Brazos Bend State Park, TX. Fishing. Ranger 7. Puppy Rescue.

For “Travel Tuesday”:

“Less than an hour from Houston, Brazos Bend State Park is famous for its alligators, but it offers so much more, including a Nature Center, observatory, and a wide variety of plants and animals. The park also has an all-accessible trail for visitors with physical disabilities.

 

For more information, visit www.LifesBetterOutside.org.

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“Brazos Bend State Park (50 miles southwest of Houston) opened to the public in 1984 and quickly became one of the most popular parks in Texas. The park offers nearly 100 campsites, 21 miles of hiking and biking trails, picnic areas, play grounds, nature center, gift shop, interpretive programs, and the George Observatory.

Brazos Bend State Park is a mixture of remnant tall grass prairie, bottomland hardwood forest and several different aquatic ecosystems, including freshwater marshes, swamps, creeks, lakes and the Brazos River. With this "crossroads" of habitats comes an extreme diversity of plant and animal species. Approximately 300 species of birds have been reported. In the wetland portions of the park, visitors will likely see alligators, our last ruling reptiles. Over 300 adult alligators are in the park. Don't worry, they are safe to look at from a distance. Baby alligators may be observed in the nature center.”

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Fishing

“Grab a rod and reel and find a park near you - as part of the "Free Fishing in State Parks" program you can fish at any state park without a fishing license!”

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On This Day:

Ranger 7 photographs moon, Jul 31, 1964:

“Ranger 7, an unmanned U.S. lunar probe, takes the first close-up images of the moon—4,308 in total—before it impacts with the lunar surface northwest of the Sea of the Clouds. The images were 1,000 times as clear as anything ever seen through earth-bound telescopes.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had attempted a similar mission earlier in the year—Ranger 6—but the probe's cameras had failed as it descended to the lunar surface. Ranger 7, launched from Earth on July 28, successfully activated its cameras 17 minutes, or 1,300 miles, before impact and began beaming the images back to NASA's receiving station in California. The pictures showed that the lunar surface was not excessively dusty or otherwise treacherous to a potential spacecraft landing, thus lending encouragement to the NASA plan to send astronauts to the moon. In July 1969, two Americans walked on the moon in the first Apollo Program lunar landing mission.”

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Yesterday;

It wasn’t a day, it was a day and a half!  First thing, Mindi’s dogs were squawking to go out.  After coffee, Misty and I drove down the street with a pet carrier to pick up four 8-week old Chihuahua-mix puppies.  Their owner was going to give them away at Walmart’s parking lot.  He had been keeping them in a big wooden box outside, and they were covered in fleas, so that means that they probably have tapeworms.  An animal only has to swallow a flea, and it will get tapeworms.  These pups hadn’t been dewormed, vaccinated or anything.  So if he had given them away to just anybody they might not have been taken straight to a vet for the care that little pups need.  Parvo and distemper are airborne, so they didn’t need to go out in the big wide world unprotected. 

Just giving animals away without checking the new guardians out first, can be disastrous for critters.  They can wind up in all sorts of cruel situations, like being used as for bait for dog fighting, or some little kid breaks the little pup’s or kitten’s leg, or drops it on it’s head, and the new guardians just throw it away, or let it suffer, because they don’t want to spend any money on it.  Yes, we see it all the time. 

I had my SPCA boss’ OK to take them in, so that they could at least have a decent start in life. The SPCA will be paying for their vaccinations and neutering, and they will be put on the Petfinder website.  I just have to take care of them until they are adopted. I had newspapered the cat cage in the Middle Room the night before, added a little cardboard box bed, so that’s where I put them temporarily, as Mindi’s dogs were in the Grooming Room.  The pups were so happy, they had never been in air-conditioning before, and they ate a good breakfast.

Ray came over to pressure wash the back of the house.  Anytime we get a lot of rain, the north side gets green algae on the white siding.  First, he was going to pressure wash a couple of dog cages that I had bought from a guy down the road, because they were a good deal.  I had already spayed them with bleach water, but a good blasting rinse might help get them ready for selling. Then Murphy’s Law decided to bug us, but at least while he was doing that, he was leaving YOU alone! 

The quick-connect for the water hose to the pressure washer wouldn’t work, so we dug out another one, but that one had a crack, so it sprayed everywhere.  Then we found a metal one, and that just came apart!  The last one, the washer was bad, but that was an easy fix, so Ray finally got it going. I was trying to get back into the grooming room to finish Mindi’s dogs, but was sorting through the box of water hose parts instead.

I had just finished grooming Mindi’s poodles, plus their Yorkie, when my SPCA boss, Kenya, arrived.  She happened to see the cages that Ray had just washed, and bought one of them, right then.  I wanted to mop the Grooming Room floor before we put up the puppy pen, but the mop broke off the handle.  Ray loaned me a mop, so I mopped where the pen would be, laid down the extra piece of linoleum that I use under the pen, set up the pen, newspapered that, and got it all ready to transfer each pup as my boss and I tended to them.  I didn’t need Mindi’s dogs milling around while we were doing this, so I put them in a kennel cage, and they just watched intently.

First, we weighed each pup, they under 2 lb, and examined them to make sure they didn’t have ringworm or something, been there, done that!  One was not putting it’s weight on one leg, one was dehydrated, another had some bite marks which could get infected, so I will have to keep a close eye on them.  Kenya vaccinated each one, put drops in their noses to vaccinate them against Kennel Cough while I held them. http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/pet-travel/bordetella-vaccine.htm  Then I held their mouths open while each got a dose of Panacur to eliminate worms, and I put Revolution on their necks for de-flea-ing.  I also have to give them Panacur for the next 4 days in case they have tapeworms.  Normally we just do it for 3 days.  Kenya was so glad that I got them in time. These babies will at least have a good start in life now. 

While we were doing this little assembly line thing, Mindi arrived to pick up her dogs.  So that left Kenya and me free to go down to where the pup’s Mom lives.  Part of the deal with her owner for us to take the pups, is that she would be spayed, so we had to get her ready for that.  We set up everything on his picnic table, so she was vaccinated, had her Bordetella drops up her nose, dewormed and Revolution put on her neck.  Her owner said he would give her the other four daily doses of Panacur. This is to get her ready for her trip to the vet to be spayed.  He was very appreciative of what we were doing for his momma dog and the pups.

By the time all this was done it was 4.30 PM. and neither of us had had lunch.  Kenya offered to take me into town for lunch, but after doing all that grooming and puppy stuff, I just wanted to eat a quick bite and take a nap! 

Like I said, it was a day and a half yesterday.

Bats Rising. Song of the Mouse. NYC’s Animals. ‘You Can Do’. Inmate Dogs. Urban Decay. Flea Mkt Pups. Homeless to Crufts! Water for Wildlife. Sharks. In God We Trust. Medicare.

For “Mammal Monday”:

Bat Facts You Won’t Find in “The Dark Knight Rises”

“Back when The Dark Knight was released in 2008, we made a very solid case for “7 Reasons Bats are Just as Cool as Batman.”   Really, who can challenge these amazing flying mammals, especially when put up against what is essentially a rich guy in a fancy toolbelt? Sorry Mr. Wayne, but it’s true.  With The Dark Knight Rises premiering this week, we wanted to revisit our assertions and add even more amazing reasons why Bruce Wayne should take a backseat to the bats of the world.

Bats are Better Fliers than Birds

The lesser long-nosed bat (below) is a great example of why wings have made bats the successes they are today, after more than 52 million years of evolution.

An Arizona lesser long-nosed bat caught feeding on pollen by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Greg Tucker.

Wings have allowed the world’s only flying mammal to spread nearly everywhere across the globe, with the exception of the poles and some isolated islands.

The wings are composed of the elongated fingers of the bat’s forelimb with a thin webbing of furred skin stretching between the fingers to create the flying surface. Because these wings are thinner than those of feathery birds, bats are better fliers than birds, capable of more rapid and precise turns. Nerve receptors in the wings help bats sense changes in air flow and even to use their wings as nets to catch insect prey.

Wings have allowed them to be highly adaptable and to turn up in some unexpected places……as these two tiny bats did, photographed sleeping in a rolled leaf in Costa Rica.

Photograph of Costa Rican bats by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Timothy Potter.

