this is ted. ted is my brother’s cutie patootie corgi mix puppy. he went to the vet to get neutered a little over a week ago, and ended up getting sick. he’s been back to the vet twice since he got neutered, and today they admitted him…he will be at the vet on IV antibiotics until wednesday. he has some swelling/pain in one of his back legs, which the vet thinks may be due to an internal abscess, but they’re not sure yet. if it is, it’s going to require surgery, which will probably cost $1000+. as it is, my brother is already paying $500 for the vet stay
my brother is a great guy, and he’s going to graduate from college in may. in the meantime, he is working as a part time leasing agent for an apartment complex, and doesn’t have a lot of money to spare. for those of you who are familiar with the personal & family drama i overshare on the internet, i am currently working part-time in a retail job & am having a hard time making ends meet. my parents got divorced about a year ago, my dad has been in and out of hospitals for his own physical & mental health problems, and my mom lost our house back in may, so as you can imagine, they don’t have much to spare either.
ted has been an amazing companion for my brother, who is dealing with his own depression & anxiety. if anyone is able to help pitch in to cover teddy’s vet bills, we would greatly appreciate it. for anyone who is able/willing to pitch in a couple of dollars, my paypal is biprivilege@gmail.com. i would also appreciate if you’re able/willing to share this. i will update with more info as i get it / if a gofundme gets set up
“I never learned my Navajo language and I was never inspired to learn it. As I got older, I realized how valuable our language is to the livelihood of our Navajo Nation. ” -Dr. Shawna L. Begay
Our Navajo or Diné language is in danger of becoming extinct. Help us create and develop the first Navajo-English educational media TV puppet show, “Diné Bí Ná’álkid Time” which means ‘The Navajo Movie Time.’ It will inspire and teach our youth basic language skills using media as a technology tool. Parents, grandparents, children and grandkids can learn to speak Navajo fluently together within their own homes.
Long-time friends and educators, Dr. Shawna L. Begay and Charmaine Jackson have teamed up to create this new TV pilot for an all-ages audience or for anyone who wants to learn the Navajo language.
With your support, it’ll be the first educational Navajo and English puppet show that will teach and preserve the Navajo language and culture through digital media.
After several years of extensive research on the Navajo Nation, Dr. Begay recently completed her PhD from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas with her doctorate thesis, ‘Developing A Navajo Media Guide: A Community Perspective.’ As project director, she quickly realized she was a pioneer on the topic.
“When I decided what topic to study I realized there existed very little research in Indigenous educational media, especially with our Navajo people,” stated Dr. Begay. “As Navajo people, we have our own learning objectives and Navajo way of knowing is completely different for Euro-Western schooling. I decided that I had to research and develop our own curriculum guide that is meant to teach Navajo through media.”
Dr. Begay and Jackson, co-writers of the show, developed the first 3-puppet characters and plan for many more. The pilot features Nanabah-a young Navajo girl, Gáh (Rabbit) and Dlǫ̀ǫ̀ (Prairie Dog) who will go on endless adventures learning about language, gardening, the environment and the importance of family values. Nanabah is fluent in Navajo and likes to teach children about life on the reservation with her animal friends and special guests. Children who want to learn Navajo will also be an important part of the show by interacting with Nanabah, her friends and storyline.
Dr. Begay’s research concluded there exists very little research in the area of Indigenous educational media. Currently media is a very powerful tool that can be used to teach. She is cognizant of the digital age we live in and the opportunities to utilize media to revitalize the Navajo language.
“Star Wars and Finding Nemo,” dubbed in Navajo, was a great place to start and it has garnered national exposure of our language. However, we need a show based on our own Navajo learning principals our ancestors set out for us to learn and live by. I don’t think a non-Navajo, non-Native or non-Indigenous person can do that for us, nor should they. We, as Navajo, need to produce this show ourselves, if we are to be truly sovereign,” added Dr. Begay.
Both educators, Dr. Begay and Jackson, of Naalkid Productions have been talking about this educational language project for about the past four years and still have a long way to go to finance their dream.
“With the support of Navajo TV Anchor Colton Shone, our team of Navajo artists, filmmakers, family and friends, this video pilot is a huge step forward,” said Jackson. “Our journey has just begun and the big next step is finding financial support to create a whole new puppet TV series.”
We aim to raise $50,000 with this project which will allow us to continue with pre-production and production aspects of making this digital media project become a reality. We need your help to save our language by teaching Navajo to our future generations.
Pre-Production: -Script writing for the pilot show -Puppet Development/Creation -Casting for puppeteers and other talent that will be on screen -Hiring of all key cast and crew
Production: -Locations and permits -Rental of Studio space -Equipment: cameras, sound, lights, etc. -Cast and Crew budget
I know we’re all tired of the “man proudly holding fish he caught” genre of profile picture on dating apps & sites, but I think we’re just going to have to accept that fishbros aren’t going to stop because they’ve been doing it for millennia
We’re getting closer to the earliest form of cephalopods! This is where things get weird. Phragmoceras is known for its curved shell with an opening that’s constricted in the middle. This gave it two separate openings, one on the front for its head and another one in the rear for its siphon.
Another fun fact about Phragmoceras is that despite being over 410 million years old, some fossils have been found with traces of color pattern. There are multiple forms known to science. Some have stripes while others have zigzags near the opening side of the shell. This suggests that they were likely a group of adaptable animals that disguised themselves with different patterns depending on their habitat.
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 
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