Parkinson's Disease Treatments

 

Well Friday has arrived and that means time for a little more about Parkinson’s Disease, still looking at medication and treatment.

The aim of drug treatment is to keep the patient active, independent and free of handicap. Easier said than done.

Just raising the amount of medication, one takes is not necessarily the answer or in the patient’s best interest. Due of course to the side effects, no point in having the symptoms disappear if one is left in a zombie like condition.

As mentioned before levodopa can be a big help with symptoms often restoring the level of dopamine closer to normal which can help with the symptoms.

However, with Parkinson’s some brain cells containing a substance called acetyl choline react to the lack of dopamine by increasing activity. This of course makes the symptoms worse not better. Treatment with anti-cholinergic drugs can help with that.

These two drug groups kind of come at the problem from two ends, hopefully tending to tilt more towards what would be considered normal.

As the disease progresses it is common to find oneself on a number of medications by having to take as many as five different medications to help one manage some kind of normalcy.

Naturally many would be concerned about taking large numbers of tablets worrying how they are reacting with each other, or if they are accumulating in the body. Neither of these fears are realistic as the drugs do not inter-react generally speaking there are always the chance of it happening, but it is extremely rare and when this happens it is well-recognised and quickly picked up.   

Nearly all the drugs used are broken down destroyed in the body within 24 hours, so no risk of a build up in the body. There may be changes in the way the body’s nervous system responses to the medication over time, in general we become more sensitive to them which causes the change in response.

BPD and Affective Instability

 

It is time to talk a bit more about BPD and this week we are looking at affective instability, if like me your first thoughts on reading those words is what the hell is that then I will tell you.

 

It refers to the erratic mood swings people with BPD experience. It is due to this symptom that the suffer can be incredibly happy one moment and incredibly angry the next, these shifts can happen as quick as within minutes. It is considered the core pathology in BPD.

 

People with BPD often feel consumed by their emotions, when sad they act out their sadness and when angry they do the same thing. There is little to no room for reflecting or trying to control their emotions, they just react.

 

Most of us can identify and recognise our emotions and try to improve how we are feeling, those with BPD do not have the ability to regulate their emotions and so can’t do this. They are a victim of their circumstances; their emotions wash over them like a tsunami crashing to the shore.

 

Naturally this can be exhausting for both the suffer and their loved ones. Those with BPD often feel out of control which they are, and their loved ones are clueless as to why they have suddenly become angry.

 

Also remember that often it is the loved ones who get the worst of this affective instability, as the person with BPD may feel more comfortable around them a subconsciously allow their greatest emotional outbursts for those, they know will not leave them.

 

If you have a loved one with this disorder, please remember that it is one of the most painful mental illnesses someone can have.

 

Bombing of Darwin Pt 2

 

Good morning all here is part two about the bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942.

                 A Coastwatcher using radio 

Coastwatchers, often civilians and largely unknown and unsung proved to be a vital part of our war effort.

Forty-three minutes before the attack John Gibble, a Coastwatcher on Melville Island, radioed that a large number of aircraft was flying towards Darwin. A few minutes later Father John McGarth of the Catholic mission station on Bathurst Island, radioed Lou Curnock of the Darwin Australian Amalgamated Wireless station reporting the same thing. Curnock immediately transmitted this to the RAAF.

These warnings were not acted on.

                   A Kittyhawk P40

The RAAF Operations Centre was not alarmed, despite the direction the planes were travelling they thought it was American P40 Kittyhawks which due to bad weather had to return from a sortie for Timor. In fact, 9 out of the 10 Kittyhawks were approaching the airfield as the Japanese Zeros flew in and the Kittyhawks were shot down immediately, with four US pilots being killed.

The airbase was therefore unable to mount and counterattack, it was left to the anti-aircraft batteries to defend the town, although they kept up a continuous barrage from their gun emplacements only on Zero was shot down.

