Off the cuff: Discoveries in big cat art

Lately in my random internet searches for tidbits on lions and tigers, I've come across some stunning work! The three artists that I'm choosing to highlight here are Uffe Christoffersen (Tigerwalk 3, oil painting/ computer art, far left), Nick Brandt (Lions Head to Head, photograph, left) and Taryn Simon. Read my full entry to learn more and to see more beautiful work from these three masterminds.


UFFE CHRISTOFFERSEN
"Uffe Christoffersen is a figurative artist in the true sense of the word. Christoffersen...has become known for his colourful representations of wild animals, especially concentrating on the individual animal’s characteristics:- shape, colour, texture, movement, and most difficult of all, the psyche of the wild animal. Like many of his generation’s artists he has rediscovered painting as a means of expression. His treatment of oil paint as a medium is very consciously full of colour nuances...his interest for animal life contains a warm affection for nature which is in constant threat of destruction because of man’s misuse." —Uffe Christoffersen's official website. At right: Tigerwalk 2, oil painting/ computer art.

NICK BRANDT
From a recent feature in the UK's Conde Nast Traveler: "London-born photographer Nick Brandt believes animals are as worthy of life as humans. His portraits of them are elegant and intimate, depicting a dream-like world of beauty, strength and vulnerability. But he has an urgent mission: he wants to help raise awareness of the issues that are putting these magnificent creatures under threat, and capture the majesty of East African wildlife before it disappears."

From left: Lioness looking over plains, Masai Mara, 2004. Sitting lionesses, Serengeti, 2002. View these and many more at Brandt's offical website.




TARYN SIMON
Simon doesn't specialize in photographing big cats. However, her recent series An American Index: The Hidden and Unfamiliar marked a big step in educating the public about big cats in captivity. The series included a photograph of Kenny, an adult white tiger who was conceived as the result of irresponsible inbreeding. As a result, Kenny lived his life with many deformities, including mental retardation, malformed teeth, abnormal bone structure and a deep-set nosed that caused breathing difficulties.

Simon's series highlights a number of American pseudo-secrets: concepts, places and facilities that are kept somewhat under wraps... Crumbs of the American apple pie that are swept under a shiny red, white and blue rug. Other photographs in the Hidden and Unfamiliar series feature a cryopreservation unit, art on display at the CIA Headquarters, and a marijuana research crop room at the National Center for Natural Products Research. What prompted her idea for this series? "After September 11th, when the American government and media was so deeply invested in finding secret sites (the inaccessible) beyond its borders, I decided to look inward—to find the hidden and unfamiliar, the out-of-view and off-the-radar within American borders." To view more of Taryn's work, visit her official website.

Why not do a quick search for "big cat art" and see what images you can find? Will you see majesty? Inspiration? Sadness? I guarantee that if you look hard enough, you will find some unexpected way to relate to these endangered gems that we hold close to our hearts.
Read full entry

Bookshelf: Enlightened, content and internally at peace

Ommmm... :) In continuing with my recent search for growing peace and an appreciation of oneness, I am excited to report a great new find: The Art of Happiness, a book that centers around direct dialogue with the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. In the past two months, I've learned lessons from listening to/ reading work by names such as Napoleon Hill, Jack Canfield and Steve Pavlina. These works planted seeds that made my mind ready for many of the Dalai Lama's teachings.

For example, he advocates treating an 'enemy' as a rare treasure, as enemies offer us the opportunity to practice our skills of patience and tolerance. Now, I'm hardly a superhero with an arch nemesis, so I wouldn't say I have any real enemies. From time to time, I encounter those who directly or inadvertently hurt my feelings, but that's about it. So I am applying his teachings in this sense: Instead of being irked when someone makes an off comment or is plain rude to you—what if, instead of annoyance, you felt excitement? Excitement at the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to exert self control, to remind yourself of self-respect and value, and to treat that person respectfully, even if it is eventually necessary to avoid interacting with that person in the future.

The Dalai Lama wisely asserts, "In fact, the enemy is the necessary condition for practicing patience...So, from this standpoint we can consider our enemy as a great teacher, and revere them for giving us this precious opportunity to practice patience."

"Now there are many, many people in the world, but relatively few with whom we interact, and even fewer who cause us problems. So when you come across such a chance for practicing patience and tolerance, you should treat it with gratitude. It is rare. Just as having unexpectedly found a treasure in your own house, you should be happy and grateful towards your enemy for providing that precious opportunity." Co-author Howard C. Cutler, M.D., adds, "It's the very struggle of life that makes us who we are. And it is our enemies that test us, provide us with the resistance necessary for growth."

These statements about adversity remind me of an experience I had in high school, when some of the girls in my class insulted me because I wasn't very athletic. I would run laps after class sometimes, and at first I was very slow. Instead of being weakened by their insults and staying home, I chose to continue jogging after class. As time went on, I got better and built up my endurance. Eventually one of the girls apologized and asked for my forgiveness. I said, "Don't worry about it, I'm actually glad you treated me that way." Surprised, she asked why. I said, "Because if you hadn't, this wouldn't have been a challenge." Now I can look back and fully embrace the fleeting understanding I felt at that moment, and I can strive to apply that understanding to every adversity I face in my life, whether it is trival or pivotal.

Interestingly, Napoleon Hill remarks in The Law of Success, "...without a single exception, anything which irritates you and arouses you to anger, hatred, dislike or cynicism, is destructive and very bad for you." Hmmm. I highly doubt that Hill's meaning here is completely literal, as he ultimately advocates the power of self control and the eventual mastery of the mind through honor and respect for mankind. But I will briefly deconstruct this statement; at face value, it seems to underline a major subconscious belief of today's society.

It seems highly unlikely that we can remove all sources of anger and irritation from our lives. It seems much more reasonable to instead work on how we deal with the aspects that cause us to struggle. As Steve Pavlina mentions in many of his blog entries, mistakes and failures are supposed to happen. Emotions are supposed to happen. Fighting against our emotions or attempting to remove negative emotions from our lives is completely illogical—we'll be fighting a losing battle. It makes much more sense to face these problems head on, as opportunies to learn and grow, instead of attempting to remove them from our lives. In the words of Dr. Cutler, "In our daily lives problems are bound to arise...if you confront your problems rather than avoid them, you will be in a better position to deal with them."

