Well, hey there! Welcome to the new Helping Out section. Here at Amy’s we want to spotlight people that have done something extraordinary. There will also be information about opportunities and organizations that interest us.

Hannah the Hippo Gets a New Pool
by Pepper Ballard / The Fund for Animals

When a pygmy hippopotamus was rescued from the dry back yard of a California doctor, staffers at The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center were told the rare animal likely wouldn’t survive.

Hannah P. Motamus was found with adequate food and drinking water, but without the habitat—namely shade and a deep swimming pool—needed to sustain the water creature. Rejecting veterinarians’ claims she would have to be euthanized due to the severity of her dry, cracked skin, caregivers at the Ramona, Calif. rehabilitation facility fought for her life, rejuvenating her skin to a supple gray and building a mud pond in which she could finally bask.

Water, Water Everywhere

The relatively shallow pond, however, was only temporary, for staffers knew Hannah would be happiest submerged underwater. And on Tuesday, after several hot hours spent corralling the stubborn hippo into her brand new, 13,000-square foot enclosure—complete with a mud pond, shade trees and a 25-foot long, 3 ½-foot deep pool—Hannah showed everyone just how happy a hippo can get.

“She stepped in and immediately went down, deeper and deeper, and then—for the first time in her life—she disappeared underwater,” said Chuck Traisi, center manager. As a crowd of caregivers looked on, Hannah continued her disappearing act, wading from the shallow end to the deepest spot and then floating back up again.

“She put on a show. She kept rolling with her pink belly visible like a water ballerina. All of us swore she had a smile on her face,” Traisi said, adding that everyone around her had tears of joy rolling down theirs.

Hippos Don't Belong in Backyards

Pygmy hippos are rare creatures—and are even more rarely kept as pets. But Hannah’s case exemplifies the problems inherent in the exotic pet trade: People keeping wild animals as pets with little to no knowledge about their care needs, or about their temperament.

The property from which Hannah was confiscated had an extremely small enclosure, no shade whatsoever and no pond or any other water source within which she could even place one foot, Traisi said.

“Animals like this shouldn’t be private individuals’ pets. Their care is too demanding and they can be dangerous,” said Richard Farinato, senior director of animal care centers for The Humane Society of the United States, which operates the wildlife center in partnership with The Fund for Animals.

A loner by nature, the nocturnal pygmy hippo spends a majority of their time in water, which is where they do most of their sleeping and breeding, Farinato said. At night, the hippos graze and feed. Her new enclosure is as close to home as she can get: Since Hannah was raised in captivity she cannot be released back to the wild and must remain in sanctuary.

And sanctuary is exactly what Hannah has now.

In Her Element At Last

At dusk on Wednesday, Traisi said he looked over at Hannah’s enclosure and didn’t see her, which was odd since she normally begins feeding at that time. Concerned, Traisi walked into her new home, and looked for her under the shade of her new favorite tree, where she had been seen napping earlier. He planned to wake her up, and let her know her dinner had been served, but Hannah wasn’t there.

“I knew she wasn’t in the pool because there were no ripples,” he said. “And then suddenly, from the middle of the pool, her big gray head emerged and was looking at me. As I watched, she rested her head on the edge of the pool and just stared at me. It was so clear that she was so thoroughly enjoying herself.”

Traisi said he is thankful for the donors who fund projects to build and enhance animal habitats like Hannah’s new home, one of the many ongoing renovations supported by donors.

“From whatever source this money came--whoever was responsible for generating it--I thank them on behalf of a very lovely hippopotamus.”

+ Read Full Article here!

45 Lessons Life Taught Me
Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happine ss but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Thai 'spider-man' rescues autistic boy
Mar 23, 2009

BANGKOK (AFP) A Thai fireman turned superhero when he dressed up as comic-book character Spider-Man to coax a frightened eight-year-old from a balcony, police said Tuesday.

Teachers at a special needs school in Bangkok alerted authorities on Monday when an autistic pupil, scared of attending his first day at school, sat out on the third-floor ledge and refused to come inside, a police sergeant told AFP.

Despite teachers' efforts to beckon the boy inside, he refused to budge until his mother mentioned her son's love of superheroes, prompting fireman Sonchai Yoosabai to take a novel approach to the problem.

