Articles written by Judy Lin - Page 2

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What is Helium

About me - Judy Lin

I am:

A writer, a photographer, vaguely intelligent, somewhat attention-challenged, very intense, loving cat-mommy to two black fuzzbutts, living in Holland, and a Mac addict.

I like writing about:

Food, science, nutrition, medicine, pets, my cats, the writing

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Travel > Travel Planning & Advice Tips for easier travel: 10 of 33
Being in a transatlantic relationship means traveling at least twice a year. When your relationship is five years old, like mine, that's a lot of airline miles and a lot of traveling. Of course, I also make many small trips, overnight or slightly longer, as my family lives an inconvenient-yet-not-disastrous-distance from me,... More..
Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues Is affirmative action fair?: 20 of 65
Affirmative action had good intentions, but its practice is wanting, for lack of a better word. Not only does it outright discriminate for certain minorities, but for others, such as Asian Americans, it does nothing at best and hurts them at worst. The problem with affimrative action is not so much that it aims to correct ra... More..
Pets & Animals > Vets & Pet Health Nutrition and feeding schedules for overweight pets: 2 of 6
Nutrition for overweight pets means basically this: how to pack all of the nutrition the pet needs into meals that will satisfy it? The easy way out is to buy a bag of the "diet" kibble. Except that diet kibbles almost never work (ask anybody who's tried it). Either the pet won't eat it (cats), or it maintains or even gains ... More..
Health & Fitness > Allergies Living with cat allergies: 5 of 14
If you love cats (me) but you're allergic to them (me, too), you may think it's impossible to ever find a furry feline companion for yourself. The good news is, it's not- there are several steps that all but the most severely allergic people can take to reduce allergies to near-negligible, and most of the steps involve relat... More..
Pets & Animals > Animal Rights & Issues Is the practice of declawing cats mutilation or maintenance?: 8 of 22
What is done when a cat is declawed is nothing short of willful mutilation. A cat's claws are not "optional"; they are a vital piece of bone and removing them is the human equivalent of lopping off the last joint of your fingers or toes. Humane considerations aside, though, there are several money reasons why declawing cats ... More..
Personal Finance > Smart Spending Money-saving tips: How to save money dining out: 16 of 40
Saving money while dining out is kind of an oxymoron, in my book: you can't really do both at the same time. Still, I have to confess, I'm a bit of a foodie at heart, and Charles is a bigger one, but we don't exactly have the means to drop $50 on a T-bone. Saving money begins with cooking at home, but every now and then, it'... More..
Pets & Animals > Cat Training How to train your house cat: 4 of 10
If Helium would allow video posts, I would post videos of my cats, Shadow and the Tweeb, coming when they are called, using the scratch pad (pad attached to the wall), and being directed through an obstacle course. Because they do those, and Shadow will give a pretty little high-five and bat her little toy ball on cue, too. ... More..
Local Guides > New York City Keep it in check: Managing a modest budget in New York City: 4 of 10
Nothing is harder to stick to than a budget (except a diet), and that's even harder in New York-both about the diet and the budget. There are two major things that usually manage to trip up the best-planned budget on any trip: food and transportation, and New York is no exception. As far as transportation goes, if you can re... More..
Pets & Animals > Cat Care & Health What you need to know before adopting a cat: 2 of 5
The first thing you need to know before adopting a cat is that it will ring up at least a few hundred dollars in vet bills during the first year. Make sure you can afford it. But why, you may ask, does the cat have to see the vet? It doesn't matter where you adopted the cat from-it could be hiding any number of minor or majo... More..
Pets & Animals > Cat Care & Health Treatments for fleas in young kittens: 2 of 5
Fleas can actually kill young kittens by literally sucking them dry, so if your kitten has fleas it is, naturally, a good idea to get rid of them. They can also transmit tapeworm, and other unsavory characters. Problem is, many products which kill fleas also tend to kill kittens if used excessively. Commercial flea treatment... More..