SOAP - The Show

Hot out of Berlin and following its success at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival comes Circle of Eleven's SOAP - The Show comes to the Sydney Opera House (click for ticketing information). Created in 2007 by Markus Pabst and Maximilian Rambaek, a bathroom is turned into a stage, where seven bathtubs allow performers to show their extraordinary gymnastic and acrobatic skills amidst the tubs and other paraphernalia.

The show runs from 4 to 23 January 2010 at the Sydney Opera House, followed by a tour to Blackpool/UK before returning to Berlin, then a tour to Amsterdam.

Below is a preview


An in-depth preview of Eike von Stuckenbrok's performance


More of Eike von Stuckenbrok in detail


The work may seem familiar, as Markus Pabst had created a similar piece for La Clique with bathtub acrobat David O'Mer, which has been a part of the Sydney Festival in 2006 and 2009.

Australian Didj Wentworth will perform on the straps as shown below (Michael Lanphear)


It looks stunning and breathtaking.

wasting food 4

I've previously written about wasting food. On Boxing Day (26 December 2010), Jennifer Rajca writing in the Sydney Morning Herald reported that annually "[a]cross Australia, about 4.45 million tonnes of food, worth $7.8 billion, is discarded."   According to Jon Dee, founder of Do Something! "each household throws away $1036 worth of food, or 585 kilograms, each year."

That is a staggering amount. There needs to be a more careful study that audits food by type such as fresh (including vegetable, meat and dairy), processed foods (including condiments and their expiry dates) and frozen foods. While I very rarely discard fresh food as they are usually consumed before they get to spoil, processed condiments such as mayonnaise with expiry dates that require refrigeration often expire with significant content in the bottle. Hence packaging sizes may be a factor on such items.

Relatedly, last month, Sophie Morris in the London Evening Standard reported about a wonderful concept called "The People's Kitchen". Extrait

Sundays start slowly in Dalston. The local hipsters have been up late. If not partying, they've been customising their latest vintage clothing finds, writing short films to release as virals or debating radical politics.

So it's gone 4pm when a crowd begins to gather around chopping boards and crates of onions and potatoes at Passing Clouds on Richmond Road, a newish venue that wants to offer all things to all-comers, be that a funk night, drum workshop, gin-soaked ragtime and swing afternoon, golden oldie film screening or, in this case, a tasty home-cooked Sunday feast.

The venue describes itself as a “collective of artists and musicians” but now a band of foodies are staging a weekly takeover dubbed “the People's Kitchen”. You can eat a leek and courgette tortilla, oozing runny eggs and fresh greens, curled up in one of the worn velvet and leather armchairs in front of a film, or grab a spot at the bar with a bowl of spicy aubergine pasta. Latecomers pile up plates of bread and cheese before settling in for the evening's jam session, a weekly event performed by some of Passing Clouds' regulars.

The food is all waste collected from Spitalfields Market and local businesses that would otherwise have been thrown away, and some of the people who have turned up to help out have experience in professional kitchens, so the food and environmental boxes are ticked. But, best of all, this Sunday lunch is completely free.

Read more. It is a fascinating read. Wasting food is just simply sinful.

Новый Год the meme

Новый Год (Novy God) means New Year in Russian. It was also the name of a song that was a huge hit for Russian boy band Стекловата (Steklovata) a few years ago.



Despite the catchy tune, the cheap effect of the video clip, has spawned a meme devoted to parodying the clip. Here are a selection

Attempted subtitling based on English phonetic interpretation (there is also a Swedish version)


Swedish miming 'tribute'


Brazilian trash version


Polish mime (one of the earliest ones)


More recently, from Allan Hyde via Twitter (actor in True Blood) of Gourmetfilm's tribute



There are many more on YouTube. World News website has aggregated a few.

Happy New Year!

Cruelty doesn't fly - PeTA advert banned

AFP via France24 has reported that a PeTA advertisement featuring Pamela Anderson, along with some nudity (bare bottoms) has been deemed inappropriate for showing at Hong Kong International Airport. Excerpts

An animal rights commercial starring former Playboy centrefold Pamela Anderson, which is banned at some US airports, has been deemed too racy for Hong Kong, one of Asia's busiest aviation hubs.

The advertisement, titled "Cruelty Doesn't Fly", features the scantily-clad former "Baywatch" star as an airport security guard who strips passengers of leather, fur and other skins.

and

The ad -- which also features comedian Steve-O, a star of the 'Jackass' movie series, and German punk icon Nina Hagen -- is already banned at airports in New York City and Boston, PETA said.

The animal rights group said it still hoping to run the ad in other Asia-Pacific airports, including Tokyo, Seoul and Sydney.

See also PeTA media release of 24 November 2010 following Boston (Logan) Airport's ban.

Whether you agree or not with PeTA's methods or messages, they do know how to gain attention.

Over-indulgent much?

Here is the content of a Christmas meal.

2 x 25lb oven roasted turkeys

2 x 15lb maple-glazed hams

10lbs of roast potatoes

5lbs of mashed potatoes

5lbs of steamed broccoli

5lbs of chopped carrots

5lbs of sweet corn

5lbs of roasted butternut squash

5 loaves of house-baked bread

4 pints of cranberry relish

4 pints of house-made gravy

5lbs of herbed stuffing

1 tray of mixed green salad with dressing

It could easily feed 15 people or more. In this case, it fed one person. Donna Simpson. See reporting in UK Sunday Mirror (26 December 2010). Excerpt

Donna, from New Jersey, USA, claims to be frustrated that she can't eat even MORE as she aims to almost double her weight to 1,000lbs (71 stone) in a bid to smash her current Guinness World Record. She has already gone down in history as the largest woman ever to give birth.

Jacqueline was born when Donna weighed 38 stone in a dangerous delivery that required THIRTY doctors.

She spends up to £500 a week on food and gets through 12,000 calories a day - the healthy recommendation for women is just 2,000. Donna is proud that her blood pressure is "normal" but her doctor has warned that she will die if she continues her quest and she has dangerously high cholesterol levels.

She cannot walk more than 30ft at a time or stand for more than five minutes. She wheezed and appeared out of breath all through our interview.

She should get out more. Oh wait. She can't. Perhaps that is the problem.

Technology fruit

Ronnie Corbet was half of The Two Ronnies (one of the best comedy skit shows out of Britain) and features in this brilliant skit about fruit, or was it technology?

Esperanza. Mother of the Year.

