R.I.P.per

And so the nation shed's a tear for Steve Irwin. The will the cry of "Crikey!" shall not be heard again while roaming the floodplains of the never-never. Well, at least until it's okay to start poking fun at a man who had poked quite a few things in his exitement filled life.

Irwin, being a prolific Australian, has reasonably raised the ire of many - especially Australians abroad who have to try and combat myths that the stubby wearing, mulleted enviro-warrior is not your typical Australian. He probably doesn't even rank as your average Queenslander. And he was bloody annoying at times. Still bloody annoying doesn't warrant a stingray to the chest.

What a way to go? Not only did he get a stingray barb to the chest (where the heart, lungs and other vital organs normally exist, for the biologically illiterate), video footage allegedly shows him pulling out the footlong piece of the offending beast (though not with his teeth), and starting to swim to the surface before (presumably) dying. Only 17 people have been confirmed dead from stingray incidents in the records, so Irwin's demise has been labelled a "freak accident" by practically all sources.

Queensland Premier Beattie has stepped up to the challenge and offered a state funeral too the Irwin's, should they choose it. Poor Bindie, not only does she bear that name, but her pops died while shooting footage for her first(?) documentary series of her own. That doesn't bode well for therapy. Hopefully the Australia Zoo and its associated franchises can continue its positive environmental message, the google legacy left by Irwin seems promising.

Colin Thiele, "one of Australia's most popular and successful children's authors" also died about the same time. Coincidence? Probably.

Do you want to give your name more bite

Why don't you name a spider at www.nameaspider.com ?

The Queensland Museum Foundation is giving you the chance to "be one of the select few whose name will live on in the pages of science and natural history forever", and be forever associated with a creepy crawlie that will scare the bejeezus out of poor tourists. And its only at the once-in-a-lifetime-never-to-be-repeated price of $5000. Yikes! That jar of pickled squirrel heads is looking better as an out-there gift idea.

If you are a rich arachnophile, consider it, Queensland has lots of biodiversity for the preserving.

Corporate sponsers might get involved - "Mate, you've been bit by a Troglodiplura hungryjaxis. Oh Yeah!".

Or you could go with more practical naming like the Bymainiella getithefuckawayfromeii.

Thank you Corrine (you are a hotter host than Will, and he goes to the trouble of nail polish).

*once-in-a-lifetime-never-to-be-repeated*spider*name a spider*arachnids*naming*queensland*natural history*museum*biodiversity*science*fundraiser*