Category Archive for People + Pets
HELP JAPAN WIKI: DONATION RESOURCES & FUNDRAISERS FOR EARTHQUAKE RELIEF. TOKYO ART BENEFIT, PRINCESS GHIBLI CD.
My “spooky friends” are the best. They’ve been working day and night on fcharity projects for Japan, as well as making waves in music, writing and fashion. Let’s salute them — starting with my Pirate First Mate, Naomi Rubin. (Above, with her boy-slave-of-the-day.)
Naomi created Help Japan Wiki, an editable compendium of ways to aid Japan’s earthquake relief. Anyone can add a Donation Resource or Fundraising Event to the charmingly designed site. The Resources page includes a list of reputable charities helping Japan, with info and links. Please pass the link along — www.helpjapanwiki.com — and add your events and charities to the listings. The more hands on deck, the better we can provide info for Japanese relief.
Cotton Bale and Mistress Maya (who you may remember from the Andrew Zimmern episode) are participating in ArtGigTokyo1, a series of art happenings in public places. The first event is free, and presents 15 music / performance art works that transform the club into an improvised art gallery. Art Gig will also hold a silent art auction, with proceeds to support relief efforts in Tohoku.
Come see them perform on May 8th at Bar Exit in Shinjuku, from 15:00 – 03:00 (full info here).
Another artist friend who’s helping Japan… Dienzo, who made the “Carmina Rising” painting of me, has been fundraising. He just launched a store, which sells prints, T-shirts and canvases of his dark, Gothic artwork. If you type the discount code LACARMINA (all caps), you get 10% off.
Congrats to my friend B.Jevanael, who published her first book. She gave me a sneak peak of her gripping novel, The Reality Filter. “The evidence of a murder turns up in your photography project. Evidence from your rocky-road past invades the dreams of your happy present. Your best friend is dead at your hands, and wasn’t who you thought she was from the beginning. The worst part is, you don’t remember a thing, and you’re trapped within a world you built up around reality to save yourself.”
With a Gothic horror aesthetic, and an eloquent plunge into mental delusions, it’s a read I bet you’ll enjoy. The Reality Filter is available as an e-book from Amazon and Barnes and Noble; more info here.
Sophia, vocalist of Blood Stain Child, never ceases to inspire me. She sings on several tracks of the new Princess Ghibli CD, a collection of metal covers of Studio Ghibli. That’s right: Miyazaki meets metal. More info and song previews here. (Coming up, Blood Stain Child will perform at A-Kon in Texas, June 10-12.)
Last but not least, thank you to Katy Kamikaze for sending me this adorable, handmade wallet. Basil Farrow loves the cute bentos and animals. There’s more cuteness on her Pineapple UK Etsy store. (The sparkly butterfly ring is gifted from Soho Hearts.)
Thanks to everyone who supported the Iron Fist auction; congrats to Rochelle for triumphing and donating to Japan! I hope you’ll pass along the HelpJapanWiki resource and contribute to it. Let’s keep putting our efforts into helping Japan.
Song of the Day: Imaginary Flying Machines, “Princess Ghibli” album trailer featuring Sophia
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CAT ISLAND, TASHIROJIMA, LIKELY SUBMERGED BY TSUNAMI. HELP ANIMALS & PETS HURT IN JAPAN EARTHQUAKE, DONATE TO SHELTER.
Sigh. I’ve spent the day snuggling with my Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow. Japan’s Tashirojima, also known as Cat Island, was most likely destroyed by the tsunami.
Tashirojima is a small island in Miyagi prefecture, famous for its large stray kitty population. Hundreds of cats live here, outnumbering the humans on the isle! more than humans. In Japan, cats are known to bring wealth and good fortune (the Maneki Neko, or beckoning cat statue, is seen everywhere). There are at least ten cat shrines and over 50 stone cat monuments on the island, which is known as a peaceful and magical place to visit.
Sadly, the small islands off Northeast Honshu (Miyagi prefecture) were near the epicenter of the 8.9 magnitude Japan earthquake. Cat Island was definitely hit hard by the tsunami. And… brace yourself… the isle was most likely completely or partially submerged.
I am doing my very best to find 100% definite news about the status of Cat Island. I’m scouring the Japanese media and eyewitness reports for accurate information — and will update you here and on Twitter.
Let’s hope for the best. And please keep in mind the animals that were stranded and hurt by the Japan disaster.
Here’s a list of animal rescue organizations you can donate to.
The Animal Rescue Kansai is located in Japan, and relief goes directly to the animals affected.
Stay strong, everyone, and give your pets a hug. I’ll keep you posted on the status of Cat Island here and on Twitter.
UPDATE: Promising news! A few sources (see the comments) are saying there much building damage at Tashiro-jima. But the cats and people seem to be okay; the island is not submerged. However, they desperately need human and cat food, and officials aren’t putting much attention to this island. So please donate to organizations that will help the cats (see links above).
LA CARMINA
