#national mermaid rescue foundation

[wotchernewt]

NMRF Internal Incident Report

Date: 14/11/2024

Filed by: Cleo Zombey and Etho Slab and annotated by Dr. Gemini Tay

Nature of incident: Violence between residents.

Summary: Incident occurred between residents Grian and Scar, with staff E. Slab and C. Zombey present. Grian bit Scar on the left pectoral hard enough to draw blood. Per foundation protocol, both residents were immediately relocated to separate isolated pools for medical attention and testing. No other residents were quarantined, as risk of infection was deemed negligible.

To everyone who read that and started freaking out about ZF, please read the full report and appended medical assessment. ~ GT

Background:

Grian is a recent arrival. Due to the circumstances of his discovery (see I-313, 30/10/2024) and an unwillingness to speak to staff, very little is known about his history. Following standard 14-day quarantine !!! Grian was deemed in good enough health to transfer to the complex, with safety barriers in place for the first few days to allow him to get used to the environment before meeting other residents up close.

Scar is a long-term resident. Reduced mobility makes reintroduction to the wild nonviable, so he instead works as an ambassador and consultant regarding remodelling of pool interiors. Has a history of disobeying authority.

Per Scar's own testimony, Scar bypassed the security barriers multiple times before this incident. Staff was unaware of these prior incidents, as well as the means by which Scar achieved this. Scar claims these were merely visits to show Grian around, as Scar was involved with the construction of Grian's pool, and that Grian never exited the area. Grian refuses to say anything on the matter, beyond confirming that he had met Scar before the incident on November 14th.

Full incident report:

Sometime between 12:00 and 14:45, Scar bypassed one of the safety barriers by unknown means. At approximately 14:45, Slab and Zombey passed the door to Grian's quarters. Hearing an unusual sound, they entered the room and found both Grian and Scar, Grian having pinned Scar down in one of the shallow portions of the pool.

Grian responded to the staff's arrival with a threat display. Scar took advantage of this distraction to escape Grian's hold. A brief scuffle followed. Splashing made it difficult for staff to follow, but the dispute ended in Scar's favour, with Scar trapping Grian in a hold wherein Grian's face was pressed against Scar's chest. Scar remained unconcerned !!!! as he greeted Slab and Zombey, in spite of Grian's tail remaining free and thrashing wildly. Despite staff recommendation, Scar kept Grian in this hold until 14:48, when Grian bit him. I'd bite him too.

Scar released Grian at this point, allowing Grian to retreat !!!!! into the pool's underwater structures. Recognizing that the bite had drawn blood, Zombey sent Slab to retrieve medical supplies. Scar initially attempted to follow Grian, but was reminded of foundation protocol and convinced to wait on the poolside and receive medical attention.

Once Slab returned with first aid equipment, Zombey entered the pool to retrieve Grian. Grian did not resist relocation !!!!!! once found, apart from a brief attempt to swim towards Scar upon entering line of sight. Grian was removed from the room at 15:01, while Scar's relocation was delayed until his injury was fully bandaged at 15:15.

Once both residents were safely relocated, staff spoke with residents to confirm whether anyone else had any contact with Grian. Only Mumbo Jumbo had spoken with Grian. As that communication was through ultrasonic frequencies and did not involve either resident approaching the security barriers, it was not deemed necessary to quarantine him as well. Contact with Scar was not deemed a risk factor, as Scar did not have any recent injuries apart from the bite.

---

ZFS Assessment (abridged, see medical file for full details)

Date: 18/11/2024

Physical: Scales continue to brighten, more red than pink this time. None missing. Fins show minor damage around edges, no worse than previously observed. Full range of motion. Capable of strong, fast movement both in and out of water. NEGATIVE

Mental: No observed difficulty communicating or performing actions of his own accord, but refuses to cooperate with testing. INCONCLUSIVE

Behavior: Irritable. Splashes staff at all opportunities. In context with past behavior, this is unremarkable. Responds to Scar's ultrasonic calls from the adjacent room. When left alone, alternately swims laps and plays with supplied toys, with occasional naps on the edge of the pool. NEGATIVE

Conclusion: The patient shows zero symptoms. Even if an infection had slipped past the generous initial quarantine period, physical deterioration takes less than a day to set in after the behavioral shift. Said shift is characterized by UNPROVOKED violence, fearlessness, and attempting to maul ANYTHING that comes within arm's reach. That includes you, Cleo. Grian's behavior has been consistent through his entire residency thus far and he is only getting healthier. As such, I can confidently say that there is no chance that Grian has Zombie Fish Syndrome, and both he and Scar can safely be returned to the complex at any time.

That protocol is in place for a reason, but it's pretty obvious by now that they were just roughhousing, like Scar said. Have we all forgotten how much personal experience he has with that disease? Am I the only person who actually listens to him?

I get it, it's super infectious, we're here to keep these mermaids alive. But there's keeping an endangered species safe, and there's keeping people locked up just because it kinda looked like they might be sick. I like this place a lot better when it's a sanctuary, not a gilded cage.

