Yesterday, coincidentally, I saw three different women in Starbucks in an advanced state of pregnancy. All three had a bearing which was a little hard to describe. But I'll try. Let me meander for a while as I dissect my thoughts and feelings.
    Every time I see a late pregnancy I get an odd, and somewhat embarrassing, compulsion. A feeling that the "baloon" must be popped. My guess is that the women might feel the same way.
    What is a pregnancy? On a certain level, it is a tumor. A cancer. Something is growing inside. I suppose one could describe it as "benign," but it certainly is fast-growing and aggressive. In a sense, the embryo "steals" from it's host. In fact, if the fetus and mom are immunologically incompatible, having different Rh factors, it can lead to a tragic attack on the developing embryo by the mother's immune system. Fortunately, with the advent of modern medicine, this is well understood and can be treated.   Like any tumor, it needs to be vascularized before it can grow. Early in pregnancy the embryo, exudes chorionic gonadotropin, which causes a the lining of the uterus to produce a thick bed of blood vessels, which supplies sustenance to the growing fetus. In this sense the baby is, perhaps less a tumor, and more like a parasite--stealing from its host: Mom.
    But, I prefer to think of this sustenance as a gift, rather than theft. Baby needs. Mom gives. Baby feeds.
    Think for a moment about this miracle of development. Every one of us started as one cell--the fusion of a sperm with an egg into what us geeky, terminology-addicted, science-types call a "zygote." From this single large cell a program is initiated to divide, and divide again and continue dividing millions of times. All of the different types of cells, bone, blood, brain, muscle, lung, pancreas, and so on, are derived from this single, undifferentiated cell, the zygote.
    I like to think of embryonic development, not as growth and unfolding, but as a dance. The cells go through many costume changes and careful repositioning, each obeying inner instincts dictated by DNA, and and then they find their proper places on the stage. This "show" is so well rehearsed in our genetic memory that it usually results in a picture-perfect performance with a glorious ending.
    I remember again the tired-looking moms, waiting for their drinks at the coffee bar. One thing I noticed--I'm sure I've noticed it before, I just never really thought about it--was that a very distended tummy makes a great shelf for resting one's arms. Fingers entwined, the arms can form a bridge over baby. Perhaps, mom imagines an archway over the stage that highlights the theater within. Another thing I noted is that all three women looked ...tired. But it was an odd sort of tired. It was that relaxed, contented look of an artist nearing the end of creation.
    An acquaintance of mine thought that it would be desirable if men could share in a pregnancy.  It seems only fair, after all, that both genders should bear the burden. Of course, right now this is only science fiction, but I'm not sure it would be a good thing. Would the Earth, that nourishes us be called a Mother if Mom and Dad took turns in gestation? Would sailors call the ships that provide shelter call their boats Her? It seems to me that this difference in parental duties enriches us, helping us to savor and rejoice in our divergent roles.  
    But I'm still at a loss.  Where have I seen this look before? It looks so familiar, so iconic. So enigmatic and ethereal. Then I remember. It is that same look that I have seen in many Madonnas, and, it seems to me, fully-realized in Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
    That's it.
    How often have I seen the expression on the Mona Lisa described as "enigmatic?" A puzzle. Slightly tired, but hopeful. That is the look that I saw in the faces of these beautiful, beautiful women. They are pregnant with hope. They are, in every sense of the word, expecting.

I like to think that Richard Feynman captured the essence of the philosophy of this blogger with this quote. 

A few days ago I blogged about a local celebrity, Naveena Shine, a "breatharian" who has been conducting an "experiment," to try and live on virtually no food, only water and tea (with a splash of milk.) Today, after 47 days, she has decided to end her fast. She has lost about 20% of her body weight, going from 159 to 126 pounds. She is quitting her "experiment" in part because she's "run out of money," and, in part, because of the "public reaction." She was disappointed that she only received $425 through her website to defray costs (I applaud people for not contributing.). 
    Why? In what sense is this an experiment? What she demonstrated is that if you stop eating you lose weight. Surprise. I will say this, she has mastered the art of capturing public attention (including mine). She has been covered by local television, newspapers and radio. I think this is an experiment in human gullibility. We humans, love human drama. We love train wrecks. Human spectacle. I remember channel-surfing some years ago and stumbling on the intro to the Jerry Springer show. It was something like "Presenting the worst show on television!  NOW celebrating it's 13TH YEAR!"
    So, really, why? There is a clue in this Seattle Times article, "Eventually, says Shine, "She’ll be hitting the road." Ah, now I get it. I don't have to fill in the gaps here for discerning Do Ya Think? blog readers. She's needs to make a living too. After all, we all gotta eat.      

