monkey

Big Giver Gets A Monkey Named In His Honor

Plenty of big givers get a building named after them but it's not every day that a philanthropist gets his own monkey. Philanthropy.com tells the story of Jon Stryker and Rhinopithecus strykeri, the newly discovered species of monkey that bears his name. Stryker, a philanthropist and founder of the Arcus Foundation, which protects great apes, was given the honor by the charity that identified the creatures in Myanmar this summer.

Stryker, who has a great interest in primates, was touched by the gesture. Sadly, Mr. Stryker's monkey is endangered. Fauna and Flora International says that just 330 of the monkeys are alive now and that increased hunting is putting the monkey at risk. In local dialects this animal is called mey nwoah, 'monkey with an upturned face.' Its snub nose collects water when it rains, causing the monkey to sneeze. It also has a relatively long tail, approximately 140 per cent of its body size. No photographs exist of the monkey, so the charity commissioned an artist's rendering. The Philanthropy.com article reports that Fauna and Flora International was worried what Stryker's reaction would be to the look of the unusual monkey. Happily, he calls them "the most beautiful monkeys I have ever seen."

Tags: arcus foundation, endangered species, flora and fauna international, jon stryker, monkey

Chopard 150th Anniversary Animal World Watch Collection

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Luxury watches for women with animals on them are really in - and Chopard is taking full advantage of that with a major new collection in celebration of their 150th anniversary. The collection is actually not just about watches, but a full line of animal themed jewelry that is quite well done may I say. The watches follow suit with their Happy Diamonds / Happy Sport watches - sharing a similar case shape and having the free floating diamonds in the watches. See here are three watches in 18k white or rose gold. Seen here are the Polar Bear, Monkey, and Penguin watches. What I really like is that the animals are placed against a background of their "habitat." The lone polar bear has ice behind it, the monkey is in a jungle, and the penguin is in the midst of fellow birds. the animals are covered in diamonds, and the watches further have diamond bezels. Straps are satin fabric, and the movements inside the watches are likely quartz. You can of course tell the time via hands in the background, but time is not the emphasis of these pieces. Learn more about these and the rest of the Chopard Animal World collection here. The collection is very well done, with some beautiful pieces.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 150th, Animal World, AnimalWorld, anniversary, Chopard, monkey, penguin, polar bear, PolarBear, watch

Tiffany Monkey Straw

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Straws are generally consigned to the realm of a very few drinks, such as root beer floats and milkshakes, and it is difficult to imagine sipping a milkshake out of the Monkey Straw from Tiffany & Co. The straw is 7.25-in. long and is made of sterling silver. A sinuous vine spirals along the length of the piece and there is the small figure of a monkey attached near the top. It could be used for actual drinking, but it might make a better gift at a baby shower, along with all the other cute but impractical objects given out at that type of gathering. Price: $155.