Glenn sent numerous United States fossils to Australian teacher Rob Carraro, in exchange for several Port Jackson Shark egg casings (Sharks Page 8).  Rob was pleased with the fossils and responded as follows:

May 11, 2008

Hi, Glenn -

I've had a class of students identify, measure and describe the teeth you sent, and got more than 90 minutes of solid concentration - which was a big achievement for a Friday afternoon when attention starts to wander.  A testament to the interest that your teeth created.  Here are photos of one of the groups.  Thanks again for your generosity!

Regards,  Rob Carraro

 His latest woodcut, Winter Buddha:

 $45 each

GOOD FRIEND Cyndi De Boer in Nevada has designed a line of door stops (that can also be used as bookends).  They are easy to place anywhere in the home, the fabrics go with any decor, and/or they make a terrific gift!  

HOW THEY'RE MADE

The brick is padded, then covered with a sewn cover of tapestry fabric (here is Cyndi padding the brick, sewing the cover, sampling of fabric choices below).  

..

The synthetic purse handle with brass findings is attached securely to wood glued to the brick, to complete a VERY sturdy item.

It measures 8-1/2" long x 3" wide x 5" without the handle, with handle up makes it 7-1/2" tall, weighs 6 pounds 7.5 ounces. 

A special creation by 

SPEED OF LIGHT LLC

whose mission is to provide unique quality products which add to our lives through functionality, beauty and the gift of laughter.  Each item meets their high standards for quality, creativity and originality.  They pride themselves on building their reputation one customer at a time, with their individual needs in the forefront.

Worth every penny, a great functional item and a perfect gift for the PURSE COLLECTOR in your life.  

They are $45 each, free shipping within the U.S. (inquire for additional postage outside the U.S.)

 2/19/08  It is nice to know there are people as crazy as us. Mark is the real fanatic, and I spot the best specimens. Among the small ones we found a 4 mm (o,16 inch) Galeorhinus levefrei. An even smaller Notorynchus primigenius we lost, sadly. These teeth we found at the Belgian coast, some four weeks ago.

From weeks of rain, we now see the first sunshine. So we went to search for teeth again. We did not find very many, but it was fun doing again. We went to Mill, a sand winning site, where they suck up sand from the bottom of an little lake. In that sand we sometimes find Hastalises. Here you can see Mark in the ditch.  

Here is a water scorpion that can sting with its nose, they found swimming in the pond in their back yard.  Weird or what?

This is me, LAMA MILKWEED L. AUGUSTINE. The 'dying author who speaks for the world." Born with lung disease and bone marrow and blood diseases, this brave woman is rapidly dying, as she has been terminally ill since the age of 32; she is now 40. Soon to receive another porti-cath to replace the PICC line in her left arm, note the white "claves" on the table as they are attached to her arm with dual ports so she can be fed, hydrated, and receive life sustaining treatments. A courageous woman born with her marrow's inability to not only absorb iron, she must receive constant blood transfusions and treatments of iron infusion via IV now her said marrow is no longer being manufactured by her dying body, as she goes to the cancer center monthly to sustain her. The porti-cath will be her 3rd one and is implanted into the chest-an internally implanted intravenous port. She is a Catholic, earning two DOCTORATES in religion. A woman for all people; for all faiths. She is soon to die. THIS IS THE AUTHOR. Possibly the bravest one you will ever meet or read about.

Dear Heidi Reed;

 I want to sincerely thank you for your kindly and informative letter to me. I thank you as well for sharing your information as a fellow cancer survivor, as my own mother was also a cancer survivor of malignant melanoma and nearly lost her entire foot, her leg, and very surely, her life. There is no cure for my terminal condition, but I am a woman of God as well as a well acclaimed Buddhist Lama who was recognized twice by the Dalai Lama.  

One of my books, THE MILKWEED PROPHESY; EPITAPH OF THE APOCALYPSE is in the VATICAN and just might receive the PULITZER PRIZE next year.  I am a Professor of religion and a human rights activist, but if you buy any of my books, you will most certainly learn much about me as a survivor of far worse things than cancer of the colon-torture-forced starvation that lapsed into complete famine.  ETERNAL I.V. POLE-  the initial book published in 2003, is a true story like the above, and will change your life. 

