Boston Strong

'B' Strong.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the 3 killed and over 170 injured by the two blasts at the finish of the 2013 Boston Marathon. Boston is a city that spurred and upheld the Revolution and was founded by tough, spirited pilgrims; we can pull through and 'B' stronger. The Boston Marathon is the only marathon in that you have to qualify for, and being a runner myself, having to qualify for that big of a race and not being able to finish the 26.2 miles you worked so hard to run, is devastating. And some of the injured don't even know if they will run again. It didn't matter what time you got to Copley Square, all that mattered was that you finished. Even all the handicapped runners accomplishing the goals they set so high for themselves is totally amazing; I can't imagine why you would want to ruin that. The runners coming in at that time were your 'average Joes' with their family and friends along side them; not even the elite runners with times just above two hours. I'm not even sure who won and what their time was. Usually the happiness near the finish line is almost palpable; every one is overjoyed, accomplished, lively, but tired. Happy, sweat streaked faces wrapped in sparkling space blanket bubbles floated everywhere around the square. Not one person dares not to smile and everyone is rejoicing over most sports punishment. But never would I have thought that Boston's streets would be quiet, stoic, and cold after that annual race. Trash tumbling around the gray, blood soaked pavement. People sobbing right where countless others rushed to help those screaming in pain and shock. That day, everyone that helped was a hero; not running away from the blast but running towards the cloud of terror. We can, and we will stay strong. Because we are Boston.

Upfront: Very Valuable Vomit

Ken Wilman and his dog with their ambergris.

          Very Valuable Vomit

An Italian ambergris perfume.

A sperm whale swimming in the ocean.

Ken Wilman didn't quite realize that the smelly 'rock' his dog found on a beach in northwest England, was actually very valuable whale vomit. The yellow, grey, and white 'rock' is actually ambergris, worth 1,000-a-pound, and is the secretion of the designational tract of sperm whales. The one that Ken Wilman and his dog found is worth an estimated $7,000, and is about as big as a head. Ken's dog probably found the foul smelling rock because a boxer's sense of smell is tens of thousands of times as sensitive to odors as yours. Only about 1% of sperm whales actually expel the ambergris, through the mouth and when it is smaller, the bowels; earning the epithet of 'whale vomit'. Ambergris starts out as a liquid that helps the whales with intestinal disorders to digest the harder prey; such as giant squid beaks, and then hardens to a rubbery rock in about 10 to 20 years. Lots of times ambergris is found in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, so for it to be found in England is very rare. Ambergris will usually be floating out at sea or washed up on a beach. When it is recently passed, it will have a marine, fecal odor and have streaks of white due to the fatty portion, after months to years in the ocean; a chemical change occurs and it will change to a more grey-black, hard, waxy rock. Ambergris melts into a yellow liquid and boils to a white vapor. The smell changes from a repulsive odor to a earthy and sweet musk often used in fancy perfumes. Ambergris has been used for generations in medicine, food flavoring, and luxury perfumes, however it isn't common anymore due to the sperm whale being a vulnerable species. Egyptians still use ambergris for scenting cigarettes and the ancient Chinese referred to ambergris as "dragon's spittle fragrance". And people during the Black Plague in Europe, carried around overwhelming ambergris to 'prevent' them from getting the air-carried plague. During the Middle Ages, Europeans cured headaches, colds, epilepsy, and other sicknesses with ambergris. King Charles II of England liked to eat ambergris with his eggs. Ambergris was even mentioned in Moby Dick as having the irony of rich people having the essence of whale vomit. "Fine ladies and gentlemen should regale themselves with an essence found in the inglorious bowels of a sick whale." However, the possession and trade of ambergris is prohibited by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 in the United States of America. I hope you liked my whale (vomit) tale!

Keep on Chasin' Your Dreams, Caitlin

Rights go to original owners. No copyright intended.

Upfront: Polydactyl Cats

Hairy Truman next to Ernest's typewriter.

                         A Farewell to Cats?

Shine Forbes, another Hemingway cat.

Capt Tony, Benny Goodman, and Fats Waller awaking from a 'cat nap'.

Ernest Hemingway writing, accompanied by one of his cats.

