Latest news with #Pingu
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Born in Maharashtra, must be named in Marathi': Penguins now part of language row in Mumbai
NEW DELHI: A row has erupted in Mumbai over the naming of three newly hatched penguin chicks at the city's Byculla zoo with BJP leaders demanding they be given Marathi names instead of English ones. The protest, led by BJP functionary Nitin Bankar from the Byculla assembly constituency, took place outside the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo — popularly known as Rani Baug — where the chicks were born earlier this year. 'When penguins were brought from abroad to the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo, we accepted that their names would be in English. However, Penguin chicks born here, on the soil of Maharashtra, should be given Marathi names,' Bankar said. He claimed that repeated appeals to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which runs the zoo, had gone unheard. The zoo had named the chicks Noddy, Tom, and Pingu — continuing a tradition of English names that began when the first batch of Humboldt penguins arrived from South Korea in 2016. Bankar said the protest was not just about naming animals, but also about recognising Marathi's classical language status. 'We stood firm on our demand, but it was ignored. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo I had even written to the BMC administration, but no one responded,' he said. The penguin chicks were born to two penguin couples in March, zoo officials said. The first, Popeye and Olive, welcomed Noddy on 3 March. Daisy and Donald had two hatchlings — Tom on 7 March and Pingu on 11 March. This was the first successful batch of chicks at the zoo in over a year. 'Tom gets his name to complement Jerry, a chick hatched in June 2023,' an official explained. 'Tom, being the elder sibling, often gets more food regurgitated by the parents. We end up feeding Pingu.' The chicks are being cared for by their parents and monitored by zoo staff. 'The babies are expected to start exploring the pool area once they are about three months old,' said Dr Abhishek Satam, biologist at the zoo. The hatchings have brought the total number of Humboldt penguins at the facility to 21. Zoo officials said they were fast-tracking expansion plans for the enclosure, which currently houses up to 25 birds. The proposed expansion — an additional 400 square feet — will increase capacity to around 40 penguins. With most of the birds now around 6–7 years old and able to breed until the age of 15, the zoo anticipates more additions in the coming years. The facility has drawn praise for its success in breeding the species in Indian conditions, officials said.
The Spinoff
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The emergency mobile alert sound, reviewed
Another test, another shocking reminder of the emergency alert noise. We asked some experts to describe that indescribable sound. First published in 2023 shortly after yet another emergency alert. Over the past few days, weeks, months, years, people across the country have had their lives periodically punctuated by a loud warning screech emitting from their phone. Some of these have been warning of unusually heavy rain, others of a nationwide lockdown, most recently of Cyclone Gabrielle. It's a dreaded sound that many will be increasingly (and unfortunately) familiar with – but how exactly would you describe it? The start of the dial-up tone? The traffic lights at the start of Crash Team Racing? Or like the gates of hell opening up for us once more? We asked some of our finest writers, musicians and thinkers to weigh in. Sharon Lam, Writer It 100% sounds like a robot Pingu going NOOT NOOT, right? With glowing red eyes? Surely everyone will also say this? Joanna Cho, Author I'm with my nieces in Auckland and I said 'the alarm sounds like Pingu' and they said 'what's that' and I put on Pingu on YouTube and now they're lying around my work computer watching Pingu so I can't work, fine by me. The Beths, Band The notes that make the tone wouldn't be out of place in a song like Silence Is Golden, but if we did that, we'd have a count in! No count in is just wrong. It's also twisted how it calls and answers to itself when you're in a group of people. It's a bit of a musical cheat code – it is 'harmony', but most harmony suggests a place it wants to go, or at least a place it came from – that's what brainy musicians call 'function'. The emergency tone screams for attention, but doesn't really suggest any movement. Ironically, this makes it musically 'non-functional'. Haz Beats, Producer A Tsunami siren. The big panic apocalypse end of the world type lol. Definitely a siren. Jess Molina, Writer Sounds like I'm about to panic over not panic-buying toilet paper Toby Morris, Illustrator I remember reading about the concept of 'the brown noise' in WWII, where they researched finding a perfect note that'd loosen any bowels. I feel like the emergency noise has gotten close to that, combined with the visual equivalent – when they researched the most unpleasant possible colour which they used for non-labelled cigarette packaging. It's giving uncomfortable meets unnatural meets poo, basically. Aaron Yap, Psychic Glands DJ It sounds like a chintzy 1950s sci-fi movie robot vaporising you with its laser beam. Alan Holt, International Manager at New Zealand Music Commission Off the top of my head it reminds me of a quite a few things – side two of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music around the 10 minute mark, a less musical interpretation of 'Don't Take' from Sachiko M's Sine Wave Solo album and a less funky take on 'Sonata Number 5 (the 'Detroit Sonata')' from Bruce Russell's album Circuits of Omission : Sonaten für synthetisierten Klang (Opus 60). Nick Ascroft, Poet This sounds like a mouse ambulance reversing. As it should. Jane Yee, Treasure Island Star It sounds like all my nightmares coming true in one ear piercing screech. I physically left the couch vertically skywards when yesterday's one arrived. Usually have my phone on silent but I had been playing League of Legends Wild Rift on my phone which requires sound on and forgot to switch it back. I will never be the same again. Britt Mann, PR Maven The sound is getting familiar to me now. On Sunday it emanated separately and all at once from various corners of the house. The flatmate, the cat and I met each other's gaze in an instant. 