My Tiny Baby Muntjac Deer, My Beautiful Earth

A tiny baby Muntjac deer which was delivered three weeks early by Caesarean section at a wildlife hospital in Buckinghamshire after his mother was hit by a car


Lucy Davies, aged three, admires the autumn colours of the Japanese maples at Barthelemy nursery near Wimborne in Dorset


A farm worker holds a piglet and two of three tiger cubs abandoned by their mother last week at a zoo in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine...


...a mother pig agreed to nurse the three little tigers together with a dozen of its own piglets


A Siamese cat sits on a table before receiving free vaccinations in Makati City, east of Manila, Philippines

British Olympic diver Tom Daley opens an atraction at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida


A couple of three-week old male lion cubs are shown by owner of a game park in Abony, Hungary


Two-year-old dog Susi romps around in autumn leaves in Nuremberg, Germany


A young snowy egret sees its reflection in a window in Vacaville, California


Three eleven-week-old Siberian tiger cubs, Sayan, Altai, and Altay, are pictured with mum Nika at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Bekesbourne, Kent


Baby parrots sit in a federal police station in Rio de Janeiro. Federal police said a man was arrested while trying to smuggle 200 baby parrots


Penguins rescued off Brazilian shores are seen on a Brazilian Navy ship bound for Antarctica from Rio de Janeiro. Penguins arrive from the Antarctic Circle on ice floes that melt near Brazil's shores and the birds wash up on Rio beaches every winter


An East African Crested Crane is pictured at the animal orphanage in Nairobi's National Park


A firefighter examines one of two cats rescued from a fire in Corpus Christi, Texas. The kitten had minor injuries, including singed whiskers


A woman receives a snake massage at a spa in Talmei Elazar, Israel


Two four-week-old Persian leopard cubs are held at the Budapest zoo

My Effervescent Cherry Blossoms

SAKURA is indigenous to the Himalayas, including northern India, and to east Asian states such as China, Japan and Korea. Japan has a wide variety of sakura, well over 200 cultivations can be found there. Many were artificially hybridized or grafted by Japanese horticulturalists centuries ago.

Hanami (Flower Viewing)

During the Heian Period (794–1191), the Japanese nobility sought to emulate many practices from China, including the social phenomenon of flower viewing (hanami: 花見), where the imperial households, poets, singers, and other aristocrats would gather and celebrate under the blossoms.

In Japan, cherry trees were planted and cultivated for their beauty, for the adornment of the grounds of the nobility of Kyoto, at least as early as 794. In China, the ume "plum" tree (actually a species of apricot) was held in highest regard, but by the middle of the ninth century, the sakura had replaced the plum as the favored species in Japan.

Every year the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the sakura zensen (cherry-blossom front) as it moves northward up the archipelago with the approach of warmer weather via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs.

The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. It proceeds into areas at the higher altitudes and northward, arriving in Hokkaidō a few weeks later.

Japanese pay close attention to these forecasts and turn out in large numbers at parks, shrines, and temples with family and friends to hold flower-viewing parties. Hanami festivals celebrate the beauty of the sakura and for many are a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful view.

The custom of hanami dates back many centuries in Japan: the eighth-century chronicle Nihon Shoki (日本書紀) records hanami festivals being held as early as the third century CE.

Most Japanese schools and public buildings have sakura trees outside of them. Since the fiscal and school year both begin in April, in many parts of Honshū, the first day of work or school coincides with the cherry blossom season.

Sakura's Secret Meaning

Whereas in China the cherry blossom symbolizes feminine beauty, the feminine principle, or love, in Japan the cherry blossoms are believed to exemplify the transient nature of life, because of their short blooming times.

Cherry blossoms are an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhist influence, and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware.

The association of the Sakura with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga.

The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality; for this reason, Sakura are richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect.

The band Kagrra, which is associated with the visual kei movement, is an example of this latter phenomenon.

There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", and several pop songs. The flower is also represented on all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimono, stationery, and dish ware.

Popular Sakura Varieties

The most popular variety of sakura in Japan is the Somei Yoshino. Its flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem. They bloom and usually fall (or “scatter,” 散る chiru) within a week, before the leaves come out.

Therefore, the trees look nearly white from top to bottom. The variety takes its name from the village of Somei (now part of Toshima in Tokyo).

