Not a joke...and this is disheartening

Hi all:
This morning on my way to work I was listening to WBAB and was shocked by what I heard. With sex offenders being released back in to society, there has been much controversy. Please take a look at this site, and pass it along to all those you know: www.familywatchdog.us
If you search via your street address, the site alerts you to how many sex offenders are in your immediate area. Not only that, but it tells you what their convictions are. I just searched my address and found out I have 41 sick perverts living in the surrounding area. Please pass along!

I have to say that this worries me. More and more sexual preditors seem to be 'popping up' in what was once considered safe neighborhoods. But no one is safe. I just wish we could keep children safe. This was an article printed in yesterday's Newday (news paper.)


Anger at sex offender clusterBY JENNIFER MALONEYSTAFF WRITER; Staff writer Erik German contributed to this story.September 27, 2006
Revelations about a cluster of sex offenders in Coram and Gordon Heights yesterday generated calls from concerned residents to Brookhaven Town and Suffolk County's Department of Social Services to end the practice, and gave renewed hope to local and state legislators that bills regarding sex offender housing might gain passage this fall.A Newsday analysis published yesterday examined how 39 convicted sex offenders came to live within a half-square-mile area.
"It's unfair to burden working-class communities with these sex offenders," said Suffolk Legis. Kate Browning (WFP-Shirley). "We're not saying that none of them can live here; we're just saying we don't want more than our fair share."Browning called for passage of legislation she introduced last week that would ban county agencies providing services to sex offenders from putting more than one offender in the same house.State Assemb. Patricia Eddington (D-Medford) pushed for legislation she introduced that would require DSS and parole and probation officers to consider the number of registered offenders in a neighborhood and in a residence before placing a sex offender there. It recently was passed by the Assembly and will be taken up by the Senate next session.Legislation requiring confinement or close monitoring of Level 3 offenders, the most dangerous classification, is in conference in the Senate and Assembly.Gordon Heights residents called on Brookhaven to enforce code violations its inspectors find at properties owned by Mary Dodson, a landlord renting to 27 registered sex offenders in 11 of her Gordon Heights houses."These look like single-family dwellings and why would multiple people be living in them?" said Rosalie Hanson, who lives on Caroline Avenue.Brookhaven is seeking a ruling from Attorney General Eliot Spitzer on the constitutionality of its proposal to limit the number of offenders in one area. Councilwoman Connie Kepert, whose district includes Gordon Heights, said her office also is drafting a resolution to require professional counselors to live in residences with two or more offenders."If the government wants to cluster them in one area, they need to cluster them in non-residential neighborhoods and have in-house supervision," said Laura Ahearn, executive director of the advocacy group Parents for Megan's Law.Staff writer Erik German contributed to this story.

Orelinde’s grueling ‘hot’ questions for a cool Fall Wednesday:

If you could go to one of the following places on vacation, which destination would you pick:

(A) Jamaica, the tropical islands, for a cousin’s wedding.
(B) Ireland, a much desired trip to the emerald isle.
(C) Hawaii, because you can get a somewhat fair deal.

For YEARS I have been wanting to go to Ireland. I have no valid reason, other than it is somewhere I want to go to absorb the culture, and see some of the history there. Plus I think a visit to the Guinness Factory would be a required stop as well. My goal is to fly in to Dublin or Belfast, spend a few days, and then take the rail (to the opposite town) and finish my vacation there. Each time I think ‘this is the year to go’ something happens and I have to push it off.

In May, my cousin and his fiancé are getting hitched down in Jamaica, and are having a reception at the house when they get back. Whoever wants to see them get married is more than welcome to go and partake. So I had planned on going to Jamaica for the festivities and sun-soaking. But my cousin and the bride-to-be is not setting ANYTHING up for would be guests at the resort. Not blocking off any rooms, not taking care of a dinner….you TOTALLY have to fend for yourself. Which got me to thinking.

Do I: (A) Go to Ireland either in May of ’07 or early fall of ’07 on a guided tour. Because as per my mother….’Ireland is not safe for a girl to go on her own and I may be sold in to white slavery.’

(B) Try to go away for New Years Eve, for example set my vacation for 12/28/06-1/4/07. And go somewhere for a good deal.

(D) Book an exotic trip, through Expedia or some travel thingy and go to Mexico or Hawaii.
I think I have a pretty good idea what I’m going to do…but I need some input on this one.

Is it Friday yet????

Have you ever had one of those days? You know the one I’m talking about. Where everything that can go wrong does? And I don’t mean that you’re grouchy or just not liking your environment. I mean THINGS GO WRONG.....as in...let’s just start the day over again.
This morning I drag my butt out of bed, hop in the shower and try to think of all the things I need to buy at the grocery store at lunch time for an upcoming tea party we’re hosting this Saturday. Breakfast is uneventful, and I hop in the car only to have the highway backed up for exits, and opt to take the service road. However, the traffic gods must be irked with me, because not only is the service road backed up, but construction is going on, so everyone needs to merge in to one lane. At 8:26 am I consent to the fact that I am going to be LATE to work. Later than my normal 5-minutes late. I call my friend’s desk to ask her to man the phones....but she seems to have called in sick and changed her voicemail to inform all she will not be in today. I then call another co-worker and get her voicemail. Where the hell is she? So I then resort to calling my bud...1/2 of the thorn in my side which actually isn’t as bad as I thought he was. Annoying as hell at times, no doubt. But all in all a good guy. I tell him I’ll be 10 minutes late and he assures me he’s going to fill ‘The Chief’ in.
Get to the office and ‘The Chief’ tells me he needs me to go sit up in the office where ‘Big Bad’ works out of, as Claire and my co-worker BOTH CALLED IN SICK, and no one is ‘manning that office’. So let’s recap: ‘Big Bad’ is not in, as he had a scheduled day off, and both women who work in his office called out sick. ‘Dim-wit’ who works in my office and drives me insane has Thursdays off, so that leaves YOURS TRULY the only one to cover phones...and miss out on lunch. Ok, not too bad...because I’ve done this before. But I’m pissed because I needed to go shopping on lunch and now can’t.
It gets worse. Go and sit and Claire’s desk, and deposit my tote bag (that I carry to and from work) on the floor. This held my personal items, including my lunch a protein bar and yogurt. And when I go into my tote to get my water find out that my yogurt has EXPLODED IN MY BAG. So this now leaves me with: only a protein bar for lunch, unable to go out to pick something up because there’s no office coverage, and of course I can’t order in because I don’t have $$$ on me, just my debit card. Plus I have been here since 8:45 am, and haven’t even been able to go to the ladies room.
As if that isn’t bad enough. One NYC messenger was mugged last night, after he got off work. So at 9:15 he called in to say he wasn’t going to make in to work. I was unable to pull up work order tickets for an outside vendor and had to contact ‘Big Bad’ as this is one of ‘his side of the house jobs’. Like I said....it’s a BAD DAY.