Fishing bats in Ecuador, given how bats drink water, you can see how some may have picked up a piscivorian predilection (they like fish). Most bats drink by skimming over the surface of water, lapping up as they go; for some species, it is a short step from drinking on the wing to catching fish on the fly.:  More at: http://blog.nwf.org/2012/07/bat-facts-you-wont-find-in-the-dark-knight-rises/.      From Wildlife Promise 7/19/2012 // Roger Di Silvestro

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Male mice sing melodic tunes to attract females

“Male house mice are able to sing melodic songs to attract female partners, scientists have discovered.

The romantic tunes are pitched at the ultra-sonic range beyond our hearing but each mouse has his own individual signature song. Researchers have known for some time that male house mice have additional sounds to females but it has always been assumed they were just squeaking.   But new analysis has found the squeaks are in fact complex individual romantic songs similar to birdsong.   When scientists recorded the squeaks and slowed them down they found the similarities to the tuneful songs of birds to be striking.

Dustin Penn, a researcher from Vienna’s University of Veterinary Medicine, said: “It seems as though house mice might provide a new model organism for the study of song in animals. Who would have thought that?”

Studies have previously found that wild mice sing when they sniff the scent of a female and that female mice are wooed by song.   But scientists have now been able to use digital audio software to analyze the duration, pitch and range of the songs of house mice.

They found that males’ songs contain “fingerprints” that differ from one individual to another including brothers. The finding could potentially lead to understanding how female mice avoid inbreeding.

In birds, males with the most complex “sexy” songs are often the most successful with females but it is not known if this is the case with mice. Wild house mice also produce more “sexy syllables” across a wider range of frequencies than laboratory mice, the researchers found.” From:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/9043605/Male-mice-sing-melodic-tunes-to-attract-females.html

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“Kalcounis-Rueppell used hand-held recorders capable of recording ultrasonic emissions at a field site California. Later, while going through the recordings, which were played back at a lowered speed and frequency to make them more audible to humans, an unusual and loud sound was heard: this four-note song of a deer mouse.”   For a complete story on this research follow this link:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/The-Mystery-of-the-Singing-Mice....

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In the News: Creation News: The Song of the Mouse

“Apparently, bursting forth into song when overcome by love isn't merely a human habit found in movies and musical theater.

Mice sing too! Male mice specifically have distinct vocal patterns, which we perceive as squeaks but in reality resemble the songs of birds, according to digital analysis by researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria.

Each male mouse produces such a distinct tune of his own that scientists feel this variety may be the means by which female mice avoid inbreeding. These melodies attract female mice and are a part of the marvelous mechanism God created to help animals in reproduction.”  From: http://www.ucg.org/science/news-creation-news-song-mouse/

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New York City's Homeless Animals Saved by National, Local Partnerships

“New York City has the lowest per capita rate of killing homeless dogs and cats by animal shelters, according to the latest findings of cities studied by Animal People, the leading independent newspaper providing original investigative coverage of animal issues worldwide.

Data in the July/August 2012 issue of Animal People shows that New York City's shelters now kill 1 dog or cat for every 1,000 people (a 1.0 per capita kill rate), which makes New York the most successful city in the country in saving homeless animals. This is a stunning turnaround for a city that had a 5.5 per capita kill rate in 1995; a 2.6 per capita kill rate in 2005; and a 2.1 per capita kill rate in 2008. 

At the time I became the President and CEO of the ASPCA in 2003, 33 percent of the homeless dogs and cats in New York City's shelters made it out alive versus nearly 80 percent today. That means that since 2003 more than 220,000 dogs and cats have been saved in New York City.

Collaboration among open admission shelters, limited admission shelters, rescue groups and individuals is the most important criteria for saving animals that end up in shelters, but other measures should be taken to stop animals from becoming homeless in the first place.

One of those critical measures is encouraging the spaying or neutering of pets by educating the populace as to its importance and helping financially needy pet guardians by providing low cost options. Between spay/neuter surgeries done at the ASPCA's Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital and those performed by the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Operations team, the ASPCA has spayed and neutered approximately 20,000 cats and dogs so far in 2012. Nearly 36,000 procedures were done in 2011.

The ASPCA also strives to end pet homelessness by developing programs that target the animals that are the most at risk for being placed in shelters. For example, since the majority of dogs that are enter shelters in New York City are pit bulls and pit bull mixes, we started the Operation Pit program in July 2010 to encourage the spay/neuter of pit bulls in New York City by offering free spay/neuter, micro-chipping, and vaccinations to young pit bulls and pit bull mixes. Since its inception, more than 1,300 surgeries have been performed.” Complete article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-sayres/new-york-citys-homeless-animals_b_1709796.html

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You Can Do This Campaign - Update July 18th Update

“Jessica gives the first update for the ‘You Can Do this Campaign’. As of July 18, 2012 we are 1/3 of the way to our goal! Visit - http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/Give5 to donate and help shelter animals. It only takes one minute.”

Video: http://youtu.be/3INCzazDghE

Do you think you can change the life of a shelter animal? Each year millions of pets enter the shelter system, and only about 50% of them make it out. You can make a difference.  $5.00 helps, just one animal at a time. 

Why a Gift That Gives More™ is a smart, effective donation.

100% of your donation will go to the program described above as a grant through GreaterGood.org. GreaterGood Network stores do not receive any profit from donations through this Gift That Gives More™; we bring it to you in the spirit of the greater good. We even pay the credit card transaction fee, so every cent of your donation goes to charity.

Your donation is 100% tax-deductible in the U.S.A.

You will receive a receipt from GreaterGood.org for your taxes. GreaterGood.org has ultimate authority and discretion with regard to the distribution of its funds. All expenditures made are consistent with the exempt purposes of GreaterGood.org.

Check with your employer: your company may match your donation. https://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/store/ars/item/49683/?origin=ARS_FACE_FAN_ADGROUP_GTGM_50in50_7-19

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Inmates and animals get second chance at Louisiana prison

JACKSON, La. – “The lost and abandoned souls of Hurricane Katrina are long gone from the Dixon Correctional Center, but out of the horror of that tragedy comes a golden opportunity.  It is a new, 9,500 square-foot pavilion-like shelter that can serve as a permanent emergency facility during any state disaster and as general facility for animals from East Feliciana Parish, which has no shelter.

The facility at Dixon was built with grant money from the Humane Society of the United States, which gave the prison the money for its generosity in housing animals during Katrina.  The lost and abandoned dogs living there now are now healthy, well-fed and loved.  For these animals, who often show up malnourished and scared, the inmates’ compassion and care turn their lives around.

“You see the dogs realize ‘You are here to help me, you’re not here to hurt me. I'm in a good place,’” explained Master Sgt. Wayne Aucoin, who manages the facility.  He also sees the change in the inmates becoming men who now have a purpose and who believe in themselves.  “They are here waiting for me when I get here in the morning. They are already getting at it. They’re getting everything cleaned up. They do eight hours just like I do,” Aucoin said.

In the confines of a state prison, the men who work so hard to change the lives of the unwanted and abandoned may very well have rescued themselves.”    More and video at: http://www.wwltv.com/home/Inmate-Dogs-139413268.html

No tax dollars are used to run the shelter.  Pen Pals is a non-profit that must raise about $90,000 each year.   If you are interested in making a donation or in adopting one of the animals, write to Pen Pal Shelter, Dixon Correctional Center, 5568 Hwy. 68, Jackson, LA, 70748.

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HSI and The HSUS Issue Statement Following Urban Decay Decision to Abandon China Sale. July 6, 2012

Let's end animal testing. Albert Fedchenko/istock

WASHINGTON—”Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States are issuing the following statement in response to an announcement from cosmetics giant Urban Decay that it has cancelled plans to market its products in China, a country that requires animal testing for cosmetics:

“Urban Decay has made the right choice today, having listened to the overwhelming outcry from its customers and taken the high road to fight animal testing by refusing to market in China,” says Kate Willett, HSUS director of regulatory toxicology, risk assessment and alternatives. “This decision will give strength to consumers and other companies to fight animal testing of cosmetics worldwide.” More at: http://www.hsi.org/news/press_releases/2012/07/urban_decay_070612.html?utm_source=post070712&utm_medium=hsifacebook&utm_campaign=eat12

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Flea Market Breeder's Cruelty Exposed

Published on Jul 16, 2012 by hsus

“Extreme cruelty was exposed at a MS puppy mill where the "breeder" would sell puppies at flea markets. When the HSUS and authorities arrived at the woman's property, they found dogs suffering everything from broken bones to mange.”    Don't Shop, Adopt.

Don’t Breed or Buy, While Homeless Dogs Die.

