15 Things You Can Do to Help the Environment

I haven't had time (I'm working daily, Ali left this morning, Tita will leave tomorrow) to upload my pictures from Christmas with the family, so that post will just have to wait. But before we get too close to Dec. 31 11:59 p.m. I want to offer this link to anyone who isn't sure what changes they may want to make in the new year. Most of these suggestions are very doable.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit. - Nelson Henderson

 15 Things You Can Do to Help the Environment

History Of Human Rights

Fascinating!

Better Watch Out, Better Not Cry

We have the best kitties in the world. I've heard horror stories of other cats climbing the Christmas tree (Morrie), batting down the ornaments (Morrie), crunching on the little light bulbs (Morrie), tipping the tree over (Morrie), eating the tinsel (Rainbow - of course the tinsel showed up in the litter box the next day), peeing on the presents (read about it), etc. Our kitties didn't even look up when I brought the tree in. I think they know they're supposed to be good if they want Santa to bring them good things.

Tippy was walking around with tinsel draped daintily on her tail.

The first time any one even got close to the tree was to sit on the tree skirt.

 

In fact it seems like the place to be.

 

I get it - the sun is streaming in making the area toasty.

 

Obi - 'Hey Tippy, quit touching my foot."

 

Feet pulled safely in.

 

Settling down for a long winter's nap.

 

Meanwhile, Calvin's trying to figure out what all those goody-two-shoes are doing, as if Santa is real and you have to be good. Bah hum bug.

 

Too cool to be a fool.

 

I'll just wash and be stylin' for the ladies.

 

Santa, pfft! What a joke.

 

Gasp! What the? Do I hear someone on the roof?

 

In case you are wondering where Frosty Paws was throughout all this...

Layli's Inner Kitten//The Meeting

We have a lot of very silly kitties (not naming any names) but Layli isn't typically one of them. She pretty serious most of the time, ruling the roost of the upstairs kitties, maintaining control of the bed, etc. Once in awhile, though, she can be playful and allows her "inner kitten" to come out. I really love those moments!

Caught in the act with a little bootie.

What a tempting tummy. Like her brother Calvin she'll let us dive head first into that luscious belly and schmoozle till we've had our fill.

Ha! I see silly inner kitten coming out.

"The Meeting"

I believe I walked in on a discussion regarding the overthrow of the humans. Scary, yet not unexpected.

In The News: Diet And Cancer

I like to keep up with research findings in respect to a vegetarian diet. As a supplement to my post from a few days ago, here are some recent (all 2009) journal articles. Even if you don't read the descriptions, at least read the titles:

Vegetarians Less Prone to Cancer
Vegetarians are 12 percent less likely to develop cancer, compared with meat eaters, according to a recent study in the British Journal of Cancer. After following 61,000 meat eaters and vegetarians for more than 12 years, researchers also discovered that rates of cancers of the blood—such as leukemia, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma—were reduced by as much as 45 percent among those following a vegetarian diet. Previous studies have shown that vegetarians have as much as a 40 percent reduced risk for all cancers.

Key TJ, Appleby PN, Spencer EA, et al. Cancer incidence in British vegetarians. British Journal of Cancer. 2009;101:192-197.

Colorectal Cancer Rates Rising
Colorectal cancer is becoming steadily more common among young adults, according to an American Cancer Society analysis. Incidence rates among adults ages 20 to 49 increased 1.5 percent per year in men and 1.6 percent per year in women from 1992 to 2005. The increase may be tied to rising rates of obesity, a major risk factor for colorectal cancer. Increased consumption of meat (especially in fast food) over the past three decades could also be a key factor. Previous studies have suggested that diets free of red and processed meats and rich in plant-based foods may significantly reduce colorectal cancer risk.

Siegel RL, Jemal A, Ward EM. Increase in incidence of colorectal cancer among young men and women in the United States. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009;18:1695-1698.

Red Meat and Dairy Products Increase Pancreatic Cancer Risk
Fat from red meat and dairy products is associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, a new study finds. As part of the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, researchers analyzed the diets of more than 525,000 participants to determine whether there is an association between dietary fat and pancreatic cancer. This same study found no association between fats from plant foods and pancreatic cancer risk.

Thiébaut ACM, Jia L, Silverman DT, et al. Dietary fatty acids and pancreatic cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009;101:1001-1011.

