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PandaMonium In China!

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No, thats not the latest Christmas display at your local toy store, thats the result of a recent breeding program for Pandas in Sichuan, China, where one zoo has its hands full with 16 baby pandas.
The Sichuan Wolong Panda Protection and Breed Center is dealing with the results of a breeding boom — 16 pandas have been born since July, 2005. The brood includes five sets of twins. The cubs are weighed and measured every five days by a special panda nurse.

The heaviest tips the scale at just over 24 pounds, while the lightest weighs about 11 pounds. The pandas stopped being suckled by their mothers in February, 2006 just about the time they’ll start learning to walk. Once weaned, the panda cubs will attend panda kindergarten. In the meantime, more little ones are expected at the center, since 38 giant pandas were artificially impregnated.

So many may now be asking the question whether this could mean that pandas could be out of the endangered species list. Heres what the panda conservationalists forecast:

” The Outlook is guardedly optimistic, still at a critical point. The future of the panda is interwoven with the Chinese people and the corporate citizenship of companies moving into the Chinese market. New opportunities for the Chinese workforce in manufacturing, new advances in environmentally responsible farming, the introduction of high yield crops to reduce logging, and population control efforts will all help the pandas. The outlook for the giant pandas is linked to aggressive conservation efforts as well as successful captive breeding. Biological diversity and sustainability are essential. “

New York’s Outrageous Halloween Parade

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The city that never sleeps threw its annual Halloween Parade on the 31st, where New York’s wackiest, weirdest and downright freakiest came out in full force.

The 33rd Greenwich Village Annual Halloween Parade‘s humble beginnings date back to 1973, when the event was started for the neighborhood children. Today, it is the biggest in the city, with thousands of participants dressed to the nines, complete with marchers, giant puppets and ornate floats.

Unlike most parades these days, the New York event is a virtual free-for-all, where the guideline for admission is simple – all you need is a costume and you’re in. Show up at the starting line in costume and join in the fun along with around 50,000 participants and a massive audience of 2 million.

The parade starts at 7 pm. at the HERE Arts Center on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Spring Street and continues up the Avenue of the Americas to 22nd Street.

Every year the theme changes, and this year it was “The Village Hearth” which was reminiscent of the ancient times’ rituals where bonfires and the change of seasons were celebrated.

The parade, which as presided over by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS decked out in full-on performance regalia, joined the teeming crowd where costumes of every variety were seen – from old standards like witches to elliot ant ET as seen in the pic above. Whatever their costume, a grand time was had by all, as young and old alike strutted to the music played by the Princeton University Band.

Madonna Adoption Case Gets Hairy

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Adoption is certainly not the easiest process there is, but for someone with a celebrity status as mega as Madonna, expect even more problems, and in this case, a media frenzy, unnecessary as it may be.

Throughout the past month, Madonna, a mother-of-two, has been in the spotlight, fighting the legal accusations of Malawian groups that her plans to adopt the 13-month-old David, son of Yohane Banda was illegal.

Madonna came out in Oprah defending herself, and then there were the conflicting comments made by the baby’s Father Yohane. At first he said he was pleased that Madonna was giving his son an amazing chance (after he himself left David at an orphanage when his wife died at childbirth), then, he started saying things like his son would “return to him” etc.

But in the court hearing away from the prying eyes of the word’s media, Banda was recorded to have testified:

“It?s only myself as the father and owner of the child who can decide whether my child should come back or not, I want my child to stay there since I’m hoping the best for him. My child cannot forget where he came from no matter how long he stays there. One day he will remember me and come back?

The Lilongwe Magistrates Court will by trying the case on November 13, 2006 to determine whether Madonna’s adoption of the boy was legal or not.

French Cafe Workers Angered Over 35 hr. Working Week

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The French have found another reason to grumble with a new high court ruling that the 35 hour working week is to be implemented in the hospitality industry, including restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels.

This could mean even lower pay for the junior staff of such establishments as well as even lower incomes for owners. Furthermore, the hospitality industry in France is already disappointed by two other factors just passed by law – the no-smoking ban in public places (how un-French!) and the failure to cut to a 5.5% vat.
The deal, which affects around 850,000 employees could see French income in this industry sink even lower. Now, overtime rates will have to be paid for extra hours worked, and owners will be forced to cut down on pay.

Andre Daguin of the Union of Hospitality Trades (UMIH) expressed his disbelief at the news:
“This is a unique situation because for the first time ever a union has actually acted to bring down the buying power of its members, especially those in small establishments who will see their pay cheques get smaller”
Supporters of the recent ruling however, believe that these new measures will actually create new jobs if followed properly.

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