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kaijutegu · 11 months ago

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Is It Ok For An Alligator To Have Tape On Their Mouth?

Alligators make pretty amazing animal ambassadors when handled safely and ethically. And it is actually pretty safe to take them out to interact with the zoo-going public (or general public in some settings), when done correctly. Many zoos and outreach organizations do an amazing job of this! Every state has different rules, but even if a state doesn't mandate that alligators be banded... well, if you're a responsible crocodilian handler, you'll band anyways. It's a huge public safety issue! Even an accidental graze against their front teeth can cause injury. See, the alligators that are used as handle-able ambassadors are pretty small, and their teeth are razor sharp. An adult gator has sharp teeth, too, as well as blunt teeth for crushing, and they also have the additional force of their jaw muscles.

Here's what it sounds like when an adult alligator pops his jaw. (Don't worry about the hissing/gaping; this is a trained and queued behavior. The stick towards the top of the inside of the mouth is triggering the bite reflex. Chester probably got lots of chicken and fish as he learned to do this.)

youtube

Skip ahead to 0:32 if you wanna skip the guest commentary.

What's more, biting is an important reflex for crocodilians. The lower jaws of crocodilians are some of the most innervated tissues in the animal kingdom; they are more sensitive than human fingertips! Even the slightest touch triggers their bite reflex, which likely is an adaptation that lets them detect changes in water pressure that signal a snack heading their way.

Here's a pretty good video about the biomechanics of crocodilian jaws:

youtube

So yeah. They need to not be able to bite for public safety. There's just too much risk involved with an unbanded alligator (or other crocodilian). Fortunately, it's easy to get a crocodilian to not bite- you just need to band its mouth!

(This fella is Frodo the dwarf caiman, but the principle is the same.)

This works because while crocodilians have an extremely strong bite force (claims range from 2,000 PSI to 5,000+ PSI, but I don't have time to get into that now but someday I will probably), but not particularly strong muscles to open their mouths. Selective pressure for quickly nabbing prey in murky water where there's not a lot of visibility lead to pterygoid and adductor muscles so big, they extend into the animal's neck. But those muscles only pull the jaw closed- they don't work to open it! That's why you see people holding an alligator's mouth closed with their hands.

Safe bands include:

Silicone tape- this is the best. It sticks to itself and not the gator's snout

Electrical tape

Medical tape

Rubber or elastic bands

There are other options, but these are the most popular- they're cheap, easily available, and safe. So if you see an alligator (or other crocodilian) out in public and it's got tape on its mouth, don't worry too much- it's safe for the gator (most of the time) and it's safe for you!

Here's a couple of safe tape options, modeled by a juvenile American alligator in pink electrical tape (I forget her name, these are from an outreach event a couple of years ago) and Pagasa, a juvenile Philippine crocodile wearing the white medical tape.

So when is tape not safe? When it's the wrong kind of tape. One of the worst offenders is duct tape.

When you're banding an alligator, you need to think about how sensitive their jaws are. A band that's too tight or too sticky can hurt them badly when it's removed- and you want that removal process to be fast, so that it doesn't stress them out too much.

What inspired this post was this picture I saw on Facebook:

That's so much duct tape! Now, this little guy is quite unhealthy; he's been loose in the Pittsburgh area all winter, and he's been struggling. What you see here is a very quick tape job done as he's getting ready for transport. The article didn't say who taped him, but given that he's in a dog crate and was found by bicyclists, I would wager that it was some harried animal control officer who was doing the best they could. And that's fine because this was truly an emergency situation. In an emergency situation, uncomfortable is always, always better than unsafe.

But if you see a tourist attraction and they've put duct tape on their alligator's mouth? That's a red flag! Banding an alligator in public is the safe, correct thing to do- you just want to make sure that it's done right.

If you want more information about alligator jaws, here's some interesting papers to read:

Erickson, Gregory et al. Insights into the Ecology and Evolutionary Success of Crocodilians Revealed through Bite-Force and Tooth-Pressure Experimentation. PLoS ONE 7(3): e31781.

Knight, Kathryn. Croc Jaws More Sensitive Than Human Fingertips. Journal of Experimental Biology (2012) 215.

Sellers et al. Ontogeny of bite force in a validated biomechanical model of the American alligator. Journal of Experimental Biology (2017), 220.

#alligator #crocodilian #reptiblr #Youtube

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goaliekisses · 2 years ago

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we had a breakdown over some Unwholesome slutty sid content yesterday so here’s some wholesome content from the athletic on sid

It was 2016 in Minnesota and an aggravated coach Mike Sullivan was searching for the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins following a loss to the Wild. Sullivan needed to speak with Sidney Crosby and was walking briskly on the event level of Xcel Energy Center.

Then, he stopped in his tracks.

Around the corner outside of the Penguins’ locker room, Crosby, minus his jersey but otherwise still wearing his equipment, was sitting on the floor. Speaking with a child in a wheelchair, Crosby sat so that he could better make eye contact. He often does this. Sullivan executed a U-turn while his captain sat with the child for 20 minutes, a scene that unfolds countless times across North America every season.

Thousands upon thousands of people have flocked to arenas for decades to watch Crosby play hockey since was a boy. Crosby’s greater mission, though, has always been to comfort the sick and unlucky among us with an uncommon grace and thoughtfulness that is uniquely his own.

“There’s never been anyone like him before,” former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “And there will never be anyone like him after.”

The widely held belief that the world of professional sports doesn’t showcase any authentic role models is inaccurate so long as Sidney Patrick Crosby walks among us.

“You always hear that saying,” Bobby Orr said. “You know, that so and so is a better person than he is a player. Well, the great thing about Sid is, he’s one of the five greatest players in history. There’s no question about that. But he actually is a better person than he is a player. Now, think about that. I love him.”

On the ice, he is a living legend. The massive legs, the impenetrable ability to protect the puck, the greatest backhand ever, the cannon-like burst of speed through the neutral zone, the rare playmaking ability, the tenacity, the intelligence, the determination, the precociousness as a teenager, the longevity as a thirty-something and the ability to score goals on hockey’s biggest stage are all indelible trademarks of his greatness.

