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Tag: patrick

  • Media Falsely Reports Gorilla for Being Sexist

    Meet Patrick, a 23-year-old single male Texan residing in Dallas, who is also a 430-pound Western lowland gorilla that was recently mistaken for hating women (gorilla women in particular). You see, a lot of media reports (MailOnline, E!, Fox News, ABC) picked up on the sensationalism that Patrick was a sexist ape, when really, he just prefers to be alone, indifferent to other gorillas. The media went bananas with the story (a sexist gorilla?), but The Dallas Zoo’s Official Facebook page said otherwise:

    Yes, Patrick will be moving out of his humble abode at Dallas Zoo where he’s been living for 18 years. The decision for his move had been years in the making, with “gorilla experts” all over the United States advising on the best  choice of action for Patrick. He will be sent over to the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens in Columbia, South Carolina.

    It also started back in April 13th, 1990 at the Bronx Zoo in New York, where little baby Patrick was born and abandoned by his mama. From there, he was transferred to the Toronto Zoo, where he was hand-raised with another male ape companion around the same age. As little innocent and motherless Patrick grew, he became less and less social with other apes.

    According to the Patrick’s Departure Q&A on the Dallas Zoo Facebook page, Patrick is leaving Dallas “due to maternal neglect” and because he was “hand raised”.

    “He hasn’t socialized well with gorillas and prefers his own company. We’ve tried for years to create social relationships for Patrick, with little success. Two separate female groups were introduced to him, but he was indifferent and the relationships never progressed to a stable social grouping. At Riverbanks, he will continue to live alone, but in close proximity to other gorillas.”

    The move is not meant to punish Patrick, but instead, is the best choice of action that will serve to benefit him and his solitary life style.  “It’s not punitive in any way.”

    The Dallas Zoo’s Facebook page announced on September 23rd that Patrick will have a going away party on September 28th through 29th. The celebration is titled “We’ll Miss Ya, Patrick!”, and zoo admission is only $5 for everyone three and older. There will be mini cupcakes.

    (Photos courtesy of The Dallas Zoo’s Facebook page)

  • Danica Patrick Boosts NASCAR Popularity

    Danica Patrick Boosts NASCAR Popularity

    Danica Patrick’s presence has been driving NASCAR ratings and popularity, according to Neilsen. In general, Patrick is 233% more recognized than the average race car driver, generates more social media buzz and boosts TV ratings. Nascar has noted the “Danica Effect,” and 4-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon states, “it’s great for the sport. Who doesn’t want to see a female driver come in here and be able to race with the guys and do well and be marketable?”

    Patrick’s NASCAR debut set an ESPN record for auto racing, attracting 4.2 million viewers, up 33% from the previous year. Patrick’s popularity encompasses social media as well. Regarding the Daytona 500 buzz for five big-name racers – Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Trevor Bayne and Patrick – Patrick accounted for 11.5% of all talk about the Daytona 500 in 2012, reports NM Incite, the highest of all drivers.

    Patrick is also a major player in regards to endorsements, and according to The Telegraph, she raked in $12 million between July 2010 and July 2011, making her the third highest-paid female athlete in that time frame. E-Poll and Score reports that 30% percent of the U.S. population are familiar with Patrick, and has an N-score superstar status, coming behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon.

    Patrick was involved in a wreck at Daytona over Thursday, but ESPN reported that viewership of that race didn’t drop by much, even after Patrick was out of the running. She’ll be using her backup car at Daytona on Sunday, starting toward the back of the field after Thursday’s wreck. But all eyes will likely be on her, to see how she maintains. Gordon adds, “she draws a whole new fan base in the sport. And she seems really competitive so I’m interested to see how she does behind the wheel as a driver – This is certainly going to be entertaining and fun to watch.”

  • Racing Not Mentioned in Patrick’s Twitter

    Racing Not Mentioned in Patrick’s Twitter

    Danica Patrick’s Twitter, which she updates quite often, is fairly atypical of those accounts found surrounding the auto racing circuit. She might mention a sunset, grey hairs, feeling vaguely sore – But little detail in mentioned about actual racing.

