are. -- madagascar are. he met a woman there who is creel, african-american, french, and chinese. they married, and they had family, and i am the product of that. growing up here in the bay area, we have some influences because it is the gateway for emigration. from many countries. you walk down the street, you are participating in that mix. in my music, i really want to express and represent that kind of topic that goes on in the streets. it is the most exciting part of being here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the great artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much. >> welcome to culturewater. in 2001, the san francisco arts commission and tampa does go public library established an arts master plan for the city soon to be renovated branch library. almost 10 years later, the san francisco arts commission has integrated a collection of vibrant new artworks by bay area artists into five new libraries, and there is more on the way. here is a c

madagascar are has plummeted in the rankings in just one year after a coup which scared off tourists and foreign investors. it left an economy in tatters, with higher unemployment and malnutrition for the poorest children. >> i am sure you are aware the number of -- we see some playing around with the constitution and extended terms. there are issues. >> more encouraging is kenya. its ranking would have improved since the index was compiled. >> your with bbc world news. this is the top story this hour. eight islamist militants were reportedly killed in a missile strike by an american pirone. three are understood to be german nationals. -- an american drone. three are understood to be german nationals. china says it wants to show the international community that is taking climate change seriously. scientists have been analyzing data that shows that man-made global warming is having a significant effect on its weather. the evidence was gathered in caves on the age of the beijing province. -- on the edge of the beijing province. >> getting ready to go back in time, we are heading to a c

four lemurs, a small ring-tailed primate made popular in the film "madagascar" are adapting to their new home in the zoo. they're considered endangered by the destruction of their natural habitat where 90% of the ecological system has been destroyed. >>> a group of clowns in mexico are doing what they do best, laughing. at a week-long convention, 700 clowns successfully broke a national laughing record wearing colorful costumes and face paints. the clowns hysterically laughed for 15 minutes. though it looks like a bunch of clownen around the participants are serious about gaining support and respect for their art. >>> if diamonds are a girl's best friend, victoria's secret may be on to something. their annual bejeweled undergarment known as the fantry bra was on display in new york and literally stopping traffic. it featured 60 karats of white diamonds, 82 karats of is that sapphires and topazes and can be yours for the recess-friendly price of $2 billion. that's actually a whooping $3 million less than the 2008 edition. so on sale now. >> and it looks like we had add an extra c to c

. >> also from africa, the island of madagascar. >> a lemur from madagascar. >> these are wild creechurature fur and meat. it's from madagascar, an island off the coast of africa. they were on the planet before monkeys and apes. can you imagine that? >> lemurs are something you're learning about. while a few species, just being discovered. >> more research with lemur than any other animal. stand back here. >> i will. when you get a warning like that from jack, you heed it. >> it's a beautiful creature. >> hi, hello. >> this right here is a cheetah. brian and shawn and other people do a great job with animals. we breed them in a place called the wilds near the columbus zoo. 10,000 acres an hour from the zoo, breed cheetah and wild dogs and those creatures. >> they need that space to run. this is the fastest land animal. >> like a sailboat, 50, 60 miles an hour. focus on the foot or not, only cat with nonretractable claws. the only cat in the world with nonretractable claws. >> which is why i'm keeping a distance. >> they make a kill by grabbing the throat. they are not powerful. a lot of time

madagascar has plummeted in the rankings i just one year.er a coup which scared off tourists and foreign investors bid up and lift the economy in tatters with high unemployment and malnutrition for the poor children. >> we are aware of the number of military coups in africa. a big number. we see some presidents who like playing around with the situation, trying to extend terms. so there's some issues. politics can bring a country down. you have to be very careful about that. >> more encouraging is kenya. its ranking will have improved since the index was compiled good of the country is a leading player in the east covered in community, which has recently launched a common market for goods, labor, and capital, to stimulate the region's economy. bbc news. ♪ "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. >> you're watching "bbc world news" from london. eight islamist militants reported to have been killed in a missile strike by an american ground. at least three are understood to being german nationals. the dutch politician who has gone on

. >> on the island of madagascar, right. >> this is a lemur from the island of mad cas gar. >> this is your hand. this animal is referred to as a pro semmian. what that means. i don't know if he'll jump up on your shoulder. >> so soft. >> they kill the animal for their fur and their meat but it is from madagascar off the coast of east africa. we'll go ahead and, see there, see -- pro simien mean they were on the planet before monkeys and ap sdedzs, can you imagine that. >> lemurs are something you are still learning about, right, while there are few species but still species being discovered. >> right. do you want to stand back here a second. >> i will. when you get a warning like that from jack hanna, you heed it. >> a beautiful creature. >> i hear the cat making some noises. >> hi wow! >> this right here is a cheetah. brian and shane and do a great job with these animals we breed them at a place called "the wilds" 10,000 acres from the zoo where we breed the cheetah and wild dogs from africa. >> they need that land. >> the fastest land ma mall in the world. >> you notice the tail. th

going by the rules of talker, madagascar should be considered continents.st a series of peninsula off of western asia. only cultural extra dig an local belief qualify it as a continent t doesn't really qualify as a continent technically. siberia and alaska are not actually parts of separate continents. they are part of the same landmass. we just don't see the connecting landmass because of the water that is over it. >> so there is no definitive answer really. >> i think the answer is everything that is surrounded by water that is smaller than australia is an island. >> here is the thing. i know we got to go. my question would be what landmass is too small to be an island. the big thing they tell new the bay hams, welcome to the bahamas, the land of 700 islands. they got to be including a landmass this big. >> may they want to be an island. >> : isn't that area up in the new york the thousand islands. isn't that what it is called? >> i think you're right. is that where the stuff comes from. >> a wonderful talk, guys. >> if you have a question -- >> 1983. >>

. >> reporter: and there are more different species in madagascar than anywhere else. >> there is more than 99 species of the approximately 12 hub space -- 1200 species known. >>> and what do we have here? >> this guy looks familiar, because he is the most popular today. they comes from the deserts of afghanistan and pakistan and they're used to living in harsh environments. one thing about them is he's a little different than most geckos. for one he doesn't have eyeballs and doesn't have toe pads. they live in the desert and very sandy, if they had toe pads they would get more dirty. so they do have claws to help them. >> let's talk about the toe pads because i made the rens to spider-man before and they put him to shame. >> they do. they've been doing studies for fecko add motion for years and scientists out west have been doing that and we have been able to produce a product where it doesn't need to be rinsed off or sticky and it's the same in ten years as it was made. >> reporter: and your favorite part about a gecko. >> they have evolved naturally and that we have only until recen

are. -- madagascar are. he met a woman there who is creel, african-american, french, and chinese. they married, and they had family, and i am the product of that. growing up here in the bay area, we have some influences because it is the gateway for emigration. from many countries. you walk down the street, you are participating in that mix. in my music, i really want to express and represent that kind of topic that goes on in the streets. it is the most exciting part of being here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the great artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much.