Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers blog

- Carpincho (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), by Calimecita

To follow on our “Featured User” blog posts , we’re delighted this week to highlight an amazing member of our community, Cecilia, a.k.a Calimecita.

Cecila/Calmecita was born in Argentina and although she’s always lived there, her Welsh and Scottish ancestors triggered her interest for the English language she learnt as a child. Yahoo! Answers has been a great practice field for her!

In this series of posts, she’ll tell you about her country, her remarkable job as a mammalogist and of course her passion for Yahoo! Answers!

Ready to enter Cali-world?

“The small town where I live – City Bell – is near La Plata, one of the major Argentine cities. City Bell is a peaceful suburban place, with detached houses and large gardens, where everyone keeps pets and people still greet their neighbours when they pass each other on the street. ”

“I work at the Natural History Museum of La Plata, a neoclassical building with impressive collections, especially those of fossils, archaeological materials, and mammals.

The museum building has several structural problems, from plumbing to security to electricity, and it’s too crowded for comfort, but I still love the place.”

- The skeleton of a sea lion and the corresponding taxidermised specimen by Calimecita

- Dorado (Salminus maxillosus), large predator of the Paraná river system, by Calimecita

“I’m a biologist. Specifically I’m a mammalogist, so I study mammals. I’m currently in the last stages of my doctoral thesis thanks to a scholarship from the local university, so hopefully next year I’ll be Doctor Cali!”

- Tuco-tuco by Calimecita

“I study the digging specialisations of the tuco-tucos, a family of subterranean rodents that are native to South America. They’re small stocky things that look a lot like the pocket gophers from the US and the Old World mole rats, because they’re convergent, which means they occupy similar adaptive niches and have several common features that evolved in response to similar selective pressures.”

“Basically, what I do is compare them with other species to gather data about their morphological similarities and differences. This, together with other sources of information including fossils, helps to understand their evolutionary history.”

“There’s no fixed routine at work; sometimes I’m reading and writing, analyzing the data, etc. To obtain my data, I examine and measure their bones and muscles, which are quite different from ours. Tuco-tucos are specialized diggers, and they have very strong forelimbs with long claws and powerful muscles. If we had arms like that, we’d all look like super-super-heroes and we’d be able to dig our own homes!”

“Workwise, I also teach in the Vertebrates course at the local Faculty where I am a graduate teaching assistant and a basic Ecology course.”

In the next post we look at her interests and hobbies and learn more about what she likes the most on Yahoo! Answers.

Five of her great Answers:

What is a zoologist?

Do all mammals have hair?

Do you think science will ever bring back the Woolly Mammoth from extinction?

Do elephants have toenails?

What is the difference between a moth and butterfly?

Know someone who’s “wow-ed” you on Answers? Think somebody deserves to be celebrated as next Featured User on the Answers Blog? We want to hear from you!

Leave a comment below with a link to the user’s profile or best answer or email the Answers team y_answrs_team_uk@yahoo.co.uk

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Hi, everyone:

Thank you for all the great questions you sent in for Christian Bale to answer — what a fantastic response we’ve had from fans of both Batman and Christian Bale!

The Answers team is currently combing through all your comments and email to select the best question to be put to the Caped Crusader — er, to Christian Bale. So be sure to check back here for any updates and to view the video of him answering the selected question.

Good luck to everyone, and thanks again for your participation.

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Every summer needs a blockbuster and this year is no different. Batman is back. As the latest edition of one of the most famous super heroes is out next week, we’ve partnered with Yahoo! Movies to bring a little Dark Knight frenzy to Answers.

We’re asking you, the Answers community, for the perfect question for Christian Bale. The best question will be put to him, on your behalf, by Yahoo! and recorded on video.

So, what do you want to ask Christian?

When you’ve decided on your killer question for us, just post your question as a comment on this blog or email the UK & Ireland Answers team on y_answrs_team_uk@yahoo.co.uk.Tim Burton was the first director to immortalise Batman on the big screen and ever since Michael Keaton’s impressive performance alongside Kim Basinger, the caped crusader has had many changing faces.

In Dark Knight actor Christian Bale brings to life Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, who’s fighting against the fearful Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger. Rumour is we see our hero cross the thin line between good and evil like never before…

And talking of first times, since the site launched Answers has seen interesting and popular question from celebrities like Bruce Willis, Jonathan Ross, Keane and Nathalie Portman. You’ve all enjoyed sharing with them your favourite song, the secret of becoming an amazing cook and even why you think we experience déjà vu experiences. But this time, we’ve reversed the rules of the game so one lucky Answers member will have the opportunity to ask our celebrity a question.

You have until Monday morning to post your question on this blog or email the UK & Ireland Answers team on y_answrs_team_uk@yahoo.co.uk. We’ll then select the best question and it will be answered by Christian on video and posted on this blog next week.

For more information on Batman and to preview the trailer, check the Yahoo! Movies trailer.

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 As we appear to be on the brink of a global food crisis, is it time to rethink farming methods? How?

– Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

For the first time ever, Yahoo! UK & Ireland has a guest editor: the writer, broadcaster and food campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. He’s going to be adding content to the UK & Ireland Front Page and across the Yahoo! network all day, including – naturally – Answers.

So, throughout today you can…

• Watch Hugh asking a question on Answers
• Watch his Answers question on Yahoo! video
• Have a chance to win the VIP treatment for two at River Cottage
• Read him blogging hourly on his favourite issues
• See the stories he’s selected on the Yahoo! Front page

If you haven’t met Hugh before, allow him to introduce himself in his own words:

“I’m a writer, broadcaster and campaigner with an uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food.

I moved from London to rural Dorset in 1998, determined to start growing and rearing some of my own food. The events were documented in ‘Escape to River Cottage’ and subsequent series shown on Channel 4.

These days I run River Cottage HQ near Bridport, where we host events and courses designed to promote the ‘grow your own’ philosophy, as well as a shop and canteen in Axminster.

I live nearby with my wife Marie and our three children, Oscar, Freddie and Chloe.”

Find out more about the River Cottage here.

But back to Hugh’s big question, and it is a big question. Given the context of a looming global food crisis, he wants to know what we should do next to ensure the world doesn’t go hungry.

No doubt you guys, the Answers community, will have something to say about this topical query, as witnessed by the wealth of environmental questions and answers posted each day.

So once you’ve checked Hugh’s question, why not browse the wealth of great questions elsewhere on Answers on subjects close to Hugh’s heart …

• Is battery farming hens acceptable?
• What are some low fat seasonal recipes for kids?
• What is the difference between animal rights and animal welfare?
• What is the real cost of Freecycle?
• Are supermarkets ruining British farming financially and damaging the quality of fruit and veg?

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Last week, we were proud to share with you amazing Answers user and resident theatre expert, AmyJane. In the second of two blog posts, we’d like to conclude her tips on making it in acting.

Based in Edmonton Canada, AmyJane loves reading, movies, and of course theatre. She has been acting for over ten years in various high school, community, college and professional production. In the last couple years she diversified her theatre resume to include working as a director, a film extra, a producer, a voiceover actor and a teacher.

To conclude the masterclass, here’s the second part of AmyJane’s own words on taking to the stage…

How do I audition?

“Actors see auditions one of two ways: as a chance to perform, or as a way to get a job performing. If possible, try and be in that first group because most of your job as an actor is auditioning. There are basically two different kind of auditions: prepared and cold.”

“For ‘prepared’ you’ll get a script in advance or bring in a monologue and perform in front of the director or casting people. You should have it memorized. If you’re serious about acting you should always have at least 3 monologues prepared and ready to go at all times. Try having a modern comedic, a modern dramatic and a classic [Shakespeare] mono under your belt. Make sure that they are from published sources, that you’ve read the entire script you got it from, and that the monologue fits the kind of characters you would actually play (your age, gender, race, abilities, etc).”

“For ‘cold’ you’ll go in with nothing. They give you a script and you will have a minute maybe two, to read over it and than you’ll perform. You can’t really rehearse cold reading, but you can practise by picking up books, magazines, newspapers and read them aloud. Try to read so it becomes active with strong character choices. It’s better to commit to a strong decision about a character- even if it’s not what they are looking for- than to not take any risks. And remember the basic acting concepts of being seen & heard, while making a connection with your scene partner or audience.”

“So you’ve got a good looking resume: been in a few plays, a couple movies and you have some training under your belt. But one of the things that people forget about, when they are interested in starting an acting career, is family. It is an extremely important to have the support of your loved ones when embarking on any new career. It is even more important to have their support when striving for a career in acting.”

How long does it take to ‘make it?’

“There are unavoidable strains on relationships for actors and actresses with: the constant rejection, competition for jobs, touring, sudden intimacy between cast members, financial instability, relocation & long periods of unemployment. On average, it takes an estimated ten years to become an established actor, and in that time you’ll be spending more money than you make.”

How do I pay the bills?

“Many performers eventually try branching out into different aspects of the business - not just acting - because of the insecurity and uncertainty. You should still keep up your training in acting, singing, music & dance, but it’s good to get some secondary skills whenever you can too. Experience in directing, photography, design, makeup, film editing, writing, costuming, and technical theatre may give you more opportunities. Marketing is another great skill to have, giving you the knowledge on how to best sell both your work & yourself as an actor.”

Why should I try to become an actor?

“But the most important thing to remember is that you’re doing this because you love it. You should definitely try following your dreams - or else it will end up being one of those things that you’ll look back on and regret, always wondering “what if.” Never give up something you adore because of anybody’s fear of failure! You’ll still need to keep a realistic attitude, there are many challenges that come with this profession, but the artistic and creative rewards make acting worth every last obstacle.”

Read part one here…

Know someone who’s “wow-ed” you on Answers? Think somebody deserves to be celebrated as next Featured User on the Answers Blog? We want to hear from you!

Leave a comment below with a link to the user’s profile or best answer or email the Answers team y_answrs_team_uk@yahoo.co.uk

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