    @DanicaPatrick
    Danica Patrick    Sunset! I call this hidden rays and tired voice. Haha. I did alot of talking today. http://t.co/CaK7PMjF 2 days ago via Twitterrific ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @DanicaPatrick
    Danica Patrick    How am I suppose to feel good about turning 30 next month when I find gray hairs (plural). Frightening stuff. 1 day ago via Twitterrific ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @DanicaPatrick
    Danica Patrick    Well….that was a bummer. I am ok, icing my sore spots down, getting ready for the weekend! Thanks for the concern. 16 hours ago via Twitterrific ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Also omitted from her Twitter feed are her present locations. “If I talk about somewhere I’ve been, it’s because I’m already gone,” Patrick tells USA Today, “I do it afterward because of safety insecurity, and I don’t want people following. I don’t want any trouble. I don’t think you can ever be too safe.”

    Also left out is anything to do with politics. Patrick adds, “good God, I spend plenty of time trying to say the right thing and not get in trouble in the media when they’re writing the story. Why would I write something that gets me in trouble? So you have to be careful. You can’t have opinions. You can’t talk about politics.” She also limits discussion in regards to racing, saying “the last thing I’m thinking about when I’m in the car is sending a tweet.” But other things, like wine and the Chicago Bears are fine.

    @DanicaPatrick
    Danica Patrick    Oh my goodness, our first aged wine from our cellar. We have waited over 6 years to drink this, and it’s amazing. http://t.co/J3h8dcCV 9 days ago via Twitterrific ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    On the privacy issue, Patrick adds, “Nothing might ever happen, but you have to be careful. I’m not going to talk about the restaurants I go to because I want to keep going there. I’m not going to talk about where I am or where I live or what I’m doing because it’s dangerous. Privacy is already hard enough. I don’t need to self-inflict any more problems on myself.” Understandable, considering the unbridled passion typical of certain Nascar fans. Patrick was in the news over the weekend, after a crash at the Gatorade Duel at Daytona.

  • Danica Patrick OK After Crash

    Danica Patrick walked away from her crash at the Gatorade Duel at Daytona Thursday, after slamming into a wall on the last lap of the qualifying race. Thanks to Nascar safety innovations, along with Patrick’s quick thinking, she was uninjured. The video below shows how Patrick took her hands off the wheel to avoid broken wrists:

    “It felt like a pretty big hit, so I don’t know what (the crash) looked like,” Patrick said, according to USA Today. Tony Stewart, winner of the race, and also the owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, the team fielding Patrick stated, “it was really impressive to watch how she just kept picking her way through the field. She got up to sixth at one point. I thought she did a good job – There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that she would do that.” Patrick was in 10th place at her crash, which cost her starting position for Sunday’s Daytona 500. She have to use a backup car, and will have to make up her points-race Cup debut from the back of the field.

    “It felt like a pretty big hit, so I don’t know what (the crash) looked like,” Patrick told her pit crew, “I’m really just bummed out that we didn’t finish the last two corners. Instead we have a car in the wall and lots of damage and I’m sure a backup. But maybe the backup car will be faster.” Stewart mentioned one of Patrick’s biggest priorities presently is gaining the respect and trust of fellow drivers. “It’s hard for her now because she’s trying to gain the confidence of the guys around her that she’s solid and is going to make good decisions,” Stewart said. He adds that for a while during the race, drivers seemed wary to run with Patrick, and were avoiding her.

    Patrick is set to race full-time in NASCAR this year. She’ll drive Nationwide for JR Motorsports, and plans to run a partial Cup schedule for Stewart.

    “I feel really feel good,” Patrick said. “I feel comfortable, I feel confident, I feel like if things fall our way and I can take the experience from today into Sunday, I think it will be a good day. And obviously, things that are out of your control can make it a bad day, but that’s kind of the excitement about racing.” Stewart added that Patrick gained respect in the field by showing patience and poise during the qualifier, noting that she’s a typically a more aggressive driver.