Environmental news
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/23/the-intelligent-plant
http://www.allhawaiinews.com/2014_08_01_archive.html
http://seedfreedom.in/crack-down-on-gmos-in-russia-china-mexico/
http://www.asianage.com/columnists/fine-print-food-wars-538
http://seedfreedom.in/gunning-for-vandana-shiva/
http://vandanashiva.com/?p=105
http://vandanashiva.com/?p=111
http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/08/u-s-brazil-nearing-approval-of-genetically-engineered-trees/
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-abc-animal-speech-random.html
http://www.afp.com/en/news/elephant-killings-africa-outpace-births
http://guardianlv.com/2014/08/elephant-poaching-results-in-100000-deaths-over-three-years/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140825-bird-environment-chemical-contaminant-climate-change-science-winged-warning/
http://www.vice.com/read/no-one-wants-you-to-know-how-bad-fukushima-might-still-be-666
http://www.mintpressnews.com/elevated-rates-thyroid-cancer-found-fukushima-youth/195784/
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/mideast_water_wars_in_iraq_a_battle_for_control_of_water/2796/
http://www.news.com.au/travel/world-travel/countries-with-the-worst-air-pollution-ranked-by-world-health-organisation/story-e6frfqai-1227040198863
Economic news:
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/08/significant-brics-new-development-bank.html
http://ellenbrown.com/2014/08/25/colonization-by-bankruptcy-the-high-stakes-chess-match-for-argentina/
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/08/don-quijones-spains-silent-reconquest-mexico.html
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/08/uk-rail-shows-pitfalls-natural-monopoly-privatization.html
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/08/europe-coming-together-response-euro-crisis.html
Technology news:
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israel-tech-site-paying-interns-covertly-plant-stories-social-media
Imperial news:
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/08/19/food-a19.html
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/25695-governments-arsenal-to-destroy-revolutionaries-political-imprisonment-persists
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/08/can-measure-media-power.html
http://gawker.com/what-ive-learned-from-two-years-collecting-data-on-poli-1625472836
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/08/31/238223_leonard-pitts-jr-an-uzi-a-9-year.html?rh=1
Imperial conquest news:
http://rt.com/op-edge/183956-gmo-ukraine-monsanto-imf/
http://slavyangrad.org/2014/08/23/we-did-not-go-to-war-the-war-came-to-us/
http://slavyangrad.org/2014/09/01/when-anti-maidan-was-destroyed-i-fled-from-kiev/
http://slavyangrad.org/2014/09/02/an-interview-with-alexey-mozgovoy-commander-of-the-lugansk-ghost-brigade-290814/
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-russian-aggression-prevention-act-rapa-a-direct-path-to-nuclear-war-with-russia/5397171
http://www.globalresearch.ca/dangerous-crossroads-us-nato-to-deploy-ground-troops-conduct-large-scale-naval-exercises-against-unnamed-enemy/5397415
http://rt.com/news/183064-nato-rasmussen-europe-russia/
http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-can-you-tell-whether-russia-has.html
http://newsjunkiepost.com/2014/02/18/engineering-failed-states-the-strategy-of-global-corporate-imperialism/
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/08/18/ukmh-a18.html
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/08/26/376671/us-could-give-info-to-syrias-enemies/
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175884/tomgram%3A_patrick_cockburn%2C_how_to_ensure_a_thriving_caliphate/#moreThe old guard of the pseudo-alternative media scene is still maintaining the narrative, that IS (Islamic State), was an error, a failure of politics, when all signs indicate, that it is a careful calculated creation of the West.
http://rt.com/uk/182108-uk-assad-alliance-isis/ This British MP hasn’t understood the marching orders correctly, which are: Bombing Syria to defeat IS. Who knows where the bombs will land in the end….
http://aydinlikdaily.com/Detail/ISIS-Terrorists-Trained-In-A-US-Base-In-Turkey/3640#.U_xdSSigGqn
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-210814.html
http://rt.com/op-edge/183336-iraq-crisis-us-target/
http://petras.lahaine.org/?p=1999
http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2014/09/israel-offer-isis-10-million-free-steven-sotloff/ Stories often have a surprising twist, but the horror of war remains always the same.
