Thumbs UP! Way UP!

Did you see Disney/Pixars movie "UP"? Well if not you should check it out. But for Jonathan Trappe he saw it and got inspired. He tied a lot of balloons to a wicker chair-sans house and floated across the English Channel from the UK to France. Now he may not have gone as far or as high as Carl from UP but its a good first step I think.

For more: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/28/man-takes-cue-from-up-floats-across-english-channel/?iref=allsearch

Thumbs UP! - ZooTV

(Live video streams from the Great Plains Zoo to Sanford Children's Hospital (Squirrel Monkeys!). Fun animal facts scroll across the screen. - Picture via USA TODAY )

Hi Everybody, its me - MoJo

I wanted to give a big Thumbs UP! to the Great Plains Zoo in South Dakota! Why? Because the Great Plains Zoo started ZooTV! ZooTV was started in March, using 14 weatherproof cameras to video tape live animals at the zoo and then beam the live feed to sick children at hospitals - whether its during hospital stays (giving them something to do and break up their stay/day) or to comfort them while going through medical procedures.

"ZooTV is one of a growing number of partnerships between hospitals and zoos to help comfort children who are, in many cases, waging life-and-death battles against cancer and other serious illnesses.

Video of tigers, monkeys, giraffes and some underwater creatures are being beamed into patient rooms in cities including Sioux Falls, Palo Alto, Calif., and Rochester, Minn."

This has inspired other Zoo's like the Houston Zoo in Houston, Texas who hopes to share their animals by adding cameras in their future expansion plans. At the same time hospitals are lining up to add ZooTV to their buildings as well.

There hasn't been any studies done yet - but it might be true that video of monkeys is especially cheerful to the children and may actually decrease their recovery time; we will have to wait and see. I mean look at the picture above - they chose to show the feed of some Squirrel Monkeys - they know a monkey a day keeps the doctor away.

For more on this Story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-09-07-zootv_N.htm

And the Great Plains Zoo: http://www.gpzoo.org

Keep Smiling

- MoJo

Thumbs UP! - L.A. Times

(Picture via L.A. Times)

I have to give Thumbs UP! this week to the L.A. Times! The Los Angeles Times posted some pictures of a baby squirrel monkey getting a ride on the back of its mother. I thought is was great that the L.A. Times shared with the world just a couple of pictures of these monkeys and a little bit of information.

But it turns out that the L.A Times has many stories about Apes and Monkeys in it's L.A. Unleashed section! And that's great!

Be sure to check them out!

For more pictures and the story about the squirrel monkeys - Click Here

And to see the Monkeys and Apes Section of the L.A. Unleashed Section of the Los Angeles Times - Click Here

Good job L.A.! (We Love It!)
-MoJo

Thumbs UP! Primate Veterinarians Promote Animal Welfare

We all know the battle going on regarding animal research (specifically those on primates) and their rights!

So after some reports that some primates at the New Iberia Research Center in Louisiana had been mistreated, Veterinarians have now brought to light that this needs to be fixed! We all know this should never have happened but each time these injustices have been uncovered its good to see that some actions are being taken.

For more - Click Here

Thumbs UP! - Another Monkey Blog!

After reading those ridiculous stories that humans have written about non-human primates, I found this Blog called "Monkey Poetics: The Worst Poetry Found on the Web" It's a little bit more edgy than mine, but it is written by a monkey as well!

Basically he has been insulted by humans who support the Infinite Monkey Theorem, that basically means that "a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a particular chosen text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare."

In his words: " Well I for one have taken offense that it would take us an infinite amount of time to accomplish this task. We have written great works randomly already, without the necessity of infinity. And what makes you homo sapien sapiens think you are so great? That is what this blog is all about. To show the world that homo sapien sapiens aren’t all they think they are."

I agree with him that we have already written great works!

I think its a great idea for a blog and encourage you guys to check it out at : http://monkeypoetics.wordpress.com

-MoJo

Thumbs Up! - In the News: Whiplash (again)

The Rodeo Monkey known as Whiplash is in the news again! And so we give him another Thumbs Up!(Photo by Dan Callister by way of Daily Mail)

Apparently this collie riding monkey has become very successful recently with a following on Facebook (though I can't find him), a regular at the Rodeo in Big Spring Texas (this year he was the star), as well as a starring role in an ad for a Taco Restaurant making him and Internet sensation on the YouTube!

Some critics wonder if we would be happy back in his native Rain Forests of Central or South America, but his owner Tommy Lucia says he is happy and enjoys being a star. (Tommy rescued him when he was a baby from a cage in Florida almost 21 years ago).

After most shows he loves to have a big dinner with his favorite foods being apples, pears, bananas (of course) - but especially strawberries!

You can find....

more - Here

..Whiplash's Website (where you can get tour information, and contact him!) - Here

.. and his YouTube Videos -Here

Thumbs UP! - Space Monkeys!

This is a story I wanted to tell everyone about for a long time, but I honestly never got around to doing it. However there has been a lot of news lately about the Apollo Missions in which a human landed on the moon and returned safely back to earth, and it made me think of those incredibly brave space monkeys who were some of the first animals in space - because you humans were just too scared! The picture above is of Baker, a squirrel monkey, who was also a Space Monkey!