The rescuer dashed back to his fire station and made a quick change into a Spider-Man costume before returning to the boy, he said.

"I told him Spider-Man is here to rescue you, no monsters are going to attack you and I told him to walk slowly towards me as running could be dangerous," Somchai told local television.

The young boy immediately stood up and walked into his rescuer's arms, police said.

Somchai said he keeps the Spider-Man costume and an outfit of Japanese television character Ultraman at the station in order to liven up school fire drills.

Hero dog risks life to save kittens from fire
Sun Oct 26 - Source: Yahoo

SYDNEY (Reuters) – A dog was hailed as a hero on Sunday after it risked its life to save a litter of newborn kittens from a house fire, rescuers said.

In a case which gives the lie to the saying about 'fighting like cats and dogs', the terrier cross named Leo had to be revived with oxygen and heart massage after his ordeal. Fire broke out overnight at the house in Australia's southern city of Melbourne, where he was guarding the kittens.

Fire fighters who revived Leo said he refused to leave the building and was found by them alongside the litter of kittens, despite thick smoke.

"Leo wouldn't leave the kittens and it nearly cost him his life," fire service Commander Ken Brown told reporters.

The four kittens also survived the fire and Sunday Leo, who fire fighters nicknamed 'Smoky', was again back at the house.

(Editing by David Fox)

A Horse Named Molly
Source: Hoofcare

Meet Molly. She's a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners in the wake of Katrina. She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were Stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes.

But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there.

"This was the right horse and the right owner," Moore insists.
Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood (that) she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to Moore, is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse.

Molly's story turns into a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana . The little pony gained weight, her mane felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg.

The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports.

And she asks for it! She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too" And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. "It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse", she laughs.

Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people. And she had a good time doing it.

"It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life", Moore said, "She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others."

"She's not back to normal," Barca concluded, "but she's going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself."

This is Molly's most recent prosthesis. The bottom photo shows the ground surface that she stands on, which has a smiley face embossed in it. Wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind!

Posted by Fran Jurga

Christian the Lion
If you're not tearing up by the end of this video about Christian the Lion, then you've got a heart of stone.

 
Read more here!

Leftovers for the Hungry

Food Runners picks up excess perishable and prepared food from restaurants, caterers and bakeries and donates the food to the homeless. Read more about this great organization here;

http://www.foodrunners.org

The Hippopotamus and the Tortoise
Source: www.bepenfriends.com

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A-less-than- a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.

"After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately , it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.

"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," he explained.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God, "Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together."

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.

Amy's Kitchen is proud of Jill Youse.
As a supporter of Jill's efforts, we were so pleased to learn that ABC called her their, "Person of the week". Learn more about her by clicking here to watch the ABC news clip. And learn more about the Breast Milk projet, click here.

Midwest co-ops raise call for relief to farm flood victims
Organic farmers in southwest Wisconsin and neighboring Minnesota lost much or all of their crops in flooding .
by Sustainable Food News August 29, 2007

Several Twin Cities-area natural food co-ops Tuesday announced a community relief effort to assist regional organic family farmers, who have seen their annual harvests literally washed away by historic floods that have devastated portions of the Midwest over the past week. Organic farmers in southwest Wisconsin and neighboring Minnesota lost much or all of their crops in flooding along the Kickapoo River. "This flood is particularly disastrous to farmers because they are preparing to harvest their summer crops," said Barth Anderson, research and development coordinator for the Wedge Co-op. "Some of our suppliers have lost their entire harvest, others have lost a substantial portion of it, and many have sustained damage or devastation to their homes. More important, however, is the emotional and financial impact felt by our farming partners. Our hearts go out to them." The co-ops are joining forces with other co-ops in Wisconsin and Iowa to provide financial support to farmers in need through a partnership with Sow the Seeds Fund, a project created by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy to promote local food systems in the Midwest. The recent flooding, however, focused the Sow the Seed's mission to providing flood relief to sustainable and organic farmers hardest hit by the floods.