http://ijsn.net/press-release-jewish-holocaust-survivors-from-around-the-world-call-for-justice-in-gaza/
http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2014/08/behind-the-israeli-soldier-killing-of-a-10-year-old-boy/
http://chuckman.blog.ca/2014/09/01/things-my-mother-never-told-me-19307042/ Must read.
http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/book-review-an-ode-to-natos-mission-in-libya/article6350743.ece
News from the Caliphat
As written before, the ongoing support of IS (Islamic State), combined with the fact that it is battling the same Syrian government the Western powers try to remove since three and half a year, strongly suggest the organization’s sponsorship by Western intelligence and funds.
While the Security Council has condemned IS in its presidential statement of July 28th and in its resolution 2170 of August 15th, it is clear that the jihadist organization still has state support: in violation of the principles recalled or enacted by the mentioned texts:
Iraqi oil plundered by IS transits through Turkey. It is loaded at the port of Ceyhan on oil tankers coming from Israel and departing to Europe. For now, the names of corporate sponsors are not established, but the responsibility of Turkey and Israel is evident.
Turkeys exports to IS controlled Syrian areas increased by 57 percent from 574 million US$ to 903 million US$ in the first half of the year. The Syrian town of Azez, opposite Turkey’s Kilis, fell into the hands of Islamic militants in September 2013. Turkey’s exports through this crossing increased by 79 percent since then. Turkish exports to IS include vehicles and spare parts, clothing, durable foodstuffs, electronic items such as cell phones and chemical products.
Looting of historical artifacts has become IS’s main source of revenue. The militants oversee the excavation sites and impose a 20 percent tax on the traffickers who send the excavated objects via Turkey to Western markets. Archaeological sites like the ancient city of Apamea in Syria, which figures on the World Heritage List, have been ravaged and resemble molehills. The antiquity trafficking IS controls is estimated to be worth 1 billion US$. Main centers for the illicit trade are Urfa and Kilis on the Turkish/Syrian border.
When Iraqi troops stormed the university in Tikrit, they found IS weapons depots originating from Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
One has to appraise the smokescreen, which Western media corporations desperately try to create, in correlation to these proven facts.
News from Ukraine
The Red Cross is concerned about possible epidemics in Luhansk, where there is no water and electricity. The Ukrainian army still bombards residential areas in Donetsk.
Vitaly Komarov, commander of the Prikarpatye battalion, has been arrested on charges of desertion. 400 soldiers of the battalion had fled from the combat operations near the town of Ilovaisk and returned home to the Ivano-Frankovsk region.
The publication of the MH17 crash probe has again be postponed till September 9 (do they need more time to tinker with the evidence?)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined plans for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. The proposals include the stop of offensive operations by pro-Russian separatists, the retreat of Ukrainian forces, an end to Ukrainian air strikes, the creation of humanitarian aid corridors, the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure, and prisoner exchanges.
Ukraine’s prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk dismissed the proposal and called Russia a “terrorist state.”
This is the essence of Western diplomacy.
News from cat land
Fortunately my private life is not that contentious and it doesn’t include warfare (except the war against snails, slugs, and voles).
I just have Linda, a three month old sweet cat girl, which I found as a little kitten abandoned in the forest, on my lap. She is soft and warm. In the evening she purrs into my ears till I fall asleep, in the morning she wakes me up by poking me with her little snout. After I rescued Linda from her miserable situation in the forest she was always beside me and her affinity and inclination towards me became a bit of a burden, because, as cute and lovely as she is, she was hindering me in my work.
But this has changed now because Linda has found a second person which she can shower with her attention and sympathy.
Two weeks ago Linda began stalking Gandhi Jr., a two year old neutered tomcat. Gandhi Jr. initially was terrified about the new family member, and though he accepted Linda after some days he still wanted his peace and quiet, he wanted to be left alone.
