CFZ Temporary News

Tuesday, January 12 2010, 16:08 GMT
By Mayer Nissim, Entertainment Reporter

A dog-breeding pensioner from West Yorkshire has said that she will not sell her four-inch Chihuahua.

Jean Tindall, 76, named the puppy Lulu after the diminutive Scottish singer, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Tindall, from Bradford, said: "I didn't think anything of it when her mum gave birth to the litter, she looked the same size as all the others.

"But puppies grow quickly and I soon realised that her brothers and sisters were all overtaking her. I don't want to sell her because she will need so much extra care and attention being so small."

She added: "She is so tiny. She's only four inches. She can fit in my hand she's so tiny. You can't believe she's out of the same litter because the rest are twice as big as her.

"I've been breeding and selling Chihuahuas for most of my life and I've had a few inquiries about Lulu because she's such a wonderful, cute little thing. But to me she is priceless, I would never sell her. She is a little star and loves all the attention she gets."

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/odd/news/a195922/four-inch-chihuahua-is-priceless.html

Kylie Minogue congratulates giant carp catcher on Twitter

Kylie Minogue praised hero angler Martin Locke after he caught a giant carp which weighed the same as the princess of pop.

Published: 4:04PM GMT 12 Jan 2010

Mr Locke braved sub-zero temperatures in just a T-shirt to break the world record for catching the biggest ever carp a 94 pound whopper.

The enormous mirror carp weighed the same as Minogue and beat the previous record by 3lbs.

Angling records and their celebrity equivalents

After reading about his feat on Telegraph.co.uk she Tweeted: "Hahaaaa congrats Mr Locke!!"

Brit Mr Locke jumped out of his lakeside tent at 6am in temperatures of -3C to net the monster fish that tipped the scales at 94lbs.

Angling records and their celebrity equivalents
Wearing only a T-shirt and trousers, he jumped in his boat and motored 200 yards out to the fish and began reeling it in.

At first he thought he had hooked a sunken tree trunk due to the weight of it but was gobsmacked when he heaved the carp to the surface.

Getting it in his landing net was like 'trying to land a small hippo with a tennis racket,' but after succeeding he towed it to the shore to weigh it.

Despite the early hour and freezing temperatures, many other anglers gathered round to celebrate with the new record holder.

Mr Locke, from South Darenth, Dartford, Kent, left the fish in the shallows until daylight when he photographed the aquatic beast before returning it to the lake in good health.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6975102/Kylie-Minogue-congratulates-giant-carp-catcher-on-Twitter.html

Camel-drawn solar van passes through Alice

13 January 2010

Alice Springs residents have been treated to an unusual sight - a camel-drawn, solar-powered mini-van travelling along the Todd River.

Only a trickle is left in the river, whcih began flowing for the first time in a year last Thursday, and peaked at 2.85 metres at the weekend.

Klaus Menzel, 61, has been on the road with his camels Snowy and Willy for eight years and says he is enjoying the desert's wet conditions.

"It is good to have but it is hard to pull through," he said.

"Willy was with me over at Camels Corner but then Snowy his partner came from Queensland.

"We walked 14 wild ones up to Queensland and as a reward I got these two fellas and they been pulling me around ever since."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/13/2791504.htm

Pony is left to drown in frozen canal

Click to enlarge

Metro Ireland, 13 January 2010, p7.

Gay man who tried to poison lesbian neighbours with slug pellets over three-legged cat feud walks free

By Jaya Narain
Last updated at 9:24 PM on 12th January 2010

A gay man who attempted to poison his lesbian neighbours by pouring slug pellets into their curry after they accused him of kidnapping their three-legged cat has walked free from court.

Gary Stewart, 37, had fallen out with his neighbours, Ann Marie Walton, 38, and Beverley Sales, 36.

But in an apparent bid to restore cordial relations with the pair he offered them a curry from a local Indian takeaway.

