ME and Ophelia

Friday, July 31, 2009

 
Snake 'befriends' snack hamster
- JK wedding entrance dance

Snake 'befriends' snack hamster

Photo:  Aochan, the snake 'seems to enjoy' being with Gohan, the hamster (AP/BBC)

A rodent-eating snake and a hamster have developed an unusual bond at a zoo in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.

Their relationship began in October last year, when zookeepers presented the hamster to the snake as a meal.

The rat snake, however, refused to eat the rodent. The two now share a cage, and the hamster sometimes falls asleep sitting on top of his natural foe.

"I have never seen anything like it," a zookeeper at the Mutsugoro Okoku zoo told the Associated Press News agency.

The hamster was initially offered to Aochan, the two-year-old rat snake, because it was refusing to eat frozen mice.

As a joke, the zookeeper said they named the hamster Gohan - the Japanese word for meal.

"I don't think there's any danger. Aochan seems to enjoy Gohan's company very much," said zookeeper Kazuya Yamamoto.

The apparent friendship between the snake and hamster is one of many reported bonds spanning the divide between predator and prey.

Source: BBC News, 19 January 2006 - Snake 'befriends' snack hamster

Lioness adopts third baby antelope 

Lioness adopts third baby antelope

Photo: The last calf was killed while she was sleeping

Odd couple make friends in Kenya

Odd couple make friends in Kenya

Photo: Mzee and Owen have become firm friends despite the age gap (AFP/BBC)

SEE ALSO
Odd couple make friends in Kenya 
06 Jan 05 |  Africa
Lioness adopts third baby antelope 
01 Apr 02 |  Africa
The lioness and the oryx 
07 Jan 02 |  Africa
Japan zoo walks portly penguins 
15 Dec 05 |  Asia-Pacific
Escaped snake in hamster jam 
01 Aug 00 |  Scotland
Tokyo delighted by visiting whale 
05 May 05 |  Asia-Pacific

JK wedding entrance dance 

Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson, the wedding couple filmed dancing down the aisle, have become an internet sensation after the video received six million YouTube hits.

From The Daily Telegraph
Couple's wedding entrance dance becomes YouTube viral hit
By Alastair Jamieson
26 July 2009
The whole dance, performed to the tune of Chris Brown?s 2008 song, Forever, lasts five minutes and takes most of the assembled guests by surprise

The video clip, posted only one week ago, shows the pair dancing energetically towards the altar, preceded by their ushers, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

The whole dance, performed to the tune of Chris Brown’s 2008 song, Forever, lasts five minutes and takes most of the assembled guests by surprise.

The groom, 28, performs a somersault on his way to the altar and his hip-swaying bride, also 28, receives a standing ovation as she joins him for the exchange of vows.

The video has already turned the couple, from St Paul, Minnesota, into celebrities in the United States with appearances on network television. It has already been viewed 6.6m times.

The new bride said only the couple’s parents were aware of the plans for the unconventional wedding march and that the dance was only rehearsed for “about an hour and a half” before the ceremony.

"I'm just glad I didn't hurt myself," Mr Heinz said of his somersault.

The success of the clip echoes that of British couple James Derbyshire and Julia Boggio who re-enacted the 1987 Dirty Dancing scene between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray on the dance floor at their reception.

The 2005 clip became so popular, with more than three million hits, that Swayze himself appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to meet the couple.


You Tube caption (13,092,099 views to date): Our wedding entrance dance to Forever...yeah, forever. For more information or to make a donation towards violence prevention please visit our website: http://www.jkweddingdance.com/

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Sunday, July 26, 2009

 
Queen told how economists missed financial crisis 

Cryptic note to self for future reference.  I saw it coming, which is why I wrote and published this at Sudan Watch on Tuesday, June 19, 2007:
U.N. Head Links Climate Change, Darfur
Recently on television news, I saw the great American media baron Ted Turner talking about masses of money changing hands more now than ever before. Seems he's divesting of media to concentrate and invest in nuclear and environment.

My point is, the climate change spending budget will be humongous and, coupled with the world's munitions spending, represents an historic opportunity for making poverty (and war!) history. Surely if world peace could be agreed, and amnesty's sorted, it would leave those who refuse to give up illegal weapons to be treated as criminals.

