[An Nahar] Up on a brightly lit Moscow stage a clown loudly welcomes the stars of today's show -- 20 highly trained cats.
Packing out the auditorium with excited children and adults, the feline performers are the main attraction at the world-famous and unique cat theater.
Founded just before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the theater -- run jointly by its founder, circus clown Yuri Kuklachev, and his sons Dmitry and Vladimir -- has recently reopened after a major renovation.
From the very first moments in the venue -- even before the show begins -- visitors are plunged into the feline kingdom's unique atmosphere: some cats watch spectators' arrival from behind a glass wall while others are already darting about the stage.
When a bell rings for the beginning of the show and the curtain opens, the audience explodes with applause: on stage, a cat balances on a wheel spun by a clown as a furry co-star skateboards on its hind legs. I saw this show, back in the late '70s. It was part of the "Moscow Circus," which was actually a conglomeration of pieces of circuses and acts from throughout the USSR. Needless to say, the cats were the show stoppers. I have no idea how you train cats to do handstands, but I seen it done.
Then a conjuring number follows and a cat appears to bang a drum as a dove emerges from under a cloth in a clown's hand.
Other numbers -- less acrobatic but equally difficult -- also show that training the cats must require well-honed skills.
"With cats, each show is an improvisation," Yuri Kuklachev's younger son, Vladimir, told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"Cats often behave instinctively and one should always be behind them as they just do what they want."
"Some cats enjoy the stage, they love it when we watch them attentively, while others do not like noise or lights and sit motionless," he added.
The 30-year-old former ballet dancer said it took him a year to get used to training cats.
"With dogs it is easier, we show them what to do once, and that is it."
His father Yuri, a legendary Soviet-era clown, started training cats to stand out from the competition and established the theater in 1990 on Moscow's central Kutuzov Avenue.
Every show involves around 20 cats and the theater has 100 in total.
Before the theater reopened, animal rights groups called for its shows be banned, saying that the animals suffered abuse from trainers.
But Vladimir Kuklachev dismissed the criticism, arguing that recent inspections found no violations in his theater.
One of the young children watching the show, Daria Kalinovich, said she was thrilled by cats' talents.
"I loved so much seeing the cats jumping up and down, running after a ball and juggling," she said.
The theater's shows -- "The Cat Thief", "The Puss in Boots", "The Nutcracker and the King of Rats", and even "Swan Lake" -- run throughout the year, with teams of feline performers led alternately by Kuklachev-senior and his two sons.
Besides Russia, the theater has toured La Belle France, Canada, Japan, the United States and China.
It is not the only unusual animal theater in Moscow.
The Durov animal theater founded in 1912 has performers including a raccoon, ravens and mice who run a miniature railway.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I have no idea how you train cats to do handstands, but I seen it done.
Gerbers Liver and a small spoon, for taping and feeding. I know one Siamese who turned into a fine coder with this reward system.
[An Nahar] Court orders were issued on Friday freezing more than five billion euros in assets of three Greek former executives of the island's now defunct Laiki Bank, the Cyprus central bank said.
It said the special administrator of Laiki Bank, Andri Antoniades, has obtained interim orders against Andreas Vgenopoulos, Efthimios Bouloutas, Kyriakos Magiras and Marfin Investment Group Holdings.
The orders, issued by Nicosia District Court, have already been served, the bank said in a statement.
"They consist of imperative orders for the global freezing of assets totaling EUR3.79 billion against Messrs Vgenopoulos and Bouloutas and EUR1.5 billion against Mr Magiras," said the central bank.
"They also include orders for the disclosure of all the assets of the three aforementioned individuals as well as orders prohibiting Marfin Investment Group Holdings from making any payment or transfer in favor of the three aforementioned individuals," it added.
The central bank did not elaborate on the reason for the assets freeze.
Bouloutas is a former Laiki CEO, while the other two are also former senior board members of the bank that crashed after its exposure to Greek debt was a key reason for Cyprus applying for a bail-out last year.
Greek businessman Vgenopoulos issued a statement on Friday saying he would contest the order -- which he said had no validity outside Cyprus -- on June 11.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Marshal University journalism professor gives an example of why American journalism is in deep trouble. I wrote a comment at the site the day Mr. Swindell's piece was published. It's still there. Mr. Swindell replied to me this evening and 'clarified' his comments. I responded again. There are over 800 comments now, and I don't know how long he'll continue to 'clarify' and 'explain' himelf. Might take him away from his day job.
Watching the celebration at the NRA convention over the defeat of background checks was the most nauseating experience of the day.
Pepto Bismol helps with that. Also activated charcoal.
