Ecozen

A dragonfly in my tea!

2006-06-19T23:55:00.000+02:00

A new and pleasantly surprising tea discovery: "Dragonfly Tea" a brand we hadn't heard of before. The dragonfly teas we've sampled include the organic darjeeling and the Wu Xin green which comes in three different green tea formulations. Both the green and the darjeeling are somewhat mild, an asset in our opinion, and are really very satisfying, a bit like a fine wine that doesn't assualt your taste buds at the first contact.

We find that letting the darjeeling steep for a full five minutes or longer is preferable. Unlike many tea bag -- sachet -- teas, the dragonfly darjeeling doesn't seem to give everything up within the first two minutes of steeping, or become bitter. The dragonfly darjeeling, though pleasant enough after two minutes, really comes into its own after five. We were very glad at the "response," too. Drinking either the dragonfly darjeeling or one of the WuXin greens first thing in the morning or at tea time provides ample boost to encourage one to get on the with rest of the day's business.

We were particularly glad to see that the darjeeling was organic, both for the low environmental impact this indicates as well as the health benefits to us. Perhaps, this deeply mellow tea owes its uniqe essence to its being organic; maybe it contains just a bit more of the wonderful enzymes for which we drink tea in the first place.

Just a note about the green tea, as something of a green tea expert, having drunk it around the world, from a variety of sources, Chinese, Japanese and Indian, we find that steeping it in water that is not quite boiling is best. Pour boiling water into the cup or tea pot, wait about fifteen - twenty seconds, and then put in the tea bag for best results. The green tea seemed perfect after about only a minute of steeping, really fine, and as advised long ago by a Japanese grocer, "Okay to use once again."

Caged no.1

2006-05-16T22:16:00.000+02:00

Caged no.1
Originally uploaded by Orangutan Film Protection Project.

The mighty and majestic Hercules. I have never before met an animal with such a strong sense of knowing. These guys should be given a chance to keep living in their forests. Millions of hectares of land stands unplanted as pristine orangutan habitat falls under the guise of development.

Rescued from the Palm Oil plantations.
BOSF works hard to find new homes for displaced orangutans.
We need the entire palm oil industry to sign up to the principles of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.
Only when the entire supply chain recognises the importance of sustainable palm oil can we hope there will be a future for orangutans in the wild.

Find out more:
www.cockroach.org.uk
----------------------------------------

BBC1 16:30 Really Wild Show, Weds 17th May

Palm Oil story reaches a Younger Generation

Those of you in the UK keep your eyes peeled for the Really Wild Show on the BBC this Wednesday (May 17th) at 4:30pm.

The show will feature a special report on the palm oil industry and its negative implications for the protection of rainforests and biodiversity in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Tabbatha, loving you forever

2006-04-10T14:55:00.000+02:00

Tabbatha, loving you forever
Originally uploaded by zenera.

Our darling died in my lap at noon today.

RIP L98 1999-2006

2006-03-13T15:42:00.000+01:00

RIP L98 1999-2006
Originally uploaded by orcagirl.

Luna - an orca, a whale, a teacher, a messenger, a chief, a spirit, a dream, a friend, a warning, a test, an education, an experience, a realization, a protector, an awakening, an equal.

luna died today after being hit by a large tug boat. may his spirit be forever free

www.reuniteluna.com for news on the story

http://lunastewardship.blogspot.com/

Today's eclipse

2005-10-03T14:10:00.000+02:00

Today's eclipse
Originally uploaded by zenera.

You can see the eclipse reversed in miniature on the left

Accelerating Change 2005

2005-09-17T11:36:00.000+02:00

bloggzen - total immersion blogging technology innovation
molene - art animals blogging literature philanthropy ecology

"Artificial intelligence ("AI"), broadly defined, improves the intelligence and autonomy of our technology. Intelligence amplification ("IA") empowers human beings and their social, political, and economic environments."

The accelerating Change 2005 conference is on at Stanford.

This year there are many interesting speakers, including Steve Jurvetson of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Joi Ito of Neoteny, Six Apart Japan and Technorati, also Ester Dyson of Release 1.0 and CNET Networks.

Check out thier Flickr photos in the next few days to see the fun that was had...Steve, Joi, Estr

Technorati Tags: accelerating, change, 2005, technorati, stanford, joi, ito, esther, dyson, steve, jurvetson, conference, change, edventure, neoteny, fisher, draper, jurvetson, dfj

Please help Tabbatha's cousins

2005-09-09T11:17:00.000+02:00

Please help Tabbatha's cousins
Originally uploaded by zenera.

The animals need your help, please donate to these charities. Pleople who have lost everything are suffering even more because they are worried and devestated by having lost thier pets. Many of them were forced to leave behind thier animals and not allowed to take them to the shelters. These organisations are rescuing lost, trapped and abandoned pets in the Katrina aftermath..

The Networkforgood.org lists all the charities helping both people and animals.

Katrina people finder

Craigslist read this thread see if you can help, listing , help offered, lost and found animals etc. This is just one CALL THESE NUMBERS & HELP SAVE LOST PETS BEFORE A SHOOT TO KILL ORDER sign a petition to let people take thier pets with them!!!!

IFAW Animals Around the World Need Your Help

LA/SPCA - Hearts
Unleashed (9/5/05) A temporary shelter is set up in Gonzales, Louisiana, ...

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Providing direct support to help rebuild facilities and relocate animals.

Noah's Wish Helping to keep animals alive in face of the storm devastation.

United Animal Nations Providing emergency animal sheltering and disaster relief services.

American Humane Association Providing emergency animal services.

American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery Providing animal recovery and supplies.

Best Friends Animal Society Helping animal victims of the storm.

North Shore Animal League America Providing temporary shelter for pets.
_________________________

Technorati Tags: animals, pets, shelter, welfare, rescue, flooding, hurricane, katrina, new, orleans, donate, charity

Turtleish

2005-08-02T21:46:00.000+02:00

Turtleish
Originally uploaded by zenera.

Seals in trouble

2005-03-24T00:28:00.000+01:00

Seals in trouble
Originally uploaded by yeimaya.

Please sign this petition,only 5 more days til the Canadian seal hunt begins.
www.protectseals.org/?source=gabac8

I understand that the Canadian fisheries is in trouble and that many fishermen are unable to support their families. Also there is a belief that seals have contributed to the crash of fish populations. But I believe this way of solving the problem is .... horrible!

One of the problems is also the market. Are seal skin coats becoming popular again? If you have any friends who are thinking of buying one (?????) please ask them to think about where it came from.

I was on a whale watch boat in the 1970's before the marine mammal protection act was in place. It was spring and quite cold. A very friendly and enthusiastic woman was wearing the warmest thing there was in those days... a seal skin coat and couldn't understand why no one would talk to her.

Sometimes it is really hard to make the connection between the live animal and the things you wear or eat, I am guilty of that too.yeimaya
Photo © yeimaya

grizzly

2005-03-09T22:08:00.000+01:00

grizzly
Originally uploaded by tclifton.

The Wilderness Society

2005-02-22T17:54:00.000+01:00

Here is a message from The Wilderness Society, they need our help!

One of our last great wild places, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is under a sneak attack from the oil industry and their allies in Congress and the Administration. That's why The Wilderness Society has launched an all-out campaign to protect the Arctic wilderness.

But we need your help.

We need to send Congress and the Administration a strong message that we're NOT going to stand by and watch as America's wild places are sold off to the highest bidder. Click the link below to take action today: http://www.wilderness.org/Arctic

We can’t lose the critical battle to preserve this precious, threatened landscape which is inhabited by wolves, grizzlies, caribou, and millions of migrating birds.

This threat is more serious, and more dangerous, than ever before. Anti-wilderness forces in Congress hope to use a backdoor budget process to sneak this giveaway onto the same federal budget the government needs to function. They know that they don’t have the votes necessary to enact this ill-conceived plan through the normal legislative process that requires 60 votes to pass such highly controversial measures in the U.S. Senate.

Poll after poll has shown that the American people believe some places are so wild, so special, and so important that they should be off limits to oil drilling. Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would ruin one of America’s last unspoiled and irreplaceable wild places for just a few months worth of oil that won’t be available to consumers for ten years! There are far better ways to meet America’s future energy needs, like making our vehicles more efficient and investing in renewable forms for energy.

Please take a moment to remind your Senator that the vast majority of Americans want the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to remain just the way it is: wild, unspoiled, and free of oil rigs.

With your help, we will protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as an unspoiled legacy for future generations.

Stop the Sneak Attack on the Arctic Refuge!

Right now oil industry allies in Congress are plotting a sneak attack on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In the next two weeks, oil-friendly members of the House and Senate will try a sneaky backdoor trick to pass their unpopular proposal to drill for oil in the pristine Arctic Refuge by inserting it into the must-pass federal budget bill.

It's up to us to put a stop to this sneak attack by raising a ruckus. Send this message urging your members of Congress to keep drilling in the Arctic Refuge out of the federal budget bill.

About The Wilderness Society
We're spirited people protecting America's Wilderness since 1935 through the potent combination of science, advocacy and education.

Our Mission
Deliver to future generations an unspoiled legacy of wild places, with all the precious values they hold: Biological diversity; clean air and water; towering forests, rushing rivers, and sage-sweet, silent deserts.

"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."
The Wilderness Act

Audubon's Aviary

2005-02-21T11:59:00.000+01:00

artzen - art culture info expo

18 February - 27 March The New-York Historical Society (N-YHS) presents Audubon's Aviary

"For the first time ever the sounds of birds will accompany an exhibit of original Audubon watercolors when the New-York Historical Society (N-YHS) creates an "urban aviary" with its exhibition". It is being held in the second-floor gallery, Dexter Hall.

There is such a demand from the public, artists, historians, naturalists to view the paintings but because they are so fragile and light sensitive, the Society will only be displaying 40 of them once a year.

The fragile watercolors featuring life-size Snowy Owls, Loons, Egrets, Osprey and other birds are part of the society's 435 one-of-a-kind Audubon treasures purchased in 1863 from Lucy Bakewell Audubon, collaborator and widow of the buckskin-wearing naturalist.

John James AUDUBON Exhibit
Many events are taking place in conjuction with the exhibit.
Vist the NYC Audubon site.

Norwegian Wolves' Plight

2005-01-23T19:51:00.000+01:00

wolf
Originally uploaded by Trinity.

This is outrageous, please see what you can do to stop this! Do look at the WWF news page there are many other appaling things going on.

Norway to kill 25% of its wolves
By Alex Kirby BBC News website environment correspondent
The Norwegian government has decided to kill five of the country's grey wolves - a quarter of the entire population. More>>

WWF article
"If the Norwegian Environment Minister does not stop this hunt, he will have the dubious honour of allowing the regular hunting of a nationally endangered species," said Rasmus Hansson, head of WWF-Norway.

"Only last May, the Norwegian Parliament decided on a national goal of sustaining at least three family packs. The current hunt will reduce the number of packs to two, a clear breach of a parliamentary directive."

For more information: Rasmus Hansson, Secretary General WWF-Norway
+ 47 22 03 65 14
rhansson@wwf.no

L'officiel Tsunami

2005-01-22T19:47:00.000+01:00

francaiszen - la vie

I am very pleased to see that one of my favorite essential magazines L'officiel is helping the Tsunami victims, Bravo!