When the couple went to eat the meal they found the curry sauce was laced with dozens of tiny blue slug pellets.

Afterwards Stewart said he had done it after he had found the tyres to his car had been slashed with a knife.

He texted a friend saying: 'It was them next door, the f******* fat lesbians, I'm glad I've poisoned them and yes it was slug pellets.'

He was sentenced to a six month suspended jail sentence at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester after pleading guilty to attempting to poison the two women on September 22 last year.

The court was told Mr Stewart, who is HIV positive, was devastated after his partner Paul Kleisier, 43, died of an Aids related illness last summer.

He had previously got on well with his neighbours in Denton, Manchester, Miss Sales, an HGV driver, and Miss Walton, a full-time mother, but fell out with them last year after a series of petty arguments.

Then last summer they were involved in a furious row after Stewart told the council they were neglecting their eight-year-old son, Jack, and social workers were called to carry out an investigation.

After that Stewart is alleged to have kidnapped the family's three-legged cat, Amber, and dumped her in a village miles away.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242637/Gay-man-tried-poison-lesbian-neighbours-slug-pellets-legged-cat-feud-walks-free.html#ixzz0cUu6rW9d

Dog Senses Arcata Earthquake at News Station

Dog Senses Arcata Earthquake at News Station - Watch more Funny Videos

http://www.break.com/index/dog-senses-arcata-earthquake-at-news-station.html

Tuesday, 12 January 2010

Hippo swims away from flooded Montenegrin zoo, shocks villagers by strolling past their homes

Jan 12, 8:07 AM EST

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) -- A hippo escaped from a flooded private zoo in Montenegro on Tuesday, shocking villagers who found her strolling near their homes.

Even more shocking, the zoo owner plans to wait a bit before trying to recapture the 2-ton hippo named Nikica.

Nikica escaped as heavy rains sent water flooding through the zoo, raising the water level in her pen and allowing her to swim over the top of the cage surrounding it. The 11-year-old hippo made her way to the hamlet of Plavnica on Skadar Lake in southern Montenegro, where she was still walking around Tuesday afternoon.

"When I got out from my house to feed my cow, I saw a hippo standing in front of the stall," said villager Nikola Radovic. "I thought I was going mad."

The massive animals, which spend much of their days submerged in water, are considered one of the most dangerous animals in the world.

Hippos, native to Africa, are the third-largest land animals, after elephants and white rhinos. They can weigh up to 3 1/2 tons and are plant eaters. They are also intelligent, fiercely territorial, can run faster than the average human over short distances, and have powerful teeth and jaws.

But zoo owner Dragan Pejovic said he plans to wait until the water levels drops before he attempts to recapture Nikica.

"Of course, we will not be able to bring her back until the water recedes," he said, without further explanation. "There is no reason for panic."

"Our hippo is a peaceful and tame animal," Pejovic said, adding that she had lived in his zoo for nine years without causing any trouble to villagers.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MONTENEGRO_HIPPO_ESCAPES?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
(Submitted by D.R. Shoop)

NH Artist Protests Halt To Bigfoot Project

Jan. 06, 2010

New Hampshire Artist Behind Bigfoot Art Project Says Park Ranger Trampled On His Rights

(AP) JAFFREY, N.H. (AP) - A New Hampshire artist and videographer who dressed as Bigfoot in a state park says his rights were trampled by big government.

Jonathan Doyle, of Keene, has complained in a letter to the state parks department that a Mount Monadnock park ranger halted his performance art project in the fall because he didn't have a permit.

Doyle is arguing through the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union Foundation that his free-speech rights were violated when he was expelled from the state park in Jaffrey. He says he and others with him, some also in costume, were on a lesser-used trail and weren't bothering other park visitors.

Doyle says the state hasn't responded to his letter. The Division of Parks and Recreation says it has been forwarded to the state attorney general's office.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/05/ap/strange/main6060393.shtml
(Submitted by Dave McMann)

New cricket species filmed pollinating orchids

Tuesday, 12 January 2010
By Rebecca Morelle
Science reporter, BBC News

A new species of cricket has been caught on camera - and its bizarre behaviour has surprised scientists.