In Buddhism, one of the Four Noble Truths is an acknowledgement of suffering, which is rooted in ignorance, craving and hatred. As long as our lives are even slightly tainted by these three, we will experience suffering on some level. However, in The Art of Happiness, the Dalai Lama emphasizes, "There is a possibility of freedom from suffering. By removing the causes of suffering, it is possible to attain a state of Liberation, a state free from suffering...By generating insight into the true nature of reality and eliminating afflictive states of mind such as craving and hatred, one can achieve a completely purified state of mind, free from suffering."

In conclusion: Don't embark on a journey to find happiness. Prepare yourself for adversity, face it when it comes, and allow happiness to be a key component of the journey itself.

Read full entry

In the works: Panthera paper on livestock compensation

This August, I began working on a paper for Panthera, an organization that is one of the biggest players in wild cat conservation. I am honored to have Panthera's Executive Director, Luke Hunter, as my mentor in this project. Working with Dr. Hunter is a wonderful learning experience. I also recently had the pleasure of meeting CEO Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, another legend in the world of big cat conservation. What a lovely summer treat!

During my time at Panthera's headquarters in Manhattan, I began a literature review of livestock compensation programs. I completed and submitted my first draft of the review last week. When it's polished, the document will form a foundation for Panthera's intra-office policy on livestock compensation. (Photo at left by Thomas D. Mangelsen; photograph rights are not owned by or affiliated with Panthera.) So, what are livestock compensation programs, and what problem do they attempt to solve? Read on to learn more.

The root of the problem: In areas where predators reside, habitat fragmentation and loss often means that there are fewer prey animals to feed on in the wild. Carnivores are often forced to encroach on neighboring human communities, picking off the livestock that have lost many anti-predator defense mechanisms in the domestication process. Community members are understandably upset by these attacks, and often retaliate with acts of violence against predators. This results in the further decline of predator populations that are already in danger of vanishing.



Here's where conservation efforts come into play. In order to stop community violence against predators, conservationists must assign some sort of financial value to the predator population. In other words, community members must see some economic value in having the predators stick around. There are a number of proposed solutions to do this, and livestock compensation is one of them. The concept is simple: When one of the community's goats, cattle, sheep, etc. is picked off by a carnivore, the compensation program hands over some money or a replacement animal. There are so many ways to modify and alter these programs to fit community needs and preferences. However, these programs have come under close scrutiny in the world of conservation, and their efficacy is largely variable. Also, the concept itself has some major flaws. These programs:

• aren't economically self-sustaining
• don't try to solve the problem -- simply throw some money at it
• may encourage the community not to protect livestock from predators (i.e. The less you protect your animals, the more of them the predator eats and the more money you get... It's like siphoning an indefinite amount of conservation funds into a bottomless pit.)
  
• may encourage increases in human and livestock populations, leading to increased habitat loss
• don't provide universal benefits to the community -- only those who lose livestock to predators receive any economic incentive
• don't create a positive image of carnivores/ conservation (i.e. One alterntative to livestock compensation involves rewarding communities who tolerate the presence of predators on their land, giving extra bonuses for special circumstances -- such as sightings of youngsters. That type of program creates a direct link between conservation and economic value.)

To make a long story short, my research has shown that livestock compensation programs are very difficult to operate successfully. There are alternatives that have worked beautifully, and I hope to explore them further in a future paper.

Working on this paper has certainly taught me a great deal about conservation and the work that goes into planning and orchestration. I'm also very lucky and honored to be working with Panthera, a greatly respected organization that is doing phenomenal things for wild cat conservation.

As always, more to come about big cat conservation in the future.
Read full entry

Graphic design junkie: turning a sketch into a vector

I'm always designing—even when no one's looking.
I love taking breathers for myself in which I just... am. I just doodle. I just mess around in Photoshop. Those little segments of my day really put an oomph in my step.

To the left, I give you my latest (literally just finished it seconds ago) creation: my soon-to-be personal thank you card. I adore thank you cards, and I'm always scouting for the prettiest ones. This is one I'll be using in the near future!

First I drew the edges, inspired by a napkin! I scanned my drawing into the computer and used Adobe Illustrator to convert my hand-drawn design into a vector, then imported it into Photoshop to rasterize and fiddle with the colors. Voila!

Read on to find out exactly how to convert a sketch to a vector.

Scan the illustration in at 300 dpi (grayscale) and save it as a JPEG. Then:

1. Create a new file in Illustrator, then import your sketch by going to FILE/PLACE.

2. Select the import and go to OBJECT/LIVE TRACE/MAKE AND EXPAND. (You might get a warning stating there are to many paths to convert; don't worry about that.)

3. Once you've performed your live trace function you have one more step before adding color. Select your image and go to OBJECT/UNGROUP. Now click anywhere on the art board to deselect your artwork.

4. Select all, then copy and paste into Photoshop (I paste as SmartObject, but there are a number of options).

5. If you like, you can toy with the SmartObject. When you're done, you can rasterize it and tinker with it some more. (After I rasterized this henna design, I inverted the colors and then opened the Hue/ Saturation channel. I checked off "Colorize" and then fiddled with the channels until I arrived at this nature-inspired green.)
Read full entry

Bookshelf: Developing inner power to change the world

Each of us has a strong inner power of positivity and strength. To change the world for the better, you must acknowledge that inner power and channel it to bring out the best in yourself and the best in others. You must focus on your strengths and have a positive outlook.

This past month, I've begun building the habit of reading several inspiring pages of a book each day. I've noticed that I tackle my days with more enthusiasm and gusto, and that I believe in my power to initiate a ripple of positivity every day.

These books hold very exciting tokens! I've never delved into books like these before, and as I eagerly devour them now, my mind is riddled with thoughts of expanding their power. Imagine if children were taught these positive ideals from birth. Imagine if positive thinking were a concept taught and enforced in schools. Imagine if each nation's leader were an expert at exercising the principles outlined in books that teach persuasion vs. force, projection of joy and candor, truth, oneness, and the power of one's mind. Would there be fewer disagreements? Perhaps not. But there would be better and stronger resolutions, more constructive negotiations, more empowering connections and relationships.

I am so grateful to have found books that strengthen my resolve in my goals to change the world for the better. Inspiring words have the power to incite change. Read on to discover the books I'm reading so that you can develop your inner power to change the world! I want to emphasize how inspiring I find these books -- if you pick one up and read only a sentence or two, you will understand what I mean! Please don't take my word for it; try them yourself.

Currently on my bookshelf:
Napoleon Hill's Golden Rules, Napoleon Hill. True to its name, this book reads like literary gold. I especially like the principles of self discipline outlined here. Hill describes the building blocks for living a successful goal-oriented life. One of my favorite quotes from this book is "I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit alike all who participate in it." Hill writes in a way that stirs the reader, alluding that the only things between you and your ideal career is your own determination and willpower.

