30 years ago this month, botanists in Australia made the “find of the century” when they discovered a stand of pine trees in the mountains near Sydney that have survived from the time of the dinosaurs. Now, to mark the occasion, the Botanic Gardens of Sydney are auctioning off 6 saplings to avid horticulturalists in […] The post 6 Saplings of Dinosaur-Era Tree Species Being Auctioned to Spread the Pines Around Australia appeared first on Good News Network.

The post Do Cats Have a Sense of Humor: Olga’s Comedic Ways by Christopher Bays appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Hi, I’m Christopher! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my silly Russian Blue cat, Olga. I didn’t have a boring life before adopting Olga, but she has entertained me for almost eight years. When studying cat behavior, we often connect their actions to instincts. Their aversion to water is attributed to their desert origins, and their fondness for playing with toys is related to their predatory instincts, but is their sense of humor instinctual? Comedic Cats I think most felines have a sense of humor, and it’s hard to argue that they don’t appreciate physical comedy. Olga doesn’t laugh or smile, but she gets a kick out of knocking my glasses off the shelf above my bed, especially if they land on my face. She attacks inanimate objects when she’s hungry and wants attention, but sometimes, she does it for entertainment. The other day, she was sitting in my lap, half asleep, while I was working on the computer. She lazily stretched her left paw out and pushed a pen off my desk. Irritating me isn’t instinctual, but Olga is amused by it and enjoys laughing (internally) at my expense. She wouldn’t be the same cat without her sense of humor, and I probably wouldn’t enjoy living with her. Christopher, I only hit you because I’m amused by violence. Slamming Doors Erratic behavior isn’t unusual in cats, but until I adopted Olga, I didn’t think opening and slamming doors was a source of feline entertainment. She loves squeezing her body into the narrow gap between the door and wall, standing on her hind legs, and pushing the door closed with her front legs. She can grab the door handle and pull the door open, but she struggles sometimes. She screams if she cannot open the door and increases the volume if I ignore her. When I open the door, she howls at me and runs away. Most cats don’t like trapping themselves in a room. After the first experience, they’re unlikely to repeat it, but Olga is a goofball. She’ll wait a few minutes before running into another room and slamming the door. If I play a joke on her and lock the door, she’ll scratch the carpet by the door and whine. After I ignore her, she’ll start ramming the door. She’s a little cat but sounds like a bull or a battering ram. Although her cries sound urgent, and she looks upset when the door opens, she doesn’t relent and finds another door to attack. Her behavior isn’t instinctual, and she wouldn’t repeatedly slam the door if it didn’t amuse her. This is my favorite chair to tear up! Sources of Amusement As young kittens, cats are entertained by their siblings and parents and eventually by their owners. If they live in a shelter, they lose their sense of humor unless they’re adopted. Feral cats probably aren’t as concerned about entertainment since they’re often in pain from injuries and disease, but at least those living in colonies can bask in their communal despair. Cats like Olga are lucky they can experience joy and humor. We are the primary source of comedy for our cats, and without us, they would revert to being humorless predators. This article is a part of Christopher and Olga's series. Read his previous article: Are Cats Manipulative? Olga’s Manipulation Skills The post Do Cats Have a Sense of Humor: Olga’s Comedic Ways by Christopher Bays appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Column SFF Bestiary Not Quite Lazarus: The Tasmanian Tiger It’s been over 40 years since the last sighting of the Tasmanian Tiger, but rumors persist… By Judith Tarr | Published on September 16, 2024 Illustration from John Gould’s The Mammals of Australia, 1864 Comment 0 Share New Share Illustration from John Gould’s The Mammals of Australia, 1864 Before I move on from land-based cryptids, I have to pay tribute to one last, unique animal. The thylacine or Tasmanian tiger was officially declared extinct in 1986, fifty years after the last one died in captivity. But there’s a strong belief in Tasmania that the thylacine is not in fact extinct; that there may be a population, however small, still living and breeding in the remoter parts of the island. In fact the last credible sighting occurred in 1982, when a park ranger happened to be doing a game survey. He had pulled over to the side of the road and camped for the night. Around two a.m. he shone a light out into the road, and caught what he declared was, without a doubt, a Tasmanian tiger. A healthy male, he said, four to five years old. He observed it for several minutes until it moved off into the bush. What he saw was an apex predator, a marsupial about the size of a small wolf or a medium-large dog. Its snout was long and pointed and capable of opening to ninety degrees, with a daunting array of teeth. Its ears were smallish and rounded; it had a distinctive conical hind end with a long, straight, inflexible tail. It was sandy in color, with the distinctive stripes over the back and hindquarters that gave it its name. This was a trained observer, and he knew what he was seeing. After his report was filed, biologist Nick Mooney conducted a two-year search which yielded no results. That didn’t deter scientists and enthusiasts from continuing to search off and on through the Nineties and into the new millennium. Both official and unofficial investigations have turned up no evidence that the thylacine survives, but the sightings continue. Occasionally a searcher finds tracks that might or might not be thylacine tracks. Sometimes there’s a photo or video, but none so far of high enough quality to state categorically that yes, this is a thylacine. Youtube has a nice collection of influencers and wildlife enthusiasts taking to the trail and recording their adventures. They do their homework; they sum up the history and weigh in on the likelihood that somewhere, deep in the bush, Tasmania’s iconic predator is still alive. They never find anything, but what they manage to do is show the world how beautiful Tasmania is, and how much of it is still wild. Earlier this year, 60 Minutes got into the game with a segment that first aired in April and then repeated in June. They reported on the tragedy of the species’ extinction and the persistence of belief that it’s still out there. They checked in with Nick Mooney himself along with a number of other experts. They also touched base with Andrew Pask, a researcher in Australia who is so devoted to the idea of the thylacine that he’s trying to bring it back to life through a process called de-extinction. He’s doing this not through cloning (though some sources are calling it that) but by tweaking the DNA of a living relative: the fat-tailed dunnart. This is the Down Under version of the grasshopper mouse, a tiny, ferocious predator that’s close enough genetically that Pask believes he can edit its DNA to recreate the thylacine. Not everyone believes Pask can do it. Fellow biologist Chris Helgen points out that gene editing is a process of trial and error. You tweak a few dunnart genes, get something a little bigger. Tweak a few more, size it up a tad. Another tweak, you get some stripes. It’s a long process, he says: 1001 steps to get something that looks like a thylacine, but it’s really not. So why do it? he asks. It’s an attempt to redeem ourselves for driving this animal to extinction. We feel the guilt; we mourn the loss. We try, in our bumbling way, to make up for our terrible mistake by bringing it back. In Helgen’s view, this is a waste of resources. We should focus on endangered species, on animals that are still alive, that can still be saved. Let’s keep what we’ve got, and not try to bring back what we’ve lost. I can imagine what he’s saying about the scientists who are trying to bring back the mammoth. Or the ones who talk about retconning chickens and ending up with dinosaurs. I tend to agree with Helgen. It’s tragic that the thylacine is lost; it did not have to be, if humans had known or cared about preserving an essential part of the native ecology. But there’s enough to do to keep what we still have, while also keeping the climate from collapsing. And if there really are thylacines out there, somehow? If the whispers are true, that locals are keeping their lairs and habitats secret, to keep them from being overrun? Good for them. I hope they survive.[end-mark] The post Not Quite Lazarus: The Tasmanian Tiger appeared first on Reactor.

Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course Friends, I have a few questions about the second Trump assassination attempt in as many months. I don’t have answers for these questions (though I do have some theories – but not enough evidence to voice most of them.) My questions Here goes… Why, shortly after the first assassination attempt, was a second would-be assassin able to get within 400 feet of where Mr. Trump was about to be? How did this fellow, Ryan Routh, who is from North Carolina but now lives in Hawaii know precisely when Mr. Trump would decide to play a last-minute round of golf? How did Ryan Routh end up getting a gun legally, especially after this incident with a gun in 2002? Does it seem oddly coincidental that Ryan Routh was ALSO in a Black Rock commercial, just like Thomas Matthew Crooks, the first guy to take a crack at Mr. Trump? Why the heck are the lefties still screaming that Trump and his supporters are a “threat to democracy” when they keep trying to KILL the dude running for president? Who’s the real threat here? What kind of a**-backward thinking is it to BLAME TRUMP for people trying to shoot him? From NBC: “Today’s apparent assassination attempt comes amid increasingly fierce rhetoric on the campaign trail. Mr. Trump, his running mate JD Vance continue to make baseless claims about Haitian immigrants” in Springfield, Ohio, resulting in bomb threats.” What kind of country are we going to have if the third attempt succeeds? We’ll have a president who never won any kind of primary and just got put on the ballot without any due process, after the guy who won a primary was murdered? Can you say “banana republic?” Which of these is the REAL threat to democracy? Why was Ryan Routh the star of this article from a Polish website? On that note, why, oh why, don’t career politicians know that we have a constitutional republic? Why is the media pretending they have no idea what Ryan Routh’s political ideology is? “Unclear political ideology” ??? He’s donated to ActBlue 19 times, has a Biden/Harris sticker on his truck, & vehemently hates Trump. His political ideology couldn’t be more clear. https://t.co/vzFFsz94SD — Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) September 16, 2024 ; I’m thankful that Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken over the investigation. Perhaps this time, we’ll get some answers. My conclusion: Our media is the biggest threat to truth and “democracy” in this country. What do you think? Do you have more questions to add to the list? Do you have answers to any of these questions? Let’s discuss it in the comments section. While we still can. About Daisy Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews. Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter. The post I Have a Few Questions About the Second Trump Assassination Attempt appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

DeSantis: We're Investigating This Assassination Attempt For Ourselves

Yes, It IS Incitement

When you cool light photons to absolute zero, things get really weird.

