My Opera
Rescued ten-day-old orphan dolphin is nursed back to health
Sunday, November 14, 2010 9:06:49 PM
A baby dolphin is lowered into a swimming pool just hours after being rescued.
The mammal was discovered by walkers on a beach near the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo.
It was suffering from injuries believed to have been caused by a fishing net.
Richard Tesore, Director of the marine fauna reserve 'SOS Fauna Marina' holds a rescued baby dolphin in a pool in Punta Colarada
The dolphin, which was found on the beach in the city four days ago, is recovering at the reserve from injuries believed to have been caused by a fishing net
There was no sign of its mother. The dolphin is only about ten days old.
Richard Tesore, head of the NGO Rescate Fauna Marina, has been caring for tiny animal in Piriapolis, 62 miles east of the capital, Montevideo.And while his cute charge is a hit with visitors, it seems they must queue behind a penguin if they want to see him.
The Magellan penguin is also being looked after at the centre and has taken an interest in the new patient.
The natural survival rate for dolphins within their first year of life in the wild is 20 per cent.
The death toll of captive born dolphins is much higher. According to the US Marine Mammal Inventory Report did between 1960 and 1993 more than 50 per cent of the dolphins born in captivity within the first four months of life.
Curious: A penguin watches as Tesore holds the baby dolphin
CAT SPECIAL: The Mini Town That's Home to 500 Cats
Sunday, October 10, 2010 1:19:16 AM
Craig Grant has constructed scale buildings for his feline friends on his 25-acre cat sanctuary called the Caboodle Ranch.The pampered pussies have colourful houses, a police station, a city hall, a Wal*Mart and even a boating lake.
But amazingly, the Florida resident started out by not even liking the animals.He explains: "I was renting a two bedroom condo by the beach with my son. Then my son moved out on his own for the first time."He left his cat, Pepper, with me because he couldn't take it with him. I didn't like cats but I agreed to keep him.
"I wasn't used to being alone and I guess Pepper wasn't either. We slowly began to get along."Just as Craig was getting used to the company of one cat, he discovered Pepper was pregnant.He says: "I thought, 'Oh great, now what?'. She had five kittens. I wanted to give them away because I didn't want my beautiful home destroyed, but my son told me they had to stay with their mother for 8 weeks.
"Over that time I learned that every cat had his own unique personality and it wasn't long before the kittens were swinging from my curtains. I didn't care. Something had changed... I didn't want to give them up."Craig soon realised he would have to move out of his condo as he was drawing complaints from his neighbours. More shockingly he says: "I found a B.B. (bullet) lodged in the side of one of my cats and another was bitten by a pitbull that I know was set loose on purpose. Something had to be done."
He was able to find a rural area in Madison, Florida and began taking in more four-legged friends. He says: "I had taken in abandoned and stray cats from the neighbourhood and areas that I work as a contractor. I had 22 cats by the spring of 2004."Since then the numbers of residents has grown into the hundreds as Craig has taken on strays and cats he finds in animal shelters.He explains: "Caboodle Ranch is now a permanent sanctuary for cats who have been kicked around by heartless people. Some almost starved to death, some of them are wounded strays. I've seen many locked in cages for months in animal shelters and have taken in some of those too.
"Cats should be able to roam free, and at Caboodle Ranch, that's what they do. We are in the middle of 100 acres of wildlife. The cats follow me through the nature trails that I put in and maintain, they climb in tree forts that I've built and hide in underground dens I've dug for them.
"Craig has all the cats spayed or neutered and ensures all shots are up to date. He funds everything himself and with the help of donations, even travelling the 250 miles round-trip from work many times a week to keep the sanctuary going. He has to put in 14-plus hours a day and sometimes gets help from occasional volunteers.But visitors to the Caboodle Ranch shouldn't think they can drive away with a new pet as none of the cats are up for adoption.Craig explains: "The reason the cats are there in the first place is that there were not enough homes. The cats at the ranch have their forever home now. We prefer people adopt cats from humane societies, animal control etc, where those cats are on death row and are in desperate need to be saved."
THIS IS SO COOL ..THE CHEVY 789..A CUSTOM CAR FOR YOU
Monday, August 30, 2010 3:40:32 AM
After you hit the lotto and have a few, shall we say discretionary dollars, here is a car that you might like to park in your garage. I see cars as art and love them for their design and their capabilities.
789
Melding design elements from different Chevy models, the 789 shows the world that you really can’t have enough of a good thing. Although the 789 looks instantly iconic, it is actually the best of three classics mounted atop a Le Mans-winning Corvette C6 chassis. Aptly named for the three years represented in the overall design, the 789 has the "hooded eyes"and chrome grille of a ’57, a mid-section that’s reminiscent of a ’58 Impala and the "bird in flight" rear tailfins of a ’59. These three Vehicles are all instantly recognizable classics celebrated by people around the world.