Fears, phobias, and new quirks I've acquired

It’s silly to be afraid of things that are so grandiose. You know what I mean…such as being abducted by aliens or having Earth invaded by aliens. Being chomped on and killed by a shark. (Ok, that isn’t so far fetched….but it’s a fear of mine.) The shark thing is so huge for me, that I refuse to try and learn how to surf because of all the shark attacks. And even when I am in the ocean, constantly scan the open water for ANY sign of a fin. Yet come shark week, who’s sitting in front of the telly? And how many times have I watched Jaws or Deep Blue Sea? It’s insane. Hell, I make fun of myself over this stuff. Bugs! Spiders, particularly…let’s not even go there.
But last night I have discovered a new fear. And this one is well warranted. Really! As we know, cats like to reward their owners with gifts of appreciation such as dead mice or birds (if outside cats.) My two bundles of fur are strictly indoor cats as I’m sure I may have mentioned in past posts. And I’ve had them for three WONDERFUL years now. But this new fear of mine has only come in to play this summer. Since the end of July up until now, it seems every cricket, in the free world has decided to take up residency in my house. Ok…that’s a bit of an exaggeration…because it’s not like they’re hopping all over, or we’re infested. But there has been constant cricket serenades coming from my basement and garage since July. And Pooka and Cro`i love to hunt insects. They’ve rescued me from insects more than once. But the mc-kittens have taken to spending their daytime hours stalking the crickets in the basement and batting them to death. We think it’s funny. At least I had...until last night.
I got home from dance class after 10, and was exhausted from being at the Aerosmith concert the night before. However for some reason, my (wonderful) mother decided to shred papers. She keeps the shredder upstairs. Ida has been sleeping in the family room, because she is more comfortable….so I decided to join Ida there so I could watch a bit of the boob-tube before conking out on the HUGE ‘bordello couch’. And of course my two mini-lions, my protectors who sleep with me took tot heir posts. Pooka on the back/ or top of the couch above me…and Cro`i claiming her spot (as she has since day one) on my legs.
2:30am this morning, I felt Cro`i get up, and hop down off me and the couch. It seemed (in my half-sleep state) that she heard a cricket, and was stalking it. I heard noises, such as the chirping, and then....oh God....the crunching. Could it be that she was eating the cricket? Legs, and body parts hanging out of her mouth, stuck to her whiskers? Oh please...don’t let it be that. And I lay there, and hear her scurrying about...eyes open, see Pooka watching in fascination. Great...he now thinks this is a spectator sport. And yet more crunching. How many has Cro`i slayed at this hour? And then the FEAR sets in. My NEW PHOBIA. Something way worse than having either of them chomp a cricket. What if....and this SO could happen. What if they decide to catch and mangle a cricket and then bring it to me as a gift? What if they decide to deposit it on the pillow, next to my head and do their meow that they know wakes me up? What if I open my eyes and see a cricket next to me? I would scream, scare the crap out of them...perhaps startle the cricket if it is still alive and make it jump towards me...and also insult my cats by not appreciating their ‘gift’. What’s a 30 year old girl, who comes up with these crazy fears to do?!?
I’ll tell you exactly what she’s to do. Because I did it last night. I ever so softly call Ida’s name, and being that she’s on the other curve of the ‘bordello couch’, reach over and begin to shake her. “Ida...Ida....IDA! I think Cro`i has a cricket” I call in a persistent, yet loud stage whisper until she grasps what I’m telling her. ‘I’m afraid she chomping on it, and maybe will bring it to me as a gift. Go see what’s going on.” And true to her nature and love for me; her niece & God child, she does this. Because she knows I will freak if I am right about what I think I hear going on.
But it wasn’t what I thought it was. Cro`i as it turns out had an upset tummy and puked her little mc-kitten brains out. In two spots. Turns out that the cat treats Temptations is too harsh on her system. (I had given them to her earlier in the night and this has happened before.) But I tried it again due to it being a different type of Temptations. So there was NO cricket hunting or chomping of any sort. And that was a great relief...although I was upset about her being sick. However that doesn’t erase the fear I have of being woke from a deep slumber by a meow, and finding myself staring at a cricket inches from my head.

Concert review: Route Of ALl Evil Aerosmith & Motley Crue

Aerosmith & Motley Crue prove they are still: The Route To All Evil!

So this is a few days late, but with the day I’ve had since getting in to the office…I’m just going to post as many entries in la blog today as I feel fit to. See other entries to understand….(coming soon.) Anyway, on Tuesday, September 19th Ida and I went to the Jones Beach, NY concert for Motley and Aerosmith. And I was pleasantly surprised.
I was saddened about the news of Tom Hamilton’s throat cancer, but glad to hear he is on the mend. David Hull will be filling in for Tom on for the first 1-2 months of this tour. So excited as I was about seeing my favorite band and Motley…I was kind of leery of how ‘The Bad Boys of Boston’ would sound as an ‘incomplete’ unit. MY bad! Ida and I had gotten to the venue with time to kill, considering traffic and bad weather, only to be routed to another parking lot and getting on a highway, only to get kind-of lost and having to double back. By the time we were parked and at the concession stands looking at concert stuff, Crue was already on stage and I was shocked to see that not only did the gig start EXACTLY on time…but the merchandise selection was MUCH to be desired. Opting to buy a pair of undies…we headed to our seats and I had a feeling this was an omen of how the music portion of the show would be.
Motley Crue: opened the night’s show, and for some weird reason their sound system was wacked out. (Great I thought to myself…the show is going to suck.) Although Vince was singing as loud as he could, the vocals were muffled, and even some feedback. As if that wasn’t bad enough….their smoke machine was pumping overtime, so you could barely see them on stage. If it wasn’t for Tommy’s ‘Hell Yeah’s’ and ‘make some noise mutha fucka’s’ I don’t think the audience would have been at all thrilled. However by the time they launched in to ‘Kick Start My Heart’ and “Girls, Girls, Girls’ the sound was much better, and I could finally see Vince, Nikki & Mick. They had killer pyrotechnics, and were so jubilant it was clear they were having fun. They closed the set with Tommy handing off his bottle of booze to the audience for sharing. All in all their portion of the show was good…but Ida and I are actually more stoked to see Tommy Lee & the band yet to be renamed perform in January.
AEROSMITH: I don’t care what people say about the band. These guys, with Steven pushing 60 still R-O-C-K. They may have gone ‘softer’ or ‘poppy’as some people claime…but when they rock their classics such as S.O.S., Momma Kin, and ‘Sweet Emotion’ there is no doubt in my mind that they’re still on top of their game. From the minute they hit the stage until the minute they finished their encore…they were on fire, and didn’t sit still for a second. Joe Perry *sigh* looked amazing (I had to go there…sorry boys) and sang ‘Stop Messing Around’ and also ran lead vocals on another song. (Steven had a belly) and loved showing it off to the audience…but since having his throat surgery, didn’t sound any worse for the ware. They both talked about missing Tom, and dedicated ‘Sweet Emotion’ to him. David Hull did a superb job filling in which was a huge relief. This was the first tour I remember seeing them do ‘Season’s Of Wither’ and I get a kick out seeing them perform something I never saw before. They didn’t do ‘Dream On’ but from what I understand they’re switching up set lists during this tour.
The weather held out…with only a slight shower between both bands. But it didn’t put a damper on the evening. Will I go to see Motley Crue again? Probably not. We’ve seen them last summer, solo…and now on this tour with Aerosmith. I do like Crue…but I think twice is enough. Then again…who knows? But Aerosmith….until they retire…I will continue to see them. They never disappoint. From vocals, to music, to energy and respect for their fans they show what it is to be a true ROCKER.

Not safe in the water....NOT safe on LAND

MSNBC.com
Treasure trove of new marine species found
Variety of 'walking' shark among them; discoverers warn of threats
MSNBC
Updated: 10:29 a.m. ET Sept 18, 2006

