Updates

I have a couple of updates on stories that I have posted about in the past. Teh first is relatively recent. It appears that the newborn Beluga calf that was born at the Shedd Aquarium on July 17th is still doing well. This is a good thing in that it also is a very unusual occurence as only 2 of 6 beluga whales born captive at the Shedd have survived. The handlers have been watching Puiji and her as yet unnamed cub to ensure that they reach certain milestones. They have also been slowly introducing other whales and themselves to the calf because he will eventually have to interact with them.

On a completely different subject and a much older story, the paintings by Edvard Munch that had been stolen two years ago, The Scream and Madonna have been found. Two armed gumen came to the National Gallery in Oslo in August 2004 and took The Scream and Madonna. Police are being tightlipped about how or where the paintings were recovered although rumors indicate that David Toska, the mastermind behind many of Norway's most notorious robberies was involved. Speculation is whether the theft of these paintings was arranged to draw attention away from a bank robbery that went bad 4 months earlier in which 2 police officers were killed. Three men have been charged and convicted in the theft. Something that I had not seen before was that the makers of M&M's had offered a reward of 2 million dark chocolate M&M's for the safe recovery of The Scream. The painting was featured in and advertisement for the candy as part of a campaign featuring dark works of art. The paintings were apparently handled roughly since the theft because there is some damage, but they are repairable. The good thing is that they are back where they belong.