The Master-Key to Riches, Napoleon Hill. For me, attaining riches is not a key point of interest. I'm more focused on attaining a life filled with the opportunity to change the world for the better. However, the principles in this book are written for those who wish to find success, and I find them very applicable to my goals. In this book, Hill writes about the value of self discipline and going the extra mile. He also tackles the negative connotations of the word "ego," and describes how courage and self-confidence are linked. (He also emphasizes the delicate balance between confident, complete self control and overinflation of ego.)

Personal Development for Smart People, Steve Pavlina. This book is very probing. It talks about three main cores of being: truth, love and power. The book really causes self reflection with questions that you must answer for yourself truthfully -- questions about how you complete tasks, interact with others, and set goals for yourself. Very, very insightful and philosophical. You can also read some entries on Steve's blog to get an idea for his writing style.

The Law of Attraction, Esther and Jerry Hicks.So much of this book seems intuitive, but if it's applied to daily life it is truly a revelation. The Law of Attraction states that what you project is what you will receive in kind. In fact, The Law advocates that you are always thinking about you want -- never of what you don't want. In that way, you will subconsciously take steps toward whatever you want, because you will be focused on attaining it. This book explains The Law and claims you can use it to get everything you want, ranging from good grades to an amazing job to wonderful friendships.
Read full entry

Fall issue now at sapnamagazine.com

What an issue! From punk rock to breast cancer awareness, our fall features span a broad range of topics. I directed the "Sexy Rediscovered" photoshoot that took place in NYC this June (featured on the cover and in the fashion section). Find a virtually flippable magazine of this romantic photoshoot by clicking this link. The shoot took place at the beautiful Tandem Bar in Brooklyn, New York. (Read our review of Tandem's yummy menu.)


"Sexy Rediscovered"
Photography credits:
Art Director Mariam Kamal
Art Production Manager Aziz Hasan
Photographer Bianca Alexis
Stylist Elle Horton
Makeup Hope Choman
Hair Mischa Gobie
Models [in order of appearance] Gunjan Sewhani, Naqib Ahmed, Rashi Stephens, Ragini Patel
Special thanks to Jane and Cathy Virga of Tandem Bar in Brooklyn, New York; Nyla Hashmi and Fatima Monkush of Eva Khurshid New York

Read full entry

Jack Canfield: There are no obstacles, only oppurtunities

This video is amazing! In it, well-known motivational speaker Jack Canfield discusses the concept of reverse paranoia: a state of mind in which you believe that everything happening around you is propelling you towards an amazing future. Jack doesn't think that anything should be viewed as failure -- not even being laid off! Instead, he encourages us to see setbacks as a golden opportunity to do better next time. Incorporating this philosophy into your life will make you a more positive thinker. As Jack proposes, "Good is not an accident, but something you create with your attitudes."

More about Jack Canfield, "America's Success Coach," from his website:
It doesn't matter if your goals are to be the top sales person in your company, become a leading architect, lose weight, become a better parent, increase confidence, buy your dream home or make millions of dollars – Jack can help you develop a clear, personal plan of action that will completely transform your life into exactly what you want it to be.

For more than 30 years, Jack has been coaching individuals, entrepreneurs, educators, and corporate leaders how to accelerate the achievement of their personal and professional goals, live their dreams, and create more joy in their life on a day-to-day basis.

The bottom line: Believe you can achieve your goals and dreams. See EVERY event in your life as a positive opportunity. Nothing can stop you from achieving your ideal life. Your ideal life is waiting for you to achieve it!

You CAN do it!

Read full entry

Inspirational tips to build and maintain a positive outlook

When you're very busy and have many goals, it's easy to get overwhelmed. There are many tools that can help organize your thoughts and your life!

You can take full control of your life. No matter what happens, you can make a conscious decision to move forward positively. This applies to everything ranging from academia to family life. With the proper inspirational tools, you can create the life that is ideal for you. Today I decided to incorporate the following inspirational tactics into my life:

(1) AFFIRMATIONS
Affirmations are statements that you repeat to yourself multiple times a day, preferably in front of a mirror. Look yourself directly in the eyes and imagine the characteristics and goals you want to achieve. For example, "I am smart or something better." Or "I am confident or something better." You don't necessarily need to believe the affirmations for them to work -- just say them at least once daily and keep it up for the rest of your life. Constantly affirm that you are successful, attractive, intelligent, etc. and you will create a self-fulfilling prophecy. For more on affirmations, see "The Power of Affirmations" by Karim Hajee.

(2) BREAKS
If you start to feel overwhelmed when addressing a situation, don't panic. Take a break; you may want to count to ten and/or close your eyes. Breathe deeply. Reassure yourself that you are doing a great job; create a mantra such as "I am an amazing person and I will meet this challenge head on." BELIEVE it. Train your mind to turn a negative thought into a positive thought. Focus on the good of the situation or the good of another situation in your life. If you are religious, ask God for strength, courage and help. Gradually reduce the amount of time you take for this process so that you feel a sense of relief in minutes or seconds. This will take time, patience and a lot of practice.

(3) EXERCISE
Exercise releases endorphins and helps to create a powerful release outlet for stress. Core exercises for your body such as crunches and yoga positions (such as the bridge and the modified plank) can help strengthen your abs and back, ultimately making you stronger and more energetic.

(4) THANKS IN ADVANCE
Give thanks for things you don't have yet. Act as if what you want is already in your possession--and believe it! Give thanks for qualities, items, accomplishments, success in love, and everything else that you want to achive. You can give thanks in prayer or to the mirror. Thank God (if you're religious) and also thank yourself. BELIEVE and you will ACHIEVE.

I've begun stockpiling these tips and I'm doing more research in the wonderful and fascinating field of inspirational tools. As part of a project I'm currently working on, I plan to compile a thorough understanding of inspirational tools -- possibly over the next six months to a year. More tips to come!
Read full entry

Updates: A Sapna summer

The new Sapna cover is up, along with a number of new features. One of my favorite pieces is an interview with Sonal Shah, who stars in TV's hit show Scrubs.

On this issue's cover, we have Rashi Stephens (Miss India North America 2008) and Joy Basu. The shoot took place in Chicago last year and was photographed by Billy Rood of Fig Media.

Most recently on the Sapna blog: Noureen DeWulf has been sizzling lately! Check out her latest accomplishments by reading our blog at www.sapnamagazine.com.



