Dutch Artist Turns Dead Pet Into ‘Catcopter’

by Laurel Miller on

The Wright Brothers were true visionaries, able to turn mankind’s dream of flying like a bird into reality.

It’s only fitting then, that a deceased cat be allowed to soar like the pigeons he once yearned after. Dutch artist Bart Jansen has created a fitting tribute for his beloved pet, Orville (his brother’s name is, of course, Wilbur), who was hit by a car. Jansen created the “Orvillecopter,” a remote-controlled helicopter that’s “half-cat, half-machine.”

Before you denounce Jansen as a sadistic kook (like PETA has in a public statement; though, how one can be a sadist by having an already dead animal stuffed is beyond me), watch this CNN video interview of him talking about his art project/tribute.

Orville used to lie at the front door watching birds, and so, Jansen explains, he decided what better way to honor his cat than by allowing him to fly the skies? Notes Jansen, “After a period of mourning, he received his propellers posthumously.”

I recently wrote of my love of all things slightly macabre, including taxidermy, so naturally I think the Orvillecopter is about the most awesome thing ever. For those lucky enough to be in Amsterdam, the Orvillecopter is on display at the KunstRAI Art Festival. To see the flying object in question, check out the video below. Fly the friendly skies, Orville.


New Clues Revealed In Disappearance Of Amelia Earhart

by Kyle Ellison on

Most of us grew up learning that famous early aviation icon Amelia Earhart simply up and vanished on her quest to fly around the world in 1937. Departing from Papua New Guinea after an enjoyable stay, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan set a course for remote Howland Island in the Central Pacific, never to be seen or heard from again.

Or so the story goes.

Now, nearly 75 years after her disappearance, Discovery reports that teams of researchers are concluding that’s simply not the case.

At a recent three-day conference held by TIGHAR (The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery), researchers announced the existence of 57 credible radio signals originating from Earhart’s downed aircraft in the hours and days directly following her disappearance.

Amateur radio operators from Melbourne, Australia, to Honolulu, Hawaii, are reported to have picked up faint transmissions containing the call sign of Earhart’s Electra aircraft, KHAQQ, and various military ships in the region also reported garbled transmissions believed to be those of a crash-landed Amelia Earhart.So here’s the new story:

Amelia Earhart didn’t just overshoot Howland Island, run out of gas and crash into the sea. She overshot Howland Island, nearly ran out of gas, but managed to land her aircraft on a remote atoll known today as Nikumaroro. With her aircraft still functioning properly she was able to initiate radio transmissions from inside the aircraft only when the sea water level was low enough to not reach the transmitter.

As it just so happens, recent research into the tidal swings of Nikumaroro atoll for the exact week of her disappearance show that the transmissions sent by Earhart coincide with the times at which the water level would have been low enough to operate the engine and the transmitter.

Eventually, however, the Electra aircraft would lose its battle with the sea, and so, too, would Earhart and Noonan lose their ability to communicate with the outside world.

While expeditions to Nikumaroro have been conducted in the past, the closest piece of evidence found is a jar of anti-freckle cream believed to have belonged to the long lost aviator.

[Photo credit: miss_rogue on Flickr]

Barcelona Airport’s Cleaning Crew Protests … By Throwing Trash

by McLean Robbins on




Protesting pay cuts, workers at Barcelona‘s El Prat airport retaliated using their most powerful weapon – trash. Cleaning crew members, as part of a two-day protest that began May 29, threw piles of paper all over the airport grounds coating ticket counters, baggage belts and more with trash.

The crew members work for a company that has a contract with the airport and are protesting cuts in both pay and benefits. The company, AENA, announced 1.3 million euro budget cuts.

Check out the gallery:
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Congress Seeks To Make Bison America’s ‘National Mammal’

by Kraig Becker on

Earlier this week, Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi introduced a bill to congress that seeks to make the bison America’s “national mammal.” The bill, which is officially titled the National Bison Legacy Act, was brought before lawmakers at the request of the Wildlife Conservation Society and seems to have wide support from both sides of aisle.

If the act becomes law, the bison would be granted a similar status as the bald eagle, the oak tree and the rose as official national symbols of the United States. Beyond that there would be very little direct effect, although that doesn’t deter the sponsors of the bill. They see the bison as an important part of American heritage dating back to a time when only Native Americans occupied the region.

The bison is the largest land animal in North America and their vast herds once numbered in the millions. At their peak, those herds covered the Great Plains, ranging from the Rocky Mountains to as far east as the Appalachians. But as settlers moved west the animals were hunted for their meat and fur, bringing them to the brink of extinction. In the early 1900s President Teddy Roosevelt, working with several conservation groups, played an instrumental role in saving them from that fate. Today the bison population is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands, some of which are domesticated, and healthy herds can be found in places like Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks.

Although this piece of legislation doesn’t carry much weight, supporters say that it will still make American’s more aware of the role the bison has played in the country’s history and will help create support for further protecting the creatures and their natural environments.

Introducing The Swagon, Australia’s New Take On Glamping

by Jessica Festa on

We’ve all seen the pimped-out safari tents and palace-style camping retreats used for glamping; however, Gawler Ranges Wildness Safaris has taken luxurious camping to the next level with the introduction of the Swagon. The 100-year-old, Aussie-style wagon is “part swag, part wagon.” And for those who don’t know, swag refers to a queen-sized double mattress, used for extra comfort when roughing it in the Outback of South Australia.

Also known as the “Galaxy Suite,” the Swagon features a private shower and toilet, as well as a bed canopied by canvas to pull back for stargazing. Glampers won’t even need to cook, as meals are served at the camp’s outdoor dining room with complimentary drinks.

“The Swagon was built to offer single travellers accommodation without a single supplement. The tents have two bedrooms, so a single person could displace four people,” explains Geoff Scholz, Director of Gawler Ranges Wilderness Safaris. “The wagon was in a dilapidated state parked in the bush, covered in rusty wire when I noticed it and saw the potential to achieve what I wanted. A Swag in a wagon? Yep, Swagon.”

Swagons can be found at Kangaluna Camp, a small wilderness campground on the Eyre Peninsula. Surrounded by salt lakes, volcanic rock and wildlife, the area makes for an excellent destination to get in touch with nature and sleep under the stars.