Cockatoos teach tool-making tricks

A team of researchers has discovered that the birds emulate tool-making tricks when they are demonstrated to them by another bird.
The results are published in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B.
The researchers are interested in what they call "technical intelligence", which is essentially animals' ability to use objects to solve problems.

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It confirms how innovative and how adaptable this species is to novel problems”

Dr Alice Auersperg University of Oxford

"Cockatoos are very interesting for this, because they're very playful with objects," explained lead researcher Dr Alice Auersperg, from the University of Oxford and the University of Vienna.

She and her colleagues had already noticed that one of birds in their research aviary, named Figaro, spontaneously used sticks to drag nuts under the bars.
Figaro also worked out how to make his "fishing sticks" by stripping long, thin pieces off a wooden block in his enclosure.
"So we had one innovator, and a very important aspect of innovation [is] how it can spread in a group," Dr Auersperg explained to BBC News.
To investigate this, the researchers set up an experiment where six birds were shown, by Figaro, how to strip a block and fish for a nut.
After watching the demonstration, most of the birds were able successfully to make their own strip of wood, and use it to retrieve a piece of food.
Fishing technique "This was the interesting thing," said Dr Auersperg "They were successful and interacting with the materials, but they weren't copying Figaro - they devised their own strategy of obtaining the reward."

They may be in a battle with the crow family for the title of most intelligent bird.

And Goffin cockatoos have now shown an impressive ability to learn from one another how to use and even how to make tools.
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California blue whales bounce back to near historic numbers

Researchers believe that California blue whales have recovered in numbers and the population has returned to sustainable levels.

Scientists say this is the only population of blue whales to have rebounded from the ravages of whaling.
The research team estimate that there are now 2,200 of these giant creatures on the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean.
But concerns remain about their vulnerability to being struck by ships.
At up to 33m in length and weighing in at up to 190 tonnes, blue whales are the largest animals on the planet.
The California variety is often seen feeding close to the coast of the state, but they are found all the way from the Gulf of Alaska down to Costa Rica.
Soviet secrecy Writing in the journal, Marine Mammal Science, researchers from the University of Washington say the California blue whales are now at 97% of their historical levels.

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The real key finding here is that they are close to recovery which is a bit of a surprise”

Dr Tevor Branch University of Washington

Working out that this species is now back at its traditional numbers required some dogged scientific sleuthing.read more

Joan Rivers: Life and work of comedian is remembered

Famous faces have paid tribute to comedian and TV host Joan Rivers, who has died in New York at the age of 81.

US talk show host David Letterman said that the acerbic wit was "a real pioneer for other women looking for careers in stand-up comedy".
Presenter Ellen DeGeneres echoed her significance, adding: "I'm very sad she's gone".
Prince Charles called Rivers "an extraordinary woman with an original and indefatigable spirit."
He added that she had "an unstoppable sense of humour and an enormous zest for life. She will be hugely missed and utterly irreplaceable."
Rivers was a guest at the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall's wedding in 2005, and also performed at a Prince's Trust benefit concert on his 60th birthday.
Comedian and actress Whoopi Goldberg tweeted: "My friend Joan Rivers has passed away. Once again to quote Billy Crystal... There are no words. Bon Voyage Joan."
Lena Dunham, writer and star of sitcom Girls, said: "Watching Joan Rivers do stand-up at age 81 was incredible: athletic, jaw-dropping, terrifying, essential. It never stopped. Neither will she.-"read more

Travel Rock in a hot place It's America's answer to Glastonbury

Desert rock ... Concert goers walk in front of the San Jacinto Mountains during the Coachella festival. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/ Reuters