It was developed in the mid- to late-19th century at the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji period. The Somei Yoshino is so widely associated with cherry blossoms that jidaigeki and other works of fiction often depict the variety in the Edo period or earlier; such depictions are anachronisms.

Winter sakura (fuyuzakura/Prunus subhirtella Autumnalis) begins to bloom in the fall and continues blooming sporadically throughout the winter.

It is said to be a cross between Tokyo Higan cherry (edohiganzakura/P. incisa) and Mamezakura/P. pendula.

Other categories include yamazakura, yaezakura, and shidarezakura. The yaezakura have large flowers, thick with rich pink petals. The shidarezakura, or weeping cherry, has branches that fall like those of a weeping willow, bearing cascades of pink flowers.

Let The Rain Kiss You

April Rain Song

Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.

~ Langston Hughes



Tears

Old memories pool and flood
Salt trails burn raw cheeks
Bittersweet release

~ Diann Rust-Tierney, 7/18/05






To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world.

~ Anonymous

Getting Christmassy In Japan

The Milkshake Poem

Céline: You were like a little boy walking by an ice cream store, crying because his mother wouldn't buy him a milkshake or something.

(a voice comes from behind)

Jesse: I don't care what this woman has to say about anything.

Poet: Hello? (something in German)

Céline: What?

Poet: (Repeats phrase in German)

Céline: Oh, I understand a little bit, but he doesn't, I'm sorry.

Poet: Okay, uh, so, um, may I ask you a question?

Céline: Yeah.

Poet: So, I would like to make a deal with you. I mean, instead of just asking you for money, I will ask you for a word. Yeah, You give me a word, I take the word, and then, and then I will write a poem, with the word inside. And if you like it, I mean, if you like my poem, and you feel it adds something to your life in any way, then you can pay me whatever you feel like. I will write in English, of course.

Céline: Okay.

Jesse: Great, alright.

Poet: So? Pick a word.

(Jesse and Céline look at each other)

Jesse: Ummm...

Céline: A word, uh... milkshake.

Jesse: Milkshake? oh, good. Yeah, was gonna say rooster prick, but great. (turns to poet) Milkshake.

Poet: Milkshake? Okay, milkshake.

Jesse: Yeah, right, so we'll...

Céline: Good.

(poet begins to write)

Jesse: (quietly) What can I say? I like this Viennese variation of a bum.

Céline: I like what he said about adding something to your life, no?

Jesse: Yeah. So, uh, were we having our first fight back there?

Céline: No...

Jesse: Yeah, I think so, I think we were.

Céline: Well, even if we were a little bit, you know. Why does everyone think conflict is so bad. There's a lot of good things coming out of conflict.

Jesse: Yeah. Yeah, I guess so. I don't know, you know, I always think that if I could just accept the fact that my life was supposed to be difficult, you know that's what's to be expected, then, I might not get so pissed off about it, and I'd just be glad when something nice happens.

Céline: Maybe that's why I'm still in school, you know. It's easier to have something to fight against.

Jesse: Yeah, well, we've all had such competitiveness engrained in us...

(Poet finishes, and rips sheet from book)

Jesse: ...You know, I could be doing the most nothing thing, you know, I could be, uh, throwing some darts, or shooting some pool, and all of a sudden, I feel it come over me, 'I have got to win'

Céline: Is that why you tried to get me off the train? Competitiveness?

(Poet approaches them)

Jesse: What do you mean?

Poet: Okay. (hands the sheet to them) Look at the poem.

Jesse: (takes poem) Oh, alright. (Opens it up)

Céline: (takes poem from Jesse, offers it back to Poet) Will you read it to us?

Poet: (Takes poem) Sure, okay. (Reads it)


Daydream delusion
Limousine Eyelash
Oh, baby with your pretty face
Drop a tear in my wineglass
Look at those big eyes
See what you mean to me
Sweet cakes and MILKSHAKES (laughs)
I am a delusion angel
I am a fantasy parade
I want you to know what I think
Don't want you to guess anymore
You have no idea where I came from
We have no idea where we're going
Launched in life
Like branches in the river
Flowing downstream
Caught in the current
I'll carry you. You'll carry me
That's how it could be
Don't you know me (poet hands poem back)
Don't you know me by now


Céline: (taking poem) Great. Thanks.

Jesse: Thanks, man (they both reach for coinage to give to the Poet) Uh, Here you go, uh.

Poet: Thanks, thank you.

