Brittany

Hello! Welcome to my web page! I hope you enjoy my web page! On Monday I went to a football game in Regina! I got to see the Riders play against Calgary Stampeeders! The Riders won! They get to go to the playoffs now! How exciting is that? Last night the Roughriders beat the Winnipeg Bluebombers in the Western Semi-finals! Now the Roughriders get to play against the Edmonton Eskimos next Sunday. If the Riders win that, they go to Grey Cup! How exciting is that! The Riders played against the Edmonton Eskimos and lost 23-30! So, instead, Edmonton gets to play against Montreal in the Grey Cup! Oh well! The Riders always have a chance to go to the Grey Cup in Ottawa next year! http://www.ca nada.com/regina/sports/teams/riders.jpg

Enough about football! Now I will take about me. Tomorrow is my birthday! Only, I get to celebrate my birthday on Grey Cup Sunday! First of all there are 10 people in my family all together! The reason is because my mom and dad are foster parents. They take care of babies that have been born drug addicted or have been taken from their families because of fights. It's frustrating at times, but other times it can be fun! Right now we currently have 5 babies. Two 1yr olds, two 2month olds, and an 8 month old. I am currently attending White City School, I'm in Gr.8, and I have three really good friends. Their names are, Elise, Amber, and Shayna. I really like hanging out with my friends because it gives my something to do at school. Although I may have fights with them, they're great friends to have!

Now on to something else. Here is a knock-knock joke!

1] Knock-Knock?

Who's there?

Little Old Lady

Little Old Lady Who?

Wow! I didn't know you could yodel!

Now you may want to know what I do at my house. Well, first of all, I help around the house as much as possible because it can get pretty crazy around my house!

Favourite animal

Now I will tell you a little bit about my favourite animal. I really like dolphins! In fact, their my favourite animals! Here are some pictures of dolphins I found!

http://www.southwest.com.au/~kirbyhs/dolphins.html

If only I could leave this awful place
and find the tranquil waters of the sea
to swim with your abandon and your grace
and lead your life so simple and so free.
But I must travel through life as a man,
as restless and as angry as a storm.
I seek out and I find peace where I can
but, to my human nature, must conform.
What must you think of me out here afloat
just looking on, your captive as you play?
Upon this large and slow and clumsy boat,
if you could speak my words, what would you say?
They say you dream of men, perhaps you do.
But, in my fondest dreams, I dream of you.

Pushing through green waters
Symbol of joy
You leap from the depths
To touch the sky
Scattering spray
Like handfuls of jewels

Not caged by union rules
Unfettered by sales targets
No trains or planes to catch
Your time is set by the flow
Of the sea's tides
And the moon's glow

You give us images of ecstasy

That we lock away
Behind the doors of memory
For quiet moments
when released from our possessions
We dream of a freedom like yours

Poem by Horace Dobbs

I will now give you some quick information on dolphins

About Dolphins

Bottlenose dolphin

Dolphins are mammals, not fish. They are warm blooded like man, and give birth to one baby called a calf at a time. At birth a bottlenose dolphin calf is about 90-130 cms long and will grow to approx. 4 metres, living up to 40 years. They are highly sociable animals, living in pods which are fairly fluid, with dolphins from other pods interacting with each other from time to time.

With the help of several beautiful bottlenose dolphins we can see how well the dolphin body is adapted for their life in the ocean

flukes Dolphins use their powerful tail flukes in an up and down motion to move through the water. They also use their tails when hunting, hitting a fleeing fish up into the air with their tail, stunning it, then scooping the fish up when it falls back into the water. A dolphin slapping its tail on the water in the wild may be a sign of annoyance, or a warning to other dolphins of danger.

Just how powerful their tail muscles are is demonstrated here tailstand

pectoral fins Their pectoral flippers are used to steer them through the water, and they also use them to stroke one another, increasing the social bond between them. Dolphin "friends" may swim along face to face touching flippers. Dolphins that appear to be closely bonded may swim in synchrony, twisting, turning and swimming in perfect harmony together.

Their teeth are interlocking rows of conical pegs, suitable for holding slippery fish. They eat their fish whole, head first. In the wild an open mouth is a sign of aggression, as is head nodding. A sign of greater aggression is violent jaw clapping.

dolphin's face

Dolphins breathe through their blowhole located at the top of their head. A dolphin may empty and refill its lungs in less than a fifth of a second. As the dolphin breathes the air leaves the blowhole at speeds of over 100mph. Complex nerve endings around the blowhole sense pressure changes so the dolphin knows exactly when the blowhole is in or nearing the air and can be opened. Water in a dolphin's blowhole will actually drown it so powerful muscles close the blowhole as it dives under the water again.

beautiful dolphin The dolphin's eyes produce a special slippery secretion which protects the eyes from foreign objects and water friction. To sleep, a dolphin must shut down only half of its brain, as its breathing is under voluntary control. Dolphins take short cat-naps, floating just below the surface, then slowly rising to breathe. Often dolphins are very active during night time, for some this is their main feeding time.

dolphin up close

The dolphin's skin is completely smooth allowing the dolphin to move easily through the water, and also reduce heat loss. Their skin may bear rake marks from other dolphins teeth during play or mating, and can easily become badly sunburnt if they strand. Their bodies are very streamlined so they may swim at high speeds through the water, and an example of this is their ears. Dolphin's ears are barely noticeable marked only by a small hole just behind the eye. In a bottlenose dolphin the ear is about 5-6 cms behind the eye and only 2-3 mm in diameter.