United Nations Blames Darfur on Food, Water Shortage
IslamOnline.net & Newspapers 18 June 2007

U.N. Head Links Climate Change, Darfur
AP report via Guardian June 17, 2007

"It is no accident that the violence in Darfur erupted during the drought," Ban said. (Reuters)
- - -

Quote of the Year

"The Queen asked me: 'If these things were so large, how come everyone missed them? 
-Professor Luis Garicano (Source:  see here below)
- - -

From Telegraph.co.uk
Sunday, 26 Jul 2009:
Queen told how economists missed financial crisis
The Queen has been sent a letter by a group of eminent economists explaining how "financial wizards" failed to "foresee the timing, extent and severity" of the economic crisis, it was reported.

The three-page letter, signed by London School of Economics professor Tim Besley, an external member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, and political historian Peter Hennessy, was sent after the Queen asked on a visit to the LSE why nobody had predicted the credit crunch, according to the Observer newspaper.

The letter ends: "In summary, your majesty, the failure to foresee the timing, extent and severity of the crisis and to head it off, while it had many causes, was principally a failure of the collective imagination of many bright people, both in this country and internationally, to understand the risks to the system as a whole."

The letter talks of the "psychology of denial" that gripped the financial and political world and says "financial wizards" convinced themselves they had found ways to spread risk throughout the financial markets - a great example of "wishful thinking combined with hubris".

The content was discussed during a seminar at the British Academy in June, attended by Treasury permanent secretary Nick MacPherson, Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill and Observer economics columnist William Keegan, the newspaper said.

A Buckingham Palace spokewoman would not discuss the correspondence but said: "The Queen always displays an interest in current issues and is kept abreast of current issues. Obviously the recession is very topical."

In March, Mervyn King became the first Bank of England governor to be invited for private talks with the Queen.

When she visited the LSE in November last year she asked Professor Luis Garicano, of the economics' management department, about the origins of the credit crisis, saying: "Why did nobody notice it?"

Prof Garicano told the Queen: "At every stage, someone was relying on somebody else and everyone thought they were doing the right thing."

The Queen described it as "awful".

Prof Garicano said afterwards: "The Queen asked me: 'If these things were so large, how come everyone missed them?"'

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Nadine the 'Pig Whisperer' 

Love this story of pigs having fun in crystal clear water in the Bahamas.

The bay of pigs: swine swimming in crystal clear water in the Bahamas


Underwater photographer Eric Cheng stumbled across the unusual residents during a diving expedition to the area.

"We were in the southern Bahamas to photograph oceanic white-tip sharks," says the 33-year-old. 

"Our captain, Jim Abernethy, had heard that there were pigs on Big Major so we decided to go and check it out"

The Pig Whisperer

"Nadine Umbscheiden, one of the photographers, was so at ease with them," reveals Eric

"We dubbed her the 'pig whisperer' because she was so good at getting the pigs to swim to our cameras!"

"Because locals bring food, the pigs will run into the water and actually swim out to the oncoming boats, as if to greet them individually"

The bay of pigs: swine swimming in crystal clear water in the Bahamas

Pictures: Eric Cheng/Barcroft Media.  Source: Telegraph.co.uk - The bay of pigs: swine swimming in crystal clear water in the Bahamas

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Saturday, July 18, 2009

 
USS Halyburton crew take part in historic ceremony at Tower of London

The crew of a US frigate made history on Saturday by becoming the first foreign ship to take part in the ceremony of the 'Constable's Dues' at the Tower of London.

USS Halyburton crew take part in historic ceremony at Tower of London

Barrel of rum delivered in tradition dating back to the 14th century.

From The Daily Telegraph
By Ian Johnston
Published: 18 Jul 2009

USS Halyburton crew take part in historic ceremony at Tower of London

The ceremony recreates a tradition dating back to the 14th century (PA)
A shore party from the USS Halyburton put aside old disputes about "taxation without representation" to deliver a barrel of rum to the Tower.

The ceremony recreates a tradition dating back to the 14th century, where ships docking near the Tower would have to give the Constable part of their cargo as a form of tax.

This has since evolved into a ceremonial handover of what is usually an empty barrel of wine.