Dozens of fish, shrimp and coral species, including two new types of a shark that walks on its fins, have been discovered in waters off New Guinea in the South Pacific, conservationists announced Monday.
The researchers described the area as “Earth's richest seascape” and “the most biodiverse marine area on the planet.” But they also warned that it faces threats such as fishing with dynamite and cyanide, commercial fishing and degraded water quality from mining and logging in Papua province, a section of New Guinea governed by Indonesia.
“These Papuan reefs are literally ‘species factories’ that require special attention to protect them from unsustainable fisheries and other threats so they can continue to benefit their local owners and the global community,” expedition leader Mark Erdmann, a researcher with Conservation International, said in a statement.
“Six of our survey sites, which are areas the size of two football fields, had over 250 species of reef-building coral each — that’s more than four times the number of coral species of the entire Caribbean Sea,” he added.
The entire area covers 45 million acres off a peninsula in northwest New Guinea. Researchers have counted 1,200 species of fish there and 600 species of reef-building coral — the latter equal to 75 percent of the world’s known total.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, covering an area 10 times bigger, has more types of fish — 1,464 species — but just 405 species of coral. And the bigger Caribbean Sea has fewer than 1,000 species of fish and just 58 types of coral.
During two surveys earlier this year, Conservation International and Indonesian experts found at least 36 new species of fish, coral and mantis shrimp in the waters, which are peppered with 2,500 islands and submerged reefs. The area also includes the largest Pacific leatherback turtle nesting area in the world, and is visited by whales, orcas and several dolphin species.
Two of the new species are members of the epaulette shark family, which distinguishes itself by sometimes using its fins to scamper away. Their name comes from the fact that they have two large round spots near their heads that look like epaulettes, the shoulder ornaments on military uniforms.
Dynamite, cyanide threatsThe researchers, who plan additional surveys next year, said it's already clear that Indonesia should extend protections around the region, only one-tenth of which now has national park status.
Erdmann told MSNBC.com that as resource-rich as the region is, it faces immediate threats such as the use of dynamite and cyanide by locals to stun and then capture live fish for export.
"At two sites we heard ear-shattering fish bombing blasts in the near vicinity," he said, "and our socio-economic team from the State University of Papua documented a number of villages where cyanide fishers were actively targeting grouper for capture with cyanide before exporting to China live.
"We also saw past evidence of illegal logging, though I'm happy to say that the Indonesian government's crackdown on illegal logging over the past five years seems to have greatly reduced this activity in Papua and we did not see any active logging. We are, of course, concerned about stated plans for both mining and logging in steep coastal areas that would be done legally.”
Commercial fishing in areaErdmann said a potentially greater problem could be the introduction of commercial fishing in the area as Indonesia transfers fishing pressure from its overfished western seas eastwards towards Papua.
"During our survey our socio-economic team did interview one Chinese-owned fish processing plant that is set up in the southeast of the Kaimana coastline," he said. "They are currently fishing just offshore for shrimp using trawls, but confided they had plans to bring approximately 100 additional vessels on line over the next two years targeting fish stocks just offshore. Needless to say, this is only one company, and this level of investment would clearly be unsustainable and likely collapse the fishery within three to five years at most."Conservation International — which has been working with Indonesia as well as The Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund — said it was optimistic that Indonesia would see the value of protecting the region.
"We've been very pleased with the positive response of the Indonesian government to our survey results, and with indications ... of their interest in expanding a network of marine protected areas to both protect the unparalleled marine biodiversity and also ensure sustainable management of fisheries in order that local communities maintain their food security."
Papua's amazing biodiversity was brought to the public's attention last February, when Conservation International reported that an expedition to the Foja Mountains, some 200 miles inland, had revealed a "lost world" of wildlife.
Additional background, images and video about the marine expeditions are online at www.conservation.org.

© 2006 MSNBC Interactive

URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14834763/?GT1=8506

James Ellroy's 'The Black Dahlia'

Tagline: Inspired by the most notorious unsolved murder in California history.

Plot Outline: An adaptation of James Ellroy's novel about two 1940s L.A. cops who head up the hunt for the killer of starlet Elizabeth Short.

Plot Summary for The Black Dahlia (2006)
Based on a true unsolved murder. In the 1940s, young and beautiful Elizabeth Short came to Hollywood, intending to become a famous actress. However, it would not be her career but her her brutal murder in 1947 that would bring her fame, as "The Black Dahlia". The investigation of her death became an obsession to millions and revealed a vast conspiracy throughout the police department.
And with that being said, me and the family went, with high expectations to go see the movie based on the horrific murder of Elizabeth Short. Up until the hoopla for this movie started, I had no idea who this woman was….but had seen the trailer for this movie months ago. Then a few weeks back, there had been a segment on 48 Hours about how a man believes his (sicko) father had been the man who murdered Elizabeth Short. It was all very interesting.

But the movie was not as interesting or as riveting as I had expected, or as any of us anticipated it to be. The whole Elizabeth Short murder played second fiddle to the two main characters Of Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckart. The movie focused more on the corruption of the LAPD back then, and the politics…than of the murder. It focused on the relationship between the police partners and a woman. There were more plot twists, and angles than substance and excitement.

My friend Claire’s boyfriend had read the book and enjoyed it, so perhaps the novel is the better way to go. I will give it a shot when I have time. But the movie version of ‘The Black Dahlia’ was more than disappointing in my opinion. I sure hope ‘Hollywoodland’ is much better.

9/11/06...5 year anniversary and not any easier

It's funny how time changes things, and yet we stay the same. Pre- September 11, 2001 the American people were cocky, self centered, and pretty much wanted to live their lives on their own time and their own way. But then tragedy stuck New York City and Washington D.C....and the American nation came to realize that we needed to band together and act as one united front...one voice. People from the other states gave of themselves freely and without hesitation; whether it was monetary, or physical, or emotionally or tradewise. The United States of America became one. Prayer groups and nightly vigils were held during our time of darkness and people's faith was restored both religiously and in mankind.

So it had taken a tragedy such as this to make us change. To remind us to be kind to one another. Be a little more friendly, a little more considerate, helpful or patient. But yet we stay the same. And this realization has made me sad.

Tonight I attended a memorial Mass at my church, along with my mom and my aunt. And as the service was taking place, I found myself glancing around the church, and noticing how empty the pews were. And when I say empty...I figured there was probably 35-40 people in our large church attending this mass, praying for peace and mourning those we lost. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. Where was everybody? Five years ago the church would be extra-crowded on Sundays. And at the one and two year anniversary of 9/11 the church was very crowded as people came together. But tonight the building was practically empty. Why? Is it that we're forgetting what happened? Hell no...we'll never forget, being that we lived it first hand. And the media and Hollywood most certainly won't ever let us forget it.

No...the church was very empty for another reason. And I think that it's because we're forgetting what we had learned. People have reverted back to their old ways. Once again we've become a 'me' society, instead of a 'we'. We're not as kind as we had once been a few years back....we don't give smiles as easily or freely and patience and consideration, well that's flying right out the window. Saturday Ida and I had gone to the Aquarium...and a woman with a son who who was maybe 4 years old shoved Ida (who walks with a cane) so they could get past her to get a seat at the Sea Lion show. WHAT THE HECK IS THAT? IDA WALKS WITH A CANE! WHAT ARE YOU TEACHING YOUR CHILD? Which brings me back to 9/11 and tonight. People couldn't be bothered attending the memorial service, not because they forgot or couldn't cope. But because it interfered with their dinner plans or schedules.

As I sat in church tonight, two fire fighters came in to attend the service and they were in their dress uniforms. I didn't know them. But I began to get teary-eyed. Because these are men who give their lives to keeping people and their homes safe. These are men who lost their comrades and maybe even partcipated in the Twin Tower attacks five years ago. And by lack of attendees tonight at church, made me realize that people are forgetting that people not only risked their lives (and lost lives) on that horrific day. But they continue to risk their lives for us.

I won't go on any further on this matter, because I don't want to sound too preach-y. But let's remember our fellow man. Let's give a helping hand, or a little smile. And let's remember that we're all in this world...this life together. Let's not forget.

