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Anipal Photo Hunt: What the heck is that?

What the?? That's HHGutt

What the??? I love these photo hunts especially when TW has run out of ideas. The peeps haven't done anything blog-worthy in ages! Those same peeps tell me that this is a cat but I'm not so sure. In fact, I'm sure it's not. Cats don't like lollipops and we'd be smart enough to open it before we licked it. Besides, it's the ugliest cat I've ever seen.

Hmmm, but they're taking it to the V-E-T since it's polluting my PTU. Get that smelly thing out of my PTU! Heads are gonna roll over this! Could I be so lucky that they're giving it away? YESSSS! What the heck is HHGutt doing in my blog again???? He's NOT my brofur and he will be shredded!



Bonus What the Heck is That?
What the heck is that? And why am I so dark?
Small pic is my cousin, BB, with a little orange rock.
What the heck is the big orange rock doing in my blog again? Oh, I'm supposed to be doing an advertisement. Like I'm in a commercial? *Sweet voice* Hi everyone. This is a photo hunt and I'd like to show you this big orange rock. Not only is it the perfect night light to set a warm glow for a romantic evening, but it's also an air purifier. When it heats up, negative ions—what the hell are they?—are released and they bond with the pollutants—which have positive ions—neutralize them, and knock them out of the air. Asthma and allergies symptoms can also subside from these magic rocks. The negative ions—there they are again—combat Electro-Smog caused by electronic devices, such as this computer I'm typing on. Now they even come in animal shapes like the cat in the sidebar. They also have a line of personal care items. And—this is the best part—if you click on this link or the picture in the sidebar and buy something, this little ghetto cat gets a 10% kickback so I can support my furrend's ChipIns! Everyone wins: you get an orange rock, I get a kickback and some charity gets the dough-re-mi.

Wordy Wednesday

My furrends have been axing how life is treating me. As you can imagine, I'm kind of depressed over the nearly 7000 pets who have lost their staff in Japan. But then I'm happy when I see how many people have Chipped In to raise a lot of money. Some of you may know, there's another ChipIn to raise funds for Japanese earthquake animal rescue and support and they've raised well over $400,000. You can donate here. The money they raise will be used strictly for rescue, care and support of animals in crisis. The coalition is strictly no-kill.

Now on to my favorite topic, Ms Cathy Keisha. A few things have gone on around here I think you should know about. A few nights ago, I was sleeping soundly on the pillow next to TW, where I always sleep. (BTW, don't believe the rumor she's passing around that I—heh heh—snuggled next to her on the pillow Sunday morning. No truth at all. Lies piled on top of lies.) Then she got into bed and things went downhill fast. OMC, she was fussing and fussing with her pillows. She sleeps with about 3 of them. First they were too high; then they were too low. When I'd finally had enough, I lunged at the woman and clamped my jaw around her wrist. Stop it woman, you hear! You woke me from a sound sleep and now you must pay. When she finally shook me loose, I was exiled—unfairly, of course—from her room. It's been 3 whole nights and I haven't been allowed back in. I'm thinking of calling PeTA.
Minding my own business before the fussing started. Pay no attention to the
 fake cat behind me, my nemesis HHGutt.
This next event involved Pop, so it hurt down to my core. Last night, before he turned out the light, he was all kissy-poo saying good night to me. Then, all of a sudden, out of the blue, he hurled a grenade at me! Yes, you read right—A GRENADE! I'm lucky the Pacifist didn't know how to work it and didn't take the pin out or I wouldn't be typing this now. It hit hard and right in front of me. I expect a lot better from Pop so this really shook me. I've yet to retaliate but rest assure that when I do, the pin will be removed. [Editor's note: It was a catnip lemon, not a grenade.] I hope I didn't just hear something from the cheap seats!