Uploaded to YouTube by Edmonton Humane Society (Alberta, Canada) on 9 December 2010 - this is a lovely and inspiring story of a wonderful canine.



The story was picked up by Sylvia Strojek for The Canadian Press on 19 December 2010 and syndicated to a number of Canadian media outlets including Winnepeg Free Press. Excerpt

EDMONTON - She was a young, homeless single mom trying to raise a family of five, but true to the spirit of the season there was room for one more.

Esperanza had been badly injured when she was hit by a car, but the young shepherd-cross with the thick white coat was still managing to care for her newborn puppies — and a kitten — when she was found on a central Alberta reserve.

Criss Gerwing, who runs a small animal rescue group, discovered the dog earlier this month and couldn't believe it when the canine led her to her blended brood.

"I cried because she was in such bad condition with her leg, but she was obviously nursing her puppies and this kitten," Gerwing told a media outlet.

Gerwing took the entire family to the Edmonton Humane Society, where veterinarians thought they'd have to amputate the mother dog's bad leg.

But local vet, Dr. Milton Ness, volunteered to do a special surgery that saved Esperanza's hind quarter.

He calls her a "special soul." Shawna Randolph at the humane society couldn't agree more.

"She is such a sweet, sweet dog. She has such a wonderful personality," Randoph said.

Read more.

It's a mystery why anybody would have dumped Esperanza in the first place. Such a sweet natured canine.

4'33'' remake from classical to pop

American composer John Cage (1912-1992), composed 4'33'' in 1952 for any instrument, or combination of instruments.

The first orchestral performance of the work was by the BBC Symphony Orchestra on 16 January 2004 at the Barbican Centre.



This year, there is a pop cover of 4'33'' by Cage Against the Machine, for this year's charity single in the UK.



I can't wait for the techno version.

... we're not in Kansas anymore.

A classic line from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz spoken by Dorothy to her dog Toto, was "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" followed by "we must be over the rainbow" [scene].

The phrase is often 'quoted' to express being far from home or the unfamiliar.

Rich Juzwiak, for his blog fourfour has patiently compiled the phrase as used in numerous films (click on link for list of films).



Are we ever in Kansas?

Wutbürger

Press release from Die Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS)/the Society for German Language, on the word of the year

Am 16. Dezember 2010 hat die Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache bereits zum 35. Mal die Wörter des Jahres gekürt und damit wieder einmal aufgezeigt, in welcher Weise diesjährige charakteristische Themen aus Politik, Wirtschaft und anderen Bereichen des gesellschaftlichen Alltags sprachlich markiert worden sind.

Ausgewertet wurde eine Sammlung von etwa 2000 Wörtern und Wendungen, hauptsächlich Belege aus verschiedenen Medien, aber auch Vorschläge von Außenstehenden. Hieraus wählte die Jury, die sich aus dem Hauptvorstand der Gesellschaft sowie den wissenschaftlichen Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern zusammensetzt, zehn Wörter, die die öffentliche Diskussion wesentlich bestimmt und dieses Jahr besonders geprägt haben.

Für die Auswahl der Wörter des Jahres entscheidend ist aber nicht die Häufigkeit eines Ausdrucks, sondern vielmehr seine Signifikanz und Popularität: Die Liste trifft den sprachlichen Nerv des sich dem Ende neigenden Jahres und stellt auf ihre Weise einen sprachlichen Jahresrückblick dar. Als ein solches Zeitzeugnis sind die ausgewählten Wörter dabei mit keinerlei Wertung oder Empfehlung verbunden.

Wie in den vergangenen Jahren ist zu erwarten, dass auch die diesjährigen Wörter des Jahres im In- und Ausland mit großem Interesse wahrgenommen werden:

Als Wort des Jahres wurde Wutbürger gewählt. Diese Neubildung wurde von zahlreichen Zeitungen und Fernsehsendern verwendet, um einer Empörung in der Bevölkerung darüber Ausdruck zu geben, dass politische Entscheidungen über ihren Kopf hinweg getroffen werden Das Wort dokumentiert ein großes Bedürfnis der Bürgerinnen und Bürger, über ihre Wahlentscheidung hinaus ein Mitspracherecht bei gesellschaftlich und politisch relevanten Projekten zu haben.

Read more, for the other nine words in the top ten list.

Wutbürger describes people protesting or rebelling as a means of expressing their frustration at not being involved in political decision-making processes. There is not an English-language equivalent single word, though Wutbürger can be literally translated as angry citizens, but it means more than that, as so-described above.

See also Duden for a more official definition.

Definitely an apt description of the Zeitgeist of 2010.

A whiter shade of pale

From 1967. Procol Harum's debut song. It went to number one in many parts of the world and remains a classic today.



According to a BBC report, it is one of the most played songs in the UK in public spaces.

What a great opening to a song with

We skipped the light fandango
turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
but the crowd called out for more

Rest of lyrics

Supermassive black holes

Some lessons about supermassive black holes from the BBC. The immense gravity of a supermassive black hole is so destructive, that it distorts space-time to breaking point.

Helping others when we earn more than we need

BBC News has reported about Dr Toby Ord, who has given away more than a third of his income to charity

Toby Ord is a university researcher earning not much more than the average salary. So why is he giving away £1m over his lifetime to help address global poverty? When Facebook founder and billionaire Mark Zuckerberg pledged to give away most of his wealth during his lifetime, some British commentators bemoaned the lack of philanthropy on this side of the Atlantic.

But an academic at Oxford University is living off little more than £300 a month in an act of charity-giving that is arguably more impressive than those of Zuckerberg, Gates, Buffett and co.

Toby Ord, 31, has in the past year given more than a third of his earnings, £10,000, to charities working in the poorest countries. He also gave away £15,000 of savings, as the start of his pledge to give away £1m over his lifetime.

And he's started a campaign to recruit, Bill Gates-style, other people to give up at least 10% of their lifetime's earnings in the same way. A year on, 64 people have joined his movement Giving What We Can and pledged £14m.

Given his personal sacrifice, it's difficult not to feel rather intrigued about the kind of lifestyle he can maintain while so much of his earnings is going elsewhere.

Read more. Dr Ord still manages a comfortable lifestyle while helping others.

Giving up luxuries to save lives is a great philosophy. Perhaps earning more money than is needed and acquiring wealth for the sake of it, are not what life is about.

The empty chair

Reported by PBS Newshour of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Award ceremony



In the speech by Thorbjørn Jagland, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Oslo, 10 December 2010.

