We are just a group of retired spooks that discuss things that you’ll not find anywhere else. It makes us unique. Take a look around. Learn a thing or two.
It’s sort of like a rhinoceros, only twice the fun..Today, I want to play some “catch up” and explore some of my often “set to the wayside” subjects when the hot portion of World War III broke out in Ukraine. And the United States decided to “make it’s move” to carve up the world like one big birthday cake..This little adventure concerns a member of the megafauna that used to roam the world at about the time the humans started to gather and form societies.
In terrestrial zoology, the megafauna (from Greek μέγας megas "large" and New Latinfauna "animal life") comprises the large or giant animals of an area, habitat, or geological period, extinct and/or extant.
The most common thresholds used are weight over 46 kilograms (100 lb)[1][2][3] (i.e., having a mass comparable to or larger than a human) or over a tonne, 1,000 kilograms (2,205 lb)[1][4][5] (i.e., having a mass comparable to or larger than an ox).
The first of these include many species not popularly thought of as overly large, and being the only few large animals left in a given range/area, such as white-tailed deer, Thomson's gazelle, and red kangaroo.
In practice, the most common usage encountered in academic and popular writing describes land mammals roughly larger than a human that are not (solely) domesticated.
The term is especially associated with the Pleistocene megafauna – the land animals often larger than their extant counterparts that are considered archetypical of the last ice age, such as mammoths, the majority of which in northern Eurasia, the Americas and Australia became extinct within the last forty thousand years.[6]
Among living animals, the term megafauna is most commonly used for the largest extant terrestrial mammals, which includes (but is not limited to) elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, and large bovines. Of these five categories of large herbivores, only bovines are presently found outside of Africa and southern Asia, but all the others were formerly more wide-ranging, with their ranges and populations continually shrinking and decreasing over time.
Wild equines are another example of megafauna, but their current ranges are largely restricted to the old world, specifically Africa and Asia.
Megafaunal species may be categorized according to their dietary type: megaherbivores (e.g., elephants), megacarnivores (e.g., lions), and, more rarely, megaomnivores (e.g., bears).
The megafauna is also categorized by the order of animals that it belongs to, which are mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.
-Wikipedia
This beast has long died off. No one knows why. But there are many interesting theories. Don’t you know.
Arsinoitherium
Quick Arsinoitherium Facts
Lived from the Late Eocene through the Early Oligocene Periods
Lived on the plains of North Africa
Was as long as a black rhino
Weighed more than a cow
Was an herbivore
About Arsinoitherium
Arsinoitherium is an extinct paenungulate mammal which lived approximately 35 to 30 million years ago during the Late Eocene through the Early Oligocene Periods.
It’ bones were first discovered in the early twentieth century and was named in 1902 by paleontologist Mr. Beadnell.
The name of this dinosaur means “Arsenoe’s beast.” It was given this name because it was found in Egypt near the palace of Queen Arsinoe – a queen who in this area in 305 B.C.
If you look at Arsinoitherium pictures, then you might think that this mammal looked quite like a rhinoceros with two big horns jutting out of the top of its nose. However, that isn’t really true because these mammals weren’t a direct relative of the rhino.
No, they were more closely related to elephants, sea cows and dassies than they were rhinos.
These herbivorous mammals roamed the Egyptian plains.
They had primitive teeth which were pretty well suited for handling the tough vegetation in this area at this point in time.
One of the most fascinating facts about Arsinoitherium is that is probably lived off a diet of water plants, mangroves and a variety of other plants. It probably had to eat a whole lot of plants in order to meet its nutritional and caloric needs. It might have needed to eat in excess of 150 pounds of plant material a day in order to survive.
Arsinoitherium walked on all four legs – much like a rhino – and it was approximately 10 feet long and weight around 1 Ton or 2,000 pounds. These animals were about 5’9” tall at the shoulders – which means they were as tall as the average human man.
That’s pretty big.
The horns on its nose probably had very little to do with defending itself from predators. Instead, they were probably cosmetic and used to attract females during mating season. Paleontologists believe that is had very little use beyond mating.
You do know that women are always attracted to pairs of large predominant horns. Ah, don’t you know.
Some paleontologists have speculated that this mammal had to be in or near water all of the time in order to prevent from drying out. Much like a modern-day hippo.
Other paleontologists don’t believe that was the case at all, however. Until further evidence is produced, well, I suppose we’ll never know.