Whoa! Aunt Pauline wrote this book!
That's my lot for today. I look forward to seeing everybody at the Honky Tonk Nipclub on Thursday and the SciFi Pawty this weekend. Don't forget an autographed copy of my Aunt Pauline's book, Star Commandos 01, is going to be given away at about 12:15 p.m. on Saturday. She's a really good writer who has many books to her credit. You can order them from her website. Tell her Keisha sent you. She's also a very good Mommy to her cats Katie, Jinx and Nickolette.

Paws for Japan

Good morning. You're listening to the Cathy Keisha Show only on listener-sponsored WCAT in New Jersey. Today we have a special show to collect money to aid World Vets in the rescue of the four-legged victims of the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear CATastropre in Japan. They are the silent victims that you NEVER hear mentioned on the TV news or read about online. If you like the music you're hearing (you can listen to the songs by clicking on song titles)—or even if you don't, MOL—please consider donating, using the ChipIn widget on the right of the page.

This show will center on the nuclear aspect of this disaster. At air time, there have been explosions at 4 of the 6 reactors, complete with partial meltdowns of the fuel rods. They say they were hydrogen explosions, but they looked a lot like mushroom clouds to these stunning eyes. Temperatures in No. 5 & 6 are rising in the spent fuel rod pools. My peeps have been part of the Anti-Nuclear movement since the late 70s and they say their worst fears are being realized. The news out of Japan just keeps getting worse.

♫ For openers, let's give a listen to the Clash, London Calling, a song about "a nuclear error." ♫

Hospital patients who might have been exposed to
radiation being carried into a radiation treatment center.
Photo by Daisuke Tomita/Yomiuri Shimbun, via AP.
The media and Japanese authorities have been downplaying the amount of radiation that has actually leaked into our environment, you can be sure. After all, it's in their best interests. They don't want to hurt tourism or their standing in the World Economy. Reports now say, they don't know how long radiation from the crippled plants will be leaking. How can there be partial meltdowns without leakage? Once the rods are exposed—and they were—common sense will tell you that radioactive material will escape through the air and water. We can't count on our authorities to tell us how much. Our government lied to us that the air around Ground Zero was safe to breathe after 9/11, why should I believe the sugar-coated reports I hear coming from Japan.

The New York Times is reporting that experts are now telling us that radioactive releases of steam from the crippled plants could go on for weeks or even months. We are also learning that reactor No. 3 uses a special cocktail of nuclear fuel know as MOX, which is considered contentious because it is made with preprocessed plutonium and uranium oxides. That makes any radioactive plume much more dangerous than ordinary nuclear fuel. We are also hearing the air around the plant may be up to three hundred times the "safe limit" of radiation.

 Gil Scott Heron is one of my favorite artists. He helped form  The Last Poets and here he is with a song about a partial meltdown at a nuclear power plant near Detroit in 1966, "We Almost Lost Detroit." ♫ 


This was a popular poster when TW was young.
CNN is reporting that Tokyo Electric (TEPCO), the owners of the power plant have had many past violations for not being truthful about compromises in the plants. These plants were designed to withstand earthquakes of up to 7.2, not the 9.0 quake they just had. They've also reported that the containment walls of two of the reactors are compromised and they've evacuated most of the workers. The reactors house pools of spent fuel rods, which pose an even greater threat to the humans and animals in Japan. The pools, which sit on the top level of the reactor buildings and keep spent fuel surmerged in water, have lost their cooling systems and the Japanese have no idea how to combat this. Plain and simple, they don't know what they're doing. This would be much worse than a meltdown because while the reactor is inside thick walls, the spent fuel of Reactors 1 and 3 is out in the open.

A plan to drop water from helicopters to cool the rods was scrapped because of the high levels of radiation coming from the reactors. There are fires burning in at least 2 of the reactors. Yet, TEPCO is still saying that the leaks are minimal. Also on Wednesday, workers had to be pulled from #3, which is the most critical, which means there is no water being pumped in.

