Pandodyssey™ Panda Blog

This is a blog devoted to Giant Panda enthusiasts, environmental wanna-bes and peace loving funimals, world-wide.

Monday, February 27, 2006

peace love & pandas

Taiwan pandas
Beijing and Taipei have been diplomatic and military rivals since their split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. Beijing sees the island as part of Chinese territory and has pledged to bring it back into the fold, by force if necessary.

TOO CUTE!
Ohhhhhh! Hey, forget about that article above. Instead, follow that link to the "China Opens Panda Kindergarten" video link instead for 58 seconds of tai shans, buttersticks, parkays and more!

A Stick by Any Other Name

Caving in to the cute lobby, the National Zoo has finally adopted Butterstick as the nickname of the famed baby panda there. In the latest issue of Zoogoer magazine, an ad for the ZooFari 2006 "Black & White Night" fundraiser on May 18 reads, "Join Tai Shan (affectionately known as 'Butterstick') . . . " and the slogan: "Everything's better with Butter."

The "cute" lobby!? Where do I send in my resume?

Thursday, February 23, 2006

panda brouhaha

China's offer of 2 pandas puts Taiwan in a tough spot
The two giant pandas might seem a simple token, but a history of diplomatic skirmishes between Beijing and Taipei has turned them into anything but a black-and-white matter. Anyone who doubts their symbolic power needs only to observe the armed guards offering 24-hour protection to the two pandas at this reserve in the Sichuan province highlands.

a panda posse?

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

from my Pod to your Pod

We've recently added an option for you to view Tai Shan: A Pandodyssey with Quicktime and save it for your iPod Video (for which it has been optimized).

cute!








Snow fun for panda pair

Giant pandas Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan play in the Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Center in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Zoofari

SAVE THE DATE:

Black & White Night, at the National Zoo's Zoofari! May 18, 2006. 6:30 - 10 pm (is what they say but pandas party all night long.)
FONZs pay $110.
Non-FONZs pay $140.

AND for the low LOW price of $5000, you can get a Tai Shan Table which includes:

1) 15 ZooFari tickets

2) Private tour for 15 guests to see the giant pandas, including Tai Shan, conducted by a Zoo senior curator (I'm thinking it better be Lisa Stevens, the curator of all curators, for FIVE Grand--Do you think she'll let me "see" Tai Shan with my hands and not with my eyes?)

3) Table seating for ten guests outside Think Tank or on the Great Meadow, offering your group a private retreat away from the main path (the other five guests are fed to the lions)

4) Your group's name printed in the FONZ Annual Report and in the event program given out to each ZooFari guest

It's for a good cause AND if the price tag gives you 'paws' just remember that $4,550 of it your donation is tax-deductible! Everybody wins!

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

He Smelled Me Later!












Panda cub discovers his dad
"Zoo officials said the cub, Tai Shan, is spending more time exploring his outdoor enclosure and lounging away from his mother. And, he has shown signs of recognizing that another adult panda is often in another exercise yard just beyond the fence."

From the National Zoo Feb. 21 Update:
"Tai Shan also climbed the mesh howdy window in the wooden gate between the yards to look at Tian Tian. Tai was fascinated and pawed at his father through the double mesh. Tian took a deep sniff but otherwise just looked him over. Now that they seem to have noticed each other it will be fascinating to see what happens next."

too cute!!

Also from Feb. 21:
"What a busy boy Tai Shan has been over the past few days. On Friday, he figured out how to get up the forked saw-toothed oak tree at the front of the yard. He was very pleased with himself, as it was a very windy day and the tree was just a-swaying in the breeze. It was also fun to look down on the keepers standing at the bottom of the tree looking up at him. He was coaxed out of the tree and taken inside so that an additional tree guard could be put in place. For security all of our pandas are locked indoors at night. We have restricted Tai's climbing height for now to ensure he can get back down at the end of the day or can be retrieved by a keeper."
:)

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Money Money Money Money Money

Panda Expenses Aren't So Black And White

"SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Zoo is one of four zoos in the United States with panda contracts -- the others are in Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Memphis. Collectively, they are trying to negotiate with China to bring down the fees because they are not breaking even."