Far from living up to the cricket's plant-destroying reputation, this species lends a helping hand to flora by acting as a pollinator.

Scientists say this is the first time a cricket has been spotted pollinating a flower - in this case, an orchid.

A study of the nocturnal insect, which was found on the island of Reunion, has been published in the Annals of Botany.

The creature has yet to be given a scientific name, but it belongs to the Glomeremus genus of crickets, which are also known as raspy crickets.

The insect was spotted by researchers who were attempting to find out how a species of orchid called Angraecum cadetii was being pollinated.

This green-white flower is closely related to the comet orchid, which is found in Madagascar.

Naturalist Charles Darwin predicted that because the comet orchid has an incredibly long nectar spur (the part of the plant that holds the sweet nectar), it would be pollinated by an insect with an equally long tongue.

It was later found that the nocturnal hawk moth with a proboscis measuring approximately 35cm (14in) in length was the pollinator.

However on Reunion, which is situated in the Indian Ocean, hawk moths are very rare and the Angraecum cadetii orchid has a shorter nectar spur than its Madagascan relative, so scientists suspected something else was pollinating it.

To solve this mystery, scientists trained a night-vision camera on the flower.

Claire Micheneau, from the University of Reunion, who carried out the research with the UK's Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), Kew, and the University of Strasbourg, France, told BBC News: "We were very surprised when we saw a cricket.

"Crickets usually eat flowers, not pollinate them."

The film shows a wingless cricket, which measures about 2-3cm (0.8-1.2in) in length and has extremely long antennae.

It crawls onto the flower and pokes its head in to the nectar spur to drink up the sweet liquid before leaving with lumps of pollen attached to its head and visiting other flowers on the orchid.

Dr Micheneau said: "This is the first time that we have seen flowers being regularly pollinated by a cricket."

The team added that the cricket seemed to be the only pollinator present on the flower and that it was extremely effective at doing the job, possibly thanks to the fact that the size of its head matched the size of the nectar opening on the orchid.

'Sophisticated' cricket

Further analysis of the cricket revealed that the species was new to science.

Professor Mark Chase, director of the Jodrell Laboratory at RBG Kew, said: "It really is a completely bizarre thing for a cricket to do and it is strange for an orchid to become adapted to that kind of pollinator."

The team added that the cricket was also unusual in other ways.

Professor Chase explained: "They do some fairly sophisticated things by cricket standards.

"Most crickets just stop eating and find a place to hide away during the daytime and it's usually a different place every time. But this one finds its way back to its own specific nest.

"And that is a key thing for being able to re-locate the orchids, because they go back to those several times, and it is that capacity to keep track of where they are in their environment that allows them to do this sort of navigation."

The research team is now looking at how the relationship may have come about.

Professor Chase said: "Orchids rarely co-evolve with their pollinators, mostly it is a case of the orchid adapting to an insect or animal that already exists that may visit flowers of other plants, and the orchids sort of tap into that."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8391540.stm
(Submitted by Tim Chapman)

Britain's goat talent

Click to enlarge

Metro Ireland, 12 January 2010, p11.

So, how do you make a gorilla stew?

YOU keep him waiting for three hours. And if you told that joke in Africa, you'd get more hearty laughs than in Asia. Naturalists have discovered orang-utans and other Asian apes laugh less than their African cousins, such as gorillas and chimps. And they also found that, while humans first learned to laugh from their ape ancestors millions of years ago, we have since learned to use laughter to sneer, mock and ridicule.

'Our observations showed strong differences in the use of laughter between the Asian great apes (orang-utans) and the African great apes (gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos),' said Dr Marina Davila Ross, of the UK's University of Portsmouth.

'Asian apes and humans laugh clearly more often.'

