Octopus Paul predicts next Russian president
MOSCOW/MADRID: One of Russia's most popular newspapers said on Friday it had managed to get Paul, the oracle German octopus which accurately predicted the World Cup results, to forecast who will be Russia's next president.
But shhhhhh...Komsomolskaya Pravda said the results of Paul's prediction for the 2012 presidential election have been sealed until election year.
The paper said one of its reporters approached Paul, who lives at the Sea Life attraction in the German city of Oberhausen and put two sheets of paper with the names of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev in front of the soothsaying invertebrate, which pointed to one of the names with a tentacle.
Since Medvedev replaced Putin as president in 2008, with the latter taking over the Cabinet, it has been unclear who is the number one decision-maker in a country with a tradition of strong, individual rulers. A recent poll conducted by Russia's Levada-Center shows that 76 percent of respondents believe Putin is the country's most influential person, while 67 percent see Medvedev as top leader.
Both politicians at some point said they were considering running for president in 2012. In April Medvedev said they would decide together who is going to run. Putin said in June they would talk about it closer to the election date.
Paul the octopus became famous for accurately predicting the outcome of Germany's World Cup campaign and the World Cup final between Spain and The Netherlands. His Russian presidential pick has been conducted in a fashion rather different to his World Cup prognostications, where he predicted football matches by picking food from two different transparent containers lowered into his tank, each adorned with the flag of one of the matches' competitors. The paper also features a short "interview" with Paul.
Meanwhile, Madrid's main aquarium is rolling out the red carpet to get Paul, the "psychic" octopus who uncannily forecast Spain's World Cup win, to grace the champion country with a visit.
The Zoo Aquarium sent a request to the aquarium in Oberhausen in Germany this week to host the octopus, whose prescient picks during the tournament propelled him to international fame, a spokeswoman said. "We have not received a response," she said.
Paul made correct predictions of the outcome of all seven of Germany's matches as well as of Sunday's final by choosing to eat a morsel of food from a box emblazoned with the flag of the winning team.
TV stations in Germany and Britain broadcast live images of his decision for the final.
A Spanish town in northwestern Galicia, which celebrates an annual Octopus Festival has already requested that the salty soothsayer be allowed to join them as a guest of honor. Whatever the decision, Paul has been rewarded with honorary citizenship of the town of O Carballino.
A Spanish wildlife defense group, ADDA, has also suggested that he be given a spot to live out the rest of his days in a marine sanctuary in Spain, rather than cooped up in an aquarium.
In octopus terms, Paul is already a pensioner, at the grand old age of two-and-a-half. Octopuses generally live three years at most.
The art of match predicting became a dangerous job for the clairvoyant cephalopod with bitter fans sending death-threat e-mails to his German aquarium, saying "we want Paul for the pan."
At one point Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero jokingly suggested sending in a squad of octopus bodyguards.
Posted on:July 17, 2010, 5:37 am
Comments on above topic:
Post your Comments
मनकामनामाको साधारण सभा सम्पन्न, अध्यक्षमा पुनः गुरुङ
लक्ष्मण खनाल,
गोरखा सेवा समाज कतारको संरक्षकत्वमा स्थापित मनकामना नेपाली सांस्कृतिक परिवार कतारको प्रथम साधारण सभा सम्पन्न भएको छ । कार्यक्रम “सम्पर्ूण्ा स्थानीय कलाकारहरु एक भई अघि बढौ, नेपाली कला र संस्कृतिको संरक्षण र संर्म्वर्धन गरौ, सामाजिक विकास र समाज सेवामा योगदान गरौ“ भन्ने मूल नाराका साथ अध्यक्ष आश बहादुर गुरुङको अध्यक्षतामा इण्डीयन कल्चर सेन्टर मुन्ताजामा सम्पन्न भएको हो
»More
Toshiba recalls 41,000 computers over risk of burns
Toshiba has announced the voluntary recall of about 41,000 notebook computers worldwide at risk of overheating and burning users. The recalled models are the Satellite T135, Satellite T135D and Satellite ProT130 notebook computers, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
»More
रोंधि साँझ
कुमार तमु
तमु धिं टोक्यो जापानको आयोजनामा यही अगस्त १५ तारीख आइतबारका दिन हुन गई रहेको १४ औ रोंधि साँझ का लागी आमन्त्रित कलाकारहरु जापान आइपुगेका छन ! कलाकारहरु लाइ एक कार्यक्रमका बिच तमु धिं का अध्यक्ष,याम तमु ,सांस्कृतिक संयोजक,जितमान तमु र NRN KANTO क्षेत्र जापानका संयोजक ,
»More
नेपाल महोत्सब २०१०
कुमार तमु -टोक्यो जापान,
नेपाल महोत्सब २०१० भब्यताका साथ सम्पन्न भएको छ ! जापानका लागी नेपाली राजदूत महामहिम गणेश योंजन तमांगले २ दिने नेपाल महोत्सबको समुदघाटन गर्नु भएको थियो ! महोत्सबमा बिभिन्न नेपाली सर-समानका स्टलहरु त्यसैगरि नेपाली रेस्टुरेंटहरु राखिएको थियो ! नेपाली रेस्टुरेंटहरुमा बढ़ी मात्रमा गुरुंग रेस्टुरेंटहरु रहेका थिए भने गुरुंग रेस्टुरेंटहरुमा गुरुंग परिकारहरु सेलरोटी,
»More
153 Nepali migrant workers lose jobs in Macau
Large employers in Macau have started firing Nepali migrant workers along with other foreign workers following the government decision to give priority to its citizens in employment. 153 Nepali migrant workers have been fired in the recent days from various big casinos, hotels and security companies,
»More
Katrina Kaif to launch her sister
Katrina Kaif, who is Bollywood's current Princess of Popcorn, is also a sharp business woman. The actress has plans to float her own production house soon, and she is laying the ground for her younger sister Isabelle to join the ranks of Bollywood actresses as well. Isabelle is likely to finish an acting course in New York later this year.
»More
China's economy to grow more than 9% in 2010
China's gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to expand more than 9 percent in 2010, Yi Gang, head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), said Friday.Yi, also deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, made the remarks in an interview with China Reform magazine, which is posted on the SAFE website Friday.
»More
Plane carrying 152 crashes in Pakistan; 5 dead
MUNIR AHMED/AP
An official says forestry guards are reporting at least five people have been killed in a plane crash in Pakistan. That toll is likely to rise significantly.The Airblue passenger jet that crashed into the Margalla Hills surrounding Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, was carrying 152 people.
»More