Pouch

For lovers of (little) pets, the Cuddle 'n Carry Shirt may be barking up just the right tree. The cotton-polyester-blend sweatshirt has a pouch sewn into the inside front of the zippered chest section that lets you keep your animal companion close to your heart - literally. A small dog, cat, ferret, or any creature under 10 pounds that is amenable can snuggle inside with head free to look around at the passing scene. The Cuddle 'n Carry is machine washable and dryable and comes in black, blue, or camel.

Question: My brother owns some supposedly authentic American Indian beadwork that he believes may be valuable. The large pouch has a geometric beaded design and two beaded tassels. Could it really be worth anything? - D.D., Staten Island, N.Y. Answer: The large pouch is a late-19th-century beaded bandoleer bag, made by Indians in the Great Lakes area, according to American Indian arts dealer Marcy Burns, Box 181, Glenside, Pa. 19038. Depending on its condition, Burns says the beadwork probably could retail for about $3,000 to $3,500.

James Elliott, 12, picked up the bag filled with dark liquid and bounced it in his palm. He watched it change shape as he switched the pouch from one hand to another. He set it down and poked it solemnly, a seventh-grade scientist at work. Only, this was no science experiment. This was lunch. In Philadelphia, the milk carton of the '90s is no carton at all, but a square, squishy polyethylene pouch. Sort of a Baggie with milk in it. Since last spring, the Philadelphia School District has been introducing the Mini- Sip milk pouch, mostly to reduce the amount of trash generated but also, in the words of Thomas E. McGlinchy, director of food services, "to see whether more kids would take milk.

If your getaway plans include a bottle of wine, the Picnic Plus Roll Up Wine Bag is here to assist. What at first glance appears to be a swank leatherlike messenger bag unfolds to reveal a sewn-in, zippered wine-bottle pouch (wine not included), another zippered pouch containing two glass goblets, and dedicated pockets holding three coasters, a bottle stopper, and a multifunction waiter's tool/corkscrew. A soft suede lining cushions the contents. The bag has a built-in handle and an adjustable shoulder strap.

Ru-Ru, the runaway wallaby that wandered home last weekend after two weeks on the run, got his dream homecoming gift yesterday: a baby wallaby that Ru-Ru's owners hope eventually to make his mate. Ru-Ru, a Bennett wallaby that belongs to Betty Somers, escaped May 23 during a romp around the warehouse he shares with other exotic animals owned by the wholesale animal merchant. Before his escape, the marsupial had shown indisputable signs that he was ready to start a family. The staff at B&J Bird's Eye View believe that may help explain why he decided to take off. Somers had ordered Ru-Ru a girlfriend from Florida, she said.

Opossums rarely carry rabies, they hardly ever knock over garbage cans, they love to eat rodents and insects, and they are not aggressive (when threatened, they just play possum). So why would a man chase a nursing opossum into a neighbor's yard on Mother's Day, beating it with a pipe, and leave it for dead with 10 tiny babies in its pouch? The case is being investigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The orphaned babies, meanwhile, are unusually lucky. Although three died within hours from the beating, the remaining seven are being raised by a surrogate opossum mother under the care of Ayn Van Dyke - known as the "Possum Lady.

Putting Zach to bed at night was no piece of cake. Before laying the little fella down to sleep, Pat Farina, his guardian, first had to make sure he was in the sack. Next, she'd hang him on a doorknob. Then, she'd "plug him in. " Mornings weren't much better. She'd take Zach off the doorknob, "unplug him," carry him out to the auto, buckle his seat belt, then drive him back to where he belonged . . . . The Philadelphia Zoo. Zach's a joey. A baby kangaroo. A baby kangaroo without a pouch to call his home.

The longer we looked, the more frantic our search became. We were in the middle of rural France, and the leather pouch containing our passports, traveler's checks and credit cards was suddenly, inexplicably, gone. Every year for 12 years we had traveled through Europe and North America and had never lost anything important. On that hot July day, our system broke down and we faced the possibility of being stranded, penniless, in the middle of a foreign country. "OK," said my wife, Annette, with a sigh.

1. Give the lady who lunches a haute tote for her food, beverages, and whatever else she's carrying with a Lunch à la Mode bag. The big, roomy shoulder bags, available in four models in leather or faux leather, come with a removable, zippered 12-by-9-by-5-inch insulated food pouch, with an internal mesh pouch that holds two reusable ice packs (included). Pockets protect cell phones, wallets, and cosmetics, and there are pouches for water bottles and a sturdy water-resistant nylon lining.

