Talking about Predators Games - That's One Seriously Giant Sea Monster!

I have always been fascinated with dinosaurs, with a particular interest to wanting to know more about the giant sea cretures that lived during this time.  In truth, as much as we think we know about the dinosaurs that walked the earth, in contrast, we know very little about the animals that lived underwater.  

One thing that is certain - they were big, as in GIANT! And they were more powerful than anything that walked or crawled on earth.

It's official: A giant, marine reptile that roamed the seas roughly 150 million years ago is a new species, researchers say. The animal, now named Pliosaurus funkei, spanned about 40 feet (12 meters) and had a massive 6.5-foot-long (2 m) skull with a bite four times as powerful as Tyrannosaurus rex.

Seriously: a 6.5 foot long skull!  Think about it! That's giantosaurous! 

"They were the top predators of the sea," said study co-authorPatrick Druckenmiller, a paleontologist at the University of Alaska Museum. "They had teeth that would have made a T. rex whimper."

Combined with other fossil finds, the newly discovered behemoth skeletons of P. funkei paint a picture of an ancient Jurassic-era ocean filled with giant predators.

In 2006, scientists unearthed two massive pliosaur skeletons inSvalbard, Norway, a string of islands halfway between Europe and the North Pole. The giant creatures, one of which was dubbed Predator X at the time, looked slightly different from other pliosaurs discovered in England and France over the last century and a half. [See Images of Predator X]

Now, after years of painstaking analysis of the jaw, vertebrae and forelimbs, the researchers have determined that Predator X is in fact a new species, and they have officially named it for Bjorn and May-Liss Funke, volunteers who first discovered the fossils.

The pliosaurs, marine reptiles that prowled the seas 160 million to 145 million years ago during theJurassic period, had short necks, tear-shaped bodies and four large, paddle-shaped limbs that let them "fly through the water," Druckenmiller told LiveScience.

The new species likely lived closer to 145 million years ago and ate plesiosaurs, related long-necked, small-headed reptiles.

The new analysis shows P. funkei had proportionally longer front paddles than other pliosaurs, as well as slightly different vertebrae shape and different spacing of teeth within the jaw, Druckenmiller said.

In 2008, scientists initially estimated that Predator X could have been up to 50 feet (15 m) long. The current study suggests the creature is smaller than that, but still bigger than the largest living apex predator, the killer whale, which tops out at about 30 feet (9 m) long, Druckenmiller said.

The Pliosaurus funkei fossils were just two of nearly 40 specimens discovered at the Svalbard site. In the Oct. 12 issue of the Norwegian Journal of Geology, the authors also describe two new ichthyosaurs, or dolphinlike reptiles, the longest-necked Jurassic-era plesiosaur on record, and several invertebrates.

Together, the fossils suggest an ancient Arctic sea teeming with fearsome predators and invertebrate fauna, said study co-author Jorn Hurum of the University of Oslo in an email.

"It's not just that we found a new species, we've been discovering a whole ecosystem," Druckenmiller said.

Peter Thomas Senese: Dreams and Hopes of Every Writer - The Impact of Chasing The Cyclone

As I sit and reflect on my next novel titled 'Predators Games', which I must admit, I am so thoroughly enjoying writing, as in, really loving it . . . my thoughts have drifted to what my hopes and aspirations are for the sequel to 'The Den of the Assassin'.  And this leads me to think about 'Chasing The Cyclone', and what this book has accomplished thus far . . . while knowing that 'Chasing The Cyclone' still has a long way to go!

Of course, 'Predators Games' is a very different type of book than 'Chasing The Cyclone' and so, the aspirations are a very different.  Nevertheless, it is my intent and hope in writing 'Predators Games' that readers will find great entertainment value while also learning about a great deal of geopolitical issues that may give them a desire to think about things that society as a whole must contemplate.

With respect to 'Chasing The Cyclone' it has been nothing short of . . .

