TASC Midwest Bird Expo - 2010

The TASC Midwest Bird Expo 2010 was a huge success as always. We ran into some terrific old friends, and made quite a few terrific new friends as well. Sy Montgomery, author of "Birdology" which had a chapter on Snowball, sat at the booth next to us. Patricia Sund of Bird Talk and Parrot Nation joined our cozy group and wowed us with her talents for cinematography and feather scarves! There's a lot of creativity in that young lady! We were also lucky enough to be placed next to T-W Birds so I was able to meet Traci LaMon in person. A very big thank you to Traci of T-W Birds for all the toys for our rescue birds!

Irena Schulz presented the Music Therapy Studies on parrots, but was upstaged by a funny, dancing bird...none other than Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo. Here is a short clip of him dancing to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" at the close of the presentation. We hope to see you at next year's Midwest Bird Expo.

Please be sure to visit Bird Lovers Only Rescue to receive our brand new t-shirts and books in return for your donations. Your support helps fund our continuous efforts to rescue, rehabilitate, and adopt out parrots as well as allow us to further understand parrots through research studies. Thank you!

Snowball's Sponsors

Snowball wishes to thank the sponsors who so generously pledged to make the dance-a-thon on Saturday, November 14, 2009 a success for the children. Not only did Snowball raise enough money to provide clothes and toys for disadvantaged children at Christmas, but enough money was raised to purchase school uniforms for those living in gang areas. School uniforms will replace street clothes that promote gang colors, resulting in less gang violence on school grounds. And finally, 50 families will each receive a 12 pound turkey with all the side dishes for Thanksgiving.

Snowball continued to receive donations for the children after the sponsor board was created, so we wish to thank not only those who did make the sponsor board but those who did not. The complete list up to and including November 21st is as follows:

• Pet Supplies Plus (Dyer, IN) - in addition, PSP has provided bird food at a very reasonable cost to Snowball and his friends at Bird Lovers Only Rescue.
• Bird Paradise (Burlington, NJ) - in addition, BP has provided toys and food at a very reasonable cost as well as Snowball's show cage. Snowball liked this cage so much that he now uses it as his regular cage where he retires for the night.
• Sy Montgomery, national best-selling author - not only has Sy been a wonderful supporter, but she has become my mentor and adventure hero.
• Global Ideas, Japan - an innovative and creative company.
• Beth Krum - for creating the beautiful sponsor board.
• The Platinum Parrot (Lisa & George Bono)
• Ellen Cook DVM - an avian vet who I greatly admire for her knowledge of parrot behavior.
• Christy Woloszyn from the Hair Cuttery (Dyer, IN).
• Su Gould - in addition, Su has been instrumental in acquiring a professional photographer for Snowball and in volunteering her skills in graphics.
• Michelle and Brandon Grabarek
• The Garvey family
• Dawn Satkowski
• Joseph Rybicki
• Mike and Sylvia Wilson
• Nancy Gray
• Jeanette Lesich
• Ramona Cooper
• Christine Misiak
• Main Event Music - to Jef Jarecki for providing DJ service for the dance-a-thon (219) 322-6309
• Joe Fisher
• Sarah Katherine
• Jan Kullman
• Juanita Jarecki - for making the Snowball costume
• Jim Beil
• Sandy Kowalski
• Lynne Jackson
• Sammy Chow
• Gayle Podowski - for Snowball's "red carpet"
• Kay Sheridan
• Hoosier Sports - Judy Hein
• Carole Young - for continuing support of the birds at Bird Lovers Only as well as promoting avian education and awareness.
• Lynn Watts
• Nancy Stannard
• Carol Baskas - for dressing up like Snowball and entertaining all the children!
• Prairie Junior High School
• Dyer United Methodist Church
• Chuck and Irena Schulz
• Bird Lovers Only Rescue
• The dancers who took part in the dance-a-thon.
• The 'behind-the-scenes' volunteers that made this happen.
• And a very special thank you to Natasha, Dan, Jef, and Chris. There would not have been a dance-a-thon fundraiser for the children if not for you! Thank you for two fun-filled days!

