He thanks Porsche for the opportunity

Republican Introduces Legislation To Defund NPR

Calling all Patriots&;#33;

The video actually shows the opening of a tunnel in Switzerland.

What is this site&;#63;

'Obligated to follow the laws'

Our top 10 Anberlin songs list showcases an American band that has made significant contributions to the alternative rock and emo music genres. Originally‚ the band members formed SaGoh 24/7 in 1998‚ releasing two albums before disbanding to pursue a new musical direction under the Anberlin name. Using funds from successful shows with their former band‚ they recorded several demos with producer Goldman‚ three of which were reworked for their debut album. They then collaborated with producer Aaron Sprinkle‚ known for his work with Acceptance. Though Anberlin’s debut album did not chart‚ it included well-received tracks like “Readyfuels.” The band The post Top 10 Anberlin Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

University of Queensland scientists had a remarkable eureka moment when they accidentally turned the most common greenhouse gas into electricity. By using positive and negative ions of different sizes‚ the team created electricity from CO2‚ and now believes that their ‘nanogenerators’ could help improve the reputation of the simple molecule. Now thoroughly demonized‚ it pays […] The post Researchers Creates Nanogenerator Capable of Using Greenhouse Gas to Produce Electricity appeared first on Good News Network.

The post What’s That Sound&;#63; The Melodious Tones of the Feline Upchuck by Dr. Karyn Kanowski BVSc MRCVS (Veterinarian) 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 Dr. Karyn&;#33; Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch‚ Cyril‚ Alex‚ Zelda‚ and Zazzles. Ask me what gets me leaping out of bed like a kid on Christmas morning: It’s not the fire alarm‚ or a dog barking‚ and it sure as hell isn’t the alarm on my phone. No‚ the one thing that will have me – and any cat owner – on my feet and wide awake is the guttural urgings of a vomiting feline. Now‚ I don’t know if it’s a female‚ pre-programmed maternal thing (I don’t have children)‚ and cat Dads out there‚ please let me know if I’m wrong‚ but why is it that I can go from sound asleep to rushing my cat towards a hard surface in less time than it takes my husband to roll onto his other side and continue snoring&;#63; There was one near-miss situation where Zazzles‚ who prefers to haunt our bedroom in the night‚ decided to initiate her digestive evacuation sequence from a convenient location on top of our bedhead. Reece (the aforementioned husband) vociferously objected to being disturbed from his slumber‚ so I have promised that next time I will allow the cat to vomit on his sleeping head. Unfortunately‚ this specific situation has not yet repeated itself. I’m sure you’ve all found yourself in similar situations‚ and would probably like to know Why do cats vomit so often&;#63; How often is too often&;#63; And…. When is a vomit not a vomit&;#63; Please‚ join me on a little journey as we look at the ins and outs of feline emesis. When Is a Vomit Not a Vomit&;#63; Regurgitation‚ Vomiting‚ and Coughing Up a Hairball One benefit of having five cats at my disposal is that‚ inevitably‚ one of them is going to exhibit one‚ more‚ or all of the weird and wonderful feline behaviors that we all know and tolerate. Clutch has mild inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)‚ and will periodically favor us with his digestive pyrotechnics‚ mostly due to his habit of stealing food that is not part of his prescribed diet. If you check out my video‚ you might notice that his technique is slightly more subdued than the violent‚ noisy stomach heaving we often see our cats engage in‚ possibly because he’s quite well-practiced. But‚ he does still show us the classic abdominal contractions that exemplify vomiting. Sadly‚ regurgitation is not so easy to capture on film‚ as we rarely get advanced notice that it’s going to happen (I say sadly because‚ in the absence of a feline model‚ I had to do the demonstration for the video). One of the main distinctions between vomiting and regurgitation is that abdominal involvement is absent‚ or very minimal‚ and what is produced closely resembles that which went in. So much so that many cats will happily have a second attempt at eating it‚ unless the dog gets there first. Regurgitation happens when the food (or object) swallowed is rejected before it enters the stomach‚ so it comes out in the tubular shape of the esophagus. In most cases‚ it is the result of eating too quickly‚ or due to an accumulation of hair (a ‘pre-hairball’) in the esophagus. There are some more serious causes of regurgitation‚ and if you want to know more‚ check out our article on Cat Regurgitation vs. Vomiting. Classic feline regurgitation: I came‚ I saw‚ I ate too quickly. Speaking of hairballs‚ when you watch Zelda on our video‚ you can see why it is often referred to as ‘coughing’ up a hairball. The neck outstretched and head held low‚ accompanied by the raspy‚ wheezing cough‚ certainly looks like a respiratory problem‚ but this posture is classic for trying to bring up a hairball. So why is it so different from vomiting or regurgitation&;#63; If a hairball reaches the stomach‚ it is usually destined to continue on a one-way journey towards the exit. However‚ if the hairball gets stuck going into or out of the stomach‚ or in the