The Urban Pantheist

Yes, that's right! Alexis and I are once again throwing heavy spheres at vaguely duck-shaped pieces of wood, for the good of rhinoceros habitat. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Bowling For Rhinos is a charity event put on by the American Association of Zookeepers. The proceeds go to help protect rhino habitat in Africa and Indonesia. All rhinoceros species are endangered, some critically so.  Besides rhinos, the habitat being protected is inhabited by elephants and grevy's zebras in Africa and Sumatran tigers in Indonesia, plus thousands of other smaller beings that deserve protection.

The bowling is happening next week, Wednesday July 15th, at Lucky Strike lanes in Boston (stop by if you like).  So what I'm looking for is a little money.  No amount is too small, no amount is too large.  I need to raise a hundred bucks to participate, but there are prizes for raising the most money and so on, plus it's all about more money for more rhino habitat protection.  Last year when I did this, most people gave 10 dollars, which is really cool.  I feel like I should offer something in return, but all I have is this blog. 

Therefore I have a proposal.  With each 10 dollar donation, you can make a request.  Maybe you want to see a picture of a specific zoo animal.  Maybe there's a place in Boston you think I should take a picture of.  Maybe there's some controversial subject you want to hear my crackpot opinion on, or a natural history question that's always bugged you that you think I can help sort out.  You know my territory, you make the request, you paypal me ten dollars.  The rhinos will be bowled for!    Thank you!

If you don't want to use PayPal, write a check to Bowling for Rhinos and send it to me, Jef Taylor/The Urban Pantheist 423 Brookline Ave Suite 271 Boston MA 02215.

Back in November I solicited donations for Bowling For Rhinos!

Many of you responded generously, and I thank you!  Instead of begrudging the unexpected delay (the venue was temporarily closed due to a fire code violation) I'm going to take the opportunity to thank you again, and give those of you who missed it last time an opportunity to support rhinos and rhino habitat.  In return, Alexis and I will bring our cameras and present to you the spectacle of zookeepers participating in the sport-like activity of rolling a heavy ball at some wooden pegs.  We will be doing this Monday night, July 14th, at Lucky Strike Lanes in the Fenway.  A good time for a good cause.  But don't take my word for it -- here's Nikki, the liaison for the New England chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers:


Bowling For Rhinos is not only about saving rhinos!  The money we raise helps save rhino habitat so we help save everything from orchids to elephants! For example, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya has the second largest population of elephants in Kenya and 25% of the world’s Grevy zebra population.  [Nikki mentions Grevy's zebras because our zoo has a collection of several individuals of this endangered species.]

Indonesia’s Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park contains tracts of highly threatened lowland forests, which, in addition to Sumatran rhinos, is home to Sumatran elephants (fewer than 2,000 are left island-wide) and the Sumatran tiger, which numbers no more than 400 animals.

As of September 15, 2007, $289,354 has been raised by 45 AAZK chapters or institutions for 2007.  The American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) “Bowling For Rhinos” (BFR) fund-raiser has raised over $2.9 million since 1990 entirely through volunteer efforts.  Help us raise a little bit more this year!

Thanks, Nikki!
So if you want to help endangered species and habitats, all you have to do is click the button below and donate however much you want!  If you don't know how much to donate, most people have donated ten dollars, some more and some less.  Whatever you donate is very much appreciated.

And just so you know I haven't taken the money to buy powdered rhino horn aphrodesiacs or something, here's the list of confirmed donors to our team, The Pinheads: AB of Cambridge, RKW of Catonsville, EO of Willimantic, KE of San Leandro, BT of Bellevue, RK of Somerville, HW of Portland, FM of Limerick, RK of Austin, SK of Brooklyn, and CG of Sainte-Cécile-de-Milton. Thank you all so much!

EDITED TO ADD:  if you don't want to use PayPal, write a check to Bowling for Rhinos and send it to me, Jef Taylor/The Urban Pantheist 423 Brookline Ave Suite 271 Boston MA 02215.

Bowling For Rhinos is tomorrow night! I have to bring all the donations with me for them to 'count,' (toward our group's collective fundraising) so if you've been waiting to donate, wait no longer. It's tax-deductible, and it helps preserve rhino habitat in Indonesia and Africa, which helps many different species of wildlife. Go to the Bowling for Rhinos website for more information about it.

cottonmanifesto and I will bring our cameras and share the fun with you. (I considered setting up a private journal that only donors could see, but I thought it would be better to let everyone see, then maybe next time more people would be inspired to donate.) I don't really know what to expect, but I love candlepin bowling and it should be a lot of fun for a good cause with an awesome name.

(If it was paypal that was keeping you from donating, let me know, and next time I'll set up an alternate method for paypalophobes that will be as easy or nearly so.)

linkdump is such an ugly word. Look at this cool thing, though!



it comes from this very cool page, which i found on buried_in_green.

Also, while researching the frogmouth, i discovered this:



Are you kidding me? how can that possibly exist? more here.

We saw the movie 'Daywatch" and this was my netflix note about it: "This second part of Russia's impressive but overrated fantasy trilogy is better than the first. When it's not confusing, it's very fun. It's confusing a lot of the time." i suspect, like 'Bladerunner' that it only makes sense if you've read the book.

i poured some coffee into the laptop yesterday morning (about an hour before i got to work and discovered i left a co2 tank open, wasting it all--i rule!) so the left hand shift key doesn't work. That's why all my right hand capitals are small. not because i have low self-esteem (but, you know, i do anyway).



Finally, if i participated in something called "BOWLING FOR RHINOS" would you support me?

i'll have more details soon, but the gist of it is, i bowl, other people give me money, i give the money to the charity that protects rhinos and rhino habitat. i haven't figured out if i should ask for pledges by the frame, with bonuses for spares or (ha!) strikes (it's candlepin, so strikes are rare to shockingly rare) or if i should just ask for regular old donations. hopefully the person coordinating it at work will give me more info about it today--the event is a week from Friday!