The mythology of Crosby off the ice, however, may be even more worthy of inclusion in the history books and it is very much rooted in reality. He’s not just an ambassador for hockey, but an ambassador of kindness.

“He was like that even as a little boy,” said Troy Crosby, his father. “He was getting so much attention when he was little, and then as he became a teenager. It could have gone to his head. He could have gotten a big ego. All Sidney ever cared about was taking care of other people.”

Crosby made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, in New Jersey. It was a zoo after the morning skate. Hockey was back after a year-long lockout, Crosby’s debut was being made in the New York area against Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur and it was Mario Lemieux’s 40th birthday. While he was the center of attention, Crosby, who had turned 18 two months earlier, wasn’t concerned about himself.

“He was giving these interviews and there were people everywhere” said Tom McMillan, the former Penguins’ vice president of communications. “But he noticed, in the hallway outside of the locker room, that his mom was being surrounded by reporters. He was worried about her. She was fine, but he was worried about her. So he comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, can you make sure my mom is OK?’ From the very beginning, he was worried about everyone but himself. He never changed.”

Including his salary and endorsements, Crosby has earned in the neighborhood of $200 million in his career. His father isn’t the only one who says Crosby hasn’t changed. His teammates agree. Team employees agree. Even living legends like Orr agree.

There is a simple explanation for this, Crosby insists.

“I don’t think money ever gives you the vehicle to treat anyone differently or to be disrespectful,” he said. “I get to do what I love to do and I’m very appreciative of that. I don’t take that for granted one bit, regardless of what my pay is. I get to do what I love. The least I can do is treat people well along the way.”

Crosby’s legend in the Penguins organization is such that his contributions to society draw biblical comparisons.

Literally.

“I always say that he’s like a child of God,” former Penguins broadcaster Paul Steigerwald said. “That’s how I’ve always seen him. He has a certain light in his eyes that I always notice. He’s a genuinely good soul. People often give credit to a person’s parents for raising a great kid. I totally get that and they did a great job. But I also see a natural soulfulness to Sid that is innate and not necessarily learned.”

Crosby is a role model, and he knows it. He embraces it.

“I’ve been around a while and I’ve met a lot of people,” Rutherford said. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He only does things for the right reasons. And he cares about people so very much. Other players of his stature don’t always act like this. But he’s different. And you see it most when it comes to the way he treats children.”

The Penguins are the NHL’s oldest team, thus, many players have children. During the Stanley Cup years in 2016 and 2017, it was commonplace for Matt Cullen’s children to be hanging on Crosby after playoff wins, as they would naturally gravitate to the best player in the world who just happened to be the nicest guy in the room.

Crosby, in fact, has been known to have spirited mini-sticks games with Nikita Malkin. And yet, his treatment of children isn’t confined to the children of his teammates.

One story lives in Crosby lore.

It was Jan. 11, 2014. The Penguins had just won in Calgary, 2-1, in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. After the game, the Penguins departed to their bus on a frigid Alberta evening.

While sitting on the bus, Crosby noticed a handful of teenagers standing behind a fence, which was located on a steep hill beside the Saddledome. They were chanting Crosby’s name and had signs wishing him well in the Olympics.

Upon seeing this, Crosby, dress shoes and all, sprinted up the steep, icy hill. He not only signed all of their jerseys but talked hockey with them for a few minutes before slowly coasting back down the hill.

“I’ll never forget seeing that,” Steigerwald said. “Who else does that?”

Not many people would do such a thing, it can be presumed. But Rutherford saw it every day while he was the general manager of the Penguins.

“The way he treats children is the single most impressive thing I’ve ever seen in my career,” Rutherford said. “When you see those groups of people who want autographs, you have to be careful. A lot of those groups have people that are there every day and looking to sell autographs. But I’ll tell you this about Sid: Never, not one time, has he ever passed by a child who wanted an autograph. No child is ever left behind. I’ve seen him sign autographs and then get on the team bus. Then, he sees a kid pop up who didn’t get his autograph signed. So, he always gets off the bus and makes sure the kid has an autograph and a picture with him. He understands the effect he has on people, but he’s the farthest thing from arrogant you could possibly imagine.”

Crosby is a regular at the UMPC Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. While the Penguins do occasionally orchestrate team visits that Crosby naturally takes part in, he’s a regular at the hospital. He does so on his own time.

No cameras. No reporters. No attention.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Troy Crosby said. “That’s the way he wants it. It means a lot to him to spend time with kids, just him and the kids. He doesn’t want people knowing about it and he goes to lengths to keep it that way.”

Crosby seems miffed when others are blown away by his character. To him, to be polite, generous and thoughtful is simply natural.

“Treating people the right way has always been important to me,” Crosby said. “Whether it’s your teammates, people you see at the rink, fans, kids, whatever. You’re supposed to be good to people in life. You’re supposed to be respectful. So, that’s what I try to do every day. It’s always been a very important thing to me.”

#he’s so GOOD 😭😭😭😭#sidney crosby #pittsburgh penguins

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ehghtyseven · 1 year ago

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Do you have recommendations for what to do and see in Pittsburgh? And is it easy to get around by bus/subway etc?

anon I’m so sorry, I started replying to this at the airport on my way home then saved it to drafts and forgot to go back and publish, oops! anyway…

ok, please bear in mind I am just a person who has visited a few times so this is in no way exhaustive, and will obviously be coloured by how easy things are to get to without a car and things I personally find interesting!