Glastonbury festival-goers regard their annual thrash in the west country mud as a bonding experience; you don't really know someone until you've danced, eaten, slept and sampled hallucinogenic substances with them on the same patch of liquid field. Veterans of the Coachella festival in southern California would find it hard to empathise. Temperatures at the three-day bash regularly exceed 90F, and the only water to be had comes out of a bottle; baking in the afternoon sun is part of the desert rock experience.
Now in its eighth year, Coachella, run by Los Angeles-based promoter Goldenvoice, has put Indio, one of nine cities that make up the Coachella Valley, on the map for Generation Y.
This year, Bjork, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and a reunited Rage Against the Machine are headlining, with UK acts such as Amy Winehouse, the Arctic Monkeys, the Kooks, the Kaiser Chiefs and Lily Allen also on the bill.
Like Glastonbury, Coachella rose from humble beginnings. The first festival, in 1999, attracted just 25,000 people. This year, the organisers are expecting around 180,000.
After losing money during its first few years, it is now the Unites States' premier music festival; it has spawned several imitators, most notably Tennessee's Bonaroo festival, all hoping to emulate its winning formula.
But just as hardcore Glasto fans bemoan the commercialisation of their festival, so sun-freckled West Coast indie rockers complain about the death of the real Coachella. The Americans had a head start in that respect, however. Coachella takes place in a field, sure, but the Empire Polo Club, just south of Palm Springs, is a long way, in every sense, from Michael Eavis's dairy farm in Somerset.
While just about everyone who wants to go to Coachella usually finds a way in, the crowd has become increasingly moneyed as ticket prices have risen ($249 for a three-day pass this year). The Hollywood set has certainly moved in - you're as likely to bump into Drew Barrymore or Cameron Diaz as the long-lost girlfriend you last saw at the beer tent four years ago - and there is a much-buzzed about VIP area, where misting fans keep the well-connected cool. Last year, Coachella was even blessed by Madonna, who insisted on coming to the desert to play a set for the influential crowd of music writers and DJs in the dance tent.
The Coachella set is more likely to be found at a hotel, where they can keep their Grey Goose vodka on ice for the after-gig party, than slumming it on the hard, cold desert ground. (The festival MySpace page is currently advising: "If you plan on booking a hotel, do it now!") But it's not all glammed-up Hollywood chic. Indie rockers from Seattle to Chicago now make the annual pilgrimage to catch up on the latest bands (this year's up-and-coming groups include Sweden's Peter, Bjorn and John and Brazil's CSS).
The crowd is most certainly not to be confused with those at the annual desert freak-out Burning Man, in Nevada, although, Coachella trustafarians can be seen engaging in activities familiar to Burning Man aficionados (watching fire eaters, "tripping out" to the massive tesla coil that lights up the night sky every year).
Like any self-respecting oasis, the Empire Polo Field appears to drivers arriving from nearby cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix like an emerald sea surrounded by desert and mountains. The days are hot, but dusk brings a merciful breeze that blows through tall palm trees behind the main stage.
Surrounded by the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountain ranges, Coachella Valley is a breathtaking venue: stark white against the mountains, the festival's signature marquees reach for the desert sky. Last year, Iceland's Sigur Ros took to the main stage at sunset, crashing cymbals and reverb-ing guitars pinging off the mountains as a pink sky turned red and temperatures plummeted.
It might get chilly, but it's a hell of a spot for a campsite. The likes of Cameron and Drew prefer their stunning villas and hotels around Indio or Palm Springs (Frank Sinatra's former home is available to rent for around pounds 2,000 if you're feeling flush, see facing page), but for the full 'chella vibe, all you need is a tent and a cloudless,starry night sky. · Coachella takes place from April 27-29. This year's event is almost sold out, but Goldenvoice says it is hoping to make some tickets available at the gate. More information at coachella.com. Goldenvoice is also promoting the inaugural annual country music festival, Stagecoach, at the same site, May 5-6. Confirmed acts include Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney and Neko Case. Tickets available at stagecoachfestival.com/.

REPECT THE DEAD

Years ago i was on Employment Training for a extra ten pound a week.As part of the work i was given to do was to cut,tidy up graveyards around Devon.Out of this i learnt to respect the dead as many a time you would see people with flowers and digging implements doing their  loved ones graves,even talking to them.Also it showed how freckle life is as the vey old would be next to very new born babies.