Do leave a comment about other initiatives you come accross.

Untamed by Steve Bloom

2005-01-18T01:03:00.000+01:00

fotozen - private view
bookzen - literary reviews

This is the most wonderfull resource, absolutely essential, a unique record of life on earth.

by Steve Bloom " />
Untamed by Steve Bloom
For more than ten years, wildlife photographer Steve Bloom traveled all over the world, roaming through the jungles of Borneo, the African savannahs, and the frozen banks of Antarctica to assemble this dazzling collection of photographs of animals in their natural environments. With an international range that is rare in books of animal photography, the 200 photographs in Untamed bring to life a vast panorama of animal diversity, and of the landscapes, climates, and habitats in which they live.

'Touching' wildlife captured on film
Ten years ago photographer Steve Bloom set out to visit all the world's continents and capture nature on film.via...BBC

See a video on Steve, shown on CNN, Discovery and National Geographic.

Bloggers Without Borders

2004-12-30T22:37:00.000+01:00

bloggzen - total immersion blogging technology innovation

The site has been launched earlier because of the great tsunami of aid that is needed now! Thank you for putting this together Jonas what a super idea and Joi for the alert.

Mission Statement
Submitted by Jonas M Luster on Thu, 2004-12-30 06:16.

While we work on some more pressing manners, such as the Tsunami Outreach program, let me quickly introduce Bloggers Without Borders to you, if I may.

BwoB was born in October 2004 as an idea by Sean Bonner. Sean quickly brought Jonas Luster, Xeni Jardin, and Wil Wheaton on board, and for the following weeks, Jonas worked on the technical side of things. When Sri Lanka and the South East Asian region fell victim to a 9.0 earthquake and the resulting Tsunami, we knew we had to bring online what we had.

This is, where BwoB is today. We continue to add features, and will introduce a few great ones in short order, but for the time being, it’s a weblog, a forum, and a means to communicate and coordinate.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition

2004-12-20T14:37:00.000+01:00

fotozen - private view

23 October 2004 - 17 April 2005

Come and see the best and most creative images of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition at the Natural History Museum.

Winner

Bronze whalers charging a baitball
Doug Perrine, (United States of America)

2004 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
2004 Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Undoubtedly the most prestigious of its kind in the world, the competition is organised by BBC Wildlife Magazine and the Natural History Museum.It has attracted over 18,500 images this year.

BBC Wildlife has the best and most informative writing of any consumer magazine in its field, all illustrated with world-class wildlife photography.

Pale Male and Lola

2004-12-12T15:47:00.000+01:00

I cried............. I have two beautiful geese, it is as though they had been dumped on a highway, far from their house and pond, they mate for life too!

Please blog this! thank you!

ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy

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Reuters - New York City Hawk Fans Intensify Protests Over Eviction

Google news, many pages about this outrage!

Audubon Press Releases > THE REMOVAL OF "PALE MALE'S" NEST SHOCKS NEW YORK City, State, and National Organizations Call for Action to Correct the Loss

Audubon New York is currently circulating a petition at nycaudubon.org to get the nest returned to its location, or barring that, the spikes upon which the birds have built their nest.

nyc.indymedia.org The hawks are flying around, confused and unable to find their nest. These rich idiots have no respect for anything, do they. CNN's Paula Zahn lives in the building, as does Kenneth Cole.Article here: Lot's more info on here about the people involved in this

The building owners - brownharrisstevens.com

Wing and a prayer
BY AUSTIN FENNER and TRACY CONNOR New York Daily News

Read the latest news on Marie Winn's site, she has been thier champion for years and wrote a book about pale male and Lola>>>

mariewinn.com - LOLA LEAVING THE FIFTH AVENUE NEST [a few months before its destruction]
Photo by Lincoln Karim

Red-Tails in Love A Wildlife Drama in Central Park by Marie Winn [1998 Pantheon, 1999 Vintage]

This is the whole article from the macontelegraph.com

"A bunch of insensitive louts

Since 1993, an unlikely resident named Pale Male and his female companions have lived 12 stories up on a cornice of a ritzy New York apartment building. He has sired, depending upon who's telling the story, up to 23 offspring in his formerly breezy home, which had a neat view of the city's skyline and nearby Central Park.

Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk and a member of an endangered species, is inarguably the world's best-known bird. His fans have crossed oceans to watch the hawk, who for years has dutifully helped raise his families in the heart of a city rather than in the wild, as most hawks prefer.

So named because his colors are not as vibrant as most male red-tailed hawks, Pale Male was the star in a book by author Marie Winn and the subject of a PBS documentary film as well. Newspapers and television stories annually feature the hawk's adventures, and birdwatchers have been known to camp out on the street, waiting to see the hawk's offspring take flight from their 12th-floor nest.

But no more. The rich and powerful people who own the building at 927 Fifth Avenue and 74th Street apparently decided that having the hawk nest on their building was too much of an inconvenience. Bird droppings and such affronted their sense of decorum, so they had the nest destroyed and removed vital rods the hawk had used to anchor the nest to withstand strong winds.

Not all the tenants agreed with the action. Actress Mary Tyler Moore, a resident of the building for 15 years, announced she was amazed and outraged by the "insensitivity" of the action. She and her husband opposed the nest's removal, but to no avail. Numerous Pale Male fans are attempting to convince the tenants to permit the bird to rebuild its nest.

The tenants own the building, and they apparently didn't break any laws in removing the nest. They had the legal authority to do so. But Moore and others critical of them are absolutely right. The building's owners demonstrated that they are insensitive louts who have no desire to see the bigger picture that others found so appealing.

Merry Christmas, Pale Male, from the bunch of Scrooges you unfortunately chose to live among". MaconTelegraph.com

"Since 1993, Pale Male sired 23 youngsters from nest, inspiring a book and a documentary film".BBC

BBC links>>>
New York Times
City of New York Parks
Audubon Society
US Fish and Wildlife Service

PBS film
PBS Pale Male film

NYT article

palemalethemovie.com
Frederic Lilien - Director, Producer, Editor
Joanne Woodward - Narrator

The Gothamist - Hawks' Nest Is Removed; Co-op Happy, Others Outraged "The Pale Male website is telling people to email the Fish and Wildlife Services to say that the nest was active up until its removal". - read the comments!

Ingrid Spangler is in New York and is blogging this live, here,
with photos here.

Top Scientists Launch RealClimate.org

2004-12-10T11:23:00.000+01:00

ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy
bloggzen - total immersion blogging technology innovation

Team of Renowned Climate Experts from Europe and the US Create First-of-a-Kind Climate Weblog

Today, top climate scientists will launch a unique website to provide commentary on the emerging new results from climate science. The site is designed as a tool for journalists and members of the public, and will provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary. The discussion is restricted solely to scientific topics and will not address political issues.

"We are trying to ensure that science doesn't get trampled by politics," said Gavin Schmidt.

"We hope this site will serve as a resource that can challenge mis-representations or mis-understandings of the science as they occur in real time," said Michael Mann.

Schmidt, Mann, Stefan Rahmstorf, Rasmus Benestad, Caspar Ammann, Ray Bradley, William Connolley, Eric Steig, and Amy Clement are all contributors to the site. This group includes two "Scientific American 50 Research Leader" award winners and recipients of prestigious fellowship awards from the McDonnell and Comer foundations.

Information on the site includes commentary on breaking news such as the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment as well as the latest scientific findings on greenhouse gases, the paleoclimatic record, climate modeling, and connections between the sun's variability and climate.

The scientific contributors work in their personal capacity, and receive no financial compensation for this work.

Journalists may also read their biographies, request more information, or reach the scientists through the site www.realclimate.org or contact the scientists directly:

Gavin Schmidt 212-678-5627 gschmidt@giss.nasa.gov
Michael Mann 434-924-7770 mann@virginia.edu
Eric Steig 206-543-6327 steig@ess.washington.edu
Stefan Rahmstorf +49 331 288 2688 rahmstorf@pik-potsdam.de(Germany)
Rasmus Benestad +47 2296 3377 rasmus.benestad-at-met.no

Ecology Conference/Retreat

2004-11-28T15:39:00.000+01:00

Ecology Conference/Retreat
Following an Ecology of Hope - The Franciscan Way - February 4-6, 2005

- With Ilio Delio, OSF, Franklin Fong, OFM, James Lockman, OFM, Keith
Douglass Warner, OFM.

We would appreciate if you could help us send out the message about
the importance of this event. We have brought together several well
known Franciscan ecologists to speak about and focus on ecological
issues affecting our world today.

Pope John Paul II named St. Francis of Assisi the patron saint of
ecology, commenting: "St. Francis is justifiably ranked among those
famous saints who have respected nature as a marvelous gift of God to
Humankind…" Come and spend the weekend with four Franciscans whose
love and concern for ecology will be an inspiration as we celebrate an
ecology of hope.

Highlights of the weekend include:
-Learning about Franciscan ecology
-Exploring the Native American section of the Desert Botanical
Gardens
-Discovering how we can measure our individual footprints on Mother
Earth
-Hearing how St. Bonaventure writes about creation as God's
self-revelation
-Comparing our use of resources with the Native American use of
resources
-Participating in sacred rituals
-Meeting Liza from St. Anthony's Farm in Petaluma, CA
-Eating good food and having fun!

Additional conference information

pdf brochure

Franciscan Renewal Center
Casa de Paz y Bien
5802 E. Lincoln Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85253

480.948.7460
800.356.3247 - toll free
480.948.2325 - fax
www.thecasa.org
casa@thecasa.org

Battersea Dogs Home Christmas Reception

2004-11-25T19:09:00.000+01:00

This is an extremely important event for all the beautiful creatures who are depending upon your help!

londonzen - park life

14th December 2004 Battersea Dogs Home is delighted to hold our exclusive second Christmas Reception for our supporters, which this year will be held at the Victoria & Albert Museum on Tuesday 14th December.

The evening will be very special with the chance to meet the Homes' Trustees, staff and of course some of our dogs. Wine and canapes will be served in the Dome and guests will be able to view many exhibits in the Medieval Treasury throughout the night.

We shall be drawing the top three prizes from this years' Christmas Raffle and each guest will be entered into a free prize draw for a brand new Samsung Digital Camera.

Tickets cost £35 and all proceeds go towards the care of the dogs and cats at the Home.

If you would like more information about the event or would like to book your tickets, please call 020 7627 7886 or email the Fundraising Team. We look forward to seeing you there.

World AIDS DAY 1 December 2004

2004-11-24T15:15:00.000+01:00

This year in the UK, World AIDS Day is
about reminding us all that HIV is an issue for everyone.

The British Environment and Media Awards 2004

2004-11-24T13:40:00.000+01:00

BEMAs 2004 Presented by WWF

Winners from television - news and documentaries, print - newspapers and magazines, radio, websites and campaigns were honoured on 23 Novemmber for the vital role they play in communicating the importance of protecting the environment and alerting people to the dangers inherent in not doing so.

Winners list

Dusty Gedge received the Andrew Lees Award for his success in persuading developers to install "green roofs" – hundreds of thousands of square metres of greenery – on rooftops at London’s Canary Wharf, the City and other developments.via..The Scotsman

BloggerCorps is born!