presented in no particular order…

heinz history centre & sports museum

go for a wander through the strip district

fort pitt museum & point state park

national aviary (fun on its own but would thoroughly recommend the penguin encounter as an extra)

andy warhol museum

carnegie science centre (though I just went to a specific exhibit so I don’t actually know about the museum as a whole but I liked what I visited)

walk the three rivers heritage trail along the north shore & visit the mister rogers statue (and I always enjoy walking over one or other of the three sisters bridges to get across from downtown and back afterwards)

take a trip on the inclines (duquesne is the prettiest and has the best views of the city at the top but personally I like to go up the mon - when it’s not closed that is - walk along grandview then come back down via duquesne)

point of view sculpture (just a bit further along grandview from the duquesne incline)

pittsburgh has a couple of theatres so it’s always worth checking out what’s on during your trip, and pittsburgh has some great restaurants/bars to check out too.

also, not really a “thing to do” but I will never get tired of arriving via the fort pitt tunnel when coming in from the airport and downtown just explodes in front of you as you emerge!

there are some other places I haven’t visited yet but are on my list, including the zoo & aquarium, phipps conservatory, carnegie museums of art and natural history, the frick, and randyland.

on the second question, downtown & the areas close by are very walkable but I find it is pretty easy to get around on public transport, yes. PRT now has an app (ready2ride) that includes a journey planner and live trackers (amongst other stuff), lets you buy a range of different types of pass that you then use by just scanning your phone when you get on, and which covers buses, light rail and the inclines. as someone who lives in london and is used to just tapping my phone to travel on public transport, this was way easier for me than having to think about paying fares every time and took a lot of anxiety out of using buses!

the T (light rail) is also free between downtown and the north shore - all the stops between first avenue and allegheny - which is handy! I also think it’s neat that most bus stops have a QR code you can scan for live arrivals info, which also helps you check you’re at the right stop :)

#Anonymous #answers #sorry for the delay but here are some thoughts #for whatever it’s worth #wpa #I have a fear of getting on a bus going the wrong way #bc of traffic driving on the opposite side of the road than I’m used to #so the bus stop thing soothes the anxiety lol

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andreisvechnikov · 2 years ago

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NHL99: Sidney Crosby, icon of his era, never strays from his greater mission

Then, he stopped in his tracks.

Thousands upon thousands of people have flocked to arenas for decades to watch Crosby play hockey since he was a boy. Crosby’s greater mission, though, has always been to comfort the sick and unlucky among us with an uncommon grace and thoughtfulness that is uniquely his own.

“There’s never been anyone like him before,” former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “And there will never be anyone like him after.”

The widely held belief that the world of professional sports doesn’t showcase any authentic role models is inaccurate so long as Sidney Patrick Crosby walks among us.

At 35, Crosby is the hockey chief of the world, and he lands at No. 4 on The Athletic’s list of the greatest players of the modern era of the NHL. He has won three Stanley Cup championships, two Olympic gold medals, has registered 541 goals, 1,469 points and, quite remarkably, has lived up to every bit of the hype. His legacy is perfectly safe. He simply keeps going at this stage because he loves hockey and is obsessed with winning. Mike Babcock once called him a “serial winner,” which is the perfect description of Crosby. On and off the ice.

It was evident from the very beginning.

There is a simple explanation for this, Crosby insists.

Crosby’s legend in the Penguins organization is such that his contributions to society draw biblical comparisons.

Literally.

‘No child is ever left behind’ Charles Barkley once made considerable headlines for a Nike advertising campaign that stated, “I am not a role model.”

Crosby is a role model, and he knows it. He embraces it.

Crosby, in fact, has been known to have spirited mini-sticks games with Nikita Malkin. And yet, his treatment of children isn’t confined to the children of his teammates.

One story lives in Crosby lore.

It was Jan. 11, 2014. The Penguins had just won in Calgary, 2-1, in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. After the game, the Penguins departed to their bus on a frigid Alberta evening.

“I’ll never forget seeing that,” Steigerwald said. “Who else does that?”

Not many people would do such a thing, it can be presumed. But Rutherford saw it every day while he was the general manager of the Penguins.

No cameras. No reporters. No attention.

Crosby seems miffed when others are blown away by his character. To him, to be polite, generous and thoughtful is simply natural.

On May 31, 2007, the Penguins made Crosby, then 19, the youngest captain in NHL history at that time.

The move seemed simple on the surface. He already had become the world’s greatest player and, as a teenager, had just claimed the Hart and Art Ross trophies. His maturity level was uncommonly advanced. He was already a rock star in Pittsburgh.

Easy choice, right?

“Not necessarily,” Crosby said. “It was quite uncomfortable, to be honest. I had never been a captain before.”

Say what?

Well, it makes sense. Crosby was only 16 and 17 when he played his junior hockey in Rimouski. In his younger days of hockey, he always played in older age groups because of his advanced performance. This was very much a new experience for him.

“I tried to learn things from other captains I had in the past and other people who had been captains,” he said. “But at the same time, I wanted to be my own person. I wanted to lead in a way that was natural to me. And you never stop learning. I’m still learning to be a captain to this day, honestly. But I think it was probably a good thing for me, looking back. It helped me grow.”

So did the presence of a fellow icon in the locker room.

Lemieux and Crosby played together in only 26 games before a heart condition forced the oft-injured Lemieux to finally retire for good. On the ice, they only had a few magical moments together, as they rarely played on the same line. Lemieux was slowing down and at the very end.

But before he left, he taught Crosby a few lessons.

“More than anything, he taught me how to stay calm. He was so, so even keeled,” Crosby said. “It didn’t matter what the score was, good or bad. Mario was always the same. He always looked the same, spoke the same. I watched him a lot and I saw how level-headed he was. I think that probably comes to him more naturally than it does to me. I’m probably more emotional than he is. I’m an emotional player. But he taught me how to find that sweet spot. Getting to play with him for a handful of games was a big deal for me.”

Crosby, many will tell you, is the best captain they’ve ever had.

“He’s unreal,” said one of the newest Penguins, Ryan Poehling. “When I got traded to Pittsburgh last summer, I had a text from him a couple of hours after the deal. I remember thinking that it was pretty incredible that Sidney Crosby is reaching out to me that quickly. Then you get to know him, and you immediately realize that this is a special person, that he’s different than anyone else. You can’t fake it. You’re born with what he has, the way he treats people.”

