On News

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News”: Peta endorses freedom for killer croc

Originally reported by Discovery News in their blog on 14 September 2011.

Lolong, a 21 foot long saltwater crocodile, was captured in the philippines after he was deemed responsible for the consumption of a local man and implicated in the decapitation of a small girl. The world record length crocodile is slated to become the star attraction of a tourist destination due to his record breaking length. This eco-tourism park would be located in Agusan, Mindanao.

Peta, however, is not pleased with this news and wants the animal freed. I, however, don’t understand what they’re whining about. The animal would have been killed by many a villager in many a place. Peta should be thankful that they’re not only planning to turn him into tourist dollars, but they’re planning to do it while keeping him alive. Instead of a death sentence, the people have settled on life in prison. Be happy, Peta, that people aren’t just killing the creature for being a crocodile and are instead planning to celebrate him as a crocodile.

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News”: Quake Kills Belizean Barrier Reef

Originally reported by Discovery News in their blog on 12 September 2011.

The Belizean Barrier Reef has been suffering for decades. El Nino caused massive die outs of the primary two coral species, then in 2009 a magnitude 7.3 quake rattled the Caribbean and scent a large section into deeper waters. Now, about half of the reefs are gone, reduced to sediment and coral skeletons.

This die off has led to consideration of how natural disasters should be addressed in conservation strategies by a team from the Florida Institute of Technology led by Richard Aronson. He urges survival planning for conservation to be not just span 3 generations (200-ish years), but to think instead on a millennial scale.

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News”: Image is Everything

Originally reported in the Daily Mail in an article posted 21 September 2011.

In proof of the fact that image is everything, the quality of a dog or cat’s adoption photograph can be the difference between adoption and euthanasia. Professional photographer Teresa Berg of Dallas Texas can’t stand the thought that “for want of a good picture, a dog goes homeless”, and donated her services as a photographer to her local adoption center. The before and after photographs speak for themselves, but so do the numbers. Adoptions went up 100% after her first batch of new photographs went up.

So, whether you’re looking for a new home for your beloved pet or trying to sell a car, never forget the value of a good photograph in making people want what you’re offering.

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News”: Genetically Engineered AIDS Fighting Phosphorescent Felines

Originally reported by Discovery News in their 12 September 2011 Blog post.

Jellyfish genes have been used to “tag” Feline Immunodeficiency virus (FIV) resistant cats bred in a laboratory. FIV is the feline equivalent of aids and these cats can be used to study FIV resistance and gain insights into fighting HIV and AIDS. The original FIV resistant gene was derived from Rhesus Macaques and inserted into this line of cats along with the Jellyfish gene for luminesense, so that cats carrying the gene would also glow when exposed to black light.

So far the gene has bred true and showed no negative effects on the effected felines. With luck the studies of these cats will result in studies that move AIDS and HIV prevention forward.

And no. You can’t have a glowing cat for a pet. They don’t sell them.

Cats Paw

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News”: Royal Canadian Mint releases commemorative Cryptid Coin

Originally reported by the Royal Canadian Mint, and picked up by Cryptomundo in a Blog Post.

Coin

Little known canadian cryptid the “Mishepishu” (translates as “Great Water Lynx”). Unlike America, which has been treating it’s cyptozooloigical legends like curiosities, Canada has embraced them at least as as part of their culture. This coin line also features a bigfoot and Memphré version and is clearly geared towards children with the colorful art and fun informative literature included.

Sure, not all cryptids are worth the time of day and the effort, but there are aspects of them which should never be thrown aside. Why shouldn’t we at least honor the history of these stories? Why do they need to be dismissed consistently and why can we not enjoy the fun that they stand for? And for those cryptids that have hope, why shouldn’t we be investigating them?

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News”: First true improvement in smart phones in ages.

Originally reported by Discovery News in their blog on 19 September 2011.

Smartphones have long had abysmal battery lives, but a new development that shuts down bluetooth and wi-fi when the phone is idle stand to change that all. Called “Subconcious Mode”, this development was pioneered by University of Michigan’s Kang Shin and Xinyu Zhang. This “over clocking in reverse” technology might be the took that doubles smartphone lifespans and makes them as reliable as they already should have been.

All right, Mr. Jobs. Call those folks and get this into iPhone 5 and iPad 3 all quick-like!

