Paul the oracle octopus update

In my last blog posting, Paul the oracle octopus in western Germany was mentioned for accurately predicting 2010 World Cup soccer games. The post was before the tournament's final and semifinal games. Well, Paul proved his psychic prowess by accurately picking Spain as champion and Germany as 3rd place. Paul was 100 % accurate in German team World Cup predictions. This article gives further information that Paul is going to retire. No more Paul in the limelight. He is going back to entertaining children as a day job.

I am guessing what you are not seeing behind the scenes is Paul is really being squidnapped by powerful authorities during aquarium off hours to predict other big sporting events. They will then bet big in Las Vegas and make millions. This octopus is worth big money!! Well, there is my half-baked conspiracy theory. Please take it with a grain of salt.

It is time to go visit my folks in Washington State next week, so it will be a while before any more posts.

Octopus oracle

Usually, I post about science or other serious topics. Today concerns an octopus in Germany who had accurately picks soccer match winners up to this point. Paul, the psychic soccer octopus (picture above) lives in the Oberhausen Sea Life aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen.

According to the Yahoo! article, the octopus has been accurate in picking winners of the FIFA 2010 World Cup tournament up to this point.

Paul correctly predicted Germany’s wins over Argentina, England, Australia and Ghana and the country’s loss to Spain and Serbia.

This mollusk had a small, cult following in the past beginning in 2008.

Paul first developed his abilities during the 2008 European Championship in which he predicted five out of six games involving Germany correctly. But while he had only a community of local fans two years ago, his World Cup prognostications have brought him international stardom.

It looks like the aquarium put 8 legged prediction maker on the spot by having Paul predict a German game. Not being human, Paul had a politically incorrect answer for a German defeat against Spain in the semifinals. The knives and grills came out after Paul's correct choice leading towards an international political incident.

Spain’s defeat of Germany in the semifinals as predicted by Paul prompted many Germans to wonder about how he would taste grilled for dinner. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero fretted about the safety of “El Pulpo Paul,” as he’s known in Spain, and offered Paul protection.

“I am concerned about the octopus,” Zapatero said. “I’m thinking about sending in a team to protect the octopus because obviously it was very spectacular that he should get Spain’s victory right from there.”

In response to hundreds of angry e-mails from disappointed German football fans who sent in recipe suggestions for the 2 1/2 year-old floppy mollusk, the aquarium actually did take extra precautions, Porwoll said.

“I even told our guards and people at the entrance to keep a close look at possible for football fans coming after Paul for revenge,” Porwoll said. He added, however, that the number of love declarations the aquarium is receiving from Paul’s fans far outweighed the hate mail.

Paul most likely taught us a good lesson, people hear what they want to hear and not the truth. This even pertains to an oracle octopus.

If I could find a small aquarium creature with clairvoyant powers like Paul, Vegas watch out!