Soy Foods Offer Breast Cancer Protection
Soy foods provide protection against premenopausal breast cancer when they are consumed during adolescence and perhaps even as an adult, according to new findings from the Shanghai Women’s Health Study. Researchers assessed the diets of more than 73,000 Chinese women during adulthood and adolescence. Those with the highest intake of soy protein or isoflavone had about half the risk of premenopausal breast cancer compared with those with the lowest soy intake, regardless of age at time of consumption. The study found no significant association between soy foods and the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.

Lee S, Shu X, Li H, et al. Adolescent and adult soy food intake and breast cancer risk: results from the Shanghai Women’s Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89:1920-1926.

(Taken from PCRM's "The Cancer Project" whose mission is Advancing cancer prevention and survival through nutrition education and research.)

The Dog Who Went Home With Santa Claus

We went to PetsMart Saturday to buy the puddytats some food and met a young woman at the front door holding a dog by the leash. She said she and her sister were coming off the interstate to find something to eat, when they saw a dog roaming around on the exit ramp. The dog, similar to the one in the picture, appeared to be well fed but had horrible scars and missing areas of fur from previous injury. Clearly she had been abused. Even so you could tell she was as sweet as could be. The girl was asking everybody if they knew the dog, could take the dog, could find a foster home for it, etc, since she was heading to another state and had to get back on the road.

There we were, two non-dog people with eight cats in the house who love animals so much.... we couldn't just walk away. After trying unsuccessfully to reach multiple rescue people/dog people by phone I called Shirin to see if she had any advice. Her suggestion was logical but sounded like a 'last resort plan' so we kept trying to help the girl by asking every person that walked by if they could take the dog or knew anyone who could take her. It was cold and windy and I don't know how long that girl had been standing there but we were determined to help her. My first reaction in situations like this, of course, is to offer to take the animal home (that's why we have eight cats.) I want to give it comfort and sustanance and love on it, but we don't have the appropriate accommodations for a dog. So Saeed approached EVERY person who walked by, even the little old lady with her granddaughter who could barely walk with her cane. (I whispered to him, "Find someone younger than that!")

Finally Santa Claus showed up, literally. An older man, wearing a Santa Claus cap, and his wife walked towards the door with their own dog, Buddy, a young white Lab-mix (?) that they had taken in from a woman who was sick with leukemia. They had come to the store for two things: 1) to let Buddy pick out his Christmas stocking and 2) to try to find him another dog to play with, a friend to keep him company. Saeed and I almost cried with relief. The two dogs sniffed each other and were wary but interested, the girl saw her opportunity to leave and took off, and Saeed asked the couple if we could buy them the first bag of dog food. They agreed and took the sweet scarred black dog to their car.

Buddy still got to go in to pick out his stocking. I do believe in Santa Claus.

Hamster Wheel For Kitties

Now I know what to get my fat kitties for Christmas:

Recipe For Soy Nog

Ingredients:

2 pkgs silken tofu (10 oz. each)
16 oz. vanilla soymilk
2 Tbs. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 Tbs. ground turmeric
1/4 Tbs. cinnamon
1/2 to 1 cup apple juice
nutmeg to taste

Directions:

1) In a blender combine all the ingredients except the nutmeg; blend thoroughly, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides.
2) Serve well chilled and dusted with nutmeg

(recipe and photo from www.liveliveveg.com)

Now here's the reason you should make it:

Soy Boosts Survival in Breast Cancer Patients

Soy consumption improves breast cancer survival, according to a report in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers found that women diagnosed with breast cancer who consume soy products, such as soymilk, tofu, or edamame, have a 32 percent lower risk of recurrence and a 29 percent decreased risk of death, compared with women who consume little or no soy. The report included 5,042 women in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, the largest population-based study of breast cancer survival, and followed them for a four-year period.

In the past, soy has been a controversial topic for cancer patients. However, an editorial accompanying this new study suggests that inconsistencies in prior research may be attributable to the comparatively low soy consumption in the United States, making beneficial effects harder to identify. In China, soy intake is higher and diets tend to include traditional food sources of soy, rather than soy supplements.

Shu XO, Zheng Y, Cai H, et al. Soy food intake and breast cancer survival. JAMA. 2009;302:2437-2443.

Ballard-Barbash R, Neuhouser ML. Challenges in design and interpretation of observational research on health behaviors and cancer survival. JAMA. 2009;302:2483-2484.

(from pcrm.org)

Nooshi Joon!

Tuf Cat Eetz Poinsettia N Survivz!