I hope that you enjoyed this little post about the lovely two horned beast. Now you have something to talk about at the pub, the beer hall, or over dinner with your family.
This article is a slow moving, fine meandering, easy going, stroll through various works of art. I hope that you enjoy it, and perhaps are inspired by it to some degree. This is a general article, and no particular painter is promoted. Though, you will notice that many of the fine works by these artists are now long gone and lost in the dust-bin of history.
Head’s up to “Ohio Guy” for his awareness.
Max Seliger – Archers
Not much is known about this man. But I do really love his form and attention to the male figure. For me, I have always found it far more interesting to draw and paint the male figure as opposed to the female figure. I just never could get the curves and softness of a woman’s body correctly. However, men’s bodies were much easier to draw and paint, and far more interesting. (From an artist’s perspective.) While women’s tended to focus on the eyes, the hair, and the clothing.
Another lonely singular remaining work of art. This time of the female form. Also two figures crammed into one painting. I find it lovely. But that is just me.
You will notice that the muscle definition on the female is very subtle and soft. The smooth shading of shadows is particularly difficult to render. I worked out a technique where I would paint a lighter under panting, and then paint over it with a slightly darker flesh tone, then using a rag, I would wipe away the upper layer and then apply a wash. It’s a nice effect.
You will note that the positioning of the clothing, instruments and objects all served to cover the genitals for a very timid Victorian audience.
It’s not simply the muscle tone and definition that is important in fine at, but also the clothing, the textures and the lighting. So many aspects come into play. Here’s a nice example. I think that this is a very nicely done painting. It doesn’t strike me emotionally as others do, but I find it a treasure never the less.
I really love the details in this work of art. Obviously the artist was a fine draftsman and then colored the work afterwards with thin washes of oils, layer after layer until the desired effects were achieved. I love the expressions on the faces, and the details on the woman’s dresses.
Marcus was a Victorian Romanticist painter, history painter, illustrator and genre painter. He tries to convey snapshots of emotion in his works, and this painting is typical.
What I find so appealing in this painting are the details in the skirt. Just look at this masterpiece. It’s wonderful.
Julius Adam- Painter of kittens
I really love this artist because he loved to paint kittens.
Anyone who can manage to paint kittens, those forever moving bundles of fur, is an expert in my book. Only seven paintings of his survive. The rest were destroyed during World Wars I and II.
He was a German painter, and his works certainly ended up in many a fine home that was later bombed into oblivion by the Allied forces in the 1940’s.
Playful KittensPlayful kittens in a basketThe hayloft.One For AllThe Proud MotherThe Playful KittensTug of War
I am not usually a fan of landscapes. They tend to be calming to the point of blandness. However, Oswald here has some nice works that would really look nice in a hallway or in a living room or study.
Fireworks in Naples
That’s nice. Here’s a rather nice study of a tree in a wooded glade…
Study of a Tree
And this one depicts a Shepard and his flock… look closely, the figures are tiny, tiny, tiny.
Here’s a fine artist. He’s known as a Golden Age Illustrator painter, illustrator and muralist. Some of his works are just spectacular. Such as this one. Note that the young man is wearing red, a bright color to attract attention while the woman is a harlot as denoted by here green sleeves. You will note that a mistral is playing music in the background and the only thing missing is a bottle or jug of wine. All in all a very nice painting.
‘O mistress mine, where are you roaming?’
Another nice painting, and sorry for the embedded watermarks due to the screen capture.
The Penance of Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester
Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester was forced to undertake public penance and walk through the city of London without a hood, and bearing a lighted taper. Life imprisonment in various remote locations followed.
In July 1446 she was sent to Peel Castle (Manx: Cashtal Purt ny h-Inshey) on the Isle of Man (Mannin) in the north of the Irish Sea.
What was her crime?
Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester, was a mistress and the second wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. A convicted sorceress, her imprisonment for treasonable necromancy in 1441 was a cause célèbre.
The Penance of Eleanor, Dutchess of Gloucester is an oil painting by Edwin Austin Abbey, finished in 1890. The painting is quite large, at 85″ wide and 49″ tall. It depicts Eleanor, former mistress, and now wife of the Duke of Gloucester, performing penance for her crime of consulting with sorcerers to help the Duke gain the throne.
Study
A “study” is where the artist makes a series of rough sketches of the idea for a painting. Some are very rough. Some are detailed drawings and paintings of various important aspects of the art. And some are beautiful in their own right. Here’s a perfect example of one by Edwin Austin Abbey. This one is with back and white chalk on a tan paper with high-lighted details in black ink by pen.
