Leaping Goats in sweaters: slightly surreal, very cute!

I'd say we need more goats.

Little Apricot is queen of the adult stall!

It's most definitely a Sunflower Creamery day! Time for a few little baby goats. This is the smallest one I've ever seen, but she still has that inborn instinct to JUMP UP on things - and other goats. 

Tina Brown says Prince Harry and Meghan Markle underestimated the impact...

Meghan and Harry: straight from the author`s mouth

 

Meghan saw there were deals to be made because they were royals': Ex-Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown says former actress couldn't resist what was on offer 'at the celebrity buffet'

• Tina Brown said Meghan desired to have wealth and stature like Michelle Obama
• The former Vanity Fair editor also claimed Meghan wanted to 'cash in' on royalty
• However, she said Prince Harry would have left the royals even without Meghan 

By Danyal Hussain For Mailonline

Meghan Markle saw they were 'deals to be made' as a royal and couldn't resist what was offer at the 'celebrity buffet', ex-Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown has claimed.  

Appearing on Washington Post Live today to promote her new book 'The Palace Papers', Ms Brown, who was Princess Diana's diarist, said the Duchess of Sussex has 'no purpose' and wanted to 'cash in' on the commercial arm of being a royal. 

Discussing Harry and Meghan's exit from royal life, she said: 'They wanted to be able to have a commercial arm to their activities. That was the stumbling block. Meghan certainly saw the deals that were there to be made because they were royals.

'It's as though she couldn't resist everything that was on offer on the celebrity buffet.

'A hunger to avail herself of the global leverage, to live in glorious houses without strings attached.'

Ms Brown suggested that Meghan was inspired by Michelle Obama and wanted to have the wealth as well as the stature. However, she also insisted that Harry would have wanted to leave the royal family even without Meghan. 

She added: 'A very close adviser told me 'we always knew he would go at some point he was very unhappy'. Even the Queen knew. 

'I really think Harry wanted out, himself. Meghan gave Harry the tools to leave. She understood the world of agents and deals. I mean this wasn't Harry's world, but suddenly he had in Meghan a very worldly strategist who he decided to trust above all the other advisors.' 

Tina Brown, who was Princess Diana's diarist, said the Duchess of Sussex has 'no purpose' and wanted to 'cash in' on the commercial arm of being a royal

Ms Brown suggested that Meghan was inspired by Michelle Obama and wanted to have the wealth as well as the stature

The couple have struggled since leaving the royal family, Ms Brown believes. She thinks Meghan is finding it difficult to find a 'brand' and the Sussexes didn't realise how hard life would be while cut off from the palace. 

She said: 'They both completely underestimated what it was going to be like to be without the palace platform.

'The Palace has amazing convening power, every major invitation in the world comes through that conduit. All of that is now gone. 

'Meghan doesn't really have a brand – you feel that she is grasping at the 'Twitter caring' of the moment. Vaccinations, Ukraine, Women's rights, my 40th birthday, let's have a mentoring scheme. Nothing is really going anywhere for Meghan.

'And the whole problem, with entertainment deal is you have to produce. They've signed with Netflix but what have we seen? Nothing.

'Creating entertainment that works is very hard to do. Their Spotify podcast is going nowhere. Netflix is not doing so well are they going to renew that contract?'

Ms Brown also discussed why Meghan would have struggled so much after joining the royal family. 

She suggested: 'She was suddenly completely dependent on her husband for money and he was completely dependent on the bank of dad – Charles and at the same time had to ask Granny for one of the houses on the royal estates to live.

'That kind of infantilizing was very maddening to Meghan.

'I think the queen and the palace set them up for a lot of success. She gave her patron of the National Theatre and vice chairman of the commonwealth foundation – no better platform to talk about women's education and the question of minorities.'

Her latest comments come after she previously claimed Meghan would not want to return to the UK for more than a fleeting visit if Harry mends his relationship with his father and brother because 'she disliked England',

Ms Brown has said she believes Prince Harry may even want to make a sensational return to the Royal Family after the Queen's death - splitting his time between Britain and the US - though Meghan would be unlikely to be fully on board. 

Her latest comments come after she previously claimed Meghan would not want to return to the UK for more than a fleeting visit

Ms Brown has described Megxit as a 'disaster for both sides' and claimed Harry and Meghan caused 'maximum mayhem' when leaving the Royal Family because they are 'addicted to drama'.  

She said: 'I think that Harry is going to want to come back when the Queen dies to serve his country. And I think they will find a way to reel him in. And it's possible that Meghan - maybe they will have a commuter arrangement. I don't know. I don't see Meghan ever wanting to go back. She disliked England.' 