Please spay or neuter your pets. Every Litter Bit Hurts.

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“All-Star pitcher Roy Halladay asks people to consider Spaying and Neutering their pets to help control animal overpopulation.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wmZ0kT-WqU8

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Happy Ending for Two Lucky Dogs

Two homeless dogs in Ireland were hours from being euthanized when they were rescued and ultimately adopted by a family in England.

These talented girls went on to win big-time agility honors at the annual Crufts event – the world’s largest dog show.

Gertie “Lust for Life” Rumsey and her adopted sis, Winnie “Hairy Havoc” Rumsey showed their incredible competitive spirit and heart as they blasted through their agility events and took home 4th and 2nd place, respectively.  More at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/05/23/two-homeless-dogs-saved.aspx

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7 Ways Animals Beat the Heat

From birds to amphibians to humans, animals have developed strategies for keeping cool in hot weather

“Many animals seek water to cool down. Elephants often cool off in a pond or stream. Tigers (unlike most house cats) enjoy a dip in hot weather. Domestic pigs, which don't sweat, wallow in water or mud on hot days; mud also protects them from sunburn. If you provide water for backyard wildlife, you will find that birds, too, like to splash around, both to cool off and to clean feathers and skin. Other backyard animals, such as toads and turtles, will also benefit from access to water, especially as temperatures climb.”

Read the rest at: http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2010/animals_beat_the_heat.aspx

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“The collapse of a shark tank at The Scientific Center in Kuwait.”

It's probably the only time in your life you will see something like this.

Probably because it didn’t happen: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/sharktank.asp

 

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On this Day:

President Eisenhower signs "In God We Trust" into law, Jul 30, 1956:

“On this day in 1956, two years after pushing to have the phrase "under God" inserted into the pledge of allegiance, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a law officially declaring "In God We Trust" to be the nation's official motto. The law, P.L. 84-140, also mandated that the phrase be printed on all American paper currency. The phrase had been placed on U.S. coins since the Civil War when, according to the historical association of the United States Treasury, religious sentiment reached a peak. Eisenhower's treasury secretary, George Humphrey, had suggested adding the phrase to paper currency as well.

Although Eisenhower embraced religion, biographers insist he never intended to force his beliefs on anyone. In fact, the chapel-like structure near where he and his wife Mamie are buried on the grounds of his presidential library is called the "Place of Meditation" and is intentionally inter-denominational. At a Flag Day speech in 1954, he elaborated on his feelings about the place of religion in public life when he discussed why he had wanted to include "under God" in the pledge of allegiance: "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."

The first paper money with the phrase "In God We Trust" was not printed until 1957. Since then, religious and secular groups have argued over the appropriateness and constitutionality of a motto that mentions "God," considering the founding fathers dedication to maintaining the separation of church and state.”

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Johnson signs Medicare into law, Jul 30, 1965:

“On this day in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Medicare, a health insurance program for elderly Americans, into law. At the bill-signing ceremony, which took place at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, former President Harry S. Truman was enrolled as Medicare's first beneficiary and received the first Medicare card. Johnson wanted to recognize Truman, who, in 1945, had become the first president to propose national health insurance, an initiative that was opposed at the time by Congress.

The Medicare program, providing hospital and medical insurance for Americans age 65 or older, was signed into law as an amendment to the Social Security Act of 1935. Some 19 million people enrolled in Medicare when it went into effect in 1966. In 1972, eligibility for the program was extended to Americans under 65 with certain disabilities and people of all ages with permanent kidney disease requiring dialysis or transplant. In December 2003, President George W. Bush signed into law the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), which added outpatient prescription drug benefits to Medicare.

Medicare is funded entirely by the federal government and paid for in part through payroll taxes. Medicare is currently a source of controversy due to the enormous strain it puts on the federal budget. Throughout its history, the program also has been plagued by fraud--committed by patients, doctors and hospitals--that has cost taxpayers billions of dollars.”

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Yesterday:

I had intended to finish grooming Mindi’s three poodles, but I had a frantic phone call the night before.  Mindi’s husband had broken down in Minnesota, and couldn’t get home Saturday night.  Mindi is a stewardess and he is an OTR truck driver. They asked me to go check on everything.  Normally, their neighbor sees to the rest of the animals at the ranch if Mindi and her husband are both working, but they were gone for the weekend.

Misty and I went to get Jay as I didn’t want to go by myself, and so Jay and I headed out for the ranch.  After many miles of blacktop, it is down some narrow dirt roads, and we get lost every time we go there, as their address is on one road, but the road sign says a different road.  We finally found the place, and the key to unlock the gate.  We were greeted by some lovely horses, (which scare me as I got kicked by one in 1989), and a couple of Weimaraner dogs and a black lab.  But we were there to check on the four little dogs who have a doggie door from the house to the back porch and their own fenced yard.  Being out in the country, the front door wasn’t locked, so I could go in and see that those dogs had not run out of food or water. 

Jay went down to the horse’s shelter, and they had a big tub with water dribbling in it, so they were OK.  But we couldn’t find out where the big outside dogs had their water.  So I found a big pot outside, filled it with water, and put it up on the front porch where their food was.  Later I was told that they had a faucet dripping into a bucket for them, too, but we didn’t see it. 

I don’t like driving along lonely country roads, or traipsing around dusty pastures with horses, so I was glad that Jay went with me.  He liked it too, as it was a ‘field trip’ for him and he still got paid for the day.

Olympic Glory and Eternal Glory, or Something More? Finishing the Race. Outward Appearance. Healing the World. Good Habits. Charles and Diana. The Power of the Word.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

Olympic Glory and Eternal Glory

“Runners strive for temporary glory. The pomp of the ceremonies and the thrill of the world-class competition make the Olympics exciting. If athletes devote themselves so completely for the hope of a medal, what should we do for the eternal prize?

The Olympics are back. It’s been four years since the summer games were held in Beijing. Weren’t they exciting? Do you remember how LaShawn Merritt won the gold medal in the 400 meters or how Christian Cantwell won the silver in the shot put?

No? Well, I don’t either. These two individuals and dozens more like them put their whole life into training for their particular sporting event with the hope of someday competing in the Olympics. LaShawn and Christian not only competed in the Olympics, they actually won medals! Yet most of us don’t even know their names.

The greatest thing in the world?

So here we are again, four years later, at the beginning of the London Olympics. All these athletes are gathering to compete and hoping to actually win a medal. Wouldn’t that just be the greatest thing in the world?

Well, it would be a wonderful achievement; but, no, it wouldn’t be the greatest thing in the world. Just like competitors in previous years, gifted athletes who win medals during the Olympic Games over the next couple of weeks will once again be forgotten by folks like us. We won’t even recognize their names.

As great as the Olympics are, they still are fleeting and temporary. The Bible shows that there is more to life than fleeting, temporary things.

Perishable and imperishable crowns

The apostle Paul wrote about these things, and his words are recorded in the Bible for us to see today.

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

So do these verses really relate to us? Are we really working on disciplining our body and bringing it into subjection? To what level does God really expect us to work at this? I think we find our answer in Hebrews 12:4: “You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.”

That’s pretty intense. That’s talking about Olympic-level striving. Are we there yet?

Olympic-level striving

The Olympians think it’s worth it to expend any and all efforts to win that gold medal. Their lives are devoted to it. Yet soon their accomplishments will fade into distant memories.

What we are striving for is something that is beyond our imagination—and it will not be temporary. Notice how Peter calls our attention to this twice:

• “To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).
• “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).

That crown is worth striving for! It’s worth devoting our lives to it above anything else. It’s worth any sacrifice. Remember Romans 8? Read it again—and again! “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Jesus Christ is coming back to set up the Kingdom of God on this earth, and we can prepare now to assist Him. “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).”   From:  http://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/olympic-glory-and-eternal-glory/  by Ron Kelley - July 27, 2012

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Olympic Glory—or Something More? July 6, 2012

“Millions of people around the world will soon be watching televisions and checking the Internet to find out the latest results from the Summer Olympics in London, scheduled to run from July 27 through Aug. 12.  For 17 days, over 14,000 of the world’s finest athletes will compete for Olympic glory in 26 different sports.”

Even for those who are not rabid sports fans, the Olympics offer something special. While it’s normal to cheer for one’s national team and to celebrate their victories, it is often the behind-the-scenes stories that make the Olympics so special. Most participants are able to train in state-of-the-art facilities under the finest coaches in the world, but there are always the stories of those who must overcome amazing odds to even participate. The stories of those who must work so hard at overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles can often be the most moving and rewarding, even if they never win a single medal.