I always thought poinsettias were poisonous to cats and would never bring the plants into our house. (Once I even refused to buy a poinsettia from a friend who was selling them for her child's fundraiser and made her really mad! Actually that's a whole other story.) It's true that if a cat eats a large quantity it would probably cause some mild to moderate gastrointestinal upset but it's not toxic. I found this great list of plants toxic to cats along with a toll-free number at the bottom for the ASPCA emergency poison hotline. So, happy holidays and bring on the poinsettias!

Plants Toxic to Cats

Lilies. Members of the Lilium family are considered to be highly toxic to cats. Many types of lily, such as Tiger, Asian, Japanese Show, Easter, Stargazer, and the Casa Blanca, can cause kidney failure in cats. While the poisonous component has not yet been identified, it is clear that with even ingestions of very small amounts of the plant, severe kidney damage could result.

Marijuana. Ingestion of Cannabis sativa by companion animals can result in depression of the central nervous system and incoordination, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, increased heart rate, and even seizures and coma–even if they don’t inhale. But cats can get all the same fun without the buzz-killing side effects from marijuana’s cuz, catnip!

Sago Palm. All parts of Cycas Revoluta are poisonous, but the seeds or “nuts” contain the largest amount of toxin. The ingestion of just one or two seeds can result in very serious effects, which include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, seizures and liver failure.

Tulip/Narcissus Bulbs. The bulb portions of Tulips and Narcissus contain toxins that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation, drooling, loss of appetite, depression of the central nervous system, convulsions and cardiac abnormalities.

Azalea/Rhododendron. Members of the Rhododenron family contain substances known as grayantoxins, which can produce vomiting, drooling, diarrhea, weakness and depression of the central nervous system in animals. Severe azalea poisoning could ultimately lead to coma and death from cardiovascular collapse.

Oleander. All parts of Nerium oleander are considered to be toxic, as they contain cardiac glycosides that have the potential to cause serious effects–including gastrointestinal tract irritation, abnormal heart function, hypothermia and even death.

Castor Bean. The poisonous principle in Ricinus communis is ricin, a highly toxic protein that can produce severe abdominal pain, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, weakness and loss of appetite. Severe cases of poisoning can result in dehydration, muscle twitching, tremors, seizures, coma and death.

Cyclamen. Cylamen species contain cyclamine, but the highest concentration of this toxic component is typically located in the root portion of the plant. If consumed, Cylamen can produce significant gastrointestinal irritation, including intense vomiting. Fatalities have also been reported in some cases.

Kalanchoe. This plant contains components that can produce gastrointestinal irritation, as well as those that are toxic to the heart, and can seriously affect cardiac rhythm and rate.

Yew. Contains a toxic component known as taxine, which causes central nervous system effects such as trembling, incoordination, and difficulty breathing. It can also cause significant gastrointestinal irritation and cardiac failure, which can result in death.

Amaryllis. Common garden plants popular around the holidays, Amaryllis species contain toxins that can cause vomiting, depression, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, anorexia and tremors.

Autumn Crocus. Ingestion of Colchicum autumnale by pets can result in oral irritation, bloody vomiting, diarrhea, shock, multi-organ damage and bone marrow suppression.

Chrysanthemum. These popular blooms are part of the Compositae family, which contain pyrethrins that may produce gastrointestinal upset, including drooling, vomiting and diarrhea, if eaten. In certain cases depression and loss of coordination may also develop if enough of any part of the plant is consumed.

English Ivy. Also called branching ivy, glacier ivy, needlepoint ivy, sweetheart ivy and California ivy, Hedera helix contains triterpenoid saponins that, should pets ingest, can result in vomiting, abdominal pain, hypersalivation and diarrhea.

Peace Lily (AKA Mauna Loa Peace Lily). Spathiphyllum contains calcium oxalate crystals that can cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips and tongue in pets who ingest.

Pothos. Pothos (both Scindapsus and Epipremnum) belongs to the Araceae family. If chewed or ingested, this popular household plant can cause significant mechanical irritation and swelling of the oral tissues and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.

Schefflera. Schefflera and Brassaia actinophylla contain calcium oxalate crystals that can cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips and tongue in pets who ingest.

What do do? Should your cat eat part of a poisonous plant, promptly bring your cat to your veterinarian. If you can, take the plant with you for ease of identification. If you think that your animal is ill or may have ingested a poisonous substance, contact your local veterinarian or the ASPCA 24-hour emergency poison hotline directly at 1-888-426-4435.

(link to original article)

Which Artist's Version Do You Prefer?

