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

Recipe for Flammkuchen - Tarte Flambée

This is a very typical - and delicious - Alsatian appetizer. This simple thin bread dough topped with onions, cream and bacon is also known as flammekueche (Alsatian name). The name comes from a time when the pie was baked in a fire oven and was surrounded by flames. The tart can be served either with cocktails or as a first course with a spicy Gewurztraminer.

Ingredients for 4 to 5 servings:

500g (1 lb.) bread dough,
40cl (13fl oz) crème double or 1/2 cup low-fat ricotta beaten + 1/2 cup half-and-half,
1 tablespoon oil,
1 large onion, thinly sliced,
80g (3 oz) smoked bacon,
50g (2 oz) butter,
salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

Preparation Steps:

1. Fry sliced onions in butter over low heat until soft and golden, then mix to the cream mixture and season. Slightly fry the bacon cut into match stick-size pieces.

2. Roll out the dough to form a thin rectangle, place on a buttered baking sheet.

3. Spread the mixture cream and onions evenly over the dough, within a 3/4 inch from the edge. Sprinkle with the oil and dot with the bacon . Brush the edge of the dough with water.

4. Bake for 10 minutes in a very hot oven (maximum thermostat position) or until the pastry is golden brown. Cut into squares and serve hot.

Tip: Pinot Blanc, light Pinot Noir or Riesling are the recommended wines

What is a Kougelhopf

a Kougelhopf (Raisin and Almond Yeast Cake) is a speciality dessert from Strasbourg.

This yeast-risen coffee cake, with raisins and a surface sprinkling of flaked almonds and confectioned sugar, has become one of the region icons. For a perfect shape and texture, it is best baked in the authentic earthenware grooved mold.
In Alsace the cake is served on many occasions all year around: as a dessert; for breakfast, spread with fruit preserves, as appetizers, serve with a Gewurztraminer or a Cremant d'Alsace. It is considered to taste best when slightly stale.

A perfect gift for Geeks

I found the perfect t-shirt for a geek!

Bugatti Exhibition Brussels

From December 18th, 2009 to January 17th, 2010, Autoworld will be celebrating the very essence of the make: sport, design and elegance.

Excerpt from their website:

From the Type 13 to the present-day Veyron Grand Sport (unveiled for the 1st time here in Belgium*), you will also see one of the six Royales (also making its first appearance in our country) and the prototype forerunners of the Veyron. Enthusiasts and fine car-lovers alike will feast their eyes in this exhibition that explores the world of one of the truly classic makes of car.

The vehicles will be displayed so as to contrast the two aspects of a DNA (sport and elegance) that often combine to produce universally-admired models.

Most of the cars in the exhibition come from Belgian and foreign private collections and will not be seen together anywhere else. Several are on loan from the Mulhouse Cité de l’Automobile’s unique collection, others from Bugatti SAS.

On display alongside these iconic cars will be posters, paintings, catalogues, models, sculptures, bronzes and other artworks on a Bugatti theme.

I have 2 free entrance tickets to distribute. Just tell me why YOU should win these tickets.

What on earth is a Theremin?

The theremin, also know as aetherphone / etherophone or termenvox / thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without contact from the player. It was invented by Russian scientist Leon Theremin and was first demonstrated in 1920. It predates the modern synthesizer by about 40 years, but its uniqueness stems from the fact that it is the only instrument that is played without actually being touched. Its electronic circuits are controlled by two antennas, left and right of the instrument, toward which the player moves his or her hands. The closer the right hand to one antenna, the higher the pitch. Similarly the proximity of the left hand to the other antenna controls the volume. The theremin has a range well in excess of eight octaves, and is capable of all kinds of strange effects. These sounds have been put to use in science fiction and other films including Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945) and Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). This unique instrument has also been used on The Beach Boys' song "Good Vibrations." The late Clara Rockmore was the theremin's greatest virtuoso, and the instrument and its inventor were profiled in the documentary Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (1994).

Rules of Cricket for Dummies

People sometimes complain that the rules of cricket are difficult to understand. This is of course not true. But still, a bit of simplification has never hurt anybody:

Start: you have 2 teams in the game, one is out in the field and one in.

1. Each man that’s in the side that’s in goes out, and when he’s out he comes in and the next man goes in until he’s out.

2. When they are all out, the side that’s out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.

p.s. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. This should not worry you too much.

3. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.

4. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out.

5. When both sides have been in and all the men have out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!

What is Flash Mobbing?

A flash mob (or flashmob) is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via social media or viral emails. The term is generally not applied to events organized by public relations firms or as publicity stunts.

