HAND GESTURES


Hello bloggers I can see the extreme cold is still with you I hope you’re able to keep warm. London is much the same, grey however the shops are revving up for Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day, so at least the shops are colourful, intent on encouraging us to spend money.

I was thinking about hand gestures after I heard a scientist talking about how we have so many gestures that are common to the ape world too. Hand gestures are used globally, many are universal. One of the most famous is the V sign. It became synonymous with Winston Churchill, but many people use it when they take photos of themselves.
Handshakes are said to have originated in Ancient Greece, apparently soldiers on meeting people would shake their hands to make sure the person wasn’t concealing a weapon.
The high five became popular in the 1970s in the USA, used by baseball players. There are many more the Ok sign, thumbs up or down, the list could go on and on. However we are not alone in using gestures, Kirsty Graham a scientist has studied gestures used by apes. She found out that Chimpanzees and Bobonos (another ape) could recognise and respond to each other’s species. So an example of animals communicating with each other.
Some of the gestures the apes use are using the back of the hand to get another to move up. Offering a part of their body to indicate grooming is required and extending a foot to enable another ape to climb on their back. It’s fascinating to think of how much we have in common with other species.
Bloggers take care have a good week over and out London.

















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Gabriella D’Cruz amazing work with seaweed.


I hope all is well with you I know it’s extremely cold in Japan and I hope you are managing to keep warm. London is sunny today with a clear blue sky which helps to lift the spirits.
An amazing young woman Gabriella D’Cruz has won the young persons award for Sustainable Development 2021. She has an ambition to redesign India’s seaweed farming industry. Gabriella an Oxford graduate has been working in marine conservation for five years. Her latest project aims to transform India’s seaweed farming from a dangerous poorly paid occupation to a better paid safer mode of employment and protect our marine environment.
Gabriella has a long held fascination with seaweed, she knew seaweed forests are essential for maintaining marine biodiversity. They offer breeding grounds for fish and shelter and shelter to other marine animals. However the forests were being over harvested leading to loss of many many fish. She is also aware that seaweed is a valuable food source and many other uses from animal feed and cosmetics.
She worked with a group of female divers based off the Gulf of Manama. Their work is very dangerous as they dive without protection and hand harvest the seaweed. The workers were very badly paid the profit going to the middlemen and the seaweed being used in the main by pharmaceutical companies as a gelling agent.
She had a vision of transforming the industry which would benefit both the workers and conserve the oceans.
She created a model by using rafts and twine to create seaweed farms, thus sparing natural seaweed forests and sparing the workers from having to dive. She hopes to work with diverse company to expand the use of seaweed globally. I think a well deserved winner.
Bloggers I hope you have a good week over and out London.










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Tigers

well here we are 2022 the year of the tiger. By chance in December I was in Covent Garden visiting my dentist not always a joyful experience. By chance I came upon a wonderful neon tiger sculpture created by China Burman its part of a celebration of Covent Garden . It was absolutely stunning and timely as we enter 2022 here’s hoping we roar into a good year.
Tigers are such beautiful creatures they are primarily found in tropical Asia. The oldest tiger remains date back to 2.15 million years ago. They were smaller then than today.
Tigers can survive in a huge range of climate conditions from minus 40 to extreme heat. What is vital for a tigers survival is food water and shelter. Tigers eat approximately 50-60 large animals a year. Every tigers stripes are unique to each one, similar to humans fingerprints. They are solitary creatures living and hunting alone. They unlike other felines enjoy swimming. Tigers have a roar that can paralyse their prey. Sadly these beautiful creatures are hunted by humans for their skin meat and bones. Thank goodness their are many organisations who campaign on their behalf.
Bloggers keep as warm as you can can and let’s roar into the new year.
Over and out London.













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