A "peng-win" for the world's most endangered penguin.

One of the many reboots being made in Hollywood is the classic comedy hit from the early ‘90s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, streaming on Peacock now as Bel-Air. Currently in its second season, Bel-Air is now a drama instead of a comedy and is absolutely nothing like the original. For example, happy-go-lucky Carlton, who was famous for his cheesy dance moves, is now a recovering drug addict. There’s also a woke, CRT (critical race theory) storyline. But the biggest change of all is youngest Banks daughter Ashley (Akira Akbar), who is now a lesbian. In episode 6, Baggage,” Ashley’s mom Vivian (Cassandra Freeman) finds her and her male friend Eli (Michael Govan Hackett) alone in Ashley’s bedroom. Ashley tells her mom it’s okay he’s there, because he’s non-binary and uses he/they pronouns. Therefore, “they’re not really a boy,” which Vivian accepts as perfectly okay, albeit with seeming hesitation: Eli: Infinity Song. Ashley: Black folk music. Eli: Mm-hmm. Ashley: Love 'em. Eli: Tank and the Bangas, though! Ashley: Oh, my gosh, Tarriona is a poet and songwriter. I mean, that's me all day. And their songs talk about real things. Eli: See, that's what's so cool about music, you know? It just connects us. Ashley: So, what do you like to write about in your music? Eli: My life. Got bullied a lot in middle school. Ashley: Dang, that sucks. Eli: Yeah. Ashley: How'd you handle it? Eli: Wrote a song about it, then took jiu-jitsu and started, you know, kicking some ass! Ashley: Mom, this is Eli. Vivian: Nice to meet you, Eli. Eli: What's up? Vivian: I've heard a lot about you. Eli: You too, Mrs. Banks. Thanks for having me. Vivian: Hey, Ash, can I talk to you for a second? Eli seems nice. But you know there's no boys allowed in the room. Ashley: Mom, Eli's nonbinary. And he uses he/they pronouns. They're not just a boy. Vivian: Well, okay, just keep the door open, okay? Ashley: Okay. In episode 8, “Gimme a Break,” Vivian is taking Ashley and Eli to the pool at their country club. When Ashley’s father Phil (Adrian Holmes) sees the two of them laughing together as they’re preparing to leave, he becomes concerned about how short and tight her skirt is and how “slick” Eli appears to be. Phil is confused and remarks to Vivian that he thought Ashley was “into girls.” He asks, “What, is it boys now?” Vivian assures him that Eli has a boyfriend, so all is well: Eli: Oh, hey, Phil. Phil: Hello, Eli. I prefer Mr. Banks, though. Ashley, can you help me with something over here, please? Don't you think that skirt's a little short? Ashley: No. Phil: Well, I do. I don't feel comfortable with you wearing that out of the house. Ashley: I don't dress for your comfort. What? Phil: Oh, I'm just looking to see who you're talking to, 'cause I know for sure it's not me. Ashley: Okay, but you don't police what Will and Carlton wear. Phil: Listen, I will shut this whole day down if I have to. So, Eli, you've been hanging out here a lot. Eli: Uh, yeah, yeah. Me and Ashley have a good time. Phil: How good? Eli: Uh... Vivian: Eli, do you mind loading the car? Eli: You got it. See you, Mr. Banks. Phil: I don't like how slick he is. And when did Ashley get so mouthy? Did you buy her that little skirt? Vivian: Okay, relax. Breathe. You went through the same thing with Hilary, remember? Phil: I thought she was into girls. What is it, boys now? And what do we know about this kid? Vivian: I know that he's got a boyfriend. Mm-hmm, and that they like hanging out with each other. Look, I'll be with them all day. I got this. Ashley: Happy now? Phil: You look beautiful, baby. Phew! Close call there, Phil! But, don’t you worry. Your daughter’s still a lesbian and her chummy male friend is gay! Isn’t that a relief? My how times have changed! I guess now that we’re in the 2020s, boys in a girl’s bedroom can be excused with a simple pronoun change, gender identity confusion and claims of being gay from either child. That couldn’t possibly lead to kids lying just to get their boyfriend or girlfriend into their bedroom, right? Let’s just trust them and hope for the best in the name of progress. #eyeroll There was also a CRT storyline about Ashley’s black teacher being fired because the school was “caving to a few white parents who are upset with her,” and that “All she's guilty of is exposing her students to books that are honest about race, sexuality, and American history.” The books were outside of the approved curriculum and the teacher had been warned repeatedly to stop violating the rule, but she refused to comply. Ashley and her family plan a huge walkout protest, which they call a “blackout,” over the firing, and the protest chant becomes, “Black teachers matter.” Two of the books recommended were The Revolution Has Come: Black Power, Gender and the Black Panther Party in Oakland by Robyn C. Spencer and I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown. The latter was chosen as a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, which is pretty sad given that the first chapter is titled, “White People are Exhausting.” Bookclubchat.com shared this description and excerpt: In talking about history, Austin discusses about the problem with history education. A key area that she points out is how teachers try to change the narrative that the Civil War wasn’t really about slavery and say instead, that it was really about “states’ rights.” So (sic) I was told this in a high school history class (sic) and I vividly remember we were all confused and pushed back—but the teacher wouldn’t budge. Sorry, teacher, you’re wrong; the Civil War was about slavery. It’s chilling to think how history was (and still is) manipulated to serve an agenda in an effort to diminish the experiences of black people in this country. There’s a reason there was so much backlash against CRT. It's a good thing even black parents strongly protested it at school board meetings across the country, unlike these fictional characters staging a protest in favor of it. When even a white reader’s takeaway is that there’s some sort of secret conspiracy and concerted “effort to diminish the experiences of black people in this country,” that becomes a dangerous message to young, impressionable students. It’s also race-baiting at its finest and only serves to widen the racial divide, promoting anger and hatred between races. Can we please just have the fun, lighthearted version of this show back instead of this woke, heavy reboot? I think most people would prefer their entertainment without the leftist political propaganda.

