The Meaning of Liff at 30 - Thursday February 28th

On Radio 4 on Thursday, a special program celebrating the Meaning of Liff's 30th anniversary. The program should be available for world-wide Listen Again for at least 7 days after broadcast.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of The Meaning of Liff, by John Lloyd and Douglas Adams. This funny and well-loved dictionary uses placenames as new definitions for common experiences which we all know and recognize, but for which no words exist. John Lloyd talks to Matt Lucas about his love of Liff, and also gathers new entries from the Radio 4 audience. These are then chewed over and sifted down by John and fellow Liff-lovers Sanjeev Bhaskar, Helen Fielding and Terry Jones. And Professor Steven Pinker - Liff devotee - talks about the psychological relief and sense of bonding that comes from recognising that you're not alone in having these thoughts and feelings.

No Kakapo Chicks in 2013

Stuff.co.nz reports that there will be no kakapo chicks this year.

It is the second year in a row the kakapo, which is on the brink of extinction, will have no new additions to its small population. Department of Conservation southern area manager Andy Roberts said the breeding season had begun with optimism but it was now highly unlikely any new kakapo chicks would be born this year.

Kakapo Roundup

A few Kakapo articles lately...
From National Geographic: Kakapo Coprolite Yields Conservation Clues
From Auckland Now: Sick kakapo returns to the wild
From stuff.co.nz/national: Richard Henry: Our first conservation hero

Douglas Adams' Little Rocket

Tasmanian radio station ABC Hobart has a lovely little audio interview with Douglas Adams' daughter Polly who is currently Down Under on a gap year. In it she talks fondly of her father, and how much she enjoyed reading "Last Chance To See". Enjoy.

Have a listen to Polly's memories of her father, her adventures in Aus and the one career her mother forbade her from entering!

Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture 2013

This year's Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture will be from Dr Adam Rutherford and will take place on March 12, 2013 at 6:30 p.m (for 7:30 p.m. start) at the Royal Geographical Society in London. For full details and booking information, please visit the Save The Rhino Events page.

Dr Adam Rutherford is a scientist, writer and broadcaster. He completed his doctorate in genetics at University College London in 2002. Since then he has worked at the science journal Nature, as an editor and filmmaker. Adam is also a presenter for the BBC. On Radio 4 his work has included programmes on MMR and autism, human evolution, the influence of astronomy on art and literature and most recently Extinct!, a three-part series on the current and great mass extinctions of the past.

First Kakapo Chick of the season

Tweet from @Spokesbird.

Skraaarrk! First confirmed kaka chick of the season at Orokonui Sanctuary. Cute as!

Hope for the Northern White Rhinos as Suni and Najin Mate; Twice!

Here's a quick update from the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

On April 25th, four weeks after their interesting courtship ritual, Suni and Najin finally mated! 32 days later, on May 27th, they mated again. These recent mating activities provide a glimmer of hope for the critically endangered northern white rhino subspecies especially as they are Najin’s first mating in over a decade!