football - round 8

Essendon                 3.2      6.6      10.10  15.12 (102)
Brisbane Lions        3.5      6.7      6.10    9.12 (66)

GOALS
Essendon: Zaharakis 4, Crameri 3, Monfries 2, Watson 2, Hille 2, Reimers 2
Brisbane Lions: McGrath 2, Bewick, Clark, Stiller, Drummond, Rich, Adcock, Rockliff.

BEST
Essendon: Zaharakis, Hille, Monfries, Hooker, Myers
Brisbane Lions: Adcock, Rich, Merrett, Leuenberger, Hanley

INJURIES
Essendon: Michael Hurley replaced in selected side by Travis Colyer, Henry Slattery replaced in selected side by Michael Hibberd
Brisbane Lions: James Polkinghorne (concussion)

Umpires: Ritchie, Stevic, Kamolins
Official crowd: 24,921 at the Gabba

It started off as a close game until half-time, which I didn't mind are both of them are my teams. Essendon are on the way up and Brisbane Lions are still to have a win this season.

Still, there were some good signs from the Lions. Josh Drummond, having returned recently following knee surgery, still kicks with pinpoint accuracy and Daniel Merrett is a great defender.

I should have travelled to Brisbane for this game as there was also an NEAFL game on between Brisbane Lions reserves and Greater Western Sydney Giants, of which I am also a member.

Match report.

David Zaharakis tackled by Sam Sheldon (photo: Chris Hyde/Getty)

Todd Banfield under pressure from Kyle Reimers (photo: Chris Hyde/Getty)

Rohan Bewick taking an awesome mark (screamer) over Dustin Fletcher (photo: Bradley Kanaris/Slattery Media)

Jobe Watson marks over Pearce Hanley (photo: Bradley Kanaris/Slattery Media)

David Hille and Joel Patfull (spoiling) contesting a mark (photo: Bradley Kanaris/Slattery Media)

More on Vivian Maier

In January, I wrote about Vivian Maier, a prolific photographer from Chicago who was largely unknown until her death when some of her work was discovered.

Mother Jones recently featured some of her work in its May/June 2011 issue, 'The Best Street Photographer You've Never Heard Of' written by Alex Kotlowitz. This sums up her work well

MAIER'S WORK IS PART OF THE decades-old genre of street photography, a field that has included such giants as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Garry Winogrand, and Diane Arbus. (Judging by her collection of books on photography, Maier was likely aware of their work.) These photographers speak to the profoundly democratic impulse to acknowledge that we all have a place—that our stories matter. She took photos of the downtrodden and the well-heeled. She took photos of festive people and people in distress. She took photos of children and the aged. She took photos of whites and blacks (notable, given the times). Her work is marked by serendipity; she appeared to have no agenda, but instead captured what she stumbled upon. Joel Meyerowitz, the co-author of Bystander: A History of Street Photography and a renowned photographer in his own right, says of Maier's images: "They are full of wit and surprise and playful spirit...Her basic decent humanism is evident everywhere in her photographs."

Read more, which includes some stunning photographs.

Photograph by Vivian Maier/John Maloof Collection

Vivian Maier, photographer extraordinaire and chronicler of Chicago history.

Australian celebrity chef swears that perfectly edible food should not be thrown out

I've previously written (a number of times) about wasting food, including mentioning that for commercial operations like catering and restaurants, there are charities that make good use of unsold or untouched food to help those in need, and that in Australia, OzHarvest is one such charity.  Today, OzHarvest announced a new initiative

OzHarvest, Australia's leading food-rescue charity, today launches REAP, an initiative that brings the food-rescue concept to regional areas around the country. The project, the brainchild of OzHarvest founder and former Local Hero of the year 2010, Ronni Kahn, provides a toolkit for regional communities to carry out the OzHarvest mission themselves; that is, to collect excess food and feed those in need.

REAP launched with a controversial viral ad campaign featuring renowned chef Matt Moran, owner/chef of Sydney and Brisbane's Aria restaurant and also judge on Network Ten's MasterChef.

The controversial viral video, captured on an iPhone, was released onto YouTube and Twitter revealing a very irritated Moran having a heated argument with staff on set while filming a cooking segment.

The unknown staff member throws away a piece of perfectly good-to-eat 'plated-up' chicken only to have a very angry Moran shock viewers by shouting expletives at the staff member for throwing away perfectly edible food.

It is revealed through a second viral video release that this was, in fact, a hoax which brings to light the issue of food wastage in Australia with the message from Moran to think twice about throwing away food. Moran also emphasises that billions of dollars of food is thrown away every year. A community service announcement with REAP's message will also be played on Network Ten during the month of May.

Matt Moran said: 'I was more than happy to be involved in something so controversial if it meant that the message of food waste would be brought to the top of Australians' minds. REAP is a simple concept started by leading food charity OzHarvest, who have already rescued millions of meals from going to waste and who have provided millions of people with fresh food that they normally would not have access to. It's a f***ing great cause!'

The REAP regional toolkit contains a three-step process with four guiding principles for communities in feeding the needy within their own towns. Firstly, identify the need, secondly, source the food and lastly get an esky and go!