2004-11-21T19:39:00.000+01:00

Rebecca MacKinnon had a tremendous idea at Bloggercon III, Bloggercorps, now it is live, do see what you can do to help.

bloggzen - total immersion blogging technology innovation

Bloggercorps is simple. It's a blog.

No office. No admin. No fund-raising. No funds. No staff. No meetings.

It will evolve organically based on the needs of the people who wind up using it.

For starters, here's the plan:

- The authors (a wide-ranging group comprised mainly of bloggers, activists, and tech organizations who work with non-profits) will post announcements on behalf of organizations who need help starting blogs or building blogging communities.

- The posts will be categorized according to the organization's geographical location, and in some cases its main focus issue.

- Bloggers interested in helping that particular organization can express their interest in the comments section attached to that post.

- The organization will then decide which of the volunteers it wants to follow up with.

- All arrangements will be made directly between organizations and bloggers. Bloggercorps will not mediate.

- We are not raising money to put people on planes so in most cases the idea is to match organizations located in a particular place with bloggers living in the same place.

- If situations arise in which organizations cannot find volunteers living in their area, we may be able to point them to foundations or philanthropic organizations who might be in a position to help fund travel for blogger-volunteers. But we won't do your fundraising work for you.

- Bloggercorps is non-partisan.

Check it out.

Gencache

2004-11-20T01:03:00.000+01:00

Welcome Aboard!

Gencache is an online healthcare networking community that connects people during their healthcare adventures

Make Contacts who really Care.

What does Gencache mean?

Gencache (pronounced Gen-cash) means generating your own personal cache of healthcare adventures

Gencache is a unique way to store and share your healthcare adventures
-------------

from the Gencache Blog

Gencache - here we are
Hello!

I'm part of the founding team for Gencache http://www.gencache.com/ , a company focused on creating social networking solutions for healthcare collaboration.

Started Gencache earlier this year after noticing that most of the health portals out there do not have too much of an interaction or collaboration between members going, other than replies to message boards.

Was spending lots and lots of time wading through healthcare messaging boards, ocean of messages and replies to a message, regarding any healthcare condition or symptoms.

One might ask: Why spend so much time on the internet? Why not go to a physician and get an official opinion?

The answer to that has always been a fascinating mystery to me.

I have always had this "delay" in getting myself to go for a doctor visit or an annual medical checkup.

Personally find it better to quickly do some research on the internet. Then I feel as though I am prepared to ask the right (or one may say perceived) questions when I go for a visit to the doctors office.

I totally agree though that the internet in no way replaces an official opinion from a healthcare professional or a physician.

In my healthcare related searches on the web, found it pretty frustrating that I could not get a time point comparison between some individuals having the same demographics as myself.

So thought and thought and.....

Thought of providing a web service that combined aspects of the social networking model (linking people) and adding to that a unique way to share and collaborate about their healthcare experiences.

So took a shot at coming up with the actual web offering and not just remain stuck with an idea.

Phew the product development was a pretty decent effort, especially since we literally bootstrapped all the way, getting consultants/friends in on a need basis.

Launched a preview version of Alpha on September 4, 2004. It was by invitation only for demos at that point.

We have now opened up Gencache for everyone as of last week.

We would love your feedback and hope you can try out the service. Please remember that we are still in Alpha, and every feedback that you provide us with makes our product better from a healthcare collaboration perspective.

Do check us out

http://www.gencache.com/

Cheers,
Jay

Ok!
Questions about
Whether we plan to be a company like WebMD ?
Whether we plan to be a company like Friendster or LinkedIn ?

I'll answer those soon in my next post.

Outfoxed!

2004-11-19T21:56:00.000+01:00

What about Fishing and Shooting?

"The English country gentleman galloping after a fox - the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible". Oscar Wilde

Hopefully for Monsieur Renard and friends this will end, not only in England but everywhere. (No nipping across to France!)

Hunt ban forced through Commons - Hunting with dogs is to be banned from February after the House of Commons forced through legislation.via...BBC

I sincerely hope that all the hounds will be well looked after when they cease to be useful for "Sport". Many hounds, Beagles live and die in misery.......

Whilst looking on Goooogle for Beagle tests I found the image above and it's site!

Places of Peace and Power by Martin Gray Reviewed by KJR for Bookzen

2004-11-19T17:32:00.000+01:00

bookzen - literary reviews

Places of Peace and Power is a book about the ancient sacred sites around the world and why they are so interesting. Enjoyable and stimulating on many levels, this is a travel journal describing the process of researching, traveling to, and searching out a variety of the world's oldest, sacred religious sites; yet it is also an exploration of various forms of Eastern religion and meditation practice; as well as a guide to a variety of obscure historical notes and esoteric philosophies.

Martin Gray's overall thesis about why ancient sites are important today is based on a series of visions he had while on his journey to the sites known to the ancients for millennia. Gray believes that by using a kind of telepathic mental, spiritual, and cognitive power, humanity will figuratively join hearts and minds to create a force field that will empower us to make it through the social, political, and environmental crises that loom just over time's horizon. And humanity wll not be entirely alone in this effort. Aiding us to overcome our current low coping threshold will be the earth itself. Planetary energy fields, according to Gray's visions, emanating from the sacred places of power, will act as acupuncture points, to transform a critical mass of "seekers," igniting a chain reaction of enlightenment that will echo round the globe.

Gray's thoughts about his "unified being awareness and the age of global awakening" are not entirely new. Some of this is similar to the so-called 100th monkey theory of distance learning, which holds that as a critical mass of members of a species learn a new coping strategy, others in the species simultaneously learn it, too, possibly through a kind of shared telepathy. Gray's idea about humanity sharing a vision, his "unified being awareness," is also much like the planetary awakening foretold by Arthur C. Clarke in his novel "Childhood's End." It is even shares concepts with the events foretold in newspaperman and Internet guru Dan Gillmor's book, "We the Media," also reviewed on this site. According to Gillmor, as a critical mass of bloggers, chatters, and mobile photo phone users establish and maintain alternative communications channels that criss-cross the globe, we are shifting our perceptions of social and political events, as well as our perceptions about ourselves.

Humanity's coping with the ecological and political disasters confronting us is also the basis for much of classic science fiction, from William Gibson to Frank Herbert to H.G. Wells. Gray is almost like a latter-day Buckminster Fuller, whose message is that humanity must and will cope successfully, with mother earth's help. In a refreshing way, though Gray's thesis is spiritual, he is not offering an apocalyptic vision or simply saying "god will provide," nor is he turning his back on society's problems as has been the tendency of late. His message is similar to that of the Gaia movement. As Gray himself notes, even Carlos Casteneda, writing about mystical power in the don Juan books, discusses similar concepts about the energy our earth has to offer us. Perhaps the universality of Gray's concepts only goes to prove his point that the "unified being awareness" is already occurring.

Despite its currency in the culture, Gray's thesis will still be implausible, possibly laughable to many, as he himself admits. Nevertheless, the book is greatly enhanced by Gray's down-to-earth good sense and straight-forward narrative. Gray is credible and sounds authentic, like someone who is truly well-educated, with the common sense of a man who has been successful in business. He is an anthropologist, a professional-level photographer, and has travelled around the world several times (largely on a bicycle, no less!), meditating and listening to the messages the places of power have to offer.

According to Gray, you will know well enough by now, reading this review, whether this book is for you. If you have had a hankering about visiting a particular cathedral or mountain hot spring or runic dolman, you might want to read this book. If you have stood at the rim of the Haleakela volcano in Maui and felt the earth's energy surge through you, if you have looked out at the jungles from atop a pyramid in Mexico and felt the awesome vision of the architects who built them, or if you have heard unseen heavenly choirs while standing in the small stone stall where Saint Francis of Assisi sold cloth as a young man, things I myself have experienced, or even if you just have wondered how the people of the earth are going to surmount the gordian knot of troubles that face us, you will find in Martin Gray a kindred spirit.

Mr. Gray also gives slide shows about the places of power and the visions he received there. His book and more information, including photographs, are available online at sacredsites.com and nomadics.net

BioAgenda 2004 Summit December 5-7

2004-11-18T13:34:00.000+01:00

This is a very important event, thank you for making it.

bloggzen - total immersion blogging technology innovation

BioAgenda 2004 Summit December 5-7
Registration Now Open!
Come hear 50 speakers - top scientists, thinkers, entrepreneurs, activists, financiers, artists, and more - present opinions, demonstrations, a play, exhibits and more about the most crucial issues and the most innovative discoveries in cutting-edge life sciences.

BioAgenda is gearing up for it's 2 1/2-day Summit for leaders and thinkers at the fabulous La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, California. Reserve your spot now and continue to check for updates about speakers, topics and offerings.

Artwalk NY

2004-11-17T13:38:00.000+01:00

Edward Ruscha, Hope, Olive, Spring, 1999, acrylic on canvas, 6 ft. x 5 ft. 4 in. (182.88 x 162.56 cm)

ARTWALK NY NOVEMBER 20 and 22, 2004
In November Coalition for the Homeless will again host ARTWALK NY. Now in its tenth year, our series of exciting events will once again include a Gala Awards Dinner, a morning interview between Event Chair, PETER JENNINGS, and this year's artist honoree, ED RUSCHA.

ARTWALK NY will also include curated walking tours of well-known and emerging artists' studios, as well as a party and silent auction. This year we also honor DONALD B. MARRON, Chairman of Lightyear Capital.

Chocolate lust

2004-11-15T15:28:00.000+01:00

Chocolate Pussy

Libido linked to love of chocolate From correspondents in London

WOMEN have compared chocolate to sex for decades. Now doctors have discovered a scientific link between the two.

Desirable ... female chocolate lovers have a higher sex drive.

According to Italian researchers, women who eat chocolate regularly had the highest levels of desire, arousal and satisfaction from sex. But for men, the findings of a British study were not so good.

Chocolate Girl by Deacon Blue one of my favorite songs.

On your next date why not meet for chocolate! But I urge you to buy chocolate that helps the small farmers just as for coffee be responsable. "Chocolate War in Ivory Coast - UN officials and foreigners being ..."

Chocolate Show NY
Chocolate Companies

Cocolate body paint!

Blogexplosion

2004-11-14T16:37:00.000+01:00

This seems to be working, it can be addictive...

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Salgado

2004-11-09T23:15:00.000+01:00

fotozen - private view

londonzen - park life

artzen - art culture info expo

bookzen - literary reviews

Salgado - reviewed by KJR for bookzen

Finally after twenty years, Sebastiao Salgado's images are being published, as described in an excellent article in the New York Times. Considering himself a photojournalist of the world's less fortunate, the Brazilian photographer uses the camera to bring information to others. He says of photography,that it is only a language: what is more important, is what is being discussed. Though Salgado, like Atget, Cartier Bresson, Ansel Adams, Lee Miller, Robert Frank, and Stieglitz, can say this since the language his Leica produces in his hands is highly articulate.

Reportedly, this book Sahel:The End of the Road, was not published earlier because agents and publishers who saw the images were reduced to tears, and felt that no one would want to buy such a book. Salgado, who has taken photos in Vietnam, India and Africa, responded that it is our moral obligation to understand the fate of the others! So much for spin, design over content, ignoring what is really going on, and Fox News. Perhaps, quite tellingly, the book is not being published in the heartland, but by that bastion of eccentricity (thank god!), The University of California Press, as a joint project between the departments of photography and journalism at Berkeley. Not surprisingly those bystanders to the War on Terror, France and Spain thought the book important enough to be published way back in the mid-eighties. (Is there a connection between that event and recent international headlines?)

