Gavage has its own favourite animal stories, but they're a little more 'niche'. Such as, "Man Kills Gay Dog" and "Horse Kills Baby". They tend to be somewhat one-dimensional, and rather brief, and often conceptual. They are summed up by that old media formula 'X Vs Y'. These are Hemingway's kind of animal stories, i.e. 'Old Man Vs Sea' (written in the traditional 'Noun Verb Noun' Hemingway binary).

Gawker did a little better.

They ran a great fluff, list-driven feature on those aspirational moments "When Animals Attack Celebrities". Puffin-slaying Gordon Ramsay made the chop, as did Avianaphobe Fabio. Celebrity misfortune is a staple of tabloid politics. And we are living in the 21st Century after all; The Century of Schadenfreude. 

Gawker's Top 6 Animal Attacks on Celebrities

1. Susan Sarandon, Dolphin Attack!
2. Fabio Meets a Bird.
3. A Tiger Shows Roy That He's a Fucking Tiger.
4. Crikey, Steve.
5. Ryan Seacrest's Gay Shark Attack.
6. The Littlest Terror: Puffins Vs Gordon Ramsay.

Back then, before educational T.V. programs sold out, when Discovery Channel did not only broadcast motorcycle clips and reality-science shows, Animal Planet was honorable. Splitting from the Discovery Channel, it addressed multiple environmental issues. I remember Blue Planet's debut. And then followed Steve Irwin's famous Crocodile Hunter, Jeff Corwin's myriad shows and a few documentaries interspersed within. Nowadays, with the exception of Planet Earth, so called "environmental" channels have lost their flavor- and integrity.

What was once educational is now exploitation. Flick up the switch and Animal Cops greets you. Dog shows and cat shows, ER-esque pet series, all mark a new animal era. The jellyfish bobbed away, the odd macaw flew away, the piranha swam away. The shows now focus more on people than their fauna counterparts.

An example of human influence is Meerkat Manor. Does one really need a show about discolored guinea pigs? The animals follow every routine course of any other animal: eat, sleep, eat, reproduce, eat, flee from a predator, eat, and sleep. No routine within the show resembles that format, however. Instead, dramatic hype and incessant narration market the meerkats, not their scuffling or sped up antics.

The greatest offense is the slipshod characterization of animals. "Maneaters" and "After the Attack" shamelessly demoralize otherwise gentle animals. No evidence supports the bellicose lion or dangerous crocodile; sheer dramatizing exists instead. Mellow voices, fade ins and outs, and, once again, unnecessary commentary all paint animals as monsters. What happened to Steve Irwin's ideals? Did his "animals are friendly" belief die when he did? People immortalized him for his actions, but no one remembered the rest of the starfish.

My parents tell me to watch educational programming. I laugh. For education, my legs retreat from the television, and I open a book. At least the blatant propagandist embellishments aren't there.

Asi es dos años sin el loco de steve ... pobre tipo.

esto es un pequeño tributo.

 HI CROCKY!

Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin nació el día 22 de febrero de 1962 en Essendon (Australia) y fue un ecologista y una auténtica celebridad televisiva, conocido por su programa documental The crocodile Hunter o en España, El Cazador de Cocodrilos. No cal decir que la personalidad de Irwin fue lo que le consagró como aparte de un ecologista y un naturista, en un auténtico fenómeno dadas sus actuaciones arriesgadísimas la cual una de ellas le llevaría a la muerte y por su forma estrafalaria de presentar sus documentales, para mí un monstruo de la naturaleza, valga la redundancia...

Ya desde bien pequeño, Steve se trasladó con sus padres a Queensland (lugar donde murió), al pequeño zoológico que estos dirigían, por lo que el pequeño Steve ya mamó desde pequeño el mundo de la naturaleza ya que siempre estuvo rodeado de reptiles y de su animal favorito, el cocodrilo. En dicho lugar conoció a otro importante naturista australiano, Wes Mannion, quien a la postre sería su mejor amigo.

Remontándonos ahora en el tiempo, nos vamos a 1991 cuando Steve pasó a dirigir el zoológico de sus padres, renombrado con el nombre de Australia Zoo, y en dicho zoo fue donde conoció a su mujer Terri Raines, en 1992 fue cuando se casaron. John Stainton (agente y colaborador de sus documentales) grabó la luna de miel de la pareja y ahí fue donde comenzó el primer episodio de la exitosísima serie The Crocodile Hunter...