Despite being constantly attacked and disturbed, Gandhi Jr. never slapped or bit Linda. Linda followed him continually and jumped at him and wanted to play with him, while he remained very complaisant and calm — of course, he has to live up to his name.
He tried to parry her overtures by hiding under a huge and thick blanket. Normally he lays on this blanket but for a while it became his shield against the teenage stalker. It is fun to watch the two because Gandhi Jr. is at least double the size of Linda. He is the biggest cat here while Linda is the smallest. Maybe that is the reason why she loves him and adores him. Linda also imitates him as good as she can, she is meowing now exactly like he, she watches him and tries to do everything like he does it.
Linda is very persistent and it seems that she has finally succeed and the two are now the best friends. They are always together, often resting and sleeping side by side.
No sex involved. Gandhi Jr. is already neutered and Linda will get spayed as soon as possible. I don’t intend to breed cats, there are already enough here.
Princess Min Ki was the climbing champion until now but it seems that she will be soon overthrown by Linda, who can climb up to the top of a tree in no time. The only problem is, that she hasn’t figured out yet how to come down again. We often have to wait for minutes while she is sitting in the tree top, desperately meowing.
When the cat family and I made our obligatory walk through the forest in the evening yesterday we met Gandhi Senior again. Regular visitors and subscribers of the blog know the story of Gandhi Sr., I have contributed various blog posts to him. Gandhi Sr. Is also the reason that Gandhi Jr. is called junior and not only simply Gandhi.
It has been half a year that we haven’t met Gandhi Sr. and I was already a bit worried about him. But he is okay, he wears a flee collar and he makes a healthy impression, his host family seems to care for him. We met Gandhi Sr. at the beginning of our walk just as we came from the gathering area near our house and approached the crossing of the main pathway which leads to the big clearing in the middle of the forest.
After a month of nearly constant rain the vegetation in the forest has significantly changed. There was a constant change in the five years since we moved to this area but it was never that grave. Many routes that we used in former times are now overgrown by thorny shrubs (blackberries and hawthorn) and are completely impassable. There are also areas which resemble a swamp rather than a forest. Big patches of stinging nettles and other weeds are growing even in the darkest places where a thick canopy prevents any sunshine. Normally only moss and some ferns would be found there.
I had intended to take our usual route going up to the clearing and shortly after the clearing diverting left and walking near the northwestern edge of the forest back to our house. I described this route already in earlier posts. But the appearance of Gandhi Sr. changed my plans and I decided to take the path which diverts right and leads to the tree nursery. I know that the valley of the tree nursery is his main territory.
Gandhi Sr. came to me and I stroke him shortly. He started to purr, then turned and took the lead. The members of the cat family were puzzled but they followed. Linda had not seen Gandhi Sr. before and at first she ran to him, believing it was her dear friend Gandhi Jr.
The two Gandhis are both huge, beautiful ginger cats, they have an immaculate fur and embody elegance and strength. They are nearly indistinguishable. Gandhi Sr. Is four years old, he is still a bit heavier than the junior, though the difference cannot be big. Gandhi Jr. is two years old and his face has a more cunning and smart expression, a bit fox-like. Yet as he grows older and gets more mature his facial expression also changes and becomes as sage and mellow as that of his namesake, the senior.
There is one big difference though, which has puzzled me ever since I first became aware of it. This difference is only visible in the night, when I use a flashlight to find my way in the wood and when the eyes of the cats reflect the beam of the flashlight. The difference is that the eyes of Gandhi Sr. shine blue, while the eyes of Gandhi Jr. shine orange.
Cat eyes normally reflect the light in various shades of green and blue, the orange color of the juniors eyes is a rare exemption.
When Linda realized that this was not her friend but a close lookalike, she was completely confused. She has not experienced anything like this in her short life and I can imagine that her little brain worked in overdrive and yet didn’t come to a conclusion. Gandhi Sr. made a short step to her, though he was not threatening at all, causing Linda to jump back and retreat to the other cats, who had stopped and just were watching.
