Selling my stuff!

I have known about ebay and marktplaats.nl (a Dutch selling site) for years but I never had anything to sell. Well two days ago I finally had my first thing to sell, a mobile phone! I registered with marktplaats and made an ad. I already have some offers (but i would like a little more money for it) and I really got into the spirit of it. I remembered my old Ipod mini would be a good candidate too so i put it on there too. In one day i already got a very good offer for it and i hope to sell it soon. Now I'm looking for more stuff to sell...

Interested: click the links below to see my stuff

Ipod mini klik hier

Samsung SGH-VZ10: klik hier

Mighty Dormouse

This beautiful picture above was e-mailed to me by my mother. She is a nanny and she works for someone who works for Natuurmonumenten (A nature preservation group in the Netherlands) He had gotten some pics from this rare mouse that only lives in the south of the Netherlands. It’s called a hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) The hazel dormice inhabits deciduous forests that maintain a thick layer of scrub plants and underbrush. Being agile climbers, hazel dormice spend much of their time in the tree canopy searching for food. They also inhabit hedge rows in rural areas. They are hard to spot between the thick bushes.

It is the smallest of the European dormice and has a head to tail length of 115 to 164 mm. The tail makes up about one half of overall length. Looking similar to many other mouse-sized mammals, they have prominent black eyes and small, round ears, but can be distinguished by a thick, bushy tail. Coloration of hazel dormice is a brown to amber color on the dorsal side of the body, and white on the ventral side. Young hazel dormice lack the identifying color of the adults and are a duller and grayer in coloration. The feet of hazel dormice are very flexible, and are adapted for climbing.

The dormouse is strictly nocturnal. Days are spent sleeping in a spherical nest that is made of grasses, stripped bark, and moss, that is held together by a sticky saliva. The nest is about 15 cm in diameter and completely surrounds the individual which occupies it. The nests are usually located about 2 meters off the ground. Common dormice spend their nights up in the trees foraging for food. Their prehensile feet are very helpful when jumping between branches. Hibernation occurs from October to April, although early hibernation can be initiated if the external temperature drops below 16'C.

It consumes a diet consisting mainly of fruits and nuts, but will also eat bird eggs, fledglings, insects and pollen if they are readily available. Hazelnuts are a favorite nut of hazel dormice. Nuts which have been opened by these animals are easily distinguished by a smooth, round hole that is unlike that made by other rodents. Hazel dormice specialize on nuts in the weeks prior to hibernation, but do not store food for the winter.

Muscardinus avellanarius populations are declining in the northern areas of its range, due to loss of forest habitat. Hazel dormice are currently listed as lower risk in the IUCN red list.

I think it’s a beautiful species and I would have loved to see it in real life! Thanks Lars for the beautiful picture

A long long time ago...

It’s been a long time since I posted anything but I have been quiet busy. I have also been sick and I didn’t have much inspiration to write anything. Today will be a long post about everything that has kept me busy for all this time.

I have started my research I have to do for my graduation, it’s about e-learning. I’m going to do some research if children learn faster or pick things up more quickly with computer programs then the traditional way of books. There is a lot of debate that teachers do not know enough of the world teenagers live in now. I as a young teacher agree that you can get so much more out of teenagers if it is closer to the world they live in. I am lucky that I know enough about computers but I have to help many of my colleagues when they have to do things on the computer.

My classes are going great and many of the children I teach have good marks so I am happy with that. I am quite shocked with how much work it is to give two subjects and it’s still hard for me to switch between both subject. I hope it will get easier! At the moment I have had many classes I needed to substitute because ten of my colleagues are sick so I had a very busy week.
I also had some shocking news from one of my friends who’s father went to the same as mine. So that was some bad news. I hope he’s doing better now.

The rest of my time was spend going to physiotherapy for my hips and I started horseback riding again! It has been a blast even though I had some muscle ache the day after. I hope that will get better soon! (above is a picture of my favorite breed of horses: the Shire)

As you see I have been busy and in a week I have my first break for the year and I can’t wait!

Scorpion King

I have bought new pets for school, they are three Emperor Scorpion (keizers schorpioen)

The Emperor Scorpion is the largest, but not the longest, of the scorpion species. Their coloring is usually a glossy black or blue, but dark brown or greenish colors have occurred. Whitish membranes connect the various body segments; these membranes will expand in pregnant females. They have large fat pinchers (chelae or pedipalps,) four pairs of legs and a long tail (telson) tipped by a venom gland and a stinger. Behind their fourth pair of legs, they have a comb-like structure called pectines, which are used to sense the texture of the ground. The pectines are larger on the males than the females. Like all scorpions, they use sensory hairs to detect ground and air vibrations.
Emperor Scorpions are one of the most popular pet scorpions due to their docile nature. Although it is not recommended, many owners handle their pet Emperor Scorpions. The sting is described as similar to a bee sting and the venom is not usually dangerous to humans unless they are allergic. However, their claws can deliver a very painful pinch and are strong enough to draw blood. As with all stings, medical attention should be sought if the victim shows signs of allergic reactions, such as breathing difficulty, excessive swelling or prolonged pain. Commonly thought to be insects, scorpions are actually in the same family as spiders, ticks and mites. Like all scorpions, Emperor Scorpions fluoresce a greenish blue under black (UV) lights.
Emperor Scorpions are often used in movies and television shows due to their docile nature, semi-social acceptance and relatively harmless toxin.