Ms Brown claimed that the British public are 'very very sad' about Megxit, because they took Harry to their hearts and also tried to support him when he found love with Meghan. Ms Brown also labelled Prince Harry a 'very impetuous man' and revealed how Palace advisors 'always thought he would leave'.

She said: 'I actually think there is a Harry-shaped hole in the royal family now. And Harry was beloved, actually, by the British people. And people adored Meghan when she came into the mix.

'So it was actually very, very sad for everybody that it went so wrong because they actually need Harry and Meghan now. You should see, the Queen is failing, and she's very frail. They kind of need Harry and Meghan to bring that star power and to be on the balcony at the Jubilee. We have to have a royal family up there. We can't have Andrew up there.'

Harry and Meghan arrived in Britain after an overnight British Airways flight from Los Angeles. They did not bring their children, Archie, two, and ten-month-old Lilibet – who the Queen has still not met.

They were driven to Frogmore where they spent the night. After his failure to attend his grandfather's memorial service last month – amid an ongoing legal row with the Home Office over the removal of his police protection – Harry's offer to visit the Queen was being viewed as an olive branch.

But the Duke of Sussex upset palace officials and reportedly his father and brother after claiming part of his visit was motivated by 'making sure she's protected and got the right people around her.'

Harry went on to claim that the Queen tells him things she feels she cannot tell anyone else.

He said: 'We have a really special relationship. We talk about things that she can't talk about with anybody else. So that's always a nice piece to it.'

🤫PRINCE HARRY SNEAKS INTO THE UK.

This guy is absolutely hilarious! What I like best about his Harry bits is that they are BITS - only a couple of minutes long. Right now in Internetland, things are either drastically too short (TIKTOK!) or drag on forever (obnoxious podcasts that drone on and on for several hours). Two and a half minutes is about right, I think. 

I am too upset to write about this - so I will let someone else.

Letter: 'Too many of these decisions are being made behind closed doors,' Port Coquitlam writer says of tree loss

Port Coquitlam residents witnessed a number of healthy, mature trees being removed from Veterans Park and Leigh Square in Port Coquitlam on March 15 and 16, with more still to come down, this letter writer states.

Letter to the Editor Mar 17, 2022 4:00 PM

To the Editor:

Port Coquitlam residents witnessed a number of healthy, mature trees being removed from Veterans Park and Leigh Square in Port Coquitlam on March 15 and 16, with more still to come down.

Many passersby expressed shock, dismay, and even anxiety at seeing the big trees fall.

In addition to enhancing Port Coquitlam's "small town" charm, these urban trees provided a welcome habitat for birds and other small wildlife species.

Seniors could often be seen resting on the benches and chatting under the shade of the flowering cherry trees along Shaughnessy Street.

Trees buffer city noises, calm our senses, and are good for our mental health.

Healthy, mature trees also provide valuable ecosystem services including helping to cool our cities during increasingly hot weather and summer heat domes.

During wet weather and atmospheric rivers, the same trees help to manage storm-water run-off and mitigate risk of flooding.

Trees produce life-giving oxygen, take up carbon, and filter out air pollutants.

Twenty-one trees in total are slated for removal in this portion of the project. Approximately 40 "replacement" trees will be planted.

However, it's worth noting that urban trees reach their most productive point in terms of providing ecological services between the ages of 60 to 150 years, depending on the tree species and health.

Many of the trees which are being removed are just coming into their most productive years.

High-level public consultation was carried out on the development plan, but confusion and lack of clarity remained with respect to tree retention.

Environmental groups were excluded as stakeholders in the consultation process and information was not made publicly available regarding which trees were to be removed.

Too many of these decisions are currently being made behind closed doors and too many voices are being silenced.

As we continue to grapple with the effects of both a global pandemic and the climate crisis, retention of healthy, mature urban trees is more important than ever.

Port Coquitlam mayor and council: It's time to stop paving paradise.

Dr. Nancy H. Furness

on behalf of Wondrous Tree Fellowship

(PLEASE NOTE: Though I am still too traumatized to write about this in any detail, just let me say that ALL the mature trees were removed from the downtown. There is not ONE SINGLE TREE left in the town centre of Old Port Coquitlam, not even a sapling. The magnificent flowering cherry trees, at least fifty years old and just at their peak of blossoming, were ALL ripped out. The entire character of the downtown has been ruined, and cannot come back. The fabled "replanting" cannot happen, because every square inch of the downtown has been paved over. There is nothing but a sea of cement, solid concrete with no end, NO earth to plant anything, not even any grass! The lovely tulip garden in front of the City Hall has been paved over. This is called "improvement", and it was done for no good reason, except perhaps commerce. When I first saw it, reacting with shock and horror, I thought, they must be widening the road. But no. Diseased trees? No, not at all. It is to "beautify" and "improve" the area around Old City Hall, considered the most beautiful landmark and most famous tourist attraction in Port Coquitlam. And it has been ruined forever. I will assume the promised "replanting" cannot be done unless it is very small trees in cement pots by the side of the road.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOUR MAJESTY!