Read full entry

Updates: Looking to the greats for inspiration | Sapna photoshoot in NYC

On June 25th, I will be directing a shoot for Sapna in collaboration with Eva Khurshid, an upcoming NYC-based fashion line. The clothes are clean and classic, so the shoot will be appropriately themed '1970s Paris.'

Shooting for a fantastic creative image, I look (as always) to my favorite photographers for inspiration: Mario Testino (Kate Moss for Vogue, left) and Craig McDean.

International fashion shows foretell an imminent future of neutrals, so the EK line is well prepared for fall with black, white and tan. The shoot will be sophisticated, but not subdued! I'm trying to quell my natural tendency to use crazy colors.








Read full entry

Updates: My Blogger template designs

I always need a creative outlet to express myself. Not that vet school and Sapna Magazine don't keep me busy enough -- it's just nice to have a variety sometimes. To that end, and I've decided to launch a line of free blogger templates!

I'm creating the templates with stock images that can be downloaded for free. I'm so excited! My first release will be the design above, which will probably go public in June. After that, I may crank out 3-4 designs over the summer.

Stay tuned!
Read full entry

Updates: my article on saving tigers

You can now read my article on tiger endangerment online at www.sapnamagazine.com. Wildlife conservationists agree that tiger endangerment is a critical issue. Mainstream media intermittently picks up on problems such as these (for example, the April 13, 2009 cover of TIME Magazine features a Sumatran tiger).

My Sapna Magazine article features interviews that I conducted via email with some of the top experts in tiger conservation, including Dr. Ullas Karanth. In 2007, Dr. Karanth was awarded the Getty Award for Conservation Leadership -- an honor that has been given to the likes of Jane Goodall. Also featured in my article are Dr. Ron Tilson, Chairman and Director of the Tiger Foundation, and Dr. Mahendra Shrestha, Director of the Save the Tiger Fund, among others.

My article was published in 2007; the online version features a brief 2009 update. I will be working on a more comprehensive update this summer.

I first stumbled upon (and was first disturbed by) the notion of a human-induced age of extinction in Scott Weidensaul's book The Ghost with Trembling Wings. The recent TIME Magazine feature falls in step with this theory, saying that we are creating "a new age of extinction."

From TIME.com:
"There have been five extinction waves in the planet's history — including the Permian extinction 250 million years ago, when an estimated 70% of all terrestrial animals and 96% of all marine creatures vanished, and, most recently, the Cretaceous event 65 million years ago, which ended the reign of the dinosaurs. Though scientists have directly assessed the viability of fewer than 3% of the world's described species, the sample polling of animal populations so far suggests that we may have entered what will be the planet's sixth great extinction wave. And this time the cause isn't an errant asteroid or megavolcanoes. It's us."
Read full entry

Notebook: Anesthesia

Injectable anesthetics: rapidly acting anesthetics (examples: thiopental, propofol, etomidate, ketamine); slow acting (examples: potent opioids, neuroleptanalgesics)

BARBITUATES
- mechanism of action: allosteric modulation of the GABA A receptor
- increase in average duration of GABA-activated Cl- ion channel openings

Other mechanisms of action -- keywords for CNS: interaction w/ central Ca2+ and Na+ channels, glutamate and nicotinic ACh receptors. Depression of autonomic ganglia. keywords for PNS: block ACh effects at nicotinic synapses, inhibition of transmembrane Ca2+ fluxes

What do barbituates do?
- gradually depress the CNS (anesthesia)
- (don't provide analgesia)
- decrease EEG activity
- decrease cerebral blood flow
- decrease intracranial pressure
- provide anticonvulsive activity

Undesired effects of barbituates?
- central respiratory depression (i.e. hypoventilation)
- cardiovascular depression
- decrease in cardiac output
- decrease in arterial blood pressure
- may cause tachyarrhythmias
- decrease in renal blood flow
- decrease in hematocrit
- decrease in white blood cells
- perivascular injection may cause thrombophlebitis

Pharmacokinetics: How are barbituates eliminated?
- metabolized in the liver; conjugated with glucuronic acid
- renal excretion

Case in point: thiopental (pentothal)
- indicated for brief surgeries/ exams, neurosurgical patients with increased intracranial pressure, induction of general anesthesia, immediate control of convulsions

PHENOLS
- unrelated to barbituates
- main mechanism of action:
- allosteric modulation of GABA A receptor

What do phenols do?
- gradually depress CNS
- intravenous deep sedation
- non-hypnotic CNS effects:
- decrease cerebral blood flow
- decrease intracranial pressure
- antiemetic effects
- can be used for general anesthesia
- decrease EEG activity
- no analgesia

Undesired effects of phenols?
- respiratory system
- central respiratory system depression
- bronchodilation
- inhibition of laryngeal reflexes
- cardiovascular system
- hypotension
- transient excitatory effects

IMIDAZOLE (ETOMIDATE)
- good for inducing anesthesia in high-risk patients
- mechanism of action: allosteric modulation of GABA A receptor
- no analgesic effects
- decrease in EEG activity
- decrease in cerebral blood flow
- decrease in intracranial pressure
- cons: occasional CNS excitatory effects, hemolysis, pain, inhibition of adrenal steroid genesis

CYCLOHEXANONES
- ketamine, tiletamine. "dissociative anesthesia"
- loss of consciousness
- catalepsy
- maintenance of protective reflexes
- skeletal muscle movements
- mechanism of action: blocks NMDA receptor
- decrease in central glutamatergic activity
- provides analgesia and anesthesia

INHALANT ANESTHETICS
- inhalant anesthetic dose required to maintain an appropriate surgical plane of anesthesia is lower in older animals than in younger animals
- the speed of upake of inhalant anesthetics into the blood is inversely related to blood solubility and cardiac output
- inhalant anesthetics commonly cause vasodilation and negative inotropic effects
- they suppress the effects of excitatory neurotransmitters such as glutamate and ACh within the CNS
- inhalant anesthetics: degree of hepatic metabolism (ranked highest to lowest) is sevoflurane > isoflurane > desflurane > nitrous oxide
- the minimal alveolar concentration (MAC) of an anesthetic agent prevents gross purposeful movement in 50% of subjects exposed to a supramaximal noxious stimulus.

Isoflurane
- causes more significant cardiovascular depression than sevoflurane.

