Though rarely mentioned among the most homicidal cities in the country, Boston has seen her fair share of mean times. But according to a new report, there have never been fewer murders in the city than now. That’s because 2023 saw the fewest on record, and barring an explosion of violence in the last 17 […] The post Last Year Boston Murder Rate Was Lowest Ever–This Year it was Cut Nearly in Half Again appeared first on Good News Network.

Story reprinted from the book, HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time When Larry Stewart was growing up in his grandparents’ home in a small Mississippi town, he didn’t know they were impoverished. It wasn’t until he started school that he learned what he “lacked”—the bathrooms, telephones, hot water and gas stoves […] The post The Original Secret Santa Started it All by Paying Back Kindness Shown While He was Homeless appeared first on Good News Network.

The funniest and most popular photography competition in the world—The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards—announced the winners of the 2024 competition this week, with the top honor going to a red squirrel stuck in a tree. Over 9000 images were entered, the highest number in the contest’s ten-year history, from professional and amateur photographers vying […] The post Comedy Wildlife Photo Winners for 2024 Are Positively Adorable (LOOK) appeared first on Good News Network.

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have made a critical breakthrough that promises better outcomes for pregnancies threatened with pre-eclampsia, a condition that arises due to insufficient blood flow to the placenta, resulting in high maternal blood pressure and restricted blood flow to the fetus. Pre-eclampsia is one of the leading causes of stillbirths and […] The post Cure for Pre-Eclampsia is On Horizon as Researcher Discovers Lipid Nanoparticle to Deliver Directly to Placenta appeared first on Good News Network.

When dozens of employees at Klick Health said they wouldn’t be able to hug loved ones over the festive season, the company created some magic to orchestrate sentimental reunions to surprise team members. In a new video called ‘Holiday Hugs’, the company first produces some amazing AI embraces for the workers missing loved ones. Then, […] The post Company Surprises Workers With Amazing Hugs From People They Most Wished to See for Holidays–WATCH appeared first on Good News Network.

The post The Terminal Purr: When Purring Isn’t A Sign of Happiness 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! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles. The one feature of feline behavior that everyone knows is that cats purr when they are happy and content. But during my career, I came to realize that some of my sickest feline patients would purr, sometimes energetically, almost aggressively! I knew these cats were in a bad way, and that despite the treatment and pain relief we were providing, they were almost certainly still suffering to a certain degree. This led me to believe that these cats were purring as a method of self-soothing, and after a bit of research, I found that I wasn’t the only one to have reached this conclusion. The Benefit of Hindsight When my elderly cat, Sully, who had traveled all the way from Australia to the UK, passed away at home when we weren’t there, I was devastated. Although I was obviously very sad that she had died, I was particularly upset that we hadn’t seen it coming, and that she had been alone. She had seemed bright and well, her normal self, even on the morning of her passing, and I believe that her 16-year-old heart had just had enough, and she’d given no indication that anything was amiss. Or had she? Knowing what I know now, I look back on her last few weeks and remember that she had been a little more affectionate, and a lot more purry. At the time, I interpreted this to mean that, after 18 months, she was finally starting to feel more settled in her new, colder home. Now I wonder if she was trying to make herself feel better, and unfortunately, I will never know the truth. Sully’s snow day Purring and Endorphins Research has suggested that the vibrations produced when a cat purrs may release endorphins, a chemical produced by the body that provides pain relief, and in doing so, improves mood and contentment levels. Don’t freak out and worry that every time your cat is purring it means they are in pain! This isn’t at all what I – or anyone else – is suggesting. The purring of a happy cat is just that, a natural response that enhances and sustains those feelings, as well as communicating them to others. Purring isn’t a clinical sign of pain or illness, but it can sometimes be a clue that pain or illness are present and severe. This is not something I have seen in acutely injured cats, but I have seen it in cats recovering from surgery or those with a chronic or serious disease. Despite having horrible wounds from viral skin infection, Molly was always purring. The Terminal Purr After experiencing the purring of extremely unwell, even dying, cats, I came up with a term to describe the phenomenon: the terminal purr. In many – but not all – cases, it became almost like a death knell, telling me that the end was near. What made it more difficult was that this end-stage purring would often give the cat’s family a glimmer of hope and optimism, as they understandably believed that the purring was a sign of recovery. Realizing that their cat’s purring was more of a ‘bad sign’ was always a crushing blow. For cats who were suffering from a terminal illness, whose treatment options we had completely exhausted, I would often use the ‘terminal purr’ as an indication that it was time to consider euthanasia. As difficult as it may be to put a beloved cat to sleep when they are still purring, I would explain that the alternative was to wait until they no longer could, and that would mean that their endorphin supply had run out, too. It is much like the tail wag of a dog that has reached the end of their life or treatment options; I always feel that it is better to say goodbye when they still have a little tail wag left than to leave it until they no longer can. Little Angel enjoying a treat and the sun on her face before we said goodbye. Don’t Fear the Purring Again, please don’t start panicking whenever your cat starts up their rumbling engine – it does not mean they are dying! The ‘terminal purr’ is something I only associate with a cat that is actively experiencing illness or end of life. That being said, if your cat has started purring more often and/or at unusual times, or is acting out of character, a check-up with your vet is absolutely a good idea. Would Sully have been with us a little longer if I had made the connection between her increased purring and a possible heart problem? Look, it’s possible. Do I blame myself for not realizing there was a problem? I don’t. I was devastated that I was not by her side when she passed away, but I also know that just a few hours before, she had been purring and eating, and enjoying a fuss, which was a pretty good goodbye, even if I didn’t know at the time that it was a goodbye. What I do suggest you take from my experience is that if you have a cat that is very elderly or has a chronic illness, don’t dismiss a lot of purring as a sign that everything is okay. It could mean they need an adjustment of their medication, it could be that their time is coming, or it could just mean that they’re feeling particularly happy and content! But it’s up to us to look at the whole picture and listen to what our cats are trying to tell us. Have you ever experienced the ‘terminal purr’? Share your story in the comments below. This article is a part of Dr. Karyn's series with her five hilarious cats. Read her previous article: How to Do A Health Check At Home: Dr. Karyn’s Detailed Guide The post The Terminal Purr: When Purring Isn’t A Sign of Happiness 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.

