And old ale and sandwiches, too.

One feature of the Askania Nova Biosphere is a large zoo-park. Part of which is located on the grounds of the former owners (with the house used as an office) and with the usual zoo pens, paddocks and cages.  Part is located on several hundred hectares of grassland where the animals all run loose together and one takes a minibus safari.  We did not have time for the latter but did tour the former.

I do not like animals in cages and small pens unless they are domestic and have been bred to it for centuries, but most of these had room to run around and I think they were switched off with their mates out in the open grassland.

Part of the original owner's manor

Statues carved by Scythians, ancient peoples of the Steppes

Large pond with many species of waterfowl

Nutria sleeping in his hollow log

Gnu munching on hay

There were many African veld species represented in the zoo

The Przewalski Horse (Equus przewalski poliakov) is the last remaining wild species of horses.

A "recreated" Aurochs, reverse selection to return to the original Bos

Did not get the name of this cattle beast but Indian subcontinent, I am sure.

In Memory of Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs

 We lost two great legends of bluegrass and country music in 2012.

Doc Watson, the guitarist and folk singer whose flat-picking style elevated the acoustic guitar to solo status in bluegrass and country music, and whose interpretations of traditional American music profoundly influenced generations of folk and rock guitarists, died on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 in Winston-Salem, N.C. He was 89.

Earl Scruggs, the bluegrass banjo player whose hard-driving picking style influenced generations of musicians and helped shape the sound of 20th-century country music with his guitar-strumming partner, Lester Flatt, died on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 in a Nashville hospital. He was 88.

Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs, performed together As The Three Pickers 10 years ago.

Baxter Black - SUSPICIOUS OF THE GOOD COW MARKET

It would be an eye opener for a good portion of consumers to spend a day with a Washington feedlot operator, Illinois corn grower, Georgia seed stock producer, Utah rancher or an Arkansas cotton farmer.  To see computer projections of average daily gain, soil testing, laser leveling, vineyard irrigation systems, dairy genetic selections, swine and poultry’s meticulous ration calculations and the voluminous scientific research being used in all phases of agriculture.

The corn seed or semen sample that is put to work on our farms and ranches every day has as much technology behind it as a satellite on its way to Mars.  But the trusting consumer doesn’t see all that.  They only see us driving a grain truck out to the mill or taking a trailer load of feeders to the sale.  We, in our greasy overalls or well-worn cowboy hat, are the tip of the technological, tried and trusted, diligent, essential iceberg that puts food on their table.

For more see Baxter Black's column On the Edge of Common Sense

Ukraine's Orange Blues

Ukraine's Orange Blues is the name of a blog on Ukrainian political affairs by Alexander J. Motyl which appears on World Affairs, an on-line magazine which I just started getting.  I like how he writes but will wait and reserve judgment on the rest of the articles. Current posts are linked below.

Ukraine’s Opposition Declares War

A Looming Soccer Disaster in Ukraine?

The Inevitability of Regime Fraud in Ukraine's October Elections

The Regionnaire-Burson-Marsteller Axis

Tymoshenko Beating: Business as Usual in Yanukovych's Ukraine

Yanukovych’s Shady Royalties

Extremism in Ukraine

Ukrainian Stereotypes in Holland’s ‘In Darkness’

Truth and Hopelessness in Luhansk

Ukraine: The Yanukovych Family Business

 

Ukrainian News Update

Demeur commented  that he heard they had taken up hockey in the Verkovna Rada.  True, I saw pictures.  Howie Meeker would have been excited and Don Cherry absolutely beside himself.  A great brawl.  Two sent to hospital.

Reuters have a rough cut video here. If you can't beat them in the legislature, you can't beat them on the ice.  Or something like that.

Yanukovych is going to lose his majority in the Rada this fall barring the most extreme fraudulent election in history; so he is trying to ram through legislation making Russian and Ukrainian equal languages in the country.

Ukrainian nationalists are not going to take this sitting down and if it is pushed could have serious repercussions.  Western Ukraine, previously part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, then part of Poland, was part of the USSR from the  signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 until independence in 1991.  They want NOTHING to do with Russia and see the imposition of the Russian language as continuation of colonial status.

The rest of Ukraine was the crown jewel of the Russian Empire for several hundred years and Russia would obviously like to continue to exert influence over the country.  From 1654 to 1775 there was some semblance of independence, greater or lesser but Catherine eliminated that when she eliminated the Zaporizhzhia Cossacks. Consequently much of Ukraine is quit Russified, especially the closer one gets to the Russian border. Many Russians live in Ukraine (and many Ukrainians live in Russia) and Russian is the first language for many of both nationalities and only language for some.  For a quick overview of Ukrainian History, go HERE.

Ukraine is trying to establish itself as an independent nation and as such decided from Day One that Ukrainian would be THE national language; part of shedding of colonialism. This is going to play out rather interestingly.  Stay tuned.

For more information on Ukrainian politics, check out the Kyiv Post

ABC - another bloody cow

Not much happening locally, too lazy to do research on something interesting to write about and too tired to rant. 

Jonathan and Charlotte - Second in Britain's Got Talent 2012

If you haven't listened to these two incredible young people, you simply must. They sing together like all the angels in heaven and they bring tears to your eyes. Audition Semi-final Final