Sevoflurane
- sevoflurane is less potent than isoflurane
- sevoflurane allows for more rapid adjustment of anesthetic depth during anesthesia than does isoflurane
- In general, renal toxicity is not a common problem with sevoflurane.
- sevoflurane is more lipid soluble than desflurane

Desflurane
- desflurane is a halogenated ether
- desflurane has a more pungent odor and irritates airways more than sevoflurane does
- recovery of anesthesia from desflurane is faster than from isoflurane
Read full entry

Updates: Marine Symposium 2-18-2009

Next Wednesday, February 18, please join us at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Hill Pavilion Auditorium for an experience in marine conservation education.

Dr. Enric Sala, PhD -- a National Geographic Explorer -- along with Dr. Alonso Aguirre, DVM, PhD -- co-founder of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine -- will be dazzling us with their speaking abilities. Check out the flyer at left (designed by yours truly)! And check out our facebook group as well.

Details below:

Join us for a UPenn “Year of Evolution” event focused on the critical issue of marine species conservation – recent groundbreaking discoveries and innovative solutions to save our oceans. Famed marine researchers and explorers will share their findings and recount their global adventures, tracking and protecting endangered marine species.

Featured speakers:

ENRIC SALA, PhD, National Geographic Explorer, Pew Marine Conservation Fellow, and key player in the recent establishment of the largest marine reserve in the world.

ALONSO AGUIRRE, DVM, PhD, co-founder of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, leading expert in marine mammal and sea turtle conservation.

Presented by Special Species Club, EcoVet, and IVSA, with generous sponsorship from Merial, the Office of the Provost, and Public Health Club.

Read full entry

Updates: Blogging about a Blog

Sapna Magazine has a blazing blog going lately! Vaishali Rao, our director of communications, is currently our resident blogger -- and she's been posting on a diverse array of interesting topics.

Recent topics have explored fashion, politics, consumerism and the arts. For example, who knew that Britney Spears hired a Bollywood-inspired choreographer for her Circus world tour? The blog also put a spotlight on the success of South Asian American supermodel Lakshmi Menon. (Check out Menon's model bio on New York Magazine's website.)

The following is an excerpt from the Sapna blog:

Britney chose Indian choreographer, Rujuta Vaidya, trained by famous Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan, to help her hit her moves.

“Britney was not used to the Bollywood style of dance but she is a fast learner and she picked it up well. I know she was excited about doing it because she is the one who selected us,” Rujuta told a New York-based website.

Can she pull it off? Or will it look like more of a Circus than it's supposed to?

Visit www.sapnamagazine.com and scroll down to "the Sapna blog" to read more!
Read full entry

Notebook: Hemostasis -- Coagulation

The following notes were taken during a 2-hour lecture by Dr. Urs Giger, DipACVIM.

Brief introductory discussion on the molecular level:
- activation of protein C.
- in order to be functional, protein C has a cofactor (protein S)
- both protein C and protein S are vitamin-K-dependent factors.
- complex of protein C and S will inhibit factors 5 and 7
- complex will also activate the inhibitor of plasminogen activator.
- this is a very regulated system that has to be balanced.
- Imbalances will lead to either a tendency to bleed or a tendency to thombose.

When an animal has a clotting problem, we need to know if the problem is primary or secondary. Problems may be acquired (any time, any age) or hereditary (for example, von Willebrand disease and hemophilia).

When an animal presents, ask the owner if there is a possibility of rodenticide problem.

During the physical exam, characterize bleeding.

COAGULOPATHIES: Problems with Secondary Hemostasis
- use a diagnostic test to assess hemostasis
- cuticle bleeding time: assesses overall hemostasis. Not standardized, painful.
- this method doesn't differentiate between problems with primary and secondary.
- "an absolute must" for every patient: blood smear evaluation
- look for platelets; if absent, ask yourself: is this a true thrombocytopenia?

Additional diagnostic testing
- do this prior to treatment (most situations -- unless patient is critically ill)
- why? b/c any treatment you do may change these results.
- Citrate tube: Tube contains 3.2% citrate solution that is added to the blood.
- Remember, without calcium, there is no coagulation
- The citrate is in a molar form, so calcium binding is a reversible process.
- (An EDTA sample chelates calcium and therefore is irreversible.)
- To perform the test, the tube must contain 9 parts blood and 1 part citrate.

- Collection technique is very important:
- if technique is incorrect, you may activate the coagulation pathway
- this may leave to shortened coagulation time.

- Activated Coagulation Time
- uses surface activation
- does not involve extrinsic clotting pathway
- does not require instrumentation
- does not require anything but the tube containing diatomaceous earth
- use vacuutainer; once first drops of blood are in the tube, start the timer
- when it is filled, pull it off; make sure there is good hemostasis
- mix by gently rotating the tube in your hands
- results: if there are no platelets, the actual clotting time will be prolonged.

[2nd HOUR OF LECTURE]

Partial Thromboplastin Time (laboratory PTT/aPTT)
- reactants: calcium, PTT activator (phospholipid), plasma
- phospholipids need to be added b/c plasma lacks platelets
- results are given in unit time, not in percent or in amount of protein
- in a way, it's assessing the same systems as ACT (intrinsic & common pathways)

Prothrombin Time (laboratory PT)
- assesses the extrinsic and common pathways
- reactants: calcium, tissue factor, plasma
- assay can be done within an hour; results are very reliable.

Protein Induced by Vitamin K Antagonism or Absence (PIVKA test)
- important for the main reason of anticoagulative rodenticides
- similar or identical to PT
- it is NOT specific for rodenticide poisoning.
- no reason to do this anymore. (PT test gives the same information)
- note: PTT test is most useful.

Fibrin degradation
- two ways to estimate fibrinogen:
- Thrombin Time (TT)
- not affected by rodenticides
- Plasma Fibrinogen Quantity

Thromboelastography
- overall hemostatic evaluation
- can predict thrombotic tendency
- can suggest fibrinolytic activity

Extra notes on hemostasis:
- Heparin is a very good coagulation inhibitor.
- Remember, you CANNOT DO coagulation tests with serum.
- The difference between serum and plasma: COAGULATION FACTORS -- mainly FIBRINOGEN.
- Schistocytes (spelling?) are seen when there are fibrin strands in a blood vessel.

Note to self: See Dr. Giger's lecture handout and complete the table on the second to last page.

TRANSFUSION MEDICINE
- indication for transfusion: anemia
- plasma may need to be given, or a combination of plasma and RBCs

Blood types are genetic markers on RBC surfaces; these are species specific and may differ between individuals.