Pero Steve no tuvo suficiente con sus documentales y decidió introducirse en el mundo del cine con una paupérrima película llamada The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, que recibió muy duras críticas por lo mala que era.

En el año 2004, el canal televisivo Animal Planet emitió un capítulo especial de la serie El Cazador de Cocodrilos, que se tituló Crocodiles & Controversy, en español Cocodrilos y Controversia. Este especial fue emitido a causa del "incidente" que Steve protagonizó con su propio hijo, al acercar al bebé a la boca de un cocodrilo gigante y también por un incidente que Steve tuvo con unos pingüinos en la Antártida, ya que muchas organizaciones acusaron al cazador cazado, que lo que hizo con aquellos animales fue perturbante para los mismos, el caso fue que Irwin se puso a "jugar" con los susodichos pingüinos y esto enfadó a alguien, cosas que pasan...

Ver video de la polémica del "bebé en la boca del gigantesco depredador"

Si queréis saber mi opinión personal sobre este suceso, pues sinceramente pienso que esto fue parte del espectáculo de Steve, porque a pesar de que fue un gran naturista no es menos cierto que todo fue parte de una gran actuación de un actor, porque eso era lo que era el australiano, un actor... de todos modos por mucho que él negara la evidencia, cualquier error, cualquier tropiezo, cualquier mareo, hubiera provocado la caída de él al suelo con su hijo y hubiera puesto al cocodrilo en bandeja a su bebé, para mi este acto fue una locura más.

Siguiendo ahora con el repaso de su currículum, os diré que aparte de su serie más conocida, también realizó varias más sobre todo para el canal Animal Planet. Dos de esas series fueron, Los Archivos del Cocodrilo y Los Diarios del Cazador de Cocodrilos. Animal Planet fue también el canal donde se publicó la última aventura de Steve Irwin. Steve rodó este último documental viajando por todo el mundo y mostrándonos gran parte de la naturaleza de todos los rincones del planeta.

Y desafortunadamente para Steve, llegó el día que él mismo sabía que tenía que llegar, el de su muerte...

Fue el 4 de septiembre de 2006, cuando se encontraba rodando en Queensland un documental para su hija pequeña, más exactamente en las frías aguas de Queensland. No fue un cocodrilo el que acabó con su vida, ni tampoco una serpiente venenosa, ni tampoco un tiburón hambriento, fue una RAYA!!!!. Pues si amig@s, una raya animal inofensivo donde las haya (me ha salido un pareado) fue el animal que se cruzó para siempre en la vida del australiano.

El aguijón venenoso de este animal fue el que alcanzó el pecho de Steve y este puntazo en su corazón le provocó a Steve un paro cardíaco y una muerte súbita, nada pudo hacer Stainton para salvar la vida de El Caza Cocodrilos.

Aquí tenéis un video encontrado en YouTube en el que un zumbao asegura que son imágenes reales de su muerte, el vídeo es más falso que un € japonés...

Y aquí tenéis otro video de una reconstrucción animada del accidente de Steve Irwin, este video si parece más serio...

Sin duda Steve murió haciendo lo que más le apasionaba (el ganso, es broma jeje). Ha habido mucha controversia con el tema de las imágenes de su muerte, que según ha comentado su propio agente que estaba con él el día de su muerte, esas imágenes existen y quedaron registradas con meridiana claridad. Sin embargo la familia de Steve, parece ser que prefieren no publicar la grabación de su muerte, a pesar de que el propio Steve dijo por activa y por pasiva, que el día que muriera siendo engullido por un cocodrilo o por cualquier animal, su última voluntad era que esas imágenes se publicaran sin ningún tipo de censura. Yo por mi parte entiendo a la mujer de Steve, ella se niega por causas evidentes, ya que publicar ese video sería bajo mi punto de vista y aun perjudicando mi morbosidad, una barbaridad, quizás Steve siempre fue un bárbaro...

Steve Irwin "el cazador cazado" R.I.P.

Ver video tributo a Steve Irwin

ATENCIÓN: Hoy os voy a poner otro vídeo sobre uno de sus documentales que vi yo un día con el cual me quedé absolutamente sorprendido. Era un video en el que Steve se ponía con su boca en la boca de una cobra, si si se daban un beso!!!. Lamentablemente no he podido encontrar ese video aunque os prometo que seguiré buscándolo porque tiene que estar, en internet está todo... pero sí os voy a poner un video sobre sus actuaciones peligrosas con serpientes, me encantan las serpientes lo confieso, pero las de lengua bífida, no otras...

