Caramel Pit Bull Needs Home + Help Cats on Long Island

"Meet Mariann, a pretty, spayed female Pit Bull, estimated 3 to 4 years old, who was found abandoned and starved in Suffolk County in April of this year. This docile and sweet dog loves children and adults alike and is a total crowd pleaser. She has the reputation of being an absolute “mush”. After winning the hearts of all the staff at the East Islip Veterinary Clinic she has been moved to larger quarters at the Bayside Veterinary Center. Tourniquet, Inc. Rescue devoted a lot of money, time and TLC to this little girl, and it shows—she’s in great shape and is so, so ready for a home of her own. Maybe you or someone you know would like to give this caramel-sweet dog a fresh start and a lasting home. She is located in Whitestone, New York."

Also, caregiver of cat colony in Long Island is looking for temporary or permanent home and help with vet costs, while he has fallen on hard time healthwise.

For Your Desktop

Sorry for long absence.

I stumbled on a Russian photo competition site and fell in love with these:

"Guest from the forest"
This baby moose's mom was killed by the poachers. He joined the herd of cows and came to the village with them. On the photo, he is waiting for his breakfast.

"Have you seen my mom?"
Caption says that while looking for his family, this baby bear walked right up to hidden photo camera.

Ten-month-old Female Lab / Bloodhound Mix Needs Home

"This puppy looks a bit like a black Lab with the generously proportioned ears of a Bloodhound.

Shelter volunteers say her distinctive appearance is accompanied by a sweet character.

Apparently, Venus's previous human companion brought her to the shelter due to lack of time.

We can't really tell if Venus is likely to have a Bloodhound-like personality, but we'd advise her potential new family to be ready to provide plenty of exercise and training. With that kind of care, we predict Venus will be a gentle, loving companion.

To find out more about Venus (I.D. # A734512) contact the NYC Animal Care & Control at 212-788-4000. She may be gone by the time you call!"

Puppy Care Center

Donate towards a puppy care center and help hundreds of abused and injured puppies have a chance to find a loving, permanent home.

"In partnership with eBay Foundation and the eBay Community, Best Friends will build a Puppy Care Center, a place where abused, abandoned, and neglected puppies will learn to trust and interact with different kinds of people and environments, providing puppies with all the tools they need to lead a long, happy life in a loving home. The 3,850-square-foot building will house 14 living areas that can accommodate up to 10 puppies in each area. The puppies, many of whom come to Best Friends with chronic health problems, will also receive state-of-the-art medical care and specialized training. A socialization area, equipped for public viewing, will let prospective families observe the puppies while staff and volunteers train them for their new permanent homes."

Beagle Mix Needs Home

"Jessie the singing dog with fur the color of gingerbread is still looking for a home, in spite of being posted and featured for adoption on the Best Friends Network for several months."

Boxer Mix Needs a Good Home

"No doubt about it -- Princess is a high-energy hound. She's a young Boxer mix who will need plenty of exercise.

She's not out of a control, though. NYC AC&C volunteers say she's a pleasure to walk. She's quite outgoing and likes dogs and people.

She's healthy and has been well cared for. Her previous person brought her to the shelter because he no longer had space for her.

Princess would be an excellent companion for enjoying spring in the city."

Mars Candy

"If you love candy and animals, then you'll want to avoid buying M&Ms, Snickers, Three Musketeers, Twix, Dove, Starburst, Skittles and other confections made by Mars, Inc., which kills animals to test its treats.

Even though none of the experiments funded by Mars are required by law and the research could be done better using human subjects, the company continues to fund deadly animal experiments on countless animals, such as:

- Force-feeding chocolate to rats by shoving plastic tubes down their throats, cutting open their legs to expose an artery and clamping it shut to stop blood flow, then killing them.

- Feeding mice chocolate phytochemicals, then throwing them in pool of water mixed with white paint in which they had to find a hidden platform to avoid drowning, then killing and dissecting them afterwards.

- Feeding cocoa to rats and anesthetizing them with carbon dioxide, then collecting their blood by injecting a needle directly into their hearts, which can cause internal bleeding and other fatal complications."

Please attend a protest on April 26th in NYC and contact Mars Inc.

The Near-Tragic Tale of An A Bunnies

This is how good writers tell a story: The Near-Tragic Tale of An A Bunnies .

I wish I could put words on paper like that - many of the things she describes, my dog does too, but this blogger makes it sound so funny.

The Asian Vegan Kitchen

I love Asian food and now that I am vegan, I would love to try recipes from
The Asian Vegan Kitchen by Hema Parekh, like Vietnamese Fried Rice and Korean Noodles.

(please do not buy the book on amazon)

The dish on the cover is probably very good but does no look very appetizing - it is not a minimalist style dish. :)

Idlewild Books

"On Sunday, April 20, Idlewild Books will open near Union Square in New York City with an inventory of 6,000 titles, all of them arranged according to country."

