The European Green Woodpecker

The European Green Woodpecker is a common species of woodpecker (Picus Viridus) and one of the biggest, measuring approximately 35 cm in length with a wingspan of 50 cm.

Compared to other woodpeckers these species do not normally drum on trees, but prefer to find their food on the ground, eating ants.

Although the European green woodpecker is shy and wary, it is usually its loud calls, known as yaffling, which first draw attention. It 'drums' rarely (a soft, fast roll), but often gives a noisy kyü-kyü-kyück while flying. The song is a loud series of 10-18 'klü' sounds which gets slightly faster towards the end and falls slightly in pitch. The female makes a thinner pü-pü-pü-pü-pü-pü-pü. The flight is undulating, with 3–4 wingbeats followed by a short glide when the wings are held by the body.

What is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)?

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a severe and fatal form of muscular Dystrophy.

About 1 in 5,000 boys are thought to suffer from this disease, whose symptoms include muscle weakness, scoliosis, intellectual disability and extreme fatigue.

Currently there is no known cure, and most patients die from disease-related symptons by the age of 25.

Introduction to Guitar at Berklee College of Music

I am enrolled at Berklee College of Music to follow "Introduction to Guitar". During 6 weeks I will work online for up to 8 hours per week, studying muscial theory but also uploading assignments for review by my peers.

At the end of this course, students will understand the structure, parts, and accessories of the instrument, in addition to an understanding of its basic maintenance. Electric guitar players will learn the operation of their instrument along with basic options for amplification, effect pedals, and sounds. Students will also learn to develop correct technique and apply theory concepts to their playing. They will have the foundational knowledge necessary to pursue most intermediate guitar courses.

Are you also interested in joining up? Just become member of Coursera and enroll. Rock on :)

Breastfeeding is best - a myth?

When talking to breastfeeding mums, it is obvious that they believe breast milk is better than anything else. They sometimes even become agressive if you dare to suggest that artificial milk (or milk powder) could excellently replace mother milk. Some people even talk about the Ayatollah's of Breastfeeding or the Breast Milk Maffia. But the ultimate question is of course: are they wrong?

Clinical studies have proven that in most situations human breast milk is the best source of nourishment for human infants, and this for at least up to the first six months after birth. Breast milk promotes health of both mother and child, reduces health care costs and prevents disease. Of course there are exceptions, for example in situations where the mother takes certain drugs or suffers from tuberculosis or is infected with HIV.

The only point of discussion amongst real scientists (thus excluding those 'scientists' that are being paid by the food and pharmaceutical industry) is about how long you should breastfeed to obtain the greatest benefits. There is also some debate about how "bad" using artificial feeding is. For example, in both developing and developed countries, artificial feeding is associated with more illnesses and deaths from diarrhoea in infants.

Whether breastfeeding in public is accepted, depends on culture and country. In most Western countries the majority of the public approves of breastfeeding in public, but some mothers are reluctant to do so out of fear of public opinion. Government should take every measure possible to promote breastfeeding and therefore make is less likely that mothers have fears about public opinion.

Llanfair PG

llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is a village and community on the island of Anglesey in Wales, situated on the Menai Strait next to the Britannia Bridge and across the strait from Bangor. The village is best known for its name, the longest place name in Europe and one of the longest place names in the world.The short form of the village's name is Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, also spelled Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll. It is commonly known as Llanfair PG or Llanfairpwll.

The name means: St Mary's Church (Llanfair) in the hollow (pwll) of the white hazel (gwyngyll) near (goger) the rapid whirlpool (y chwyrndrobwll) and the church of St Tysilio (llantysilio) by the red cave ([a]g ogo goch)

365 Project: One Photo A Day

We are starting a new project: One Photo A Day. As you may deduce from the title, we will try to take one picture every day in 2011 and upload it here. It can be something that happened at work, an object we found interesting or a memorable situation.

The Stravinsky Fountain

The Stravinsky Fountain (fr: La Fontaine Stravinsky) is a whimsical public fountain ornamented with sixteen works of sculpture,moving and spraying water, representing the works of composer Igor Stravinsky. It was created in 1983 by sculptors Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, and is located on Place Stravinsky, next to the Centre Pompidou, in Paris

Within the basin are sixteen works of sculpture inspired by Igor Stravinsky's the Rite of Spring, and his other major works; The black mechanical pieces of sculpture are by Jean Tinguely, the colored works by Niki de Saint Phalle.

The sculptures in the fountain represent:

l'Oiseau de feu (The Firebird)
Le Clef de Sol (the musical key of G)
La Spirale (the spiral)
l'Elephant (the elephant)
Le Renard (the fox)
le Serpent (the serpent)
La Grenouille (the frog)
La Diagonale (the diagonal)
La Mort (death)
La Sirène (the mermaid)
Le Rossignol (the nightingale)
"L'Amour (Love)
La Vie (Life)
La Coeur (the heart)
'Le Chapeau de Clown (the clown's hat)
Ragtime (Ragtime)

Source: Wikipedia