                     A Japanese Zero 
 

The main target for the first attack was Darwin’s harbour, as there were upwards of 45 ships in port, including the US destroyer Peary which sunk within minutes of the attack starting, taking 80 lives with it. Also sunk was the US transport Meigs with only 2 lives lost.  

The Australian ship Neptuna which had been a passage vessel was hit and it was loaded with explosives, so it blew with a terrifying blast, taking 46 lives with it. There were also 5 merchant ships sunk.

Yeti Crab

Here I am at another Tuesday also known as creature day here at Jo’s Ramblings this week we are looking at the Yeti Crab.

Scientific name is Kiwa Hirsuta, it is about 15cm’s long it was discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean. It is known for the quality of silky blond setae which cover its body. Its discoverers named it the Yeti Crab or Yeti Lobster.

They are rarely seen and tend to flock to the thermal vents on the floor of the icy Southern Pacific Ocean to keep warm. Thousands of them crawl over each other to get close to the boiling water without scalding themselves.  

Maybe because there is no sunlight where these tiny creatures live, they grow their own food by this I mean the tiny hairs on their bodies grow bacteria which they eat.

It doesn’t seem to have many predators, although some think that deep-sea octopuses and fish might find them edible.

Mexico

 

Hello everyone, well it’s Monday and so I will be sharing a few things about another country this week it is Mexico.

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It covers 1,972,550 km², making it the world's 13th-largest country by area; with a population of almost 130 million, it is the 10th-most-populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country.

It won its independence from Spain in 1821 and September 16 has been the national Independence Day ever since. Before it was called Mexico it was known as New Spain.

Mexico’s flag is green, white and red with at its centre a coat of arms featuring an eagle, a cactus and a serpent. The eagle is a Crested Carcara or Mexican Eagle.

The foundations for this iconic design date back to the monumental year of 1821, when Mexico emerged as a sovereign nation. Yet, over history, it has seen many changes until the final and current design was officially adopted on 16 September 1968.

Like many anthems around the world, draws upon battle themes and inspiration. Composed in 1854 by Jaime Nuno and written by Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra, it asks for eternal unity and patriotism from the Mexican people in times of war.

Mexico’s national anthem is “Himmo Nacional Mexican” which means cry of war, this has been the anthem since 1943. It’s national animal is the Majestic Golden Eagle and its national flower is the Dahlia.

The Mexican Constitution is based on .seven basic principles: a declaration of human rights; national sovereignty; division of powers; the representative system; a federal structure; constitutional remedy and the supremacy of the state over the Church. It is seen as an instrument to be used to bring about social change.

 

 

Week 21 of 2024

 

Had a really good night, slept through the night waking with the alarm at 5am. The temp at 5.30am is 10 degrees but I don’t feel that cold yet. By 8.30am it was 13 degrees.

By midday it was 16 degrees, and I am so damn cold, I am not use, to being cold.

Tim isn’t feeling well today, has a tight cramp like pain in his gut and doesn’t want to eat, but he often doesn’t want to eat.

It reached a top of 20 degrees, but it didn’t feel like it.

What a cold start to the day it is, I had to find a heater to have on while I had my morning wash, it was that cold.  I also turned the heater on in the lounge room till I came out when the chilled had been taken off the room.  It is only 7 degrees at 5.30am.

By 7am I had checked my emails, read a heap of blogs, did my own blog post and now I sit wondering what to do next.

I had a scary incident I was eating a bit of a bread roll, and it got stuck in my throat, I couldn’t even swallow water and I was coughing and trying to dislodge it and it wouldn’t move. It went on for ages like 10-15 minutes and Tim started to get worried, so he rang 000, but while he was on the phone it finally moved and I was able to have a drink of water, so told the operator I was fine and no need for the ambos. I was really scared myself and even said to Tim that I didn’t want to die today.

By midday the temp was 17 degrees.