Community food rescuers collect the food from the donor, delivering it to the client, who provides the food to the needy. Central to the program's effectiveness is that it is an entirely free service, aligned with the OzHarvest mission. The NSW Premier's Department provided funding to OzHarvest for this project.

Ronni Kahn, CEO and founder of OzHarvest said: 'The issue of feeding those in need goes well beyond the areas we currently service which is Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle, Wollongong and most recently Adelaide. We have been working hard to create ways to help regional areas where our yellow OzHarvest vans just don't have the capability to reach on a day-to-day basis.'

Kahn said: 'REAP provides regional areas with all the necessary tools that they need to rescue food and deliver it to the disadvantaged. On top of that, it also serves to stop good food from ending up as landfill.'

The 'viral' video


The follow-up video


Aside from the gimmicky manner in which this was announced such as prematurely labelling of a 'controversial viral' video (see reporting in Sydney Morning Herald, which played along), this is a great initiative.

See also public relations company Liquid Ideas' news release, which also includes details of 'food facts'.

Einstein's general theory of relativity and the space-time vortex around the Earth

Scientists have confirmed that Albert Einstein was right. From Stanford University's Stanford Report of 4 May 2011

Stanford and NASA researchers have confirmed two predictions of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, concluding one of the space agency's longest-running projects.

Known as Gravity Probe B, the experiment used four ultra-precise gyroscopes housed in a satellite to measure two aspects of Einstein's theory about gravity. The first is the geodetic effect, or the warping of space and time around a gravitational body. The second is frame-dragging, which is the amount a spinning object pulls space and time with it as it rotates.

After 52 years of conceiving, building, testing and waiting, the science satellite has determined both effects with unprecedented precision by pointing at a single star, IM Pegasi, while in a polar orbit around Earth. If gravity did not affect space and time, Gravity Probe B's gyroscopes would point in the same direction forever while in orbit.  But in confirmation of Einstein's general theory of relativity, the gyroscopes experienced measurable, minute changes in the direction of their spin as they were pulled by Earth's gravity.

The findings appear online in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Read more.  See also NASA Science News, and reporting from NPR, New York Times, The Guardian and AFP (via The Age).

Now for quantum gravity.

football - round 7 - QClash 1

Gold Coast:            6.3  10.8  13.13  18.16 (124)
Brisbane Lions:      3.2  6.5    11.7    17.14 (116)

GOALS
Gold Coast: Krakouer 5, Matera 2, Patrick 2, Lynch 2, Stanley, Shaw, McKenzie, Iles, Harris, Daye, Brennan
Brisbane Lions: McGrath 6, Rich 3, Banfield 2, Clark 2, Polkinghorne, Black, Beams, Adcock

BEST
Gold Coast: Brennan, Krakouer, Smith, Rischitelli, Ablett, Harris
Brisbane Lions: Rich, Black, McGrath, Leuenberger, Hanley

INJURIESGold Coast: Gorringe (hamstring)
Brisbane Lions: Raines (concussion)

Umpires: Jennings, Ryan, McInerney
Official crowd: 25,504 at the Gabba

Dubbed the 'QClash' - Q for Queensland for the two teams in the state, the inaugural rivalry game was lost by the Brisbane Lions. Gold Coast Suns led for most of the game until the final quarter when the score was even on two occasions. While a disappointing loss, there were glimmers of hope such as some of Ash McGrath's seemingly impossible goals.

The Australian Football League (AFL) wanted to generate interest in the game and develop a rivalry and have succeeded in doing so. The loss is going to hurt and the Lions would not ever want to lose to the upstarts down the road again if they can help it.

Match report.

Todd Banfield getting a handball away (photo: Jason O'Brien/Slattery Media)

Ash McGrath with a strong mark (photo: Jason O'Brien/Slattery Media)

Joel Patfull getting a kick away before being tackled (photo: Chris Hyde/Getty)

Daniel Rich under siege (photo: Chris Hyde/Getty)

In other news, I did attend a live game this afternoon between the Western Bulldogs and Sydney Swans. While the game was dull, I met the legendary Kevin Sheedy.

UK votes no to change

From the Electoral Commission (UK) news release

First UK-wide referendum in over 35 years delivers a "No" to changing the UK Parliament voting system

07 May 2011

Jenny Watson, the Chief Counting Officer and Chair of the Electoral Commission, the independent elections and referendum watchdog, announced the result of the first UK-wide referendum in over 35 years at 1am today, Saturday 7 May.
 
In response to the question: "At present, the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?". The number of votes cast in favour of "Yes" was 6,152,607 and the number of votes cast in favour of "No" was 13,013,123.
 
For further information including local and regional breakdowns please see the Commission’s results website.
 
Announcing the result, Chief Counting Officer and Chair of the Electoral Commission Jenny Watson said: " I'd like to thank all the Counting Officers and their staff for their work over the past weeks and months, preparing for the elections and this referendum, staffing polling stations on Thursday and counting the votes."
 
ENDS


For more information contact
Office hours: 020 7271 0704
Out of office hours: 07789 920414
Follow the Commission on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ElectoralCommUK  

The people have spoken and the current system in all its simplicity - counting of votes, no preference deals etc - is maintained.  