News Doctor Who “The Savages”: Lost Doctor Who Episodes to Return in Animated Form “The Savages” serial was the last appearance of companion Steven. By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on December 13, 2024 Screenshot: BBC Studios Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: BBC Studios If you’re a fan of Doctor Who, you likely know that dozens of episodes have been lost to time because the BBC didn’t preserve the original tapes. We have the audio to some of these lost episodes, however, and BBC Studios is now creating animated versions of them. The latest is “The Savages,” a four-episode First Doctor story that originally aired from May to June 1966 and was also the last appearance of the companion, Steven, played by Peter Purves. Here’s the synopsis of “The Savages,” provided by the Doctor Who website: In “The Savages,” the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his travelling companions, Steven (Purves) and Dodo (Jackie Lane), arrive on an unnamed planet where they encounter two distinct people—the Elders and the Savages. They soon discover the Elders are the evil, draining the primitive Savages for their life source to remain young and powerful forever. Want to watch it? BBC Studios is releasing a DVD and Blu-ray version as well as a fancy Blu-ray steelbook this upcoming Spring. It will be a three-disc set, and will include all four episodes, which run at twenty-five minutes each in both color and black-and-white, and other yet-to-be-announced bonus features. And if you don’t want to wait until Spring 2025 to get a sampling of the animated version of “The Savages,” I’ve got good news for you: the BCC also put out a trailer featuring the animation, although it frustratingly doesn’t include a real sample of the audio. You can now pre-order the DVD or Blu-ray at the retail establishment of your choice, and can check out the trailer announcement below.[end-mark]   The post “The Savages”: Lost <i>Doctor Who</i> Episodes to Return in Animated Form appeared first on Reactor.

A good horror film usually sports a good horror villain. Sure enough, cinema has given us plenty of greats. Ranging from supernatural enigmas to scientific anomalies, these intimidating icons strike terror into audiences’ hearts the world over. Not all of them stay that way, though. Many movie monsters change their image as their series go […] The post 10 Movie Monsters Who Went from Scary to Silly appeared first on Listverse.

Human brains haven’t changed significantly in the last ten thousand years, but our technology has advanced far faster than our Stone Age brains have. This mismatch between biology and innovation can make the complexity of our modern lives feel overwhelming at times. It’s no wonder that many of us feel nostalgic for simpler times when […] The post 10 Old-School Technologies Making Surprising Comebacks appeared first on Listverse.