If you want a really cheap lunch date I recommend asking out a breatharian. A breatharian eschews food, believing survival is possible on air and sunlight (and sometimes water). There has been a bit of a ripple created locally by a Seattlite named Naveena Shine who is performing an "experiment designed to bring into our Universe a whole different paradigm of living." She is going to find out if it is "possible that a person can thrive without eating." She is recording this momentous "experiment" (All in the name of SCIENCE!) using video cams and You Tube updates. There seems to be some skepticism that she is not cheating. For example, some are having trouble finding evidence for the eight video cams that are supposedly monitoring her progress and keeping her honest. One Facebook friend pointed out the irony of trying to live on sunlight in the generally gray environs of Seattle. Indeed.
     Ms. Shine is not the only breatharian out there. There is this long interview with a couple claiming to be raising a breatherian child and an interview with a midwife and her client who claims to be having a breatharian pregnancy. (I was relieved in the interview that the pregnant woman's blood tests came out on the "high side of perfect.")
    A prominent breatharian personality is Jasmuheen, "Ambassador of Peace," and author of the book "Living on Light." Apparently, Jasmuheen, as she describes it, survived "on and off well, pretty well, just on water and tea for two years [without losing weight,] since the body is a...biocomputer; the mind is a software program and you can reprogram the body if you have a strong mind-body connection, so that the body's weight will stabilize." (See video below.)
    One prominent phrase I often see associated with breatharianism are the terms "Prana" or "Pranic," which is mumbo jumbo for quack spiritual energy. Here is a video example advertising a course in Pranic healing course taught by a disciple of "outstanding scientist," Master Choa Kok Sui."
    Jasmuheen talks about  there being "so much scientific experimentation being done on [Prana energy.]" Good to know again, that all this is supported by scientific evidence. In fact, the amount of "science" which which supports the legitimacy of these practices is, ahem, breath-taking.
    Ah well, enough of my sarcastic commentary. Let's let the Breatharians speak for themselves. Below is a collection of some favorites. On the left is an Indian Yogi who has been living without food and water for 70 years. (Amazing!) Second from the left, is the assurance that "thousands of people" now know how to live life without food--good news for the Third World! Second from the right is a news report, featuring an interview with Jasmuheen. If you want to say "Yes Yes Yes" with Jasmuheen check out the far-right panel. Personally, I prefer "No, no, no."

But the fun never stops! Below, left, is what is described as an advertisement for breatharianism. Enjoy!
    Need a break?  Perhaps, you would prefer to "think happy little puppy," as you perform the "breath of fire," (below, center), or maybe a little Pink Floyd is your ticket: Breathe. (Below, right).
    Yes, I agree Roger Waters, breathe. I say, take a breath of reality.  

The hula frog was, as in the Monty Python dead parrot sketch, NOT dead. He was, apparently...only sleeping. No doubt about the fact that frogs are a highly endangered group, with about a third of them in trouble. So, it is good news that one species, the Hula Painted Frog, has been found alive. This gives new hope to the possibility that other extremely-hard-to-find frogs, are just that: hard to find and not gone. More info at this very-informative National Geographic article.

The snowy owl blinks. Sitting on her perch in the cold Canadian forest, she refuses to shiver lest she reveal her presence.  Listening. Waiting for a flicker of movement. The snow surface shows a slight tremor, betraying the presence of a burrowing rodent. First the owl hears it, then she sees it. Launching silently from her roost, spreading her wings into a labored flap, and a final soar. Gliding. Focusing. Talons extended, she crashes through the surface of the snow, hoping to grasp the warm vole in her claws...But not this time. The mammal shrieks and dives into the tangle of undergrowth. A victory for the vole, a tragedy of uncompensated energy for the owl. The vole will survive the night, but the owl will be hungry, and so will her children. At least for now.