Nowadays, it’s understandable that young players would place Crosby on a pedestal. He’s not only one of the greatest players of all time, but he also treats them as equals.

What might be more noteworthy is that, even when Crosby was essentially a child, he had the respect of his locker room from the beginning.

“He was 22 when I signed in Pittsburgh,” Mike Rupp said. “He’s the best player in the world, this hotshot that everyone is talking about. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. … I could tell you so many nice stories about Sidney Crosby, and they’re all true. But what I realized right away was that, more than anything, Sid didn’t want to be treated differently than anyone else.

Given who he is, Crosby can’t possibly be one of the guys. It doesn’t work that way. He’s Crosby.

And yet, he is one of the guys.

“He just wanted to have fun. Wanted to play mini-golf on the road. He had that little kid smile. He wanted to play the handheld video games on planes,” Rupp said. “He likes to be one of the guys. I think what I’m saying is, he’s not a nerd. He’s not an introvert. But he wants nothing to do with the spotlight because he’s so damn humble. He’s the ultimate captain.”

When you’re a superstar in Pittsburgh, you have certain privileges. Lemieux and Jagr had their share of coaches fired. Some were certainly deserving, of course. But Crosby would never do such a thing. It simply isn’t his way.

He doesn’t demand his friends play with the Penguins. This, in no way, is a typical superstar.

“I was Sid’s GM for a long time,” Rutherford said. “And I can tell you, he never once complained to me about anything. He never once told me to fire anyone, or to trade anyone, or to get anyone in a trade. Never.”

Not until he was asked, anyway.

“Here’s how much respect I have for Sid,” Rutherford said. “At the end of each season, whether we had won the Cup or not, he and I would get together. I wanted his thoughts on certain players on the team and around the league. But he’d never tell me to get someone. He’d never be pushy or demanding. I’d ask him questions about people, and he would answer in his own very polite, very special way. That’s just the kind of man he is.”

Those who coached Crosby often had similar stories.

“He was a dream to coach,” Recchi said. “His relationship with Sully, you know, it’s really special. Those two have a bond. But for all of us on the staff, it was incredible coaching Sid. He asks you lots of questions. He wants your opinion. He’s not going to walk into your office and tell you what to do, or tell you what’s wrong. He asks so many questions and he loves feedback. Not many stars are going to be quite like that.”

Crosby has stated that he’d like to play for a few more seasons, perhaps until he is 40.

It’s unknown precisely when he will walk away or what he will do with his life once he hangs up his skates. Many in the hockey world hope Crosby will remain involved with the NHL in some capacity.

The hockey world, after all, couldn’t possibly be the same without him.

“He just makes you smile when you see him,” Rupp said.

Crosby entered our lives more than two decades ago, a child then. A man now.

A very, very good man.

“He’s just a nice person,” Steigerwald said. “A nice, nice person. The best of the best.”

#the athletic #sidney crosby #pittsburgh penguins #nhl

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alleannaharris · 2 years ago

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Today's Black History Month illustration is of Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), the first Black painter to gain international acclaim for his depiction of landscapes and biblical themes.

Tanner was born in 1859 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the first of nine children born to Sarah Elizabeth Miller, a formerly enslaved woman who escaped her enslavers via the Underground Railroad, and Benjamin Tucker Tanner, an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Bishop.

His middle name comes from the town Osawatomie, Kansas, where the abolitionist John Brown started his anti-slavery campaign.

When Tanner was young, the Tanner family moved to Philadelphia. While in Philly, he attended the Robert Vaux School, one of the few Black schools that offered a liberal arts education. Despite his father objecting, Tanner decided he wanted to become a painter when he was 13. He began his art career in 1876 by painting harbour scenes, landscapes, and animals from the Philadelphia Zoo.

After self-study, in 1880, he enrolled at Philadelphia’s prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) where he was the only black student. Tanner made many connections among the artists and became a favorite of his teacher Thomas Eakins, one of the most important artists in American art history.

In 1888, Tanner secured a teaching position at Clark University in Atlanta with the help of Joseph C. Hartzell, a bishop from Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1890, Hartzell arranged an exhibition of Tanner’s works in Cincinnati, but when none of the paintings sold, Hartzell purchased Tanner’s entire collection.

The money from Hartzell’s purchase allowed Tanner to travel to Paris in 1891 and enroll at the Academy Julian. During this time, he made Paris home because he felt less affected by prejudice.

His greatest early work depicted Black people and tender moments. His most famous painting, “The Banjo Lesson” where an older man was teaching a young boy how to play the banjo was created while visiting family in Philly in 1893.

By 1894, his paintings were critically admired in the US and in Europe. In 1899, he created one of his most famous works, “Nicodemus Visiting Jesus,” which won PAFA’s Lippincott Prize in 1900. Through the rest of his life, he shifted focus to religious scenes and continued to receive praise and honors for his work.

He was named honorary chevalier of the Order of Legion Honor (France’s most distinguished award) in 1923. In 1927, Tanner was made a full academician of the National Academy of design, becoming the first Black person to receive the distinction.

After Tanner’s death in Paris in 1937, his name recognition declined until 1969 when the Smithsonian in Washington DC exhibited a few of his works. This exhibition was the first major solo exhibition of a Black artist in the United States.

In 1991, the Philadelphia Museum of Art assembled a touring exhibition of his work, sparking a new wave of interest.

Side note: The Tanner House is on 2908 W Diamond St in North Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion). It gained recognition as a National Historic Landmark in 1976, but it fell into disrepair. They’re still trying to find a long-term non-profit steward, but the temporary local fiduciary is the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. To donate to the Tanner House Campaign, reach out to the Preservation Alliance.

I’ll be back on Monday with another illustration and story!