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 to Liu Xiaobo for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has long believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace. Such rights are a prerequisite for the "fraternity between nations" of which Alfred Nobel wrote in his will."

This was the first paragraph of the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s announcement on the 8th of October of the award of this year’s Peace Prize.

We regret that the Laureate is not present here today. He is in isolation in a prison in north-east China. Nor can the Laureate’s wife Liu Xia or his closest relatives be here with us. No medal or diploma will therefore be presented here today.

This fact alone shows that the award was necessary and appropriate. We congratulate Liu Xiaobo on this year’s Peace Prize.

There have been a number of previous occasions when the Laureate has been prevented from attending. This has in fact been the case with several awards which have proved in the light of history to have been most significant and honourable. Even when the Laureate has come, he or she has several times been severely condemned by the authorities of his or her own country.

Read more

In an analysis for BBC News, John Simpson suggested that China should have thought through its reaction.

An alternative Chinese award, the Confucius Peace Prize, seemingly hurriedly created, has failed to win any credibility. See report by Steven Jiang of CNN.

"overcoming insurmountable odds"

An overused phrase is "overcome/overcoming insurmountable odds".

As 'insurmountable' means that, which, cannot be overcome, then clearly to overcome something insurmountable is impossible.

Worst than an oxymoron.

Random acts of culture

Last month I wrote about the best flash mobs. The unannounced and seemingly impromptu opera performances are amongst the best. In the United States, the Knight Foundation is funding 1000 Random Acts of Culture over the next three years to bring such performances into public places.

One of the best of the recent Random Acts of Culture occurred in Miami at Macy's, with 'Votre Toast/Toreador' from Carmen by Bizet, performed by Florida Grand Opera.

Random Act of Culture at Miami's Dadeland Mall from Knight Foundation on Vimeo.

The baritone is Jonathan Michie who has a stunning voice.

Selling like hotcakes

I've often been confused by the phrase "selling like hotcakes", meaning selling quickly and in large numbers. I have never ever seen hotcakes, or just-cooked pancakes, sold in this manner. The Word Detective did provide a plausible explanation

The term “hotcake” is an American invention, dating back to the late 17th century (”pancake,” meaning the same food, is older, first appearing in England around 1400). To “sell like hotcakes” has meant “to be in great demand” since about 1839, and there doesn’t seem to have been any particular “hotcake fad” leading to the origin of the phrase. But hotcakes have always been popular at fairs and church socials, etc., often selling as fast as they can be cooked, so they make a good metaphor for a very popular product that sells quickly and in great numbers.

It seems rather strange to serve hotcakes (pancakes) at fairs and the like.  Perhaps the phrase should be revised or replaced with "flying off the shelves".

Beyond reasonable doubt 4: making the invisible visible

I've previously written about the death penalty. From Amnesty International

Troy Davis has been on death row in Georgia, USA for 19 years. He has already faced execution three times. Amnesty is now deeply concerned that a recent decision by a federal district court puts him back on track for execution, despite unresolved doubts about his guilt.

No physical evidence links Troy to the crime and seven out of nine witnesses on whose evidence he was convicted have since changed their testimony. In June, Troy was given an unprecedented opportunity to present new evidence at a hearing ordered by the US Supreme Court. However, the judge ruled that Troy did not meet the extraordinarily high standard for proving his innocence.

“This decision puts Troy at risk of execution and like all death penalty cases, any doubt will become meaningless once his life has been taken.” Amnesty International UK Director, Kate Allen

This is an innovative way of bringing the case to the public's attention

German street art collective Mentalgassi have teamed up with Amnesty International to highlight his case by creating unique lenticular fence posters across London.

Troy Davis: Making the invisible visible from Amnesty International on Vimeo.

Music track is 'Heart Monitor' by Worried About Satan.

The posters can be seen at
4-7 Great Pulteney Street (W1)
21 Great Pulteney Street (W1)
5 Berners Street (W1)
and there may be others up.

Being welcomed home at the airport

Airports are horrid places. Despite modern designs and a variety of retail outlets, they are in reality, inconvenient, sterile and often unwelcoming places. Often, we travel to and from airports alone, and even though there are many people also travelling, they are lonely places.

At the end of a trip away and returning home, there is nothing better than being greeted by a familiar face at the airport. However, many travellers also face the additional journey home alone, waiting for trains, buses or taxis.

In the absence of a familiar face, hopefully to take us home, it would be a joy to be greeted by song. Like this, at Heathrow Airport (London), Terminal 5.



Unfortunately, it was an advertisement for T-Mobile. Still, what a great idea for a flash mob.

James West's Thanksgiving. The other one.

How receiving somebody else's emails in error resulted in a Thanksgiving invitation. A charming story reported by CNN.



See reports in Sydney Morning Herald and Palm Beach Post.

James West's YouTube videos can be found on his webpage.

The cost of Christmas: PNC's Christmas price index

How much does the 12 days of Christmas cost? PNC has been calculating the cost for the past 27 years and there has been a rise this year. From PNC press release

True Loves Be Warned: Despite Weak Economic Picture PNC Christmas Price Index^® Jumps a Staggering 9.2%

Costs for "The Twelve Days of Christmas" Song Items Spike Due To Price Increases for Commodities, Performers and Birds

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 29, 2010 – Despite a sluggish economy and low inflation, the 2010 PNC Christmas Price Index^® surged 9.2 percent in the whimsical economic analysis by PNC Wealth Management based on the gifts in the holiday classic, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

According to the 27^th annual survey, the price tag for the PNC CPI is $23,439 in 2010, $1,974 more than last year. This is the second highest jump ever and largest percentage increase since 2003 when the index rose 16 percent. That comes on the heels of a modest 1.8 percent increase a year ago.

"This year's jump in the PNC CPI can be attributed to rising gold commodity prices, represented by the Five Gold Rings which went up by 30 percent, in addition to higher costs for wages and benefits impacting some entertainers," said James Dunigan, managing executive of investments for PNC Wealth Management.

Although these trends affect both indexes, the PNC CPI's surge is in marked contrast to the government's CPI, which grew a mere 1.1 percent, illustrating the difference in size of the two baskets of goods and services.

Among the 12 gifts in the PNC CPI, only four items (Pear Tree, Four Calling Birds, Six Geese a–Laying and the Eight Maids-a-Milking) were the same price from last year.

