Smokey the cat’s loud purr has been likened to a lawnmower, a hair dryer and a “Boeing 747 coming in to land from a mile away.”
The cat’s owner, Ruth Adams of Pitsford, England, was so convinced the animal’s purr was the loudest in the world, she asked researchers from Northampton College to take a reading of it to try to set a new record.
The college said a team it sent with specialized sound equipment discovered the cat’s purr reached 73 decibels – 16 times louder than the average house cat.
Cats often purr when being petted, becoming relaxed, or when eating. Female cats are known to sometimes purr while giving birth. Domestic cats have been reported to purr when injured, sick, in pain or dying. Purring may have developed as a signaling mechanism between mother cats and nursing kittens. One theory is that it is not a sign of showing relaxation or content, but an attempt at “friendship” or a signal of “specific intent”. For example, when a cat is nervous and cannot escape the situation (at a veterinarian perhaps), its purr may serve as an attempt to avoid being hurt. German ethologist and cat behaviorist Paul Leyhausen interprets it as a signal that the animal is not posing a threat.
The morning talk show host for CJOB radio in Winnipeg Richard Cloutier keeps calling his station a superstation. I’m not sure why he does this. The definition of a superstation is as follows: a superstation is defined as “A television broadcast station, other than a network station, licensed by the CRTC that is secondarily transmitted by a satellite carrier.”
As far as I know CJOB is not carried by satellite. Contrary to the term super CJOB cuts its 50 thousand watt signal after 7 pm. Anywhere 100 kilometres outside the city and you cannot pick up CJOB. I imagine it is strictly a revenue issue. Back in the day I had to drive 40 kilometres east to listen to the Jets games.
The only thing super about CJOB is the amount of commercials it spews out. The referral to CJOB as a superstation by its staff is a promotional stunt. The station basically has no competition in the Winnipeg market. It is one of a kind talk radio. That is why its ratings are so high. There is no other similarly formatted station for a listener to turn to.
So this superstation stuff is meaningless. Nothing super about the station at all. Unless one figures the amazing revenue a little station like this makes from incessant non-stop commercials.
When you find the perfect colour scheme, it’s important to stick to it.
And one woman was so determined to maintain her co-ordinated decor that she returned a rescue dog to kennels – because he clashed with her living room curtains.
The house-proud woman, who has not been named, visited Harvey the Jack Russell in a rescue centre several times before taking him home.
Give a dog a home: Harvey is back at the kennels after he was adopted by a woman but returned later because he ‘clashed’ with her curtains.
But later the same day, she called to say that there was a problem with the ginger and white dog because he didn’t go with her curtains. Two days later, she returned Harvey to the Jasmil Kennels and Cattery in Lower Halstow, near Sittingbourne, Kent.
Kennel boss Barry Shuttleworth said he was ‘horrified’ when the woman, in her late 40s, gave such a trivial reason for handing back the three-year-old pet.
His wife Corrina, 38, added that there had been a spate of dogs being returned for ‘ridiculous reasons’, such as a labrador who ‘wouldn’t bark’ and another pet who was judged ‘not cuddly enough’.
She said: ‘In Harvey’s case the woman was in the kennels looking for a dog when Harvey was brought in as a stray.
‘She fell in love with him straight away and visited him for seven days before being allowed to take him home.
‘The day she took him home, she called us up and said there was a problem with Harvey as his colouring clashed with her lounge curtains. We told her to put him in another room, but two days later she brought him back and said she had spent a lot of money on her curtains and that she didn’t want Harvey any more.’
Mr Shuttleworth, 42, added: ‘Some people just don’t think about why they want a dog, and they need to so that so many dogs don’t end up unwanted.
‘I would urge people to consider the implications of rehoming a dog before deciding on any action.’
It’s official — the government has fallen from power, clearing the way for a spring election.
The opposition Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois came together Friday afternoon in a historic vote to say they no longer have confidence in the Conservative government.
After the vote, Speaker Peter Milliken addressed Stephen Harper as a member of Parliament rather than as prime minister when Harper rose to move the House adjourn. Conservative MPs left the House chamber quickly for a caucus meeting.
Harper spoke in the foyer of the House of Commons within minutes of the adjournment.
“Today’s vote, which of course is a disappointment to me, will, I supect, disappoint Canadians,” Harper said, adding that he would ask Gov.-Gen. David Johnston Saturday to formally dissolve Parliament.
