Whole new meaning to pigeon postOUR own Andy Murray was pictured on the front of several newspapers yesterday kissing what looked like a gold stuffed pigeon, celebrating his triumph in the well-known Timbuktu Open. Which brings
Alba to the subject of bird-brains.
A US scientist whose famous African grey parrot, Alex, died earlier this year, is to write a memoir. Irene Pepperberg's book will be called "Alex and Me", not "This Parrot is Dead".
Alex and Pepperberg spent 30 years together. He learned to count to six and mastered enough English to identify 50 objects, seven colours and five shapes.
Not to be outdone comes an enthusiastic press release from Bonhams auctioneers for a January sale to celebrate "unsung animal heroes of World War II".
It includes oil paintings of prize-winning pigeons owned by Jule Janssen, used to send messages from behind the lines.
"In the early years of the war the secret services decided to put together a crack squad of pigeons that would be used as secret agents," it reads. "The birds, which became known as MI14, were dropped into enemy lines. Some acted as double agents and posed as German pigeons." Goose-stepping, presumably.
Fitted with German leg tags, they were to "infiltrate Nazi lofts then fly back to England carrying with them German intelligence." Then, presumably, they were set to work on the Enigma machine.
Arthur's Seat as opera venueCLASSICAL concerts have fallen out of Edinburgh's Hogmanay line-up because of costs, Alba was told.
Last month the New York Metropolitan Opera's broadcast of Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, starring hottie soprano Anna Netrebko, played on 600 movie screens to 97,000 people worldwide.
If we can listen to rock in the rain, and watch fireworks in fog, surely we could put an opera singer on Arthur's Seat in the moonlight?
Price of fame is X FactoredTHE owner of Glasgow's Campus club, Carlo "Chitty" Citti, was furious with Leon Jackson's agents for asking for £25,000 for the singer to "perform" three songs.
We say "perform", because Alba is a closet Rhydian fan and would like the X Factor vote overturned by the Supreme Court.
Carlo complained he could get David Hasselhoff for £15,000, or Peter Andre and Jordan for £7,000. The price quoted for poor Rhydian was just £2,500.
Art of noise worries curatorsROCK concerts in St Petersburg by Paul McCartney, Aerosmith and Elton John may have damaged paintings in the Hermitage museum.
Officials are investigating if works by Monet, Renoir, and Picasso have suffered from the blasts of music shaking the walls. In tests, they have bombarded canvases with high-decibel sound.
