Rotterdam Zoo Blijdorp

Last weekend I went to the Rotterdam Zoo. Now I am not really a fan of zoo's but thought it was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon and an opportunity to take some photos.

I know the zoo is trying to be more modern but I really think they should maybe put a coat of paint on the origional gates and perhaps another person on the cash register for the sunday crowds.

Perhaps it was not the fact the zoo felt a little claustrophobic and the huge amount of screaming kids and their families did not help me feel cozy.

Apparently even a few months ago one of the gorillias, a silverback male named Bokito escaped http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/18/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Escaped-Gorilla.php and caused injuries to some of the people there because the containment fence was not high enough and he must have just got bored with sitting around all day.

I know I would be.

I wanted most to see the aquarium tunnel they have built, it goes to show what a good photo can do as the tunnel is very short and to be honest not that exciting IMHO.

Oh well I guess it just reassures me how much I am not really a fan of zoos, in prtucular the larger animals that are held, the tigers, lepoards and large birds of prey.

Hospital Music

I know it has been a long long time, but I have been lured to the otherside by the interactive pages, friends popping by and ability to post photos without problems....

Oh but on another note Hospital Music, Matthew Good's lastest is deep, beautiful and heartbreaking and his usual genius. Buy it now!

snippet from the biography:

Prior to recording Hospital Music I spent a great deal of time confronting the past. In doing so I discovered something interesting, that through it all I viewed myself as beholden to the needs of others, even if it meant that I would endure immense anxiety because of it. I spent a great deal of time wading through past relationships and honestly examining their purpose, and in doing so came to the realization that, for years, I had not been all that honest with myself. That, more than anything else, influenced the material on this record, producing, at times, uncomfortable realizations represented in song. Some might, upon examination, call them bitter. Others might disregard them altogether, searching more for the comfortable familiarity of past work. But the truth is that what was ultimately produced was beyond my control in that, given everything that had transpired, it either had to be honest or I would have to walk away from music altogether. In the end, these fifteen songs combine to represent a remembrance, one that, in no small way, both began and ended on the floor of a shower.

High quality of living in Australasian and Canadian cities

Cities in Australia, New Zealand and Canada dominate the rankings of the best cities to live in, according to the 2007 Mercer Human Resource Consulting Quality of Living Survey.
Of the top 25 cities, nine are from these countries, with Vancouver, Auckland and Sydney all in the top ten.The analysis is based on a detailed assessment and evaluation of 39 criteria for each city including political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport and other public services.The rankings are based on data collected on 215 cities between September and November 2006. The data is regularly updated to take account of changing circumstances. Top Australasian cities are Auckland (tied for 5th), Sydney (tied for 9th), Wellington (12th), Melbourne (17th) and Perth (21st).Highly ranked Canadian cities are Vancouver (3rd), Toronto (15th), Ottawa (tied for 18th), Montreal (22nd) and Calgary (24th).Swiss cities Zurich and Geneva are at the top of the rankings this year.In a separate study, Mercer ranked cities on health and sanitation. Canadian city Calgary tops this list.This survey is based on the quality and availability of hospital and medical supplies and levels of air pollution and infectious diseases. The efficiency of waste removal and sewage systems, water potability and the presence of harmful animals and insects are also taken into account.