Stuff - cats meows

The fashion world strives to re-invent itself designing creations that are unique yet sellable to attract the attention of potential buyers. Every year designers create trendy styles in the hope that they will be bought by people looking for that special look and something unique and different. It's only logical that fashionable pet owners would also want their four-legged furry companions with whom they share their lives, to wear the latest trendy togs.

When it comes to wearing animal fashions, cats are not a species that spring to mind given their independent and detached demeanor. Be that as it may, an online cyber boutique has created a line of hand-made leather and nickel silver battle armour for - wait for it - cats. The boutique, Etsy shop Schnaububle promotes its line as "100% wearable, flexible, and comfortable, the Cat Battle Armor is a for-real armor harness for your kitty."

The first thought that sprung to mind when reading the promo for the suit is how to convince a cat that it should wear something, anything, period. I mean, cats as a rule, are not a cooperative specie and it could be a battle royale trying to get kitty to wear a suit of armor.

The second thought is other than fashion vanity and one-up-man-ship, why would a cat require battle armor, period? According to the blurb, "your cat will become an unstoppable force for slaughter in this fully articulated suit, shielding him/her from foes while allowing unimpeded movement across the battlefield or living room floor.

So I'm thinking here, sending out a cat into battle on the back yard fence or anywhere, actually, in this type of outfit would be cause alone for a feline skirmish. I mean, you imagine the reaction of neighborhood cats upon spotting a kitty in armor?

"Hey! What's that thing crawling along the fence? Cheez - never seen anything like it before! Maybe we should attack!" the local kitty gang would utter, upon spotting the costumed combatant.

"It's me, Mittens! My owner made me wear this," the decked out cat would mew out.

"And you let her?" would be the logical question that would be asked, after which the cats would break out in uncontrollable laughter. Well they might.

But I digress.

The promotional blurb goes on:

"Your cat will become an unstoppable force for slaughter in this fully articulated suit, shielding him/her from foes while allowing unimpeded movement across the battlefield or living room floor. The imposing torso section features several riveted, articulated plates and a terrifying rack of dorsal spines. Your cat's hindquarters are sheathed beneath exquisitely arrayed overlapping scales stitched to a soft leather backing, adorned with nickel silver dome rivets. Midnight black scales and plates are finished with a glossy protective coat and seamlessly join together like the petals of a deadly flower. Adjustable at the collar with elastic and two nickel silver buckles, and at the belly with grommeted corset-style lacing for a secure, comfortable fit."

Somehow, the term, "force for slaughter" is somewhat disturbing as is "a terrifying rack of dorsal spines."

Strictly an observation and not being a cat owner and all, doubtful whether cats really need this type of protection. That being written, there is a big market for animal outfits. Head on down here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/175112598/cat-battle-armor  to see a cat wearing the suit.

There's a question and answer section for people who want to know how the creator got the cat to wear the outfit among other questions. So whad'ya think people reading this? Would you dress your cat in anything, never mind a suit of armor?

Speaking of Cats

There are pet cats and then there are pet cats that should be considered pets. Seems that an Indonesian man has what he believes to have made friends with a 400 pound Bengal tiger. It's rare that humans can strike up a friendship with a tiger but Abdullah Sholeh believes he has achieved it. He has even given his pet a name, Mulan Jamilah, who was given to him as a gift when it was a 3 month old cub.

The owner sleeps, plays and play fights with the tiger and frequently chooses to sleep alongside the cat in the tiger's enclosure instead of his own bed. This begs the question: why?  A tiger being a tiger and having the nature of a tiger, metal bars have been installed to separate the friends when they are together in an enclosure. Mulan is fed 13 pounds of chicken or goat meat twice per day. Let's hope that his appetite doesn't increase or he gets the urge for an in-between-meals snack.

"Dogs have owners, cats have staff."  ~Author Unknown




 

Life's quirky moments and other interesting but somewhat puzzling stories

Sometimes, a writer comes across a story that immediately begs to be shared. Maybe not begged but definitely worth passing on. This piece falls into this category.

There are competitions and then there are competitions that carry an unusual premise. In case you weren't aware of it - don't really know how I missed it - the Wife Carrying World Championships were held recently in Finland. This makes one - me - wonder why someone would want to create a contest of this nature encompassing schlepping (schlep - verb -Yiddish for drag, haul) a spouse around. But I digress.

In the way of background information, this schlepping-fest is or was inspired by a 19th century Finnish legend focusing on wives being stolen from neighboring villages. Just thinking here whether  the stolen wives were at some point, re-stolen back. But I digress. Again.

