Scientists solve the mystery of ginger cats – helped by hundreds of cat owners

After decades of mystery, new research has shed light on a question that has long stumped scientists and cat lovers alike – what exactly makes orange cats, well … orange?

Two studies published in Current Biology last week by separate teams at Stanford University and Japan’s Kyushu University at last provided some answers. Scientists have known for more than a century that orange cats inherit coloring differently from other mammals. Now – with help from hundreds of cat owners – researchers have identified the genetic mutation that gives orange cats their signature hue.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCats. What Else?

Most Canadians feel attached to their home, though only half trust governments: poll

OTTAWA – Most Canadians feel attached to their country, province and municipality but only about half of them trust their governments, a new poll suggests.

The Leger survey, which polled 1,537 Canadians between May 16 and 18, suggests that 82 per cent of Canadians feel attached to their country.

Because the poll was conducted online, it can’t be assigned a margin of error.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada

Tapper’s Book May End Kamala’s Political Career

There’s still no word yet as to whether Kamala Harris will run for governor of California or hold out for another doomed attempt at the presidency. But it might be a moot point in light of revelations in Jake Tapper’s new book “Original Sin” about the Biden administration’s systematic cover-up of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. Oh sure, we all knew Biden was impaired, but the difference between today and the four years of the Biden presidency is that now even the liberal media is talking about it, and Kamala can’t run from her role in the cover-up.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Kamala Harris"

Neil Young weighs in on Trump-Springsteen feud: ‘We need a real president!’

As Bruce Springsteen’s feud with U.S. President Donald Trump drags on, it would appear that the all-American rockstar has some backup from across the border.

In a Tuesday blog post, Canadian musician Neil Young chimed into the ongoing social media battle between Trump and Springsteen, a vocal Democratic Party supporter and friend of former U.S. president Barack Obama. Springsteen launched a blistering rebuke of the president on tour, last week.

“The America I love, the America I’ve written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,” Springsteen told a Manchester, U.K., crowd last Thursday.

Blistering huh?

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inTrump Derangement Syndrome

Is Canada trying to lower home prices or not? Mark Carney should give Canadians his answer to this yes/ no question

Canada’s new federal housing minister, Gregor Robertson, says he wants to make housing more affordable — just not by lowering prices. In a recent interview, Robertson argued that home prices don’t need to fall for affordability to improve. He’s not alone: Prime Minister Mark Carney recently restated that this is “not a yes-no question,” and that it depends on “different time horizons.”

But this kind of linguistic loopty-loop isn’t harmless. It’s a political strategy — one that dodges a simple but essential question: Is the goal of Canadian housing policy to lower home prices or not?

It is, in fact, a yes-or-no question. And the answer matters.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Homelessness & Affordability Crisis", Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government

Sweden to charge jihadi over Jordanian pilot burned to death

Prosecutors in Sweden on Thursday said they planned to indict a convicted Swedish man for his suspected role in the 2014 capture and execution of a Jordanian pilot by the “Islamic State” (IS) militant group in Syria.

Prosecutors allege the suspect helped force the pilot into a metal cage ahead of one of the jihadist group’s most infamous murders.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Islamophobia", Islam, Islam and violence, Islamization of the West

Canada is doing everything wrong with defence procurement

For most of history, a country’s strength has depended not just on fielding the best military equipment but on its capacity to afford it. Balancing capability with cost has always been the practical constraint shaping military readiness. The appeal of equipping soldiers with the most advanced drones, radar and software is understandable – what government wouldn’t want to give its troops every possible advantage?

But in Canada’s case, this logic often backfires. The pursuit of “best-in-class” foreign systems – often encouraged by the appeal of interoperability, proven performance, aligned requirements and ease of integration – can come at the expense of building domestic capacity, ultimately undermining both sovereignty and long-term effectiveness.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"CAF - Canadian Armed Forces"

Kim Jong-un watches in horror as new warship is crushed in launch failure

A major accident occurred during the launch ceremony of a new North Korean warship on Thursday, which Kim Jong-un denounced as a “criminal act”.

Kim, who witnessed the failed launch of the 5,000-ton destroyer, declared the incident a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness” and warned it “could not be tolerated”.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the accident at the eastern port of Chongjin was caused by a loss of balance while the vessel was being launched.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inNorth Korea, WTF?

‘It is shameful’: City staff slammed for leaving Toronto rooming-house tenants in ‘inhuman conditions’

Mayor Olivia Chow is criticizing the “uncaring” culture of Toronto’s public service, after an accountability watchdog found the city failed to act while tenants in a rooming house went without basic utilities for six months.

At a council meeting on Wednesday, the mayor and other members grilled city officials over the investigation ombudsman Kwame Addo released last week, which found bylaw officers failed to enforce rules that are supposed to protect tenants after a minor fire in a rooming house in 2023 led to an extended shut-off of its heat, water and power.

As the residents resorted to sleeping in coats and boiling water in order to bathe, bylaw officers didn’t visit the property until more than two weeks after tenants submitted a request, according to the report. When they did arrive, they failed to collect evidence or use their authority to restore the utilities.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Toronto - Canada's version of a Democrat run city"

Fury as Republicans go ‘nuclear’ in fight over California car emissions

California has long been one of the nation’s pre-eminent eco-warriors, enacting landmark environmental standards for cars and trucks that go much further than those mandated by the federal government. Vehicles across the country are cleaner, more efficient and electric in greater numbers because of it.

But that could all change if Donald Trump and his Republican allies manage to revoke the state’s ability to set its own, stricter emissions standards amid a White House crusade to combat climate-friendly policies.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets and updates its own federal standards for all states on smog and emissions from cars and trucks, which the Biden administration made even stricter last year, saying they will save American drivers thousands in fuel costs and maintenance over the life of a vehicle.

GM Is Pushing Hard to Tank California’s EV Mandate

General Motors went all in on electric cars. Now it is racing to reverse the nation’s most aggressive EV mandate.

“We need your help!” GM said in an email it sent this past week to thousands of its white-collar employees. “Emissions standards that are not aligned with market realities pose a serious threat to our business by undermining consumer choice and vehicle affordability.”

h/t DS

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"EV's - Electric Vehicles", "Net-Zero Tyranny"