Squirrels. Chipmunk. Lab Beagles. Scoop-A-Poo. Berlin. Gandhi. Kansas. Baseball.

For "Mammal Monday:

The squirrels might still be hibernating where you are, but here they think it is Spring.   Some ways to stop them from raiding your bird feeders.

Yankee Flippers

"Your squirrels will flip right out! The second a squirrel jumps on the Yankee Flippers perch, his weight activates a motor and the perch begins to spin. Your squirrel quickly loses his grip—and whoops—off he goes!"

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SquirrelScatter

"The SquirrelScatter squirrel proof bird feeder senses the weight of an unwanted visitor, and begins to slowly spin your feeder. It actually teaches the squirrel to forage elsewhere! "

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Find humane alternatives to a squirrel problem

"Backyard squirrels can be troublesome, whether they're feeding on human food, eating seed left for birds or burrowing inside human homes. The annoyance some people feel toward squirrels causes inhumane actions such as shooting, trapping and poisoning, which the Humane Society of the United States reports is "unacceptable."

There are gentler ways to reduce a squirrel infiltration, and other ways to live peacefully with the animals.
Despite the fact that squirrels are a highly successful species and not close to endangerment, killing them is still wrong. Humans can dissuade the competent critters from feasting at their bird feeder by changing the type of seed on the menu.

The HSUS says that safflower seed and Nyjer thistle attract and nourish birds such as cardinals, chickadees and goldfinches, but that squirrels don't like it. Some birdseed is made with capsaicin as an additive. Birds don't feel the burn that this pepper ingredient causes in mammals.

Some people find it easier just to share some of the seed with the squirrels so they don't have to steal it. Bird watchers can keep the squirrels away from their feeders by sprinkling seed on the ground or providing them with their own feeder. "

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 Chipmunk in "squirrel proof" bird feeder.

"I found this funny little guy stuck inside of my "squirrel proof" bird feeder. I have no idea how he was able to get into there. It's 6 feet off of the ground and hanging by a 3 foot chain. After completely filling his face with seed, he can't seem to fit though the cage to get back out. He finally makes it but I doubt he'll try that again."

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Tattoos, Vocal Cord Removal Among Controversial Beagle Lab Tests.

Every year, about 70,000 dogs are tested on in labs in the United States, reports KTLA.  Watch Parker's KTLA report with video of both freed and caged lab beagles.

The dogs are injected with drugs, prodded, poked and illegally burned with chemicals.

 

"You've likely heard the term lab rat, but what about lab dog? Approximately 70,000 dogs are tested on yearly in the United States.  The dogs are routinely used in experimental surgical procedures and toxicology tests for cosmetics.
The breed of dog most tested on is the Beagle.  PETA's Lindsay Rajt told KTLA that "The people using animals in testing like the beagle because they are small dogs, friendly and docile. They can be manipulated."

It's common for labs to remove the dogs' vocal chords so their cries don't bother the technicians, and Parker alleges that some facilities beat and kick the dogs. Parker also called attention to the fact that only last week, a North Carolina grand jury indicted four lab workers on 14 felony animal cruelty counts. This charge was groundbreaking, since it is legal to test on dogs.

PETA has a guide listing companies that do and do not test on animals.

There is also an iPhone app for more information about animal testing. Find out more about helping the Beagle Freedom Project here. 

Rabbits, and cats, are used in experiments, too.

"Investigation Victory: Just one week after PETA released the results of its shocking undercover investigation of North Carolina--based contract animal testing facility Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. (PLRS) and filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), PLRS is surrendering nearly 200 dogs and dozens of cats and shutting its doors for good. This is a monumental victory and the first time that a laboratory has been forced to surrender animals and close under pressure on the heels of a PETA investigation and while facing a formal USDA investigation."

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Scoop-A-Poo.  Encourage pet owners to collect their animal's waste so it will not wash into sewers and streams.

"The girl and her dog, they were fine (wow)

Until they left a doody -- that's a crime (bow wow)"

"The thing about dog waste is that it's the only bacteria source that people willingly leave on the ground," Janet Geer, spokesperson for a partnership of regional governments dedicated to improving local water quality, said "For some reason it doesn't sink in that it is raw sewage."  While Geer acknowledged the power of poop "to bring out the 6-year-old in a lot of people," she also emphasized the seriousness of the issue.   It's not just a stinky situation -- skipping scooping poses a public health hazard.

For one, pet feces carry bacteria, viruses and parasites into waterways that can cause unpleasant infections such as giardia and E. coli. More indirectly, the excrement also releases nutrients into the water that can feed algae, kill marine life, contaminate beaches and send unlucky swimmers home with bouts of diarrhea or hives.

As Luther states simply in the song: "Hey yo, you don't want to swim in poo"

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On This Day:

RAF launches massive daytime raid on Berlin, Jan 30, 1943:

"On this day, the British Royal Air Force begins a bombing campaign on the German capital that coincides with the 10th anniversary of Hitler's accession to power.

Strategic bombing was the policy of using bombers to destroy an enemy's warmaking capacity, also referred to as "area bombing." Churchill described it as an "absolutely devastating, exterminating attack by very heavy bombers...upon the Nazi homeland."

To celebrate the anniversary of Hitler's 1933 appointment to the office of chancellor by then-President Paul von Hindenburg, both propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and head of the Luftwaffe Hermann Goering planned to give radio addresses to the German masses. Goebbels intended to bolster morale by hailing an impending victory in Russia: "A thousand years hence, every German will speak with awe of Stalingrad and remember that it was there that Germany put the seal on her victory." As the speeches were broadcast, RAF fighters rained bombs on Berlin, the beginning of devastating attacks on German cities that would last until the very end of the war. To make matters even worse for the Germans, the next day a massive surrender of German troops occurred at Stalingrad."