While many of the Olympic stories are moving and powerful testimonies to the character of those who have worked so diligently to achieve their dreams, the Olympic story added an ugly chapter 40 years ago, when the Black September organization murdered 11 Israeli athletes in Munich, Germany.

Since then, security issues have become a major aspect of what was once an innocent and joyous celebration of human endeavor. An article in the March 8, 2012, issue of The Guardian stated that security for the London Olympics would cost over 1 billion pounds—that’s $1.6 billion—and involve over 40,000 security personnel. Organizers are preparing to employ over 20,000 private security personnel, in addition to over 15,000 from the military, as well as unpublicized numbers from the police and Britain’s MI5 and MI6 security agencies. A recent article also revealed that six batteries of surface-to-air missiles have been placed all around the Olympic venues. The head of London’s Olympic security said we have reached a sad stalemate—the terrorists keep trying to find a way to create havoc, and we continue to find ways to hold them at bay.

We all hope the security measures will be enough to prevent another senseless tragedy; but we also know that security measures, no matter how effective, are not a solution to a problem that springs from the human heart. The good news is, there is a solution, and you can be a part of it. The gospel message, revealed in the pages of the Bible, promises a way in which every human heart—including yours and mine—can be changed. And it also points to a day when terrorism, and the hatred which lies at its origin, will be a distant memory of the past.

When this year’s Summer Games are over, will they amount to nothing more than a passing entertainment to occupy our minds for a few days? Or can the stories of courage and commitment to excel in physical endeavors serve as an inspiration to us to take on the even greater challenge of living life as Jesus Christ would have us live? The reward is far greater than Olympic gold.  For Life, Hope & Truth, I’m David Johnson.”  From: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/speaking-of/olympic-gloryor-something-more/

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Finishing the Race

“In 1968 the Summer Olympics were held in Mexico City. This was the first Olympiad held in a Spanish speaking country, the only one held in Latin America and the first to broadcast the closing ceremonies in color. The high altitude of the city caused many athletes to struggle in their efforts, and while there were many memorable events during this Olympic event these are a few of the most notable: while receiving their medals, Tommie Smith and John Carlos infamously raised their fists and lowered their head during the playing of the American anthem; Bob Beamon set a world record in the long jump of 8.9 meters (29.199 feet) – a record that stood for twenty-three years; Dick Fosbury won the high jump with his now-famous “fosbury flop,” which has since become the event standard.

Another notable athlete at the 1968 Summer Olympics was marathon runner John Stephen Ahkwari of Tanzania—a runner you have probably never heard of. John Stephen finished last in the marathon event at 3:25:27—about an hour after the first runner crossed the finish line with a time of 2:20:26. During the race at about the eighteen mile marker, tired from the run and altitude, John Stephen fell seriously cutting his knee and leg. Rather than quit, he allowed his knee and leg to be bandaged – and then he painfully resumed the race. He would run for a short distance, and then walk when the pain was too much, and then run again – repeating this cycle over and over. The marathon event was late in the day and the runners all finished before dark—except John Stephen. When he finally arrived through the dark at the stadium the few spectators there were getting seating for the next event. They couldn’t help but notice John Stephen as he limped-ran his final laps of the race in the stadium—and they began to applaud him as they realized that even though he was the last runner he was determined to finish the race. He was the last of 57 runners in that marathon event in the 1968 Olympics, but he finished the race set before him. There were 74 who started but never finished.

After John Stephen finished running and received medical care, he was asked, “Why did you keep going?” His simple response was, “You don’t understand. My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start a race, they sent me to finish it.” To spiritualize the thought, God has not called us to start the race of salvation, but to finish it. Our race is about staying the course, yielding to God, growing in His character and crossing the finish line no matter what happens before that. Organized sports is one of those arenas of life that can hold great lessons for a Christian. The apostle Paul wrote in Hebrews 12:1See All...   that we are to “…run with patience….” He expanded this thought in Philippians 3:14 encouraging us to keep pressing toward the mark of God’s calling, and reminding us that while we can experience hindrances from others, only we can make the final decision as to whether we give up or continue (Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? See All...).

Any Olympic race is but a temporary achievement. We can draw great lessons from those achievements at times, but it is more important to remember the imperishable crown we are racing for. “ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it…. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown…. I discipline my body and bring it into subjection lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified ,”

(1 Corinthians 9:24-27 [24] Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. [25] And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. [26] I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: [27] But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.See All...).

Rather, let us be like the true faithful down through time, who can say “… I have finished the race, I have kept the faith ,” (2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
See All...).  From: http://www.ucg.org/blog/finishing-race/

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Teen Blog

What Should Our Approach to Outward Appearance Be?

“Society puts great emphasis on how we look. In reality, though, outward appearance is both important and unimportant. Read on to see what I mean.

We live in a world where things get more complex every day. One thing that complicates life is our approach to outward appearance. We have been taught that it isn’t as serious as it appears to be. Yet in some aspects, we might consider outward appearance to be something we should work on. So, it is both important and unimportant. But why and how?

Why outward appearance is NOT important

Advertisements for weight loss and new fashion crazes are everywhere; and undeniably, we go after these things in order to look better. It’s as if it’s the only thing that matters.  But the Bible reminds us to think twice about these approaches to outward appearance rather than to try to fit into society’s trends of beauty.

I was working on this article when I watched a local television program about some twins who were different in one thing: their appearance. The more “beautiful” one was admired and loved by everybody, while the other was hated and disparaged—even by their own mother.

As I watched the story, I realized that this world pays too much attention to what people look like on the outside rather than on the inside. The Bible tells us that God does care about our inward beauty. In 1 Samuel 16:7 it says, “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart’”.

Outward appearance passes

If we put our hope in outward appearance, we will fail in the end. Good looks fade with age. Many beauty queens of years gone by are now old and no longer famous.

The Bible even advises us in Proverbs 31:30: “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” You see, the key is to fear the Lord rather than to cherish beauty so much.

You are His masterpiece

God really cares about you. You are a masterpiece of His creation. Psalm 139:14 reveals, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” We are even made after His own image (Genesis 1:27).

So, the next time you look in the mirror, don’t forget to remind yourself that what you are seeing is one of the most beautiful things God created.

Why outward appearance is important

As Christians, it is very hard for us not to give in to what the world wants us to look like. We don’t want to be noticed and considered an oddity.

Though outward appearance doesn’t really matter, we should be reminded that it identifies us as God’s children. Our clothing, for example, must be modest and decent. One sample verse about proper attire is found in Exodus 28:40 where we read that tunics, sashes and hats were given to Aaron’s sons for glory and beauty.

How we look on the outside must conform to scriptural guidelines. This signifies our humility before God. Once we surrender ourselves, we become eager to learn more about God and His ways. This will eventually change not just our wrong approach to outward appearance, but our nature and character as well. And once these things have changed, we become the Christians we are expected to be.

Responsible approach to outward appearance

Don’t believe the myth that beauty only comes on the outside. Real beauty is what you believe in, what you do and what you are. Yes, it is important to look as nice as possible, especially in going to church services and presenting yourself before the Lord. However, God does not want us to be more focused on appearance than we are on Him, because it takes our eyes and hearts away from Him. All it takes is a responsible approach to outward appearance.”  From: http://cogwa.org/teen-blog/entry/what-should-our-approach-to-outward-appearance-be

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The Most Unhappy of Pleasures: This Is Your Brain on Sugar  By Robert H. Lustig

“By all estimates, obese people are not happy. The question is whether their unhappiness is a cause or a result of their obesity. At this point we can't say for sure, but both could be right.

The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. --Isaiah 3:9

The Bible teaches us that pleasure doesn't pay. If you don't destroy yourself, then God will do it for you. Four thousand years later and the rules are still the same. The only thing that's changed is the vehicle.

When did the world become so obsessed with pleasure? Scripture argues that the goal of a righteous life is happiness, not pleasure. The Declaration of Independence affords us the right to "the pursuit of happiness," not pleasure. But pleasure has taken center stage in virtually all human pursuits. Delayed gratification is so 20th century.

Yet we are, by all accounts, not happy. You may have heard of the gross national happiness index, an indicator that measures quality of life or social progress in more psychological terms. Despite the fact that the United States has the highest gross domestic product, we score 44th on the happiness index.  