Every Writer's Hope . . . The Impact of Peter Thomas Senese's 'Chasing The Cyclone'                                                                                   



The power of the written word is alive and well today, as it has been ever since mankind first etched hieroglyphics on stone.  Despite living in the nano-universe of digital storytelling, at the root of our ability to convey a story or issue in the detailed substance that it may deserve, it is my opinion that there is nothing more powerful and insightful than a book.

When I first decided to write 'Chasing The Cyclone', I did so with the hope and intent that perhaps one parent or one lawyer or one judge may learn something about the growing pandemic of international parental child abduction and either prevent the abduction of a child or assist in the safe legal recovery of a child. 

What has originated from the first pages I penned of my deeply personal novel while I was sitting on the wind swept sand beach of Paradise Cove located in Malibu Beach has come to be nothing short of a Call-To-Arms against the despicable, unacceptable abuse of a child that is international child abduction and child trafficking.

Unquestionably, the publication of 'Chasing The Cyclone' has helped many parents and children.

Before I go any further, I want you to know that I have learned that by following your heart, you can make a difference for others.  And regardless if that difference benefits one person or many, the privilege of helping another is in fact the greatest gift we can receive.

It is based upon this notion coupled with other blessings I have in my life, that I have volunteered both my time and significant resources to help protect children and their parents.

I have done this by making significant contributions to the highly respected 501 C 3 not-for-profit organization I am the Founding Director known as the I CARE Foundation (I invite you to read more about the I CARE Foundation).  In fact, outside of direct contributions I have made to the foundation, I have also donated 100% of all my earnings from all e-book sales of my various novels to the I CARE Foundation (I invite you to see 'Peter Thomas Senese Donates Book Sales To Help Children).

Has this been successful?

Incredibly.  (I invite you to read, "Peter Thomas Senese Helps Rescue Numerous Children Who Have Been Victims Of Or Targeted For International Abduction' (Note: the select sworn affidavits are only a sampling of sworn testimonials I am in possession of concerning my and the I CARE Foundation's work. A great majority of our activities are not publicly disclosed due to the sensitivity of the subject of child abduction).

So what has made Chasing The Cyclone a great success?  A great deal. Here is a sampling of accomplishments that have and will continue to help children and their parents.

                                                     

                                                    THE I CARE FOUNDATION

1. The creation of the 501-C-3 Not-for-profit ‘International Child Abduction Research & Enlightenment’ Foundation' (I CARE Foundation)  that was established to and has successfully rescued numerous internationally kidnapped children while conducting advanced research in the area of IPCA in order advocate for the creation of new laws that will protect children from international kidnapping.

2. Under the I CARE Foundation’s leadership, we have built a large national pro bono network of lawyers willing to assist parents who are targeted to have a child internationally kidnapped or who have had a child abducted while also launching a successful and ongoing recruitment campaign for lawyers to join the United States Department of State's Hague Convention Attorney Network; and,

3. Overseeing the legal rescue and reunification of numerous internationally kidnapped children; and,

4. Provided necessary resources required for numerous lawyers and targeted parents who were trying to prevent their child from being internationally abducted (see 'Senese Creates Arsenal Of Tools To Hlep Lawyers and Targeted Parents'); and,

5. Board Member Carolyn Vlk wrote the legislation for the State of Florida's Child Abduction Prevention Act while Board Member Peter Thomas Senese orchestrated lobbying efforts that led to the unanimous passage of the CAPA legislation into now effective law; and,

6. Successfully advocated for the federal implementation of the 'Prevent Departure Program' to be used as a tool to stop international parental child abduction; and,

7. Writer and advocate behind legislative initiatives to prevent international child abduction by modifying the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative; and,

8. Writer and advocate behind legislative initiatives to prevent international child abduction by modifying the Prevent Departure Program II; and,

9. The co-authoring and creation and FREE publication of the extensive 'The World Turned Upside Down' open-tablet E-book resource guide on IPCA; and,

10. The creation and production of the FREE ongoing educations documentary film on IPCA titled'Chasing Parents: Racing Into the Storms of IPCA; and,

11. The co-authoring of the extensive research report titled 'Crisis In America: IPCA Today'; and,

12. The co-authoring of the extensive research report titled 'International Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere'; and,

13. The creation of one of the most informative websites on IPCA; and,

14. The ongoing efforts to create additional federal laws that evolve around child abduction prevention.

15. The stout support and advocacy that led to the passage of on line impersonation laws such as those passed in the states of California and New York.