Dolphins are able to dive to great depths, and also leap to great heights. They may leap to avoid predators or to show how powerful they are to females at mating time. Noisy splashing jumps may also be used to herd fish. Bottlenose dolphins can dive to depths of over 1,640 ft (500m).

huge leap
high jumps

The life of a dolphin

Dolphins carry their young inside their womb and gestation is about 12 months for a bottlenose. The baby emerges tail first, and will suckle from its mother for up to 4 years (a calf may stop suckling sooner depending on circumstances).

The baby will however stay with its mother for between 3-6 years, during which time it learns all about feeding techniques, social interaction and group foraging. Females are likely to stay within the family pod with their mother and sisters, though males will leave and form associations with other males. Dolphins have defined home ranges, an area in which they will roam and feed. Though dolphins live in small groups called pods, these pods can be quite fluid and dolphins can be seen interacting with dolphins from other pods from time to time. If another dolphin is drowning, other dolphins will come to it's aid, supporting it with their bodies so it's blowhole is above the water allowing it to breathe. Dolphins main predators are sharks and unfortunately man, through direct killing for food, netting, pollution, and fishing. Dolphins spend a large part of their day looking for food, or actually feeding. They may either hunt alone, or together as a pod. They use their echolocation (sonar system) to locate fish by sending out a stream of pulses and clicks. Dolphins communicate with each other by whistling or body language. When a baby is first born, some dolphin research suggests a mother dolphin will whistle to it constantly, imprinting her sound on the baby so it will recognize her, and the baby learns to develop its own signature whistle. It is thought that each dolphin has its own individual signature whistle, just like a name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The past

We all love to see dolphins and for many people the only way in the past to do this was by visiting an aquarium. However aquariums varied in their care and housing of the dolphins in the past, and some may have been quite substandard. And tragically, in the past many of these dolphins were mostly violently captured from the wild, taken away from their families and forced to live in small barren tanks. Records show that at least 2700 bottlenose dolphins have been taken into captivity worldwide. Statistics I have read (from Dolphin Project Europe) say that 53% of captive dolphins who survived the violent capture died within 90 days. And that half of all captured dolphins died within their first two years of captivity. Those that did survive longer lasted an average of only 5 years. Every seven years, half of all dolphins in captivity used to die from capture shock, pneumonia, intestinal disease, ulcers, chlorine poisoning, and other stress-related illnesses. Thankfully a number of countries have now stopped or reduced the capture of wild dolphins and knowledge and conditions are vastly improving but not everywhere. There are still many countries where conditions for captive dolphins are well below standard. You may be shocked to hear that there may still be traveling road shows involving hauling dolphins and sea lions around from city to city in lesser developed countries, or of a dolphinarium open to the public during the daytime, while at night a discotheque with loud thumping music. These are just two examples, in less developed countries particularly there may be many more.

"When a thing exists which you really abhor, I wish you would remember a little whether in letting it strictly alone are you minding your own business on principle, or simply because it is comfortable to do so". Quote by John Galsworthy.

No more concrete prisons - www.dolphins.com/

I am as a dolphin born, into a concrete pool
Who has never known anything better,
yet yearns for open sea
Perhaps a seabird's feather,
once landed in my pool
And instinct knew the odor,
of the place where I should be.....
By Laurence Frost

Even lonely, they're friendly,
teaching trainers, performing hoop-jump,
nose-balancing acts.
Easy to believe this animal spends its life at play.
That something dies
when ocean whispers behind the wall.

Copyright Scott Starbuck, thanks Scott!

"It is the dolphin's birthright to swim in a straight line in the ocean as far as it's heart desires". Quote by Ric O'Barry.

wild dolphin

Towards the future

Now days, things are thankfully not as bleak. In Australia and several other countries it is now illegal to catch or import any more dolphins for captivity, and standards of care and housing are high. One day we hope no dolphins anywhere around the world will ever have to live in very small barren concrete tanks without proper care again. There are also many opportunities to view dolphins in the wild now, in the ocean, without keeping the dolphins in small concrete tanks. Many people look to a future of coastal marine reserves rather than concrete tanks. Here, the dolphins could be free to come and go as they pleased, choosing whether they wanted to make contact with humans or not. Instead of performances for food, the dolphins would not need to perform. Humans could observe the dolphins in their natural environment, carrying out natural behaviors, not under cue of a human. Regulations would ensure the dolphins were not harmed or stressed by humans.

To Page 2: Wild dolphins around the world and the amazing Fungi

My Pet!

I have a really special kitty cat named Jello. I love my cat because every time I feel sad, Jello will come and snuggle with me. After a while, she usually cheer me up. Sometimes she can be a pain because if I want to sleep, she usually tries to bother me! I really do love my cat though! She can be a real sweetheart!

My Favourite Season!

My favourite season has got to be, Winter! The reason this is my favourite season is because during this time, I can ride on my sled, I can build a snow man with my friends, I can have snowball fights, ect. I also really like playing outside with my friends as well!

My Favourite Website!

My favourite website is www.neopets.com

If you go to this website, you can adopt a neopet. They are so cute! I already have three! A dinosaur, a unicorn, and a dog!

My Favourite Movies!

One of my favourite movies is Finding Nemo! I really like this movie because it is so funny! Here are some pictures! Another one of my favourite movies is Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl This is one of my favourite movies because it has so much action in it!

www.cinema.com

.http://www.joycg.com

www.pixar.com

http://www.themeparkadventure.com/potc4lg.jpg

http://www.marmalade.ca/images/jack3.jpg

Another really good movie is The Emperor's New Groove. This movie is grooovy! You want laughs, laughs, and more laughs? Well, then this is the movie for you!

http://www.thaihypermarket.com/books/newgroove_02.jpghttp: