A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys usually have tails. Tailless monkeys may be called "apes", incorrectly according to modern usage; thus the tailless Barbary macaque is called the "Barbary ape".

The New World monkeys are classified within the parvorder Platyrrhini, whereas the Old World monkeys (superfamily Cercopithecoidea) form part of the parvorder Catarrhini, which also includes the hominoids (apes and humans). Thus, scientifically speaking, monkeys are a paraphyletic group, meaning that although they are believed to have evolved from a single ancestral species, the group does not contain all the descendants of that ancestor. Old World monkeys are actually more closely related to homonids than they are to New World monkeys.

Historical and modern terminology

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "monkey" may originate in a German version of the ''Reynard the Fox'' fable, published circa 1580. In this version of the fable, a character named Moneke is the son of Martin the Ape. In English, no very clear distinction was originally made between "ape" and "monkey"; thus the 1910 Encyclopaedia Britannica entry for "ape" notes that it is either a synonym for "monkey" or is used to mean a tailless humanlike primate. Such confusions persist. Colloquially, the terms "monkeys" and "apes" may still be used interchangeably. Due to its size (up to ) the Mandrill is often thought to be an ape, but it is actually an Old World monkey. Also, a few monkey species deceptively have the word "ape" in their common name, such as the Barbary Ape.

Later in the first half of the 20th century, the idea developed that there were trends in primate evolution and that the living members of the order could be arranged in a series, leading through "monkeys" and "apes" to humans. Monkeys thus constituted a "grade" on the path to humans and were distinguished from "apes".

Scientific classifications are now more often based on monophyletic groups, that is groups consisting of ''all'' the descendants of a common ancestor. The New World monkeys and the Old World monkeys are each monophyletic groups, but their combination is not, since it excludes hominoids (apes and humans). Thus the term "monkey" no longer refers to a recognized scientific taxon. The smallest accepted taxon which contains all the monkeys is the infraorder Simiiformes, or simians. However this also contains the hominoids (apes and humans), so that monkeys are, in terms of currently recognized taxa, non-hominoid simians.

A group of monkeys may be referred to as a ''mission'' or a ''tribe''.

Characteristics

Monkeys range in size from the Pygmy Marmoset, at 140 to 160 millimetres (5–6 in) long (plus tail) and 120 to 140 grams (4–5 oz) in weight, to the male Mandrill, almost long and weighing . Some are arboreal (living in trees) while others live on the savanna; diets differ among the various species but may contain any of the following: fruit, leaves, seeds, nuts, flowers, eggs and small animals (including insects and spiders).

Some characteristics are shared among the groups; most New World monkeys have prehensile tails while Old World monkeys have non-prehensile tails or no visible tail at all. Some have trichromatic color vision like that of humans, others are dichromats or monochromats. Although both the New and Old World monkeys, like the apes, have forward-facing eyes, the faces of Old World and New World monkeys look very different, though again, each group shares some features such as the types of noses, cheeks and rumps.

Classification

|2=Platyrrhini|barend2=green }} |2=Tarsiiformes }} |2=Strepsirrhini }} }} }} }} The following list shows where the various monkey families (bolded) are placed in the Primate classification.

ORDER PRIMATES

* Suborder Strepsirrhini: non-tarsier prosimians

* Suborder Haplorhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes

** Infraorder Tarsiiformes

*** Family Tarsiidae: tarsiers

** Infraorder Simiiformes: simians

*** Parvorder Platyrrhini: New World monkeys

**** Family Cebidae: marmosets, tamarins, capuchins and squirrel monkeys (56 species)

**** Family Aotidae: night monkeys (8 species)

**** Family Pitheciidae: titis, sakis and uakaris (41 species)

**** Family Atelidae: howler, spider and woolly monkeys (24 species)

*** Parvorder Catarrhini

**** Superfamily Cercopithecoidea

***** Family Cercopithecidae: Old World monkeys (135 species)

**** Superfamily Hominoidea: apes

***** Family Hylobatidae: gibbons ("lesser apes") (13 species)

***** Family Hominidae: great apes including humans (7 species)

Relationship with humans

The many species of monkey have varied relationships with humans. Some are kept as pets, others used as model organisms in laboratories or in space missions. They may be killed in monkey drives when they threatened agriculture, or used as service animals for the disabled.

In some areas, some species of monkey are considered agricultural pests, and can cause extensive damage to commercial and subsistence crops. This can have important implications for the conservation of endangered species, which may be subject to persecution. In some instances farmers' perceptions of the damage may exceed the actual damage. Monkeys that have become habituated to human presence in tourist locations may also be considered pests, attacking tourists.

In religion and culture, the monkey often represents quick-wittedness and mischief.

As service animals for the disabled

Some organizations, for example ''Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled'', train capuchin monkeys as monkey helpers to assist quadriplegics and other people with severe spinal cord injuries or mobility impairments. After being socialized in a human home as infants, the monkeys undergo extensive training before being placed with a quadriplegic. Around the house, the monkeys help out by doing tasks including microwaving food, washing the quadriplegic's face and opening drink bottles.

In experiments

Macaques, especially the Rhesus Macaque, and African Green Monkeys are widely used in animal testing facilities, either wild-caught or purpose-bred. They are used primarily because of their relative ease of handling, their fast reproductive cycle (compared to apes) and their psychological and physical similarity to humans. In the United States, around 50,000 non-human primates, most of them monkeys, have been used in experiments every year since 1973; 10,000 monkeys were used in the European Union in 2004.

The use of monkeys in laboratories is controversial. Animal rights activists claim that their use is cruel and produces little information of value, and there have been many protests, vandalism to testing facilities and threats to workers. Others claim that it has led to many important medical breakthroughs such as the rabies vaccine, understanding of human reproduction and basic knowledge about brain function and that the prevention of harm to humans should be a higher priority than the possible harm done to monkeys. The topic has become a popular cause for animal rights and animal welfare groups.

In space

A number of countries have used monkeys as part of their space exploration programmes, including the United States and France. The first monkey in space was Albert II who flew in the US-launched V-2 rocket on June 14, 1949.

As food

Monkey brains are eaten as a delicacy in South East Asia, China, and Africa. In traditional Islamic dietary laws, the eating of monkeys is forbidden. However, monkeys are sometimes eaten in parts of Africa, where they can be sold as "bushmeat".

Literature

Sun Wukong (the "Monkey King"), a character who figures prominently in Chinese mythology, is the main protagonist in the classic comic Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''.

Monkeys are prevalent in numerous books, television programs, and movies. The television series ''Monkey'' and the literary characters Monsieur Eek and Curious George are all examples.

Informally, the term "monkey" is often used more broadly than in scientific use, and may be used to refer to apes, particularly chimpanzees, gibbons, and gorillas. Author Terry Pratchett alludes to this difference in usage in his ''Discworld'' novels, in which the Librarian of the Unseen University is an orangutan who gets very violent if referred to as a monkey.

The Winged monkeys are prominent characters in ''The Wizard of Oz''.

Religion and worship

Hanuman, a prominent divine entity in Hinduism, is a monkey-like humanoid. He may bestow longevity.

In Buddhism, the monkey is an early incarnation of Buddha but may also represent trickery and ugliness. The Chinese Buddhist "mind monkey" metaphor refers to the unsettled, restless state of human mind. Monkey is also one of the Three Senseless Creatures, symbolizing greed, with the tiger representing anger and the deer lovesickness.

The ''Mizaru'' or three wise monkeys are revered in Japanese folklore.

The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped nature. They placed emphasis on animals and often depicted monkeys in their art.

Entertainment

In the Tamil country, monkeys would be trained in gymnastics by their owners for public entertainment.

Kiki the Hyperactive Monkey of Sentosa an anthropomorphic green crab-eating macaque performs in the defunct live nighttime spectacular, Magical Sentosa which is located at, Sentosa Island, Singapore.

Zodiac

The Monkey is the ninth in the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. mod12}} |1=Last year was the year of the monkey. |0=This year is the year of the monkey. |11=Next year will be the year of the monkey. |The next time that the monkey will appear as the zodiac sign will be in the year +6)/12round0)*12}}}}.

See also

List of monkeys

List of New World monkey species

List of Old World monkey species

Signifying monkey

References

External links

"The Impossible Housing and Handling Conditions of Monkeys in Research Laboratories", by Viktor Reinhardt, International Primate Protection League, August 2001

The Problem with Pet Monkeys: Reasons Monkeys Do Not Make Good Pets, an article by veterinarian Lianne McLeod on About.com

Helping Hands: Monkey helpers for the disabled, a U.S. national non-profit organization based in Boston Massachusetts that places specially trained capuchin monkeys with people who are paralyzed or who live with other severe mobility impairments

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name	Steve Ballmer
birth date	March 24, 1956
birth place	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
occupation	CEO, Microsoft
alma mater	Harvard University, Stanford Business School
networth	US$14.5 billion (2011)
salary	$ 1,351,121
website	Staff Bio at microsoft.com
residence	United States
awards	Légion d'honneur }}

Steven Anthony "Steve" Ballmer (born March 24, 1956) is the chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation, having held that post since January 2000. , his personal wealth is estimated at US$14.5 billion, ranking number 46 on the Forbes list of billionaires.

Early life

Ballmer was born in Detroit, Michigan to a Swiss-American father and a Jewish American mother. He grew up in Farmington Hills, Michigan. In 1973, he graduated from Detroit Country Day School, a private college preparatory school in Beverly Hills, Michigan, and now sits on its board of directors. In 1977, he graduated ''magna cum laude'' from Harvard University with a B.A. in mathematics and economics.

At college, Ballmer managed the football team, worked on ''The Harvard Crimson'' newspaper as well as the ''Harvard Advocate'', and lived down the hall from fellow sophomore Bill Gates. He then worked for two years as an assistant product manager at Procter & Gamble, where he shared an office with Jeffrey R. Immelt, who later became CEO of General Electric. In 1980, he dropped out of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business to join Microsoft.

Microsoft

Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft on June 11, 1980, and became Microsoft's 30th employee, the first business manager hired by Gates.

He was initially offered a salary of $50,000 as well as a percentage of ownership of the company. When Microsoft was incorporated in 1981, Ballmer owned 8 percent of the company. During the subsequent 20 years, Ballmer headed several Microsoft divisions, including operations, operating systems development, and sales and support. In January 2000, he was officially named Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, Ballmer handled company finances, however Gates still retained control of the "technological vision". He served as President of Microsoft from July 1998 to February 2001, having previously served as Executive Vice President, Sales and Support since February 1992. Ballmer led Microsoft's development of the .NET Framework.

In 2003, Ballmer sold 8.3% of his shareholdings, leaving him with a 4% stake in the company. The same year, Ballmer replaced Microsoft's employee stock options program.

In 2009, and for the first time ever since Bill Gates left Microsoft as full-time chairman, he made the opening keynote at CES.

Ballmer has also served as Director of Accenture Ltd. as well as a General Partner of Accenture SCA since October 2001.

Professional conduct

Ballmer is known for his energetic and exuberant persona, which is meant to motivate employees and partners. His flamboyant stage appearances at Microsoft events are widely circulated on the Internet as viral videos. One widely circulated video, captured at a developers' conference, features a perspiring Ballmer chanting the word "developers".

Bill Gates steps down

The ''Wall Street Journal'' has reported that there was tension surrounding the 2000 transition of authority from Bill Gates to Ballmer. Things became so bitter that, on one occasion, Gates stormed out of a meeting in a huff after a shouting match in which Ballmer jumped to the defense of several colleagues, according to an individual present at the time. After the exchange, Ballmer seemed "remorseful", the person said. Once Gates leaves, "I'm not going to need him for anything. That's the principle," Ballmer said. "Use him, yes, need him, no."

On competing companies and software

Apple

Speaking at a conference in NYC in 2009, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer criticized Apple's pricing, saying; 'Now I think the tide has turned back the other direction (against Apple),' Ballmer said. 'The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment — same piece of hardware — paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be.'

Free and open source software

He has referred to the free software Linux kernel as a "cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches." Ballmer used the notion of "viral" licensing terms to express his concern over the fact that the GNU General Public License (GPL) employed by such software requires that all derivative software be under the GPL or a compatible license.

Google

In 2005, Mark Lucovsky alleged in a sworn statement to a Washington state court that Ballmer became enraged upon hearing that Lucovsky was about to leave Microsoft for Google, picked up his chair, and threw it across his office. Referring to Google CEO Eric Schmidt (who previously worked for competitors Sun and Novell), Ballmer vowed to "kill Google" in an expletive-laden tirade then resumed trying to persuade Lucovsky to stay at Microsoft. Ballmer has described characterizations of the incident as a ''"gross exaggeration of what actually took place"''.

Sports

On March 6, 2008, Seattle's Mayor announced that a local ownership group involving Ballmer made a "game changing" commitment to invest $150 million in cash toward a $300 million renovation of Key Arena and were ready to purchase the Seattle SuperSonics in order to keep them in the City of Seattle. However, this initiative failed, and the Sonics have since relocated to Oklahoma City, now performing as Oklahoma City Thunder.

Media portrayals

''Bad Boy Ballmer: The Man Who Rules Microsoft'' (2002), Fredric Alan Maxwell, ISBN 0-06-621014-3 (unauthorized biography)

The 1999 docudrama ''Pirates of Silicon Valley'' features Ballmer as a major character; he is played by actor John DiMaggio.

Wealth

Ballmer was the second person after Roberto Goizueta to become a billionaire in U.S. dollars based on stock options received as an employee of a corporation in which he was neither a founder nor a relative of a founder. Ballmer is the 46th richest person in the world according to Forbes, with an estimated wealth of $14.5 billion. While CEO of Microsoft in 2009, Ballmer earned a total compensation of $1,276,627 which included a base salary of $665,833 a cash bonus of $600,000, no stock or options, and other compensation of $10,794.

References

External links

Corporate biography

Forbes World's Richest People listing

South China Morning Post audio interview

Steve Ballmer Playlist Appearance on WMBR's ''Dinnertime Sampler'' radio show February 23, 2005

Forbes.com's Billionaire List

Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:American chief executives Category:American people of Swiss descent Category:Microsoft employees Category:American billionaires Category:American Internet personalities Category:The Harvard Crimson people Category:People from Farmington Hills, Michigan Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur

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name	Parry Gripp
background	solo_singer
birth name	Parry Gripp
birth date	September 22, 1967
birth place	Santa Barbara, California
instrument	Vocals, Guitar
genre	Rock
occupation	Musician
label	Oglio
associated acts	Nerf Herder
website
notable instruments	}}

Parry Gripp (born September 22, 1967) is a singer-songwriter as well as lead vocalist and guitarist for the pop punk band Nerf Herder.

As a songwriter, Gripp is best known for fake jingles, as in his 2005 solo album ''For Those About to Shop, We Salute You'' - a 51-track concept album mimicking various musical styles as product commercials. While it does not have one single concept, it goes through many various concept suites, such as trucks, beer, and insomnia. He also maintains a song-of-the-week website and a YouTube channel on which he creates soundtracks to internet memes as well as music videos for his own novelty songs, with titles including "Do You Like Waffles?", "Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom","Last Train to Awesometown", "Spaghetti Cat (I weep for you)", "Hamster on a Piano (Eating Popcorn)" and "Baby Monkey (Going Backwards On A Pig)". Gripp also performs the Super Hero Squad Show theme song.

Gripp also joined forces with MC Lars to perform some of the vocals, including the chorus, to 'Guitar Hero Hero (Beating Guitar Hero Doesn't Make You Slash)' a song commenting on the notion that video games like Guitar Hero take kids away from playing in bands and actually learning their instruments.

Along with faux jingles, Gripp also creates some real advertising music, such as Beatles-inspired tunes promoting the Wawa Food Markets' Breakfast Hoagiefest, and songs for the Hallmark Cards e-characters hoops&yoyo;.

On July 9, 2009 Parry Gripp debuted a new song called "The Girl at the Video Game Store" for the 1000th episode of the G4 TV program ''Attack of the Show!'' The video features the show's hosts Olivia Munn as the titular character and Kevin Pereira on drums.

Aside from his music, Gripp is the co-owner (with his sister) of the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, which was founded by his father.

Discography

Albums

''"For Those About to Shop, We Salute You"'' (2005)

''"One Donut a Day"'' (2007)

''"Do You Like Waffles"'' (2008)

''"Fuzzy Fuzzy Cute Cute: Volume 1"'' (2010)

''"This is My Ringtone"'' (2011)

''"Fuzzy Fuzzy Cute Cute: Volume 2"'' (forthcoming, expected release date 2012)

Artwork

Nathan Mazur, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based cartoonist, provided the animation for some of Gripp's music videos: "Do You Like Waffles?", "Up Butt Coconut", and "Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom". He also creates the "album art" that accompanies Parry Gripp's song-of-the-week.

See also

Nerf Herder

References

External links

Gripp YouTube channel

Category:1967 births Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Living people

fi:Parry Gripp