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I have always talked to my cats. I say their name when I see them, when I pet them and when I feed them. They know their names and come when called. The human voice is calming to a cat. Some cats will respond when talked to, others just look at me, but at least I have their attention. I've had other cats that would answer every question with different sounds. Since I don't speak "cat" it was impossible to understand, though. Cats can remember us by our voices as well. One of our cats named "Graceful Mowser" was sold to some friends of ours and a year and a half later had kittens. They called her "Mouse". We were invited to see the kittens, but the momma kept standing over them so we couldn't see them. I talked to her, "Hi Gracie, what beautiful babies" and she stood back as if she was proud and looked at me intently. I always called her "Gracie". When other people came to see the kittens she still tried to cover them. Later, whenever we stopped by, Gracie would come to greet us as soon as she heard my voice. Otherwise she was naturally shy and would hide whenever anyone came in the house.

ORIGIN OF THE CELEBRATION Section: Festival The start of the New Year has been celebrated in China for more than 3,000 years. New Year was a time when the farmers gave thanks for the harvest and prayed to the gods for a good harvest in the coming year. This was the one period in the busy farming year when there was time to have a celebration and when the family could get together, relax, and be merry. Chinese New Year begins with a New Moon. The Lunar Year is calculated from the time it takes for the Moon to travel around the Earth, while the Western (Gregorian) calendar is based on the time it takes for the Earth to circle the Sun. The orbits of the Moon bear no relation to the time it takes for the Earth to go around the Sun, which is why the Chinese Lunar New Year is celebrated on a different date each year. In China the New Year was renamed the Spring Festival, in 1911, when the Western calendar was officially accepted in China. However, it is still commonly known around the world as the Chinese New Year. Chinese years are named after one of twelve animals. These have been used in the same order to name the years since the sixth century A.D. Each animal is said to have its own personality and emotions, which are present in people born within its year. ~~~~~~~~By Sarah Moyse This article is copyrighted. All rights reserved.Source: Chinese New Year (0-7613-0374-X)

RELIGIONS AND RITUALS Section: Festival Although the New Year celebration is not mainly a religious one, many Chinese will visit a temple at this time of the year to make an offering to the Buddha or to the gods in the hope of making the New Year a good one. Ancestors and gods are honored with ceremonies in the home around a family altar decorated with flowers. Incense and candles are burned at the altar. At important family banquets the ancestors may be recognized as "spiritual guests" and first offered food that is afterward eaten with the meal. The Chinese have three main systems of ideas that are important to them: Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Although these systems are very different, many Chinese follow some or all of the rituals associated with them just to be safe. Confucius lived in the fifth century B.C. and spoke about the value of good behavior in private life and in government. He said that politeness, honesty, courage, and loyalty were what made good people. He believed in self-development through education and thought that people gain in wisdom as they grow older. It is part of the Confucian tradition to honor parents and ancestors.

Daoism comes from the teachings of Laozi, who lived at the same time as Confucius. His book, the Dao De Jing (The Way and Its Power), describes the way (dao means "way") to live at peace with nature so as not to upset natural balances. The Way involves balance between opposite forces. They are called yin and yang. While yin is dark and female, yang is the opposite, being light and male. When yin and yang are balanced, there is perfect harmony with nature. Unlike Confucianism and Daoism, which started in China, Buddhism came from India and is based on the teachings of the Buddha -- a holy man. Buddha taught that people need to let go of earthly desires and become fully aware of what they are doing in the present. Buddhists believe that after death each soul moves on to another body, which may be animal or human. What one is chosen for in the next life depends on how good or bad the person has been in this life. The Chinese also pray to other gods, holding the view that the more gods who can look after them the better. The important ones are the Kitchen God, who watches the family in the home, the Jade Emperor, who is the most important god in heaven, the God of Wealth, who determines how wealthy people are, and the Door Gods. ~~~~~~~~By Sarah Moyse This article is copyrighted. All rights reserved.Source: Chinese New Year (0-7613-0374-X)

Mercedes-Benz Formula Zero luxury racer concept

Million Euro Mini Limo is World’s Most Pimped Ride

The Iconic GTR Roadster, great performance and unique style.