After this introduction Gandhi Sr. and I went side by side to the tree nursery, while the cat family followed in a distance of a few meters. Shortly before we reached the tree nursery Linda closed up to us and Gandhi Sr. sniffed at her while she sniffed at him.
From then on Linda was not afraid of him anymore but she also didn’t especially seek his company. She understood that this was a friendly cat but it was not her beloved friend and it was not a member of the family.
Gandhi Jr. always growls at the senior when we meet, though his aversions seem to become less and less with every encounter. This time his growling appeared to be rather the repetition of a familiar habit and it was not very convincing. Gandhi Sr. just ignored it.
The junior never was pleased with strangers, when visitors come into the house he always hides on top of the kitchen furniture (in the gap between the furniture and the ceiling) and he stays there till the visitors have left.
We went from the tree nursery along the eastern edge of the forest to the lake in the south of the forest which I also mentioned already in various posts. Gandhi Sr. mingled with the other cats and when I turned the flashlight on I could see the pairs of blue, green, and orange dots behind me constantly moving, jumping, changing positions. Sometimes the pairs were a column, sometimes a cluster, sometimes a pair disappeared for a moment (when the cat looked in another direction), then it reappeared again.
This is an incredible sight and a unique experience. I have to admit, that the walks in the night in the forest together with the cats are one of the defining features of my life, and they are among the most uplifting and healing things that happen to me in this life.
While we were walking, a few bats flew near us. They fly quite low, yet they never collide with trees or with higher bushes, they have a perfect radar. The bats are completely silent, one will never hear them, one can only see their silhouettes against the starlight of the sky. I’m always glad when I see them, they are an endangered species and the white-nose syndrome has whipped them out in many regions.
I’m glad that they are still here, proving that this area is not as heavily polluted as much of the rest of the world.
After the lake normally we take a path diverting left which merges into the main pathway through the forest. Yet the main pathway doesn’t exist anymore because at the lake two trees have fallen down and blocked it. The trees didn’t break down suddenly, they just slowly tilted to the side more and more and over time became a barrier similar to the barriers on a railway crossing.
Nobody except me, the cats, and the owner of the forest uses this way anymore now and it has become overgrown with weeds. It is still passable though, yet after one month of constant rain the area around the lake has become a swamp. I can use it because I always have my wellingtons boots on, but the cats have no wellies.
Princess Min Ki would be able to pass this swamp, she is the amphibian cat, not afraid of wading in the water. She probably would even swim if it would be necessary. The other cats all avoid water, like normal cats usual do.
When I found out that the diversion to the left was impassable, I retreated and followed the way along the edge of the forest a little bit further. At this time I had to call the cats repeatedly and wave the flashlight because my feline friends were quite confused. We never had used this part of the way before.
Only Gandhi Sr. was beside me, he knows this area well, he is roaming the forest all day long. I really fear that the hunters could kill him eventually, like they killed my dear friend Cindy. The hunters are fortunately not using the part of the forest which we have made our home but they are in the adjacent forests and they have also several hunting stands and feeding sites for deer there.
A hundred meters after the usually used diversion I went left right into the wood and tried to go around the swamp area to reach the main pathway (or what was formerly the main pathway) again. Fortunately this is an old forest and there is not much underbrush. I had to wait and call the cats repeatedly and I had the flashlight on all the time to show them my position. Finally we reached the main pathway which leads upwards to the hill where the big central clearing is.
Gandhi Sr. had stayed behind on the way along the edge, This is his territory, he usually goes much further along the eastern edge of the forest. I met him already two times far away from our usual routes when I jogged with a (human) friend.
Bye, my friend, I hope we will see again soon. Take care!
It took us another half an hour to go back to our house and the cats were quite tired. I din’t have to call them and to switch on the flashlight, because everybody stayed close. Rosy at one point took a sideway only she knows and was suddenly in front of us, looking at me triumphantly.