Patrick Wintour, writing in The Guardian, sums up the political response from the 'defeated'

In a rejection of the Liberal Democrats' 90-year quest for electoral reform and Nick Clegg's supposed big prize of the coalition, the yes camp won only 11 of the 440 voting areas and not a single region in the AV referendum.

Clegg accepted the result without complaint. "When you have such a overwhelmingly clear answer you just have to accept it and move on. This is a bitter blow for all those people who believe in the need for political reform, but the answer is clear and the wider job of the government, and the Liberal Democrats in government will continue, to repair the economy, to restore prosperity and jobs and a sense of optimism in the country. That is the job we started and we will see it though. We will dust ourselves off and move on."

Labour leader Ed Miliband, who also campaigned for a yes vote, said: "I am disappointed, but the people have spoken clearly on this issue, and it is a verdict I accept."

One of the best analysis of the implications is from Jonathan Freedland, also in The Guardian

The immediate impact will be on the coalition. Lib Dems now understand exactly why the Tories were so eager to make that "comprehensive and generous offer" a year ago this weekend. It was not so much a power-sharing arrangement as a blame-taking one: the Lib Dems' role is to be the Conservatives' human shield and on Thursday they played the part perfectly. They took the heat while the Tories remained unscathed, their share of the vote unchanged since 2010, with even some council gains in England. For the senior partner, coalition is working out very nicely.

Conventional wisdom says Clegg will now demand a consolation prize or two, goodies to soothe his battered party and keep it content with coalition. But Cameron has no pressing reason to be emollient. For what leverage does Clegg have? He can't threaten to walk out, knowing that in an early general election only annihilation awaits. The Lib Dems are now hostages in this coalition, chained to the cabinet table, fated merely to hope that something turns up between now and 2015.

It was always a shaky coalition from the beginning. Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats have another four long years in politics.

Referendum on the voting system for the UK Parliament: not alternative but preferential

On Thursday 5 May 2011, there will be a referendum on the voting system used to elect MPs (members of parliament) to the House of Commons in the United Kingdom.

The referendum will ask eligible British voters to vote yes or no to a proposal. For this referendum, there will be a ballot paper with the question:

At present, the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?

Put simply, British voters will decide whether to maintain the existing voting system or reform it.


In addition to the official explanation video above, there are a number of other simple video guides about the 'alternative vote' (AV) system.



One with cats (vote meow)


From historian and television presenter Dan Snow




The 'alternative vote' system is very similar to Australia's preferential voting system.

Indeed, the system is already used in the United Kingdom but not currently to elect members to the House of Commons. First past the post is a very simple system to count but is not totally democratic.

If you are a British voter, consider voting Yes.

Superman, world citizen

In issue #900 of Action Comics published on 27 April 2011, Superman discusses his intention to renounce his American citizenship.

This has generated considerable discussion - see NPR, Reuters, The Weekly Standard, io9, Wired, etc

Associated Press report


Clark Kent may have a fake birth certificate and fake adoption papers arranged by Jonathan and Martha Kent. Surely Clark Kent's real persona Kal-El would not have an equivalent birth certificate from Krypton and then a naturalization certificate and nor would his alter ego Superman.

Questions need to be asked about how Superman, as an alien, became a naturalized US citizen. As a super human of non-Earth origin with special abilities, he must be above politics.

2011 White House Correspondents' Association dinner

Last year, I wrote about the 2010 White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner. Last year, President Obama's speech was fairly light-hearted. This year, it was still light-hearted but very poignant.

The video of this year's speech is worth watching, if only for the references to Donald Trump (via C-SPAN).



Seth Meyers spoke after Obama (via Politico) and punched even harder.



This is President Obama's third WHCA address and they are improving every year.

football - round 6

Richmond            4.3    9.6    14.8      18.16 (124)
Brisbane Lions    5.3    5.7    12.12    14.14 (98)

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 5, Nahas 3, King 3, Nason 2, Vickery 2, White 2, Foley
Brisbane Lions: Power 4, Beams 2, Rich 2, Banfield, Leuenberger, Redden, Rockliff, Polkinghorne, Clark

BEST
Richmond: Foley, Martin, King, Cotchin, Houli, Nahas
Brisbane Lions: Black, Rockliff, Adcock, O'Brien, Power, Redden

Umpires: Bowen, Meredith, Wenn
Official crowd: 37,438 at the MCG

My team (Lions) would have been poorer without Luke Power or Simon Black. Richmond Tigers are a team on their way up though this was a more even match. Either side could have won it but our forwards seem to be disadvantaged in a contest.  I nearly made the trip to attend this game for a long weekend, but had to commit to a meeting on Monday instead of taking that day off.

Match report.

Photos below from Getty Images by Mark Dadswell.

Mitch Clark flying for a mark

Simon Black getting a handball away before being tackled

Tom Collier being tackled before disposal

Photos below from Slattery Images by Michael Willson

Daniel Merrett taking a hanger

Jesse O'Brien about to lose the ball

Animal language needs rethinking

From Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics news release 'Animal Language Sends Wrong Message' of 26 April 2011

A call for a new “animal language” has been made by some of the world’s leading animal ethicists who say words like “pests” and “vermin” send out the wrong message and even our most common terms such as ”pets” and “wild animals” need updating.