I am not a New York gun control liberal, either. I support a shotgun for home defense, a handgun for limited conceal/carry, and an assortment of hunting rifles to balance West Virginia's exploding deer population (as evidenced by hourly collisions with cars). So, I am hardly out of the mainstream. The question really is, do you own a shotgun, a handgun and a hunting rifle? I s'pect you don't, but go on...
But, the gun safety debate is B.S. This foaming at the mouth, Obamar is coming for the guns, Nanny Bloomberg is a bad billionaire, and most despicable of all, those survivors and victims are pawns in the liberal agenda is knuckle-dragging Cretan talk. So says the head cretin, Barky, and his minions, one of which is... you, professor.
As has been asked elsewhere, what does the good professor have against the citizens of the Isle of Crete? The minotaur is a legend, truly.
And no matter how many times Sen. Joe Manchin tries to explain his compromise (a decent attempt thwarted by extremists), the hard right lies and foams. The repeated lies now seem like the truth, what with the likes of Sen. Kelly Ayotte telling them. They seem like the truth, because they are the truth.
Probably the most serious miscalculation opponents make is the guest list for the NRA speaker's podium. To let the half-wit half-term quitter Sarah Palin have a microphone is to alienate the very people Republicans need to work with on future legislation. To say nothing of the other speakers. A politician that can give a passionate 30 minute intelligent extemporaneous talk with a few notes scribbled on her hand? Hardly a half wit.
Shouldn't there be a comma between half-wit and half-term?
And how does choosing a white, rich old man with an offensive degrading speech about the war of "Northern Aggression" as NRA president forward a sense of reasonableness? History lesson: It was an awful Civil War
I don't think civil war should be in caps here, as it is being used generically...
won decisively some 150 years ago. Over slavery. The Confederacy wanted to keep African-Americans in chains
Only the ones who were slaves. They were perfectly happy to leave the free Blacks free, and even allowed them to own slaves, too.
and President Lincoln didn't. The race card, how.. common. Just a hint professor: Look in the mirror. You're white, too. And very few gun owners have that view of the Civil War, but don't let that stop this episode of agenda building. Do go on.
Sure, there were states' rights issues, but nullification, secession, and treason were settled at Appomattox Courthouse. Sure, Reconstruction left a bad taste. But, resurrecting these same things, the way South Carolina is as we speak, is to invite a return to the whole concept of a Union. End of non sequitur on the right to keep and bear arms.
Here it is. The NRA advocates armed rebellion against the duly elected government of the United States of America. That's treason, and it's worthy of the firing squad. The B.S. needs a serious gut check. We are not a tin pot banana republic where machine gun toting rebel groups storm the palace and depose the dictator. Well, not yet anyway...
We put the president in the White House. To support the new NRA president's agenda of arming the populace for confrontation with the government is bloody treason. And many invite it gladly as if the African-American president we voted for is somehow infringing on their Constitutional rights. In case you didn't notice, and you didn't, Barky and about 500 of his best friends had their thumbs on the scale in order to gain the 2012 election. He engaged in a deliberate program using his government to not only suppress voter turn out but to kill speech. If you don't think that will anger an electorate to arms, you really are an ignorant twat. Rights were infringed on, and it was no accident. It was deliberate.
Normally, I am a peaceable man, but in this case, I am willing to answer the call to defend the country. From them. Good. You go get a rifle, preferably a 5.56mm EBR (Evil Black Rifle) and meet the other 200 milion or so American gun owners. If only three percent (III) of those answer the call to arms against Barky and you, I'd go into hiding if I were you.
To turn the song lyric they so love to quote back on them, "We'll put a boot in your ---, it's the American way." Indeed.
Except it won't be a boot. It'll be an M1A Abrams tank, supported by an F22 Raptor squadron with Hellfire missiles. Try treason on for size. See how that suits. And their assault arsenal and RPGs won't do them any good. You gotta take a crap sometime.
So how is it going for us in Afghanistan these days, with our advanced weapons and the Taliban's IEDs?
So, to return to reality, all of us. Let's make common sense gun safety a deciding issue for 2014 and beyond. The NRA certainly has. Let's push back. We the People. The 85 percent who support more robust background checks.
You might want to double check that number, professor. I think it's fallen recently.
And when the next domestic terrorist with an assault rifle comes along,
The last couple of mass killers using guns haven't been sane, but don't let that bother you, dear. Domestic terrorists seem to prefer explosives, eg. the Boston Marathon bombers.
we can blame the leaders and fringe of the NRA for arming them. Liberals never talk about common sense gun laws such as repealing them, and making them really make sense. Instead it is to send the power of the state, already overwhelmingly over-large and hostile, against the citizens. That is tyranny, and the professor just self identified as a tyrant.