So, I just went into find clothes for tomorrow, I am out of any type of winter clothes, I only own two long sleeve singlets and one pair of warmish long pants all of which are in the dirty wash basket.

Not as cold this morning thankfully, 12 degrees at 5.30am, we have had rain overnight hope we have no more till after Sam leaves for school.

It hasn’t rained but I walked up with Sam instead of taking the scooter just in case.

I haven’t felt as cold today, but Tim has.

I told Tim that I would go with him tomorrow out to his Dr’s appointment, well he can see the Dr while I go look for some warmer clothes.

Jess called in sick to work, so she must not be feeling good as she doesn’t just do that.

Had a shocking night and so did Tim, I got only around 3-4 hours of proper sleep. I still got up with the alarm at 5am and it was bloody cold, had the heater going in the bathroom while I had a wash and one going in the lounge-room also while I was having my wash. It is 6 degrees at 5.30am.

Jessica is feeling pretty unwell with a high temp at 39 degrees, she will be staying in bed all day again.

By 8am the temp had risen till 10 degrees. It did warm up got to 21 degrees.

I went shopping on my own and bought 2 new pairs of long pants including a pair of trackie dacs and some more undies and another long sleeve singlet. Felt good to wonder around on my own.

Had a good night’s sleep, Tim has his work training with Port Stephens Coach Company today, so he was up at 5am with me as he must be there by 6.30am. It is 10 degrees at 5.30am.

Tim rang at 11.30am to let me know he won’t be home till after 5pm, he said it is all going well. At 11.30am it was 16 degrees. By 1pm it was 21 degrees.

Tim got home at 5.30pm, he has to go back tomorrow, so he will be up early again.  He said it went well; I hope it is a job he will like doing.

Had another good night it is only 6 degrees at 5.30am, seems odd to have Tim up with me at 5am also felt odd him not being home at all yesterday. adH

By 8.20am I had read around two dozen blogs, checked emails, posted a blog of my own, vacuumed out, ironed a couple of items, and went up with Sam to meet her transport and sent a good morning message to Sue. Oh, and it is now 11 degrees.

Sandy called in to show me her new puppy they have named Angel a chihuahua. Asked when she was here if she knew anyone who would like a toaster oven, she took it.

Got to a top temp of 21 degrees.

Tim was exhausted when he got home this arvo, but he gets to sleep in tomorrow and Sunday and on Monday he goes and does it all again.

Not as cold this morning with a temp of 12 degrees at 5.30am, I slept well.

Even though it isn’t as cold this morning I needed the heater on for a bit as I was getting a headache, the type I gets in cold weather.

It got up to 20 degrees, Tim went out to put fuel in the car and I asked him to get me a cheeseburger and fries on his way home which he did, however, I wasn’t able to eat all of it in fact I ate very little of it which annoyed me as I hate wasting food.

Jessica has covid again, Tim is still not feeling good and now is thinking he has cancer, because he feels something is seriously wrong with him.

 

 

 

 

 

Parkinson's Disease Treatment History

 

Only more about Parkinson’s. I open my Parkinson’s and we are at a part about treatment, so let’s see what we can learn.

Treating PD with drugs has only been around for a roughly one hundred and something years, and the most effective drugs didn’t come about till after the second world war. It was the drugs introduced only 40 odd years ago that have made an enormous impact on the lives of those with PD.

Even though it was 1817 when James Parkinson identified the disease, it wasn’t till the late 1880’s that neurologists in Paris discovered that drugs derived from the Belladona group of plants gave some relief from rigidity and tremor. These simple drugs were the main treatment till the 1940’s, when chemically synthesized and concentrated agents replaced them, as they worked in the same way.

This group, known as anticholinergics, meant that for the first time a drug for the treatment of PD was widely available. These drugs can still be found in use today but much less with the discovery of drugs called the dopaminergic which replaces the most important chemical deficiency in the brain.