One of Seal's biggest hits was the single "Crazy" which he released in 1990. According to Wiki "Crazy" was in the top 5 in the UK and in the top 10 here in the US. In addition to singing the song Seal wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music. In 2005 Alanis Morissette recorded her version of the song. Both follow -- which do you like better? (music, not video)

My State Of Veganity

nataliedee.com

I was vegan once -- it was great. After being a vegetarian for three years I went vegan for one full year. In my own life/home it was easy. Socializing and eating with others -- more difficult. For that reason and the fact that I love Persian and Indian dishes (adas polo tastes so much better with mast khiar and palak paneer has cubes of cheese) I decided to become a "Flexible Vegan" > definition: one who eats vegan when in control of food selection but vegetarian when under the control of others.

Any vegan will hate that definition. Whaddya mean under the control of others? Who's in charge of what goes in your mouth? All true. But if you are invited to a new friend's house (or an old friend for that matter) and they proudly fix you a vegetarian dish and are so excited about what they did... do you refuse to eat it? If you are at work on a busy day and the drug rep that provides lunch brings you a special big salad (no one else gets one; they all eat BBQ on white bread buns with hush puppies and coleslaw) that has shredded cheese and wedges of hard-boiled eggs on top but no meat... do you turn it down? (Remember, you're hungry as hell and didn't bring your own lunch because you were too busy kissing all the kitties before going to work so that they would be happy and snooze peacefully while you are gone for 10 hours.)

During my vegan years I was better about fixing my own food daily. I've gotten lazy in that respect. I spend more time on my computer these days and have acquired Apathetic Food Prep Syndrome (AFPS.) I actually enjoy food preparation but resent the time it takes when I have so little time for myself and after being on my feet all day I don't relish standing on them in the kitchen. As a vegan I also decided to kindly explain to the drug reps why I decided on this animal friendly choice, thanked them for bringing me the vegetarian option, but wouldn't eat what they brought me and ate my vegan lunch at the table with everyone else. Thus mealtime became a bit of an ordeal instead of the pleasurable social occasion it's meant to be.

Yet I am pulled DAILY towards veganism. I consistently drink soymilk instead of cow milk, I always decline "would you like cheese on that?" despite the fact that I love cheese, and I have even begun harassing my husband about the free-range eggs we buy because I've learned that those egg-laying hens suffer almost as much as the regular factory farm layers. We now only buy eggs from supposedly local farmers with cage-free, free-roaming hens... but I don't trust them. I don't trust anyone anymore. I love eggs as much if not more than I love cheese, but what happens to the hens when they're finished laying eggs? What happened to their brothers when they were discovered to lack the required egg-laying equipment? They got thrown into a garbage can to smother with their brothers or got ground up alive to become feed for other animals. (link) and (link) and (link)

I think I can only do one thing. Go 100% vegan again. I suppose there could be a circumstance in which I would relent but I can't imagine what it would be right this minute. And I do believe that being 99% vegan is better than being 90% vegan. It's all about reducing the animal suffering and taking a stance on an issue I find ethically compelling. I do not want to contribute to animals suffering any more than I have to, so any step in the right direction is a right step.

“Just how destructive does a culinary preference have to be before we decide to eat something else? If contributing to the suffering of billions of animals that live miserable lives and (quite often) die in horrific ways isn’t motivating, what would be? If being the number one contributor to the most serious threat facing the planet (global warming) isn’t enough, what is? And if you are tempted to put off these questions of conscience, to say not now, then when?” ~~ Jonathan Safran Foer in "Eating Animals"

New Food Discovery

I purchased this product at Earth Fare in an effort to find something healthy to eat with a sandwich (instead of chips) or as a snack. It sat on my panty shelf for a few weeks as I eyed it, not sure if I wanted to open it and get disappointed. I opened it yesterday and it is DELICIOUS! What a happy surprise. The company is called "Mary's Gone Crackers" and was initially developed by a woman who created wheat-free, gluten-free crackers due to an allergy. She made the crackers for herself for years but friends kept raving about them so she and her husband started this company. I can't believe how tasty they are for a "healthy" snack. They are unlike anything I've ever had before but the closest I can compare it to would be a pretzel (she does also sell the crackers.) So the next time Dr. R teases me about going to lunch to eat my sticks and twigs - I will!