The farmers throughout Southeast Minnesota and Wisconsin are not only business partners with the Twin Cities co-ops, they're our friends," said Kim Kusnier, marketing programs specialist for National Cooperative Grocers Association, a business services cooperative, of which Twin Cities natural food co-ops are members. "Many of our member co-ops and their customers are devotees to these farmers' brands and products. Now, we'd like to encourage the community to 'think with their wallet' by contributing to the flood relief fund." Participating Twin Cities co-ops to-date include Wedge, Eastside, Just Food, Lakewinds, Linden Hills, Mississippi Market, North Country, River Market, Seward and Valley Natural Foods. In the metropolitan and surrounding area of the Twin Cities there are 12 independently owned natural food cooperatives. At least five Wisconsin cooperatives, including Outpost Natural Foods in Milwaukee and the Willy Street Co-op in Madison, have joined with their counterparts in Minnesota to raise money for those farmers and a Crawford County natural foods co-op that is now struggling after the floods. Through September, shoppers at the co-ops -- 15 as of Tuesday, though new ones are joining daily, organizers said -- are being invited to donate money to the Sow the Seeds Fund at the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. The money will be used to benefit the affected farmers. Because the number of participants is growing so quickly, a true tally was tough to come by Tuesday. But early estimates from just Sow the Seeds and three of the larger co-ops totaled $4,200. And an Austin, Texas, co-op is pledging matching funds. The campaign is asking individuals to give tax-deductible cash or check donations at participating co-op customer service desks. Jars will be available to collect spare change at these co-ops.

Also, anyone can donate online at www.sowtheseedsfund.org; and buy a specially blended Peace coffee, $2 of which will go to Sow the Seeds. Please send checks to: IATP/Sow the Seeds Fund, c/o Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, 2105 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55404.

Senator's legislation calls for bigger payout for farmers switching to organic

Legislation calls for each farmer receiving up to $80,000 to help with transition

by Sustainable Food News: September 6, 2007

U.S. Senator, and organic farmer, Jon Tester (D-Mont.) Wednesday introduced legislation calling for assistance to American farmers, who want to begin farming without fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.

Tester said the legislation is aimed at helping farmers voluntarily make the switch from traditional farming techniques to certified-organic farming by providing up to four $20,000 annual payments to farmers whose land has not been previously certified as organic.

“Making the switch to organics shouldn’t be a make-or-break decision for family farmers,” Tester said. “It should be a decision that ultimately saves them time and money while increasing the value of the stuff they grow.”

The conversion process can take three years, resulting in a temporary decline in crop yields and production. And, farmers can’t sell their chemical-free crops for higher premiums until they’re certified as organic.

The disbursement would allow farmers to pay for technical assistance, conservation management to protect the environment and wildlife and animal welfare, according to the legislation.

Under Tester’s legislation, farmers who receive organic conversion assistance must sign contracts with the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. They must also verify that they’re complying with the certification process every year. Tester said the legislation is being included for consideration in the upcoming 2007 farm bill.
Tester, one of only two farmers in the U.S. Senate, stopped using chemicals on his 1,800-acre farm near Big Sandy nearly 20 years ago. He made the switch to organic farming because the chemicals made his wife ill, and because it increased the value of his crops. Montana has more acres of organic wheat production than any other state.

“Organic farming is a good deal for Montana’s farmers and ranchers,” Tester said. “It’s a win-win for agriculture in our state. It’s good for the land and it’s good for folks who want to sell their crops for higher premiums.”

>> Write your senator today to express your support for Senator Tester’s legislation.

City Farm on abandoned Chicago Lot
On one acre of an otherwise vacant lot in Chicago, rows of organically grown tomatoes, squash and greens, edged in by towering sunflowers, have supplanted weeds and garbage. City Farm is the brainchild of Ken Dunn, director of the 30-year old sustainability nonprofit Resource Center. Seven years ago, Dunn convinced the city to let his non-profit make healthy use of languishing real estate by hiring people to truck in compost and raise food on the property until a buyer comes along. “Greening vacant lots benefits the neighborhood,” says Dunn. “We’re creating jobs and growing high-quality food,”

Local chefs source their produce from the farm. “That they’re doing the right thing is one incentive to patronize City Farm,” says Bruce Sherman, chef at North Pond Restaurant, “But the primary one is that the food tastes better.” Dunn envisions greening all the burg’s 10,000 vacant acres, but the cost – about $10,000 per acre – forces him to work one plot at a time. For now. Pending grants and compost production, a second City Farm could open this year.