'Was that…?' 'Yeah.' Severe, significant event. Red Alert Level Gabrielle. 'Top up?' She cracked the magnum of red we'd opened to mark the Beginning of the End of Days. Janaye Henry, Comedian If I was to Shazam that sound I reckon it would say Skrillex, Bangarang. Reuben Jelleyman, Acoustician The sound itself is basically the same as a phone dial tone but the emergency mobile alert is higher and richer in resonant sideband frequencies which makes the sound harsher. You also have the two beeps, which gets your attention. One beep would be easy to ignore. From my perspective the sound is strong enough to get your attention, but it's not meant to be harsh, it's to provoke fear. I would say it's easy to associate feelings with sound, that's normal. When we hear the alarm, it reminds us of the last time we were anticipating a tsunami or a storm and that puts us on edge. Sanjay Patel, Comedian It sounds like the government is alerting you to the fact that they have now finally discovered the most sordid thing you have searched for on the internet. Imogen Taylor, Painter If the alert was a painting it would probably be a whole exhibition of paintings and that exhibition would be in some art museum in some country quite far away that you'd been really excited about travelling to but when you got there you realised you got the museum dates mixed up and instead of there being a Georgia O'Keeffe retrospective on there was a fucking Banksy retrospective on and then to top it off you paid for the tickets which were horrendously expensive and went inside to look at the bullshit paintings but then realised whatever you had for lunch from that place on the corner outside the museum before you went in wasn't sitting right in your gut and you immediately need to find the bathroom somewhere. Rose Hoare, Writer It sounds antique to me. Like if they had emergency mobile alerts on Bridgerton, that's what they'd sound like. It sounds like a boomer ringtone to me. The kind that would be mildly irritating in an office environment. You learn to block it over time, but it will always give you an inner eye roll and feeling of superiority. It doesn't exactly evoke authority. Or urgency for that matter.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
3 penguin chicks born to 2 pairs, city zoo popln now 21
Mumbai: There's a little celebration happening at the Byculla zoo . Three penguin chicks were born to two pairs of Humboldt penguins over since early March — the first such arrivals in over a year. The first pair, Popeye and Olive, welcomed their hatchling Noddy on Mar 3. The pair, long-time residents at Byculla zoo, have become proud parents. Daisy laid two fertile eggs, both hatched into healthy chicks — Tom, born on Mar 7, and Pingu, on Mar 11. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Zoo officials said that Tom gets his name to complement Jerry, a chick hatched in Jun 2023 — the last lot born to the penguin family at the city zoo. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Women From The 90's That Still Turn Heads Reportingly Undo Since the last batch of hatchlings, the penguin eggs that had been laid were either infertile or did not hatch, said an official from the zoo, officially known as Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Vanaspati Udyan va Pranisangrahalaya. "This time, both the chicks hatched." Tom arrived first, Pingu followed. "Tom, being the elder one of the two siblings, commands more food from the parents, who regurgitate partially digested food and are then feed him," the official said, adding: "We end up feeding Pingu." The three babies and their mothers are doing fine, said Dr Abhishek Satam, biologist at the zoo. The chicks are being tended to and closely cared for by their parents right now. "The babies are expected to start exploring the pool area once they are about three months old," said an official. Typically, the parents are expected to chaperone the tiny birds in the nesting area; the chicks are expected to enter the waters once they are a little older. With the latest arrival of three chicks, the population of Humboldt penguins at the zoo has shot up to 21. The rise in penguin numbers would, of course, mean that space at the penguin enclosure could prove to be a challenge soon. The current one, built in 2017, can house up to 25 birds. Zoo officials said they are now expediting plans to expand the enclosure to accommodate the bustling penguin colony. Officials said that plans were already afoot for the expansion of the facility by around a quarter more of the existing exhibit area, which is around 1,800 square feet. The proposed addition is for about another 400 square feet of space which should be able to accommodate close to 40 penguins. The average age of penguins is around 6–7 years currently, and since the birds can procreate up to 15 years of age, enough arrangement is needed for the newer additions, said the official. The zoo's penguin breeding facility has garnered much appreciation from other zoos in the country, claimed a zoo official.