[makairodonx]

For those of you who are curious, here’s a rough outline of the world of Sekaia’s backstory:

First Age: Shortly following the Primordial Age of the Gods, which witnessed the magical creation of the world at the hands of supernatural beings such as the Aesar and Vanar, Men lived alongside Centaurs, Dragons, Dwarfs, Elves, Fairies, Fauns, Griffins, Goblins, Mermaids, Trolls, etc. and were given ability to master Water, Earth, Air and Fire by the gods; the Dark Lord Angroth, who was himself a former memeber of the Vanar, tried to conquer the world with his mastery of the Fifth element of Void and the the Seven Golden Orbs, but got vanquished by the Four-Element-Confederacy, which was led by the armies of two of the mightiest Kingdoms among Men. Nevertheless his corrupting spirit lived on through the millennia and centuries in the form of the Golden Orbs, the last of which would turn out the be the most powerful of them all. It was also during this time that a dragon allied with the forces of Angroth would destroy the Fastness of Bin Hesarnath with his fiery breath and scatter the Folk of Haman, a great, wise king among men who resisted the Dark Lord’s temptations, across the world, and over time his descendants, the Children of Haman, would soon colonize distant lands and islands and remember the exploits of their forebears only through song and legend as they graduallylaid the foundations for the establishment of new human nations, kingdoms and states.

Second Age:

The mighty kingdoms of Men that once worn the war against Angroth got caught up in a war with their allies for world-domination. It was also during this time that Human nations conquered nature with greed and industry and grew powerful with their utopian sophistication and waged wars against each other

Gods led by Nemesis punished humans for their consumerist greed by sending in a meteor upon them

Tidal waves and fires destroyed cities, followed by the devastating hundred-years winter, which few humans survived

Third Age:

Centuries following the meteor impact that destroyed much of civilization,

Old-growth Forests covered much of the world,human civilization was very slow to recover, and the few human societies who survived the meteor lived hunter-gatherer lifestyles and lived more in harmony with nature and its representative gods/spirits, some of which came in the form of Mesozoic sauropsids

Race of blue-skinned giants felled down nearly all the forests/trees-resentment and war with the forest gods/spirits

Alliance of elves and men helped them defeat the giants-

leader of the alliance given the Golden Orb by the Elves of the High Heavens

-Used to wipe out the giants, and allow nature gods/spirits to flourish

Alliance leader-First Trian, who was the son of a powerful Elf-King and a human princess

Dynasty of Trians ruled Triannia and eventually all of Sekaia itself for the next 2,500 years ,

Mankind continued to live in harmony with nature and its representative gods and spirits

Elves and Fairies taught man to tame the bird-beasts and live in harmony with nature, while

Goblins corrupted humans to conquer/exploit the earth and into ways of delusion, greed, ill-will and malice -resentment of the gods/spirits

Some ancient civilizations somehow succeeded and tried to challenge the rule of the Trians but failed

An angry god conjured a great flood that eventually engulfed the world, and the Sky-Farers rescued humans with their great airships.

It was also during this time that Prophecy of Magellon emerged as the Trians were about to reach the peak of their power.

Fourth Age:

Vast oceans initially covered much of the world, continents like Aetheria emerged from the shells of great island-turtles, and humans reach the peak of their cultural and technological prowess, exemplified by the Skyfarer civilizations and the four Great Realms of Ardia, Chuseiia, Triania and Tiania

Hundreds of years-Trians continued to use Golden Orb’s power to maintain peace and order throughout their lands, including their major tributaries on the magical continent of Aetheria, where humans had the power to conjure/control Water, Earth, Air and Fire

Fifth Age:

One night -the evil sorcerer Mazaruul (once a former adviser to the Trians) usurped the throne of the Trians for himself by killing off the reigning Trian and his family - except for one baby boy -

Stole important Trian artifacts for himself, and imposed his dark will upon the Trian’s’ lands

Baby boy is taken down a stream, raised by a kind old lady and her vixen friend for twelve years- soon finds out the truth about his dynasty and its past - sets out on a quest with four loyal comrades to reclaim his dynasty’s throne and possessions from the hands of Mazaruul and defeat the sorcerer in battle

Afterwards: Last Trian reigned over Triania for a hundred years,

-faced war for control over his lands by an alliance of the Goblin Empires of Arpan and Thuban-but once he died, though, Arpan and Thuban would be divided over who should take control over the Trians’ lands and possessions and rule the world with the power of the Golden Orb - leading to the Arpan-Thuban War foretold by the Prophecy of Magellon

It was also during this time that the dark forces of delusion, greed, industry and ill-will took over the world once again

During the fifty years war, the Thubanians invaded the kingdom of Basilia, whose ruling family had papers pertaining to the Golden Orb’s use,

and killed its king. Thus his daughter tried to put up a fierce resistance to prevent the Thubanians from seizing the papers…but unfortunately she was captured by the goblins, along with the papers, and thrown into their cargo ship, which was later attacked by a flock of pterosaur spirits and crashed...on the night right after the young sorceress Keiko Yamamoto was celebrating her fifteenth birthday.

Events following the Thubanian Invasion of the Southern Glens and Keiko’s trip to the Borderland Woods with Robby and Venki:

After the Elf and Raccoon take the fifteen-year-old girl to the secret cave beyond the stream to see the great tapestry that chronicles the events of the Prophecy, Keiko Yamamoto embarks on a journey with her companions that takes her through the former tributaries of Triania known as the “Lands of the Trians” in order to reach the ancient, sacred Forest of Hope, within which the Lonely Tree stands with the Golden Orb glowing upon its great branches. Along the way, the sorceress will also find the four elemental gems that the Dwarfs of the Black Mountains found and scattered all over Aetheria, and they are also needed spell to destroy the Golden Orb: the Sapphire of Water, the Emerald of Earth, the Diamond of Air, and the Ruby of Fire.

The whole story itself, including Keiko’s journey to the Lonely Tree, will also be dived into four books which themed around each of the four elements:

Book l: The Paths of Water will cover the journey through the Green Marshes and the train ride to the Black Mountains.

It is in this first book of the quadrilogy that Keiko will be exercising her ability to conjure/control Water and come across Water-based beings, creatures, gods/spirits and people who possess that power. The sorceress and her friends will also find the Sapphire of Water, which can be useful for creating powerful Water-based spells.

