rodent

I love #1!

Quote: Originally Posted by BarefootBride Geez I feel bad now... we are going to NZ for our honeymoon and wanted to go dolphin watching and maybe swim with them... but they are all wild there - should I feel bad? Gosh now I feel bad for taking my little Pre Kindergarten kids to the Zoo two weeks ago. We are learning about animals and most of them will never get the see most of them if they didnt have the chance to go. I thought I was doing a good thing... yeah we enjoyed it (bad us) - MAN have you ever seen an OKAPI I never knew it existed... and it almost doesnt... but I would now support saving them for sure if its at all possible. This is from a dolphin site in NZ "When taking a tour with Dolphin Encounter® you must remember that these dolphins are in their natural environment and are not enticed to the boats by any artificial means. All tours are on the dolphin’s terms. Although the dusky dolphins may swim very close to the swimmers in the water, this is not a "Flipper" type experience. The dolphins are completely wild and this is not the dolphin touching opportunity many hope for." many of the open water dolphin programs feed the dolphins to get them to come around. This tour in NZ sounds like it might actually be ethical. I'd have to look more into it, or maybe someone else knows more about it. The questions of zoos is much more difficult than the swimming with dolphins to me. I personally think a good zoo (usually they are AZA-accredited zoos) are fine. Some people might feel differently. But, zoos are able to do a lot of good things for the animals and it is possible to provide them with the right habitat. I do think there are some animals that should not be in a zoo and do not agree with all zoo practices. I would not support those road-side petting zoos.

Quote: Originally Posted by Dreamgirl08 Wow, that fee seems like RIDICULOUS....!!!!! What if I only need my photographer for one night? Exactly- its ridiculous. That is the reason for the boycott. Even if you just need them one night, the 3 night stay is another way for them to charge you more money. Also, just because that is the policy now, you can trust is won't change by next year. They change their policy all the time. If you are not wanting to use their photographer you might want to consider a different hotel. Girls have gotten around the policy, but it keeps getting harder to do that.

Quote: Originally Posted by Tammy Host i think now you do because i got a new one for you.... Woo Hoo!

Beautiful DC pics!

I bought one from gap last summer. I don't like how low cut the bottoms are though. It's a white halter top with a gold stripe bottom. Sorry, no model pic & I'm not posting a pic of me in a bikini on the forum. I feel like jessica spano all of a sudden when she was in the pagent wearing a trench coat.