The 11 Pipers Piping ($2,356) and 12 Drummers Drumming ($2,552) saw modest increases, both up 3.1 percent, however these higher costs give greater weight to the index. Lords-a-Leaping jumped 8 percent to $4,766 but the biggest dollar increase this year was for the Nine Ladies Dancing, up $820, a 15 percent boost. None of these performers received a wage increase last year, and were playing catch-up in 2010.

Birds Soar Higher

After modest increases last year, prices for the birds flew higher in this year's index, in part due to the costs of feed as well as the availability and demand for certain feathered friends that amplified several prices. The Two Turtle Doves increased 78.6 percent to $100 and the Three French hens surged 233 percent to $150.

The Partridge in a Pear Tree is up 1.3 percent to $161. But the partridge alone was up 20 percent to $12 and the pear tree is identical to a year ago at $149.

The cost of the Seven Swans-a-Swimming, which generally provide the biggest swings from year to year in the PNC CPI, rose this year by 6.7 percent to $5,600 following last year's surprising 6.5 percent drop. As the most volatile component in the index, the swans are removed to determine underlying inflation or core PNC CPI, which pushed the rate up 10 percent this year.

As part of its annual tradition, PNC Wealth Management also tabulates the "True Cost of Christmas," which is the total cost of items gifted by a True Love who repeats all of the song's verses. This holiday season, very generous True Loves have to fork over $96,824 for all 364 gifts, an even more eye-popping 10.8 percent increase compared to last year.

No Raise for the Milkmaids

As the only unskilled laborers in the PNC CPI, the cost of the eight Maids-a-Milking is represented with the minimum wage. They received no increase in pay in 2010 as the Federal minimum wage did not rise for the first time in three years. With the minimum wage flat at $7.25 per hour, hiring the maids this year cost $58.

Monetary Policy Based on PNC CPI?

Should the Federal Reserve set policy based on the PNC CPI, given its huge jump? Not so fast, said Dunigan.

"Typically we see more parallels between our index and the Federal government's," Dunigan said. "This year, we hope, is an aberration. But let's keep in mind that we are talking about a small basket of goods and services here compared to the Consumer Price Index."

The PNC CPI's sources include retailers, the National Aviary in Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Ballet Company.

Cyber Prices: The Cost of Convenience

For those True Loves who prefer the convenience of shopping online, PNC Wealth Management calculates the cost of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" gifts purchased on the Internet.

This year, the trends identified in the traditional index are repeated in the Internet version, with the core rates more than total rates. True Loves will pay a grand total of $34,336 to buy the items online. That is a 9.2 percent more expensive than last year and almost $11,000 more than this year's traditional index.

"In general, Internet prices are higher than their non-Internet counterparts because of shipping costs for birds and the convenience factor of shopping online," Dunigan said.

The interactive pop-up book style presentation can be found here and it is definitely worth a look.

Kopi Luwak (poo coffee)

Reported by Sara Sidner in Jakarta for CNN


While not new information, having been previously reported elsewhere over the past ten years, is a useful reminder.

Of course Indonesia is not the only source of this coffee, with Vietnam also known for its "weasel coffee".

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM, or portion thereof, is commonly used to describe delicious food. We can thank Cookie Monster for this phrase.

See interview by Ella with Cookie Monster on 9 November 2009 for Rocketboom

Doctor Who Experience

Whovians the world over will be flocking to London, and then Cardiff, for the ultimate Doctor Who fix.

See press release from BBC Worldwide via Taylor Herring (lifted completely and unashamedly in full, which is the intent of press releases)

LONDON, Thursday 25th November 2010: BBC Worldwide invite you on a journey of a lifetime. Step inside the TARDIS this spring to take a starring role in your very own Doctor Who adventure at the Doctor Who Experience.

Opening in London on Sunday 20th February 2011 at London’s Olympia Two venue, the Doctor Who Experience promises to be an unmissable adventure featuring an exhilarating and unique walk-through experience and an awe-inspiring exhibition.

Visitors will be invited to step through a crack in time to become the Doctor’s companion on an adventure. Their challenge will be to reunite the Doctor with the TARDIS whilst fending off threats from a Dalek spaceship and Weeping Angels along the way, before exploring the wonders of Doctor Who at an out of this world exhibition.

The Doctor Who Experience allows visitors to join the Doctor on a journey through time and space, encountering some of the best-loved and scariest monsters from the hit international television series. Special scenes filmed with current Doctor Matt Smith combine with amazing special effects and the chance to enter a recreation of the modern TARDIS interior topped off by a breathtaking 3-D finale. The walk through experience is a fully contained interactive Doctor Who adventure, which puts the public at the heart of the action.

The exhibition element of the Doctor Who Experience will chart the success of the show from the first series in 1963 to the most recent episodes starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. Displays will include items never seen before including original costumes, the Tom Baker TARDIS police box and two authentic TARDIS sets from the eras of David Tennant and Peter Davison. The public will also be able to get up close and personal with iconic sets from recent series, including the Pandorica Box and Chair and confront numerous monsters including several generations of the Daleks and Cybermen as well as Silurians an Ice Warrior and a Zygon.

Steven Moffat, Executive Producer and show runner for the hit television series comments: “The Doctor Who Experience is a fan’s dream come true – a fully interactive adventure that will allow viewers of the show to get as close as possible to some of the scariest monsters from the series. It will also be the first time that Doctor Who artefacts from all the show’s 47 year history – classic and new – will be on display together, many of them being seen for the first time. And never mind that, this is the day the Doctor teaches you how to fly the TARDIS through time and space, and takes you into battle with all his deadliest enemies in a brand new adventure. So steady your nerves and bring your own sofa – the Doctor needs you!”

Doctor Who star, Matt Smith, who has recorded a series of special, new scenes exclusive to the Doctor Who Experience comments:
“The whole concept of the Doctor Who Experience, which will give fans a chance to star in their very own Doctor Who adventure, is massively exciting! I hope as many people as possible enjoy boarding the TARDIS next year to embark upon an exhilarating and sometimes terrifying adventure through time and space.”

BBC Worldwide is pleased to announce that it is planning to relocate the Doctor Who Experience to a long term home in Cardiff in 2012.

The Doctor Who Experience promises to be an unmissable adventure for the whole family to enjoy. The Doctor needs your help – are you brave enough to step in to the TARDIS and join the adventure?

Tickets on sale from  www.doctorwhoexperience.com

For press enquiries, please contact Taylor Herring on 0208 206 5151

Oh yes, but a "walk through" experience?  I'd like a ride though the time vortex.