Like all scorpions, the Emperor Scorpion burrows into the soil and can be found under rocks, logs and other forest debris. They hunt at night (nocturnal,) using their sensory hairs to detect nearby prey. They rarely sting smaller prey, preferring to grasp their prey in their powerful claws and tear the unfortunate victim apart. Emperor Scorpions are unusually social compared to other scorpions. They occasionally live in small family groups of a mother and her offspring.

Am I A Devil Worshipper?

In a recent interview on vatican radio, Pope Benedict XVI's senior exorcist claims the Harry Potter books contain innumerable positive references to magic, "the satanic art."

"Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil," he told Vatican Radio. And according to the Daily Mail newspaper in London, he added that the books attempt to make a false distinction between black and white magic, when in fact, the distinction "does not exist, because magic is always a turn to the devil."

I can see Harry's glowing green eyes and they make me feel I want to dominate the world MOOHAAHahahaha

Get rel people! The vatican is also against condoms while they there is a disease like AIDS

Goodbye Crocodile Hunter

Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006), also known as the Crocodile Hunter, was an Australian naturalist, wildlife expert and television personality, best known for the television program The Crocodile Hunter, an unconventional wildlife documentary series broadcast worldwide and co-hosted with his wife Terri. He was also owner and operator of Australia Zoo, in Beerwah, Queensland.

Irwin parlayed youthful experience as a crocodile trapper into an international television career, a feature film, and a series of accolades in Australia for his promotion of tourism and environmental awareness. Despite a macho image as a wrangler of large, dangerous animals, Irwin was a committed conservationist. Nevertheless, his cavalier showman's approach often drew criticism, especially an incident when he held his baby boy as he fed crocodiles at his zoo.
On September 4, 2006, he was filming underwater documentary footage when a stingray that he was following closely extended its barb into his chest, resulting in his death.

Shortly after 11:00 a.m. local time (01:00 UTC) on 4 September 2006, Irwin was fatally pierced in the chest by a short-tail stingray barb while diving in Batt Reef (part of the Great Barrier Reef), off the coast of Port Douglas in Queensland, Australia. Irwin was in the area filming his own documentary, to be called The Ocean's Deadliest, but weather had stalled filming. Irwin decided to take the opportunity to film some shallow water shots for a segment in the television program his daughter Bindi was hosting, when, according to his friend and colleague John Stainton, he swam too close to one of the animals. "He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat, called the Croc One, at the time.

The events were caught on camera, and the footage was handed to the Queensland Police. After reviewing the footage of the incident and speaking to the cameraman who recorded it, marine documentary filmmaker and former spearfisherman Ben Cropp speculated that the stingray "felt threatened because Steve was alongside and there was the cameraman ahead." In such a case, the stingray responds by automatically flexing the serrated barb on its tail up to a maximum of 25 cm (10 in) of length. Cropp said Irwin had accidentally boxed the animal in. "It stopped and twisted and threw up its tail with the spike, and it caught him in the chest. It's a defensive thing. It's like being stabbed with a dirty dagger." The stinging of Irwin by the bull ray was "a one-in-a-million thing," Cropp told Time magazine. "I have swum with many rays, and I have only had one do that to me." Immediately after the attack, Irwin was shown on tape pulling the barb out, before losing consciousness. This was confirmed by his colleague John Stainton. It is thought, in the absence of a coroner's report, that either the toxins of the barb caused Irwin to die of an apparent cardiac arrest or that he died quickly as a result of a punctured aorta.

Crewmembers aboard his boat called the emergency services in the nearest city of Cairns and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby Lowe Isle to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later.

Irwin's body was flown to a morgue in Cairns. His wife was on a walking tour in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania at the time, and returned via a private plane from Devonport to the Sunshine Coast with their two children.

This was only the third known fatality in Australian history from a stingray attack, and the first since 1945. As of 1996, only seventeen worldwide fatalities had been recorded, and it is believed to be the only fatal attack ever captured on film.

The family has asked that all donations go to Wildlife Warriors Worldwide LTD

Click this link for more information on how to donate (it could be slow because of traffic)

http://www.crocodilehunter.com/

Japanese Royal Couple

The Japanese crown prince Naruhito and his wife Masako are staying in the Netherlands. It's her first trip since four years to a foreign country. She is suffering from a depression caused by the pressure on her to have a male child. She was a highly educated woman and successful in business when she decided to marry the crown prince of Japan. After her marriage her only purpese was to become pregnant and deliver an heir to the throne for Japan. After several miscarriages she had a daughter Aiko but in Japanese tradition only males can become heir to the throne. They are hoping she can relax a little here, away from the press in her own country and away from the strict rules of the royal house. Her sister in law is pregnant and it is now confirmed that it's a boy that can serve as the heir to the throne so the pressure on Masako is a little lifted. But I don't think the people of Japan will let it go that easily, they rather want her to have a boy. Also it's a great topic to talk about!

On another note. I don't think she is here to only relax, but is here for treatment as well. I think she is getting an IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatment to become pregnant again or even make sure it's a boy! It would sure lift the pressure that is on her and hopefully also the depression. I wouldn't blame her for trying to do something like that and I would even think it's better that way. I am happy we have forestalled that tradition now in the Netherlands and have had 3 woman on our throne already!

I wish them both luck and I hope she will be more relaxed now!