---------------
The Instituto Terra, a non-profit organization created by Sebastiao Salgado and Lelia Wanick Salgado, proposes a highly innovative approach to Brazil's deforestation crisis.

How to help
--------------

Power: Auction at Bloomberg, Nov 17th 2004 - An auction of
prints by world-class photographers

Mighty names from the world of art and documentary photography have donated 60 power-inspired prints for a charity auction on Wednesday 17 November at the Bloomberg auditorium in the City.

For the second year running, PhotoVoice has invited world-class photographers to contribute to this prestige event whichwill raise money for its projects around the world.

Among the contributors are Sebastiao Salgado, Juergen Teller, Sarah Moon, and Philip Jones Griffiths. Particularly compelling are images of George W. Bush (Larry Downing/ Reuters), Kevin Spacey outside the Old Vic (Nobby Clark) and Yann Arthus Bertrand’s magnificent ariel shot of the Kenyan Savannah. Thomas Hoepker (Magnum Photos) has donated his iconic image of Muhammed Ali from 1966.

Wednesday 17th November 6.30-9pm £10 donation

Bloomberg L.P
39-45 Finsbury Square London EC2A 1PQ

Arctic Heat

2004-11-09T18:39:00.000+01:00

New Scientific Consensus: Arctic Is Warming Rapidly
Much larger changes are projected, affecting global climate

Reykjavik—The Arctic is warming much more rapidly than previously known, at nearly twice the rate as the rest of the globe, and increasing greenhouse gases from human activities are projected to make it warmer still, according to an unprecedented four-year scientific study of the region conducted by an international team of 300 scientists.

Impacts of a Warming Arctic: Arctic Climate Impact Assessment

ACIA International Scientific Symposium on Climate Change in the Arctic - Reykjavik Iceland 9-12 November 2004
Press Information

Above you can see the projected summer sea ice extent

Bhutan - the book

2004-11-03T16:18:00.000+01:00

bookzen - literary reviews

Bhutan Book
According to Guinness World Records, at over five by seven feet (and 133 pounds), this staggeringly beautiful photographic book is the largest published book in the world about one of the world's smallest countries. A limited edition of 500 copies will be produced. The $10,000 "price" (less than $100 per page) is a donation to Friendly Planet The worlds largest book can also be ordered on Amazon via...Kottke

The book was on display at poptech see more photos on Flickr

Au revoir Canelle

2004-11-03T14:42:00.000+01:00

This is utterly outrageous and frightfully sad. They shouldn't have been shooting the wild boar for "Sport" in any case.

francaiszen - la vie

Fury at killing of Pyrenean bear Only about 15 brown bears are thought to remain in the Pyrenees. One of the last remaining bears in the Pyrenees has been shot by hunters, to the fury of French environmentalists.

The 15-year-old female - known by game wardens as Cannelle - was surprised with her 10-month-old cub in the Aspe valley by a party on a wild boar shoot. Read more via...BBC

Ligue Roc - the association for the preservation of wildlife and the defense of non-hunters

Adopt a Red Howler Monkey

2004-10-28T14:45:00.000+02:00

Please see what you can do for them...they need your help.

Red howler - Alouatta seniculus
BBC description.

Every item you purchase in The Animal Rescue Site store gives back to animals in need, but items in our Support the Cause department give extra special care. Our aid package that allows you to Adopt a Red Howler Monkey is
a perfect example...

Read on to learn how you can help these furry friends, plus browse our hot store picks below.

YOU CAN "ADOPT" A RESCUED RED HOWLER MONKEY

No, the small and social red howler monkey -- and its trademark "roar" -- can't come live with you! But you can help provide the vital care and rehabilitation these
rescued monkeys require.

More than 30% of Colombia's native forests have been destroyed due to agricultural expansion and cultivation of drug plants. At the same time, poverty and civil war
have displaced many Colombians, resulting in high amounts of illegal wildlife poaching and trafficking...

One victim of these terrible circumstances is the red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus). Luckily, the nonprofit organization Fundacion Ecolombia is providing care for howler monkeys and other animals rescued from smugglers and poachers, with the goal of releasing them back into the wild, if possible.

For only $23 you can directly provide one full week of care,including nourishing food, veterinarian services and rehabilitation, for a rescued Colombian red howler monkey.To commemorate your gift, you or your gift recipient will receive a display certificate. Click here to learn more and make a difference for a rescued monkey!:

European Heroes

2004-10-20T13:27:00.000+02:00

I am so pleased that Jane Goodall has been chosen by Time to be in thier article on European Heros, if only there were more like her.

Photo - JENS SCHLUETER/DDP-AFP

Jane Goodall Britain
The Queen of Gombe - The legendary researcher raises her voice to help chimpanzees - and their human cousins - By Jeff Chu/London

Royal European Charity Premiere

2004-10-15T11:52:00.000+02:00

londonzen - park life

Monday 29th November 2004
Odeon, Leicester Square, WC2
7.15pm approx.
Black Tie

The Prince's Trust will be benefiting from the Royal European Charity Premiere of The Merchant of Venice in the presence of HRH The Prince of Wales, and you could be there.

Directed and adapted for screen by Academy Award Nominee Michael Radford, this modern translation of Shakespeare's timeless comedy drama boasts a hugely impressive cast including Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons, John Sessions and Mackenzie Crook (alias Gareth from "The Office").

The Merchant of Venice follows the fates and fortunes of a group of noblemen (led by Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes) and their interactions with moneylender Shylock (played by Al Pacino).

Don't miss this hugely anticipated film adaptation of one of Shakespeare's best known plays and your chance to join the stars on the red carpet.

Hearts in San Francisco Charity Auction

2004-10-12T14:07:00.000+02:00

artzen - art culture info expo

Roy de Forest
Wolf Heart
Estimate: $7,000-9,000
© Bill Zemanek Photography, 2004

Hearts in San Francisco
Charity Auction to Benefit the
San Francisco General Hospital Foundation

11 November 2004
6:30 pm (viewing) & 8:00 pm (auction)
SBC Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza, San Francisco

Hearts in San Francisco has been a sponsor-supported series of installations of heart sculptures in the Bay Area started in February 2004.

Over 100 heart sculptures by recognized and emerging artists appeared on sidewalks, plazas, parks, and street corners to celebrate the wide acceptance, tolerance and open-heartedness of the city.

This unique combination of fund-raising, compassionate community involvement and positive nurturing of artistic expression culminates at a charity auction of a selection of hearts to benefit the San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center. To learn more, visit www.sfghf.net.

Please visit www.heartsinsf.com for further information about the auction catalogue and absentee bidding, or to read more about Hearts in San Francisco.
Inquiries
Ellanor Notides
enotides@christies.com
Tel: +1 415 982 0982
Amy Kweskin
amy@rbpevent.com
Tel: +1 415 651 1811
via...Christies

The Nobel Peace Prize 2004

2004-10-10T13:17:00.000+02:00

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2004 to Wangari Maathai for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.

Peace on earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment. Maathai stands at the front of the fight to promote ecologically viable social, economic and cultural development in Kenya and in Africa. She has taken a holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights and women's rights in particular. She thinks globally and acts locally.

Plums

2004-09-19T23:01:00.001+02:00

Nature Notes by K

francaiszen - la vie

One sure sign that summer is passing, other than the yellowing and falling of the first leaves, is the passing of the plums. Now when we walk beneath the plum tree that just a week ago dropped a score of succulent plums into the rich thick grass overnight, we find only seven or eight plums, some of which have already fallen prey to the yellow jackets and African honey bees, so be careful which ones you pick up. I have been stung, and my finger swelled up and hurt as if I had hit it with a hammer. The geese have been stung, so prefer to wait on the terrace for me to find the good plums, which I then feed to them, saving a few for myself. A visitng friend, wary of the grass and bees and things unseen, picked her plums right off the tree, though we rarely do. When they are ripe, they will fall, and now they have almost all fallen.

Here in Molene, things happen quickly, dramatically, and then are over, usually within about two weeks. Three weeks ago, with pecks of plums hanging from the boughs, you had to be careful that the plums were ripe, yet I think we will have no plums at all a week from today..

Visit the Red Cross Open Gardens Programme

2004-09-19T21:22:00.000+02:00

londonzen - park life

The British Red Cross Open Gardens programme, established over 70 years ago, offers a rare opportunity to explore the secrets of hidden and private gardens not usually open to the public.

The programme has a most impressive list of beautiful gardens of all shapes and sizes throughout the UK. From hills and vales to inner cities, you can find some rare gems in the most unexpected places.

Open your garden
Would you like to open your garden?

A special Prince's Trust event in The City:

2004-09-19T01:30:00.000+02:00

Bridging the Gap
londonzen - park life

ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy

While The City is home to some of the richest concentrations of businesses in the world, its fringes include some of the most underprivileged boroughs in England.

On Tuesday 19th October at St Paul's Cathedral, The Prince's Trust is holding a special City event that will address this polarisation. Sponsored by Coutts and Co, Bridging the Gap will bring together CEO's and board level Executives of major Blue Chip corporations, key industry leaders and public sector organisations.

Sir David Garrard, Chairman of Minerva Plc and Sponsor of the renowned Business Academy in Bexley, has kindly agreed to address the audience as key speaker on the fundamental wealth/deprivation divide, and will be exploring ways in which City stakeholders can help Bridge The Gap in conjunction with The Prince's Trust.

The evening will begin with an exclusive champagne reception surrounding Nelson's Tomb, and will be followed by a private recital, tour of the cathedral and superb three course dinner.

Booking your place

Tickets for Bridging the Gap are £300 per head. All proceeds will go directly to The Prince's Trust. Through your support we hope to raise a sum that will help us make a significant impact to the skills and employment prospects of disadvantaged young people across London.

To secure your ticket: download the booking form. Print, complete and send it to the address provided no later than October 6th or call Naomi Edler on 020 7382 5137

POM Wonderful

2004-09-10T23:23:00.000+02:00

It is reviewed on Newsday,
I hope I can find some, but shan't be giving up red wine yet.

DRINK TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT™ The delicious, refreshing, intriguing POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice is here. It’s all-natural and has more antioxidant power than any other drink. Yes, more than red wine, green tea, blueberry juice, cranberry juice, orange juice and Noni juice.

Antioxidants are extremely important because they guard your body
against free radicals. These aren’t hippies from the sixties on the loose inside your body. They're molecules that can cause premature aging, heart disease, Alzheimer's, even cancer. So try some POM Wonderful and drink to your heart's content.™

Do visit the History
section of the site it is very informative, with about 5 pages.

RSA - Royal Albert Hall Conference

2004-09-10T20:19:00.000+02:00

This will be a super event do go if you can.

londonzen - park life

artzen - art culture info expo

On 11 October 2004 an international conference on the theme of 'human progress' will take place at the Royal Albert Hall.

The RSA has unveiled the programme for its international conference, ‘A Day of Inspiration', which will deal with the significant challenges set out in its new manifesto.

The debate will feature a number of high-profile speakers including RSA Fellows and medallists.

Click here to find out more.

