mipmup.

help avoid a "fido fine" in california.

california governor schwarzenegger equates medical care for pets with car repair. he wants to add a sales tax to essential veterinary medical expenses as a means to address the state's budget issues. what's worse? all other healing arts - including cosmetic surgery - were not included in this proposal. (i suppose this is california, but c'mon, gov.)

why is this a problem?

according to jennifer fearing, the chief economist for the humane society of the united states,
  "...under the governor's plan, many who are already making tough economic choices would be forced to add as much as 10.25% to the cost of veterinary care. this new financial burden would not only result in less medical care for animals, it would almost certainly result in more dogs and cats being abandoned or relinquished to animal shelters."

if you're a pet caretaker, you know how expensive a trip to the vet's office can be. add nine or 10% to that and i know i would be making tougher choices. i'll be sending in my email to the terminator shortly. i hope you'll do the same.

what you can do:
take action: oppose sales tax on veterinary services

learn more about the issue.

i am loving: the sartorialist.

i just found the sartorialist, a gorgeous fashion photo blog via smitten kitchen, a gorgeous food blog. i'm obviously late to the party, as it's named as "time magazine's" top 100 design influencers and the author has a regular column in "gq," but i'm ok with that. peruse and get very jelly of others' inate sense of style, particulary those italians. sheesh. are they born looking perfect, dashing and completely appropriate for any and every occasion?

image credit: the sartorialist.

i am coveting: hello kitty notebook.

this adorable limited edition hello kitty notebook (links to a site in japanese) was showcased at ces by sotec. though it's a pc, i'm tempted! how cute is the casing detail? it comes with 10 desktop wallpapers, too. it costs around $900, but it's sold only in japan. road trip anyone?

via gadgetress.

image credit: sotec.

how to recognize your laptop.

slap one of these bad boys on it. at around 40 bucks, you can't go wrong. and if you're anything like me, panicking that i've picked up the wrong laptop after going through airport security, it'll be money well-spent. the company will also create custom covers with a minimum order of 15.

image credit: iamhuman.

philanthropy that makes sense.

 i really like the idea of reason to give, a nonprofit helping the community of humboldt park in chicago. the well-designed site is described as a "shopping/giving" experience, where prospective donors can search by recipient, need and/or cost to find someone who needs that item. i think allowing donors to "see" how they are helping, and providing specific needs attached to real people with real stories is extremely powerful. think: "single mother of three needs beds for all and a computer." i like that the percentage of the goal reached is also featured.

since my family has roots in chicago, i contacted the organization to see how i (and you) can help from afar. dawn hancock, their executive director, responded: "if you would like to donate new items that you see on the site, you are more than welcome to ship them to the address below." donors can also give any dollar amount or gift cards.

i also wanted to know if there are plans to rollout this idea to other areas in need. hancock considers this a "pilot program" and "if all goes well...we'll expand to other neighborhoods and/or cities."

i have a feeling all will go well and we'll be seeing more of this innovative bunch.

items can be sent to:
firebelly foundation
2701 west thomas, 2nd floor
chicago, il 60622
773.489.3439

image credit: reason to give.