Cross-post from Heartland Rabbit Rescue: Elephant Rescue in Thailand

Okay, I know this is a little off topic, but I thought it might be interesting to look at the work some other animal rescue groups are doing. In Thailand there is an elephant trade, & they are used for labor, transportation, tourism, etc. Elephants sometimes escape or are turned out by their owners, so they actually have a stray elephant problem in Bangkok. Can you imagine?

This is a 6-minute video about the Elephant Nature Park rescuing Bua Loi (her name means "floating lotus"), a 30-year old female elephant with a handicap. First they have to pay $13,000 to buy her from the owner, & then truck her 20 hours to the park. But once there she is reunited with an old elephant friend, is accepted by a group & then becomes an auntie to an elephant baby. It's really a wonderful ending. You can read all about Bua Loi here if interested.



So, i'm not sure which is better, rescuing bunnies or rescuing elephants. Elephants don't need their litter boxes scooped, & don't multiply as quickly. But they can eat more than 300 pounds of food a day, trample down trees & fences, and live up to 60 years!

Can you imagine a bunny with that kind of power? :)

Even Better Than the Snuggie

Okay, true confession time. I just LOVE infomercials! When i'm in the mood to sit and zone out, one of these can be better than a soap opera. The appealing thing about them is the promise of simplicity and success: no matter what problem you are having in life--floundering career, flat hair, boring love life -- it can be solved by one product. And if you're lucky, it comes with a set of steak knives.

To whit, buy the Ronco Super Deluxe Countertop Juicer-extractor and Nuclear fusion device. Down 12 glasses of previously undrinkable beet and wheat grass juice per day. After just 10 days, be thinner with shinier hair and more energy. As a result, feel more confident, and suddenly become a star performer at work and with the opposite sex. It's brilliant how any product can solve all your problems, whether it be a kitchen appliance, sexy hair or whiter laundry.

Most recently I thought the Snuggie had achieved the peak of infomercial tackiness and hilarity with the animal print, camouflage and matching Dog Snuggies. However, something even better (or worse?) has come along. Meet the Shake Weight.





This video brought to mind a couple things too x-rated for me to post about on this blog. It's pretty unbelievable the lengths people will go to to avoid real exercise.

Snuggie, the gauntlet has been thrown down!

Ninja Birthday Wishes

Well, my stepson Bradley just gave us his birthday wish list. Although he's turning 14, he's really more like an 11 or 12 year-old. He is not remotely interested in cars, girls, sports or music yet. He spends his time watching anime cartoons and playing Bakugan and Naruto (these are Japanese "dueling" card games for you non-parents). So, for his 14th birthday, this is all he asked for:

1. Ninja Hand claws (one pair) -- for scaling trees and walls. Seriously.

2. Ninja Foot spikes (one pair) -- A few years ago for Christmas he asked for Ninja "toe claws" and a grappling hook. We told him no friggin' WAY. Guess he's decided it's been a few years so he's old enough now.


3. Ninja shoes -- these are black sock-like shoes with articulated toes. I guess in case he needs to grasp said trees and walls with his feet like a monkey.

4. Sasuke Sharingan Contact lenses -- believe it or not they make special contact lenses so you can have eyes like your favorite anime or horror movie characters. These are red & black with a whirling star.
5. Riding Helmet -- because when you're scaling walls and scaring bad guys with your blood-red eyes, safety still comes first.

Add it all together & it's a pretty scary picture, hunh? The tricky part is saying "there's not a chance in hell" without squashing their youthful dreams and exuberance. Usually it goes something like "It's so cool that you want to be a ninja, AND a gardener! You're so creative! And if you stay in school, someday you can get your own place & buy all the ninja weapons you want!" LOL.