The cat (Felis catus), commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae. Recent advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the domestication of the cat occurred in the Near East around 7500 BC. It is commonly kept as a house pet and farm cat, but also ranges freely as a feral cat avoiding human contact. It is valued by humans for companionship and its ability to kill vermin. Because of its retractable claws it is adapted to killing small prey like mice and rats. It has a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp teeth, and its night vision and sense of smell are well developed. It is a social species, but a solitary hunter and a crepuscular predator. Cat communication includes vocalizations like meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, and grunting as well as cat body language. It can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by small mammals. It also secretes and perceives pheromones.

 

Female domestic cats can have kittens from spring to late autumn in temperate zones and throughout the year in equatorial regions, with litter sizes often ranging from two to five kittens. Domestic cats are bred and shown at events as registered pedigreed cats, a hobby known as cat fancy. Animal population control of cats may be achieved by spaying and neutering, but their proliferation and the abandonment of pets has resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, contributing to the extinction of bird, mammal and reptile species.

 

As of 2017, the domestic cat was the second most popular pet in the United States, with 95.6 million cats owned and around 42 million households owning at least one cat. In the United Kingdom, 26% of adults have a cat, with an estimated population of 10.9 million pet cats as of 2020. As of 2021, there were an estimated 220 million owned and 480 million stray cats in the world.

 

Etymology and naming

The origin of the English word cat, Old English catt, is thought to be the Late Latin word cattus, which was first used at the beginning of the 6th century. The Late Latin word may be derived from an unidentified African language. The Nubian word kaddîska 'wildcat' and Nobiin kadīs are possible sources or cognates. The Nubian word may be a loan from Arabic قَطّ‎ qaṭṭ ~ قِطّ qiṭṭ.

 

The forms might also have derived from an ancient Germanic word that was imported into Latin and then into Greek, Syriac, and Arabic. The word may be derived from Germanic and Northern European languages, and ultimately be borrowed from Uralic, cf. Northern Sámi gáđfi, 'female stoat', and Hungarian hölgy, 'lady, female stoat'; from Proto-Uralic *käďwä, 'female (of a furred animal)'.

 

The English puss, extended as pussy and pussycat, is attested from the 16th century and may have been introduced from Dutch poes or from Low German puuskatte, related to Swedish kattepus, or Norwegian pus, pusekatt. Similar forms exist in Lithuanian puižė and Irish puisín or puiscín. The etymology of this word is unknown, but it may have arisen from a sound used to attract a cat.

 

A male cat is called a tom or tomcat (or a gib, if neutered). A female is called a queen or a molly, if spayed, especially in a cat-breeding context. A juvenile cat is referred to as a kitten. In Early Modern English, the word kitten was interchangeable with the now-obsolete word catling.

 

A group of cats can be referred to as a clowder or a glaring.

 

Taxonomy

The scientific name Felis catus was proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 for a domestic cat. Felis catus domesticus was proposed by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. Felis daemon proposed by Konstantin Satunin in 1904 was a black cat from the Transcaucasus, later identified as a domestic cat.

 

In 2003, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature ruled that the domestic cat is a distinct species, namely Felis catus. In 2007, it was considered a subspecies, F. silvestris catus, of the European wildcat (F. silvestris) following results of phylogenetic research. In 2017, the IUCN Cat Classification Taskforce followed the recommendation of the ICZN in regarding the domestic cat as a distinct species, Felis catus.

 

Evolution

Main article: Cat evolution

The domestic cat is a member of the Felidae, a family that had a common ancestor about 10 to 15 million years ago. The evolutionary radiation of the Felidae began in Asia during the Miocene around 8.38 to 14.45 million years ago. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA of all Felidae species indicates a radiation at 6.46 to 16.76 million years ago. The genus Felis genetically diverged from other Felidae around 6 to 7 million years ago. Results of phylogenetic research shows that the wild members of this genus evolved through sympatric or parapatric speciation, whereas the domestic cat evolved through artificial selection. The domestic cat and its closest wild ancestor are diploid and both possess 38 chromosomes and roughly 20,000 genes.

 

Domestication

See also: Domestication of the cat and Cats in ancient Egypt

It was long thought that the domestication of the cat began in ancient Egypt, where cats were venerated from around 3100 BC, However, the earliest known indication for the taming of an African wildcat was excavated close by a human Neolithic grave in Shillourokambos, southern Cyprus, dating to about 7500–7200 BC. Since there is no evidence of native mammalian fauna on Cyprus, the inhabitants of this Neolithic village most likely brought the cat and other wild mammals to the island from the Middle Eastern mainland. Scientists therefore assume that African wildcats were attracted to early human settlements in the Fertile Crescent by rodents, in particular the house mouse (Mus musculus), and were tamed by Neolithic farmers. This mutual relationship between early farmers and tamed cats lasted thousands of years. As agricultural practices spread, so did tame and domesticated cats. Wildcats of Egypt contributed to the maternal gene pool of the domestic cat at a later time.

The earliest known evidence for the occurrence of the domestic cat in Greece dates to around 1200 BC. Greek, Phoenician, Carthaginian and Etruscan traders introduced domestic cats to southern Europe. During the Roman Empire they were introduced to Corsica and Sardinia before the beginning of the 1st millennium. By the 5th century BC, they were familiar animals around settlements in Magna Graecia and Etruria. By the end of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Egyptian domestic cat lineage had arrived in a Baltic Sea port in northern Germany.

 

The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) was tamed independently in China around 5500 BC. This line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domestic cat populations of today.

 

During domestication, cats have undergone only minor changes in anatomy and behavior, and they are still capable of surviving in the wild. Several natural behaviors and characteristics of wildcats may have pre-adapted them for domestication as pets. These traits include their small size, social nature, obvious body language, love of play, and high intelligence. Captive Leopardus cats may also display affectionate behavior toward humans but were not domesticated. House cats often mate with feral cats. Hybridisation between domestic and other Felinae species is also possible, producing hybrids such as the Kellas cat in Scotland.

 

Development of cat breeds started in the mid 19th century. An analysis of the domestic cat genome revealed that the ancestral wildcat genome was significantly altered in the process of domestication, as specific mutations were selected to develop cat breeds. Most breeds are founded on random-bred domestic cats. Genetic diversity of these breeds varies between regions, and is lowest in purebred populations, which show more than 20 deleterious genetic disorders.

 

Characteristics

Main article: Cat anatomy

Size

The domestic cat has a smaller skull and shorter bones than the European wildcat. It averages about 46 cm (18 in) in head-to-body length and 23–25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) in height, with about 30 cm (12 in) long tails. Males are larger than females. Adult domestic cats typically weigh 4–5 kg (8.8–11.0 lb).

 

Skeleton

Cats have seven cervical vertebrae (as do most mammals); 13 thoracic vertebrae (humans have 12); seven lumbar vertebrae (humans have five); three sacral vertebrae (as do most mammals, but humans have five); and a variable number of caudal vertebrae in the tail (humans have only three to five vestigial caudal vertebrae, fused into an internal coccyx).  The extra lumbar and thoracic vertebrae account for the cat's spinal mobility and flexibility. Attached to the spine are 13 ribs, the shoulder, and the pelvis.  Unlike human arms, cat forelimbs are attached to the shoulder by free-floating clavicle bones which allow them to pass their body through any space into which they can fit their head.

 

Skull

The cat skull is unusual among mammals in having very large eye sockets and a powerful specialized jaw.  Within the jaw, cats have teeth adapted for killing prey and tearing meat. When it overpowers its prey, a cat delivers a lethal neck bite with its two long canine teeth, inserting them between two of the prey's vertebrae and severing its spinal cord, causing irreversible paralysis and death. Compared to other felines, domestic cats have narrowly spaced canine teeth relative to the size of their jaw, which is an adaptation to their preferred prey of small rodents, which have small vertebrae.

 

The premolar and first molar together compose the carnassial pair on each side of the mouth, which efficiently shears meat into small pieces, like a pair of scissors. These are vital in feeding, since cats' small molars cannot chew food effectively, and cats are largely incapable of mastication.:  Cats tend to have better teeth than most humans, with decay generally less likely because of a thicker protective layer of enamel, a less damaging saliva, less retention of food particles between teeth, and a diet mostly devoid of sugar. Nonetheless, they are subject to occasional tooth loss and infection.

 

Claws

Cats have protractible and retractable claws. In their normal, relaxed position, the claws are sheathed with the skin and fur around the paw's toe pads. This keeps the claws sharp by preventing wear from contact with the ground and allows for the silent stalking of prey. The claws on the forefeet are typically sharper than those on the hindfeet. Cats can voluntarily extend their claws on one or more paws. They may extend their claws in hunting or self-defense, climbing, kneading, or for extra traction on soft surfaces. Cats shed the outside layer of their claw sheaths when scratching rough surfaces.

 

Most cats have five claws on their front paws and four on their rear paws. The dewclaw is proximal to the other claws. More proximally is a protrusion which appears to be a sixth "finger". This special feature of the front paws on the inside of the wrists has no function in normal walking but is thought to be an antiskidding device used while jumping. Some cat breeds are prone to having extra digits ("polydactyly"). Polydactylous cats occur along North America's northeast coast and in Great Britain.

