Pics of FIO :)

I JUST LOVE HER!!

Fio is my new child :)

Well, new orangutan. :) I just adopted her for only $10/month!!

Adoptions Thank You
Dear Adoptive Parent,
We cannot thank you enough for your support of Orangutan Outreach and the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. We simply couldn’t manage without help from people like you.
Your adoption funds will go far to help Fio, Grendon, Kesi and Lomon– as well as all the other orangutans cared for by BOS.
We will be sending you updates and newsletters over the next few months– to let you know how your orangutan is doing, as well as to inform you about the latest news at Nyaru Menteng, Wanariset, Samboja and Mawas.
You will always be able to view your adopted orangutan(s) here. When prompted, just enter the email address you provided during the adoption process. If you gave the adoption(s) as a gift to someone else, please enter their email address at the prompt.
Please feel free to email us if we can be of any further help.
Once again, on behalf of the orangutans, thank you for your support.
Kindest regards,
Richard ZimmermanDirector, Orangutan Outreach

Yea!! I am so happy.

Why should they have to cater to us?

US, as in English speakers.

Marketing Lithuania: How about name change?
Officials say they may seek something easier to pronounce in English

updated 2:20 p.m. ET, Fri., Jan. 25, 2008

VILNIUS - Lithuania is thinking about changing its name in English to something easier to pronounce in plans to boost its image, officials said on Friday.
The small southern Baltic state, in the shadow of neighbours Russia, Germany and Poland, wants to raise its profile to attract more investments and tourists. A commission led by the prime minister approved a marketing concept that says the country of 3.4 million people should promote itself as daring. A name change is also being considered.

"Lithuania's transcription in English is difficult to pronounce and remember for English speakers, but the name change is only an idea under consideration," said government spokesman Laurynas Bucalis, who led the group behind the recommendations.
Lithuania or Latvia?No ideas have been presented yet as to what the name should be in English. In Lithuanian, the country is called Lietuva.
Many people outside the Baltic region often get mixed up between Lithuania and Latvia or even have difficulty saying where the Baltic states, which include Estonia, are located.
All three regained independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991 and joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.
"Bravery marks our history — from being the last pagan nation in Europe to a nation which sparked the Soviet Union's downfall, and today's resolute steps," Bucalis said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22841519/?GT1=10755

I don't think my art teacher from junior high would be too happy about this, and me either. :(

Hi

It's been a while! Just wanted to tell everyone I am still here....

I think this will be the year for charity. Not that I never donate to anything because whenever my friends have things they are doing like running in a leukemia race or Cass' (Erin) hunger thing she does every year (see her latest blog), I ALWAYS donate. I just love doing it. If everyone gave even $10 to a cause and skipped their Starbucks iced latte for a few days, charities would have so much more money. It's definitely possible. I think the world is going to hell, and it needs everyone possible to help with something.

My latest kick is ORANGUTAN ISLAND. I absolutely love this show and I plan on adopting an orangutan. http://animal.discovery.com/tv/orangutan-island/orangutan-island.html There are so many causes out there from cancer to saving rainforests to Red Cross.... trying to donate to everything would make your head spin. But these cute little orphans in Borneo... well, they have just captured my heart. Each little orangutan has lost their parents and now there is a project where they all live together. The show documents their struggles, adjustments, sicknesses, friendships, etc. They each have their own personalities like humans and it's so incredible to watch. Here is what the website quotes about the adoption:

It costs over $2,000 a year to rescue, rehabilitate and release each orangutan, so your money is desperately needed to continue the work. Over 800 rescued orangutans are looked after by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation at centers like Nyaru Menteng.
By adopting an orangutan, you are helping to provide care not only for your orangutan, but for all the orangutan orphans that are looked after by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. Each adoption offers real care to real orphaned orangutans. You can make a difference to an orangutan. You can give orangutans a future. With your help, we can give these orangutans a future.

And here is the adoption website: http://redapes.org/adopt-an-orangutan/ It's only $10 per month ($120 per year) and if someone wanted to help me adopt one (even $5), when I get the certificate, I could make a copy for them. :) I haven't decided which one I want to adopt yet, but I'll decide soon. Let me know if you want to help.

Today's Grammar

Do you notice that so many people now are ending their sentences with "so..."? I hate that! The people on my soap operas even do that (if you watch Y&R, it's Lily that does it). What are you supposed to say after someone ends their sentence like that? Are they going to start a new one? Or wait for you to respond?

Take this conversation for example:

Person 1: Yeah I went to the store and my credit card didn't work, so....

Person 2 has a few ways to respond. They can say "so, what happened?" or "oh that sucks" or "well, one time that happened to me" or just shake your head in disagreement/amazement/confusion. The choices then are 1. ask the result of the story, 2. just make a comment, 3. share a similar situation, or 4. make some body movement.

That drives me crazy!!

CAN NO ONE DO ANYTHING ANYMORE?