 

BIZARRE DANCE ROUTINE on 1950s TV VARIETY SHOW

Television was in its infancy, and it shows. Early TV was a combination of recycled ratio shows (with pictures) and vaudeville, done live, so there were plenty of glitches which were often the most entertaining part of the show. Here a youngish Jack Albertson performs his dance routine, an old-time shuffle/buck-and-wing which the audience applauds madly, because they think he is an "old man" who can barely stand up. But no - it's Jack Albertson in aged makeup, which becomes apparent when he sticks his face right into the camera lens. These weird closeups were common in early TV, a way to impress the folks at home, or scare them half to death. Jack Albertson went on to be a successful character actor who actually WAS an old man when he appeared in such '70s sitcoms as Chico and the Man. 

Pelican trying to Eat a Capybara Pup and Failing

Oh my goodness.

HAPPY EASTER!

 

CHECK IT OUT! Brilliant dancing on competitive stage

Click lower right corner to go full-screen!

"BLACKBIRD, FLY!" I follow a handsome wild bird on Blakeburn Lagoon

These bird encounters are a more profound spiritual experience than anything I knew in fifteen years of church attendance. Following this bird to a magnificent closeup was nothing short of magical.

💥LOOK OUT!! Announcer is HYSTERICAL over OCTOPUS ATTACK!😳

LOOK OUT! A completely harmless cephalopod may be somewhere nearby! 

GOT MY MOJO WORKING: Yarn Dolls!

I've written about my yarn dolls before. I have to try to keep it cool and not reveal ALL the things I've used these for. Just stay on my side and you'll be OK.

😲The Troll Doll Channel: 😮HELP! MY TROLLS HAVE TAKEN OVER!😲

Sometimes I wonder how much longer this madness can go on! This isn't even my whole collection. Not by a long shot. Every once in a while I look around and say, "THIS IS CRAZY!" Then I see something on eBay that I simply MUST have. 

I have three more trolls coming. Three. If it weren't such fun, if it wasn't such a dopamine hit, I suppose I'd stop. Maybe when I run out of cash.

Camera falls from airplane and lands in pig pen--MUST WATCH END!!

I just had to share this with you RIGHT NOW THIS MINUTE. It HAS to be real, it's so bizarre! And if you tried to do this, it'd never work in a million years. The pig steals the show!

TEN! THOUSAND! SUBSCRIBERS!!!

When I started doing baking and crafting videos with my nine-year-old granddaughter (now an adult going to university), I barely knew what a subscriber was, and I even remember asking her, “Do I have a channel?” In the ten years or so since then, my channel has been a fun hobby which incorporates many of my favourite activities, such as running around in the park photographing ducks and collecting WAY too many trolls. (The rest of it is just freaky stuff.) I do plan a special celebratory video and even have a ferociousgumby tshirt, but am recovering from a nasty bout of COVID and have to lay low for now. But to everyone who enjoys watching these crazy little things, thank you for giving me a chance to share the things that give me joy. More to come, once I stop coughing!

You Have Never Heard Capybaras Sound Like This. Extraordinary Sound of 2...

Kinda creepy, but interesting. Capybaras are unlike any other creature on earth, and maybe it's just as well. These videos are taken in a huge wildlife sanctuary in Japan, where visitors can roam freely among the capys in their wonderland of water, bamboo and dirt. I have reservations about this, as these animals have teeth like a beaver's or a rat's, only twenty times the size. They could easily lop off a human finger with a single chomp. The tourists roam freely among mothers and babies, and I learned a long time ago NEVER to go near a wild animal with young. ANY sort of perceived threat will lead to an attack. But then again, I've never run a capybara sanctuary, so maybe they're smarter than I am.

The Great Capybara Bamboo Chase グレートカピバラバンブーチェイス 大水豚竹追逐

When all else fails, there are capybaras. Who wouldn't be inspired by a 200-pound guinea pig that makes the same squeaking, squealing noises as the tiny pet version? They are bizarre creatures, aquatic, their eyes and nostrils (not to mention their ears) at the same level on top of their big square heads so they can keep them above-water like a crocodile's, and with feet like - I don't know - just weird feet, webbish, as if nature made a mistake or something. These creatures are eaten in South America, and since they were allowed to be eaten by Catholics on Friday, they were once categorized as "fish". 

😊The Troll Doll Channel: UNBOXING of WISHNIK, "MUTINY" in TROLLANDIA, an...

