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2009-08-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

Cats compete in New York

2008-10-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

If the idea of hundreds of cats in one room makes you uncomfortable, fear not.

Therapist Carole Wilbourn can help. If you're a cat, that is.

The therapist will be on hand for this weekend's cat show in Madison Square Garden, where breeds from Japanese bobtails to hairless Sphynxes will be competing.

All that excitement can make a cat crazy, the New York-based therapist said at a preview on Wednesday, where she was providing "relaxation therapy" to an Abyssinian kitten.

The delicate kitten's eyes closed and his head sagged while a New Age tape recording of flutes and whale sounds played.

"All I have to do is wave something, and he'll go cuckoo again," the cat therapist admitted.

Wilbourn's fees start at $85 (54 pounds) for a telephone consultation and $325 for a house visit in Manhattan with follow-up telephone calls.

While Wilbourn makes her living understanding cats, or perhaps more importantly understanding their owners, at the cat show, few would concede their pampered cats needed therapy.

"Does this cat look like he needs a therapist?" asked Ronnie Fischler as she combed a huge fluffy Persian sprawled on a table. "If he got any more relaxed, he'd be dead."

Next cage over, a sleek Tonkinese cat squirmed and wiggled as he looked at the hairy Persian, but that was no cause for therapy, said owner Sue Robbins.

"He sees the big hair, and he thinks that cat is angry. He just doesn't understand big hair," she said.

Nor did a champion Siamese need Wilbourn's help, said owner Pat Miuse. "Therapy? Not my cats," she said.

A hefty Maine Coon cat slept through the entire affair. "He needs anti-relaxation therapy," said owner Samantha Ross.

Owners were happier relaying why theirs is the best breed.

The hairless Sphynx is low-maintenance, said Sandy Adler. "There are no hairballs, and you can wear black," she offered.

The silver spotted Egyptian Mau loves to swim, countered owner Carol Babel. "If you don't want him in the shower or bathtub, you'd better close the door," she said.

Alas, the black Bombay has nothing fancy to offer, said owner John Clark.

"Unlike a lot of the cats here, the Bombay doesn't do anything," he said. "He has no skills. He just is."

The show, with more than 40 breeds of cats and 25,000 fans expected, is sponsored by the Cat Fanciers' Association and Iams Co. and runs Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10.

Reuters

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Survivor sells Titanic items

2008-10-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

Millvina Dean was only 2 months old when she was wrapped in a sack and lowered into a lifeboat from the doomed Titanic in 1912. Now 96, the last survivor of the tragic sinking is selling a 100-year-old suitcase and other Titanic mementos to help pay for her nursing home fees.

Games items seek buyers

2008-09-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

2008 Beijing Olympics Game is end, have you go to the China to see the Olympic? If not, it will be your pity. But now more than 60000 pieces of furniture used during the dual Games got the cold shoulder at an auction Thursday, reported Beijing Times. Four, from Beijing, Hebei, purchased 13000 items only after their asking prices were slashed by 10%. The remaining 50000 items went unsold.

Do not send SMS when driving

2008-09-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today I saw one TV program which told about traffic accident. And SMS is most deadly for drivers. Research shows that writing SMS messages when driving is most dangerous, even worse than driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The reaction time of drivers texting SMS messages is 35% slower than in normal conditions, higher than the 12% of drunk drivers and 21% of drivers high on drugs. Drivers writing or reading messages are also likely to drift from the lane.

Curry kills bride in India

2008-09-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

A British bride who died 10 days after marrying a local man in India may have been killed by asthma provoked by eating spicy food, her doctor said. Charlotte, 24, wed Jitender in Indian. Charlotte died after she complained of a sore throat and clooapsed. Doctor said she had lots of spicy food which she couldn't digest.

Aso leads Japanese PM race

2008-09-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General, Taro Aso, has obtained a support rate of 50.7% among party members, making it almost certain that he will win the LDP's presidential election, a Kyodo News poll showed Sunday. Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike is a distant 2nd with a support rate of 8.1%.

Japanese wine recalls

2008-09-16T08:48:00.001-07:00

The Japanese alcohol manufacturer, Asahi Beer, recently stopped the sale of its wine known as soju, recalling 650000 bottles from the market. The company found the pesticide content of the rice it used to produce the wine exceeded the standard and some rice gone moldy. The company has been using the rice since June this year.

Apple: Brit invented iPod

2008-09-08T08:44:00.001-07:00

Apple has finally admitted that a British man who left school at 15 is the inventor behind the iPod. Kane Kramer, 52, came up with the technology that drives the gidital music player nearly 30 years ago but has still not seen a penny from his inventio. In 1988, he was unable to raise the money needed to renew patents and the technology became public property.

Russia to subsidize S.Ossetia

2008-09-05T19:15:00.001-07:00

South Ossetian PM Boris Chochiyev said that Russia has promised to pay South Ossetians up to $2000 each in compensation for war damage. Russian has previously dispatched 500 construction workers to repair and rebuild scores of damaged or destroyed administrative buildings and schools in Tskhinvali, reports said.

Thailand plans referendum

2008-09-04T21:45:00.001-07:00

Thailand’s Cabinet agreed Thursday to hold a national referendum to end a political crisis over a street campaign against the government. Culture Minister Somsak Kietsuranond said no date has been set for the referendum and the exact topic also remains unclear. PM Samak Sundaravej earlier went on national radio and vowed he would not step down.

Bone ash made into diamonds

2008-09-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

A Swiss company uses the ashes of dead people to make diamonds as a permanent memento for the deceased's nearest and dearest. With prices at less than 5000 euros, the jewels are not solely the preserve of the jet set. There are also some companies in the US and UK offering diamonds made from hair.