Canine Caper

The title of this article in the UK's 'Mirror' is "Hunting dog shoots 2 men in Scotland". Yup. Two men who were hunting geese on farmland were shot by a dog. Apparently there was a loaded rifle lying on the ground and the dog stepped on it. The men were not fatally injured but hit in the legs with some heavy duty shot. As one of the men in the party was quoted as saying, "They [the guns] will have a heavy load because geese are relatively difficult to bring down." Amazingly this is not the first article to report such an incident.

Good doggies. It just seems so right, doesn't it? Justice does sometimes win out. I thought you had to wait till your next life to reap the rewards of your dharma in this life. Maybe that still holds true and in their next lives those hunters will be standing in front of a cannon when an elephant accidentally walks by and steps on it. Talk about heavy load! That's not mean; that's karma. :-)

Sorry Holly

Yesterday I felt really bad about cutting short my "chat" with friend Holly on FB. I was sitting in the living room with my laptop catching up a little bit with Holly when I heard a pitiful moaning sound on the other side of the dining room doors. Banu has the habit of calling me back over to her side by crying at the closed door. You might think I shouldn't respond, that by responding I'm reinforcing her crying for me. Exactly! I can't resist her pleas and neither can Saeed. If I don't get up quickly enough he'll call out to her, "She's coming Banu, she's coming!" Fortunately Holly is also an animal lover and was understanding. Here was her answer to me when I wrote to her later (preface: she's been out of town for about a week): "She's so worth it :) I miss my kitties, dog, lovebird, bunny and those silly goats right now!"

Kitties, dog, lovebird, bunny and silly goats? Clearly I need more animals.

The softest most fragile powderpuff in the house, Banu.

A Real Female Spy

I finished "The Tiger Claw" yesterday, a book I mentioned previously with a complaint about the author using French phrases I couldn't understand. Despite the aforementioned minor flaw it is one of the best books I've read in recent history. I won't detail the story because you can click on the book title above to read a better review than I could write, but I would like to express how shocked I was to find out that the main character was a real person who really was a spy in France during WWII.

How do you go about reading a book? Do you read a lot about the story before you actually begin the book for yourself? I don't. Of course I read enough about it to know I want to buy/borrow/mooch it and read the reviews of people who've read it already, but once I lift the book from my shelf I begin reading it as a blank slate. I want to be surprised. I want to read it as if I'm the first person ever to read that book. I want to discover on my own.

Because of this habit I had no idea that the main character wasn't fictional. Imagine my surprise when I went online to find out more about the author's reason for writing this particular story and found out that Noor Inayat Khan was a real woman who was given two awards for her services as a British secret agent. The last few chapters of "The Tiger Claw" elicit great emotion in the reader as the horror of the heroine's outcome is revealed, but imagine my sorrow when I understood that the sacrifices Noor made were genuine. What an incredible story.

My sister gives me all her books when finished knowing that if I don't like one I can always put it on BookMooch to give away. But because she doesn't use BookMooch I only give her books I think she'll like; she'll be getting this one. I also plan to read Khan's biography to get a more accurate account of Khan's life.

Thanks, Shauna Singh Baldwin, for writing yet another fantastic novel.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Who said turkeys aren't beautiful!?! (Ginnifer Goodwin is beautiful too, isn't she?) Make sure you watch the turkeys run, beginning at 35 seconds, and tell me that Calvin doesn't run just like that!! How cute can they be?

The Catnip Effect

I don't remember exactly when this video was taken but my comments reveal that it was during a visit from Cyrus. I had also taken some photographs but they don't do the event justice. A cat under the influence in a still shot looks exactly the way cats always do -- sleepy.

The Deer

I saw you leaping through my yard
Then stop beside a tree.
You’ve never been so close before
How could this even be?

I’ve seen your kind locked up in zoos
And dead upon the road.
To see you standing live and free
My feelings overflowed.

I froze in place afraid to breathe
Worried you would flee.
We looked each other in the eye
Time stopped for you and me.

I saw your fear and nervousness
Tails flicking in your woe.
You turned your heads both left and right
Unsure of where to go.

The tears began to fill my eyes
Emotions filled my heart.
Your habitat no longer there
Since man tore it apart.

The fields you graced now full of homes
Filling the expanse.
We moved right in and took your land
Without a backward glance.

Where would you go my gentle friends?
I couldn’t stay and so
I left for work still crying for
The stag and his sweet doe.

Animal Odd Couples

A heart warming story followed by some amazing pictures. I never get tired of animal stories.

Bella the foxhound and Maggie the fox have become firm friends at an animal sanctuary in Essex.

