Cuddly, but Deadly

People love to cuddle with their cats and play laser tag but their cats aren't always little cuddle buddies.You probably know how "the cat chases the mice" but now they're after other animals too!

A report by scientists at the Smithsonian and the Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that in the US alone, cats kill about 2 billion birds and 12.3 billion mammals a year, from chipmunks and rabbits to rats. The report is most likely to fuel a longstanding debate: Environmentalists see free-roaming cats as an invasive species that threatens animals in decline  like the song bird; while animal welfare advocates are appalled bu the millions of unwanted cats (and dogs) put to sleep each year. 

In order to help reduce the number of "kitties on the prowl", efforts to urge pet owners to keep their cats indoors and programs aimed at trapping street cats to neuter them.

A Day in the Mines

For us, school is torture! However, in India, some kids descend 70 feet each morning into a muddy pit to dig for coal! Which do you prefer?

 There are about 70,000 child miners toiling in India, despite a law prohibiting the dangerous work for anyone under 18. Most of the miners are orphans or from destitute families; some are even brought in from Bangladesh or Nepal. Police take bribes to turn a blind eye!

In the mines, there are 28 million Indians under 14 that work full-time jobs in shops, factories, and elsewhere.

So next time you want to complain about school, just consider yourself lucky because there are 70,000 children in India mining for coal in a 70 feet ditch.

Very Valuable Vomit

Walking through the beach, you see seashells, rocks, sand, etc. But on a beach in northwest England, Ken Wilman and his dog stumbled upon a very large, smelly rock. He never knew that this rock was treasure; but it was seven-pound of ambergris, a $1,00-a-pound  "substance produced in the intestines of 1 percent of sperm whales; it helps those with an intestinal disorder to digest prey." In other words, whale vomit!

Starting as a liquid, it takes 10 to 20 years to turn into a waxy rock. It has been used for centuries in medicines, food flavoring, and luxury perfumes. Can you imagine eating whale vomit?! Gross. Though it starts out smelly, it sweetens as it ages, making fragrances more complex.

But Can They Parallel Park?

Some dogs can stand on their hind legs, and now, a couple of canines can drive! Animal rescuers from New Zealand trained three dogs, waiting for adoption, "to drive an SUV after eight weeks of intensive training". The trainers did it to show how smart dogs are so people would adopt them. In order to do this, the trainers used a method called, "operant conditioning", where the trainers rewarded the dogs for repeatedly steering and changing gears until they finally learned to drive.

The dogs' driving test was televised on New Zealand TV and they passed!
But the big question is can they parallel park?? 

Check out the video! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/11/driving-dogs-pass-test_n_2278191.html 

And I Thought We Were Friends...

Facebook is the world's largest social networking site. You add friends, post pictures and post statuses. Back in Facebook's early days, the reason for adding friends was "quantity over quality." Meaning, the amount of friends you have was more important than their personality or attitude. But today, most users seem to be more careful about who they add as their "friend".  About 63% of adults said they unfriended people in 2011, up from 56% in 2009, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The reasons? A recent survey showed that people get unfriended because they posted offensive comments and/ or lack of interaction (see chart below). "Initially, users have an open embrace of technology," Mary Madden, a researcher at Pew says, "but after some time, it can turn into an awkward hug." Have you ever unfriended someone? Why or why not?

A Continent Goes Mobile

December 10 & 17 Issue
Page 5


The next hit app might just come from Africa because a new type of innovative apps are growing to help local needs. They have also lagged in technology ad is now home to about 700 million cellphones, making it the largest mobile market after Asia. Basic non-touch-screen phones are linking even the poorest people in villages of Africa, who before had to walk miles to communicate. But there's still along way to go: only 16% of Africans have Internet access, the lowest rate in the world! But things are changing quickly! According to one African techie who spoke to The Guardian in London, "there are 5- to 9- year olds today who, by the time they are 20, will have technology so embedded that the old Africa won't exist for them."

Next Stop: American Idol?

November 19, 2012 Issue

Page 5

Did you know that male mice can sing? Well they can! And they do this to attract females. Scientists believed that the rodents sang by instinct, without thinking, and only a single key. However, a new study from Duke University in North Carolina shows that when two male mice of different vocal pitches are put in the same cage, one mouse (usually the smaller one) would usually modulate it's voice to match the other mouse. This suggests vocal learning- a form of communication found in humans, birds and a handful of other animals. The fact that mice (that are genetically similar to humans) have this ability may help scientists with human disorders that affect communication. "These findings will be a big boost to scientists studying diseases such as autism and anxiety disorders," a researcher told the British newspaper, the Daily Mail.