Elaine Glusac from Eating Well Magazine

Trunk Show
Carol Buckley’s elephant sanctuary really pachs ‘em in!

When Carol Buckley adopted Tarra in 1974 while studying exotic-animal training in Moorpark, Ca she had no idea the 700-pound baby elephant would guide the course of the rest of her life. Purchased from a salesman who was keeping her in the back of a delivery truck to promote his tire store, Tarra formed such a close bond with her new owner that Buckley felt she had to explore every avenue that would let her work and stay close to her beloved pet. “The world is not designed for girl and elephant to be together,” she says. So for the next 20 years, Buckley and Tarra performed as a team in circuses, zoos and amusement parks, until Buckley sensed that Tarra had grown tired of the life in the spotlight. That’s when she began to imagine a place where elephants like Tarra could retire and not be used for commercial purposes. In 1995, that dream materialized when she bought 112 acres in Hohenwald, TN and called it The Elephant Sanctuary.

The sanctuary, now 2,700 acres, is the nations’ only natural habitat refuge for old, sick or needy elephants. It has 19 residents. Some were rescued from abusive situations, others came from life in captivity where they were branded “dangerous”, and many came from zoos and circuses. Surviving on donations received through its website, the organization invites visitors to view pictures, read each elephant’s (sometimes heart-wrenching) story, and even watch them live on the “Elecam”. There’s no golf or shuffleboard, but the residents seem to be enjoying their retirement so far. “The first thing elephants discover when they get here is that they’re never going to be told what to do again,” says Buckley. “They can decide what to do and when.”

Emily McCombs Bust Magazine

Green teens clean mean streets
Source: BBC News

As part of a series on young environmentalists in the BBC's Generation Next season, Soutik Biswas reports from Bihar on youngsters creating an oasis in the heart of one of India's most polluted and lawless cities.

In busy and chaotic Patna, capital of Bihar, one of India's most backward and poorest states, a 10-acre farm has been converted into the city's only bio-reserve, by children. They belong to Taru Mitra (Friends of Trees), a group of youngsters committed to preserving the environment.

The dense reserve is dotted with some 50 varieties of trees, environment-friendly buildings with bamboo and waste paper roofs, ponds, a solar energy-powered office, and a compost making unit.

All of this is the labour of love of a few thousand children from a little more than 100 schools in a city where lawlessness is rife and children have been kidnapped in the past for ransom.

Abhishek Bharadwaj, 15, Achala Parmar, 14, and Wartika Pande, 13, are among the school children who have been planting trees and greening a city where, by one estimate, there is only one tree for every 2,000 people.

The Rescuing Hug
Source: planetdeb.net

This is a picture from an article called "The Rescuing Hug". The article details the first week of life of a set of twins. Apparently, each were in their respective incubators, and one was not expected to live. A hospital nurse fought against the hospital rules and placed the babies in one incubator. When they were placed together, the healthier of the two threw an arm over her sister in an endearing embrace. The smaller baby's heart rate stabilized and her temperature rose to normal.

Let us not forget to embrace those whom we love.

Read More Here >>

Whale Rescue
If you read the front page story of the SF Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines.

She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralone Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help.

Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her...

A very dangerous proposition.
One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.
When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles.

She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed gently around-she thanked them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.

The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

To read the full story, click here

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British Girl Warns Officials of Pending Tsunami
By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY

HONG KONG — As a deadly tsunami approached the Thai beach resort of Phuket on Dec. 26, the only warning came from a little British girl who had the good sense to pay attention in geography class a few weeks earlier.

On holiday with her family, Tilly Smith, 10, remembered what she had learned back at school in southeastern England. She recognized the water's weird foaming and swirling as a precursor to a tsunami. Smith screamed at her parents to get off the beach. After a moment's hesitation, they did. About a dozen other tourists fled with them to higher ground. Minutes later, 15-foot waves lashed the Thai coastline.

+ Read Full Article at USA Today

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