Please note that the poems and essays on this site are copyright and may not be reproduced without the author's permission.


Tuesday 10 February 2015

Primacy

.


Kristen and @maddieziegler: image via sia @Sia, 9 February 2015

Embedded image permalink

 Kristen Wiig and @maddieziegler giving TOTAL BOSSNESS: image via sia @Sia, 8 February 2015


Kristen Wiig and Maddie Ziegler perform with Sia at the Grammys: photo by Frank Micelotta/REX via the Guardian, 9 February 2015


Mystery of Baboon Apathy -- Have the Grammys Done It?



Zoologists are puzzled by the strange behaviour of hamadryas baboons at the Emmen zoo in in the Netherlands. Usually, they are very active and spread over the whole playing area. But this week they appear to have been struck by mass apathy, sitting still, huddled together in fear and hardly eating
: photo by Vincent Jannink/AFP via The Guardian, 2 August 2013

Spooked baboons baffle Dutch zoo in Emmen: BBC News Europe, 2 August 2013

Staff at a zoo in the Netherlands say they are baffled by their baboons, who have spent days sitting still, huddled together in fear and hardly eating.

The behaviour started on Monday evening, and only now are the 112 baboons becoming their normal, active selves again, said a biologist at Emmen Zoo.

The zoo still has no idea what spooked the hamadryas baboons, but it is a good sign that some are now eating apples, biologist Wijbren Landman said.

The zoo last saw such hysteria in 2007.

"What frightened them? We don't know, it's a mystery. There have been many suggestions -- an earthquake, escaped snakes, aliens, thunder," Mr Landman told BBC News.

"The other animals here are OK -- they have lemurs, elephants and kangaroos as neighbours, and they show no sign of panic."

Emmen Zoo baboons in trees

The baboons took to the trees in fear... and stayed there
: photo by Emmen Zoo via BBC News Europe, 2 August 2013 

Emmen lies in the north-eastern Netherlands, near the German border.

Mr Landman said he had consulted a French baboon expert who had witnessed such baboon hysteria in the wild, triggered by awareness of a predator. But the French expert said such hysteria had not lasted as long as in the Emmen case.

"The first deviation we saw was on Monday evening," Mr Landman said.

We were going to bring them to the night enclosure -- it normally takes a minute for all 112 to enter, but it took more than an hour to get them all inside. Then the next morning it was a problem to get them out, and then they were immediately sitting in the trees and on the rocks doing nothing at all."

He said some males in the hierarchy must have got frightened for some reason, and the rest of the baboons followed their lead.

According to Mr Landman, it is unlikely they would have been spooked by a fox, as the zoo is in the city centre, and they are used to seeing herons flying low over their enclosure, so a bird of prey is also an unlikely cause.

The Emmen baboons had similar scares in 1994, 1997 and 2007 and some would have experienced the previous hysteria, as hamadryas baboons can reach the age of 30, Mr Landman said.


Natural World living with baboons

Hamadryas Baboons in Awash National Park, Ethiopia
: photo by BBC NHU/Matt Pines via The Guardian, 18 July 2012



File:Papio.JPG

 Hamadryas Baboons (Papio hamadryas), Madrid Zoo:
photo by Manuel González Olaechea y Franco, 2007




Hamadryas Baboons (Papio hamadryas), Brooklyn Prospect Park Zoo
: photo by
Wally Gobetz, 28 April 2007



 Hamadryas Baboons (Papio hamadryas): photo by davidbuttle, 16 October 2011



Hamadryas Baboons (Papio hamadryas): photo by davidbuttle, 16 October 2011



 Hamadryas Baboons (Papio hamadryas): photo by davidbuttle, 16 October 2011



 Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas): photo by davidbuttle, 16 October 2011



 Hamadryas Baboons (Papio hamadryas), Singapore Zoo
: photo by Li3, 18 January 2010



Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas), male, Singapore Zoo:
photo by Li3, 18 January 2010



 Hamadryas Baboons (Papio hamadryas), Antwerp Zoo
: photo by Truus and Zoo, 27 March 2010


Pink ladies, fright wigs and butt cheeks



Sia, Rihanna and Madonna shocked and awed at the 2015 Grammy awards: photo: Guardian composite, 8 February 2015
Grammys 2015: Madonna's bum eclipses Rihanna's 'toilet doll' dress on red carpet: Madonna’s bottom-scrunchie affair was the standout outfit on a night of fashion extremes which saw Sia channel Cousin It and Rihanna cover up: Brigid Delaney, The Guardian, 8 February 2015

There were a lot of standout outfits at the Grammys this year, but Madonna’s bottom-scrunchie affair may safely be described as the most gasp-worthy.

The elasticised band clutched the southern side of her butt cheeks, pushing them up and out and emphasising their Pilates peachiness.

The bottom scrunchie –- in case it didn’t make enough of an impact –- was matched with fishnet stockings, thigh-high leather boots with silver spiked heels, and biceps-high black gloves.