Steve Irwin en Internet Movie Database, click aquí

Escribe tu comentario

PD: a mi Steve Irwin me caía muy bien que conste, aparte de que valoro muchísimo su trabajo y a mi personalmente sus documentales me sirvieron para aprender mucho del mundo de los reptiles, yo lo defino como "el verdadero Cocodrilo Dundee". Él para mi era el Rocco Siffredi de la naturaleza, es decir, MI MAESTRO, jajaja.

People around the world reacted with shock in September 2006 when news broke that Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter," had died. His enthusiasm for life and for God's creatures was contagious, making him a favorite personality worldwide.

When his wife Terrir was interviewed shortly after Steve's death, her love for him was obvious as she said through her tears, "I've lost my prince." What an affectionate way to memorialize her husband! She saw him as her prince and her best friend.

Too often today the husband-wife relationship is viewed as anything but the tender on Terri and Steve must have shared. We often see bitterness, insults, and animosity presented in the media as the norm. How much more desirable it is to see true love--to see a husband unashamedly cherish his wife, to unselfishly be her "prince."

How can a husband continue to love his wife in a more princely way? Try these suggestions:Listen--enjoy those tender times when she can unburden her heart without fear. Love Life--find ways to add fun to your marriage. Lead spiritually guide the way into prayer and intimate fellowship with the Lord. Men, be a prince to your princess---Dave Branon.

Honor your wife and in love with her dwell, Yield to the Savior and all will be well; Peace He will give to both husband and wife, Blessing their marriage with joy throughout life.--Anon

You tell a Muslim that Jesus would whoop Muhammad's ass and that confessions to a baby touching priest is the only way to Heaven and he's going to throw a porkchop at you...

You tell a "devout" Christian that you have doubts about whether everything in the Bible is true and he's going to go apeshit and try to prove to you that everything is indeed straight from the mouth of God through the hand of man...his reference?...the very same Bible that you're questioning of course...

The debates rage on and on and will rage on and on up until we're all dead and possibly ultimately let down when we're all reincarnated...and if I'm reincarnated...the first thing I'm doing in my life as a bug, is doing a buzz by to the ears of every know it all Christian and Muslim that I know before drinking a bottle of raid to see what bugs get reincarnated into....

I say this to say that in this next news story we cannot call this man, Rubel Sheikh, an idiot for swimming in a pond with a killer alligator with the belief that the mafucka would bless him with anything other than a new home in his tummy...

"He went into the pond hoping to be blessed when a crocodile attacked him and dragged him into the deep part of the pond, This is a very unusual incident. Normally, the crocodiles are very friendly and do not harm people.''----Inspector Humayaun Kabir

I guess we'll just have to take his word for it, eh, Devin?...

"About 25 people dove into the pond to try and rescue Sheikh, but could not find his body. It washed ashore Thursday and had been largely eaten" Kabir

Who am I to shit on this man's religion and beliefs, maybe it was just his time to go and his god figured that the alligator approach would be fitting and poetic? The only other option would probably have to be....

...and nobody wants that...

sounds like it's not just the Christian "Lord" that works in mysterious ways...I think it's a conspiracy though, a year after the crocodile hunter dies, we got gators running wild ripping kids arms off and chewing up muslims...the gators want a new challenge, they're searching for the chosen one...the next crocodile hunter...and I think I've found him...

dah well....guess there can only be one crocodile ass kicking, scared of nothing, snake raping Steve Irwin,

maybe he can come back reincarnated as a crocodile and start killing off other alligators...like a super gator machine...

: CRIKEY!

...would that be racist though? A croc hunting alligators....prolly

dah well, R.I.P Rubel Sheikh

Oh..Quick sidebar question....do ya'll think common sense can be reincarnated???

...I'm serious...

-BATS-

Read more...

_______________________________________________________________________

Imperfect List (2006)

The Top Five…

Iraq / Bush / Blair

Terrorism / Sept 11th / July 7th
Child abuse / paedophilia
The murder of Jessica and Holly
Rape

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (1)

Getting your ♥ broken
Self-loving politicians
The failure of the G8 summit to change anything
An obsession with celebrity (Paris Hilton)
Lea from ‘Big Brother’
Size 0 Models
Self-doubt

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (2)

Knife culture
Capital punishment
Death of an Icon (Steve Irwin)
Sectarianism
Sadness
The Scissor Sisters
Hurricane Katrina
Bitching

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (3)

Solvent abuse
The Battle of the Beanfield (1985)
September 11th
July 7th
All terrorism
Grace from ‘Big Brother’
Unfair trade
Beslan (2004)