It was in the 1960’s that scientists in Vienna identified a link between PD and a deficiency in dopamine which led to the use of levodopa. Levodopa is the natural chemical precursor of dopamine. So, it became the first dopamine-active drug shown to be effective in treating PD.

Natural with these drugs come side effects and said side effects can really affect some people, while others don’t get any side effects. How some people deal how some people are affected can change over time as many will be receiving treatment for years or decades.

It is for these reasons that medication needs to be monitored by a doctor preferrable a neurologist or movement disorder specialist.

Because treatment is ongoing and taking one simple tablet may not help many are on combination of drugs and the dosage and frequency of the medication will need to be changed at different times over the years.

More to come next week.

BPD and Self-Harm

 

Hi all it is Thursday, so it is time for a little more info about BPD this week we are looking at self-harm and suicide. Not something I like to think about but a real problem for those with BPD.

 

It seems that the rate of self-harm, suicide and BPD is bloody high, in fact research has shown as many as 10% of people with BPD die by suicide.

 

Sometimes, these suicide attempts inadvertently help people with BPD avoid abandonment. For instance, after a bad breakup, they may dangerously cut themselves. Then, they may call their ex-partner and tell them what happened, there ex may then offer comfort and support this temporarily relieves the fear of abandonment.

 

It is common for those with BPD to swing between wanting to feel alive and wanting to feel nothing at all. This is because regulating their emotions is so damn hard and even the slightest negative feeling can feel overwhelming. This is why the desire at times to end it all can be a constant battle.

 

Sadly, even when a suffer isn’t having suicidal thoughts the act of self-harm can go terrible wrong leading to an irreversible mistake.

 

This symptom can and does make treatment difficult and it is not unusual for a suffer to be a frequent flyer in hospital emergency rooms. What they don’t want and what they may learn how to avoid is being admitted to psychiatric ward or hospital. This symptom is devasting for those of us who love someone with BPD and we need to have a tough skin so when the suffer does self-harm their blaming language doesn’t hurt us too much.

 

Those with BPD as well as others who feel overwhelmed with life the act of inflicting pain on themselves seems logical and effective to relieve their pain if only for a little bit. We also should remember that self-harming can result in the release of endorphins which will act as a natural pain relief, thus when they self-harm they have a moment of not feeling the pain they have caused. This of course doesn’t last and no good is achieved by self-harming.

 

Of course, in reality self-harm only add to and deepens their problems and for those around them the need to deal with the immediate threat of self-harm can distract from the main problem.

 

Someone whose life is controlled by their condition and having BPD would often feel it is controlling their life will find relationships difficult and will often be wracked by feelings that they are not good enough or worthy enough, they are usually beating themselves up over and over again for what they think are their failures. This is another reason they self-harm.

 

 

The Bombing of Darwin Pt 1

 

Wednesday again and time to learn a little more about Australians under fire in 1942 and today’s post is about the bombing of Darwin.

This occurred on Thursday 19 February 1942 at 9.58am, at the time of the attack Darwin was a small coastal town in the Northern Territory with a civilian population of about 2,000.

After the attack on Pearl Harbour there had been a rapid advance of the Japanese, so efforts had been made to secure Darwin. Darwin was the base of the 7^th Military District of Australia.

Larrakeyah Barracks contained the men of the 23^rd Australia Infantry Brigade, there was also two Australian Infantry ani-aircraft batteries. The RAN base there was a floating dock.

The RAAF was at a base built in 1940 about 8 kilometres south of Darwin.

Ironically, a radar station at Dripstone Caves which wasn’t far from Darwin wasn’t yet operational. However, after it became operational it was a great help in preventing further attacks on Darwin.

There was also a small number of American service personnel stationed in the area since the attack on Pearl Harbour. Which over time expanded to other parts of the country.

By late December 1941 most white and Asian women and children had been evacuated, however, little if any thought was given to the large Aboriginal population. They were expected to fend for themselves, what a disgraceful thing to do.