The editors of a new Journal of Animal Ethics (JAE) published this month by the University of Illinois Press say derogatory words like “pests” and “vermin” should be dropped altogether and “pets” replaced by “companion animals”, while “wild animals” should be termed “free living or free ranging animals”.

“Despite its prevalence, “pets” is surely a derogatory term both of the animals concerned and their human carers. Again the word “owners”, whilst technically correct in law, harks back to a previous age when animals were regarded as just that: property, machines or things to use without moral constraint … In addition, we invite authors to use the words “free-living”, “free-ranging” or “free-roaming” rather than “wild animals”… For most, “wildness” is synonymous with uncivilized, unrestrained, barbarous existence. There is an obvious prejudgment here that should be avoided.”

“Our existing language about animals is the language of past thought – and the crucial point is that the past is littered with derogatory terminology: “brutes”, “beasts”, “bestial”, “critters”, “sub-humans”, and the like. We shall not be able to think clearly unless we discipline ourselves to use less than partial adjectives in our exploration of animals and our moral relations with them,” they argue.

Read more, including details about the journal.

Some of the suggestions may seem far-fetched to some people. The notion of 'ownership' of 'pets' is worth thinking about. I have often been uneasy about the concept of 'owning' other living creatures, which is basically, the lives of other sentient beings. Hence, the alternative notion of humans as 'carers' or 'guardians' of pets and other domesticated animals make more sense. This reinforces the need to treat other creatures with respect and dignity, free from cruelty.

'Pets' or rather 'canine or feline companions' then become adopted rather than bought.

The question isn't academic but rather an ethical one.

Much of our values concerning animals are based on cultural and religious views. In Judeo-Christian-Islam ('people of the book') traditions, living creatures have been given to humans by God. In most native American cultures, animals have spirits (or souls). It might be time to re-examine our views.

The secret of royal jelly

Queen bees are created when designated larvae are fed royal jelly by worker bees. Until now, the exact active ingredient was not known. Masaki Kamakura of Biotechnology Research Center, Toyama Prefectural University has found that the active ingredient is royalactin. The study was a challenge as royal jelly itself degrades very quickly. Abstract from Nature

The honeybee (Apis mellifera) forms two female castes: the queen and the worker. This dimorphism depends not on genetic differences, but on ingestion of royal jelly, although the mechanism through which royal jelly regulates caste differentiation has long remained unknown. Here I show that a 57-kDa protein in royal jelly, previously designated as royalactin, induces the differentiation of honeybee larvae into queens. Royalactin increased body size and ovary development and shortened developmental time in honeybees. Surprisingly, it also showed similar effects in the fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster). Mechanistic studies revealed that royalactin activated p70 S6 kinase, which was responsible for the increase of body size, increased the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase, which was involved in the decreased developmental time, and increased the titre of juvenile hormone, an essential hormone for ovary development. Knockdown of epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr) expression in the fat body of honeybees and fruitflies resulted in a defect of all phenotypes induced by royalactin, showing that Egfr mediates these actions. These findings indicate that a specific factor in royal jelly, royalactin, drives queen development through an Egfr-mediated signalling pathway.

See also Nature's The Great Beyond and New Scientist.

Royal Jelly is also used a health supplement, although it may induce allergies in some people.  Identification of the active ingredient could result in it being synthesized rather than being harvested from hives.

For those of us who have studied undergraduate biology, biochemistry or genetics, Drosophila melanogaster is still the ubiquitous object of study.

football - round 5

Brisbane 4.4   5.6  9.9  11.10 (76)
St Kilda 5.2  6.4  9.4  13.11 (89)

GOALS
Brisbane: Clark 4, Redden 2, Polkinghorne, Polec, Adcock, Power, Rockliff
St Kilda: Schneider 3, Milne 2,  Gram 2, Steven 2, Ray, Goddard, Riewoldt, Dal Santo

BEST
Brisbane: Adcock, Leuenberger, Rockliff, Merrett, Redden, Clark
St Kilda: Montagna, Goddard, Schneider, Gram, Steven, Riewoldt

INJURIES
Brisbane: Bewick (back)

Umpires: Donlon, Kamolins, Jeffery
Official crowd: 22,520

Last weekend (Round 4) was a bye so both teams were well rested. Tonight's game was scrappy but the Brisbane Lions were persistent, leading on the scoreboard towards the final quarter. The game could have been won if goal-kicking was more accurate.  Mitch Clark has been consistently good as a forward.

Match report.

Jack Redden with a goal celebration (photo by Slattery Media, Bradley Kanaris)

Jed Adcock (photo by Getty Images, Jonathan Wood)

Matthew Leuenberger takes a mark (photo by Slattery Media, Bradley Kanaris)

Simon Black about to handball (photo by Getty Images, Jonathan Wood)

Elisabeth Sladen 1948-2011

Elisabeth Sladen (1 February 1948 - 19 April 2011)

(with K9 - photo from BBC/Radio Times)

Elisabeth Sladen portrayed Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who and was probably considered to be one of the most favourite of the Doctor's companions.

She first became The Doctor's companion in 1973 in The Time Warrior, which also introduced a Sontaran warrior Linx (Jon Pertwee as the Doctor)


When Doctor Who was revived by the BBC, Sarah Jane Smith would be reunited with the Doctor (David Tennant) on a number of 'adventures' as well has her own spin-off show.

