I decided the proper scientific name was more dignified than "peanut worm".

I took an invertebrate anatomy course in college around 1998 and came across this interestingly named phylum. I wondered why they got their own phylum and am now not exactly surprised to see that they don't really deserve that distinction and are really just a subgroup of the annelids (segmented worms). So I'm not so special after all. I've never actually found one and probably made the better decision to focus on vertebrate anatomy and physiology, specifically that of the commonly found Homo sapiens, as job prospects proved to be more lucrative.

Contrary to what might be assumed, my choice of screen name doesn't have much to do with the Rolling Stones. I do apologize for any confusion, as I know the Stones were touring near the habitats of these interesting creatures during their Bridges to Babylon tour. The worms live in coastal areas, and taking a glance at the tour schedule, it appears they did visit some cities near the oceans. I'm not aware of any interest by members of the band in these worms, but if anyone has a picture of Keith Richards with a Sipunculan it would be very interesting to see.

From Wikipedia:
The Sipuncula or Sipunculida (common names sipunculid worms or peanut worms) is a group containing about 162 species of bilaterally symmetrical, unsegmented marine worms. The name Sipuncula is from the genus name Sipunculus, and comes from the Latin siphunculus meaning a "small tube".[1] Sipuncula seems to be closely related to Myzostomida, and Annelida.

While traditionally considered a phylum, Sipuncula may be a subgroup of Annelida, based on recent molecular work.

Sipunculans vary in size but most species are under 10 cm (4 in) in length. The body is divided into an unsegmented, bulbous trunk and a narrower, anterior section, called the "introvert", which can be retracted into the trunk. The mouth is at the tip of the introvert and is surrounded in most groups by a ring of short tentacles. With no hard parts, the body is flexible and mobile. Although found in a range of habitats throughout the world's oceans, the majority of species live in shallow water habitats, burrowing under the surface of sandy and muddy substrates. Others live under stones, in rock crevices or in other concealed locations.

Most sipunculans are deposit feeders, extending the introvert to gather food particles and draw them into the mouth, and retracting the introvert when feeding conditions are unsuitable or danger threatens. With a few exceptions, reproduction is sexual and involves a planktonic larval stage. Sipunculid worms are used as food in some countries in southeast Asia.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-07-25 21:35 by Sipuncula.

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tomcasagranda

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SonofHarlemShuffler

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tomcasagranda
It's my real name truncated. My real name is Thomas Casagranda. I live in Reading, Berkshire, UK. I hold a Masters in the reception of the Ancient World, a summa cum laude BA First class degree in Classics. I work for a large US-based company called Verizon, which I love, and I'm pushing 50.

There ya go.

Are you the only person on the planet to be qualified in “the reception of the Ancient World”? Are you now working as a receptionist for your company?

Just a little good-natured joshing. Seriously, I would be interested to know more about your qualification, not that you’re under any obligation to respond.

Ha ha !

Good posting.

Now, many years back in that time-frame of the early 1990s I was at university. My BA was in Classics, majoring in Latin. I was two papers off getting a double first, missing by seven marks on Ancient Literary Theory, and Latin unseen.

BA involved Greek Epic, i.e Homer's Odyssey, Iliad, Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica: Roman epic involved Virgil's Aeneid, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Lucan's Pharsalia.

I also worked on Latin Love Poetry: Catullus, Propertius, Tibullus, Ovid's Amores, Ars Amatoria.

However, my BA dissertation was on Virtue & Vice In Juvenal's Satires, which I enjoyed tremendously. I'd recommend anyone to read Juvenal, as he's a great author, a bit bad tempered at times but the social commentary remains timeless.

After I did my BA, circa 1996, I went on and did a Masters in the reception of the Ancient World. That involved analysing how Greek Tragedy, i.e Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus would be produced and presented in the modern world. I analysed an adaptation of Medea by Pier Paolo Passolini, likewise Oedipe Re by Pasolini too. Furthermore, I analysed a production of the Bacchae by Wole Soyinka, and Jean Anouilh's version of Antigone. Additionally, I read Hegel's exposition of Antigone, Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy, and applied them to papers on Greek Tragedy.

I also, at Masters level, looked at Rome On Film, i.e the silent Ben Hur compared to the Charlton Heston 50s version. Quo Vadis was also factored in. Additionally, I looked at 19th Century Victorians In Togas novels such as The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (an awful novel by any stretch of the imagination). I also continued with a Masters degree in Roman Satire, and its accompanying influence on St Jerome.

I'm, however, not a receptionist at Verizon: I do a thing called enhanced due diligence and anti-money laundering anti-bribery corruption analysis.