Me no understand Cookie Monster

Cookie Monster has been on Sesame Street for 44 years. While residents of 1-2-3 Sesame Street have taught generations of children to count numbers, recite the alphabet, how to behave, and how to communicate using English, they have also failed to teach Cookie Monster how to speak English correctly.

Cookie Monster recently auditioned to host Saturday Night Live (SNL).



In that audition recording, Cookie Monster continues to refer to himself subjectively as me, as in "Me know many of you..." using the objective case pronoun and not "I", the subjective case pronoun.

Surely it is time he learns the rules of grammar.

Here, it seems that his own father speaks in the manner of someone whose first language is not English.



Clearly, having grown up with other native English speakers, Cookie Monster's standard of English should be better.

Another panda

Media release from Zoo Atlanta

ATLANTA – November 3, 2010 – Lun Lun, a 13-year-old female giant panda at Zoo Atlanta, gave birth to her third cub on November 3, 2010. The cub, born at 5:39 a.m. in a specially-prepared birthing den in the Zoo’s giant panda building, is the only giant panda to be born in the U.S. in 2010.

Lun Lun appears to be providing appropriate care for her cub, which is roughly the size of a cell phone. The Animal Management and Veterinary Teams will continue round-the-clock monitoring of mother and cub, and a preliminary veterinary checkup will be performed as soon as staff is able to remove the cub without disrupting maternal care.

“We are extremely excited about welcoming Lun Lun’s and Yang Yang’s third cub, and proud of the success of Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda program,” said Dwight Lawson, PhD, Deputy Director. “This is a joy we share with the City of Atlanta, our colleagues in China, and our counterparts at our fellow zoological organizations housing giant pandas in the U.S.”

Zoo Atlanta Members and guests can expect to meet the cub in spring 2011. The cub’s father, 13-year-old Yang Yang, and older brother, Xi Lan, remain on exhibit and will not be introduced to their new family member. This separation is normal for giant pandas, which are solitary in the wild.

The newborn is the third offspring for the Zoo’s famous panda pair. Born September 6, 2006, their firstborn, Mei Lan, has lived at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding since February 2010. Born August 30, 2008, the pair’s second cub, 2-year-old male Xi Lan, remains one of the Zoo’s most popular and precocious animal stars. As is the case with Lun Lun’s tiny newest arrival, both Mei Lan and Xi Lan were the only giant pandas born in the U.S. in their respective birth years. All three births have been the products of artificial insemination.

And an update on 18 November

The giant panda cub born to Lun Lun on November 3, 2010, has been determined to be male. The cub’s sex was determined during an exam by the Zoo Atlanta Veterinary Team and a colleague from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

See other media releases from Zoo Atlanta.

(photo from Zoo Atlanta)

You can also see the birth captured by videocam, released by AP.


2010 is shaping to be a good year for panda live births. There are so few of them left that every single birth is important.

Marching with the Devil

If a man tells you he has never dreamed of joining the French Foreign Legion he is a liar, has no imagination, or both.

So begins David Mason's memoir of his five-year service in the French Foreign Legion.

I have known David for many years and had looked forward to the book finally being published. Many years ago, I read the first draft in loose-leaf form, unbound and held by a ribbon. It was an entertaining read and the original version was a light-hearted account, seen from a prism of good humour.  David was quite surprised that I was able to recount that early draft from memory. It was actually quite good and had left an impression.

The version published by Hachett was not what I had expected. It was a completely new story, providing more insight, not only into David's experience in the Legion but also what he had thought about it all.

In the book, David's five years in the Legion are separated into 28 chapters, each described, under the chapter name, by a French phrase used within that chapter. Over the 28 chapters, we learn about the process of enlistment, training and eventual deployments to Djibouti between 1988 and 1993, all with David's critical analysis of his experience, probably with hindsight written many years later.

If you want to read an account of life in the French Foreign Legion with a view to enlisting, this is not the book to convince you. Rather, it is scathing of the processes used by the Legion during that period, from recruitment, training, day-to-day general duties to field operations. The benchmark for comparison used by David was his experience in the Australian Army Reserve.  Having also served in the reserves, I can't help but feel that David may have been a little generous in that regard.

The most interesting aspect of the book wasn't about the French Foreign Legion itself but David's accounts of the human interactions and his attempt to understand why certain people behaved the way that they did in the situations that he describes. In the book, there were lots of bad behaviour from Legionnaire superiors to recruits, all trying to make what was possibly a bad situation for them, better at the expense of others.

No doubt, some Legionnaires who served with David may disagree with his retelling of his experiences, but knowing David, I suspect there is some truth in his tale.

During October 2010, Australia's SBS TWO channel also screened the four-part series of Bear Gryll's Escape to the Legion. It was a useful insight, albeit somewhat contrived. However, much of it supports David Mason's account of his time in the Legion.

Read it, or as David's Legionnaire colleagues would say "Je m'en fous".

The best flash mobs

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, a flash mob is a public gathering of complete strangers, organised via the internet or mobile phone, who perform a pointless act and then disperse again.

Of course, some acts are more sophisticated than others, such as impromptu musicals and dance, so one would expect a certain amount of rehearsal time by these 'complete strangers'. By definition, they shouldn't be considered as flash mobs but more as unannounced performances in public spaces.

Still, seemingly spontaneous displays of artistic merit are the most fun to watch. They are always usually captured on film, sometimes of a high professional standard.

Mashable listed its '15 Fab Flash Mob Videos on YouTube' back in June 2010.

My list is different. Here are some of the best.

Dance

From the Eurovision Song Contest in late May 2010, dance simultaneously performed throughout Europe to Madcon, Glow


Ohio Union at Ohio State University on 3 May 2010, dance to Glee soundtrack, Don't Stop Believing (itself a cover of Journey's original song)


Antwerp Central railway station - dance to Do-Re-Mi in March 2009


Bondi Beach, Sydney - dance to Ben Lee, That's the way I like it, in November 2009


Musical

Improv Everywhere's Food Court Musical in March 2008


Opera (yes, really)

Opera Company of Philadelphia 'Brindisi' from Verdi's La Traviata at Reading Terminal Market on 24 April 2010


Opera Company of Philadelphia 'Hallelujah chorus' from Handel's Messiah at Macy's in Center City Philadelphia on 30 October 2010 as part of the Knight Foundation's 'Random Act of Culture'


Organised by Alphabet Photography, performed by Chorus Niagara at Seaway Mall on 13 November 2010

Preserving French cuisine

UNESCO maintains a World Heritage List, which is well known. The 911 sites include those that are natural, like the Great Barrier Reef or cultural, like the Sydney Opera House. Inclusion of a site on the list means worldwide recognition of the importance of the site and the need to preserve and protect it for humanity.