Céline: Here, thank you.

Poet: Thank you.

Jesse: Yeah, good luck, man.

Poet: Bye.

Jesse/Céline: Bye.

(Céline and Jesse walk away)

Céline: That's wonderful, no?

Jesse: Yeah, yeah.

Céline: What?

Jesse: You know he probably didn't just write that. I mean, you know he wrote it, but he probably just plugs that word in, you know, whatever 'milkshake'...

Céline: What do you mean?

Jesse: Nothing, I love it, it was great.

~ Before Sunrise ~

Meet Me By Hachiko!

Compact Emergency Japanese Quips

tashkani -- you have a point / naturally / of course
sasuga -- just what we'd expect from... [name]
yappari -- as I thought
shou ga nai -- it can't be helped (resignation) (short for shikatta ga nai)
mattaku -- for crying out loud (frustration)

yokkatta -- thank goodness (gratitude for good outcome)
shimatta -- darn (annoyance)
mochiron -- of course (confirmation)
wakatta -- I understand
yameno -- knock it off (imperative form of yameninaru "to be discontinued")

bakana -- that can't be right! (disbelief)
urasai! -- shut up!
masaka! -- of course not

maitta na -- you got me!
shikari -- get it together!
ganbatte -- Go for it! You can do it! (imperative of ganbaru, to persist)
abunai -- watch out!

See Chizumatic


***

Hachiko Monogatari

Richard "My Middle Name is Tiffany" Gere will star in Hachiko: A Dog's Story.

In the movie, Gere will play a college professor who takes in a dog he finds abandoned. Both man and hound find their lives changed forever as they form an unbreakable bond.

Every day, Hachiko accompanied the professor to Shibuya Station, and in the evenings, the man would come back to find the dog waiting faithfully at the station, a happy expression on his face.

This continued for years, until one day, the man died suddenly. Loyal Hachiko waited for his master to return for ten years, wagging his tail in front of the station every day until he, too, eventually died. Tokyo residents have erected a bronze statue in Hachiko's memory.

True Freedom

A Natural Beauty

Goffin Cockatoo Baby Growing Up

Sculpting the Aspiring Artist

Educate yourself, remember knowledge is power. Cross train yourself; you should never have only one foot to stand on.

Go to your local library, take out some books, watch some videos, listen to some audio tapes, browse through magazines, and attend related workshops.

Learn how to drive a stick shift well, swim, horseback ride, play tennis. If you want to work on your body think ballet, or better yet yoga. You never know when, or who, will invite you to an outing, always be prepared.

If your craft requires writing, collaborate with a writer, you'll both be able to include the work on your resumes/video/audio tape, if it's packaged right. Comedians, singers, musicians, actors, announcers should all be on this page of the book, in other words, get some original material, for your demo.

If you speak another language, learn how to be fluent, be able to speak, read and write it. It could get you in the door in more places, than you may think.

Musicians although it's not always required, should consider learning how to read music. Also, if you can play more than one instrument, work on mastering each, and every one of them. Always be in a position to say 'Yes, I can do that too'.

Models should focus on announcing, if they are articulate, with a strong vocabulary. If singing or dancing is an option work on either or both, but acting should be first, and foremost along with your modeling.

Artists interested in martial arts or stunt work should also focus on acting while fine tuning their craft.

Actors should focus on all levels of acting as well as other crafts which may enhance what they do. Singing, dancing, announcing, all of these professions should be given consideration. If there's an opportunity to work with a vocal/speech coach do this as well. And if you have been told that you're funny, explore comedy; it may be another stepping stone that you've never considered.

Announcers should not only master their speech/voice coaching, but experiment and master at least 2-3 character voices. Now, if you have a strong vocabulary, you should explore technical voiceover work. If you have a fairly attractive outer shell, and don't mind being in front of the camera, consider spokes model/emcee work.

Dancers should of course work on their dancing, but should also be collaborating with a choreographer. And cross train, consider acting first, and if you can sing, or play an instrument, you should work on packaging those talents too.

Singers, should work not only on their voice, and choreography, but acting as well. But most importantly, collaborate with a lyric writer; work on your own material, to package your demo.

And finally, learn how to read body language, although I mentioned it in passing, it would be to your advantage. During interviews/auditions, you'll be able to feel out the person. Also you'll be able to correct negative body language that you weren't aware of.