♫ Here's a song that delivers the story of the accident at Three Mile Island with a dose of sarcastic humor. Tom Paxton singing "All Clear in Harrisburg." ♫

I find myself updating this every few hours, as news gets more dire. Tuesday morning, a fire in one of the storage ponds, produced an explosion that blew a 26-foot-wide hole in the side of reactor No. 4. There were also concerns about the storage ponds at reactors 5 and 6. Through all this, the government of Japan keeps telling us that radiation levels are dropping. Say what? How could it be that levels are dropping as more and more radiation is being released and the wind is blowing it over land, as I write this?

♫ One of the most harrowing songs ever written is "I Come and Stand At Every Door." This version of the Natzim Hikmet poem, adapted by Pete Seeger, is done by This Mortal Coil. ♫

Posing w/TW's old No Nukes T-shirt,
which is way too small now.
We also learned on Tuesday that some of the containment walls have cracks in them and that the explosion at Unit 4 has released cesium, which has a half-life of about 30 years, into the atmosphere. The land around Chernobyl is still unusable today because of cesium contamination during that meltdown in 1986. This station is also hearing that radiation may be contaminating the food supply. Folks, this is Chernobyl times six!

The Japanese government is telling people living within 18 miles of the plant to stay indoors, but how long will these people have to stay indoors? Weeks? Months? How will they get food, supplies, medicine? And, I wonder, how much radiation is on Americans and other people getting on planes and trying to escape this disaster? Will they be screened and decontaminated before leaving the airports or will they spread the radiation?

Shortly before this show aired, Reuters tweeted "IAEA head says core damage at units 1-3 of Japan's quake-hit nuclear plant confirmed, situation very serious" and "EU Energy commissioner warns of further catastrophe at Japan's nuclear site in the coming hours." Very assuring news, to say the least.

Our good friends at WikiLeaks obtained evidence that Japan received warnings over the stability of its power plants from an international watchdog more than two years ago. An official from the International Atomic Energy Agency said in December 2008 that safety rules were outdated, and strong earthquakes would pose a "serious problem" for the power stations. Among other shocking disclosures, a high-profile member of Japan's lower house, told U.S. diplomats in October 2008 that the government was "covering up" nuclear accidents and ignoring alternative forms of energy.

TW's shirt from 9/23/79 rally in
NYC's Central Park
How does all this affect the animals? According to the website WhatJapanThinks.com, 35 percent of Japanese own pets. Of these, 46 percent are dogs and 31 percent are cats. Birds and rabbits are also popular pets in Japan. At airtime, the death toll from the earthquake stands at 9,199, with more than 12,000 missing and this figure is expected to rise to more than 20,000 deaths. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, have fled or are missing, leaving their beloved animals behind. That's a lot of animals who have lost staff. If you figure 35% of 20,000, that's almost 7000 pets without staff. Right now there are about 450,000 living in shelters and many shelters won't take animals, making the problem worse. Not to mention, they are in the dead of winter, with temperatures around 30 degrees F, so any animals out in the elements will have to be rescued quickly or risk hypothermia. World Vets are doing what they can, but conditions are changing rapidly and they are monitoring the news related to the nuclear threats.


Some groups that are helping to Rescue these animals are Society for the Protection of Animals, World Vets, Animal Refuge Keisai (ARK), National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue, Animal Miracle Foundation & Network and the American Humane Association. I've done some research to assure that these aren't scam operations. For more info, most of these organizations have excellent Facebook pages.

♫ You know her from the song "Little Boxes" used on Showtime's Weeds, give a listen to Malvina Reynolds with "What have They Done to the Rain." This seemingly innocent little song is about nuclear-contaminated rain that "keeps falling like helpless tears." ♫

WNYC's Transmitter posted this photo of a cat
struggling to stay above the tsunami waters
in Japan.
What damage is the nuclear fallout doing to any pet who survived initially? We know this fallout will come down as contaminated rain and snow and we know that animals lick their feet after walking outside. I'm not going to subject you to the symptoms of radiation sickness but I'm sure they're the same in animals as in babies. Long-term exposure, at doses less than that which produces serious radiation sickness, leads to cancer as cell cycle genes are mutated.