I personally think that it is awesome.
With Pride upon her Brow
And here’s another one in Gouache. It’s a nice medium. Though I never had the opportunity to practice using this method.
Around my fire an evening group to draw” (also known as Study for The Deserted Village)
Conclusion
Did you know that almost every museum has one day that allows for free entry to the museum. This is most especially true for art museums. All you need to do is look up (Google) the local museums nearby and then go to their websites (they all have one). There are the times when they are opened and which days are free, and whether or not there are special events.
Present your Electronic Benefit Transfer card (EBT Card) from any state (Pennsylvania Access card, Ohio Direction card, West Virginia Mountain State card, etc.) and receive general admission for up to four people at $1 each at Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History. Simply present your EBT Card along with a matching photo ID. This program is supported by BNY Mellon.
It’s a perfect opportunity to visit a local museum if you are unemployed and want some inspiration, or a good excuse to take a day off from work for you to make a date with your spouse of special friend.
You do not have to park at the site. You go to cheap parking and take a bus to the museum. All cities have bus stops near their museums and parks.
Hint. Hint. Hint.
Make a day of it. A nice ride, then a nice lunch. Then a visit to the museum, and finish up with a trip to an ice cream parlor for coffee and a sundae. Wouldn’t that be nice? I think it would be. We are so very used to doing our routines that life tends to pass us by. Don’t allow that. Go out and try to enjoy it.
A free trip to a museum, a coffee and a sundae, and maybe a blue plate special for lunch. How expensive can that be. And you know, in one week it’s going to be middle of October. This is a special golden time throughout most of the planet.
It will be a lovely day.
What a nice thing to plan. What a nice event you can generate. Make memories. Make friends. Enjoy yourself.
Do you want more?
I have more articles on art and art related interests please go here…
This man was a great artist. Luigi Crosio was an Italian painter who lived and worked in Turin, Italy. He died in Turin and is recorded as having been born in Alba, but the town of Acqui Terme, a few miles south of Alba, claims Crosio was born there.
Luigi Crosio was born in Alba, Italy in 1835 and died in Turin, 1915. He often painted religious works for the Kuenzli Brothers in Switzerland. This company specialised in religious and pious works for printing and distribution. There was a legal case in the 1890s regarding his painting Refuge of Sinners. This was his most successful image and another artist claimed the copyright for it. However, the Kuenzli Brothers produced photographs that showed the face of the Virgin was based on the face of one of Crosio’s daughters. The last work that Crosio is recorded having painted for the Kuenzli Brothers was in 1911.
He was survived by Annette Crosio, one of several daughters, who is known to have been still living in Turin in 1923.
The Beautiful Slave
This is an “Orientalist” painting that depicts a man buying a female slave. One of my favorite art genres is the “Orientalist” imagery as depicted by the romantic painters of Europe one hundred years ago.
78.7 x 54.6 cms | 30 3/4 x 21 1/4 ins
Oil on Canvas
Here, we see the relationship between the older sister and the younger sister as she arrives home. Note the possessive guardian stance of the loyal dog, and the open book of poetry next to the chair.
Oil on canvas
91.4 x 67.3 cms | 35 3/4 x 26 1/4 ins
New Friends
Paintings of ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt were always popular with these period painters. As an artist, I really enjoy the cool darkness of the nearby shrine, and the impression of a lovely day of moderate temperature.The goat is a nice touch, but I do love the rendered folds on the black woman’s dress.
Oil On Panel
A visit to an Art Museum
When was the last time that you visited an art museum? Be honest. It’s not the kind of thing you do every day. And unless you live in a city, it’s maybe a once every decade event.
In America, of course, all of the museums have turned into a for-profit model. So if you want to look at some art, sculptures, and walk around in the galleries, you must pay an entrance fee. Not so in China. Most are open to the public. Though, Hong Kong, in deference to the influence of the British Empire has also adopted the for-profit model.
All museums (well most) have a discount or “free” day. And you can go visit the museum and not have to worry about the fees. When I lived in Woonsockett, RI there was a historical museum of the city nearby, and they wanted $35 per person to go in. That’s pretty steep, and that was maybe 25 years ago.
To see what “specials” or events that the museums have, you just go to their web page. You might be surprised. I will tell you that going out to a museum is a great activity and a heck of a lot of fun. Then afterwards go out and eat a nice meal. Always a great activity.
