Size

Sugar gliders (SG), compared to other mammalian pets, are actually quite small at adulthood. An adult specimen will probably measure a maximum of seven inches from the tip of the snout to the tip of its tail.

The average length of an adult sugar glider in captivity is only about five inches, give or take a few centimeters.

When your SG reaches the six-inch mark, you already have an adult sugar glider that is ready to reproduce.

Fur Pattern

Though some variations exist, the common sugar bear has gray fur all over the top of its body. The underside of the honey bear also has fur, but the fur in this region of the marsupial’s body is usually white or cream-colored. The cream-colored underside can easily be seen from afar because of the sharp contrast between the fur on the animal’s neck and the fur on its head.

The sugar glider is a striped marsupial with characteristically thick stripes running from its facial region all the way to its back. The tail of the suggie is a combination of black and silver. The tip is usually covered with black fur. Now let us turn our attention to the SG’s tail. Apart from being soft and cute, the sugar bear’s tail is important for the animal’s movement.

Tail

Some people think the glider uses its bushy tail to grab hold of stems and prey. Nope! The suggie’s tail is actually more of a balancing and steering tool. When a honey bear glides, the tail is used to balance the weight and air movement, which then allows the animal to land safely on the other side. The glider-bear can also change its trajectory during the glide by shifting the direction of its tail.

The Glider’s Face

A sugar glider’s face is short, with most of the area being occupied by large eyes. The placement and size of the eyes are quite important for honey gliders in the wild because this ocular presentation allows the animal to scan its surroundings more effectively.

Think of the SG’s eyes as a wide-angle lens. It cannot see very far, but it can view the entire landscape more effectively than other mammals. In one quick scan of its surroundings, a sugar bear can ascertain if danger or food is nearby.

The honey bear’s face is covered with striped fur, except for its ears. The ears are short, soft, and move independently. This capability of the glider bear to move its ears in different directions at the same time allows this tiny marsupial to pick up sounds from its surroundings more efficiently.

Combine this keen sense of hearing with a wide viewing field, and you’ll begin to understand how this small creature has withstood the challenges of natural selection and has emerged as one of the victors of mammalian evolution.

Though small, the sugar glider has been blessed by nature with a peculiar set of tools and senses that allow it outsmart and escape larger predators easily.

The Limbs and Feet

Like humans, sugar bears have a total of twenty digits on their limbs. A glider has a total of ten digits on its forefeet. Each digit is jointed, flexible, and has a sharp sword-like claw. The same applies to its hind feet.

Their long claws allow sugar gliders to grip their landing spots with ease after a short glide. Through gripping, the suggie is able to move from one tree to another with relative ease and without injury. Gripping lessens the impact upon landing and also helps evenly distribute the impact of the landing throughout the glider-bear’s body.

The honey bear’s hind feet are used not only for movement, but also for grooming — a vitally important activity for marsupials. The third and fourth digits on the hind feet of the SG are physically locked together. This fusion creates a handy comb that the glider uses for a variety of daily grooming tasks including (but not limited to) the removal of parasites.

The Gliding Membrane

The gliding membrane is the one thing that truly separates the tiny marsupial from its larger possum cousins. Though this creature may be lacking in height and length, it does not lack in mobility or agility. Let’s take a look at the glider bear’s gliding membrane.

Unlike a bat’s wings, the gliding membrane does not have the ligaments and bones of a skeletal framework. The gliding membrane is simply thick flexible skin that can be spread out extensively during a glide.

When an adult suggie jumps off a high point to glide downward, it stretches its forefeet and hind feet to activate the gliding membrane. Combine this movement with the glider’s tail movements, and you have a perfect little gliding marsupial ready to transport it from tree to tree.

Important Notes:

Many people believe that a sugar glider is merely a miniature version of a flying squirrel. Although at first sight these two animals may look alike, biologically they are very different. For one, marsupials in general have retained some vestiges of their reptilian evolutionary past. These vestigial reptilian characteristics affect the honey bear’s general behavior, capacity for environmental adaptation, physical characteristics, etc.

Are you worried that this marsupial might not live long enough to be fully appreciated by your kids? Don’t be. A well cared for glider-bear can live for as long as twelve years in captivity!

What is the difference between a kamikaze warrior and a stink bug?

Both will swoop down out of the sky to impact an object on the ground, but the only difference is that whereas the kamikaze warrior is willing to die, we wish stink bugs would die.

Indeed, one of the characteristic features of stink bugs is that they sure know how to make an entrance onto the scene: They will swoop down from on high and impact a particular object or surface on the ground, as though they were gearing up for a kamikaze attack. (It is not unheard of for stink bugs to die in the process of doing this, but typically most stink bugs survive the process.)

