Charlotte stood on the train tracks ready for a train to come sweeping down the rails and end it all. However the driver of that train, 47-year-old Dave Lay, had other plans. Slamming the brakes after receiving notice of a pedestrian on the tracks, Lay brought the train to a halt and got down to […] The post She Was Going to Take Her Own Life, Then Married the Train Driver Who Spotted Her on Tracks appeared first on Good News Network.

The post Cat Grooming Challenges: Olga’s Battle With the Brush 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. Brushing your cat’s coat keeps it healthy, reduces shedding, redistributes the natural oil, and sometimes allows you to practice first-aid skills. Veterinarians and behavioral specialists recommend introducing grooming to cats when they’re kittens, and while I agree with their advice, Olga’s early experiences were more violent than beneficial. Youthful Aggression As a kitten, her oversized head and potbelly gave her a comical appearance, but underneath the cute exterior lay the soul of a psychopath. I let her examine the brush and left it on the couch for a few hours before attempting a grooming session, but my efforts were in vain. After sniffing it and hitting it a few times, she ignored it, which seemed promising since she didn’t consider it a threat. However, when I tried to brush her, she curled into a ball and attacked my hand with her sharp teeth and claws. I made several attempts, but grooming a cat is challenging when she doesn’t allow you to touch her back, side, or belly.  She only allowed petting on her neck and head, so I gave up trying to brush her until she became an adult and calmed down. This is my special place where I go to get away from Christopher and his grooming brush. Early Days of Grooming She kept her coat clean as a kitten and never developed mats or tangles. After she was around a year old, I bought a softer brush that was gentler on her light coat. She didn’t attack me but kept trying to eat the brush. Then, I tried bribing her, a positive reinforcement classic, when she behaved after a grooming session. I gave her a treat when she sat still for more than a few seconds, and it seemed to work. Subsequent sessions were more productive; eventually, I could brush 2/3rds of her coat without getting injured or frustrated. This brush has an exquisite aroma; it smells like me! Present-Day Grooming Sometimes, I think rewarding for good behavior worked too well. When I brush her fur or trim her nails, she purrs, moves around, and tries to rub her head on my neck. I know purring sounds more appealing than scratching and biting, but at least when she attacked me, she generally stayed in one place. She’s not as food-motivated as she was when she was younger, but she gets excited and more affectionate before her feeding times.  I don’t give her treats after grooming or nail-trimming sessions, but she still expects them and continues to use manipulative love to convince me she’s malnourished. Luckily, Olga’s thin coat doesn’t require frequent brushing, and her sound-barrier-breaking tongue handles most of the daily maintenance. She only resorts to violence after I trim her front claws and move on to the rear ones. I usually trim one and two before she screams and tries to hit me in the face. I considered buying a hockey mask and Kevlar sleeves to protect myself, but hydrogen peroxide and bandages are more affordable. Besides, she’s too relaxed sometimes, and I like seeing my miniature panther in attack mode. It takes me back to the days of her violent youth. You’re right, Christopher. My coat looks smoother and shinier after you brush it. This article is a part of Christopher and Olga's series. Read his previous article: Is Disciplining a Cat Useful or Effective? Olga Says No! The post Cat Grooming Challenges: Olga’s Battle With the Brush 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 Keeping the Mystery in Loch Ness (1996) A heartwarming tale of a skeptical scientist who meets his match in the fabled loch… By Judith Tarr | Published on November 4, 2024 Credit: Universal Pictures Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Universal Pictures There’s a surprising dearth of lighthearted family movies about the Loch Ness Monster. You’d think a cryptid nicknamed Nessie would have more cute-kid adventures. Mostly she seems to feature in documentaries and the odd bit of monster horror. Luckily for us, there’s a 1996 offering titled, plain and simply, Loch Ness. Ted Danson and Joely Richardson (as a flaming redhead) join Ian Holm and an adorable little redheaded girl in a heartwarming tale of a skeptical scientist who meets his match—in a number of ways—in the fabled loch. We begin with a prologue. Adorable young Isabel delivers the classic line: “That night was going to change our lives forever.” That’s the night on which Dr. Abernathy, who has had a few drams, wanders away from a pub beside the loch. The night is dark. There’s something in the water. That something hurls the good doctor to his death. Cut to Los Angeles, where Dr. Jonathan Dempsey has hit bottom. His ancient truck has died on the freeway. His ex-wife is harassing him for money. His career as a university professor has devolved to the point that he’s forced to teach freshmen. (The horror!) His department head, Dr. Mercer, offers him a combined opportunity and ultimatum. He’ll take over Dr. Abernathy’s research expedition at Loch Ness. There, using the latest technology, he’ll prove conclusively that the Monster does not exist. Jon refuses. He’s already failed to find a fabled cryptid. Later we’ll learn that he spent years hunting Bigfoot. He’s still famed in certain quarters as Doctor Sasquatch. Mercer gives him no choice. He’ll go, he’ll hunt, he’ll not find. His budget is unlimited, and he gets the coolest of the tools, the latest (as of 1995) in sonar. He also gets