However, I'm not the only Classics scholar in the world - the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, is. Tom Hiddleston, he of Loki-fame, is also a classicist.

So, I hope that sums me up a bit.

Very impressive, tomcasagranda - especially to someone who got no further than O Level Latin! Gratias tibi ago.

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Sipuncula
I decided the proper scientific name was more dignified than "peanut worm".

Good choice. Platyhelminthes would have been weird.

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The Sicilian
I'm trying to picture climbing the antenna but my mind won't let me go there. Please describe it, does it sway up there?

Oh gawd, I don’t want to bore everyone (that’s a lie, I do it often and enjoy it thoroughly). ‘If the tower didn’t bend, it would break’ says the construction film, so yes, it sways, but if the winds are high and it sways more than 3 feet at the top, you can’t go up. It’s hard to remember details as it was 1978 and I was sleep deprived at 4am when we started up... Picture a big, 330 foot chimney with a ladder straight up. Break that into 5 parts (check a pic of the antenna, it’s in 5 ever-narrower sections) then add steel mesh floors between sections, a tangle of transmission cables, a fuse box and porthole (onto which you have to step between 2 of the sections) and that’s all I got. It was a hell of a rush though!

It's Good To Be Anywhere.

I needed a screen name to use for the Shidoobee board in 2005, when I decided to join it and learn more about the ABB tour. That was the first tour where I was able to follow the Stones around the country (USA). I was thinking about acronyms and chose one from Keith's favorite phrase during his set; plus I like that quote.

It's not a pronounceable acronym, since I did not think I would ever need to say my screen name to anyone. But then I started going to Shidoobee pre-parties and met hundreds of great people - too late to change my screen name to something pronounceable. I joined IORR sometime later during that extended ABB tour (probably to learn more about what to do when attending the last four concerts at Shane and the O2), and the same name was still available here.

Wish some dude on here had the screen name Boogers



ROCKMAN

Little known artsy philosopher

Let it Bleed is one of my favorite songs and JF are my actual initials, so JadedFaded worked out for me

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Virgin Priest
How did I pick my screen name??

I really don't know...

Aware or unaware, could it have been inspired by the lyrics of "Waiting on a Friend"?

;-) Yes.....

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SomeTorontoGirl

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The Sicilian
I'm trying to picture climbing the antenna but my mind won't let me go there. Please describe it, does it sway up there?

Oh gawd, I don’t want to bore everyone (that’s a lie, I do it often and enjoy it thoroughly). ‘If the tower didn’t bend, it would break’ says the construction film, so yes, it sways, but if the winds are high and it sways more than 3 feet at the top, you can’t go up. It’s hard to remember details as it was 1978 and I was sleep deprived at 4am when we started up... Picture a big, 330 foot chimney with a ladder straight up. Break that into 5 parts (check a pic of the antenna, it’s in 5 ever-narrower sections) then add steel mesh floors between sections, a tangle of transmission cables, a fuse box and porthole (onto which you have to step between 2 of the sections) and that’s all I got. It was a hell of a rush though!

A real Canadian daredevil! Did you ever tell Rockman how you went over the Niagara Falls in a barrel?

One more thing, how did you land this job at the tower back then? It seems like it would be a highly coveted job.

Did you ever tell Rockman how you went over the Niagara Falls in a barrel?


Yeah .... after she'd drank the barrell dry ....



ROCKMAN

Probably when I misremembered or replaced/made up my own lyrics from Midnight Rambler with They’re Red hot (R. Johnson). Or maybe I just finished watching the She was hot video. Possibly that.

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Redhotcarpet
Probably when I misremembered or replaced/made up my own lyrics from Midnight Rambler with They’re Red hot (R. Johnson). Or maybe I just finished watching the She was hot video. Possibly that.

Or maybe you subconsciously had GS in mind?

I'm dumb... really dumb... so I picked "abcd" as a name.

After a bitter online feud here with (I assume) Nola pita Freeer I got banned (and so did he).
I came back (he didn't) as "dcba".

Dumb indeed...

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Rockman
Did you ever tell Rockman how you went over the Niagara Falls in a barrel?


Yeah .... after she'd drank the barrell dry ....

Sorry, it was a different Annie who was first over the Falls in a barrel. I don’t want to ride anything that bounces me around more than my kayak. Unless the barrel is still full...

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DandelionPowderman

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Redhotcarpet
Probably when I misremembered or replaced/made up my own lyrics from Midnight Rambler with They’re Red hot (R. Johnson). Or maybe I just finished watching the She was hot video. Possibly that.

Or maybe you subconsciously had GS in mind?

Haha yes of course. Im still senile about my bloody screen name.