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News”: Dogs are Telepathic

Originally reported in a Blog Post on 9 June 2011 by Discovery News.

Our furry friends are so tuned to listen to us that they have a hyperawareness towards their human companions that resembles telepathy. That’s right, your dog is telepathic, after a fashion. They have the ability to sense our moods (and react appropriately to them). They can even learn to detect abnormalities that are dangerous to humans like seizers, blood sugar abnormalities and cancer!

Experiments comparing wolves and dogs, which are genetically subspecies of the same species rather than independent species (dogs simply represent the species post-domestication) and their ability to choose which people from which to beg was carried by both species. Dogs, however, tend to do better on such tests, and further tests involving shelter dogs that lack practice (like wolves) demonstrates that the behavior is inborn (they can all do it) but perfected by practice (dogs with long-term, healthy, happy relationships with people were the best at it).

In short, dogs are the ultimate people-readers. Our sidekicks are awesome.

Paul & Billie Belle

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News” – Capt’n Morgans Ship Found! (brought to you by the Captain Morgan Rum Company)

Originally reported by Time on their Website.

The conveyance of 17th century Welsh pirate Sir Henry Morgan, commonly called Captain Morgan, was found by archaeologists. The ship that was located is the starboard (right) side of one of the five ships from Morgan’s fleet alongside as big heap of unopened boxes and chests. Morgan’s fleet was lost while taking a fort near Panama City, and though Morgan succeeded in taking the fort his ships and their cargos have not been seen topside since.

Best part: The financiers of this expedition? The Captain Morgan Rum Company.

Bonus Link: Top 10 Audacious Acts of Piracy, also brought to you by Time Magazine.

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News” – Award winning children’s book on Evolution shunned by US Publishing

Originally reported by Discovery News in their blog on 16 September 2011. That’s right, this one is actually current. But I saw this and felt that it deserved to be covered quickly and not wait around while I worked through a backlog of less pressing issues.

Evolution: How we and all living things came to be (Book by Brian Loxton)

If ever you wonder why US children score so much lower on science related tests, you just have to look at the situation surrounding Mr. Loxton’s book. Normally books about evolution can find publishers pretty easily. A good example is Biologist Richard Dawkins’ “The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution” which was published by Free Press of New York, NY. But American publishers, the same publishers who also published Dawkin’s “The God Delusion” decided that a book on evolution targeted at ages 8-13 was “too hot a topic”. It wasn’t until Canada’s Kids Can Press stepped up and hit the go button on the publication that the book received a Lane Anderson Award nomination and was a finalist for the Silver Birch Award.

How could American publishers decline to publish such a well received work? Since when are book publishers supposed to decide what is and isn’t a controversy? Arn’t they supposed to be selecting books worthy of publication rather than books worthy of publication without causing the lunatic religious left to make a big stink?

Heaven forbid science and pre-teens go together and we start teaching your children to think and examine what they read. Heaven forbid we start to teach them to examine theories and controversies for themselves and expand their brains instead of only teaching them what’s “safe” and “not too hot”.

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News” – 18th Century Vandalism Cleaned Up!

Originally reported by Discovery News via their blog on 28 September 2010. Yes. this is a year old. I don’t care. I still find it interesting.

During the 18th century it was decided that a nude of dwarf and court jester of the time, Morgante, was painted over. The original canvas, titled “Bronzino”, is double sided, and portraying both full frontal and full backal nudity on the part of the dwarf. The work was considered obscene prior to it’s vandalism. The painting was “Fixed” by adding masses of vines and grapes to “protect” the modesty of Bronzino and recast him as a humble servant overing wine.

The subject of the painting rose from the status of slave to be a landed man and favored subject of Duke Cosimo l de’ Medici. Duke Medici also had his favored entertainer portrayed in a number of other works by a variety of other artists. Even, however, he was not safe from the various mistreatments of dwarves in the times. “Nani”, and the dwarves were known then, were expected to entertain and amuse, being made the butt of many jokes. Even the landed and titled Morgante continued to suffer at the hands of other courtesans.

Prehaps, now, he is getting the last laugh. He has achieved a level of longevity and grandness those abusive courtesans can never achieve. He is immortalized in a collection or art that places him as the center.