This article comes as a bummer to me, because zoos love pandas, but pandas are expensive and zoos are (generally) poor. People love pandas, but people are (generally) poor. Thus zoos rely on contributions (at least the National Zoo does because it’s a part of the Smithsonian thus it's FREE!) and on volunteers.

Poor people (like this CP) might/could donate a lot of time to the zoo instead of or in addition to money. But alas, volunteer programs also cost money! Training to care for a particular species, management of the program itself, and costs of limiting liability all cost money. Money that (some might argue) could go directly toward the care of said pandas. However, volunteering is not as easy as one might imagine--there are significant hoops to jump through if you want to become a volunteer. For example, The National Zoo has pretty strict requirements as to training attendance and the duration of your volunteer stint. At their volunteer page, under the position of "Photo Collection Assistant", it reads "Time commitment: Two or three days a week for four to six hours. Weekdays only between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m." Those parameters don't allow for much of the population at large to volunteer! Furthermore, several of their volunteer programs require an up-front commitment, sometimes upwards of a year, in addition to training, from their volunteers. These are significant hurdles to overcome when attempting to recruit for good, unpaid help!

What is needed is a retooling of the Zoo's volunteer program, which ironically also costs more money. As I see it, the issue comes down to the transaction costs of implementing a new zoo volunteer program that allows the greatest number of volunteers to participate, with a mininum of "hassle" on both parts (the zoo's and the volunteers') while simulatenously keeping the costs down. The Zoo could invest just a little more into retooling their volunteer program and use the program itself as both a volunteer recruitment tool and possibly even a fund raising tool for the panda conservation fund. By severely limiting the number and types of people who are able to volunteer, they are under-utilizing a near free and endless resource!

I can understand these restrictions and the reasons as to why they are in place. Obviously no business wants to go through the trouble of hiring and training an employee who ends up quitting after one week. And obviously, the zoo needs folks M-F 9-5 as well as in the evenings and the weekends. (FYI--Pandas do not only eat & poop during business hours.)

But surely, if zoos need funds in order to keep pandas, and there exists a pool of willing and able volunteers to help, ought not the zoos be able to find a way to make this relationship work? I don't have any formal panda education or panda training, but I'll bet I can move bamboo and shovel panda poop with the best! I would scoop panda poop if it would help keep or bring more Tai Shans into the neighborhood. (Isn't it obvious this CP has time enough to spare?) But I literally can't afford to volunteer for the National Zoo!

To be perfectly clear, I am not complaining IN THE LEAST that the zoo's volunteer program is too strict or inconvenient for the likes of me. At no point should the administration of a program, or people politics ever take precedence (or take away) from the duty of caring for the zoo animals to the fullest extent possible. My point is just that I believe there is a huge population of would-be volunteers out there, especially in hectic cities like DC, if not for the "upfront" hurdles of signing up. A program that is easier for volunteers to access, more work-schedule friendly, and allows flexibility to volunteer among different species could create a vastly different zoo volunteer enviornment, foster the feeling of community between a city and its zoo, and possibly even foster good PR opportunities for the zoo.

And really, I just want to pet a panda...

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

The Great Wall of Panda Bounce

Send in a screen shot of your highest PB score and we'll post it to The Great Wall, a new link to the Panda Bounce page on Pandodyssey.com!!

Speaking of which I have a very serious problem concerning this. I have every intention of posting my highest score, but I can't access Panda Bounce during the day (See previous post regarding "not user error") and I don't have the time at night over the next couple weeks. As you can imagine, the day time is when and where I would need a good Bounce the most, and at night, well, that's valuable Olympics-watching time!

What's a certified pandologist to do?