#henry ossawa tanner #black painters #black paintings #black history month 2023 #black history 365 #black history facts #artists on tumblr #illustrators on tumblr

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petsincollections · 1 year ago

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Aardvark at the Zoo, 1977

A view of an aardvark from the Highland Park Zoo. More than 100 years ago, philanthropist Christopher Lyman Magee donated $125,000 for the construction of zoological gardens in Pittsburgh's Highland Park area. On June 14, 1898, the Pittsburgh Zoo opened to the public for the very first time, providing people with a rare glimpse of animals and plants they had never seen before. Fitting zoo paradigms of the time, it was more of an animal menagerie. Through the years, however, the zoo has transformed into a naturalistic habitat and resource for conservation, education and research.

Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection

University of Pittsburgh

Historic Pittsburgh

#aardvarks #historic pittsburgh #pittsburgh city photographer collection #highland park zoo

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thebroccolination · 2 years ago

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I saw you mentioned Queer As Folks recently. OMG how I missed Brian and Justin. When they went angst, they reeeeeaaaally served angst. I seriously don't have access to watch the entire series in my country, I can only watch snippets from youtube. I'm so sad 😭 Can you share with me what you like most about QaF and maybe if you have your favorite Ao3 fics about them. Thank you so much, Key ❤

Aaahhh, Anon!

You've unsurfaced some deep memories.

Okay, I just finished writing the thesis below. I'm back from the future. A lot of what you're about to read is pure emotion, so I apologize that it's not, uh. Well structured or especially rational. Queer as Folk was very formative for me, so my thoughts on it are very formless. \:D/

•

I watched Queer as Folk in high school, and it was a core experience. I vaguely remember writing Brian/Justin fic, but I think I mainly just read, and unfortunately, all of the fic I read was on LiveJournal, so I have no idea how to find it anymore. I'm really, really bad with names and titles, so I'd really only know them if I saw them again. :')

I have hot takes, though!

As far as fandom goes, the US version was phenomenal. So much fic. So much fic, and I loved it so much. The fanvids, the art, the meta, etc. It was such a great fandom.

BUT as a show, I preferred the UK version. I thought it was better crafted, the story and characters felt a lot stronger, and the dialogue was fantastic. It felt more inclusive in every way, and it had this…cozy warmth to it. Even at his worst, Stuart is nowhere near as much of a menace as Brian, and I think that's because he has Vince, and Brian has Michael.

(I didn't like Michael. At all. \:D/ The actor is lovely! I just regularly pined for the character to be pushed through a nineteenth floor window and then get stepped on by an elephant tourist visiting family at the Pittsburgh Zoo.)

The US version also screamed Written by White Cis Gay Men Who Held a Weird Grudge Against Lesbians and Didn't Believe Bisexuality Is Real. I was a "definitely straight except for that one time and that other time and that other other time I had suspiciously queer thoughts and also argued a shade too passionately about queer rights at the dinner table" teenager, and while I loved Brian and Justin as a ship, the UK version made me feel like I could find friends who'd feel like family one day. (And it came true, and they're queer, too.)

I think of the US version of Queer as Folk as fandom fodder. After every episode, I'd dive into LiveJournal, read fics, meta, look up fanvids, etc. I learned so much from Elder Queers who talked about safe sex and the importance of getting tested and all the things either referenced in the show or totally ignored that Elder Queers were like, "This was ignored but if you're ever in Justin's situation, here is what you do, please promise you'll do this."

The UK version is the one I rewatch when I want to revisit that warm, safe feeling.

And it'll always fuck my brain up that the US showrunners of Queer as Folk watched Stuart fuck a fifteen-year-old that was blatantly framed as "this is a bad thing, Stuart is doing a bad thing, everyone is aware that this is a bad thing, this is very bad, Stuart" and thought, "Okay, the bad thing is that he's fifteen, so let's age him up to seventeen and make him the love interest instead of the best friend who's the same age."

MIND. BLOWN.

I mean, it explains why Michael's all [evocative hand gestures]. His English counterpart actually ended up with his hot Irish best friend. And, like, Vince is obsessed with Dr. Who, so they gave Michael comic books? Like? Why not Star Trek? And he's obsessed with Brian and has the same soul-destroying crush that Vince has on Stuart, but there's a point to Vince's crush on Stuart the point is that they end up together and Nathan is a high school boy who is genuinely meant to be a blip on the radar in the background of their story.

It's been long enough that I don't hate Michael anymore, I'm just still fascinated by CowLip's bizarre story decisions.

Here's how I'll summarize my complicated relationship with the US version of Queer as Folk:

Season five was an insult to me personally, and I never watched the last episode. That stupid ending reversed all five seasons of Brian's character arc and landed him exactly where he was in the first episode, only multiple years older. And CowLip talked about it like it was brilliant and not a pathological misunderstanding of how storytelling is meant to operate to connect with audiences.

But.

I remember watching the Babylon bombing episode. Viscerally. I was staying at my sister's house, and I waited until everyone fell asleep. I snuck into their home office to watch the episode on their computer because I kept all queer media I watched secret from everyone in my very conservative family. I turned the volume down to one bar, kept the lights off, and held my shallow breath whenever the house made any kind of noise. Because Brian had never said "I love you" before, and this was it, because he thought Justin would be one of those corpses rolled out on a gurney from the club where they met, where their friends and family all gathered, the only place they felt safe being gay.

And many years later, when something similar happened far, far away at Pulse in Orlando, a memory surfaced of secretly watching an episode about love and desperation and grief. Of feeling caged inside a sexuality prescribed to me. And it was the first time I came out on social media.

Because it was a ridiculous show in some ways, and a terribly written one sometimes, but I think it also cut to the quick for many of us who just…didn't have anything else. We didn't have many options back then, and the fandom was massive, and it nudged me a little closer to understanding who I am and who I love.

#kiranokira answers #queer as folk #i just reread this and i've never felt more like i have adhd tattooed on every inch of me #i'm so sorry anon this show apparently comes with a word vomit button

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mannytoodope · 2 years ago

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Donna: What are you bidding on? It better not be Terrence Howard's tank top from Hustle & Flow. Ann: It is not. Donna: Good. 'Cause I am bidding on it and I am ready to spend an amount that my accountant calls "dangerous and irresponsible."

