This is a pretty cool headline:
Monkey Police Provide Social Stability
Of the 21 species of macaque monkeys, pigtailed macaques live in societies that fall somewhere between the despotic and egalitarian extremes. A dominant male and female run the show but conflict among other monkeys is common, if rarely extreme. Most such conflicts end with a third party intervening, usually in favor of one or the other opponent. But sometimes the most powerful monkeys literally stand between the two combatants and, occasionally without even threatening them, impartially resolve the conflict. It is this occasional policing that allows pigtailed macaque society to be more diverse instead of breaking down into warring cliques, according to new research.
Oh, and go, ita!
I wonder if there are any Krav techniques that can be taught to monkeys
The wedding was supposed to be last year, but last year was Year of the Widow, so they couldn't get married.
Bwah! We had a couple of near misses related to auspicious/inauspicious dates.
In other news, my brother seems to think that people are still going to fly to China for his wedding even if he doesn't tell us when and where it is. I wonder what his fiancee thinks about him scheduling the entire thing about his family's presence instead of her convenience.
Oh my, Consuela. I remember when she was just a not-so-English-speaking houseguest with a sick-unto-dying stomach virus, foisted upon your sister, who spoke no Chinese, while your bother (oh, I'm keeping that typo) wasn't going to be around. They're getting married! Huh.
Your brother needs a boot in pants. Yes.
As does your brother, brenda.
tommy, I think krav techniques against monkeys might be more of an issue.
Thanks for the krav congrats. I'm heartened (but not excited) by the news. We shall see how it all works out.
More hearts for Valentine's Day.
The wedding was supposed to be last year, but last year was Year of the Widow, so they couldn't get married.
My coworker actually warned me about this, in a weird sort of "well, you're not Chinese, so it
probably
won't matter anyway" way that left me quite unsure of whether she meant it or thought it was all full of shit herself.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Octopus vs. Robot Robotic undersea exploration thingie: [link]
Here's a nifty video (mpg) of an octopus confronting an ROV working off Vancouver Island. The poor thing was just trying to crush and eat an interloper (or perhaps disassemble it for spare parts to use in its high-tech scheme to take over the world), and the ROV operator uses its thrusters to fling debris at it and drive it away.
It's quite a battle, and the octopus holds on for a surprisingly long time in the face of an extremely obnoxious machine.
Isn't that the next made-for-Sci-Fi movie?
OctoROV!
Or maybe a creature of man/octopus DNA that's given robotic limbs after a near-fatal crash of a spaceship.
RoboOctoMan!