See obituaries in BBC, NPR, The Telegraph, The Guardian and The First Post.

BBC News


ITN report


The io9 website features an excellent article by Charlie Jane Anders, which analyses how the Sarah Jane Smith character developed over the years.

EDIT (Added 24 April 2011). A tribute by CBBC broadcast in UK on 23 April

Why Daleks are feared

(photo from BBC)

Cambridge University researcher Dr Robin Bunce has examined why Daleks scare people. From Cambridge University Research News published on 19 April 2011

It shouldn’t work, but somehow it does. Ever since Doctor Who first aired in 1963, the series has been internationally recognisable thanks to one of the most ridiculous space-creatures ever conceived; a master race of intergalactic pepperpots, armed with a sink plunger and an egg whisk, who (according to popular mythology), are hell-bent on conquering anywhere, provided it doesn’t involve stairs.

But don’t let that fool you. For more than 45 years, the Doctor’s arch-enemies, the Daleks, have been striking fear into young viewers with their chilling war-cry of “Exterminate!”. Like the Doctor himself, they have become an icon of British culture. For many, hiding behind the sofa when they appear is virtually a rite of passage.

Now, with the new season of Doctor Who nearly upon us, a Cambridge University academic has turned his mind to what makes the Daleks so terrifying. Writing in a new paper, Dr Robin Bunce – normally a researcher in intellectual history – explores why these unlikeliest of sci-fi foes bettered the rest, and became the most menacing alien ever to invade the small screen.

His answer has nothing to do with their often-cited, non-human appearance, nor their weird, electronic voices. In fact, Dr Bunce believes that the Daleks succeed because they offer us a moral lesson in what it means to be human in the first place. They terrify us because the evil they represent is a more precise definition than that of philosophers stretching from Socrates to Kant. They are chilling, he argues, because they are a vision of what we ourselves might become.

“The reason the Daleks are evil is because we recognise that they were once better,” Dr Bunce explained. “They are the nightmare future we dread.”

“According to their back-story, once they were capable of genuine emotion and real moral good. Now they are sexless, heartless brains, shut up in machines incapable of intimacy, who have forgotten what it means to laugh and no longer think of themselves as individuals. We recognise the Daleks as evil because they have lost all that we hold most dear.”

Read more.

Actually, Daleks are scary because they want to ex-ter-min-ate humans. Should a 'fictitious' Dalek approach you, it has only one purpose in mind. Surely no potential fatal victim of a Dalek is going to be thinking about what Daleks once were but instead flee for their lives. Now that is scary.

Dr Robin Bunce's paper is actually a chapter in the book, Doctor Who and Philosophy: Bigger on the Inside, which has been out for sometime (this year) in the United States.

Finally, real coffee in Paris

About 12 months ago, I wrote about New Yorkers finally getting the real taste of coffee, with Australian baristas from Melbourne, which has a well-known cafe and coffee culture, sharing their expertise.

AFP (through France24) has reported that Paris is now finally getting 'gourmet' coffee, also courtesy of experienced Australian baristas. Excerpt

It's famous for its sun-kissed sidewalk cafes, but Paris has lagged well behind New York, London and Sydney as a Mecca for connoisseurs of fine coffee -- until now.

Gourmet coffee bars and small-batch roasteries are popping up in the French capital, introducing locals to thick rich espressos, artful lattes and the idea that a cup of Joe can be savoured like fine wine.

"Coffee is a big part of the culture" in Paris, said Tom Clark, co-owner of the Coutume Cafe, which recently became the city's newest coffee bar and specialty roaster when it opened its doors on the Left Bank.

"It's just that it's not been respected... It is a living product. It has to be handled with care."

Driving the trend is an entrepreneurial network of young expats like Clark, an Australian living in France for three years who grew up on artisanal coffee, and well-travelled French contemporaries like his business partner Antoine Netien, a champion roaster in Melbourne before his return home.

"Before I went to Australia, I was drinking coffee with no idea how it was made," said French bartender-turned-barista Thomas Lehoux, who now mans the coffee machine at Eggs&Co, a hip Left Bank brunch spot.

"Most French people don't have any idea that coffee can be like wine."

Read more. It may come as a surprise to many people that despite its cafe society, the coffee in Paris is not that good at all.  It would be much the same in Germany, where the coffee is also 'industrial' served with cream and sugar.

Jumping peacock spider

(photo from ABC)

The peacock spider (Maratus volans) is native to the east coast of Australia. Dr Jurgen Otto captured the unique peacock-like display of the male spider, which was featured in ABC's Catalyst program last month.



In detail (see after the 3.00 minute mark).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GgAbyYDFeg
See also Dr Otto's flickr (excellent photos) and Spiders of Australia website.

Yes, spiders can be very attractive.

