In Scottsdale, Arizona, this week, you could become the new owner of an all-electric beast carved from pure Canadian red cedar—the world’s fastest motorized log.
The car, er, vehicle, is the work of a log-home manufacturer; Bryan Reid Sr., the founder of Pioneer Log Homes, explained his reasoning to the CBC.
“When there’s thousands of cars being auctioned off… sooner or later it comes to ‘why don’t you build a log car,’” he told CBC in a 2015 interviewabout the project.
The 2019 Ford Ranger is finally here after its iconic nameplate took a long break from the U.S. market. But that break is over, because The Blue Oval just debuted the 2019 Ford Ranger, and it looks a lot like the T6 model the rest of the world has had for years—just with some meaningful updates and tweaks.
Back around 2011, an enormous comet crashed into America’s mid-size truck segment, killing a number of lovable little trucks like the Dodge Dakota and Chevrolet Colorado. But no loss was mourned as much as that of the small, tough, cheap and simple Ford Ranger. But now, after over five years, the Ranger is back.
The 2018 Ford Mustang Bullitt has shown up just in time for the 50th anniversary of the film and its epic car chase scene. Between the green paint, dark grille and signature fuel cap, I think Steve McQueen himself would be stoked to jump it off some steep streets.
Posted onJanuary 13, 2018byJames|Comments Off on Litter of Eight Cheetahs Born at Saint Louis Zoo
For the first time in Saint Louis Zoo history, a Cheetah has given birth to eight cubs. Three males and five females were born at the Saint Louis Zoo River’s Edge Cheetah Breeding Center on November 26, 2017.
In over 430 litters documented by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), this is the first time a female Cheetah has produced and reared on her own a litter of eight cubs at a zoo. The average litter size is three to four cubs.
The first few months of life are critical for newborn Cheetahs. The Saint Louis Zoo’s animal care staff is closely monitoring the new family and it appears that all eight cubs are healthy. Four-year-old Bingwa (BING-wah), which means “champion” in Swahili, continues to be an exemplary mother, according to the Cheetah care team.
“She has quickly become adept at caring for her very large litter of cubs: grooming, nursing and caring for them attentively,” says Steve Bircher, curator of mammals/carnivores at the Saint Louis Zoo.
Photo Credits: Carolyn Kelly & Saint Louis Zoo (Images 1,2,4) / Saint Louis Zoo (Images 3,5)
Bingwa is on loan to the Saint Louis Zoo from Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. The cub’s nine-year-old father, Jason, is on loan from White Oak Conservation in Yulee, Florida. The birth of these eight cubs is a result of a breeding recommendation from the AZA Cheetah Species Survival Plan (SSP), a program to manage a genetically healthy population of cheetahs in North American zoos.
“We’ve brought together Cheetahs from great distances to continue this important breeding program,” says Bircher. “These handsome cats add genetic diversity to the North American Cheetah SSP population.”
Since 1974, the Zoo has been a leader in Cheetah reproductive research and breeding. Over 50 cubs have been born at the Saint Louis Zoo’s Cheetah Breeding Center.
Historically, Cheetahs have ranged widely throughout Africa and Asia. Today, fewer than 10,000 individuals inhabit a broad section of Africa, and less than 100 remain in Iran. Over the past 50 years, Cheetahs have become extinct in at least 13 countries. The main causes of decline are human-cheetah conflict, interspecific competition and lack of genetic diversity.
To help protect Cheetahs in the wild, the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Conservation of Carnivores in Africa is working with its partners in Tanzania and Namibia to coordinate cheetah conservation efforts, including education, research and other programs to mitigate human-cheetah conflicts.
“Cheetahs are frequently persecuted for killing livestock. Our conservation partners are finding ways to improve the lives of local herders by providing education opportunities, food and medical supplies, so they can live peacefully with Cheetahs and support their protection,” says Bircher.
According to staff, the Zoo’s mother and eight cubs are doing well and will remain in their private, indoor maternity den behind the scenes at River’s Edge for the next several months.
When Luca Iaconi-Stewart thinks of a paper airplane, it’s not the kind you fold up and toss, hoping it will glide. He’s thinking about his intricate sculpture of a Boeing 777. The one he’s been building for years, in excruciating detail, all from paper.
It’s not a toy; it’s art. He’s recreating all the details of a real airliner, from the wing struts down to the rows of passenger seats. The doors swing on their own hinges, the landing gear retracts, and you know that eventually, he’ll have a little paper pilot. He even keeps the “plane crashes,” the discarded parts that didn’t quite work.
Ray Thomas, a founding member of British rock group The Moody Blues, has died at 76, months before the band is due to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
It’s a Wonderful Life is a 1946 Frank Capra film, produced by his own Liberty Films and released originally by RKO Radio Pictures. Dubbed by the American Film Institute one of the best films ever made, it placed #1 on AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Cheers, a list of the most inspirational American movies of all time. It ranks 11th on AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies, a list of the greatest American films. The film has also been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
The movie is the story of the life of everyman George Bailey, as told to his guardian angel Clarence Oddbody, who has been recruited to save him in his moment of need.
Photo Credits: Carolyn Kelly & Saint Louis Zoo (Images 1,2,4) / Saint Louis Zoo (Images 3,5)