Stink bugs are deemed by many people as being more annoying than just about any other typical household insect. Unlike flies, mosquitoes, and ants, they bear a distinctively “reptilian” appearance, considering that their entire back is covered by a protective exoskeleton shell. What makes them such an annoying nuisance is that they are seemingly stubborn and resilient when it comes to seeking shelter in a warm place. They will quite literally stop at nothing to do whatever it takes to gain entry into the protective confines of your house, no matter what it takes. They are hardwired instinctively to seek out warm places to hide during the autumn and winter seasons, and unfortunately for us humans, our homes are considered prime real estate for them to seek refuge in during these cold seasons.

Why is it that they seem to emerge out of nowhere? You could be minding your own business, sitting at a desk, or sitting at the dinner table, or cooking dinner in the kitchen, and then all of the sudden, out of the blue, without any prior warning, you hear a unique buzzing sound, and then bam! A stink bug will suddenly appear, having made an abrupt and hard impact onto the surface after crash landing, kamikaze style, from a higher surface or from the ceiling, a wall, or an overhead air duct. (Stink bugs make buzzing sounds, similar to the common housefly, but a little bit louder.)

Indeed, they are extremely resilient creatures. It is like a bad horror movie: You see one bug in the house and you kill it, only to find another bug in the house that very same day or some time a few days later has taken its place. If it seems as though your house is being overrun by stink bugs, then it is no doubt time to take some sort of action to do something about them and taking whatever preventative actions are necessary in order to prevent future infestations as well.

Once they gain access into your house, typically you will find them lingering and loitering around windows, window sills, doors, skylights, crevices, cracks or gaps in the walls, or near sources of abundant light in your house, such as lamps.

And if you haven’t already figured it out through first hand experience, you should be made aware of the fact that these bugs can fly. Yes, indeed, stink bugs are flying insects. They may be creepy crawlers, but they are also insects. And one of their characteristics, as mentioned above, is that they sure know how to make an entrance into a room! Very often, you will find stink bugs suddenly swoop onto a table or other surface, seemingly out of nowhere. Their arrival is preceded by a distinct buzzing sound. Yes, they make a buzzing sound when they fly. And then they will land with great force onto the surface.

The manner in which stink bugs will make an entrance into a room, sweeping down from on high, is very similar to the way a Japanese kamikaze World War II pilot would swoop down from out of the sky, resulting in a surprise attack upon the enemy. Of course, the main difference between a real Japanese kamikaze attack versus the kamikaze style entrance that a stink bug makes into the room is that the stink bug doesn’t do it with the intent to kill any prey, let alone to kill itself. (The Japanese kamikaze air force pilots of yore were conditioned to take on these stunts with the full knowledge and intention of engaging in a suicide mission, for the greater good.)

It is rather sadly ironic that these bugs are natives of Japan, the nation that relied heavily on kamikaze dive bombers, and that these bugs themselves also engage in dive bombing by instinct. While other insects will make a graceful and soft landing onto whatever surface they wish to land upon, stink bugs will very often “dive bomb” their way from place to place, particularly from high to low.

For this reason, you must be very vigilant about protecting your home if you suspect or are aware of the fact that there is a population of these bugs in your home. They do not discriminate or have any deliberate intention, there is no rhyme or reason to where, why, and how they choose their targets for dive bombing.

Many people will report that stink bugs have dive bombed right into their pots while cooking in the kitchen, or that they will end up on their shirt. As far as food is concerned, it is extremely important, for this reason, that you cover any food or refrigerate it, so that stink bugs cannot dive bomb onto these fruits and feed off of them. Or they might even dive bomb onto your person, seemingly out of nowhere at random. If you suffer from entomophobia (fear of insects), this might no doubt freak you out of course.

The good news is that while the mere thought of stink bugs staging “kamikaze” style entrances into a room, you can actually also take this kamikaze dive-bombing behavior and turn it around to your advantage as an effective means for how to kill stink bugs:

For example, you can set up bug traps to entice and lure them toward the trap. They will kamikaze right into the trap, and never be able to break free. For example, one type of trap that you could set up would consist of a light source adjacent to a bowl of dish soap…. If the stink bug dive bombs toward the light source to seek its warmth and illumination, it will land in the dish, and when the dish soap makes contact with the bug’s belly, it will poison it. (Dish soap is among a number of different household solutions that have been determined, through trial and error, to be lethal to stink bugs.)

There are other types of traps you can set up as well, but the use of dish washing detergent has been proven to be extremely effective at paralyzing and killing these bugs, for the most part. Other traps might be ones that cause the stink bugs to become confined into a box or a container in which they will eventually starve, suffocate, and die. Another type of trap might simply be a bug zapper, that kills the stink bug as soon as it makes contact with the light source.

