Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 136

31 October 2018 - THE AWESOME MEERCAT

THE AWESOME MEERCAT
G'day folks,
I've probably featured these critters before, but I love ' em. The meerkat or suricate is a small carnivoran belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats are tremendous diggers and can dig up their own body weight in earth in only a couple of seconds







Quick FactsType: MammalDiet: OmnivoreLifespan: 12-14 yearsSize: 25-30 cm long excluding tailWeight: Under 1 kgHabitat: Arid plains and desertsRange: Southern AfricaScientific name: Suricata suricatta




Facts About the MeercatMeerkats are extremely social, and often groom or play with each other. They tend to live in groups (‘gangs’ or ‘mobs’) of around 20 individuals, although far larger groups are not uncommon.Meerkat groups use several different burrows, moving between them regularly. The burrows have a range of tunnels and different ‘rooms’, and allow the meerkats to remain cool during hot periods.Meerkats have highly developed senses of smell, hearing and vision. The black bands around the eyes help protect them from the glare of the African sun. They also have specific vocalisations to communicate different information such as type of approaching predator.When groups are out foraging, individuals will take turns acting as sentinels. A sentinel will stand on his/her hind legs and scan the area for potential danger and will make an alarm call if a predator is spotted, warning the group members and allowing for a fast getaway.Meerkats are tremendous diggers and can dig up their own body weight in earth in only a couple of seconds.Meerkats enjoy sun-bathing! In the morning when they come out from their burrows they will often spend time simply standing-up and warming themselves by the sun’s rays.  Meerkat groups have a highly developed social structure, with individuals playing various important roles in the community. For example babysitters will remain with young pups while the rest of the gang are out foraging, and elder meerkats will take responsibility for mentoring the young, teaching them how to forage and to be alert to danger.Researchers from the University of Cambridge studying meerkat groups in the Kalahari Desert have acknowledged that meerkats have “traditions” which  are passed down generation to generation.Scientists have found that some meerkat groups are particularly lazy and will routinely rise later, whereas others will get up and leave their burrows far earlier. Laziness and liveliness are therefore culturally biased in meerkats.Meerkats’ highly cooperative social behaviour has seen many firms using meerkats as examples in workplace training workshops to encourage more team-spirit and cooperative working. The project ‘All for One – The Meerkat Way’ is being used by over a thousand industry-leading companies.











Clancy's comment: Love 'em!


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30 October 2018 - JASON M. THORNBERRY - GUEST WRITER AND JOURNALIST

JASON M. THORNBERRY - GUEST WRITER AND JOURNALIST -
G'day folks,
Today, I interview an interesting journalist and writer from Seattle, Washington.
Welcome, Jason ...
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.My journey as a writer has been pretty unconventional. I got my start playing the drums, studying jazz and applying that to rock and performing for a dozen years, mostly in punk and quote-unquote “indie-rock” bands. Through a lot of really hard work, my last band popular pretty quickly in my neck of Southern California. But on the eve of the release of our first album, I was assaulted by a pair of strangers in the street outside of my girlfriend’s house. They beat me into a coma—curb stomped me, is what I learned. I spent four months in the hospital, and a year in a wheelchair. And in the time that I was recuperating and learning to speak and to use the left side of my body again, I was reunited with my first love: writing. Before I was distracted by music, I wanted more than anything to be a novelist. But after music became impossible, I went back to school and wrote for online magazines.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?I grew up in San Bernardino. It was and still is a pretty rough town, but I spent my summers in Newport, Oregon with my grandparents. Newport became my escape from my hometown and my home life, which was chaotic and violent. It was another world to me. And my grandmother inspired me to read and write. She was a writer. I announced to my grandparents one day that I was going to write my first book. I was ten years old.
WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?That depends on the project. When I got out of the hospital, I began working on a memoir about my injury, life I lead as a musician and my life growing up in a fractured household. I’ve since written a novel and I’m working on short fiction now. But each form (short fiction, a novel and non-fiction) has a different pace and a different way of existing inside of me before they arrive on the page.



WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?Finding an audience is the hardest thing. But close behind that is being taken seriously by people when you tell that that’s what you do. But anyone pursuing a career in the arts is up against that. I have relatives, close relatives, who haven’t read anything that I’ve ever written. I’ve sent them articles in newspapers and magazines. Nothing.
WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?I was a student of jazz. I studied for six years and gave lessons on the side to pay for more of my own lessons. I used to practice in my father’s garage eight hours a day.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?I’m working primarily on short fiction at the moment.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?Sometimes it can be a phrase or an interesting exchange that I had that day. Sometimes the news does, or did. Oddly enough, the current administration in America has become fertile ground for writers and satirists.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?Read as much as you write. Don’t stop reading. And force yourself to adhere to a writing schedule.
DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?I get to work before anyone else in the early morning and can get an hour in then. Evenings after work, I try to work in another hour, maybe two. And on the weekends I try to get in at least two or three hours a day. Some days, I get as many as eight.



DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?Two places: a fairly noisy café works quite well and complete silence, late at night, at home.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?Dostoevsky, because the struggles of humanity are reflected so perfectly in his characters. I love the depth he applies to his characters. You know everything about them.
WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?A few years ago, I wrote an article for The Stranger, a weekly newspaper in Seattle, about landlords. My argument, in the article, was that you shouldn’t have to be rich to live in Seattle. I got quite a bit of flak from readers, one of whom suggested that I was part of the problem. The reason that rents had risen so dramatically was because of Newbies like me. That hurt. I decided to stop reading the comments to the article and I’d like to extend that to reviews.
WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?Of course. The many years that I spent trying to become a professional musician had an enormous impact on me, as well as my upbringing in San Bernardino. I saw a lot of things I wish I hadn’t as a boy. And my injury had an big impact on my writing because it changed the way that I see the world around me—for good and, I suppose, and for bad.
OTHER THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?Reading. I love to fall headfirst into a good novel, the kind of novel (or book of short stories) that I can lose myself in for a week or two. Music is my first love. I can still lose several hours of my life in a record shop.




DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.A good breakfast which, of course includes large quantities of coffee. A morning spent writing and an afternoon in a bookshop that I’ve never seen before but has lots of Russian Lit and a whole section books that I’ve always wanted to read.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?I plan to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing and I’m getting ready to begin the end-of-the-year application process. I’m looking for the kind of program that has a strong teaching component.
DOES THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?For such a long time now, the publishing industry has been competing with video games, movies, You Tube, and the intoxicating world inside of the cell phone. I’m not frustrated by it. I’m frustrated by the reality that people don’t read as much anymore, which makes it tough to tell someone you’re a writer. As writers, we’ve all gotten that condescending look that says, ‘You’ll grow out of it.’
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER. Satisfaction.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES? EVER WRITTEN A SCREENPLAY?I think that every writer would probably like to see their work reimagined by someone else, especially on the screen. Then again, every movie I’ve ever seen that was based on a book that I read first, paled in comparison.
WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?To teach and write and have an office full of books, with a little house I can come home to. A little place where I can live out my days with my wife, reading next to one another and taking turns to walk the dog.



ARE YOUR BOOKS SELF-PUBLISHED?No. As of yet, I have resisted the urge to publish my own work. But I’ve thought about it. In 2010, I finished a memoir, my first book. Had I self-published it way-back-then, put it on the Internet and tried to promote it, I would be embarrassed by it today. And, in spite of the pitfalls and limitations that some writers predict they might face if they went the “traditional route,” I think there is something to be said for not choosing to forgo the editorial process. For toughing it out and letting other people read your work and give their feedback. In the end, if your book just isn’t ready for the world, it just isn’t ready. Self-publishing can be a valuable format, but like with anything, it’s a place where the chaff can overpower the wheat.
I’ll be more specific: I know someone who self-published their first novel. They gave me a copy of it, and I was shocked to find it was full of spelling errors. That’s forever—like an impulsive tattoo.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.Patient, kind, loving, loyal, opinionated
WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?Escapes, by Joy Williams was fantastic. Everything you could want in a book of short stories. Her work veers far from the predictable but at the same time these are traditional stories about human beings and the flawed world that we all participate in and create together. Fans of Raymond Carver (like me) will have found their new hero. Pick up anything of Joy’s.
 WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?At the moment, I’m trying to be economical in my prose, so maybe something ornate and winding, like a sentence that might have come from Absalom! Absalom! I might describe a room down to the motes of dust floating in the sunlight and the flaking carcass of a dead beetle on the carpet, like Annie Dillard. Or I could try to encapsulate it all in six words: “This is the end of me.”
ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?Thank you, Clancy.