Whale songs trend across Pacific

Australian researchers have found that male humpback whales in the same population group sing the same song but that any changes to the tune spreads to other pods. Abstract from Current Biology

Highlights

- Humpback whale songs have repeatedly moved east across the South Pacific
- The songs moved across the region in a series of cultural waves
- The waves frequently caused complete “cultural revolution” of the song
- The scale, rate, and repetition of these cultural changes are unparalleled

Summary

Cultural transmission, the social learning of information or behaviors from conspecifics, is believed to occur in a number of groups of animals, including primates, cetaceans, and birds. Cultural traits can be passed vertically (from parents to offspring), obliquely (from the previous generation via a nonparent model to younger individuals), or horizontally (between unrelated individuals from similar age classes or within generations). Male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have a highly stereotyped, repetitive, and progressively evolving vocal sexual display or “song” that functions in sexual selection (through mate attraction and/or male social sorting). All males within a population conform to the current version of the display (song type), and similarities may exist among the songs of populations within an ocean basin. Here we present a striking pattern of horizontal transmission: multiple song types spread rapidly and repeatedly in a unidirectional manner, like cultural ripples, eastward through the populations in the western and central South Pacific over an 11-year period. This is the first documentation of a repeated, dynamic cultural change occurring across multiple populations at such a large geographic scale.

Media release from the University of Queensland

Humpback whales spread songs across the Pacific

Researchers at The University of Queensland have found that male humpback whales ‘change their tune' every year during their migration across the Pacific.

A study on whale song published today in the US journal, Current Biology, reveals a striking pattern of cultural change over a large distance, with the rate, scale and repetition unmatched in non-human culture.

UQ PhD student Ellen Garland said 11 different humpback whale song types were identified, which typically started in the eastern Australian population and spread in a step-wise fashion across the region to French Polynesia.

“I noticed that the songs moved quite rapidly through the six populations, usually taking two years to spread all the way across the region,” she said.

“This can compare to the game of Chinese whispers, except the song appears to be transmitted with little changes unlike a human sentence in the game.”

Ms Garland said songs had spread across whale populations suggesting acoustic contact or male dispersal between populations in the region.

“The reason we believe the song tends to travel east is because the eastern Australian population is the largest in the region and has a greater influence than the smaller Oceania ones,” she said.

Previous research has revealed that only male humpback whales sing and that song is a behaviour used in courtship and mating.

Ms Garland said all of the males in a population sang a similar song, but it was continually changing and evolving over time.

“Song can undergo evolutionary change, which occurs over a long period of time, or revolutionary change, where the males start singing a completely new song,” she said.

“We believe the song is continually changing because the males wish to be novel or slightly different to the male singing next to them.

“The way whales change their song can be compared to how humans follow fashion trends – someone starts a new trend and before you know it everyone starts wearing the same thing.”

The study is the first documentation of a repeated, dynamic cultural change occurring across multiple humpback whale populations across a large geographical scale.

It was undertaken in collaboration with the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium and investigated song similarity over an 11-year period within the South Pacific region focusing on the populations of eastern Australia, New Caledonia, Tonga, American Samoa, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia.

Media: Ellen Garland, 0406 965 475 or e.garland@uq.edu.au; or Erin Pearl (UQ Communications) 07 5460 1229 or e.pearl@uq.edu.au

See also reporting by

- ABC (Australia)
- Sydney Morning Herald
- BBC
- PhysOrg.com™ (this is worth a read)


Australian whales. Music trendsetters.

more hot than hotter

In August 2007, I wrote (rather reproduced an Associated Press report) about bhut jolokia (the "ghost chilli") grown in northeastern India and claimed to be the hottest, rated at 1,000,000 Scoville units. The previous record holder, the Red Savina habanero, was tested at up to 580,000 Scovilles.

Bhut jolokia held the record for nearly three years until the end of last year when it was superceded by the Infinity chilli at nearly 1.18 million Scovilles then the Naga Viper at just over 1.38 million Scovilles, both grown in the United Kingdom.

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that an even hotter chilli has been grown in Australia called the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T rated at 1.46 million Scovilles.

See also The Independent (UK).

football - round 3

Melbourne                 1.1       6.3       11.7    12.10 (82)
Brisbane Lions           5.2       7.3       9.3       11.5 (71)

GOALS
Melbourne: Jurrah 5, Wonaeamirri, Gysberts, Grimes, Sylvia, Bennell, Dunn, Moloney
Brisbane Lions: Power 4, Banfield 2, Polkinghorne, Leuenberger, Redden, Clark, Rockliff

BEST
Melbourne: Jamar, Jurrah, Moloney, Gysberts, Sylvia, Jones, Frawley
Brisbane Lions: Clark, Power, Adcock, Banfield, Black, Raines, Polec

INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: Clark (dislocated finger)

Umpires: Schmitt, Chamberlain, Keating
Official crowd:  24, 380 at MCG

The first quarter was good but the Lions could not sustain the momentum. I had not expected a win given Melbourne is supposedly a team on the way up, while the Lions are on the way down compared to last year. Still, it was messy game in the rain. Mitch Clark was everywhere and did some great things but was let down on a few occasions by ineffective disposals. Luke Power was outstanding.

Match report.

Tom Rockliff (photo by Slattery Media, Darrian Traynor)

Mitch Clark (photo by Slattery Media, Sean Garnsworthy)

Luke Power (photo by Slattery Media, Sean Garnsworthy)

Jack Redden (photo by Slattery Media, Sean Garnsworthy)

In other news, my other team, Essendon, won their game.