There was around 63 white women who stayed, and they were for the most part employed in essential services, such as nursing and telegraphy.

Some civilians and organisations had dug slit trenches and there had been several trial air raid alarms but overall, the defences were inadequate, as a result a tragedy of errors occurred.

By late February Port Darwin had become an important staging point for ship convoys and aircraft on their way to fighting in the north-west. The port was very crowded on the 19^th as a convoy of ships carrying Australian and American troops and supplies escorted by the USS Houston had returned to port after an attack by the Japanese. Their objective had been embattled Timor. The congestion of the port contributed to the large amount of casualties.

Panada Ant

Well, we are on Tuesday and what freaky creature do I today, it is the Panda Ant.

Don’t be fooled by its cute appearance it’s actually a wasp whose sting packs a punch.

It is found in Chile and its bold colour is to warn off predators. Both male and female look similar they can be mistaken as different species. This is because the males are twice the size of females and then some. The males also have wings and are nocturnal unlike the females.

The female lay their eggs in the nests of ground-living insects and when they hatch, they eat the larvae of the original insect.  

 

 

This weeks country America

 

Hello, how is everyone on this Monday morning, well it is Monday morning here. This week in our series on countries we have the good old U S A.

The USA is a large country with 50 states, it is mostly situated in North America with the capital being Washington D.C. It lies between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and borders Canada to the north and Mexico to the south.

Its largest state is Alaska but it’s also the least populated state, it was purchased from Russia in 1867 for 7.2 million dollars. The smallest state is Rhode Island.  

The first state was Delaware which dates back to 1787, with Hawaii being the last state dating from 1959.

Before 1776 the country was known as the United Colonies. It gained independence from the United Kingdom on 4 July 1776.

The flag has 13 stripes on it representing the first 13 colonies and 50 stars for the 50 states, it has been around since 1777, when on the 14 June it was adopted by the Continental Congress as the countries official flag. Before that each colony had its own flag.

The national anthem is Star Spangled Banner since 1931, although it was recognised by the navy in 1888. It was originally called The Defence of Fort McHenry.   

 

Week 20 of 2024

 

MOTHER’S DAY

Good morning and what a nice morning, why is it nice, no damn idea but that is what I wrote. The temp at 5.30am is 14 degrees and cool.

Tasha came down a wished me a happy Mother’s Day, Kathy & Summer came over to wish me happy Mother’s Day they brought me flowers.

Tim bought pizza for lunch.

Jessica and Sam brought down my Mother’s Day gift, bath/shower scrub from Sam which was made at school and long sleeve winter nighties from Jess.

Monday again, damn the weekend went fast, it is 15 degrees as I start this at 5.30am. Kathy asked if she could ring me once a week on Saturday’s instead of 3 times a week as we generally have little news to share with each other, I said that would be fine.

Light rain at 1pm, temp of 20 degrees.

While I was in the kitchen getting lunch my glasses broke, so I am using the pair I keep in the kitchen till Tim goes down the road and buys me another pair. I only wear the ones we can buy from Hot Bargain a discount store.

Another good night only 12 degrees when I got up. My BGL was 5.6 this morning.

Had a good morning hands working so so not as good as I would like but not as bad as they can get.

Had to ring Jess to wake Sam she wasn’t answering her phone, felt a little odd Kathy not ringing but I will soon get use to the new plan.

Got to a top of 21 degrees.

Had another good night after the initial tossing and turning. The temp is 14 degrees this morning, my BGL was 5.5.

Sue came over to do a load of washing as she had so much to do, and I have a large machine. While she was, she drove me to the opp shop to give them the old Coles bags. She also drove me the bakery and down to the plaza to make an appointment to have my eyed checked.

I got in trouble off Tasha & Tim because I sent Jess a message reminding her to ask Tasha about getting Sam tomorrow arvo. The wanted to see if she would remember on her own.

