Great Video from You Tube!

Gotta love the Aussie's!

Meerkats and a Glider

Last Saturday, Bobbi and I visited the Whipsnade Zoo....if you ever have a chance- you should go. For some reason, Bobbi and I both enjoy zoos, but this is, by far, the best one I've ever been too. The animals are all in large paddocks or enclosures, and yet, for all the variety in their paddocks, they are still easy to be seen.

We visited on a beautiful day, and there must be a Glider School somewhere near by, for, as we roamed the park, gliders soared overhead for most of the day.

The meerkats, of course, kept a close eye on them- wondering, perhaps: "Hawk? Or Not-Hawk?"

Junkies Need another Hit -Drilling Off Shore

Bush Renews Calls for Offshore Drilling

See: AP "Bush Looks Offshore for remedy to high oil prices"
As America's drivers scream in economic pain due to high oil prices, our President proposes to ride to the rescue. How? By lifting the ban on drilling in US Coastal Waters.

That, says Bush, will fix everything.

Bushshit.

According to the same AP article, Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama points out that even if we started drilling TOMORROW we wouldn't see the oil for another 5 years.

Meanwhile, over at the Wall Street Journal, they are not panicking, no sir, they are giving out advice: GET IN ON THE OIL BOOM WHILE YOU CAN!

It is time that Americans learn that the age of cheap oil is over. It will NEVER go back down to affordable prices unless something of epic proportions happens...

Adding a temporary increase in supply won't do it...Oil companies will simply drill more slowly and keep the price up...OPEC has done this for years already.

Place this almost non-existent drop in oil prices, that we won't see in 5 years, against what we might loose by drilling off our coasts. It's a bad deal

I'm not just talking about clean beaches for swimming, but about real money...the US offshore fishing market is in real trouble, and yet, in a world which is clamoring for FOOD as much as for oil, this is another potential gold mine for this nation- one even more important that oil (people CAN learn to drive, but they'll never figure out how to stop eating). American fisherman have been struggling on the margins, waiting for the our fish population to bounce back (read Mark Kurlansky's "COD" for a fascinating discussion of this overlooked but vital chapter in American and World History).

An invasion by Oil companies could put the final nail into that coffin. Far to high a price to pay.

Instead, let's use the next five years, not to wait for a temporary supply of cheap oil to come bubbling dangerously from the deep, but instead to break our addiction to this substance once and for all.

No aliemente los largartos! When Tourists Attack.

Always remember---



Keep your hands inside the ride at all times!



It's not nice to fool with mother nature.



She doesn't like it.

Read the full story on this near death experience here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/05/wcroc105.xml

London Journey: Part Fifteen

October 10, 2007 The London Zoo & Regent’s Park

Walking through Regent’s Park, it is easy to see where Disney must have gotten ideas for the landscaping around Cinderella’s Castle; for the Magic Kingdom is, in many places, simply an idealized version of the United Kingdom (just as in other places, it is an idealized version of the Good Ole U.S.of A.)

Narrow streets lined with wrought iron fences climb over gently arching bridges which span narrow streams. Willows and other trees lean into the scene, and small lakes with tiny islands lay ready to be explored.

Regent’s Park is named, if I remember correctly, for the son of King George the Third. In 1810, the Prince of Wales was created Prince Regent upon the occasion of his father’s decent into madness. The extravagant prince spent great sums of money on art and architecture- it drove the politicians of the day insane, but London of today has a lot to thank him for.

While this park is fit for a prince, and in places seems incredibly formal to American eyes, it is worth noting that, in his London: A Short History, A.N. Wilson writes:

The London parks in the nineteenth century reflected the dawnings of democracy. As more and more people crowded into the metropolis, they felt ever more keenly the need for the “lungs” provided by the parks. As well as places to stroll, or hear music, the London Parks become the people’s gardens.

Perhaps that is part of, maybe the greatest part of, the unconscious genius of England…that, unlike other nations, where beauty fit for princes was torn from royal grasp by violent and bloody revolutions, leaving great rifts in the fabric of history and society, the slow and stately progression English history allowed these parks to become the shared natural property of both the people AND their monarchs…their joint birthright, rather than the spoils of war.

It is in the northeast corner of Regent’s Park that one finds the London Zoo. Founded originally by the London Zoological Society in the early 1800s, this zoo was one of the first in the world whose mission was the study of animal life, rather than the mere exhibition of it. As time has gone on, the zoo has modified its mission from one of study to one of study and conservation, and it has continually renewed itself.


One of the first areas we entered was the Reptile House. And yes, it does look familiar: this is where young Harry Potter first learned he could talk to snakes, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (better known here by it’s original British title: the Philosopher’s Stone). Inside the house is a picture of young Daniel Radcliff and the Python to commemorate the fact.

In Harry Potter, both Dudley and Uncle Vernon bang on the glass in a vain attempt to make the Giant Python move…but Bobbi and I had no such problems….the very first specimen we came upon was the deadly black mamba. (He’s green, actually, but the inside of his mouth is, apparently, as black as the death he brings.)