The challenge consists of couples (no mention of marital status) race around a 253 metre obstacle course with the 'wife', who is carried upside down with her legs clasped around the runner's neck. Presumably, strong legs would be an absolute necessity and a pre-requisite for the wife element of the competition. Weak-legged wives wouldn't suffice. According to one contestant, water obstacles consisting of a big pond lined in plastic, made the going very tough. I can imagine. Wonder if drowning is an issue...

In the end and when the carrying was over, Finnish couple Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina, took home the gold medal for the fifth consecutive year.

All dressed (and stuffed) mice to go

In as far as mice are concerned, to some people they are unwanted rodents that should be and frequently are, eliminated by various means, which shall remain nameless. There are people, presumably mice aficienodos, who enjoy their presence be it in an inanimate state of being. Why does this vision make me shudder.

A taxidermist, obviously a mouse/mice aficionado, is running workshops focusing on the art of  anthropomorphic taxidermy - say that fast after a few drinks - offering interested persons the chance to learn how to stuff dead mice, dress them up in cute costumes and pose them in unusual situations. Why? Who knows but  the practice was a popular art form during the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

The four-hour course offered by trained taxidermist, Shannon Marie Harmon, costs approximately $100 and teaches students to apply a preservative inside mice that is purchased from pet shops, pose and dress them in a range of cute-sy outfits. Wondering if there's a dress maker/designer who specializes in mice fashions. Anybody know? Moving along...

Upon completion of their course, students get to leave with their very own stuffed and embalmed rodent, ready to be dressed in the student's outfit of choice that could include polka dot dresses (presumably for female mice but not necessarily) or Victorian outfits replete with shoes.

We're talking here about frozen feeder mice available only at pet stores and not your common, street variety. It stands to reason that a higher quality rodent is a necessity given the variety of diseases that street mice carry. Right? You know it's true!

In case anyone reading this is interesting in learning the art of mice stuffing, Ms Harmon operates two classes consisting of 15 people, twice per week.

Pass...
 

Baby mop, in the true sense of the word

Can't remember how I came accross this "offer" but given the number of sites explored over time, this definitely caught my attention. It is for this very reason that blog readers will, maybe, would be interested or could be interested in pursuing this - well - unusual offer and service one might say.

Like many/most households accross and around the globe, chances are that the floor accumulates a lot of dirt on the surface and spills in which a pail and mop are necessary. You know - dip in the mop, squeeze out the mop and the clean the floor. A repetative, tedious and tiring chore for most of us, however, this problem could soon be a thing of the past.

"Oh do tell Eleanor! Are you promoting some type of robotic solution?"

Nay. Nothing so mundane and run-of-the-mill. We're talking here about baby mop and it's not a mini mop for mini spills either, although it could be one surmises. Picture this: 100% cotton baby one-sies with mop-type pads sewn in the elbows and knee areas. Hence, the baby mop.

"So tell us how this works, Eleanor!"

All that's necessary is to place your baby on the floor on her/his stomach and let the baby crawl around, which in turn cleans the floor. Really. I kid you not.

According to the site http://betterthanpants.com/baby-mop.html, (photos included of baby + mop) here are the top five reasons why parents need a baby mop.

1.  Teaches your baby a strong work ethic early on in their life.
2.  Your baby will learn not to drop and waste food.
3.  Baby will get a nice workout, burn off energy, and do muscle toning. And sleep better too!
4.  Not having to clean your floors saves you time so you can spend it doing things you enjoy.
5.  Save lots of money on house cleaning costs.
Sizes range from 3-6 months right up to 12 months. Wax not included.  Thinking further, one would require an infant in order to take advantage of the offer. Could adult sizes be far behind? The mind boggles - at least mine does.

Some thoughts about microwaved clothes, Chloe Kardashian and other weird but interesting stuff

It's the dog days of summer on the cusp of autumn and as shared in a previous blog, the silly wind-down of stories that seem to pop up but are worth sharing and maybe a thought or two, at least in my opinion.

Not in the moo-ood for love

It was veally a case of unrequitted love. In order to deflect the advances of an over-amorous bull, a Siberian cow climbed to the top of the stairs in the hope of losing him. The cow was found at the very top of a five storey apartment building in the village of Lesogork, mooing her angst to anyone and everyone within hearing range, including the bull who was waiting patiently bellow at the bottom of the stairs for the object of his affection. Sounds like a scene out of a cartoon. According to a government spokesperson, said bull had heaped a lot of attention on said cow throughout summer, but for whatever reason i.e. perhaps unrequitted bovine love on her part, the cow rejected his amorous advances. The bull for his part must have felt udderly rejected.

