More from the cat article:
So are today’s cats truly domesticated? Well, yes—but perhaps only just. Although they satisfy the criterion of tolerating people, most domestic cats are feral and do not rely on people to feed them or to find them mates. And whereas other domesticates, like dogs, look quite distinct from their wild ancestors, the average domestic cat largely retains the wild body plan. It does exhibit a few morphological differences, however—namely, slightly shorter legs, a smaller brain and, as Charles Darwin noted, a longer intestine, which may have been an adaptation to scavenging kitchen scraps.
...
Unlike dogs, which exhibit a huge range of sizes, shapes and temperaments, house cats are relatively homogeneous, differing mostly in the characteristics of their coats. The reason for the relative lack of variability in cats is simple: humans have long bred dogs to assist with particular tasks, such as hunting or sled pulling, but cats, which lack any inclination for performing most tasks that would be useful to humans, experienced no such selective breeding pressures.
Wow, when was the last time a plane went missing?
Missing French jet hit thunderstorms over Atlantic
A missing Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris ran into a tower of thunderstorms and heavy turbulence over the Atlantic Ocean, officials said Monday, fearing that all aboard were lost.
The area where the plane could have gone down was vast. Brazil's military searched for the plane off its northeast coast, while the French military scoured the Atlantic off the West African coast near the Cape Verde Islands.
In my adult life, I've owned a 1976 Chrysler, a 1986 Mitsubishi, a 1998 Daewoo, a 2001 Nissan (when in Philly) and a 2004 Toyota. My brand loyalty, such as it is, is to Toyota.
I have what I consider a rational aversion to Ford because of the utterly crap-ass Tempo that I had in college that racked up thousands in repair bills. Worst car I ever had
Yeah, most Tempos were of the suck. The American car companies really screwed themselves over in the '70s and '80s by building poor-quality cars that turned off many people to American cars.
The American car companies really screwed themselves over in the '70s and '80s by building poor-quality cars that turned off many people to American cars.
::points to ownership of possibly the worst American car ever: Ford Mustang II. A shameful insult to the Mustang legacy::
My worst car in terms of being a money sink was a Subaru. I would be willing to give Subaru another chance, but my wife would not. Thus no Subarus in our future. There are some nice Subarus out there, but none that I'd be especially crazy over.
::points to ownership of possibly the worst American car ever: Ford Mustang II. A shameful insult to the Mustang legacy::
Yep. Did you know the Mustang II was based on the Pinto? Dunno if the Mustang II shared the Pinto's tendency to blow up, though.
Dudes! I only have ten votes!
I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIENDS.
Pft.
cries