It was a look that said “German beer wench crossed with Weimar Republic cabaret crooner”. It also said “matador crossed with Mad Max” and “I’m 56, what of it?”

While Madonna was all flash and dash, performers such as Sia and Rihanna went the other way, covering up and over themselves with wigs and acres of fabric.

Sia channelled Cousin It in a fluffy white triangular wig reminiscent of roofing insulation remnants. Only her mouth –- wearing a fetching bright, red lipstick -– and nose remained visible.

She was accompanied (or “supported” as some websites had it) by child doppelganger Dance Moms’ Maddie Ziegler.

Then there was Rihanna. Her pink Giambattista Valli creation was a gorgeous, vivid colour but its high waist and full skirt resembled the "toilet dolls" sometimes sold, in days of yore, at regional craft markets.

Bare your bum, cover your body and face entirely – it was a night of glorious extremes at the Grammys.

We are real, these are our real faces

File:Jigokudani hotspring in Nagano Japan 001.jpg

Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata), Jigokudani hot spring, Nagano, Japan: photo by Yosemite, 2005


A Japanese snow monkey relaxes in a hot spring in the Jigokudani valley in northern Nagano Prefecture in Japan. The macaques descend from the forests to the warm waters of the hot springs in the mornings, and return to the security of the forests in the evenings: photo by Nick Ut/AP, 11 February 2012


File:JapaneseMacaqueM2262.jpg

Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata), Jigokudani Onsen, Yamanouchi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan: photo by Fg2, 25 February 2006



Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata)
(Nihon zaru) soak in a hot spring (onsen), Jigokudani Yaen Koen (Snow Monkey Park), Yamanouchi town, Nagano, Japan: photo by edamame note, January 2010



Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata)
(Nihon zaru) soak in a hot spring (onsen), Jigokudani Yaen Koen (Snow Monkey Park), Yamanouchi town, Nagano, Japan: photo by edamame note, January 2010

#Japanese #Macaque (#SnowMonkey)
is the northernmost-living nonhuman primate, found at Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu: image via TravelExpo @TravelEXpo, 29 November 2014


Nature amazes: #Japanese #macaque thinks about taking dip in hot spring at Jigokudani Wild MonkeyPark, Nagano Woods: image via The Earth @myearthfriend, 31 January 2015


I Am Cousin It. This Is Not My Real Face. Be Afraid.

Embedded image permalink

I am #Sia #GRAMMYs
: image via Lisa Chang @MSLisaChang, 9 February 2015


Embedded image permalink

Yeah, let's be clear, I'll trust no one You did not break me I'm still fighting for peace #ElasticHeart #Sia
: image via Vanessa Aguilar @vanelli, 4 February 2015



This might be my real face

Oooh, this is why she never shows her face.. #Sia: image via Allysha Petkovic @AllyshaPetko, 6 February 2015


Sia #Sia Showing face or not, hit songwriter Sia heads to centre stage at Grammys as ... 623: image via Mary Smith @smitharyy, 8 February 2015

I am Cousin It and whoever's face it is, this is an Epic epic honor

Wigging out! @Sia and @maddieziegler have arrived at the #GRAMMYS #sia: image via Daily Front Row @DailyFrontRow, 8 February 2015

#Sia on the #GrammysRedCarpet. Fashion??? @Sia @alschaben: image via Cindy Hively @cindyhively, 8 February 2015 Los Angeles, CA

In person, this is even more bizarre. #GRAMMYS #Sia
: image via Matthew Belloni @THRMattBelloni, 8 February 2015


This is what I do every time I'm in Anthropologie, too. #GRAMMYS #Sia: image via Matthew Murphy @MurphyMade, 8 February 2015

There's an SM58 back there. We swear. #GRAMMYS #Sia
: image via Shure Incorporated @shureinc, 8 February 2015

Embedded image permalink
 #Sia Sia Sia Wore A Massive Wig To The 2015 Grammys, Bow Down 566: image via Mary Smith @smitharyy, 9 February 2015
Pretty Flamingoes


Mating ritual of the James's Flamingo (Phoenicopterus jamesi); also known as the Puna Flamingo, it breeds on the high Andean plateaus of Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina: photo by Pedro Szekely, 19 August 2007

 

Flamingoes in Laguna Colorada, Ayuni, Bolivia: photo by Carlos Adampol Galindo, 23 February 2008

 

James's Flamingos at Laguna Colorada in Bolivia: photo by Valdiney Pimenta, c. 20 August 2007
 



Phoenocopterus jamesi (James's Flamingoes, aka Puna Flamingoes) on Laguna Colorada, Bolivia
: photo by Sarah and Iain, 12 December 2006



Phoenocopterus jamesi (James's Flamingoes, aka Puna Flamingoes) on Laguna Colorada, Bolivia: photo by Sarah and Iain, 12 December 2006