Book ll will cover the Black Mountains and its surrounding lands, as well as the Kingdom of Compteia.

It is in this second book of the quadrilogy that Keiko will be exercising her ability to conjure/control Earth in the form of boulders, rocks, plants, trees and the like, and come across Earth-based beings, creatures, gods/spirits and people who possess that ability. The sorceress and her friends will also find the Emerald of Earth that allows her to create powerful Earth-based spells.

Book lll: The Paths of Air will cover the Sky-Realm of Luftia, the Forest of Despair, and the Silver Plains. It is in this third book of the quadrilogy that Keiko will be exercising her ability to conjure/control Air via wind, storms, tornadoes, etc. and encounter Air-based beings, creatures, gods/spirits and people who possess that power. The sorceress will also find the Diamond of Air that allows her to create powerful Air-Based spells.

Book lV: The Paths of Fire will cover the Sands of Fate, the Amber Caverns, the Hills of Fire, the Red Mountains, the Great Canyon, and the Forest of Hope. It is in this final book of the quadrilogy that Keiko will be exercising her ability to conjure/control Fire and encounter Fire-based beings, creatures, gods/spirits and people who possess that power. Keiko will also find the Ruby of Fire that allows her to create powerful Fire-based spells.

The use of all four elemental gems will also be necessary for Keiko to use in her spell to destroy the Golden Orb once and for all.

An overview of Keiko’s journey to the Lonely Tree after she and her companions leave the Southern Glens:

Soon after they’ve entered the Green Marshes, the trio encounter three bellicose pachycephalosaur spirits that get pacified by Keiko.

Keiko saves a troll from getting enslaved by a couple of goblins by freezing them with an ice-spell.

The trio have coffee and a lunch of eggs and ham at the house of the friendly Farmer Ramos, who later takes them to the observatory that was owned by Keiko’s

Keiko “purifies” a polluted River with one of her spells, and the sorceress and her friends later find a nodosaur spirit that got sick from drinking the polluted water. Keiko feeds it a herb that cures the creature of its sickness.

The next day, the trio enter a human village that gets attacked by a raging ceratopsian forest spirit. Keiko is able to calm it down with her magic and she and the local village matriarch find out that it had been attacked by human hunters via a long spear embedded in its side. The matriarch thus holds a village council to discuss the problems surrounding the corruption of the Green Marshes’ nature spirits. Afterwards the villagers give Keiko and her friends a wooden canoe as a gift for saving their lives from the corrupted forest spirit.

The trio cross the cypress swamps on the canoe.

Along the way, they encounter the Swamp-Elves and an enchantress who lives in a treehouse, enthralls them with local tales surrounding the Green Marshes, and tells them that they have to cross a flooded battlefield in order to reach the watchtower of Aol Soinen.

After she and her companions cross the swamps, Keiko enchants a lone vine to swing by itself and she and her companions use it to cross a river full of hungry Deinosuchus spirits.

One night, the trio cross a vast marsh that was once the site of a great battle between men and goblins that got flooded. Keiko also helps protect Robby and Venki from the undead soldiers with her spells.

Afterwards as night falls, the trio see some fireflies, hang out with some woodland elves, and sleep on the branches of a huge oak tree. A small herd of hadrosaur spirits soon emerge to browse on the oak leaves under the moonlight.

The trio encounter a friendly Spinosaurus water spirit whom Keiko christens as “Mizuchi”. Mizichi helps Keiko destroy some Goblin gunships, heals some human villages that were burned by Goblin attacks with her water-breath, and later rides Keiko and her friends across the River Meandros while giving the trio fish to eat along the way.

The trio come across a village market at a river, and Keiko uses her magic to cure a nature spirit of the junk it ate.

As they head further north, the trio see two flamingo-like theropod spirits fighting over a large morsel of food at a stream.

The trio encounter a company of Compteian knights led by Beziel son of Fimiel, and then they ascend the top of the wooden watchtower of Aol Soinen in order to observe the surrounding landscape…and spot the Black Valley Express heading for a station to stop by.

The trio board the train for a border town near the County of Compteia, which is situated not far from the Black Mountains themselves. Upon arriving they see a Thubanian bomber dropping leaflets onto the populace below, and Keiko and her friends see it as propaganda.

Along the way to the small kingdom, the trio see distant caravans of human civilians crawling across the landscape with their livestock, riverside towns that have been bombed by goblin warplanes, and an Arpanian airship dropping food and other supplies to crowds of desperate civilians. Along the way, the trio also stumble across Titanosaur earth-spirits and see the Thubanians going into battle in their huge mechanical war-elephants.

Upon arriving at Compteia, the trio see Beziel and his company of knights returning from a campaign launched against the Thubanians, and they bring in some Thubanian war-machines that they captured.

Beziel, the captain of Compteia’s armies, was the son of Fimiel, the previous Army Captain of the county. He served the Countess of Compteia, who was struggling to keep the peace between the two goblin empires, she repeatedly resisted their offers to join either side in the war for control of the Trian’s lands and possessions, and the armies and resources of her kingdom were exhausted. Beziel also strives to help Keiko end the Arpan-Thuban War that has ravaged the Lands of the Trians through indirect means.

Upon arriving at the Black Mountains, Keiko, Beziel, Robby and Venki see an Arpanian warplane that was shot by Thubanian planes soon crashes into the ground in front of them. Keiko and Beziel interrogate its pilot, who tells them that the Arpanians recently lured an entire flock of kangaroo-like dinosaur spirits into attacking a Thubanian garrison situated in one of the mountain valleys and then proceeded to “slaughter” everyone from atop a tall cliff with bombs and grenades. Appalled by the shocking crime that one of the major goblin kingdoms committed, Keiko and Beziel decide to agree on their resolve to bring the Arpanians and Thubanians to justice.

