Posted: September 25th, 2020 | No Comments »Magawa wearing his gold medal from the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, a British charity, on Friday. Credit: PDSA, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
amazing article about Magawa, an African giant pouched rat, who detects mines and explosives in Cambodia, and just won (deservedly!) a gold medal for his work:
He can search an area the size of a tennis court in 30 minutes, whereas a person with a metal detector would usually take four days to search an area of that size. When he finds a mine, he signals to his handler by scratching at the earth above it.
AND:
Described by Malen, his main handler, as friendly and hard working, Magawa has a work-life balance that is likely the envy of many a human. “He is very quick and decisive,” Malen said in a statement provided by People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, “but he is also the first one to take a nap during a break.”
When he is not in the minefield, the two-foot-long rat likes snacking on bananas, peanuts and watermelons, and taking a spin on the running wheel.
PS CONTINUED APOLOGIES FOR THE GRUESOME GOYA-ESQUE PHOTOGRAPHS, THIS BLOG IS BROKEN BUT SO IS MY BRAIN SO I CAN’T DEAL WITH CALLING YAHOO BUT I SWEAR I WILL, SOON
Susan Sontag: “Let’s by all means grieve together. But let’s not be stupid together. A few shreds of historical awareness might help us understand what has just happened, and what may continue to happen. ‘Our country is strong,’ we are told again and again. I for one don’t find this entirely consoling. Who doubts that America is strong? But that’s not all America has to be.”
ps just was on a zoom meeting where someone said their organization motto was “more is more” and have you ever heard a less thrilling motto (besides MAGA). also i just figured out how to hide your video from yourself on zoom.
the best thing i’ve seen in a long time — smokey so sweet and smiley, aretha in soft focus, on soul train, 1979. from carina del valle schorske’s believer essay, “it’s not too late”:
Every detail in the Soul Train duet is worthy of study, but I like to run the clip back to a bit from the beginning—that first harmony—beauty so keen it even takes Aretha by surprise. She turns to Smokey, flirting:
ron wood’s i’ve got my own album to do (no verdict yet)
tomatoes
do yoga with me — after all these years of doing yoga, i’m still basically a beginner. which i guess is fine? is it fine to practice something for nine years but never improve? it doesn’t sound quite right.
Posted: August 31st, 2020 | No Comments »The killing in the 1830s of Mocha Dick, a giant sperm whale said to attack whaling ships with premeditated ferocity. Mocha Dick was an inspiration for Melville’s Moby Dick. Credit: Alamy. Via the NY Times.
