szulc to oversee the Pacific Ocean.
To greet the new day.
To absorb the infinity of the sea.
To feel the temperature and the light wind.
And to have the emotion of being deeply thankful for yet another wonderful day in life.

This morning the ceremony on the cliff had a surprising twist.
Suddenly a coyote appeared from a lower level of the cliff.
The animal had not been aware a human was standing up there.
In an instant the coyote and the man were as close as two meters (6 feet) away from each other.
The coyote froze.
Stopped its walking instantly.
Its surprise so big that it couldn't move at all anymore.
Meanwhile, the human realized that by not moving or making a sound, the coyote would not get afraid.
This has been learned from Animal Planet TV channel.
Where hunters on safari use this technique when meeting lions and elephants.

And it worked very well.
The coyote was just standing there offering the opportunity to the human to study the animal in detail.
And to have an encounter with an intimacy rarely experienced with wild coyotes.

This particular coyote had a good fur but was rather skinny.
Obviously having a hard time finding enough food.
That's why the animal patrols the beach and walks along the cliff hoping the ocean has washed ashore the carcass of a dolphin or seal.
To have some meat for breakfast.

The spell with the coyote took almost a minute.
A glorious moment as was common in Paradise when animals and men had the best relationship.
And then the coyote decided it was time to go.
She continued her roving and roaming as if nothing had happened.
Bye, bye, coyote.
You have a nice day too.

A gliding visitor

It never happened before at this location.
In the dry river bed near the Sea of Cortez and the rancho of the Gonzales family at Punta Boca del Salado, Baja California, Mexico.
That a snake came by.

But yesterday a large, 2 meter long snake was in between the beach furniture.

On the other side of the Baja California peninsula, on the Pacific coast, at the location of El Triple where so much conceptual photography was created, snakes sometimes have been met.
Those were rattlesnakes.
Large ones that pose a threat.
Because if they manage to bite, being far away from a clinic with anti-serum, death is a realistic possibility.
Hence, in the past, whenever a large rattlesnake was spotted near the encampment of El Triple, the unfortunate animal was killed.
Throwing rocks at it to incapacitate it and next to chop off the head with a machete.
A cruel and animal unfriendly activity but only justification was that it was one of two options: either move away from the area and leave the snake its territory.
Or to kill it to be free of a possible new and mortal engagement.

Fortunately, for the last years time was spend at El Triple, no snakes were met.
And if they had been met, because of maturing, improving awareness and reaching more harmony in life, this business of killing snakes would not have been an option anymore.
It disappeared from the program of approaches to nature.
The same for fishing.
For years fishing was an activity to have a more protein rich menu.
Until it was realized how opposed the fish were to being caught.
How they resisted with everything they had to be landed on the beach to die by suffocation.
Once this awareness was prominent, all the fishing gear was donated to a member of the Gonzales family and never a fish has been caught anymore.

Therefore, when yesterday this large snake was spotted, no immediate thought came into the mind to kill the beautiful reptile.
It was yellow with black spots and had a rather small head.
No large fangs characteristic for poisonous snakes.
Immediately it was realized it was not poisonous and not aggressive.

In spite of the higher level of animal friendliness that has been reached, the idea to have snakes around close by still does not appeal very much.
That's why the snake was guided and escorted in a friendly way to an area a safe distance from the Fuso Szulc.
Where hunting grounds are happy for a snake also.

That evening Gumaro Gonzales received a report about the snake visiting the Fuso Szulc.
And he said it was a common snake around Punta Boca del Salado.
A friendly and beautiful snake.
Content to be still alive.



.

Good dog Torrit

The good dog Torrit is missing.
As of yesterday and he hasn't showed up yet.
Now he is in the mind constantly wondering what happened to him and where he is.

From the beginning of this period at the rancho of the Gonzales family at Punta Boca del Salado, Mexico the good dog Torrit decided that he wanted to live in the immediate vicinity of the Fuso Szulc.
This because he had quickly figured out it was a peaceful place with no competition of other rancho dogs.
With a friendly person around patting him on the head and even sometimes talking to him.
And the best part was always fresh water and three times a day dog food.

