Cat’s purr breaks world record

A British family’s 14-year-old cat earned the Guinness World Record for loudest purr by a domestic cat (living) when her ear-splitting purr was measured at 54.59 decibels.

Cambridgeshire resident Nicole Spink says about her Bella: “She purrs all day long! If there’s food around or cuddles, she always purrs. Also when watching TV — she likes to be loud with television. My late husband used to always moan about the sound of her purr blocking the sound of the TV in the evenings.” The loudest purr by a domestic cat ever was recorded at 67.8 decibels by Smokey, in 2011 and five years later by Merlin, but unfortunately they have since died.

Kestrel loses ability to fly, learns to paint

An American kestrel at a Vermont museum lost his ability to fly — but has found a new calling as an artist.

The Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee said the bird, named Ferrisburgh in honour of the town where he was rescued, was a flight ambassador at the museum before a broken bone forced him into retirement. The educators use mealworms to get the bird to run across his canvas with paint on his feet, creating works of art in the process.

Ferrisburgh now leads painting classes at the institute for people of all ages interested in learning about birds.

Master’s degree in ‘Magic and Occult Science’

Britain’s University of Exeter announced it will offer an unusual postgraduate degree next year — a master’s degree in magic and occult science.

The programme, beginning September 2024, will analyse the history of magic and witchcraft, as well as an analysis of the occult in literature, philosophy, archaeology, sociology, psychology, drama and religion.

“A recent surge in interest in magic and the occult inside and outside academia lies at the heart of the most urgent questions of our society,” said Professor Emily Selove, who will run the new course. “Decolonisation, the exploration of alternative epistemologies, feminism and anti-racism are at the core of this programme.”

Man pleads guilty to theft of Wizard of Oz slippers

An elderly US man pleaded guilty to the theft, nearly 20 years ago, of a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in the classic film The Wizard of Oz.

The sequined shoes — indelibly associated with the character Dorothy clicking them together and saying repeatedly, ‘there’s no place like home” — were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in the actress’s hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

The footwear was recovered in an FBI sting in 2018 and Terry Martin, 76, was charged with the theft in May this year.

Martin stole the slippers because he mistakenly believed they were made with ruby gems. After learning that the ‘gems’ were made of glass when he tried to sell them in the black market. The slippers are among four pairs that Garland wore during the making of the 1939 film.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 4TH, 2023