Category: dingoRUE

Now, I’m kind of on the fence on this one. It seems like a neat idea, but then again it also strikes me as being incredibly stupid and a little bit of god playing.

Scientists from Allerca in San Diego, California have apparently created the very first hypo-allergenic cat. Good news for all you hyper-allergic cat people out there. Apparently the scientists determined what gene in a cats DNA was responsible for causing allergic reactions, found a specimen with very low levels of the “Fel D1” gene and began its “breeding programme.” This is the part that makes me wonder exactly what they did, as no further details are offered on this supposed breeding pattern.

The results of the “breeding programme” were kittens that were clinically tested to apparently not induce allergic reactions in people that would otherwise be sneezing like mad.

“In times of need and passion, whether it’s depression, whether it’s something traumatic, nothing substitutes the love of a pet. You can’t put a price on it,” said May. Allerca also stated that allergic cat lovers will be willing to pay a small fortune for these hypo-allergenic cats. This brings me to my second point of contention with this whole thing.

The cats will be sold spayed or neutered (to prevent Allerca from losing their monopoly on the hypo-allergenic cat market), micro-chipped and will even be delivered right to your door. Orders are being accepted online for these super cats, which will be available for delivery in early 2007, for the low low cost of $4,000 US. HA! Good to know Allerca is obviously in it to make it possible for allergic cat lovers to have cats, as opposed to, you know, making as much money as humanly possible. Right. Now you see why they’re selling them spayed and neutered, right? Right.

I think I’ll stick with my perfectly good hyper-allergenic felix the cat. He cost $50 from the West Vancouver SPCA, who are more concerned about actually helping the animals than making assloads of money on them, and I bet he’s just as cuddly and loving, if not more so, than any hypo-allergenic genetically modified cat-like creation could be.

Tomorrow will mark the day of the very first attempt at Zero Gravity surgery. A group of French doctors will be the first to attempt the feat on a specially crafted plane usually reserved for astronaught and other Zero G training activities.

The doctors are performing this surgery in the hopes of gathering, what could be critical, information about conditions when operating in a Zero Gravity environment. Over the course of a three hour flight a total of three surgeons, two anaesthetists and a team of army parachutists will attempt to remove a fatty tumor from a willing volunteers arm through the use of specially designed tools. Due to the small area of the operating room on the plane and the effects of a Zero G environments, all tools will be magnetically attached to the operating table.

The doctors involved hope to futher develop technologies involved in Zero G surgery in order to create satellite controlled surgical robots. These robots, which will be controlled on earth via satellite links with Dr’s, will perform surgeries on patients in Zero G environments in the event of an emergency.

The Drs and crew involved have been practicing for the mission since February on both the plane and on ground and they said “it is all crystal-clear in our heads.”

Good luck to the willing patient. I hope that everything goes well and look forward to hearing about the operation. How cool is that?

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Even President Bush is having a hard time keeping his real opinions hidden. This freudian slip is brought to you by YouTube, the David Letterman Show and the letters A, S, S.

the David Letterman Show
YouTube

I’ve always been a fan of former President Bill Clinton, the guy was one of the best Presidents in recent history for the US and he got booted for a little intern under the desk action. Personally, If I was a US citizen, I would rather have a president with an intern under his desk then one with Dick Cheney‘s arm up his ass like a puppet.

Anyways, Bill Clinton was interviewed on the incredibly biased Fox News channel recently and caught the interviewer in his lies and trickery. Bill was super fiesty in this interview and by the time it ended he was red faced and breaking out in a sweat, I loved it. It’s certainly worth a watch, check it out:

Image Source: ThinkProgress.com

It never fails, mainstream media in the US is so incredibly biased sometimes it’s actually hard to believe.

This is a prime example. How is it that the cover of the most recent edition of Newsweek Magazine in Europe, Asia and Latin America features a front cover article on Losing Afghanistan, yet the US edition is surprisingly Afghanistan story free.