intestines‚ we may get regurgitation‚ vomiting‚ or constipation as a consequence. The coughing happens when there is hair accumulating higher up in the esophagus‚ irritating the pharynx‚ which is where the oral cavity‚ nasal cavity‚ esophagus‚ and trachea converge. This triggers the classic hairball cough‚ but doesn’t always result in the ejection of a hairball‚ because there may not be one yet. Hairballs accumulate over time‚ much like hair in a shower drain. You don’t get a blockage after one shower‚ but over a period of time‚ the hair attracts more hair and other debris until you get a solid‚ slimy mass. When you see a classic hairball on your carpet or bed (which often alarmingly resembles a poop‚ especially if it is the raven-haired Zelda’s handiwork&;#33;)‚ this hairball has usually been vomited up; the hairball cough is generally non-productive. So if your cat is doing the hairball cough‚ it’s a good time to be a bit more proactive about dealing with them before they become a more serious issue. Zelda coughing up a hairball Why Do Cats Vomit So Often&;#63; There are lots of different reasons why cats vomit‚ and‚ although it may seem like it sometimes‚ it’s not to annoy us&;#33; Vomiting can be a sign of serious illness‚ so it’s not something to take lightly‚ but they do seem to do it more often than dogs‚ and some cats do it more often than others. I have had two “vomity” cats; one who died of old age several years ago‚ and Clutch. Both had extensive investigations (bloodwork‚ x-rays‚ ultrasound)‚ and both had completely normal results. I was able to manage their conditions by keeping them on a food for sensitive stomachs‚ but they were still prone to the occasional flare-up‚ and Clutch vomits up hairballs more often than he seems to pass them in his poop. Cats can also suffer from pancreatitis and a condition known as triaditis‚ which can cause gastrointestinal upset and vomiting. Research has shown that more cats likely suffer from this condition than we realize‚ but in many cases‚ the signs are mild enough that they either don’t end up at the vet‚ or they recover before more specific diagnostic tests are performed. The hairball factor is also likely to be a major contributor to the vomity cat scenario‚ as these slimy little objects can cause temporary blockages and slow everything down‚ causing vomiting or regurgitation that resolves as quickly as it appeared. How Often Is Too Often&;#63; This is a tricky one to answer because I don’t want to tell you not to worry if your cat is vomiting. Technically speaking‚ any and all vomiting is a sign of a problem‚ and when in doubt‚ it’s always better to check it out. I can give you some tips as to what I would consider to be an acceptable vomiting/regurgitation/hairball situation‚ but do bear in mind that every cat is different‚ and what is considered ‘normal’ for one‚ may not be normal for another. I’m Not Worried When Clutch (who has IBD/sensitive stomach) vomits once a week or less‚ and is otherwise well and eating The other cats vomit once a month or less‚ and are otherwise well and eating Any of the cats are ‘coughing up hairballs’ once a week or less Any of the cats regurgitate once or twice a month‚ and are otherwise well and eating I Worry When Clutch vomits more than once a week‚ or seems unwell Any of the other cats vomits more than once a month‚ seems unwell‚ or goes off food Any of the cats are coughing up hairballs more often than once or twice a week Any of the cats regurgitate more than twice a month‚ seems unwell‚ or goes off food Any of the cats‚ apart from Clutch‚ vomits or regurgitates consistently every month‚ even if it is only once Any of the cats vomits or regurgitates more than twice in one day Zazzles vehemently denies that she tried to vomit on us in bed. Ways to Make Life Less Vomity So now you know that life with cats is inevitably going to include a little bit of vomit now and then‚ but that doesn’t mean we should just sit idly by. If you’ve noticed an increase in your cat’s upchuck frequency or consistency‚ but they seem bright and well and are eating and drinking normally‚ there are a few things you can implement to improve their gastrointestinal performance: Extra grooming to reduce how much hair they are ingesting. Different food – if you think their current food isn’t agreeing with them‚ there are thousands of different options you can try – raw‚ fresh‚ hairball diets‚ sensitivity diets‚ freeze-dried foods…talk to your vet about what they suggest‚ and remember to always transition onto a new food gradually. You don’t want to make things worse&;#33; There are pastes‚ oils‚ and supplements to help support a healthy digestive system and eliminate hairballs‚ some available over-the-counter or online‚ and some your vet can prescribe for your cat. Do take comfort in knowing that it’s not unusual for the average cat to vomit‚ regurgitate‚ or bring up hairballs from time to time‚ but it is useful to be able to recognize which one it is. You know your cat better than anyone‚ and if you’re worried that something is wrong‚ you’re probably right‚ and it’s always better to seek veterinary advice. In the meantime‚ I’m thinking about making an alarm clock that sounds like a vomiting cat – let me know if you want to invest&;#33; The post What’s That Sound&;#63; The Melodious Tones of the Feline Upchuck by Dr. Karyn Kanowski BVSc MRCVS (Veterinarian) 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.