Success is the ultimate unifier. When people succeed together, petty differences tend to disappear.Today, one of the few things Americans seem to agree on is that we’re more divided than ever. According to a recent Ipsos poll, 81% of Americans subscribe to this view, including 82% of Republicans, 80% of Democrats, and 81% of independents.Shared success will, in turn, foster political unity and a much-needed sense of common purpose in America today.But the situation is not hopeless. The same survey found that 69% of Americans believe we all want the same basic things out of life, with the results once again consistent across the political spectrum.Our founders knew Americans shared the same fundamental desires as all people throughout history, so they designed our government to be narrowly focused on basic things like security, stability, and prosperity. We would do well to return to these simple, unifying truths as we work and live together.With that in mind, here are five things the next administration can do to build unprecedented prosperity and unite our divided country.1. Rethinking the IRS: From enforcement to empowermentThe Biden-Harris administration passed a law authorizing funding for 87,000 new IRS employees, which would more than double the tax enforcement agency’s workforce (currently 79,000).Instead of using these new employees for stricter enforcement, which would require stronger policing of small businesses and individuals, the next administration should transform the IRS into an agency focused on helping businesses achieve compliance constructively and use incentives like research and development tax credits that promote growth. Replacing coercion with cooperation would reduce conflict and enable taxpayers to see the government as an ally rather than an antagonist.2. Defense acquisition reformThe Defense Department’s outdated acquisition process dates back to the Cold War. Modernizing this process could lead to significant savings and better outcomes, easing pressure on the federal budget and boosting public confidence that our military personnel are well supported.Shifting from annual to three-year budgets would allow for better planning and resource allocation. Establishing a permanent slush fund would enable quick responses to emerging threats and provide opportunities to capitalize on new technologies.These reforms would improve the Pentagon’s readiness and operational capabilities, ensuring it can keep pace with rapidly evolving technological advancements by moving beyond outdated, restrictive procedures.3. Revitalize welfare programsWelfare programs should encourage personal growth and purpose rather than just offering subsistence-level aid. Revitalizing these programs might involve once again linking benefits to active job training, education, or community service participation. This approach would help individuals advance as they climb social and economic ladders rather than keeping them dependent.Both sides agree that welfare should be a “hand up, not a handout.” Implementing this commonsense principle would empower individuals to thrive and help break the cycle of poverty.4. Ease the regulatory burdenThe problem for small businesses and startups isn’t necessarily the number of regulations but the complexity of overlapping rules. Streamlining these complex regulatory frameworks could reduce compliance costs without compromising the regulations' intended purpose.Simplifying regulations would lower entry barriers and encourage more entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to market, boosting economic diversity and innovation. This approach would allow our brightest minds to focus more on making an impact and less on navigating regulatory compliance.5. Innovate tax incentivesTax incentives should reward companies for engaging in activities that generate social and economic benefits rather than directing benefits to politically connected individuals, corporations, and industries. These incentives should promote investments in emerging sectors like clean energy, AI-driven efficiency, or regenerative agriculture.Incentives should also create a tax environment that encourages U.S. companies currently offshore to relocate back to the United States and discourages others from leaving.We don’t have to deepen our political divisions. Instead, we can bypass them and pursue commonsense solutions that help all Americans thrive. Shared success will, in turn, foster political unity and a much-needed sense of common purpose in America today.