One of the best science documentaries EVER!

In one of my zoology classes in college I watched a film from the 1980's called "Cane Toads: An Unnatural History." Roger Ebert summarizes the plot as, "An assault of sex-mad giant toads munching their way across Australia." One of the funniest things about the movie is the people that they interview, some are included in the clips below. Enjoy!

An alternative use for cane toads


A man who loves cane toads:

"...and that's what I like about them."

An analogy

Here I go with a deep thought...
A few weeks ago I felt that I had spent way too much time inside for the past couple months and decided to go on a mid-day hike. I hiked down to a creek in Cucamonga Canyon to let my feet and water bottle cool down and enjoy the peacefulness of my surroundings. For much of my hike I could hear the crescendoing turbulance of the creek as I got closer to it. I realized something as I was jumping around from boulder to boulder in the creek. When I casually listen to the creek, even from a short distance, all I hear is the turbulent noise, like static on a television (back in the day before the satellite dish). But if I listened to the water flow over an individual rock, it had its own sound or pitch. It was actually kind of calming, like one of those aesthetic fountains. The rock next to it had a different pitch in its sound, being higher or lower. A few rocks could create a chorus of dissonance or maybe even a harmonious chord. Nature had created its own choir. Each rock is different, each with its own sound.

And here is one of my analogies to this experience. Water is often metaphorically used to symbolize life. Rocks in our life are usually what stirs things up, changes our direction, impacts our flow, gives beauty, and sometimes causes us to get wet, embarrassed, and uncomfortable when we stumble upon one that is more slippery than we thought. Some of these rocks include school, work, family, church responsibilities, and social relationships. When we are stressed, we often hear only the dissonance or turbulence of life. Everything seems loud, overwhelming, and uncomfortable. We wish that life could flow smoother. This is when we overlook the simple harmonies that are present. The dissonance will resolve into a beautiful and harmonious chord eventually, but it does make things a little more interesting and colorful for the moment. We need to appreciate each rock and the contribution of its individual tone to the symphony of our lives.

That's enough serious thinking for now... "Rock" on!!!