GALAPAGOS ISLANDS - Charles Darwin's works go online

I've been in something of a Charles Darwin mood lately, and I note with interest the news about a new effort from Cambridge University that brings some 50,000 digitised, searchable pages of text and 40,000 images to the web. The BBC Science and Nature article goes on to say...

Surfers with MP3 players can even access downloadable audio files.

The resource is aimed at serious scholars, but can be used by anyone with an interest in Darwin and his theory on the evolution of life.

"The idea is to make these important works as accessible as possible; some people can only get at Darwin that way," said Dr John van Wyhe, the project's director.
[...]
Darwin Online features many newly transcribed or never-before-published manuscripts written by the great man.

These include a remarkable field notebook from his famous Beagle voyage to the Galapagos Islands, where detailed observations of the wildlife would later forge his scientific arguments.

The Darwin Online site seems to be struggling under heavy load right now but I will be very interested to see exactly what they have to offer when their web server recovers.

During my recent vacation back to England and the beautiful Lake District area (I highly recommend The Old Vicarage Bed and Breakfast in Ambleside) I was lucky enough to catch an episode of the BBC's new nature series "Galapagos". Superb filming as always, but unfortunately it doesn't look like the series has its own website.

I also caught an episode of Radio 4's Nature which explored the "The Sounds Of Galapagos" behind the TV series. That show is still available for audio streaming.

And finally, I dug up my old Doctor Who audio play from Big Finish Productions that featured Charles Darwin.

Starring Colin Baker as the 6th Doctor and featuring the Silurians reptilian race (who first appeared with Jon Pertwee in the early 70s), the play "Bloodtide" is still available on CD from Amazon.co.uk, direct from Big Finish, or from WhoNA in North America.

The prehistoric Earth is dying. Thunderclouds roll across the skies, cloaking the land in darkness. The seas crash and boil as the rain turns to acid. The remnants of the Silurian race place themselves in suspended animation, deep below the surface. One day they will awaken and reclaim their world...

The TARDIS has landed on the Galapagos Islands, a desolate outcrop of rocks shrouded in mist and fear. In the settlement of Baquerizo Moreno, there are rumours that prisoners have been mysteriously disappearing from the gaolhouse. A fisherman has been driven insane by something he saw in the caves. And the Doctor and Evelyn are not the only new arrivals; there is also a young natural philosopher by the name of Charles Darwin...

This style of "old time radio" never died out in the UK like it did in the USA. Marvellous CD releases like this, plus shows from BBC Radio 4 and BBC7 keep me sane on my Philadelphia commute every day of the week.

STEVE IRWIN - Stingray attack video is NOT here

Is there such a thing as anti-SEO, or anti-Search Engine Optimization? I wish there was. I'm getting rather disheartened with the world and I'll tell you why. The number of visitors landing on this site from Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines expecting to find the Steve Irwin Death Video and autopsy photographs is all rather nauseating.

I blogged briefly about Steve Irwin after his tragic passing, simply to acknowledge all the good work he did protecting the most endangered Australian animals, and many more besides. I'm not sure I fully approved of Steve Irwin's methods, and I never much cared for his presenting style (give me David Attenborough any day), but I have to admit he raised awareness about Australian endangered animals in a big big way with his "Crocodile Hunter" programmes.

The trouble is, my mere mentioning of Steve has meant that a large proportion of my Search Engine referral traffic is now coming from sick Steve Irwin queries. I'm aware that my posting again on this topic is likely to increase the problem, but perhaps if this post becomes the landing page, visitors who are looking for such nasty things will leave this site sooner.

So let me say it again. You will NOT find any Steve Irwin sting-ray video, nor any autopsy photos here. Try elsewhere please...

NORTHERN WHITE RHINOS - Save The Rhino update

This month's "Save The Rhino" newsletter contained the following comment on the recent agreement with the LRA to help protect the last 4 critically endangered Northern White Rhinos in Garamba National Park.

In September, several newspapers and websites reported on a "deal" between conservationists and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, which controls large areas of the DOC, to help save the final four Northern white rhinos in the world. This story is more complex than it first appeared.
Click here for the original story [The Guardian]
Click here for reaction [from Richard Burge of the African Parks Foundation]
Click here for an update on conservation in Garamba [African Parks Foundation]

The reaction from Richard Burge of the African Parks Foundation is enlightening...

The northern white rhinos are imperilled but at the moment are relatively safe - indeed they have never been in the areas of the park invaded by the Lord's Resistance Army. The main threat comes from organised and heavily armed local poachers and those crossing the border with Sudan. So while the negotiations with the LRA were doubtless done in good faith, they have not changed the situation.

This news is about as encouraging as one could expect given the perilous position that the Northern White Rhino is in. All we can do is hope that these special endangered animals can be pulled back from the brink one more time.

It's nearly 20 years since Douglas Adams wrote Last Chance To See. I hope it will be many more years before I have an Official extinction to report, although I expect the Baiji Dolphin news may come sooner rather than later.

SIERRA CLUB COMPASS - March of the Penguins, Etc

Pat Joseph wrote to tell me about his post on the Sierra Club blog Compass entitled "March of the Penguins, Etc". Pat's post talks about how climate change could be driving plant and animal species to migrate poleward.

What with Blue-Footed Boobies near Seattle, and Floridean Manatees up near New York this is certainly a product of climate change worth monitoring.

As a side-note, I notice Al Gore's climate change movie "An Inconvenient Truth" hits DVD shelves on November 21st. This book (which just won a Quill award) and movie has been in the news quite a lot recently, and Pat actually interviewed Al Gore for the Sierra website. I've definately Pledged To See the movie...

GREAT GORILLA RUN - Congratulations to all

Congratulations to all the runners in the recent Great Gorilla Run of London, especially to Jess "Darth Tigger" Bennett who successfully raised over £400 for The Gorilla Organization.

Laura Shepherd of the The Gorilla Organization recently dropped a comment onto my first post about Jess which I'm reproducing here in case Jess missed it.

Hi Jess,

Hope you enjoyed the Great Gorilla Run, and you weren't too sweltering in your suit! I just wanted to say a massive thank you for all you have done, for running in the race and all your efforts for fundraising. You are a star!

We hope you had fun on the day. Hope this site managed to get you some more sponsorship and blow the top off your Blue Peter money counter!!
Take care
Laura
Tha Gorilla Organization

KOMODO DRAGONS - Dragon attack!

Craig Tansley writes this article about his visit to the Komodo National Park and a frightening incident when a Komodo Dragon attacks.

Without warning, one charged. Its quarry was a young guide, fishing from the pier on which our yacht was moored. His back was turned: he had no chance.

Sitting nearby, frozen like a cheap toy on Christmas morning, I was useless. Time slowed down. I screamed, finally.

The boy turned. It was nearly on him, covering the 30m pier in a heartbeat. A dragon generally goes for the legs of its larger victims, tearing the hamstring before attacking the throat and belly.

Read on at News.com.au.

AND WE'RE BACK - Returned from vacation

Apologies for the lack of updates recently. I've been on vacation for a couple of weeks. Normal service will be resumed very soon. There's lots of news in my inbox to sift through.