Millions of people have been without food, water or heat since the Earthquake struck on Friday, which means, so have their pets.

♫ Joy Ryder and Avis Davis toured the NYC club scene in the 80s. Here's their most famous song "No More Nukes." ♫

Let's purray for the humans and animals in Japan. Over 450,000 thousand are homeless, leaving their pets to fend for themselves. Again, you can use the ChipIn to send money to help rescue the animals left homeless and/or injured. They must be so afraid.

I'll conclude by saying that our government has proposed to cut funding for monitoring and warning systems for Earthquakes and Tsunamis in the U.S. and research funds for alternative energy. Please write your Senator and Congressmen and tell them to stop giving tax breaks to big corporations and the richest 1% of Americans and keep funding the Science and Research that is going to keep us safe.

♫ I'll leave you with an uplifting song from John Hall—Power. ♪ "Just give me the warm power of the sun / Give me the steady flow of a waterfall / Give me the spirit of living things as they return to clay. / Just give me the restless power of the wind / Give me the comforting glow of a wood fire / But won't you take all your atomic poison power away."♬♩


I hope you enjoyed the show and that I didn't scare you too much. Again, I ax that you donate to World Vets, using the ChipIn on the right. Some of the information for the show came from the New York Times, CNN and the Huffington Post. Thanks for listening.

WCAT BREAKING NEWS: Wednesday p.m. NPR reports that experts are worried about the plutonium in some of Japan's nuclear reactor fuel rods. I've previously mentioned the MOX fuel in No. 3, which contains plutonium as well as uranium. Plutonium melts at a slightly lower temperature and as the song goes Plutonium lasts FOREVER. The half-life is 24,000 years. If it escaped in smoke from a burning reactor and contaminated soil downwind, it would remain hazardous for tens of thousands of years. The White House is preparing for a situation in Japan that could be "deadly for decades." . . . The NY Times quotes the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as saying the damage at one crippled reactor was much more serious that Japanese officials had acknowledgd and advised Americans to evacuate a wider area around the plant.

 Get ready for some entertainment from Uncle Tupelo. Are you ready for that great atomic power? Atomic Power live for the listeners of WCAT. 

MORE BREAKING NEWS: Thursday 3/17. While Americans revel in St. Patrick's Day parades and festivities, those in Japan are looking at a worsening nuclear crisis. After efforts to drop water in No. 3 by helicopter failed, military fire trucks are now spraying cooling water on spent fuel rods. Worries are that No. 3, which has the MOX fuel, may have malfunctioning gauges or a rupture has occurred causing the pressure to plunge. There is no confirmation whether the water reached the storage pool housing the spent fuel rods thought it reached the inside of the building that houses it. Reports are saying that the water was blown away by high winds before reaching the target. . . Gregory Jaczko from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has said there is little or now water in the pool storing spent nuclear fuel at the No. 4 reactor, leaving fuel rods stored there exposed and bleeding radiation. . . . Meanwhile white smoke has been seen coming from No. 2. . . . High levels of radiation have been detected 18 miles from the plants. . . . We now know that 11,195 spent fuel rod assemblies were stored at the Fukushima Daiichi station, of which 32 contain the MOX fuel. . . . The kitteh doesn't see why the U.S. is making such a big deal over the Japanese covering up their accidents and not being truthful about the severity. It happens right here in the good old U.S. of A.  . . . After a week, the Japanese are finally hooking electric power back up to the plant. Why did it take a week and what happens if the pumps are damaged or the tanks have leaks? . . . Stayed tuned to this station for more information as it happens.