Note to self: See more info on transfusion medicine in Dr. Giger's lecture handout.
Read full entry

Opinions: the Aerial Gunning of Wolves

For years now, the Defenders of Wildlife has been sending me alerts on the brutal killing of wolves in Alaska. I've always opposed the savagery that's been documented in bloody photos and videos, but not until today did a classmate make me think: Why is Alaska doing this? What is the motivation? Does the wolf population need to be managed, and if so, why?

Even if the wolf populations are in need of management, there needs to be a humane way to control their populations. However, she inspired me to do some digging.

My research yielded the following: Wolves are being targeted because they are killing their natural prey, caribou and moose, in their Alaskan homeland. A natural prey-predator relationship that the governor wants to stop? Why? There's got to be a motive... And here it is.

Here's an old clip from the Seattle Times (December 8, 1992):

We Should Learn From Alaska's Big, Bad Wolf Mistake
by John A. Baden, Ph.D. and Robert Ethier

KILLING WOLVES is a dramatic and highly controversial wildlife management practice. Alaska has recently proposed this as a way to boost caribou, moose, and deer populations for tourists and hunters.

But many people find gunning wolves from airplanes offensive and are outraged.

The logic underlying the killing seems clear, but the issues are complex. Wolves do kill caribou, elk and moose - especially their young. Reducing wolf populations should increase the numbers of these ungulates, but by how much? There are bitter disputes among scientists over the size of predator impact upon prey populations. Read full article

In a nutshell, it seems that these wolves are being killed so that hunters can come in and have lots of caribou and moose to kill? So... The wolves are being killed because they're doing as nature intended... So that hunters can come in and fulfill a disgusting blood lust for the thrill of the chase?

My research is far from over on this issue, so there will be more updates to come. But I maintain: Even if population management is warranted, there are more humane methods that can be used. After all, hunting by aerial gunning has been illegal in the United States since 1972, and with good reason.

Humane methods of population control will be detailed in a future post.
Read full entry

Notebook: Electrocardiography 3

These notes were taken during a lecture by Dr. Meg Sleeper, veterinary cardiologist.

- Ectopic beats come from outside the sinus node; they can be either early or late.
- Junctional beat is the same as an AV nodal beat
- Junctional escape vs. ventricular escape

BASIC ECG CLASSIFICATION
- aberrant conduction (the conduction path is abnormal)
- bundle branch block (RBBB) occurs commonly.
- right bundle branch block occurs most commonly.
- left bundle branch block is more often associated with structural heart dz.
- arrythmia (either of supraventricular or ventricular origin)

2 differentials for a wide QRS complex:
- ventricular aberrant beat (a ventricular complex)
- block in conduction (blockade through conduction through the ventricles)
- with a RBBB, you see negative deflection

SUPRAVENTRICULAR CARDIAC RHYTHMS

Classification of conduction defects
1st degree: prolonged PR interval (slower than normal conduction through the AV node
- can be caused by fibrosis of the AV node, or certain drugs (i.e. digoxin)

2nd degree type 1 or Wenchebach: some of the P waves don't get through. Unconducted p waves typically occur as the R to R interval is lenghtening. May see subtle lengthening of the PR interval.
- in a dog where this is physiologic, increasing sympathetic tone will cause this to go away (i.e., running the dog in the hallway for a bit)

2nd degree type 2: P wave that is not followed by a QRS complex. Most typically it is progression of AV disease or fibrosis. (If this animal is exercised, the rhythm won't go away.)

3rd degree: complete AV block. Nothing is conducting down. It may seem that the P waves are very regular on their own and the QRS complexes are very regular on their own; however, the regularity of the two may not seem to be related. T waves are wider than normal with discordant QRS complexes.

Asides:
Remember, the first heart sound is caused by closure of the mitral valve. Premature beats are usually very loud b/c they occur when the valve is wide open.

Summation occurs when two cardiac events appear on the ECG paper at the same time.

If a QRS is not very wide, it may be coming from the AV node.

Case example: Dog has been fainting; ECG shows a sinus bradycardia with a ventricular escape beat. Atropine an be given as a diagnostic test (Atropine Response Test).

If the pattern goes away in response to atropine, the pattern is a sinus tachycardia. (A normal dog would also respond this way.) This means that the heart can respond normally when vagal tone goes away. For some reason this dog has abnormally high vagal tone. Note: If the dog had not presented for fainting, and the atropine response test caused the pattern to go away, this dog probably would not need to be treated.

Sinus rhythm is common in cats but pretty rare in dogs. Sinus arrhythmia is common in dogs. Remember, an arrhythmia is not necessarily abnormal. Sinus tachycardia is a normal response to pain, fever, stress, fear, etc.; this is a way the sinus node responds to elevated sympathetic tone.

Supraventricular tachycardia is also known as paroxysmal atrial tachycardia. If vagal tone is increased, does this slow down gradually or abruptly? -- To answer this question, the carotid sinuses or eyeballs are pressed as a (tentative) diagnostic test (this doesn't always work). If the pressure is released and the pattern resumes abruptly, the pattern is a supraventricular tachycardia. If the pattern resumes gradually, it is a sinus tachycardia.

Read full entry

Notebook: The Dairy Industry

These are notes taken while in lecture (2nd hour) on February 5th, 2009.

- The export market is very important to the industry.
- Prices are determined by supply and demand for dairy products worldwide.
- Regarding current milk price, the Feb. Class I cost suffered a ~$5 loss since last year.

Lately, the dairy industry has had to put a lot more of its product in storage. The melamine scare has caused harm to the dairy industry.

Today there are about 200,000 too many cows in the dairy industry (too much milk is being produced).

In the U.S., demands are expected to continue to grow. Regional shifts are occurring in the U.S.; larger herds will influence the market. In PA, agriculture is the number 1 industry (~1 of each 6 people is employed in agriculture). The top 6 commodities in PA: dairy products, cattle and calves, mushrooms/ agaricus, corn, greenhouse/ nursery, chicken/ eggs. The average number of PA milk cows (annually) is about 550,000.

Milk in PA is produced primarily in the southeastern part of the state. PA ranks number 5 in the U.S. in total milk production. PA also ranks 4th in cow numbers and 15th in milk production per cow.

MILK SAFETY
- milk is one of the most monitored foods!
- the primary control of milk/ milk products is carried out by State officials.
- the FDA regulates the use of animal drugs and feed additives
- FDA also establishes regulations for safe residues in milk.

