The "Did you know" thread.....

[bombermouse]

Originally Posted by richardoe

There is another invader in our waters, its called the Xander. Its a fish that apparently makes a Pike look like a wuss, theyre found mainly in the fens.

My advice for both the zander and North American crayfish, reduce their numbers by killing and eating them. You'll be glad you did.

[TCO95]

Introducing foreign species into an ecosystem not ready to deal with it rarely has a beneficial effect. We are seeing that with the world wide collapse of bees. As a species bees carry flora and fauna unique to their native region. It evolved over time to help the insect fight off infection, however, that protection can be deadly to bees without the same antibodies.

We are seeing the same disaster unfold in the Great Lakes with the introduction of Chinese Gobi and Carp. They breed beyond what the region can support and their voracious appetites are starving out the local fish. Youtube has a lot of video related to the carp and the problems they cause.

Argentina, Finland and Sweden all imported Canadian beavers to kick start a fur industry. However, when the world wide demand for the fur subsided they were stuck with a large rodent that breeds uncontrollably in the absence of a natural enemy. In Argentina, 25 breeder pairs numbered 200,000 by 2008. They thought because they were on an island the problem would remain localized. They underestimated its swimming capabilities and now the mainland slow growth forests are being slowly decimated.

The first article, published in 2002, warned that the beaver had already invaded the Russian forests and they were set to be a huge problem. No one listened or took it serious. Only six years later that is exactly what happened and the second article details the damage they had already caused.

http://english.pravda.ru/news/societ...-2002/25642-0/
http://www.macleans.ca/science/envir...16_18581_18581

[HugoHackenbush]

Originally Posted by NIN

Certainly one of the main contributing factors, but a must see documentary was the superfine Halcyon River Diaries 4x1 Hour series based on a year of a rivers' wildlife made by Charlie Hamilton-James & Philippa Forrester

There's some harrowing scenes of a mink taking a Kingfisher while in a squabble over territory ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdTr8kjdNuI&feature=player_detailpage#t=98
(Watch from 1 min 35 onwards)

The problems with Mink clip ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uivQb4BoCu0

NIN, I thought you were putting us on...you didn't tell us the first 1:35 was elephants fornicating

In any event I'd always heard that mink were nasty, vile creatures. Now I don't feel bad about the one Mrs. Hackenbush has hanging in the closet.

[rupertramjet]

Originally Posted by palo5

How big are they in America? Or Australia?

Ours are only small, and you only get them in August

Sounds like my sex life!!!

[Greenman]

Speaking of Wind in the Willows, The Piper At the Gates of Dawn is chapter seven of the book and is beautifully written as Mole and Rat search for Otter's son Portly and he is looked after by the god Pan. it has nothing to do with the main story. in the stop-motion animation series with David Jason(Toad), Ian Carmichael(Ratty), Richard Pearson(Mole) this is omitted from the film.

[Greenman]

Did you know that(seeing as I've updated my signature to Red Dwarf) the US made a pilot version of Red Dwarf but as is their wont changed the Cat(Danny John-Jules) to a woman(Terry Farrell-Deep Space Nine's Jadzia Dax) Not to put too fine a point on it, it failed miserably!

[Estreeter]

Did You Know

The Worlds biggest War Memorial is here in my home state

The Great Ocean Road

A long 150 mile winding stretch of road built by Diggers (ex Aussie Servicemen) between 1919 and 1933 and dedicated too fallen WW1 Soldiers



Some of my own photos



Click

[rupertramjet]

Originally Posted by TCO95

I watched this video of turn of the century London and was amazed anyone ever survived crossing the street at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVQiEJW7RWg

One of the two offices I work from is just down the road from that scene, apart from the police road blocks, it has changed little, just about a hundred times busier and faster!

Slightlt further up is the Cenotaph, our National War Memorial for the fallen, where the Remembrance Ceremony is held each year, which you may have seen on TV. We have a couple of other ones, but the one in Estreeters post take some beating!

[MrInBetween]

Originally Posted by GailFan

A dog was once nominated for an Oscar Award for writing the Best Adapted Screenplay.

The dog in question was named "P.H. Vazak". He belonged to screenwriter Robert Towne. Towne was supposed to direct the film "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes", but was sacked. In retaliation, Towne demanded that his screenplay credit go to his dog.

It's already been mentioned in this thread - 2 years ago - that films credited to Alan Smithee are those where the director has had his name removed because he wishes to disown the final result. This was the only name allowed for this purpose under the rules of the Director's Guild of America, although even that wasn't allowed prior to 1968. The name 'Smithee' represents a compromise between trying to sound anonymous while being distinctive enough not to be confused with the name of an actual director. Alan Smithee's first credited work was Death Of A Gunfighter and his last was An Alan Smithee Film in 1998. As that was not merely an example of the practice but also took it as its subject matter, it was felt that the secret was out and the rules were changed again - though if you were a film buff, you probably knew this 'secret' already. I think I first heard about it when Dennis Hopper's - I mean Alan Smithee's - film Catchfire/Backtrack came out in 1990.

Going back further, to the 1930s: at that time, if the exterior of a cinema ever appeared in a film, what was displayed as showing there was always the non-existent Another Dawn. In 1937, unable to come up with a name for their current production, Warner Brothers decided to use that as the title. You could regard this as a clever way of co-opting some pre-publicity or as an act on a level with changing your name to what's on the number plate of your car, according to taste.

[HugoHackenbush]

Songs that were much bigger hits for artists other than the rock stars who wrote them...

"I'm a Believer" sung by The Monkees, but written by Neil Diamond.

"Private Dancer" sung by Tina Turner but written by Mark Knopfler (guitar by Jeff Beck!)

"Every Time You Go Away": sung by Paul Young, but written by Darryl Hall.

"Heartbreaker" sung by Dionne Warwick but written by the Bee Gees (BTW she didn't like the song at all)

"Jacob's Ladder" sung by Huey Lewis but written by Bruce Hornsby