New York Aquarium

http://www.nyaquarium.com/

So this weekend was actually one that was fun-filled, and relaxing to boot. Saturday the sun was shining and it was rather warm. I guess Indian-summer has decided to show up after all. So trying to find something fun (and not normal weekend stuff) I signed on to check out the goings-on at the New York Aquarium, in Brooklyn NY. I hadn’t been there in probably 24 years, and Ida and I had talked about going several times in the recent past.
Hopping in to the car, we made our way in to see the fishies, mammals, and even the *yikes* sharks. I was anxious to see the Beluga Whales, with their smiling faces…and the penguins. Instead, what did we get? Miniature penguins…Or what I laughingly refer to midget penguins (compared to what they once had). These penguins are Black Foot Penguins aka jackass penguins due to their braying sounds. But they hung out on cliffs in their area, not near the walls of their pen. And whales? Nope…not here. They got rid of the whales about a year ago (no one I asked about them really could provide an answer why they got rid of them.)
What did we get to see? We went in to the shark house…and even in their tanks, swimming so close up to the people it was intimidating. And these were only sand, and nurse, and spotted sharks. There is one whole ‘house’ dedicated to jelly fish and anemones, and that was really cool. I think we may have even seen Sea Horses mating...or maybe they had just decided to huddle together. Seals and a sea lion show. Sea otters, and a Sea Horse exhibit. In the Sea Horse exhibit, they had this one fish tooling around the tanks. He was just SO cute…aside from the Sea Lion who was sick, this Cow Fish was my favorite. I thought he was so cute and cool; I have included a whole blurb and link about Cow Fish. All in all it was a really nice day, and we enjoyed ourselves.
http://www.cowfishes.com/
Cowfish are found in the unique scientific family Ostraciidae, along with boxfish. This family shares many fascinating and unusual characteristics with other families found in the scientific order Tetraodontiformidae.
The names cowfish, boxfish, and trunkfish are often used interchangeably. Typically, the tropical fish from Indo-Pacific waters are square in cross section, and resemble more of a traditional box. These are most accurately referred to as boxfish. Those found in Atlantic and Caribbean waters are more triangular in cross section. They are called trunkfish. A boxfish or trunkfish with at least one set of horns is a cowfish. Even the round, globular species of the temperate Australian waters are referred to as cowfish because of their diminutive horns.
Special features of interest about cowfish:
Rather than a skeleton, they have a body of exterior fused plates that form a box.
Their unique method of swimming, called ostraciform swimming, causes them to look as if they are hovering.
They have no pelvic skeleton, so they lack pelvic fins.
They have the ability to release ostracitoxin, a poison that can kill all tank inhabitants.

Why are people so irritating?

So I have to be very covert on the post because who knows who will read this. But all I will say is; why if you tell someone ‘forget it’ or ‘drop it’ or ‘just let it go’ why won’t they? If they can see that it is only upsetting you more by rehashing or dwelling on this said event (that really didn’t affect them, but they did have a part in it) why do they continue to talk about it?

Something happened today and it was supposed to be a good thing. But it turned out that it didn’t go through as planned because someone screwed up. So although I was disappointed, I sucked it up. However I had two people (actually more like one person) acting like a dog with a bone about it. She wouldn’t stop talking about it, and asking questions, and I kept telling her to ‘forget it’. But she wouldn’t finally I had to say point blank ‘You’re going to piss me off if you don’t drop it.’

You see, I have stomach issues. To clarify, I suffer from IBS with constipation…however this is triggered by stress or certain foods or basically a number of things. From this syndrome, I have now become lactose intolerant, having to give up some of my favorite foods (because no matter what lactaid just doesn’t cut it.) I am on a fiber regimen for the IBS, and my next step is prescribed medication which I am trying to avoid taking because some of the possible side effects. Other foods are now a no-no too because of my stomach issues. I also am a nervous person, who often internalizes a lot of stuff (even though I can be very vocal too) and have been having frequent bouts of stomach bouts. SO I am trying to keep calm…and I am trying not to let stress and anxiety rule my daily life.

Which brings me to my job…or more importantly the people I work with. Why stress me out or continue to stress me out if you know I haven’t been feeling well? Why try to make this about ‘you’ when again, it involved you but didn’t effect you? And why try to dictate to me what I can do when MY BOSS tells me what I can do? Why? Can someone answer me this?

Office Faux Pas

So I think today totally defined my whole career here at the hell-hole. But ya know what...I needed it (I think all parties involved needed it.) Because with the way things have been going, sometimes you lose site of the big picture, and yourslef as a human. And more importantly...if you don't laugh you'll cry. Which this place has been making me do...A LOT as of late. SO the laugh today was well appreciated.
A friend of mine who owrks at a diffent building e-mailed me along with some other of 'the girls' a joke e-mail titled 'Don't Use This Car Wash'. From viewing the photo included...you get the jist. And feeling it was my womanly duty...I passed it along to some people that I thought would appreciate it as much as I had.

Well...the ding bat who sits in the next cube over decides to print out the e-mail...on the SHARED office printer. And anyone who uses Office Outlook (and has a brain) realizes that your name appears on an e-mail whenever you print it. Ok, you're thinking what's the problem with her printing this....right?

Well, my boss 'The Chief' (not to get confused with 'Big Bad') pulls the nudie e-mail off the printer and starts making comments on it. Such as 'Oh this is great. This is a great print out'. Not that my boss likes the men, but because he found the print out. He comes to my cube, hangs it over the wall, and I finally look up from my screen and almost fall out of the chair. This is a man who I respect and like. So I exclaim "_____(insert ding bat's name) what the heck did you print?" And faster than Mel Gibson can announce his dislike of the Jewish faith, ding bat points at me and exclaims just as loud as I had: "Well Rose sent it to me! I didn't print anything!"

So mortified I point out your name appears any time you print stuff. meanwhile she is burgandy colored from embarrassment...I'm as red as my nail polish too. 'The Chief' is cracking up over our embarrassment and ribbed us for some time. There was no harm and no foul, and he enjoyed the laugh as much as we had. But I'm just thankful he was the one who found it. Because if it had been 'Big Bad' it would not have been found as funny. Either way, Ding Bat will be way more careful in the future with what she prints out here. And my lesson learned from this? Be careful what I send her...and absolutly don't get roped in to committing any crime (joke there people I am law abiding) because she'd give me up in a heartbeat.

Do you suffer from Office-related stress?

Thanks to MSN they felt the need to do a public service and alert people to work related or stress in general. Tell me something I don't know! ;o)

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/careerbytes/quiz.aspx?siteid=cbmsn_qzhp13&qid=qz0013&sc_extcmp=JS_qzhp13&GT1=8522

Quiz: How Stressed Are You?
By Laura Morsch, CareerBuilder.com writer
Maybe you're tired of 60-hour work weeks. Maybe you've been taking on the work (and expectations) of two people since a co-worker quit. Or maybe your company is undergoing a merger, leaving your job security in limbo. Whatever it is, you're just burned out.
If your professional life is leaving you frazzled, you're hardly alone. More than half of workers say they work under a great deal of stress, and 77 percent say they feel burnout on the job, according to a nationwide survey by CareerBuilder.com.
While office stress is common, it can also have dangerous consequences. Chronic workplace stress has been linked to cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal and psychological disorders, workplace injuries, ulcers and in severe cases, suicide, according to the International Labour Association's Encyclopaedia of Occupational Safety and Health.
Are you experiencing the warning signs of workplace stress? Take this quiz to find out.

But fear not...because there is help!