It was one of the longest walks we ever made and one we all will remember for a long time.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/23/the-intelligent-plant
http://www.allhawaiinews.com/2014_08_01_archive.html
http://seedfreedom.in/crack-down-on-gmos-in-russia-china-mexico/
http://www.asianage.com/columnists/fine-print-food-wars-538
http://seedfreedom.in/gunning-for-vandana-shiva/
http://vandanashiva.com/?p=105
http://vandanashiva.com/?p=111
http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/08/u-s-brazil-nearing-approval-of-genetically-engineered-trees/
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-abc-animal-speech-random.html
http://www.afp.com/en/news/elephant-killings-africa-outpace-births
http://guardianlv.com/2014/08/elephant-poaching-results-in-100000-deaths-over-three-years/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140825-bird-environment-chemical-contaminant-climate-change-science-winged-warning/
http://www.vice.com/read/no-one-wants-you-to-know-how-bad-fukushima-might-still-be-666
http://www.mintpressnews.com/elevated-rates-thyroid-cancer-found-fukushima-youth/195784/
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/mideast_water_wars_in_iraq_a_battle_for_control_of_water/2796/
http://www.news.com.au/travel/world-travel/countries-with-the-worst-air-pollution-ranked-by-world-health-organisation/story-e6frfqai-1227040198863
Economic news:
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/08/significant-brics-new-development-bank.html
http://ellenbrown.com/2014/08/25/colonization-by-bankruptcy-the-high-stakes-chess-match-for-argentina/
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/08/don-quijones-spains-silent-reconquest-mexico.html
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/08/uk-rail-shows-pitfalls-natural-monopoly-privatization.html
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/08/europe-coming-together-response-euro-crisis.html
Technology news:
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israel-tech-site-paying-interns-covertly-plant-stories-social-media
Imperial news:
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/08/19/food-a19.html
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/25695-governments-arsenal-to-destroy-revolutionaries-political-imprisonment-persists
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/08/can-measure-media-power.html
http://gawker.com/what-ive-learned-from-two-years-collecting-data-on-poli-1625472836
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/08/31/238223_leonard-pitts-jr-an-uzi-a-9-year.html?rh=1
Imperial conquest news:
http://rt.com/op-edge/183956-gmo-ukraine-monsanto-imf/
http://slavyangrad.org/2014/08/23/we-did-not-go-to-war-the-war-came-to-us/
http://slavyangrad.org/2014/09/01/when-anti-maidan-was-destroyed-i-fled-from-kiev/
http://slavyangrad.org/2014/09/02/an-interview-with-alexey-mozgovoy-commander-of-the-lugansk-ghost-brigade-290814/
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-russian-aggression-prevention-act-rapa-a-direct-path-to-nuclear-war-with-russia/5397171
http://www.globalresearch.ca/dangerous-crossroads-us-nato-to-deploy-ground-troops-conduct-large-scale-naval-exercises-against-unnamed-enemy/5397415
http://rt.com/news/183064-nato-rasmussen-europe-russia/
http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-can-you-tell-whether-russia-has.html
http://newsjunkiepost.com/2014/02/18/engineering-failed-states-the-strategy-of-global-corporate-imperialism/
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/08/18/ukmh-a18.html
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/08/26/376671/us-could-give-info-to-syrias-enemies/
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175884/tomgram%3A_patrick_cockburn%2C_how_to_ensure_a_thriving_caliphate/#moreThe old guard of the pseudo-alternative media scene is still maintaining the narrative, that IS (Islamic State), was an error, a failure of politics, when all signs indicate, that it is a careful calculated creation of the West.
http://rt.com/uk/182108-uk-assad-alliance-isis/ This British MP hasn’t understood the marching orders correctly, which are: Bombing Syria to defeat IS. Who knows where the bombs will land in the end….
http://aydinlikdaily.com/Detail/ISIS-Terrorists-Trained-In-A-US-Base-In-Turkey/3640#.U_xdSSigGqn
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-210814.html
http://rt.com/op-edge/183336-iraq-crisis-us-target/
http://petras.lahaine.org/?p=1999
http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2014/09/israel-offer-isis-10-million-free-steven-sotloff/ Stories often have a surprising twist, but the horror of war remains always the same.