Animal Cruelty Film at the Toronto Film Festival

2004-09-05T23:34:00.000+02:00

I found this message from a Cat forum member, I hesitated about copying it here thinking that in doing so it would benefit the perpetrators, but felt I had to. I have 7 cats they are my babies. Saint Francis was always right!

The film is called "Casuistry: The Art of Killing a Cat".

artzen - art culture info expo

The Toronto Film Festival

is planning to show a truly horrible film on September 14th in its "REAL TO REEL" section.

In 2001 three young men took 17 minutes to skin alive a sweet friendly stray cat named Kensington - and videotaped it. The cat was conscious, and in horrible pain while they performed this savage act with a dull knife.

A young female friend of theirs called the police. Policemen who watched the videotape broke down in tears and had to turn it off.

Now the Toronto Film Festival thinks it is "art" to show a documentary made about this sadistic act, though mercifully none of the actual cat killing footage is included in the documentary.

The film festival apparently thinks this is a topic worthy of debate. What's to debate? There's no gray area here. These three men are not celebrities, they're sadistic punks. Why glorify them, or give other young savages the idea that they can become famous if they do something repulsive enough?

If you'd like to protest - PLEASE PLEASE DO:

FAX the press office at: 1-416-581-0214.

You can address your faxes to: Michele Maheux, Managing Director,Toronto Film Festival or CALL: 1-416-934-3200

Badger cruelty hotline launch

2004-09-05T23:19:00.000+02:00

londonzen - park life

There should be something like this for ALL creatures!

A phone line is to be launched that will award £1,000 to whistleblowers whose tip-offs lead to prosecutions for cruelty against badgers. Police forces across Scotland are backing the confidential hotline, which is funded and manned by animal welfare groups. The number - 0870 240 4832 - will be advertised in a poster campaign and displayed on beer mats in pubs across the country upon
its launch tomorrow...via The
Scotsman

BadgerBadgerBadger

International Coastal Cleanup

2004-09-05T22:55:00.000+02:00

The International Coastal Cleanup on September 18, 2004

Join us Saturday, September 18 taking action to improve the health of our oceans and waterways—anyone can participate. The International Coastal Cleanup is the world's largest one-day volunteer effort on behalf of the marine environment.

In 2003 more than 450,000 people from all 55 U.S. states and territories and over 90 countries around the world participated in the cleanup collecting over 7.55 million pounds of marine debris. Volunteers also found 237 entangled animals last year, emphasizing the dangers that marine debris plays in the coastal environment.

Birds of prey

2004-08-30T21:56:00.000+02:00

These birds were soaring around the garden. Later a Hawk flew over the Geese looked up at it, following him like guns on a battle ship. I am not sure from the small images I took what they are exactly, I found the close up on Google, they could be an osprey, kestrel, harrier.

If you have any ideas please let me know.

Peter Max helps the NSALA

2004-08-21T13:09:00.000+02:00

artzen - art culture info expo

Peter Max, who has been an active animal rights advocate in the New York area (where over 40,000 dogs and cats are euthanized each year) and around the world, will also be donating an original work of art to the League in honor of its 60th anniversary.

The painting, which will be presented to a League representative, will be sold at auction during the League’s annual Elisabeth Lewyt Humane Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, November 3.

Peter Max Hosts a Stellar Shindig for Seals

Peter Max Art Online

"The Ecology of Eden" by Evan Eisenberg reviewed for Bookzen by KJR

2004-08-19T00:36:00.000+02:00

bookzen - literary reveiws

"The Ecology of Eden" by Evan Eisenberg originally struck me as a seminal work, like Darwin's "Origin of the Species" which was written almost 150 years ago. Not because of original and breakthrough research or observation in the field per se, as Darwin did. More importantly for me at this time, Mr. Eisenberg has assembled numerous findings from diverse branches of groundbreaking twentieth century sciences, and put all the pieces together*. This is important because while the fields of palaeontology, sociology, anthropology, biology, genetics, ecology, and archaeology were telling us many important things about the world we live in, very few people were connecting the dots until recently.

Mr. Eisenberg then, asks fundamental questions, like the one asked in the first few chapters of Genesis and in all other creation stories of all other peoples on the planet, namely, "Why do we have the sense that something has gone terribly wrong?" He then takes all of the sciences mentioned above, including literature, myth and religious lore, to provide the answer. Essentially he is saying that we live in a relatively closed system, such as described by Newton's "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction," but multiplied out into the thousand-fold greater array of more implications, on both a global scale and a nano scale, that we are now aware of and are able to measure.

Personally, I found it very stimulating to be shown how genetical dynamics affect plant biology and anthropology and vice versa, to see in detail how our actions and those of our ancestors affected and are still affecting virtually every life form on the planet, genetically and ecologically, as well. Mr. Eisenberg touches on everything from why human beings seem to like nice green lawns to why we as a species still seem to be at war with the forests, and the implications and consequences for the human race and all other creatures in the years ahead.

While it is this connecting the dots of both the latest and most secure of the findings of twentieth century science in order to shape a new world view that makes this book so revelatory, what make it extraordinary for me is his connecting the dots all the way back to creation myths and the Bible. Having often in my youth and young adulthood wondered what I could say to my right wing fundamentalist anti-evolution parents and their friends to explain why I had left the fold, I felt upon reading this book that even my father, an otherwise intelligent man, would have been able to grasp evolution and so many more things had he had this book to read when he was fourteen. So I think this is a book that can change lives and have a benefical political impact, particularly in the dark age in which we find oureselves, in which all people can read and vote, but in which most do neither.

*Until recently, relatively few books consciously combined a variety of branches of science, though there is an increasing tendency to do so now. Those brave few from the past that stand out in my mind are" The Origin of the Species," as already noted, which took eighteenth century biology and palaeontology and came up with the first coherent theory of evolution; another was a book Carl Jung edited in the last years of his life, "Man and his Symbols," that came out in 1968, that brought together psychology, archaeology and art history; around the same time, a book called Human Nature (Penquin), brought together anthropology, sociology, and ecology, and of course, there were the books of Norman O. Brown, which looked at literature through the eyes of psychology, with a view of creating a new understanding of anthropology, sociology, and psychology. I find the current vogue for general systems theory a very fresh breath of air.

Glasses for Humanity

2004-08-12T20:02:00.000+02:00

Robert Tolmach founded this nonprofit organisation to help the world see. I am sure that there are 1,000's of pairs of glasses lurking. Please clean out your bags and cupboards they need your specs. Valaunteer your time or give them money to make this superb idea a reality. Tell your friends, have a glasses collection day at work. Thank you.

bookzen - literary reviews

Robert Tolmach's introduction>>

Welcome to the web site of Glasses for Humanity, a new nonprofit organization.

When I decided to move from the business world to the social sector, I looked for the opportunity where my time and efforts would make the greatest possible difference. That led to the creation of Glasses for Humanity.

If you ask yourself the similar question—where will your charitable dollars make the biggest difference—you, too, may find Glasses for Humanity to be the answer.

Billions of people in the world and millions of children in the United States can’t see clearly. Indeed, millions of people needlessly go blind each year from avoidable or treatable causes. This undermines literacy, education, safety and productivity, and the chance to lead a fulfilling life.

We have put together a remarkable team with expertise in such areas as vision care, public health, microfinance, marketing and other disciplines. Together, we have developed a comprehensive and businesslike plan, which harnesses market forces to combat vision loss of all forms. This approach is extraordinarily cost-effective.

This site describes our leveraged, scalable and financially-sustainable program to collect used eyeglasses in the United States, to provide eye exams and eyeglasses for 30 million people in developing countries and half a million children in the United States each year, to significantly reduce the incidence of avoidable
blindness, and to generate $50 million per year in new revenues for vision care and research.

We know of no opportunity where your charitable dollars can improve the lives of so many people. Please consider joining us in our efforts. And if you’d be so kind as to register with us, we’ll keep you posted on all our progress, celebrity events, and plans.

On behalf of the entire team behind this effort, thank you for your interest and support.

Sincerely,

Robert Tolmach

President

Glasses for Humanity

grownupgreen is an important new environmental asset, I hope you will join, participate, donate,

2004-08-10T23:09:00.000+02:00

grownupgreen is aimed at encouraging and supporting households to think and act more sustainably in a lively, interactive and interesting way.

It is for people who want to make more informed choices on issues such as renewable energy, management of household waste, purchasing of consumer goods and much more.

RSPCA hot tips for protecting your animals in hot weather

2004-08-10T23:05:00.000+02:00

Enjoy the sunshine, but with temperatures soaring the RSPCA is appealing to pet owners to spare a thought for their animals during hot weather.

All animals need plenty of water and should be kept out of the full glare of the sun to avoid heatstroke and skin cancer. If your cat has a white nose and ear tips, sunscreen should be applied to stop it from burning. more>>

RSA needs you to plant a tree

2004-08-10T01:40:00.000+02:00
londonzen - park life

From the 1750s through to the 1820s the RSA encouraged tree planting across the UK. Well over 50 million trees were planted giving rise to many of the woods we enjoy in Britain today.

On the 20th April 2004 the RSA launched a new initiative, working in partnership with the UK's key tree planting organisations, to mark its 250th Anniversary and hopes to plant in excess of 250,000 trees during the next 12 months.

For a donation of £15 the RSA, with its partners, will plant a tree and maintain it until maturity on your behalf.

Smarty Jones is lucky, his owners truly love him.

2004-08-05T16:21:00.000+02:00
A fitting reward for a great horse.

Smarty Jones Is Leaving as Quickly as He Arrived By JOE DRAPE

Smarty Jones was retired to stud yesterday almost as suddenly as he captured the nation's imagination last spring, when he rolled to victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes before sustaining his only loss at the Belmont Stakes in a gallant, but ultimately leg-wobbling defeat just yards away from capturing the Triple Crown.

Smarty Jones has bruising in all four fetlock joints, the equivalent in humans of sprained ankles. It was not a career-ending condition, veterinarians who examined him said, but one that Smarty Jones's owners feared might be aggravated. more>> via...NYT

care2.com green networking has relaunched

2004-07-31T19:36:00.000+02:00

bloggzen - total immersion blogging
technology innovation

Support a Good Cause

Find a Job

Meet New Friends

Find Hiking Buddies

and much more!!!

RSPCA cruelty statistics - I am ashamed of the outrageous cruelty that is allowed to continue

2004-07-29T21:33:00.000+02:00
to continue - photo by Zen" border="0" width="180" height="115" />

Latest RSPCA cruelty statistics

Assessment statistics
The RSPCA's new animal welfare assessment statistics show that between 1 June 2003 and 31 May 2004:

- more than 108,000 complaints were made to the RSPCA involving 650,489 animals
- RSPCA inspectors gave advice in relation to 38,514 animals
- 1,543 animals are still on the `critical list', i.e. the advice given has, so far, been ignored
- basic requirements for animals such as food, water, adequate living conditions or access to veterinary care were found to be lacking in 11,150 cases.
- dogs are causing the most concern, with 11,133 failing to be looked after correctly
farm animals (sheep, cattle and pigs) are the second most common call out (10,008) followed by rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters (4,270), cats (3,898) and then horses (3,523).

Read the full
report>>

Make a donation to the RSPCA>>

Somewhere deep the garden

2004-07-23T02:01:00.000+02:00

Ping Wa "Oi, Goosetave".

