Articles written by Judy Lin - Page 4

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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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Pets & Animals > Cat Care & Health Tips for choosing cat food: 11 of 16
How to choose a cat food: NOT KIBBLE I cannot emphasize enough how wrong kibble is for cats. There are two reasons for this: 1) all but the most expensive kibbles contain much too much carbohydrates, and unless your cat is getting nutrition from another source, be it canned food or the occasional dead critter it's hunted, ov... More..
Pets & Animals > Cat Training Training a cat to use the litter box: 7 of 10
It's best to approach this topic in the same way that an architect designing house would decide where to place a bathroom. Most people want a decent-sized bathroom, with enough ventilation to get rid of unseemly smells and the fog of steam from a hot shower. The toilet can't be too difficult to use; ditto for the shower and ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Constitutional & Contract Law Has political correctness undermined free speech in the US?: 29 of 39
There's a difference between being polite and self-censorship. Most people think that being polite means censoring certain words, but in reality, it means offering constructive criticism of real, not imagined, faults, preferably without resorting to swearing. Personally, I find swearing disdainful, and demeaning. A useful ca... More..
Travel > Air Travel & Airlines Tips for flying with cats: 7 of 9
Number one tip for flying with cats: don't fly with cats. However, if you must travel with Fluffy by air: check with the airline first. While most airlines will let you take one animal on board, several (US Airways) will not, and it behooves a prudent traveler to make sure that he is not at the airport when he finds out Fluf... More..
Pets & Animals > Pet Ownership How to choose a pet: 18 of 23
Choosing a pet is all about poop-namely, who cleans it up. Whether you have the time and means to take care of a pet are good to ask, too, but first and foremost the question you should always ask is who cleans up the poop. Cat, dog, fish, bird, horse, ferret, rabbit, snakes-all of them poop, and all of them need someone to ... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Feminism & Women's Rights Thoughts on feminism: 33 of 42
Feminism, like its counterpart racism, is one of those institutions whose very survival depends on it's eventual self-negation. As such, it could never be a viable solution to the ills women face. There is still a lot of discrimination in the workplace, against women, against minorities (being a minority woman, I can't say I... More..
Personal Finance > Spending & Saving (Other) Would you consider yourself to be frugal or cheap?: 11 of 14
If frugality is a virtue, then cheapness is a vice. The difference between being frugal and cheap comes down to whether you can like yourself more or less because of what you've done. Baking a friend a birthday cake, for instance, can be frugal if you take care to make sure it looks pretty and tastes better. It is cheap if y... More..
Pets & Animals > Animal Rights & Issues PETA: A disgrace to charity in the name of animal rights: 12 of 15
I love animals. I hate PETA. I don't have much of an argument with their policy on factory farming, or the clothing trade. My philosophy towards animal rights is not that animals have rights, but that people owe it to themselves to treat lesser beings humanely. I mean, if you can feel empathy for an animal's pain and don't d... More..
Pets & Animals > Cat Care & Health How often should you feed your cat?: 4 of 5
Cats are very closely related to the majestic lions and tigers of the wild, and this means that they also share similar metabolisms. For optimal health, therefore, it follows that one should take a cue from Mother Nature and feed on a schedule similar to that of a wild cat. A predator is designed to gorge itself when it mana... More..
Pets & Animals > Vets & Pet Health Pudgy pets: Why your animal is getting fat: 7 of 8
Animals get fat for the same reasons people do: too much food, not enough exercise. There is something to be said about the quality of 99% of the pet foods out there (*ahem Iams/Alpo/Purina ahem*), too, but by and large most people feed too much and don't exercise their pets (or themselves) enough. It will surprise most peop... More..