Art museums tend to be fun. You go into the new progressive art section and will laugh at what people think is art, while you might go up and down corridors with nothing but tranquil landscapes. I always loved the statues, and that section of the museums.
In today’s really crazy world…
…perhaps a nice visit to a museum might be in order.
Types of Museums
There are different types of museums. Here are some of them:
Archaeology museums. They display archeological artifacts. They can be open-air museums or they can exhibit items in a building.
Art museums. Also known as art galleries. They are spaces for showing art objects, most commonly visual art objects as paintings, sculpture, photography, illustrations, drawings, ceramics or metalwork. First publicly owned art museum in Europe was Amerbach-Cabinet in Basel (Now Kunstmuseum Basel).
Encyclopedic museums. They are usually large institutions and they offer visitors a wide variety of information on many themes, both local and global. They are not thematically defined nor specialized.
Historic house museums. A house or a building turned into a museum for a variety of reasons, most commonly because the person that lived in it was important or something important happened in it. House is often equipped with furniture like it was in the time when it was used. Visitors of the house learn through guides that tell story of the house and its inhabitants.
History museums. They collect objects and artifacts that tell a chronological story about particular locality. Objects that are collected could be documents, artifacts, archeological findings and other. They could be in a building, historic house or a historic site.
A county historical museum.
Living history museums. Type of a museum in which historic events are performed by actors to immerse a viewer and show how certain events looked like or how some crafts were performed because there is no other way to see them now because they are obsolete.
Maritime museums. Specialized museums for displaying maritime history, culture or archaeology. Primarily archaeological maritime museums exhibit artifacts and preserved shipwrecks recovered from bodies of water. Maritime history museums, show and educate the public about humanity’s maritime past.
Military and war museums. Museums specialized in military histories. Usually organized from a point of view of a one nation and conflicts in which that country has taken part. They collect and present weapons, uniforms, decorations, war technology and other objects.
Mobile museums. Museums that have no specific strict place of exhibiting. They could be exhibited from a vehicle or they could move from museum to museum as guests. Also a name for a parts of exhibitions of a museum that are sent to another museum.
Natural history museums. Usually display objects from nature like stuffed animals or pressed plants. They educate about natural history, dinosaurs, zoology, oceanography, anthropology, evolution, environmental issues, and more.
Open-air museums. Characteristic for exhibiting outdoors. Exhibitions consist of buildings that recreate architecture from the past. First opened in Scandinavia near the end of the 19th century.
Pop-up museums. Nontraditional museum institutions. Made to last short and often relying on visitors to provide museum objects and labels while professionals or institution only provide theme. With that is constructed shared historical authority.
Science museums. Specialized for science and history of science. In the beginning they were static displays of objects but now they are made so the visitors can participate and that way better learn about different branches of science.
I like to believe that you will surprised by the large number of museums around you. You simply go to the local library, and go up to the librarian there and ask them where the local museums are. You will find city, state, and country historical museums. Natural museum for such things as local wildlife, and butterflies (great fun that one!). And many more.
Planning
If you did your research, you might discover that the local country historical museum is open to the public and free, but is only open two days a week.
Or you might discover a local national history museum is free but asks for donations.
Just plan out your event. I urge going budget, keeping in mind that the idea is not to tantalize the children, but for you all to have a nice outings with those you care about.
Pick a museum.
Pick a date.
Plan the trip.
Pick an unusual restaurant to make it special.
Special Meals?
What do I mean by special meals? Well, I mean that you go out and find a restaurant to eat in. NOT FAST FOOD.
A family Italian restaurant.
A seafood, or local restaurant that has good cheap prices. (I once found a Cuban restaurant in the middle of nowhere. I ate delicious food that I never had since.)
A diner that is out of one of those old fashioned diner cars.
A place that makes their own ginger beer.
A place that is listed in the local community newspapers as “unique” or “special” or that has a story that is interesting.
Maybe your budget is so slim that you cannot afford a real mean. Then consider an after museum picnic. And just plan where to go, and BBQ some chicken, or meat, And relax in the countryside.
The idea is, of course, to have a low budget fun and special time with those you love and appreciate.
Final thoughts
There is no reason why you can’t have fun regardless of your personal situation. If you are working, then take the time off. If you are not working, then go when no one else is around.
Keep in mind, from a budget point of view, the cheapest meals are breakfasts.
