Thursday, December 15, 2011

Be a Rat

A L O H A !




" Do good work 
and do it because it is a gift to the world.
  No matter how inconsequential
others may feel 
about the value of your contribution,
it is the giving that matters. 
The surprise here
  will be that the beneficiary
who gains most . . . is you. "

James Woods







" Cherish the dead
you once loved
so carelessly.
They still live
in your heart. "

James Woods














" The more perfect we are
 the more gentle and quiet
 we become
 towards the defects
 of others. "

Joseph Addison



( ´_?`)



Researchers
at the University of Chicago were surprised
at the consistency of their results;
Again and again, lab rats freed
a fellow rat.


To make it interesting,
scientists added tempting chocolate
to the situation.

23 of 30 rats
opened that cage door
for the other rat first.

"Basically they told us
that freeing another rat
is as important
as eating chocolate."

"In some case, rats first 
took the chocolate chips 
but didn't eat them,
they freed the other rat
and shared. "

Peggy Mason, PhD,


Some of the male rats,
7 of 24 tested,
didn't free the other rat.
"There were days when the male rats
took the day off
from helping their trapped partner,
but the females never did. "

Peggy Mason
study author
 in the journal
Science.

"If rats can be so caring and helpful
there's a sense of optimism.
It's something we could be. "

Jeff Mogil PhD
McGill University

So empathy is not a disadvantage,
but a characteristic we have preserved
as useful to survival.

Thank YOU freeing me
from the cage of my 'alone-ness'
today.  Leave a chocolate comment;
Be as sweet . . . As a RAT!
                                                Fondly, cloudia

Here's an amazing liberation:

38 comments:

ayala said...

Interesting!
:)
thanks for sharing.

Leovi said...

Beautiful pictures, a wonderful place. Delicious this beautiful flower. Greetings.

Lynn said...

I love that story about the rats sharing the chocolate.

Tracy Jo said...

Love the quote about the more perfect we become the more gentle we are...so true!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Hmmm! very interesting Cloudia, other things BEFORE chocolate..not sure..only kidding!! Also proves not ALL men are rats haha! btw I can't seem to get the video to play, maybe it's just me but when I click on it's a no go.

இ Baŋäŋaz இ said...

Amazing freedom for the whale and those guys for having a big heart to help save the helpless whale. Rats are caring animals..tQ

Anonymous said...

THAT VIDEO IS FANTASTIC, CLOUDIA!!! Wow! Incredible! What an experience for whale and humans alike. Mahalo nui loa.

My Unfinished Life said...

interesting as always...some really beautiful images..u clicked them all??

Full-On-Forward said...

I'll trade tou. ummm...Like, water for Chocolate- OK? (Rat has Valley Girl accent, and implants!)

Great post !!!!!


HFTEC,

J

Full-On-Forward said...

OMGOSH!!!!! How Whales say Thank You is AWESOME!!!!!

Thanks for sharing!

J

Teresa said...

No wonder Rats are the first sign of the Chinese zodiac!! I love your new top picture.

Daryl said...

what a wonderful video .. thank you

21 Wits said...

Mine is in the form of a delicious cherry covered in a rich dark chocolate coat...and it does fill good to step in the ranks of female mother Rat! Oh my! Did I really, really say that! See how good your words are, you've got me feeling Rat-like!

Javier Guri said...

A very interesting entry.
Greetings.

Cloudia said...

Yes, all pictures are my own today!


Thanks for swinging by today. It makes me really happy

Anonymous said...

Way to go rats - let's learn from them!

Superb shots today!

Cheryl Kohan said...

You always have the most interesting posts! I can't tell you the last time I enjoyed a video as much as the story of freeing the whale...WOW! That was so fabulous!

Elephant's Child said...

I had seen the story about rats, and loved it. And whales are such beautiful majestic creatures. Thank you for another beauty filled post.

Pia said...

Rats are ...interesting :-)
Whales are fascinating, what a wonderful video!

Windsmoke. said...

Whales are such majestic creatures. I'm glad the whale was freed and can once again roam the ocean at will :-).

Anonymous said...

Ok Ok. But I'd still rather be a wolf. ~Mary

Hilary said...

Great post. Rats are intelligent creatures and know what's best for the survival of the species. That whale video... I've seen it before.. it made me cry then too. What an wonderful creature. And of course, your photos are beautiful.

Couture Carrie said...

Awesome quotes and pics, darling!

xoxox,
CC

Anonymous said...

First quote is wonderful indeed. Thank you for sharing. Lately seeing many a rat over here. Will think different now about them.
Love a book about a rat:
Firmin, by Sam Savage. Finished in within a single night.
Please have a good Friday you all.


daily athens photo

Laura said...

I loved this Cloudia...thank you for sharing! Beautiful!!! I hope you will consider sending me an email about what you are grateful for to add to this year's gratitude word quilt. It will be posted on my blog on Dec 31st. I am collecting expressions of gratitude from around the world. Enjoy the weekend's skies, blue, grey, or filled with a pallet of many colors!
Gentle steps,
Laura

黄清华 Wong Ching Wah said...

... Cloudia ! and we both have "Warm" Christmas without the snow or cool days on Winter ! ... I wish you happy days till Christmas and beyond !!!!

Jenn Jilks said...

I love the hibiscus. Such a colourful world.
Our snow has gone. Pouring rain today. It's a muddy mess.
Hubby bought a chocolate bar and we shared it for dessert!!!! :-)

Cloudia said...

Jolly!

thanks so much

Commander Zaius said...

For years I have insulted rats comparing them to Republicans, I feel bad now.

Miriam said...

Amazing footage!!!!!!! I completely loved it! And about the rats, that's really somethin' :), Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

Erika said...

Your new header is wonderful, dear friend Cloudia.
Ciao from Italy
*-*

bichonpawz said...

I just love ALL of your gorgeous pictures Cloudia!!! Soooo beautiful!!
xo
Jeanne

Cloudia said...

You folks are GREAT!

magiceye said...

namaste /\ from mumbai
aloha!!

Dave King said...

Loved the research rats story. There's got to be a lot of mileage in that.

Leovi said...

Beautiful video, I love whales. Greetings.

Reader Wil said...

Thank you Cloudia, for the wonderful video! I love it. I had seen sperm whales in New Zealand and that was spectacular. But this video was even more captivating.
The story of the rats is very interesting. Some people whom I called rats don't deserve to be called like that.

Cloudia said...

SO glad you dropped by! Thanks