For lovers of (little) pets, the Cuddle 'n Carry Shirt may be barking up just the right tree. The cotton-polyester-blend sweatshirt has a pouch sewn into the inside front of the zippered chest section that lets you keep your animal companion close to your heart - literally. A small dog, cat, ferret, or any creature under 10 pounds that is amenable can snuggle inside with head free to look around at the passing scene. The Cuddle 'n Carry is machine washable and dryable and comes in black, blue, or camel.

If your getaway plans include a bottle of wine, the Picnic Plus Roll Up Wine Bag is here to assist. What at first glance appears to be a swank leatherlike messenger bag unfolds to reveal a sewn-in, zippered wine-bottle pouch (wine not included), another zippered pouch containing two glass goblets, and dedicated pockets holding three coasters, a bottle stopper, and a multifunction waiter's tool/corkscrew. A soft suede lining cushions the contents. The bag has a built-in handle and an adjustable shoulder strap.

1. Give the lady who lunches a haute tote for her food, beverages, and whatever else she's carrying with a Lunch à la Mode bag. The big, roomy shoulder bags, available in four models in leather or faux leather, come with a removable, zippered 12-by-9-by-5-inch insulated food pouch, with an internal mesh pouch that holds two reusable ice packs (included). Pockets protect cell phones, wallets, and cosmetics, and there are pouches for water bottles and a sturdy water-resistant nylon lining.

One of the men charged with robbing the Glendora Post Office of nearly $30,000 last year pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Camden. Khayyan Williams, 28, of Camden, admitted robbing a registered mail pouch Nov. 23 with his codefendant, Bryon Walls, and a man he knew as Nate. Using a fake plastic gun, Nate threatened a truck driver at the post office and took the locked pouch, authorities said. The men escaped with $28,517 in cash, checks, money orders and Civil War medals.

Opossums rarely carry rabies, they hardly ever knock over garbage cans, they love to eat rodents and insects, and they are not aggressive (when threatened, they just play possum). So why would a man chase a nursing opossum into a neighbor's yard on Mother's Day, beating it with a pipe, and leave it for dead with 10 tiny babies in its pouch? The case is being investigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The orphaned babies, meanwhile, are unusually lucky. Although three died within hours from the beating, the remaining seven are being raised by a surrogate opossum mother under the care of Ayn Van Dyke - known as the "Possum Lady.

Tonight's face-off of Survivor's scrawny final trio should be a big, fat bonanza for the show that has changed TV as much as any in 15 years. About 30 million families - more than saw such fabled TV events as the Beatles' U.S. premiere on The Ed Sullivan Show, or the thriller finale of the original Fugitive - are expected to tune in to Survivor: The Australian Outback. Total viewership should surpass 50 million. Advertising rates for the few available network spots, at more than $1 million for 30 seconds, could rival some of the highest ever paid for series commercials.

The longer we looked, the more frantic our search became. We were in the middle of rural France, and the leather pouch containing our passports, traveler's checks and credit cards was suddenly, inexplicably, gone. Every year for 12 years we had traveled through Europe and North America and had never lost anything important. On that hot July day, our system broke down and we faced the possibility of being stranded, penniless, in the middle of a foreign country. "OK," said my wife, Annette, with a sigh.

Ru-Ru, the runaway wallaby that wandered home last weekend after two weeks on the run, got his dream homecoming gift yesterday: a baby wallaby that Ru-Ru's owners hope eventually to make his mate. Ru-Ru, a Bennett wallaby that belongs to Betty Somers, escaped May 23 during a romp around the warehouse he shares with other exotic animals owned by the wholesale animal merchant. Before his escape, the marsupial had shown indisputable signs that he was ready to start a family. The staff at B&J Bird's Eye View believe that may help explain why he decided to take off. Somers had ordered Ru-Ru a girlfriend from Florida, she said.

Question: My brother owns some supposedly authentic American Indian beadwork that he believes may be valuable. The large pouch has a geometric beaded design and two beaded tassels. Could it really be worth anything? - D.D., Staten Island, N.Y. Answer: The large pouch is a late-19th-century beaded bandoleer bag, made by Indians in the Great Lakes area, according to American Indian arts dealer Marcy Burns, Box 181, Glenside, Pa. 19038. Depending on its condition, Burns says the beadwork probably could retail for about $3,000 to $3,500.