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/custom/msn/careeradvice/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=710&SiteId=cbmsnhp4710&sc_extcmp=JS_710_home1&GT1=8522&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=a760e90c557c4f11ad8bbd6acd25ab7d-210853400-RF-4

10 Ways to Survive a Stressful Job
By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor Larry supervises the emergency room of an inner-city hospital. The environment is stressful and chaotic, yet he always appears centered and performs at a consistently high level. He is the epitome of composure -- displaying evenness of mind regardless of circumstances."Leaders must exhibit an air of confidence in spite of what is going on around them," says Commander Matt Eversmann, a military hero who served as one of the characters in the war movie "Black Hawk Down." "Even if you don't have an immediate solution to a particular event, you have to keep your composure."While most of us don't deal in the life or death situations found in the emergency room or on the battlefield, we all experience some type of stress at work. Be it a difficult boss or looming deadline, here are 10 ways to stay calm when your job is anything but:1. Give Yourself a Pep Talk. Part of being composed is knowing that you can handle whatever is thrown at you. Compile a list of your skills and accomplishments to remind yourself how capable you are. 2. Breathe. When stress levels rise, most of us unknowingly stop breathing for several seconds or more. This propels feelings of anxiety, anger and frustration, causing us to lose perspective and overreact. Smooth, steady breathing through the nose is one of the easiest ways to activate calm energy. 3. De-Clutter Your Work Area. Take a few minutes to organize and clear your work surface before you go home at night so that you start each day with a clean slate. Not only will you feel more focused and in control, you'll look it, too. 4. Think Positive, Loving Thoughts. A decade of study at the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior led by neuroscientist Richard Davidson found that choosing your specific thoughts and emotions can permanently change the working of your brain. When participants practiced feeling love and compassion, their brains went into action, connecting and building new circuitry at high speed, making them more effective and better able to cope in crisis.5. Get Enough Sleep. A National Consumers League survey found that about 60 percent of people who report feeling anxious don't get enough sleep, and according to Canada's National Sleep Foundation, about a third of workers attribute their on-the-job mistakes to lack of sleep. Seven hours is the recommended minimum. Several studies show that eight to 10 hours can be even more beneficial. 6. Back Up. If you work on a computer, avoid frustration by making it part of your routine to back up your work each day. To be really safe, store a backup copy away from your desk in case of fire or theft.7. Get Religion. Research shows that people who believe in and regularly pray to a higher power are better able to cope with crisis and have lower blood pressure than those who use alternate stress relievers. 8. See the Light. Instead of taking another trip to the coffee station, go for a walk outside. Five minutes of sunshine can clear your head and make that unpleasant altercation with a co-worker seem a whole lot less important.9. Move It. Regular exercise bolsters brain-nurturing chemicals, producing serotonins and improving your reaction time, creativity and memory retention. A study at Middlesex University in England found that participants scored higher on a creativity test after engaging in 25 minutes of aerobic exercise. Likewise, a University of Illinois study found that inactive individuals increased their memory and ability to multitask by more than 15 percent after participating in a walking program. 10. Go With the Flow. Don't think of every setback as a catastrophe or spend time worrying about what might happen. Accept things for what they are and focus on controlling your efforts -- not the outcome. By devoting your full attention to the situation at hand, you will feel more relaxed and in control and the future will take care of itself. Kate Lorenz is the article and advice editor for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Say it isn’t so….Steve Irwin dies doing what he loved!

Crikey Crocodile Hunter...we'll miss you!

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7004755759

"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin's Death Was Caught On TapeSeptember 5, 2006 7:07 a.m. EST
Maira Oliveira - All Headline News Reporter
Cairns, Australia (AHN) - Officials revealed on Tuesday that Steve Irwin's final moments were caught on camera. Video footage was shot of the "Crocodile Hunter" pulling out a sharp barb from his chest after a stingray had attacked him. One second he was here, and the next second he was gone.
According to Yahoo.com, police say there was nothing suspicious about Steve's death nor did they conclude that the nature enthusiast provoked the sea creature while on a diving expedition Monday morning off the coast of Australia.
John Stainton, Steve's manager, described seeing the footage as a "terrible" experience of watching a friend die.
"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone," said Stainton.
Michael Keating, Queensland State Police Superintendent, said there was no indication that Steve had provoked or intimidated the stingray. Many experts agree that the stingray most likely felt trapped between the wild life conservationist and the cameraman.
Steve's wife, Terri, and two young children, Bindi Sue and Bob, returned to their homeland of Australia on Monday after a trekking vacation in Tasmania. No word has been said as to how the family is coping.
Funeral plans have yet to be announced, however, state Premier Peter Beattie said Irwin's family would be granted a state funeral if they want one.
The Discovery Channel announced to have a marathon showing of Steve's wild life programs that helped raise the star to fame across the world. They also hope to establish a wildlife fund in his name.
"Rarely has the world embraced an animal enthusiast and conservationist as they did Steve Irwin," said Discovery Networks International President Dawn McCall.

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1733555.htm

Steve Irwin's home town in shock


The World Today - Tuesday, 5 September , 2006 12:14:00
Reporter: Melanie Christiansen
ELEANOR HALL: Steve Irwin's death has prompted tears and tributes from all around the world. But nowhere is his death being felt more keenly than Beerwah, the tiny community a couple of hours drive north of Brisbane where the crocodile hunter grew up and built his dad's reptile park into a world-renowned zoo.Today the town of Beerwah is in shock, as Melanie Christiansen reports.MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Since the news of Steve Irwin's death broke, mourners have been arriving at his Australia Zoo, just a few hours drive north of Brisbane. Family friend Councillor Anna Grosskreutz says it's an amazing sight.ANNA GROSSKREUTZ: There's people arriving with floral tributes, candles, cards, trees, all sorts of things, that people feel that they can bring to the zoo just to be a part of the grieving, and it's just so sad to see how many people there are just overwhelmed.MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Among those paying their respects today was 16-year-old James Anakin.JAMES ANAKIN: There was never a person like him, a person who cared for animals so much, an I don't think will be ever again, really. You know, what he'd done in his short life, you know, really was incredible, and I just feel like, you know, we've lost an important person from the world, you know. It's definitely changed the world a bit, really.MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: The world has certainly changed for the local community, where Steve Irwin grew up after his father moved the family from Melbourne to start a reptile park. It was a childhood Mr Irwin remembered fondly in this interview with the ABC's Andrew Denton. STEVE IRWIN: In my house, when I was growing up, mum would have 12 pouches, you know, make-believe kangaroo pouches set up on the backs of chairs, virtually everywhere. So we'd have 12 little joeys, ranging from little pinkies all the way up to one-year-olds. You know, koalas hanging off the curtains, you know, with gum leaves stuck in there, sugar gliders gliding through. Like, you'd be walking down through the house... (to cameraman) Stay with me, mate. Where is he?You're walking down through the house and next minute, clack, you know, on your bare back there'd be a possum - arggh! - rip into you. And, of course, inside the house was just snakesville. ANDREW DENTON: Really? STEVE IRWIN: Oh, crikey, mate! Chock-a-block full of snakes.MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Now those who grew up with Steve Irwin are in mourning. His family has many friends in the small town of Beerwah, just a couple minutes down the road from the zoo. Geoff Morgan is one of the owners of the Beerwah Hotel.GEOFF MORGAN: They've really helped put Beerwah on the map, and they've embraced the town, they haven't... I mean a lot of, I guess, big business sort of doesn't... don't worry about the community, and what have you. But they do a hell of lot for the community, and as I said, have put it on the map by... and all their advertising, you know, Australia Zoo, a Zoo at Beerwah, and you they're almost the heart and soul of the community.MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: As well as its biggest employer, Lea Parkes edits the local paper.LEA PARKES: I guess the thing is, initially the shock, and people wanting to talk, and people... just absolute disbelief, really. And it can't be true, and Steve was invincible, so a lot of grappling with, you know, this can't possibly have happened, not to our Steve.MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: She says no one there is unaffected.LEA PARKES: Everybody in the town has either met Steve, or went to school with him, or knows somebody that knows him, so our... we're very, you know, one degree of separation. So they're very, very close, and obviously that reaction will be strong for those people.MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: And many locals today are worried for the Irwin family. Peter Muller has gotten to know Terri Irwin through the local Rotary club.PETER MULLER: She and I have become friends over the years, I'm actually deeply saddened by the whole thing, she's got two lovely children, and having lost my mother very early in my life I can understand how those poor kids are going to feel.MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Even the children at the Beerwah kindergarten today are mourning the death of a local hero. Teacher Michelle Kramer says it's all they're talking about.MICHELLE KRAMER: We have children who think they are going to be Steve Irwin when they grow up, they talk about him all the time, because he's just... you know, the zoo is just up the road. So the children often go to the zoo, and so yes, they've been all talking about it this morning as well with us. And we've got some very sad children, and of course we're all just very upset and devastated, it's just tragic news.MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: The zoo itself was open for business at nine o'clock this morning. Councillor Anna Grosskreutz is confident Terri Irwin will keep it going in memory of her husband.ANNA GROSSKREUTZ: And I know Terri, Terri is a very strong woman, she's a very courageous person, you know, she would be... in the old days, she would have been a pioneer woman. I know that she will take Steve's legacy, she has the same passion for the community, for conservation and wildlife, and I know that she will just move forward, and as woman of great courage.ELEANOR HALL: And that's Beerwah Councillor Anna Gosskreutz ending that report from Melanie Christiansen.