Who's #1? Denmark. The home of Hamlet, the most unhappy character in all of literature, the country that was overrun by the Nazis, where they freeze half the year, where they nurse one Carlsberg all night and eat rice because they can't afford a steak. Money can't buy happiness. But it sure can buy some pleasure.

But long-term stimulation of the pleasure center drives the process of addiction. Rich people are addicted to money, power, gambling; middle-class people are addicted to cocaine, amphetamine, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, heroin. The poor, well, all they've got is sugar.

Pleasure is exciting. Happiness is transcendent. More importantly, pleasure is dopamine. And happiness is serotonin.

So what is the key to happiness? Roko Belic's recent indie movie Happy traces the roots of happiness through the slums of India to the deserts of Namibia to the streets of Okinawa. And food isn't mentioned once. Rather, the ties that bind are family, community, and doing something to make the world a better place. I think back to World War II, when Denmark saved the Jews by smuggling them to Sweden.

In Judaism, it's called tikkun olam. Healing the world. Just what the Bible teaches. Now there's a reason to be happy.”     Excerpts from complete article: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/02/the-most-unhappy-of-pleasures-this-is-your-brain-on-sugar/253341/#

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Good Habits

“Ben Franklin said, "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Sleep is something that we cannot do without. Some people have had terrible problems getting a good night’s sleep, and only heavy sedation seems to help. Our brain and body crave rest from time to time. We live such busy lives that we tend to cram in more activities than we should. To sleep soundly and be fully rested is a blessing.

The Bible cautions us about too much sleep and laziness. It also tells us that a sweet sleep is a blessing (Proverbs 3:24) and that the sleep of a laboring man is sweet (Ecclesiastes 5:12). The way to get enough sleep and to sleep well is to develop good habits. Getting to bed and rising about the same time each day is what was taught long ago and still is in places. Our brain functions well when we have some routine and habits. We sleep better, so it is true that early to bed is a good routine.”

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On This Day:

Prince Charles marries Lady Diana, Jul 29, 1981:

“Nearly one billion television viewers in 74 countries tune in to witness the marriage of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, to Lady Diana Spencer, a young English schoolteacher. Married in a grand ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral in the presence of 2,650 guests, the couple's romance was for the moment the envy of the world. Their first child, Prince William, was born in 1982, and their second, Prince Harry, in 1984.

Before long, however, the fairy-tale couple grew apart, an experience that was particularly painful under the ubiquitous eyes of the world's tabloid media. Diana and Charles announced a separation in 1992, though they continued to carry out their royal duties. In August 1996, two months after Queen Elizabeth II urged the couple to divorce, the prince and princess reached a final agreement. In exchange for a generous settlement, and the right to retain her apartments at Kensington Palace and her title of "princess," Diana agreed to relinquish the title of "Her Royal Highness" and any future claims to the British throne.

In the year following the divorce, the popular princess seemed well on her way of achieving her dream of becoming "a queen in people's hearts," but on August 31, 1997, she was killed with her companion Dodi Fayed in a car accident in Paris. Tests conducted by French police indicated that the driver, who also died in the crash, was intoxicated and likely caused the accident while trying to escape the paparazzi photographers who consistently tailed Diana during any public outing.

On April 9, 2005, Prince Charles wed his longtime mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles, in a private civil ceremony. The ceremony had originally been planned for April 8, but had to be rescheduled so as not to conflict with the funeral of Pope John Paul II. After the civil ceremony, which the queen did not attend, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams blessed the union on behalf of the Church of England in a separate blessing ceremony. An estimated 750 guests attended the event, which was held at St. George's Chapel in Windsor and was attended by both of Charles' parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Though Camilla technically became the Princess of Wales with the marriage, she has announced her preference for the title Duchess of Cornwall, in deference to the beloved late princess. Should Charles become king, she will become Queen Camilla, though she has already announced her intention to use the title Princess Consort, most likely in response to public opinion polls showing resistance to the idea of a Queen Camilla.”

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The program on WGN this morning:      The Power of the Word

“By following God and His Word you can unlock amazing mysteries hidden in past ages that may seem beyond your imagination.
Watch this program, read the transcript & request the free Bible Study aid booklet "You Can Understand the Bible" at http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/christian-living/power-word”

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Yesterday:

When I arose, ‘brat-dog’ Caesar heard me, and was barking to go outside, (or for some attention).  So I took all 5 of Mindi’s dogs out in the back yard in my robe.  I don’t let anyone else’s dogs go outside by themselves, as I need to know where they are every minute.  Old Punkie seems to be more lively since I cut off all that matted hair.  My Misty is more civilized, she usually sleeps in, and waits to go outside until after I have had my coffee.

During our Saturday morning phone call with my daughter, I served all 6 dogs, and the cat, their breakfasts, when we were through talking, I got ready for church.  I was ready early, so I drove Misty in the Puddle Jumper for her walk down in Jay’s.  He saw me, and said that as I was ready he would hurry up, take his shower, and go early to church for the Bible Study.  So I brought Misty back here, so I could take Mindi’s dogs out again, get them settled back in the grooming room, and I went back in the van to get Jay.  Ray came over and said that if I wanted to stay for the pot-luck at church he would let all the dogs out for me, if I were detained.  That was so nice of him.  But I knew that unless something dire happened, they would be OK until I returned. Booger wouldn’t have gone out for him anyway, he is skittish around strangers.

Jay enjoyed the Bible Study which was Lesson 6 about ‘Comfort Concerning the Dead’ with key texts 1 Thess 4:13-18.  Some humor was injected into it by the elder conducting it.

After the singing, the sermon was “He Who Loses His Life Shall Find It’.  One example was about Lot’s wife.  She turned around looking back at her house, belongings and her daughters, who had chosen not go with them.  She was not committed to putting God first in her life, above her husband, children or ‘stuff’, which we are all supposed to do.

Jay even stayed for the potluck, and he says he enjoyed the day.

News: Merck's Dealings Merck-y. Whooping Cough. Banks and Health. Greenland Ice. Olympic Facts. GM Babies. Breast Density Bill. Warnings On Statins. 14th Amendment.

News, Some New, Some Old:

Why Did the Wall Street Journal Bury the Merck Fraud Story? 

“Merck's dealings are, at best, quite merck-y.”   “It was big news when court documents were unsealed revealing a whistleblower lawsuit accusing drug giant Merck of fraud and lying about the true efficacy of its mumps vaccine. Just about every media, large and small, picked it up and the world was abuzz about the hundreds of millions of dollars the lawsuit claimed Merck had defrauded from the U.S. government.

The Wall Street Journal published the story in the form of a Dow Jones news release written by Jon Kamp on June  22, 2012, and links to the story began popping up on social media like Facebook.  Then, suddenly, the link to the story no longer worked, and if anyone clicked on the link in social media, it would show up "page not found." Apparently the story had been pulled, and when search engines and Internet archives wouldn't even show it, it looked as if it had never been published on the Journal's site at all. It was erased nearly clean--except for a small stock-watcher's website, 4Traders.com, http://www.4-traders.com/MERCK-CO-INC-13611/news/Merck-Co-Inc-Lawsuit-Claims-Merck-Overstated-Mumps-Vaccine-Effectiveness-14383302/ which did a good job of erasing it from its main site but didn't catch it in the cache.

The question is, why did the WSJ pull the story and try to erase as if it never existed when there were actual court documents for evidence?”

UPDATE: The Wall Street Journal replied to our inquiry on Tuesday July 24th at 3:12 PM CST.  The story has since been restored on their site, and they are looking into how the story was temporarily dropped.   From: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_25895.cfm

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Massive outbreak of whooping cough proves vaccine is ineffective. 

The children of parents who opt out of vaccines not generally affected.

 

“Pertussis cases have been rising steadily for a number of years, officials say, but nothing like this year's spike. The current unusual spike has led health officials around the country to look into why so many cases are suddenly occurring. Theories being floated include better reporting of cases and better detection methods, an evolution in the bacteria that causes the sickness, or problems with the vaccine.
AP said the vaccine that had been given to kids for decades was replaced in the late 1990s after concerns about rashes, fevers and other side effects surfaced. The newer version is considered to be safer but now there are fears it doesn't remain as effective over the long haul, according to Dr. Anne Schuchat, head of the CDC's immunization and respiratory disease programs.
What the dramatic uptick in pertussis cases does not appear to be linked to; however, is an increasing number of parents in some of the most affected states exempting their children from vaccines. Washington state; for instance, has one of the highest vaccine exemption rates in the country, but CDC officials said most of the children who have come down with whooping cough were vaccinated.”   Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036585_whooping_cough_outbreak_vaccinations.html#ixzz21rNZLOha

 

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Surprising Links: How Big Banks Manipulate and Influence Your Health

“As explained by Brown, the drug connection goes back to the 19th century. John D. Rockefeller’s father was actually, literally, a snake-oil salesman.