As they trek through the mountains, Keiko and co. Stumble across the ruins of a once-powerful Dwarf civilization, and they later encounter a huge Azhdarchid air spirit whom she christens as “Arashi”. Arashi proceeds to fly the company over the mountains and into the Sky Realm of Luftia, which is home to floating islands and human residents used pterosaur spirits as a means of transportation. The Matriarch of Luftia tells Keiko that her realm has faced countless goblin attacks earlier during the war, and the sorceress later helps her forces resist an invasion of Thubanian airships. Afterwards, Arashi flies Keiko and her companions down towards the outskirts of the Black Mountains and lands them at a huge grassy hill which overlooks the infamous Forest of Hope. It is in the cottage that a kind young girl and her mother and grandmother provide the travelers with food and a place to sleep. After a good breakfast the next day, Keiko and co. leave the cottage and head straight into the Forest of Hope. After facing off the venomous Fell-Serpents that slither around the trunks of the tall pine trees, Keiko breaks the spell that brought dark enchantements upon the forest, and she and her friends encounter the ancient therizinosaur forest spirit that once kept the place sacred for centuries before the war began.

After leaving the Forest of Despair and the Black Mountains, Keiko and co. enter the Silver Plains, where they stumble across a flock of kangaroo-like theropod spirits. Keiko bonds with one of them and christened it as “Kyōfu”. Once a party of giant Thubanian warplanes arrive to hunt the dinosaurs for sport, the trio ride Kyōfu and Keiko leads the flock away from the warplanes repels them with a few spells, one of which creates a false doppelgänger image of the flock. Afterwards the trio traverse the plains on Kyōfu and encounter the nomadic Tengrians who also happen to ride the kangaroo-like theropods for transport.

Kyōfu soon leads Keiko and co. into the Sands of Fate, a vast desert which the two goblin empires once heavily exploited for oil to fuel their war-machinery. After a long, tiresome trek through the area, the trio stumble upon two oases, the Sand-Wurms, and nomadic warring desert tribes such as the Rudrigians and Prochians who fought each other over water and were now trying to resist Goblin encroachment upon their lands. The trio spend some time with the Rudrigians, and one night they tell Keiko and her friends that the Amber Caverns has a secret passage that can lead them to the Hills of Fire… guarded by a fearsome half-centipede, half woman monster who savors the meat of men, elves, goblins and trolls. So the desert nomads give the sorceress a magical amulet that could protect her and her companions in case the monster attacks them.

Keiko and co. go to the Amber Caverns, the huge, circular door to which has been locked with runic spells that only the sorceress can activate with magic using the light of the half-moon. Once inside, the three travelers find murals of helpless men getting eaten by giant spiders and stumble upon the skeletons of the monster’s helpless victims. As Keiko and co. explore more and more of the tunnels, the sorceress repels hordes of huge attacking spiders with her spells, and the trio finally reach the cavernous lair of the half-centipede, half-woman monster. After she engages the trio in a tense battle, the monster gives up and she magically reveals to Keiko and co. the secret passage to the Hills of Fire. It is in that land of Jackalopes and giant leopard-lizards that the trio will encounter a horned fire-breathing carcharodontosaurid desert spirit named Julius who will guide them through the patchwork of cacti and rugged terrain, help Keiko and co. fend off goblins, trolls and other monsters faced along the way, and lead them through the Red Mountains on the way to the Great Canyon, which separates the other Lands of the East from the Forest of Hope. Keiko summons Arashi to fly her and her companions over the canyon and straight past the legendary Four Cliffs, a landmark that marks the western borders of the forest within which stands the Lonely Tree. Along the way Keiko and her companions spot airships and bombers of the two goblin empires heading towards the forest, and right after she lands her huge flying steed at a nearby village, she urgently warns the local populace of the coming battle for the Golden Orb and tells them to head for higher ground in order to avoid the onslaught of the two approaching Goblin armies. Keiko also finds out from the resident elves that Tarius the Just has recently built a factory-fortress where he is marshaling his forces for a final assault on the Lonely Tree. The sorceress and her companions rushed into the fort, fended off Tarius’ guards, and urged the Goblin emperor to call off his assault in a tense interrogation. Tarius the Just agrees to call off turn off the attack and shows Keiko and co. the sight of goblin airships and bombers on both sides bombing vast portions of the Forest of Hope in order to pave the way for the ground-based troops and scattering away its resident gods and spirits. As the Battle for the Golden Orb threatens to destroy much of the Forest of Hope, Keiko summons all the sauropsid nature gods and spirits to disable the war-machines of both sides as she goes to the Lonely Tree and destroy the Golden Orb, but she gets knocked unconscious by a Thubanian war-elephant robot which Julius successfully fights off in order to save her life. Afterwards, as the great battle between goblins, men, gods and spirits rages on, Keiko climbs up the Lonely Tree, places the tip of her staff upon the Golden Orb, and tries to destroy it with a very powerful spell that uses an ancient apocalyptic Trianian incantation and the might of the four elemental gems. Right after she and the tree are seemingly killed in the initial blast of golden light, the object, much to the horror of the human civilians gathered atop the tall cliffs surrounding the forest, turns out to be an egg that hatches the “Lotus of Death”, a massive monster that once wiped out the world countless times in the past. But, since it’s power was greatly weakened by Keiko’s spell, the Lotus of Death self-destructs in a massive explosion that kills off the forest and its surrounding lands and much of the war-mongering Goblin armies on both sides. As the monster’s form heals the land, though, The nature gods and spirits re-emerge from the ruins and use their magic to resurrect Keiko, who opens her eyes to the sight of a “hundred-thousand white birds” flying over the newly-risen Forest of Hope and thanks the gods and spirits for helping her complete her mission. After the prophecy is fulfilled, Keiko starts a new life with her companions while a seedling germinates from the place where the Lonely Tree once stood.