I guess a story about Annie Leibovitz is more important to the American people than what’s happening in Afghanistan? That must be it.

An Onur Air pilot said something you, as a passenger, never want to hear while sitting on a plane waiting to take off: “I’m resigning. This plane is not safe!”

Ding! I don’t know about you, but that’s sign enough for me to say, ‘the hell with this, I’d rather walk.’

After making the comment over the PA to all passenger, the pilot proceeded to walk off the plane and leave all 180 passengers sitting in their seats, no doubt freaking out.

The pilot apparently heard a strange noise coming from the engine of the aircraft and evidently didn’t trust the plane enought to fly it, saying “I am resigning from my job. Do not fly with this plane. It is not safe. Do not fly with Onur Air.”

It sounds to me like he heard the noise, was worried for the safety of his passengers and refused to take off and I’m guessing the folks behind Onur Air were pressuring him to take off anyways, why else would he resign right on the spot?

All of the passengers were forced to stay on the plane in 100F heat for a while before the company finally decided to pull everyone off the flight. Some had to wait an additional 2 hours before being able to get anyother flight, where as 20 flat out refused to fly. I have to admit, I’d probably be in the same boat as them in this case.

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Onur Air

So Chrys and I decided to take a short little walk up to Arbutus and 11th to check out a pet store we noticed coming back from Petcetera one day, and I have to say, it rules!

No more will we be bussing it to Petcetera just to pick up a few odds and ends. Tisol is a lot closer, has much better prices and a way better selection. They have everything you can think of for Dogs, small critters and Cats. Unlike Petcetera, which has a ton of stuff for dogs and not a whole lot for cats, Tisol has everything you need for your kitty. Tisol has a better selection of cat food, litter, toys, cleaning products, just about everything really, and from what I noticed, it all seems to be cheaper as well.

A small bag of Nutro Max cat food is about $12 – $13 at Petcetera, where as it’s only $8 – $9 at Tisol. They also sell their wet kitty food for cheaper and have a much better selection of natural, organic and generally healthier cat food. Tisol even has some super cute cat food dishes and treat holders, they’re so cute! We picked up a new cat dish for Felix as we’ve just been using a small saucer for his wet food and he manages to push it all over the place and gets most of it all over his little mat.

Needless to say, we’ll no longer be going to Petcetera, Tisol is the cat supplies store of choice for us, for sure! If you need any animal supplies, I highly recommend looking into a Tisol near you, as they do have a few different locations in Burnaby, White Rock, Richmond and 2 in Vancouver.

Tisol
Petcetera
Felix the Cat

Allen Snyder of Morgantown, West Virginia got a bit of a surprise last spring when he notice one day that his 14inch tall red and white gnome had gone missing from his garden. More surprising still was the fact that he began receiving letters from the Gnome several months later.

In total, Snyder has received three letters from his hijacked gnome from various locations in the US. The most recent letter came with pictures and featured the gnome taking in a Pittsburgh Steelers game with his new owners.

One thing is for sure, the gnome isn’t upset about being kidnapped in the least, in fact he had this to say in his most recent letter:

“You never took me to any games,” and “Have to go now. Boarding a plane. Now, finally, broadening my travels.”

One of the earlier letters even included a request for bail money and pictures of the gnome and another kidnapped gnome sitting in the back of a cop car. This gnome sure gets around.

It seem that online travel company Travelocity, which features a traveling gnome as their mascot, has even contact the owner of the gnome with a few words on encouragement:

“While we know that your dear friend, Gnomey, can never be replaced, we’re sending the enclosed Roaming Gnome to keep you company in his absence,” wrote Michelle Peluso, CEO of Travelocity. “Hopefully your friend will find his way out of trouble and back to your front yard soon, although we can’t help but admire his sense of adventure and love of travel.”

That’s one lucky gnome.

Good luck Gnomey, and safe travels!

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