Clipmarks | Reddragonlady's clips

clipped by: Reddragonlady
clipper's remarks: At first I thought that this was merely a case of too much information, but, thinking back, I can see where it did make a difference in Dumbledore's past.

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

NEW YORK (AP) -- Harry Potter fans, the rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay.

J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall. After reading briefly from the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," she took questions from audience members.

She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love."

"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause.

She then explained that Dumbledore was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards. "Falling in love can blind us to an extent," Rowling said of Dumbledore's feelings, adding that Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down."

Dumbledore's love, she observed, was his "great tragedy."

Tags: harry potter, dumbledore, jk rowling, fiction, homosexuals

Real Dolls

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:30:50 GMT

clipped by: Reddragonlady
clipper's remarks: Oh, yeah. Right.

Clip Source: www.news.com.au

Bianca, a freckle-nosed "RealDoll", featured in the film Lars and the Real Girl - a comedy about a lonely introvert played by Ryan Gosling, and the silicone object of his affection - Bianca. Lars prefers to hang out with Bianca rather than date the real thing.

Bianca is similar to the 400 dolls that will be made this year to become lovers, photo subjects or companions to lonely people. The dolls can cost up to $6500.

Rob McKay, 55, a writer who has not had a girlfriend since 2001 and owns two dolls called Lily and Eden said they were a "balm for loneliness or aloneness".

"Even though she's not a breathing person, psychologically you feel like someone is with you," he told Associated Press.

"That's where she's done the most good, reducing the feeling of solitude," Mr Mckay said.

"Just having her there to hug or just to have somebody close by, even thought it's not, obviously, a warm body."

Tags: dolls, sex toys

Orange cats, anyone?

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:52:12 GMT

clipped by: Reddragonlady
clipper's remarks: Oh, yeah. Somebody just "found" them in a field--all neat and tidy in their carriers.

Clip Source: www.rgj.com

Story behind 43 orange cats at NHS; plus $10 orange cats

The Nevada Humane Society just received 43 orange (or mostly orange) cats. To handle the influx, NHS is putting out a special request for volunteers and donations.

"Someone found 43 cats in a field and they were brought into Animal Services," NHS operations director Denise Stevens told me.

"I imagine all of these cats are related," Stevens said. "I imagine someone had a couple of cats and they just kept breeding. A couple of the guys are sick so weâ€™re going to put up a triage area for them."

To help find homes for the cats, NHS is adopting out any adult orange or orange and white cat for $10 from tomorrow Sept. 18 through Oct. 18.

These are not feral cats, but clearly tame, domestic ones.

The cats went through the usual "stray period" to see if their "owner" would claim them. No one did. So the Nevada Humane Society is spaying-neutering, vaccinating and microchipping them as we speak.

Tags: cats

Holy flamingos, Batman!

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 03:58:08 GMT

clipped by: Reddragonlady
clipper's remarks: I hope the poor flamingo wasn't claustrophobic!

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Animal expert Jack Hanna and an 11-month-old flamingo became trapped while trying to squeeze through an airport security turnstile. It took firefighters to finally get the flamingo out.

The entourage arrived at the Ohio State University Airport just after midnight Sunday to find the terminal closed. The only way to leave the tarmac was through a 10-foot-tall metal turnstile with several horizontal bars -- not the easiest exit to squeeze through when you're traveling with boxed-up animals, Hanna said.

"I never thought about the crate being square and the turnstile being round," he said.

"I was stuck like a worm. My eyes were as big as grapefruits," he said. "I can't describe the feeling in my stomach. I can't move up or down. The bars are on your face."

Columbus fire department logs show the firefighters arrived at the airport at 12:30 a.m. for a "flamingo rescue," spokeswoman Kelly McGuire said.

Tags: animal expert, jack hanna, flamingo

The Angel of Death is a...Cat?

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:44:17 GMT

clipped by: Reddragonlady
clipper's remarks: How does he know?

Clip Source: www.smh.com.au

OSCAR the cat makes his grand entrances just as life is about to leave.

A hop onto the bed, a fastidious lick of the paws, then a snuggle beside a nursing home patient with little time left. Oscar's purr, when keeping close company with the dying, is so intense it is almost a low rumble.

When death is near, Oscar nearly always appears at the last hour or so. Yet he shows no special interest in patients who are simply in poor shape, or even patients who may be dying but who still have a few days. Authorities in animal behaviour have no explanation for Oscar's ability to sense imminent death. They theorise that he might detect some subtle change in metabolism - felines are as acutely sensitive to smells as dogs - but are stumped as to why he would show interest.

Clip Source: www.smh.com.au

He added: "Oscar brought a special serenity to the room. What's more peaceful than a purring cat? What sound more beautiful to fill one's ears when leaving this life?"

Tags: eerie...