 

Ambulation

The cat is digitigrade. It walks on the toes, with the bones of the feet making up the lower part of the visible leg. Unlike most mammals, it uses a "pacing" gait and moves both legs on one side of the body before the legs on the other side. It registers directly by placing each hind paw close to the track of the corresponding fore paw, minimizing noise and visible tracks. This also provides sure footing for hind paws when navigating rough terrain. As it speeds up from walking to trotting, its gait changes to a "diagonal" gait: The diagonally opposite hind and fore legs move simultaneously.

 

Balance

Cats are generally fond of sitting in high places or perching. A higher place may serve as a concealed site from which to hunt; domestic cats strike prey by pouncing from a perch such as a tree branch. Another possible explanation is that height gives the cat a better observation point, allowing it to survey its territory. A cat falling from heights of up to 3 m (9.8 ft) can right itself and land on its paws.

 

During a fall from a high place, a cat reflexively twists its body and rights itself to land on its feet using its acute sense of balance and flexibility. This reflex is known as the cat righting reflex. A cat always rights itself in the same way during a fall, if it has enough time to do so, which is the case in falls of 90 cm (3.0 ft) or more. How cats are able to right themselves when falling has been investigated as the "falling cat problem".

 

Coats

Main article: Cat coat genetics

The cat family (Felidae) can pass down many colors and patterns to their offspring. The domestic cat genes MC1R and ASIP allow for the variety of color in coats. The feline ASIP gene consists of three coding exons. Three novel microsatellite markers linked to ASIP were isolated from a domestic cat BAC clone containing this gene and were used to perform linkage analysis in a pedigree of 89 domestic cats that segregated for melanism.[citation needed]

 

Senses

Main article: Cat senses

Vision

A cat's nictitating membrane shown as it blinks

Cats have excellent night vision and can see at only one-sixth the light level required for human vision.  This is partly the result of cat eyes having a tapetum lucidum, which reflects any light that passes through the retina back into the eye, thereby increasing the eye's sensitivity to dim light. Large pupils are an adaptation to dim light. The domestic cat has slit pupils, which allow it to focus bright light without chromatic aberration. At low light, a cat's pupils expand to cover most of the exposed surface of its eyes. The domestic cat has rather poor color vision and only two types of cone cells, optimized for sensitivity to blue and yellowish green; its ability to distinguish between red and green is limited. A response to middle wavelengths from a system other than the rod cells might be due to a third type of cone. This appears to be an adaptation to low light levels rather than representing true trichromatic vision. Cats also have a nictitating membrane, allowing them to blink without hindering their vision.

 

Hearing

The domestic cat's hearing is most acute in the range of 500 Hz to 32 kHz. It can detect an extremely broad range of frequencies ranging from 55 Hz to 79 kHz, whereas humans can only detect frequencies between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. It can hear a range of 10.5 octaves, while humans and dogs can hear ranges of about 9 octaves. Its hearing sensitivity is enhanced by its large movable outer ears, the pinnae, which amplify sounds and help detect the location of a noise. It can detect ultrasound, which enables it to detect ultrasonic calls made by rodent prey. Recent research has shown that cats have socio-spatial cognitive abilities to create mental maps of owners' locations based on hearing owners' voices.

 

Smell

Cats have an acute sense of smell, due in part to their well-developed olfactory bulb and a large surface of olfactory mucosa, about 5.8 cm2 (0.90 in2) in area, which is about twice that of humans. Cats and many other animals have a Jacobson's organ in their mouths that is used in the behavioral process of flehmening. It allows them to sense certain aromas in a way that humans cannot. Cats are sensitive to pheromones such as 3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol, which they use to communicate through urine spraying and marking with scent glands. Many cats also respond strongly to plants that contain nepetalactone, especially catnip, as they can detect that substance at less than one part per billion. About 70–80% of cats are affected by nepetalactone. This response is also produced by other plants, such as silver vine (Actinidia polygama) and the herb valerian; it may be caused by the smell of these plants mimicking a pheromone and stimulating cats' social or sexual behaviors.

 

Taste

Cats have relatively few taste buds compared to humans (470 or so versus more than 9,000 on the human tongue). Domestic and wild cats share a taste receptor gene mutation that keeps their sweet taste buds from binding to sugary molecules, leaving them with no ability to taste sweetness. They, however, possess taste bud receptors specialized for acids, amino acids like protein, and bitter tastes. Their taste buds possess the receptors needed to detect umami. However, these receptors contain molecular changes that make the cat taste of umami different from that of humans. In humans, they detect the amino acids of glutamic acid and aspartic acid, but in cats they instead detect nucleotides, in this case inosine monophosphate and l-Histidine. These nucleotides are particularly enriched in tuna. This has been argued is why cats find tuna so palatable: as put by researchers into cat taste, "the specific combination of the high IMP and free l-Histidine contents of tuna" .. "produces a strong umami taste synergy that is highly preferred by cats". One of the researchers involved in this research has further claimed, "I think umami is as important for cats as sweet is for humans".[87]

 

Cats also have a distinct temperature preference for their food, preferring food with a temperature around 38 °C (100 °F) which is similar to that of a fresh kill; some cats reject cold food (which would signal to the cat that the "prey" item is long dead and therefore possibly toxic or decomposing).

 

Whiskers

To aid with navigation and sensation, cats have dozens of movable whiskers (vibrissae) over their body, especially their faces. These provide information on the width of gaps and on the location of objects in the dark, both by touching objects directly and by sensing air currents; they also trigger protective blink reflexes to protect the eyes from damage.: 47 

 

Behavior

See also: Cat behavior

Outdoor cats are active both day and night, although they tend to be slightly more active at night.[88] Domestic cats spend the majority of their time in the vicinity of their homes but can range many hundreds of meters from this central point. They establish territories that vary considerably in size, in one study ranging 7–28 ha (17–69 acres). The timing of cats' activity is quite flexible and varied but being low-light predators, they are generally crepuscular, which means they tend to be more active near dawn and dusk. However, house cats' behavior is also influenced by human activity and they may adapt to their owners' sleeping patterns to some extent.

 

Cats conserve energy by sleeping more than most animals, especially as they grow older. The daily duration of sleep varies, usually between 12 and 16 hours, with 13 and 14 being the average. Some cats can sleep as much as 20 hours. The term "cat nap" for a short rest refers to the cat's tendency to fall asleep (lightly) for a brief period. While asleep, cats experience short periods of rapid eye movement sleep often accompanied by muscle twitches, which suggests they are dreaming.

 

Sociability

The social behavior of the domestic cat ranges from widely dispersed individuals to feral cat colonies that gather around a food source, based on groups of co-operating females. Within such groups, one cat is usually dominant over the others. Each cat in a colony holds a distinct territory, with sexually active males having the largest territories, which are about 10 times larger than those of female cats and may overlap with several females' territories. These territories are marked by urine spraying, by rubbing objects at head height with secretions from facial glands, and by defecation. Between these territories are neutral areas where cats watch and greet one another without territorial conflicts. Outside these neutral areas, territory holders usually chase away stranger cats, at first by staring, hissing, and growling and, if that does not work, by short but noisy and violent attacks. Despite this colonial organization, cats do not have a social survival strategy or a herd behavior, and always hunt alone.

 

Life in proximity to humans and other domestic animals has led to a symbiotic social adaptation in cats, and cats may express great affection toward humans or other animals. Ethologically, a cat's human keeper functions as if a mother surrogate. Adult cats live their lives in a kind of extended kittenhood, a form of behavioral neoteny. Their high-pitched sounds may mimic the cries of a hungry human infant, making them particularly difficult for humans to ignore. Some pet cats are poorly socialized. In particular, older cats show aggressiveness toward newly arrived kittens, which include biting and scratching; this type of behavior is known as feline asocial aggression.

 

Redirected aggression is a common form of aggression which can occur in multiple cat households. In redirected aggression there is usually something that agitates the cat: this could be a sight, sound, or another source of stimuli which causes a heightened level of anxiety or arousal. If the cat cannot attack the stimuli, it may direct anger elsewhere by attacking or directing aggression to the nearest cat, dog, human or other being.

 

Domestic cats' scent rubbing behavior toward humans or other cats is thought to be a feline means for social bonding.

 

Communication

Main article: Cat communication

Domestic cats use many vocalizations for communication, including purring, trilling, hissing, growling/snarling, grunting, and several different forms of meowing. Their body language, including position of ears and tail, relaxation of the whole body, and kneading of the paws, are all indicators of mood. The tail and ears are particularly important social signal mechanisms in cats. A raised tail indicates a friendly greeting, and flattened ears indicate hostility. Tail-raising also indicates the cat's position in the group's social hierarchy, with dominant individuals raising their tails less often than subordinate ones. Feral cats are generally silent.: 208  Nose-to-nose touching is also a common greeting and may be followed by social grooming, which is solicited by one of the cats raising and tilting its head.