Ann: JJ's diner put an old waffle iron up for auction. It's the perfect breakfast day gift for Leslie.

Donna: "Breakfast day"? Ann: Leslie has anniversaries for everything. "Zoo day," first time we went to the zoo together. "Double date day," it was the first time we went on a double date. "Daniel Day-Lewis day." "Talk-like-a-pirate day." "Talk-like-a-Pittsburgh-pirate day," which why and how? This calendar was last year's calendar day present celebrating the first time she ever bought me a calendar

#Donna Megale #Retta #Ann Perkins #Rashida Jones #Parks and Recreation

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what-if-nct · 2 years ago

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Sungchan, 21

Rapper

Lives in Pittsburgh, PA

I'm really just open to anything really, Just looking for something to do. I have a lot of free time so we can go to the zoo, museum, take a walk in the park just anything to keep myself busy and hang out with new people.

Virgo ENTP

#nct #nct tinder #Sungchan #jung Sungchan

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sunflowerrex · 2 years ago

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Since I’ve gotten seen by some new people on here, I wanna say hi and share some info abt myself :) feat this gorg Picsart !!!

I’m an environmental science and ecology student focusing on wildlife conservation!! My dream job is to become a national parks or fisheries and wildlife ranger

I’m from the US!

Im a HUGE hockey fan (let’s go pens!!) and have played men’s hockey for most of my life

I LOVE birds- the birdie in the pics art is to represent my bff Ella, an umbrella cockatoo I work with a ton at my job (I work at a rescue zoo!)

My whole life I’ve always loved animals, and I’m so happy and excited to dedicate my whole existence to protecting them and educating people about them :)

My favorite color is yellow

My most favorite places in the whole world are Pittsburgh and Acadia National Park

I’m in a sorority and I love my sisters to the moon and back <3

Any free time I can possibly find I spend outdoors- hiking, drawing, painting, ect.

My fav animal that isn’t a bird is a bear, and my fav tree is a redwood :)

Kind of weird but it’s become a personality trait people associate with me- almost all my clothes are from LL Bean, mostly all hammy downs from my dad and extended family

#a lil about me!!!#I really love the outdoors if you can’t tell #also I’m a complete crunchy granola hippie #I literally have Brook trout chacos #like I am down horrific for Mother Earth

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scorpioreaderlife · 8 months ago

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Journey To The 2023 Pittsburgh Zoo Asian Lantern Festival

In the evening of our Pittsburgh stop, we bought tickets to see the Pittsburgh Zoo Asian Lantern Festival. I was excited to see this–a few years ago Sam and I had gone to a sky lantern festival. The last time I went was in 2019–and during the day. On the drive to the zoo, there was a beautiful rainbow. Continue reading Journey To The 2023 Pittsburgh Zoo Asian Lantern Festival

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justluchettathatisall · 10 months ago

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The Pittsburgh zoo and Aquarium Asian Lantern Festival

This was a very awesome experience. The Lanterns were amazing. It was cold and raining this particular day but still had a fascinating time. My boyfriend took our kids to see this and we had fun family time.

#art #photography #buildings #spitmag #art blog #artists on tumblr #facebook #photo #spitmag photography #poetry #asian fusion #asian festival #zoo #lights #lanterns #familytime #i love my family #i love my man #pittsburgh pa

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clarklovescarole · 2 years ago

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March 1937: Clarcarole

March 1, 1937 – Harrisburg Telegraph

Fred Perry and Ellsworth Vines have the spotlight on them and don’t have it all at the same time. That’s not a tough one to figure out. Here’s the answer – Clark Gable and Carole Lombard catch the spectators’ eyes while they watch the two tennis stars dash in a dither around the court.

March 5, 1937 – Harrisburg Telegraph

The other evening at the tennis matches Carole Lombard sallied in with Clark Gable while everyone blinked and looked again at the cartwheel proportions of the brim on Carole’s shining brown straw hat. It dipped just a bit in front, but was unadorned except for a band since it topped off a tailored spectator’s costume. Her suit of brown wool was made with a semi-fitted three-quarters length coat and her slim skirt must have been close to fourteen inches from the floor.

March 2-9, 1937: Clark’s cougar

March 5, 1937: Dayton Daily News

Clark Gable brings back cougar kitten

Clark “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” Gable, film star, brought this snarling cougar kitten back from a 10-day hunting trip in Kaibab forest in northern Arizona. He said his chief ideas was to get photographs and not to kill, and that the kitten was captured after films were made of its mother. The animal is now a member of the studio zoo.

March 2, 1937 – The Courier

That 3-month-old cougar Clark Gable brought back from Arizona is so mean he even snapped at Carole Lombard.

March 4, 1937 – Des Moines Tribune

Clark Gable, leading a 60-pound cougar cub around the film lot on a leash Thursday, offered a strip of movie film and the testimony of eye-witness Dr. Franklyn Thorpe, Mary Astor’s former husband, to support “bring ’em back alive” story of the the wild Kaibab forest in Arizona.

The screen star, ardent huntsman, related: “We found a huge female cat with two kittens on Saddle mountain. I got within 15 feet of her and filmed some swell shots. We tried to rope her but she picked up one kitten and ran. Our dogs treed the other cub and roped it. “Our cub broke its chain that night and got loose. Next day we followed the mother’s tracks and lassoed the other kitten – and here it is.”

Offered the cub as a house cat, Carole Lombard refused with thanks.

March 9, 1937 – Salt Lake Telegram

Clark Gable’s career as a “bring ’em back alive” hunter suffered a rude setback today. Finding out that the baby mountain lion captured by the star wields a wicked claw and is a lot tougher than was at first supposed, the MGM studio has given Gable 10 days to get rid of it. Pending a permanent disposal, they have impounded the animal in a cage on the lot.

What alarmed movie executives most was the news that Gable had brought the lion back to Hollywood in the rumble seat of his car and that he carried it to Carole Lombard’s house and to other places in the same manner. Now they have instructed him not to even go near it. So if anyone wants a baby mountain lion that was captured by Clark Gable, just apply to the MGM studio.