Phoenocopterus jamesi (James's Flamingoes, aka Puna Flamingoes) on Laguna Colorada, Bolivia: photo by Sarah and Iain, 12 December 2006




Clouds of salt stirred by the harsh afternoon wind on Laguna Colorada, Bolivia: photo by rackyross, 11 January 2011

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Flamingo_National_Zoo.jpg


American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), National Zoo, Washington, D.C.: photo by Stevehdc, 2007

File:Lesser-flamingos.jpg

Lesser flamingos (Phenicopterus minor), Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania: photo by Charles J. Sharp, 2004

File:Lesser-flamingos-flying.jpg

Lesser flamingos (Phenicopterus minor), Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania: photo by Charles J. Sharp, 2004


  File:Flamingo rubro-Phoenicopterus ruber ruber.jpg

Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), Lisbon Zoo
: photo by Alfonsopazpoto, 14 July 2005


 

Untitled (Warsaw, Masovian, Poland): photo by Dorota Marta (Sex Crime 1984), 13 July 2013



Untitled (Warsaw, Masovian, Poland): photo by Dorota Marta (Sex Crime 1984), 29 April 2013


Partying with Pink Ladies Everywhere


London, UK. Guests arrive at a Conservative party fundraising event at the Grosvenor House hotel in Mayfair. They paid £1,500 a head to feast on a starter of smoked salmon with horseradish; a main course of confit of lamb neck with celeriac and a haggis sauce; and to finish, panacotta with rhubarb and mint oil
: photo by Frantzesco Kangaris/for the Guardian, 9 February 2015

MT @Breaking3zero #swiss leaks #HSBC may have worked with arms dealers & diamond merchants and some dictators: image via Chitra Subramaniam @chitraSD, 8 February 2015

"We could be heroes" #Swiss leaks: image via Héctor Juanatey @héctorjuanatey, 8 February 2015

Interactive map showing how much money #HSBChas helped tax dodgers hide around the world: image via gmapsmania @gmapsmania, 9 February 2015

Not sure about this new #HSBC advert: image via James Martin @Pundamentalism, 9 February 2015



Rihanna: the Most Fabric on One Human award. One question – how much does this amount of frou frou weigh? Ri-Ri is up for the challenge of finding out. Her pink wedding-cake dress makes us happy
: photo by
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic via The Guardian, 9 February 2015


Sia performs on stage at the Palais Theatre in February 2011 in Melbourne, Australia: photo by Graham Denholm via The Guardian, 7 July 2014

No wonder the pink ladies could afford to sponsor that girls education they were evading tax #bbcpanorama #HSBCLeaks: image via Scott Holmes @scottlovesstuff, 9 February 2015

Lord Green to BBC's Richard Bilton: "I'm not prepared to make any comments on #HSBC''s business past or present": image via Ian Fraser @IanFraser, 9 February 2015

@EtonOldBoys I see Cameron is desperately trying to defend Lord Green #bbcpanorama: image via Noel McGivern @Good_Beard, 9 February 2015


Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga at the Grammys
: photo by Jason Merritt via the Guardian, 9 February 2015



Cheek-a-boo! Madonna at the Grammys: photo by Jason Merritt via the Guardian, 9 February 2015


Madonna … Making an entrance at the Grammys: photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage via the Guardian, 9 February 2015


I Am Cousin It. Total Bossness. Goodnight.


Notoriously face-shy Sia arrives at the Grammys with Maddie Ziegler: photo by Jordan Strauss/AP via the Guardian, 9 February 2015


Sia (right) appears with her stand-in, dancer Maddie Ziegler: photo by Jeff Vespa/WireImage via the Guardian, 9 February 2015

Embedded image permalink

Epic epic honor. Kristen Wiig and  Bossing it up on the red carpet with my sister in arms @maddieziegler: image via sia @Sia, 8 February 2015


 "He purposely erased a lot of his own humanity” #LastDay #Warhol @tateliverpool (booking rec.): image via The Double Negative @TheDbleNgtve, 8 February 2015


Another face with trademark hair: photo by Nancy R Schiff via The Guardian, 9 February 2015


Sia: as unidentifiable as a unicorn bum. Sia and New York City's Gay Men's Chorus pose backstage during Logo TV's 'Trailblazers' at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in June 2014: photo by Andrew H. Walker via The Guardian, 7 July 2014

3 comments:

TC said...

Sia: Chandelier (Live GRAMMYs 2015 feat. Kristen Wiig & Maddie Ziegler)

Lally said...

what a strange and curious yet somehow glorious post this is Tom, you continue to outdo yourself...

vazambam (Vassilis Zambaras) said...



From the looks of it, the baboons certainly did not go bananas over what they presumably saw on the Grannys; one can only hope it’s because--as Olaf glad and big almost ceaselessly repeated—“there is some shit I will not eat’”.