Longer Video Of Shark Tonic – From Discovery Channel

Part 2 – Longer Video Of Shark Tonic – From Discovery Channel

From WikiPedia – Tonic Immobility or Apparent Death

Tonic immobility is a natural state of paralysis that animals enter, in most cases when presented with a threat. Some scientists relate it to mating in certain animals like the shark.

Some sharks can be placed in a tonic immobility state by turning them upside down. The shark remains in this state of paralysis for an average of fifteen minutes before it recovers. Scientists have exploited this phenomenon to study shark behaviour. Usually when testing sharks under this "tonic" state, scientists will put a chemical plume in the water awakening the shark.

Sharks may not always respond to tonic immobility by physical inversion of the animal, as has been done with lemon and reef sharks. With tiger sharks 10 to 15 feet in length, tonic immobility may be achieved by placing hands lightly on the sides of the animal’s snout approximate to the general area surrounding its eyes. Great White sharks have been shown to be not as responsive as other species whenever tonic immobility has been attempted. Scientists believe that tonic, displayed by sharks, may be linked with defence, because female sharks seem more responsive than others. During tonic immobility, the dorsal fin(s) straighten, and both breathing and muscle contractions become more steady and relaxed.

Tonic immobility also can be somewhat effective on anole lizards, and a loose study was done with tonic immobility with the rabbit. Both were inconsistent examples of tonic immobility.

Tonic immobility has also been used to describe the paralysis which often immobilizes animals, such as rodents or birds, when they feel threatened by a predator. It can be argued that tonic immobility plays a role in survival if it helps a hunted animal to blend in with its surroundings by remaining as motionless as an inanimate object. This tonic state is common with invertebrates as well.

Inducing tonic immobility in common animals requires, in some cases, extreme treatment such as electric shock, along with other elements which produce stress.

727 Home Entrance

We salvaged this airframe, piece by piece, from its San Jose airport resting place. We carefully transported the pieces on five, big-rig trucks to the jungles of Manuel Antonio where they have been resurrected into a unique jumbo hotel suite. Our classic airplane, nestled on the edge of the National Park in our Costa Verde II area, is perched on a 50-foot pedestal. At this height, you will enjoy scenic ocean and jungle views from the hard wood deck built atop the plane’s former right wing.

The plane’s interior is Costa Rican teak paneling from the cockpit to the tail. Furnishings are hand-carved, teak furniture from Java , Indonesia . Our 727 home features two air conditioned bedrooms–one with two queen sized beds and the other with one queen sized bed, each with its own private bath, a flat screen TV, a kitchenette, dining area foyer; an ocean view terrace; a private entrance up a river rock, spiral staircase; and 360 degrees of surrounding gardens.

Enjoy an evening on the terrace while sipping a glass of wine and observing your tree top neighbors: sloths, toucans and monkeys.

Our refurbished Boeing 727 home is not the only such dwelling in the world: We were inspired by a Forbes Magazine article about a company offering hurricane-proof living via surplus Boeing 727 airframes! Of course, we were intrigued and found some new ways to introduce convenience and luxury to this very prosaic bit of aluminum scrap. We are sure that you will agree with us!

Rates:
From January 2, 2009 – April 30, 2009 $350.00 daily plus tax
From May 01, 2009 – Nov 17, 2009 $300.00 daily plus tax

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Smorvette

Smaudi A3 – AWD

Smamborghini

Smorsche

Smorsche Targa

The Smerrari

Is there a magic cutoff period when offspring become accountable for their own actions?  Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become detached spectators in the lives of their children and shrug, “It’s their life,” and feel nothing?

When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor waiting for doctors to put a few stitches in my daughter’s head.  I asked, “When do you stop worrying? The nurse said, "When they get out of the accident stage.”  My Dad just smiled faintly and said nothing.

When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked incessantly, disrupted the class, and was headed for a career making license plates.  As if to read my mind, a teacher said, “Don’t worry, they all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them.”  My dad just smiled faintly and said nothing. 

When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open.  A friend said, “They’re trying to find themselves.  Don’t worry, in a few years, you can stop worrying.  They’ll be adults.”  My dad just smiled faintly and said nothing.

By the time I was 50, I was sick and tired of being vulnerable.  I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle.  There was nothing I could do about it.  My Dad just smiled faintly and said nothing.  I continued to anguish over their failures, be tormented by their frustrations and absorbed in their disappointments.

My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life.  I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my Dad’s warm smile and his occasional, “You look pale.  Are you all right?  Call me the minute you get home.  Are you depressed about something?

Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry?  Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown?  Is concern a curse, or is it a virtue that elevates us to the highest form of life?

One of my children became quite irritable recently, saying to me, “Where were you?  I’ve been calling for 3 days, and no one answered.  I was worried.”  I smiled a warm smile.  The torch has been passed.

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