Control of milk safety:
- Somatic Cell Counts are done to measure mammary gland inflammation
- Legally, there should be a max of 750,000 cells per mL.
- Bacteria counts are also done and the limit is 100,000 per mL.

ORGANIC MILK PRODUCTION
- ruminants must be let to pasture for a certain percentage of the day

Note to self: see slides for more info.

LACTATIONAL PHYSIOLOGY
- cows with BST in their milk have higher milk production
- BST is bovine somatotropin (growth hormone)
- BST is naturally occurring
-- recombinant BST is a genetically engineered duplicate.
-- this recombinant is made using the same technology that is used to make insulin.
-- it enhances a cow's natural BST.
-- concerns about the safety of rBST are not scientifically supported.
-- studies have shown that BST is inactive in humans.
Read full entry

Notebook: Equine Respiratory System 3

These are notes taken on cases presented by Dr. Rose Nolen-Walston.

Diagnostic plan fever and abnormal lung sounds: rads, ultrasound, sample.
Rads: miliary pattern. Only a few causes: cancer (metastases), sepsis, fungal dz, silicosis. Nothing good that looks like this on rads! Probably not viral or bacteria.

Plan at this point: How to sample? Use BAL (not trans trach) because it's diffuse. Get fungal hyphae, indicates fungal pneumonia, which is rare. Can be primary or secondary (usually secondary doesn't cause a problem). If suspect primary, get a travel history. Treat with systemic anti-fungals. Tends to be $, and prognosis is poor. Best treatment: Itraconazole. (Case study presented in class resulted in full recovery).

Up to 70% of trach washes have fungal hyphae; THIS IS NORMAL! Do not treat with anti-fungals unless you see evidence of fungal pneumonia: i.e., large numbers of intra and extracellular fungal elements, consistent rad changes, or history.

Pneumocystis (and others) is an opportunistic bug (i.e., SKID foals, recent GI dz, other reasons for immuosuppression). Exactly the same diagnostics, but also test for immune function. Prognosis is poor.

Other possibility for miliary pattern: Interstitial pneumonia (pretty rare)
- present with severe clinical signs, i.e. cyanosis, profound respiratory distress, wasting away, cough, fever, pretty hypoxemic
- diagnose with rads (parenchymal disease)
-- pattern must be diffuse. Do BAL.
- Interstitial pnuemonia may be associated w/ viral dz (like flu), systemic inflammation (ARDS), equine nodular pulmonary fibrosis (may be associated w/ EHV5, pattern looks more nodular than miliary), silicosis: granulomas form around silicon, or ideopathic
- treatment is often futile. Euthanasia often elected if owner decides not to treat. (If you sit and wait, the horse may be fine!)
- prognosis is guarded to poor.

Case presented: foals with puffy joints, no lameness
- if foal w/ puffy joints is lame: septic arthritis (EMERGENCY)
- on ultrasound, see what may be neoplasia/ abscess/ granuloma
- rads pathognomonic Rhodococcus equi.
- Rhodococcus equi causes abscess-forming pneumonia.
- puffy joints but not lame: don't tap
- diagnosis: use cytology (pleomorphic cocci), culture, PCR
- on PCR, only VapA is really bad
- transmission: shed in feces
- use macrolides to treat b/c they go into the cell. Azithromycin stays at effective levels in pulmonary macrophages for 30 days! Treat with macrolides + rifampin.

- Rhodococcus is not the only thing that causes pneumonia in foals: top cause is Strep. zooepidemicus. Diagnose with imaging (rads/ US), sampling (trach wash). Put on broad spectrum (but not penicillin).
Read full entry

Notebook: Equine Respiratory System 2

Treating pleural pneumonia Start with broad spectrum antibiotics (4 quadrant coverage): penicillin, gentomycin, metronidazole. Gas specks in lungs (on ultrasound) probably indicate anaerobic infections; also brown or red nasal discharge and stinky breath. These horses need to be put on metronidazole. Strep. zooepidemicus is the number one isolate; enrofloxacin doesn't get it! Oral drugs: TMS (nice but a lot of resistance), doxycycline, rifampin (not rifampin by itself!).

Will often put on anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) to increase patient's comfort level. Remember to consider effects on kidneys and stomach. Use thoracic drains if necessary (if there's a lot of fluid). Support with calories very very early.

Increased pleural effusion decreases lymphatic drainage, leading to edema.

When do you stop the antibiotics? Recheck frequently with US (consolidation and abscesses), check fibrinogen and WBC counts, make sure afebrile for 4-5 days afterwards. May also re-check the tracheal wash (though a bit invasive).

Can do rib resection if you encounter "pizza pleura."

Epidemiology: Young racehorses being shipped are at top risk. Next is esophogeal obstruction in older horses, then post-anesthesia and recent viral infection.

Aspiration: When horses aspirate, it goes to the "triangle of death."

Prognosis is good for pleural abscess; horses with pleuritis -- prognosis is a lot worse.

Lympadenopathy, fever and nasal discharge is strangles (Strep. equi equi) until proven otherwise! Gets submandibular and retropharyngeal lymph nodes. Let the dz run its course; treat symptomatically; may want to use NSAIDs; drain abscesses when they're "ripe"; more severe cases will need tracheostomy; put complicated cases on penicillin. Prevention: isolate effected horses until they have a negative culture. May need to identify carriers if barn problems persist. Rare to get strangles twice. 2 vaccines available: new intranasal modified live vaccine is much more effective than the other vaccine. Always give it as the last vaccine because it is a modified live vaccine!

Bastard strangles: metastatic strangles. Lymph nodes in any part of the body are affected; can end up with problems in brain, liver, kidney etc. Diagnose with a titer for Strep. M protein. Treatment: long-term antibiotics. Penicillin works well.

Immune-mediated problems associated with Strep:
Purpura hemorrhagica is a vasculitis associated with the body getting confused by the Strep. Results in severe edema. Penicillin and corticosteroids; good prognosis. If outbreak, don't vaccinate horses that have possibly been exposed! Greater chance that they will develop purpura. Only vaccinate horses that you are really sure have not been exposed.
Read full entry

Notebook: Radiology of Lung Disease 3

INCREASED RADIOLUCENCY, cont'd.
- congenital emphysema is rare
- usually emphysema is correlated w/ lower airway dz
- asthma: difficulty exhaling leads to increased air retained in lungs
- very dark, black lungs may indicate emphysema.
- even if no bronchial pulmonary pattern, may still be feline asthma
- air in stomach: dyspnea has led patient to swallow air.

See focal increased radiolucency more commonly than diffuse.