This fellow was quite the most active snake I’ve ever seen in captivity, and while we watched him, he watched us, slithering over all the branches of the tree in his cage and testing the glass.

Bobbi told me that, in Africa, one village was particularly welcoming of the mosquito spray used by members of her school. Not only did it drive of disease carrying insects, but it also made the black mamba that lived in the rafters of one of the huts move on, too. It is difficult not to ascribe evil intent to poisonous snakes…and I would have been very glad to see the back of this fellow myself!

The rest of the reptile house was fun, full of snakes of every sort, lizards, frogs, turtles, tortoises, and toads, but I have to admit that I was a LITTLE insulted by the fact that the Zoological authorities decided to decorate the Texas Sidewinder’s cage with sand, tumble weeds, barbed-wire, and litter: specifically an empty bottle of bud and a pack of Marlboro’s!

The enclosures at the London zoo are quite large….and most of the animals have much room in which to roam. But one of the neatest things about the London Zoo is the fact that, in many instances, you are allowed to enter the enclosures WITH the animals.

Many of the exhibits allow visitors to enter large enclosures where birds, butterflies or monkeys roam freely above and around you. The monkey’s, I thought, were particularly fun….it’s difficult to tell from the pictures, but this is not trick photography, we really are standing as close to the little guys as it looks.

Perhaps there are zoos in the United States which also allow this approach, but it is difficult for me to imagine in working in our litigious society. The minute some fat little brat from New Jersey stuck his finger in a monkey’s eye and got bit for his trouble…the parents would hire an army of lawyers to sue the zoo for allowing their little monster to get too close to the animals.

The trouble is not all on one side either, Bobbi and I watched gleefully as the little tamarin pictured at right , left his enclosure and waited near the edge of the airlock separating the animals from the outside world. He watched and waited very carefully to judge the entrance time of the next human visitors. At the last minute before making good his escape, however, he was spotted by a keeper who shuuushed him back into his tree.

The aviary is another place where one can get very close to the exhibit. These peacocks allowed us to get very close before they exploded into flight, which scared everybody equally!

The Lion’s cages have been re-done since the zoo’s Victorian Heyday. This is very good for the Lions, but there is still a nod to the old architecture of the place in the fact that the kept the old carved signs. The place which was, to Bobbi and I, the most reminiscent of the nineteenth century was the giraffe stables with their beautifully arched giraffe-sized stable doors and hardwood floors.

The other animals were fun to see, the pig was particularly pleasant.

The penguins were popular (particularly with squealing teenage girls, so we didn’t hang around long).

and the Dung Beatles were delightful (at least my little Dr. Awful-tologyst enjoyed them!)

The question of zoos is one that can be hotly debated. Are they jail cells, confining animals which should be allowed free reign in their natural kingdoms?


Or do they, instead, play an important role in the conservation of species which are otherwise under grave threat from extinction?

The answer is probably a bit of both. But I think that, until we all realize the danger in the clouds which hover over the natural world, zoos (while they may resemble jails) play a vital role in bringing people closer to the animal kingdom…it is perhaps in this way, that we, the people, will learn how to control the most dangerous animal of all….

London Journey: Part Fourteen

The British Museum of Natural History


Bobbi and I also took in the British Museum of Natural History. This museum opened in 1881 and while it looks like a cathedral or castle, this temple was built to the glory of Science and Progress (although it's prime founder, Richard Owen did not see the two as mutually exclusive...having engaged in a running battle with Charles Darwin over the theory of Evolution). As such, it is a virtual hymn to the Victoria faith in the ever upwards march of Progress.

Upon entering, you are overwhelmed by the high vaulting ceilings, which, like the churches from which it took it's inspiration, inspire feelings of humility and contemplation.

(That's me up there on the Balcony.)

Each area of the museum is a work of art in and of itself. In the main hall, these stone monkeys climb up the walls to the sky...each one intricately detailed. Every room is adorned with it's own sculptures and decorations.

The museum is a repository for specimens from around the globe, and the collection has its origins in the private holdings of Sir Hans Sloan, physician to the Governor of Jamaica in 1687. Famous explorers, including Captain Cook have sent scientific samples here, and the museum holds them all...millions and millions of them...only a fraction of which are on display. It is an amazing storehouse, and a testament to man's struggle to know his world.

As befits the brainchild of Owen, who was the first to guess that the giant bones being found in England actually belonged to a vanished race of reptiles called: Dinosaurs... these terrible lizards hold pride of place at the museum....


But there is more here to enjoy than a giant anamatronic T-Rex - although they do have quite a nice one... in the galleries around the main hall, the skeletons of monkey gambol in the rafters, displayed so that they show their grace and dexterity...




There is, of course, the Dodo- a long extinct member of .... the pigeon family...I did not know that....did you know that....I sure didn't...a pigeon...go figure...
There is also a large collection of mammals...including a life size model of a blue whale....the museum is careful to note that these are historical specimens...there are now acknowledged to be better ways of studying an animal than stuffing it...