Book Recommendations ecological fiction 10 Works of Eco-Fiction Worth Celebrating Eco-fiction has been with us for decades—here are ten examples that are as impactful as they are enjoyable. By Nina Munteanu | Published on April 19‚ 2024 Comment 1 Share New Share Our world is changing. We currently live in a world in which climate change poses a very real existential threat to life on the planet. The new normal is change. And it is within this changing climate that eco-fiction is realizing itself as a literary pursuit worth engaging in. Many readers are seeking fiction that addresses environmental issues but explores a successful paradigm shift: fiction that accurately addresses our current issues with intelligence and hope. The power of envisioning a certain future is that the vision enables one to see it as possible. Eco-fiction has been with us for decades—it just hasn’t been overtly recognized as a literary phenomenon until recently and particularly in light of mainstream concern with climate change (hence the recently adopted terms ‘climate fiction’‚ ‘cli-fi’‚ and ‘eco-punk’‚ all of which are eco-fiction). Strong environmental themes and/or eco-fiction characters populate all genres of fiction. Eco-fiction is a cross-genre phenomenon‚ and we are all awakening—novelists and readers of novels—to our changing environment. We are finally ready to see and portray environment as an interesting character with agency. The relationship of humanity to environment also differs greatly among these works as does the role of science. Some are optimistic; others are not‚ or have ambiguous endings that require interpretation. What the ten examples I list below have in common is that they are impactful‚ highly enjoyable works of eco-fiction. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver Climate change and its effect on the monarch butterfly migration is told through the eyes of Dellarobia Turnbow‚ a rural housewife‚ who yearns for meaning in her life. It starts with her scrambling up the forested mountain—slated to be clear cut—behind her eastern Tennessee farmhouse; she is desperate to take flight from her dull and pointless marriage to run away with the telephone man. The first line of Kingsolver’s book reads: “A certain feeling comes from throwing your good life away‚ and it is one part rapture.” But the rapture she’s about to experience is not from the thrill of truancy; it will come from the intervention of Nature when she witnesses the hill newly aflame with monarch butterflies who have changed their migration behavior. Flight Behavior is a multi-layered metaphoric study of “flight” in all its iterations: as movement‚ flow‚ change‚ transition‚ beauty and transcendence. Flight Behavior isn’t so much about climate change and its effects and its continued denial as it is about our perceptions and the actions that rise from them: the motives that drive denial and belief. When Dellarobia questions Cub‚ her farmer husband‚ “Why would we believe Johnny Midgeon about something scientific‚ and not the scientists&;#63;” he responds‚ “Johnny Midgeon gives the weather report.” Kingsolver writes: “and Dellarobia saw her life pass before her eyes‚ contained in the small enclosure of this logic.” The Overstory by Richard Powers The Overstory is a Pulitzer Prize winning work of literary fiction that follows the life-stories of nine characters and their journey with trees—and ultimately their shared conflict with corporate capitalist America. Each character draws the archetype of a particular tree: there is Nicholas Hoel’s blighted chestnut that struggles to outlive its destiny; Mimi Ma’s bent mulberry‚ harbinger of things to come; Patricia Westerford’s marked up marcescent beech trees that sings a unique song; and Olivia Vandergriff’s ‘immortal’ ginko tree that cheats death—to name a few. Like all functional ecosystems‚ these disparate characters—and their trees—weave into each other’s journey toward a terrible irony. Each their own way battles humanity’s canon of self-serving utility—from shape-shifting Acer saccharum to selfless sacrificing Tachigali versicolor—toward a kind of creative destruction. At the heart of The Overstory is the pivotal life of botanist Patricia Westerford‚ who will inspire a movement. Westerford is a shy introvert who discovers that trees communicate‚ learn‚ trade goods and services—and have intelligence. When she shares her discovery‚ she is ridiculed by her peers and loses her position at the university. What follows is a fractal story of trees with spirit‚ soul‚ and timeless societies—and their human avatars. Maddaddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood This trilogy explores the premise of genetic experimentation and pharmaceutical engineering gone awry. On a larger scale the cautionary trilogy examines where the addiction to vanity‚ greed‚ and power may lead. Often sordid and disturbing‚ the trilogy explores a world where everything from sex to learning translates to power and ownership. Atwood begins the trilogy with Oryx and Crake in which Jimmy‚ aka Snowman (as