Snowball's Rise to Viral Fame

I was interviewed recently regarding the story of Snowball's rise to fame. I had expected, once again, for my words to be edited into a much more glossed over version of the actual story. Much to my surprise, and a very pleasant one at that, my words appeared as I had written them...unedited!
http://bestinflock.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/the-story-of-snowballs-rise-to-viral-fame/

I have had many people ask me if I work in addition to what I do at the rescue. I have to chuckle to myself because I work over 80 hours per week at the rescue without a break even for weekends, holidays, or other special occassions. My duties include everything from being Snowball's manager and a collaborator in scientific research to scrubbing and disinfecting bird cages. At the end of major cleaning days it's not unusual for me to look like Mel Brooks in "High Anxiety" after he's been satirically pooped on by a flock of birds.

I've been judged by some for the content of the tv programs which I have been on with Snowball. But I have never had control over what is edited out and what is left to be shown to the audience. Heaven knows I've tried to emphasize to the interviewers the abuse and neglect that I see and how much I want to do something about this in the form of legislation, but Snowball's charm always prevails and the sad parts end up on the floor of the editing room.

I have recently been able to write, direct, and produce my own videos and have them show up on Jennifer Viegas' blog "Born Animal" which is found on Discovery News. This also happens to be one of my three favorite blogs (and I do follow many), so I was overjoyed at the prospect of having my unedited (albeit rough and amateurish) videos appear there.
http://blogs.discovery.com/news_animal/

So when my words do go unedited and I am able to speak my mind, I am grateful. To those of you who have allowed this...a very, very sincere thank you!

Snowball at IUPUI

Dr. Aniruddh Patel, lead scientist on the Snowball studies, was recently interviewed at IUPUI. Dr. Patel presented research that included findings published in Current Biology in May, 2009.

http://www.iupui.edu/podcasts/index.php?episode=378

Snowball in The TIMES newspaper

Snowball makes front page news once again. This time he is on the front page of Sunday's The TIMES newspaper. His story is also told online alongside his Taco Bell commercial at the following link.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_4b3a58ed-2eae-5c3a-a095-fa3135bec62c.html

Bird Paradise

Snowball and Irena Schulz were recently in New York City to take part in the World Science Festival. Bird Paradise kindly donated a cage for Snowball to make him comfortable during his stay in New York for the Festival. They also donated numerous toys for Snowball and his friends back home, as well as food and some of Snowball's favorite treats...pine nuts!

When we went to pick up Snowball's cage, we could not believe how many different types of toys they had in the store. There were countless aisles of shreddy toys, leather toys, wood toys, acrylic toys, and you name it. If the toy was not found in this store, chances are that it's just not available. And if you wonder about cleanliness, this store was fastidiously clean. I've been to numerous pet shops over the years and none compared in product availability and cleanliness. This is a place that you have to see to believe. Below is a link to their online store.

http://www.mybirdstore.com/

Snowball and all his friends at Bird Lovers Only Rescue Service, Inc. wish to thank Bird Paradise for their generosity and kindness in making Snowball feel so comfortable in his donated show cage as well as countless hours of enjoyment playing and tearing apart his donated toys.

THANK YOU BIRD PARADISE!

Snowball's Taco Bell commercial

We hope you will enjoy Snowball's Taco Bell commercial. If you do enjoy it, please consider donating to Bird Lovers Only Rescue. The donations that are generated on behalf of Snowball provide quality vet care, food, and toys for all the birds at our sanctuary.

Snowball in Smithsonian Magazine

Snowball seems to get around these days. He is currently featured in the Smithsonian Magazine (July 2009 issue).

Click on links below.
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2009/06/22/a-dancing-parrot-and-more/

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Wild-Things-July09.html?c=y&page=2

Snowball at the World Science Festival

Snowball made a grand entrance at the World Science Festival on Saturday, June 13th where he strutted his stuff and proved that a non-human animal can dance to a musical beat. At the Avian Einsteins venue we had a distinguished panel of scientists dance along with Snowball. At the end of the dance, Snowball was so proud of himself that he took several bows. But he had just warmed up and wanted to dance more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIjMHFbqBrY

http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/media-resources

http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55767/

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0617/p18s01-hfgn.html

http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/2009/avian-einsteins

Thank You to Care2 Petitionsite!

I recently received the following email from the Care2 Petitionsite. Rescuing birds is never-ending and it can wear down even the strongest person because there never seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel...there will always be another bird that needs a home. So this email touched my heart at a time when it needed some mending. One can only imagine how much this meant to me. Thank you all so indescribably much!

To: Irena (and Snowball especially!),

This is a thank you. We created a petition on the Care2 web site to say thank you for your work and Snowball for raising human's consciousness.