[poop4u]

Dug Up at Dogster: March 2020 Dog Events and Premieres

#Poop4U

The post Dug Up at Dogster: March 2020 Dog Events and Premieres by Melissa L. Kauffman appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Forget the rain and snow — grab your pup and have fun at one of these March 2020 dog events or premieres. If you don’t see your dog event or premiere in our March 2020 dog event list, just email us your dog show information at dogstermag@belvoir.com.

March Monthly Dog Holiday Observances: Poison Prevention Awareness Month

March 1, 2020: 26th Annual Mardi Paws Parade

More than 500 dogs participated in last year’s parade, with the theme of SuperPaws. This year’s them is Beyond All Boundaries. Photo credit Bach Imagery LLC

This annual event has moved to Covington, Louisiana,  this year and comes at the tail end of Mardi Gras season, the Sunday after Fat Tuesday. This year’s theme is “Beyond All Boundaries,” which celebrates the limitless exploration of sea, air and space. You are encouraged to dress you and your dog in everything from mermaids to astronauts. The parade will be led by actor Ian Somerhalder of the television shows “Lost” and “The Vampire Diaries, with proceeds from the parade to benefit both canines and kids through the Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF). Last year, more than 500 dogs participated, and there was an estimated crowd of 25,000 spectators. Get parade information at mardipaws.com.

March 13 and March 27, 2020: Premiere of The Dog Doc Documentary

    The Dog Doc film poses a serious question about whether we are over medicating our pets and ourselves, combining touching stories of families with the hard science of integrative care. By casting an intimate lens over this unique world, The Dog Doc shows the healing powers of wellness, compassion and hope. The Dog Doc, veterinarian Dr. Marty Goldstein, is a pioneer of integrative medicine, which combines conventional medicine with cutting-edge alternative treatments. Attracting four-legged patients from around the world, Dr. Goldstein’s practice, Smith Ridge Veterinary Center in South Salem, NY provides holistic care for animals after other vets have given up hope. Directed by Cindy Meehl (Buck) the documentary hits New York theaters on March 13 and Los Angeles, CA theaters on March 27. Find out more details at the official website dogdocthefilm.com.

March 14, 2020: Pup Plaza Microchip Event

Whether you have a cat or dog, stop by Pup Plaza in San Jose, CA,  from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to have your pet microchipped. For $20 (including insertion and registration), get peace of mind knowing that your pet has permanent identification. Bring all pets on leash or in a carrier. Walk-ins welcome, no appointment necessary. Cats are 20 times more likely to be reunited with their families when microchipped and dogs are 2.5 times as likely to be reunited! Pup Plaza is in San Jose, 14408 Union Ave., in the Cambrian Park Plaza shopping center. For more information, visit svpetproject.org/info/events.

March 15, 2020: St. Patrick’s Day Dog Parade with Doga

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your best furry pal with some relaxing Dogs benefitting Rocket Dog Rescue. Photo credit adogslifephoto/Getty Images.

This fun event kicks off with Doga (yoga and dogs) and then prances right into the red carpet where a canine community panel will award trophies for best-dressed dogs. 100% of proceeds goes to SF-based Rocket Dog Rescue. Raffle prizes, an agility course and an animal communicator will be part of the party. Event held at Patrick’s Park in San Francisco. Get tickets at Eventbrite.com.

March 15, 2020: Hills Are Alive Trail Canicross

This event welcomes all levels of CaniCross athletes and special equipment is not required. Perfect for all fitness levels, this event is dog-friendly for those not interested in participating in the CaniCross Event. Lake Geneva Canopy Tours/Arbor Trails is the home of this Hills are Alive Trail Run and Walk, with every turn of this 4-mile trail loop revealing emerging wildflowers to deer or other critters. This event is part of the 2019-20 CaniCross Event Series and offers 4- or 8-mile events. For the safety and comfort of all athletes, the CaniCross event starts 10 minutes prior to the start of the Run/Walk event. CaniCross athletes will start at 10:20 and Run/Walk athletes will start at 10:30 a.m. Go to xcthrillogy.com for more information.

March 23, 2020: National Puppy Day

The motto of National Puppy Day is “No love like puppy love.” Ain’t that the truth! Puppy kisses just can’t be beat. If you have a puppy, you can celebrate this day by spending extra time with your little one. Or, better yet, consider adding another puppy to your life. You may also want to look into volunteering with a local dog rescue, serving as a puppy socializer or even a foster home for puppies who are too young to be adopted out. For more ideas, visit nationalpuppyday.com.

Top photograph: Photography ©kozorog | Getty Images

Read Next: Everything You Need to Know About the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen Program

The post Dug Up at Dogster: March 2020 Dog Events and Premieres by Melissa L. Kauffman appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Poop4U Blog via www.Poop4U.com Melissa L. Kauffman, Khareem Sudlow

[biandlesbianliterature]

[image description: a graphic with a collage of the book covers listed below. The text reads “Lesbian & Bi Books: New In May!”]

