Thread drift is inevitable

[balon!]

I have been receiving emails about my upcoming breastfeeding exam from a woman whose name is Utter.

I am amused.

That was me.

You're an udder?

Only on weekends.

[MsMary]

[sgt.null]

[aliantha]

Awww, the momcat looks like Magickmaker's kitty! (Without the kittens, tho. The Lady Morgana is spayed. )

[sgt.null]

ali - for you


These squirrels have been abandoned by their mother and this cat decided to adopt them.


www.metacafe.com/watch/467356/cat_nursing_squirrels/

[MsMary]

Interesting.

[aliantha]

ali - for you


These squirrels have been abandoned by their mother and this cat decided to adopt them.


www.metacafe.com/watch/467356/cat_nursing_squirrels/

Awwww, thanks, Sarge! (Tho I do wonder how the sibling rivalry will play out later.... )

[magickmaker17]

Awww, the momcat looks like Magickmaker's kitty! (Without the kittens, tho. The Lady Morgana is spayed. )

and her eyes are more green than yellow.

[Sorus]

That's pretty amazing... knew someone who did that with a mom cat and a baby skunk, but would not have imagined squirrels would work.

[sgt.null]

Water wings, also called floaties, floaters, arm bands and swimmies, are a device to help a wearer float in water and learn to swim.

Water wings are typically cylindrical inflatable plastic bands that are inflated and worn on the upper arm. When the wearer is in water, the air inside the water wings provides buoyancy on account of its far lower density than the water. Although often thought of as a child's flotation device, water wings are also available in adult sizes.

Although water wings are popular among small children, swimming experts caution against using them, because although water wings help the child to float, they do not prevent him/her from accidentally going under water and potentially drowning. Water wings are not a life-saving device. Mistaking them for one can create a potentially fatal false sense of security.

National safety standards such as BS EN 13138-3:2007 require water wings to confirm to certain standards, such as puncture resistance and the level of buoyancy retained after a period of time beyond the inflation valve being opened and left open (an assessment of the efficiency of non-return valves designed to prevent the wings deflating suddenly if an inflation valve is opened). Standards also require prominent labelling near to the inflation valves to the effect that water wings are not life preservers and should only be used under competent supervision.

Water wings were invented by Bernhard Markwitz in Hamburg, Germany. In 1956, Markwitz's three-year-old daughter had fallen into a goldfish pond and nearly drowned. Because of this, Markwitz invented and developed a swimming aid that would be safer for children than the swimming rings at the time, which were made of cork. A lottery win (253 thousand Deutsche Mark) gave him a suitable start capital. In 1964, Markwitz had developed the water wings in their final form and marketed them under the name "BEMA".

A similar design of waterwings was shown in the magazine Modern Mechanix in October 1931. They were made of rubber, consisted of two parts and were worn on the upper arms. The waterwings could be inflated through a valve. These "side wings" or "water wings" were first demonstrated in public on the beaches of Los Angeles, California, USA.

In 1907, in response to swimming having become part of the school curriculum and therefore increased parental concerns about the safety of their children in the water, the Dean's Rag Book Company, London, introduced the Swimeesy Buoy, inflatable water wings with a colourful design in the form of a butterfly. (A plain white version was also available). This product became so popular that it was available, almost unchanged, until the outbreak of World War II.

[lurch]

[sgt.null]

The following night, on November 16, several armed townspeople combed the area around the TNT plant for signs of Mothman. Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Wamsley, and Mrs. Marcella Bennett, with her baby daughter Teena in tow, were in a car en-route to visit their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Thomas, who lived in a bungalow among the "igloos" (concrete dome-shaped dynamite storage structures erected during WW-II) near the TNT plant. The igloos were now empty, some owned by the county, others by companies intending to use them for storage. They were heading back to their car when a figure appeared behind their parked vehicle. Mrs. Bennett said that it seemed like it had been lying down, slowly rising up from the ground, large and gray, with glowing red eyes. While Wamsley phoned the police, the creature walked onto the porch and peered in at them through the window

[lurch]

[balon!]

[Mortice Root]

Good grief, Balon! Is there a "speechless" emoticon?????

[AjK]

I have read that there is a lot of serious hazing that goes on in a Sumo heya (training stable), but three things confuse me (not that I don't confuse easily in general) about that photo:
1. Why do they need a vacuum cleaner to begin with? The floor is made of dirt.
2. Those two guys appear to be rookie/inexperienced Rikishi. Since they obviously need to put on more weight why employ a liposuction home kit?
3. Why can't I stop seeing that picture even after I close my eyes?

[balon!]

I can hear their good matured chuckles. Even in my sleep.

[MsMary]

How come it's so quiet around here?

[sgt.null]

Erastus "Deaf" Smith (April 19, 1787 – November 30, 1837) was an American frontiersman noted for his part in the Texas Revolution and the army of the Republic of Texas. He fought at the Grass Fight and the Battle of San Jacinto. After the war, Deaf Smith led a company of Texas Rangers.

[lurch]