So, while I can't do the same just yet, send in your best score and we'll post it to the Wall! (What, you were going to do WORK today??)

USA! USA! USA!

A very exciting day in the world of Pandology!

NO NO NOTORIOUS ...
What do you call a black guy, an Asian guy and a white guy rapping together?

(click on the article titled "Giant Panda Crafts Pure Form Rap" at the link to KY Kernel above. Adding to my ever widening collection of baffling internet issues, I can't access this specific article any more from my work computer, whereas I could an hour ago. I know not why.)

And no, its NOT user error. Quit judging me. >:0

ATTAAAAAACK!
Wild Panda in China Caught on Tape!

Panda shoots free and leaves cage
this article is safe for kids. Not a story about panda guerilla warriors. The panda doesn't even have a gun!

Cheating on George
Panda Cub Gets Visit From First Lady


And finally, this is what I'd drive in the Mongol Rally ... in 15-20 years...

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Cuteness Update!!!


Sorry! I can't post pics until later but there are totally cute pics on these pages!

Panda's First Snow

Tai Shan's First Snow (c/o CP2!)

Monday, February 13, 2006

that IS interesting!

Herein lies a neat graphic chock full of info that is probably only interesting to DC-ites. And TT. Good Afternoon.

How Abramoff Spread the Wealth

Obviously, the guiltiest party here: the Independents!! FORK OVER those three thousand dollars-WE ALL KNOW YOU HAVE IT! Just look at the pie chart under "Where the Money Went" (That's like 3,000 songs for my pod. Or 750 caramel macchiatos.)

But seriously, the greatest casualty here (aside from the defrauding several Indian tribes of tens of millions of dollars-but that's another blog...I'm trying to keep this lite for the monday before i-heart-everyone day) is Chef Morou of Signatures infamy (the restaurant itself is not so much a loss). This article makes no mention of where we can now find Morou and his delectable sushi masterpieces.

Thanks a lot JACK ...

Camels, Monkeys and Snow Leopards, OH MY!

International support promotes better protection of wild species

"Nearly 20 international cooperation programs for wild animal protection were carried out in 2005 in Northwest China's Gansu Province which boasts a wide variety of wild species, a source with the local wild animal protection department said."

Five giant panda protection programs got under way in 2005, such as the geographical information system for giant pandas and the construction of observation stations. The five programs cost 5.1 million yuan (630,000 U.S. dollars), according to the source."

$630,000 US Dollars? Where's the rest of panda money going anyway? According to this article, China is making upwards of $108 Million per year on panda leases to the US alone.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

chewin the yak fat ...

Do people in Mongolia really eat yak fat???? (From a comment posted earlier this week, that I can't link to at the moment...)

Mongolian Culture:
"In Mongolia, the diet depends on region. In the south, a lot of mutton, camel and camel dairy products are eaten. In the mountains, however, beef is much more common. In the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, there is a wide range of food widely available, most of it imported. Vegetables are main new part of the Mongol diet, which is traditionally based on meat and dairy products.

"Yak's milk butter is also very important to the Mongols, however it is important they prefer to use cow milk, both as a food source and a fuel for lamps. In the past, because it was once almost their only fuel, schools were sometimes forced to decide between food for the staff and students, or lamplight for reading and learning."


I think Ulaan Baatar means "abuse of the letter 'A'" in Mongolian.

why yes, pandas do have cute ears

Human-raised giant panda able to survive in wild

Chinese scientists confirm that a giant panda, raised by humans is living on its own in within the perimeter of the Wolong research center where it lives. The panda has sought out a habitat and foraged for bamboo on her own.

"Now Xiang Xiang seems to have adapted to the wild environment and is quite alert to things nearby. Scientists once approached Xiang Xiang to a distance of 50 meters, and the giant panda, by its cute auditory sense, was conscious of the situation."

Wiki-Brilliant!