This is so cool! I would love to see their Russia, Japan, Australia and Bhutan selections. Also, the store will have "a strong humanitarian emphasis" with portions of proceeds going to refugee programs.

And this is first time I hear it - Idlewild is the former name of JFK airport!

Meet Clive Owen

"Academy Award–nominated actor Clive Owen (Closer, Gosford Park, Inside Man, Children of Men) comes to the Apple Store, SoHo, to talk about two upcoming film projects — The International (with Naomi Watts) and Tony Gilroy’s Duplicity (opposite Julia Roberts) — and to take audience questions. Friday, April 25, 6:30 p.m."

I would love to see him in person but hate stampedes.

World Week for Animals; Olympic Games

Get active during World Week for Animals in Laboratories - join or plan an event between April 20th and 26th.



I love Olympic games, but not going to watch or support the Olympics in China this summer. Besides human rights violations, here is another reason: the Chinese fur industry.

Drugs, Japanese and Monks

I was doing chemistry homework and one of the questions was to find the name of the drug that caused birth defects in many babies. First thing that showed up in search was Thalidomide. It was taken as a sleeping pill and to treat morning sickness during pregnancy and just one dose could result in a baby born with flippers!

"In 1961 scientists discovered that the medication stunted the growth of fetal arms and legs. In fact, taking only one dose of thalidomide early in pregnancy can severely affect the growth of fetal limbs (arms, legs, hands, feet). It also puts the fetus at risk of other injuries, including eye and ear defects and severe internal defects of the heart, genitals, kidneys, digestive tract (including lips and mouth), and nervous system."

I've never heard about this and am very shocked by it.

Also, did you know that "there are more blog posts in Japanese than any other language"?

I think this is really really funny. I will print it out as a reminder to not take life too seriously.

I will also print this out, because reading it often will help me to"smile, breathe and go slowly".

On My Mind

So hot in here! It's been raining all day. Elephants walked last night - made me cry AGAIN. Feel bad for Dalai Lama. My dog might need an operation to remove a cyst - praying that antibiotics will work to prevent it. Don't want to see her in pain ever again. Keep listening to this. Need to be studying chemistry right now but my brain feels fried today.

Pit Mix Needs a Good Home

Tess is a petite, slender Pit mix.

She's had it rough. She was found on the street in Brooklyn, and she has scars that show that she was mistreated.

She doesn't seem to have sustained any permanent damage to her temperament, though. She's playful and affectionate.

Tess will definitely need basic obedience training, but she's intelligent and ready to learn.

To find out more about Tess (I.D. # A748223) contact the NYC Animal Care & Control at 212-788-4000.

Horse-Drawn Carriages in NYC

Please ask NYC politicians to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City.

"Many of these horses start working as carriage horses after a lifetime of working elsewhere. Many horses pulling carriages have been injured and killed in accidents, and people have also been seriously injured. The largest city in the country is no place for this outdated business. Major tourist destinations such as Paris, London, and Toronto have already banned this inhumane industry."

I would love to thank Council Member Tony Avella for introducing Ban on Horse Drawn Carriages, Int. 658/2007.

Also see: A Face-Off Over Horse-Drawn Carriages.

Shepherd Mix Needs Home

* 1-year-old female
* 62 pounds
* Healthy
* Good with kids
* Housebroken

Ginger used to live in a house full of kids. The upside? She loves children. The downside? She ended up at the shelter when her former family decided that they didn't have time to take care of her.

Ginger is a friendly, energetic Shepherd mix. She gets along well with other dogs. She's quite handsome, though she could stand to lose a few pounds.

Ginger would make an excellent addition to any kind of household.

To find out more about Ginger (I.D. # A748318) contact the NYC Animal Care & Control at 212-788-4000.

European Union Considering Banning All Seal Product Trade!

This is a great step towards stopping Cananda's slaughter of baby seals for their fur. Please take a few minutes to tell the EU you support a ban on seal product trade.

From HSUS:

"Twenty-five years ago, the European Union made history when it ended its trade in products from newborn harp seals. Commercial seal hunting in some countries came to a virtual standstill, and countless baby seals were saved. But the hunters began to kill the pups when they were slightly older -- and the products from those seals are legally traded in the EU. Today, some commercial seal hunts are twice as large as they were when the EU first took action.

But there is new hope for the seals. The EU is considering ending all seal product trade in the European Union, regardless of the age of the seals. This move would save millions of seals from brutal slaughter, and help put a final end to commercial seal hunting globally.

Right now, the EU is asking people around the world to submit their opinions on the historic proposal. Please take a few minutes today to tell the European Union you fully support a ban on seal product trade.

The deadline for the European Union to hear your views is February 13."

La Dame aux Camelias

This fall I went to see Verdi's "La Traviata" at the Met with Renee Fleming. While reading about the opera in the program I found out that it is based on Alexandre Dumas son's book "La Dame aux Camelias".