Little nipper Beldaran, an eight-week-old baby wolf weighing just five pounds, was adopted by Ulrok, an 18-month-old male Rottweiller when she was just four days old at the Kisma Preserve in Mt Desert, Maine, USA.

Paloma the pot-bellied pig lives together with owner Mico and her Jack Russell Terrier Dog Flippo.

A five-week-old boar, named Manni, plays with a Jack Russell terrier called Candy in Ehringhausen, Germany.

...Manni, who was found abandoned in the forest, is being hand-reared.

A young elk rescued from a flooding river by a farmer in Inje, Gangwon Province, South Korea. It was adopted by a female dog that breastfeeds and guards him. This picture is my favorite, I think because of the way their heads are so nuzzley together.

Three lion cubs feed on the milk of a mother dog after their mother abandoned them after birth, at the Safari Park in Hefei, China.

A mother dog nurses two red panda cubs who were abandoned by their mother soon after they were born, at a zoo in Taiyuan, China.

A mother cat is raising and feeding an adopted orphaned puppy whose mother died from postpartum hemorrhage, in east China.

A young fallow deer with a herd of cows in Ellund, Germany. The deer, which has been named Fritz by the farmer's children, has been living among the cows. What a bucolic setting! I'd be willing to live among the cows; maybe you'll see my picture next time.

Tinkabelle the sheep stands with her two dog friends. Tinkabelle apparently believes she is a dog after being lovingly nurtured by a pet labrador.

At Sriracha tiger zoo, Thailand, a proud mother with her babies. A tiger that has been raised on pigs milk looks after piglets as her own. (That concrete floor bothers me though. Since when do tigers live on concrete? Since man began abducting them for their viewing pleasure.)

Anjana, a two-and-a-half year-old chimpanzee, looks after his new best friend, a 21 day old white tiger cub, at T.I.G.E.R.S (The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species), in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

A tiger cub and a pig snooze together, at the Sriracha Tiger Zoo, in Thailand. I don't know why, but for some reason this picture is my second favorite with the animals spooning like a married couple in bed! In the back of my brain I worry about what happens when the tiger is fully grown. Will they keep him full enough to prevent him from seeing Mr. Piggie as pork? (Another damn concrete floor - I guess that's the M.O. for the Sriracha Tiger Zoo.)

Eight-month-old orphan elephant Themba, whose name means 'hope' in Xhosa, who has struck up a friendship with a sheep called Albert at the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa

Bea, a three-year-old giraffe, and Wilma, an ostrich, have become the best of friends at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Florida. Truly an odd couple!

Keep That Clunker!

Dan Shapley wrote an article for "The Daily Green" discussing the results of two studies done by Joshuah Stolaroff about the greenhouse gases formed by the production and discarding of "stuff." Look at this pie chart: Shapley writes, "The reports have the same conclusion: the stuff we buy and the packaging that comes with the stuff we buy represent our biggest contribution to global warming – far more so than the amount of electricity our stuff uses, or the amount of fuel our stuff burns on the highway.

As a nation, the products we buy, and the plastic and paper those products are packaged in, account for 44% of our greenhouse gas emissions – dwarfing all other sources of pollution. It's all about stuff. Good stuff, bad stuff, fuel-efficient stuff, organic stuff: The problem is too much stuff."

"... but Stolaroff's studies suggest that the types of products we buy and how much stuff we buy in the first place matter most. Choosing to buy products made from recycled materials, that can be repaired or recycled -- or choosing to rent what we don't need to buy ... these amount to some of the most important choices we make for the environment."

If you want to read the article for yourself click *here*, but first congratulate us on keeping our old blue car chugging along all these years. It's 22 years old and still carrying Saeed all around town. Stick that in your pie chart and smoke it!

FRONTLINE: "A Death In Tehran" on PBS

I think FRONTLINE is one of the best PBS shows ever. Beginning today, Tuesday November 17th, PBS stations will be showing this episode. Our station will show it Thursday and Sunday, so check the listings in your area.

Funny Newspaper Headlines

It's Monday, and I don't know about you, but I can always use a good laugh on a Monday. Click *here* to see some very funny newspaper headlines.

A Nutritionista's Lament

I find studies and articles on nutrition interesting, both from a scientific point of view and from a "what should I eat" point of view. Nevertheless I think we can all agree that they are all VERY CONFUSING!! My sister has a pretty good solution to this: eat a little bit of everything and somewhere therein lies the truth.

