Eleven Shrimp Links

Chinese shrimp painter.

Chinese shrimp paintings:

The free and stark brush strokes - a thin single line for the antenna of the shrimp, blobs of ink in grades of grey and black - suggest Oriental sensuality.

"I took up painting shrimps because it's one of the hardest things to draw," he said.

Mantis shrimp mechanics. (With videos.)

Biology of shrimps. (Shrimp or prawn?)

Shrimp photography.

Partnerships for a Shrimp.

Shrimp cartoons.

Shrimp-1st.com.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance:

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) is a non-profit alliance of members of the shrimp industry in eight states committed to preventing the continued deterioration of America's domestic shrimp industry and to ensuring the industry's future viability. SSA serves as the national voice for the shrimp fishermen and processors in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.

God Hates Shrimp.

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Gulchekhra Sartbayeva and Her Sewing Shop

FINCA: Small Loans - Big Changes:

FINCA Kyrgyzstan started in 1995 with a $6.2mm grant from USAID, which expired in September 2002. FINCA aims to serve 40,000 clients with a total of $36 million in loans by 2010. In Kyrgyzstan, women are very active in the economy, especially trade. As 70% of the unemployed in Kyrgyzstan are women, FINCA has targeted female bazaar workers as its primary clients.

Client Profile:

Gulchekhra and her brother leased a boutique in the commercial center in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, where they sold shoes in 2004. Unfortunately, their business was not very successful and they were forced to close the shop when the center shut down.

As an alternative source of income, Gulchekhra started to sew traditional dresses and suits for a children's dance troupe. Her friend introduced her to a FINCA Solidarity-Credit Group.

With money she and her brother had saved from their shoe business and the proceeds of her FINCA loan, Gulchekhra established a sewing shop, which is now very successful.

Gulchekhra is very creative and is designing costumes for the dance troupe. Her business is continuing to grow and she has now received her sixth loan from FINCA. The group members all enjoy her participation and the responsible way she conducts her business. She says the loans from FINCA have made her life better and she looks forward to a long relationship with FINCA.

Photo from FINCA

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Forgotten Author: Harold L. Myers

Go here and click on the link to the RTF file; it seems friendly enough. It brings you a free download of a collection of stories by science-fiction writer Harold L. Myers, with this introduction:

Howard L. Myers is almost completely forgotten today, although some people can still be found who remember the name "Verge Foray," under which he published many of his stories. But in the brief time his writing career lasted, from 1967 to 1971, he was a prominent figure in science fiction.

It's a sad tale. Myers was born in 1930, and published his first science fiction story at the age of twenty-two. That was "The Reluctant Weapon," published in the December 1952 issue of Galaxy . (The story is included in this volume.)

And . . . that was it, for another fifteen years. Why? We don't know. For whatever reasons, it wasn't until Myers was in his late thirties that he began writing again. And once he did, the stories practically came pouring out—and almost every one of them excellent. His stories appeared in most of the premier science fiction and fantasy magazines of the day—Analog, Galaxy, If, Amazing, The Magazine of F&SF—and he seemed on the verge of becoming one of science fiction's top authors.

We'll never know. In the summer of 1971, against the advice of his mother, Howard Myers took a vacation to Florida. The combination of the heat and his medical condition combined to give him a massive heart attack which killed him. He was forty-one years old.

You can also find it at Google books (though they don't always have every page).

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He Hates Jack Sterling

This blog has a mission:

It pays to read the pages on this site before thinking about buying a $2,500 dog from Jack Sterling and taking it back to the states. (ps Jack, they said your house was filthy!)

There are other breeders in Chiang Mai, other locations in Thailand, let alone in the rest of the world, who are far more open and honest, clean and healthy, let alone good to do business with.

That is that blog's mission.

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When Kangaroos Attack

Mudgree, New South Wales:

An Australian woman has been saved by a pet dog which leapt to her aid after she was attacked by a large kangaroo, her son has said.[...]

"The kangaroo just jumped up and launched straight at her," he said.

"My dog heard her screaming and bolted down and chased him off. If it wasn't for the dog, she'd probably be dead.

Now most people would probably scoff at the thought of a kangaroo attacking a human. But large kangaroos can be very large - up to 180 lbs, and more than 7 feet tall when up in fighting position. But the most dangerous things about them are the second from outer claws on their very strong hind legs. They're huge, way larger than the three others on each foot. When fighting they can put their weight on their tails, lift both legs, and use those monster thighs to deliver powerful kicks - and with that claw take your guts out. Take a look at the size of that claw:


Photo from Ozanimals

Here's a look at how they stand back on their tails and kick, from the video I made in Canberra in 2006 that inspired this blog.

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