The first flash mob was created in Manhattan in May 2003, by Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper's Magazine. The origins of the flash mobs were unknown until Wasik published an article about his creation in the March 2006 edition of Harper's. The first attempt was unsuccessful after the targeted retail store was tipped off about the plan for people to gather. Wasik avoided such problems during the second flash mob, which occurred on June 3, 2003 at Macy's department store, by sending participants to preliminary staging areas—in four prearranged Manhattan bars—where they received further instructions about the ultimate event and location just before the event began

Another example of a well known flash mob was the April 2006 silent disco in London. At various London Underground stations, people gathered with their portable music devices, and at a set time began dancing to their music. It was reported that more than 4,000 people participated at London Victoria station. This impacted the regular service of the system enough for the city's police to begin crowd control and slowly clear people. Though no one was arrested, it was reported that the City of London pledged to counter future disruption of the underground system.[citation needed] Since 2006, there have been several flash mobs in the London Underground, including subsequent silent discos comparable in size

Weird Celebrity Names - Part 10

Emma Thompson + Greg Wise / Actress + Actor / Gaia Romilly (daughter)

Isaiah Washington + Jenisa Marie Washington / Actor / Isaiah Akin (son) + Thyme (son) + Iman (daughter)

Robert Van Winkle (Vanilla Ice) + Laura Giarritta / Musician / Dusti Raine (daughter) + Keelee Breeze (daughter)

Bruce Willis + Demi Moore / Actor + Actress / Rumer Glenn (daughter) + Scout Larue (daughter) + Tallulah Belle (daughter)

Frank Zappa + Gail Zappa / Musician / Dweezil (son) + Ahmet Emuukha Rodan (son) + Moon Unit (daughter) + Diva Muffin (daughter)

What is the Pledgebank?

Have you already heard about the Pledgebank? It is an initiative in the same line of thought as Pay It Forward where users take positive action by using the 'snowball effect' principle. In England the Pledgebank has already scored some important successes like reducing the amount of plastic bags that are used in supermarkets, or convince people to vote.

The principle is very simple: somebody takes the initiative to make a promise (or pledge), where they say that they will do something, but only if a certain number of other people do the same. Some call it "positive peer-pressure", other just another way of informing others about a good idea.

I first heard about the initiative when a member of BeWelcome made a pledge to donate a small amount to BeWelcome through the Pledgebank. He will do this (and put up posters) if at least 20 people do the same. So far we have already 10 pledges, only 10 more to go. Maybe you want to help out? Just go to the BeWelcome pledge page.

The organisation behind this initiative is called MySociety and they have started other sustainable projects, like for example making the complicated British voting system clearer, or make the Web more democratic

Weird Celebrity Names - Part 9

Rob Morrow + Debbon Ayer / Actor + Actress / Tu Simone Ayer (daughter)

Jamie Oliver + Jools Oliver / Chef + Model / Poppy Honey (daughter) + Daisy Boo (daughter)

Gwyneth Paltrow + Chris Martin / Actress + Musician / Apple (daughter) + Moses (son)

Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie / Actor + Actress / Zahara Marley (daughter) + Maddox Chivan Thornton (son) + Shiloh Nouvel (daughter) + Pax Thien (son)

David "Puck" Rainey + Betty Rainey / Reality TV Star / Bogart Che Peyote (son) + Rocco Kokopelli (son)

Weird Celebrity Names - Part 8

Shannyn Sossamon + Dallas Clayton / Actress / Audio Science (son)

Sylvester Stallone + Sasha Czack / Actor + Actress / Sage Moonblood (daughter) + Seargeoh (son)

Sylvester Stallone + Jennifer Flavin / Actor / Sophia Rose (daughter) + Sistine Rose + (daughter) Scarlet Rose (daughter)

Roger Taylor + Dominique Beyrand / Musician / Felix Luther (son) + Rory (daughter)

Roger Taylor + Deborah Leng / Musician / Rufus Tiger (son) + Tiger Lily (daughter) + Lola Daisy (daughter)

Weird Celebrity Names - Part 7

Milla Jovovich + Paul Anderson / Actress + Director / Ever Gabo (daughter)

Simon LeBon + Yasmin Parvaneh / Musician + Model / Amber Rose Tamara (daughter) +
Saffron Sahara (daughter) + Tallulah Pine (daughter)

Jennifer Lopez + Marc Anthony / Singer / Max Marco (son) + Emme Jenna (daughter)

John Cougar Mellencamp + Vicky Granucci / Musician / Teddy Jo (daughter) + Justice (daughter)

John Cougar Mellencamp + Elaine Irwin / Musician / Hud (son) + Spec Wildhorse (son)

Top 10 Searches - News Stories

Natural disasters affected virtually every corner of our planet. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike devastated the southern U.S. and the Caribbean. The fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continued to be a focus throughout the year. But a few surprises to this list included the human interest stories that captivated the curiosity of the country, such as Caylee Anthony, a missing Florida toddler; the pregnant man who allegedly gave birth to a baby girl; and Patrick Swayze's battle against cancer.

News Stories -- Top 10 News Stories according to Yahoo!

1. Hurricanes

2. Caylee and Casey Anthony

3. Election 2008

4. Pakistan

5. Pregnant Man

6. China

7. Iraq

8. Shelley Malil

9. Patrick Swayze

10. Afghanistan