Welcome to Metaphorical Platypus! Here you'll find articles on a broad array of topics, copyright-friendly photo galleries, and more.

About the Author / About this Site / FAQ / Terms of Use

Animals Cats / Dogs / Endangered Wild Cats / Sharks / Bees / Hummingbirds and Butterflies / Pet Product Reviews / Pet Names / Cat Photos / Dog Photos / Bird Photos / Farm Animal Photos / Zoo Animal Photos	Psychology Music Psychology / Psychology of Attraction / Dream Psychology / Psychopathy Causes, Traits, and FAQ / Natural Anxiety Remedies / Colour Psychology / Light Therapy for Depression / Mind Benefits of Exercise
Gardening and Plants Natural Pest Control / Wildlife Gardening / Growing Tulips / Fall and Winter Gardening / Environmentally Friendly Gardens / Container Gardens / School Gardens / Composting / Garden Photos / Flower Photos	Writer's Resources Beautiful Words / Intelligent Words / Funny Words / Commonly Confused Words / Resources for Freelancers and Academic Writers / Links to Style Guides for APA, MLA, Associated Press, Harvard, Turabian
Mind/Body Health and Fitness General Health, Fitness, and Exercise Guidelines / Strength Training / Weight Loss / Stretch Techniques / ADHD / Anxiety and Panic Disorder / Autism and Asperger's Syndrome / Light Therapy	Photo Galleries Animals / Flowers / Architecture / Oceans / Furniture and Objects / Food and Drink / Gardens / Winter Scenes / Fall Colours / Vancouver, Canada / Devon, England / Forests / Mountains / Sunsets / Beaches / Wales, UK / Jewelry / Boats
Nutrition and Food Food and Nutrition Articles / Food Facts and Information About Supplements / Alcohol Health Benefits and Risks / Recipes and Cooking Tips / Health Benefits of Tea and Coffee / Nutrition Resources	Fun Stuff Astrology / Christmas Gift Ideas, Crafts, Freebies, Graphics, and More / Free Halloween Graphics and Costume, Food, and Party Ideas / Fun Animal Stuff

About the Author: Jennifer Copley

Work: I'm a writer, researcher, and editor serving a wide variety of clients, most often business, technology, education, library, and biomedical interests. In the past I've worked with children of various ages, including those with special needs, and helped to develop materials for Montessori education. I'm currently the writing and editing principal at Infodemons Information Consultancy. Education: I have degrees in Education and Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, as well as TESOL certification, and have taken courses in Neuropsychology, Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Educational Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Latin, and English Literature. Fiction Writing : I write science fiction novels for fun - most often speculative fiction, usually of the future dystopia or post-Armageddon variety, though I venture into other genres from time to time.

Hobbies: When not writing, I spent my time on a variety of pursuits, including hiking, hotspringing, running, swimming, ju jitsu, kickboxing, weight training, growing things in pots, taking pictures, engaging in various arts and crafts, cooking and baking, collecting pointless facts, learning to ski and snowboard, attempting to break the laws of physics, mocking pop cultural icons, and fostering kittens for the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association. Online Store: I have an Etsy Store where I sell pretty shiny things I've made. Free giftwrapping is available on request. Back to the Top

About This Site

I chose the name MetaphoricalPlatypus for this site because the platypus looks as though it was put together using random spare parts from a variety of different animals, and this site covers a diverse array of topics, many of which have little (if any) connection to each other.

I enjoy research and writing, and use these skills to distill information from many expert sources into brief, information-dense articles that answer popular questions. Key features that differentiate the articles on this site from those found on many others include:

• Use of expert sources for each article (doctors, dieticians, veterinarians, animal behaviouralists, peer-reviewed journal articles, respected medical and educational organizations, etc.)
• Provision of reference lists at the end of each article so that readers can see where the information comes from (including the qualifications of those who provide it)
• Inclusion of last-updated dates for each article, as well as copyright/last-updated years for sources, so that readers know how current the information is for each article

For information on using photos or citing articles from this site, see the Frequently Asked Questions below.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use one of your articles on my website/print publication?

Quoting up to approximately 50 words (or about one paragraph), provided that you cite the original source, can be considered reasonable fair use; reproducing entire articles without permission is an illegal copyright violation. If quoting from an article on this site, please attribute the quote to Jennifer Copley, www.metaphoricalplatypus.com.

There is a fee for full reproduction of my articles on for-profit websites (sites selling products, hosting ads, etc.). The fee varies depending on the popularity of the article (and thus the amount of revenue that is likely to be lost due to online duplication).

In certain cases I've granted rights to registered charitable organizations to reproduce my articles for free in their educational materials. If you represent a registered charity and are interested in one of the articles here, please contact me to discuss reproduction possibilities.

Print (non-Web) publications are considered on a case-by-case basis. Contact me at jennifercopley@gmail.com for more information about specific permissions.

Can I use photos from this site on my own website?

All of the photos in the Free Photo Gallery are mine. They may be used on your site or to supplement your online articles provided that you cite and link to this website as the source - just add the following attribution and link to the page where the photo is used: Free Photo Gallery, www.metaphoricalplatypus.com.

Photos that accompany my articles are either my own or belong to various other photographers who have made their photos available via Creative Commons or other copyright-friendly licenses. If you want to use one of these photos, scroll to the bottom of the page to see the Image Credits. If an author is listed for the photo, you must credit this author and link to his or her work as I have. If no credit is given for an individual photo, it is mine. In this case, you can credit the photo with a link to this website on the page where the photo is used. Contact me if you have any questions about this policy.

I'd like to read some of the research studies from your reference list for a certain article, but they're not available online - how can I find them?

When conducting research for my articles, I access many peer-reviewed research studies through electronic databases available via my local library. If you have a library card, your local library should offer free access to online academic and business databases that you can search from home by logging onto your library's website. Universities also provide free access to electronic databases for their students (and often their alumni as well).

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Terms of Use

Articles on this site are provided for informational purposes only; they are not intended as a substitute for medical, psychiatric, or veterinary advice, diagnosis, or care. The purpose of these articles is to provide synopses of information from various expert sources that can be used as an educational supplement to professional health care; the health and psychiatric concerns of people and animals must be referred to qualified doctors and veterinarians respectively. I conduct a lot of research for these articles and attempt, in good faith, to provide the most reliable information possible by drawing upon multiple expert sources. However, no guarantees are made by this site, and I accept no liability for the consequences of actions (or lack thereof) undertaken by users. Use of this site constitutes agreement to the terms specified in this disclaimer.

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