28 JULY 2022 WorldWide Drilling Resource® The “Idiots” Corner by “Billy Bob Smith” Let me ask you - have you ever had an argument with a pet dog? Or even a parrot? Well, I have. A few years ago, I was visiting a friend in their home for lunch and their parrot (who will remain nameless) decided after only a few minutes he didn’t like me. Well, ever had a bird with a brain the size of a peanut start calling you names? Asking you to leave? Saying you are stupid? I am not making this up. Needless to say, we decided to have lunch somewhere else; and just for the record, I never visited the home again. One more short example. How about your pet cat? Ever had them go off on a rant for no reason? My pet cat years ago, every night when I would sit down in the living room after dinner to read or watch TV, would jump in my lap and start meowing in my face. If I ignored him, he would start clawing at me. If I talked to him, he would just keep meowing. I had no idea what he was saying. This happened literally every night. If you are an animal lover or have pets, I’m sure you have some great stories as well, but I thought this month I would give you a list of the top ten smartest animals and where they might fit into society. By the way, cats are not in the top ten, but around 15 out of 20. So, here is the accepted list in terms of intelligence: 1) Chimp 2) Elephant 3) Pig 4) Dolphin 5) Whale 6) Parrot 7) Dog 8) Octopus 9) Squirrel 10) Crow Now a few thoughts on some of the above. Let me start with the Pig - really? - #3 on the list? Have you ever met a smart pig? Ever owned one? Want to have one as your best friend? What is it about them that ranked them higher than dogs? Because we love bacon? One of my others is #9 - Squirrel. Give me a break. What animal tries to outrun a car on the highway hoping to make it across the street alive? What about the Octopus. I didn’t even know they had a brain. Okay, I get the Chimp - we are supposedly related to them, which is why maybe the number of idiots in the world is on the increase. But I digress. Did you know chimpanzees represent one of our closest living relatives, sharing 98% of our genetic DNA? Evolutionary biologists believe humans and chimps shared a common ancestor around seven million years ago. As well as using tools, some chimpanzees have even been able to learn basic human sign language. Washoe, a captive female chimpanzee, was able to learn American Sign Language, with a vocabulary of 350 words. I’m sure you have better things to do than read this stuff, so I will wrap this up with two more illustrations. Are Dolphins given credit for their intelligence? Dolphins have been said to form protective circles around swimmers in peril, protecting them from sharks or buoying them to the surface to breathe. On occasion, they have even towed humans to shore. Like many animals, dolphins can be taught to perform tricks. They can be trained to stand upright on their tails and skate backwards through the water, to wave their fins, corkscrew through the air, and so on - all at the command of a human. Dolphins also show signs of culture - the creation and handing down of traditions. How about the dumbest animals? I’m afraid if I go into this any further, I might be censored or they will end this column. So I will just close with a thought. Many animals are smarter than we give them credit for and deserve a great deal more respect than we give them. Just wander into a nursing home and watch a dog bring peace to a patient or resident. Amazing. Billy Bob Contact him via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com “The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.” ~Andrew Rooney Mining by: Edumine and VISTA Articulated Haul Truck - Operation & Safety Electric Shovel - Operation & Safety Heavy Equipment - Introduction & Safety Heavy Equipment - Pre-Use Inspection ON-DEMAND ONLINE phone: 604-683-2037 www.edumine.com Irrigation by: Rain Bird Academy Training August 1-5 ~ Hollywood, FL August 15-19 ~ West Palm Beach, FL phone: 800-498-1942 E-mail: training@rainbird.com More education opportunities during events can be found by clicking here online at: worldwidedrillingresource.com Education Connection
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