Riptide Summer by Lisa Freeman (YA)

The year is 1973, and Nani is firmly established as one of the top girls in the State Beach lineup. She’s looking forward to a long, relaxing summer of days spent in the sun with her surfer boyfriend, and to secret nights with Rox, the lineup’s queen supreme. But when surf god Nigel breaks her heart, and Rox reveals a secret that tears their friendship—and the lineup—apart, Nani is left to pick up the pieces. If she can’t recruit new Honey Girls to the lineup, the friends will lose their reputation as the beach’s top babes. With the summer spiraling out of control, Nani starts to question everything she’s always believed about how to rule the beach. Maybe it’s time to leave the rules behind, starting with the most important one: Girls don’t surf. 

What the Mouth Wants: A Memoir of Food, Love and Belonging by Monica Meneghetti (Memoir)

The redefinition of family values as seen from the eyes of a polyamorous, queer Italian Canadian obsessed with food. This mouthwatering, intimate, and sensual memoir traces Monica Meneghetti's unique life journey through her relationship with food, family and love. As the youngest child of a traditional Italian-Catholic immigrant family, Monica learns the intimacy of the dinner table and the ritual of meals, along with the requirements of conformity both at the table and in life. Monica is thirteen when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoes a mastectomy. When her mother dies three years later, Monica considers the existence of her own breasts and her emerging sexuality in the context of grief and the disintegration of her sense of family. As Monica becomes an adult, she discovers a part of her self that rebels against the rigours of her traditional upbringing. And as the layers of her sexuality are revealed she begins to understand that like herbs infusing a sauce with flavour; her differences add a delicious complexity to her life. But in coming to terms with her place in the margins of the margins, Monica must also face the challenge of coming out while living in a small town, years before same-sex marriage and amendments to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms created safer spaces for queers. Through risk, courage and heartbreak, she ultimately redefines and recreates family and identity according to her own alternative vision.

The Gift by Barbara Browning (Literary Fiction)

In the midst of Occupy, Barbara Andersen begins spamming people indiscriminately with ukulele covers of sentimental songs. A series of inappropriate intimacies ensues, including an erotically charged correspondence and then collaboration with an extraordinarily gifted and troubled musician living in Germany.

Large Animals: Stories by Jess Arndt (Short Stories)

JESS ARNDT’s striking debut collection confronts what it means to have a body. Boldly straddling the line between the imagined and the real, the masculine and the feminine, the knowable and the impossible, these twelve stories are an exhilarating and profoundly original expression of voice. In “Jeff,” Lily Tomlin confuses Jess for Jeff, instigating a dark and hilarious identity crisis. In “Together,” a couple battles a mysterious STD that slowly undoes their relationship, while outside a ferocious weed colonizes their urban garden. And in “Contrails,” a character on the precipice of a seismic change goes on a tour of past lovers, confronting their own reluctance to move on. Arndt’s subjects are canny observers even while they remain dangerously blind to their own truest impulses. Often unnamed, these narrators challenge the limits of language―collectively, their voices create a transgressive new formal space that makes room for the queer, the nonconforming, the undefined. And yet, while they crave connection, love, and understanding, they are constantly at risk of destroying themselves. Large Animals pitches toward the heart, pushing at all our most tender parts―our sex organs, our geography, our words, and the tendons and nerves of our culture.

Tremontaine (Tremontaine Season One) created by Ellen Kushner (Fantasy)

Welcome to Tremontaine, the prequel to Ellen Kushner’s beloved Riverside series that began with Swordspoint! A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; her husband’s dangerous affair with a handsome scholar; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius on the brink of revolution—when long-buried lies threaten to come to light, betrayal and treachery know no bounds with stakes this high. Mind your manners and enjoy the chocolate in a dance of sparkling wit and political intrigue. Originally presented serially in 13 episodes by Serial Box, this omnibus collects all installments of Tremontaine Season One into one edition.

Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country: And Other Stories by Chavisa Woods (Short Stories)

Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country paints a vivid image of the bizarre characters that live on the fringes in America’s heartland. They don't do what you expect them to do. These aren't typical stories of triumph over adversity, but something completely other. It's "Murakami meets the meth heads" says National Book Foundation award winner Samantha Hunt. "Reader, you have never before seen anything like this." The eight stories in this literary collection present a brilliantly surreal and sardonic landscape and language, and offer a periscope into the heart of the rural poor. Among the singular characters, you'll meet: a “zombie” who secretly resides in a local cemetery; a queer teen goth who is facing ostracism from her small town evangelical church; a woman who leaves New York City once a year to visit her little brothers in the backwoods Midwest, only to discover they’ve been having trouble with some meth dealers and UFOs that trouble the area. In the backdrop of all the stories are the endless American wars and occupations, overshadowed, for these characters, by the many early deaths of their friends and family, that occur regularly for a whole host of reasons.

Pride & Joy: LGBTQ Artists, Icons and Everyday Heroes by Kathleen Archambeau

Stories of success, happiness and hope from the LGBT community Stories that comprise the best of LGBT history ─ Pride and Joy: LGBTQ Artists, Icons and Everyday Heroes tells the stories of queer citizens of the world living OUT and proud happy, fulfilling, successful lives. Diverse and global. Famous and unsung. There is a story here for everyone in the LGBT community who has ever questioned their sexual orientation or gender identity, or discovered it.

Award-winning writer and longtime LGBTQ activist Kathleen Archambeau tells the untold stories from diverse LGBT community voices around the corner or around the world. Not like the depressing, sinister, shadowy stories of the past, this book highlights queer people living open, happy, fulfilling and successful lives.

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julie Ember (Fantasy YA)

Having long wondered what lives beyond the ice shelf, nineteen-year-old mermaid Ersel learns of the life she wants when she rescues and befriends Ragna, a shield-maiden stranded on the merfolk's fortress. But when Ersel's childhood friend and suitor catches them together, he gives Ersel a choice: Say goodbye to Ragna or face justice at the hands of the glacier's brutal king.