I began this post last week as a diatribe defending the sanctity of wikipedia, but I saved it and never posted it. In light of the Abramoff article however, it seems relevant again.

And I am lazy.

And am (apparently) turning into a libertarian.

But mostly still, just lazy...

Wikipedia's Help From the Hill
Edits Lead Site to Block Some Lawmakers' Offices

This was the original story that ran 5 days ago on the same topic:

On Capitol Hill, Playing WikiPolitics
Partisanship Tests Web Site's Policies

free press + technology! It's a wonderful world.


"A girl, she's going to want me to have tea with her and her panda. Like, what am I going to do with that?" (Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" commenting on the birth of his daughter)

Environmental Roundup -- Learn to Swim

White House to Study Protecting Polar Bears
"The Bush administration has agreed to study whether polar bears should be added to the nation's endangered species list because global warming is shrinking their habitat. They would be the first mammals to gain protected status as a result of climate change."

"President Bush opposes mandatory curbs, arguing they would harm the economy and cost jobs. He instead has pushed for voluntary steps and research into technology to reduce emissions."

Voluntary? As in the Bush administration's "voluntary" undertaking of this issue? Read on!

According to both WP.com & msnbc.com, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for Biological Diversity filed suit against the federal government in December 2005 to place polar bears on the endangered species list. The Center originally filed a petition in February 2005.
"Under the Endangered Species Act, the Fish and Wildlife Service was supposed to render its initial finding of the merits within 90 days, but the federal agency responded after a year. "We didn't have the money to do the finding," Woods said. The agency had to wait until budget money was available in the fiscal year 2006 budget and acted when it was available, he said.
When the agency had not acted by December, the Center as well as the Natural Resources Defense Council and Greenpeace sued in federal court to protect polar bears. "

There's "voluntary" for you. Better late than never I suppose.

The U.S.'s polar bear population is estimated between 2,000-5,000 bears. Estimates of world-wide polar bear population are between 21,000 and 28,000. (msnbc.com)

Just a week ago, msnbc.com ran an article with an interesting graphic showing regions worldwide affected by glacial melting: Melting Mountains.

Also mentioned in the WP article are two environmental groups (the Evangelical Climate Initiative and the Pew Center for Global Climate Change) who yesterday issued a statement demanding government curbs on greenhouse gas emissions. Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action. This statement comes on the heels of the NAE's official non-statement on global warming.

Read the initial post on this topic here:
(ACK except I forgot that I can no longer link to blog pages from this computer. If you're looking for it, it was a post from Monday 2/7. I will post the link when I can.)

Incidentally, the first name on the list of signatories to the Call to Action?
Rev. Dr. Leith Anderson, Former President, National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

The MORE Amazing Race

Will plucky Pink Panda pair make it to Mongolia?

Two Europeans TRY to drive across Europe & Asia in the Mongol Rally, an awesome race across two continents.

The entire length of the race is 8,000 miles (how many kilometers is that?) from London, England to Ulaan Baatar, uhh...Mongolia I guess....

Even better still: "Any car that has more than 1000cc (One Litre) is strictly forbidden as over-powered, and considered a risk to your ability to have fun."

If your car's eligibility is in question, you can refer to the Hall of Crapness: Where crapness is saluted. Some entries for eligible models:

Citroen AX: "Masterfully bad"
Fiat Panda 4x4: "Nothing more than a tin can on four wheels."
Kia Pride: "Korean lawnmower in a 'luxurious' waterproofed box."


Why is there not yet a reality TV show about this? I AM SO MAD!

What Would Jesus Drive?

NOTE: In the discussion below, I use "Christian values" to mean those that I personally was brought up with, namely mostly Korean Presbyterian (if that's any different from plain old vanilla Presbyterian) ones with a little southern Baptist flavor thrown in for good measure. While this is a serious discussion of serious current events, please keep in mind that I do not consider myself as being especially well versed on either the topic of religion or the environment. (On the topic of giant pandas however, I do consider myself a little better versed than the average bear.) Thus, the views expressed here are simply mine, from the vacuum that is my mind.