There is no way to prevent stink bugs from dive bombing. It is in their nature. As stated above, their dive bombing does not appear to be deliberately aimed toward any particular targets such as food or light, as they have been known to dive bomb directly onto people’s shirts or onto desks or tables, even though there is no food present.

So the best prevention in this case is to be prepared to deal with them and to capture them when this dive bombing does occur.

There are many ways how to kill stink bugs. One way is to set up traps for them when they engage in their “kamikaze attacks”. While it is not possible always to predict when and where a stink bug might emerge and engage in this type of dive bombing activity, it is possible to lure them and entice them to dive bomb toward a light source, a source of heat, or towards fresh fruits that they thrive on.

Knights in armor, dragons and castles are just some of the popular styles of medieval bookends. Popular with collectors, replica artifacts of the Middle Ages, such as bookends, harkens back to the days of enchantment and magic. Contests of skill and bravery where jousting knights on mighty steeds would fight for honor, and perhaps the affections of the lady fair. Grand castles of stone topped with imposing parapets.

It was a time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The great and eternal quest for Excalibur, the elusive Singing Sword fueled centuries of folk lore. All of these medieval themes can be found reflected in decorative and collectible bookends.

The saga of Saint George slaying the infamous dragon still endures as a legend of the great Crusades. Though the dragon was a creation of mythology, the story has stood as a metaphor of the battle against evil, the saintly versus the serpent. Rising from a mythical lake in North Africa, the legend has the dragon about to feast on a virgin girl who had been cast out by superstitious villagers. Coming to the girls rescue, Saint George is said to have dealt the dragon a fatal blow and the rest, as they say, is legend.

The slaying of the mythical dragon is one of the most persistent stories of the ages. Images depicting the great encounter have been the subject of artwork from tapestries to collectible bookends. Whether portrayed with a great sword or a lance, images of St. George can be found across the globe. Images of the fierce struggle between man and beast grace the halls of fine art museums. Some collectible book ends capture the scene in great detail and are highly prized by mythology enthusiasts and collectors of medieval keepsakes.

Dragons of all kinds are popular among collectors. Human history is filled with stories and myths about these fierce some creatures. The common image of a dragon is that of a scaly reptilian beast with ferocious features and great strength. Some portrayals of these mythical creatures claim the ability of the dragon to breath fire. Dragons were thought to stand over sacred places and are considered to be creatures possessing the qualities of benevolence and even good fortune. Dragon figures are very popular among some collectors especially as bookends and other statuary.

Castles have always captured our collective imagination. Great castles stand as symbols of great wealth and power. Throughout history, castles have marked the rise and fall of medieval fiefdoms. Some castle bookends are replicas of famous structures, while others may depict scenes of whimsy and fantasy. From the wonder and splendor of Camelot to the darkness and dour of medieval dungeons, castles stand as reminders of a time of wonderment, treachery and power. Castles are a very popular genre in bookends and often made of stone types such as granite.

Another popular figure in medieval mythology is the venerable wizard. Like witches and warlocks, wizards were thought to possess powers of good, evil or sometimes both. The most well known wizard has to be Merlin. The legend on Merlin the Wizard plays heavily in stories of King Arthur. A number of accounts about this wizard portray him as the Antichrist as least a bitter and enigmatic sorcerer. Other stories claim that Merlin was a notorious shape shifter, able to turn himself into any number of creatures. Wizard bookends have been on the must have list of collectors for centuries, emblematic of a combination of supernatural power, magic and whimsy.

Collectible medieval bookends can add to your book collection a sense of the days of yore.

Ducks are laughing all the way to the banks to cash their checks. Meanwhile serious minded business leaders are scratching their heads.

Two companies, both positioned to market commodity products in highly competitive industries, have realized significant revenue gains by deploying Neuro-marketing in their branding to achieve high name awareness, fan loyalty, premium pricing, and sustainable growth. In this short article, you will understand the basics of Neuro-marketing and how you can immediately make improvements to your branding.

Companies such as AFLAC (American Family and Life Assurance Company) and DuckBrand are using a duck as their mascot as part of their branding strategy. In a recent reported article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR), AFLAC saw their sales doubled in three years after the introduction of their duck in 2003. Almost immediately their name recognition increased to 67%. Brand awareness spending increased from $ 1 Million in 2003 to $ 65 Million today. As a result, AFLAC is the personal insurance category leader in Japan with 25% market share representing 70% of their global $ 16.6 billion revenue. Not bad work for a duck!

We all heard of duct tape. During World War II, The Johnson and Johnson Permacel Division introduced a military green tape to keep ammo boxes waterproof. It was later nicknamed, "Duck Tape," because it repelled water. After the war the product morphed into a silver tape used in HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning). Duct tape became a commodity product with no customer loyalty or premium pricing.

