Blah-Blah!

'Tis a whale song!
Whales, whether right or not, may soon be in murky waters. Following a debate on resumption of commercial whaling, around 25% of the countries on the International Whaling Commission supported resumption of industrial whaling. While the majority vote keeps these gentle giants afloat, the whales still could do with keeping their fingers…err…flippers crossed in the hope that their haunting melodies wouldn't be their swan song!

Spreading wings in Siggiewi…
The mighty eagles might soon be put up on display at a controversial site at ta’ Zgamardi in Siggiewi, two centuries after Napoleon evicted the Order of St. John from Malta to breathe life into the arcane art of falconry. With this grandiose measure, Rene Scicluna, the man behind the mission, hopes to bring back the talisman of a celebrated Maltese past. Hawking history with the high fliers, are we?

This runt's got grunt!
Believe it or not, but a pig, (very unsuitably named ‘Cupcake’) which was just a pound and a half when a week old, has grown to be a 300 pound adult… three times than what it should have been at three years of age. And it’s no good news for the owner, who is all set to get rid of this behemoth after she had to get her septic tank repaired, which sadly happened to be right under the stomping ground of the boar! Who says bigger is always better?

It’s quid pro quo…
During the disastrous Pamplona’s San Fermin festival held recently in Spain, a charging bull happened to gore a man in the legs rendering bruises, sprains and worse. Seems the Spaniards had finally been bullied enough by these bossy bovines! Since 1924, a total of 13 people have been killed till date where the worst injury this year came when a man was left partially paralysed. As a result of all this and for the protection of animal rights, the regional parliament of Catalonia is all set to impose a ban on bullfights. A hit right on the bull’s eye, isn’t it?

Thhuddddd!!
Guess who is the hottest celebrity in Washington? No. It’s no Hollywood star or a glitzy model, but a one year old panda – Tai Shan – the most cherished possession of the National Zoo who recently made news when he toppled down 5 feet. The fall was captured by the zoo’s webcam which stirred a colossal hue and cry and the park was showered with calls from the anxious panda fans. With 21 million people linked to its website and special guests like Laura Bush and the queen of Bhutan for fans, the fallen angel (why not?) now has every reason to make merry!

The Persian alarm rings in Kazakhstan…
In the village of Stepnoi in eastern Kazakhstan, a chicken has allegedly laid an egg with the word “Allah” inscribed in Arabic on its shell. This has also been confirmed by the local mosques. Out of the few times when the chicken community has made news without the help of H5N1 virus, this sure is a very special instance, especially as the egg was laid right after a hailstorm hit the village. Seems the cheeky chicken would now be treated fair enough… in the hope of a golden egg next?

A spirited horse this...hic!
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution certainly rocks… the latest example has been found in the case of horses. When a 24-year old Shire horse (equivalent to 60 human years) named Sammy was noticed as a little out of sorts and languid, he was prescribed a daily dose of about two bottles of beer and has perked up considerably since then! Where alcohol has a soporific effect on human beings, it seems to be acting in the reverse manner for our equine mates. Wanna trade places with them?!

Every dog has his day, but bet you wish you could have lived one like this!
The Grande Dame of Boston, the almost century old Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel at Boston, spent millions of bucks on its renovation. And guess what its most admired upgrade was. No, it was not any Italian antique or a Da Vinci painting, but a 68 pound black Labrador, named Catie Copley, who welcomes all his guests with a warm wag and sniff . And if you want to contact the now most famous hotel pet in the world, simply pick one of his own business cards… or just drop in an e-mail to him, if doing the previous bit gives you an inferiority complex!

Come on Paris! It's just a ferret... this time!
Quite an animal lover (no pun intended) this Paris Hilton of ours is. Now that she's done tinkering with Tinkerbell, our virtuous-fora- year lady has been labouring for love of a fine young ferret. Who fell out with, or of what, is yet unclear, but she was allegedly spotted rescuing (really?) her pet ferret from the garbage bin. Wonder what Paris' ferret's choices were – garbage love or beloved garbage?!!

Sin’edin Zidane! The tragedy of sensibilities...
To Zidane is dedicated this week’s Cassandra; and to whatever he stood for in his life

(column by Pascal Boniface, Director, IRIS (Paris) & author of Football & Globalisation)

Those who the gods may destroy, they grant their wishes. Zinedine Zidane may be pondering that bit of ancient Greek wisdom today. Having announced that he would end his professional career with the World Cup, Zidane had his wish fulfilled. After France barely survived the tournament’s first round, Zidane performed at the top of his game and led the team to the brink of a second World Cup championship. But instead of finishing his career in triumph, or at least with an ovation, he was ejected from the final for head-butting an Italian player. There have been few such tragic moments in football history. Whatever the provocation that led to Zidane’s behaviour (probably a racial comment), his violent act seen around the world has tarnished his image.

The sad paradox is that while the world had been learning of and celebrating his legendary kindness as a person, he will now be distinguished for all time by an act of aggression. Indeed, Zidane’s status as an emblematic champion of the world’s most universal and popular sport does not fully explain why people have been so obsessed with him. His human qualities, as much as his amazing talent and technical feats on the field, counted equally in establishing his popular acclaim. Football has always been this way. For example, for the Argentineans, the diminutive Diego Maradona represented the revenge of the weak and the deprived. As a result, his countrymen excused his frequent bad behaviour time and again. Similarly, Pelé became the symbol of a harmonious, inter-racial Brazil..

Zidane offered neither of these romantic images. Moreover, after his career is over, he is unlikely to become a manager of his sport like Jean Claude Killy, the former Alpine skier, who was co-president of the 1992 winter Olympics, or his fellow football legend Michel Platini, who helped coordinate the 1998 World Cup. After all, Zidane, arguably the world’s best football player, left with a gesture that has no place in any game. Nevertheless, Zidane will remain a global icon, owing to his profoundly human character and his extreme simplicity. Here is a man who is known in the most hidden corners of the planet, yet he retained the presence and discretion of a silent next-door neighbour. At a moment when integration is being debated in France, Zidane embodied the ideal of success through talent and hard work while never betraying himself or his Algerian origins..

Moreover, Zidane incarnated values that seem threatened nowadays, but to which ordinary people remain attached: Loyalty to family, diligence, and cooperation. Here is a man who was not only a world champion, but also a model son and father. The almost timid way in which, after France’s victory over Spain, he expressed his love for his mother touched viewers around the world. To understand Zidane’s popularity, one need only set his modesty and attention to others against the arrogance and indifference that characterise the behaviour of so many other celebrities, including football players. At a time when, in France, as in the rest of the world, the chasm between the elite and ordinary people has never been so wide, when the smugness of the affluent has never been so cruelly felt by the less fortunate, Zidane, a son of despised immigrants, became an international star, and yet preserved the simplicity of his origins..

For this, Zidane was not only admired, but also respected. His success was never to the detriment of others. On the contrary, he is active in causes such as helping sick children. It is obvious that he could one day become a tremendous ambassador of peace, or for children, working with the United Nations or another international organisation. But now the hero has fallen. Zidane was not Superman, but a human being. In a single instant of unfathomable fury, his moment of glory was transformed into one of madness and a curse. His tragedy is ultimately a personal one. Nevertheless, it would be a great loss – extending far beyond the world of football – if Zidane’s disgraceful exit as a player comes to de- fine his legacy as a man.

(End of Pascal Boniface column)