Evangelicals Will Not Take Stand on Global Warming
On February 1, 2006, The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) announced that it was "unable to reach a consensus on global climate change and will not take a stand on the issue."

Contrast these recent remarks with an October 2004 statement attributed to NAE's leadership, saying that mankind has "a sacred responsibility to steward the Earth and not a license to abuse the creation of which we are a part."

[Editorial note: I searched the NAE site for verification of either of the above statements. The site itself had no "search" funtion, and quite frankly, it was giving me the heebie-jeebies just a little. I have also purposely not linked to the reference site. Call me petty.]

It's Black & White (& Green) to Me

"Bible-believing evangelicals . . . disagree about the cause, severity and solutions to the global warming issue."

Why isn't environmentalism a fundamental Christian value? I can't understand why fundamentally, protecting unborn babies is considered a "conservative" issue, but protecting the environment is a "liberal" one and how exactly the religious majority finagled this viewpoint into rationality is totally beyond me.

Having spent the first 16 years or so of my life being gently indoctrinated by a sweetly pious Baptist Sunday School teacher named Mrs. Greenberry and the likes of her, only to spend the next 16 years sloughing off most of what I had learned in exchange for beliefs I actually had reason to believe in, one of the few principles I retained from Mrs. Greenberry's 3rd grade Sunday School class is "God IS nature, and vice versa" (I'm not sure where in the Bible Mrs. G took that verse from, but she said it, so it must be in there just maybe not in so many words.) Mrs. G taught (and I wholly accepted) that evidence of God is found in nature-every sunrise, every rainbow, every animal (every panda!), and every human, was created by Him as an expression of God's creativity. The appreciation of God's glory, both in Him and through Him, is what He ultimately wants from each of us. Okay, even now it sounds just a little corny, but I stand behind Mrs. G and most of what she taught me (Most--the part about evangelizing to other faiths didn't stick.). But back then, it made perfect sense to me at an age when I was impressionable and confused and awed by the sheer magnitude of the tangible world, never minding the nebulosity of "heaven" where milk and honey made acceptable pedestrian walkways. To me and my fledgling 3rd-grade brain, this was one thing about church, God and Jesus (who, let's be honest, I only knew as that bearded Caucasian-looking dude in my kiddie Bible, surrounded by smiling sheep and kids ) that clicked. Environmentalism in the form of "God is nature" dovetailed nicely with those other Christian values I was attempting to learn at that time: like the one where Christians are supposed to protect the meek and the poor and those without a voice, and those with no one else to protect them.

So call me naïve, but YES, I was quite blown away by this WP article and what it reported pn the NAE's statements. Not to mention that I was even more offended by the fact that rather than take "A" stance at all on the issue of global warming, the NAE has announced that after much deliberation and debate, the NAE has NO COMMENT on global warming and "officially" is not taking an official position. Thus, by choosing not to take a stand, the NAE takes the most offensive stance, insofar as politicizing another's cause for your own benefit is not inherently offensive: The NAE consciously decided that global warming was not an issue worth politicizing for their cause at this time. According to this article, the various Christian denominations could not reach consensus because they held differing opinions relating to: the extent of damage done by global warming; the extent to which humans are responsible for global warming; and the extent of the chances that some other solution (legislation, or international treaty and cooperation) will take care of global warming and the issue will resolve itself.

Because God might, after all, be FOR global warming?

I find it hard to believe that all Christians aren't inherent environmentalists anyway, or at the very least conservationists in their beliefs, or at the very VERY least simply purport to care about environmental issues, whether they are politically timely for other causes or not! Protecting unborn babies is about protecting life, isn't it? Does that only apply if there is something political to be gained? Is the right to life paramount only when it refers to unborn humans, and not apply so much to God's other (therefore lesser?) creations like trees, ecosystems, or giant pandas? Again, how is being pro-life a conservative value and being pro-environment a liberal one?

