Sally and Sam

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Why do ducks have webbed feet?

To stamp out fires.
Why do elephants have flat feet?

To stamp out burning ducks

http://www.tallrite.com/LightRelief/worldsbestjokes.htm

Pictures of the Week: Nov. 14-20

A billboard stood against the backdrop of San Cristobal hill in Lima, Peru, Thursday. (Mariana Bazo/Reuters)

http://blogs.wsj.com/photojournal/2009/11/20/pictures-of-the-week-nov-14-20/?mod=rss_WSJBlog

Bizarre calf mutilations found on Colorado ranch

SAN LUIS, Colo. — A creepy string of calf mutilations in southern Colorado has a rancher and sheriff's officials mystified.

Four calves were found dead in a pasture just north of the New Mexico state line in recent weeks. The dead calves had their skins peeled back and organs cleared from the rib cage. One calf had its tongue removed.

But rancher Manuel Sanchez has found no signs of human attackers, such as footprints or ATV tracks. And there are no signs of an animal attack by a coyote or mountain lion. Usually predators leave pools of blood or drag marks from carrying away the livestock.

Two officers from the Costilla County Sheriff's Office have investigated the mutilations but say they don't know what's killing the calves.

"There's nothing really to go by," said Sanchez, who's ranched for nearly 50 years. "I can't figure it out."

A spokesman for the sheriff's office told The Pueblo Chieftain that investigators doubt a person butchered the calves because there is no blood at the scene.

"I've butchered a cow before and I know what kind of a mess it leaves," Sgt. James Chavez said.

Some in the area believe the mutilations are the work of aliens. An area UFO chaser, Chuck Zukowski of Colorado Springs, has been to the Costilla County pasture to investigate.

He told the paper there have been other unexplained calf mutilations in the area, including three in March. One of the other calves, found dead on a ranch near Trinidad, had its ears removed, Zukowski said.

"We're trying as much as we can to find a pattern," said Zukowski, who runs a UFO Web site called http://ufonut.com/

Sanchez said he has sold off his 32 remaining calves out of fear more would be mutilated. He hasn't decided how he'll manage the remaining 40 animals in his herd.

"It's a big loss for a small rancher," he said.

Information from: The Pueblo Chieftain, http://www.chieftain.com/ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jElPtX7KGdIiycr8N_t8DFZhaDZgD9C7CUA80

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thousands of Strange Sea Creatures Discovered

http://www.livescience.com/animals/091122-deep-sea-creatures.html

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Tom Lehrer - National Brotherhood Week-

Oh the Protestants hate the Catholics,
and the Catholics hate the Protestants,
and the Hindus hate the Moslems
and everybody hates the Jews.

Why Do People Hate The Jews?: http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/WhyDoPeopleHateTheJews/

The rat pack: Musical hamsters strike the right note for hit new advert

"They are better known for squeaking and stuffing their cheeks than their musical talent.
But these charming hamsters stepped off their treadmills today to audition for a jazz band.
No doubt jazz was chosen as it is one of the most, ahem, freewheeling, of musical forms.
And as they wait for the doors to open, the furry creatures improvise on miniature trumpets, saxophones, trombones, drums and even a harp..."http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1230875/The-rat-pack-Musical-hamsters-strike-right-cord-hit-new-advert.html

The Highwaymen - Highwayman

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Cold remedies: What works, what doesn't, what can't hurt

There's no cure for the common cold. But what about cold remedies that claim to make you feel better faster? Find out what's effective — and what's not.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cold-remedies/ID00036

Sled dog set to retire 'doesn’t know she’s blind'

WINNIPEG — The end of the trail is near for Isobel the blind sled dog. The nine-year-old Siberian husky-malamute cross will retire in January, five years after she lost her sight.

In January 2005, veterinarians told Isobel’s owners Gerald and Jenofar Azure that a virus had destroyed her eyes. The dog, they said, would never work again.

But Isobel had other ideas.

“Isobel went absolutely wild. She wanted to run,” said Jenofar, who lives with her dogs in the northern Manitoba community of Churchill.

The blind dog learned to use sound and smell as beacons, her owner said.

“She absolutely loves it,” said Jenofar. “She runs better now than she did with her eyesight.”

Before her illness, Isobel ran in the middle of the pack or at point position, behind the lead dog Thunder. But now she and Thunder take turns running in the lead, Jenofar said.

“In the North, everyone is expected to carry their own weight,” said Gerald. “Isobel does that and more.”

The end of this season marks a sad one for the Azures, as Isobel is set to retire in January.

The pup will be adopted by a family in Alberta, where her ophthalmology specialist lives.

“Gerald and I derive a lot of strength from our sled dogs, but from Isobel in particular,” said Jenofar.

“She doesn’t know she’s blind anymore.”

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Servicehttp://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Sled+retire+doesn+know+blind/2263946/story.html