BREAKING NEWS: Friday, March 18. Japan's government has raised the nuclear alert level to 5 out of 7, which puts it on par with the Three Mile Island disaster. The International Nuclear Event Scale defines a Level 4 incident as having local consequences and a Level 5 as having wider consequences. . . . Meanwhile outbreaks of influenza have broken out in three of the makeshift shelters. About 343,000 Japanese households still don't have electricity and about 1 million have no water. We all know how much our animal friends need water. This is extremely important: Pet owners should NOT give their animals Iodide pills. "While potassium iodide might help protect dogs, cats and other pets, from the risks of radiation exposure in the unlikely event that radioctive iodine reaches the west coast of the U.S., giving it ahead of time carries risks and would be ill advised. Side effects for pets taking these pills—especially if they consume too much— include severe allergic reactions; gastrointestinal upsets including vomiting, diarrhea and anorexia; decreased normal thyroid function; and damage to the heart. At high enough levels, potassium iodide can even cause death. . . . In answer to my question about airport screenings, this reporter has heard reports of airport personnel with radiation wands who have no idea how to use them or what they're scanning for. Most people aren't being screened. However, trace amounts of radiation from Japan have been detected in Chicago, Seattle/Tacoma and Dallas/Fort Worth. Travelers coming in from Japan triggered radiation detectors at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport while passing through customs. In one instance, the radiation was detected in the plane's air filtration system and also found in luggage and on passengers. . . . Radiation exceeding government safety limits has been found in spinach and milk near the plant and in water as far away as Tokyo. The food was taken from farms as far as 65 miles from the plant. Even though they pulled the food, officials still claim that they pose no health risks. Huh? . . . I'll leave you with some uplifting news for those of us who are fans of alternative energy. Despite assertions by the detractor that wind energy wouldn't survive an earthquake or tsunami, the Japanese wind farms are still functioning and helping to keep the lights on during the Fukushima crisis. I hope I don't have to break in to air anymore of these unsettling update. This is Cathy Keisha. Have a nice weekend.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Adopt the Internet Day


Today is Adopt the Internet Day in honor of petfinder.com's 15th anniversary. As a rule, I don't do these kinds of posts because it's like preaching to the converted. I imagine my readers have all the animals they can afford or want. I know most of them from Twitter. TW gets so sad when she reads about a beautiful tabby that needs a home but also a bit angry that she is being made to feel guilty for only having me. If anything did happen to me—and it won't for at least 25 more years—she might be more inclined to rescue a death row cat. Every cat my peeps and Grandpeeps have ever had has been a rescue, of one kind of another. They've always had moggies—never a designer breed—although Faith did have characteristics of an Abyssinian.

Everyone by now knows that I was a Petfinder Pet, which is why I'm making an exception to my rule. Although I wasn't on death row, I had been when Companion Animal Placement rescued me and brought me to their no-kill shelter in Hillsborough, NJ. My peeps picked my stunning picture out of literally thousands of cats looking for furever homes in NJ alone. Here was my Petfinder profile. I was #4418277. There are still thousands of animals looking for homes on Petfinder.com. They come in all sizes, colors, breeds and ages. To do my part in Adopt the Internet Day, I've picked out a couple of special furrends. One is from Petfinder.com, listed by A Call 4 Paws and the other is on death row in Manhattan.

Benny w/o the Jets
The first one is Bennie. You can see how many animals have been on petfinders.com because Bennie's number is 17801359, which is one digit and 13 million higher than my number. It's even higher than Derek Jeter's yearly salary. But I digress. I picked Bennie because he reminds me a bit of Brewskie Butt and because his size reminds me of TW's beloved Nicky. He's an orange and white mix domestic medium hair kitteh. Even though he's in a somewhat cushy frosted [sic] home, he longs for a home of his own, with his own peeps to dote on his every whim. His profile reads as follows:

This big, beautiful boy needs you.
Bennie is a sweet ginger and white medium-haired cat. He is about 2-3 years old and quite large, weighing in at 17 pounds! He is very affectionate and loving, and enjoys playing with toys. He gets along well and plays with the other kitties in his foster home. He has been neutered and is up to date on his shots. If you are interested in meeting Bennie—and who wouldn't be?, please get in touch with Brian and Beth at 201-333-5531 or macbethfc@gmail.com

The next cat is Majestic, which is a proper name for her. I picked her because she could be my man-cat Tuna's twin sister, she looks so much like him. Majestic is currently on death row in NY. She is a spayed female, gray tiger Abyssinian mix. Here is Majestic speaking, in her own words, translated by yours truly.
Majestic wants YOU!
My name is Majestic, and I'm a 2-year old girl-cat. My human friends say that my name sure fits me because I look like a little queen! I am a friendly girl who loves getting to see my human friends—I come right to the front of my cage when they stop by, and I'm in 7th heaven when they give me head rubs. Please consider helping me find a forever home where I can truly be the queen of my castle. I came into the shelter as a stray, and I've been waiting since 2/8.