The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum is the house in Old Town Key West, on an island, where Nobel Prize winner, Ernest Hemingway, lived for more than 10 years while writing his


phenomenal books. But more than just exhibits are housed in this museum; more than forty polydactyl cats live on the beautiful island. Polydactyl cats are cats that have extra toes on their front paws and sometimes the back paws, but cats with extra toes on all four paws are even more rare. Most cats have 18 toes on their paws, but these cats can have up to 32! Polydactyl cats are known by many names, from “Hemingway cat” and “mitten cat” to “big-foot cat” and “six-toed cat” — or even “cats with thumbs.” They aren't a specific breed; they can be Calicos, Tabbies, Tortishell, etc. because the extra toes are caused by a genetic mutation in the cat's DNA. More than half of the cats at the Hemingway Home actually have extra toes, but all the cats have the polydactyl gene. The true polydactyl is genetically inherited as an autosomal dominant trait of the Pd gene. The cats at the house are said to descend from Hemingway’s cat Snowball, a white six toed cat given to him by a ship’s captain and drinking buddy, Stanley Dexter. Unfortunately, Snowball died in 1961. Later, Ernest Hemingway named his cats after famous people, and the museum hopes to continue this tradition. For many generations, the Hemingway cats have been pampered by being well-fed, healthy, and given the whole estate to lounge around on. Routine visits from the vet include; vaccines, treatments for ear mites, spraying for fleas, and worming so the cats stay healthy for all visitors. Recently, a court ruled that the Hemingway Home needs a license to keep the cats as if they are part of the museum exhibit. The museum is livid and wants to appeal to the Supreme Court, but with all the cases appealed the Supreme Court a year, who knows if the Supreme Court will decide to hear their case? So far, the cats haven’t been disturbed by federal regulators.

Could this be Snowball?

Wilhelmina Harvey chilling in her bed.

I have been to a few cat shows where there was a class for polydactyl cats specifically. Groups are forming a breed standard based on the paws and body conformation of the cat. The paws can have an unlimited amount of toes as long as the toes are formed correctly. The forearm and back legs are usually thicker and sturdier than regular cats because the polydactyls have more toes and leg bone. The cat must stand straight and have a good sense of balance when the judge drops it on its feet. If the cat’s legs bow out or bow in, the cat gets a fault. The cats can be any breed, color, and size but must behave on the show table and in the show ring; like all show cats. Most polydactyl cats I saw in the show I went to were Maine Coon cats, which have a 40% polydactylism rate. Scientists believe that Maine Coons have extra toes because it helps them in the Maine snow by being ‘snowshoes’.  Also, there are two types of feet according to the breed standard. A‘mitt’ or ‘glove’ looks like a mitten or a catcher’s glove.It

The underside of a polydactyl paw.

Cats usually have five front toes and four back toes.

 looks like the cat has a thumb consisting of toes; and even sometimes a three toed paw will be attached to a five toed paw. The other type of polydactyl paw looks just like a ‘normal’ paw, but with extra toes squished in between the other toes. I certainly hope that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of the Hemingway House and Museum so people can continue to visit the cats with more claws on their paws!

All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended.
Keep on Chasin' Your Dreams,
Caitlin

Happy Easter Every Bunny!

Happy Easter! I know Easter is supposed to be religious and in a few more days... but for me its more about the fun spirit so why not celebrate now? The bunny rabbits are just so cute and the colorful eggs are so fun! But other than Easter a few other things are happening/will be happening... so I figured I would talk about it now.





1: My school -well, not the entire school, just our grade, is going to Washington D.C. next week! Yay! I have been to Washington before, a few summers back and it was pretty fun. I mostly remember visiting Georgetown Cupcakes practically everyday and the beautiful weather. The museums were freezing because of the AC and the weather was so amazing. We walked EVERYWHERE. May I repeat: EVERYWHERE. But that was okay because everything is placed together including most of the museums. Downtown had to be another one of my favorite parts considering that all the shops have a little unique, fun, and colorful feel to them so different from our hometown. But back to the school trip. We are going with the Smithsonian tour program-thing which looks pretty interesting. Everyone got their itinerary and packing list today, and I was surprised we would be touring from seven AM to ten PM. I am fine with it; I'm not so sure about other people in our grade though. (Some of them can't even handle a single school day..) While we are in DC, we get to go on a dinner cruise on the Potomac; something I have never done before. It sounds quite fun although apparently it is "formal-but-not-as-formal-as-you-think", which I haven't quite interpreted yet.

2: The later of the above paragraph leads into this one so I shall just start a new paragraph. I would like to make my DC dress. Yup. With my grandma, but I'm not sure if we will just end up shopping for one and ditching the sewing idea because there wasn't enough time. If we do make a dress I was thinking about Simplicity's pattern #1956 or possibly #2886 in green, pink, or white. And if we end up buying a dress, well.... I haven't quite figured that out yet.

3: The day we get back from DC, my entire family is going to Bermuda! Hooray! My entire family as in my mom, my dad, my brother, my grandma, my grandpa, my aunt, my two cousins, and me. I have never been to Bermuda, but it sounds fairly nice. We are going for four days during April vacation so my cousins and I won't miss any school. I am more excited to escape this winter weather and explore the fantastic beaches!


Keep On Chasin' Your Dreams,
Caitlin