h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

ltp, I'm sure you have no need of me to remind you of what happened to Albert when he messed with the lion...
http://people.bath.ac.uk/su3bugs/songs/song/alblion.htm

I like zoos, as has been said you can't recreate the smells of the animals on TV, or the experience of having gorillas chuck stuff at you!
The zoos do need to work on research and stuff as well as education about the animals, habitats and so on so the next generation can be enthused about it.
London Zoo is one I have strange feelings about. It's a bit small to have lots of big animals and can't really recreate habitats in the space, yet it has buildings and stuctures that were one thought of as fine for the animals. The grade 1 listed penguin pool. An incredible piece of 30 concrete modernism designed by Lubetkin. Back then this was the future and is a great poster piece for the dynamic optimism that was around between the wars. There are now no penguins in it as they've been moved to a new pool that is more suitable for their needs.

It must be great to be an ant in a zoo. All your needs met and no competition or predators . Sounds like a good retirement plan .

I really love going to the zoo. It was my favorite place when I was a teenager, to hand out with my friends (only about 3 miles from where I lived), and I go to the L.A. Zoo at least once a year, although it's harder to get up and down the hills these days. They have peacocks roaming at will, though -- not much fun, due to the noise and the droppings! They love to hang out on top of some of the Avian cages, and hoot down at the passerbys.

To make up for it, they also have an area where the Tamarinds (small primates from Brazil) live in the trees and you can walk among them. Haven't been to that part in a couple of years, and I wonder if they have any of them wander off? It's like one of those walk-through exhibits, like they have for birds -- or butterflies!

SC

[RNick]

Afternoon all. Busy busy busy. Got to make the house fit for the meet this weekend. It really, really isn't at the moment. It looks like the worst sort of student hovel. I even trod in a curry dish this morning .

A whole week to tidy up the house? - it must be bad. [cheeky peek at your space] Does this mean none of my timber OTA's will get to Chirk this week?
Ying

I don't do diagramming. Go Ask Spank_Munki, he deals with that sort of thing. My work is much more boring.

Well, it's not a whole week as such, it's the time during the week when I'm not at work. But it is quite a lot of a tip.

Ask who?! *ironic* That sounds like being sent for a 'long stand'? Ho Ho. Any way, maybe later - they (ota's)generally get there eventually.
PS Did you know 'hovel' refers to when cruck frames were founded in earthen berms to prevent span splay? Some of my student flats were a bit like that right enough.

Morning all.

for FK

>Galant Sir Santra

[hh]

[ ]

The silverbacks at the San Francisco Zoo were notorious for tossing poo at visitors, too. The last zoo I went to (it shall remain nameless here) was utterly depressing. Everything was dirty, the animals were in small pens, and the tiger's water pool was empty.

Played raquetball for the first time in a week today. went 2 and 1 in matches but was much too tired afterwards.

[Hati]

I must get around to going to Quirm Zoo before the weather turns.

Today was a local holiday. I went shopping and bought three sets of shoes to replace the ones I chucked out when I moved nests.

Then I went to see the Mueck exhibition at the Royal Academy. All his sculptures are scarily lifelike but the wrong size - either much larger than life or much smaller. I particularly liked one that depicted two old women talking. They had such wickedly sly faces you just knew they were spreading the dirt about someone. And there's one of a small naked man in a real (and therefore, obviously, normal-sized boat). The man is peering forwards, trying to see what is ahead. There's a collective article here: A1015435.

Back to w*rk tomorrow. It's going to be a busy week. I have to register all the staff and students into the VLE, update the main website and go to a meeting in Pseudopolis.

[lil] wearing 2 pairs of socks (and much else)

*wanders in and waves*.

Zoos. I like the good ones, the ones where the animals are kept in suitable enclosures, they do an important job of breeding animals. Obviously dislike the badones.

Have an achievement I want to share with the salon. Today I swam 1km! Am getting into fittness at the moment.

[Ying waiting for next powercut ]

Yay for Z!
...swimming is a good form of execise.