Innocent and Damaged

I just came across this Associated Press article in today's New York Daily News. If you care about children, our society and our future, you will want to read this story. Here's the link and headline: Suburban House of Horrors; 11 children removed from sex offender's home after some were found tied to beds

I don't want to give too much away, but I will say I'm glad Child Protective Services exists (no matter how many problems plague these government departments, we should at least acknowledge that when they do their job, children can be saved). We hear the horrors CPS find, but rarely do we learn about how they rehabilitate and nurture grossly abused children. It's a question I constantly ask when I read stories like this one. Unfortunately, many media outlets only report on the immediate social issues/news, but rarely do they offer a series of follow-up reports on what happens next or offer suggestions on what we the people can do to help these innocent victims.

I say we need more follow-through stories! Any takers on this idea?


Here's an old picture of me dressed as a Vietnamese orphan for a TV-movie based on my orphanage. It's the most relatable image for this story that I could find (in my vast collection of photos)...

Promoting a Pet's Paradise in a Fast-Paced City

I've been a bit busy these past few weeks helping a friend create some web pages for her business. It's been fun, challenging (I'm new to web page development), and I hope will bring me some good pet karma! One reason why I think there is some good pet karma involved is because my friend's pet store does a lot of great things for pets. For instance, they sponsor a dog adoption day every Sunday; they offer training and educational seminars for pet parents; the proceeds from their park passes go to pet charities; and more (I can't keep up with all the stuff she does)... Ok, so where is this place?

My friend's business is based in Hong Kong and called Whiskers N Paws. It's a really cool store and offers more products, perks and personality than almost any pet store I have ever visited. And I'm not saying that because it's my friend's store. I'm saying it because it really has amazing pet toys, gadgets, food, and get this: A MASSIVE OUTDOOR DOG PARK on the 10th floor (it's called the Bark Park on 10)! It is just too cool and I wish we had one in NYC. Imagine being able to let your dog loose while you have a nice place to sit and relax. And since the store kindly enforces "Poop Pick-Up and Pee Mop policies," the place is always clean and you don't have to worry about all those horrible germs that lurk in dog parks (ask any pooch pro, and they'll tell you to stay far from dog parks).

So, if you are ever in Hong Kong and you want to see what a Dog Park in the Sky looks like, you definitely  should visit Whiskers N Paws. Check out the store's Facebook page to learn more and become a fan. You'll be able to see all the great cat and dog pics - definitely will make you smile.

And if you are visiting or living in Hong Kong and want to do some pet shopping, definitely head out to WNP at Horizon Plaza, which is also considered the best place for Designer Outlet Shopping in HK! Oh, and there's a Ferrari dealership there, too :-)

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/WhiskersNPaws?sk=app_106171216118819
Website: http://www.wnp.com.hk/

P.S. Here are some pictures I took. Def, not professional, but you get the idea. I went to WNP while they were having a store blessing party - very cool. So if you wonder why it looks empty, it's because they were celebrating the store's expansion and sending good vibes to pet store gods...

Wanted: Public Toilet Room Etiquette

How many times have you been disgusted when entering a public toilet room?  Pee on the seat... Pieces of excrement floating in the toilet... Traces of menstrual blood in stalls... Unflushed (is that even a word?) and used toilet bowls... The most god-awful smells and more...

According to the Daily Mail, one university is trying to train their young and foreign students how to properly use restrooms. I like how this university is trying to do damage control, but I fear they shouldn't just be targeting those used to squatting - they should be targeting every selfish and lazy person who doesn't care about their WC comrades...

Should there be some sort of international policy when it comes to using public facilities? Should we have  Pee Police Patrol? Well, it doesn't exist now, but maybe the world should take a cue from Singapore with at least posting how to keep the toilets clean:

Ummm.... Not Yummmm - Elephant Sashimi

The Associated Press just released a very disturbing and distressing article about elephant sashimi. Yup, elephant meat! Where can someone find elephant meat on the menu? Phuket, Thailand!!! Elephants are already an endangered species (according to the Asian Elephant Foundation, the Asian elephant population has declined 90 percent over the last century). I thought poachers killed elephants for their tusks, not their trunks and sex organs (as the article discusses). Little did I know...

And Thailand is not the only country combating pachyderm poaching. Indonesia may soon loose the Sumatran elephant. The World Wildlife Fund has moved the Sumatran elephant from the endangered list to the CRITICALLY ENDANGERED list! And throughout the African continent, elephant populations are still in danger.

If you care about keeping these gentle giants alive for another 100 years, check these websites out to see how you can support and protect elephants.

The Asian Elephant Foundation http://www.theasianelephantfoundation.org/
Save the Elephants http://www.savetheelephants.org/home.html
Wildlife Conservation Society http://www.wcs.org/saving-wildlife/elephants/asian-elephant.aspx
World Wildlife Fund http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/elephants/elephants.html

We have revered the elephant for centuries, let's make sure we can continue to appreciate these wonderful mammals for years to come.

Locals of Ubud, Bali preparing for a festival at the Elephant Temple

What Will The Year of the Dragon Bring?

January 23rd is the beginning of the new year in the Chinese lunar calendar. And this Chinese New Year is all about the Dragon making things happen. According to Chinese lore, The Year of the Dragon is the year to conceive new life. And the Chinese are wasting no time in finding Hollywood partners to develop new projects (some directors, producers and writers call their entertainment endeavors their babies). So without further discussion, here is a great Financial Times article about Chinese investors in Hollywood.

I personally see a great future between Chinese and American production houses/investors moving into internet entertainment and producing some great shows and movies for internet channels like Hulu.

Oh, and if you were expecting an astrological chart or some background on this new year, here are some links to help you learn about Chinese New Year and this one in particular:


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/01/22/f-year-of-the-dragon.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16652555

http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2012ChineseHoroscope.htm

And this is just cool... A double rainbow (which means good luck) in Singapore on the first day of the Dragon! http://www.asiaone.com/static/multimedia/gallery/120122_rainbow/

Do You Know About the Ballona Wetlands?

Turns out the Ballona Wetlands are in Southern California, and once included Marina Del Rey and Venice Beach! I didn't know that, and I spent part of my childhood in Southern California, and quite a bit of it at Marina Del Rey. I always thought most of SoCal was once desert before development. Perhaps I'm just ignorant. But if you didn't know this, too, and would like to learn more, take a look at this article from the Los Angeles Times about restoring the last vestiges of SoCal's wetlands.

Btw, I love the LA Times. They sometimes have great articles, and their in-depth reports and investigative series are wonderful. Here's a recent one about a new challenge facing Death Valley Students.

Be Silent, Or Pay Up

Think really hard to the year 1992... Remember anything different about dinners and dates? Can you hear it now? It's phone silence... Once upon a time we didn't worry about emails, text messages and phone calls during a night out. It just didn't happen. And if there was a phone call, it was most likely urgent. Fast forward 20 years, and everything seems urgent to us - especially when we're out to dinner and not in front of a TV or computer. Or perhaps we just have tech-induced ADD. Well, here's an article from the New York Daily News about one man's plan on how to reverse the trend. Let's get real - the 90s are cool again! :-)