March 14, 1937 – Detroit Free Press

Carole Lombard either will have to be amused by somebody else or amuse herself while Clark Gable goes off on a hunting trip. Perhaps she can take an extra vocal lesson a day. She is astonishing everybody by singing gloriously in “Swing High, Swing Low,” her latest picture.

March 19, 1937 – Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph

Carole Lombard now has a fan letter she prizes highly, since it came from Addis Ababa, from the Count Eduardo Bassi Di Allanno, a lieutenant in the One Hundred and Tenth Regiment of the Imperial Guard there. I believe it is a proposal, since he doesn’t seem to have heard that Mr. Gable is head man in those quarters.

March 19, 1937 – Dayton Daily News

Sweetie-Trading Latest of the Hollywood Fads

If psychologists ever decided to select a Utopian center for the well-balanced mind, Hollywood would never be seriously considered in the voting. To all appearances Hollywood is crazy, as most of the world will agree, but a thorough look behind the cogs of it, its gigantic exploitation machine might disclose that it is only crazy like the fox.

Almost every move Hollywood makes is carefully planned in advance. Occasionally someone will go out on a shooting tangent, others will forget starving relatives and still others will keep diaries, but those remote occurrences are never countenanced by the publicity machine. This machine attempts to censor as it operates, but it thrives on eccentricities. …

But the latest bit of idiosyncrasy to be fed into the machine is more difficult than most to fit into classification. It concerns the growing tendency on the part of name players, particularly the feminine stars, to lend their boy friends to rivals. …

Only recently Barbara Stanwyck, whose romance with Robert Taylor has been aired in the public prints for more than a year, consented to Bob’s accompanying Jean Harlow to the President’s Ball at Washington. Of course, that was a studio order for a publicity coup, and Barbara got Bob back….

About the only going-together stars in Hollywood who haven’t consented to one of these temporary trading propositions are Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. In the first place, both are important enough to draw plenty of publicity without resorting to that sort of thing; secondly, they seem too fond of each other’s company to chance even a brief change of companionship.

March 20, 1937 – Salt Lake Telegram

Romantic couples in real life are being given their chances as companions in reel life, a survey shows. It has been discovered, film producers say, that motion picture audiences are anxious to watch screen performances of a couple who are known to be in love off the screen as well as on.

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, whose romance in real life is at present a favorite subject among film fans, are to be brought together in a film soon, if plans materialize.

March 21, 1937 – Harrisburg Sunday Courier

Clark Gable will not only star in “Saratoga” but be property man as well. First, he loaded his race horse, Beverly Hills, for the picture. Then the horse trailer Carole Lombard gave him for a birthday present. For good measure, Clark added several horse blankets two saddles, a bridle and other racing equipment.

“It’s a pleasure, Clark grinned. “At last Beverly Hills is going to win a race. Says so right in the script.”

March 21, 1937 – Hartford Courant

If Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were at the race track the other day, they doubtless bet on Clarcarole, named after them…

March 21, 1937: Victoria Advocate

Carole Lombard’s intimates don’t know whether to credit Clark Gable, her boy friend, or Mitchell Leisen, her director, but they all agree that Carole has shown more development as an actress in the last year than any other star in Hollywood.

March 22, 1937 – The Atlanta Constitution

Clark Gable has been spending his free evenings at the Garden of Allah hotel. There’s a certain lady living there of whom he is quite fond. And her name is not Carole Lombard…

March 30, 1937 – Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph

Life is just about complete for Carole Lombard… She now has a three-picture-a-year contract and Clark Gable.

March 31, 1937 – The Sacramento Bee

It is a shame to spoil Clark Gable’s fun, but Carole Lombard is a friend of mine too and I think she should be warned that Clark has just purchased that two-wheeled carriage they used in Parnell. Whenever Gable purchases one of the gags for his personal use it usually turns up in Carole’s swanky front yard with a goat tied to it or something. In fact, I hear Clark is dickering for an old thin nanny right now.

March 31, 1937 – The St. Louis Star and Times

The Brown Derby was packed. … Clark Gable was whispering in one of Carole Lombard’s pretty ears.

#carole lombard #clark gable #1937 #old hollywood

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bigmacdaddio · 2 years ago

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So let's talk about George Zeber.......George has had various numbers in various Yankee camps. His # this camp will be #72. He was once a top prospect but a Year and a half in Vietnam seemed to affect his legs. He has a long uphill climb as he is not even a roster player only a non-roster invite....The rest is an article by SABRGeorge Zeber

Yankee Stadium, October 12, 1977, World Series, Game 2: The Yankees were trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-1, but had runners on first and second with only one out. Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard, “the Voice of God,” surely intoned his usual introduction, “Now batting for the Yankees, pinch-hitter, number 25, George Zeber, number 25.”And probably numerous fans, even among the partisan Yankee crowd, wondered, “George Who?” This was understandable. since Zeber, although he had been with the Yankees all season, had appeared in only 25 games. But, more important, Yankees manager Billy Martin knew who Zeber was, and also that the utility infielder had made the most out of his extremely limited playing time during the season.