Evolution has enabled humans to use laughter to mock others while apes simply laugh to enjoy themselves and influence others, she concluded.

'But something happened in the last 5 million years which means humans use laughter for a much wider range of situations.'

Dr Ross, who worked with the University of Veterinary Medicine in Germany, also showed sounds other than laughter can evolve in the context of tickling. Mammals, including flying foxes, make sounds when they are tickled but they are not necessarily laughing.

Metro Ireland, 12 January 2010, p5.

Deadly octopus turns up in girl's bath

January 12, 2010

A six-year-old Melbourne girl's weekend hobby has almost turned deadly.

Holly Smith was washing a shell she'd collected at Point Lonsdale beach on Sunday when a blue-ringed octopus fell into her bathtub.

The Geelong Advertiser reports the girl was washing a large, curled periwinkle shell when the deadly octopus fell into the bath.

The blue-ringed octopus is recognised as one of the world's most venomous animals and can cause paralysis in humans within minutes.

The girl's father, Justin Smith, was understandably alarmed by the incident.

"It was just a complete surprise that my daughter's hobby, which I'd been watching in a relaxed manner, turned out to be one that in future I'll need to be watching much more carefully," he told the Geelong Advertiser.

Holly told Channel Seven, "The octopus just plopped out."

"It would have poisoned us," she said.

Holly says she'll keep collecting shells but will be more careful, and is taking the preserved octopus into school for 'show and tell'.

Her mum reiterated that it's a good warning.

Blue-ringed octopuses are common throughout Australia and rest in quiet places before feeding at night.

A bite from the octopus is often relatively painless and may go unnoticed.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/queensland/a/-/latest/6670257/deadly-octopus-turns-up-in-girls-bath/

Cryptolichenology?

A new species of lichen discovered in the Iberian Peninsula

11 January 2010 Plataforma SINC

Spanish scientists have described the lichen Phylloblastia fortuita, new to the Iberian Peninsula and to science. Another species from the same family, Phylloblastia dispersa, is also a new entry for Europe and is the first time it has been found outside the tropics. Foliicolous lichens, symbiosis between fungi and algae, are organisms associated with tropical or sub-tropical climates, and their presence in environments such as the Iberian Peninsula, outside of the tropics, is associated with conditions of very stable ecological and environmental conditions

"We have identified three Phylloblastia lichens in the Iberian Peninsula, one of which is new to science (Phylloblastia fortuita), and we present a fourth species new to European flora, Phylloblastia dispersa", Esteve Llop, main author and research at the Departamento de Biología Vegetal-Botánica [Department of Plant-Botanical Biology] of the University of Barcelona (UB) explains to SINC.

Together, the scientists Esteve Llop and Antonio Gómez-Bolea analysed the lichen flora in a protected area near Barcelona. Although some species of lichen have already been recorded on leaves in the North East of the Iberian Peninsula, this is the first time new species have been described.

The study, recently published in The Lichenologist, brings together biological material that had not been identified by researchers in a previous study carried out in 2006, as well as new material related to previous samples. Llop points out that "the literature about the group to which the samples belong had increased because of contributions from intertropical zones with extratropical species".

The field of study where the lichens were found in Catalonia is also important for science. The presence of Phylloblastia fortuita in the Iberian Peninsula and of Phylloblastia dispersa in Europe reveals areas of "great sensitivity" to environmental changes and may serve as indicators of climatic change.

The biologist states that "we have found a new area with Foliicolous lichen flora, rich in important plant life, which, as in other locations, is associated with conditions of ecological and environmental stability", and concludes: "Scientists consider the importance of protecting these locations based on their relevance to ecology and biodervsity".