 

Purring may have developed as an evolutionary advantage as a signaling mechanism of reassurance between mother cats and nursing kittens, who are thought to use it as a care-soliciting signal. Post-nursing cats also often purr as a sign of contentment: when being petted, becoming relaxed, or eating. Even though purring is popularly interpreted as indicative of pleasure, it has been recorded in a wide variety of circumstances, most of which involve physical contact between the cat and another, presumably trusted individual. Some cats have been observed to purr continuously when chronically ill or in apparent pain.

 

The exact mechanism by which cats purr has long been elusive, but it has been proposed that purring is generated via a series of sudden build-ups and releases of pressure as the glottis is opened and closed, which causes the vocal folds to separate forcefully. The laryngeal muscles in control of the glottis are thought to be driven by a neural oscillator which generates a cycle of contraction and release every 30–40 milliseconds (giving a frequency of 33 to 25 Hz).

 

Domestic cats observed in a rescue facility have total of 276 distinct facial expressions based on 26 different facial movements; each facial expression corresponds to different social functions that are likely influenced by domestication.

 

Grooming

Cats are known for spending considerable amounts of time licking their coats to keep them clean. The cat's tongue has backward-facing spines about 500 μm long, which are called papillae. These contain keratin which makes them rigid so the papillae act like a hairbrush. Some cats, particularly longhaired cats, occasionally regurgitate hairballs of fur that have collected in their stomachs from grooming. These clumps of fur are usually sausage-shaped and about 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in) long. Hairballs can be prevented with remedies that ease elimination of the hair through the gut, as well as regular grooming of the coat with a comb or stiff brush.

 

Fighting

Among domestic cats, males are more likely to fight than females. Among feral cats, the most common reason for cat fighting is competition between two males to mate with a female. In such cases, most fights are won by the heavier male. Another common reason for fighting in domestic cats is the difficulty of establishing territories within a small home. Female cats also fight over territory or to defend their kittens. Neutering will decrease or eliminate this behavior in many cases, suggesting that the behavior is linked to sex hormones.

 

When cats become aggressive, they try to make themselves appear larger and more threatening by raising their fur, arching their backs, turning sideways and hissing or spitting. Often, the ears are pointed down and back to avoid damage to the inner ear and potentially listen for any changes behind them while focused forward. Cats may also vocalize loudly and bare their teeth in an effort to further intimidate their opponents. Fights usually consist of grappling and delivering powerful slaps to the face and body with the forepaws as well as bites. Cats also throw themselves to the ground in a defensive posture to rake their opponent's belly with their powerful hind legs.

 

Serious damage is rare, as the fights are usually short in duration, with the loser running away with little more than a few scratches to the face and ears. Fights for mating rights are typically more severe and injuries may include deep puncture wounds and lacerations. Normally, serious injuries from fighting are limited to infections of scratches and bites, though these can occasionally kill cats if untreated. In addition, bites are probably the main route of transmission of feline immunodeficiency virus. Sexually active males are usually involved in many fights during their lives, and often have decidedly battered faces with obvious scars and cuts to their ears and nose. Cats are willing to threaten animals larger than them to defend their territory, such as dogs and foxes.

 

Hunting and feeding

See also: Cat food

The shape and structure of cats' cheeks is insufficient to allow them to take in liquids using suction. Therefore, when drinking they lap with the tongue to draw liquid upward into their mouths. Lapping at a rate of four times a second, the cat touches the smooth tip of its tongue to the surface of the water, and quickly retracts it like a corkscrew, drawing water upward.

 

Feral cats and free-fed house cats consume several small meals in a day. The frequency and size of meals varies between individuals. They select food based on its temperature, smell and texture; they dislike chilled foods and respond most strongly to moist foods rich in amino acids, which are similar to meat. Cats reject novel flavors (a response termed neophobia) and learn quickly to avoid foods that have tasted unpleasant in the past. It is also a common misconception that cats like milk/cream, as they tend to avoid sweet food and milk. Most adult cats are lactose intolerant; the sugar in milk is not easily digested and may cause soft stools or diarrhea. Some also develop odd eating habits and like to eat or chew on things like wool, plastic, cables, paper, string, aluminum foil, or even coal. This condition, pica, can threaten their health, depending on the amount and toxicity of the items eaten.

 

Cats hunt small prey, primarily birds and rodents, and are often used as a form of pest control. Other common small creatures such as lizards and snakes may also become prey. Cats use two hunting strategies, either stalking prey actively, or waiting in ambush until an animal comes close enough to be captured. The strategy used depends on the prey species in the area, with cats waiting in ambush outside burrows, but tending to actively stalk birds.: 153  Domestic cats are a major predator of wildlife in the United States, killing an estimated 1.3 to 4.0 billion birds and 6.3 to 22.3 billion mammals annually.

 

Certain species appear more susceptible than others; in one English village, for example, 30% of house sparrow mortality was linked to the domestic cat. In the recovery of ringed robins (Erithacus rubecula) and dunnocks (Prunella modularis) in Britain, 31% of deaths were a result of cat predation. In parts of North America, the presence of larger carnivores such as coyotes which prey on cats and other small predators reduces the effect of predation by cats and other small predators such as opossums and raccoons on bird numbers and variety.

 

Perhaps the best-known element of cats' hunting behavior, which is commonly misunderstood and often appalls cat owners because it looks like torture, is that cats often appear to "play" with prey by releasing and recapturing it. This cat and mouse behavior is due to an instinctive imperative to ensure that the prey is weak enough to be killed without endangering the cat.

 

Another poorly understood element of cat hunting behavior is the presentation of prey to human guardians. One explanation is that cats adopt humans into their social group and share excess kill with others in the group according to the dominance hierarchy, in which humans are reacted to as if they are at or near the top. Another explanation is that they attempt to teach their guardians to hunt or to help their human as if feeding "an elderly cat, or an inept kitten". This hypothesis is inconsistent with the fact that male cats also bring home prey, despite males having negligible involvement in raising kittens.:

 

Play

Main article: Cat play and toys

Domestic cats, especially young kittens, are known for their love of play. This behavior mimics hunting and is important in helping kittens learn to stalk, capture, and kill prey. Cats also engage in play fighting, with each other and with humans. This behavior may be a way for cats to practice the skills needed for real combat, and might also reduce any fear they associate with launching attacks on other animals.

 

Cats also tend to play with toys more when they are hungry. Owing to the close similarity between play and hunting, cats prefer to play with objects that resemble prey, such as small furry toys that move rapidly, but rapidly lose interest. They become habituated to a toy they have played with before. String is often used as a toy, but if it is eaten, it can become caught at the base of the cat's tongue and then move into the intestines, a medical emergency which can cause serious illness, even death. Owing to the risks posed by cats eating string, it is sometimes replaced with a laser pointer's dot, which cats may chase.

 

Reproduction

See also: Kitten

The cat secretes and perceives pheromones. Female cats, called queens, are polyestrous with several estrus cycles during a year, lasting usually 21 days. They are usually ready to mate between early February and August in northern temperate zones and throughout the year in equatorial regions.

 

Several males, called tomcats, are attracted to a female in heat. They fight over her, and the victor wins the right to mate. At first, the female rejects the male, but eventually, the female allows the male to mate. The female utters a loud yowl as the male pulls out of her because a male cat's penis has a band of about 120–150 backward-pointing penile spines, which are about 1 mm (0.039 in) long; upon withdrawal of the penis, the spines may provide the female with increased sexual stimulation, which acts to induce ovulation.

 

After mating, the female cleans her vulva thoroughly. If a male attempts to mate with her at this point, the female attacks him. After about 20 to 30 minutes, once the female is finished grooming, the cycle will repeat. Because ovulation is not always triggered by a single mating, females may not be impregnated by the first male with which they mate. Furthermore, cats are superfecund; that is, a female may mate with more than one male when she is in heat, with the result that different kittens in a litter may have different fathers.

 

The morula forms 124 hours after conception. At 148 hours, early blastocysts form. At 10–12 days, implantation occurs. The gestation of queens lasts between 64 and 67 days, with an average of 65 days.

 

Data on the reproductive capacity of more than 2,300 free-ranging queens were collected during a study between May 1998 and October 2000. They had one to six kittens per litter, with an average of three kittens. They produced a mean of 1.4 litters per year, but a maximum of three litters in a year. Of 169 kittens, 127 died before they were six months old due to a trauma caused in most cases by dog attacks and road accidents. The first litter is usually smaller than subsequent litters. Kittens are weaned between six and seven weeks of age. Queens normally reach sexual maturity at 5–10 months, and males at 5–7 months. This varies depending on breed. Kittens reach puberty at the age of 9–10 months.

 

Cats are ready to go to new homes at about 12 weeks of age, when they are ready to leave their mother. They can be surgically sterilized (spayed or castrated) as early as seven weeks to limit unwanted reproduction. This surgery also prevents undesirable sex-related behavior, such as aggression, territory marking (spraying urine) in males and yowling (calling) in females. Traditionally, this surgery was performed at around six to nine months of age, but it is increasingly being performed before puberty, at about three to six months. In the United States, about 80% of household cats are neutered.