More people than what you would expect are thinking the end of the world is coming in December 2012 when the Mayan calendar runs out.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — A devastating earthquake strikes Japan. A massive tsunami kills thousands. Fears of a nuclear meltdown run rampant. Bloodshed and violence escalate in Libya.
And U.S. companies selling doomsday bunkers are seeing sales skyrocket anywhere from 20% to 1,000%.
Northwest Shelter Systems, which offers shelters ranging in price from $200,000 to $20 million, has seen sales surge 70% since the uprisings in the Middle East, with the Japanese earthquake only spurring further interest. In hard numbers, that’s 12 shelters already booked when the company normally sells four shelters per year.
“Sales have gone through the roof, to the point where we are having trouble keeping up,” said Northwest Shelter Systems owner Kevin Thompson.
A rendering of the 950-person bunker that the Vivos bunker company is planning to build under the grasslands of Nebraska.
Imagine living in very close proximity with a bunch of crazy religious doomsday believers for a year.
A smaller version.
“People are afraid of the earth-changing events and ripple effects of the earthquake, which led to tsunamis, the nuclear meltdown, and which will lead to radiation and health concerns,” said Vivos CEO Robert Vicino. “Where it ends, I don’t know. Does it lead to economic collapse? A true economic collapse would lead to anarchy, which could lead to 90% of the population being killed off.”
The last time people flocked to purchase bunkers in such droves was right before the Y2K scare, according to Stephen O’Leary, an associate professor at University of Southern California and an expert on apocalyptic thinking.
“Tens of millions of people believe in a literal apocalypse, which involves earthquakes, storms, disasters of global proportions and especially disasters related to the Middle East,” O’Leary said.
Elan Yadan, a clothing store owner in Los Angeles, is one of the many customers who rushed to find a bunker last week. Yadan secured a spot for his family in a Vivos’ shelter, putting down four deposits totaling $20,000 — $20,000 that had been earmarked for a down payment on a new house.
“I honestly didn’t want to do it, but unfortunately it looks like the worst expectations about the world are starting to come true,” said Yadan, who had been reading about Mayan predictions of a global meltdown in 2012. “With the things happening this week, it’s better to be safe than sorry. And what good is a house if you don’t feel safe?”
When the survivors come up for air after the Rapture or Apocalypse isn’t the world suppose to be overrun with devil hounds, werewolves and fire-breathing giant rabid worms? What in the hell kind of place is that going to be to bring up your kids!?
Back in 1988 Police Squad detective Frank Drebin infiltrated a meeting of terrorists and other bad anti-American people in Beirut, Lebannon. They included Ayatollah Khomeini, Mikhail Gorbachev, Yasser Arafat, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Fidel Castro, and Idi Amin. During the brawl that ensued Drebin threw Idi Amin out a window after whacking him on the back of the head with a large metal object. Drebin could have done the same with Gaddafi, but he only punched him hard in the face. In retrospect Gaddafi should have went flying out the window. And the problems the world faces today would not have happened. In the hidden camera video below Gaddafi is wearing the officer’s cap with the red ribbon and the sunglasses.
Barack Obama has just the damnedest things fall into his lap. First he inherits the Great Recession from the Bush regime just as he starts his first term. Then this anti-regime movement bursts out from nowhere in the Middle East. And ultimately Obama has to commit U.S. aircraft and missiles into a anti-Gaddafi attack. America’s third ongoing war.
But if Obama had done nothing he would have been attacked as being to weak. Now he is being attacked in certain circles as being to belligerent. He sometimes is between a rock and a hard place in my opinion. If U.S. forces do not over do it, and pull back early, Obama will come out of this looking forceful yet tactfully restrained.
And Gaddafi should realize there is some retribution in the air attacks for his past indiscretions.
There may also be complex underlying reasons for the European resolve in this situation.
When there is a conflict in the Middle East that troublesome black gold always plays a role in the decision-making process.
When one looks at the situation in Libya it is an amazing act of diplomatic machiavellianism. It is bringing together 2 major European powers, the U.K. and France, the United States and the Arab League as well as many other less vocal supporting nations. It could be a major uniting force for different geopolitical regions. And the bonus will be that a very dastardly, cruel, ruthless and depraved troublemaker will hopefully be sent to the dung heap of history.