http://ijsn.net/press-release-jewish-holocaust-survivors-from-around-the-world-call-for-justice-in-gaza/
http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2014/08/behind-the-israeli-soldier-killing-of-a-10-year-old-boy/
http://chuckman.blog.ca/2014/09/01/things-my-mother-never-told-me-19307042/ Must read.
http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/book-review-an-ode-to-natos-mission-in-libya/article6350743.ece
News from the Caliphat
As written before, the ongoing support of IS (Islamic State), combined with the fact that it is battling the same Syrian government the Western powers try to remove since three and half a year, strongly suggest the organization’s sponsorship by Western intelligence and funds.
While the Security Council has condemned IS in its presidential statement of July 28th and in its resolution 2170 of August 15th, it is clear that the jihadist organization still has state support: in violation of the principles recalled or enacted by the mentioned texts:
Iraqi oil plundered by IS transits through Turkey. It is loaded at the port of Ceyhan on oil tankers coming from Israel and departing to Europe. For now, the names of corporate sponsors are not established, but the responsibility of Turkey and Israel is evident.
Turkeys exports to IS controlled Syrian areas increased by 57 percent from 574 million US$ to 903 million US$ in the first half of the year. The Syrian town of Azez, opposite Turkey’s Kilis, fell into the hands of Islamic militants in September 2013. Turkey’s exports through this crossing increased by 79 percent since then. Turkish exports to IS include vehicles and spare parts, clothing, durable foodstuffs, electronic items such as cell phones and chemical products.
Looting of historical artifacts has become IS’s main source of revenue. The militants oversee the excavation sites and impose a 20 percent tax on the traffickers who send the excavated objects via Turkey to Western markets. Archaeological sites like the ancient city of Apamea in Syria, which figures on the World Heritage List, have been ravaged and resemble molehills. The antiquity trafficking IS controls is estimated to be worth 1 billion US$. Main centers for the illicit trade are Urfa and Kilis on the Turkish/Syrian border.
When Iraqi troops stormed the university in Tikrit, they found IS weapons depots originating from Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
One has to appraise the smokescreen, which Western media corporations desperately try to create, in correlation to these proven facts.
News from Ukraine
The Red Cross is concerned about possible epidemics in Luhansk, where there is no water and electricity. The Ukrainian army still bombards residential areas in Donetsk.
Vitaly Komarov, commander of the Prikarpatye battalion, has been arrested on charges of desertion. 400 soldiers of the battalion had fled from the combat operations near the town of Ilovaisk and returned home to the Ivano-Frankovsk region.
The publication of the MH17 crash probe has again be postponed till September 9 (do they need more time to tinker with the evidence?)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined plans for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. The proposals include the stop of offensive operations by pro-Russian separatists, the retreat of Ukrainian forces, an end to Ukrainian air strikes, the creation of humanitarian aid corridors, the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure, and prisoner exchanges.
Ukraine’s prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk dismissed the proposal and called Russia a “terrorist state.”
This is the essence of Western diplomacy.
News from cat land
Fortunately my private life is not that contentious and it doesn’t include warfare (except the war against snails, slugs, and voles).
I just have Linda, a three month old sweet cat girl, which I found as a little kitten abandoned in the forest, on my lap. She is soft and warm. In the evening she purrs into my ears till I fall asleep, in the morning she wakes me up by poking me with her little snout. After I rescued Linda from her miserable situation in the forest she was always beside me and her affinity and inclination towards me became a bit of a burden, because, as cute and lovely as she is, she was hindering me in my work.
But this has changed now because Linda has found a second person which she can shower with her attention and sympathy.
Two weeks ago Linda began stalking Gandhi Jr., a two year old neutered tomcat. Gandhi Jr. initially was terrified about the new family member, and though he accepted Linda after some days he still wanted his peace and quiet, he wanted to be left alone.