 

Lifespan and health

Main articles: Cat health and Aging in cats

The average lifespan of pet cats has risen in recent decades. In the early 1980s, it was about seven years,: 33  rising to 9.4 years in 1995: 33  and an average of about 13 years as of 2014 and 2023. Some cats have been reported as surviving into their 30s, with the oldest known cat dying at a verified age of 38.

 

Neutering increases life expectancy: one study found castrated male cats live twice as long as intact males, while spayed female cats live 62% longer than intact females.: 35  Having a cat neutered confers health benefits, because castrated males cannot develop testicular cancer, spayed females cannot develop uterine or ovarian cancer, and both have a reduced risk of mammary cancer.

 

Disease

Main article: List of feline diseases

About 250 heritable genetic disorders have been identified in cats, many similar to human inborn errors of metabolism. The high level of similarity among the metabolism of mammals allows many of these feline diseases to be diagnosed using genetic tests that were originally developed for use in humans, as well as the use of cats as animal models in the study of the human diseases. Diseases affecting domestic cats include acute infections, parasitic infestations, injuries, and chronic diseases such as kidney disease, thyroid disease, and arthritis. Vaccinations are available for many infectious diseases, as are treatments to eliminate parasites such as worms, ticks, and fleas.

 

Ecology

Habitats

The domestic cat is a cosmopolitan species and occurs across much of the world. It is adaptable and now present on all continents except Antarctica, and on 118 of the 131 main groups of islands, even on the isolated Kerguelen Islands. Due to its ability to thrive in almost any terrestrial habitat, it is among the world's most invasive species. It lives on small islands with no human inhabitants. Feral cats can live in forests, grasslands, tundra, coastal areas, agricultural land, scrublands, urban areas, and wetlands.

 

The unwantedness that leads to the domestic cat being treated as an invasive species is twofold. On one hand, as it is little altered from the wildcat, it can readily interbreed with the wildcat. This hybridization poses a danger to the genetic distinctiveness of some wildcat populations, particularly in Scotland and Hungary, possibly also the Iberian Peninsula, and where protected natural areas are close to human-dominated landscapes, such as Kruger National Park in South Africa. However, its introduction to places where no native felines are present also contributes to the decline of native species.

 

Ferality

Main article: Feral cat

Feral cats are domestic cats that were born in or have reverted to a wild state. They are unfamiliar with and wary of humans and roam freely in urban and rural areas. The numbers of feral cats is not known, but estimates of the United States feral population range from 25 to 60 million. Feral cats may live alone, but most are found in large colonies, which occupy a specific territory and are usually associated with a source of food. Famous feral cat colonies are found in Rome around the Colosseum and Forum Romanum, with cats at some of these sites being fed and given medical attention by volunteers.

 

Public attitudes toward feral cats vary widely, from seeing them as free-ranging pets to regarding them as vermin.

 

Some feral cats can be successfully socialized and 're-tamed' for adoption; young cats, especially kittens and cats that have had prior experience and contact with humans are the most receptive to these efforts.

 

Impact on wildlife

Main article: Cat predation on wildlife

On islands, birds can contribute as much as 60% of a cat's diet. In nearly all cases, the cat cannot be identified as the sole cause for reducing the numbers of island birds, and in some instances, eradication of cats has caused a "mesopredator release" effect; where the suppression of top carnivores creates an abundance of smaller predators that cause a severe decline in their shared prey. Domestic cats are a contributing factor to the decline of many species, a factor that has ultimately led, in some cases, to extinction. The South Island piopio, Chatham rail, and the New Zealand merganser are a few from a long list, with the most extreme case being the flightless Lyall's wren, which was driven to extinction only a few years after its discovery. One feral cat in New Zealand killed 102 New Zealand lesser short-tailed bats in seven days. In the US, feral and free-ranging domestic cats kill an estimated 6.3 – 22.3 billion mammals annually.

 

In Australia, the impact of cats on mammal populations is even greater than the impact of habitat loss. More than one million reptiles are killed by feral cats each day, representing 258 species. Cats have contributed to the extinction of the Navassa curly-tailed lizard and Chioninia coctei.

 

Interaction with humans

Main article: Human interaction with cats

Cats are common pets throughout the world, and their worldwide population as of 2007 exceeded 500 million. As of 2017, the domestic cat was the second most popular pet in the United States, with 95.6 million cats owned and around 42 million households owning at least one cat. In the United Kingdom, 26% of adults have a cat, with an estimated population of 10.9 million pet cats as of 2020. As of 2021, there were an estimated 220 million owned and 480 million stray cats in the world.

 

Cats have been used for millennia to control rodents, notably around grain stores and aboard ships, and both uses extend to the present day.

 

As well as being kept as pets, cats are also used in the international fur trade and leather industries for making coats, hats, blankets, stuffed toys, shoes, gloves, and musical instruments. About 24 cats are needed to make a cat-fur coat. This use has been outlawed in the United States since 2000 and in the European Union (as well as the United Kingdom) since 2007.

 

Cat pelts have been used for superstitious purposes as part of the practice of witchcraft, and are still made into blankets in Switzerland as traditional medicine thought to cure rheumatism.

 

A few attempts to build a cat census have been made over the years, both through associations or national and international organizations (such as that of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies) and over the Internet, but such a task does not seem simple to achieve. General estimates for the global population of domestic cats range widely from anywhere between 200 million to 600 million. Walter Chandoha made his career photographing cats after his 1949 images of Loco, an especially charming stray taken in, were published around the world. He is reported to have photographed 90,000 cats during his career and maintained an archive of 225,000 images that he drew from for publications during his lifetime.

 

Shows

Main article: Cat show

A cat show is a judged event in which the owners of cats compete to win titles in various cat-registering organizations by entering their cats to be judged after a breed standard. It is often required that a cat must be healthy and vaccinated in order to participate in a cat show. Both pedigreed and non-purebred companion ("moggy") cats are admissible, although the rules differ depending on the organization. Competing cats are compared to the applicable breed standard, and assessed for temperament.

 

Infection

Main article: Feline zoonosis

Cats can be infected or infested with viruses, bacteria, fungus, protozoans, arthropods or worms that can transmit diseases to humans. In some cases, the cat exhibits no symptoms of the disease. The same disease can then become evident in a human. The likelihood that a person will become diseased depends on the age and immune status of the person. Humans who have cats living in their home or in close association are more likely to become infected. Others might also acquire infections from cat feces and parasites exiting the cat's body. Some of the infections of most concern include salmonella, cat-scratch disease and toxoplasmosis.

 

History and mythology

Main articles: Cultural depictions of cats and Cats in ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt, cats were worshipped, and the goddess Bastet often depicted in cat form, sometimes taking on the war-like aspect of a lioness. The Greek historian Herodotus reported that killing a cat was forbidden, and when a household cat died, the entire family mourned and shaved their eyebrows. Families took their dead cats to the sacred city of Bubastis, where they were embalmed and buried in sacred repositories. Herodotus expressed astonishment at the domestic cats in Egypt, because he had only ever seen wildcats.

 

Ancient Greeks and Romans kept weasels as pets, which were seen as the ideal rodent-killers. The earliest unmistakable evidence of the Greeks having domestic cats comes from two coins from Magna Graecia dating to the mid-fifth century BC showing Iokastos and Phalanthos, the legendary founders of Rhegion and Taras respectively, playing with their pet cats. The usual ancient Greek word for 'cat' was ailouros, meaning 'thing with the waving tail'. Cats are rarely mentioned in ancient Greek literature. Aristotle remarked in his History of Animals that "female cats are naturally lecherous." The Greeks later syncretized their own goddess Artemis with the Egyptian goddess Bastet, adopting Bastet's associations with cats and ascribing them to Artemis. In Ovid's Metamorphoses, when the deities flee to Egypt and take animal forms, the goddess Diana turns into a cat.

 

Cats eventually displaced weasels as the pest control of choice because they were more pleasant to have around the house and were more enthusiastic hunters of mice. During the Middle Ages, many of Artemis's associations with cats were grafted onto the Virgin Mary. Cats are often shown in icons of Annunciation and of the Holy Family and, according to Italian folklore, on the same night that Mary gave birth to Jesus, a cat in Bethlehem gave birth to a kitten. Domestic cats were spread throughout much of the rest of the world during the Age of Discovery, as ships' cats were carried on sailing ships to control shipboard rodents and as good-luck charms.

 

Several ancient religions believed cats are exalted souls, companions or guides for humans, that are all-knowing but mute so they cannot influence decisions made by humans. In Japan, the maneki neko cat is a symbol of good fortune. In Norse mythology, Freyja, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, is depicted as riding a chariot drawn by cats. In Jewish legend, the first cat was living in the house of the first man Adam as a pet that got rid of mice. The cat was once partnering with the first dog before the latter broke an oath they had made which resulted in enmity between the descendants of these two animals. It is also written that neither cats nor foxes are represented in the water, while every other animal has an incarnation species in the water. Although no species are sacred in Islam, cats are revered by Muslims. Some Western writers have stated Muhammad had a favorite cat, Muezza. He is reported to have loved cats so much, "he would do without his cloak rather than disturb one that was sleeping on it". The story has no origin in early Muslim writers, and seems to confuse a story of a later Sufi saint, Ahmed ar-Rifa'i, centuries after Muhammad. One of the companions of Muhammad was known as Abu Hurayrah ("father of the kitten"), in reference to his documented affection to cats.