Theresa Moss has worked several behind the scenes jobs in the entertainment industry including talent coordinator, administrative assistant, production assistant, modeling recruiter, and receptionist for a cable television show, talent management/talent & modeling agency and for independent producers.

Perfection - Smile Your Foolish Smile

I want to talk about the importance of "not-knowing". Learning something new about ourself, and the world we live in, often requires that we first un-learn what we have learned in the past. We often get taught very powerful yet incorrect lessons as we go through life.

For instance, a child incorrectly gets "taught" by a screaming adult, that he is careless, lazy, selfish, or just plain dumb. When the child naively believes what the screaming adult is "teaching" him, the likelihood that the child will learn new and life affirming things about himself in the future, will tend to be seriously impeded.

In order for the child to free himself up for new learning, he will need to first "not-know" some of what he has learned in the past.

Another way to say this could be "What will I need to unlearn, before I can learn something new?" When wanting to understand the truth, we have to return to our true nature and let go of our opinions, our current condition, our understanding of what is right and what is wrong.

When our mind is clear, talking, words, and thinking are not necessary. The truth is just like this.

What we learn in the course of our life, determines the purpose, importance, and outcomes, that we extract from our experience. Whatever we feel we learn about ourself over and over again winds up becoming part of our identity. Our identity sets the foundation for our beliefs.

Our beliefs determines how we will be predisposed to act and react in the future. Learning-identity-beliefs go hand in hand. In order to learn something new and life affirming about yourself and the world around you, you will usually have to change your personal sense of identity, and some of your long held beliefs.

Perhaps you say "This all sounds reasonable. Now tell me how I can go about changing what I am learning, my identity, and my beliefs!"

One possible answer would be the following words from a Sanskrit mantra: "Om. This is perfect. That is perfect. From the perfect, comes the perfect. If from the perfect the perfect is taken away, Only the perfect remains. Om, peace, peace, peace."

Such is the sense of perfection we get when holding a baby. This sense of perfection, is the inherent blessing that exists as the essence of everything. This sense of perfection is present at all times and doesn't require any healing or change to take place.

This sense of perfection is dynamic rather than static, and welcomes the necessary ongoing changes of life. You are invited to simply notice what is, rather than attempting to correct what you believe needs to be different.


In Japanese flower arranging it is common that one of the branches in the arrangement is bent or broken, to signify that the arranger has attempted to present the flowers in a "natural" state.



It is the "imperfection" of the broken branch that leads us to understand that the arrangement is potentially "perfect." We encourage you to look for and appreciate your "broken branches" as a sign of your uniqueness and perfection.


Each one of us, no matter how seemingly evolved we might be, has imperfections and personal ego attachments. These imperfections and attachments are not something to be overcome or transcended, but rather something to be understood, appreciated, and accepted in the course of our life journey.

If we do not honor and appreciate our individual shortcomings, then a part of us will always be feeling that we are somehow needing to be fixed.

Charlie Badenhop is the originator of Seishindo, an Aikido instructor, NLP trainer, and Ericksonian Hypnotherapist. Benefit from a new self-help Practice every two weeks, by subscribing to his complimentary newsletter "Pure heart, simple mind" at http://www.seishindo.org/newsletter.html. Contact Charlie at seishin@seishindo.org.

I Didn't Get To Say Good-bye 18102907

I Didn't Get To Say Good-bye
by Krista Alley
I went to see you one dayAnd we rode your horses.You never told me that you wereGoing above one Autumn Day.So I never got to say Good- Bye.




I thought you would always be hereFor me and the family. You never told us you were sick,Until you left that one Autumn Day.



I was with my friend when I got that callThat you had three days left to live,And they wouldn't let me say Good- Bye.So I set at home, crying with my friendsComfort at my side.



When Granny calledAnd said you were gone,I thought my life was over,And never would be the same.

If I could see you just one more time,I would say, " I miss you and Good- Bye. "
You never know how much youLove that person,Until they are gone.I had to find out the hard way,And I regret never getting to say Good- Bye.
We will always remember you Sasha.I love you and Good- Bye.I will never forget you.





Dying Inside

by Natalee Fox
Something so hard goes straight to the soul;it seems impossible to get overand my heart is left with a big hole.


I'm trying to be happy, wearing a smile;but I'm dying inside.The world seems to be fading,and I just want to run and hide.





Everywhere I go I see your face,and realize how much I miss you;and on the day you dieda piece of me died too.