I`m still on the COVID comeback trail, though feeling a lot better now - and a week ago just seems like a distant nightmare of aching, coughing, and being literally unable to sit up without fainting. I don`t usually get sick, so it seemed almost like an insult. For the first time I truly understood that this is a disease that could kill you. It`s also beginning to look vaccine-proof, which alarms hell out of me, and we are now being offered a FOURTH shot - being as how the first three seemed to have done doodlysquat to prevent our household from coming down with it, bad. It`s a medical whack-a-mole situation that may go on indefinitely, which is rotten because the disease is so rotten. But I will try to focus on the fact that, after three days of feeling like shit on the bottom of someone`s shoe, I feel almost normal today, and it`s a sunny day. Tomorrow we might even go outside for a walk, so long as we stay well away from our fellow human beings. All this has indeed made me profoundly grateful for small blessings.

This video, well, like a lot of my stuff on YouTube, it got way more views than my troll things used to get (maybe five or six). Some of them go up over a hundred now. My subscriber count teeters on a momentous brink, causing the eternal pessimist in me to think the algorithm will just freeze now and I will be at (literally) 99.99 subscribers FOREVER. Or, worse, that the count will begin to drop. But the truth is, it has all been trending upward due to one very silly video that also appeared on TikTok. Coincidence, really. 

I think my channel has helped keep my interest alive in my various hobbies - it`s nice to be able to share unboxings and displays of my finest and most beloved, as well as my ugliest. The down side is that I cannot stop BUYING the things. It is an addiction, plain and simple, but such an enjoyable one that I don`t really want to stop. COVID (I refuse to use the wretched p-word) confined me and everyone else enough to focus inward, or at least on indoor things you can practice without social contact. Sometimes I think my main social contact now is with my trolls. 

I lied. . . THIS is the first sound recording!

Leon Scott's COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY 1853 - 1860

These are generally considered the first sounds ever recorded (on a lamp-blackened sheet of paper stuck to a spinning cylinder, the sound waves etched by a stylus), and sometimes I wonder if they were really worth playing back. In the early '00s, when the discovery of an ancient recording of a ghostly voice singing "Au Clair de la Lune" was storming the media, I honestly thought it was a hoax. Reminded me of the time someone claimed to have found a recording of Chopin playing the Minute Waltz back in 1840 or something, only to find it was an April Fool's joke. The claimed technology was the same, strangely enough, etchings on dirty paper that in fact WEREN'T designed to be played back at all. A curious guy just wanted to see if sound waves might make an actual, visual pattern, and they did. Experiment done. There was a huge hubbub around this discovery, press conferences, public presentations, a specialized website (and I think it's still there, looking about as up-to-date as the Heaven's Gate cult site from the '90s) - but there was no followup on this miracle of early technology, because in spite of all the "THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING" hype, that's all there was - squeals, burbles, fuzzy might-be-voices, and one rather grisly voice haltingly singing a phrase or two from an old French folk tune. Interesting that someone had SOME idea of how sound waves might look when traced on paper, but that's all. 

PLEASE NOTE. This might be badly written, because I am badly sitting up and fog-brained from having COVID. Yes. I have it, as does my entire family now, and it is without a doubt the sickest I have ever been. I have to go lie down now. 

ADDENDA! Out of curiosity, I looked up the First Sounds website, and yes - nothing, but NOTHING has changed about it, including the P. T. Barnum hype! This is on the introductory page. Seems they were out to save humanity with this stuff.

First Sounds strives to make humanity's earliest sound recordings available to all people for all time.

First Sounds seeks out the world's oldest sound recordings—wherever they are.
We rewrote history in 2008 when we discovered and resurrected humanity’s first recordings of its own voice, created in 1860 in Paris by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville. Since then, we have identified and played back even older recordings. First Sounds remains the authority on Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville and his recordings.

First Sounds is dedicated to audio preservation.
We have digitally preserved every airborne sound recording known to exist from before 1861, plus many recordings made thereafter.

First Sounds pioneered the playback of the oldest sound recordings in 2007 and has been in the forefront ever since.
Sound recordings made before the invention of the phonograph were not intended to be played back. Extracting their sounds remains our specialty.

First Sounds is collaborative.
David Giovannoni, Patrick Feaster, Meagan Hennessey, and Richard Martin founded First Sounds in 2007 to facilitate, coordinate, and promote the efforts of individuals who share their passions and of organizations that share their goals. First Sounds is unincorporated; we neither solicit nor accept financial donations.

First Sounds offers free and universal access to its work.
We believe humanity's earliest sound recordings are the patrimony of all mankind. We present them here under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) license which conveys certain privileges and responsibilities. We encourage everyone everywhere to study and enjoy them.

Email us at info@firstsounds.org.