She [...]]]> Top animal trainer Barbara Heidenreich has claimed that doing stupid dog tricks can actually help you bond with your pets. While watching a fluffy bunny running and leaping their way through an agility course may seem like an anomaly to some, animal expert Barbara would have us all training our pets to do daft tricks.

She wants to enlighten all pet owners to the fact that by teaching them to take part in these cute and amusing behaviours they are taking a positive step towards embracing positive and reinforcing training techniques.

Positive reinforcement training, also called reward training is when an animal presents a desirable behaviour that is then rewarded or reinforced with a treat or something of value. For the majority of pets this will mean some kind of edible treat, and knowing this will be the end result makes pets more eager to present the desired behaviour.

This is very different from the training methods of old which were coercion based and also used subversives to gain results. Barbara says that positive reinforcement training is trust based, and your pet learns that they will be rewarded with a treat and you will not do anything that will cause them to be aggressive or frightened. She added that the overall result is an amazing relationship between pet and owner.

Barbara’s goal is to get people to try it at home. Inspiring videos on the internet of her companion animals, such as her Holland lop eared rabbit Loretta, are doing the trick. Loretta runs a seven piece agility course, retrieves, spins in a circle and digs on cue. Loretta was adopted as an adult and learned most of her tricks in just a few weeks.  Heidenreich filmed Loretta’s training for her instructional DVD Bunny Training 101.

Barbara says “Getting people to learn how to apply the techniques is the goal, even if it is just to train a fun trick. Once they discover they can influence their companion animal’s behavior, including problem behavior using these methods, they will be more connected to their pets.” It is this connection that leads to a dedicated and caring pet owner.

Rabbits can be litter box trained, enjoy companionship, don’t need walking and are usually most active in the morning and early evening when busy professionals are home and ready to interact. These traits are making rabbits the new favorite companion animal for apartment dwellers. This rise in popularity also means a need for educational materials to help people do well with these creatures.

With a handful of treats and a few props pet owners can be well on their way to a rewarding bond with their bunnies. For more information on rabbit training visitwww.bunnytraining.com

Good Bird Inc provides behavior and training products for the companion animal community. These products include Good Bird Magazine, books, videos and animal training workshops. Discover kind and gentle ways to train animals to be well behaved, interactive and fun. Visit www.BunnyTraining.com and  www.GoodBirdInc.com for more information.

The Psychic was originally enrolled to help with the search of a missing six year old girl who had disappeared from her bedroom as her mother slept [...]]]> An amateur Psychic from Australia has become a world wide public figure since discovering a headless torso of a woman found in plastic bags on an Australian creek embankment.

The Psychic was originally enrolled to help with the search of a missing six year old girl who had disappeared from her bedroom as her mother slept in the next room. The Psychic had been using all of her psychic powers to get some sign to help in the search but admits herself she is not a Professional Psychic.

In the end, it was a premonition that led her to discover this grown woman’s torso, and whilst there is no connection to the missing girl, in order for her to have a premonition about that particular location has of course fascinated people and got the whole neighbourhood talking.

The Police are said to be interested in her abilities and have been asking the Psychic questions to help with their inquiries although they have said that finding the torso in this manner has been under very unusual circumstances.

The police are still trying to identify the body that was found and the missing child continues to remain missing, with the police believing that the child is unfortunately dead.

This has not been the first incidence that Psychics have helped out in police investigations and whilst some are officially asked to help, others, like this case, approach the police as they have had their own thoughts or feelings that they feel are worth investigating.

The query was just one of a number of bizarre phone calls made by members of the public to Sutton Council in south [...]]]> A London motorist who discovered her car was in a different parking spot when she returned from a shopping trip rang her local council in to ask if the car park was haunted.

The query was just one of a number of bizarre phone calls made by members of the public to Sutton Council in south London. Other questions included “how long can I safely store ginger powder for?” and “can I put a dead fox in my recycling bin?”

The ghostly goings-on came to light when the woman called the council’s environmental contact centre to say her car had moved “of its own accord”.

She asked if the car park, in Brighton Road, Sutton, was haunted and wondered if a ghost had been responsible.

The truth, however, was rather less supernatural. Council officials reviewed CCTV footage and found the car had gently rolled into a different parking bay after the driver had failed to apply her handbrake properly.

Cllr Simon Wales, Sutton’s Executive Member for Communities, Transport and Voluntary Sector, said: “Our call centre was last year voted the best in London and we can tackle most queries but I must admit there are some that do raise eyebrows.”

Other ‘unusual’ calls included:

Do you know where I could get an old bath that I could fill with custard for a fundraising event?

Can I park a double decker bus in my front garden?

What time is Buckingham Palace open today?

My TV is broken

And, should I get broadband?

The council is encouraging people to save time and money by using its internet services.

Residents in the London Borough of Sutton (www.sutton.gov.uk) can go online to access dozens of services, including anything from reporting noise nuisance or graffiti to paying a council tax bill, and from booking a football pitch to registering an interest in adoption and fostering.

To celebrate the launch Stella had taken the unusual step of producing a variety show in four parts [...]]]> Stella Artois are launching a new bottle which is extremely lightweight, as it is made up of considerably less glass than a regular bottle, and therefore takes less energy to produce, and subsequently gives off far less CO2.