(Gulp!) Could it be that the NAE considered adopting this environmental cause for political purposes only? Sadly, I now realize that which I assumed to be a Christian value is not necessarily part and parcel to Christian religious doctrine. So now the question becomes: Was crotchety old Mrs. Greenberry a conservative or a liberal?? My little 3rd-grade mind would have imploded under the stress of such a weighty question-if it had only known what "liberal" and "conservative" meant.

The NAE has convinced me anyway that they are none of the above-they don't pretend to care any more about the environment, no more so than any other group wanting political action and riding the coattails of an issue where and when it benefits their cause.

This disturbs me greatly. For as much as I disagree with most of what the Christian Coalition stands for, one thing I could admire about them is devotion to their causes and devotion to their beliefs. But how can I reconcile what I believe to be a fundamental Christian value (and again, I'm not calling myself any kind of good Christian here, I'm just asking the question) with the politics played in the bigger arena? I can't respect the NAE's statements regarding global warming because I can't understand it. Uh oh, there's that pesky naiveté again!

Maybe we should all pray about it.

Cute link to pics of Hua Mei

A fellow pandologist took me to this link: Baby Panda which chronicles in photographs the first years of Hua Mei, born on August 21, 1999. She is the first giant panda born in North America to survive to adulthood.

This is a page from a site called Absolute Pandas.

Update from 20008 / Metrication shmetrikation!

Update from 20008
Today Tai Shan climbed up a small redbud near the fence by Tian's yard. He got very comfortable in the bare branches and stayed there for hours. In the wild, panda cubs climb trees to stay safe from would-be predators when their mothers are eating bamboo elsewhere. Tai also climbed the big scale today and was weighed at 33 pounds.

Metrication
33 pounds translates into 15 kilograms, which how much Tai Shan would weigh in China.

According to Wikipedia: "Metrication or metrification is the process of converting from the various other systems of units used throughout the world to the SI metric system.This process began in France in the 1790s and spread over the following two centuries to all but four countries, representing 95% of the world's population."

"Today only the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar have not officially switched to the metric system (although Liberia and Myanmar use it in practice) and the United Kingdom is currently in the process of conversion. Only France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan have seen significant popular opposition to metrication, the main objections being based on tradition, aesthetics, economical impact and distaste for measures viewed as foreign."

Boy, are we stubborn!

Ummm, Panda Express, arrghhhh

Panda Express Supports Charities With Plush Panda Bear Sales

"Panda Express, the nation's largest and fastest growing Asian restaurant concept, is selling plush panda bears in February and March to raise funds that will be split equally between the American Red Cross, for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles."

Hmmm, now this is confusing:
The sub-title reads: "American Red Cross and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Receive 100 Percent of Proceeds" while Peggy Cherng, PhD, and Co-Chair of Panda Express is quoted as saying "Our guests and their loved ones will adore receiving these Panda bears, and can feel pleased that nearly 60 percent of the $4.99 purchase price will benefit deserving charities."

I attempted to verify this at the Panda Restaurant Group, Inc.'s website, but they unfortunately had no mention of the panda fundraiser on the site as of Tuesday AM. They do however have links to other fund raising events and charities they have sponsored in the past. PRG Inc. & the World Vision Foundation of Thailand sponsored a village in Thailand that was ravaged by the 2005 tsunami. Acording to this site, PRG Inc. claims to have raised upwards of $200,000 for both hurricane Katrina relief efforts and tsunami relief efforts! I am in no way involved with PRG Inc. and so can only go by what I read, but you have to love a company that shows that it cares about the global community, finds creative ways to raise funds, AND has an awesome panda logo. Not a commercial, just a thought!

Two panda thumbs up for Panda Express!
One panda thumb down for Primezone Newswire & Multimedia for confusing me!