Quote: Originally Posted by Tlseege Ok, just a devils advocate saying. You say it's alright if the animal is domesticated... who is to say what is domesticated? Who has the right to say that one animal is stupid enough so it can be domesticated? Horses are wild animals, people just chose to domesticate them. I guess i just never really understood that point of view. Sorry Domestication of horses & dogs was done in BC times. So it wasn't a judgement of they are not as intelligent, lets domesticate them. I don't think this is something we should be deciding. Most domesticated animals we chosen either for work or food. It was more of a way for man to survive. Domestication isn't an arbitrary thing either. There is a genetic and behaivorial change to the animal. It's not like today we are declairing dogs as domesticated & dolphins as non-domesticated. Here is a list of info about dolphin swims I had bookmarked when I first started looking in to it. I'm not trying to attack anyone. But, I was glad to see this thread was started to get the info out there. 53% of those dolphins who survive the violent capture die within 90 days. The average life span of a dolphin in the wild is 45 years; yet half of all captured dolphins die within their first two years of captivity. The survivors last an average of only 5 years in captivity. Every seven years, half of all dolphins in captivity die from capture shock, pneumonia, intestinal disease, ulcers, chlorine poisoning, and other stress-related illnesses. To the captive dolphin industry, these facts are accepted as routine operating expenses. In many tanks the water is full of chemicals as well as bacteria, causing many health problems in dolphins including blindness. When a baby dolphin is born in captivity, the news is usually kept secret until the calf shows signs of survival. Although marine mammals do breed in captivity, the birth rate is not nearly as successful as the one in the wild, with high infant mortality rates. Wild dolphins can swim 40 to 100 miles per day - in pools they go around in circles. Many marine parks subject their mammals to hunger so they will perform for their food. Jumping through hoops, tailwalking and playing ball are trained behaviors that do not occur in the wild. Confined animals who abuse themselves (banging their heads against the walls) are creating stimuli which their environment cannot supply. Dolphins in captivity tend to develop stereotypical behaviors (swimming in a repetitive circle pattern, with eyes closed and in silence) because of boredom and confinement. This is equivalent to the swaying and pacing of primates, lions, tigers and bears confined in cages. Dolphins are predators of fish and spend up to half of their time in the wild hunting for food. Supplying dead fish results in less exercise and lack of mental stimulation, thus causing boredom. When trapped together, males often become agitated and domineering. This creates pecking orders (unknown in the wild) and unprovoked attacks on each other and the trainers. In the ocean, although fights are not unknown, the wild dolphins have a chance to escape. THEY WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE.... Dolphinariums claim that their mission is to protect dolphins in the wild through research and public education. Those are nice words but facts speak louder. If dolphins are so happy in captivity, why do they die so fast? Why the secrecy about their mortality rates? There would be fewer spectators if people knew how many animals were "dying" to amuse them. Perhaps if the death records were displayed at the entrance, no one would buy a ticket. Education? Most dolphinariums have made little or no contribution to education about dolphins. Jacques Cousteau believed that captive dolphins are conditioned and deformed and bear little resemblance to dolphins living in freedom in the sea. It's like studying human psychology only in prisons, which leads, obviously, to misinterpretations and absurd generalizations. As people learn more about the wild cetaceans, they pity more the captive ones. As TV, computers, and virtual reality become greater educational tools, the justification for keeping captives on display disappears. Research? We blindfold dolphins to study the efficiency of their echolocation system. We put probes in their larynxes and nostrils to examine their sound production. We train them to push buttons and levers, to choose between materials and colors, we teach them to speak. We clamp them down, drill holes into them, and dissect them. Why? They do not exist as subjects for agonizing experiments by man. Dolphins suffer no less than humans. The only way scientists should study dolphins is to swim with them in the wild. No argument can rationalize the forced confinement of these highly intelligent creatures. Dolphins are innocent sufferers in a hell of our making. The Good News is... Fortunately for the dolphins, more and more people are becoming concerned about dolphin suffering, and uncomfortable at sea circuses. Citizens are now speaking out loudly that dolphins and whales belong in the ocean. This is the only hope. Imagine this: A theme park has a dolphin show and nobody goes. The owners will soon close down. There would be no dolphin shows if no one paid to watch them.

Quote: Originally Posted by Tammy Host looks like we are in a 3 way tie for 1st place.... Heidi 1 Morgan 1 JennyK 1 so far all the gals will win a prize if no one enters the contest... i will update the status often.... My user CP says I have 2 new ones.

That is so great! Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by lambert13 I'll start of by saying that much like Morgan, I am 100% against using animals for human enjoyment. To me, the whole swimming with dolphins is disgusting, inhuman and bad for both the animal and the human. 1. Dolphins are captured in the wild, torn away from their families and then kept in captivity until they are no longer needed. They are highly intelligent and they are shown to actually mourn the loss when one member of their group dies. Ripping a dolphin from their group is akin to them dying. 2. The conditions they are kept in are usually horrible. The water is loaded with feces, algae and other pollutants. The 'cage' structure traps all sorts of debris in the area where the dolphins are kept and that you swim in. A lot of them try to tout that they are kept in an ocean setting. That does not matter. The water is still disgusting. 3. Dolphins will attack humans. Especially when kept in captivity and used as a toy constantly. Watch the show on the Discovery Channel about dolphins attacking people in these types of encounters. It can be vicious and even deadly. As for horses...... I can accept some uses of them as they are a domesticated animal. Most uses have the same contempt from me. 1. Riding horses in the tropical heat and making them trudge through shoulder height water makes me sick. Again, just my opinion. There are some tour operators that treat the animals very well though. There is one outfit in Jamaica that rescues horses and brings them back to health by using some of the riding tours as a sort of physical therapy. Them, I applaud. 2. Carriage rides through cities makes me sick. Most of those horses are kept in warehouses with concrete floors and no heat/air conditioning. That is very very bad for them. Those people that treat horses like that need to fucking die in my opinion. Those are just my opinions and trust me that I respect whatever you feel you should do. You will just never find me participating in any of that. Thanks Jason, I'm glad you shared your knowledge of this. I think you know more about it than I do. I agree with what you said about horseback riding & the carriages. It is all about how well the horse is treated & taken care of. Horseback riding can be done ethically, so research the place first. Swimming with the dolphins can never be done ethically, unless you are in the ocean & some dolphins just happen to show up. The open water swims are just a scam to try to make it look OK. I did go horseback riding when I was in cancun 10 years ago. It wasn't something I was interested in doing, but the family I went with insisted I come along. If I were ever to do it again, I would research the tour provider. I didn't really think about the heat, but we had horses in South Texas & it was hot. The stables & facilities looked really nice. The horses all seamed healthy too. But, I really don't know much about it. I was just told the day before we left that I had to go. Are there good options for horseback riding in Cancun/ Riviera Maya? Any place like the place in Jamaica? I think the key for doing anything with animals is to do a little research & see if it's ethical. A great alternative to swimming with dolphins is to go on a dolphin watching or whale watching tour (that is done right where they don't invade the animals space).