Less well known is UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Items are those cultural practices and expressions of intangible heritage that are deemed worthy of protection and preservation. Intangible items include human expressions such as song, dance and rituals.

Recently, UNESCO, meeting in Kenya, added the gastronomic meal of the French to the list

The gastronomic meal of the French is a customary social practice for celebrating important moments in the lives of individuals and groups, such as births, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, achievements and reunions. It is a festive meal bringing people together for an occasion to enjoy the art of good eating and drinking. The gastronomic meal emphasizes togetherness, the pleasure of taste, and the balance between human beings and the products of nature. Important elements include the careful selection of dishes from a constantly growing repertoire of recipes; the purchase of good, preferably local products whose flavours go well together; the pairing of food with wine; the setting of a beautiful table; and specific actions during consumption, such as smelling and tasting items at the table. The gastronomic meal should respect a fixed structure, commencing with an apéritif (drinks before the meal) and ending with liqueurs, containing in between at least four successive courses, namely a starter, fish and/or meat with vegetables, cheese and dessert. Individuals called gastronomes who possess deep knowledge of the tradition and preserve its memory watch over the living practice of the rites, thus contributing to their oral and/or written transmission, in particular to younger generations. The gastronomic meal draws circles of family and friends closer together and, more generally, strengthens social ties.

Reported by AFP via France24

The country's ambassador to UNESCO Catherine Colonna hailed the inclusion, saying it "makes a contribution to cultural diversity".

"The French love getting together to eat and drink well and enjoy good times in such a manner. It is part of our tradition -- a quite active tradition," she added.

How wines are paired with dishes, how the table is dressed, the precise placing of glasses, for water, red and white wine, knife blade pointing in and fork tines down, are all seen as part of the rite.

Francis Chevrier, chief delegate of the French mission in charge of submitting the UNESCO bid, also welcomed the decision.

"It's very important that people realise, in villages in Africa and everywhere, that when you have knowledge of food it is a treasure for your community, and something worth cherishing," he said.

"It's wonderful. This is excellent news for French culture, for French heritage, to invite our cuisine, our gastronomic heritage to sit at the high table of culture at UNESCO."

See also a debate on France24 with commentators trying to define what is means including why French food is more special than many others (and in French). Unwieldily, the list is of the meal but not the cuisine.

Other 'cuisines' included in the list are Mexican and the Mediterranean diet.

Including 'cuisines' that are not endangered seems a little strange. Surely there are many more cuisines and gastronomic traditions throughout the world that are equally worthy of 'preservation'.

An explanation of the chameleon circuit

or why the TARDIS has the appearance of a 1960s police phone box.



Following The Eleventh Hour, just before The Beast Below.

See previously - an explanation of transdimensional engineering.

Frau Gillard

A G20 summit is currently being held in Seoul, Korea. The event also coincides with the Seoul Lantern Festival where Cheonggye Stream is lit up by some 27,000 lanterns.  To commemorate the summit, one of the installations at the lantern festival is a wedding cake-shaped structure with dolls of G20 leaders in national dress.

Photo: AFP via Sydney Morning Herald

Australian Prime Minister Ms Julia Gillard was unfortunately depicted in a red costume from Austria, despite holding an Australian flag. The Sydney Morning Herald (Michelle Grattan) reported that "Australian authorities complained to Seoul counterparts, with a metropolitan government official saying he planned to change the doll's outfit today".

My source has reported that the Korean Embassy in Canberra, Australia is in "damage control".  No doubt, a very apologetic letter would have been sent by the Korean Ambassador.

It seems that it is not only Americans who confuse Australia with Austria, so much so that a t-shirt with a sign reading "no kangaroos in Austria" is now a common tourist souvenir.

Given the strong bilateral relations between Australia and Korea, particularly since the 1980s when both countries worked together to establish APEC, such a blunder would have come as a surprise.

During Ms Gillard's visit to Korea, a free trade agreement (FTA) is expected to be concluded.  As part of an expression of contriteness, there might be an opportunity for Australia to export kimchi to Korea, given the recent cabbage shortages there.

However, Korea's faux pas could be Austria's gain. A presentation by the Austrian Ambassador to Ms Gillard of a correctly measured and made dirndl, declaring her an honorary Austrian, together with an invitation to the Austrian Embassy's national day celebrations would gain incredible mileage in an otherwise low-key bilateral relationship.

The Australian Prime Minister in Austrian dress? This I would like to see. Given her inability to demonstrate any Welsh singing ability, there is an unlikelihood that she would carry the honour of being an 'Austrian' further by singing a few bars of Edelweiss (1). Still, we could be thankful for being spared the image of Mr Tony Abbott dressed in lederhosen.

(1) Contrary to popular belief, the song Edelweiss was only written by Rogers and Hammerstein for The Sound of Music and it has no connection to any Austrian folk song, nor is it the Austrian national anthem.

Pale Blue Dot

Dr Carl Sagan would have turned 76 today but died very much prematurely from myelodysplasia on 20 December 1996.



Dr Sagan is best known for his work on astronomy and his television series Cosmos which was shown world-wide during the 1980s.

Although he did not have the same effect in astronomy as Johannes Kepler, Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho Brahe or Galileo Galilei (and they were fighting against conventional religious thinking at the time), Dr Sagan brought an understanding of astronomy and science to a lot of people. He was a major proponent of the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project.

"the earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena"

The Goodies - they did anything anywhere any time

The Goodies was a comedy series that was first broadcast on 8 November 1970 (40 years ago) on BBC2. It was also screened in Australia on the ABC, including on repeat even this year. From BBC

The Goodies was the creation of Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor. Having won a big audience for their children's show, Broaden Your Mind, they were let loose on a series with the simple premise that the trio were an agency offering to do "anything, anywhere, any time" - a premise they abandoned as soon as they could, leaving behind a tale of three very different men, all living in a giant office-cum-laboratory, usually either completely broke or amazingly rich, and always coming up with whacky schemes.

At its best the programme had the wit and inventiveness of a golden-era Tom and Jerry or Warner Brothers cartoon, lightly sprinkled with satire and the odd song.

Visual invention was a particular hallmark, with the team making great use of chroma-key and models for effects like Kitten Kong and the famous sequence in The Movies where attempts by each of the three to make a film (a silent, a western and a Roman epic) at the same time results in a picture that sees them flow rapidly from movie to movie, breaking through frames, busting down genres and bringing in everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Julie Andrews.