JASON'S BLOG 

Clancy's comment: You are welcome, Jason. Hey, I love that shot of you as a kid. So smooth.
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29 October 2018 - A BUNCH OF GREAT QUOTES

A BUNCH OF GREAT QUOTES

G'day guys,
Welcome to some more great quotes from folks around the world.


















Clancy's comment: Mm ...
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28 October 2018 - GHOST TOWN FOR SALE

GHOST TOWN FOR SALE!
G'day folks,
Ever thought of buying a ghost town? Here is a ripper. 
J ohnsonville, Connecticut may be completely void of (human) inhabitants at present and characterised by those particular houses where one might occasionally see the faint shadows of children in nightgowns watching you from the attic window, but hey– a few licks of paint and a good spring clean to wash those ghosts right out of your lair and you could be calling it home in no time! The 62 acre historic village in the nutmeg State soon goes up for auction with a starting bid of $800,000.




So first question– why are they selling an entire town? Well, for starters, it’s been vacant for more than 20 years and through its history, has been abandoned not once, not twice, but three times.



Dating back to the 1830s, Johnsonville was once a thriving mill town and popular recreation spot set along the Moodus River, with amenities including a restaurant called the Red House Restaurant, a general store and a one-room schoolhouse.
Victorian and colonial-style houses with fireplaces and pillared porches were built by the families of the mill-owners where they lived contently up until the 1950s. All the historic buildings still remain. But then modernization crept up on the quaint community, work dried up and Johnsonville became a ghost town for the first time.



Next came along a millionaire named Ray Schmitt who bought the town in the 1960s and tried to turn it into a theme park, transporting several more historic buildings to the town to complete his vision, including a Victorian stable and chapel,  which hosted weddings and charity benefits.





But Schmitt’s idea of turning Johnsonville into a tourist attraction never took off and following ongoing disputes with local officials, the town was abandoned again after his death in 1998.



Ten years later, hope came knocking at the gates of Johnsonville once more when a hotel developer bought it in 2008. But as the paint continued to peel on the Victorian-era edifices and the streets remained eerily deserted, it became clear that nothing was happening for the town and last year Johnsonville appeared on the market once again for $2.9 million. It was never sold.
Now, it’s up for sale. Any takers?




Clancy's comment: Man, what a waste!
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27 October 2018 - WEIRD & WACKY STUFF

WEIRD & WACKY STUFF
G'day folks,
I'm always curious about weird stuff. Check out these things.

















Clancy's comment: There ya go. Amazing, eh?
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26 October 2018 - DANIELLE STEEL - AUTHOR

DANIELLE STEEL - AUTHOR
G'day folks,
Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel is an American writer, best known for her romance novels. She is the best selling author alive and the fourth bestselling fiction author of all time, with over 800 million copies sold. She has written 165 books, including 141 novels. Many of her best sellers turned into television movies.



Who Is Danielle Steel? 
Born in New York City in 1947, Danielle Steel embarked on a career in advertising before publishing her first novel, Going Home, in 1973. By the end of the decade she found an audience receptive to her brand of romance and drama, with titles like The Promise, Kaleidoscope, Heartbeat and Sistersgoing on to become best sellers. Steel has also penned a poetry book, several children's series and song lyrics for an album. 