Determined to forge a different fate, Ersel seeks help from the divine Loki. But such deals are never straightforward, and the outcome sees her exiled from the only home and protection she's known. To save herself from perishing in the barren, underwater wasteland and be reunited with the human she's come to love, Ersel must try to outsmart the God of Lies.

[Warning for Seafarer’s Kiss: the villain (the God of Lies) is nonbinary and is the only nonbinary representation in the book.]

How To Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake (YA)

    Grace, tough and wise, has nearly given up on wishes, thanks to a childhood spent with her unpredictable, larger-than-life mother. But this summer, Grace meets Eva, a girl who believes in dreams, despite her own difficult circumstances.      One fateful evening, Eva climbs through a window in Grace’s room, setting off a chain of stolen nights on the beach. When Eva tells Grace that she likes girls, Grace’s world opens up and she begins to believe in happiness again.      How to Make a Wish is an emotionally charged portrait of a mother and daughter’s relationship and a heartfelt story about two girls who find each other at the exact right time.

Nico & Tucker by Rachel Gold (Fiction, NA)

The decision can’t be put off any longer. A medical crisis turns Nico’s body into a battleground, crushing Nico under conflicting family pressures. Having lived genderqueer for years, Nico is used to getting strong reactions (and uninvited opinions!) from everyone, but it is Tucker’s reaction that hurts the most. Jess Tucker didn’t mean to hurt Nico, but she panicked. And after the worst year of her life, she’s hanging on by a thread. Forget recovery time and therapy, she needs to put the past behind her and be normal again. But when her relationship with Nico becomes more than she can handle, she cuts and runs. In this riveting sequel to Just Girls, comes a love story about bodies, healing, and knowing who you really are.

Witches, Princesses, and Women at Arms: Erotic Lesbian Fairy Tales edited by Sacchi Green (Erotica)

In this sexy anthology of fantastical short stories, women are no longer just damsels in distress. Instead, strong, passionate females race to the rescue of their female lovers in this new collection of erotic fantasy.

The stories within Witches, Princesses, and Women at Arms are masterfully crafted to lead your mind down unexpected paths to your favorite fantasy adventure, from the classic fairy-tales of Little Red Riding Hood to Rapunzel to the modern marvel of Game of Thrones. They will wash over you in an epic sea of words meant to entice and embolden your inner princess, heroine, or both.

Enter a time where you may be abducted by bandits or seduced by witches one second and find your heart spellbound by a dryad the next. But be warned, gentle traveler! With this new, provocative collection edited by Sacchi Green, the stories may begin with “Once upon a time”, but they will leave you coming back, time and time again.

Rough Patch by Nicole Markotic (YA)

When fifteen-year-old Keira starts high school, she almost wishes she could write "Hi, my name is Keira, and I'm bisexual!" on her nametag. Needless to say, she's actually terrified to announce—let alone fully explore—her sexuality. Quirky but shy, loyal yet a bit zany, Keira navigates her growing interest in kissing both girls and boys while not alienating her BFF, boy-crazy Sita. As the two acclimate to their new high school, they manage to find lunch tablemates and make lists of the school's cutest boys. But Keira is caught "in between"—unable to fully participate, yet too scared to come clean.

She's also feeling the pressure of family: parents who married too young and have differing parenting styles; a younger sister in a wheelchair from whom adults expect either too little or too much; and her popular older brother who takes pleasure in taunting Keira. She finds solace in preparing for the regional finals of figure skating, a hobby she knows is geeky and "het girl" yet instills her with confidence. But when she meets a girl named Jayne who seems perfect for her, she isn't so confident she can pull off her charade any longer.

Rough Patch is an honest, heart-wrenching novel about finding your place in the world, and about how to pick yourself up after taking a spill.

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin (Fiction)

Set in the post-martial-law era of late-1980s Taipei, Notes of a Crocodile is a coming-of-age story of queer misfits discovering love, friendship, and artistic affinity while hardly studying at Taiwan’s most prestigious university. Told through the eyes of an anonymous lesbian narrator nicknamed Lazi, this cult classic is a postmodern pastiche of diaries, vignettes, mash notes, aphorisms, exegesis, and satire by an incisive prose stylist and major countercultural figure. Afflicted by her fatalistic attraction to Shui Ling, an older woman, Lazi turns for support to a circle of friends that includes a rich kid turned criminal and his troubled, self-destructive gay lover, as well as a bored, mischievous overachiever and her alluring slacker artist girlfriend. Illustrating a process of liberation from the strictures of gender through radical self-inquiry, Notes of a Crocodile is a poignant masterpiece of social defiance by a singular voice in contemporary Chinese literature.

Birdy Flynn by Helen Donohoe (YA)

Birdy Flynn carries secrets. There is the secret of Birdy’s dead grandmother’s cat. How the boys tortured it and Birdy had to drown it in the river to stop it from suffer-ing. There’s the secret of Mrs. Cope, the teacher who touched Birdy. The secret of the gypsy girl at school who Birdy likes. But she can’t tell anyone about any of these secrets. Because Birdy’s other secret is that while she fights as good as the boys, she is a girl, and she doesn’t always feel like a girl is supposed to. So Birdy holds on to her secrets and tries to become what others want, even it if means losing herself. BIRDY FLYNN is a beautifully nuanced and deeply felt portrayal of a girl growing up amid an imperfect family, and an imperfect world, to become the person she was meant to be.

Not One Day by Anne Garréta (Fiction)

Not One Day begins with a maxim: “Not one day without a woman.” What follows is an intimate, erotic, and sometimes bitter recounting of loves and lovers past, breathtakingly written, exploring the interplay between memory, fantasy, and desire.