 

Superstitions and rituals

Many cultures have negative superstitions about cats. An example would be the belief that encountering a black cat ("crossing one's path") leads to bad luck, or that cats are witches' familiars used to augment a witch's powers and skills. The killing of cats in Medieval Ypres, Belgium, is commemorated in the innocuous present-day Kattenstoet (cat parade). In mid-16th century France, cats would be burnt alive as a form of entertainment, particularly during midsummer festivals. According to Norman Davies, the assembled people "shrieked with laughter as the animals, howling with pain, were singed, roasted, and finally carbonized". The remaining ashes were sometimes taken back home by the people for good luck.

 

According to a myth in many cultures, cats have multiple lives. In many countries, they are believed to have nine lives, but in Italy, Germany, Greece, Brazil and some Spanish-speaking regions, they are said to have seven lives, while in Arabic traditions, the number of lives is six. An early mention of the myth can be found in John Heywood's The Proverbs of John Heywood (1546)

 

Husband, (quoth she), ye studie, be merrie now,

And even as ye thinke now, so come to yow.

Nay not so, (quoth he), for my thought to tell right,

I thinke how you lay groning, wife, all last night.

Husband, a groning horse and a groning wife

Never faile their master, (quoth she), for my life.

No wife, a woman hath nine lives like a cat.

 

The myth is attributed to the natural suppleness and swiftness cats exhibit to escape life-threatening situations. Also lending credence to this myth is the fact that falling cats often land on their feet, using an instinctive righting reflex to twist their bodies around. Nonetheless, cats can still be injured or killed by a high fall.

The Story:

After the TARDIS was destroyed from crossing between dimensions, The Doctor, in his newly regenerated incarnation, along with the help of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, rebuilt her control room from the ground up. The modifications to the console (inspired by the Scream of the Shalka console) allow the original Gallifreyan Technology to still function in this new universe. Many times in between construction, The Doctor would sit next to his bookshelf, or play the piano. These items were left in the control room when the TARDIS managed to successfully travel. The Doctor enjoyed his quiet comforts, until Amber Fox, the Doctor’s friend and traveling companion, brought in her own chair and record player to add some more bounce in his life.

 

WHAT YOU SEE (Right to Left):

 

To the right of the doorway, we have a grandfather clock, (the design was inspired by Bevans Bricks). The Doctor found this in a UNIT basement and took it, as it had Gallifreyan writing on a small plaque just under the clock face. This peaked the Doctor’s interest since he is the only Time Lord in this universe.

 

The entryway was destroyed and had to be replaced. When reconstruction began, the TARDIS, herself, constructed her entrance by attaching herself to the back on the interior of the police box. (Designer's note: the doorway was something I’ve always loved to toy with. I was fascinated with having a whole Police Box interior act as a foyer to the main control room even before it was done in the program!)

 

To the right, we have a simple hatstand. (Designer’s Note: I am currently adding an umbrella and some hats.)

 

Above the doorway is the Seal of Rassilon. This was kept from the original control room.

 

Behind the console, there is a small desk under the scanner. We will get to that in another post. You can just make out a cyberman head.

 

The Scanner was also kept from the original console, though the screen had to be replaced as it was heavily cracked. Some of the original computers can be seen behind the monitor.

 

Just across is the doorway to the other rooms in the TARDIS, such as the wardrobe, the library, the swimming pool, and the bedrooms.

 

A massive thank you to Sam K Bricks for all his help with this build!

Does it surprise you that this gorgeous pro-touring truck was built by an all-female team? It shouldn’t. This 1957 “Chevy Montage” Task Force pickup truck was built by the talented crew at Bogi’s Garage and debuted in the BASF R-M booth at the 2017 SEMA Show. It’s powered by a controversial BMW M5 engine and rides on an Art Morrison chassis, Wilwood disc brakes, 255/40ZR19 & 265/35ZR20 Nitto NT555 tires, and 19x9/20x9 Forgeline RB3C wheels finished in a Forged Charcoal powder coat! See more at: www.forgeline.com/customer_gallery_view.php?cvk=1997

 

#Forgeline #RB3C #notjustanotherprettywheel #doyourhomework #madeinUSA #TruckTuesday #Chevrolet #Chevy #TaskForce #Pickup #Truck #protouring #SEMA #SEMAShow #SEMA2017 #BogisGarage #femaledriven

  

Pictured are the Aircrew from a CH47 Chinook Helicopter, part of 27 Squadron RAF currently operating at Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan. The Aircraft and crew are operating in support of the Operation Jacana Taskforce in the region. 27 Squadron RAF is normally based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire when not deployed on operational duties.

This image is available for non-commercial, high resolution download at www.defenceimages.mod.uk subject to terms and conditions. Search for image number 45140353.jpg

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Photographer: POA(Phot) Tony Leather

Image 45140353.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk

A Land Task Force member sniper calculates his distance from target while zeroing his McMillan Tac-50 caliber, C15 Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW) at the shooting range in Zaworske, Poland, on July 21, 2015 during Operation REASSURANCE.

 

Photo: Corporal Nathan Moulton, Valcartier Imagery Section

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Un tireur d’élite de la Force opérationnelle terrestre calcule sa distance de l’objectif tout en ajustant son fusil de tireur d’élite de longue portée C15 McMillan Tac-50, au champ de tir à Zaworske, en Pologne, le 21 juillet 2015, au cours de l’opération REASSURANCE.

 

Photo : Caporal Nathan Moulton, Service d’imagerie de Valcartier

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Visited by a member of the Libraries Taskforce team on the day of its official opening.

 

This brand new library is 3 x larger than its predecessor, and shares the building with local council offices, a hotel and, there are plans for future retail units on the ground floor. It faces the main pedestrian zone in the centre of town and is next to a large carpark.

 

Photo credit: Julia Chandler/Libraries Taskforce

Visited by the CEO of the Libraries Taskforce.

 

Photo credit: Kathy Settle/Libraries Taskforce

1957 Chevrolet 3200 Pick-Up Truck in München, Germany.

The 3200 was part of the Chevrolet "Task Force" series of light trucks, built between 1955-1960. It is equiped with a "Thriftmaster" 6-Cylinder Engine and a 3-speed automatic transmission.

In Barbados, the Zika Taskforce led by the University of the West Indies (UWI) is working closely with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), PAHO and government ministries to pool resources for research, as well as organizing and disseminating information about the virus. The taskforce has also developed and implemented a comprehensive communications strategy to ensure that information about the virus and its effects are shared broadly with the Caribbean public via radio, television, newspapers, the web and social media platforms. There has also been a strong emphasis on community engagement and participation in the efforts to spread information about Zika and how each person can collaborate in the efforts to control and eliminate the Aedes aegypti mosquito at a local level.

A member of 1 Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI) provides security for a W3W Falcon helicopter during Exercise Maple Detachment in Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, during Operation REASSURANCE on September 14, 2016.

 

Photo: Cpl Jay Ekin, Operation REASSURANCE Land Task Force Imagery Technician

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Un membre du 1er Bataillon du Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI) assure la sécurité d’un hélicoptère W3W Falcon au cours de l’exercice Maple Detachment, dans le secteur d’entraînement de Drawsko Pomorskie dans le cadre de l’opération REASSURANCE, le 14 septembre 2016.

 

Photo : Cpl Jay Ekin, technicien en imagerie de la Force opérationnelle terrestre de l’opération REASSURANCE

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squizzy

 

In 2004, Sam Ibrahim was charged with the Kneecapping of two men in Newcastle. He was also charged during the late 1990s, over a cocaine distribution ring involving the Nomads. Sam Ibrahim was acquitted on both matters.[20] In 2009, Sam Ibrahim was charged over the alleged kidnapping of a teenage boy and held in custody for four months until bail was granted in July 2009. At the time of the bail hearing, it was reported that police were also investigating a second suspect in the alleged incident, Nimilote Ngata. Ngata (b. ca 1988) is the son of John Ibrahim's bodyguard, Semi "Tongan Sam" Ngata.[22] In July 2009, "Tongan Sam" Ngata, was arrested following a raid on his home by a special gang violence taskforce that netted bulk quantities of a methamphetamine precursor

  

and imbrahim has a lawyer FUNG modelling...$400 k per week lawyer

 

can't rub off I and abbot says the Musle..standover..NOmads...and a knifing scars see wiki...that's right the muslce..and they say lieth likes the musle IS that him when i was playing 8 year old soccer with LOvelock..why didn't you pass the ball and they all laugh at cap

 

and then a signal PIttwater RSL soccer club forgooten LOST

 

Peter is the Deputy Director of the Telecommunications Research Project at the University of Hong Kong ( www.trp.hku.hk ) and a partner in the quarterly Telecoms InfoTechnology Forums (TIF). He has a long background in telecommunications and Internet research, analysis and consulting, having worked on regulatory assessment, implementation and execution projects, as well as due diligence and market entry strategic guidance projects in China and Asia over the last 17 years.