#5
The 85 percent who support more robust background checks.
How about just enforcing existing laws although that might interfere with arming a cartel and curtail the deaths of hundreds of Mexican citizens. BTW, anyone in jail for that crime? /rhet question
#6
Well, now Marshal Uni is famous for having one of the dumbest professors on the face of the earth. The center-right blogosphere is lining up to point and laugh.
#7
his personal email is chris_swind...athotmail.com if you'd like to let him know how much you love his tolerance and towering intellect. Replace the at with an @
(hard to get by Fred's Philters)
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/02/2013 9:39 Comments ||
Top||
#8
All Cretans are liars.
Hey, Bucky, do you know why the NRA was founded? It was founded after the Civil War by two Union Generals who had seen how poor Union soldiers' marksmanship had been; the NRA offered shooting ranges and lessons.
And, Bucky, do you know who used the NRA's services in the 20th Century? Lots of African-Americans, what with the lynchings Southern states winked at, and Church bombings.
After all, Bucky, you're in a State where half the buildings and highways are named after a high official of the KKK. Perhaps you should change your last name to Swindle.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
06/02/2013 11:10 Comments ||
Top||
#9
The comment thread following the opinion piece is fascinating. In addition giving the professor the information he missed during his years of education on classical history, American history, grammar, statistics and the use of polls, military materiel and the uses thereof, and why it's a dumb idea to openly insult one's target when writing a persuasive essay, readers dug up the good professor's Rate My Professor page (he's an open communist who sprays as he talks, but really cares about his students), his Facebook page, the origin of his claimed NRA president quote (one of those Onion-like satire sites)... and he's listed on LinkedIn.
Dr. Steve's interaction is now somewhere in the middle of over 900 responses.
#13
Just to clear the pain in your soul from Professor Swindell's fatuous nonsense, this lovely editorial from a student journalist at Iowa State will provide the appropriate refreeshment. Also found in the comment thread following the professor's effusion.
#14
Thought about adding comment, realized everything has been said. His response to you Steve is especially disgraceful. And the man doesn't even realize it. Though the 1030 comments should tell him he's an idiot.
Favorite comment there goes to a Brian Welker:
"Pretty open and shut case of violent hate speech.
Even worse he's a sexist too.
I wonder when Marshal U will fire him for it. He's an armed, angry white man who needs to be stopped before someone gets killed.
Stop him. Stop him now. For The Children."
Posted by: Charles ||
06/02/2013 12:59 Comments ||
Top||
#15
I wonder when Marshal U will fire him for it.
Pffft. Raving commie lunatics like this are a dime a dozen on university campuses. It's just that most of them confine their drooling hysterics to the relative privacy of the classroom. If they get disciplined for anything, it's for embarrassing public displays like this, that alienate alumni and cause donations to dry up. Not for stuffing the same toxic, incoherent drivel down students' throats, day in and day out. I'd say this is more an example of why American education as a whole is in deep trouble.
#16
No, this has nothing to do with "American" or "education." This is a symptom of the credential racket. Time to RICO it and be done with it.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/02/2013 14:22 Comments ||
Top||
#17
Gun control, that's the ammo shortage right there, No ammo, own as many guns as you wish, there's NO constitutional law breaking. (Bent, but not Broken)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/02/2013 14:35 Comments ||
Top||
#18
visited Marshal to consider the U I was working with helping them. Could not really figure out what they were trying to do with lots of fed money so didn't get involved... BUT, I have to say the town it was in was the closest to 3rd world I have seen outside Detroit and I felt really sad for all the students there.
#19
Now that's the kind of college rant I would expect from a 1st semester freshman. It is quite obvious from the tone he wants all of these things so long as somebody else is doing it, whether it is deer control or military action or else he would do enough research into the tools of the trade he calls for others to use to not be the joke about the wife handing the husband a hammer when he asked for the wrench. Its the internet, and he is on it, so no excuses. It is painfully obvious the only call this person has answered is, "Order Up!".
The victims are not pawns? Do they not deserve a vote, so to speak? And how dare you think that a Biden Blaster is the best home defense for me. For a number of situational and tactical reasons I personally think a shotgun would be the worst tool for the job. Read that I and Personally, those are descriptions of individual choices and rights. I'm not sure how you talk in West Virginia, but someone describing our range wear and hunting tools as an assortment is a bit prissy and would be mistaken for someone perhaps talking about their wine cooler and not firearms.