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (4)

Stepping in poo
Wet armpits
The hold of corporations over politics
Girls who think they are fat when they are not
Addiction
Lockerbie
Being made to feel 10 inches tall
Russell Fucking Brand

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (5)

Everyone running everywhere
The grey cloud over Albert Square
Binge drinking
Feeling lost
English football pundits
Control freaks
Boyfriend stealing skanks
Being bursting for the toilet

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (6)

Stubbing your toe
Arrogant bastard club bouncers
The Krankies
The Next Big Thing
The death of John Peel (RIP)
Wayne Rooney, in general
Cheap shoes
Txt speak

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (7)

Family secrets / feuds
Gossips
Poor camera angles in videogames
‘Ned’ / ‘chav’ culture
Wannabies
Alzheimer’s Disease (the long goodbye)
Bad Hair Day
Eating disorders

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (8)

Most of Living TV’s programming
The global sex trade
Missing people
The smoking ban
Air pollution
The Child Support Agency
Liars, cheats, perverts, heart breakers…
Michael Jackson not being imprisoned

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (9)

Footballers wages
The tabloid press
Crappy relationships
Farts in elevators
Tommy Sheridan
People who want to cross at traffic lights without pushing the button
Keys in locked rooms

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (10)
Guys who don’t text back
Fake friends
The death of a loved one
Parents who don’t give a damn
Gobby Lily Allen
Homophobes
Salad
Fife

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (11)

Fast food culture
Buckfast
Harvard referencing system
T in the Park toilets
Folk who moan about nothing
Shite pop acts expecting everything for nothing
Mobile phone ring tones
Rangers, Celtic, Old Firm, Lennon, Ricksen…

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (12)

Attention seekers
Voter apathy – and its causes
Hair straighteners breaking
Sore feet
Anything Von Dutch
Private schools
The Clydebank Post newspaper
The price of organic food (£8.25 for a chicken?)

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (13)

Bad manners
Bandwagons
Rich people dressing like they are poor
Hangover from hell
Fat children
Smear tests
Snobby folk
Junkies not using contraception

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (14)

Being wrong
The death of Kurt Cobain
People who talk while they eat
Crazy Frog
Pee on the toilet seat
Dunblane massacre (1996)
Maths
Away goals rule

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (15)

Rude customers
One night stands
Misconceptions about Islam
Harold Shipman
People who park in disabled spaces without being disabled
My dad
People who disappoint

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (16)

Superficiality
Lovely clothes that when you try them on never, NEVER fit.
Suicide
People who say they hate Brussel Sprouts before they’ve even tried them
Heart disease
Being permanently skint

Imperfect List Mix (2006) (17)

Tracksuits
Absent fathers
Morrisons Supermarket
Darfur
Bus drivers
And… the one that melted me…
“The fact that 20 strangers will sit on the bus and not one will turn and offer a tissue to the crying girl nearby them.”

______________________________________________________

Would love some feedback guys, let me know what would be on your imperfect list. maybe we can do one for 2008!

Alanna

In 2007 we were compelled to comment on an essential ingredient in the challenge to convince people that conserving biodiversity is in their best interest - inspirational and celebrity characters highlighting the extinction crisis.

Just how important is it to have charismatic conservation champions with celebrity status beating the drum for change? I used to think that it was essential (and some of my colleagues agree) if the majority of the human population is to alter destructive behaviour, especially considering that most people do not read the scientific literature (hence, media such as blogs that can appeal to a much wider audience).

However, there is a danger that overtly sensational representation of these issues may stimulate nothing at all, or even counter-productive behaviour. Indeed, this was our argument concerning Aussie 'larrikin' Steve Irwin. Our letter entitled Dangers of sensationalizing conservation biology published in the journal Conservation Biology was a response to Sébastien Paquette's letter entitled Importance of the 'Crocodile Hunter' phenomenon published in the same journal.

An expurgated version of our letter follows:

The global biodiversity crisis that spawned the discipline of conservation biology is closer to the forefront of the average person’s thoughts than it has ever been. The shift in popular thinking about conservation issues is in no small way due to the impressive and relevant work of conservation scientists worldwide. It is good science that provides the focus for the conservation spotlight, which continues to gain in intensity with problems such as anthropogenically driven climate change. That said, acknowledgement must be given to the power of advocacy wielded by people who have been successful in promoting awareness of conservation matters in the mass media.

