Talking Insects

The stories populating the illustrated children’s book Raindrop’s World take place in a universe where ants and beetles have four limbs rather than six, and sport long eyebrows and full lips. These beautiful and strange insects even know how to talk, which they do every chance they get.

The illustrations and storyline were created with the notion that these tales should appeal to the young and the old alike. It really shouldn’t matter if you’re six or fifty-six. These playful adventures ought to have something in them for just about everyone (unless the poor reader suffers from myrmecophobia – also known as the fear of ants).

The premise of this first book, and the books to come, is fairly simple. A small colony of leafcutter ants, only a few years out living on their own, has founded an ‘alternative’ civilization in the rainforest. They’re trying to mix the old ways with the new, although this won’t happen without some serious conflict with other ants of a different mindset, not to mention wild encounters with some of the most dangerous creatures inhabiting the Amazon River Basin, including anacondas, vampire bats, armadillos, mentally unstable finches and terrifying zombie ants (which really do exist).

World Photography 5

  

  

Obama Who

Now that Barack Obama is in his second presidential term, it might be time to address the harsh rumors surrounding his birth. I have no doubt that he was born in Hawaii, but as far as his forefathers are concerned, folks might want to look farther afield. Perhaps the distant planet of Gallifrey would be a good place to start. Only a Time Lord could be as cool under fire as Mr. Obama seems to be. I wonder if he keeps a sonic screwdriver in his pocket as well…

Illustrations and Character Design

   

   

I’ve been working on various book projects involving art, animated characters and cover design during the last few months in my spare time. Here are just a few samples among many. While they are far from perfect, and my rusty drawing technique needs a bit of brushing up, most of the illustrations came out all right. At least I think they did. Right now, I’m toiling away on some back and white designs, cartoons and other art pieces for a new project that’s coming up. It will be a bit more serious in nature than my children’s novella Raindrop’s World, but it will still maintain a humorous edge. I’ll also have some help on this one, to make the work as solid as possible.

Amazing Tree Frogs

Tree frogs are brilliantly colored amphibians that live most of their lives in the trees, of course, or around other types of vegetation. These tiny animals love the water, and like to keep their skin moist, which is vital to their survival. The array of colors that decorates their flesh helps them overpower the vision of would-be predators, giving clever little tree frogs just enough time to leap out of the way (usually).

You can find tree frogs all over the planet, as long as the local environment doesn’t get too cold, and there is at least some water to be found. These creatures need to splash about now and again, even though there are a few species of tree frogs that live in the dry desert. The amphibians that dwell in places where water is scarce have developed special adaptions to help them hold onto the water they do have, until they are able to find more. And just so you know, these amphibians don’t drink water like human beings, or cats. Instead, they make use of their porous skin, which allows water to seep right through.

In addition to their permeable skin, tree frogs are also the proud owners of exceptionally long toes, with special ‘sticky’ toe pads. These toe pads make it easy for frogs to climb big trees, and move across branches and slippery leaves. Tree frogs are some of the best climbers around. They do like to work their way up to some pretty amazing heights.

When the sun goes down, tree frogs become very active. These nocturnal animals head out into the night in search of good things to eat, like crickets and moths. The same skin that helps them hide from predators makes it easier for them to sneak up on their prey, and get hold of a tasty treat. With a flash of its tongue, a tree frog can snatch an insect up for lunch, and satiate its hunger.

If you’d like to read more about the creatures living in the rainforest, please visit Raindrop’s World, where you can learn about insects, reptiles and mammals, and so much more.

Virya

Virya, which means ‘the energy to do good’ in Pali (among other things) is a fairly temperamental piece of original classical piano, accompanied by violin, that moves from some very dark passages to some powerful interludes, rocking back and forth along a ledge constructed out of sound. The song starts out slowly, and then crescendos into a heavier motif, before cascading back down into a range of softer notes. It’s a compositional journey through melody and rhythm. At least that’s what I intended it to be.

Blind Snipers

A U.S. District Court in the State of Alabama recently gave the go ahead for Corporal Jason Berry to enroll in the U.S. Army’s Sniper School. “It’s been a long, tough fight,” said Jason, coming out of the courthouse with his mother and father, in Birmingham, Alabama. “I know I’ll make my country, and my parents proud.”

“We’re just so happy that Jason can finally realize his dream,’” his mother, close to tears, gushed to reporters.

Why is Corporal Berry so special? Well, he’s set to become the first legally blind sniper the army has ever trained.

Chief Warrant Officer Michael Lynch followed Jason and his family out of the courthouse. When asked how he felt about pushing a blind cadet through the training course, he shook his head and muttered something about “political correctness,” and then lifted his head and said, “We’ll train the kid. That’s our job. We’ll do what the Army tells us to do.”

Blind Snipers

Jason wasn’t born blind, but a degenerative eye disease inherited from the paternal side of his family robbed him of more than 80% of his sight, two years after he enlisted in the military. “I’d always wanted to be a sniper. When I lost my sight, I thought that dream was gone. Now I know, as an American, I can do anything I set my mind to,” Jason explained.

A large part of being a sniper is simply waiting. Snipers wait for hours, or even days, before their target presents itself. “There’s a lot of fatigue associated with the job,” Jason went on. “Guys get bored of looking at the same thing hour after hour, day after day. I won’t have that problem. One blurry patch of light pretty much looks the same as the next. It doesn’t matter if I’m on a mountainside in Central Asia, or in a McDonalds in Clarksdale, Mississippi.”

Spotters

“What we’ve got to do,” Captain Stone Reynolds told reporters, “is devise a completely new strategy in how we go about training Jason’s spotter. Spotters usually follow the vapor trail of a bullet, and then tell the sniper how he should readjust his aim. The man working with Jason is going to have to tell him where the target is, how to aim, and what to avoid.”

“I can’t wait to get started,” Jason said. “I won’t let my disability stop me from performing at the top of my game. Ask my folks, they know. I’m ready to kill someone.”

A Killer Elite

Two months into his training, Jason was still optimistic about his chances for success. “I hit more targets than I miss,” he confided. “The feel of the gun, the stilling of my heart, the strategy of the hunt. I can’t wait until I’m deployed in the field.”

His spotter, Specialist Doug Horsetail, was a bit more reserved in his praise. “Well, the guy’s motivated, that’s for sure. Sometimes I just want to take the gun from his hand and reposition it, or at least push the barrel so that it’s pointing in the right direction, but Jason won’t have it.”

“That’s right,” Jason laughed. “I keep telling him not to touch my gun.”

When asked about Jason’s progress, Chief Warrant Officer Michael Lynch rolled his eyes and spat. “Do you see this cast on my leg?” he asked. “Jason shot me in the leg. His target was at 11 O’clock, and I was standing at 3 O’clock. How does something like that happen? He’s shot two of his classmates, a German Shepard and three transport carriers. I’m just about ready to quit this Army.”

“Hey, I never said this was going to be easy,” Jason said, in response to Lynch’s complaints. “You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs first.”