“He was a patent remedy seller. The drugs, of course, are oil-based, and John D. Rockefeller was an oil magnate. He also had a bank. So did J.P. Morgan. The drug industry—the patent remedy industry—was in competition with the natural herbal remedies, and the homeopathic remedies. And the way they prevailed in the whole system was that, first of all, they funded the American Medical Association—the AMA Journal, which got their funding from advertising. And if your drug was advertised in the AMA Journal, then you’ve got the AMA’s seal of endorsement... It was a cartel.”

It sounds incredible, but 40 percent of the cost of everything we buy is interest, according to research by Margrit Kennedy, a German researcher. This interest is entirely hidden, so you don’t know you’re paying it. This is because at every stage of development of a product, interest is paid, again and again. For example, a business must typically take out a loan in order to pay for raw materials and the workforce before it can have a final product to sell. The same goes for each of the businesses in the supply chain, and for each and every retailer.

“If the state owned the bank... then the people get the interest back...” Brown explains. “For example, in North Dakota, the state’s revenues, by law, go into the Bank of North Dakota, so they have a huge deposit base and a huge capital base....

That means the state could save 40 percent on its projects, which means we could either cut taxes by 40 percent, or we could have 40 percent more services provided with the same amount of taxes that we pay now.  We just have to change bankers. Instead of banking with Wall Street, we should be banking in our own bank (where we get the profits) or cooperative system (where it all comes back). Banking, instead of feeding off the economy, should feed the economy.  And it could be a sustainable system.”     

More at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/15/ellen-brown-discusses-money-system.aspx?e_cid=20120722_WNL_art_5 and http://www.webofdebt.com/    More info how PBI bank works: http://www.publicbankinginstitute.org/

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Satellites See Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt.     07.24.12

“Extent of surface melt over Greenland’s ice sheet on July 8 (left) and July 12 (right). Measurements from three satellites showed that on July 8, about 40 percent of the ice sheet had undergone thawing at or near the surface. In just a few days, the melting had dramatically accelerated and an estimated 97 percent of the ice sheet surface had thawed by July 12.  As a whole, they provide a picture of an extreme melt event about which scientists are very confident.” Credit: Nicolo E. DiGirolamo, SSAI/NASA GSFC, and Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory       From: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/greenland-melt.html

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10 Amazing Olympic Facts You Might Not Know

 

Olympics.org/Oli Scarff, Getty Images

“With the Olympics coming to London this summer, we thought we’d take a look at some amazing facts and traditions that make up part of this celebrated global event.

The first Olympics, which got started in ancient Greece, only allowed men to take part. These days, men and women from across the planet compete for Olympic gold. Athletic records have been set, heroes have been made, rivalries formed and even a few tragedies have occurred. Nations have gone at it every four years (with a few exceptions) in both team and individual events for more than a century now. Athletes compete for pride, fame and Olympic glory, and the desire to be the best. Here are a few stories surrounding the history of the Olympics.:”   Read More: http://thefw.com/olympic-facts/

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World's first GM babies born

“The world's first genetically modified humans have been created, it was revealed last night.  The disclosure that 30 healthy babies were born after a series of experiments in the United States provoked another furious debate about ethics.  So far, two of the babies have been tested and have been found to contain genes from three 'parents'.

Fifteen of the children were born in the past three years as a result of one experimental programme at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of St Barnabas in New Jersey.

The babies were born to women who had problems conceiving. Extra genes from a female donor were inserted into their eggs before they were fertilised in an attempt to enable them to conceive.  Genetic fingerprint tests on two one-year- old children confirm that they have inherited DNA from three adults --two women and one man.

The fact that the children have inherited the extra genes and incorporated them into their 'germline' means that they will, in turn, be able to pass them on to their own offspring.  Altering the human germline - in effect tinkering with the very make-up of our species - is a technique shunned by the vast majority of the world's scientists.

Geneticists fear that one day this method could be used to create new races of humans with extra, desired characteristics such as strength or high intelligence.”  “Will these Genetically Modified Babies Alter Human Species?”   Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-43767/Worlds-GM-babies-born.html#ixzz21rgPBtt4

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NY Breast Density Bill Signed into Law, Albany, NY (July 23, 2012)

"The cancer rate plummets in women with dense breasts to only 40 to 50 percent of cancers picked up on a mammogram. That's about the odds of a coin toss. This is ineffective screening by anyone's standards."

“Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation that is designed to help improve breast cancer detection and prevention by requiring mammography services to inform patients if dense breast tissue is found during an exam.

"Early detection can save lives and this new law will give women who may be at a higher risk for breast cancer the information they need to consult with their physician about follow-up screening and other preventive measures," Governor Cuomo said. "I commend the bill sponsors for their work on this important legislation."  The entire Press Release is here.

“Breast density is one of the strongest predictors of the failure of mammography screening to detect cancer.  2/3 of premenopausal women and 1/4 of post menopausal women have dense breast tissue.  Women who have extremely dense breast tissue are at a 4 to 6x greater risk of developing breast cancer.”  More at: http://www.areyoudense.org/

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FDA adds diabetes, memory loss warnings to statin labels: Cause for concern?

“The FDA said it is making labeling changes to the medicines that are used to prevent heart related problems associated with cholesterol. According to the FDA, the full list of statins include: Lipitor (atorvastatin), Lescol (fluvastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin), Altoprev (lovastatin extended-release), Livalo (pitavastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin), Crestor (rosuvastatin), and Zocor (simvastatin).   In addition to statins, the new labeling changes apply to several combination drugs that mix older statins with newer cholesterol medicines, including Advicor, Vytorin, and Simcor.

New labels will warn of memory loss and confusion reported among certain patients taking statins. The problems were generally not serious and went away after patients stopped taking the drugs, according to the FDA.

The updated labels will also mention elevated levels of blood sugar, associated with diabetes, that have been reported in some patients taking statins. A growing number of studies published over the last five years have found a link between statin use and type 2 diabetes. Last June, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded the increased risk was small but real for people taking higher doses of any statin, HealthPop reported.”

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On This Day:

14th Amendment adopted, Jul 28, 1868:

“Following its ratification by the necessary three-quarters of U.S. states, the 14th Amendment, guaranteeing to African Americans citizenship and all its privileges, is officially adopted into the U.S. Constitution.

Two years after the Civil War, the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 divided the South into five military districts, where new state governments, based on universal manhood suffrage, were to be established. Thus began the period known as Radical Reconstruction, which saw the 14th Amendment, which had been passed by Congress in 1866, ratified in July 1868. The amendment resolved pre-Civil War questions of African American citizenship by stating that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States...are citizens of the United States and of the state in which they reside." The amendment then reaffirmed the privileges and rights of all citizens, and granted all these citizens the "equal protection of the laws."

In the decades after its adoption, the equal protection clause was cited by a number of African American activists who argued that racial segregation denied them the equal protection of law. However, in 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that states could constitutionally provide segregated facilities for African Americans, so long as they were equal to those afforded white persons. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which announced federal toleration of the so-called "separate but equal" doctrine, was eventually used to justify segregating all public facilities, including railroad cars, restaurants, hospitals, and schools. However, "colored" facilities were never equal to their white counterparts, and African Americans suffered through decades of debilitating discrimination in the South and elsewhere. In 1954, Plessy v. Ferguson was finally struck down by the Supreme Court in its ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.”

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Yesterday:

Misty and I went to get Jay, while Ray put one more coat of paint on the pieces of wood made to cover the spaces at the peak of the trim boards on my house.  By the time Jay was ready, and we had walked the dogs, Misty and Maddie down there, and arrived back here, the paint was dry, so Jay went up the ladder and installed them.  Then he caulked it all. 

Mindi arrived with 5 of her dogs to be boarded for a few days, while Ray was trimming the hedge.  The recent rains had made it grow quite a bit.  He had been asked to keep the back gate closed while he was doing that, as all dogs go in my back yard to do their thing before being boarded in my grooming room. 

