Cat owners have a 30% reduction in heart attack risk. Here Kitty, Kitty.

This goes for dogs and probably all meaningful pets.
Whether it's a frisky kitten or a tubby tabby, a cat at home could cut your heart attack risk by almost a third, a new study suggests. I have a cat and a visiting cat who knocks at the back door, I'm not kidding and if he can't get my attention he goes to the front door and pulls down on the thumb release on the lockset, until I open the door, it's funny but not at midnight.
Read full report at Health Day.

Bento Box diaries, conclusion

This is it. A Bento Box-like place setting neat, simple and one dish. With a ceramic liner that can be warmed or hold very hot food and then dropped into a bamboo box.
The beautiful traditional bento boxes are made of lacquered wood or plastic with plastic liner trays. Well that wouldn't do, I needed a Bento Box that would also serve as a dish for Mexican, Italian, Chinese as well as Japanese cuisine, hot or cold. It had to have at least 3 compartments that could take the heat. I found these at a local cook store chain. So far these have worked out well. They are heavy in weight and awkward to take out & remove from the box but make it easy for portion control. And since 90% of time we eat with our eyes, this makes a beautiful presentation with all cuisines, and especially Japanese.

Karma?

This was the clearest explanation of Karma I had read, It is from the first Buddhist publication I had purchased, the book is The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying This book changed my thinking forever.

What Does Karma Mean?
In simple terms, what does karma mean? It means that whatever we do, with our body, speech, or mind, will have a corresponding result. Each action, even the smallest, is pregnant with its consequences. It is said by the masters that even a little poison can cause death, and even a little seed can become a huge tree. And as Buddha said: "Do not overlook negative actions merely because they are small; however small a spark may be, it can burn down a haystack as big as a mountain." Similarly he said: "Do not overlook tiny good actions, thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel." Karma does not decay like external things, or ever become inoperative. It cannot be destroyed "by time, fire, or water." Its power will never disappear, until it is ripened. - Sogyal Rinpoche,
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and included in Everyday Mind, a Tricycle book edited by Jean Smith

The Dow Jones Dharma Index

Socially responsible investing. Dow Jones has linked up with Dharma India Index,featuring stocks compliant with the code of moral conduct according to Hinduism, teachings of the Buddha and which also incorporate principles of the Sikh and Jain religious tenets - together, ways of life with billions of followers in Asia and forming nearly 20% of the human race.
The DJ Dharma Index aims to meet the needs of socially aware investors seeking to avoid companies with harmful practices, services or products. Environmental screening in the DJ Dharma Index will consider corporate performance on emissions, climate change and carbon footprint analysis, oil and chemical spills, waste management and recycling. Corporate governance filtering will involve labor relations and disputes and discrimination allegations, human-rights violations, working conditions and wages.

More here and here

Buddhist monks in Japan using new means to reconnect youth

The Guardian reports the some Buddhist monks are visiting bars in Japan to reach out to young people.

Being served sake by a priest is just one of the novel ways in which sceptical Japanese are being encouraged to get in touch with their spiritual roots. Baijozan Komyoji temple in Tokyo has opened an outdoor cafe in front of its main hall, and in Kyoto, Zendoji temple operates a beauty salon. At Club Chippie, a jazz lounge in Tokyo, the saxophone makes way for Sanskrit once a month as three shaven-headed monks wearing robes chant sutras and encourage bemused customers to join in.

Happy New Year to All!

Or better yet, Happy right at this moment!

French clay, new penicillin?

MRSA is the scourge of the country's hospitals, but now the discovery in France of a volcanic clay with miraculous healing properties raises the prospect of a cure for it, and to other dangerous superbugs.

Clay has long been used as a health treatment in spas, but that is because it holds heat longer than water, and draws toxins out of the skin. Clay is also sometimes eaten as a folk remedy for nausea.

Read more from the UK's independent. In the US more than 90,000 Americans develop the invasive infections each year, according to the study, a figure the journal (JAMA) called "astounding."
I hope this turns out to be valid. Many schools in Southern California have reported students with MRSA.

1-800-GOOG-411: Google's 411 service

Zero emmissions, Honda Clarity is here.

Honda is introducing the Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicle to Southern California in 2008. It is only available if you live in Santa Monica, Irvine or Torrance areas. These cities have Honda hydrogen fuel cell stations. The mileage with a fill-up is approximately 270 miles. Mainly for local driving, but I suppose driving to San Diego, Santa Barbara, mountain and desert areas would be in that mileage range. It is lease only, $600 a month for 3 years and includes service. Honda is also working on a home energy station which would heat and power your home as well as converting natural gas into hydrogen for your Clarity. They claim it (home fuel cell generator) will save you 30% on your home utilities.
Personally I feel a rechargable battery vehicle would be more efficient and economical and of course accessable to all. Read more about it here.