Unfortunately, Zeber didn’t deliver a dramatic World Series hit: he struck out looking against Burt Hooton, who then retired Mickey Rivers on a fly ball to left to snuff out the Yankees’ nascent rally as the Dodgers evened the World Series with a 6-1 victory. Zeber garnered one additional at-bat as a pinch-hitter in Game Five, but he suffered the same fate, striking out swinging against Don Sutton in a 10-4 loss at Los Angeles. Although his two plate appearances in the Fall Classic were unsuccessful, he still became a World Series champion after Reggie Jackson blasted his way to “Mr. October” fame with three home runs in the Yankees’ clinching 8-4 triumph in Game Six

While Jackson’s fame has been as lasting as Zeber’s brush with glory was fleeting, as a season-long member of the Yankees, Zeber still received a full share of the winners’ World Series money, a cool $27,758.04. It was a nice windfall for the lowest-paid player on baseball’s highest-paid team, who had earned only the league-minimum $19,000, for the season. But in addition to the money, he would always have the distinction of being a member of what has become one of baseball’s most fabled championship teams, the ’77 Yankees of “Bronx Zoo” notoriety.1

George William Zeber was born to George and Jean Zeber on August 29, 1950, in Ellwood City, PA, 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. In 1951, the Zeber family, which also included older sister Valerie, moved to Anaheim, CA. Shortly after their arrival there, Zeber’s father, a carpenter by trade, died at the youthful age of 56 on July 11, 1956; his mother eventually remarried a man named Morris Davis. According to Zeber, his stepfather “[w]as a wonderful person, got me into baseball and took care of the family.” Davis hardly could have anticipated that, by introducing his stepson to baseball, he was setting him on the path to a future career. But that became the case when the Yankees selected Loara High School’s switch-hitting 17-year old shortstop in the fifth round of the 1968 June amateur draft. 2

Zeber began his long association with the Yankees franchise as a member of the Johnson City (TN) team in the rookie-level Appalachian League, where he split time evenly between shortstop and second base while batting .254 (43-for-169) over 50 games. Though he struggled at the plate, he had the top fielding percentage on the team at both positions, besting three other second baseman and two shortstops.3

He began his gradual progression through New York’s minor-league system the following year, 1969. He spent 37 games in the Florida Instructional League before finishing the season with the Class-A Kinston Eagles of the Carolina League. He settled in at second base, where he started 128 of his 132 games played. But again he struggled to a .242 batting average while posting the top fielding percentage of any middle infielder on the Eagles.

Although his offense was lagging, Zeber was still considered a big-league prospect because of his defensive ability, and he was invited to spring training in Florida with the parent club in 1970. It was a short stay. He soon joined the ranks of the many 19-year old men drafted into the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War era. For the first year of his two-year hitch in the Army, Zeber was fortunate enough to be stationed stateside, but inevitably he was ordered to Vietnam in March 1971.Going to war put more than just his baseball career in jeopardy, as Zeber well knew. “Sure, I was scared. I was petrified when I received my Vietnam orders,” he admitted. He spent five months at Quang Tri, near the demilitarized zone. During that time Zeber saw combat as a member of an assault helicopter group. Although breaks in the fighting lessened the immediate danger to his life, they did not improve conditions in any way. “The most fun we had in Vietnam,” he recalled, “was going to our hootch, turning on the light, and seeing how many cockroaches ran for cover.”4

Zeber was discharged from the Army in September 1971 and was free to resume his baseball career. After his harrowing experiences in Southeast Asia, he observed in March 1972, “I guess the biggest change over that I had to make was going from a GI to a professional baseball player again and it wasn’t easy.” More than 30 years later, he stated more precisely, “It was quite a while before I could pick up my life and get my head straight after serving in Vietnam.”5

The Yankees welcomed Zeber home with a promotion to their West Haven team in the Double-A Eastern League in 1972. He had lost 30 pounds in the Army, which he thought would make it easier for him to get back in shape for baseball. However, he soon realized, “My legs were not in shape and this caused me problems” and confessed, “I don’t feel comfortable in the field. . . . I just don’t feel as agile as I did before going into the Army.” Playing for future Hall of Famer Bobby Cox, then in his second season as a manager, Zeber returned to second base, where he played 109 of his 118 games that season. He posted the highest batting average of his career to this point, .267 (105-for-393) with eight home runs and 27 RBIs; however, the lack of agility he experienced early in the season likely contributed to the 29 errors he made in the field.6

On the heels of his successful 1972 comeback, Zeber was promoted to the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs in the International League for the 1973 season. Cox had also been promoted to Syracuse as well, and Zeber again was his starting second baseman. He struggled at the new level, batting .171 in 67 games, before encountering the next obstacle in his career path: a right-knee injury that required surgery. Long after his career had ended, Zeber reflected, “It was a severe injury, and the rehab took quite a while. It wasn’t until 1975 or 1976 that I really could move normally. It never was quite the same.” Zeber’s 1974 stats attest to the difficulty of his comeback from the knee injury. He began the year at Syracuse, batting only .157 in 40 games, before being demoted to West Haven in June, where he hit .243 in 73 games over the remainder of the season.7

In 1975 Zeber played mostly at third base for Syracuse in spring training and thought he had put up a good showing in his effort to make the team. However, when the squad departed for its first road series, Zeber was left behind with instructions to rejoin the team for its second series at Tidewater. Upon arriving there, though, “Cox told him he wouldn’t play for a while.” In his first start for the Chiefs on April 25, Zeber went 0-for-3 at the plate and committed three errors in the field. Despite the inauspicious season debut, Zeber regained his starting spot at second base in May, though he remained mystified by the odd start to his season. “I still don’t know why I was left behind” he said in July. As the season progressed, his batting average improved to .251, and he regained his fielding prowess at second base. Taking events in stride, he said, “I’m just concentrating on doing the job here and not thinking about the future. Two years ago here I was uptight. I knew [the Yankees] needed somebody. But I can’t think like that anymore.”8

In the offseason, Zeber did begin to think more about his future. Discouraged by his demotion in mid-1974, he knew that he would be battling with Billy Parker, who had suffered an ankle fracture in 1975, for the starting position at second base in 1976. Besides feeling as though his career might be stalling out, a new business opportunity came his way during the break. His stepfather had started a successful home-rebuilding business in Tustin, CA, and Zeber now took part in the flourishing operation. “We’re making so much money at it,” Davis claimed, “George says he may not go back to Syracuse to play triple-A ball this year. He says he may stay around this spring and help me rebuild houses.”9Zeber later admitted that quitting baseball had crossed his mind on several occasions after 1974 and credited his wife Duskie (née Keller) with dissuading him from taking such action, saying, “She kept telling me how much time I had invested in baseball and just to give it another try.”

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