Watery News

BBC News: Whale spotted in central London.

A large whale has been spotted in the River Thames in central London by boaters and sightseers.  The mammal, thought to be a 17ft (5m) northern bottle-nosed whale, was seen swimming past the Houses of Parliament.  "I saw it blow, it was a spout of water which sparkled in the air," said Tom Howard-Vyne, who works at the London Eye, on the other side of the river.  The whale is believed to have travelled upstream passing the Thames Barrier on Thursday night or early on Friday.

BBC News: How best to fight off a shark?

George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research and the International Shark Attack File, says the first thing to do is get out of the water as soon as possible.

• Get out of the water ASAP
• If you can't, head for the sea floor or hide in reeds
• If cornered by a shark, hit it hard on the nose with an object
• Avoid using bare hands and feet if possible
• Target the gills and eyes which are sensitive
• Never, ever 'play dead'

I find both of these stories amusing, especially the whale in London.  The Thames was once horribly polluted and it got cleaned up to the point that trout reappeared in it.  People are watching the whale to make sure it doesn't beach itself.  Another BBC article has pictures of the whale including one of it gliding past the Houses of Parliament.  And you never know when a shark may attack.