Daily Mirror
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I worked on The Muppets and Sesame Street - there's one children's show today that I love'
You might not recognise her name, but you'll know her work as we talk to award-winning children's television writer and producer Jocelyn Stevenson, the creative behind The Muppets and Sesame Street The name Jocelyn Stevenson might not be instantly recognisable but the iconic children's TV shows she helped to create are a different matter. From Pingu to Barney and Friends and The Magic School Bus to Sesame Street, the acclaimed writer and producer began her career Stateside, when she was employed by legendary puppeteer Jim Henson to write several Muppets-based children's books. Jocelyn went onto co-create Fraggle Rock for Henson and other UK TV shows she had a hand in include Funny Bones, Bob the Builder and Thomas & Friends. In 2015, the British-American received a BAFTA Special Award for her outstanding contribution to children's media and back across the pond, she is an Emmy Award winner too. Now, the talented writer, who was born in Chicago and lives in the UK, has authored her own pair of children's books with the first, The Waterubas: Book 1, currently on sale. "I wanted a big idea and what could be bigger than water, which connects everything?" said Jocelyn, who turned to an old friend, Brian Froud, to bring her characters to life. "Waterubas aren't creatures that live in the water, they are water – huge difference! Kids will go with you where grown ups never would." To celebrate the book's release, The Mirror sat down with the esteemed producer to chat all things Jim Henson and find out her view on children's television today... Jim Henson Jocelyn calls her former boss and mentor Henson, who died unexpectedly of pneumonia in 1990 at the age of 53, 'a creative mentor' and 'a genius'. "He was my mate," she added. "He was supportive and he was funny. "He'd watch something that we just made and he'd be staring at the screen and then he'd go: 'That's so goofy it's worthy of us'. He was magic. I remember having a discussion with him about some idea I had and he just said to me: 'Why are you trying to go to the Moon? If you shoot for Jupiter then you'll get on the Moon'. "It's just that kind of creative leadership he had. He was also really good at putting people together who didn't have any idea why they were together, and then suddenly you'd start working together and go ohhhh... He was the most extraordinary person and also he was a person who was the CEO of the company but he was a creative and that was huge. "One time out of frustration I said to him: 'Why do you never tell us we've done a good job?'," Jocelyn added. "He said: 'Why do I need to do that? Of course you're doing a good job otherwise you wouldn't be here'." Fraggle Rock The hit musical fantasy comedy series Fraggle Rock featured interconnected societies of Muppet creatures, most notably the Fraggles themselves. "Jim, being Jim Henson, had said: 'I think we need to design a show that'll help stop war' to the small team of us who were developing it," Jocelyn smiled. "I mean who thinks like that? Geri Jewell who was working on it too, he'd been the head writer of The Muppet Show and an old colleague of Jim's, he joked: 'Do you want that by Thursday?' But it informed everything. This whole idea of these three species who didn't know anything about each other but they lived in the same world. "Sesame Street was very American, set on a New York street, while in Fraggle Rock there would be that little bit at the beginning which in the UK was Doc and Sprocket (the elderly inventor and his canine best friend). It was different in every country and then the middle bit which was the bulk of the show would be puppets, which would be easy to dub." The Magic School Bus The incredible popularity of many of the kids' TV shows Jocelyn worked on means people still come up to her saying: "You were my childhood". One such iconic series was The Magic School Bus, an animated series which sees an eccentric teacher take her class on incredible educational field trips. "If the kids were learning about plants the school bus would shrink and they'd go inside a plant," recalled the writer, who adapted the script from the book series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. "When we did the reboot for Netflix (in 2017), voiced by Lily Tomlin, we were getting in touch with scientists and they'd say: 'Wait a minute - The Magic School Bus? I'm a scientist because of The Magic School Bus!' "We had no idea how big it was at the time and it's so exciting. It's that kind of influence you realise that this kind of work can have." The perfect programme "There's no magic formula for creating a successful kids' TV show," Jocelyn explained. "Executives think there is and that can sometimes be based on previous success. "What do kids need? That's the question that I always ask. What is this program trying to say to kids? Is it just trying to sell toys? "I really understand we have to make money in order to make our shows but Jim Henson used to say: 'If you do good work the money will come'. When I worked on Sesame Street back in 1973, that's when it was quite new and they were still trying to figure out if TV could actually educate children. "Everything was