Out of Christmas ideas? Try rhino poop.

by Grant Martin on

About ten years back, my parents officially had everything they needed, so when it came to Christmas time I had to start working super hard to find something unique that they had never heard of or only partially needed. These days, I’ve started moving towards consumables like plane tickets, wine and special olive oil; something they can enjoy for a little while but that will eventually go away. I’m even starting to consider philanthropic gifts, as in giving to a charity or NPR in their name.

But I never thought of rhino poop.

The International Rhino Foundation recently posted the auction of some of their most endangered species’ excrement, in what has to be one of the strangest fund raising tactics that I’ve ever seen. It’s actually an interesting idea and I really like the fact that they have found unique ways to raise money for a great cause — I’m not sure how well a piece of rhino poo (albeit in a nice glass case) would fit on my mantle.

As of November 29th, four specimens, those of the White, Black, Indian and Sumatran Rhinoceros became available on Ebay, with staggered starting prices based on the rarity of the animal. You can check out the auctions by searching for “rhino poop” or following the links through endangeredfeces.org. Right now the White Rhino poop is the best deal at 125$, but bid early! Someone might snipe your rhino poop out from you at the last second and you’ll be up shit-creek for a holiday gift.

Adopt a Tasmanian Devil and help save a species

by Brett Atkinson on

If anyone was to give out gongs for the world’s coolest animal, I reckon the Tasmanian Devil would be near the top of the list. Not only does it have a Looney Tunes character named after it, if you see one in real life they’re like little, furry rocket ships, charging about with an anarchic gleam in their eyes.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that a facial cancer is rapidly accelerating the Tassie Devil towards extinction in the wild, and some estimates give the species only another 5 years. Since Devil Facial Tumour Disease was discovered in 1996, the population has dropped from 140,000 to around 80,000 and it’s estimated the existing population decreases by 50% each year.

Up to now funding research and running captive breeding programmes has been the domain of private organisations, and through the Devils in Danger Foundation you can Adopt a Devil for $50.

Now the new Australian government has pledged $10 Million to fund research into the disease that’s threatening to wipe out one of the world’s most iconic animals.

Some happy news to start your weekend

by Jerry Guo on

Earlier this week I wrote about a 78-year-old woman who spent 10 years saving up for a cruise – and ended up missing her trip of a lifetime. Now she’s got the story of a lifetime.

Dozens of netizens have stepped in to help pay for her trip after the news spread on the blogosphere and in a front-page story in the Washington Post. One woman even wrote, “I have $9 in my account right now, but after I get paid I could spare $20. But where would I send it?”

More than $700 was raised, but apparently this money was just icing on the cake. An anonymous couple has arranged to cover the woman’s entire trip. ” “I just can’t believe it. It’s just the best Christmas present ever,” Almentia McKan said.

This is a perfect example of how much of a difference we can make through the web. Now, go enjoy your weekend.

World AIDS Day Happenings

by Jamie Rhein on

World AIDS Day happenings have started already. The Global Vigil sponsored by World Vision began yesterday morning in Toronto and traveled around the world until ending in New York City this morning. The purpose of this vigil was to name off the names of 6000 children who have lost a parent to AIDS. The World Vision Web site also lists several events that are happening in the United States tomorrow.

If you want to shoot some basketballs to raise money for an AIDS project in Zambia, participate in Hoops for Hope, another World Vision sponsored event that is a shoot-a-thon. Here’s a link to to the places where people will be raising money in the U.S. with their free throws. Internationally, the International School of Rotterdam, The International School of Luxembourg, Eijkhagen College, The Netherlands, and Integreat in Luxembourg are listed.

If you are in Great Britain, there are a myriad of World AIDS Day events to chose from. Whether you’re into walking, listening to music, or looking at art, there’s something for you.

Often World AIDS events are tied into other community happenings. If you can’t find one, put on a red ribbon and create your own.

Here’s a recent AIDS fact sheet compiled from UNAIDS statistics.

Record year for swashbucklers

by Jerry Guo on

Almost 300 years after Blackbeard’s unseemly death, pirates are still a problem. A big problem. In the first nine months of this year, there have been at least 198 attacks, versus 174 for the same period last year. But there may be some relief in sight. The New York Times is reporting that international organizations are taking pirate attacks seriously, starting with authorizing troops to hunt them.

Don’t think this is just a problem for giant shipping containers. Tourists may also run into trouble. The two pirate hotspots are the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia and off the coast of Somalia in Africa. There’s two well reported and insightful features about pirates in these regions, one from Peter Gwin in the October issue of National Geographic and the other by the renowned writer-explorer Paul Raffaele in the August issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

Luckily you can read both articles online, and you definitely should. Not only do they put the global cruise and marine tourism industries in jeopardy, but pirates have their hands bloody with terrorism and smuggling operations. What we see on the big screen, such as from the Pirates of the Caribbean series (and the pornographic knockoff of that) trivializes what could become a crisis within the decade.

See also: Real Life Pirate Hangouts