Thailand’s chunky monkey on diet after gorging on junk food
Bangkok: A morbidly obese wild monkey who gorged himself on junk food and soda from tourists has been rescued and placed on a strict diet. The chunky monkey nicknamed “Uncle Fat” by locals is now eating lean protein, fruits and vegetables at a rehabilitation center in Thailand. Wildlife officials rescued the male long-tailed macaque last month after photos of the animal started circulating on social media. Most urban wild monkeys in Thailand are macaques, and they typically weigh around 9 kilograms. Uncle Fat tipped the scales Friday at around 26 kilograms . Veterinarians hope to release him back into the wild after a few months.(AP)
Basquiat sells for $110.5mn in artist’s auction record
New York: A 1982 untitled Basquiat sold for USD 110.5 million in New York, setting a new auction record for the US artist in Sotheby’s flagship post-war and contemporary art sale, the auction house said. Jean-Michel Basquiat, the US wonderkid of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent, who died in 1988 of an overdose at the age of 27, has been catapulted into the rostrum of 20th century greats by the rising value of his work.
A tense bidding war lasted for around 10 minutes yesterday between a client in Sotheby’s New York showroom and another on the telephone, with the telephone buyer ultimately clinching the top bid. The skull-like head on a giant canvas in oil-stick, acrylic and spray paint called “Untitled” was the star lot of the May auction season in New York and had been valued pre- sale in excess of USD 60 million. Loud cheers and applause greeted the conclusion of the sale, which almost doubled the previous Basquiat record of $57 million, set for a self-portrait snapped up by a Japanese billionaire at Sotheby’s last year.The canvas was last bought in 1984 at Christie’s for USD 19,000.The USD 110.5 million price tag includes the buyer’s premium. At least 14 works from the Brooklyn-born artist were on sale at Christie’s and Sotheby’s this week. (AFP)
Biden to have ice cream named after him
Washington: Cornell University will honour former US Vice President Joe Biden and his well-known love for ice cream by naming a new flavour in his honour, the media reported. Biden will be the convocation speaker for Cornell later this month, The Hill magazine reported on Thursday.
Cornell Dairy, the university’s on-site dairy brand, and the Cornell Convocation Committee are collaborating to come up with a Biden-inspired flavour ahead of the graduation ceremonies. Countless photographs and speeches document his love for the tasty frozen treat. “My name Joe Biden, and I love ice cream,” the former Vice President said at the start of a speech in 2016 about the economy.
He made the speech while visiting the headquarters for Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream in Columbus, Ohio. “You all think I’m kidding, I’m not, I eat more ice cream than three other people you’d like to be with, all at once,” Biden said.
Students voted on a final flavour name last week, which will be sent to Biden representatives for approval, the magazine reported.
Out of the 150 submitted names, five top keepers included: Bits n’ Biden; Biden’s Chocolate Bites; Big Red, White and Biden; Uncle Joe’s Chocolate Chip; and Not Your Average Joe’s Chocolate Chip. However, the final name is yet to be revealed. (IANS)