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Gandhi assassinated in New Delhi, Jan 30, 1948:

"Mohandas Gandhi, the world's chief advocate of non-violence, is assassinated in New Delhi by a terrorist sponsored by a right-wing Hindu militia group. The murder came only 10 days after a failed attempt on Gandhi's life. Thirty-nine-year-old Nathuram Godse shot the great Indian leader as he made his way through a small crowd to lead a prayer session.

The father of Indian independence had angered Hindu extremists by his efforts to bring peace in the wake of the British withdrawal from India. Muslims and Hindus had been fighting a civil war since the decision to the Muslim-dominated western region of India had become separated as Pakistan. Religious-inspired riots were breaking out all over India when Gandhi went on a hunger strike in September 1947.

The fast almost killed Gandhi but it successfully suspended the fighting. However, he was forced to fast again in January in order to finally bring the sides together for a peace pact. Hindu extremists saw this as selling out the nation and plotted Gandhi's death. On January 20, the group detonated explosives inside the wall of a New Delhi house where Gandhi was, but stopped short of throwing a grenade at Gandhi because they feared that bystanders would be killed.

His ideas and tactics were later borrowed by Martin Luther King, Jr., who used them successfully in the 1960s civil rights protests.

The assassin Godse tried to kill himself after the attack, but was grabbed before he had the chance. Four accomplices were arrested over the next several days. Godse showed no remorse for his crime. Along with Narayan Apte, Godse was hanged to death on November 15, 1949, against the wishes of Gandhi's sons, who argued that the execution stood against everything Gandhi believed in."

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Yesterday:

Kansas enters the Union as a free state, Jan 29, 1861:

"On this day in 1861, Kansas is admitted to the Union as free state. It was the 34th state to join the Union. The struggle between pro- and anti-slave forces in Kansas was a major factor in the eruption of the Civil War.

In 1854, Kansas and Nebraska were organized as territories with popular sovereignty (popular vote) to decide the issue of slavery. There was really no debate over the issue in Nebraska, as the territory was filled with settlers from the Midwest, where there was no slavery. In Kansas, the situation was much different. Although most of the settlers were anti-slave or abolitionists, there were many pro-slave Missourians lurking just over the border. When residents in the territory voted on the issue, many fraudulent votes were cast from Missouri. This triggered the massive violence that earned the area the name "Bleeding Kansas." Both sides committed atrocities, and the fighting over the issue of slavery was a preview of the Civil War.

Kansas remained one of the most important political questions throughout the 1850s. Each side drafted constitutions, but the anti-slave faction eventually gained the upper hand. Kansas entered the Union as a free state; however, the conflict over slavery in the state continued into the Civil War. Kansas was the scene of some of the most brutal acts of violence during the war. One extreme example was the sacking of Lawrence in 1863, when pro-slave forces murdered nearly 200 men and burned the anti-slave town.

During the Civil War, Kansas suffered the highest rate of fatal casualties of any Union state, largely because of its great internal divisions over the issue of slavery."

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U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elects first members.

"On January 29, 1936, the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elects its first members in Cooperstown, New York: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson.

The Hall of Fame actually had its beginnings in 1935, when plans were made to build a museum devoted to baseball and its 100-year history. A private organization based in Cooperstown called the Clark Foundation thought that establishing the Baseball Hall of Fame in their city would help to reinvigorate the area's Depression-ravaged economy by attracting tourists. To help sell the idea, the foundation advanced the idea that U.S. Civil War hero Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown. The story proved to be phony, but baseball officials, eager to capitalize on the marketing and publicity potential of a museum to honor the game's greats, gave their support to the project anyway.

In preparation for the dedication of the Hall of Fame in 1939--thought by many to be the centennial of baseball--the Baseball Writers' Association of America chose the five greatest superstars of the game as the first class to be inducted: Ty Cobb was the most productive hitter in history; Babe Ruth was both an ace pitcher and the greatest home-run hitter to play the game; Honus Wagner was a versatile star shortstop and batting champion; Christy Matthewson had more wins than any pitcher in National League history; and Walter Johnson was considered one of the most powerful pitchers to ever have taken the mound.

Today, with approximately 350,000 visitors per year, the Hall of Fame continues to be the hub of all things baseball. It has elected 278 individuals, in all, including 225 players, 17 managers, 8 umpires and 28 executives and pioneers."

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My Yesterday:

When Misty and Maddie had their walk down at Jay's, I took a picture of the 'lack-of- Lake-Conroe' down there at that 'lack-of-boat-ramp'.  It even has grass growing on it. This is a different boat ramp from the one I usually show, it is on this side of the subdivision.

When we got here, I set up my laptop in the living room, so that Jay could watch the program for that morning: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/sin/you-have-destiny  He listened intently while he was rolling his cigarettes.  He hadn't been drinking sloshingly the night before like he usually does, so maybe God is working on him, or rather Jay is letting Him now.  I hope this continues, for Jay and his mother's sakes.

The RV port is still full of yard sale stuff, and I am hoping to get rid of some of it the first three days of February, weather permitting.  Good time to have a yard sale when a lot of folks get their checks.  We moved some items up on shelves, sorted some stuff out, and actually saw some of the table tops. 

Still lots of articles to be unpacked from boxes and displayed, but at least we made some headway yesterday.