Soon the good dog Torrit decided to come along for the morning swim, the afternoon walk and the evening run.
Not liking very much seeing the supplier of food going into the sea making the good dog Torrit bark and cry like it was a goodbye forever.
Enjoying much more the walks and specially the running.
Far away into the hills where many interesting smells could be discovered.

This happy situation has been in existence for 29 days.
Until yesterday.

As usual, at about 4.30 PM, the good dog Torrit and his human companion took off for the daily run.
After about 20 minutes running the abandoned rancho of Raul was passed.
Now two security guards are living there.
Good dog Torrit had lagged behind and was slowed by a big truck for which he got off the road to wait in the bushes for it to pass by.

When the distance between the runner and the good dog Torrit was quite substantial, barking was heard.
Not of one dog.
Of several.
And not very friendly barking.
Aggressive and violent.
Quickly it was realized that the two dogs belonging to the security guards had attacked the good dog Torrit.

It was too late to turn around and run all the way back to the location of the fight.
Therefore, the whistle was made, good dog Torrit knew so well, to suggest him to break off the fight and run to the security of his food supplier.

But somehow he didn't do this.
Maybe unable.
Maybe wounded.
Maybe deciding to run in the other direction: back to the Fuso Szulc.
Or maybe deciding to run off the road into the mountains.

After 35 minutes the runner had reached the halfway point and turned around to run back.
Near the abandoned rancho of Raul no dogs were to be seen.
But in the sand of the road the traces of the wrestling could be noticed.
Fortunately no blood.

Along the way of return, no good dog Torrit.
Not even at the rancho.
Not even next to the Fuso Szulc.
He had not come back from this dramatic outing.

Now it is the next morning.
And still no good dog Torrit.

He was not wounded laying on the road.
He was not dead next to the location of fighting.
He got away, it seems, but why is he not returning?

The Gonzales tell that when dogs get very scared like good dog Torrit must have gotten, they run into the mountains.
Out of their minds, totally upset and crazed and blinded by fear.
Next, when they eventually calm down, they have to find their way back home.
Maybe he will.
Maybe not.


.

Even a mouse can be a friend

There are animals that easily have our sympathy.
Like a panda bear.

Or a baby seal.

And what about ducks and poodles?



But there are other animals that are not so fortunate.
Like mice and rats.
And what about cockroaches and snakes?

Animals that are high on the level of our sympathy scale are lucky.
A panda bear, not able to survive in nature by itself anymore, is pampered in zoos worldwide and put on postcards.
Animals that are classified by humans as disgusting creatures, have a less comfortable time than a poodle.
They are poisoned, chased, trapped and pest controlled.

In paradise, according to the Holy Scriptures, it has been quite a different situation.
Adam and Eve lived in harmony with the animals.
They were not afraid of each other.
Even a lion was harmless.
There was no sympathy for particular animals nor antipathy.

How long the way is where we came from.
Since we were chased out of Paradise, it is de facto war between humans and animals.
Men massacres and extinct anything moving or crawling around him.
And animals, mostly bacteria and viruses, plot and try hard to terminate the presence of humans on this planet.

That is a nice mess we got ourselves in.
And it doesn't seem there is a way back to Paradise.

Is that true?
Can we not in our private and personal situation at least make an effort to make peace with the animal kingdom?
At least partially?

One may wonder how to achieve this ambitious goal.
There are some things we can do that are simple, effective and beautiful.
To the benefit of our animal companions on the planet.
Like what?
By not buying fur coats anymore.
To stop eating meat.
By not killing the insect that happened to have ventured into the living room but by opening a window and guiding it gently outside.

Easy things to do that makes the person feel better and the fox, the pig and the wasp as well.

But now we come back to our instincts of having easily sympathy for animal A and antipathy for animal B.
If we decide to give up the war with the animals and become friendly with them, what are we going to do when a mouse shows up in our house?