http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article1363085.ece

Steve Irwin: The incredible story of the wildlife warrior
To some, he was just a reckless attention-seeker. To others, he was the lovable bloke from the Outback whose antics with the world's most dangerous creatures made him irresistible. But the shocking death of Steve Irwin has deprived Australia of one of its most colourful personalities. Were the voyeuristic demands of television to blame? Or was it just a random, tragic accident? Kathy Marks reports
Published: 05 September 2006
Unlike most Australians, who shrink from the tropical sun and shudder at the dangerous creatures that surround them, Steve Irwin was a man in tune with his environment.
Nothing fazed him - not the sharks or killer jellyfish, nor the man-eating crocodiles, nor the dozens of snakes and spiders capable of delivering a fatal bite. For Irwin, Australia's animals were "like a magnet", and he acquired fame, and considerable fortune, by getting up close to them. He appeared to have no fear. And it was, perhaps, that sense of invulnerability that killed him yesterday.
The man who wrestled crocodiles and handled pythons without a scratch was diving in the warm waters of Queensland's Great Barrier Reef when a stingray shot its poisonous barb into his heart. According to a friend and colleague, John Stainton, who was on Irwin's boat, Croc One, Irwin swam too close to it. Triangular-shaped stingrays, which glide through the water on their wide, flat bodies, are usually placid, lashing out with their long tails only when they feel threatened or are trodden on. Irwin was believed to be only the third person killed by a stingray in Australian waters.
Irwin, whose television show Crocodile Hunter made him an international celebrity and a superstar in America, was filming an underwater sequence for a documentary called Ocean's Deadliest at the remote Batt Reef. The crew of his boat called the emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered heart massage as they rushed to Low Isle, a tourist destination popular with divers and snorkellers, to meet a rescue helicopter. But the 44-year-old, who is believed to have suffered an instant cardiac arrest, was pronounced dead by medical staff at about noon local time.
Yesterday one commentator blamed his death on the demands of an increasingly voyeuristic brand of television. But Irwin was only doing what had come naturally since he was given a 12ft scrub python for his birthday at the age of six. He was a showman, irrepressibly ebullient, and he thrived on his death-defying encounters with wildlife. He simply could not understand what the fuss was about when he dangled his one-month-old baby, Bob, above a large, snapping crocodile while feeding it in a pen. It was all about "perceived danger" he said, claiming that: "In front of that crocodile I was in complete control, absolute and complete control."
As a true-life embodiment of Paul Hogan's character in the 1986 hit film Crocodile Dundee, Irwin was one of Australia's most successful exports. His show was first broadcast in Australia in 1992, before being picked up by the American Discovery network and shown worldwide, acquiring an audience of tens of millions. Irwin travelled the world, filming in locations that included the Himalayas, Borneo and South Africa's Kruger National Park. He starred in more than 200 documentaries, including The Croc Files and The Crocodile Hunter Diaries. But his most memorable encounter, he said, took place at Howletts Wild Animal Park near Canterbury in Kent, where he went "one-on-one with the gorillas and was accepted as one of their own".
In 2002 he released a feature-length film, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, set in the Outback, in which he tried to prevent CIA agents from catching a crocodile that had swallowed a tracking device. Irwin once observed: "You're far safer dealing with crocodiles and western diamondback rattlesnakes than the executives and the producers and all those sharks in the big MGM building." With his thick drawl, his trademark cry of "Crikey!" and his perennial get-up of khaki shorts and shirt, long socks and heavy boots, Irwin fulfilled every cliché of the Australian Outback bloke. As such, he was in constant demand for photo opportunities, and to promote Australia abroad. In 2003, the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, invited him to attend a gala barbecue at his official residence in Canberra in honour of George Bush.
Mr Howard appeared almost on the verge of tears yesterday, declaring himself "shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death". He said: "I really do feel Australia has lost a wonderful and colourful son." Irwin "took risks, he enjoyed life", Mr Howard said, "he brought immense joy to millions of people, particularly to children. He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. It's such a terrible loss."
While many Australians felt similarly bereft, the effervescent Irwin provoked mixed feelings at home. Like Rolf Harris and Kylie Minogue, he was not taken entirely seriously in Australia, and appeared to be more valued abroad. There were groans in some quarters when he was chosen earlier this year to front a major campaign to promote Australia in the US, called "G'day, LA". Urban Aussies want to shake off the image embodied by the brash, blond Irwin, and to have their modern, multicultural nation portrayed overseas in a rather more sophisticated fashion.
Despite his chirpy, knockabout public persona, Irwin was no fool, and he recognised the ambivalence that he inspired. In an Australian Broadcasting Corporation documentary in 2003, he tried to analyse those feelings. Around the world, he said: "They're looking at me as this very popular, wildlife warrior Australian bloke. And yet back here in my own country, some people find me a little bit embarrassing... They kind of cringe, you know, 'cause I'm coming out with, 'Crikey' and, 'Look at this beauty'... You know, is it a cultural cringe? Is it, they actually see a little bit of themselves when they see me, and they find that a little bit embarrassing?"
Irwin was a naturalist as well as an entertainer, a fact that was reflected in the many tributes from leading figures in the field yesterday. David Bellamy, another showman, admitted that he wept when he heard the news. "He was magic, and for the world of conservation and natural history, to lose him is very, very sad," he said. "The thing with Steve was he mixed damn good science with showbusiness and I don't know anyone else who did that." Dr Bellamy told the BBC that Irwin "did take enormous risks but he knew what he was doing... He not only captivated Australia and all the visitors there, but he captivated America because he was audacious."
Mark O'Shea, a British reptile expert who presented the Channel 4 series, O'Shea's Dangerous Reptiles, said that Irwin's death would leave "an immense hole". Although some "university professors" might turn their nose up at the way he portrayed reptiles, he had probably inspired many people to follow a career in conservation. "A lot of people who now want to study biology and work with animals may not have considered it before they watched him on television," Mr O'Shea said.
Animals were in Irwin's blood. When he was eight, his father, Bob, a plumber with a passion for reptiles, moved the family from Melbourne to Queensland's Sunshine Coast, where they opened a small wildlife park. By the time Irwin was nine, he was catching crocodiles, and in his twenties he did work for the Queensland government as a crocodile trapper, removing problem animals from populated areas.
In 1991, when his parents retired, he took over the park - originally called the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, and now known as Australia Zoo - and developed it into a major tourist attraction. A theme park famous around the world, it has more than 1,000 animals on 60 acres of bushland and 360 employees, many of whom were in mourning yesterday.
Irwin told the ABC documentary: "I've got animals so genetically inside me that there's no way I could actually be anything else. I think my path would always have gone back to or delivered me to wildlife." Visitors came in droves to Australia Zoo to watch Irwin hover perilously close to untethered crocodiles, often leaping on to their backs. But in 2004 he went too far, cradling his baby son Bob in one arm while feeding the crocs. There was an uproar and Irwin apologised, but he insisted that Bob had been in no danger, and in later interviews laughed off the incident. He was never charged with any breach of safety regulations.
Irwin said: "Some people ask, 'What if you had fallen over?' Yes, well, I could fall over right now. But what would have to happen for that event to take place would be a meteorite would come out of the sky, hit Australia, we would have an earthquake, 6.6 on the Richter scale, just like Iran, and then I would fall over. Well, guess what? I had a safe working distance with that crocodile when that took place."
Controversy continued to dog him. He was investigated for a possible breach of wildlife laws after being accused of getting too close to penguins, a seal and humpback whales while making a documentary in Antarctica. He denied any wrongdoing, and Australia's Environment Department recommended that no action be taken against him.