Fifteen years ago a duct tape manufacturer named DuckBrand engaged a Disney executive who understood the magic in branding to convert a commodity into a branded product. Some of the key lessons learned were;
o Have your product engage as many human senses as possible.
o Develop a character that people will like and accept.
o Develop a story for the product and an exclusive community to join.
o Make the experience a delight and exceed the customer's expectations with attention to detail.

Duct tape became Duck Tape and a cute duck mascot was adorned on all the packaging and marketing. Duck Tape was packaged to give the perception and tactile feel of higher quality while offering a practical use of stacking and storing. Duck Tape became a new story that quickly gained a higher perceived value and increased market share. No longer a commodity, Duck Tape drew a strong base of fans and most importantly, greater profits. As the fan base grew, DuckBrand challenged their fans to use Duck Tape in new and innovative ways. A club was born. Brand loyalty grew and fans adored the cute duck mascot.

What few people realize is the impact of neuro marketing. Intuitively the Disney executive knew from experience that using the five human senses with a product will engage the customer on multiple levels of emotions, experiences, mental associations with past experiences and values, and the use of the child's imagination that still lives within us all.

Traditional versus Neuro-marketing Research

In Martin Lindstrom's book "Buyology", the author explained that each year $ 12 Billion is spent on primary marketing research whilet 80% of new products fail. In traditional consumer research surveys, people responded to questions in writing. Since consumers had little awareness and understanding of why they made the purchase, companies did not have the proper information to understand true buying behavior.

By studying people's brain activity using MRI and other scanning devices, Mr. Lindstrom discovered that 85% of our brain runs on autopilot whereby most people are not aware of their emotions nor how they make decisions accordingly.

By using brain scanning devices it was discovered that different areas of the brain that were stimulated evoke different responses and behavior. Consequentially, if you want an accurate consumer response, then don't believe what the person states, rather understand how their brain responds.

A brief view of Neuro-marketing

So let's take a quick look at the brain and how it affects our behavior.
In simplistic terms there are three levels of the brain. First, there's the largest section called the frontal cortex which handles matters such as reasoning, philosophy, math, and other high levels of thought. I'll call him Mr. Spock for he is all reason and no passion.

The second level of the brain is the limbic system which is the seat of our emotions which I'll call Doctor McCoy (remember Star Trek), where we find love, joy, peace, confidence, hope, anger, bitterness, and hatred. When our reasons and thoughts of the frontal cortex are merged with the emotions of the limbic brain then we solidify beliefs, loyalty, faith, and devotion, etc.

Lastly, near the base on the brain is our reptilian brain that runs most of our body functions on autopilot. It's also the center of our self-preservation where the raw and powerful emotions of fear and sex reside. When we identify danger, our reptilian brain will take over and will either do one of three things; fight, flee, or freeze. Or, when it's stimulated sexually, it will lust for its mate. The reptilian brain forms the basis that drives self-preservation. Many times self-preservation is driven by fear; sometimes it's the fear of not having enough; called greed. Take a look at fallen companies such as Enron, whereby the best and brightest of the executive team was obsessively (fear and greed) driven by meeting quarterly profits. It's amazing to see how the primitive reptilian brain took over the power frontal cortex to take down a powerful company.

Here's an important rule of thumb. The greater the emotional stimuli to the brain (fear or lust), then the more likely that the lower part of the brain will take over. For example, when a lion is chasing you, you don't have time to smell the roses. Fear takes over.

Understanding fear can work for you. For example, it's difficult to sell to a prospect when they feel everything is okay and it's more fearful to change the status quo. However, when properly motivated and reasoned, a prospect can realize that there's greater fear in remaining status quo. To paraphrase an old movie quote from The Godfather, "you need to make them an offer they can't refuse."

The Power of Association in Neuro-marketing

The power of Neuro-marketing starts with the engagement of our seven senses; (1) Taste, (2) Smell, (3) Hearing (4) Touch, (5) Sight, (6) Humor, and (7) Intuition. To make it all work one must understand the power of association that directly impacts our emotional brain and how past experiences are recalled when we encounter a brand experience. Walk into a Whole Foods Store and you're bombarded with a cornucopia of beautiful food, fresh baked bread, brewed coffee, and desserts turned into art. You're flooded with emotions of mom, home, security, abundance, and happiness. The experience is frequently joyful and you're willing to pay premium prices for their products.