James Blunt Carrie Underwood Rihanna Pussycat Dolls Natasha Bedingfield

Basketball may be the most demanding of all sports. Basketball is a game of quickness: fast starts, sharp cuts and turns, acceleration and deceleration, and jumping. The heart of the game is running. Some coaches estimated that a starting high school player will run a total of 3 to 5 miles in a 32-minute game.

During the off-season prepare yourself by putting into practice good training principles. This will help you to maintain your fitness at a high level. Therefore, you can better bring out the best in your athletic potential.

Off-season training for competitive basketball requires self- discipline, dedication, and sacrifice. Also, you must have a good working knowledge of athletic training principles.

It is usually said that in the year of 1621, in the colony of Plymouth, the English colonists and the Wampanoag Indians got together and shared a fantastic fall harvest banquet to celebrate the bounteousness from the fertile earth. Today this celebratory banquet is considered as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the early days of the colonies. While this ancient celebration is regarded as the first Thanksgiving feast; it is simply one of the numerous celebrations of the harvest season and human thankfulness for the bounties of Mother nature. Indeed, many Native American groups such as Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho, etc. celebrated the end of the harvest season many centuries before the coming of the Europeans. These festivities included ceremonial dances, races, games and other celebrations of thankfulness.Long before the discovery of the American continent and the colonization by the Europeans, Native Americans, like Apache, Navajo, Huron, Iroquois, Sioux and many others, organized festivals at the end of the harvest

The word koala comes from Dharuk gula. Although the vowel /u/ was originally written in the Latin alphabet as "oo" (in spellings such as coola or koolah), it was changed to "oa" possibly due to an error.[3] The word is erroneously said to mean "doesn't drink"

The scientific name of the Koala's genus, Phascolarctos, is derived from Greek phaskolos "pouch" and arktos "bear". Its species name, cinereus, is Latin and means "ash-coloured"

largest monitor lizard or goanna native to Australia

fourth largest lizard on earth

Found west of the Great Dividing Range in the arid areas of Australia

The season is winding down. Routines change, friendships have grown, priorities change. As a player, what should you do now? When practice time comes and there is no practice, what do you do? When there are no games to prepare for, what do you do with your time? Here are a just a few thoughts I had as to how to recover and prepare for the next season. 1. Take 3 - 4 weeks to relax. It has been a long, physically and mentally draining season. If you want to improve, you have to give yourself a chance to recover. 2. Catch up and get ahead of your schoolwork. 3. Talk to your coach and evaluate your season. Talk about what you did well and what you did not. Determine the areas you need to improve on. Discuss the things you would like to do and how to accomplish them. 4. After taking a month off, start on your off-season workout program. The program should be about 75% skill work and 25% play. 5. Develop your shooting stroke. If you want to become a GREAT shooter and raise your percentage, it MUST happen during the off season. It's just TOO difficult to develop these skills and improve during the season. It must be done during the off season! 6. Start a strength training program. Your objective should be to gain strength from now until the end of the summer. 7. As you enter the summer, add more play to your workout. You should be at about 50% skill work, 50% play. Don't neglect your weight work. Great strength gains can be made during this period. 8. Go to camp. Learn form other coaches, play against different players. The more diverse your summer experience, the better player you will become. 9. When the summer is over, your routine changes. GET AHEAD in the classroom. Once the season starts, it is easy for your schoolwork to slip. 10. Change your workout routine to 25% skill, 75% play. 11. Switch you strength training routine to an endurance and strength maintenance routine. 12. A week before the season, take some time off. Get ready to go.

Section: Festival The start of the New Year has been celebrated in China for more than 3,000 years. New Year was a time when the farmers gave thanks for the harvest and prayed to the gods for a good harvest in the coming year. This was the one period in the busy farming year when there was time to have a celebration and when the family could get together, relax, and be merry. Chinese New Year begins with a New Moon. The Lunar Year is calculated from the time it takes for the Moon to travel around the Earth, while the Western (Gregorian) calendar is based on the time it takes for the Earth to circle the Sun. The orbits of the Moon bear no relation to the time it takes for the Earth to go around the Sun, which is why the Chinese Lunar New Year is celebrated on a different date each year. In China the New Year was renamed the Spring Festival, in 1911, when the Western calendar was officially accepted in China. However, it is still commonly known around the world as the Chinese New Year. Chinese years are named after one of twelve animals. These have been used in the same order to name the years since the sixth century A.D. Each animal is said to have its own personality and emotions, which are present in people born within its year. ~~~~~~~~By Sarah Moyse This article is copyrighted. All rights reserved.Source: Chinese New Year (0-7613-0374-X)