Despite being constantly attacked and disturbed, Gandhi Jr. never slapped or bit Linda. Linda followed him continually and jumped at him and wanted to play with him, while he remained very complaisant and calm — of course, he has to live up to his name.
He tried to parry her overtures by hiding under a huge and thick blanket. Normally he lays on this blanket but for a while it became his shield against the teenage stalker. It is fun to watch the two because Gandhi Jr. is at least double the size of Linda. He is the biggest cat here while Linda is the smallest. Maybe that is the reason why she loves him and adores him. Linda also imitates him as good as she can, she is meowing now exactly like he, she watches him and tries to do everything like he does it.
Linda is very persistent and it seems that she has finally succeed and the two are now the best friends. They are always together, often resting and sleeping side by side.
No sex involved. Gandhi Jr. is already neutered and Linda will get spayed as soon as possible. I don’t intend to breed cats, there are already enough here.
Princess Min Ki was the climbing champion until now but it seems that she will be soon overthrown by Linda, who can climb up to the top of a tree in no time. The only problem is, that she hasn’t figured out yet how to come down again. We often have to wait for minutes while she is sitting in the tree top, desperately meowing.
When the cat family and I made our obligatory walk through the forest in the evening yesterday we met Gandhi Senior again. Regular visitors and subscribers of the blog know the story of Gandhi Sr., I have contributed various blog posts to him. Gandhi Sr. Is also the reason that Gandhi Jr. is called junior and not only simply Gandhi.
It has been half a year that we haven’t met Gandhi Sr. and I was already a bit worried about him. But he is okay, he wears a flee collar and he makes a healthy impression, his host family seems to care for him. We met Gandhi Sr. at the beginning of our walk just as we came from the gathering area near our house and approached the crossing of the main pathway which leads to the big clearing in the middle of the forest.
After a month of nearly constant rain the vegetation in the forest has significantly changed. There was a constant change in the five years since we moved to this area but it was never that grave. Many routes that we used in former times are now overgrown by thorny shrubs (blackberries and hawthorn) and are completely impassable. There are also areas which resemble a swamp rather than a forest. Big patches of stinging nettles and other weeds are growing even in the darkest places where a thick canopy prevents any sunshine. Normally only moss and some ferns would be found there.
I had intended to take our usual route going up to the clearing and shortly after the clearing diverting left and walking near the northwestern edge of the forest back to our house. I described this route already in earlier posts. But the appearance of Gandhi Sr. changed my plans and I decided to take the path which diverts right and leads to the tree nursery. I know that the valley of the tree nursery is his main territory.
Gandhi Sr. came to me and I stroke him shortly. He started to purr, then turned and took the lead. The members of the cat family were puzzled but they followed. Linda had not seen Gandhi Sr. before and at first she ran to him, believing it was her dear friend Gandhi Jr.
The two Gandhis are both huge, beautiful ginger cats, they have an immaculate fur and embody elegance and strength. They are nearly indistinguishable. Gandhi Sr. Is four years old, he is still a bit heavier than the junior, though the difference cannot be big. Gandhi Jr. is two years old and his face has a more cunning and smart expression, a bit fox-like. Yet as he grows older and gets more mature his facial expression also changes and becomes as sage and mellow as that of his namesake, the senior.
There is one big difference though, which has puzzled me ever since I first became aware of it. This difference is only visible in the night, when I use a flashlight to find my way in the wood and when the eyes of the cats reflect the beam of the flashlight. The difference is that the eyes of Gandhi Sr. shine blue, while the eyes of Gandhi Jr. shine orange.
Cat eyes normally reflect the light in various shades of green and blue, the orange color of the juniors eyes is a rare exemption.
When Linda realized that this was not her friend but a close lookalike, she was completely confused. She has not experienced anything like this in her short life and I can imagine that her little brain worked in overdrive and yet didn’t come to a conclusion. Gandhi Sr. made a short step to her, though he was not threatening at all, causing Linda to jump back and retreat to the other cats, who had stopped and just were watching.