Had a good night, up washed, and dressed I have my appointment in Sydney with the neurologist at 12.30pm.

It is 11 degrees at 5.30am and my BGL was 4.9.

We left around 9.15am for the drive to Sydney, stopped for lunch before the appointment as we had plenty of time.

The appointment went well she was pleased to see me walking with just the cane and the first thing she said was “you have lost weight” yes, I have.

In fact, the pants I wore to the appointment were too big and would fall down if there hadn’t been a drawstring to tighten them up.

We got home around 3.30pm, Jess had to get Sam out of school early as there was no one here to meet the transport.

I have had my meds increased by one extra tablet a day, and we have a telehealth appointment in 6 weeks to let her know how I am doing.

Had a shocking night, I kept waking every couple of hours, to either pee or just because my body thought it would be fun to interrupt my sleep.

It is 12 degrees at 5.30am, reached a top of 22 degrees today so it’s warm.

I told Tim I would walk up and meet Sam this is how I will start getting into walking more.  Which my neurologist would like me to do.

I have felt ok most of the day but by 2.30pm I started to feel drained. I also have managed to write this as my hands are still.

Had a decent sleep, woke a few times to pee but settled straight back down again so that’s all good. It is 13 degrees and windy and the wind is cold.

By midday it is still only 16 degrees, and I am so cold I went and put a long sleeve singlet on.

Tasha comment that I looked a lot more relaxed and settled today and I agree I feel more settled. I have had more control over my hands.

Started raining at around 1.30pm and kept raining for hours.

 

 

 

 

New Radom Things Post

 A new post can be found here:https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2024/05/my-sister-sue.html

Parkinson's and Swollen Ankles

 

Hello everyone, I had a rough night, but I have managed to get up as usual check emails and read some blogs. Now it is time for another post about Parkinson’s.

Swelling of your ankles, isn’t something I have associated with Parkinson’s, but it seems it can be. This is due the fact that those with PD often sit for long periods of time and are often unable to move their legs normally.

Without regular movement that make our calf and thigh muscles there is little circulation in the legs thus causing swelling of the ankles.  

This is usually worse in the warmer weather and can even be made worse due to some treatments.

It can also become so bad there is difficulty in wearing normal shoes, there is also the risk of skin complications or phlebitis.

Treatment should be aimed at improving blood circulation.

Also those with PD need to remember that some of their symptoms may not be cause by PD but something else, swollen ankles can be due to fluid retention, joint pain may due to arthritis and urinary symptoms can be caused by and UTI or prostate problems.

 

BPD & Impulse Control

 

Good morning, all, here we are at Thursday again and that means a little more about Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD for short. This week we are having a look at impulse control.

Everyone has impulsive moments when we do things without thinking through the consequences but those with BPD it is a right struggle.

These people often have issues with drinking and/or drug use, my sister is a recovering drug addict, and she still struggles with drinking too much.

They may also struggle with binge eating or purging, promiscuity and compulsive sex, don’t know if Sue has this problem but I suspect she might. Lastly there is compulsive shopping or gambling. I don’t think Sue gambles, but she may have a problem with compulsive shopping, she does own 25 handbags.

These impulsive actions are a way of soothing intense emotions or trying to escape a bad experience.

Such impulsive actions can explain why those with BPD often have other mental health issues and can also connect with poor financial and physical health.

Now it doesn’t take a genius to realise that such impulsive behaviour can create more problems. Or to know that trying to escape emotions doesn’t change or fix anything and will not stop the pain that can follow. It can also cause more consequences which can lead to the BPD suffer to react by lashing out at others, or engaging in even more impulsive behaviour or as is often the case with Sue they become extremely depressed.

There have been studies that suggest those with BPD may have abnormalities in the part of the brain responsible for emotional and impulsive control. It is also believed that decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex, which is common among those with BPD, contributes to certain aspects of impulsivity.