 

Between 1999 and 2004, Peter built and ran China 's leading IT research consultancy, MFC Insight. Headquartered in Beijing , Insight provided strategic guidance to clients such as Ericsson, Vodafone, China Mobile, Agilent, Nokia, Google, Huawei, PWC, White & Case, the Singapore Government, as well as to China 's State Council.

 

During 1997-98, Dr Lovelock worked as a policy analyst at the ITU in Geneva, where he was a contributing author on the World Telecommunications Development Report, amongst a number of other publications, as well as many of the Secretary General's speeches from the period. Subsequently, Peter was a leading contributor to the ITU's IP Telephony initiatives, and has run training courses for a number of Asian regulatory bodies as part of the ITU's Regional Center of Excellence (CoE).

 

Since disbanding Insight, Peter has provided consulting advice to RAND, Novell, Accenture and others on developments in China, provided regulatory and broadband advice to the governments of India, Japan, and Singapore, worked on restructuring projects for Alcatel in Paris, and authored reports on fixed-mobile convergence, alternate operator strategies for mobile, and Huawei's 3G expansion.

 

Most recently Peter has established a new regional consulting operation based in Singapore, and working with the emerging IT companies in China, India and Vietnam .

  

that's what they don't understand cap just wanted the simple life THE MUSCLE he knows the muscle standover bristow....he has to remeber everything DEFECT and then BEST forget...has to remeber everything imposibble for man HE held the baton didn't he...

 

and tilly laughed just like squizzy how much money OH that stings IBrahim the life blood of the drug market up the cross FUNg and save ljb we'll all be fung...and in underbelly I want what you have MR freeman NANA capper's BOOKie of course a freeman would bet with a freeman...but DAYB won't freeman you say not of the jewish persuaion shindlers they are a very persuavive people TOM kennely Jane kennely FTTCIL a channel ten christmas party the aristiocrats with penny spence BURT and IT"S TIME GOUGH...and now EYption police guy and his military THE HOMELANd a stargem and rverand keith where odgers...stewopid country people actually speach like this says jess good looking doesn't care if they do BEST forget and it comes...it's all perty messed up in here SKITZ i'm having a [pirsig breackdown or something HE held the baton in the elction I don't know is there a pamphlet move up from "magics" to masonery..Operation Gladio (Italian: Operazione Gladio) is the codename for a clandestine NATO "stay-behind" operation in Europe during the Cold War. Its purpose was to continue anti-communist actions in the event of a Soviet invasion and conquest. Although Gladio specifically refers to the Italian branch of the NATO stay-behind organizations, "Operation Gladio" is used as an informal name for all stay-behind organizations.. The name Gladio is the Italian form of gladius, a type of Roman shortsword.[1]

 

Operating in many NATO and even some neutral countries,[2] Gladio was part of a series of national operations first coordinated by the Clandestine Committee of the Western Union (CCWU), founded in 1948. After the creation of NATO in 1949, the CCWU was integrated into the Clandestine Planning Committee (CPC), founded in 1951 and overseen by SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe), transferred to Belgium after France’s official withdrawal from NATO's Military Committee in 1966 – which was not followed by the dissolution of the French stay-behind paramilitary movements.

 

The role of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in sponsoring Gladio and the extent of its activities during the Cold War era, and its relationship to right-wing terrorist attacks perpetrated in Italy during the "Years of Lead" (late 1960s to early 1980s) and other similar clandestine operations, is the subject of ongoing debate and investigation but has never been proven. Switzerland and Belgium have had parliamentary inquiries into the matter

  

everyone must have one a stay at "home" operation and the cia walk up to asif I could have been a contender IF it wasn't for the MURdochs CRAZY cofee guy he held the baton..YOU know i can't franco...and then the "feds" before the hilton bombing and a traffic stop I work for DPI a just going to the british embasy libray archive...and that's more of the telling the engines of that plane were idal NO Incident the box of death HE CAN't get out OH KNOW says the coinoperated boy NOT the box of DEATH..where's denmarks BARBIe CIA walks up to YOU and introduces themselves and to philby DOOM=nixon you wanted in really? and a first national eveicted "in" $3003 dollars what he still doing around to the end of lease you held the baton in the where's denamrks operation BARBIE with them LINING them up on the east german wall CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION..that sort of fan JOHN lennon

 

IF it wasn't for the murdochs you'd already be dead..and they laugh at cap..

 

I"M have a pirsig type breakdown..skitz..noone gets that sick so quickly take youre "slip"

 

When he died, Peter Peterson left behind the trappings of a seemingly charmed life: a vast fortune, two children, and a stately Park Avenue address. But he left something else behind: a sheaf of confessions about a dark period of his youth. In pages written weeks before his death, he reveals a crime of passion, committed in the throes of unrequited love, that has burdened him for his entire life. Yet as he finishes his story, he encounters a surprise that will shake the very foundation of his past. Spanning a boyhood in Iceland to the Nazi occupation of Denmark to a cunning business career in modern-day Manhattan, Absolution echoes Dostoevsky and Ibsen as it masterfully plumbs the darkest corners of a sinister mind and a wounded heart

 

income stream and gen from pequin laughs KEEP laughing gen cause in NCIS you rang the US ambasitor so you MUst be some form of operative THat how GIbbs investigates at FIRST..we just have to find out who your with HUNgarian uncle yuko/hungarian socity of the black hand..UNcle llyody He'll end up ALONE

 

Fuck I hate them and at nine accounts smoke break and geoff harvey comes in the side door

 

The weather was simply divine in Sydney on Sunday afternoon, sunny but brisk. Not the sort of day to be spending inside St Mary’s Cathedral listening to an organ recital – or later drinking fine French champagne, good beer and eating exquisite finger food at the Quay Central. But around 100 people braved the bracing Sydney afternoon. The occasion: the 70th birthday of Geoff Harvey, former music boss of the Nine Network and, most notably, its Midday program.

 

It’s become something of a tradition for Harvey to celebrate a major birthday with a recital and then good food and wine amongst friends. Harvey rattled off a number of musical numbers at the Cathedral: four or fives pieces by Bach (including the Toccata in C), the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony, as well as some joke pieces.

 

The occasion was notable for the cast of heavyweights who fronted. Ros Packer, wife of Kerry, and Sam Chisholm and wife Sue were there, Ray Martin made a speech, as did Gerald Stone, former boss of 60 Minutes and now an SBS board member. He described Harvey as a “young man,” being around four years older himself. Mike Williams, a former warm-up man for Midday also spoke, following Martin. Penny Spence, Harvey’s first wife was also present, as was Vicki Jones, Nine’s stylist, who also spoke.

 

But there were two other quite notable speakers. Glenn Pallister, formerly a cameraman with Midday who went on to The Footy Show in Sydney, and ended up as an executive in charge of light entertainment on the third floor, before falling victim to the first round of Chisholm’s purges at the end of June.

 

He was some ten metres away from Chisholm as he spoke, no doubt remembering the rather flint-hearted manner in which Chisholm sacked him. The other notable, who surprised a number of people by his appearance, was Trevor Kennedy, the former CEO of PBL and a man keeping a very low profile after all those Swiss banking account and share trading deal claims made by the late Rene Rivkin.

 

Ray Martin showed no signs of any worries after reports surfaced in the Annette Sharp gossip column in the Sydney Sun-Herald that he was facing replacement by Tracy Grimshaw. The story (or “tale”) followed a claim a week earlier that Grimshaw was all glum at the prospect of losing her gig fronting the Today Show, should Nine bite the bullet and hire Ms Congeniality, Juanita Phillips, the still-contracted ABC Newsreader in Sydney.

 

The claim by Sharp that Grimshaw was going to replace Martin had all the hallmarks of a suck job and make-up fable after two solid whacks at Grimshaw the week before and a fortnight earlier.

 

you'd think the producer ascom nira let me talk the hospital pager guys and the state govt announces everybill will be bought back into three months copy of press realses to mona vale hospital and jugs grand mother ANDRE MURRY wins scotmans says MY Craig..older...and the GMA producers money RUP...I could have been a contender CAp done stuff..criminal...eypet NO mater what your affilation...just trying to difuse the situation make LIGHT of the issues..strick..and accuso says the police chief BATMAN your batman..and cause we are at war FEIGN a twain death and they have to come back bruce your back dayb cat collects death certificates TWAIN reports of my death and swami they have to die..and nods at geoff harvey should have said "honest" john cappers sone from rosters at seven and ten langoliers

Vice President Mike Pence arrives at the Department of Human and Health Services Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, and is greeted by Secretary Alex Azar in Washington, DC. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)

Visited by the CEO of the Libraries Taskforce.