Quote: Originally Posted by Jacqueline I'm not too sure. I always tend to "feel bad" for animals that are used for human enjoyment...hahaha I know that sounds funny. Like circuses, horse racing, dog racing, horse carriages in down town Philly, and I can go onnn. A lot (not all) of times the animals are mistreated and not cared for properly. BUTTTT I am working on getting over that and I have to remember that not all people or places abuse the animals. I've gone horse back riding and the horses lived like kings, and I've also gone (in Cabo actually) and I wanted to cry when I saw how the horses looked (cuts, skinny, hand shy, standing on beach in steaminghot weather with no shade) Another time they had dolphins and (to me) didnt look healthy, and they didnt have much room. But again, I'm not going to say not to do it, because it def depends on where you go. **Do research before you book anything thats all you can really do. I personally won't do things like that anymore unless I know for sure they aren't mistreated. Hope that helps ) I do not think you need to get over your dislike of circuses or dog/ horse races. I will not support any of these. Have you seen what happens to a greyhound once they can no longer race? Animals exploited for profit are rarely treated properly. The lions & tigers who entertain are not doing it because they enjoy it. They get them to do that stuff out of fear & intimidation or food deprevation. I read something about how the lion tamer assumes the role as alpha lion & the weakest lion will do whatever he makes him out of fear. This one is the star of the show. But, I do feel like there are ethical ways to interact with animals. Mostly, domesticated animals. Like dogs for example. If you have a dog that enjoys agility training, that's great. it's a great way to exercise the dog & play with them. I have little experience with horses, but I do think they enjoy similar stuff. My friends with horses say they bond with their horse so riding the horse is enjoyable for both. I don't know how we can really know what an animal likes, but I feel like I can tell my dog wants to play these games too. So I think domestication is the big difference.

Here is the big difference in my opinion. I do not claim to be an expert on this, but I have read up on it quite a bit. I had planned to swim witht he dolphins during my honeymoon and a friend told me I should look into it first. I was so glad she did. 1. Dolphins are highly intelligent animals that need very complex social interactions. Sort of like how a human would lose their mind being trapped in a small room, but a goldfish can be content in a little bowl. Parrots, which are also very intelligent, needs lots of social interaction & stimulation too. Humans, Dolphins & parrots are all on the top of the IQ list. Horses, dogs, cows, are not as intelligent & therefore don't always have the same needs. A horse might be perfectly content in a stable as long as it also has room to run. The repetitive behaivor that dolphins are known for, actually isn't a dolphin personallity trait. I think it's called stereo behavior. it's a really bad sign in the animal world that the animal is bored and not right mentally. 2. Horses are domesticated, dolphins are not. Horses are also breed in captivity and not captured in the wild. Dolphins are captured and often injured or killed in the process. I would not approve of a horse riding facility that did not treat horses the way they needed to be happy. But, it's much easier because a horse can be housed in a stable or barn & then share a large area for running. I believe dolphins need more room to roam. The swim large distances each day. 3. I do not like how these places promote themselves as eco-friendly or dolphin loving. If they loved dolphins they would not be exploiting them for money. I am glad you brought this topic up. I do not judge people who decide to swim with the dolphins, but I would like them to atleast look at the truth behind it first before deciding to do it.

Quote: Originally Posted by jean-marcus oh trust me. i love the word google. i google all day long. google just sounds sexy and inquisitive by nature.... BLAAAAAAHHHHHG just sounds dirty and i feel like i need a shower after every time i say it... I think its the way you say it. I'm a Texan & I don't say it with that much of a drawl. Google is great no matter how you say it. "Oh, I've got to google that."