You would be so very surprised at how cheap two eggs, toast, and baked beans (fried potatoes) are with a cup of coffee.
Get up early, have a weekday early breakfast in a diner, then go to the museum.
Have a great time.
Take a ton of “selfies”, and then head home.
All this for just a few dollars. And unlimited coffee refills.
Also, keep in mind that State Parks usually have cabins to rent, and that they are dirt cheap. But you have to reserve them months in advance.
Some of the most remarkable times that I ever had was staying in some of these (bare) cabins, and going out and tromping though the state forest paths at night under a full moon, or attending the local recreation of a log cabin community at night.
Magical times.
And the smells of the wood smoke and the fires were mystical.
Bastrop State Park (Texas) Cabin #14 (Wheelchair Accessible)
Note that the prices can vary from $5 to $35 a night. The cabins will be bare. With just a mattress, and a table and chairs. There will be a nice fireplace, and a cord of wood to use. Some may have electricity. Some might have such things as refrigerators and other amenities, but don’t count on it.
Just check out the local webpage of the park that you are interested in visiting.
Chickasaw State Park Cabins — Tennessee State Parks
Do you want more?
I have more articles like this in my Art Index here…
Did you know that some species of creatures view size of particular shapes or body forms as sexually stimulating. It’s sort of like how birds are attracted to displays of plumage, and precise mating dances, or how bees and insects are attracted to scents and colors. Well, what is very interesting and what we are going to talk about here are the sexual “turn ons” for long extinct animals.
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Sounds like fun, huh?
.
In particular we are going to amuse ourselves with the magnificent rack on the megaloceros.
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I mean, when you see this creature cross the street, or walk into a store, or get into a car, you will not be able to help yourself. You will be staring at that absolutely stunning enormous rack. I am not kidding, I will tell you what!
Lived from the Pleistocene through the Modern Period
Lived on the plains of Eurasia
Was as long as an elk
Weighed as much as 10 white-tailed deer
Was an herbivore
Its antlers were longer than a car
About Megaloceros
Megaloceros, also known as the Irish Elk, was a genus of deer which lived approximately 2 million to 10,000 years ago – from the Pleistocene through the Modern Period. It was first discovered during the late 18th century and was named by Johann Friedrich Blumenbach in 1799. Its name means “giant horn.”
The genus of Megaloceros covers 9 distinct species of this genus, but only one of them were as large as small dinosaurs. And that species is Megaloceros giganteus. It is also the one that we will be talking about today.
Megaloceros.
If you look at Megaloceros pictures, then you’ll quickly realize that this animal looks like an elk with an extremely large set of horns. However, that is not entirely accurate. These mammals had more in common with North American deer than it did with European elks. Another one of the interesting facts about Megaloceros is that it wasn’t exclusive to Ireland either. This deer lived all over Eurasia.
This animal was approximately 8 feet long and weighed around 1,500 pounds. Which is about the length of a modern elk but nearly double the weight of one. Another feature that made it quite different from looking like a modern elk is its antlers. Its antlers were about 12 feet long and weighed around 100 pounds.
As impressive as that sounds, their antlers weren’t used for combat, however. They were almost certainly used by the male deer to attract females.
Megaloceros went extinct right at the cusp of the last Ice Age. And scientists aren’t exactly sure why.
Some paleontologists have speculated that overpopulation and inbreeding led to a population of Megaloceros’s that were unable to adapt when the climate changed. Other paleontologists believe that mankind hunted them into extinction. Most likely, it was a combination of these two facts which led to the inevitable demise of these majestic looking animals.
Speaking about some large racks…
Of course, I just couldn’t help myself. Heh heh.
Here’s the videos. Most are under thirty seconds. Very quick. To open them up, just click on the link below.
MOV1 – She’s from Hunan, and I love her in traditional clothes.
Now wasn’t that fun? Yeah. I like looking at pretty girls.
And the point that I am trying to make is… um… well, big physical attributes tell us nothing about the person who displays them. But they DO tend to get our attention.
I posit that the Megaloceros evolved with these large enormous horns not because it offered it better ability to forage, to run, to camouflage or to survive, but rather to attract the attention of females that wouldn’t help but notice his enormous, gigantic presence.
Instead of survival, it was procreation of the species.
Which is a very important driving force for life. And while it might not be all that progressively popular to admit, it is true. Species that are not able to procreate to the point where it is able to live within it’s environment are doomed for extinction.
Perhaps we see that manifesting in humans as well. Eh?
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