I stumbled across a great article that details the types of food studies and explains which ones are even slightly reliable. She does a great job of revealing all the problems with them not least of which is the honesty of researchers themselves! Remember when it was said that drinking milk helps you lose weight? The research was funded by the dairy industry and the lead researcher swore that wouldn't influence his results, but at the end of the day nobody could replicate his research.

So what's a nutritionista to do? I guess there's no harm in reading the studies as they are published, but take everything with a boulder of salt. Toward the end of the article the author quotes someone as saying, " “Eat less, move more, eat lots of fruits and vegetables.” For those who want more detail, she adds, “Go easy on junk foods.”

Heck, my dad said that 50 years ago.

"Where Was I?" -- An Apology

Where was I?

I was in the drive-through buying a bacon and egg biscuit for breakfast.
I was at the table eating turkey at Thanksgiving, ham at Easter, and hot dogs on the fourth of July.
I was at the county fair watching farmers bid on pigs and cattle.
I was at the circus watching the elephants stand on their hind legs and chimps in clothes riding tricycles.
I was at the shoe store with my mother buying sturdy leather shoes for school.

What was I?
I was a person sleepwalking through my life, as yet unaware.
I was an eater of animal flesh.
I was a wearer of the skins of others.
I was entertained by animals that had been trained by men with whips.
I was a product of my parents’ choices, of my society’s standards.

Who was I?
I was an animal lover, but sheltered from their suffering.
I nurtured an injured pet but was blind to the injuries of factory farm animals.
I cherished wildlife but was ignorant of the agony behind my
mother's fox fur collar.
I went to zoos but was oblivious to the forced confinement of the animals.
Unwittingly, I participated in the subjugation of all these innocent beings.

Where am I now?
Awareness has taken me to a place from which I will never return.
My eyes are open to see the suffering.
My heart is open to choose compassion over killing.
My mouth is open to speak of kindness, compassion, and gentleness.
My body is no longer a vessel for animal suffering.

I no longer choose to take advantage of those who are weaker
simply because I can.

What An Awesome Cat!

Can you imagine any of our kitties putting up with this? Neither can I.

Use English, Or Supply A Glossary

One of my favorite reading genres is foreign fiction. The author may or may not be foreign, but if the story has ethnic elements there are often non-English words. One of my pet peeves is for the author to omit an explanation, definition, or glossary for the mysterious groups of letters that mean nothing to me. Granted, some foreign phrases are well known in English. Is there anyone who doesn't know that "au revoir" means goodbye, or that "bambino" means a male baby or child? Probably not.

I'm currently reading a great book by Shauna Singh Baldwin (she wrote one of my favorite books "What The Body Remembers") called "The Tiger Claw" which takes place in Europe during WWII. She includes many French words, phrases, and even sentences. Some meaning can be gleaned from context or their similarity to English such as "Tres bizzare!" or "Merci, mon oncle". But if you don't speak French how would you know what "Venez faire de jolies grèves avec nous!" means?

Ms. Baldwin should keep writing her wonderful books and I will keep reading them, but she needs to do what Gautam Malkani did for his readers of "Londonstani" and provide a glossary.

Anahita's Visit...

... and Shirin's, Cyrus', Gabriel's, Lisa's, Kelly's, Mehrdad's, Marzieh's, and Lua's! Whenever the girls come home we have all sorts of gatherings. Although it gets crazy and messy it is so worth it. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked. Every 10 minutes I saw another photo opportunity but I was either too busy or my camera was in another room.

The reason Anahita chose this week to come for a visit (instead, say, the week of their birthday in October which was our first idea) was Shirin's schedule of a week off from her vet school rotations. We decided to do Thanksgiving dinner while everyone was home. In years past I cooked Thanksgiving dinner pretty much by myself. The process took two days and by the end I was too exhausted to enjoy it. Now that the girls are older and accomplished cooks in their own right the dinner cooked itself! How nice.

Thanksgiving dinner was cooked by the three Modaresi women in just a few hours. We had the usual vegetarian-adjusted traditional American Thanksgiving fare.

Although Shirin and Gabriel look like they just ate a huge turkey dinner, they really just reflect the energy level of a couple whose son is an 18-month old ball of nonstop motion.

Case in point: Gabriel is trying to pull himself away from his family in order to drive back to Athens for the week (poor guy had to work while the rest of us planned to play for the week) but Cyrus has other plans involving a puzzle.

Anahita could not keep her hands off her little nephew. I admit he is irresistible, but she had to make up for time lost since her last visit. At first Cyrus treated her a bit like a stranger and broke her heart, but you'll see how he quickly learned that his Khaleh Tita is a lot of fun and very sweet.