Even today, it still makes me laugh.

Here is a trip down memory lane, or in the case of those who had missed out, a taste...

La Sagrada Familia - finally consecrated, but still unfinished

Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia, usually referred to as la Sagrada Familia, designed by renowned architect Antoni Gaudi in the neo-Gothic style, has been under construction in Barcelona since 1882. The Roman Catholic church is not expected to be completed until 2026.

Today, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the yet unfinished church, and the main nave is now open for daily Mass for the first time.

See BBC News

Reporting by Al Jazeera (in English before consecration)


Reporting by RTVE (in Spanish during consecration)

La Sagrada Familia es desde hoy una basílica

La Sagrada Familia is one of my favourite buildings in the world. The detail on the facade outside is amazing to observe. Of course, there are a number of Gothic cathedrals in Barcelona that are also worth visiting including Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia.

Bringing home the bacon

Last year I wrote about the micro pig being the latest pet craze in Britain.

It seems that the craze had also taken in Australia, with Chrystal's Mini Pigs being a main breeder-supplier.

The Age (Carolyn Webb) reported about a pet pig named Leroy attending canine obedience classes. Excerpt

Watching 10-week-old Leroy at a Heidelberg park yesterday, it was clear that the dog club's gamble to admit Leroy as its first pig student has succeeded. In a month of private lessons, Ms Behan has taught Leroy to sit, come when called, and push a soccer ball.

She's moving on to tricks such as carrying a bag in his mouth - a challenge because it's not a natural action for a pig.

Despite a short attention span and his poor eyesight, Leroy has nailed some tasks faster than canine students and has a non-aggressive nature.

Katarina Behan, the trainer also wrote in her blog, doglifetraining.com

A number of months ago I was approached to train a pet piglet, named Leroy. I saw this as an amazing opportunity to ‘test’ the method of training I use on dogs, on another species. I had heard that pigs are very intelligent and that they can be trained to perform many different behaviours.

To begin, I wanted to teach Leroy to push a soccer ball around with his nose. In order to do this, I knew I had to use a training tool called a ‘clicker’. Clickers are small hand held tools, with a button or stiff strip of metal that once pushed, it makes a distinct ‘click’ sound. You may have received one as a child in a party bag.

See video


Unlike the British micro pigs, these appear to be slightly bigger. More meat on a spit. Only joking.

Pigs are as intelligent as dogs, if not more so. Pig owners are probably unlikely to keep eating pork. If only ham and bacon weren't so tasty.

Joseph Nye on global power shifts

Joseph Nye, Dean Emeritus of the Kennedy School, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations at Harvard University, is still one of the world's foremost thinkers on international relations. He coined the term 'soft power' some twenty years ago.

Here, he spoke at Oxford University in July 2010 about global power shifts including about China.

A serious media correction. Or not.

Haynes, a worldwide publisher of automotive manuals, has published a manual for the USS Enterprise of Star Trek fame, which is already available in the US and UK. Haynes' Australian operation is soon to release it in Australia.

Yesterday, News Limited's online news.com.au, reported that

The 160-page guide covers the entire range of USS Enterprise models, from Captain Jonathan Archer's original NX-01 from the most recent TV series through to the NCC-1701 under the control of Captain Kirk and her replacement, the NNC-1701-E.

The online article attracted a number of comments including criticisms of incorrect information.

Today, news.com.au published a correction titled We're sorry for claiming Captain Kirk was in command of Captain Picard's starship, which began with

* There were many USS Enterprises
* Kirk didn't captain them all
* Patrick Stewart is handsome

YESTERDAY, a news.com.au article incorrectly stated that the Star Trek starship USS Enterprise-E, otherwise known as model NNC-1701-E, was the successor to Captain Kirk's original USS Enterprise.

It has since been brought to our attention that the NNC-1701-E in fact came two models after Captain Kirk retired and was under the command of Captain Jean Luc Picard.

The correction then apologised "unreservedly for the error", linking back to the "original, poorly researched article", which then later included a disclaimer apologising for "any errors in this apology".

Unfortunately, there was not only a typo in the original article, but in the apology - as NNC should actually read NCC. The attracted an even greater number of comments pointing not only this out, but a number of other errors.

However, it might have been intentional - to go along with the photo of Picard's hand gesture and a fake poll on "What's the coolest starship class?".

I can't wait to check out the manual when it is eventually on sale in Australia. As for another apology and correction, I won't hold my breath.

Any media outlet reporting on Star Trek matters should know by now that they should be meticulous with the (fictional) facts as geekdom criticism knows no bounds.

Watching watches 2

Last week, I wrote about the falling sales of watches as revealed by a consumer survey. As a functional item of time-keeping, young people have replaced the watch with other mobile gadgets.

Fitting, then that Dolce & Gabbana have marketed their watches, as fashion accessories.



Of course, to Dolce & Gabbana consumers, it has always been about style. Indeed, for Swatch and most watch brands, marketing has never been about functionality but about fashion.

Perhaps to young people, a watch is just another optional item.

Tintin update

Empire magazine (UK) has published in its latest issue (December 2010, available from news stands in the UK from 4 November), the world's first exclusive stills of the upcoming Tintin film, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn.

Two stills are available online - one showing Captain Haddock speaking to Tintin and another with Tintin and Snowy/Milou gesturing for help from a capsized boat.

The film will be first released in the UK on 26 October 2011, before distribution to other countries.

Beyond reasonable doubt 3

Last year, I wrote twice about the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in 2004 by the state of Texas on charges of murder. Today, questions remain about whether he was actually innocent.

More recently, again in the state of Texas, an inmate named Anthony Graves was finally freed after 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He was also on death row. Melissa Block in All Things Considered on NPR interviewed Pamela Colloff, editor of Texas Monthly who wrote an in-depth article about the case. Extract of the radio transcript

BLOCK: Let's recap this case. Anthony Graves was convicted of capital murder. That conviction was actually overturned 12 years later, but he was awaiting retrial on capital murder charges. Now, the D.A.'s office says, unequivocally, he is an innocent man.

Ms. COLLOFF: Yes. What's interesting is that they say that unequivocally. This is not the sort of situation where a D.A. is saying we don't have enough evidence to move forward or this case is too old to prosecute. There is a remarkable press conference this morning that the district attorney held in Brenham, Texas, in which he and his special prosecutor said this man is innocent. We have absolutely no shred of evidence that connects him to this crime.