Mindi only has two poodles left out of the original seven that I have been boarding for 15 years, so ‘Punkie’ and ‘Caesar’ are 16 years old.  ‘Suggy’ is their 7 year old poodle offspring.  The others are ‘Puddin’, a Yorkie, and ‘Booger’, a Doxiepoo/Yorkie mix, and he looks like a black/tan wirehaired Dachshund.  “Precious” the dachshund didn’t come this time, she went with her Dad in the truck.  Mindi left the other dogs at home with a neighbor feeding them. I lose track of how many they have in total.  I know there are two Doxiepoos, (dachshund/poodle), ‘Buddy’ and ‘Princess’, as I have boarded them sometimes.  “Booger’ is their latest addition, and he is ‘Puddin’, the Yorkie’s son, sired by Buddy, as they don’t always get their dogs fixed in time!  What a mess of dogs!  Good thing they live out in the country.

The three poodles hadn’t been groomed for a while, so cutting them down took up the rest of my day.

GMO Foods. Toxin From GM Crops Found In Human Blood. Boycott Kellogg’s. Kashi has GMO Soy. 10 Companies. Male Fertility. Non-GMO Shopping Guide. Nixon. Cat’s Teeth.

For “Foodie Friday”:

5 Ways to Lessen Your Exposure to GMOs

“While politicians debate regulations for labeling and researchers explore the safety issues, there are a few things you can do now if you want to reduce your exposure to GMOs.

Buy organic. Certified organic producers are not allowed to use GM seeds. (Bear in mind, though, that there are no guarantees: There is a slight possibility that organic crops may have been contaminated by nearby GM crops through cross-fertilization.)

 
Look for the "Non-GMO Project Verified" seal. This stamp means that the producer uses best practices to avoid GMO ingredients. Nearly 6,000 products already carry the seal, and Whole Foods has committed to certifying all its store-brand products (called 365 Everyday Value) with the Non-GMO Project.

Check supplement and vitamin labels. Coatings and fillers are often sourced from GM corn and soy (you'll find them hiding under names like maltodextrin and citric acid), and some pills are produced using GM bacteria and fungi. Go to nongmoproject.org to search for verified brands.
When possible, steer clear of nonorganic products made with ingredients that are most likely GM: corn, soy, canola oil, cottonseed oil, and sugar (unless the label says "pure cane sugar").
Download the ShopNoGMO app to your iPhone, or print out a cheat sheet from nongmoshoppingguide.com. Both list products—from cereals to condiments to baby food—that avoid GM ingredients.”    Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/How-to-Reduce-Exposure-to-GMOs#ixzz21lhLeun5    Next: How genetically modified foods affect your health
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Toxin from GM crops found in human blood: Study

“Bt toxin is widely used in genetically modified crops.  Fresh doubts have arisen about the safety of genetically modified crops, with a new study reporting presence of Bt toxin, used widely in GM crops, in human blood for the first time.

Genetically modified crops include genes extracted from bacteria to make them resistant to pest attacks.

These genes make crops toxic to pests but are claimed to pose no danger to the environment and human health. Genetically modified brinjal, whose commercial release was stopped a year ago, has a toxin derived from a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt).

Till now, scientists and multinational corporations promoting GM crops have maintained that Bt toxin poses no danger to human health as the protein breaks down in the human gut. But the presence of this toxin in human blood shows that this does not happen.

Scientists from the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, have detected the insecticidal protein, Cry1Ab, circulating in the blood of pregnant as well as non-pregnant women.

They have also detected the toxin in fetal blood, implying it could pass on to the next generation. The research paper has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication in the journal Reproductive Toxicology. The study covered 30 pregnant women and 39 women who had come for tubectomy at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS) in Quebec.

None of them had worked or lived with a spouse working in contact with pesticides.  They were all consuming typical Canadian diet that included GM foods such as soybeans, corn and potatoes. Blood samples were taken before delivery for pregnant women and at tubal ligation for non-pregnant women. Umbilical cord blood sampling was done after birth.

Cry1Ab toxin was detected in 93 per cent and 80 per cent of maternal and fetal blood samples, respectively and in 69 per cent of tested blood samples from non-pregnant women. Earlier studies had found trace amounts of the Cry1Ab toxin in gastrointestinal contents of livestock fed on GM corn. This gave rise to fears that the toxins may not be effectively eliminated in humans and there may be a high risk of exposure through consumption of contaminated meat.”     Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/toxin-from-gm-crops-found-in-human-blood/1/137728.html

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GMO Free USA Launches Campaign #1: Boycott Kellogg’s. Americans come together to Say NO to Kellogg's GMOs!

Join the Boycott,  Take Action Now!

“On June 26, 2012, Kellogg Company contributed $20,167.59 to the California political campaign known as The COALITION AGAINST THE COSTLY FOOD LABELING PROPOSITION, SPONSORED BY FARMERS AND FOOD PRODUCERS. This organization was set up to spread propaganda about the cost of labeling GMOs to California residents. In this digital age, you have to wonder why a company would spend more money than it could possibly cost to change their product labels to fight against the consumer’s right to know what we are eating.

Kellogg's products contain genetically engineered ingredients (GMOs) that were released into our food supply without independent long term testing. The FDA does not oversee the nature or extent of testing that these GMOs undergo. Instead, they allow the companies that develop them and profit from their sale, to determine whether they are safe. "The superficial studies they do conduct are widely criticized as rigged to avoid finding problems.  Genetic engineering is crude and imprecise, and the results are unpredictable.”  Mounting scientific evidence has shown that the GMOs in our food supply are not safe for human consumption.

Kellogg's products contain an EPA Registered Pesticide also known as GMO Bt Corn, and other GMOs that have been scientifically linked to health problems. These problems include:

• infertility
• organ damage 
• certain cancers 
• leaky gut 
• autism 
• autoimmune diseases 
• allergies
• birth defects 
• inflammatory bowel diseases
• learning disabilities
• attention deficit disorders
• accelerated aging
• faulty insulin regulation

The FDA doesn't care, BUT WE DO. Please take a moment to email Kellogg's executives and customer service. Share the scientific evidence. Tell them that Kellogg's Corn Flakes are no longer an American Icon and you will be boycotting Kellogg's products until they remove GMOs!”

Take Action: http://www.capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=61576866&type=CU

* http://www.responsibletechnology.org/docs/140.pdf

**http://earthopensource.org/files/pdfs/GMO_Myths_and_Truth...

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Does Kellogg's have any organic lines?

“..and here we thought we could trust Kashi…

Kellogg's owns Kashi, which does have some ‘natural’ products.

Some of the Kashi products were independently tested by Cornucopia a few months ago (see their Cereal Crimes report).  The ‘natural’ products were found to contain GMOs at that time.  The soy in Kashi cereals comes from soybeans that have had a gene inserted to protect the soybeans from the herbicide Roundup, which kills weeds.

Kashi, one of the nation's leading "natural" brands, owned by Kellogg, was one of the brands featured in the report. Cereal Crimes contrasts the natural cereals with certified organic cereals which prohibit genetically modified grains and synthetic pesticides in organic food production.

Some further clarification: Kellogg's is a big company with a lot of purchasing power. As long as companies like this are buying GMOs, there will be no change. Some of this comes down to the basic economics of supply and demand.

If we are to stop the GMO contamination of this planet, we MUST fry some big fish. Even if Kellogg's is not your favorite breakfast cereal, please participate and spread the word. We must stop this madness NOW!”  Sign here:  http://www.capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=61576866&type=CU

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These 10 Companies Control Enormous Number Of Consumer Brands

“It may be obvious that Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes are both made by Kellogg's, but did you know that Hot Pockets and L'Oreal share a parent company in Nestlé?

A ginormous number of brands are controlled by just 10 multinationals, according to this amazing infographic from French blog Convergence Alimentaire. Now we can see just how many products are owned by Kraft, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kellogg's, Mars, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, P&G and Nestlé.   (Disclaimer: We are not sure how up-to-date the graphic is. For example, it has not been updated to reflect P&G's sale of Pringles to Kellogg's in February.)

It's not just the consumer goods industry that's become so consolidated. Ninety percent of the media is now controlled by just six companies, down from 50 in 1983, according to a Frugal Dad infographic from last year. Likewise, 37 banks merged to become JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and CitiGroup in a little over two decades, as seen in this 2010 graphic from Mother Jones.”

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Inside Monsanto's tactics to avoid the labeling issue

“Monsanto has no end of tactics in play to avoid the labeling of its GMOs. As we can always ask, if your products are so great, why not advertise them? Now a P.R. guy is in place to fight back.   Digital Journal reported on June 1 that the American Medical Association is considering the labeling of genetically modified foods.