The evergreen trees on the Christmas days

2008-09-01T07:43:00.001-07:00

When speaking of Christmas day, the feeling of warmness and happiness will come to our mind. Really, as the biggest festival in the western countries, Christmas days leave us too much things for retrospection. Christmas trees are one of the indispensable ornaments in Christmas days. Christmas trees are either natural or man-made trees. The natural Christmas trees are usually evergreen trees with cone shape, such as fir trees, cypress trees, and pine trees and so on. Traditionally speaking, the decoration of the Christmas trees begins at Christmas Eve (24th, Dec.), and they will be moved away at the twelfth night (6th, Jan.) People usually use all kinds of beautiful bulbs, colorful flowers, nice toys, beautiful gifts and shining stars to decorate their Christmas trees. But most important, on the top of every Christmas tree, there must be a very big star. This star is very special because it is said that by following this star, the three doctors found Jesus at last. So only the breadwinner can hung the hopeful star on the top of the tree. The evergreen Christmas trees symbolize the eternal life. At Christmas night, people sing and dance around their Christmas trees and enjoy their wonderful life.

Qianlong's seal up for sale

2008-08-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

A white jade seal of the Emperor Qianlong in the QIng Dynasty was presented recently in Hong Kong in the run-up to the Sotheby's auction scheduled on October 8. The color and texture of the jade is considered the top quality of its kind. The 12.5 sqcm seal is the largest one among all the seals by Qianlong. Its estimated auction price is HK$50m.

Chavez to invest in sports

2008-08-27T08:47:00.001-07:00

Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA will open an office of competitive sports to train
athletes after a lackluster Olympic performance, President Hugo Chavez said Sunday.
Venezuela's delegation of more than 100 athletes won only a bronze medal in Beijing.

Beijing Olympics asteroid

2008-08-27T07:43:00.001-07:00

The Minor Planet Center Sunday approved an appeal from China's Purple Mountain Astronomical Observatory that the No. 23408 asteroid it discovered on October 12, 1977 in the Taurus constellation be christened "Beijing'aoyun", or Beijing Olympics, in honor of the concluded Games. Though the 29th Olympics are over, the Beijign Olympics asteroid will stay in the sky.

Wei to sell gown for charity

2008-08-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

Chinese singer Wei Wei said Monday she planned to auction the dress she wore at the Olympics closing ceremony on August 24 while singing "To Overcome" and hopes to donate the earnings to schools in quake-hit Sichuan. Wei said it took her European designer 3 days to make the dress. Two of Wei's sons also performed in a children's chorus at the ceremony.

Japan unveils Games Beauties

2008-08-26T05:30:00.001-07:00

Russian pole vault queen, Yelena Isinbayeva, who won a gold medal in the Olympics with a new world record of 5.05m, leads the Top 10 Olympic Beauty List released by a Japanese magazine. Artistic gymnast Anna Bessonova from Ukraine ranked 2nd, and 3 Chinese athletes, Guo Jingjing, He Wenna and Xie Xingfang, also made the list.

Highlights of Ceremony

2008-08-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Chen Weiya, director of the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony, explained the artistic performance Sunday. The ceremoney consisted of 3 chapters, themed as "reunion," "memory - extinguishing the Olympic flasme" and "carnival." The first chapter featured a first-ever procedure at Olympic closing ceremonies when the 4 newly-elected members of the International Olympic Committee Athletes Commission thanked volunteers.

Dream Team grabs gold

2008-08-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

The US won the Olympic men’s basketball gold by beating Spain 118-107 Sunday. The US team’s last gold came at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Dwyane Wade scored 27 points and Kobe Bryant added 20 for the US. Rudy Fernandez had 22 and Pau Gasol 21 for Spain. The bronze medal went to Argentina.

Memory man breaks records

2008-08-22T09:20:00.001-07:00

British man Ben Pridmore, a 31-year-old accountant, has won the UK Open Memory Championships, smashing 3 world records by recalling a row of 930 zeros and ones in 5 minutes, 7 pack of playing cards in just 10 minutes and an 818-digit number also in a short amount of time. The man has an IQ of 159.

Athlete turns to finding love

2008-08-22T07:18:00.001-07:00

Zimbabwe's Young Talkmore Nyongani lost his 400m competition at the Bird's Nest, but the 25-year-old continued walking the Beijing streets with delight. He is trying to find romance with a Chinese woman with the help of a local newspaper. Nyongani said he became almost obsessively interested in Chinese women. He added that his revenue could guarantee a good life for his family.

Russia may push independence

2008-08-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

Russia is signaling that it may back the independence of 2 breakaway Georgian regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, although the US and its European allies insist on a UN resolution that would affirm the “territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders,” Russian media reorted. The UN and Russia had always agreed on Georgia’s sovereignty over these 2 regions before the war.

Phelps bombed by SMS

2008-08-20T07:32:00.001-07:00

US swimming star Michael Phelps has been besieged by journalists and sponsors, and his black berry has received about 5000 text messages since his historical triumph at the Beijing Games. US President George W. Bush also called the swimmer to give his congratulations. The 23-year-old said he would not retire, but continue to swim at the 2012 London Olympics.

Bolt explains slowdown

2008-08-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

Usain Bolt of Jamaica, who dashed 9.69 seconds for the Olympic men's 100m title and broke the world record on Saturday night, said that he just aimed to win before the finish line and this related to his 20m slowdown. Bolt expained when he felt certain of grabbing the gold medal in the final he involuntarily began to celebrate and ran the last 20m slower.