Yesterday the British television presenter and survival expert, Ray Mears, said his death proved that "some things in nature should be left alone". He said of Irwin: "He clearly took a lot of risks, and television encouraged him to do that. It's a shame that television audiences need that to be attracted to wildlife. Dangerous animals, you leave them alone because they will defend themselves." Mears, whose programmes have included Extreme Survival, condemned some wildlife programmes as "voyeuristic", saying: "Television has become very gladiatorial, and it's not healthy. The voyeurism we are seeing on television has a cost, and it's that cost Steve Irwin's family are paying today." Last night Irwin's body was in a morgue in Cairns, and his American-born wife, Terri Raines, who had been in Tasmania on a walking tour, was flying back to Queensland with their children: eight-year old Bindi, and Bob, who will be three in December. The couple met when she visited Australia Zoo while on holiday in 1991, and they married six months later.
Cars and trucks passing on the highway honked their horns yesterday, and flowers were left at the entrance to the zoo. A card attached to one bouquet of native flowers read: "Steve, from all God's creatures, thank you. Rest in peace." Paula Kelly, a volunteer at the park, said: "We're all very shocked. I don't know what the zoo will do without him. He's done so much for us, the environment, and it's a big loss." The irony is that after courting danger so many times, Irwin died in a freak accident. A marine neuroscientist, Shaun Collin, of the University of Queensland, said he had had "extraordinarily bad luck". Stingrays flex their serrated barbs, which are up to 10 inches long, when frightened - but the sting, while agonising, is not usually fatal.
Stingrays - of which there are at least 35 species in the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef - deploy the spines to fend off predators such as sharks and killer whales. Mr Collin said he had never heard of an unprovoked attack. "It's not easy to get spined by a stingray, and to be killed by one is very rare," he said, adding that he suspected that the barb had pierced Irwin beneath his ribcage, stabbing him directly in the heart.
John Stainton, who witnessed the incident, said that Irwin swam over the stingray "and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart". An Aboriginal boy is believed to have died in a similar fashion a few years ago, while the only other known recorded death was in waters near Melbourne in 1945. Australian experts said there had only been about 30 such deaths worldwide.
None of that will bring any comfort to Irwin's family, nor to his professional colleagues, nor to the millions of viewers who believed they knew him.
Whatever one thought of Irwin, his passion for life could not be denied, nor the 100 per cent enthusiasm that he brought to everything he did. "I get called an adrenaline junkie every other minute, and I'm just fine with that," he once remarked. On another occasion, he claimed never to have experienced "fear of losing my life".
Irwin lived and breathed animals, and he helped to demystify dangerous reptiles. He was "a modern-day Noah", Mark Townend, chief executive of the Queensland branch of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said last night. Mr Stainton said that Irwin "died doing what he loved best, and he left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind."
Stingrays: the facts
Stingrays have a tapering tail that is armed with one or more spines. They are not usually aggressive. They rummage on the sea bottom and only attack if they have been stepped on or threatened. They feed on molluscs, small fish and worms.
Although stingrays are venomous, humans are more likely to be hurt by the whipping action of their slender tails (which may result in severe penetrating injuries and/or infection) than by the poison itself. Envenomation may result in local pain and swelling that may spread to involve entire limbs, and wounds are likely to appear bluish-white in colour. Other symptoms are rare but may include nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, diarrhoea, salivation, sweating, an irregular heartbeat and convulsions.
The killer instinct: when animals attack
* JOHN ASPINALL
Aspinall was a celebrated zoo-owner and animal breeding enthusiast. Aspinall held the view that humans and wild animals should interact closely together, and he encouraged his zookeepers to move freely among the animals. Five of his employees were killed, three by tigers and two by elephants. Popular pressure prevented Canterbury council from closing down his zoos. Aspinall himself died of cancer in 2000 at the age of 74.
* SIMON COMBES
A buffalo attacked and killed the British painter Simon Combes in 2004, when he was walking in Kenya's Great Rift Valley. Combes was well known for his intimacy with the wild animals who were the subject of his artworks. He had previously come close to death at the hands of rhinos, tigers and elephants, but in 1996 he proclaimed that he was more afraid of humans than of dangerous animals.
* ROY HORN
Roy Horn, of the circus act Siegfried and Roy, was severely injured by a white tiger onstage during a show at The Mirage in Las Vegas on 3 October 2003. The tiger bit him in the neck, causing massive loss of blood and partial paralysis. The show at The Mirage had to close down, costing the resort $45m in lost business. Horn has now begun to walk again.
* YVOY SUAREZ JIMENEZ
Suarez Jimenez, a 28-year-old Florida student, was killed by an alligator in May this year. Jimenez went for an evening jog, and her dismembered body was discovered the following morning. She was reportedly sitting by a canal when she was dragged into the water by an alligator perhaps 10ft long.
* KIRSTY ROSS
Kirsty Ross was killed in Cornwall in 2001 by her mother's dog. Ross was having an epileptic fit when the dog bit her in the neck, possibly in an attempt to help her. Her 22-month-old baby was found in the same room, unhurt.
Unlike most Australians, who shrink from the tropical sun and shudder at the dangerous creatures that surround them, Steve Irwin was a man in tune with his environment.
Nothing fazed him - not the sharks or killer jellyfish, nor the man-eating crocodiles, nor the dozens of snakes and spiders capable of delivering a fatal bite. For Irwin, Australia's animals were "like a magnet", and he acquired fame, and considerable fortune, by getting up close to them. He appeared to have no fear. And it was, perhaps, that sense of invulnerability that killed him yesterday.
The man who wrestled crocodiles and handled pythons without a scratch was diving in the warm waters of Queensland's Great Barrier Reef when a stingray shot its poisonous barb into his heart. According to a friend and colleague, John Stainton, who was on Irwin's boat, Croc One, Irwin swam too close to it. Triangular-shaped stingrays, which glide through the water on their wide, flat bodies, are usually placid, lashing out with their long tails only when they feel threatened or are trodden on. Irwin was believed to be only the third person killed by a stingray in Australian waters.
Irwin, whose television show Crocodile Hunter made him an international celebrity and a superstar in America, was filming an underwater sequence for a documentary called Ocean's Deadliest at the remote Batt Reef. The crew of his boat called the emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered heart massage as they rushed to Low Isle, a tourist destination popular with divers and snorkellers, to meet a rescue helicopter. But the 44-year-old, who is believed to have suffered an instant cardiac arrest, was pronounced dead by medical staff at about noon local time.
Yesterday one commentator blamed his death on the demands of an increasingly voyeuristic brand of television. But Irwin was only doing what had come naturally since he was given a 12ft scrub python for his birthday at the age of six. He was a showman, irrepressibly ebullient, and he thrived on his death-defying encounters with wildlife. He simply could not understand what the fuss was about when he dangled his one-month-old baby, Bob, above a large, snapping crocodile while feeding it in a pen. It was all about "perceived danger" he said, claiming that: "In front of that crocodile I was in complete control, absolute and complete control."
As a true-life embodiment of Paul Hogan's character in the 1986 hit film Crocodile Dundee, Irwin was one of Australia's most successful exports. His show was first broadcast in Australia in 1992, before being picked up by the American Discovery network and shown worldwide, acquiring an audience of tens of millions. Irwin travelled the world, filming in locations that included the Himalayas, Borneo and South Africa's Kruger National Park. He starred in more than 200 documentaries, including The Croc Files and The Crocodile Hunter Diaries. But his most memorable encounter, he said, took place at Howletts Wild Animal Park near Canterbury in Kent, where he went "one-on-one with the gorillas and was accepted as one of their own".
In 2002 he released a feature-length film, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, set in the Outback, in which he tried to prevent CIA agents from catching a crocodile that had swallowed a tracking device. Irwin once observed: "You're far safer dealing with crocodiles and western diamondback rattlesnakes than the executives and the producers and all those sharks in the big MGM building." With his thick drawl, his trademark cry of "Crikey!" and his perennial get-up of khaki shorts and shirt, long socks and heavy boots, Irwin fulfilled every cliché of the Australian Outback bloke. As such, he was in constant demand for photo opportunities, and to promote Australia abroad. In 2003, the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, invited him to attend a gala barbecue at his official residence in Canberra in honour of George Bush.