This terrible dilemma presented itself yesterday in the Fuso Szulc expedition vehicle currently at El Triple, Baja California, Mexico.
Life is lived here with peaceful intentions vis a vis les animaux.
The animals, that is.
Each morning, gently the insects are guided out of the Fuso Szulc who had been coming inside the night before attracted by the light.
Instead of smashing them to eternity and wipe them clean with a bleach free, lemon scented, antibacterial formula, disinfecting "Redi Wipes".
Snakes showing up near the Fuso Szulc are directed into another direction instead of having their head smashed in with a rock.
The fish in the ocean are left alone to live their wet life as they prefer because the human nearby choses to eat the soya beans product tofu.
Refrains to fish them out of the water and into the frying pan.

But then a mouse showed up in this semi paradise.
An animal that somehow is in category B.
Low on sympathy, high on antipathy.

Mice have been experienced before at El Triple.
And they can be a pest.
Plus very damaging.

Somehow they prefer not to live in their little hole in the ground but prefer a recreational vehicle.
In the past mice have moved into campers that were used at El Triple.
Where they make a nest.
Taking off the isolation from the inside of the hood.
And making a comfortable place on top of the air filter.
Meanwhile chewing on the electricity cables and cutting them.
Smelling food they make holes in wood with their sharp teeth to get access.
To walk on the kitchen counter when it is quiet in the late evening.
Possibly spreading diseases through the bacteria they carry.

Hence, there are many reasons to say to the mice:
"No, we are deeply sorry but you are not welcome.
Go back to your hole in the ground!"

Somehow, mice are not receptive for this advice.
They keep on coming.
Hence, something must be done.

Because of the past experiences, the Fuso Szulc has mouse traps on board.
Just in case.
And one was put in place last night.
With a piece of Gouda cheese.
Thinking this must be an exquisite delicatesse for a Mexican mouse.

Indeed, this morning, a mouse had killed itself by eating the cheese and retreating its head not fast enough.
Its own fault therefore.


But then the mind of the human being started to analyze the event.
The discussion is not about the impossibility of mice and men being in the same place.
It is clear that this is not a good idea.
Hence, when mice come and look for food, the human being should leave.
In the end, the mouse was there first.

Somehow this concept doesn't work well in the mind.
If the Fuso Szulc was to return to La Paz and friends were told it was because there were mice at El Triple who were there first, the local psychiatric hospital would get a new client.

Then another idea was born.
Using mouse traps or poison terminates the lives of the innocent mice.
It is a drastic measure.
Like this mouse that killed itself in the mouse trap last night.
It might be a female.
Who has young ones in the hole in the ground around the corner.
Babies who are now wondering where is Mummy.
And they are getting hungry.
Feeling miserable and left alone.
A tragedy in their lives that soon will end as well because nobody, nobody will take care of them.

Now, one may say: but they are just mice.
Why so sentimental?
That is not fair.
If you as a human being are left alone to die and you feel miserable, will it help you to realize that you are just one out of 7 billion people so what is your problem?
No, you will consider your life most important in spite of us being with over 7 billion.
Hence, why is the life of a mouse then less important?

All these reflections resulted in a decision.
Not to kill mice anymore.
To look for a mouse trap that catches them alive.
Like a sort of cage with a trap door.


When a mouse is inside, the cage can be brought to an area at a distance too far away for a mouse to walk back.
And there the rodent is released.

It is not the perfect solution, but at least the animal is not killed.

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To get a mouse trap without killing them, click on:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DINGG?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwgregladenc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000DINGG






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Faulty Fausto

Some days ago a change in the manifestation of nature was noticed.
On the beach live sand crabs and they dig tunnels in the sand as a house.


But very recently they moved away from the beach and came to the hinterland.
To dig their homes behind the sand dunes.

At the same time the hermit crabs could be seen as well.


They also moved away from the Pacific Ocean to find a temporary new habitat in the area behind the dunes.

What was going on?

Responsible for the migration of these animals is Fausto.
A tropical storm 640 miles (1029 km) west of Baja California.



Although this storm is relatively far away, it makes the wind come from the south.