The power of media, such as television, to influence public thought on conservation issues is, however, both a blessing and a curse. Its great benefit is that it promotes awareness of the natural world among the urbanized citizenry who are disconnected from the plight of biodiversity. Modern “nature celebrities” such as Sir David Attenborough, Jacques Cousteau, Al Gore, and Steve Irwin have fostered and promoted an appreciation and fascination of natural systems by people who would never otherwise have the opportunity to observe them. The curse, however, is subtler and insidious. The overarching requirement of popular entertainment is that it be eye-catching, sensational, and even eccentric if it is to attract sufficient attention to survive.

The recent death of celebrity naturalist Steve Irwin has resulted in a perceived martyrdom at a scale never before witnessed in conservation circles. His popularity was undeniable, but his larrikin style of advocacy was a two-edged sword. His often unconventional antics, while entertaining, did not necessarily lead the viewer to adopt a greater respect and understanding for the species on show. One only needs to cite the pointless and abhorrent killing and mutilation of stingrays along Queensland’s coast in the weeks following his death (acts which were, quite rightly, summarily condemned by Irwin’s organization) to question at least some of his fans’ true empathy of conservation issues.

Irwin’s misunderstanding of fundamental ecological processes such as forest fragmentation, how invasive and domestic species can damage biodiversity values, and the sustainable use of wildlife were particularly dangerous because of his ability to sway the public’s (and the their elected politicians’) opinions. With such vast influence comes great responsibility. One particularly ironic example is that the Crocodile Hunter vehemently opposed any notion of sustainable harvest of crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) in Australia, convincing many Australians (including politicians) likewise. Yet harvest as a management tool was in this case almost certainly responsible for saving saltwater crocodiles from near extinction. The highly controlled market for farmed skins essentially removed all incentive for illegal harvest. Furthermore, harvest models grounded in more than 20 years of painstakingly collected monitoring data show that a safari-hunting proposal posed no threat to population viability.

Irwin’s opinions about sustainable use of wildlife in general (e.g., the use of wild kangaroos for pet meat and human consumption) are well known, even though all available evidence suggests that in an increasingly drought-prone continent such as Australia, a reduced reliance on traditional hard-hoofed pastoralism would have remarkable benefits for the country’s economy, threatened biotas, and fragile soils. In this light it is somewhat disconcerting that even the University of Queensland posthumously bestowed upon him the title of adjunct professor, an academic laurel normally recognizing years of scholarly endeavour, despite his rudimentary understanding of and often incorrect statements about ecological processes.

The dangers of Irwin-style advocacy strike deeper than the just the relative costs and benefits of sensationalist media and political sway. His legacy was built predominately on capturing, handling, and therefore stressing normally reclusive and clandestine species for the benefit of public entertainment. The increasing scrutiny of field biologists by animal ethics committees stands in stark contrast to the brazen and sometimes ethically questionable methods Irwin employed to invigorate typically quiescent species – eventually to his undoing. Although never formally charged with ethical wrongdoing, even in circumstances requiring investigation, it is highly implausible that any academic or governmental animal ethics committee would have sanctioned such behaviour by their own researchers.

An excessive dumbing down of conservation science for the masses is, in our opinion, naïve because it risks further distancing lay people from the real and often harsh natural world ecologists work to understand. Advocacy in conservation biology desperately needs charismatic champions, but it does not need more overt sensationalism – we have no shortage of television programs and documentaries highlighting the dangers, curiosities, and bizarre aspects of animal and plant life. What we need are intelligent, informed, and respectful champions (we cite some above) that responsibly promote understanding and respect of the natural world, a realm from which the majority of our 6.8 billion-strong population has become largely dispossessed.

Most of the conservation biologists I spoke to on this subject agreed with us, but I think the letter was preaching to the choir. Interestingly, I recently came across this article by Dan Brockington entitled Celebrity conservation: interpreting the Irwins. In reference to our conclusions, Brockington stated:

Interestingly, while Bradshaw and colleagues may well be right with respect to Irwin’s grasp of ecology, there are fewer grounds for hope in the ability of intelligent programs to educate.

Brockington's excellent article went on to conclude:

But what are the longer term impacts of celebrity conservation? Celebrity conservation enables people to cope with the inevitable alienation from nature that life in an industrial, urbanised world entails. Watching conservation or wildlife films, or following the works of celebrity conservationists, allows people to live conservationists’ achievements vicariously and fulfils profound needs to reconnect with, and relate to, the wild. But this has considerable implications for the conservationists’ call to restore relationships with the wild, and to forge the strong personal relationships with nature that have so inspired generations of conservationists, including Irwin himself. For relations with nature which are forged through watching celebrity conservationists are para-social relations, with a nature we do not know, intimate because of the proximity of the camera, exciting because of the presenter’s antics, and instantly extinguishable at the press of a button on the remote.