Quote: Originally Posted by jean-marcus i declare morgan the most helpful person in the world. its official AND also the most use of the word BLOG in a reply hahha bloggy blog blog There was some show on on myspace. Like a soap, but hosted on the interwebs. They showed clips of it on best week ever & they said "blog" about every other sentence. It was pretty funny. I'll see if i can find it. I personally love the word blog. Sort of how I love the word google. It's so much fun to say stuff like, "oh, just wait until you see my blog" or "I'm blogging about that tonight." I don't actually blog. blog blog bloggy blog ~Blog

Quote: Originally Posted by jean-marcus with all that peer pressure telling me id be cool if i did it i guess i pretty much have to.. it cant hurt if others are doing it... i mean the first ones free right... its after i run out of money that i start whoring myself out for another blog fix does google have one? which one is most customizable? Quote: Originally Posted by jean-marcus oh one more question.. can people leave comments in blogs? i am such a blog virgin yes, blogger is google's blog. Your url ends up being jeanmarcus.blogspot.com (or whatever you call it), so you do have BLOG in the url. For $10 a year you can get a custom url. The free wordpress option has .wordpress.com in the url. I have read wordpress is much easier to customize. Blogger is a really easy to customize using their options. But if you want to get really custom, it can be a PITA. The code is CSS code, not html & it took me a while to lean to work with it. I have a book coming from amazon about how to blogger, so hopefully that helps. I've been working with Kristie to customize her blog. It's a google blogger blog so you can see how they look. We still want to do a few more things, like add a background or a print around the header. Photography By Kristie Here is an example of one with no customization so you see how they come straight from blogger (I just found this one on the interwebs) amieds-amieds-on The first thing to do is make a cool header to replace the text one. And then remove that navagation bar from the top. And yes, people can leave comments. That is a really great part of a blog.

The photographer blog is the first place I go when checking out a website. Blogger is totally free, but it can be a PITA to customize. Wordpress also has a free option that isn't as good. Or you can pay for hosting & get the full deal. I haven't used it, but it's a lot easier to customize. You can name it anything you want. You don't have to call it a blog.

Quote: Originally Posted by Tammy Host it is for 2 people. thanks for supporting the contest everyone...i thought it was a great way to get the word out about BDW! Yay! I'm in then! I'd love to see the beautiful Dreams Cabo in person after all the wedding pictures I've seen from there.

Is the 3 night stay for 2? With the value of $1200 I'm assuming it is.

passive-aggressive (and just plain aggressive) notes ? a little bit “funny ha ha”…a little bit, you know, “funny” I'm laughing so hard at work I'm embarassed. Previous favorite thing: FOUND Magazine | Find of the Day

Quote: Originally Posted by sassybride Wow, thats stupid! I don't think that not picking your own Photog should be allowed. My friend had the same prob with them and decided to CANCEL as well. You should send a letter to the manager. This rule should NOT exist!!! I agree. Let them know that is why you are not using their hotel. With enough pressure hopefully they will change the policy.

Two of my favorites: my friend's sister was dancing at her wedding & saw a bra pad laying on the dance floor. It was actually my friend's girlfriend's pad, but his sister must have been wearing them too. So she picked it up off the dance floor & stuck it in right there in front of everyone. At my friends wedding I was MOH in recently the groom said "take this ring as a sign of my infidelity" instead of "love and fidelity." He turned bright red after that & couldn't stop laughing. The videographer offered to edit it, but they wanted it just how it was. It's a great joke now. During their honeymoon he'd see a lady (typical unattractive) and tell his wife, "sorry baby, but its in my vows."

that is so sweet. I love that song! I recently got digital cable & it's on the adult alternative station a lot. I've been meaning to download it so I can listen to it more.

thats true. I forget about all of your tube socks. He hates that I wear ankle socks. I'm sorry becks. You are a great ferret sitter.

I have OCD & Anxiety & wedding planning really increased my problems with it. That & some unrelated stress last fall. I started spending a lot of effort working on getting it under control & I feel amazing now. I also started taking zoloft. Certain OCDs I just couldn't get under control (like thiking I left the stove on). I feel the best I have ever felt in my life now. The biggest improvement has been in my ability to drive without thinking about crashing the whole time. Anxiety can really wear on you. I didn't even realize how difficult it was until I now know what it feels like to not be overly anxious.

Quote: Originally Posted by jamisoncollette I don't Morgan, don't you remember what happened to poor Nibblets the last time Becks had him? Yeah, but the only other person who offered to ferret sit was jean-marcus so i figured I'd take my chances with becks again.