Songs from the Deep

Tuning in to why humpbacks sing
By Virginia Morell
Smithsonian magazine, February 2008

One of the most enchanting mysteries about humpback whales is their songs. Only the males are known to sing, although both males and females sound certain social calls while they're feeding, and calves make other calls when they're near their mothers.

The humpback's haunting songs are among the most complex animal vocalizations. They have a hierarchical syntax, one of the basic elements of language, according to recent studies. That is, they sing units of sound that together form a phrase. The phrases are repeated in patterns known as themes. Each song is composed of anywhere from two to nine themes, and the themes are sung in a specific order. Some phrases sound like the low moan of a cello, while others are more like the chirp of a songbird.

Initially, researchers thought the males sang to attract females. When scientists played the songs on underwater speakers, however, other males—not females—showed up. Still, that doesn't mean the females aren't listening. Some people speculate that the whale songs are best compared to those of birds—vocalizations that alert both males and females to a new guy in the neighborhood. Compounding matters, humpbacks sing not only at their breeding grounds but also during their long migrations.

Intriguingly, humpbacks in different populations sing entirely different songs from those elsewhere in the world. And the songs evolve: each year, a few whales in a breeding area add new elements to a song that other males then adopt. "Individuals don't seem to stand out for very long," says Adam Pack of the Dolphin Institute based in Honolulu.
I hear the song late in our whale-watching day. Lou Herman, also of the Dolphin Institute, stops the boat in the middle of a seemingly empty sea and kills the engine. Whale spouts shoot up in the distance. "Listen," he says.

From beneath the boat, a sighing, almost mournful sound rises into the air. It is surprisingly loud and has a yearning edge—a pipe player alone, sounding the plaintive notes of love? Or is he calling for a buddy to join him? Or singing to let all whales in Hawaii know that humpbacks rule?

"The songs fascinate everyone," says Herman. "We know now that all the males here sing the same song, and when they stop the song for this season, they'll pick it up again right where they left off next year. Why and how?" Herman gives a hands-up shrug.

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The Western at Rest

Last week I saw an John Wayne flick,El Dorado,after ages.I have never been a big fan of The Duke.I mean if you have seen one movie of his,you have seen all.But this one was refreshing to say the least and rekindled by desire to meet The Duke all over again.This movie works,at least for me,perhaps because the lead people associated with it were more relaxed about what they were doing.As Wayne would say..."they didn't have to prove a darn thing to nobody anymore".I will elaborate..

1967 was a strange crossover time in American film. Directors like Howard Hawks had been canonized by the French "auteur" theory, and critics-turned filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut and Peter Bogdanovich were freely citing Hawks as an influence. At the same time, younger moviegoers were becoming attracted to new, hip cinema like Blow Up, Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate, and Hawks and John Wayne were considered fogeys, way past their prime. When El Dorado was released, half the public was celebrating and hero worshipping, and the other half was sneering.

A lot of the films that were considered hip in the 60's have become transparent, and the values that were once topical that attracted the young have become ancient. Looking at most of the movies from that era on video, from a new melliniuem's standpoint, its more refreshing to see a master craftsman like Hawks keeping the status quo than to see some first-timer showing off and trying to be self-consiously brilliant.

El Dorado is a pretty standard Western. It's not flashy and electrified like Once Upon a Time in the West or The Wild Bunch, but it moves gracefully, charmingly along. It's essentially a remake of Hawks' earlier Rio Bravo (with writer Leigh Brackett updating her own script). John Wayne, instead of sheriff, plays an aging gunman, who is getting too wise for the game. Robert Mitchum, as the drunken sheriff, takes over the role of the drunken Dean Martin, and James Caan is the fresh faced greenhorn last played by Ricky Nelson (thankfully, Caan doesn't sing). Hawks and Brackett take their time in setting up this story, giving Wayne and Mitchum plenty of backstory, before the stand-off in the town of El Dorado.

Wayne is so much better in Hawks films than in John Ford films. He seems more relaxed, and he actually acts. At the time of El Dorado, he had been in over 150 films and was finally growing relaxed in front of the camera. He moves naturally, as opposed to his stiff, jerky performances in movies like The Quiet Man (1952). Hawks, too, seems relaxed, like he knows nothing more is at stake, he had nothing more to prove, with this film. He had been in movies for five decades, and his craft was perfected. He seems to make movies with his guts, without even thinking about them. His skill is in his hands and in his eyes. El Dorado is an effortless movie, and it draws you in easily.

How to blog?

It’s your own voice on the web. A blog is where you can collect and share things that you find interesting in almost the same way as you would on a ‘social networking site’ like Facebook, Bebo or Myspace. Good blogs might include a political commentary, personal diary, photos, music, videos and links to websites you want to remember. Look at blogs on The-Latest if you want some ideas.

What do you like or dislike in your everyday life? Does something bugger you off or make you laugh? Turn your thoughts into a blog to which perhaps many a reader can relate.

Don’t just re-cycle what you’ve read somewhere unless you have a novel, interesting comment on it.

Many bloggers decide to use a blog to organize their thoughts, while others command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands because what they have to say makes people sit up and listen.

People’s voice
Blogs have reshaped the web, changed politics, shaken up journalism and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others throughout the world. That why business leaders, politicians, top journalists and celebs have joined the internet’s merry band of bloggers

Foreign correspondent
Make a point of blogging when you travel abroad. Blogs from Latest.comers while they are abroad have provided fascinating insights into events in places like Darfur, in Africa, Lebanon, and Jordan, in the Middle East, and China. Observations while you are on holiday could be just as gripping.

Fame and fortune
A blog that everyone wants to read might provide you with your moment of fame and even make money for you. For instance, The-Latest sometimes offers cash prizes for the best blog on the site.

Spark a debate
You can receive instant feedback on your posts in the form of comments and sparked a fascinating debate with others on the web as well as make new friends.

Whatever you want to say, The-Latest can help you say it, with the aid of the professional journalists who sub-edit your contributions.

Link to past posts
If you are writing a post that mentions something related to what you have written before simply link to it, by typing the URL address, from within the post.

This helps to engage your reader by providing them with more related material that they are likely to be interested in.

Make headlines snappy

Grab the reader’s attention with a succinct headline. Look at national newspapers, especially popular tabloids, to see how they do it.

Be consistent with your style

Once you have settled on a style of writing or voice for your audience stick to it. Generally, people like to know what to expect.

Write a series
Writing a series of posts on a topic is a great way of increasing your reader’s length of stay on your blog.

Encourage comments
Ask questions of the reader at the end of each post. When a reader comments reply to the comment and try to keep the conversation going. Soon you will find other readers joining the conversation.

Edit and legal blogs
Before you hit the submit button check your facts, spelling and punctuation and cut out the material that you don’t really need. Alert the Editor to any legal concerns like possible libel or copyright infringement before you submit a post.

Be interactive
Readers will want to stay longer on a blog that is interactive. You can achieve this by starting a forum debate (see The-Latest forums) or conducting a quiz. You can also start a project and involve the reader.

Use pictures and sound
Images, still photographs, video and music, make the blog more interesting and can be integral to its.