... Their [Dunn et al. 2006] work suggests that the celebrification of conservation, for all the funds it can raise, and the attention and airtime it generates, is not challenging a larger withdrawal from personal experience of conservation causes. This trend could undermine the vitality of environmentalism.

... Steve Irwin’s work, the entertainment he provided with wildlife as props, and his conservation message, were products of forces much more powerful than his personality, or even the profits he could realise for the companies which distributed his programs. Bindi’s work too, if not undertaken by her, would need to be undertaken by someone. The conservationists’ dilemma is that, while a bird in the hand is likely to be worth much more than a thousand on the Discovery Channel, thousands — perhaps millions — more people are likely to be switching on their televisions in order to get close to nature rather than experiencing it for themselves.

I stand corrected. Even if Steve Irwin had not been as controversial or was more informed about the species and systems on which he commented, Brockington's conclusion is that it would have changed few people's behaviour anyway. What a sad comment then on our capacity to change for the better.

CJA Bradshaw

Fica difícil saber quais os méritos plenos do sucesso desse filme, se foi seqüência de imagens filmadas por Timothy enquanto “estudava” os ursos, ou a colagem e alegoria montada inteligentemente por Herzog enquanto recria a figura do ambientalista passional e peculiar com sua causa.

Timothy, nos últimos anos de vida estava recluso da sociedade, cava vez mais desinteressado em pessoas e muito fascinado pela sua analise sobre a vida dos ursos, o que o levou a um estado de pré-insanidade. Pelos vídeos feitos por ele e entrevistas com pessoas próximas, é fato observar que ele estava mais interessado em sua pessoa e naquilo que poderia realizar, e que era de grande valor, do que em qualquer outra coisa.

Dessa forma, o documentário caminha para uma analise do perfil psicológico de Timothy, com narração do próprio Herzog, vão sendo contornados os excêntricos traços dessa personalidade. Momentos de pânico e solidão em uma barraca desmontada durante tempestade, Timothy “dublando” os ursos enquanto esses caminham, comem e se relacionam. Ele ia fazendo as vozes dos ursos como se assistisse alguns daqueles filmes antigos da Disney, os quais não me recordo o nome, que um índio tenta proteger o urso da devastação do homem branco, enquanto um narrador vai “humanizando” a vida do urso, explicando suas viagens pelos montes verdejantes em época de estiagem.

Lembrei do caso do apresentador “Caçador de Crocodilos” Steve Irwin, que morreu após ser atacado por uma raia, enquanto filmava para um de seus programas. No caso de Timothy, apenas o som dele, e de sua namorada na época, sendo mortos pelo urso foram captados pelas câmeras.

E o final lembrou-me também o Into The Wild, do Sean Penn. Transpirando um sentimento de integração com natureza, que podem levar a animalização humana, desacostumado a não ser a espécie dominante do planeta.

Nota 11.

Getting up for the Dawn Patrol for some surfers is a tricky endeavor in and of itself. Luckily for surfers, age old stimulants like “coffee”, “yerba mate”, and a host of other caffeinated beverages with quasi Italian names (think Sbuck’s) turn the tide on an otherwise daybreak doozy.  Some dawn patrol surfers take caffeinating to a whole other level thus attaining the illusive “Coffee High Guy” status.  Coffee High Guy can be seen jabber jawing the ears off his buddy’s in the lineup or frenetically chugging an oversized java in the parking lot.  Not to be confused with his distant cousin- the crackhead, Coffee High Guy is generally harmless except during the pre dawn hours where he may be prone to call your cell phone and leave disturbing messages like “wakey wake, hands off snake!” in the likeness of the late Steve Irwin.