 

Photo credit: Kathy Settle/Libraries Taskforce

A Taskforce meeting is underway after Governor Phil Murphy declares a State of Emergency after several Coronavirus outbreaks have occured in New Jersey on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 (Edwin J. Torres for Governor’s Office).

International Naval Taskforce arrives in Auckland after assisting with the Kaikoura Earthquake Response.

Photo credit: Julia Chandler/Libraries Taskforce

Shootings in Salford have reduced by over 70% since the introduction of a dedicated anti-gang taskforce disrupting the activity of the city's organised criminals two years ago.

 

The Operation Naseby disruption hub was formed in April 2020 to get under the skin of local gangs after 25 firearms discharges had been recorded in the previous 12 months.

 

Now - after 279 arrests, 297 vehicle seizures, 118 house searches, and the recovery of nearly 50kilos of drugs - shootings are down 72% with seven recorded in the last year and 15 in the year before.

 

Originally intended to be a standalone six-week blitz on organised crime, the team has successfully tackled criminal groups for the last two years thanks to the work of over 30 officers tasked with proactively targeting and tackling suspects -with funding expected to continue to the foreseeable future.

 

The affront on the city's OCGs has been spearheaded by experienced detectives, complex safeguarding officers, neighbourhood patrols, and pursuit-trained officers, as well as partners from Salford City Council in a multi-agency response.

 

Thanks to our offensive on criminals, weapons taken off the streets include a loaded handgun, a shotgun, two loaded crossbows, a number of machetes and dozens of other knives and bladed articles.

 

D/Supt Chris Packer (front L) and DCI Rick Thompson have led the prolific Op Naseby disruption team.

 

Offenders have been sentenced to over 66 years' worth of custodial sentences, with many others being recalled to prison or receiving criminal behaviour orders requiring them to continue abiding by strict conditions following their release from custody.

 

Most recently, drug dealer Zach Trott (26), of Ellesmere Street, was jailed on Wednesday 6 April for two years and four months after our anti-gang cops caught him last summer just months after pursuing him in another chase where we detained him and found £3k's worth of cannabis.

 

A Bolton man was also put behind bars earlier this month after being stopped by covert Naseby officers patrolling just outside the Salford border when they spotted a suspicious vehicle in July 2020.

 

Myles Hindley (31), of New Street, Blackrod, was sentenced to two years in prison after he was found to be driving a £30,000 Range Rover that had been stolen from Bury less than six weeks earlier - despite him claiming that it was a hire car.

 

As the operation continues to drive a wedge between offenders and criminality, detectives at Swinton CID are keen to enhance their proactive approach by intervening at an earlier stage when young people are involved in less-organised crime in the form of Urban Street Gangs (USGs).

 

Along with the recent re-launch of the city's multi-agency Project Gulf, we aim to ensure our approach to diverting younger people away from lower-level gang crime at an early stage will prevent future generations of organised criminals operating in Salford - by protecting the exploited and pursuing the exploiters.

 

This work has already begun with School Engagement Officers interacting with young students in the city's schools and colleges, and we are determined to work closely with local partners in education to steer more children away from a life of gangs and violence.

 

Knife crime continues to be one of the main priorities in each of the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, and we are pleased that reported offences are down in Salford in the last year.

 

Our commitment to maintaining the crackdown on weapons, criminals, drugs and their assets is hoped will continue to drive down violent crime on our streets even further as our work sustains without relent.

 

We've been able to conduct well over 100 house searches in the last year thanks to intelligence we have received from the public, and we continue to urge anyone with information or concerns to contact us online via LiveChat, if able, or by calling 101.

 

Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 

Detective Chief Inspector Rick Thompson, head of GMP Salford's proactive policing, said: "After two years of Operation Naseby, it's plain to see the prolific impact our tireless disruption team have had in all corners of our city since it was introduced two years ago.

 

"When the taskforce was formed, it was on a short-term basis with the simple aim of getting under the skin of organised criminals and doing all we could to be out there on the streets stopping and searching suspects, their homes, the vehicles they were in and seizing anything of criminal value.

 

"That's seen us intercept and disrupt the type of activity organised crime groups were engaging in that was seeing us suffer the high rates of shootings we were seeing two years ago; now we're taking vehicles, drugs, and weapons from these individuals and arresting those suspected of being involved.

 

"We've been able to hugely increase our understanding of these groups - with over 500 intelligence logs being submitted - but I must stress that a great deal of information we receive comes from the public and thanks to the people of Salford we've have information that's lead us to well over 100 house searches.

 

"Our enforcement action has produced staggering results but it's still seven shootings too many, and our commitment now is to focus our work with partners and local neighbourhood teams into proactively intervening at an earlier stage with young people who may be at a risk of later being involved in organised crime.

 

"This work is vital in stamping out future generations of serious criminality, but also in reducing the ongoing concerns around violent crime, drug use, and anti-social behaviour in their communities that affects the people we serve on a daily basis."

H. M. S. Duke of York Battle Honours

 

Arctic 1942-43

North Africa 1942

North Cape 1943

 

From Wikipedia

 

" HMS Duke of York was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy. Laid down in May 1937, the ship was constructed by John Brown and Company at Clydebank, Scotland, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 4 November 1941, subsequently seeing service during the Second World War.

 

In mid-December 1941 Duke of York transported Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the United States to meet President Franklin D. Roosevelt. On 1 March 1942, Duke of York provided close escort for convoy PQ 12, along with the battlecruiser Renown, the cruiser Kenya and six destroyers. In October 1942, Duke of York was involved in the Allied invasion of North Africa, but saw little action as her role only required her to protect the accompanying aircraft carriers.

 

On 26 December 1943 Duke of York was part of a taskforce which made contact with the German battleship Scharnhorst. During the engagement which followed, Scharnhorst hit Duke of York twice with little effect, but was herself hit by several of Duke of York's 14-inch shells, silencing one of her turrets and hitting a boiler room. After temporarily escaping from Duke of York's heavy fire, Scharnhorst was struck several times by torpedoes, allowing Duke of York to again open fire, contributing to the eventual sinking of Scharnhorst after a running action lasting 10 and a half hours. In 1945 Duke of York was assigned to the British Pacific Fleet as its flagship, but suffered mechanical problems in Malta which prevented her arriving in time to see any action before Japan surrendered.

 

Duke of York was laid up in November 1951 and on 18 May 1957 she was ordered to be scrapped, which was carried out by Shipbreaking Industries, Ltd, in Faslane.

 

Construction

 

The Terms of the 1930 Treaty of London extended the ban on battleship construction introduced in 1922, and by 31 December 1936 it was realised that Britain was woefully short of modern battleships. During this period the Admiralty set in motion plans for the construction of a new battleship class, resulting in the drawing up of designs for the King George V class. The proposed ships were projected to have limited armament as the Washington Treaty was still in effect. Because of the urgent need for battleships the Admiralty did not have enough time to re-work the plans to a more suitable 16-inch main gun arrangement.

 

Duke of York was laid down at John Brown & Company's shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, on 5 May 1937 and was launched on 28 February 1940. Duke of York was completed on 4 November 1941 and then joined the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.

 

Description

 

King George V class battleship (1939)

 

Duke of York displaced 36,727 long tons (37,300 t) as built and 42,076 long tons (42,800 t) fully loaded. The ship had an overall length of 700 feet (213.4 m), a beam of 103 feet (31.4 m) and a draught of 29 feet (8.8 m). Her designed metacentric height was 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) feet at normal load and 8 feet 1 inch (2.46 m) feet at deep load.

 

She was powered by Parsons geared steam turbines, driving four propeller shafts. Steam was provided by eight Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers which normally delivered 100,000 shaft horsepower (75,000 kW), but could deliver 110,000 shp (82,000 kW) at emergency overload.[N 1] This gave Duke of York a top speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph).[8][9] The ship carried 3,700 long tons (3,800 t) of fuel oil, which was later increased to 4,030 long tons (4,100 t).[5] She also carried 183 long tons (200 t) of diesel oil, 256 long tons (300 t) of reserve feed water and 430 long tons (400 t) of freshwater.[10] At full speed Duke of York had a range of 3,100 nautical miles (5,700 km; 3,600 mi) at 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph).

 

Armament

 

Duke of York mounted 10 BL 14-inch (356 mm) Mk VII guns. The 14-inch guns were mounted in one Mark II twin turret forward and two Mark III quadruple turrets, one forward and one aft. The guns could be elevated 40 degrees and depressed 3 degrees. Training arcs were: turret "A", 286 degrees; turret "B", 270 degrees; turret "Y", 270 degrees. Training and elevating was done by hydraulic drives, with rates of two and eight degrees per second, respectively. A full gun broadside weighed 15,950 pounds (7,230 kg), and a salvo could be fired every 40 seconds. The secondary armament consisted of 16 QF 5.25-inch (133 mm) Mk I dual purpose guns which were mounted in eight twin turrets. The maximum range of the Mk I guns was 24,070 yards (22,009.6 m) at a 45-degree elevation, the anti-aircraft ceiling was 49,000 feet (14,935.2 m). The guns could be elevated to 70 degrees and depressed to 5 degrees.[14] The normal rate of fire was ten to twelve rounds per minute, but in practice the guns could only fire seven to eight rounds per minute.