In the end and like a scene out of a western movie, firemen roped the cow by the horns and pulled her her down the stairs. No word on whether the bull was waiting. It's a moot point in the end, anyway.

Maybe his clothes dryer wasn't working

So a man living in Weymouth, England, for whatever reason and one presumes he had run out of them, had some (presumably) wet underwear that required drying. No information supplied as to why he didn't use a conventional method or appliance, which would would have handled the job but he didn't. Instead, he decided to use his microwave oven to dry two pairs of socks and two pairs of underwear, resulting in a fire. Duh! Obviously, he wasn't aware that microwave ovens are meant to heat up food and underwear doesn't fall into the food category unless...but I digress.

Upon reflection and even if his action hadn't resulted in a fire, it's kind of blechy bordering on gagging to use the same microwave for cooking purposes after having been used as a receptacle for underwear. The man was led to safety by neighbors. No information as to whether he plans to replace the microwave but it's certain he will buy more underwear. Then again - maybe not. Go know.

Attention master - baaaaad wolf nearby!

Swiss sheep (trying say that fast after a few drinks) may soon be texting a message to warn shepherds that a wolf on the prowl, thanks to a new invention worn around their necks. Sheep are a tasty meal enjoyed by wolves (the four-legged type) who enjoy an quick meal caught easily, but this may soon change. The new device created by a Swiss biologist will alert a shepherd if the heart rate of a sheep suddenly increases dramatically. A lurking wolf could definitely cause this type of reaction.

Faced with the increasing threat of wolf attacks that are occurring with frequency, the sheep break through fences to flee for their lives (wouldn't we all?), especially those that are part of a smaller flock without the protection of a sheep dog. The collars will be fitted with a chip alerting the shepherd via text message when sheep are distressed and presumably, the shepherd would take care of the big bad wolf one way or another.Seems that the big, bad wolves travel from Italy where they attack Swiss sheep. If this proves to be a successful deeterrent, other countries including France and Norway would be interested in using the collar.

"Survivor" stripped down

Love that Huffington Post's weird news, where some some really off-beat articles are shared. This caught my eye. People reading this and living in the vicinity of Chesnee, SC, are probably aware that there's a nudist resort in the area. If not - they know now. Hanging out (in the true sense of the word) without clothes  sets them apart from regular folk and members of the nudist resort, for the shear fun of doing it, sponsor a challenge with a difference. One could and would say that going clothes-less is a challenge in itself but I digress.

For more than three years, the Carolina Foothills Nudist Resort holds a "Survivor - Nudist Style" in which they outwit, outplay and outlast each other in the nude.

Obviously, word of the games has spread and contestants from all over the U.S. of A compete in challenges that include balancing red balls on square pieces of wood, completing a puzzle underwater, water volleyball and the ever popular, bean-bag toss. These are tough challenges people!

Alas, the stakes are not as lucrative as in the real "Survivior" where the winner gets $1 million, since the victor receives a 2-foot tiki trophy. In case people reading this want to find out more information about the resort and/or the challenge, here are the coordinates to the resort:http://www.carolinafoothills.com/

Just who is Chloe Kardashian, anyway?

Perhaps it's an "age thing" but can anybody reading this explain this public fascination with the Kardashians? Somehow and for whatever reason, this name has become a regular presence in the show-biz reports. This leads one - me - to wonder just who are they and what have they accomplished that makes them newsworthy? Anybody? In any case, this story/report sort-of took me by surprise. Seems that Chloe Kardashian is - wait for it - being considered as a panel judge for this year's U.S. "X-Factor". So...like...what attributes does Ms Chloe have other than a well-known last name, that would make her a good judege? Anybody? At least Britney Spears is a singer as is Mariah Carey but Chloe Kardashian? Strikes me that the judges i.e. Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez et al, are getting paid big bucks to promote their latest albums, after which they leave. Can't say that the show has grabbed my attention but then American Idol is slowly making its way in a downward motion. Maybe it's time to say adieu to these shows?

So how was your week?

Ohmygawd - what next? Road kill calendar - that's what!

I despair - again.

Many of us have have calendars with "normal" photos like smiling babies, gourmet food settings, flowers, forests, advertisements...run-of-the-mill, regular stuff. Then along comes somebody with the dumb/demented idea to create a calendar consisting of - wait for it and gasp - road kill. Seriously!