Goosetave "I say old chap, I'm a oie not an oi".

Ping Wa "Oh, like Ping Wa".

Goosetave "Yes, Ping Oie"

Ping Wa "O.K. Watave".

I hope they stop people from continuing to mutilate gundogs

2004-07-15T00:18:00.000+02:00

Overhaul for animal welfare laws

The biggest crackdown on animal cruelty for nearly a century has been unveiled by the UK government...via BBC

Outdated law allows animals to suffer Current legislation is hampering the prevention of animal cruelty and must be urgently updated.

While the RSPCA waits for the government Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to publish a draft Animal Welfare Bill, the Society is stepping up its awareness-raising campaign with press advertising, and a summer roadshow providing a mobile information point for the public. To find your nearest roadshow, click here.

Make a donation to the RSPCA

Don't miss the The Wag & Bone Show 14th August at Windsor Racecourse

2004-07-14T23:07:00.000+02:00
Bobo update, read this.....the killing was planned>>

We are all outraged by the killing of Steve Sipek's beautiful Bobo

2004-07-14T22:03:00.000+02:00
Last year I had an unfortunate fall and cracked my scull when I hit the paving stones. I was gone...my Bengali cat, Jardina rushed over and bit me several times very hard, on my achilles tendon. I eventually came to. She knew instictively what to do, no one can say that animals are stupid, don't have feelings, or feel pain. They are far wiser than humans, that is why they are feared, as rivals. Read the stories below.

ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy

Tarzan's friend was killed,

Let Steve know you care too, sign the memorial book>>

Discuss this tragedy>>

The story>>

Steve Sipek was rescued from a fire by a brave tiger, the animals know>>

I am posting the Saint Francis quote again, it is apt more and more...it is a shame!

"Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough.

We have a higher mission - to be of service to them whenever they require it.

If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men."

Saint Francis of Assisi

The opposite is probably true too, if you see a person abusing another they probaby abuse thier pets. I have known people who do this, they are ignorant of many, many things, they need help.

This news is most frightfull...

2004-07-13T14:19:00.000+02:00

">Bush Seeks Shift in Logging Rules By FELICITY BARRINGER

The Forest Service today proposed scuttling a Clinton-era rule, which put 58.5 million acres of national forest largely off-limits to logging, mining or other development, in favor of a new system that leaves it to state governors to seek greater or fewer strictures on the construction of logging, mining, recreational or other roads on federal forest land...via...">NYT

Read more articles, about what is happening>>

Earthjustice - Bush "Roadless Rule" Proposal Would Eliminate Forest Protections Proposal will leave millions of acres vulnerable to logging, mining

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) Federal officials are allowing a 665-acre timber harvest in a roadless area of Tongass National Forest, the first since an anti-logging rule was lifted early this year.via...CNN

Support the National Trust by visiting one of their wonderful properties

2004-07-08T21:49:00.000+02:00
bookzen - literary reviews

The National Trust young writers competition

Are you under 18 with an eye for a story?

Our historic houses and beautiful countryside properties teem with thrilling, mysterious, spooky and romantic stories. Now the National Trust and Young Writer magazine are offering a fantastic prize for the best stories or poems inspired by a visit to a Trust property.

The two age categories are 7-11 and 12-18.
Closing date for entries is 31 August 2004.

The saga of the parrot and the fourposter bed

2004-07-07T15:24:00.000+02:00
ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy
francaiszen - la vie
londonzen - park life

Several years ago, whilst in Toulouse to collect a fourposter bed. My partner Alastair went to buy me a puppy as a present, the pet shop didn't have any, so he got 2 Canaries instead. On his way out he heard anguished shrieks coming from the back of the shop. There in the gloom was a red and grey African parrot in a tiny cage on the floor. This was the start of our parrot saga. There wasn't room in the van for the bed, the cages and us. So a friend drove and we took the train back to Provence. It was a night train, the parrot shrieked the whole time. We called him Corot, perhaps subconsciously because "the Corot" had caused much trouble over the years. Anyway, Corot was sad and lonely and needed better quarters; So Richard and Pierrot our friends who just happened to be master welders were commissioned to make a bird palace fit for Corot.

In the mean time we scoured the pet shops for a companion, near Avignon we found "Richard" another red and grey. He had a very poorly friend huddled up next to him, a black Madagascan...we called him "Pierrot". The aviary was splendid, customisable, demountable. Filled with trees and fallen branches, also a mist system. OK so I couldn't resist buying the tropical rainforest tape! (it was played about once, although I am sure I detected a flicker of appreciation from Corot).

They all got along fine, even the canaries. The fencing was of a smaller guage to stop the canaries escaping. Little by little we saw chewed bits, holes. They were repaired. Richard would sit on a tree and sing away to Pierrot as a diversionary tactic while Corot clipped through the wire.

I had a dream about them escaping, that morning I went downstairs and heard people shouting that the birds had gone! The canaries were still there as was poor Pierrot, but Richard and Corot were gone! We all rushed round the garden (the aviary was on the terrace outside the dining room) we caught sight of something red in one of the little pine trees. It was Richard, he didn't want to come down. Alastair finally managed to reach him, Richard grabbed the palm of his hand in his pincer beak, it hurt. So he was safe and sound and back with Pierrot. I am really glad that Corot flew to freedom and wish the others had gone too. A neighbor came to tell us she had seen a red and green parrot in her garden, was it ours. We saw parrots in Avignon, in the trees behind Credit Agricole.

When winter came the cage was dismantled and put up in the living room. This was fine for all, the 4 dogs never bothered the birds, the mice lived on the floor of the cage and ate seeds. One morning Pierrot was dead on the floor. He usually perched on an old wooden ladder. We took him to the vet, who said that we should be able to find out quite easily how he died. He took a big pair of scissors and literally cut him in half! I am very fond of the vet he is the dearest of friends, but he obviously didn't think that we might be feeling a bit sad or upset by poor Pierrots' demise, he was still warmish. He had always picked at his feathers and looked very ragged, his beak was white which made him seem somewhat anaemic too. So there he was, neatly sliced, mirrored, Pat said immediately that it was kidney failure. Well.

Richard was lonely. We could see all this happening again. When Corot arrived we had thought of flying to Africa and setting him free. One day Pat took us to see a client who kept all kinds of birds, including African Greys, so Richard was introduced into the bird place. I heard some time later that he had mated, had children and was happy. Isn't that super. So when I hear of all these news stories about Parrot infestations in England, on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco as Marc Canter wrote about and elsewhere, I am pleased they are free. Maybe one of them is someone's Corot.

P.S. The fourposter was too tall for the bedroom ceiling and so languished in the garage until flooded...which is another story.

I know that by rescuing Corot from the pet shop prison others were ordered to replace him. We must stop this pet trade and the breeding of animals for pets.

World Parrot Trust
THE CHARITY FUNDING PROJECTS AND PROMOTING
EXCELLENCE IN PARROT CONSERVATION AND WELFARE The WPT is campaigning to stop importation of wild caught birds into the European Union. Sign the petition

Please red this about the plight of Parrots.The African Grey Parrot, Psittacus erithacus, has a wide distribution, across the tropical belt of Africa, including the islands of Bioko and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea. This species is harvested intensively for the pet trade. More>>

Free Parrots.net News and views v.good site, you can join, help.

Harvard biologist Mike Schindlinger introduces you to the parrots he studies, as individuals, as they move through their daily lives - singing, cavorting and playing as they explore their environment; doing chores, like eating, roosting, and caring for young - with an intelligence not dissimilar, in ways, to our own. More>>

Have fun helping the children

2004-06-29T18:11:00.000+02:00
bloggzen - total immersion blogging technology innovation
londonzen - park life

ICT Industry Charity Ball 8 July - Armoury House, Honorable Artillery Company, London, EC1

In aid of the The Treehouse Trust, which is a UK charity, based in central London, established in 1997 to provide an educational Centre of Excellence for children with autism.

The theme is 'A Night on the Orient-Express' 1920s/30s style.

The artworld supports the Red Cross

2004-06-27T15:57:00.000+02:00
I was a flood victim in France years ago. The Croix Rouge helped me and also helped distract me from the actual trauma. Please support them, they are having a difficult time, but still have more courage than most.

artzen - art culture info expo
londonzen - park life

Inspired art

The British Red Cross is hosting one of this year’s most inspiring art events.

Actress Jane Seymour has joined with famous artists such as Norman Adams and William Bowyer of the Royal Academy, Britartist Mauricio Ortiz and Beryl Cook to donate artwork to raise funds for the British Red Cross. The result is Inspired - an exhibition to be held on 1 July.

Would-be buyers can critique the pieces while having a drink and nibbling canapes at the Gainsborough Studios in north London. The exhibition will feature paintings, prints, sculptures and photographs for art lovers of all tastes and budgets.

All funds raised will go towards helping people in the UK and overseas, so buyers can support a good cause and make a sound investment at the same time.

From 7 June, savvy collectors can start pre-bidding on a selection of approximately 70 artworks that will be exhibited at the Gainsborough Studios on 1st July, by logging on to www.eyestorm.com and clicking on the inspired icon. Works are being added on a daily basis.

If you would like to attend the reception, exhibition and auction on 1st July which will feature both the on-line and additional works, please be sure to book your tickets early.

There will also be a live auction of ten selected artworks conducted by Oliver Barker, Director of Contemporary Art Department at Sotheby's.

Call Farida Haqiqi, Events Organiser, on 020 7376 7300 or email londonevents@redcross.org.uk

Click here for auction lots >>

This is outrageous....read the article...

2004-06-27T15:20:00.000+02:00
londonzen - park life

Poor make most generous donations
The study found a clear north-south divide.
People living in poorer areas give more to charity than those from affluent households, according to a new study.

Research by Experian commissioned by The Giving Campaign revealed giving is most widespread among people living in council houses. More>>

Chapeau!

2004-06-26T19:08:00.000+02:00
londonzen - park life

The Week of Hats 2004 is the third annual Week of Hats organised by the British Hat Guild and Macmillan Cancer Relief. This year, the Week of Hats will be taking place from 26th June until 4th July.

You can take part in Macmillan's Week of Hats in many ways:
- take part in Wear a Hat to Work Day on Friday 2nd July
- purchase hats for all occasions from one of our Supporting Retailers (list of shops)
- hold a Hat Party at home, at work or in a local place of interest
- bid for hats made by well-known milliners through our On-line Auction
- or do your own unique hat-tastic event!

Information packs filled with ideas and posters can be obtained by contacting cfleuret@macmillan.org.uk or calling 020 7840 4649.

Read the Hat Story on the British Hat Guild site>>

Bravo! the off roaders are offside, pas chic ...

2004-06-26T14:01:00.000+02:00
francaiszen - la vie

France launches radical green tax on bigger cars - Scheme rewards drivers who opt for small vehicles

Jon Henley in Paris The Guardian

French drivers who favour large, gas-guzzling cars will have to pay up to €3,500 (£2,300) more for a new model from next January under a radical green road tax scheme unveiled by the environment ministry.

Part of a new environment bill aimed at cutting air, water and soil pollution over the next five years, the scheme will also reward drivers who opt for smaller, cleaner vehicles with payouts of up to €700.

Last month the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, described 4x4 vehicles as "bad for London - completely unnecessary" and their owners as "complete idiots".

