***Special Update:Darted Pigeons***

A few weeks ago, a pigeon was spotted with a metal dart protruding from her head above her eyes in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The dart likely came from a blowgun, a hollow tubal weapon in which the propelling force is air. The cruel attack is eerily reminiscent of similar blowgun attacks against a flock of pigeons in Park Slope reported in the New York Times in 1998.

Blowgun darts do not kill pigeons immediately, but often go through their bodies and stay, causing the birds great pain and making them vulnerable to infection and eventual death.

Darting pigeons is a violation of New York State animal cruelty law and the Environmental Conservation Law and can be punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine for each darting.

The public can report animal cruelty to either the New York City Police Department or to the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement department, which can be reached at (212) 876-7700, ext. 4450.

For help aiding darted pigeons in New York City, contact:

Wild Bird Fund: (646) 306-2862 www.wildbirdfund.com

Wildlife in Tribeca: (212) 766-7340 www.wildlifeintribeca.org

For help catching a darted pigeon, contact:
New York City Pigeon Rescue Central: (212)873-6030 http://nycprc.org/

Congrats to the grads!

So long finals (for now)!

We'll be updating throughout the Summer, but see you all in full swing come Fall Semester '10!





Have a great Summer!!!

The Cove

I hope finals are as painless as possible for everyone right now. It's almost over!!



If you are looking for a break, or just a good movie, I highly recommend picking up from the video store (if they still exist), or sending to the top of your Netflix queue, The Cove. The Cove is a film by Louie Pshioyos, a professional scuba diver and prolific nature photographer who has taken many of the incredible pictures you see in National Geographic magazines. The film is incredible. It is shocking and unsettling, but also a film I think anyone could and enjoy and that everyone should see.



The premise is like something out of a Tom Clancy novel (admittedly I've never read a Tom Clancy novel, but I mean, from the covers I assume that comparison...anyway....) and centers around both a person and a place. The person is Ric O'Barry, a former dolphin trainer who trained and befriended the dolphins that played Flipper in the 1960s television show. Barry took great pride in this job until he realized the dolphins were incredibly unhappy. It wasn't until one of the dolphins committed what seemed to be some form of suicide that Barry realized that humanity's fascination with dolphins was slowly killing them. O'Barry quit his job and then, only days later, was arrested off the coast Bimini freeing a dolphin from a confinement pen. He has worked tirelessly since to help liberate dolphins and spread the message of their mistreatment throughout the world.

So Louie meets O'Barry in the place where most of the events take place: Taiji, Wakayama, a beach community in Japan that has long been fascinated by the dolphins and whales living off its coast, but which harbors unspeakable secrets. Together, Louie and O'Barry develop spy techniques, strategically place hidden cameras, and sneak into the hidden cove off Taiji to discover what is really happening to the dolphins and what Taiji's fishing industry is really selling to its customers (seriously people, you can't make this stuff up).

Called "Flipper meets The Bourne Identity," The Cove succeeds on so many levels and really needs to be seen. It won the Academy Award for best documentary this year, and got the unheard of rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes; so if my opinion isn't solid enough, you always have the film industries. Definitely check out The Cove. You won't regret it.

Farmers Markets, Wonderful For All!

If you are a NYC dweller, you have probably walked by at least one farmers market at some point. If you haven't may I suggest seeking them out here!

There are few things more despised by some people than the farmers market. Personally, I blame the McCarthy Era and its anti-communism hysteria that resulted in people thinking of Farmers markets as pockets of communist thinkers who just all want to get along with their neighbors and sell them wholesome food. I also blame big grocery stores that have somehow gotten America to have a Pavlovian response to shiny waxy fruit and vegetables that are misted by the little sprayers every ten minutes or so. As a kid I used to attempt to rush over and get my hands wet before they stopped, but I digress.

The best part about farmers markets is that the things you buy are from local farms. Yes, sometimes the veggies are dirty, but that's because they were just picked! Everything is in season, which means nothing has been shipped, boxed up with butter sauce, or preserved with wax.

It is as fresh as can be. Getting fruits, veggies, and fish at farmers markets is a great way to have a naturally varied diet too. The main reason is that different fruits, vegetables, and fish come into season at different times. Even if you only got apples at a farmers market, the apples available in May are not the same varieties available in September. So what this means is that a person eating only what locally can be grown or caught will have a varied diet, going along with the whole mantra of nutritionists: 'Everything in moderation.' Not to mention that the nutritional value of food is best when it is just picked or caught, giving you more bang for your bite!

Speaking of everything, farmers markets have it all. Aside from the classic fruits and veggies, farmers markets also have Eggs, Bread, Cheese, Meat, Fish, Wine, Fresh Flowers, Plants, Honey, Jams, and so so so much more! Many of the foods are organic. A lot of the farmers of meat offer tours of their farms, so you can check conditions out yourself if you'd like. The fish is all wild caught, straight from the local waters, which means it is heavily regulated and sustainable.

So really, you have nothing to lose by incorporating farmers markets into your shopping regimen. They offer so many benefits health wise, help support the local economy and farmers, and is a great way to spend an hour or two. You may even find yourself only going to box stores for a couple of things rather than everything!

Allison