Signed,
Jean Linsavage
Janice Wharton

Petition: I think that sometimes a petition can just be a thank you. I just wanted to thank Irena and her site for helping and rescue birds. There are so many other links to Snowball the dancing Cockatoo on Youtube. Animals and humans are the same. That's all.

Please click on the following link to see the petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/this-is-a-thank-you

Snowball Makes World News

Pictured: Dr. Aniruddh Patel (left) and Dr. John Iversen (right)

Snowball, the prodigal parrot, has once again hit the airwaves. But this time it's the science side of Snowball that has everyone talking. Music has always been believed to be unique to humans. Thanks to Snowball and the scientists at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, California led by Dr. Ani Patel, that theory no longer flies - pun intended.

Below are links to some articles regarding a paper which was released in Current Biology on April 30, 2009 entitled "Experimental Evidence for Synchronization to a Musical Beat in a nonhuman Animal" by Patel, Iversen, Bregman, and Schulz. You can find many more links by Googling "Snowball dancing cockatoo."

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/430/1

http://inventorspot.com/articles/snowball_dancing_cockatoo_disproves_evolutionary_theory_21320

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103710332

http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/news/dancing-birds-rhythm.shtml

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/04/backstreet-boys-cockatoo-shows-researchers-that-birds-really-can-dance.html

http://blogs.discovery.com/news_animal/2009/04/birds-can-dance-video-and-qa-with-harvards-adena-schachner.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090430.wdancing0430/BNStory/Science/home

Snowball on Animal Planet

Snowball can be seen instructing children on how to dance at a dance studio in Chicago, Illinois on Animal Planet's "Most Outrageous Animals." This segment can be seen on the following days (Eastern Time):

May 2, 2009: 10pm

May 3, 2009: 1am & 5am

May 9, 2009: 5pm

May 11, 2009: 9pm

May 12, 2009: 12am & 4am

Snowball and the Geico gecko

Introducing Snowball's latest competition...the Geico gecko. The Martin Agency which produces the Geico commercials may have the recipe for the animal world's version of "Dancing With The Stars" by creating this adorable video. Personally, I think this would make a playfully amusing SUPER BOWL commercial!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeC8rMjp8Mc

WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL June 10-14

The countdown to the 2009 World Science Festival has begun.

From climate change to the cosmos; from neuroscience to nanotechnology; from mathematical magic to the multiverse--this year's Festival will feature some of the world's leading scientific minds, celebrated artists and innovative thinkers including:

Nobel Prize-winning scientists James Watson, Harold Varmus, David Gross, Frank Wilczek, Sir Paul Nurse and William Phillips; renowned authors Bill McKibben and Irene Pepperberg; esteemed researchers E.O. Wilson, James Hansen, Daniel Wegner, Erich Jarvis, Daniel Levitin and Margaret Livingstone; acclaimed artists Alan Alda, Marin Alsop and Anna Deavere Smith; and Irena Schulz from Bird Lovers Only Rescue.

2008 Festival Event Videos - Now Online
For those of you who may have missed one of last year's programs, many are now available to view online. To watch 2008 program excerpts, please visit: www.worldsciencefestival.com/video/2008-video-excerpts

For Information
Complete information about the 2009 Festival's programming and special guests will be announced later this spring. Tickets will go on sale in late April.
Please keep visiting www.worldsciencefestival.com for new announcements about programs, participants, and tickets. You can also follow the World Science Festival on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

The Magic of Music

A surgeon struck by lightning and a dancing parrot hold clues to music’s profound effects.
by Geoff Olson

http://www.commonground.ca/iss/211/cg211_olson.shtml

Snowball in NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE

Dr. Aniruddh Patel was interviewed by the New York Times Magazine on cognitive music studies involving Snowball. Studies were done to test whether Snowball's rhythmic movements matching the differing tempos of music were by chance or whether Snowball truly moves to the beat. Those studies revealed that Snowball does in fact feel the beat and adjusts to the tempo of the music. Click on the link below to read more about the research.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/magazine/14ideas-section01-t-003.html

Studying synchronization to a musical beat in nonhuman animals

The recent discovery of spontaneous synchronization to music in a nonhuman animal (the sulphur-crested cockatoo Cacatua galerita eleanora) raises several questions.