Afterward, I read the novel and the facts about the real courtesan that the story was based on. The book also mentioned the multiple movie and stage versions. I rented one of them: 1937th "Camille" with Greta Garbo. The DVD also had a a silent 1921 "Camille" starring Alla Nazimova.

Here is the comparison:

Met's version - beautiful music, sets and costumes and very talented Renee Flemming. Enjoyable.



Greta Garbo version - tough, sarcastic heroine. Garbo seemed too old for the role.



Nazimova version - fun to watch just for the crazy hair and mimicry. The sets are also hilarious and must have been out there for 1921.



"La Dame aux Camelias" novel version - although not a literary masterpiece, it was very interesting to read about life in 1850's Paris and how things were back then.

The real Marie Duplessis - "most celebrated courtesan of the times". Possibly was being offered to men by her farther by age 12. Dead by age 23. Apparently very beautiful and elegant, she "possessed a natural tact, and an instinctive refinement which no education could have enhanced."



I actually found her life story much more interesting than "La Dame aux Camelias". I wish there was a fictionalized version of it. Apparently there is a movie loosely based on her life: Dame aux camélias / Lady of the Camelias.

Rhynochocyon Udzungwensis

Soup Part Two

My "Martha Stewart" style soup saga continued today - I was not sure what to do with all the soup and vegetable broth leftovers. I thought I might need to buy plastic containers and was concerned how they were going to fit in our small freezer. Google to the rescue - apparently, you can put soup in Ziploc freezer bags. It came out so neat - you pour the liquid in bags, squeeze air out, seal and put bags flat in the freezer, separated with paper towels. After the content freezes, you can stack the bags any way you like. I now have 5 two cup portion squares of soup and 4 one cup portion squares of broth. Of course, I will reuse the bags later. I am so glad I did not have to buy tupperware type containers as we are trying to minimize our clutter.

I did OK with top priority tasks today - it wasn't like I took a nap or rested or surfed the web. I was doing stuff all day, but still did not get to some things that I wish to complete this weekend. But I did mail the package to my Mom. I get such a nice feeling imagining and hoping that she will like the things I sent her. I got her these boots:



My last trip to Russia I was hoping to get to experience the real winter. But all I got was grey sky and dirt. My suede boots got kind of ruined and I was looking for rubber boots everywhere, but the trend has not reached Russia at that point. My relatives thought I was crazy wanting rubber boots - that is something you would wear on the farm maybe. So, I am sending my Mom these cool looking and comfy boots so she can wear them when you have to walk through dirt everywhere.

I am also sending her jeans as it is hard to find classic looking good quality dark blue wash jeans there. I've been buying her Uniqlo jeans but now that I am boycotting Japan's whale and dolphin hunt, I got her a pair from Express.

Lab / Hound Mix Needs Home

"We know looks aren't everything, but if you want an attractive dog, Princess is for you. She's got handsome rich brown spots and a spray of freckles all over her white coat.

Princess has inner beauty as well. She's extremely sweet and gentle and loves to play, with people and dogs alike.

Princess looks to be a Lab/Hound mix. She was brought to the shelter because the child in her former home was allergic to her.

To find out more about Princess (I.D. # A746149) contact the NYC Animal Care & Control at 212-788-4000. She may be gone by the time you call!"

Soup!

I've been trying to follow the tips from the time management lecture I mentioned earlier. I prioritized my to do list this morning and am very happy that I did the top three things on it. Top two were "Due Soon, Important" - prepare package for my Mom to be mailed out tomorrow and prepare an English language "homework" for her. (I suggested that I can help her study English because we are hoping that she will come here one day, so I will be sending "homework" for her to translate, read and answer questions on.) These were "important" because I promised to send some of the stuff in the package awhile ago and I promised to send the lesson also, so my Mom has been expecting it.

"Not due soon, not important" fun task for the day was making my first soup ever. I followed this guide for vegetable broth recipe and I used the "17 Bean & Barley Mix" from Trader's Joe that inspired me to do this in the first place. The beans were so beautiful - they made me happy just to look at them. Here they are after the soak - a bit wrinkly and not as pretty anymore.



So it took and hour to make the broth and an hour for the soup - it has been an ambitious project. I will have the first bowl of my own first ever soup tomorrow!

I discovered Zen Habits blog yesterday. Just as I was procrastinating online, the post on overcoming resistance helped me to snap out of it and "The Minimalist’s Guide to Fighting (and Beating) Clutter Entropy" post gave me enough inspirations to do some things around the house that I've been delaying for some time.

Favorite Holiday Lights

Lectures by Randy Pausch

This article made me interested in this lecture and learning more about Randy Pausch. I also watched his lecture on Time Management that was really wonderful and helpful for me. I will do my best to follow his advice.