16. I have used significant book publication revenue to finance the recovery of internationally kidnapped children.

17. Upcoming I CARE Foundation sponsored educational legal training seminars for lawyers in the area of IPCA.

18.  A large and growing grass-roots effort to educate parents about the risks of IPCA and child trafficking.

19.  A promise to continue my efforts to educate society about the issues of IPCA, use my resources whenever possible to assist others, and to work toward the passage of new laws that will protect children, as demonstrated in the sworn testimonials of my conduct.


All from a book called 'Chasing The Cyclone' that was inspired by the time in my life I was required to chase into the storms of abduction.

One final note, and this is personally extremely important to me to share.  Before I raised my voice and tried to make a difference in the fight against IPCA, there were, as there are today other wonderful advocates who have fought so hard to protect children by raising their voice, using their resources to fight a good fight, and to pass new laws that will protect children.  I recognize and applaud each of these individuals who make up the community of child advocates who are dedicated to protecting children.

For more on me, Peter Thomas Senese, I invite you to visit my official website.

Peter Thomas Senese: Writing Predators Games At The New York City Public Library - Always A Love Affair

Peter Thomas Senese: 'Den of the Assasin's' Sequel, 'Predators Games', And The Library

The other day, I had an opportunity of spending some time at the amazing New York City Public Library - one of the select locations where I work on my novels or screenplays, which is exactly what I was doing on this particular day. 

Specifically, while sitting in my usual seat 125 located in the Great Reading Room, I continued working on another edit of Predators Games, the upcoming sequel of The Den of the Assassin.  After about 6 hours, and after a stroll around the library's children section, I returned my focus to the firery story that explodes off of the pages . . . taking the reader into the unthinkable after the final words are read in The Den of the Assassin. 

AS for Predators Games, what I can tell you is this: the story so many readers around the world enjoyed that is The Den of the Assassin, continues . . . but in a way that will leave you on the edge of your seat from the first page. So, if you have not read The Den of the Assassin, now is a good time to consider doing so.

Truth is, I love to write.  And I love the writing and re-writing process that is Predaotrs Games!

In addition, to say that working in the Great Reading Room or the Map Room gets me very excited  - and allows me to travel into another world - would be an understatement.  

This past time; however, there was something else that tugged at my outside of the story of Tyler Boxter - something that pulled at my mind while sitting underneath the heavens of the grand hall, and then later in the corner room adorned with maps and globes. You see, my mind continued to drift and think about what the land underneath this grand accomplishment that is the New York City Public Libary looked like before the Astor family provided the financial endowment needed to build this - one of the world's greatest libraries.  

What was there?

A giant pond surrounded by sheep!

Seriously.

And today . . . well, I think the statues of Leo Astar and Leo Lenox says it all.

The power of books and the magic of libraries is simply incredible!

                                                 

                                                                              * * * 

Peter Thomas Senese is a best-selling geopolitical author and outspoken children's advocate. He is the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation, which has rescued and safely brought home numerous children who were internationally kidnapped.  Peter Senese has donated 100% of his e-book earnings to help fight against child abduciton, while also making additional significant contributions that have enabled the I CARE Foundation to help bring home kidnapped children. 

His latest novel that critiques everywhere are praising titled Chasing The Cyclone will be released during the Christmas Holiday of 2012. The story is drawn from Peter Thomas Senese's experiences of finding, rescuing, and recovering his own child who was a victim of international abduction. For more information please visit Chasing The Cyclone.