Mr Howard appeared almost on the verge of tears yesterday, declaring himself "shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death". He said: "I really do feel Australia has lost a wonderful and colourful son." Irwin "took risks, he enjoyed life", Mr Howard said, "he brought immense joy to millions of people, particularly to children. He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. It's such a terrible loss."
While many Australians felt similarly bereft, the effervescent Irwin provoked mixed feelings at home. Like Rolf Harris and Kylie Minogue, he was not taken entirely seriously in Australia, and appeared to be more valued abroad. There were groans in some quarters when he was chosen earlier this year to front a major campaign to promote Australia in the US, called "G'day, LA". Urban Aussies want to shake off the image embodied by the brash, blond Irwin, and to have their modern, multicultural nation portrayed overseas in a rather more sophisticated fashion.
Despite his chirpy, knockabout public persona, Irwin was no fool, and he recognised the ambivalence that he inspired. In an Australian Broadcasting Corporation documentary in 2003, he tried to analyse those feelings. Around the world, he said: "They're looking at me as this very popular, wildlife warrior Australian bloke. And yet back here in my own country, some people find me a little bit embarrassing... They kind of cringe, you know, 'cause I'm coming out with, 'Crikey' and, 'Look at this beauty'... You know, is it a cultural cringe? Is it, they actually see a little bit of themselves when they see me, and they find that a little bit embarrassing?"
Irwin was a naturalist as well as an entertainer, a fact that was reflected in the many tributes from leading figures in the field yesterday. David Bellamy, another showman, admitted that he wept when he heard the news. "He was magic, and for the world of conservation and natural history, to lose him is very, very sad," he said. "The thing with Steve was he mixed damn good science with showbusiness and I don't know anyone else who did that." Dr Bellamy told the BBC that Irwin "did take enormous risks but he knew what he was doing... He not only captivated Australia and all the visitors there, but he captivated America because he was audacious."
Mark O'Shea, a British reptile expert who presented the Channel 4 series, O'Shea's Dangerous Reptiles, said that Irwin's death would leave "an immense hole". Although some "university professors" might turn their nose up at the way he portrayed reptiles, he had probably inspired many people to follow a career in conservation. "A lot of people who now want to study biology and work with animals may not have considered it before they watched him on television," Mr O'Shea said.
Animals were in Irwin's blood. When he was eight, his father, Bob, a plumber with a passion for reptiles, moved the family from Melbourne to Queensland's Sunshine Coast, where they opened a small wildlife park. By the time Irwin was nine, he was catching crocodiles, and in his twenties he did work for the Queensland government as a crocodile trapper, removing problem animals from populated areas.
In 1991, when his parents retired, he took over the park - originally called the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, and now known as Australia Zoo - and developed it into a major tourist attraction. A theme park famous around the world, it has more than 1,000 animals on 60 acres of bushland and 360 employees, many of whom were in mourning yesterday.
Irwin told the ABC documentary: "I've got animals so genetically inside me that there's no way I could actually be anything else. I think my path would always have gone back to or delivered me to wildlife." Visitors came in droves to Australia Zoo to watch Irwin hover perilously close to untethered crocodiles, often leaping on to their backs. But in 2004 he went too far, cradling his baby son Bob in one arm while feeding the crocs. There was an uproar and Irwin apologised, but he insisted that Bob had been in no danger, and in later interviews laughed off the incident. He was never charged with any breach of safety regulations.
Irwin said: "Some people ask, 'What if you had fallen over?' Yes, well, I could fall over right now. But what would have to happen for that event to take place would be a meteorite would come out of the sky, hit Australia, we would have an earthquake, 6.6 on the Richter scale, just like Iran, and then I would fall over. Well, guess what? I had a safe working distance with that crocodile when that took place."
Controversy continued to dog him. He was investigated for a possible breach of wildlife laws after being accused of getting too close to penguins, a seal and humpback whales while making a documentary in Antarctica. He denied any wrongdoing, and Australia's Environment Department recommended that no action be taken against him.
Yesterday the British television presenter and survival expert, Ray Mears, said his death proved that "some things in nature should be left alone". He said of Irwin: "He clearly took a lot of risks, and television encouraged him to do that. It's a shame that television audiences need that to be attracted to wildlife. Dangerous animals, you leave them alone because they will defend themselves." Mears, whose programmes have included Extreme Survival, condemned some wildlife programmes as "voyeuristic", saying: "Television has become very gladiatorial, and it's not healthy. The voyeurism we are seeing on television has a cost, and it's that cost Steve Irwin's family are paying today." Last night Irwin's body was in a morgue in Cairns, and his American-born wife, Terri Raines, who had been in Tasmania on a walking tour, was flying back to Queensland with their children: eight-year old Bindi, and Bob, who will be three in December. The couple met when she visited Australia Zoo while on holiday in 1991, and they married six months later.
Cars and trucks passing on the highway honked their horns yesterday, and flowers were left at the entrance to the zoo. A card attached to one bouquet of native flowers read: "Steve, from all God's creatures, thank you. Rest in peace." Paula Kelly, a volunteer at the park, said: "We're all very shocked. I don't know what the zoo will do without him. He's done so much for us, the environment, and it's a big loss." The irony is that after courting danger so many times, Irwin died in a freak accident. A marine neuroscientist, Shaun Collin, of the University of Queensland, said he had had "extraordinarily bad luck". Stingrays flex their serrated barbs, which are up to 10 inches long, when frightened - but the sting, while agonising, is not usually fatal.
Stingrays - of which there are at least 35 species in the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef - deploy the spines to fend off predators such as sharks and killer whales. Mr Collin said he had never heard of an unprovoked attack. "It's not easy to get spined by a stingray, and to be killed by one is very rare," he said, adding that he suspected that the barb had pierced Irwin beneath his ribcage, stabbing him directly in the heart.
John Stainton, who witnessed the incident, said that Irwin swam over the stingray "and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart". An Aboriginal boy is believed to have died in a similar fashion a few years ago, while the only other known recorded death was in waters near Melbourne in 1945. Australian experts said there had only been about 30 such deaths worldwide.
None of that will bring any comfort to Irwin's family, nor to his professional colleagues, nor to the millions of viewers who believed they knew him.
Whatever one thought of Irwin, his passion for life could not be denied, nor the 100 per cent enthusiasm that he brought to everything he did. "I get called an adrenaline junkie every other minute, and I'm just fine with that," he once remarked. On another occasion, he claimed never to have experienced "fear of losing my life".
Irwin lived and breathed animals, and he helped to demystify dangerous reptiles. He was "a modern-day Noah", Mark Townend, chief executive of the Queensland branch of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said last night. Mr Stainton said that Irwin "died doing what he loved best, and he left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind."
Stingrays: the facts
Stingrays have a tapering tail that is armed with one or more spines. They are not usually aggressive. They rummage on the sea bottom and only attack if they have been stepped on or threatened. They feed on molluscs, small fish and worms.
Although stingrays are venomous, humans are more likely to be hurt by the whipping action of their slender tails (which may result in severe penetrating injuries and/or infection) than by the poison itself. Envenomation may result in local pain and swelling that may spread to involve entire limbs, and wounds are likely to appear bluish-white in colour. Other symptoms are rare but may include nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, diarrhoea, salivation, sweating, an irregular heartbeat and convulsions.