You do not know the tools, you have shown you have not even been around people who do, and have no concern, appreciation, or regard for my personal rights or abilities. It is self evident your judgement is erroneous and you should recend yourself from the bench you built without anyone's permission but your own.
[An Nahar] With foreign reserves diminishing fast, Pakistain is on the brink of an economic crisis that may force its new government to ask for an unpopular bailout from the International Monetary Fund requiring a sweeping overhaul of the country's economy.
The troubles could inject a new element of instability into the nuclear-armed nation of 180 million people that Washington is relying on to combat Islamic snuffies at home and to help negotiate an end to the war in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistain's foreign currency reserves stood at just $6.4 billion as of May 17, down from more than $14 billion two years ago. That is only enough to cover about 1.5 months' worth of imports while the IMF considers adequate foreign reserves for any country enough to cover three months of imports.
Bottoming out could bring painful consequences: A run on the banks by panicked citizens anxious to convert savings into dollars amid fears of a devaluation, a withdrawal from the stock market, a collapse of economic activity and higher unemployment.
The presumptive head of the new government, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... , has made fixing the economy his main priority. But even though a crisis may be only six to nine months away, his incoming government appears hesitant about taking IMF money. They know it will come with conditions attached that would likely stir discontent on the streets, such as raising energy prices and broadening tax collection significantly.
"If we manage for six months, then of course we don't have to go" to the IMF, said Sartaj Aziz, a key economic adviser to the government about to take power. He told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that in his view, the country might not need a bailout if it moves quickly enough to boost growth and gets help from key allies such as Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , which would come with fewer strings attached.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[An Nahar] Candidates in Iran's June 14 presidential election all agree that rampant inflation is the most pressing problem, but commentators Saturday bemoaned that in a first television debate none proposed real solutions.
Press commentators accepted the complaints of several candidates that the Friday debate's format, which gave little scope for real discussion of issues, had not helped them present their policies.
But with inflation topping 30 percent after a 70 percent fall in the value of the rial against the dollar sent the cost of imports soaring, editorial writers, analysts and ordinary viewers agreed that the presidential hopefuls needed to set out more substantial policies.
The final eight candidates were approved by the Guardians Council, Iran's unelected electoral watchdog, from 686 who registered to stand.
No women candidates were approved, and the disqualifications included moderate ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ... the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until he was eased out in 2011 He continues, for the moment, as Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council. In 2005 he ran for a third term as president, ultimately losing to rival Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was in Khamenei's graces back then. In 1980 Rafsanjani survived an assassination attempt, during which he was seriously injured. He has been described as a centrist and a pragmatic conservative without all that much reason. He is currently being eased out of any position of actual influence or power and may be dead by the end of 2012... and incumbent Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad's close ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie.
Constitutionally, Ahmadinejad himself cannot stand for a third consecutive term.
"The candidates all said they were going to resolve the problem of inflation but none of them explained how they were going to do it," complained one viewer interviewed by state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
Economist Hossein Raghfar told the reformist Aftab newspaper that none of the eight appeared to have established economic policies.
"It had been expected that each candidate would present his own solutions to control inflation, unemployment or support for domestic production, but none of them showed a clear solution which means they did not have an established plan," said Raghfar.
"In such circumstances, we cannot expect an improvement in the situation in the country."
Analyst Mohammad Saleh Sedghian agreed.
"There was no debate on their various economic policies, and this would not give the electorate a clear idea of each candidate's economic plans," he told AFP.
Mohammad Mehdi Forqani, communications professor at a Tehran university, told the Mehr news agency that the candidates had not been helped by the format of the debate, which "did not have the element of challenge".
"The multiple choice system of questioning was also not dignified for candidates in a presidential contest," he added.
The lone reformist candidate, former first vice president Mohammad Reza Aref, refused to take part in one section of the broadcast in which each candidate was given multiple choice questions about his programme.
And conservative candidate Mohsen Rezai, a former commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, told his own Tabnak website he would boycott the next two debates scheduled for Wednesday and Friday if the format does not change.
"I felt like I was back in elementary school... The fact that candidates were disrespected is not as important as the millions watching the debates being insulted," moderate candidate Hassan Rowhani told news hounds.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[An Nahar] Court orders were issued on Friday freezing more than five billion euros in assets of three Greek former executives of the island's now defunct Laiki Bank, the Cyprus central bank said.
[An Nahar] With foreign reserves diminishing fast, Pakistain is on the brink of an economic crisis that may force its new government to ask for an unpopular bailout from the International Monetary Fund requiring a sweeping overhaul of the country's economy.
Nawaz Sharif
Mahmoud 
