Samwise rides again

Two Bear stories for you, first from the AP …

A black bear was shot and killed inside the ransacked home of an Anchorage couple. David and Robin Tisch came home Sunday and discovered the aggressive bear inside the residence on Villages Scenic Parkway, a dirt road near Chugach State Park.

Upon arriving, Robin Tisch noticed a screen door was folded in.

“That’s about the time we heard a drawer being thrown across the room. There was silverware flying,”

Tisch’s brother ran over with a gun and David grabbed a rifle.

When the bear made an aggressive move, someone shot at it and the animal fell dead.

The bear, which found a frozen chicken and some bread before being surprised by the Tisches, left a trail of destruction.

“He pulled the refrigerator away from the wall and was smart enough to pull open the freezer,” David Tisch said. “He pulled open some drawers, and opened the cupboards and just destroyed those. We have a nice leather couch and love seat and he tore holes in the couch. He tore up the table.

Sounds like the bear just wanted to eat a chicken sandwich in peace.

The second story comes from digtriad.com …

Brent Case seems almost nonchalant about it now. “He went into the muscle and right through the arm.”

He has the wounds left by savage attack by a grizzly bear.

Last week, the 53-year old surveyor was alone in the bush, east of Bella Coola. He was taking photos for an engineering job, when he realized he wasn’t alone.

“I had a feeling somebody or something was watching me. The hair on this side of my head started to go up. That doesn’t happen very often.”

The next thing he knew he was on the ground — a 900 pound beast was stomping on his body.

“I said, this is not happening, this is not happening. I put my head down cause he was coming at me,” recalls Case. “I had my axe, but I couldn’t hit him cause he was too close And he has an agenda. I threw my axe down and I said the best thing I can do is play dead.”

He believes that is maybe what saved his life. It still didn’t stop the grizzly from biting him numerous times and gnawing the scalp on the back of his head.

“I thought he’s eating my brains. I knew it was happening. I just thought God, I hope he gets it over with. I was down there shakin’ so bad. I was bleeding and the sounds & everything, and I just thought, ‘I’m too young to die.”

Case’s will to live took over. As he played dead, the bear lost interest and lumbered away. Case got out of their as quick as he could. Though covered with blood, he was able to drive 25 kilometers to the closest gas station to get help.

Wikipedian Protester

Aunty …

Sloth’s lazy image ‘a myth’

ok

The sloth’s popular image as a lazy creature that sleeps for most of the day has been called into question.

Rather than snoozing for more than 16 hours a day, as observed in captivity, sloths in the wild doze for less than 10 hours

Wish I could sleep ten hours a day, lazy sloths

The findings, published in a Royal Society journal, may help shed light on human sleep disorders

like what ? if humans lived in captivity we’d spend more time sleeping ?

“I think this finding is really going to open the door to a whole new age of sleep research on animals sleeping in their natural habitat.”

you hope so, because your grant cheque depends on it

Animals vary in the amount of sleep they need. Pythons, for example, sleep for 18 hours a day, while giraffes survive on just two hours.

lazy pythons

Despite many years of research into the function of sleep, there are still many unresolved questions.

It is known that sleep plays an important role in maintaining normal mental functions, but the precise mechanisms are unclear.

From /film …

when you bring the R2D2 Ice Bucket to your romantic picnic, don’t expect to get lucky. Although I’m pretty sure this is actually intended to be an accessory for that minibar you don’t have

this Ice Buck also makes patented R2D2 noises which are sure to get you to first base

Available at Amazon.co.uk for £16.99

Bumber Nuts … why ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDdErzFwrRY&hl

This twenty two month old child demonstrates why the Wii kicks the arse of every other console out there, accessibility.

Opposable thumbs ? Pah !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnV1xKut5VM

I saw this story last week, but could not remember the details with which to look it up.

From the Beeb …

A woman required 20 stitches to her face after a pelican crashed into her in the sea off Florida, apparently diving for fish.

The bird, which died in Thursday’s collision, ripped a gash in Debbie Shoemaker’s face as she bathed near the city of St Petersburg.

The city fire chief said he had never heard of a diving pelican hit a person.

Pelicans grow to up to 30lb (13kg) and can dive from heights of 60 to 70 feet (18 to 21 metres).

Ms Shoemaker, 50, returned home on Friday

It is an important fact that Robert Mugabe’s surname, Mugabe, is E ba gum, spelled backwards.

Now you know.