Big Thighs Are Better

From BBC: Large thighs 'may protect heart':

Men and women with thighs over 60cm (23.6in) in circumference have a lower risk of heart disease and early death, a study of 3,000 people suggests.

The relationship remains even when body fat, smoking and blood cholesterol are taken into account, a Danish team says.

Those with narrow thighs may not have enough muscle mass to deal with insulin properly, raising the risk of diabetes and, in turn, heart disease, they say.

Experts cautioned that the research needed corroborating.

Some said it was too early to change current advice on eating and exercise for heart health, but the researchers said thigh size could be used as a marker for at-risk patients.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, followed men and women in Denmark for more than 10 years.

They were measured for height, weight and thigh, hip and waist circumference and their overall percentage of body fat was calculated.

The thigh measurement was taken just below the gluteal fold, which is the crease caused by your buttocks.

Researchers also looked at the activity levels of the participants, whether they smoked, their blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

They then monitored incidence of heart disease over 10 years and death rates over 12-and-a-half years.

HAH! Take that, waif women! I will outlive yew!

A Furry Story

Introducing The Players:

• Jet - grumpy, black adult female
• Pinky - playful, rapidly increasing in size female Bengal kitten
• Lula - playful adult female
• Speedy Gonzales - the only male in the house and definitely does not have the balls to prove it

Bath Day:

Jet has only recently been transferred from my parents' house to my apartment due to the recent disappearance of her sister, Ewok (hope she's okay :( ). Being the super grumpy hissy cat that she is, she was angry at everyone and everything and hated all the resident kitties.

Fast forward to bath day - the day of reckoning when all the cats hate me. Jet was hanging out in my bathroom when I brought Speedy in for a quick one. Now, whenever I bathe Speedy, it's as if I'm torturing him. I swear, I'm surprised nobody has called Animal Welfare on my ass yet.

So there I am bathing Speedy who's meowing his little head off as if I'm disembowelling him, and Jet starts meowing too. I pay no attention to this as she's quite the little attention-whore. Imagine my surprise when Jet jumps onto the side of the tub and bites me in a bid to protect Speedy from the evil water-wielding human.

It was only a superficial bite, which drew a bit of blood but I didn't really care about that. Cat owners tend to have such things every so often. What totally caught me by surprise was Jet's willingness to fight for a cat that she hates and hisses at every chance she gets.

This isn't the first time I've seen cats respond to another cats' call for help - everytime I bathe Speedy, I open the bathroom door to find the other cats standing outside waiting for him. Once, Lula even came to the bathtub and looked distinctly worried. I'm not kidding - brows furrowed and all.

There was also another incident when I took Lula out for a walk and left Speedy behind because he's terrified of the outside. When we came back, Speedy meowed his little head off at Lula and sniffed her all over to make sure she was okay.

I don't really have a point to this story. I think it's just interesting to note that there's more to animals than we give them credit for. Sure, they're just animals, but when they start displaying emotions?