A Panda's Home is Not Her Domain

There has been some criticism about the US media still referring to China as a "communist" state, because of the slow but steady creep of capitalism into China, which has partly contributed to China's emergence as a global economic super power. While the Chinese goverment has relaxed some control over state affairs (especially those that will make them money), the Communist Party of China still has final say.

This article illustrates one of the quirks of China's quasi-capitalism. A man in China bought domain names (including "tuantuanyuanyuan.com", "tuantuan.com", and "yuanyuan.com") as well as similar names using Chinese characters, hoping to sell the domains for profit. If the Chinese government takes issue with the domain names, he might be out a buck or two whether or not he has legitimate buyers for the domain names.

"Though the Websites don't involve trademarks or corporate names, the giant pandas are of public interest. Profits from these names shouldn't be enjoyed by a unique person," said Gu Huimin, an intellectual property rights attorney with Shanghai NORSN Law Firm.
"If the government thinks the Websites tarnish the seriousness of panda-giving issue or influence the relationship between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, it may cancel them. Then buyers can face a serious loss, if they pay a lot (for the domain names)"

Peter S. Goodman, a reporter for the Washington Post, describes China's quasi-capitalism this way in a recent transcript:

"Whether we think it's wonderful or awful, China is run by the Communist Party of China, which rules without elections to select the leaders, and without a free press or indepedent judiciary to check its actions. More and more in the popular press -- particularly the financial press-- it seems fashionable to talk about China's embrace of capitalism as a done deal. In fact, the power of Party officials to determine who gets land and credit remains a central feature of the modern Chinese economy. Huge state-owned companies are guaranteed access to raw materials such as coal and steel at cut-rate prices, while private companies have to pay a market rate. I do agree with one thing you imply: China defies labels. It is neither communist nor capitalist, and any attempt to describe with one throwaway adjective is a disservice."

For more information on domain names click here.

Panda Slaves

Office hours' short for panda duo

"THE panda pair that will be gifted to Taiwan have now curbed their visiting hours to keep the couple's normal life from disturbance, the Tianfu Morning Paper said today. Travelers are allowed to watch the panda duo only from 9am to 12am weekdays, the Sichuan-based newspaper said, citing the Wolong Giant Panda Preserve and Research Center."

That's ONLY...fifteen hours by my calculations! How long do you suppose the pandas' regular visiting hours are? :o

You can bounce if you want to

Panda Bounce has moved HERE!

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Panda Bounce has been added to the site!!

Panda Bounce

thanks eric!

Front Page News



A fellow pandologist sent me the Smithsonian Associate February 2006 cover image.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Pandoddity: Panda Eyes





The pupils of a giant panda's eyes are slit vertically, like a cat, as opposed to other bears' pupils which are round.





I tried to verify this fr myself, but I couldn't tell from this pic. Then I looked online, but this was as far as I got before I was distracted by the other words listed that begin with panda.

SD Zoo Panda Cam has moved




SD Panda Cam has moved here.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

As CP2 would say, DOUBLE-O CUTE!

If only she could watch it at work! The suspense must be killing her . . . :D

Tai Shan Timeline, c/o washingtonpost.com.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Happy-More-Than-Halfway-Thru-the-Work-Week!

The Panda Bounce!!!! This was sent around by a coworker one afternoon at doj. There are few better feelings in this world than kicking ass at a game that's lost everything and nothing in translation. Where do the tequilia worms fit in?? Why the monkey heads??

The name's Tuan, Tuan Tuan

The conspiracy theorists are out in full force! If I am to believe just some of what's in this post in the lonestartimes.com, we here in DC ought to be very wary of panda infiltration. So here we thought Tai Shan was innocently sleeping in a tree for six hours--now we know he was spying. (Probably on the zebra next door.)

On another note, I too wondered what "chit" meant (as in panda No. 16's who's name translates as "chit of a girl"). According to Merriam Webster Online, chit is defined as a noun meaning either child, or "pert young woman".