 Danielle Steel Books  Steel's first novel, Going Home, was published in 1973. Several follow-up manuscripts were rejected, but she was back in print with Passion's Promise(a.k.a. Golden Moments) in 1977, and with the rapid-fire sales of The Promise in 1978, her literary career was up and running. 
Through popular works like A Perfect Stranger (1983), Kaleidoscope (1987), Zoya (1988), Heartbeat (1991) and The Gift (1994), Steel established a definitive style, her novels often centered around strong, glamorous women who overcome major obstacles en route to love and fulfillment. While at times dismissed by critics as "formulaic," the author continues to crack the best-seller lists through a prolific output that sees her finish six books per year; recent titles include The Apartment(2016), Past Perfect (2017) and Fall From Grace (2018). 
 Steel has also published a book of poetry, 1984's Love: Poems, and the Max and Martha and Freddie children's series. Her nonfiction titles include A Gift of Hope: Helping the Homeless (2012) and Pure Joy: The Dogs We Love (2013). 




Book Sales and Records 
According to her website, Steel has written more than 167 books, her works published in 43 languages across 69 countries for a total 650 million copies sold worldwide. Additionally, the Guinness Book of World Records gave her an entry for having at least one book on the New York Times best-seller list for 390 consecutive weeks. 



Danielle Steel Movies
More than 20 of Steel's novels, including Crossings (1982), Once in a Lifetime (1983), No Greater Love (1991) and Safe Harbour (2003), have been adapted into television movies. Jewels, which aired in two parts months after its 1992 publication, garnered two Golden Globe nominations, for Best Limited Series/TV Movie and for Anthony Andrews' performance as Best Actor. 



What Is Danielle Steel's Net Worth? 
As of July 2018, Forbes pegged Steel's net worth at $350 million, ranking her No. 54 on its list of America's self-made women.   


 Clancy's comment: Mm ... Wow. We authors can only aspire to such success.
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25 October 2018 - AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHY

AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHY
G'day folks,
Welcome to some great pics from photographers around the world.






























Clancy's comment: Wow. Excellent work. Thank you.
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24 October 2018 - THE AMAZINGLY QUICK MARLIN

THE AMAZINGLY QUICK MARLIN
G'day folks,
Big, agile and very fast, these relatives of swordfish share their long upper jaw which they use to catch fish. A marlin is a fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes about 10 species. It has an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long, rigid dorsal fin which extends forward to form a crest.




Quick FactsType: MammalDiet: CarnivoreSize: 2 - 4.5mWeight: 900kgHabitat: MarineLifespan: 27 yearsScientific name: Istiophoridae      Facts About the MarlinThere are around 10 species of marlin. They are closely related to sword fish.The Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans) is one of the largest species of fish in the world!Not only is it one of the largest fish in the sea, it’s also one of the fastest! They have been known to reach speeds of up to 68mph!Marlin have a long, sword-like upper jaw which they use to slash and stun fish, making them easier to catch.


They can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.Marlin are migratory and travel hundreds or even thousands of miles in warm currents.Blue Marlin are vulnerable to over fishing and have been identified as vulnerable to extinction. Efforts by the US government have been successful in rebuilding North Atlantic populations, however the populations in the North-western Pacific and South Atlantic Oceans are uncertain.  Populations in the Mediterranean and Indian Oceans are believed to be most threatened.

Clancy's comment: Staggering speeds, eh? 
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23 October 2018 - MOVING PICTURES

MOVING PICTURES
G'day folks,
Welcome to some excellent, and amusing,  moving pictures.

















































Clancy's comment: I love the piglet and the cat. The golfers are also excellent.
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22 October 2018 - AWESOME WAYS TO REUSE GLASS BOTTLES

 AWESOME WAYS TO REUSE GLASS BOTTLES
G'day folks,
Welcome to some cute and clever ways to reuse glass bottles.
 Between soda, beer, wine, and sparkling water, glass bottles sometimes end up accumulating pretty rapidly. Although your first instinct might be to recycle the lot, they can actually be re-purposed in plenty of functional and impressive ways, such as the awesome ideas below:












 


Clancy's comment: Pretty cool, eh? I must tell one of my neighbours. He seems to dispose of heaps of wine bottles on a regular basis.
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