For more information on Majestic, visit Animal Care and Control of New York City—Manhattan. Ask about animal ID #A888358. Her "DueOut" date is tomorrow, 3/16/11.

Give it Up for CK!

Say what, Woman??
The woman axed me this morning what I'd be giving up for Lent. Say what? I answered. Certainly not nip or tuna. Let me turn the tables on you, woman. What you be giving up for Lent. Silence. Just as I thought. Then she said she'd already given up enough since it was revealed her cholesterol levels were, let's just say, a bit high. We won't even mention that her weight is climbing steadily toward Pop's girth. No more brownies, no half-and-half in her coffee, and no 4-lb chocolate Easter bunnies. I can hear a collective groan since many of you have been enjoying them vicariously through TW. Since I don't enjoy any of these foods, the cat will NOT be affected by this diet, much to all my furrends' relief.

Another thing I won't be giving up is biting on the peeps. Hey, they're the ones born into this CATholic religion, not me. I'll still be scarfing down whatever foods I like and whatever body parts I want.

Here are a few things that I wouldn't mind the peeps giving up.

  1. Going to baseball games. Unfortunately this isn't going to happen since they just got Opening Day tickets for March 31 and spent a bit too much, might I add. Night games are the worst because I don't get fed on time. Sometimes I have to wait until almost midnight!
  2. Reading the newspaper, since they tend to yell at me if I linger too long on a certain page. Cats through the ages love lying on the newspaper while their peeps are trying to read.
  3. The next one is tricky. They—TW in particular—shouldn't spend as much time on the computer EXCEPT when she's helping me blog, tweet or interact with my furrends.
  4. Long pants. They should wear shorts around the house to make it easier for me to bite their ankles and calves. Cotton is not tasty.
  5. Eating anything w/o some kind of meat. Sometimes they can go literally DAYS without eating meat. Since they only eat chicken anyway, cut out the peppers & potatoes crap.
  6. No more red sauce or pizza. If they want to order out, go with Chinese or Mexican so I can get a cut.
  7. YELLING AT THE CAT!! Understand that I AM PURRFECT!
If my peeps truly love me, I think they should be able to give up these things. What say you? What are your peeps giving up for Lent, if they're CATholic, or what would YOU like them to give up?

Won't Get Fooled Again

Hmmmm. I know that's a strange way to begin a blog but there's something fishy going on in my fish. TW thinks I don't suspect a thing but I'm wise to her. She's been adding WATER to my Luna Tuna and Island Illusion. Yes, she has.

Like all cats worth their salts—whatever that means—when a new pouch of food is opened, I lick all the soup out and leave most of the fish. TW has been taking the leftovers and adding WATER to make it juicy again. Then I come by later and think there's more soup and lap it up. What a revolting thought. Me—drinking WATER. You've reached a new low, woman! Remember, I don't get mad; I get even!
I'm looking to ship myself to someone who doesn't spike my food
I used to enjoy drinking out of the sink but those days are far behind me. Now I only drink the stronger stuff at the Nip Club. Barktender, keep the Niptinis coming!
Maybe if you spent more time playing with me, I might work up a thirst!
Now I ax you: How can someone sink so low as to spike a little kitteh's food? How despicable can TW get? I'll bet HHGutt put her up to this. He's been very quiet recently.
❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀
Mews and notes: Art and So Forth won the contest for the Kitty Treats with 260. Thanks for playing along.