I will share the story to you NOW about the GREAT WHITE SHARK.  AS A CHILD OF CANADIAN CREE ANCESTRY AND DESCENT FROM MY MOTHER, I DREAMED ABOUT THE GREAT WHITE SHARK AT THE AGE OF ONLY SEVEN IN 1974.  WHEN IT APPEARED TO ME IT SPOKE LIKE A HUMAN BEING, WHICH AS A PROFESSOR, I CAN EASILY CONCLUDE THIS IS ALSO CONSISTENT WITH HELPFUL STIRRINGS FROM THE UNCONSCIOUS. ACCORDING TO MY GRANDMOTHER AND MY MOTHER, I WAS TOLD THAT EVENT WAS A MIRACULOUS EVENT AND PROVES THAT I AM BECOMING A SHAMAN, WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE TRUE.  BESIDES THIS, THE SHARK IS MY SPIRITUAL ANCESTOR, AS WELL AS MY ANIMAL TOTEM THAT ABSORBS THE TENSIONS, AS IT TALKED THE 20' GREAT WHITE SAID, "MILKWEED, I AM HERE TO PROTECT YOU; MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS WILL FOREVER BE HERE FOR YOU AND THOSE ENEMIES THAT CONDEMN AND HURT YOU WILL BE DEALT WITH."  THEY CERTAINLY HAVE AS THESE SHARKS LITERALLY ATE THEM ALIVE BEOFRE MY EYES IN DREAMS, BUT IN WAKING LIFE, THESE SAME BRUTAL PEOPLE WHO TORTURED ME, ETC, LITERALLY DIED IN MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES AND CAR ACCIDENTS.  ALL OF MY LIFE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FEEL THE GREAT WHITE SHARK NEAR ME AS BOTH A PROTECTOR AND AS A COMPANION AND I HAVE BEEN NEVER ATTACKED. IN FACT IN ACTUAL LIFE, THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHEN I SWAM "WITH" SHARKS IN THE WILD AS I PRACTICALLY LIVED IN THE OCEAN AND I WOULD PRAY DEEPLY FOR THE ELUSIVE GREAT WHITE TO COME TO ME PHYSICALLY, AND ALTHOUGH IT NEVER HAS, I BELIEVE IT IS THERE WITH ME, BECAUSE ONE SPECIAL AFTERNOON BACK HOME IN FLORIDA THE SUN WAS GETTING READY TO SET AND THE OCEAN WAS SERENELY CALM. I SWAM AROUND FAR PAST THE BREAKERS AND I FELT THE ACTUAL "SPIRIT" OF A DECEASED GREAT WHITE THAT LIVED FOR OVER SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AND HAD GROWN TO A STAGGERING THIRTY-ONE FEET IN LENGTH.  IT SPOKE TO ME AND SAID, "I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU, MY FRIEND; MY SWEET CHILD-OUR ONLY ANCESTOR IN THE HUMAN WORLD. BECAUSE WE DON'T PHYSICALLY COME TO YOU DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE DO NOT CARE FOR YOU. YOU WILL ALWAYS FIND FREEDOM WITH US, MILKWEED---FRIEND OF THE GREAT WHITE."  I CEASED SWIMMING AND MERELY FLOATED ON MY EMACIATED BACK, AS I HAVE BEEN THIS WAY ALL OF MY LIFE AND HAVE EATEN THROUGH A PERMANENT PORTI-CATH, OR INTERNALLY IMPLANTED INTRAVENOUS CATHETER, AND I WENT INTO A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FRAME OF CONSCIOUSNESS, I WAS EIGHTEEN AND A BATTERED CHILD AS A YOUTH, BUT FAR AWAY FROM HOME AS SAID.  I LAMENTED HEAVILY ON WHAT THIS 'ELDERLY" AND WISE GREAT WHITE SAID TO ME, AND I FELT A PROFOUND LOVING EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT MORE THAN I HAVE EVER BEFORE.

NOW TODAY I HAVE PICTORIAL SHRINES IN MY ROOM, AND IN MY OWN HOMES PRIOR TO MOVING BACK WITH THE FOLKS TO DIE.  WHEN I WEAR THE SACRED TOOTH OF ANY SHARK, BUT IN PARTICULAR THE GREAT WHITE, I FEEL ASSIMILATED AND LITERALLY BONDING WITH THE ENERGIES OF BOTH THE ANIMAL AND MYSELF. I RECALL WHEN I ATE THE MEAT OF A BLACKTIP SHARK A FRIEND AND FELLOW INDIAN SERVED, ALTHOUGH RELUCTANT TO EAT THIS SACRED MEAT, I IMMEDIATELY EXPERIENCED A FANTASM OF DREAMS AND IMAGES AS I ASSIMILATED THE POWER AND ATTRIBUTES OF THE SHARK INTO MY OWN HUMAN BODY AND LIVING SOUL. NOW THE SACRED ANIMAL, THE BEAUTIFUL GREAT WHITE SHARK, CONTINUES TO REMAIN MY SPIRITUAL ANCESTOR. IN FACT, IN HAWAII THE SHARK IS ALSO AS SACRED TO THEM AS IT IS TO ME, WHICH INCLUDES THE ACTUAL WORSHIPPING OF THIS SAME ANIMAL.  IT IS CALLED A "KAPUA," OR TOTEM. A HAWAIIAN FRIEND OF MINE I HAD MET BACK IN FLORIDA AS A TEENAGER SAID I WAS A VERY SPECIAL INDIVIDUAL AND SHOULD BE CANONIZED AS A PRIESTESS BACK IN HAWAII, BECAUSE I CAN ACTUALLY "SPEAK" WITH ALL SHARKS, BUT IN PARTICULARLY THE ELUSIVE AND BEAUTIFUL, AND EVEN "GENTLE" GREAT WHITE. I AM A PRIESTESS IN THE BUDDHIST FAITH, AS WELL AS A PROFESSOR OF BOTH RELIGIONS-BUDDHISM AND CHRISTIANITY-BUT THERE STILL EXUDES AN ANCIENTNESS AND A RARE, BUT VERY POWERFUL CONNECTION WITH THIS VERY SACRED ANIMAL THAT IS SO OVERZEALOUSLY FEARED. ALSO AS A GENUINE "SHARK WHISPERER" I CAN EASILY SAY AS TO WHY THESE SHARKS ARE SO FEARED. MAN'S GREATEST FEAR IS BEING EATEN ALIVE, BUT THIS IS MAINLY DUE TO WE AS HUMAN BEINGS, FROM A LONG AND SLOW EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS BROKE FREE FROM OUR SUBCONSCIOUS, AND THIS IS WELL SIGNIFICANT OF BEING SWALLOWED BACK UP FROM WHICH WE CAME. HOWEVER WHAT ELSE I LEARNED FROM THE GREAT WHITE SHARK ITSELF AS A WOMAN OF TWENTY-NINE, NOW FORTY, IS THAT THE SHARKS AND ALL OTHER ANIMALS OF THE WORLD HAVE NOT YET PITTED THEMSELVES AGAINST THE VERY WILL FROM WHICH THEY DERIVE LIFE, HENCE ANIMALS AND SHARKS ARE MORE SUPERIOR TO WE AS HUMANS. THIS IS MY STORY, ALTHOUGH CRYPTIC AND RARE IN NATURE, OF THE GREAT WHITE SHARK; BEAUTIFUL AND SO VERILY MISUNDERSTOOD, BUT NOW IN THE ELEVENTH HOUR, MAN HAS FINALLY DECIDED TO PROTECT THEM-I THANK YOU, AND SO DOES MY ANCESTORS-THE GREAT WHITES. PRAISE BE TO GOD. 