Surfers must overcome many obstacles along the road to morning surfing bliss, some more dubious than others.  Besides the obvious factors like sleep deprivation and warm bed withdrawal syndrome, surfers must combat a slew of insidious Dawn Patrol deal breakers.  For one, surfers like to party, see Jeff Spicoli, occasionally falling victim to the overindulgent poisons of Grandpa’s cough medicine after an all night rager.  The typical party to hangover time continuum leaves very little chance of actually making it out for the next day’s Dawn Patrol and as luck would have it, the waves are usually firing to smite the surfer for his infidel ways.  Surfers also like empty lineups and often seek the perceived solitude of the Dawn Patrol to hit their inner Qi quota for the day ahead.  Nothing chafes a surfer more than rolling up to a favorite surf break at half past the ass crack of dawn and seeing 50 heads already suiting up.   Under these dire circumstances, don’t be surprised to see an influx of beanie wearing, goatee growing, coffee sipping surfers blanketing the scene and it goes without saying that somebody will ask to borrow some wax.  Images of overcrowding and just plain getting skunked can inflict potentially damaging scars on the surfers’ dawn patrol psyche, quickly turning the prospect of putting on a stinky wet wetsuit in the cold, dark twilight hours of dawn into a game of alarm clock roulette.  Despite these minor setbacks, surfers are a resilient, wave hungry bunch and manage to wipe the sleep out of their eyes and into the surf before most have managed little more than another drooling episode on their pillow.     

So....see ya out there tomorrow morning round’ 5:30? Don’t forget the coffee!

Clickitty click clack www.boardhunt.com/blog for more surfy morsels of goodness.....

Small car - Big Soul

Sluttpoenget er slående festlig. Spesielt sett med norske øyne, og den senere forvirringen rundt merkenavnet Reva.

Heal the World in Temple Bar

Minimalt videobudsjett - godt elbilbudskap :)

Steve Irwin parodi - Steve Uncovers the REVA Electric Car

Denne elbilvideoen ble visstnok laget for å illustrere elbilens kamp mot de negative klimaendringene og vår avhengighet av fossilt brennstoff.

Hvilken video likte du best?

Shots from Bindi Irwin's birthday.

Not only does her fete oddly take place on a tennis court, but check out that cake.

Sure, it's pretty clear that mom Terri is exploiting her child with the television show and horrible nature raps, but this goes way too far.

What child is like, "Hey mom, instead of a unicorn or Barbie or a koala on my cake, can we put my dead dad on there? Please. Dibs on dad's face -- the hair has the best frosting."

Someone call child services. Or a therapist.

(Kim Kardashian loves koalas...not that it has anything to do with Ely's..umm...infection)

This is a bizarre story when you consider he survived being hit by a car. And then you read what else he's being treated for besides his injuries from the car. Ely's a straight playa!

CANBERRA (Reuters) - A koala that cheated death after being hit by a car at 100 kmh (about 60 mph) and dragged with his head jammed through the vehicle grill for 12 kms (about 7 miles) is being dubbed Australia's luckiest marsupial.

The eight-year-old male koala, named "Ely 'Lucky' Grills" by rescuers, was struck by an unwitting motorist north of Brisbane and found only when the car stopped after being flagged down by another vehicle.

"To have him survive and virtually unscathed is quite miraculous," Australian Wildlife Hospital spokewoman Carolyn Beaton told Reuters Tuesday.

"Lucky" hung on during his ordeal with one arm and his trapped head, and was freed with household scissors used like a fireman's "jaws-of-life" to cut around the car's mesh grill with the horrified owner's permission, Beaton said.

"Whilst Lucky was in shock, he quickly recovered and was nearly better after a couple of hours rest and a feed," she said.

Lucky will stay at the hospital, set up by the late television wildlife and crocodile crusader Steve Irwin, for 45 days to recover from his experience and receive treatment for a chlamydial infection.

Now that I think about it, I do recall reading that Pamela Anderson just returned from a trip to Australia as well.....<ponders>

But does the lack of a non-partially-demolished venue keep the Big News writers from their stellar comic craft? Heck no! Here's the jokes you would have heard in the Big News Report this past Sunday (plus a few on stories that broke in the days since then).

Bill Clinton says he will help Barack Obama during his presidential campaign. Clinton will help by not sleeping with Michelle Obama.

Colombian spies rescued kidnapped presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors Wednesday from leftist rebels without a single shot being fired. One Colombian agent explained that the key to their success was a maneuver he described as the "'Hey! Look over there!' ruse".

President Bush said Wednesday that June has been a “tough month” for US Soldiers in Afghanistan. US Soldiers agreed, but then added that it's been more like a tough seven years.

A man was arrested at Los Angeles International airport on Wednesday after telling police he was a terrorist with a bomb in his backpack. The man decided to give himself up when he learned that American Airlines was going to charge him to bring the bomb on the plane.

A man was arrested at Los Angeles International airport on Wednesday after telling police he was a terrorist with a bomb in his backpack. The man was released after airport security confirmed that the bomb weighed less than 3 ounces.

A man was arrested at Los Angeles International airport on Wednesday after telling police he was a terrorist with a bomb in his backpack. Police searched the man's backpack and found a DVD of The Love Guru.

Scientists believe there's a 50-50 chance the North Pole will be completely ice-free this summer. Which means there's a 50-50 chance Santa Claus will die and Christmas will be canceled.

Matthew McConaughey became a father Monday night when his girlfriend Camila gave birth to a son they named Levi. The baby has his mother's eyes and his father's shirtlessness.

Matthew McConaughey became a father Monday night when his girlfriend Camila gave birth to a son they named Levi. The baby is already home and riding tricycles in Malibu with Lance Armstrong's baby.

"WALL-E" was the number one movie at the box office last weekend, taking in $63.1 million. It's the most successful movie starring a robot since "An Inconvenient Truth."

Angelina Jolie's doctor says it may be a few more weeks until the actress gives birth to her twins. And after she has twins, Jolie will abandon them so that she can come back three weeks later and adopt them.

Angelina Jolie's doctor says it may be a few more weeks until the actress gives birth to her twins. Extra security has been laid on at the hospital where Jolie is staying to stop Madonna from trying to adopt them.

AT&T announced they will soon offer a version of the iPhone that will not include a mandatory phone contract. In addition, they are also working on an iPhone that will not turn the buyer into a giant douchebag.

A cemetery manager in Australia has reported that many Australians are choosing unusual songs for their funeral, such as Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". The most unusual choice was at Steve Irwin's funeral, which had the song "Oh My God, I've Been Stabbed by a Stingray!"

A cemetery manager in Australia has reported that many Australians are choosing unusual songs for their funeral, such as Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". The person who chose "Stairway to Heaven" only did so because "Highway to Hell" was taken.

Last month, the 38th annual Gay Pride Parade was held in San Francisco. Meanwhile, the first annual Gay Shame Parade was held at Larry Craig's house.

A new report suggests that babies conceived from frozen embryos are just as healthy as those conceived naturally. Just, generally, colder.

A new report suggests that babies conceived from frozen embryos are just as healthy as those conceived naturally. As long as you heat the frozen embryos on high for 4 minutes, stir, and heat for another 1-1 1/2 minutes before injecting them into your uterus.

Larry Harmon, who bought the rights to Bozo the Clown and turned the character into a show business institution, died Thursday in Los Angeles at age 83. And the next day, America lost an even bigger Bozo when former Senator Jesse Helms died at age 86.

And finally, Eric Lieber, who produced the dating show "Love Connection", dies last week at age 71. However, Lieber is expected to return from the grave in two and two.

We've a backyard that's second only to the rainforests of Brazil in terms of overgrowth of all kinds of foilage. Right from coconut trees to jackfruit trees to weed and hemp shrubs, there are all kinds of greenery! And a fair sprinkling of wild creatures too. Not the feline types but the creepy-crawlies. Every month or so a tarantula or a salamander or a snake would lose its way and wander into the house unaware of its dangerous inhabitants. The bravura uncles and cousins would deftly catch them up and return them to their habitat. This was a few years ago. We've been untouched by any surprise visit of any of them creatures since a few years....until yesterday i.e.

A Krait (or might have been a Viper) had lost its way into the kitchen and was wondering how to get back to its home while reposing on one of the fruit baskets. It was dark save for a dim nightbulb and something amiss was realized only when the basket moved. The lights were switched on and lo and behold! There was this Krait in all its bewilderment. A shriek and a shout later, I and bro' were on the scene and ready for rescue. I was feeling confident enough so as to catch it by its tail and get it back to its natural habitat...something a la Steve Irwin. But the folks would have none of it! It was poisonous and might bite me anytime....so I must banish any thoughts of catching it with my bare hands. Resigned, I pinned it against the wall with a stick and stunned it with a few blows (hoping I don't kill it!)  before sidling it into an empty cardboard and dumped it across the street into a drain (owing to the darkness and who-knows-what-else-might-be-lurking, I wasn't allowed to take it back into its natural habitat i.e. our Backyard)

All's well that ends well....and All in a day's work!

P.S: Have clicked few pics of me in action...will post'em soon :mrgreen:

Last weekend I actively choose to buy a khaki button-up shirt with those epaulettey thingies on the shoulders. And I thought it was cool!

Apart from the hesitation in appearing and sounding like a Steve Irwin look-a-like and being slightly shocked at how history sometimes repeats itself I would do it again too! Crikey!