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posted October 19, 2012 01:44 AM            

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Apparently she's old news but i just discovered her recently. She can communicate, with ease, by using American Sign Language. so basically she can talk, she expresses herself better than a lot of humans i know...

she showed empathy on more than one occasion. and my mind was blown. and suddenly this sweet gorilla mattered to me, and i care about her. it's funny how we humans function. before she was just another gorilla, a species that i didn't particularly care for. but now when i saw her express her wish of having a babe (something she expresses many times) i was so touched. it's like the barrier we built between us and animals was lifted.

Imagine if we can communicate with all animals..

Here’s KOKO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWxCM6llL60 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYD6KZsOjxw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=480keuakN6c

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From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009

posted October 19, 2012 09:16 AM            

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Koko`s story is wonderful and helps us see the chain of unity from human to the animal kingdom

Koko had a kitten named All Ball who died . A wonderful book was written about it, while it is a sad story , it is also loving and human/humane too.

Koko`s Kitten by Francine Patterson.
She also wrote Koko`s Story but it was from a more scholastic thought.

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We dance around the ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and Knows
Robert Frost

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posted October 19, 2012 08:17 PM            

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A friend of mine told me his girlfriend used to date someone who worked with those gorillas and another gorilla was much more amazing. However, the truly wondrous one had been abused so had some serious mood swings and sometimes reacted poorly to large crowds so they feared the gorilla acting out as he sometimes did might cost them sympathy and so they instead showed Koko, less amazing but a lot more likely to inspire the warm fuzzies.

Oh! He also said she was working with Koko and trying to get him to use Sign to say that something was red, but he instead kept touching his wrist. After repeating this several times she realized she was wearing a red watch on the same wrist he was pointing to and she asked, "Do you mean the same color as my watch?" Koko then gave her an exasperated look that seemed to say, "Finally you get it, ditz."

There are a few scifi stories that have simians (chimps, gorillas, etc) who are able to take part in society by using technology to give them vocal cords and it does strike me as believable.

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From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009

posted October 19, 2012 09:47 PM            

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Have you read Ismael by Daniel Quinn? Wonderful.

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We dance around the ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and Knows
Robert Frost

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From: Saturn next to Charmainec
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posted October 20, 2012 10:33 AM            

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Good to hear that she's still around.

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"Never mentally imagine for another that which you would not want to experience for yourself, since the mental image you send out inevitably comes back to you." Rebecca Clark

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From: Saturn next to Charmainec
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posted October 21, 2012 01:09 PM            

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There was a classic Seinfeld episode about Koko.

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"Never mentally imagine for another that which you would not want to experience for yourself, since the mental image you send out inevitably comes back to you." Rebecca Clark

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posted October 21, 2012 03:27 PM            

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Ever see Congo the movie? The Gorilla Amy communicates using sign language that the gets turned into a computerized voice

This review is HILARIOUS!

Nostalgia Critic - Congo

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~*~ Did you know that a circle is round? ~*~ - Tautology
You can't handle my level of Tinfoil! ~ {;,;}

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From: Saturn next to Charmainec
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posted October 22, 2012 12:52 PM            

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"Never mentally imagine for another that which you would not want to experience for yourself, since the mental image you send out inevitably comes back to you." Rebecca Clark

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From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009

posted October 25, 2012 09:08 AM            

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quote:

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Originally posted by juniperb:
Have you read Ismael by Daniel Quinn? Wonderful.

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Worth recommending again

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We dance around the ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and Knows
Robert Frost

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From: Saturn next to Charmainec
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posted December 11, 2012 10:10 AM            

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"Fall down 100 times, get up 101...this is success." --ME

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From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009

posted December 11, 2012 10:20 AM            

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well, it is a wonderful and thought provoking read

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We need to listen to our own song, and share it with others, but not force it on them. Our songs are different. They should be in harmony with each other. ~ Mattie Stepanek

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From: The Etheric Realms...Still out looking for Schrodinger's cat...& LEXIGRAMMING.♥.. is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012

posted December 11, 2012 03:24 PM            

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quote:

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Originally posted by juniperb:
Have you read Ismael by Daniel Quinn? Wonderful.

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Oh yes indeed!
Wonderful!

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NumeroLexigrams
~I remember,
therefore I am immortal
~Lexxigramer
My Lexigramming Biography

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From: Saturn next to Charmainec
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posted December 12, 2012 01:42 PM            

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"Fall down 100 times, get up 101...this is success." --ME

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From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009

posted December 27, 2012 01:33 PM            

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It was wonderful lexx... and surely gave me much to ponder.

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We need to listen to our own song, and share it with others, but not force it on them. Our songs are different. They should be in harmony with each other. ~ Mattie Stepanek

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From: Saturn next to Charmainec
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posted January 05, 2013 04:03 PM            

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"Fall down 100 times, get up 101...this is success." --ME

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From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009

posted March 04, 2013 01:53 PM            

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quote:

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Ever see Congo the movie

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No I haven`t yet. Is it an old movie or relatively new?

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We need to listen to our own song, and share it with others, but not force it on them. Our songs are different. They should be in harmony with each other. ~ Mattie Stepanek

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From: The Etheric Realms...Still out looking for Schrodinger's cat...& LEXIGRAMMING.♥.. is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012

posted March 04, 2013 02:46 PM            

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Congo had some cool things with the gorilla that could sign;
and I love Tim Curry;
but beyond that,
I personally found the 1995 movie a bit cheesy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_%28film%29

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Posts: 25840
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009

posted March 05, 2013 01:11 PM            

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Haven't seen it but heard it was quite good.

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