The Naked Mole-Rat

 Have you ever watched a cartoon called Kim Possible? It was one of Uncle Gideon’s favorites. Her boyfriend had a pet called a naked mole rat. It sounds funny, but there actually is an animal called a mole-rat.

Mole-rats are not rats, nor are they moles either. They are more closely related to hamsters. They live in a country in Africa called Kenya and in a place called the Horn of Africa. Mole-rats live in underground burrows in a group called a colony. Colonies can average around 70-80 individuals. They can be as large as 300! They even have a queen.

They have large teeth which help them dig all their tunnels. Underground you will find the queen mother and lots and lots of babies. Here they find large tubers (kind of like potatoes) that they eat for food. They have a kind of bacteria in their stomach (kind of like a cow) that help them digest the tubers. Scientists call this relationship “symbiosis”.

They have very little hair and tiny eyes and cannot see well. They try to stay hidden underground so they can avoid being eaten by snakes, badgers, and hawk-like birds.

Mole-rats would not make very good pets, but they are kind of cute. Here is a video about them.

That’s all for today. Until next time.

Love Papaw.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_mole-rat

Flags at Half-mast?

 

Did you see a flag only half way up the flagpole this September 11^th? Flying the American flag at half-mast (also called half-staff) is a formal sign of respect, mourning, or remembrance. It is used to honor past military heroes. It is used when a past US President passes away. I may be used to commemorate special battles like Pearl Harbor. This time it was in honor of all who died in the September 11^th 2001. I can be Nation-wide when ordered by the President of the United States, or state wide when ordered by the governor.

According Arkadelphian.com, The tradition of flying a flag at half-mast began with a British ship in 1612. The captain of the Heart’s Ease had died, and the crew lowered the flag half-way down the mast as a show of mourning and respect. Other ships throughout the British Empire began following the tradition, including American colonial ships. The lowering of the flag represented symbolically making room for an invisible “flag of death.”  

In the United States, whenever you raise the flag to half-mast, it is proper to raise it all the way to the top and then lower it to the correct spot. It will stay this way until the order which can be only for the day or a few days, is expired. When it is time to lower the flag, it is first raised all the way to the top and then lowered. Each country around the world has its own special rules for flying it’s flags.

Next time you see a flag at half-mast, take some time to think about the reason it is there. Always be respectful to our flag and for what it stands.

Well that’s all for this week. See you soon!

Love Papaw.