The calendar in question features the photographic images of squashed squirrels, badgers who have met up with cars and dead ducks - the poultry type. What makes this story even more grotesque is that it has become a best seller! What is wrong with people these days?

The creator is one Kevin Beresford, a courier who travels around the country taking pictures of dead critters. Surely the man can find better subjects than...road kill. Making this even worse is that there is a big demand on line. He admits that some of his "subjects" are so squished they can't be identified. This indicates that the photos most likely have blood and guts spilling out. How absolutely horrible and yucky.

January features four dead mallards and a dead hedgehog ending the year.

"I like the idea as it's different and appeals to my take on life and I think the British love animals - even dead ones," Beresford commented. What type of life does this mean lead, anyway?

So this leads one to ask people reading the story if they would buy a caledar featuring 12 photos of roadkill. Would you? I can say unequivocally that I would not!

Here's a sample of what we're alluding to:
http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Roadkill_calendar_a_surprise_hit

Two (or more) minutes of silence for Paul the octopus

Some people are suckers when it comes to betting on sports events and then along comes Paul the Octopus who had an uncanny ability to pick winners. Notice the usage of the past tense since Paul has gone on to meet - well - wherever octopuses or the scientifically correct, octopi, go when they pass on.

To many people, he looked like an ordinary octopus but Paul's special ability made him an instant celebrity. Born in January 2008 in Weymouth, England, he received the name, Paul the Psychic Octopus after being able to correctly predict the winners of last summer's World Cup.

According to reports, Paul passed away in his sleep in his tank from natural causes. There are people who aren't convinced he died under normal circumstances, and believe that Paul met with foul play. According to one Jiang Xiao, the director of a forthcoming thriller entitled Who Killed Paul the Octopus, she believes the superstar octopus had really been dead for the last three months. Furthermore, Jiang related to the Guardian Newspaper that she was "60 to 70% sure" Paul had died in July and been secretly replaced by his keepers. When pressed further to explain how the deception could have been perpetrated, Jiang explained that there could have been a switch since all ocotopuses (or octopi) look alike.

True but can all octopuses predict World Cup wins? Doubtful but then again nobody has ever tested the overall ability of octopi to see if they have any psychic abilities.

"We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here and that the care provided him by our dedicated displays team could not have been bettered, Stefan Porwoll, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Center in Germany that housed Paul, commented.

Paul's method of predicting winners was simplicity personified. His caretakers at the Sea Life Centre placed a mussel in each of two clear plastic containers within his tank, and each container was marked with the flag of the competing soccer team. Paul always took his first mussel from the container bearing the flag of the team he "knew" or "sensed" would win.

There is no information regarding funeral arrangements or even if Paul had any siblings or next-of-kin. There is also no information as to whether any attempt to track any down will be made.

"We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine,” said Porwoll.

The aquarium realizing a good thing...that is to say, recognizing that octopuses have as yet undiscovered talent, is already grooming a successor also named Paul. Who knows - if Paul 11 proves to be as psychic as his predecessor, could a salmon or flounder be far behind? I mean, just saying...

Woman chooses white to wed herself

Bridal gowns traditionally come in white as a symbol for purity in addition to the couple starting a new life together. Mind you these days wedding dresses also can be found in beige, off-white or even black but that as they say, is another story. So a woman living in Taiwan decided to get married, which in itself is nothing unusual. However what distinguishes her wedding from others is - wait for it - she is marrying herself on November 6.

According to the story, the bride, one Chen Wei-Yih, has gifted herself with a diamond ring (no information if it's an engagement ring since she would be engaged to herself) and booked a photographer to capture the occasion and guests. Furthermore, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision and the rationale behind the idea is to show other single females in the 30-year age bracket that they weren't failures. Why stop at 30? Why not 40-year old females and so on, one wonders but I digress.

The almost-wed bride is planning a solo honeymoon to Australia where she plans to pursue a career as a coordinator. No mention what she wants to coordinate but perhaps she's thinking single wedding coordinater. Why not? There are other single females who might want to marry themselves! Who knows - this could become a world-wide trend.

"Do you, blah-blah, take yourself as your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"

To get back to the wedding details, there will be bridesmaids and ushers plus 30 invited guests who will celebrate the self-wedding at a banquet hall following the ceremony. What is interesting is that Chen admitted she has had several boyfriends and relationships and was almost married plus she considers her self-wedding non-binding, which means she's free to marry someone other than herself, if the opportunity presents itself.

Here's a photo of the bride, replete in wedding dress: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/22/taiwan-bridetobe-plans-we_n_772431.html

Our world gets weirder and weirder...