eager assistant Adrian, who Believes. He runs straight into a cryptid convention that has taken over the awful hotel in which he’s booked. (Every room is decorated in a different tartan.) He flees in his rental car, and wakes in the misty morning to the ire of a fiery redhead who upbraids him for blocking her driveway. She’s the proprietor of the pub from which Dr. Abernathy wandered to his death. We know where that has to be going, especially when we realize that young Isabel is hot-tempered Laura’s daughter. Jon ends up staying in the inn above the pub, though it’s the off season and the inn is closed and the room rate is exorbitant. But Mercer is paying. Jon doesn’t care what it costs. There’s drama on multiple fronts. Dark-browed Andy, who owns the boat the expedition has rented to carry the sonar and scan the loch, has his eye on Laura, but Laura isn’t giving him any encouragement. Andy doubles the rent on the boat, but again, it’s Mercer’s money. The Water Bailiff, meanwhile—a stern and somewhat sinister Ian Holm, still a few years shy of his much more famous role as Bilbo Baggins—makes clear to Jon that he does not approve of the expedition. The Monster is a Mystery. She’s been one for 1400 years, since the time of St. Columba. And so she should remain. The Bailiff is the keeper of the loch, Adrian tells Jon. He’s been there since 1932, which makes him considerably older than he looks. He watches and waits. And judges. There’s an assortment of locals, too. Regulars in the pub. A small chorus of ladies who offer commentary on the handsome American scientist. A wild-eyed crackpot who screams at the expedition from his junk-laden camp on the shore and warns Jon off “MY MONSTER!” Jon has a job to do, and he does it, in spite of hazing that escalates to the point of physical damage to the boat. In the meantime Jon and Laura stop bickering and start falling for each other, and Jon becomes fast friends with Isabel. It seems that he’s going to fulfill his contract with Mercer and find absolutely nothing in the loch. But we know there’s something there. There are hints and foreshadowings. Suggestions of things in the water. And not just otters, or salmon, or sturgeon. Something killed Dr. Abernathy. The night before he’s about to leave for home with his non-proof, Jon opens the bag Dr. Abernathy left behind, and finds a camera. Being a Real Scientist, he instantly rigs a darkroom in the lav and develops the film. And lo and behold, the last photo Dr. Abernathy took is of something remarkable. A shadow of a bulbous body. A distinctively shaped object that might be a fin. His skepticism transforms into an almost manic excitement. He goes hunting again, convinced now that there is something there after all, hiding in “cracks” in the side of the loch. The sonar actually finds something, a moving object forty feet long, that rams the boat and destroys it. Adrian saves him, then the Bailiff shows up in his rowboat. They carry Jon back to shore. There’s more drama with Andy, who beats Jon up over his budding romance with Laura. While Laura nurses him, Izzy makes him a get-well card that features a drawing of a creature he recognizes. It has the same shape of body and the same fin as the one in the photo. Izzy is a very special child. She comes from a line of Celtic women with the Sight. She has not only seen the creature, which she calls the kelpie, she’s made friends with it. She invites Jon to come and see it. It’s a long and somewhat epic journey, down below the ancient castle where the kelpie has often been seen, through a deep dungeon to a tiny opening that reveals a hidden cavern. She warns Jon to turn off his flashlight. Light scares them, she says. And there they are, not one but two huge prehistoric creatures rising up out of the water. Izzy apparently is able to communicate with them. They’re gentle with her, with wise and intelligent eyes. They loom over her, gazing calmly at the stranger she’s brought with her. Jon is enthralled. He pulls out the camera and starts shooting. When the flash goes off, so do the the kelpies. They bring down half of the cavern in their flight, and nearly drown Izzy. Jon has his proof. He has photos. At long last, his career is made. He’s found an actual cryptid. He knows exactly what it is. It’s a convergent subspecies: a hybrid of plesiosaur and elasmosaur. It’s survived for millennia in caves under the loch. It’s a life-changing, world-changing discovery. Izzy won’t speak to him. Laura is furious. Mercer is thrilled. There’s fame and fortune for him, too, as the head of the expedition. On the train to London and the big reveal to the world, the Bailiff confronts Jon and so far as swallows his pride as to beg him. Don’t do this. Don’t turn this ancient mystery into a media circus. Science might analyze and investigate and explain, but to what end? And for what benefit? Jon fulfills his dream of speaking before the Royal Society, but he punks it. Instead of the photos, he puts up a slide of Izzy’s crayon drawing. While the lecture hall erupts and Mercer struggles to do damage control, he slips out into the night. Meanwhile, on a bus through the wilds of Scotland, the Bailiff opens the bag Jon gave him on the train, and finds an envelope. We know from his expression what’s in it. Jon gave him the photos. And, presumably, the negatives. The kelpie is safe. The mystery endures. The world won’t know the truth. As for Jon, there’s no question where he ends up. This is a heartwarming family film, after all. His passionate reunion with Laura, with Izzy beaming in the background, fades into an underwater vision: two prehistoric creatures swimming gracefully away, with a much smaller one behind. As above, so below, as St. Columba would say.[end-mark] The post Keeping the Mystery in <i>Loch Ness</i> (1996) appeared first on Reactor.

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