Check out the latest photo album, logging in Newfoundland.  This is a tame moose of course, or at least as tame as a moose can be, considering they are extremely stupid creatures.  Majestic, but stupid.

You can't go on a road trip on the island without a suitably fussy maiden aunt beseeching you to "drive carefully and watch for moose!"  It's second nature to keep your eyes peeled, particularly at dawn and dusk, for a telltale shadow scaling the raised roadbed side.  Altercations with moose usually end terribly for the vehicle.  Bull moose stand about 6 feet at the shoulder.  (Add their head and 20 Kg. of antlers.)  Hitting a moose dead on normally results in the body of the moose crashing through the windshield.  They number over 150,000 on the Rock.

I have often wondered about their incredible stupidity, and in my research I found that every moose in Newfoundland is descended from the four who were introduced from New Brunswick in 1904.  Genetic inbreeding!  Two moose were imported in the late 1800's, but apparently they didn't take, not surprising considering the numbers of bear and wolves in residence at the time.

"Whistles, reflectors, and odour repellents to frighten big game from passing vehicles or keep them from roadsides have been tested in North America and Europe; so far none have proven to be effective or economically feasible."

So why are they attracted to highways?  Several reasons.

Highways are windswept from fast traveling vehicles, and moose do like to get away from the flies.

They like crossing roads in winter as a respite from deep snow.

They feed on roadside vegetation, and lick salt from the roads.

It's likely they are inured to the traffic and simply have no fear of cars.

They have very poor eyesight.

Luckily, Newfies like their moose meat.  If you're not handy enough to shoot your own moose, try this online game.

Water Bomb your Moose!

Alright, I lied.  Originally, this was going to be a post about how to draw a decorative medieval shield in Photoshop.

Problem is,

I didn't use the handy dandy note feature while I was embroiled in creating the thing, so now I actually have no idea how

 I did it.

If you figure it out, let me know !

Originally published on BlogSpot 6/17/05

Okay, this particular website has the most stunning visual and aural integration I've seen in a long time - The Birthday Massacre - is a band from Toronto, you can hear clips of their albums if you'd like, and play around with their marvelous flash site.  They are kind of Pop Goth, which is not my kind of thing by any stretch of the imagination, but I actually gave them a listen and will return to the website. If they come down east, I may go to see them in hopes they will provide a treat for the eyes (if not the ears).