Owning and operating a classic car often proves difficult. Rarity of parts, expertise needed for installation, and potentially high upkeep or restoration costs are some of the problems with which collectors must deal. All of the money in the world spent to modify or modernize a vintage car will not change the reliability or performance problems associated with it. The 789 offers the best of both worlds: retro looks and styling, and it will fire up every time you turn the key. The body is constructed of lightweight composite panels. We have developed a process of using 80% carbon fiber with 20% fiberglass. This process gives us a light weight rigid part as if it was 100% carbon fiber with the minimal properties of fiberglass that allows for show quality paint and finish.
The customer can either provide us with a donor C6 series (2005-2009) Corvette, which currently retails for around $60,000 (though used models can be had for less), or we can locate one for you. After stripping the ‘Vette of its stock body, we hand-graft the retro body panels over the stock frame, suspension, and massive 440-horsepower, 6.0-liter aluminum-block V8 engine. The base cost of conversion is $80,000, which includes choice of interior/exterior color schemes, specific 789 exhaust, and PST high-performance sway bars. A full range of upgrades are available, including up to 800 hp powertrains, custom suspension, audio/video/navigation systems, interior customization, and more. We will build each 789 to meet the customer's specifications. However, please note that no previously built combination of paint scheme and interior treatment will be duplicated.
This Year Fastest Trip Up Pike's Peak
Friday, August 20, 2010 8:15:28 PM
I will freely admit that I am infatuated with this event. For sheer thrills and terror, nothing comes close. The very idea of hurtling up a 14,000 foot mountain sideways with 1000+ foot drop-offs at nearly every turn really gets the adrenaline pumping. The king of the hill in recent years is Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima. His fastest time is 10:01:41 to cover the 12.2 mile course, reaching speeds of nearly 150 miles per hour in a 1000 horsepower twin turbo charged all wheel drive specially built Suzuki.
First a bit of history and info and then the video called Climb Dance.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile and motorcycle hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, a distance of 19.99 km (12.42 miles) over 156 turns, climbing 1,439 meters (4,721 ft) from the start at Mile 7 on Pikes Peak Highway at 2,862 meters (9,390 ft) on grades averaging 7% over both gravel and paved sections.
It has taken place since 1916 and is currently contested by a variety of classes of Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles and Quads. There are often numerous new classes tried and discarded year-to-year.
On average there are 150 competitors. The oldest current class is the Open Wheel division which has been run since 1916 and has been won by such names as Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, and Robby Unser (the current class record holder, achieving 10:05.85 min in 1994).
In 1989, an award-winning short film about the 1988 event was released by French director Jean-Louis Mourey. The film, titled Climb Dance, captured the efforts of Finnish former World Rally Champion Ari Vatanen, as he won the event in a record-breaking time with his turbocharged Peugeot 405 T16.
First a bit of history and info and then the video called Climb Dance.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile and motorcycle hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, a distance of 19.99 km (12.42 miles) over 156 turns, climbing 1,439 meters (4,721 ft) from the start at Mile 7 on Pikes Peak Highway at 2,862 meters (9,390 ft) on grades averaging 7% over both gravel and paved sections.
It has taken place since 1916 and is currently contested by a variety of classes of Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles and Quads. There are often numerous new classes tried and discarded year-to-year.
On average there are 150 competitors. The oldest current class is the Open Wheel division which has been run since 1916 and has been won by such names as Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, and Robby Unser (the current class record holder, achieving 10:05.85 min in 1994).
In 1989, an award-winning short film about the 1988 event was released by French director Jean-Louis Mourey. The film, titled Climb Dance, captured the efforts of Finnish former World Rally Champion Ari Vatanen, as he won the event in a record-breaking time with his turbocharged Peugeot 405 T16.
Trying to Fish
Thursday, August 19, 2010 5:45:57 AM
Hey! I'm Trying To Fish Here ! !
Okay, I give up -- we can play, I can fish anytime...
Okay, I give up -- we can play, I can fish anytime...
Cat's incredible journey.. 2,000 miles to find owners
Saturday, July 3, 2010 6:46:37 PM
A cat reportedly trekked 2,000 miles to find his owners after they moved house without him.
Ravila Hairova, 52, thought her grey cat Karim would find the change too upsetting so she asked neighbors to take him in.
She even left his favorite chair, cushion and food bowls behind in Gulistan, Uzbekistan, so he would feel at home.
But two years later she found her bedraggled, starving pet waiting on her doorstep at her new home in Liska, Russia.
"I knew he had disappeared from my neighbors' home a few days after we left which was very sad but we never heard another word about him," she said.
"Then I was walking along the road and I saw this cat which seemed to be waiting for me. When I got closer I saw it was Karim - thin, and in very poor condition but it was him.
"He is very happy now and so are we. I've no idea how he found us but I'm very glad he did."
Ravila's husband Lev Kondratyev, 46, said: "He looks like he used up all of his nine lives to get to us - but it's definitely him.
"There are certain marks on his body including a scar on his tail when it was caught in the door that show us he is 100 per cent our Karim - and he obviously recognized us as well."
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