Some species aren't worth saving according to scientists

A new tool has been developed by Australian scientists to enable prioritisation in the attempt to save species at risk of extinction. When these species fall below a population threshold, they may not be worth saving. Abstract from Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is arguably the most popular measure of relative species threat, but its threat categories can be ambiguous (eg “Endangered” versus “Vulnerable”) and subjective, have weak quantification, and do not convey the threat status of species in relation to a minimum viable population target. We propose a heuristic measure that describes a “species' ability to forestall extinction”, or the SAFE index. We compared the abilities of the SAFE index with those of another numerically explicit metric – percentage range loss – to predict IUCN threat categories using binary and ordinal logistic regression. Generalized linear models showed that the SAFE index was a better predictor of IUCN threat categories than was percentage range loss. We therefore advocate use of the SAFE index, possibly in conjunction with IUCN threat categories, because the former indicates the “distance from extinction” of a species, while implicitly incorporating population viability as a variable.

Media release from University of Adelaide

Scientists have new measure for species threat

According to the authors of the SAFE (Species Ability to Forestall Extinction) index, conservationists with limited resources may want to channel their efforts on saving the tiger, a species that is at the 'tipping point' and could have reasonable chance of survival. Photo by Juliane Riedl. Full Image (175.46K)

Thursday, 7 April 2011

A new index has been developed to help conservationists better understand how close species are to extinction.

The index, developed by a team of Australian researchers from the University of Adelaide and James Cook University, is called SAFE (Species Ability to Forestall Extinction).

The SAFE index builds on previous studies into the minimum population sizes needed by species to survive in the wild. It measures how close species are to their minimum viable population size.

"SAFE is a leap forward in how we measure relative threat risk among species," says co-author Professor Corey Bradshaw, Director of Ecological Modelling at the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute.

"The idea is fairly simple - it's the distance a population is (in terms of abundance) from its minimum viable population size. While we provide a formula for working this out, it's more than just a formula - we've shown that SAFE is the best predictor yet of the vulnerability of mammal species to extinction."

Professor Bradshaw says SAFE is designed to be an adjunct to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, not a replacement.

"Our index shows that not all Critically Endangered species are equal. A combined approach - using the IUCN Red List threat categories together with the SAFE index - is more informative than the IUCN categories alone, and provides a good method for gauging the relative 'safety' of a species from extinction," he says.

Of the 95 mammal species considered in the team's analysis, more than one in five are close to extinction, and more than half of them are at 'tipping points' that could take their populations to the point of no return.

"For example, our studies show that practitioners of conservation triage may want to prioritise resources on the Sumatran rhinoceros instead of the Javan rhinoceros. Both species are Critically Endangered, but the Sumatran rhino is more likely to be brought back from the brink of extinction based on its SAFE index," Professor Bradshaw says.

"Alternatively, conservationists with limited resources may want to channel their efforts on saving the tiger, a species that is at the 'tipping point' and could have reasonable chance of survival."

The SAFE index is detailed in a new paper published this month in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Environment (http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/100177). It is co-authored by Reuben Clements (James Cook University), Professor Corey Bradshaw and Professor Barry Brook (The University of Adelaide) and Professor Bill Laurance (James Cook University).

Canadian Digital Journal (Kimberley Pollock) has a good well-sourced write-up. According to the SAFE index, the ten species most at risk of extinction are

1. Javan rhinoceros (Indonesia)
2. Kouprey (Cambodia)
3. African wild ass (Eritrea and Ethiopia)
4. Iberian lynx (Spain)
5. Northern hairy-nosed wombat (Australia)
6. Sumatran rhinoceros (Malaysia and Indonesia)
7. Ethiopian wolf (Ethiopia)
8. Addax (Sahara Desert)
9. Dibbler (Australia)
10. Riverine rabbit (South Africa)

Australia's ABC interviewed Professor Corey Bradshaw, focusing on the northern hairy-nosed wombat (article, radio interview transcript, audio).

While the SAFE index provides a rational approach, this is not always going to be the case. If tigers and pandas fell below the viable population for saving, there is no doubt that extra effort including cloning would be made to save them.  Today, species like the dodo or Tasmanian tiger would certainly attract considerable effort for saving.

This cowgirl's cow jumps and she's over the moon

From the town of Laufen in Bavaria, 15-year-old Regina Mayer, whose parents are farmers declined her request for a horse, so she did the next best thing, which was to train one of their cows called Luna like a horse. Luna also thinks she is a horse.

Associated Press


Antenne (Bayern)


See also reporting in
- Der Spiegel (English)
- Der Spiegel (Deutsch)
- Nürnberger Nachrichten

Moo!

football - round 2

Western Bulldogs 5.4 10.4 14.7 19.9 (123)
Brisbane Lions 0.2 3.5 4.7 6.9 (45)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Hall 3, Griffin 3, Higgins 3, Giansiracusa 2, Boyd 2, Hill, Jones, Sherman, Grant, Ward, Djerrkura
Brisbane Lions: Redden 2, Polkinghorne 2, Lester, Clark

BEST
Western Bulldogs: Griffen, Boyd, Cooney, Cross, Williams, Liberatore, Hill
Brisbane Lions: Black, Buchanan, Adcock, Bewick, Redden, Rich, Rockliff

INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: Matt Maguire (quad) replaced in selected side by Broc McCauley

Umpires: Dalgleish, Meredith, Wenn
Official crowd: 22,331 at Etihad Stadium

Totally thrashed. Polkinghorne's two consecutive goals was one redeeming feature in an otherwise uninspiring game. This was also Sherman's first game against his former side.