The fishes are also well represented...including a fascinating representation of how an angler fish from the dark depths of the ocean can swallow prey that is actually larger than itself...



We had lunch with Charles Darwin....




After which Bobbi did her little known, but always well received "Shark Impression".....

In addition to the fascinating items in the collection, was the fascinating nature of the collection itself...to amass so much information about the world, and to enshrine in a truly magnificent building... there is something awe inspiring about this...and we wondered if the will could be found to do as much today....surely, we haven't stopped learning...but there is something about this building itself which is, well, transcendent...and shows a belief in the possibilities and sacred nature of knowledge....something that I fear our age treats far too cavalierly...


At any rate, although Bobbi and I agreed that it might, perhaps, be possible to learn much more about nature from a well produced documentary on Television....we still managed to loose ourselves in the museum for an entire day....emerging tired, but moved...feeling as if, by joining in the stream of humanity who have poured through these doors for well over a century, that we had taken part in a pilgrimage to a shrine to knowledge.

Nature: Red in Tooth and Claw

When I'm bored, under worked, or as is the case today too overtired to work no matter how much stuff I have to do, I'm inclined to Google random images just to look at the pictures.

Today, I Googled "Jaws Movie" and came up with the image at right.

The article, in the Daily Mail, was about a BBC crew filming in South Africa.

But it was the comment string that made me think that I had stumbled on something worthy of a blog post.


A sampling:

I love wildlife but cant watch this programme its so bloodthirsty and sad. Why do they concentrate on the unpleasant aspects of nature?- Jm, surrey

Awsome, poor old seal, but hey thats nature. Swam with 11ft nurse sharks in Jamaica a few weeks ago, really swam, no cage, just snorkel and flippers. Would love to go to South Africa and go down in a cage with great whites.

- Sharon, Chelmsford

Well I for one have got fed up with wildlife programmes, however long it takes to film them. They always end up with something eating something else.

- Jennifer, Interlaken Switzerland

Quite what some people think animals should do for survival is beyond me! Perhaps the shark should have known better and picked up the phone to order a vegetarian take-away...?

- Cara, Surrey

People who are offended by nature have to understand that this is how the animal world is. Something is ALWAYS eating something else, and the animal world is an unpleasant place. Period. The law of the jungle dictates that everything gets eaten at some point.

- Steve, USA

Have we really lost touch of what life is? I mean seriously folks, like a previous post stated... it's nature. Raw and uncut. Oh, has the animal world rubbed your political correct world and sensibility the wrong way... poor sheeple. Why you get upset at what is an obviously natural thing is beyond me. Wildlife programs need to focus on human beings, show some of the dramatic victim/predator situations there, but no - some people can't even stand real animals, let alone there own kind.

Hah! Travel a little more and you'll see real life in all it's raw and uncut horrible beauty.

- ~Z~, Stow, USA

Wow... we have gotten so far away from Nature, and what it is. When I read some of the comments above, I finally am able to understand the rise of the radical right. A dynamic you can almost see playing itself out in this little coment string.

It underscores that those of us who are on the center and the left need to learn to keep a close grasp on reality at all times.

See You Later Alligator

While I am fully aware that it is not nice to tamper with Mother Nature, there WAS something about the knowledge there was a wily Florida Alligator loose in a California lake, evading the best efforts of police and rangers to capture him, that made me really happy.

However, Reggie was finally captured and incarcerated, comfortably, to be sure. But his Robin Hood like existence has come to an end. Happy Trails, Reggie.

The Story is Here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070810/ap_on_re_us/urban_alligator_1

A Long and Winding Road (through the newspaper)

Every morning, as I stroll to the office, I decide how to deal with the temptation to buy a cup of coffee. Do I? Or Don't I?

The deciding factor usually is: Who's working the counter? If it's the proprietor of the shop, then I go in. Because if he is there, not only will I be warmed with a cup of coffee, but generally there will be a healthy dosage of Democratic Party Outrage to remind me that I, like my coffee guy, am on the side of the angels against the forces of darkness.

This morning the question was: "Dude, did you read the series of articles on Dick Cheney in the Washington Post?" I admitted that I hadn't. "Man, NOBODY I've talked to has read 'em. But you gotta read 'em. Scare the hell outta ya. Dick Cheney: your Vice-President- and so much more!"

Okay, well, I gotta read it. So, with an eye toward doing my civic duty, I go to the Post website- but, before I can start searching the Cheney article, my eye was caught by another headline: "Birth of Manta Ray Sheds New Light on Species".

And, I have to admit, this looks a lot more fun than finding confirmation that Dick Cheney eats babies and owns my house. Plus, this paragraph really got my goat and made me ashamed to be an American:

While America was tracking Paris Hilton's jail routine, Japan was enthralled with video coverage of the birth, which was broadcast nationwide on NHK television.

Oh man, why do other country's find such COOL things to obsess about?

At any rate, I'm off to read more about the manta...maybe later I'll follow the coffee guy's recommendation to check out Cheney...but somehow, I think the Manta Ray story will be much more worth my while.