Full bibliographic information
Llop, Esteve; Gómez-Bolea, Antonio. “The lichen genus Phylloblastia (Verrucariaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula, with a new species from Western Europe”, Lichenologist 41: 565-569 Part 6, noviembre de 2009

http://www.plataformasinc.es/index.php/esl/Noticias/Descubren-una-nueva-especie-de-liquen-en-la-Peninsula-Iberica
(Submitted by Tim Chapman)

Police Investigate Cougar Sighting In Minneapolis

Jan 11, 2010 10:23 pm US/Central

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Police are investigating another possible cougar sighting in Minneapolis.

When Norm Mosher was driving home from work Monday morning, he saw what he thought was a golden retriever crossing the road in Northeast Minneapolis near along St. Anthony Parkway near Marshall Avenue.

It was only when the long-time outdoorsman got up close that he realized it was a cat by the way it walked. Its long tail was swinging.

"Cats move in a more sultry manner I guess, people call it slinking," said Mosher. "I call it sauntering."

He drove a little ways but decided to turn back around and check the tracks. He found typical cat's tracks -- no claw marks and a line where the tail hit the ground.

"I'm terribly surprised, terribly surprised," he said. "We're out here in the middle of Minneapolis."

Mosher told police, who wanted to issue a warning. Although cougar attacks on humans are very rare, Minneapolis Police Sergeant Jesse Garcia asked the people who live in the area keep an eye out.

"If you're jogging down this trail early morning or if you've got small children in you're neighborhood, this thing might make it into the neighborhood," he said. He asked if anyone sees a cougar to call police.

The police called the DNR, who have not yet confirmed the tracks. Last month, there were sightings of a cougar in Champlin, Stillwater and Vadnais Heights.

The DRN warns that if you get close to a cougar, don't turn and run. Rather, back away slowly, puff up your body to appear intimidating and offer it an escape route. Cougars are very solitary animals and will likely run away.

http://wcco.com/local/cougar.sighting.minneapolis.2.1418895.html
(Submitted by Matt Cardier)

Monday, 11 January 2010

Cool for cats

Click to enlarge

Brother and sister Sumatran tiger cubs Emas and Wanita, born in May, play in the snow in their enclosure at Dublin Zoo yesterday. The tigers, whose species are native to the hot and humid Sumatran jungle, don't seem too bothered by the cold.

Metro Ireland, 11 January 2009, p5.

Warm and hoppy

Click to enlarge

A Turkish Angora cat is dressed in a rabbit costume, complete with carrot, for a carnival dress show, part of the World Xoo exhibition, in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

Metro Ireland, 11 January 2009, p11.

Pets also need care in the cold

PET owners have been urged to ensure their animals have enough food and shelter to survive the freezing conditions. The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it has witnessed several cases of neglect and cruelty since the cold snap set in. ISPCA chairwoman Barbara bent said: 'We are calling on animal owners and members of the public to be vigilant during the the current cold spell and winter months o report any neglect or cruelty to animals to the ISPCA.' The charity also advises that dogs not be chained into a kennel, as this restricts the animal from being able to walk around to keep warm.

Metro Ireland, 11 January 2010, p5.

CFZ Temporary News

Friday, 15 January 2010

BUY YOUR WEIRD WEEKEND TICKETS NOW

Thursday, 14 January 2010

PLEASE NOTE:

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Four-inch Chihuahua 'is priceless'

Kylie Minogue congratulates giant carp catcher on Twitter

Camel-drawn solar van passes through Alice

Pony is left to drown in frozen canal

Gay man who tried to poison lesbian neighbours with slug pellets over three-legged cat feud walks free

Dog Senses Arcata Earthquake at News Station

Tuesday, 12 January 2010

Hippo swims away from flooded Montenegrin zoo, shocks villagers by strolling past their homes

NH Artist Protests Halt To Bigfoot Project

New cricket species filmed pollinating orchids

Britain's goat talent

So, how do you make a gorilla stew?

Deadly octopus turns up in girl's bath

Cryptolichenology?

Police Investigate Cougar Sighting In Minneapolis

Monday, 11 January 2010

Cool for cats

Warm and hoppy

Pets also need care in the cold

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