The power of association will engage our senses to recall positive experiences that we will tie to the brand. Called somatic markers, they represent a total compilation of emotions, negative associations, and positive associations. When a woman is given a light blue box with a white ribbon, the Tiffany brand and blue color evoke strong feminine emotions. When we think of a well branded produc t, such as, Coke, Coach, Chanel, Harley Davidson and Tiffany, many of us experience an emotional and somewhat sensual positive response. A good brand tied to Neuro-marketing should offer:

o A great experience that exceeds customer's expectations
o A clarification of the value of the product
o A decision by the prospect to consider purchasing it

How we associate products with past experiences can determine our purchasing considerations. Mr Lindstrom in Buyology highlighted a few examples such as;
o Light blue for a woman can be associated with engagement, marriage, babies, and fertility. Pink is associated with luxury, sensuality, and being feminine.
o Color will increase brand recognition by 80% and represents up to 50% in the decision making process to choose a brand product.
o People will buy more out of love (53%) versus sex (26%).
o Be authentic, transparent, and real. We buy from people we can relate to.

The sense of smell is one of the strongest and most motivating senses. One whiff will immediately stimulate both the limbic and reptilian brains. How many times have we walked into a store smelling fresh baked bread making us hungry? Like Pavlov's dog we respond immediately without thinking. Mr. Lindstrom explained that in Samsung stores, they discretely aerate the store with honey dew melon that invokes the sense of relaxation while lowering your purchasing tolerance. Clever!

Ever notice how people like the sense of belonging to an exclusive group? It offers a sense of security and comfort which can create a sense of mission. We can think of Harley Davidson, Apple, and fans of music rock groups. Other examples include an exclusive offer to join the millionaire's poker club at Harrah's in Las Vegas; at DuckBrand, loyal fans can join the "Duck Tape Club" and share their stories of DuckTape innovations and fun adventures.

What lessons can we take to make our branding and marketing more effective?

By knowing your target audience, its needs and wants, develop your brand to engage as much of the human senses as possible. Brands can develop a higher appeal and bond us emotionally when we can identify with them. Personalizing your brands with a mascot can add depth, character, and appeal to our childhood imaginations. We prefer to buy from someone we like and we all like the duck at AFLAC, Snoopy at MetLife, Mickey Mouse, and all the others. By nature people are tribal and want to belong to the community. Like the "Duck Tape Club" think of ways for your fans to become involved with a brand that is surprising, exciting, and engaging.

Here are a few other take-aways to build your brand.

Using Neuro-marketing in your Branding
o Clearly define your key target audiences and learn about them and their lives.
o Engage as many of the human senses in your brand to stimulate both the areas of thought and emotions together.
o Make your brand personal and engaging. Give it a story and a personality that your target audience can identify.
o For a significant product launch consider using a Neuro-marketing agency for accurate responses.
o Consider the way your brand will invoke past associations to common human experiences.
o Create unique experiences, somewhat based on your products and services, that let people experience your brand as often as possible, throughout their lives. These experiences should also be accompanied with branded visuals, descriptive vocabulary and cool memorabilia.
o Your messaging and branding go hand in hand. Let your words create images and stories in people's minds.
o Use the Power of WOW. Surprise is a story-inspiring emotion. It demands to be shared. How could you add surprise to your marketing mix?

Branding and Communications
o Keep your messaging simple and deliver a vision for an extraordinary experience that would make people believe in the magic.
o Clearly determine your brand experience. Is it bringing magic into people's lives? It must have emotion and feeling!
o Remember the essence of a brand, especially a corporate brand, is the communication of the company's positive and unique attributes expressed through the company's "personality" to significant interests.
o Messaging – using words and graphics and any other sensory stimuli available – is the verb used to convey the action of developing the integrated communication of brand. It is also the process of crystallizing the essence of the brand, of developing the "brand story" and expressing it uniquely
o People want to escape and find happiness. Disney offers a journey into the imagination of children turned real. They pay close attention to details and ensure the brand experience will exceed most expectations.

Sometimes it pays to be a duck or a mouse!

Most of us use very, very, very little of our mental intelligence. How can we access more of our brain? Here are a few things you can do:

First, stand up. Work and think on your feet, because we get 20% more oxygen to our brain when standing and not sitting. And breathe in more oxygen, gorge with your mouth wide open the life-giving force of oxygen. Use meditation, hypnosis, and psychotropic drugs for accessing different parts of the brain.

Do things left handed if you are right handed, and verse visa. Make sounds and humming noises especially to tune and tone the brain. Relish the challenge of multi-tasking. Stay creative… explore new things to keep the brain ticking.

Make a stimulating environment out of your office, your living room, your yard. (Recent revolutionary studies have shown that brain cells grow in stimulating environs, but die in dull conditions). Think with your feelings. Intuitively feel out your decisions and evaluations to tap the emotional part of the brain. Think in images for activating your fore brain.

Crawl and slither to keep your primordial, reptilian brain “updated.” And, of course, pay attention to your beliefs and assumptions that are negative or outdated, for they are heavy… heavy thought energies that keep us dulled, uncreative, blocked!