This is a fascinating place, lots of things to see, exhibitions, events...plants

2004-06-24T19:04:00.000+02:00
artzen - art culture info expo
londonzen - park life

BACKGROUND
The Museum of Garden History was founded in 1977 at the former church of St Mary-at-Lambeth, next to Lambeth Palace. A registered charity, the Museum seeks to illustrate and preserve the history of gardening.

THE GARDEN
The Museum's garden is planted with species known in Britain during the 17th century, including plants first introduced to the country by the Tradescants.

Garden webcam

Animal cruelty, testing on animals by Iams...there are probably others...

2004-06-22T20:06:00.000+02:00
Iams and P&G and How They Cause Animals to Suffer Needlessly

For nearly 10 months in 2002 and early 2003, a PETA investigator went undercover at an Iams contract testing laboratory and discovered a dark and sordid secret beneath the wholesome image of the dog- and cat-food manufacturer: dogs gone crazy from intense confinement to barren steel cages and cement cells, dogs left piled on a filthy paint-chipped floor after having chunks of muscle hacked from their thighs; dogs surgically debarked; horribly sick dogs and cats languishing in their cages, neglected and left to suffer with no veterinary care. Read More>>

The Humane Society of the United States and Iams: It Doesn't Get Much Worse Than This
On January 7, in a very disturbing move, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) announced that the Iams Company will be the "Grand National Sponsor" of HSUS' "Pet Fest America." According to the HSUS Web site, "Pet Fest America is designed to showcase The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in a very positive festive atmosphere." This unholy alliance with Iams is the work of Paul Irwin, president and CEO of HSUS.

Cindy Margolis is just one of the celebrities trying to make people aware of the suffering caused by Iams.

What You Can Do Call, write, e-mail, or fax Iams and P&G. Tell them you won’t be buying Iams for your animal companions until they stop conducting experiments on cats and dogs and, instead, rely on laboratory analysis of formulas for nutritional composition and in-home palatability studies using dogs and cats whose human companions have volunteered them for such tests...more>>

Can Shell help save the planet? Thank you Lord Oxburgh

2004-06-18T17:47:00.000+02:00

Shell boss's 'confession' shocks industry - David Adam, science correspondent Thursday June 17, 2004 The Guardian

The head of one of the world's biggest oil companies has admitted that the threat of climate change makes him "really very worried for the planet".

In an interview in today's Guardian Life section, Ron Oxburgh, chairman of Shell, says we urgently need to capture emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, which scientists think contribute to global warming, and store them underground - a technique called carbon sequestration.

"Sequestration is difficult, but if we don't have sequestration then I see very little hope for the world," said Lord Oxburgh. "No one can be comfortable at the prospect of continuing to pump out the amounts of carbon dioxide that we are pumping out at present ... with consequences that we really can't predict but are probably not good." via...The Guardian

Shell.com - Environment and Society

We have an essential role in finding new ways to meet present and future energy needs that are more socially and environmentally sustainable.

We believe this is not only the right thing to do, but is important for the future success of our business.

Tell Shell is an area for global discussion on topics and issues relating to us. We are committed to open and transparent dialogue with our stakeholders, so come on in and join the debate.

First African American Wins the Prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for Shell Corporation Environmental Justice Struggle

Margie Richard, 62, this year’s North American winner, grew up just 25 feet away from the fence line of a Shell Chemical plant the size of nine football fields that releases more than 2 million pounds of toxic chemicals into the air each year. More>>

shellfacts.com WHO WE ARE - We are journalists, reseachers and non profit agencies. We are dedicated to the protection of health and the environment.

CRIMES OF SHELL - by Peter Montague

pollution.com you must visit this site...!

Water..............as the weather get's hotter, the level of the pond goes down

2004-06-16T23:29:00.000+02:00

Water Efficiency Awards 2005The Environment Agency is delighted to announce the launch of the Water Efficiency Awards 2005 which recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in water efficiency.

They will be presented in London in March 2005.

Do you know of an outstanding example of water efficiency in your organisation? If so, promote it to a national audience by entering the Environment Agency Water Efficiency Awards 2005.

How to enter>>

Are you saving water?
Follow our top tips for saving water in the home, in the garden and at work.

Rainwater Harvesting is the collection of water that would otherwise have gone down the drainage system, into the ground or been lost to the atmosphere through evaporation.

Learn another language, stop taking the pillls

2004-06-14T23:17:00.000+02:00
Being Bilingual Protects Against Some Age-related Cognitive Changes

WASHINGTON — Newswise — Most will agree that two heads are better than one in solving problems. The same logic may be true for language and retaining cognitive processes as we age. Being fluent in two languages seems to prevent some of the cognitive decline seen in same-age monolingual speaking persons, according to the findings of a study appearing in this month's journal of Psychology and Aging.

World Environment Day 5 June 2004

2004-06-03T11:08:00.000+02:00

"Sparkling Greek Seas", an Olympic Coastal Clean-Up Event by ATHENS 2004 and Athens Environmental Foundation is undertaking with Jean-Michel Cousteau a special event in Piraeus, Greece on the occasion of World Environment Day.

Activities will include:

A beach clean up at several beaches around Athens, including Piraeus - the Port of Athens, as well as an underwater clean up with hundreds of divers in several spots in Greece, including Piraeus.

UNEP World Environment Day 2004

Every year World Environment Day is celebrated around the world. We invite you, your country, your city, your town or your village to celebrate this day with us.To advertise and share the activities you are planning, please contact Ms. Elisabeth.Guilbaud-Cox

List of World events

Gaza Rafa Zoo

2004-05-21T23:36:00.000+02:00
The Israelis destroyed the Rafa Zoo. Demolished cages. Dead animals. Dead birds, a headless ostrich, other birds flying free.

It is remeniscent of Kabul, when the Zoo was hit...the lion was wounded.

more>>

Saint Francis of Assisi was right.....

"Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission - to be of service to them whenever they require it. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men."

Have a super day helping the animals

2004-05-21T22:30:00.000+02:00
ANIMAL AID SPONSORED WALK Sponsored by Vegetarian Shoes

Animal Aid is staging a 10 km sponsored walk on beautiful Hampstead Heath on Sunday 13th June 2004. This is an excellent way to raise money, keep fit and spend a beautiful summer's day in the park.

If you would like to join in, please fill in the registration form. We will then send you a sponsored walk information pack.

If you can't make the walk but would still like to take part, you could sponsor Ermintrude to complete it.

Warchildmusic - this is a super idea, please support them and perhaps donate your music!

2004-05-09T18:38:00.000+02:00
Welcome to warchildmusic.com the world's first charity music download website.

Our aim?
Simply to be the most exciting music site on the web by offering exclusive tunes from all your favourite bands.

Here's the skinny
* all exclusive tracks, all the time.
* music updated each and every month.
* cheap as chips subscriptions... or buy tracks individually.
* give to charity, get a world-beating music service.
* proceeds help fund war child's global relief work.
* no tubthumping required.

Future Food

2004-05-08T15:31:00.000+02:00

Super Organics By Richard Manning - Wired

Forget Frankenfruit - the new-and-improved flavor of gene science is Earth-friendly and all-natural. Welcome to the golden age of smart breeding.

Once upon a technologically optimistic time, the founders of a swaggering biotech startup called Calgene bet the farm on a tomato. It wasn't just any old tomato. It was the Flavr Savr, a genetically engineered fruit designed to solve a problem of modernity. More> via WIRED

Stop Discrimination: World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, 8 May 2004

2004-05-08T11:32:00.000+02:00

Intolerance and the lack of respect for diversity represent major obstacles to achieving the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's core aim of protecting human dignity, and have an adverse impact on key aspects of its work.

On 8 May, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and National Societies worldwide commemorate the birth in 1828 of one of the Movement's founders, Henry Dunant, who inspired the creation of the ICRC in 1863.

Based on the belief that all those injured on the battlefield had a right to receive care no matter which side they were fighting for, the principle of non-discrimination was at the very heart of the founders' earliest convictions and remains so for the Movement today.

Make a donation
You too can make a difference for war victims.
Supporting the ICRC: not just another donation - an act of humanity.

GRASP G A L A D I N N E R - 24th May 2004

2004-05-07T00:41:00.000+02:00

The Great Apes Survival Project is an innovative and ambitious project of UNEP and UNESCO with an immediate challenge - to lift the threat of imminent extinction faced by gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans.

G R A S P - The Mission
The Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP) Partnership has, as an immediate challenge, to lift the threat of imminent extinction facing most populations of great apes, namely gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos (pygmy chimpanzees) and orangutans. Our mission is to work as a coherent partnership to conserve in their natural habitats, wherever they exist, viable, wild populations of every kind of great ape, and to make sure that, where they interact with people, those interactions are mutually positive and sustainable.

"The situation for all species of great apes is truly terrible - I am absolutely delighted that GRASP is developing such a strong programme to raise awareness of their plight both in the range states and overseas."
Jane Goodall, GRASP Patron

"Will you join us and help participate in this effort to ensure that our closest living relatives continue to share this planet with us?"
Dr Russ Mittermeier, GRASP Patron

Gala Dinner
Elliot Morley MP, Minister of State for Environment and Agri-Environment and Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP
Invite you to a special evening for the benefit of the world's great apes
A keynote address will be given by eminent conservationist Dr Richard Leakey
Monday 24th May 2004
Prince Albert Suite, London Zoo, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY. Entry via Prince Albert Gate Reception: 6.30 Dinner: 7.30 Carriages: 11.00 Dress: Black tie - order tickets>>

Test your pet

2004-05-03T00:26:00.000+02:00
Do you own a top dog, top cat or top bird? Test your pet online and join Britain's biggest animal survey. via...BBCI

Cold calling all tourists to stay away....

2004-04-30T02:04:00.000+02:00

Whales struggle to be heard - JAMES REYNOLDS ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

TOURISM and a rise in whale-watching off the north-west coast of the United States is seriously hampering communication among killer whales, according to new research.

The animals are increasing the length of their calls as they have to compete with the escalating din from the engines of visitors' boats, scientists say.

Calls are recorded as having lengthened by 15 per cent since the 1990s, as the number of vessels taking visitors whale-watching off the Washington state coast increased five-fold - possibly jeopardising the very resource on which they depend. via ...The Scotsman

We have seen this, we must do something

2004-04-27T02:37:00.000+02:00
Brooke Hospital for Animals relieves the suffering of horses, donkeys and mules working for poor people in the developing world. Our dedicated local vets and their teams provide free care, education and training in the heart of the communities we serve in Egypt, India, Jordan and Pakistan.

Countless working animals in developing nations are being mutilated because of widespread superstition and ignorance, more>>

How you can help
There are many ways in which you can help us in our efforts to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of working equine animals all over the world and the people who depend upon them.

Do something to help.........

2004-04-22T23:36:00.000+02:00
Join the Earth Day Network

If you are interested in supporting Earth Day, please visit the Chevy Chase Earth Day Auction

Plant seeds of hope - Each click on the "Save Our Rainforests" button plants a seed of hope for one of Earth's most bio-diverse habitats. Tell a friend.

Just by signing up, you will fund preservation of 91 square feet of rainforest land! So click here to sign in with The Rainforest Site and make a difference.