Able and Baker were the first living creatures from the US to go into space and experience weightlessness and come back to earth safely. Two years before humans finally got the courage!

10 years had passed where lots of other monkeys tried being astronauts but died for various reasons. Sadly even Able died a few days later due the effects of anesthesia after surgery.

But Baker lived on for another 25 years as an active member in the monkey space community and mostly spent her time at the U.S Space and Rocket Center in Alabama trying to educate humans on how to handle the final frontier!

She was very popular and received almost 150 letters a day up until her death in 1984 of Kidney failure.

We will not forget you Baker - you were one courageous monkey!

For more Click Here!

Thumbs UP! - Most Emailed - Gorilla!

Just something I noticed on the Yahoo! the other day. The most emailed photo was this one of a 6-month old gorilla foraging for food at the zoo. Anything that get us non-human primates some press is a good thing!

Keep up the great work!

-MoJo

Thumbs UP! - Mojo Phoenix - The BAND!

If you are going to be in the Oxford, Michigan Area on Friday June 19th you should check out the "Mojo Phoenix Blues Band".

I don't know anything about them, but one of my friends emailed me about them. So I figure they have a cool name - so why not let you guys know and give them a Thumbs UP! (Though not directly named after me - I'm MoJo Phoenix and they are Mojo Phoenix)- also I am one monkey where they are an entire band. (Like Jethro Tull is a band and not a person).

So if you are in the area - check it out, and let me know what you think!

For more on the Mojo Phoenix Blues Band - Click Here

Thumbs UP! - NASA and Follow-Up: MoJo Phoenix in Space

Well well well Mr. Colbert. You may have won the International Space Station naming contest but it seems that NASA doesn't agree.

Story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29863574/

It seems that there is a good chance that they will not use your name! (Maybe they will pick mine!) Either way it looks like they might name a toilet after you! Maybe its because of your latest views on chimps, and NASA is on Team MoJo!

So HA! It looks like your name will be on a toilet. Well at least its a toilet in space - I wonder if they have beans up there??

Thumbs UP! - Thailand

Hi Everybody! It so nice to report on good things for monkeys for a change and it doesn't get much better than this:

It turns out that every year on the last weekend in November in Lopburi (150 km north-east of Bangkok) they hold the Monkey Festival!

It's awesome - It turns out that Lopburi is home to countless monkeys and they have been a major part to the local culture and live side by side with the humans. You heard right! Countless Monkeys! There are so many that they can't even count them. So every year they invite the monkeys to eat fruits and vegetables during an annual feast held in honor of Rama, a hero of the Ramayana, who, it is said, rewarded his friend and ally, Hanuman the Monkey King, with the fiefdom of what is now Lopburi. "Organizers of the annual monkey buffet use more than 3,000 kg of fruits and vegetables for the festival."

"The annual festival takes place on the last weekend in November and is a major attraction for locals and foreign visitors alike. Festivities include a monkey ‘tea party’ where macaques tuck into a spread of fruit, eggs, cucumbers and bananas all prepared in their honour. Last year the monkeys got through around 2,000 kilograms of food provided by locals who believe donating the food will bring them good fortune. "

So clear your calendars and book your flights for next November! I can't wait (I hope I can go, it sounds and looks delicious). After all the monkey bashing that has been going on it looks like there is something to look forward to in the future!

For More: http://www.discoverythailand.com/Lop_Buri_Lopburi_Monkey_Festival.asp

Monkey News-Thumbs UP!

Great News Everybody - Whiplash the cowboy Monkey has become a knight!

That's great news - Way to go Whiplash!

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/38601292.html

I wanted to go out of my way to give 2 big monkey thumbs up to the people at the winter Carnival royalty for giving him such a great honor!

Thumbs UP!

I wanted to go out of my way to give 2 big monkey thumbs up to the people and monkeys working at http://www.thinkgeek.com/

ThinkGeek is an interesting store that sells all kinds of stuff. But the great thing is that they employ tons of monkeys. Check out these screen shots:

They let you know when you place an order that the monkeys are working hard to process your order. Also when their website is down they explain to you that the monkeys are working on the problem:

GO PHILLIES!

(Me and my Lucky Phillies Hat!)

Hi Everybody! It's me MoJo!

I'm not sure about Joe the Plumber but I sure was wearing my Lucky Phillies Hat on Wednesday when the Phillies beat the Dodgers to win the chance to go to the WORLD SERIES! I've been told its been a long time for them - SO GOOD LUCK PHILLIES!

It was a tough series for me. I like the Dodgers too because they are in California and they play the song I Love L.A. every time they do good. But the Phillies play the Rocky theme every time they do good so it was a tough series for me. (I still Love L.A.).

Anywho I also wanted to give my thumbs up to Keith LaChapelle. Keith used up all his money (and his retirement money) to build a Chimpanzee Sanctuary - for those unfortunate chimps who were kidnapped and used for animal testing. The first chimps he has saved are named Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy, and Negra. HI GUYS!

For more information and to donate some money - http://www.chimpsanctuarynw.org/

News Story from ABC news: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=6049737&page=1