It can be quite a challenge for those with BPD to control their impulsive behaviour but with treatment and strategies they can pretty much keep it under control and lead a somewhat healthy life.

Australian's Under Fire in 1942

 

Time to take a step back in time to 1942, as I continue my series about Australia Under Fire in 1942.

Many Aussies came under fire in 1942 while at sea, cruisers, destroyers, and corvettes of the RAN played vital roles. Such as supply and rescue and relief roles as well participated in battles in the Mediterrian and the waters to the north of Australia, far too many to mention them all here.

                  THE HMAS PERTH

Allied ships delayed the Japanese landing on Java on 27 February, then on the 1 March in the battle of Sunda Strait the cruiser HMAS Perth was sunk. Costing the lives of 352 men and another 320 taken prisoner.

In November the newly commissioned corvette Armidale came under fire off Timor while trying to recuse refuges, it was sunk taking the life of 87 men.

                       A WW11 CORVETTE 

For those like me who don’t know what a corvette was or is, it’s described as easily built escort vessel with a shallow draft and three masts with full rigging which made them fast and allowed them to enter shallow coastal waters.

There was room for up to 130 men but usually had a grew of around 120. It was much in demand as a courier and scouting ship but was also suitable for small-scale naval actions.

Australia’s largest fighting force during World War 11 was the Army, Australian forces were known as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).

In 1939 the first division of the re-formed AIF was the 6^th division with a strength of 14,500 men. The 6^th and 7^th divisions served initially in the Middle East and North Africa, then later in Papua New Guinea.

Each infantry division was divided into three infantry brigades which was then further divided into three infantry battalions. A battalion was 800 men.

Next week we will look at the bombing of Darwin.

Kinkajou

 

Hi everyone, my freaky creature book is up to South America and the first creature it shows is the Kinkajou, have you heard of it, the name is familiar to me but that’s all.

The kinkajou is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus Potos and is also known as the "honey bear". Kinkajous are arboreal, they are not closely related to any other tree-dwelling mammal group.

They like sweet treats and us their long sticky tongues to raid bee hives, and termite nests. Although kinkajous are classified as carnivores (they have canine teeth), most of their diet is fruit and nectar. On rare occasions they eat eggs, hatchlings, insects, and small vertebrates. Their 5-inch-long (13 centimeters) tongue can reach inside flowers or beehives for tasty honey or nectar.

 

Their main predators in the wild include the tayra, fox, jaguarundi, jaguar, ocelot and humans. They are often hunted for their meat and fur.

Kinkajou is not currently on the endangered species list, however their status in the wild is threatened.

Their rotating ankles let them run up trees without turning their body. They have a long gripping tail which is as long as their body which allows them to hang upside down from branches.

They are sometimes confused with monkeys, but they are not monkeys.

 

 

Canada

 

Ok I have sat here flipping through my Great Book Of Knowledge which I have been using for Monday’s posts trying to decided what to write about. A lot of the book covers different animals but that is more of a Tuesday post. So, after much though I decided on countries. The first country in the book is Cananda.

Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline.

It is the second largest country in the world and shares borders with the United States to the south and the northwest, as well as Greenland.

Canada has a varied landscape, with majestic mountains, rolling plains, forested valleys, and beautiful blue rivers and lakes.

The name “Canada” most likely comes from the Huron-Iroguois word “Kanata” which means village or settlement.

In Canada, the term Indigenous peoples (or Aboriginal peoples) refers to First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. These are the original inhabitants of the land that is now Canada.

There are two official languages English and French with most of the population speaking English.

The National Flag of Canada, often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the maple leaf flag or l'Unifolié, consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of 1∶2∶1, in which is featured a stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the centre.

The capital of Canada is Ottawa it is located in southeastern Ontario. In the eastern extreme of the province, Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River across from Gatineau, Quebec, at the confluence of the Ottawa (Outaouais), Gatineau, and Rideau rivers.