I love this picture

The newest of Cyrus' skills is puzzle completion. Shirin was so excited. His obvious frustration is exactly what I do when I can't get my computer to do what I want :-)


These videos were taken early in his puzzle completing career; he was a pro by the end of the week.

It wasn't long before everyone was dancing to Persian music in the kitchen.

Tita volunteered to give Cyrus his bath. He looks a bit dubious!

Not only did Cyrus come out squeaky clean he came out yawning.

Tita has the diaper-thing down pat. Cyrus loves his blue nighttime blankie. If he only knew that when his Khaleh Tita was little she had a bunny blanket that barely survived her need for it. I still have a shred of it saved in a box in the attic.

Yay! Mommy! Cyrus SO loves his mommy.

Now that Cyrus has seven teeth the brushing is no longer just a game...

... it's a necessity...

... that isn't necessarily appreciated by the owner of those seven teeth! Notice Shirin has a grip on him like she's holding a wild animal at the office.

Cyrus still has a thing for brooms. Looks like he's playing shuffle board.

Anahita (who looks better in her PJs than I do when I dress up) helps Cyrus into her sneakers.

He proceeded to walk around the house with his huge feet.

Tita changed diapers, gave baths, and fed meals to Cyrus. She knows the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Sniffy Joe still smells every flower he passes. Sometimes he even sniffs the tips of branches of bushes. Does he not get disappointed?

The autumn day was beautiful so off to Cherry Park we went.

Cyrus was being attacked by the foot:

The only escape was...

... to get down the slide FAST!

At one point Anahita got a phone call. She strolled down the sidewalk as she spoke, not realizing that Cyrus was following her.

Sitting on a rock with mommy.

We decided to take a walk around the park but we had to take the short route because Cyrus wanted out of his stroller.

Here we are at the Thai House for lunch. Both Shirin and Anahita love #65 on the menu (pad kee mow?) and so the day we went on an errand in Fort Mill the car just sort of turned north on I-77 and we found ourselves driving to the Pineville restaurant. Amazing how that happened.

Although Cyrus ended up loving the Thai food we gave him Shirin wanted to be sure he had something to eat and brought some yummies from home. Here he's eating cantelope and banana nut bread with soynut butter.

When we got home from the Thai House Cyrus needed a diaper change. His shirt under his overalls was a onesie, so Tita unsnapped the crotch and proceeded to take the shirt all the way off instead of just leaving it on. We laughed and laughed as Cyrus was stripped totally naked for a simple diaper change! As an interesting solution Tita put her jacket on him.

This is a very special picture. These four girls have been friends since kindergarten and all live in different states. Lisa on the left, lives and works in New Jersey, and Kelly on the right, lives and works in Florida. Both girls were in town and Anahita and Shirin invited them over for dinner. Tita cooked a delicious meal of zereshk polo, yogurt, salad, and seasoned "chicken" using a faux chicken product. It was so delicious that Lisa took a plate home to her dad who is an adventurous eater, and Saeed and I asked for her recipe.

Lisa brought her niece, Cassidy, to play with Cyrus. Cassidy is more of a Cheese-It eater than a zereshk polo eater, and you can see Lisa slipping her some Cheese-Its on a plate. I'm still finding Cheese-Its in my carpeting.

Kelly brought her four month old son Quinn. That's some hair style!

Kelly has beautiful hair, so Quinn needs to just hang in there.

Cyrus explains to Cassidy the purpose of a cat scratching post.

I caught Cyrus escaping all the women with a few good books in the hall.

The Yousefians came over for Persian breakfast and Saeed's famous Doe Piazeh Aloo (it's primary ingredients are onions, eggs, potatoes, and tomatoes and is everyone's favorite.)

Marzieh took the picture again, this time with me in it.

Since I'm always the photographer it's rare to have picture of Saeed and me together.

Later Cyrus gets a second helping of Doe Piazeh Aloo, lucky boy.

I hate how most of my pictures have ugly things in the background, like open dishwashers. I guess I just need to get over it. As I cook, clean, do laundry, and do the dishes, I get many lovely interruptions to be a lap for someone wanting something. So picture perfect or chaos? I'll stick with the chaos, the ugly backgrounds, and the cute little baby in my lap.

So my week of family has come to an end and I have to go back to work tomorrow. Bummer. I can always go back to this post to relive the fun we had this week.