To fly, we must be light and when the mind is of low, heavy vibration, our brain dips into a flat line state of awake, yet asleep. To know that “anything is possible and nothing is certain” guards us against beliefs conditioned from the past that are irrelevant and counter-productive. When you notice heavy worrisome thoughts, stop! Immediately affirm your positivity and openness, and redirect your thoughts.

Of course, what supports the brain is the body. Are you living at your optimal physical energy? This is a big and complicated field, so I will leave only two pieces of advice for having more physical energy… Less food and more exercise.

If you have the intention of putting all your faculties of mind, heart, and body together for knowing and creating all of yourself, then you have the great spirit, the universe, the life force of creation supporting you completely. What an ally to have on your side! To be your own oracle… knowing yourself is the first step, and then creating and manifesting yourself fulfills your prophecy and destiny.

Stephanie Meyers’s Twilight series has resuscitated popular interest in stories about forbidden love. Around the globe, Twilight readers have been buying out copies of books like Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, and the Undead Hair Handbook.

However, Meyers’s series has been criticized for giving impressionable teens and tweens unrealistic expectations about romance, to say nothing of that whole vampire-baby-eating-its-way-through-your-uterus thing.

With Facebook groups such as “Why Isn’t Edward Cullen Real?” and “Twilight Has Ruined Any Chance I Have at a Realistic Relationship” becoming increasingly trendy, many scruffy, poorly-dressed teen males fear that their chances at romance are dwindling. (To even the playing field, every other media outlet has kept its inverse female-beauty / female-clothing ratio at an all-time high.)

This bombardment of unrealistic expectations is more than many of us can take. For those who prefer their forbidden love oldschool – agonizing, embarrassing, and possibly fatal – here are some classics that should come as a breath of fresh, depressing air.

Painful Scenario Number One: Mutual Destruction. Forbidden boy meets forbidden girl, forbidden boy and girl wed secretly, forbidden newlyweds accidentally die in an elaborate plan to skip town. This is the Romeo and Juliet strategy to love and it happens… well, not all the time, but it happens.

Reasons We Like It: You know how fairytale always end right after the beautiful damsel and the charming prince get married? That’s because nobody wants to hear about diaper changes or mortgage payments. A violent end cuts out all the boring stuff, plus it taps into the primitive, reptilian part of our brain that links sex with danger and death. Which, by the way, is not the same thing as un-death.

Painful Scenario Number Two: Silent Longing. Boy meets girl, boy decides girl is out of his league, boy swallows his feelings and vows to die alone. This is the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock approach to love and, according to our secret diary research, it does in fact happen all the time.

Why We Like It: We’ve soooo been there. Avoiding confrontation is a great way to not only protect your dignity, but also keep the fantasy alive: we’re betting that special someone doesn’t ever burp, fart, or drunk-dial your mom. On top of it all, the scenario also appeals to our depressive fatalism. It’s not like this self-pity’s gonna wallow in itself.

Painful Scenario Number Three: Self-Destruction. Boy meets unattainable girl, boy embarks on a lucrative life of crime to impress girl with fancy mansion, boy gets totally shafted. Er, shot. Make that both. This is the Great Gatsby wooing strategy and, though appealing in its own right, we don’t recommend that you try it at home.

Why We Like It: Dying for a cause can be very noble – and getting filthy rich along the way has its perks as well. Then, when your love interest turns out to be selfish, entitled, and so not worth your time, you can enjoy the special satisfaction that comes with knowing you’re a superior being. This feeling will last several whole seconds before that bullet thing becomes an issue.

America’s Pacific North West is home to pristine natural beauty, world class attractions and delicious West Coast cuisine.

Well, we completely avoided any of that, and headed straight for Washington’s most bizarre and off-beat places. To us, weird is wonderful, and we hope you think so too.

1. Self Kicking Machine: Rockport, Washington

For those who enjoy self inflicting pain, Rockport’s Self Kicking apparatus just might be your life’s calling. Just point your rear end at the four rotating boots, give the crank a spin, and let the punishment begin. Who knew kicking your own butt could be so much fun?

If you still haven’t had enough of a beating, turn around and give your front side a go. The women will stand up to the pain, but it will leave the men speaking an octave higher all the way home.

2. Historic Nuclear B Reactor: Hanford Nuclear Reservations Site, Washington

Nothing says romance like a visit to the world’s first nuclear reactor. You won’t be able to pick daisies for your lover here though; the ground here is so contaminated flower picking is actually illegal.

That said, a visit to the Nuclear B Reactor and its surrounding sites (9 nuclear reactors, plenty of radioactive ghost towns, and an 11 million ton nuclear waste dump) still make for a lovely radioactive afternoon. It is too bad you’ll need an American passport to see it.