researched - what is it that kids need? It's all that thinking I like to see behind something. Is it authentic? Is it not derivative, is it something different? That's hard." And when it comes to watching children's television today, Jocelyn has one key rule. "I don't trust myself to judge a TV show for kids on my own," she said. "My granddaughter, who is now about 10, used to live down the road from us and I would watch TV with her and it made all the difference. "It was with her that I first watched Peppa Pig and realised how good Peppa Pig was. I like programmes like Bluey that break expectations." The Waterubas "I started reading to my kids when they were three months old," said Jocelyn. "They've grown up and are readers and their kids are readers. I just think it's really important." The writer penned Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock books as well as annuals for The Muppet Show. In 1988 she wrote a book called O Diddy, written by an imaginary friend whose human had stopped seeing him and her second original book is The Waterubas. Made up of 99 per cent water and 1 per cent Ruba, each Wateruba has its own special colour and sings in its own special tone. There are 81 Waterubas, who can be hard to spot because they never stop moving and came to Earth together on an asteroid four billion years ago. Iriam is the book's main character and has the ability to "puddle-jump", meaning she can travel at speed as water to a Wateruba anywhere on the planet. As the 11-year-old schoolgirl transitions from a puddle to a cloud and from a raindrop to an ice-cube, she learns fears are carried in the stories we tell ourselves - and that crucially, we can rewrite them.
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Mummy Pig's having a...! Pregnant swine reveals her piglet's gender as Peppa Pig and family go the whole hog with huge party at iconic London landmark
Peppa Pig fans will be squealing with delight after a huge gender reveal party at London's Battersea Power Station has spilled some big news for the Pig family. After Mummy Pig broke the internet back in February when she revealed live on Good Morning Britain that she is pregnant with her third piglet, the family have gone all out for their gender reveal announcement. As the sun sets later today the Battersea Power Station chimneys will light up pink to reveal Mummy and Daddy Pig are expecting a baby girl - a little sister for Peppa, four and George, two. Mummy Pig, whose job involves doing 'very important work' on her computer, and her husband Daddy Pig, who 'takes big numbers, transmutes them and calculates their load-bearing tangents', first announced their surprise pregnancy in February. Good Morning Britain 's showbiz correspondent Richard Arnold landed the exclusive, as Mummy Pig showed off her ultrasound and baby bump and revealed she was due in the summer. The global smash hit cartoon celebrated the gender reveal news with a VIP party at the world's first-ever permanent Peppa Pig store at Battersea on Friday, featuring fundraising in support of NCT, the UK's leading charity for pregnancy and parents. NCT (National Children's Trust) was announced earlier this month as the official 'Pregnancy and Parenting Charity Partner' for Peppa Pig in the UK And the excitement doesn't stop there as fans can join the Pig family on the big screen with Peppa Meets the Baby, a brand-new cinema experience launching May 30 in over 2,600 cinemas across 19 countries. The hour-long, song-filled screening features 10 brand-new episodes, as Peppa and George prepare for the arrival of their baby sister. In addition, the gender reveal episode will air on YouTube on May 3 as part of the Peppa Pig Tales series. Peppa Pig first aired in 2004 and has since been broadcast in 180 territories and translated into 40 languages. It's spawned books, toys and even two theme parks, with the global Peppa empire now worth over £1billion. Creators Neville Astley and Mark Baker admitted they were worried the idea would never get off the ground, and that people were initially bored of the idea. People in the pub would ask us, 'What are you drawing?' We'd say, 'A pig, called Peppa, it's going to be big.' They'd lose interest and wander off', explained Astley. The pair created Peppa and her family working in each other's houses or at the local pub. They told the Radio Times they were inspired by 1970s cartoon classics including Roobarb and Pingu, after realising that children 'like stories about animals'. We'd made this little trailer for Peppa but hadn't got anywhere,' recalled Baker. 'It's very difficult to sell your own creative work. The good thing about Phil is he's quite thick-skinned.' They soon found an energetic little girl, Lily Snowden-Fine, to voice Peppa - despite her being only four years-old and unable to read, instead repeating lines spoken by her mother. When her family moved to Canada, the job went to Cecily Bloom, followed by current incumbent Harley Bird. The creators explained that the secret to Peppa's long-lasting appeal is the show's simplicity, as well as ensuring the piglet is never the butt of the jokes. 'We put a lot of work into making everything look as effortless as possible, said Baker. 'We can laugh at the adults, but children don't like it if we laugh at the children in the show.'