Crew members from the USS Halyburton became the first crew of a foreign ship to take part in the ceremony by presenting a barrel filled with Castillo Silver Rum to the Constable and his Yeoman Warders, commonly known as Beefeaters.

Commander Michael P. Huck led his crew to the Tower's West Gate where they were challenged by the Yeoman Gaoler armed with his axe.

The American shore party then marched through the Tower of London to Tower Green, accompanied by Yeoman Warders in scarlet and gold state dress and a Corps of Drums to deliver the rum to the current Constable, General Sir Roger Wheeler.

Commander Huck said: "Halyburton and her crew are honoured to be invited to take part in a tradition with such rich history. It is an excellent opportunity for my crew to not only enjoy London culture, but to be an active part of it."

However he admitted neither the cask nor the rum was actually cargo from the ship.

"The wine cask has been provided to us by the Tower authorities," he said. "It will actually be filled with Castillo Silver Rum. Unfortunately, since we do not typically carry alcohol on-board, that was also provided to us."

The constable's post was once a powerful position. He was entitled to collect money from fishermen and pilgrims, and could claim any horses, oxen, pigs or sheep that fell off London Bridge.
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Friday, July 10, 2009

 
Over At The Frankenstein Place (Acoustic Version)

Fond memories of attending the opening night of the original Rocky Horror Show in London (1973) starring Tim Curry.  Regrets that I hadn't booked it, when I had an opportunity to do so, several years later. Can't recall what stopped me. Might have been around the time I was seriously injured in a car accident. 

Here is a video of Richard O'Brien doing an acoustic version of Over At The Frankenstein Place.  I am filing it here, along with the Time Warp, so I can listen when the mood takes. Click here to listen to samples of the the show's earliest recordings, better than any later versions.





The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Time Warp.



The Rocky Horror Show (Original 1973 London Theatre Upstairs Cast)

The Rocky Horror Show (Original 1973 London Theatre Upstairs Cast)
Image courtesy of Amazon.com
# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 7/10/2009 0 comments

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

 
Thanks to Sky for great coverage of  Jackson Farewell

Click here to hear 'Smile', an inspirational song by the late great Michael Jackson. The song was touchingly sung at his memorial service yesterday by his brother. See clip here below.  I watched the event live on Sky News TV and cried throughout the beautiful musical tributes.



The Michael Jackson memorial concert was one of the biggest internet and television events ever.  It was watched by more than funeral of Princess of Wales.

From Telegraph.co.uk by John Bingham 08 Jul 2009:
Michael Jackson memorial concert one of the biggest internet and television events ever
With preliminary estimates putting the global television audience at more than a billion people, it rivals the inauguration of Barack Obama as US president but could fall short of the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer which attracted 2.5 billion.

Internet traffic was up by as much as 33 per cent as fans around the world posted live messages online as the spectacular event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles unfolded.

The Jackson memorial dominated discussion topics on Twitter and Facebook with tens of thousands of messages being posted each minute.

As the concert progressed, the words "Mandela", "Sharpton", "Jermaine", "Brooke" and "Shields" were in turn the most used terms on Twitter while "Jackson" remained near the top of the list throughout.

The singer also remained near the top of the Twitter trending topics by Wednesday morning.

Almost 10 million people watched the event through a video stream on CNN's website alone, the highest since the Obama inauguration.

Yahoo also reportedly saw five million total streams, making it the most streamed ceremony in its history.

Facebook reported that almost a million status updates containing the word "Jackson" had been posted with at least 6,000 comments per minute linked to the CNN streaming alone. There were thousands more for alternative internet showings on ABC, and E! Online websites.

"The 6,000 is just for CNN Live," said Randi Zuckerberg of Facebook. "It is significantly higher than that when you factor in E! Online, ABC, and MTV which each have their own Facebook Connect implementations.

"The most interesting thing is how many people are writing in internationally. The Jackson memorial seems to have a huge international presence."
Facebook updates from Switzerland, Israel, Britain and Barbados poured in.

Clips of the event, including the singer's daughter Paris's emotional tribute, attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers on the video sharing website YouTube while other Jackson-related films dominated the most watched list.

But the BBC received criticism in some quarters for clearing schedules to carry the event live.
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