Future plans for the site include haunted Halloween tours, historical re-enactments and even novelty nuclear weddings. Plutonium wedding rings not included.

3. Marsh’s Free Museum: Long Beach, Washington

Along the sprawling retail strip lining Long Beach, you’ll come across this wacky gem of a museum. A 40 year fixture of the area, a journey inside reveals a truly bizarre array of antiques, including shrunken heads, an 8 legged lamb and a cast iron sausage stuffer.

The star attraction however, is the infamous Jake the Alligator man. Half man, half gator, you’ll shudder at the sight of this reptilian beast, petrified and preserved for your viewing pleasure.

If you want a little more of the weird, just head across the street to the world’s largest frying pan. At almost 10 feet in diameter, it’s big enough to cook up even Jake himself. Gator Man, it’s what’s for dinner.

4. Nutty Narrows Squirrel Bridge: Longview Washington

Pacific Way was once a death trap for Longview’s squirrel population. As they attempted to manoeuvre across the busy intersection, they were all too often struck by passing vehicles. It may have very well been Washington’s Road Kill Capital.

Endeavouring to end the Squirrel slaughter, town resident Amos Peters spearheaded the construction of the Nutty Narrows Squirrel Bridge, which links the tall trees adjacent to the public library, to those on the opposite side of Pacific Way.

A town fixture since the 1960’s (and later since restored in 1983), its nuts to think about the number of squirrel lives this mighty crossing has saved.

5. Archie McPhee Store: Seattle Washington

Enter the Archie McPhee madness, and take your pick from the menagerie of pop culture kitsch including Tiki collectibles, radioactive caution bags and hula girl dashboard toppers.

Sure, you could order things like full-size latex mummies, monster robots, and Jesus action figures over the web, but Archie McPhees is the only store where you can experience them all in the same place.

Put simply, this is retail therapy for the weird, the wacky and the downright insane.

Fear is nothing more than a state of mind. YOU allow it to manifest into a concrete entity. How does this affect your actions and thoughts as you expand your horizons? Why does this stop you from moving towards your dreams/visions? Let’s take a closer look at this stealer of your dreams.

 

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.

Marie Curie

 

First and Foremost, I know you all understand that F.E.A.R. is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real. So knowing this, why does fear have such an impact on you?

 

From a scientific viewpoint, fear originates from the Reptilian or Lizard Brain. This smallest area of the brain tends to have a huge impact on our daily lives. It takes care of automatic things like heartbeat, digestion and breathing. The lizard brain also deals with survival instincts. When it senses danger, it responds with fight or flight reactions. This pertains to both physical and psychological dangers. These response has served us well in many aspects of our lives, but fear has become our nemesis.

 

We base our actions on fear every day. When we come up against something new or different, we become uncomfortable & nervous. This causes us to pause and evaluate our options. Indecision crystallizes into doubt and the blending of these two results in fear. This is where disconnects occur. We tend to rely on “gut feelings” to make decisions, so of course we stop dead in our tracks and choose NOT to take that next, scary step.

 

What we don’t recognized is that fear originates from our lizard brain, not from our “gut instincts.” Two totally different sources of the thought processes we utilize every day. As a matter of fact, listening to fear cuts us off from the Source. The Source is our true connection to inspired action. This is what assists us in stepping into new experiences.

 

Many different basic fears are listed in books or magazines. If you peel away the layers of any fear, you find only 2 basic fears – “Am I worthy?” & “Can I be loved?” I believe these two are inseparable. Let’s look at a few examples, shall we?

Fear of Poverty – If I don’t have enough money, I’m not worthy of anything good and no one will ever love me.

Fear of Criticism – I can’t handle being criticized because it makes me feel unworthy and unloved.

Fear of Loss of Love – Definitely brings up feelings of unworthiness and being unlovable.

Fear of Old Age – Old people are ignored & discounted in society so I would not be worthy of anyone’s love or respect.

Fear of Death – This one has so many connotations from both religious and practical viewpoints. I’ll allow you to choose your own examples based on your views.

 

After reading through these examples, does this give you something to ponder? Without conquering these fears, you will always be governed by them. It doesn’t mean your fears disappear. It means you acknowledge a fear when it appears and move through it knowing that it is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real. Since Fear is nothing more than a State of Mind; you choose, you decide.

 

Remember, You have absolute control over your thoughts! This is the Master Key to your life! Once you truly understand this, you also recognize how impactful this is. Awareness allows possibilities for change. With this in mind, you can again see ways to step forward into unknown territory. Yes, there is still the element of fear to contend with, but you control your reaction to fear.

 

This Master Key is intangible and very powerful. You have the privilege of creating, in your own mind, a burning desire for a definite vision or goal. You have the choice to look fear in the eye and say, “I am in charge here. Go away!” Step up and conquer “self.” Prepare your mind to receive all that will come your way as you follow your dream.