Santas warned 'ho ho ho' offensive to women

Wed Nov 14, 11:04 PM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.

Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.
One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.
"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.
"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.
"Leave Santa alone."
A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071115/wl_asia_afp/lifestyleaustraliachristmasoffbeat

Halloween question of the day

Should you give candy to kids/teens not dressed up?

I say, if they cannot afford to dress up, there are still other things you can do like dress in a sheet, glue things on clothes, dress as a boy if you are a girl and vice versa, etc. At least be SOMETHING. I say that if you do not put forth the effort, then you don't deserve the treats.

Last One Standing

My new favorite show is LOS (wow, what a coincidence that the initials are LOS bc that's my favorite restaurant in Tally hahaha). Anyways, LOS is on Discovery at 8 every Thursday, and repeats at midnight that next day and then again Saturdays at 10 AM. This show is amazing from many standpoints, and I also have TONS of questions about the logistics too. Of course I would because I travel and also take students overseas too. For anyone that doesn't watch it, it's about 6 "Westerners" (3 Americans Jason-a BMX racer, Corey-outdoor guy, and Brad-strongman; 1 Aussie Mark-kickboxer; and 2 Brits Rajko-fitness guru and Richard-rugby player) who travel the world to compete in indigenous tribe fighting (stick fighting, wrestling, kick fighting, running, etc.). Mark is my favorite. hahaha

First, I wonder who the consultants are. Anthropologists, I assume. Who picked what tribes? How did they pick them? Did the people here consult with the tribes first? What is in it for the tribes? (Well, I am sure that teaching "Westerners" their culture and having them respect it is almost enough from their point of view). What kind of insurance do the travelers have? Who got their visas?

I really do admire these 6 guys bc traveling the world like this, competing, and putting themselves in different environment after different environment-it is really really tough yet so exhilirating! I wonder how much time they have between trips too. During the opening credits, the announcer says "will their 'Western' skills be enough to challenge the locals" (something along those lines). Well, what we have seen so far is that these locals are amazingly fit, skilled, content where they live, and SO PROUD OF THEIR TRIBE. The 6 guys keep up but it's tough!!

Anyone else watch? I love it!!

The world we live in

I saw The Kingdom last week, and the last lines are just chilling. I won't ruin it for people that haven't seen it yet, but it really made the whole audience just sit there and be scared and nervous. And I don't know why we SHOULDN'T be scared about what is happening today. Country vs. country, religion vs. religion, globalization vs. old ways, information at your fingertips with the internet, guns, murder in broad daylight, and the list goes on. Every headline is either about some celebrity or death or war. Yes there have been periods in world history of violent times, but nothing like this. NOTHING. And it's not going to stop.

YEA!!!!!!

RICKY GETS A HOLLYWOOD STAR TODAY!! :) Felicitaciones!!

Few things

Again, I am going to make a list.

1. I was walking on campus the other day and two students were sitting watching something in the tree. One guy said "I would miss class for this!" so naturally I looked up. There was a hawk chasing a squirrel and it was really neat. I thought I saw a nest too, so I am sure the hawk wanted some food for the babies. I stood there for about 10 min watching this chase. The crowd got bigger too, and after some time there must have been maybe 30 people watching this and taking pics with their camera phones. It was something that Discovery or Animal Planet probably would have videoed! Finally the hawk gave up and flew away. You should have seen the way the squirrel's heart was pounding though-I have never seen a squirrel that nervous. :( I even got nervous for him.

2. The Rock and his wife donated $1M to the FOOTBALL facilities at U Miami? What? Can't that money go to better use? Like starving kids? Cancer research?

3. My friend and I were driving to dinner the other night and we crossed the train tracks... well we saw the train with its lights on (yes, it was CLOSE) and the freaking bar things weren't even down. Nice to know they work! The train looked like it was stationary, but still, the bars didn't even go down and it was close.... very close.

4. Go visit my brother-in-law's forum-it's really cool! http://www.jaserhami.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=890d2e337124b219de91f49b752d2b0a;www

One size lower!

Mom was in town this weekend and we ate and went shopping. :) At the mall, I bought new pants, and they are one size lower. Hooray! And BTW, I really love JCPenney!

GREAT DAY

Today I am 30 and I feel awesome. :) There are no clouds in the sky, it's warm, people have been calling and emailing and texting and IMing and saying happy bday to me in person all day, I am ordering something good for lunch, and tonight will be fun. I LOVE MY BDAY!!

Only one thing is missing. :(

Shakira-something cool

Shakira Rests Hips to Study at UCLA
Sept. 14, 2007, 6:55 AM EST
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shakira may get high grades in singing and swiveling her hips, but what about ancient Western history?
For the past month, the Colombian pop star has been taking a class at the University of California, Los Angeles, called "Introduction to Western Civilization: Ancient Civilizations from Prehistory to Circa A.D. 843."
"She went when she finished her tour, for the summer," Shakira's manager Fifi Kurzman told The Associated Press.
For years the 30-year-old has studied on her own, also taking tutorials on the history and languages of the countries she visits, Kurzman said.

http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=275674&GT1=7702

Awesome!!

