ALL THE REST —  July 21 & 22
  

Poison Dart Frogs

Poison Dart Frogs can be found in South America, Europe, and Asia. From tiny pores in its skin, the frog secretes a defensive toxin that makes it unpalatable to curious predators and which could easily kill if injected into a human or other animal. Chocó Indians employ this secretion to poison the tips of their blowgun darts for hunting monkeys and other small game. The use of frog poison for this purpose is practiced only in the Pacific lowlands of western Colombia, although the poison dart frog has many brilliantly colored, less toxic relatives living throughout the tropical rainforest in lower Central America and northern South America.

Most frogs can change colors, but not poison dart frogs. The poison dart frogs have bright, colorful, neon colors to warn enemies. They do not change colors because they can sense where their camouflage is most effective. Camouflage is not all that necessary to the poison dart frogs as the bright coloration of these frogs serve as a warning to potential predators that it is one of the most poisonous animals on earth. When a poison dart frog gets touched or chewed on by a predator, its poison is secreted through their skin. The skin on the feet of the frogs generally do not secrete the poison.

Poison dart frogs range in size from a half an inch to 3 inches long. All poison dart frogs have black eyes. They have feet like tree frogs. These suction cup-like feet are used to stick to leaves and trees and other slippery places. The frogs lay their eggs in leaf pools, not in ponds. Some species of frogs are very specific as to where their eggs are laid. Some species of frogs will only deposit their eggs in a particular species of plant. In their natural habitat most poison dart frogs can live from 5 to 7 years.

Much of the basic research on tropical poison frogs has been conducted by scientists in the Department of Herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History in collaboration with colleagues at the National Institutes of Health. Their work in jungle camps and modern laboratories has led to the discovery of dozens of new species of frogs and about 300 new alkaloids from frog skin. Many of these toxic alkaloids, including those from the skin of the poison dart frog, have unique effects on nerve and muscle. For that reason, the frog toxins have become important tools in biomedical research aimed at better understanding and treatment of neurological and muscular disorders.

Recent studies have shown some surprising results of study of these frogs. The National Aquarium in Baltimore, has been home to a large population of poison dart frogs for several years. It was hoped that scientists could study the toxins of these frogs in Baltimore. The frogs have been bred in the Rain Forest area of the Aquarium for a number of years now. It has been discovered that the skin  succeeding generations of frogs is absent of most, if not all, toxins. The reason for this is not really known. It is suspected that the change in diet with the loss of some insects might be responsible. It is also possible that the loss of toxins was due to a loss of specific fungi growth on the skin of the frogs could be responsible. Nonetheless, the study of the poisons of the frogs must continue in their natural habitat, those living in artificial rain forests do not pass the production of poisons on to their offspring.

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."

Joseph Addison

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More Lawyer Jokes

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A North Carolina man, having bought several expensive cigars, insured them against... get this... fire. After he had smoked them, he then decided that he had a claim against the insurance company and filed.

The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason that the man had consumed the cigar normally. The man sued. The judge ruled that since the company had insured the cigars against fire, it was obligated to pay. After the man accepted payment for his claim, the company then had him arrested for... arson..

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A dog ran into a butcher shop and grabbed a roast off the counter. Fortunately, the butcher recognized the dog as belonging to a neighbor of his. The neighbor happened to be a lawyer.

Incensed at the theft, the butcher called up his neighbor and said, "Hey, if your dog stole a roast from my butcher shop, would you be
liable for the cost of the meat?"

The lawyer replied, "Of course, how much was the roast?"

"$7.98."

A few days later the butcher received a check in the mail for $7.98. Attached to it was an invoice that read: Legal Consultation Service: $150.

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Your attorney and your mother-in-law are trapped in a burning building.
You only have time to save only one of them.
Do you have lunch or go to a movie?

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A old man was critically ill. Feeling that death was near, he called his lawyer.

"I want to become a lawyer. How much is it for that express degree you told me about?"

"It's $50,000", the lawyer said, "But why? You'll be dead soon, why do you want to become a lawyer?"

"That's my business! Get me the course!"

Four days later, the old man got his law degree. His lawyer was at his bedside making sure his bill would be paid.

Suddenly the old man was racked with fits of coughing, and it was clear That this would be the end. Still curious, the lawyer leaned over and said, "Please, before it's too late, tell me why you wanted to get a law degree so badly before you died?"

In a faint whisper, as he breathed his last, the old man said: "One less lawyer."

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A lawyer was asked if he like to become a Jehovah's Witness. He declined, as he hadn't seen the accident, but replied that he would still be interested in taking the case.

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How To Know That You Had Enough Of The Nineties

1) You tried to enter your password on the microwave.

2) You now think of three espressos as "getting wasted."

3) You haven't played solitaire with a real deck of cards in years.

4) You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

5) You e-mail your son in his room to tell him that dinner is ready, and he e-mails you back "What's for dinner?"

6) Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.

7) You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa, but you haven't spoken to your next door neighbor yet this year.

8) You didn't give your valentine a card this year, but you posted one for your e-mail buddies via a web page.

9) Your daughter just bought a C.D. of all the records your college roommate used to play.

10) Your grandmother clogs up your e-mail Inbox, asking you to send her JPEG files of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.

11) You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.

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TRUE FACT ...

Humans begin laughing at two to three months of age. Six year olds laugh about 300 times per day, while adults laugh from 15 to 100 times per day.

SOURCE: NYT, Dr. William F. Fry, Stanford University

I always wanted to be a procrastinator, never got around to it.

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~ Readiness ~

 

The clock of life is wound but once,
and no man has the power
to tell just when the hands will stop
at late or early hour.

To lose one's wealth  is sad indeed.
To lose one's health is more.
To lose one's soul is such a loss
that no man can restore.

39 people died while you read this short poem. Every hour 5,417 go to meet their Maker. You could have been among them. Sooner or later you will be. Are you ready? 

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