Bronx River Beaver

[Marc Chevalier]

He remained in the China Trade long enough to make a second fortune.

And here's the reason that Astor was able to make such inroads in China's drug trade: he'd already been exporting beaver pelts to China -- since the late 18th century, in fact. Turns out that the Chinese didn't use fireplaces, stoves, or any other device to heat their homes in winter: they preferred covering themselves up indoors in beaver coats and blankets. Astor became their top provider.

.

 

[Fletch]

he of AstorPlace, Astoria, Astor Library & so on made his fortune in furs. He was his own Hudson's Bay Co. He then parlayed that into an even greater fortune & (like so many great American Dynasties) became a Drug smuggler, buying ten tons of Turkish opium & shipping the contraband to Canton on the Packet Ship Macedonian. He remained in the China Trade long enough to make a second fortune. He later sunk his substantial assets into NYC real estate, predicting the rise of the city to world prominence & made a third fortune, dying America's richest man... all from the humble beaver, eh?

But do you know HOW he died? (Hint: you were getting warm when you used the word sunk.)

 

[Rick Blaine]

must admit

I do not...

.

And here's the reason that Astor was able to make such inroads in China's drug trade: he'd already been exporting beaver pelts to China -- since the late 18th century, in fact. Turns out that the Chinese didn't use stoves or brassieres to heat their homes in winter: they preferred covering themselves up indoors in beaver coats and blankets. Astor became their top provider.

...nor this, thanks fellas!

 

[Mojito]

But do you know HOW he died? (Hint: you were getting warm when you used the word sunk.)

Different Astor you're thinking of - the one who put his pregnant young wife into a lifeboat on a certain big sinking liner, asked to join her, was refused permission to do so and then stepped back to die with almost 1,500 others was John Jacob Astor IV (1864 - 1912), great-grandson of the John Jacob Astor (1763 - 1848) that Rick was talking about.

 

[Fletch]

Oops.

 

[MrBern]

Beaver stalks Pope

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080418/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_pope_usa_beaver_1


NY police on Pope watch snatch river beaver
Fri Apr 18, 3:08 PM ET
New York police guarding the United Nations during Pope Benedict's visit on Friday made a rare discovery and rescue -- of a beaver struggling to swim past the world body's headquarters.

Soon after the pope left the United Nations, police harbour and scuba units patrolling the East River spotted the four-foot (1.20 metre) long, 40-pound (18-kg) animal. Beavers have only recently returned to the city with the first sighting of one in more than 200 years made in February 2007.

Lt. John Harkins, commanding officer, NYPD SCUBA, said in a statement that the animal had been tilting unnaturally and showed "laboured breathing." After securing it in a safety noose the officers pulled it aboard their vessel.

"It has pretty big claws," Harkins said of the beaver which will be taken to an animal hospital.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, editing by Sandra Maler)

 

[dhermann1]

Wildlife in NYC parks

Speaking of wildlife in NYC parks, I was crossing Central Parlk many years ago and spotted a gang of kids with a teacher crowded around something on the Great Lawn. Turned out the recent torrential rains had evicted a HUGE snapping turtle from his nearby pond. The kids kept a respectful distance, and Mr Snapper made it back to his pond. In Inwood Hill Park, at the northern tip of Manhattan, deer have occasionally been seen. They've been known to swim across the Hudson from New Jersey. I've seen pheasants and red tailed hawks in the park as well.
I was at The Bronx Botanical Garden last Saturday, and as I was walking through an empty section of the park to leave, a red tailed hawk flew right past me and landed in a tree. He let me walk up to about 10 feet away from him. I stood and talked to him while he just sat above me, regally staring down. A magnificent animal. Some of the folks I was with that day also saw a great horned owl, with its brood of hatchlings. Tres cool.