Holidays are very important to the French. The French begin the year with a celebration of the Jour de l'An, which is New Year's Day. They greet each other by saying "Bonne Annee!" (Happy New Year). On January 6th there is la Fete des Rois (the Festival of the Three Kings), where people have a King's Cake. Whoever finds the special toy that has been baked into the cake gets to be king or queen for the day. In February, the French celebrate la Saint-Valentin or Valentine's Day by giving, valentines and chocolates. Also the French mark the start of Lent (a religious time when people fast) with Mardi Gras celebrations. On the 1st of April people play tricks on each other and say "Poisson d'avril!" which means "April fish!" People have little paper fishes that they cut out and try to stick on the backs of their friends that day. Easter is an important holiday in France. On the morning of Easter Sunday, most French people go to church. Afterwards, they carry home candles that have been blessed by priests. For Easter, which is called Le Pacques, omelettes, (an egg dish) are usually eaten for breakfast. People also give each other chocolate eggs and chocolate bunnies.

Holidays are very important to the French. The French begin the year with a celebration of the Jour de l'An, which is New Year's Day. They greet each other by saying "Bonne Annee!" (Happy New Year). On January 6th there is la Fete des Rois (the Festival of the Three Kings), where people have a King's Cake. Whoever finds the special toy that has been baked into the cake gets to be king or queen for the day. In February, the French celebrate la Saint-Valentin or Valentine's Day by giving, valentines and chocolates. Also the French mark the start of Lent (a religious time when people fast) with Mardi Gras celebrations. On the 1st of April people play tricks on each other and say "Poisson d'avril!" which means "April fish!" People have little paper fishes that they cut out and try to stick on the backs of their friends that day.

Bats are one of the most prolific forms of mammals with over 900 species living in the world and making up over 20% of all mammals.

Most U.S. bats eat insects. A single bat can eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes in one hour.

Bats like to come out to eat at night around dusk. Bats flight pattern is much more erratic than birds so look for this pattern.

Section: Festival The Lunar New Year is the most important festival of the Chinese year. It is the celebration to welcome the start of a new year and a festival of family reunion. Families who live apart come together to celebrate. Although outside the Chinese-speaking world (China, Taiwan, Singapore, and some parts of Malaysia) Chinese New Year is not a public holiday, people still celebrate with a family get-together and a special meal, either on Chinese New Year's Eve or on the first weekend after the Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is a family celebration that takes place in the home. The Chinese place particular importance on caring for the family. This is particularly true at the New Year Festival when the very young are treated specially because of their importance for the future, and the old are honored for their connection with the past. Public celebrations of Chinese New Year happen all over the world; cities with Chinese communities celebrate with Lion and Dragon Dances and parades with traditional costumes. They also welcome the new year with firecrackers. In China many places have traditional celebrations that last for several days. ~~~~~~~~By Sarah Moyse This article is copyrighted. All rights reserved.Source: Chinese New Year (0-7613-0374-X)

Thanksgiving that is celebrated with family and friends needs to be cherished so that in years to come it will be remembered as one of the best times in everyone’s life. This is why it is important to make that special pumpkin pie or even a green bean casserole that your grandma used to make. It is the traditional dishes that are brought by friends and loved ones that makes the dishes seem like gifts to the feast.

philosophical position that says that psychology, to be a science, must focus its attentions on what is observable

reflexology, and defined it as the objective study of stimulus-response connections

unconditioned stimulus and an unconditioned response -- a reflex

The Overall Resort win means that Loon has the complete kit: everything from excellent food to speedy lifts, dependable snow quality, and a welcoming vibe from the locals and staff.

um…waaay nicer Park?!!! Um….NO

Everything about the state of New Jersey sucks! Therefore nothing good can come from there! I just spent the last year there and I would have rathered been dead! I’m from Arizona and our snow is better!!! Mountains…. not hills Jersey Scum!

Bats are much maligned and misunderstood in society. Often associated with vampires, belfries, and bad hair days, the bat holds a mystique of fright, and is tragically misunderstood.

Austin´s bats migrate every spring from Mexico, and have made their home under the Congress Street Bridge by the thousands since 1980. Primarily female, the bats come to Austin to have their pups, usually in early June.