in Abominable) lives a somnolent‚ disconsolate life in a post-apocalyptic world created by a viral pandemic that destroys human civilization. The two remaining books continue the saga with other survivors such as the religious sect God’s Gardeners in The Year of the Flood and the Crakers of Maddaddam. The entire trilogy is a sharp-edged‚ dark contemplative essay that plays out like a warped tragedy written by a toked-up Shakespeare. Often sordid and disturbing‚ the trilogy follows the slow pace of introspection. The dark poetry of Atwood’s smart and edgy slice-of-life commentary is a poignant treatise on our dysfunctional society. Atwood accurately captures a growing zeitgeist that has lost the need for words like honor‚ integrity‚ compassion‚ humility‚ forgiveness‚ respect‚ and love in its vocabulary. And she has projected this trend into an alarmingly probable future. This is subversive eco-fiction at its best. Dune by Frank Herbert Dune chronicles the journey of young Paul Atreides‚ who according to the indigenous Fremen prophesy will eventually bring them freedom from their enslavement by the colonialists—The Harkonens—and allow them to live unfettered on the planet Arrakis‚ known as Dune. As the title of the book clearly reveals‚ this story is about place—a harsh desert planet whose 800 kph sandblasting winds could flay your flesh—and the power struggle between those who covet its arcane treasures and those who wish only to live free from slavery. Dune is just as much about what it lacks (water) as it is about what it contains (desert and spice). The subtle connections of the desert planet with the drama of Dune is most apparent in the actions‚ language and thoughts of the Imperial ecologist-planetologist‚ Kynes—who rejects his Imperial duties to “go native.” He is the voice of the desert and‚ by extension‚ the voice of its native people‚ the Fremen. “The highest function of ecology is understanding consequences‚” he later thinks to himself as he is dying in the desert‚ abandoned there without water or protection. Place—and its powerful symbols of desert‚ water and spice—lies at the heart of this epic story about taking‚ giving and sharing. This is nowhere more apparent than in the fate of the immense sandworms‚ strong archetypes of Nature—large and graceful creatures whose movements in the vast desert sands resemble the elegant whales of our oceans. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer This is an eco-thriller that explores humanity’s impulse to self-destruct within a natural world of living ‘alien’ profusion. The first of the Southern Reach Trilogy‚ Annihilation follows four women scientists who journey across a strange barrier into Area X—a region that mysteriously appeared on a marshy coastline‚ and is associated with inexplicable anomalies and disappearances. The area was closed to the public for decades by a shadowy government that studies it. Previous expeditions resulted in traumas‚ suicides or aggressive cancers of those who managed to return. What follows is a bizarre exploration of how our own mutating mental states and self-destructive tendencies reflect a larger paradigm of creative-destruction—a hallmark of ecological succession‚ change‚ and overall resilience. VanderMeer masters the technique of weaving the bizarre intricacies of ecological relationship‚ into a meaningful tapestry of powerful interconnection. Bizarre but real biological mechanisms such as epigenetically-fluid DNA drive aspects of the story’s transcendent qualities of destruction and reconstruction. The book reads like a psychological thriller. The main protagonist desperately seeks answers. When faced with a greater force or intent‚ she struggles against self-destruction to join and become something more. On one level Annihilation acts as parable to humanity’s cancerous destruction of what is ‘normal’ (through climate change and habitat destruction); on another‚ it explores how destruction and creation are two sides of a coin. Barkskins by Annie Proulx Barkskins chronicles two wood cutters who arrive from the slums of Paris to Canada in 1693 and their descendants over 300 years of deforestation in North America. The foreshadowing of doom for the magnificent forests is cast by the shadow of how settlers treat the Mi’kmaq people. The fate of the forests and the Mi’kmaq are inextricably linked through settler disrespect for anything indigenous and a fierce hunger for “more” of the forests and lands. Ensnared by settler greed‚ the Mi’kmaq lose their own culture and their links to the natural world erode with grave consequence. Proulx weaves generational stories of two settler families into a crucible of terrible greed and tragic irony. The bleak impressions by the immigrants of a harsh environment crawling with pests underlies the combative mindset of the settlers who wish only to conquer and seize what they can of a presumed infinite resource. From the arrival of the Europeans in pristine forest to their destruction under the veil of global warming‚ Proulx lays out a saga of human-environment