By Jennifer Viegas | Tue Jan 19, 2010 01:57 PM ET

A few of the scientific discoveries involving Monkees that occurred doing our hiatus;

Monkee see, Monkee do

Following the latest trends is not just a human trait according to the latest research by psychologists at the University of St Andrews. Now similar social behavior has been observed in capuchin monkees. A study by Dr Marietta Dindo and Professor Andrew Whiten of the University of St Andrews has shown that they are also susceptible to social conformity. The scientists have shown that different traditions will spread in different groups of monkees and exert undue influence on how the animals behave.  In the study conducted at the Yerkes Centre, the alpha male of one group of monkees was taught to find food behind a sliding door. The alpha male of a second group learned to find the treat using a different 'lifting' method to open the same door. After each 'expert' monkee was reunited with their respective group, the majority of monkees soon learned how to reach the food, adopting the 'local method' of their particular alpha male so that two different traditions developed. Of particular interest to the researchers was that despite a majority of the monkees discovering the alternative method, they mainly stuck to the method most common in their group. (Media-Newswire.com)

Respect for elders is in our genes

A monkey study which appeared in the scientific journal Biology Letters led by Alban Lemasson at the University of Rennes in Paimpont, France revealed that respect for elders may be universal in primates. Like humans, monkees also pay special attention to their elders during conversations, in order to garner some of the older monkees wisdom. Researchers recorded 823 vocal exchanges between eight female Campbell's monkeys, each of which was observed for 6 hours. The calls by older monkeys elicited more vocal responses than those by younger monkees, regardless of their status within the group. One possible explanation for why younger monkees pay more attention to what their elders have to say could be that being taken under the wing of a senior monkee may help younger animals forge friendships and climb the social ladder. "Older monkees play a key role in regulating the social network," said Lemasson. "Elders know the forest better, they're better at spotting predators, and they're better at finding new food," said Klaus Zuberbuhler of the School of Psychology at the University of St Andrews, UK. "The calls made by elders may play a key role in group cohesion and survival," he added.

Monkees can recognize their friends in photos

In a study, monkees looked at four photos, including one of a monkey they knew. They also looked at another four monkee photos, including one of a monkee they didn't know. "This required monkeys to look at similar-looking faces and use their personal knowledge of group mates to solve the task," lead researcher Jennifer Pokorny, said in the news release. "They readily performed the task and continued to do well when shown new pictures in color and in grayscale, as well as when presented with individuals they had never before seen in pictures, though with whom they were personally familiar."
According to the researchers, previously, there hasn't been evidence that nonhuman primates can look at two-dimensional images and understand they represent things and animals from real life.

MONKEY MILLIONAIRE

After appearing in an episode of “The Phil Silvers Show” (”The Court Martial”) as a chimp who joins the army, Zippo was a hot property. A series of super-successful guest appearances led NBC to decided in 1957 to catch lightning in a bottle and give Zippo his own show. Zippo’s owner Karl Polk was difficult to deal with and it took almost six months to find an idea he was comfortable with. That idea was “Monkey Millionaire.” NBC had wanted a more traditional show where Zippo lived with a family in the suburbs, but Karl wanted Zippo to have more screen time.

In the show, set in 1935, Zippo played Simian Sawbucks, a former circus monkey that became the ward of an insane millionaire. Although details were changed, the millionaire as he appeared was obviously inspired by William Randolph Hearst. After the millionaire died in mysterious circumstance, Simian Sawbucks inherited all of his money. Accompanied by his friend Rocko, a rough-and-tumble former boxer with a thick Brooklyn accent, he made his way around the United States eating bananas, solving problems and, for some unexplained reason, murdering prostitutes.

The show only aired twice and was then quickly canceled, but it is fondly remembered by most who saw it. Zippo would later, ironically, become a millionaire as the “spokeschimp” for asbestos. Karl Polk died in the electric chair.

Theme to Monkey Millionaire (Money, Monkey, Marvelous!)

