ICONS FOR LIVE AND LEARN RESEARCH to develop symbolic alter-egos for Role Model Characters: OWL: well known bird, large head, round glaring eyes, straight back, spectacles, sharp talons for prey, noctournal - sees well in the dark, sharp hearing (10 times more sensitive than human), very accurate. Territorial. Very flexible neck, silent flight, Used to living alone but if pairs, pairs for life. Great hunter. Good communicator. Limitations: Scares enemies, must hide for safety, Aggressive displays to frighten enemies, sometimes called the messenger of doom. Used as lure to catch others in falconing. DISCOVERING OWLS - Robert Burton THE OWL IN THE TREE - Jennifer Coldrey ERIC HOSKING'S OWLS - E. Hosking & Jim Flagg 1982 BEE: Highly developed insect with fascinating behavioural patterns. The queen bee, serviced by drones can lays hundreds of eggs a day. These become larva for 5-6 days then pupae for about 15 days before emerging from their cells as bees. The worker bee is a sterile female bee. She serves in a number of capacities. The "House" Bee cleans out brood cells, removes dead bees and other insects that have died invading the hive. These workers also build the honeycomb, constructing new cells. Wax is secreted from the abdominal gland and passed to the mouth where the wax is kneaded with the mandibles and used to form the six-sided cells. Larger, peanut- shaped queen cells are constructed when hive capacity indicates a new location must be found to start a new colony. (At the appropriate time, "scout" bees look for this new location.) The "Nurse" bee feeds the young on royal jelly and nectar and pollen. The "Court" bee faces the queen and constantly feeds her and grooms her, licking her body. The "Guard" bee maintains order, directing activity of the hive. By scent, each new arrival is checked. The guard stretches back up high, exposing scent-releasing glands and fans the scentof the hive to arriving bees to make the return to home easier. Guard bees are ready for action at the sightest disturbance. Enemies are attacked with the barbed stinger. This stinger tears off and bores deeper into the subject, releasing venom into the wound. Part of the guard's body is lost with the stinger and the bee dies after stinging. The "forager" or "field" bee collects nectar, clutching the inner part of blossoms the bee sucks nectar through the tube-like proboscis storing it in the crop or honey stomach. Pollen collects on the fine body hairs and is scraped into pollen baskets on hind legs. The nectar is regurgitated and spread in cells; enzymes added to it in this process turn it to honey. Field bees perform a special dance which provides information about flowers found. The round dance indicates a nearby location. The wagging dance forms a figure 8 pattern and twlls other bees the angle of the sun to the food source. BEES, WASPS AND HORNETS AND HOW THEY LIVE - Robert McClung HONEYBEES - John B. Free LIFE OF THE HONEYBEE - Heiderose and Andreas Fischer-Nagel ORIENITAL DRAGON: Mighty, dutiful, bursting with good health, vitality, courage of convictions, idealist, perfectionist, demanding, gives a lot. Gives good advice. Is proud, tenacious, willing, generous, gifted, intelligent, self-sufficient, good husband, father. Sentimental. Good luck. Life and growth symbol, good opinions, wealth, virtue, harmony, long life. Loves money. Good will. Gentle. Funny. Limitations: can be at odds with demands of parents, has a temper, can be placid, superficial, asks too much of self and others. Oriental traits: gentle, God-fearing, filial piety, decorum, peaceful, artistic, humourous, giving, kind, sheltering, communal, diligent, faithful. Limitation: worrier, dreamer A Book of Dragons (Chien Tang) Ruth Manning Sanders Chinese Horoscopes -Paula Delsol The New Chinese Astrology - Suzanne White Dragons, Gods, and Spirits from Chinese Mythology -T.T.L.Sanders The Dragon: Nature of Spirit, Spirit of Nature - Francis Huxley OCTOPUS: Females are very good mothers, tend young carefully. Full of curiosity , uses arms to explore, curling around an object to hold it fast while other arms are used to feel around the object and examine it. Lets go when curiosity is satisfied unless this is something on which it feeds. In self-defense the octopus grabs and holds tightly. Can change colours and disappear quickly in a cloud of ink. Complex nervous system. Brain has thirty lobes - each part is specialized and thus can take care of a certain job. Can be tamed within a few days. Always hungry. Shy. Good memory. Strong, swift, intelligent. Very delicate and sensitive sense of touch. They see too well and swim too fast to be caught by nets - not always possible to lure them into traps. Learns from experience. Likes being stroked. Trusting. Mischievous, big appetite, solves problems well, changeable, playful. Limitations: difficulty in adapting to major changes and new conditions. Hides. No bones or position sense so some information found at arm tips never reaches the higher parts of the cephalopod brain. OCTOPUS: The Curious Mollusks - Marie M. Jenkins Octopus - Olive Earle Kingdom of the Octopus - Frank Lane Octopus Lives in the Ocean - W. Stephens, Peggy Stephens Learning in the Octopus - Brian Boycot (SciAmerican March 65) Shy Monster, the Octopus - National Geographic Dec. 71 An Octopus Trilogy - Natural History March 1971 An Octopus is Amazing - Patricia Lauber Octopus and Squid - Jacques-Yves Cousteau The Inside-out Stomach - Peter Loewer NOTE: From THE COMPLETE FAIRY TALES OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM: THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS In this story the animals (donkey, dog, cat and rooster) are threatened because they no longer feel productive - they are searching for a new mission in life and through their adventures find one. Excellent analogy for PLA. Could be referred to by the characters in TVO series to tie in the use of symbolic icons in software program.