 

Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.

Brendan Francis

There are over 2000 different species of Geckos, inhabiting all sorts of regions from around the globe. Geckos are small-medium sized lizards and are abundant in warm, humid countries. Many Geckos fire an irritant liquid as a defense mechanism or, more notably, are able to “drop off” their tales.

The smallest of the species is the Dwarf Gecko (jaragua sphaero), measuring in at only 16mm. It was discovered off the coast of the Dominican Republic, on a small island in 2001. The largest of the species is believed to be the Kawekaweau or Delcourt’s Gecko. Measuring 600mm, this huge gecko is assumed to have gone extinct over 100 years ago, at the end of the 1800’s. The only specimen that still remains was a stuffed specimen ‘found’ in 1986 in the basement of the Marseille Museum. It was discovered by Alain Delcourt, hence its name.

The Gekkonidae family is home to some strange species of geckos, such as the Kuhl’s Flying Gecko (Ptychozoon kuhli), Henkel’s Leaf-Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus), and many more. There are still many Gecko species/ sub-species yet to be found. Some species of Geckos are excellent as a beginner’s exotic/reptilian pet. They do not need much space and do not eat much either. All reptiles are at risk of developing a deadly disease known as Metabolic Bone Disease. This applies to Geckos as well. It is very common in, so make sure you provide at least 8 hours of UV light and supplement their diet regularly. Some species can be harder to look after than others, but most are quite hardy and temperate, with care and looking after they should be fine. Make sure their diet is supplemented, as it always should be, and that you have a good insurance provider in case anything goes wrong, as always.

Are you worried with the thought "my wife does not desire me".

If you've been thinking of ways to get her to want to be intimate with you again, then you should be commended for not wanting to give up.

Here are some steps you can take today to start to make that happen again …

Why It Hurts to Think That Your Wife Doesn't Desire You Anymore …

Marriage gets really tough when you think that your wife doesn't feel the way that she used to anymore. It's frustrating and it just really hurts your feelings, and frankly makes you feel pretty insecure.

It leaves you wondering why, what's wrong with you, and it leaves you wondering if there's someone else that she is desiring. Am I right? Are you feeling these things?

Not to mention that you just might like to get some every now and then. But let me not digress into high school humor …

Reasons Why You May Be Having to Say My Wife Does Not Desire Me …

Here's the thing. There are tons and tons of reasons why it may seem as though your wife doesn't desire you anymore.

Maybe she doesn't. Sure that may be a possibility … but likely there's some sort of other reason why she's having these feelings. Or should I say not having those feelings.

First of all it's important to realize that women don't look at intimacy and sex the same as men. For us guys it doesn't take a whole lot actually. Little cleavage, tight pants, and a cross breeze and that's usually enough for us. Basically as men we're more visually stimulated, and that goes way back into our genes … and into our reptilian brain. Basically it's an ancient mechanism put in place so we could procreate like crazy.

But women need a little more to get into the desire frame of mind. Women actually have to be stimulated mentally more than physically. There has to be other things in place than just visual stimulation. Women need to be stimulated emotionally in order to feel desire.

This means that there are a lot of things that can act as a barrier to your wife's desire for intimacy with you. This is of course a good sign if you're my wife does not desire me. Because knowing this gives you the power to remove some of those barriers and hopefully that will do the trick.

You see many men will try and try to get their wife to desire them by doing the wrong things, simply because they feel like it should work since it would work on them.

It's the same reason that women don't like porn. It's does nothing for MOST women. However most really do enjoy a good romance novel. Why … because it gets them emotionally involved. It plays on their senses.

Now let's talk about some of the barriers that might be causing your wife not to desire you.

Stress … Stress is a biggie these days. If your wife's mind is tied up in thinking about bills, kids, job, dinner, and whatever else she's not going to feel much like being intimate at all.

Security … When your wife is not feeling secure in life then her intimacy and desirable feelings will be blocked. So making your wife feel secure either financially, and or physically will make her have much more desire. That's frankly why you see guys who are ugly as heck … but look like they'd clear a bar without batting an eye usually has the hot women all over them. That's also why rich guys have no problem creating desire in women. Guess Chuck Lidell is doing pretty well with the women huh?

Desirable … If your wife isn't feeling desired then she's not going to feel desirable, which means she won't be showing any desire for you. Basically, if your wife isn't feeling good about herself then it's going to be very hard for her to 'get in the mood' so to speak Insecurities are one of the biggest reasons for lack of intimacy in a relationship. Unfortunately as years go by and a women is feeling older, and with busy schedules she's not making to the gym as much she may not feel as though you feel the same about her.

So these are just some of the things to keep in mind if you're feeling the wife does not desire me .