Swinging from a vine above
Kidnapped from the trees he loved
Purchased by a wealthy man
who became his biggest fan
That man swallowed the wrong pill
left all his money in his will
to a brainy monkey just filled with flair
we all know him as Monkey Millionaire!
Monkey Millionaire looking jaunty in his suit
Monkey Millionaire pockets loaded down with loot
He eats bananas like rich monkeys do
He pays a hobo to fling his poo
Monkey Millionaire!
Monkey Millionaire!

News @ AsiaOne

Hungry monkeys go to school for food

Most of the monkeys were not afraid of humans anymore. -NST

Thu, Oct 01, 2009
New Straits Times

In this world gone mad, we won't spank the monkey, the monkey will spank us!!

Moving through space and time, revisiting my past, it feels like old times in Atlanta. A far cry from how grown up North Carolina had become. Their still keeping it crunk down in the A at least! When we were kids we believed in a lot of things we have since grown out of. The tides of change have moved us in to a new age. The second decade in the 21^st century will be marked with even greater change, even more scientific and technological advances; we are living in the future, our future. We are laying the foundation for future generations as the path was laid for us, it is up to us to decide if we will continue down the dark path of greed and excess or move to a more enlightened self aware state. Are we monsters, or are we more than that? Only time will tell. I have moved across the country and in a few short days I will move back across it. Making this trek twice within a 12 month period is eye opening to say the least.  There is an energy a foot two currents that seek to suppress each other, but cannot. They feed off of one another; they push each of us to make decisions each day. Do we hide in fear, and become worse for it, or do we become inspired to strive for a better world.

The Armada exists because humanity has reached a dead-end. Humans are weak and inefficient. Monkees are far superior to humans. Our racism is not against one group or color, we do not hate creed or nationality, and we hate all humans, each and every one. They are the alien usurpers of the earth we fight in defense of. They have mutilated themselves and the planet, trying to chop down our kingdom in the trees.  These are but some of the thoughts that populate our minds how are we to overcome, and succeed? How do we face this new epoch with reason and just actions? It is a struggle and conflict which begins internally.  We the Armada must be vigilant, our cause is not to propagate failed institutions or continue traditions that no longer serve a purpose. There must be new rites and rituals and new traditions that are more malleable and true to nature.  Mankind has long looked to the skies for answer,, but they stared past the trees to the clouds which cannot answer back. Yet the screech of the Howler Monkey can pierce even the deafest ear and bend the will of man to help him understand the price he will pay for defiling the mother earth. It is not our desire to reverse time, one cannot reverse time. We have all ready begun to dance with the machines that man built and forge a Monkee/Robot alliance that will march us in more forward into the future. Soon Russia will send one of us to Mars where we will begin colonization. In Japan we’ve begun to brush our teeth and floss even. One of us recently took a piss on a pathetic faux-lebrity. Our time is now!

The Armada is eternal and forever changing, one must never become stagnate, yet one must never forget where one came from. Moving in circles yet growing closer to the heavens we are the dream of Brahma and the perfect creature that mankind was born from in the Snowy lands. Visions of us are what legends are made of. The wise monkey still laughs in the face of adversity. We are reminded in our darkest hour of a legend;

Jupiter issued a proclamation to all the beasts of the forest and promised a royal reward to the one whose offspring should be deemed the handsomest. The Monkey came with the rest and presented, with all a mother's tenderness, a flat-nosed, hairless, ill-featured young Monkey as a candidate for the promised reward. A general laugh saluted her on the presentation of her son. She resolutely said, "I know not whether Jupiter will allot the prize to my son, but this I do know, that he is at least in the eyes of me his mother, the dearest, handsomest, and most beautiful of all."

In order to be free you must access your Monkee Mind; you must leave behind the corrupt hue-man hive mentality. Shed your false humanity and swing from the trees. Inside each of us lurks a beast be it Monkee or Panda, Squirrel or Penguin. You must shed your false mortal coil and recognize your Monkee heritage, remember that we are the descendents of Sun Wu Kong, we come from the same lineage as Hanuman, Thoth, we bring knowledge and light, and the hue-man race was born from our genes, we are the founding fathers of the earth itself. The trees are our kingdom and all the world is our domain, there is nothing we cannot do, nothing we cannot out shine. We are the Vanara who dwell in the midst of the forest of Kishkindha.