To celebrate the launch Stella had taken the unusual step of producing a variety show in four parts called Le CO2eux Soireé. This is not actually the first time that the company has produced its own little variety spectacular, as this is a follow-up to 2009,s Recyclage de Luxe Show.

The concept is that the show is being broadcast through time from back in 1963, and for the very first time will show a “music video” to the world. The act chosen for the honour is critics’ award nominee at this year’s BRITS, Marina and the Diamonds’ who perform their smash hit single “I Am Not a Robot” there is also a live performance of “Dreaming of Another World” the upcoming single from “The Mystery Jets”.

Marina released her debut CD on 699 recordings earlier this year, entitled The Family Jewels. She has a slightly unusual background being of Greek/Welsh descent and hailing from Abergavenny.

The event is the brainchild of the creative agency with the strange name “Mother” who are coordinating the musical and video release with promotion on the packaging, as well as liaising with the press and other outdoor activities to promote the new bottle.

The idea behind Le CO_2eux Soireé is a small-scale, and so, more intimate Version of last year’s Recyclage de Luxe show. As with that event the host is chic avant-garde French personality Alain du Monde.

Although this is all very tongue-in-cheek, it is promoting a serious attempt to reduce the amount of glass, especially virgin glass that they use in production. The new bottle makes use of 75% recycled glass, they have also managed to reduce the amount of new aluminium used in their cans down to 50%, in both cases the cardboard packaging is not only certified compostable it is also 100% recycled.

So why not take a look at the short video.

The retailer said that it has put an ‘immortal soul clause’ into its contract that is presented to any purchaser before they get [...]]]> A computer game retailer, the British GameStation, revealed that it legally purchased the souls of online shoppers due to a clause in their terms and conditions document, which is signed by online shoppers.

The retailer said that it has put an ‘immortal soul clause’ into its contract that is presented to any purchaser before they get an online item in April.  The clause that customers sign says the company can claim their soul.

For those who read over agreements before signing, the clause clearly states that by purchasing something from the GameStation website they agree in April of 2010 Anno Domini to give the company the right to claim your immortal soul at any time.  Should the company decide to claim the immortal soul, they have the right to give you a five day warning that they will be taking it.

The form continues to say that they can serve the notice for the soul with fire letters, but do not accept the liability for any damage this may occur.  Also noted is an option where customers can opt out of selling their immortal souls to the company and continue to finish their transaction.

Although the agreement was written up as an April Fool’s Day gag, the retailer validly showed that customers do not really look over the terms and conditions while shopping online which gives companies a large amount of freedom when it comes to crafting such documents and leaving customers very unsatisfying.

Moves to give the pudding the Protected Designation of Origin Status had previously been disregarded as [...]]]> A recipe from the 18^th century is being spread around the country known for taking the simple Yorkshire pudding from its previous status as a workday food item to the same high par of delicacies like Parma ham and champagne.

Moves to give the pudding the Protected Designation of Origin Status had previously been disregarded as many assume the pudding is a generic food and not of high culinary value.  However, evidence of its heritage has been discovered at the University of Leeds Parkinson Library according to the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Food Group.

Group member Sarah Knapper, stated that records show that the term Yorkshire pudding was first coined in a book published by  food writer Hannah Glasse in 1747 titled The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy.

Knapper stated that Glasse at the time was writing a recipe for a pudding that originated during that time in Yorkshire that was previously known as dripping pudding that she renamed Yorkshire pudding.  She continued to say that Glasse described the pudding that today is used as opposed to the flat dripping pudding of the time if you look closely at the recipe.

Manufacturers in Yorkshire are now being told to apply to the European Commission to get protected status for their pudding recipes.  Out of the three in the area, two have already talking about placing a joint application together.  Last month rhubarb was listed as a protected food in Yorkshire.

Koji Yanagawa, a Japanese Aerospace Exploration [...]]]> A Japanese astronaut is busy in administration of a line of odour free inners and casual clothing on the international space station. Koichi Wakata first person from the Far East nation to live in the orbiting conditions is trying out J-ware by textile experts at Japan Women’s University in Tokyo.

Koji Yanagawa, a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency official said that he can wear his underwear about 8 to 10 days at a stretch. Mr. Wakata’s clothes, developed by researcher Yoshiko Taya, they designed underwear in such way that it will kill bacteria and can absorb moisture. These are also resistant to flame and anti-static. These are too comfortable and stylish yet.

The international space station conducted the experiment and gave his views that even after a tiring day the spaceman’s clothes was dry whereas others were sweaty.

But J-ware should be conscious about amount of clothing since it costs huge sending cargo to the orbit. Also the space has no facility of laundry. So a less clothing saves on important time.

So the Japanese space agency is planning to export it to NASA and the other space station as soon as its development gets finished. These products can be launched on commercial lines too.

The researchers are sitting with the manufacturers Toray Industries and Goldwin Inc on the inners that the clothing’s had a very thin layer which absorbs the perspiration and keep it dry.

Mr. Wakata paid his visit last week at the space station for his three month research said no complaints have been received so far that means that they are working fine.