Koko, the Western Lowland Gorilla who is able to understand more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language and 2,000 words of spoken English, has met some celebrities over the years.
In 1988, William Shatner had a memorable visit with Koko, as
seen in part in this edited clip, and
re-told on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in 2009.
Mister Rogers visited in 1998 (
YouTube clip), as part of series of shows addressing children's fears of meeting someone new or unusual. In 2004,
Koko met Betty White and
Robin Williams. (
Koko and other non-human primates using and learning sign language previously)
posted by filthy light thief
on Nov 11, 2011 -
12 comments
In 1985, just a few months before its lamentedly-unsuccessful-yet-enduringly-wonderful big screen cousin was released, the
Clue VCR Mystery Game was released on an unsuspecting (and largely unwilling [some might say clueless]) public. The hugely-quotable and charmingly goofy VHS film included as part of the game is viewable in its entirety online in seven parts:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7. (If you must see the butler, Didit, explaining the rules, please use
these links in place of 1 and 2 above.) [Total video time: under one hour] Before you view [more inside] play a round of personal facts, followed by a round of cards.
[more inside]
posted by hippybear
on Aug 23, 2011 -
22 comments
Yesterday, July 6th, was the first day of
San Fermín or Sanfermines in Pamplona, in celebration of
Saint Fermín. As is tradition,
it starts with a rocket, and turns into
a giant, joyous, drunken party in the streets. The
events to follow have changed over the centuries, with the addition of Riau Riau in 1914 (
actual singing,
words and lyrics,
Spanish Wiki page with lyrics) in 1914, and most recently,
leaving of candles and red bandanas at
the Church of San Lorenzo, following the singing of
Pobre de Mi. Oh, and there's
the running of the bulls (
route,
photos from yesterday's run,
previously).
[more inside]
posted by filthy light thief
on Jul 7, 2011 -
9 comments
The
Kermode bear or
Spirit bear is a an all white subspecies of the American Black Bear. Their white fur is the the result of a recessive allele and is believed to give them an
advantage in daylight fishing for salmon, but places them at a significant disadvantage in areas inhabited by Grizzly bears or wolves, who prey on them.
[more inside]
posted by Ahab
on Nov 26, 2010 -
13 comments
Beyond the Pale: In a wide-reaching book review and with nods to James Baldwin's 1984 essay
On Being White ... and Other Lies, Kelefa Sanneh makes a modern argument that white identity is founded on a series of negations: "to be white in America is to be not nonwhite, which is why it was possible, in 1961, for a white woman from Kansas living in Hawaii to give birth to a black baby."
[more inside]
posted by l33tpolicywonk
on Apr 6, 2010 -
96 comments
Why are Europeans white? "White," of course, is a a social designation. The question really is, "Why are northern Europeans depigmented?" [...] Most people know that it has something to do with sunlight, UV, latitude, and vitamin D. [...] But this explanation fails for Europe. Northern Europeans are lighter than everyone to the south (Mediterraneans), to the east (Mongols and east-Asians), to the west (Native Americans across the Atlantic), and to the North (Inuit, Sammi, Chukchi, Aleut). Clearly, there once was a factor at work in Europe other than dim sunlight. [more inside]
posted by symbollocks
on Dec 17, 2009 -
90 comments
This past Thursday the Canadian government
granted refugee status to Brandon Huntley, a South African who has been living illegally in Canada since 2005. Huntley claimed that if he were to be repatriated back to South Africa he would be persecuted due to the fact that he is white. The South African government
is not amused.
[more inside]
posted by PenDevil
on Aug 31, 2009 -
56 comments
Pitcher Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox
has thrown a
perfect game. A tremendous sporting achievement; this has happened only 19 times in the history of major league baseball. Buehrle is the 17th pitcher in the modern era (since 1900) and the first since Randy Johnson in 2004.
posted by uaudio
on Jul 23, 2009 -
176 comments
Privileges:
Gender: 10 things only men can do (Askmen.com),
male privilege (wiki),
21 Things Women Can Do That Guys Can't (Cosmo),
female privilege (2 3 4 5).
Race: white privilege (wiki).
Sexual orientation: straight privilege (2) (wiki),
cisgendered privilege.
Body: able-bodied privilege,
non-fat privilege.