Air filled structures in the lung
- cavity, cyst, bulla: Cysts are usually congenital with very thin walls. Bullae usually have no apparent walls.
- if related to the bronchi, called bronchiectasis
- term cavitary lesions: masses with air in the center. Differentials same for any other mass. This term can technically be used for any air-filled lesion within the lung. Typically used to describe a lesion with a very thick wall.

Increased radiolucency is less common than increased radiopacity. There are fewer differentials for increased radiolucency.

Why do we have a pleural space:
- main function: keep lungs attached to the chest wall
- small film of fluid creates a negative pressure.
- lubricates lungs (most animals have sm. amt. of fluid in this space)
Side note: elephants lack pleural space.

Pleural effusion
- as soon as we have dz in pleural space, negative pressure will be lost to some degree, causing lung to retract toward the center.
- usually we don't see the pleural space.
- if lungs pull away from chest wall and from each other, we see the pleural space (called pleural fissure line). Vessels taper and disappear; pleural fissure line does not.
- signs: pleural fissure lines, lung lobe retraction, silhouetting.
- bilateral pleural effusion: More common. Top differentials: congestive heart failure, neoplasia, trauma.
- unilateral pleural effusion: Top differential = inflammatory dz

Note to self: see Dr. Seiler's slides for more info.
Read full entry

Notebook: Radiology of Lung Disease 2

ALVEOLAR PULMONARY PATTERN, cont'd.
Atelectasis vs. pneumonia: You may have difficulty discerning the two on laterally projected rads, because both problems present in the ventral lung field. Take an orthogonal view; if you see a mediastinal shift on the VD or DV projection, this indicates atelectasis. If not, pneumonia may be indicated.

Remember: After looking at rads and coming up with differentials, ALWAYS check to see if your problem list matches the clinical signs! (for any rads, any case)

BRONCHIAL PULMONARY PATTERN
- indicates bronchial disease.
- results in thickened appearance of bronchi
- overall pulmonary pattern/ opacity is not that different
- typically all bronchi are affected.
- bronchiectasis: widened bronchi. A sign of chronicity.
- in older animals, bronchi are often mineralized.

Side note: right middle lung lobe is often collapsed in cats with asthma.

INTERSTITIAL PULMONARY PATTERN
- This pattern is usually diffuse.
- interstitial space: connective tissue that makes up the alveolar walls and the connective tissue around the big vessels and bronchi.
- interstitial pulmonary dz: on rads, everything is a little blurred.
- generalized increased opacity in the lungs. Still see all the structures, but they're not as sharp anymore.
- Since this is a hazy pattern by definition, it may be difficult to distinguish interstitial pulmonary pattern from poor radiograph quality. Check for good contrast between trachea, soft tissue and bone. Make sure that outlines of vertebrae are visible; check if you can see the dorsal spinous processes.

Metastatic nodule vs. end-on vessel: End-on vessel will always be brighter than a nodule, because it is a cylindrical structure. Also, it must sit on top of another vessel, which you sould be able to see as well.

Metastatic nodule vs. heterotopic bone: The smaller and the brighter the structure is, the less you have to worry. Heterotopic bone is very small and very bright.

If you are unsure if it's a nodule or not, ask the owner to come back in a week or so for more rads.

IF YOU CAN'T DECIDE ON A PATTERN
- i.e., if characterisitcs of multiple patterns are present
- just call the pattern a mixed pulmonary pattern
- these rads may not help reach a definitive diagnosis.

If lungs are too black: again, rule out artifact first (just as was discussed for whiteness in Radiology of Lung Disease 1).

Read full entry

Notebook: Radiology of Lung Disease 1

Radiographic technique: pull legs forward in left lateral position so that they're not super-imposed on the thorax. For VD projection, make sure the animal is straight. Exposure: use high KVP (reduces contrast, gives a lot of grayscale). Also, use a grid and try to take rads on full inspiration. This is important because we need something that contrasts the structures in the thorax. Also, always take 2 projections of each patient. This is important for best possible assessment because the recumbent lung will be collapsed.

- Anatomy: caudal vena cava is always on the right side.
- When evaulating chest rads: look at extra-thoracic structures first!

Now to the meat of the lecture: Pulmonary parynchema: pleural space, mediastinum, heart, vessels. In normal small animal lungs, the right lung is a bit bigger. Lumen of bronchi will always be black with very thin wall; mainly seen in perihylar area. Vessels are filled with blood. Connective/ interstitial tissue around big vessels and bronchi. Black lung with white lines, white vessels, thin parallel branching lines are the bronchi.

If there's a problem with the radiograph, rule out artifacts or extra-pulmonary diseases. Artifact: It may be that the rads weren't taken at full peak inspiration. Think of the animal's fat content. Legs may not be pulled fully forward.

Alveolar, bronchial, interstitial, vascular patterns and combinations of them.

Alveolar pulmonary pattern: fluid and cells on rad are white. So if all those alveoli are filled with fluid and the round structures are filled with soft tissue opacity, we don't see the difference between the vessels and the lung parynchema anymore. All we see is the air within the bronchi (black outline of bronchial tree). List things that indicate alveolar pulmonary pattern: soft tissue opacity, silhouetting with other soft tissue structures, air bronchograms, lobar sign. May indicate: pneumonia, edema, hemorrhage, atelectasis, neoplasia, torsion, infarct.

Read full entry

Sapna: new, improved, more efficient

As yet another way of evolving to accomodate our audience, we at Sapna Magazine have begun blogging it up, WordPress style. And it was super-easy to implement! Once WordPress was installed on our site, I created some beautiful graphics to go with our new, modern and more mature image.

Not only is the new site prettier, but it's easier for our writers and editors to upload articles. (They love how user-friendly it is!) And our design has already gotten rave reviews from an expert in WordPress theme development. Please contact me [mariamkamal@gmail.com] if you are interested in joining the creative team.



Visit the new site to explore our new issue! The issue features stunning fashion photography done by Billy Rood of Fig Media in Chicago and an interview with Freida Pinto, the gorgeous feature actress in Slumdog Millionaire, which is a favorite for this year's Oscars. Writer Tirusha Dave includes an important factoid at the end of her article: The young kids who play the orphans in Slumdog were actually rescued from the slums of Mumbai. Please read the conclusion of the Freida feature to find out what organizations to support.
Read full entry

a cyber-sample of Sapna

Our new site is launching this week! Check out the Sapna Magazine website this Friday, January 23, to admire our new look.


Read full entry