Can pink elephants be that far behind?

They're not changing the water as often at the Higashiyama zoo. Maybe they should make an exception for the polar bear pond.

The increased algae has entered the bears' hollow hairs and the result is green polar bears.

On the other hand, it makes for a great publicity stunt. I mean really, how many of you had heard of the Higashiyama zoo before?

And on a more serious note, how many realized that polar bears had hollow, transparent hairs? The hollowness is for insulation purposes, of course. And polar bears normally appear white because they reflect back the full spectrum of light, just like snow.

Walrus is pleased to present this infotainment moment as a free public service.


Technorati tags: Polar bears

Misheard Numa Numa Lyrics

This is not exactly new on YouTube, but it was new to me. I laughed myself silly. Hat tip to M G Tarquini.

What a hoot!

After checking out Ed Willett's blog and discovering that the white, American-Canadian, male science fiction writer took a Star Trek character test and came out as Uhura (!!!), I just had to take it myself.

Well, as far as psychological insight goes, this test is dead in the water, but it's a winner for entertainment value. When I saw my results, I just about fell off my chair laughing. For I am - wait for it...

Your results:

You are Will Riker



At times you are self-centered but you have many friends. You love many women, but the right woman could get you to settle down.

Will Riker - 60%
Geordi LaForge - 50%
Beverly Crusher - 50%
Deanna Troi - 50%
Uhura - 45%
James T. Kirk (Captain) - 45%
Data - 42%
Jean-Luc Picard - 40%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt) - 40%
Chekov - 35%
Spock - 34%
Mr. Scott - 30%
Mr. Sulu - 20%
Worf - 15%
Leonard McCoy (Bones) - 15%

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz


I must have some serious self-hatred thing going on, because Will Riker comes in second on my list of Star Trek characters I love to hate. I don't dare name the #1, because hard-core Trekkies would firebomb my house.

When I look at the darn thing again, I discover that of the top six in the list, four are characters I have a hard time liking... Yup, gotta be self-hatred. I mean, how could one possibly question the validity of an online quiz?

Technorati tags: Will Riker, Star Trek, Edward Willett

Don't offend jelly bellies

Political correctness has claimed yet another sacrifice. But this time the affronted victims calling for blood are not a super-sensitive ethnic or religious group, not of the perpetually grieved feminist persuasion, but of a type we don't normally associate with teary-eyed victimhood. This time we are talking about overweight policemen.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, you had better think twice before you offend the delicate feelings of your local jelly-bellied constable on patrol. It could cost you your job. Ask Police Chief Paul Goward.

Goward committed the impardonable sin of addressing a memo entitled "Are you a jelly belly?" to the 80-member police force of Winter Haven, Florida. Although no individual was named or singled out, hurt feelings prevailed and Goward was forced out for exhorting his force to lose their overhanging guts in the interests of better carrying out their jobs. (Remember Will Smith in Men in Black? "I AM half the man you are!") The department became the butt of fat cop and doughnut jokes. And now they can be the butt of weepy, touchy-feely cop jokes too, and they will richly deserve it.

Speaking as a fellow jelly belly, I say, "Suck it up guys!" Better yet, suck it in. Goward is right. You can't carry out your job as well with suburban sprawl creeping over your belt buckle. (In all fairness to the Lakeland police force, they claim Goward was routinely abrasive and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. But still I can't see anything about the memo in question that warranted a response other than a jog around the block.)

And to society in general I say, why on earth are we constantly looking for reasons to be outraged and offended? I am all for treating other people with compassion and respect, but I am sick to death of the prevailing mentality of reading sexist/racist/insensitive/nasty motivations into just about every word spoken in public. And it is about time that courts, governments and bureaucracies stopped enabling these perpetually offended people. I need my outrage for situations that genuinely warrant it (think Darfur and kiddy porn, just for starters) and these people are giving me outrage fatigue. Grow up and get over it and let's use that energy to tackle problems that actually matter.

Technorati tags: Paul Goward, Winter Haven Florida

Been too busy to blog

It's been a hectic weekend as the real world insisted on infringing on the virtual one. But I have managed finally to shake myself free from the confines of reality and should be back up to virtual speed shortly.

Oh, you didn't notice I was gone??

Drat.

When Pakistani eyes are smiling

Bush is too easily impressed with his ability to read other men's souls...

Appearing with Bush at an East Room news conference after their session, Musharraf said he assured the U.S. president that the pact was intended to rein in extremist violence. "There will be no al-Qaeda activity in our tribal [area] or across the border in Afghanistan," Musharraf said. "There will be no Taliban activity. . . . There will be no Talibanization."

Bush said he was satisfied with those assurances. "When the president looks me in the eye and says the tribal deal is intended to reject the Talibanization of the people, and that there won't be a Taliban and won't be al-Qaeda, I believe him," he said.

Let's see. Wasn't the last time with Putin?

"I looked the man in the eye," Mr. Bush said of Putin after their meeting in Slovenia in June (2001), adding, "I was able to get a sense of his soul."

You'd think after that experience, he'd be a little more careful about looking foreign leaders in the eye.

Technorati tags: George Bush, Musharraf, Putin

Leahy calls border fence bone-headed

An American Senator with more than passing knowledge of Canadian/American relations has no patience for the idea of a fence along the Americans' northern border.

Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, said the proposed wall would alienate one of America's staunchest allies and potentially cripple trade between the two nations.

"Have we gone blind? It is clear that those who want to build this have no clue about the character, the history and the day-to-day commercial importance of the northern border and the needs of the states and the communities being affected," said Leahy. "It would be best to nip this foolishness in the bud before Congress wastes more tax dollars on another boneheaded stunt. America can do better than this."

I do have to say, I agree with the Senator. Canada and the US have a relationship that is unprecedented in world history, on both cultural and economic levels. The proposal for a northern fence is poorly conceived, poorly researched, and displays a dismaying lack of knowledge both of the degree of the supposed danger and the very real damage that it would create.

Leahy, though, said a fence would do more to disrupt trade than protect the U.S. from harm.

"Heavens to Betsy. Most of us who live up there go back and forth all the time. We are visiting our relatives," said Leahy, who said his wife's family lives in Canada. "You know, these are not terrorists. I have heard some cockamamie ideas during my time in the Senate, but this rises to the top."

Technorati tags: Border fence, Patrick Leahy

Border fences

The San Francisco Chronicle blasts border fences as being not only stupid but counter -productive, arguing that the partial fence along the Mexican border has resulted in more, not fewer, illegal immigrants living in the US, in large part because just as many people keep coming north, and fewer of them can get back home.

I applaud this voice of reason. Border fences are colossally expensive and ineffective to boot. The lovers of fences are also militating in favour of building one along the Canadian border, which raises stupidity to stratospheric heights. (The border is 7000 miles long and not known to be a source of illegal immigrants.) Unfortunately the idea seems to have some traction in Congress. The only good I could see coming from it is a lessening the flood of illegal guns into Canada... (That was sarcasm, folks.)

Technorati tags: Border fences

Not your standard walruses!

Since we (all one of us) at The Walrus Said have a natural prejudice in favour of walruses, we would like to point out that this does not mean we are specieist. Proof:







More unusual critters can be found here. There may even be one to fit your blog! Thanks to Hassenpfeffer for pointing us (all one of me) in the right direction.

Technorati tags: Walruses