Money: non-poor privilege (2),
class privilege (PDF).
Demographics: Christian privilege,
American privilege,
adult privilege,
black male privilege,
Muslim male privilege.
Combo: gamer privilege,
male programmer privilege.
Criticism and essays: victim privilege, "
Point of Privilege", "
We can't be equal while ... ", "
Where's My Extra Piece of the Pie?". And, lest this become too serious:
pirate privilege and
lolcat privilege (the latter via).
(Covered in smaller scope previously.)
posted by WCityMike
on Aug 15, 2008 -
156 comments
Rethink.
The.
Shark.
[YouTube] The
Save Our Seas Foundation [small Flash], a Swiss-based non-profit, joins the growing ranks of a world-wide movement to undo the damage caused by
popular reports and
gross misrepresentation by Hollywood of sharks as human-savoring sea monsters/killing machines. The fact of the matter is that the opposite is true: Current estimates give between 65 million to 165 million sharks being killed worldwide annually via unregulated catch - including
38 million to
70 million [PDF] for their fin alone, with untold numbers of butchered and bleeding-to-death sharks being cast back into the oceans to die slow and gruesome deaths.
[more inside]
posted by humannaire
on Jul 31, 2007 -
38 comments
Nip White Poppies in the Bud - Edmonton Journal Article The White Poppy emerged as a symbol of peace in th e1930's, and has been sold by a women's peace group and activist store in Edmonton, Canada for the past several years. This year, The Royal Canadian Legion has ordered a cease and desist, saying that the sale of the poppies is "illegal." Every year the Legion sells red poppies for Remembrance Day. This is an article from the local major daily newspaper offering views from both sides of the debate.
posted by livingsanctuary
on Nov 8, 2006 -
23 comments
"I am copying you on this crap since I honestly believe the competitive procurement will never happen." --a multi-billion-dollar no-bid contract to KBR/Halliburton announced only after the fact, Cheney's extensive involvement, the attempted coverup of that involvement, lies, and you.
Embarrassment is not sufficient cause for exemption from the Freedom of Information Act, no matter how much some may wish.
...Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press in September 2003 Cheney stated,
“I have absolutely no influence of, involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form of contracts led by the [Army] Corps of Engineers or anybody else in the Federal Government.”
posted by amberglow
on Jun 15, 2006 -
39 comments
Black , the final entry in Adidas'
Adicolor short film campaign., is seriously messed up, with a fish and a panda playing russian roulette. Also featuring Pink, Red, Blue, White, and Yellow. (
via)
posted by blue_beetle
on May 12, 2006 -
25 comments
CIA warned White House -- no WMD programs in Iraq. A retired
senior CIA official interviewed by
60 Minutes claims that the White House ignored intelligence from Iraq's foreign minister,
Naji Sabri in the run-up to the invasion. CIA Director George Tenet delivered the information to President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other high-ranking officials
in September 2002, according to the CIA official. A few days later the administration said it was no longer interested.
"...we said 'Well, what about the intel?' And they said 'Well, this isn't about intel anymore. This is about regime change.' "
The interview airs on CBS, Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
posted by insomnia_lj
on Apr 22, 2006 -
59 comments
Peter Drucker; the Prince of Management, dead at 95. He was a
visionary leader to many. I tried to look up some opposing views and could not readily find any. Peace out.
posted by Mr T
on Nov 12, 2005 -
22 comments
The White Diamond was one of three documentaries released in theaters this year (in the U.S.) by legendary filmmaker
Werner Herzog (the others being the more widely seen
Grizzly Man, about a man who studied bears in Alaska, and
Wheel of Time, about the practices and rituals of devout Buddhists). In
The White Diamond, Herzog introduces us to
Dr. Graham Dorrington, a professor of aeronautics who is obsessed with weightless, floating flight, and who is testing the design of a new airship in a large hangar outside of London. Herzog and Dorrington travel to the rainforest of Guyana, where Dorrington hopes to fly the small dirigible over the jungle’s canopy and study the innumerable plants and animals living there with the hopes of finding new species and potentially discovering plants with pharmaceutical and healing benefits – a practice he calls “canopy prospecting”. [more inside]
posted by billysumday
on Nov 10, 2005 -
14 comments