“For life is too short to submit to reading poorly written books and sleeping with women one does not love.”

Anne Garréta, author of the groundbreaking novel Sphinx (Deep Vellum, 2015), is a member of the renowned Oulipo literary group. Not One Day won the Prix Médicis in 2002, recognizing Garréta as an author “whose fame does not yet match their talent.”

Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman (Romance) (only $1.99!)

Small-batch independent yarn dyer Clara Ziegler is eager to brainstorm new color combinations--if only she could come up with ideas she likes as much as last time! When she sees Danielle Solomon's paintings of Florida wildlife by chance at a neighborhood gallery, she finds her source of inspiration. Outspoken, passionate, and complicated, Danielle herself soon proves even more captivating than her artwork... Fluffy Jewish f/f contemporary set in the author's childhood home of South Florida.

Queer Women Books Out This Month!

See more lesbian and bi women new releases at Women in Words, or more queer new releases at Lambda Literary.

If you liked this post, consider supporting FYLL and the Lesbrary on Patreon at $2 or more a month to be entered to win a lesbian/queer women book every month, as well as getting exclusive Lesbian Literature 101 updates! 

Or buy us a coffee on ko-fi as a one-time donation!

[latesthollywoodnews]

Taylor Swift Makes "Generous Donation" to Sexual Assault Survivors

Taylor Swift Makes "Generous Donation" to Sexual Assault Survivors

Jeremy Brown - Latest News - My Hollywood News

Taylor Swift Makes “Generous Donation” to Sexual Assault Survivors, Hollywood Celebrity News 2018.

Upcoming Celebrity News 2017, Hollywood Celebrities 2015, Taylor Swift Makes “Generous Donation” to Sexual Assault Survivors.

New Hollywood Celebrity News 2017 Latest Story Celebrity top Walt Hollywood Studios Home Entertainment (incorporated as Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. since 1997 and formerly known as Walt Hollywood Telecommunications & Non-Theatrical Company from 1980 to 1987 and eventually Buena Vista Home Video until 1997) is the home video distribution division of The Walt Hollywood Company. Hollywood began distributing videos under its own label in 1980 under the name Walt Hollywood Home Video.

Can you watch Hollywood Celebrities anywhere without Internet?

Downloading a Celebrity from the Hollywood Celebrities Anywhere app saves the video file onto your device so you can watch it without an Internet connection. You will need to be connected to the Internet to download your Celebrity. Once you have finished downloading, you can watch your downloaded Celebrities offline and on the go.

What is the story of Sleeping Beauty?

Filled with jealousy, the evil witch Maleficent (Eleanor Audley) curses Princess Aurora (Mary Costa) to die on her 16th birthday. Thanks to Aurora’s guardian fairies (Verna Felton, Barbara Jo Allen, Barbara Luddy), she only falls into a deep sleep that can be ended with a kiss from her betrothed, Prince Phillip (Bill Shirley). To prevent Phillip from rescuing Aurora, Maleficent kidnaps and imprisons him. The good fairies are the last hope to free Phillip so that he can awaken Aurora.

Why was Hollywoodland created?

With limited finances, Walt had to find affordable land. It was also important that his park be located near a major highway. In August of 1953, Hollywood and his partners selected a 160-acre orange grove in Anaheim, California to be the site of Hollywoodland. The construction of Hollywoodland began during the summer of 1954.

More Celebrity News ►►

Taylor Swift is a victim of sexual assault and now she’s helping those in a similar situation.

Women empowering other women — love it!

April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month and, as someone who was groped by a radio DJ back in 2013, Taylor Swift knows what it’s like to say #MeToo. David Mueller was found guilty of groping the 28-year-old singer during a meet and greet several years ago and, upon winning the case, Tay promised that she’d make monetary contributions to different organizations that help women who are also victims.

The “Delicate” singer said in a statement at the end of the trial QUOTE “I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this. My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”

T.Swift followed through on that promise and made a generous donation to RAINN, which is the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

The foundation tweeted earlier today QUOTE “Thank you @TaylorSwift13 for always standing with survivors. Your generous donation this week during #SAAPM ensures that survivors and their loved ones get the help they need and deserve.”

This isn’t the first time Taylor gave money to help victims of sexual violence, however. Just a few days after she won the groping trial she donated to friend Mariska Hargitay‘s Joyful Heart Foundation, a national organization with the mission to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.

Then, to kick off the new year, Tay made a $100,000 donation to the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, which is being used to QUOTE “provide subsidized legal support to women and men who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, or abuse in the workplace and while in pursuit of their careers. The Fund will ultimately be housed at and administrated by the National Women’s Law Center, an established, national women’s rights legal organization.”

How incredible is that? I’m sure Taylor’s monetary support is helping RAINN immensely, which in turn will help thousands of victims of sexual violence. What do you think of Tay’s donation? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below and then click here to find out if Karlie Kloss shaded Taylor by not including her on a friendship list. I’m your host Ava Gordy thanks so much for watching Clevver and I’ll see you next time.

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New Hollywood Celebrity News 2017 Ratings Videos, Taylor Swift Makes “Generous Donation” to Sexual Assault Survivors.

Some of Hollywood’s animated family films have drawn fire for being accused of having sexual references hidden in them, among them The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994). Instances of sexual material hidden in some versions of The Rescuers (1977) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) resulted in recalls and modifications of the films to remove such content. New Hollywood Princess Celebrities, Taylor Swift Makes “Generous Donation” to Sexual Assault Survivors.

https://www.myhollywoodnews.com/taylor-swift-makes-generous-donation-to-sexual-assault-survivors/

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[wotchernewt]

i lied i do have another post about that au. the truth about The Incident™