An article by richard muirhead as requested by mark antony raines ghostman

Mark here it is.Richard         Flying Snake Magazine   A brief history   Richard Muirhead       In early 2011 , after about twelve months of hesitation, I took the plunge and decided to launch my own magazine, `Flying Snake`, sub-titled `a Journal of  `Cryptozoology,Folklore and Forteana`. I create the magazine on my pc in my office at home in Macclesfield,Cheshire,England and each issue takes about 4 months to create from the initial ideas in my mind as to what I`d like to put in the approximately 60 pages to its actual creation in hard copy format at the printer. It is immensely enjoyable and not quite as hard work as my long-term friend (since childhood in Hong Kong in the 1960s and `70s) Jon Downes of the Centre for Fortean Zoology warned me it would be ,which was the main reason it took me so long to start with issue 1 (published April 2011). Another problem I had was that I didn`t want to compete with Animals and Men, which thankfully hasn`t happened because Animals and Men and Flying Snake have somewhat different publication schedules and my emphasis is on what I call “archival” ( i.e. pre – 1950) cryptozoology whilst A & M is more about contemporary developments.   The main purpose, if there is one I`m concentrating on in particular, is to publish stories mainly connected to cryptozoology that have been neglected,are obscure,highly unusual but not necessarily paranormal. Much, (thankfully not all) cryptozoology still focuses on the well known and over-worked subjects of Alien Big Cats and the Loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch whilst neglecting the kind of obscurities the Victorians were fond of in their magazines such as Science Gossip and the like. In the age of easily (though sometimes expensive) online newspaper archives and Facebook there`s really no excuse for not finding such nuggets of gold as luminous centipedes, entombed bats, piebald moles and,dare I say it, flying snakes as well. I decided to call the magazine `Flying Snake` because for some reason this particular cryptid caught my imagination in the mid 1990s when I stumbled across (or did it stumble across me?) a reference to one  seen in Namibia in a book in a London bookshop in Charing Cross Road. Then later I thought that flying snakes encompass natural history, cryptozoology, folklore and the paranormal in one entity. By which I don`t mean the snakes that launch themselves off trees in parts of S.E.Asia but anomalous “snakes” that have turned up in various parts of the world that genuinely seem to be able to hover or glide or even fly.       I find the further back in time I look the more interesting the stories get. Perhaps this is because people are more cynical now and too easily suppress “travelers tails”. Or perhaps pre-20th century people had more enquiring minds and took more care to record stories of what now would be called cryptids through fear that no-one would pass through that particular valley/forest/settlement again? There is the other side of the coin though in that racism meant there were always people who would dismiss accounts of ethno-known animals out of hand. However for the sake of posterity I`m prepared to cast my nets very wide indeed as far as what I publish is concerned. I could be accused of too much credulity. Flying Snake is not peer reviewed (though it`s featured God (yes), Ken Livingstone ,one-time scourge of the Thatcher government and Sir David Attenborough ) so I`m relying on the honesty of eye witnesses or long deceased journalists, I`ve even been known to do my own research!   Up to issue 7 ( April 2014) I had covered subjects such as (in no particular date order) anomalous flying lizards in Australia, Steller`s Sea Cow, out of place Chinese coins, orange coloured badgers, alligator gar in China, dreams of World War 3, giant spiders in Colorado, pygmy horses in India,  wild cats in Dorset, an otter in Ireland , British ball lightning reports, etc,etc.     I write under either my own name or my alter-ego Dr Devo, named after the U.S. New Wave band of the 1980s. I am very fortunate to have two loyal sub-editors Carl Marshall and Mike Hardcastle and I`ve had contributions from the U.K , America Australia and Israel. If you interested in subscribing via Pay Pal please use this link:   http://homepage.ntlworld.com/richmuirhead/cryptozoology/  This link here shows the cover of Flying Snake 1 : http://www.flyingsnakepress.co.uk   Finally, whilst all issues 1 – 7 are available to purchase within about two weeks of me receiving your order, it should be noted that the front cover volume and issue numbering ran from Volume 1 issue 1 to Volume 2 issue 2, then Volume 2 issue 6, Volume 3 issue 7 In other words eaach Volume comprises 3 issues. Cover price was £ 3 up to and including Volume 1  issue 3 and £3.99 thereafter. Checks payable to Richard Muirhead not  Flying Snake. 112 High St, Macclesfield, SK11 7QQ. Thanks to Ghostman Raines for giving me this opportunity to write for him and thanks too to all my contributers.    

Please help a old ex essex ocd paranoid old fart

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