But the strongest effect is that Fausto is responsible for very high waves.
This can be heard.
Yesterday there was a change in the sound of the surf.
It became not so peaceful anymore but heavy and threatening and powerful.

For this the sand crabs and the hermit crabs were running away.
For the ocean that had become too wild.

Another effect of Fausto is that the high and strong waves take away a large part of the beach.
Where the day before was a beautiful wide and comfortable beach, half of it now has been washed away.



It may seem that to stay long time near the ocean and a lagoon is an uneventful experience.
But aren’t we noticing that each day something is happening?




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Stop castrating cars

Broad-minded Norte-Americanos will know that the political system in Europe and many other countries worldwide is very different from the one in their own nation.

In Europe there are political parties based on a philosophy, religion, conviction or ideology.
Each political party has a party program and politicians are representing not their personal opinions, but defending the political program of their party.

Hence, people do not vote for persons.
They vote for the political program that represents the most their own opinions.

One advantage of this political system is that it is relatively easy to start a new political party and be voted into the Senate and Parliament.

This happened in 2002.
A political party was founded in the Netherlands called “Partij voor de dieren”.
This means: “Party for the animals”.
Although it is not a single-issue party, their main goal is to defend animal rights and welfare.

They managed to get enough signatures on the petition to participate in general elections and are now represented in Parliament with two persons and have one person in the Senate.

“Partij voor de dieren” is a large organisation with people coming together all over the country to work on defending the position of animals.

This is very relevant in the Netherlands where there is a huge bio-industry.
Without thinking twice millions of chicken, calves, cows, lamas and pigs are kept under appalling conditions to be mass murdered for the meat industry.
If it would be described here how those innocent animals are being kept and what is being done to them, the appetite and good mood of the fervent and loyal blog readers will be spoiled for days to come.

What is so amazing is that this small political party manages to have animal welfare as a subject of discussion in Parliament and in the Senate every single day.
And they make it a frequent subject in the press as well.

One reason for this successful way of defending a good cause is the fact that the political leader and Member of Parliament is a 36-year-old person who has charisma and who is very good presenting both in Parliament as in the media the issues with animals.
Her name is Marianne Thieme.
She speaks about animal welfare and animal rights in a balanced way.
Giving the horrible facts without getting sentimental.



Another reason for the success of the “Partij voor de dieren” is their smart way of making politics.
Last week they had their day in Parliament getting nationwide publicity.
They had checked the programs of the other political parties on the animal issues.
They found beautiful words, intentions, promises and ambitions.
Next, they translated all those beautiful words, intentions, promises and ambitions into propositions for new laws and presented them in Parliament to have them voted on.
This was most embarrassing for the political parties.
They are claiming for example that the practice to castrate young pigs without any anaesthesia has to stop immediately.
But when last week the “Partij voor de dieren” presented this ambition as a new law, making this cruel intervention illegal, the political parties backed out.
Although their party programs are suggesting to potential voters that this is what they are going to do, they refused to support and vote for it to become a law.
Reasons being that in fact the political parties are defending the commercial interests of the bio industry.

The result was a massive wave of publicity in the press.
Because it was revealed that most political parties are saying they want to defend animal rights and welfare, but they are not actually doing it.

Learning how successful a political party can be with one specific subject appealing to many voters, the idea is to do the same in the USA.
Not to create a political party for the welfare of animals.
But to create a political party to defend the interests of the car.
Because the truth is that everybody loves the car but we make it hardly possible to park it, to fix it and to drive it without getting stuck in traffic jams.
On top of that we make the car in a way that it is polluting and very cold inside when leaving in the morning.
The welfare and rights of the car are totally ignored and a political party would be absolutely vital.
And highly successful.
There is a person similar to Dutch “Partij voor de dieren” leader Marianne Thieme who could very well be her American equivalent after the current elections.
Hillary Clinton.
Who will have Bill to drive her to the office.

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To learn more about the political party for the animals, click on:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_for_the_Animals

To learn more about the political leader of the Party for the Animals, click on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Thieme




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