 

Along with her main and secondary batteries, Duke of York carried 48 QF 2 pdr (40-millimetre (1.6 in)) Mk.VIII "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns in six octuple, power-driven, mountings. These were supplemented by six 20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon light AA guns in single, hand-worked, mounts.

 

Service career

 

In mid-December 1941, Duke of York embarked Prime Minister Winston Churchill for a trip to the United States to confer with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She arrived at Annapolis, Maryland on 22 December 1941, made a shakedown cruise to Bermuda in January 1942, and departed for Scapa Flow on 17 January.

 

On 1 March 1942 she provided close escort for convoy PQ 12 in company with the battlecruiser Renown, the cruiser Kenya, and six destroyers. On 6 March that force was reinforced with King George V, Victorious, Berwick, and six destroyer, since Admiral John Tovey believed that the German battleship Tirpitz might attempt to intercept the convoy. On 6 March the German battleship put to sea and was sighted by a British submarine around 19:40. No contact was made except for an unsuccessful aerial torpedo attack by aircraft from Victorious.

 

Mediterranean operations

 

In October 1942, Duke of York was sent to Gibraltar as the new flagship of Force H, and supported the Allied landings in North Africa the following month. Duke of York came under air attack by Italian aircraft, but these were relatively small scale and swiftly dealt with by the "umbrella" provided by the aircraft from the accompanying carriers Victorious, Formidable and Furious. After this action Duke of York returned to Britain for a refit.

 

Duke of York resumed her status as flagship from 14 May 1943 pending the departure of King George V and Howe for Operation Husky. Operation Gearbox in June 1943 involved a sweep by Duke of York and Anson, in company with the US battleships Alabama and South Dakota, to provide distant cover for minor operations in Spitsbergen and the Kola Inlet, while the following month diversionary Operations Camera and Governor of Norway were carried out in order to draw the Germans' attention away from Operation Husky.

 

Action with the Scharnhorst

 

Battle of the North Cape

 

Members of Duke of York's gun crews at Scapa Flow after the Battle of the North Cape

In 1943 the German battleship Scharnhorst moved to Norway, a position from which she could threaten the Arctic convoys to Russia. With the Tirpitz and two armoured ships also in Norwegian fjords, it was necessary for the Royal Navy to provide heavy escorts for convoys to or from Russia. One of these was sighted by the Germans in early December 1943, and it was believed that the following convoy would be attacked by the German surface ships. Two surface forces were assigned to provide distant cover to convoy JW 55B, which had left Loch Ewe on 22 December. On 25 December 1943, Scharnhorst was reported at sea. Force 1 cruisers, Belfast, Norfolk and Sheffield and four destroyers, made contact shortly after 09:00 on 26 December. A brief engagement occurred around 09:30, but Scharnhorst outdistanced her pursuers, and again outran them after a brief skirmish around noon.

 

Meanwhile, Force 2, including the Duke of York, the cruiser Jamaica and four destroyers, was closing and it was estimated that a night action with the Scharnhorst would commence around 17:15. Then Scharnhorst altered course, and at 16:32 contact was made, at a distance of 29,700 yards. Force 2 manoeuvred for broadside fire. Belfast, with Force 1, fired starshells at 16:47 to illuminate Scharnhorst. This failed, so Duke of York fired a starshell from one of her 5.25-inch guns, taking Scharnhorst by surprise with her main battery trained fore and aft. By 16:50 Duke of York had closed to 12,000 yards and fired a full ten-gun broadside. Although under heavy fire, Scharnhorst straddled Duke of York a number of times and hit her twice. A 28.3-centimetre (11.1 in) passed through the mainmast and its port leg without detonating, but fragments from the hit destroyed the cable for the main search radar. A 15-centimetre (5.9 in) shell also pierced the port strut of the foremast without exploding. At 16:55 a 14-inch shell had silenced turret Anton, while another struck at the waterline aft. Several seconds later a shell from Duke of York exploded in Scharnhorst's number one boiler room. Despite this damage, Scharnhorst regained speed and by 18:24 had opened the range to 21,400 yards (19,600 m), when Duke of York ceased fire after expending fifty-two broadsides.

 

Force 2's destroyers then attacked with torpedoes, firing 28 torpedoes and scoring hits with three of the torpedoes. This slowed Scharnhorst down enough so that at 19:01 the Duke of York again opened fire, at a range of 10,400 yards. She ceased fire at 19:30 to allow the cruisers to close on Scharnhorst. Ten 14-inch shells had hit the German battleship, and these caused fires and the resulting explosions, knocked out turrets Anton and Bruno, and silenced almost all of the secondary battery. By 19:16 all of the main turrets aboard Scharnhorst had ceased fire and her speed had been cut to ten knots. Duke of York ceased fire at 19:30. In the final stages of the battle British destroyers fired a total of 19 torpedoes at her, causing Scharnhorst to list badly to port, and finally sink at 19:45 after a running action lasting 10 and a half hours from the first positive sighting. She sank with the loss of over 1,700 men. Following her sinking, and the retreat of most of the other German heavy units from Norway, the need to maintain powerful forces in British home waters was diminished.

 

Pacific operations

 

Duke of York operated in the Arctic and as cover for carriers in air strikes on the Tirpitz until September, when she was overhauled and partially modernized at Liverpool. Radar equipment and additional anti-aircraft guns were added. She was then ordered to join the British Pacific Fleet and sailed in company with her sister ship Anson on 25 April 1945. But a problem in Malta with the electrical circuitry delayed her. She reached Sydney on 29 July, too late to take any meaningful part in hostilities. She was present with King George V in Tokyo Bay for the surrender ceremonies. The following month she sailed for Hong Kong, to be present at the formal Japanese surrender there. She was the flagship of the British Pacific Fleet when the Japanese surrendered, and remained so until June 1946, when she returned to Plymouth for an overhaul.

 

Post war

 

Duke of York was flagship of the Home Fleet following the end of the war and remained in service until April 1949. She was laid up in November 1951, and on 18 May 1957 she was ordered to be scrapped. She was broken up by Shipbreaking Industries, Ltd, in Faslane.

 

Refits

 

During her career, Duke of York was refitted on several occasions to bring her equipment up-to-date.

 

The following are the dates and details of the refits undertaken.

 

April 1942

 

Rosyth

 

8 x single 20mm added.[29]

 

December 1942-March 1943

 

Rosyth

 

14 x single 20mm added.[30]

 

Early 1944

 

2x single 20mm removed; 2 x twin 20mm added.[30]

 

September 1944-April 1945

 

Liverpool

 

2x 4-barrelled 40mm added, 2x 8-barrelled 2-pdr pom-pom added, 6x 4-barrelled 2-pdr pom-pom added, 14x twin 20mm added, 18x single 20mm removed, Aircraft facilities added.[29] Type 273 radar removed, Type 281 radar replaced by Type 281B radar, Type 284 radar replaced by 2x Type 274 radar; 2x Types 277, 282 and 293 radars added.[30]

 

1946

 

4x 4-barrelled 2-pdr pom-pom added, 25 x single 20mm removed."

Meeting of the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce Buckingham Declaration signatories in London, 1 November 2017.

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

On Thursday, May 24, 2018, VA Deputy Secretary Thomas Bowman and VA Veterans Experience Officer Dr. Lynda Davis addressed officers of national Community Veterans Engagement Boards, Veteran Service Organizations and other Non-Governmental Organizations at the America's Warrior Partnership Taskforce meeting held in Washington, D.C .

 

VA Photos by Robert Turtil

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

In Barbados, the Zika Taskforce led by the University of the West Indies (UWI) is working closely with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), PAHO and government ministries to pool resources for research, as well as organizing and disseminating information about the virus. The taskforce has also developed and implemented a comprehensive communications strategy to ensure that information about the virus and its effects are shared broadly with the Caribbean public via radio, television, newspapers, the web and social media platforms. There has also been a strong emphasis on community engagement and participation in the efforts to spread information about Zika and how each person can collaborate in the efforts to control and eliminate the Aedes aegypti mosquito at a local level.

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

Visited by members of the Libraries Taskforce team for the official opening.

 

Photo credit: Kathy Settle/Libraries Taskforce

  

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

New library visited by members of the Libraries Taskforce team, just before the formal opening.

Photo credit: Charlotte Lane

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

Visited by members of the Libraries Taskforce team.

 

Photo credit: Julia Chandler/Libraries Taskforce

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)

Occult-Crimes-Taskforce-BADGE

The County's Food Distribution Taskforce, L.A. Regional Food Bank, and Supervisorial District 3 hosted a food distribution event at Brand Park in Mission Hills, July 22, 2020. The County of Los Angeles is committed to feeding our most vulnerable communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The county is mobilizing public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the long months to come. Learn more at Covid19.lacounty.gov/food. (Mayra Vasquez / Los Angeles County)