BLOCK: Well, how was it that Anthony Graves was first implicated in these murders back in 1992?

Ms. COLLOFF: This began because Robert Carter, the man who did in fact commit this crime and he was later executed for committing this crime, was asked repeatedly on the night of his arrest who had helped him. The Texas rangers who were investigating the case believed that one person could not have been responsible for the murders of six people. Finally, after a lengthy interrogation, Robert Carter came up with the name of Anthony Graves, a person he knew very, very casually, and that was the beginning.

BLOCK: And there was no physical evidence connecting Anthony Graves with the murders. He had an alibi, witnesses to back it up. What is the explanation for what happened with this case? Pamela, was this, as we said, missteps by the D.A., or was it something really more pernicious? Was there a willful misconduct on the part of prosecutors?

Ms. COLLOFF: The night before Robert Carter, the man who committed this crime, took the stand at Anthony Graves' trial, he told the district attorney, I did this myself. Anthony Graves had nothing to do with this. The district attorney at that point was obligated to disclose that information to the defense. He claimed that he did. The defense said that he never disclosed that. And there's no evidence to support that he ever did disclose that information. The following day Robert Carter took the stand, he testified against Anthony Graves and delivered the testimony that the district attorney had hoped he would. A federal court later found that when Mr. Sebesta took that testimony, he knew that that was perjured testimony.

BLOCK: It's worth noting that it was a journalism class engaged in investigating wrongful prosecutions that led to Anthony Graves' original conviction being overturned, right?

Ms. COLLOFF: That's correct. There's a professor here in Houston at University of St. Thomas, Nicole Casarez, she and her journalism students spent eight years investigating this case and turned up some remarkable facts. They went back. They reinvestigated the case. They found new people to talk about what had happened. They pored over this incredible lengthy and complicated court record. And what Nicole and her students put together was a very damning picture of miscarriage of justice.

BLOCK: Anthony Graves was, what, 26 when he was arrested. He leaves prison now at age 45 - 18 years of his life behind bars. What happens with him now?

Ms. COLLOFF: I think that's the question. I talked to him very briefly yesterday, and he said this is the beginning - I think, meaning, this is the beginning of my life or the rest of my life. But keep in mind he will get no money from the state of Texas. He's 45. He has nothing to his name. When he called his mother yesterday to tell her that he was finally being let go, he didn't know how to use his attorney's cell phone. And no amount of money, even if he were being given money, I think could give back what's been taken from him.

BLOCK: Pamela Colloff, it is a chilling and terrifying story. Thank you very much.

This would surely be another case to support the abolition of the death penalty.  Unlike Cameron Todd Willingham, Anthony Graves is now free. And alive.

What is worrying is the miscarriage of justice that allowed him to be imprisoned for so long in the first place. That is a separate issue and just as important.

Watching watches

A consumer survey by Mintel Oxygen revealed that "some 86% of consumers wear a watch, but nearly 40% only buy a new one when their old one is broken". The rest of the report will cost £1500, US$2310 or €1793.

Fortunately, BBC News Magazine was either provided a free copy of the report, or purchased the report, and was able to report that the 14% of consumers not owning a watch claimed they did need one, numbering some 7.2 million people in the United Kingdom and likely to grow due to ownership of mobile phones. Particularly amongst young people.

With wrist watches becoming unpopular with young people, there are concerns that it will become redundant. Obviously, the report could concern watchmakers.

Obviously, some people are under the impression that watches are used to tell the time. This is only a minor useful function. Watches are actually a fashion accessory that should look good.

Nevermind Rolex. The perfect fashionable watches are made by Patek Philippe, particularly the 5004G.

However, I will just have to be satisfied with Longines.

Über Alles nicht

Reported in Der Spiegel

10/26/2010

Diplomatic Gaffe

Chilean President Wrote 'Deutschland Über Alles' in German Guest Book

In a gesture of thanks for Germany's help in rescuing the 33 Chilean miners, President Sebastián Piñera wrote the historically charged slogan 'Deutschland Über Alles' into the guest book of German President Christian Wulff last week. Now Wulff's office is pondering how to remove the words.

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera has apologized for writing the words "Deutschland Über Alles," a phrase frowned on in Germany because of its association with the Nazi era, into the official guest book of German President Christian Wulff during a visit to Berlin last week.

Media reports claimed Piñera had said on Monday that he had learned the slogan in school in the 1950s and 1960s and understood it to be a celebration of German unification in the 19th century under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. He said he was unaware that it was "linked to that country's dark past."

The first verse was dropped from the anthem after World War II because it is deemed too nationalistic. Piñera had been on a European trip to thank countries for their help in freeing the 33 Chilean miners. A spokesman for Wulff's office played down the gaffe on Monday, saying the president had no doubt intended to express something positive about Germany.

Bild's Loser of the Day

Piñera isn't the only one to have unwittingly broken the taboo. Even experienced Europeans have done so. Last year, the French presidential office was so excited at the prospect that Chancellor Angela Merkel would attend the official celebrations to mark the French victory in World War I, the first German leader ever to do so, that its press department announced that the choir of the French army would sing "Deutschland Über Alles" at the event, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported at the time.

The mistake was spotted in time and the choir confined itself to singing the third verse which has been officially used since the end of World War II, starting with the unoffensive words: "Unity and justice and freedom for the German fatherland!"

Bild, Germany's best-selling tabloid newspaper, responded to the faux pas by declaring Piñera as its loser of the day, a regular item on its front page, on Tuesday. "He's better at rescuing miners," the paper declared.

Meanwhile, "Deutschland Über Alles" continues to sully the pages of Wulff's guest book. Wulff's office now plans to discuss the matter with the Chilean embassy in Berlin. Piñera may get a chance to revise his entry.

cro -- wire reports

Most people making this error would be unaware of the sensitivity despite the offensive stanza no longer being used since 1952 and again confirmed upon German reunification in 1990.

Perhaps educating this fact could be part of Germany's usual international public diplomacy.

A timely reminder indeed.

Amazing Amazon's new discoveries

The 10th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is currently being held in Nagoya, Japan (18-29 October 2010).

To coincide with the event, WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature today launched Amazon Alive!: A Decade of Discoveries 1999-2009, which listed new species including 637 plants, 257 fish, 216 amphibians, 55 reptiles, 16 birds and 39 mammals.

See media release.

New species also included spiders, such as this very attractive one


Avicularia braunshauseni (photo by Karl Csaba for WWF)