After this introduction Gandhi Sr. and I went side by side to the tree nursery, while the cat family followed in a distance of a few meters. Shortly before we reached the tree nursery Linda closed up to us and Gandhi Sr. sniffed at her while she sniffed at him.
From then on Linda was not afraid of him anymore but she also didn’t especially seek his company. She understood that this was a friendly cat but it was not her beloved friend and it was not a member of the family.
Gandhi Jr. always growls at the senior when we meet, though his aversions seem to become less and less with every encounter. This time his growling appeared to be rather the repetition of a familiar habit and it was not very convincing. Gandhi Sr. just ignored it.
The junior never was pleased with strangers, when visitors come into the house he always hides on top of the kitchen furniture (in the gap between the furniture and the ceiling) and he stays there till the visitors have left.
We went from the tree nursery along the eastern edge of the forest to the lake in the south of the forest which I also mentioned already in various posts. Gandhi Sr. mingled with the other cats and when I turned the flashlight on I could see the pairs of blue, green, and orange dots behind me constantly moving, jumping, changing positions. Sometimes the pairs were a column, sometimes a cluster, sometimes a pair disappeared for a moment (when the cat looked in another direction), then it reappeared again.
This is an incredible sight and a unique experience. I have to admit, that the walks in the night in the forest together with the cats are one of the defining features of my life, and they are among the most uplifting and healing things that happen to me in this life.
While we were walking, a few bats flew near us. They fly quite low, yet they never collide with trees or with higher bushes, they have a perfect radar. The bats are completely silent, one will never hear them, one can only see their silhouettes against the starlight of the sky. I’m always glad when I see them, they are an endangered species and the white-nose syndrome has whipped them out in many regions.
I’m glad that they are still here, proving that this area is not as heavily polluted as much of the rest of the world.
After the lake normally we take a path diverting left which merges into the main pathway through the forest. Yet the main pathway doesn’t exist anymore because at the lake two trees have fallen down and blocked it. The trees didn’t break down suddenly, they just slowly tilted to the side more and more and over time became a barrier similar to the barriers on a railway crossing.
Nobody except me, the cats, and the owner of the forest uses this way anymore now and it has become overgrown with weeds. It is still passable though, yet after one month of constant rain the area around the lake has become a swamp. I can use it because I always have my wellingtons boots on, but the cats have no wellies.
Princess Min Ki would be able to pass this swamp, she is the amphibian cat, not afraid of wading in the water. She probably would even swim if it would be necessary. The other cats all avoid water, like normal cats usual do.
When I found out that the diversion to the left was impassable, I retreated and followed the way along the edge of the forest a little bit further. At this time I had to call the cats repeatedly and wave the flashlight because my feline friends were quite confused. We never had used this part of the way before.
Only Gandhi Sr. was beside me, he knows this area well, he is roaming the forest all day long. I really fear that the hunters could kill him eventually, like they killed my dear friend Cindy. The hunters are fortunately not using the part of the forest which we have made our home but they are in the adjacent forests and they have also several hunting stands and feeding sites for deer there.
A hundred meters after the usually used diversion I went left right into the wood and tried to go around the swamp area to reach the main pathway (or what was formerly the main pathway) again. Fortunately this is an old forest and there is not much underbrush. I had to wait and call the cats repeatedly and I had the flashlight on all the time to show them my position. Finally we reached the main pathway which leads upwards to the hill where the big central clearing is.
Gandhi Sr. had stayed behind on the way along the edge, This is his territory, he usually goes much further along the eastern edge of the forest. I met him already two times far away from our usual routes when I jogged with a (human) friend.
Bye, my friend, I hope we will see again soon. Take care!
It took us another half an hour to go back to our house and the cats were quite tired. I din’t have to call them and to switch on the flashlight, because everybody stayed close. Rosy at one point took a sideway only she knows and was suddenly in front of us, looking at me triumphantly.
It was one of the longest walks we ever made and one we all will remember for a long time.
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