Simon Black on his 32nd birthday (photo by Getty Images, Robert Cianflone)

Mitch Clark rucking (photo by Slattery Media, Darrian Traynor)

Pearce Hanley (photo by Slattery Media, Darrian Traynor)

Jack Redden (photo by Getty Images, Robert Cianflone)

April fooled fourth

This morning I fell for April fools' pranks. Not once but four times.

First, I visited a colleague on the other side of our floor. He had the local Canberra Times newspaper, which usually prints a serious article on the front page. None could be found. He then mentioned reports about bats in the local area and mentioned seeing some in the tree that could be seen through the window. He insisted there was one just hanging in a branch. I looked and looked and could not see any. Five minutes later...

The second time was when a colleague mentioned that a staff member whom she supervised would be leaving on promotion to another area. My colleague is also going on annual leave in a few weeks so her team would be down from three to one. While I was trying to work out how to fill the 'vacancy' as quickly as possible...

Meanwhile, I had received an email from another colleague who knew about my regular consumption of weißwurst. She mentioned media reporting about "another round of Gammelfleischskandal in Germany" and that Das "Bild is calling it the Schwarzwurst Skandal". So I looked...

Finally, the big boss' executive officer came around to tell me that he wanted to talk to me about something urgent and important. So I grabbed a notebook and a pen while trying to figure out what it could be. Upon arrival at his office, I peered in only to find the prankster sitting in his chair.

I must have had 'gullible' printed on my forehead this morning.

Meanwhile, some of the better pranks today were from
- Lonely Planet on non-human translations of its guides
- The Guardian on their new approach to the monarchy and new live blog
- Google's new Gmail Motion
- Richard Branson buying Pluto
- The Independent reporting about Cristiano Ronaldo being traded by Portugal to Spain
- BBC's 3D radio
- The Sun reporting about gorillas being given iPads
- The Telegraph reporting about ferrets being trained to lay cables for broadband
- Artline's new tweeter pen
- IKEA's Hundstol (see video below)



There is always the possibility that any one of those mentioned above could be serious.

James Creedon from France24 in his international press segment for today seemed to enjoy it a bit more

Refuse, fuse to chair, confuse

From Bellaire, Ohio, WTRF 7 News on Monday reported that a 43-year old obese man who had not moved from a chair in two years had become fused to it. Officials discovered the man's condition after housemates sought assistance when he became unresponsive.



Within the Bellaire community, questions are now being asked how this could have happened.

WTRF 7 News is told by several sources that the man insisted on living his life in his chair, insisted that his girlfriend bring him food and soft drinks.

Someone should have sought help rather than allow another human being, despite their own choosing, to live in such a condition.

the Double Down down under

In April last year, I wrote about the launch of KFC's Double Down sandwich (without any bread) in the United States.

At the time, there were no plans to make it available outside of the United States.

From tomorrow (30 March), the Double Down will be available in Australia for four weeks only (but six weeks in Tasmania). According to KFC's media release, resulting in considerable media coverage, it is being marketed to "young men left unsatisfied by traditional burgers".

See
- The Age
- Herald Sun
- Courier Mail
- Crikey

It will be a hit in terms of sales. The male-bonding over 'Double Down' 'ManTime' might be a different story.

A trans-dimensional paradox loop

In this two-part clip for 2011 BBC Comic Relief (Red Nose Day), the TARDIS materalises inside itself. While a comedic piece, the trans-dimensional paradox loop is a fascinating concept.





See previously - an explanation of the chameleon circuit and an explanation of trans-dimensional engineering.

football - round 1

Fremantle  3.5  6.8  8.14  13.16 (94)
Brisbane Lions  4.5  8.6  10.7  14.8 (92)

GOALS
Fremantle: Mayne 2, Walters 2, Pitt, Mundy, Hill, Lower, Fyfe, Sandilands, Suban, Ballantyne, Bradley.
Brisbane Lions: Brown 3, Beams 2, Banfield 2, Rich 2, Polkinghorne, O’Brien, Bewick, Clark, Lester

BEST
Fremantle: Pavlich, Sandilands, Mundy, McPhee, Mayne, Fyfe
Brisbane Lions:  Black, Leuenberger, Rich, Rockliff, Merrett, Brown, Hanley

INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: Power (back, replaced in selected side by Beams), Brown (nose), Staker (ankle)

Umpires: Donlon, Stewart, Kamolins

There was some first class effort by first-gamers and younger players who managed a few goals. Unfortunately, despite leading for most of the game, Fremantle was able to overcome the tired legs of the Brisbane Lions' players in the last few minutes to snatch victory in a close game.

Pictures by Getty Images (Chris Hyde)

Simon Black with a handball under pressure

Mitch Clark with a handball before being tackled

Ryan Lester's first game

Matthew Leuenberger with some great ruck work

Jess O'Brien

Brent Staker with a chest mark

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd attended the game (picture from Brisbane Lions, flanked by club CEO Malcolm Holmes at Mr Rudd's right, and club Chairman Angus Johnson at his right).