Life never ceases to amaze

As a person who seeks out - how shall we say - the "unusual" articles on the Web, people never cease to amaze me. For example, this story upon first glance would appear to be something out of a Monty Python sketch or one of the"Airplane!" movies.

The staid British Airways had to issue an appology after an emergency message - wait for it - warning passengers that the plane they were on was about to crash into the sea. The automated message somehow went on in error. The 275 travellers, on the London Heathrow to Hong Kong flight when the message played, were flying over the North Sea at the time. I mean - imagine being on a plane, having faith in the pilot and hearing a message of this nature? It's like a good-news-bad-news-announcement.

"Hello! This is your pilot. Please prepare for a crash" to be followed by "oh sorry - our mistake. Wrong button!" Something to that effect.

Here is the link: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100827/odds/odd_us_britain_ba_emergency_odd


Once again a piece out of England - curious that many of these quirkies are based in England - comes the interesting statistic that one in four women who work as a lap dancer in Britain has a university degree. Presumably, their degree does not involve a college education in how to dance and sit on laps. Furthermore, the study also reveals that the women enjoy their work and earn up to $74,500 dollars per year doing it. The study done by researchers from the Univesity of Leeds (once again it boggles the mind that people actually receive money for this type of research) chose to get into lap dancing for money or because it fitted in with their main careers. Just wondering what type of career choice fits in with lap dancing... physio or massage therapy perhaps...

Attention Klingons!

Finally, just a quick reminder to earthlings and/or aliens reading this that the Klingon opera is a go in the Netherlands. This is being billed as the first authentic Klingon opera on earth hosted by the Zeebelt Theatre in The Hague on September 9-12. Just in case some out-of-town guests happened to be flying over earth, a radio message was broadcast to the assumed location of Qo'nos, the Klingon home planet, approximately 9 light years away. At least four responses from earth-bound Klingons have been posted to YouTube, promising to attend the event.

Hear the message beamed out to Qo'nos here and more information:

http://www.dutchdailynews.com/klingon-opera/

Dead squirrels used as beer holder

It's another one of those news pieces that make you wonder "what in the hell were they thinking?"

A scottish brewery used dead squirrels with presumably empty stomachs or at least empty for the most part, to promote their latest beer. Why? Because they could, one supposes. The beer in question that goes by Brew Dog, which is reputed to be the strongest and most expensive beer yet, sold out within hours of its release.

The brew contains a record 55% alcohol and animal advocates are not impressed and condemned the stunt. No kidding! The initial run was packaged in 7 dead stoats, 4 squirrels and a rabbit. A stoat for those of us who are not familiar with this animal, is a small animal or ermine. The beer could become a collectors item given the price of (Can. $800 - U.S.$1000) per bottle. You really have to like beer to pay that price.

Here's a photo of the beer and the beer holder: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/07/23/con-brewdog-beer.html

Here's what a stoat looks like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat

"It's pointless and it's very negative to use dead animals when we should be celebrating live animals," Advocates for Animals policy director Libby Anderson told BBC Scotland. "This seems to be a perverse idea."

What next? Vintage champagne bottles in hamsters or shot glasses of vodka in gold fish? Gimme a break!

Something still cheesy in England

Some of us, most likely most of us, think of cheese as a food to be eaten with crackers or perhaps a topping on hamburgers. "Normal" stuff. Then there are others who enjoy cheese on a roll, literally.

Approximately 100 people showed up at Coopers Hill, Gloustershire for an "unofficial" cheese race, even though it had officially been called off. The popular event attended by 15,000 people last year featuring people chasing a large chunk of cheese down a steep hill, was cancelled due to safety reasons. Thinking further, I suppose there could be a certain risk factor involved i.e. people watching from the sidelines getting injured by a runaway cheese. Or participants running into things on their way down like bushes or bikes or parked cars...

The cancellation hasn't been taken lying down or on the side and an official "Bring Back Cheese Rolling Group" has been initiated with more than 11,670 signatures. Some people really like their cheese.

Meanwhile, in another part of England (sounds like something out of a Monty Python skit), 5,000 people for whatever reason, attended the annual(!) woolsack race in Tetbury. The competition involves running up a steep hill carrying heavy sacks. Why do they do it? Probably for the same reason as people enjoy chasing cheese down a hill. Seems that this activity goes back to mediaeval times when men carried 60lb woolsacks and females carried 40lb woolsacks.

Finally, if this isn't enough to make you wonder, last but not least is the annual shin-kicking competition to take place this month. Really.