interaction and consequence that lingers with the aftertaste of a bitter wine. Memory of Water by Emmi It&;auml;ranta Memory of Water is about a post-climate change world of sea level rise. In this envisioned world‚ China rules Europe‚ which includes the Scandinavian Union‚ occupied by the power state of New Qian. Water is a powerful archetype‚ whose secret tea masters guard with their lives. One of them is 17-year old Noria Kaitio who is learning to become a tea master from her father. Tea masters alone know the location of hidden water sources‚ coveted by the new government. Faced with moral choices that draw their conflict from the tension between love and self-preservation‚ young Noria must do or do not before the soldiers scrutinizing her make their move. The story unfolds incrementally through place. As with every stroke of an emerging watercolour painting‚ It&;auml;ranta layers in tension with each story-defining description. We sense the tension and unease viscerally‚ as we immerse ourselves in a dark place of oppression and intrigue. It&;auml;ranta’s lyrical narrative follows a deceptively quiet yet tense pace that builds like a slow tide into compelling crisis. Told with emotional nuance‚ It&;auml;ranta’s Memory of Water flows with mystery and suspense toward a poignant end. The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin This trilogy is set on an Earth devastated by periodic cataclysmic storms known as ‘seasons.’ These apocalyptic events last over generations‚ remaking the world and its inhabitants each time. Giant floating crystals called Obelisks suggest an advanced prior civilization. In The Fifth Season‚ the first book of the trilogy‚ we are introduced to Essun‚ an Orogene—a person gifted with the ability to draw magical power from the Earth such as quelling earthquakes. Jemisin used the term orogene from the geological term orogeny‚ which describes the process of mountain-building. Essun was taken from her home as a child and trained brutally at the facility called the Fulcrum. Jemisin uses perspective and POV shifts to interweave Essun’s story with that of Damaya‚ just sent to the Fulcrum‚ and Syenite‚ who is about to leave on her first mission. The second and third books‚ The Obelisk Gate and The Stone Sky‚ carry through Jemisin’s treatment of the dangers of marginalization‚ oppression‚ and misuse of power. Jemisin’s cautionary dystopia explores the consequence of the inhumane profiteering of those who are marginalized and commodified. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi This is a work of mundane science fiction that occurs in 23rd century post-food crash Thailand after global warming has raised sea levels and carbon fuel sources are depleted. Thailand struggles under the tyrannical boot of predatory ag-biotech multinational giants that have fomented corruption and political strife through their plague-inducing genetic manipulations. The book opens in Bangkok as ag-biotech farangs (foreigners) seek to exploit the secret Thai seedbank with its wealth of genetic material. Emiko is an illegal Japanese “windup” (genetically modified human)‚ owned by a Thai sex club owner‚ and treated as a sub-human slave. Emiko embarks on a quest to escape her bonds and find her own people in the north. But like Bangkok—protected and trapped by the wall against a sea poised to claim it—Emiko cannot escape who and what she is: a gifted modified human‚ vilified and feared for the future she brings. The rivalry between Thailand’s Minister of Trade and Minister of the Environment represents the central conflict of the novel‚ reflecting the current conflict of neo-liberal promotion of globalization and unaccountable exploitation with the forces of sustainability and environmental protection. Given the setting‚ both are extreme and there appears no middle ground for a balanced existence using responsible and sustainable means. Emiko‚ who represents that future‚ is precariously poised. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler The classic dystopian novel set in 21st century America where civilization has collapsed due to climate change‚ wealth inequality and greed. Parable of the Sower is both a coming-of-age story and cautionary allegorical tale of race‚ gender and power. Told through journal entries‚ the novel follows the life of young Lauren Oya Olamina—cursed with hyperempathy—and her perilous journey to find and create a new home. When her old home outside L.A. is destroyed and her family murdered‚ she joins an endless stream of refugees through the chaos of resource and water scarcity. Her survival skills are tested as she navigates a highly politicized battleground between various extremist groups and religious fanatics through a harsh environment of walled enclaves‚ pyro-addicts‚ thieves and murderers. What starts as a fight to survive inspires in Lauren a new vision of the world and gives birth to a new faith based on science: Earthseed. [end-mark] Originally published in November 2020. The post 10 Works of Eco-Fiction Worth Celebrating appeared first on Reactor.