Hanuman as narrator in comic book, thanks to a Californian

NEW DELHI - Hanuman, the symbol of power, purity and faith in the Ramayana, has appeared in a new avatar - as the ’sutradhar’ (narrator) of the epic mythological tale in an adventure activity and comic book for children Where’s Hanuman.

Conceived and written by California-based publisher and a devotee of Lord Krishna, Alister Taylor, the animation book which is the first of a series has been illustrated by Christopher Woods and Ben McClintic and published in India by Penguin-Books India.

It was launched Saturday at the Reliance Timeout Store in Gurgaon in an action-packed activity evening for children and their parents. The activities centred on Hanuman, the most frequently invoked deities in the country and his brave lores.

A live-sized mannequin of the monkey god kept the children glued to the programme.

The slim volume begins with an introduction of Hanuman in first person and a cast of all the characters, both man and animals, who accompanied him on his journey of life. It also has a list of six objects - a bow, mace, conch, discus, ring and lotus - which Hanuman lost along the way.

As part of the adventure exercise, children were supposed to spot the objects and characters, all associated with Hanuman in some way or the other, from the double-spread illustrations of Ramayana in the book.

“It is a new concept. The idea is to make the book participatory and interactive in nature. The children have to identify Hanuman and his associates from the illustrated sequences from Ramayana. They are almost hidden in unlikely corners. It is a good way to keep the children engaged and promote the epic,” Taylor told IANS.

The events illustrated in a rather humorous manner include mega crowded affairs like Sita’s Wedding, Demons in the Forest” (King Rama fighting the demons), The Coronation of Sugriva, Marshalling the Armies” (a huge jungle scene), Marching to Lanka, Ravana’s Palace, Building the Bridge, Battle Scene, Attacking Lanka and The Pushpaka.

“Our favourite character in Ramayana is Hanuman. He signifies faith and fearlessness. He is almost like god, Bharti Khatwani from Vasant Kunj in the capital told IANS. She helped son Sameer, a Class 7 student, identify Hanuman and his entourage as part of a Spot The Hanuman contest at the launch.

Creator-publisher Taylor, head of Torchlight Publishing in the US, says his life is linked to Ramayana and Hanuman because the epic changed the course of my vocation.

“Twenty-five years ago, on a flight from Cairo to New Zealand, somebody gave me a copy of the English translation of the Ramayana to read. It was not very reader friendly. The language was stilted. I realised that the world needed a contemporary and easy Ramayana. I asked one of my friends to translate both Ramayana and Mahabharata. It took nearly 10 years and then I set up a publishing house to print them. Ramayana was published in 1996 followed by Mahabharata in 1998. Both the books were best-sellers in the US. Since then, I had Hanuman in my mind, Taylor said.

The publisher loves the great Indian classics and has a section devoted to them in his catalogue.

His publications on Indian mysticism and religion include a volume on Vaisnava Saints, Krsna, Israel, and the Druze, “The Final Journey (Complete Hospice Care for Departing Vaisnavas), Krsna Land, Prince Rama, Son of the Solar Dynasty and “Bhagwad Gita for Children”.

“The ‘Bhagwad Gita for Children’ is doing well in the US. I keep coming back to India almost every year and I love its culture. I realised over the last few years that Indian kids were losing base with their culture. It spurred the book on Hanuman,” he said.

Taylor, an ISKCON member, already has a “Hanuman sequel in mind”.

A MONKEY has pushed a woman off a cliff.

The woman, 60-year-old Zhou Juchang, made the claim after winding up at the bottom of a seven-metre rockface, fracturing her hip and breaking three ribs.

Now she’s suing her travel agent, who organised her trip into China’s Chengdu Wildlife Park.

The monkey allegedly flew into a rage when the woman refused to hand over the bag of monkey food which her tour guide recommended she buy.

A spokesman for the park said the woman’s mistake was showing fear.

“If you show fear a monkey will bully you,” he told London’s Metro.