wildaspie

In North America, and particularly in the Midwestern States, the Thunderbird is a crypto-zoological curiosity, or cryptid.  From the legends of the indigenous people to more modern reports, these huge, predatory birds have swept the skies in search of the unwary.

In Europe and Asia, these mythic raptors are known as Rocs (a name given to them by Greco-Roman storytellers); in North and Central African nations proof of their rapacious daring can be found in bone piles beneath their huge nests.

With wings reportedly spanning twenty feet and more, the Thunderbird can easily make away with a sheep, calf, or even a human child.  One incident details the experience of a boy in Lawndale, Illinois, that was attacked by a monstrous bird, with witnesses.  Though “experts” insist his description indicated an Andean condor, and that the species does not get as large as described, the attack remains characteristic of Thunderbird strikes.

1. 1620: Peregrine White was the first child born in New England to English parents.
2. 1789: New Jersey became the first State to ratify the Bill of Rights.
3. 1889: Edwin Hubble, American astronomer, was born.
4. 1893: The US Supreme Court ruled that the Great Lakes and their connecting waters constitute ‘high seas.’
5. 1910: Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, Russian novelist, died.
6. 1959: Ford stopped production of the unpopular Edsel.
7. 1966: The musical “Cabaret,” with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, opened on Broadway.
8. 1984: The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Project is founded.
9. 1985: Microsoft released Windows 1.0 for personal computers.
10. 2006: Nintendo’s Wii game system debuted to mobs of prospective buyers.
11. Great American Smokeout
12. Absurdity Day
13. Universal Children’s Day

The average body is anywhere from 55% to 78% water, and requires up to a half-gallon of water every day to avoid dehydration.  Early signs of dehydration include fatigue, inability to focus, irritability, headaches, and body aches.  It is not uncommon that the thirst reflex becomes weakened to a point where it is mistaken for hunger.

On a cellular level, water is necessary to both form and break bonds with other chemicals, allowing creation of molecules for energy, storage, waste disposal and respiration.

There is too much of a good thing.  In 2007, 28-year-old Jennifer Strange died of water intoxication after consuming a large quantity during a radio contest, only the most recent of many deaths by water intoxication.