One A Day ( not the vitamin.)

The numbers are in and they aren't pretty; they are actually pretty sad and disturbing. Rhinoceros poaching in South Africa alone (not the only place where this occurs,) reached an all time high in 2010, totaling one rhino per day. That is more than triple the amount of rhinos poached in 2009, and from what experts can tell, it is only expected to get worse as the poachers become more organized and efficient.
Dr. Joseph Okori, an African Rhino Program Manager, says the highly coordinated criminal rings in South Africa have begun using advanced technologies such as night vision equipment, veterinary tranquilizers, helicopters, and silencers. I don't know about you, but to me all of that seems like a very sketchy and expensive ordeal, making me wonder who is forking over the money for the goods. It could be from the money that the poachers get from the Asian pushers who sell the horns (after they have been ground to dust particles and dissolved in boiling water) as medicine to cure such ailments as fever, gout, vomiting, food poisoning, cancer (yes, they really believe that), devil possession (yep, they believe that one too) and even as an aphrodisiac.
Belief in the powers within a rhino horn is not something new, however. This actually goes back thousands of years, all the way to Greek mythology (they thought the horns held the ability to purify water) - wonder if Evian or Fiji has ever thought to incorporate some rhino horn into those little bottles? Truth is, there may be no truth to any of the beliefs that rhino horns are magical. Which makes these poachings all the more pointless and tragic.
Researchers at Chinese University in Hong Kong found that, in a VERY large dose, extract from a rhino horn could lower a fever in a rat but the amount usually given to a human from a Chinese medicine specialist are many many times lower than those used in the experiments. They did find that there may be some sort of truth to a rhino horn being able to detect a poison, given that the horns are comprised mostly of keratin (also in hair, fingernails and animal hooves) which reacts strongly with alkaline, the main component of poison.
South African officials made approximately 162 poaching arrests last year, which is a start, which is better than nothing. Seems to me, though, that if the poachers are stepping it up and bringing their A game, then we owe it to the innocent rhinos to bring ours.

Bearcat vs. Musketeer...Who Would Win In A Duel?

Ah, the age old question. First, let me present some facts on each of our contenders. A Musketeer was an early infantry soldier (particularly in Europe) who packed some heat in the form of a musket. A Musketeer fought in one of two ways: either on foot, a.k.a "Infantry, or on horseback which they called "Dragoons." Yes, I noticed how similar that is to "Dragons," which automatically gives the Musketeers cool points. The Musketeers started out as a junior unit in the Royal Guard, leaving the more important duties to the Garde du Corps and the Gardes suisses. Wanting the chance to excel and move up the bodyguard ladder, the Musketeers developed a very loud and very strong fighting spirit to make themselves heard. This eventually paid off, earning them a gig to watch Cardinal Richelieu's back. After his death, the Musketeers landed in the hands of Louis XIV and were divided into two companies as part of a guard cavalry regiment. The King's Musketeers became known as the "Grey Musketeers" or "Mousquetaires Gris" because they rode grey horses, and the Cardinal's Musketeers were the "Black Musketeers" or "Mousquetaires Noirs" because they, you guessed it, rode some black beauties. Becoming a Musketeers actually held very little requirements as far as entrance goes, thus making it the most popular of the French military companies. Beginning in 1776 the Musketeers began a cycle of elimination and reformation, being eliminated (or "Nexted" for those of you who remember that awesome MTV show!) for the final time on January 1st (not the best way for those dudes to start off the new year) of 1816. The Musketeers have been the subject of movies and books, including Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras's book Mémoires de Monsieur d'Artagnan, capitaine lieutenant de la première compagnie des Mousquetaires du Roi (Memoirs of Mister d'Artagnan, Lieutenant Captain of the first company of the King's Musketeers.)
So to recap, the Musketeers earn points for the following: Carrying a musket(+1), riding on a horse(+1) "dragoon" which is one "o" longer than "dragon"(+1) they started at the bottom yet were determined to earn their way to the top by being rowdy and brave(+1), and have been the stars of movies(+1) and books(+1). This brings the Musketeers score to a total of 6 points.
The Binturong, also known as the Asian Bearcat, the Palawan Bearcat or simply BEARCAT is a member of the Viverridea family and hails from Southeast Asia. Although the name suggests otherwise, the Bearcat is actually NOT a bear but the local language that gave it its name has become extinct so we may never know what the real meaning is. If the Bearcat had a theme song it would be Whodini's "Freaks Come Out At Night," being as the Bearcat is a creature of the night. Bob Seger's "Night Moves" would also be a good contender. While the Bearcat is mostly a feaster of fruit and leaves, it has been known to enjoy small animals from time to time. The Binturong actually seems to have a sense of humor, which is always good news! It has been known to make chuckling noises when it appears to be happy. Don't get too carried away with the jokes between you and your new found buddy though...when cornered the Bearcat can get super vicious. The Bearcat can weigh up to 49 pounds and grow to as much as 38 inches. Its body is covered with black and silver fur, the silver mostly on the face to make it appear larger to predators.
A Canadian musician by the name of David Wilcox made a masterpiece of a song with, "Do the Bearcat." You can check it out for yourself here>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7vVeagH06c. There has also been a movie titled "The Bearcat" in 1922 and a western television program in 1971 called, "Bearcats!" The U.S. Navy built a fighter aircraft by the name of Grumman F8F Bearcat and during the Vietnam War American and Australian forces used a military base in Long Thanh Town named BearCat.
Now for a recap of the Bearcat points! It has 2 possible theme songs (+2), has a sense of humor (+1), can defend itself when necessary (+1), has a sweet song in its namesake (+1), has a movie and a t.v. show in its namesake (+2), has a fighter craft in its namesake (+1), and a military base in its namesake (+1.) This brings the Bearcat total to 9.
What, you didn't really think the Musketeers were going to win, did you? Silly Rabbit. GO CATS!!