Even the New York Times has been reporting on the issue of labeling recently. Apparently it made front page news at the time.

Now, with the AMA set to consider the labeling of GMOs, so that doctors can more readily find the source of illness, a negative campaign is on the loose.  On Monsanto's side, we have the "Coalition Against the Costly Food Labeling" (CACFLP), an anti-labeling group. Catchy name.

The name of the initiative gives the impression that they are concerned about protecting consumers' money. However, the website lists only one consumer group in its coalition - "Consumers Coalition of California". A search on the IRS.gov site turns up no information on this group, however, the Torrance, Calif. based coalition describes itself as “Research and oriented community education studies and info for residential and small businesses advocating on issues affecting major legislation.” There is no website for the group, and no other national or California-based consumer groups are listed on the CACFLP website.”    Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/325949#ixzz21lt6YwyC

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Battle Brewing Over Labeling of Genetically Modified Food

Using her own stickers, Cynthia LaPier surreptitiously labels foods that she knows contain genetically modified organisms.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — “On a recent sunny morning at the Big Y grocery here, Cynthia LaPier parked her cart in the cereal aisle. With a glance over her shoulder and a quick check of the ingredients, she plastered several boxes with hand-designed stickers from a roll in her purse. “Warning,” they read. “May Contain GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms).””

Labeling GMO Groceries

 

 

 

 

In San Francisco, a gathering of supporters of a California ballot proposition requiring genetically modified foods to be labeled.

“For more than a decade, almost all processed foods in the United States — cereals, snack foods, salad dressings — have contained ingredients from plants whose DNA was manipulated in a laboratory. Regulators and many scientists say these pose no danger.  But as Americans ask more pointed questions about what they are eating, popular suspicions about the health and environmental effects of biotechnology are fueling a movement to require that food from genetically modified crops be labeled, if not eliminated.

Labeling bills have been proposed in more than a dozen states over the last year, and an appeal to the Food and Drug Administration last fall to mandate labels nationally drew more than a million signatures. There is an iPhone app: ShopNoGMO.

The most closely watched labeling effort is a proposed ballot initiative in California that cleared a crucial hurdle this month, setting the stage for a probable November vote that could influence not just food packaging but the future of American agriculture.

Tens of millions of dollars are expected to be spent on the election showdown. It pits consumer groups and the organic food industry, both of which support mandatory labeling, against more conventional farmers, agricultural biotechnology companies like Monsanto and many of the nation’s best-known food brands like Kellogg’s and Kraft.”       More at:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/science/dispute-over-labeling-of-genetically-modified-food.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1338710519-9xf7ukARgXQgzjgz3de5Qg

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GMOs should be safety tested before they hit the market says AMA

“The American Medical Association called for mandatory pre-market safety testing of genetically engineered foods as part of a revised policy voted on at the AMA's meeting in Chicago Tuesday.

Currently biotech companies are simply encouraged to engage in a voluntary safety consultation with the Food and Drug Administration before releasing a product onto the market.

Some activists concerned about foods made with genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, had hoped the association would have gone so far as to support mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.” More at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/stew/chi-gmos-should-be-safety-tested-before-they-hit-the-market-says-ama-20120619,0,4405082.story

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Is Monsanto's Herbicide Harming Male Fertility?

Post date: Saturday, May 19th 2012 at 10:30 am by Sayer Ji, founder

“In a disturbing new study published last month (Dec. 2011) in the Journal of Toxicology in Vitro, researchers found that Monsanto's popular "weed killer" known as Roundup, which has already been linked to over 25 adverse health effects, is also capable of interfering with and/or harming the male reproductive system.

Researchers tested Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, on mature rat testicular cells at a concentration range between 1 and 10,000 ppm, which they described as "the range in some human urine and in environment to agricultural levels." They found that within 1 to 48 hours of Roundup exposure testicular (Leydig) cells were damaged or killed.

What is more disturbing is that even at a lower, presumably "non toxic" concentration of 1 ppm of Roundup, or glyphosate by itself, testosterone concentrations were observed to decrease by 35%.

Keep in mind that 1 ppm of Roundup is an infinitesimal concentration. Distilled water, as a reference point, contains between 5-10 ppm of dissolved solids. How can such a small concentration of Roundup/glyphosate cause such a profound disruption of biological activity in testicular cells? The phenomenon is known as endocrine disruption.” From: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/monsantos-herbicide-harming-male-fertility

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DOWNLOAD THE SHOPPING GUIDE & TIPS BROCHURE

DOWNLOAD      Non-GMO Shopping Guide

Our revised Non-GMO Shopping Guide has features over 150 brands currently enrolled in the Non-GMO Project. This purse/pocket-sized guide will help you identify and avoid foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) foods while you shop.

DOWNLOAD     Non-GMO Shopping Tips

Excerpts of the Non-GMO Shopping Guide are also found in IRT’s new two sided “Tips” brochure, which does not contain a listing of non-GMO brands. It does include generic tips designed to help consumers identify and avoid genetically modified (GM) foods, including the hidden GM ingredients (labeled ingredients on foods that read more like a chemical periodic table) on grocers shelves.”  http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/download.html

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On This Day:

Nixon charged with first of three articles of impeachment, Jul 27, 1974:

“On this day in 1974, the House of Representatives charges President Richard M. Nixon with the first of three articles of impeachment for obstruction of justice after he refused to release White House tape recordings that contained crucial information regarding the Watergate scandal.

In June 1972, five men connected with Nixon's reelection committee, the Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP), had been caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. A subsequent investigation exposed illegal activities perpetrated by CREEP and authorized by senior members of Nixon's administration. It also raised questions about what the president knew about those activities. In May 1973, the Senate convened an investigation into the Watergate scandal amid public cries for Nixon's impeachment. Nixon vigorously denied involvement in the burglary cover-up, most famously in November 1973 when he declared, "I am not a crook." Although Nixon released some of the tapes requested by the Senate in April 1974, he withheld the most damning of them, claiming executive privilege. On July 24, 1974, the Supreme Court rejected Nixon's claim of executive privilege and ordered him to turn over the remaining tapes. When he refused to do so, the House of Representatives passed the first article of impeachment against Nixon for obstruction of justice. On August 5, with the impeachment process already underway, Nixon reluctantly released the remaining tapes.

On August 8, 1974, Nixon avoided a Senate trial and likely conviction by becoming the first president to resign.”

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Yesterday:

Jay called at 7.30 to say that he was ready.  Well, I don’t even get a chance to be ready at that time.  But Misty and I were still early driving down there, and she and Maddie had their little walk-about before we all came back here.  

Jay looked terrible, and I found out that he had been out on a ‘pub crawl’ with his son the night before.  His son was late for work.  Jay wasn’t up to working, but wanted me to groom Maddie, the little Yorkie.  So I did that while he slept on my recliner.

As I was taking Jay and Maddie home, we passed May, down the street’s cats, and they were all looking really straggly. On the way back here, I picked May up, so we could talk about the cats.  She was feeding them a diet of really cheap dry cat food only, and didn’t realize what that was doing to them. 

Cat's Teeth Are Not Made for Chewing Dry Food.
"As is typical of carnivores, the teeth of the cat are appropriately modified for grasping, puncturing, and tearing (cutting), rather than for true mastication. With the exception of "crunching" dry food, cats do little, if any, actual chewing.  The hinging of the  lower jaw can only be moved up and down and possesses no ability for a lateral chewing motion.

The cat has no first premolars and no lower (inferior) first or second premolars; the molars consist of a single upper and lower tooth on each side. When the mouth is closed, the upper sectorial tooth (P4) slides across the vestibular surface of the lower sectorial tooth (Ml), producing an effective scissor-like cutting action, rather than a chewing action.
Thus the dental benefits of feeding dry food are grossly overrated.  The arrangement and spacing of the cat's teeth will more likely trap small, saliva-moistened pieces of dry food.  Carbohydrate based dry cat foods also leaves a starchy coating which promotes plaque.”

She had been told not to give them people scraps, but as we know from http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/10/10/Can-Human-Food-Be-Beneficial-for-Your-Pet.aspx  that sometimes the people scraps are the only decent food these cats will get to eat.  We had a nice visit, and I gave her some good cat food, some beef, and printed out some info about cat’s nutrition.  I hope I see an improvement in the cats in the next few days.