I forget, what decade are we in?

If you read the news headlines on CNN today, you see "Nooses, violence divide town" and "Swastikas burned into golf fairways". You have to be kidding me. I know in this day and age there has been a resurgence of ideas of hatred that happened back 40, 50, 60 yrs ago (just go to Barcelona too, where neighborhood signs say "we are anti-Skinhead here" or "Nazi-ism not welcomed here"), but with all the cultural diversity and immigration going on in this country and everywhere else, people can't disregard skin color or background and get to know a person and who they are on the inside? I am so sick of this. When I have kids someday, I am going to have them be friends with everyone. African-Americans, Hispanics, Muslims, disabled people, etc.

Is anyone not scared about this???? My friend said this today when I told her about my blog idea: "Amazing how we can come so far and yet not go anywhere at all". Excellent summary. :(

WHO THE HELL WROTE THIS

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/08/17/disappointing.destinations/index.html

This recent article named the top 10 best and most disappointing global and UK sights. I am more concerned with the global sights, so here they are (according to the article):

TOP TEN MOST DISAPPOINTING GLOBAL SIGHTS
1. The Eiffel Tower, Paris; 2. The Louvre, Paris; 3. Times Square, New York; 4. Las Ramblas, Barcelona; 5. Statue of Liberty, New York; 6. Spanish Steps, Rome; 7. The White House, Washington DC; 8. The Pyramids, Egypt; 9. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin; 10.The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

THE PYRAMIDS ARE DISAPPOINTING???? WHAT???? SEEING HOW ENORMOUS THEY ARE, THE ABILITY OF PEOPLE TO BUILD THEM, GOING INSIDE THEM...... PEOPLE MUST BE INSANE TO SAY THIS! THE LOUVRE IS DISAPPOINTING???? WHAT???? SEEING THE MONA LISA, ANCIENT ISLAMIC TREASURES, ETC. IS NOT FUN???? LAS RAMBLAS IS DIASPPOINTING???? WHAT????

I AM HONESTLY MOST BAFFLED ABOUT THE PYRAMIDS.

Quote: Travel expert Felice Hardy explained why many tourists, often after spending inflated amounts on reaching and then viewing the most famous places, are left with a feeling of anti-climax. "It's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on clichéd tourist sights around the world," she said. "But many of them are overcrowded and disappointing."

WHATEVER. I am too miffed to even talk about this.

At least the article had enough sense to put Kapadokya and Lake Titicaca (which my mom went to and loved) on its 10 best.

TOP TEN BEST GLOBAL SIGHTS
1. The Treasury at Petra, Jordan; 2. The Grand Canal, Venice; 3. The Masai Mara, Kenya; 4. Sydney Harbour Bridge; 5. Taroko Gorge, Taiwan; 6. Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, Australia; 7. Cappadoccia caves, Turkey; 8. Lake Titicaca, Peru and Bolivia; 9. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia; 10. Jungfraujoch railway, Switzerland.

You know you are bored at work when...

... you look up the engagement and wedding announcements from your hometown online newspaper.

... you check your bank statement 3 times in a day. Logging in separately each time.

... you get excited when someone IMs you. Not that I wouldn't ordinarily, but even more so now.

... you send emails to people and hope they are bored too and respond right away. Especially coworkers bc you know they are bored too.

... you eat every hour at your desk.

... you look at the poster on your wall and study the topographical features of every country of the world.

... keep looking at your cell phone to see if someone has texted you. And the last time you checked was 8 minutes ago.

... you blog.

... you go to the bathroom even when you don't have to go.

... you start sorting out your email inbox. Oh, and outbox too.

Any other fun things?

Map

Map courtesy of http://www.seatreker.com/PNG/PAPUA%20NEW%20GUINEA.gif .

Map

Map courtesy of http://www.seatreker.com/PNG/PAPUA%20NEW%20GUINEA.gif .

Papua New Guinea

So I have been watching SHARK WEEK :) and last night was the best night: the show was called Shark Tribe. It's a native tribe of Papua New Guinea (I think on Buka Island-I forget the town names) that calls and captures sharks by hand (like the Lemon, Blacktip, Mako) by banging shells like rattles on the water's surface and under it. It was so amazing. The most amazing part was that the people on this remote island spoke English-even the elders (and the oldest living shark caller who is 70!). All through the episode, I was even distracted by thinking the whole time "Man, these people know English". And it's pretty good. :S

So the guy who went there (who has also hosted specials on Discovery like one where he was determined to be able to sit by a lion pride w/o them attacking... and he did it) and his friend a shark specialist and PhD student, also showed the shark callers a video of the Great Whites they study. The shark caller looked at it in awe and said yes I can capture that too. His confidence was really amazing! I know I am using amazing a lot, but it's the only word that fits.

Great episode-maybe I will put the DVD on my birthday present list. :)