Take the Green Ribbon Pledge

Join the 22,621 people who have taken the pledge to conserve energy for a secure future! There are hundreds of things you can do every day to reduce energy consumption. And cutting down energy use is the most important thing you can do to secure our future from the negative effects of unreliable, unstable and environmentally damaging energy

Welcome to Earth Day 2004 Online
The EnviroLink Network has served as the online clearinghouse for environmental information since 1991. This website compiles a comprehensive list of Earth Day events occurring in 2004, regardless of size, geographic location or organizational affiliation.

Earth Day 2004 Calendar
The Earth Day History

How the First Earth Day Came About
By Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day

What was the purpose of Earth Day? How did it start? These are the questions I am most frequently asked. Actually, the idea for Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962. more>>

The Seal Cull.......is still going on, thier blood is on many hands. You must read this whole article...

2004-04-21T01:07:00.000+02:00
bloggzen - blogging technology innovation

Profits from the seal cull By Ian Herbert, Genevieve Roberts and Roland Hancock

British retailers insist they do not stock their products, fur traders claim they are a mere sideline and a Welsh fashion designer caused a national outcry a few years ago by using them on the catwalk.

But the seals whose slaughter has turned the Canadian ice blood-red this week are earning British traders healthy revenues, according to figures seen by The Independent. via... The Independent

You must read it soon, or it will become premium, if you have problems email me.

Orange chips

2004-04-15T21:03:00.000+02:00
How can you keep track of your friends in this weekend's marathon? by David Adam

The future's bright, the future's having a little chip on runners' shoelaces that registers when they cross certain points and updates friends through their mobile phones. All courtesy of Orange, a sponsor of Sunday's London marathon. via ... The Guardian

Doris Duke

2004-04-14T23:54:00.000+02:00
artzen - expo info

Cecil Beaton photograph by courtesy of Sotheby's Picture Library, London.

2-5 June, 2004. 20 Rockerfeller Plaza, New York.
Magnificent Jewels
Furniture & Decorative Arts
Extraordinary Private Cellar Of Wines

Christie's is pleased to offer at auction the renowned collection of Doris Duke, one of the most glamorous figures of the 20th century, a lifelong philanthropist and an accomplished collector with an eye for the exotic.

All proceeds will benefit the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation which supports four national grant making programs to support the performing arts, wildlife conservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse.

Established in 1996, the DDCF activities are guided by the will of Doris Duke, who endowed the Foundation with financial assets that currently total $1.5 billion.

It also oversees the preservation of the cultural and environmental legacies of three of Doris Duke's properties that are now open to the public:

- Duke Farms in Hillsborough, New Jersey. Duke Farms was the vision of James Buchanan Duke, one of the most successful entrepreneurs at the turn of the 20th century. Duke farms Foundation.

- Shangri La in Honolulu, Hawaii. In the late 1930s, Doris Duke built "Shangri La," her Honolulu home, on five acres of property overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Diamond Head. Shangri La incorporates architectural features from the Islamic world and houses Duke's extensive collection of Islamic art, which she assembled over more than 60 years.

- Rough Point in Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Restoration Foundation was created in 1968, based on the urgent need to save the city's rapidly disappearing 18th century architecture.

Buy the catalogues, they will be a collectors items!

Shelter Crystal Ball

2004-04-14T20:32:00.000+02:00
ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy

Your invitation to the Shelter Crystal Ball

Shelter is hosting its inaugural ball on Saturday, 12th
June at the London Hilton on Park Lane, with special guest
stars helping to raise vital funds for Shelter’s work with
homeless and badly housed children. Find out more about tickets >>

- Donate to Shelter

Our friends...

2004-04-12T23:31:00.000+02:00

The seals are being murdered and tortured. There have been many articles about this atrocity. There are many more frightfull deeds committed by man all over the world which go unreported.

This is the best report about what is really going to be happening today in Canada.

".... the vets carried out postmortem examinations on 76 seal carcasses left behind on the ice after being skinned, and their findings have shocked even the most hardened anti-hunt campaigners.

Examinations of the skulls revealed that 17% showed no signs of any cranial injury which would have caused the animal to be unconscious when its pelt was removed. A further 25% showed only minimal or moderate signs of injury which the vets conclude would also have been unlikely to cause unconsciousness.

The panel also reviewed video evidence of this year's and previous hunts. It found that in almost 80% of kills recorded, no effort was made by the hunter to check that the seals were unconscious, while in 40% of cases, the hunter left the animal on the ice before returning to club it a second time, suggesting that it was conscious and suffering in the meantime.

"Based on our observations, it is obvious that there is a tremendous lack of consistency in the treatment of each seal, and the existing regulations are neither respected nor enforced," the report says. >>more

Controversial seal hunt under way off Newfoundland - Globe and Mail Update

Understanding seals and sealing in Canada International Fund for Animal Welfare
Humane Society of the United States

More than 12,000 sealers are on the massive ice floes off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador on Monday to begin the busiest stretch of the largest seal hunt in more than 50 years.

According to the IFAW website, the group has submitted video evidence of more than 660 probable violations of Canada's Marine Mammal Regulations – including the skinning of live seals — to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Outrage at new mass slaughter of baby sealsGuardian, UK - Apr 10, 2004
Soon after dawn breaks above Newfoundland tomorrow, the ice sheets will be suffused with crimson as an army of hunters embark on the largest single cull of ...

Canada seal hunt

The Humane Society of the United States - seals articles

"© International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)".

Saving Harp Seals
IFAW led the campaign to "Save the Seals" in the 1970's. Now we need your help to stop this latest attack on defenseless seal pups!
IFAW Takes Action to End the Hunt
Seal Hunt Facts
Latest News
Seal Images and Video: from the IFAW Archives

The London Marathon

2004-04-11T23:59:00.000+02:00
ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy

Marc Eisenstadt has asked us to support his friend Mike Wibberley .

On April 18th, 2004 I'm running in the London Marathon.

It's a big venture. Not just the running, but I'm also raising money for two causes. They are Shelter and The Wilderness Leadership School. At first sight they may look like very different causes, but there is a link. They both relate to quality of life. They are also causes I care about from personal experience.

Donate to Shelter

The Wilderness Leadership School in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa has a Mission. They work to conserve wilderness by giving people a direct experience of being in wild country. For more information on trails contact Pat Bronner at wilderness.trails@eastcoast.co.za

"I believe two of the marks of the quality of our Civilisation are how we take care of those of us who experience difficulty and disadvantage, and how we respect and preserve wildness."Mike
Wibberley

Nettles

2004-04-04T00:48:00.000+02:00

What so good about nettles? 'Tis the season to pick nettles. But why would anyone bother with the underrated nettle? Listen> on woman's hour BBC Radio4

Be Nice to Nettles Week - a CONE initiative
19 - 28 May 2004

Create your own nettle patch Want to watch caterpillars in your own garden, or have a supply for spring greens? Here's some tips to create the perfect nettle patch. more>

Ntlle Games - Play true or false?
Test your knowledge of the nettle. Will you be the pick of the patch or will you be stung?

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Nettle Soup

Darwin savior

2004-03-29T23:11:00.000+02:00
Darwin descendant aims to save Galapagos plants by Paul Brown, environment correspondent

The great-great granddaughter of the naturalist Charles Darwin was launching an appeal yesterday to help save the critically endangered plants of the Galapagos islands.

Sarah Darwin, a botanist and expert on the Galapagos tomato, is vice president of the Galapagos Conservation Trust, which needs £250,000 over the next two years to fund its work on the islands. via...The Guardian

Great site! do something!

2004-03-22T22:30:00.000+01:00
http://www.charitychoice.co.uk/ The Premier Guide to Charities in the UK.

Charity Choice Directory Online
Find a UK charity of your choice using a number of search options.

Charity Category Search Find a charity by category.

Charity Search Find a charity by name, location, category and /or keyword.

Charity Choice Publications View our wide range of charity publications and order online.

Charity Choice Services Directory Online Search for charity service providers.

Goodwill Gallery Click here to view FREE goods and services on offer to charities or register your offer of help.

Make a Will Have you made a will? Charities rely on legacies however big or small.

Advertising Options Click here for our wide range of advertising options both online and within our print publications.

Extinction...

2004-03-20T22:14:00.000+01:00
Loss of birds and butterflies may be a sign of major global extinction
The Associated Press Thursday, March 18, 2004
WASHINGTON A detailed survey of birds and butterflies in Britain shows a population decline of 54 to 71 percent, a finding that suggests the world may be undergoing another major extinction.

Researchers said the study helped support the theory that the sixth big extinction in Earth's history is under way, and this one is caused by humans.

In a series of population surveys that combed virtually every square yard and meter of England, Scotland and Wales over 40 years, more than 20,000 volunteers counted each bird, butterfly and native plant they could find. An analysis of the findings appears this week in the journal Science. via...IHT

Best Mate, the legend!

2004-03-18T23:13:00.000+01:00

Best Mate rides into history Cheltenham 2004: Best Mate clung on to win his third Cheltenham Gold Cup - equalling the legendary horse Arkle. via...The Guardian

Simply the Best By Frank Malley, PA Chief Sports Writer
It was the sound of history in the making.

As Best Mate strode majestically into the winner?s enclosure a roar reverberated around Cheltenham to send a tingle up the spine and set the hairs on end. It was the sort of sound which indicated the presence of sporting greatness. via ...The Scotsman

MATE LEAVES CHELTENHAM BUZZING
They roared him to the post and roared him up the hill.

The Cheltenham crowd knew they were witnessing history and revelled in the moment.

Best Mate is a triple Gold Cup winner.

He now sits alongside the likes of Arkle and Golden Miller in the record books and people's hearts. via...Sportinglife

Kewdos

2004-03-15T22:57:00.000+01:00

Kew launches effort to record every plant of the British Empire By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor

Scientists at Kew have embarked on a mission to ensure that the sun never sets on the floral heritage of what remains of the British Empire.

After successfully preserving the seeds of nearly all the native wildflowers and trees of Britain in a unique conservation project, the Royal Botanic Gardens is seeking to repeat the exercise with Britain's remaining Overseas Territories. via... the Independent

PIC A resource discovery engine giving access to multiple data sources via a single search. To find out what Kew knows about a given plant, start here.

Find out about the Kew Library collections by searching our catalogue, and gain access to botany libraries worldwide, starting from here.

Browse and search the complete range of scientific, horticultural and general interest books, journals and CDROMs published by Kew, and order them online.

Wild Aid

2004-03-15T21:48:00.000+01:00

WildAid's Mission

WildAid provides direct protection for wildlife in danger.

Our driving goals under this mission are:
To decimate the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes
To bring wildlife conservation to the top of the international agenda
To effectively and affordably protect wilderness areas
To ensure that endangered species populations rebound
To enable people and wildlife to survive together

WildAid sends 100% of public donations directly to the field.

How you can help
Donate - Contributions large and small can be designated: Direct to the Field or Endowment for the Future.
In-kind Giving - services and technology
Volunteerism - Help in your local area - or from cyberspace
Educate - Learn what you can do to help

Have your say about carbon dioxide emissions in the 21st century.

2004-03-15T00:48:00.000+01:00
The climateprediction.net experiment has been developed to allow a state-of-the-art climate prediction model to be run on home/ school/ work computers. By getting data from thousands of climate models, we will generate the world's largest climate prediction experiment.

[read more about the experiment]