Nature, red in tooth and claw

The Zouk otters in March, 2021 (WSJ)

In a follow-up to yesterday's post about a man injured by otters, the culprits have been identified: the Zouk family of Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Ottercity, a local group that is supportive of otters, said the attack on Mr. Spencer was the work of the so-called Zouk family, a wandering household of around 15 otters that sometimes gather in the Botanic Gardens area.

The Zouks have seen their fair share of struggles. “The family was displaced by other stronger families and have been wandering, searching for a permanent home,” Ottercity said, according to a post on the group’s Facebook page. “Along the way, they lost a few members due to roadkills and fights.”

The Zouks got their name because the parents came from an area near the former location of Zouk, a prominent nightclub in the city. Local otter experts consider the Zouks to be among the most urban-adapted otters in the world.

But their tolerance of humans has limits. Ottercity, backing Mr. Spencer’s account, said a jogger had stepped on the otters in the dim light, causing the family to react in defense of their young against the nearest person still around.

The otters are more urban, not urbane.

Called Wildlife for a Reason

USPS stamps: Otters in Snow

Since it opened in 1984 the Monterey Bay Aquarium has featured sea otters, the endangered marine mammal whose playfulness and cutesy features have made them a popular attraction.

After decades of such favorable exposure, the affection for sea otters has often transferred to the other 12 otter species.

There are numerous otter toys, clothes, and dolls for sale this Christmas; when I asked for holiday stamps at the Post Office, the clerk pointed to "Otters in Snow", which wasn't really Christmas-themed but certainly cheerful enough.

The stamps, which I did purchase, are misleading, because most otter species are "opportunistic carnivorous mammals." Last week a Singapore man was viciously attacked by a raft of otters.

2020 photo of otters in Singapore park. (NYPost)

[Graham] Spencer, who is in his 60s, was reportedly approaching the visitors center when he spotted around 20 otters crossing a dimly-lit path in front of him....The animal encounter went south after a jogger ran through the pack, causing the fish-eaters to go “crazy like dogs” and try to bite the passerby...

Fortunately, the runner escaped, but the water weasels set their sights on Spencer, who believed they’d mistook him for the runner.

The ornery otters reportedly hit him in the ankles, pushed him down and leaped on top of Spencer, then proceeded to bite the prone man around his legs, shoes and buttocks, with one nipping his finger, according to the media reports.

“I was bitten 26 times in 10 seconds,” an aghast Spencer recalled to Today.

There, doctors administered Spencer tetanus shots and oral antibiotics and stitched up his wounds before discharging him the same day.

The endearing qualities of individuals do not necessarily pass on to other members of their family.

So Now They're Nice to Us

Major airline stocks were down sharply last week: Delta (20.48%), United (34.44%), American (44.53%)

The coronavirus has resulted in contraction of all travel-related business, in turn triggering abrupt airline flight cancellations and layoffs. San Francisco is particularly affected by cutbacks in United Airlines, the only one of the three major airlines that has a hub in SFO:

The carrier said Wednesday it plans to store some wide-body jets and is offering staff unpaid leaves of absence in April...United will cut domestic capacity by 10% in April from its previous plan and international flying by 20%

Those who are not afraid to buy tickets can seize upon great deals. As for those who keep their reservations, the airlines will bend over backward to accommodate them. Below is an e-mail from Bob, who lives on the Peninsula:

We changed 3 out of our four flight segments with no change fee. The United internet site was going to give us a change fee.

They also upgraded at no cost every United flight to Economy Plus, window, with vacant seats next to us in the middle. Our first flight is N/S to Singapore, 17.25 hours, the 9th longest commercial flight being flown now, so these good seats will make a difference.

“Oh we have a lot of economy plus seats ,so we’d be happy to give you , our good frequent flyer, any seat there at no cost. And we so apologize for your long wait time time on hold, so that’s another reason we are giving you the upgrade."

Stay safe, Bob and Barbara. The good news and bad news is that Singapore has very strict health protocols.

One Has to Keep Trying

More attractive volunteers could have increased traffic.

After the early service I headed to the Summer Days festival. Foster City gave the church and other local non-profits free space for a display. All we needed were volunteers to staff the booth.

Only a few people stopped to talk. One gentleman, an African-American, gazed at the photo of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry with a puzzled expression. Two words, "Meghan Markle", did the trick.

Climate-change information (click to enlarge)

Bishop Curry's rousing sermon at the royal wedding last year made an impression far beyond the Episcopal Church. With every month his election looks smarter.

Another passerby viewed the information on climate-change--one of the church's initiatives--and talked about the public transportation in her native Singapore (McKinsey ranks it one of the best in the world).

Our Bay Area systems are more extensive (on the Peninsula we can take Caltrain, express buses, or BART to San Francisco) than most cities, but there's no question that the automobile traffic is horrendous.

With rides, fun, and food only a few feet away, talking about religion, social justice, or climate change was unappealing to festival goers. But one has to keep trying.

Crazy Rich Asians: New World, Familiar Plot

At the wedding of a secondary character the church is converted
to a jungle and the aisle becomes a pond (the bride wore boots)

I missed seeing Crazy Rich Asians in the theaters last year. When the disk finally made it to the top of the Netflix queue, I popped it in the player.

Nearly every Asian actor on American television had a part, and, as the title promised, there were over-the-top scenes of billionaires showing off their wealth.

But pictures of the lifestyles of rich and famous Asians---specifically, Singaporean Chinese---do not a story make, so the writers basically stole the plot of a dozen "royal-loves-commoner" Hallmark movies:

Handsome prince of a small European country comes to America--for college, for life experience, or to visit friends.

He falls for a girl, who along with every other American, has no idea who he is. He loves her because she appreciates him for himself, not for his title or money.

He has to reveal his identity because he needs the blessing of his mother, the Queen. (The King died long ago; in this movie he's merely absent.)

He can't put off the revelation because he has to go home to be coronated; in many Hallmark movies he also must have named his future queen.

The Queen and her aides disapprove of this American who has no training in royal duties and manners.

However, the common folk and low-level palace workers come to love her.

The middle part of the story is about how she tries to navigate the treacherous shoals of palace intrigue, not only the Queen's machinations but also a rival of noble blood, often someone who has known the Prince since childhood.

The Prince's love never wavers, but near the end of the movie she returns to America to save him from more damage to his status and authority.

The Queen, remembering how in her own life she chose duty over passion, sees the misery in her son. She realizes that the girl loves the Prince so deeply that she will give up her own future happiness for his sake.

The Queen welcomes her future daughter-in-law to the kingdom, and they all live happily ever after.

The would-be "princess", Rachel Chu (played by Constance Wu), is the everywoman / Luke Skywalker / Harry Potter character through whose eyes the audience discovers a vast new world. She's a NYU Finance prof whose skill at gaming and game theory later proves useful.

But Crazy Rich Asians is really about the business matriarch, Eleanor Young (played by Michelle Yeoh), who is transformed from disapproving Queen to another mother who wants her son to be happy. (Though Rachel and "prince" Nick Young get most of the screen time, one hint that the movie is about Eleanor is the opening scene, a flashback to 1995, in which Eleanor must assert herself against snooty London hotel staff.)

The movie is rife with references that ABC's (American-born Chinese) will appreciate, e.g., the frugality of the elderly regardless of their wealth, how everyone knows how to play mah-jongg, and how every woman knows how to cook.

I liked the movie because of its glimpses into how the non-American overseas Chinese .001% live, and I also like Hallmark movies. But if the latter are not your cup of tea, dear reader, then you may wish to give this one a pass.