How does this behavior differ from non-musical synchronization abilities in other species, such as synchronized frog calls or firefly flashes? What significance does the behavior have for debates over the evolution of human music? What kinds of animals can synchronize to music, and what are the key methodological issues for research in this area? This paper addresses these questions and proposes some refinements to the “vocal learning and rhythmic synchronization hypothesis.”

http://www.birdloversonly.org/docs/Study_NYAS.pdf

"Season of Giving" Christmas Show

On Wednesday, December 17, 2008 beginning at 2:30pm Eastern, Animal Talk Naturally will host a two hour "Season of Giving" show through their regular platform on Blog Talk Radio at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/animaltalknaturally to raise funds for Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch http://www.crystalpeaksyouthranch.org/ in order to help rescue horses and kids; Paws and Think http://www.pawsandthink.org/ which pairs at-risk shelter dogs with at-risk youth; and "Animals In Paradise" http://www.animalsinparadise.com/ which is an upcoming documentary film about the eternal lives of animals.
Animal Talk Naturally will celebrate Christmas by supporting two nonprofit animal charities and an upcoming documentary film on the eternal lives of animals on their second annual Christmas show with twelve of their former and repeat guests! Each of the twelve special guests - who are each giving of their time and talent - will share their own unique message during the show, along with Christmas music provided by Jean Wenzel and Mary Buddemeyer-Porter. Irena Schulz, Snowball mom, will be one of the guests on "Season of Giving."
“We’ve had a lot of support from businesses stepping up to provide giveaways to anyone in our listening audience who donates $50 or more to at least one of the charities or the documentary film during the live two-hour show.” comments Dr. Jeannie Thomason, co-host of Animal Talk Naturally. “Each business that is participating will not only have their name and website mentioned on the show but, they are also receiving an entire year of advertising on
our Season of Giving page on Animal Talk Naturally’s Website http://www.animaltalknaturally.com/aseason-of-giving/ which will remain on the site until next year’s show!”
“We have also received tremendous support from two other radio shows - EFA Artists for Animals http://www.blogtalkradio.com/EFA and also Something About Women http://www.mykkim.com/default.asp?pid=13256 -a local NM radio show.” states Dr. Kim Bloomer, co-host of Animal Talk Naturally. “We are hoping that businesses will also donate directly to the charities or the documentary along with the live listening audience during the show. The more the better! The good news is that both charities are 501c3 non-profits so your donations are tax deductible. The documentary film is not a non-profit but whoever donates to "Animals In Paradise" will have their name listed in the credits and possibly your own piece of
video with your pet will be included in the film. Jesus was born into the world to give His life for us. The least we can do is give of our resources to help those less fortunate during this special time and season of giving.”
To find out more and how you can get involved go to http://www.animaltalknaturally.com/a-season-ofgiving/
Contact:
Dr. Jeannie Thomason
Animal Talk Naturally
http://www.animaltalknaturally.com/
Phone: 530.347.9211
Email: jeannie@animaltalknaturally.com

About Animal Talk Naturally:
Celebrating the art of natural animal health, the truth of animal nature and the love of the human/animal bond from a Christian faith-based focus. Veterinary naturopaths Dr. Kim Bloomer and Dr. Jeannie Thomason, now in their fourth year of online talk radio; bring in a wide variety of industry experts to help share the passion Animal Talk Naturally is known for by their audience. Join them bi-weekly for an often passionate, sometimes serious, sometimes funny, but never boring show! You and your animals can be “ears up” for the podcast at http://www.animaltalknaturally.com/

Dr. Aniruddh Patel Receives ASCAP Award

(Left) On December 9, 2008 Dr. Aniruddh Patel, President of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition, accepted an ASCAP award for his most recent book "Music, Language, and the Brain" in New York City. Dr. Aniruddh Patel heads the cognitive music studies involving Snowball the dancing cockatoo. (Upper right) Dr. Patel with two judges from ASCAP and Oliver Sacks who received an award for "Musicophilia." (Lower right) ASCAP judge, Ani Patel and Joan Bossert, Dr. Patel's editor from Oxford University Press.

We congratulate Dr. Aniruddh Patel on his remarkable research not only with Snowball, but on his use of technology to investigate the correlation between language, music, and the brain.

For more information regarding "Music, Language, and the Brain" please visit: http://www.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195123753/

For more information regarding "Musicophilia" please visit: http://www.oliversacks.com

Living The Scientific Life

Snowball is on "Living The Scientific Life" which you can view by clicking on the link below.

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/12/snowball_the_parrot_dances_to_1.php