Perspective can be a strange and wonderful thing. For the opposite of James Bond, try this one. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a classic fable and a story from The Jungle Book written in 1894 by Joseph Rudyard Kipling. This is a story about a mongoose and a snake and was made into an animated show in 1975 by Chuck Jones. One of my favorite stories as a child. "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," as a children's story, exemplifies courage. Not familiar with it? Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qhBxv7r5gg. It is shown in 3 parts. How much like a ferret is Rikki Tikki in this story? How much does it capture a child's imagination? Doesn't it make you want one? I know I did. Of course my parents said no, like responsible parents should. In a way I got my wish albeit several years later. I got ferrets! (Forget the snakes) Media doesn't always have to have a negative connotation, although it does do a great job of skewing reality. Especially since the mongoose is related to the feline rather than mustelidae and depending on the species, doesn't necessarily look much like a ferret at all. By the way, most species of mongoose - including the related meerkat- are classified as threatened. I don't know about the ones in Hawaii, as that situation is much like grey squirrels in England or the ferrets in Australia. Sure are cute though! Bonnie and the Col Biz [Posted in FML 6256]