It’s time to awaken the New Year! Photo by Brian Murphy, Walnut Creek

Happy New Year, everyone. Do you believe in fairies?

If you believe … clap your hands. Clap your hands and Tinkerbell will live!

2009 can only be better than 2008 … I hope. As Peter Pan once said, “clap your hands!” Maybe it will help. /Gary

Won’t someone please help me?

Because our economy is in a mess right now, our important local animal rescue groups are not getting the donations they need to survive. This isn’t good because right now is the time we need these groups the most!
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Merry Christmas from Karl at MacMurdo Station in Antarctica

While I was on vacation last week, we got the above Christmas card from our son, Karl, who’s down working and taking photographs at McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

“Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas! Boy it’s cold. Now I know why Santa has that warm beard.” /Gary

Bay Area nonprofit animal welfare organizations and city and county animal shelters need a little help from their friends. Because of the recent severe downturn in the U.S. economy, these valuable organizations are not getting the donations they need to survive … at the same time we need them most.

Find out more on the reasons behind all this by reading my daily newspaper column for today, Dec. 23, at: http://www.contracostatimes.com/columns/ci_11289547
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Newman pretends he doesn’t know the little orange kitten wants on top of the cat tree.

Looks like Jasmine, my new little orange kitten, and Newman are finally starting top hit it off or maybe Newman is getting ready to turn around and hit Jasmine. (Just kidding.)
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I got a press release Wednesday announcing “FooPets: World’s Most realistic Virtual Pets Launched Today.”

They’re not quite ready to start adopting out these virtual pets to humans, but they are taking orders from people interested in giving it a try. You can check them out for yourself, and even “play” with a selection of FooPets at http://foopets.com

When our pets become virtual … can virtual humans be far behind?

When we all become virtual, who will turn on the computers? As I said, scary. /Gary

Happy Holidays to you from the Martinez Beavers! (And a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you from ME! /Gary)

Check out this neat Christmas Card video of the Martinez Beavers on YouTube:

http://tinyurl.com/6xwhkk

More about the Martinez Beavers at http://www.martinezbeavers.org

Adeli penguins in Antarctica. Photo by Karl Nielsen

Federal science agencies release annual temperature data, highlighting urgent need for action on global warming.
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Dear Gary:
I just got a beautiful Christmas tree at Costco. They have what I initially thought was a great way to contain and transport our tree (and all others). It consisted of putting a plastic net over the entire tree.

It was great to tie down and get in the house, but once I started taking the netting off the tree I realized this huge ball of plastic netting would probably end up in the ocean or some other place where wildlife might try and eat it or get stuck in it.
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The endangered California Condor is one of the world’s rarest birds. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Scott Frier

Last minute Bush rules changes threaten American wildlife

Last-minute changes to the Endangered Species Act just announced by the Bush administration will dramatically weaken and limit the use of the landmark wildlife protection law, according to scientists and attorneys at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
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