Chicago Crew Thread #2

[Damon]

African Dwarf Frogs



African dwarf frogs of genus Hymenochirus, also known as dwarf aquatic frogs (ADF or DAF for short), are frogs native to Sub Saharan Africa. They are members of Family Pipidae. It is unknown if a wild population still exists.

African Dwarf Frogs live most of their adult lives underwater.[citation needed] They have hard time seeing close range but have good 1.5" - 2.5" in length.[citation needed] These frogs rely on a sharp sense of smell and touch to find food such as tiny insects, some small fish meat, mosquito larvae and worms (bloodworms are favored). They are often sold in pet shops and can live in captivity for a maximum 5-7 years.

When very young, African dwarf frogs can be confused with African clawed frogs, Xenopus laevis, but may be distinguished by examining their forelimbs. The African dwarf frog has both webbed forelimbs and hindlimbs, while X. laevis has webbing on the hind limbs only. African dwarf frogs are usually only an inch and a half in body length when fully grown. Females are generally larger than males.

Keeping
In order to keep your dwarf frogs healthy, a minimum of 1 gallon for one frog; anymore frogs will require a bit more space. A bowl is not recommended. A tall thin tank is also not recommended due to the strain it will put on frog when it comes to catch a breath of air. They intend to surive a couple minutes or seconds without going back in the water. This type of frog does not need a heater, though it is always good to have one to maintain stable temperature. They do best when temperatures are between 75 and 80 degrees F.

Since dwarf frogs do not have very good sight, (they cannot see close range but see clearly at about 7cm), you will need to hand feed or target feed them; these frogs depend on touch and scent to find their food. Live foods should be fed every two weeks at full maturity, but every day while they are growing. A feeding skipped once a week aids digestion.

These frogs get along with most tropical community fish species, such as fancy guppies and small Tetras. Make sure to feed both species the correct foods. Frogs and fish usually need to eat different things. African Dwarf Frogs like to eat food from the bottom of the tank. Most fish food is made to float at the top. Buy food made just for frogs/tadpoles. Make sure to feed any fish the correct food, as well. Do not add fish that will grow big. No goldfish, Barbs or "semi-aggressive" fish. Larger or aggressive fish may hurt smaller frogs. They might also eat an African Dwarf Frog. If you want your dwarf frog to stay happy, buy 2 at a time. Dwarf frogs like company. Females are larger than males and males tend to have white bumps on the back of their forearms.

[LigouriRd]

Trans-humanism...interesting
African Dwarf Frogs...kewl might get some when I set up a fish tank again.

Thanx...from those of us poor schlubs not attending NG
Everybody else: "May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back (better gas mileage that way).
May the sun shine warm upon your face"

[Damon]

Gasoline Price History

The following plot shows how much I paid for each gallon of gas I bought over the past 28 years or so. The data has a somewhat varied pedigree. Most of the purchases from 1979-1982 were in the Rio Vista/Fort Worth, Texas area. From late 1982-1983 was from College Station/Rio Vista about equally. From 1984-1987 was a Rio Vista/College Station/Houston mix and from 1987 on has been mostly Houston with a little Fort Worth thrown in. Just about everything pre-1984 was full service and everything since has been self-serve. Every tank shown was "super" unleaded (92-93 octane).

Three curves are shown on the plot. The upper, black curve shows the actual price paid for each gallon. The lower curve is the data adjusted for inflation using April, 1979 as the datum. That is, the data in this curve has been adjusted to "April 1979 dollars". The "CPI-All Urban Consumers for all items less energy" was used to adjust the data using monthly average data interpolated to the actual purchase dates. The CPI data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The third, faint line, shows the average price for the entire U.S., again from the BLS.

The plot contains data from 1090 fill-ups.

[Damon]

Catherine The Grand Tsarina
Russia's most colorful and perhaps most misunderstood tsarina
The life, reign and death of one of Russia's most colorful rulers.



Early Life
Sophie Augusta Fredericka was the daughter of Christian Augustus, a Prussian general in Germany (now Poland) on April 21, 1729. By all accounts, her mother, Johanna, was cold and abusive. As a child, a French governess and various tutors educated the child who would become Catherine The Great. She converted to Orthodoxy when she married the heir to the Russian throne, the Grand Duke Peter of Holstein, the grandson of Peter The Great , much to the disdain of her devout Lutheran father. The marriage, which took place on April 21, 1745 in St. Petersburg, was loveless, and Catherine the Great disliked her husband intensely.

Tsarina and Queen
She called herself Catherine II and assiduously studied the Russian language until she mastered it. Determined to wear the crown at all costs, mistresses and lovers abounded on both sides throughout their unhappy union, which lasted until his supposedly accidental death in July of 1762. Although she was in every way an autocrat, Catherine The Great's reign promoted education and the Enlightenment among Russia's elite. Catherine The Great also fostered the westernization and the modernization of Russia, expanding its borders to the Black Sea and into Central Europe. She corresponded with many of the great minds of her era, including Voltaireand Diderot.

Foreign Affairs and The Reign of Catherine The Great
Russian expansion was at the expense of two powers: the Ottoman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The first Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774) established Russia's supremacy in Southeastern Europe and gave Russia access to the Black Sea. A second Russo-Turkish War (1787-1792) also ended in cataclysmic Turkish defeat.

In the eyes of Europe, Catherine The Great wanted to be perceived as an "enlightened" sovereign. She paved the way for Russia to become an international mediator and acted as such in the War of Bavarian Succession (1778-1779), which was fought between Prussia and Austria.

Her Infamous Reputation and Death
Catherine The Great came to the throne with her lover, Count Gregory Orlov's active support. While still committed to him and married to Peter, she took many other lovers as well. Catherine The Great was a harsh mother to her son, Paul, and when she died on November 5, 1796 after suffering a stroke while taking a bath, palace intrigue generated many false stories of a sexual nature that have survived to this day. Buried at Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, there can be no doubt as to where Catherine The Great is sleeping now!

[GTOGIRL3000]

Food for thought:

When you drunk dial someone at 2am to do waterfalls, make sure you have enough beer to commence the waterfalling.

cough *dandavebridgetaatifferictravispeteihopeididntforgetanyone*cough


That is all.

[Sanjay]

Originally Posted by VR4 Playa

congrats!!!

and btw i forgot to notice that Sanjay is the ranking officer if he's still around

LOL....yes I am still around...just been really busy lately. I think I've had my VR4 longer than anyone else now....got it in November of 96 and been on the board since Oct 1999.

Hopefully, I'll make it to Farm Fest!! Gotta watch Logan on the slip n slide!!! Sorry Damon....had to throw that in there! hehehe

Originally Posted by GTOGIRL3000

Food for thought:

When you drunk dial someone at 2am to do waterfalls, make sure you have enough beer to commence the waterfalling.

cough *dandavebridgetaatifferictravispeteihopeididntforgetanyone*cough


That is all.

LOL!!! gotta love the drunk dials!

-Sanjay

[Toast]

Everyone make it back okay? Joe and i made it back in 8.5 hours, no cops until 88. I had a great time - will post pics later this week!

[PezCore]

let's see those pics!

[neverenoughhp]

i should post pics of my toolbox and jack after you ran over them ha ha.

[GTOGIRL3000]

Nice sig action aatif