LAMA MILKWEED L. AUGUSTINE PHD AUTHOR

View her numerous publications of autobiography and fiction on Amazon.com by Google search "Lama Milkweed Augustine".

Photos by Lama Milkweed taken with a 35 mm camera inside a sealed heavy duty zip-lock plastic bag of sharks she swam with, though not great whites:

Week 1: 

Week 2:

Inquiries about these cartoons or about syndication can be sent directly to Steven below:

syzygy@foxinternet.com

Here's Steven, kicking back with his favorite gourmet coffee, surrounded by his movie posters and Asian art.

Updated photo as of 3/8/07

She has made one for herself as well.  Here is a story she tells about it:

Last week - the end of November 2005 - there was a pesky fly buzzing around the house (must've missed the memo that said fly season is over), and then it disappeared. I was doing some cleaning in my room the other day and found some fly wings in front of a blue spider.   Hmmm - maybe she made them a little TOO lifelike !!

And here's a picture of red spiderlings in a branch of one of our trees.  We thought they might be black widows.  Any clues, folks?

This photo inspired her husband Rainer to complete a linocut of it (below) which he has entitled "Spirit Tree"...inspired is right!

He has joined the City Lights Art Gallery in Henderson NV (link below) which is featuring his bio(which we have reprinted below), and more photos of his work:

http://www.citylightsart.com/gallery/rainerbertrams.html

Rainer Bertram was born in Germany in 1944. He's lived in the United States since 1954 and is an Internationally recognized watercolor artist and accomplished linocut block print maker. He currently resides in Nevada and is looking forward to creating artwork which reflects his affinity for the beauty of the Desert Southwest.  Here's another Rainer has done of Einstein:

Dear Glenn,

What wonderful gifts!!  Thank you so much!  Your package arrived today and I opened it first thing when I got home.  The skull is fantastic!  I know it's going to make a major impression with my students.  They know we are going to investigate reptiles next week and that I have something special planned, but they have no idea just how great the surprise is.  The fossilized skute you gave us fits perfectly into our study of the history of reptiles and how successful they have been, changing little over time.  A perfect gift.  How did you know?  And the teeth!  I'm going to send a tooth home with each child when we're done and I know they are going to be very excited.  Your generosity is deeply appreciated.  I thank you in advance for my current and future students.  I wish you and your family well.  You have chosen a wonderful path in life.  Thanks for helping me to touch the lives of children a little more deeply.

Please know that your generosity makes a difference in children's lives.  Hope you continue to live a fulfilling and joyful life.

Sincerely,
John Ecklekamp
St. Catherine's Montessori School
-----------------------------------

has also recommended the following Adventure Experiences site that reviews fun & more extreme sports for you to experience while you're there, including the "Zorbing Experience" which particularly appeals to us (think ORB and you're halfway to figuring it out - and see below -  woohoo!!)

www.adventureexperiences.co.uk 

and his latest theater production where he played Simba from The Lion King at the Palace Theatre in Manchester:

It took a stack of paperwork to clear customs, as saltwater crocs are endangered and customs had to make sure this was a freshwater species.  Imagine this behemoth in their 500 square foot apartment!

Valued at: $9,700

Contact: GaryOlt@aol.com if you wish more information, or: