How Beavers Build a Lodge. Moose's Best Friend. Pit Bulls. Horse's Ass. Mole Rat. Seal Pups. Mayflower. Cherokee Strip.

 

For “Mammal Monday”:

How Beavers Build a Lodge

“One of nature's master architects, the beaver is able to create impressive edifices from nothing more that the materials offered by their habitat. Their dams and lodges are not only engineering marvels, but also are able to redefine and shape the creek or river where they choose to take up residence.

Sir David Attenborough narrates this fascinating animal video recording the way in which beavers build a lodge in just 20 days. They'll use their lodge throughout the winter to eat, raise young, and sleep in safety.  Includes cute footage of baby beavers. Interesting wildlife video from BBC show 'Beavers: The Master Builder'.”

Read more at http://therainforestsite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/trs/article/How-Beavers-Build-a-Lodge440#tdVR7rvjAmyyFfU4.99

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The Beaver - A Moose's Best Friend

“Watch this clip from BBC documentary 'A Moose Name Madeline' to see the strange relationship between the moose and the beaver. Living side by side, these two diverse species have learnt to co-operate and give nature a helping hand along the way.”

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37 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith In Pit Bulls

“The Obama administration just came out against specific breed legislation, which is a triumph to many dogs and their loving owners. Here are some pictures that will make you think differently about pit bulls. Remember: “Judge the deed, not the breed!”"

“The AKC sites the breed standard as having “affection for its friends, and children in particular…off-duty quietness and trustworthy stability.” More than that, the ASPCA speaks to their roots as family dogs, given the nickname “nurse’s maid” because of their sweetness with children.”

 

More at: http://www.buzzfeed.com/chelseamarshall/37-pictures-that-will-restore-your-faith-in-pit-bulls

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The Space Shuttle and the Horse's Rear End

“Say friend, did you know that the US Standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches.
That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used?
Because that's the way they built them in England, and the US railroads were built by English expatriates.
I see, but why did the English build them like that?
Because the first railway lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.
Well, why did they use that gauge in England?
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Okay! Why did their wagons use that odd wheel spacing?
Because, if they tried to use any other spacing the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads. Because that's the spacing of the old wheel ruts.
So who built these old rutted roads?
The first long distance roads in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The Roman roads have been used ever since.
And the ruts?
The original ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagons, were first made by the wheels of Roman war chariots. Since the chariots were made for or by Imperial Rome they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.
Thus, we have the answer to the original question. The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches derives from the original specification for an Imperial Roman army war chariot.
And the motto of the story is Specifications and bureaucracies live forever.
So, the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse's ass came up with it, you may be exactly right. Because the Imperial Roman chariots were made to be just wide enough to accommodate the back-ends of two war-horses.
So, just what does this have to do with the exploration of space?
Well, there's an interesting extension of the story about railroad gauge and horses' behinds. When we see a Space Shuttle sitting on the launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are the solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at a factory in Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs might have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site.
The railroad from the factory runs through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than a railroad track, and the railroad track is about as wide as two horses' behinds.
So a major design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was originally determined by the width of a horse's ass.”  From: http://www.astrodigital.org/space/stshorse.html

A corrected version: http://www.snopes.com/history/american/gauge.asp

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Naked Mole Rat May Hold the Key to Dodging Cancer

“The naked mole rat is a tiny burrowing rodent native to parts of Africa. These little guys are only about four inches long and, as you might guess, hairless.

Naked mole rats come equipped with a highly unique set of physical characteristics. These include a lack of pain sensors in the skin, an ability to endure incredibly high levels of carbon dioxide in underground tunnels, a talent for running backwards as fast as they run forwards, an extraordinarily long lifespan, and unlike other mammals … they never get cancer.

Scientists believe it is the “gloop” mole rats produce – a sugar-based natural polymer – that prevents tumors from growing. The gloop, which is actually high-molecular-mass hyaluronan (HMM-HA), is a chemical scientists hope may one day be produced in human tissues.”   More at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/09/04/naked-mole-rat.aspx     and: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v499/n7458/full/nature12234.html

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Beachgoers to Blame for Seal Pup’s Death

“Two recent incidents on Rye, New Hampshire beaches have New England Aquarium officials reinforcing warnings to the public about the importance of keeping at least 150 feet away from seals encountered on land.

In one case, a week-old baby seal was stolen from its mother. In a second sad incident, a days-old seal pup that appeared very healthy on a Friday, died on Sunday, likely due to stress caused by people getting too close.

Marine mammal conservation efforts have been very successful in increasing seal populations, which is why more seals are being sighted on U.S. beaches. It’s important for the safety and health of seals and humans alike that people learn how to behave around seals and abide by the 150-foot rule set forth in the Marine Mammal Protection Act.”  More at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/09/02/seal-pup-death.aspx

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On This Day:

Mayflower departs England, Sep 16, 1620:

“The Mayflower sails from Plymouth, England, bound for the New World with 102 passengers. The ship was headed for Virginia, where the colonists--half religious dissenters and half entrepreneurs--had been authorized to settle by the British crown. However, stormy weather and navigational errors forced the Mayflower off course, and on November 21 the "Pilgrims" reached Massachusetts, where they founded the first permanent European settlement in New England in late December.

Ten years earlier, English persecution had led a group of Separatists to flee to Holland in search of religious freedom. However, many were dissatisfied with economic opportunities in the Netherlands, and under the direction of William Bradford they decided to immigrate to Virginia, where an English colony had been founded at Jamestown in 1607.  Some 100 English colonists, dispatched from England by the London Company, had sailed across the Atlantic aboard the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery.

In a difficult Atlantic crossing, the 90-foot Mayflower encountered rough seas and storms and was blown more than 500 miles off course. Along the way, the settlers formulated and signed the Mayflower Compact, an agreement that bound the signatories into a "civil body politic." Because it established constitutional law and the rule of the majority, the compact is regarded as an important precursor to American democracy. After a 66-day voyage, the ship landed on November 21 on the tip of Cape Cod at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts.

After coming to anchor in Provincetown harbor, a party of armed men under the command of Captain Myles Standish was sent out to explore the area and find a location suitable for settlement. While they were gone, Susanna White gave birth to a son, Peregrine, aboard the Mayflower. He was the first English child born in New England. In mid-December, the explorers went ashore at a location across Cape Cod Bay where they found cleared fields and plentiful running water and named the site Plymouth.”

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Settlers race to claim land, Sep 16, 1893:

“On this day in 1893, the largest land run in history begins with more than 100,000 people pouring into the Cherokee Strip of Oklahoma to claim valuable land that had once belonged to Native Americans. With a single shot from a pistol the mad dash began, and land-hungry pioneers on horseback and in carriages raced forward to stake their claims to the best acres.

Ironically, not many years before that same land had once been considered worthless desert. Early explorers of Oklahoma believed that the territory was too arid and treeless for white settlement, but several suggested it might be the perfect place to resettle Indians, whose rich and fertile lands in the southeast were increasingly coveted by Americans. The U.S. government later took this advice and began removing eastern Indian tribes like the Cherokee and Choctaw to Oklahoma Territory in 1817. No more eager than the whites to leave their green and well-watered lands for the arid plains, some Indians resisted and had to be removed by force-most tragically, the 4,000 Cherokee who died during the brutal overland march known appropriately as the "Trail of Tears."

By 1885, a diverse mixture of Native American tribes had been pushed onto reservations in eastern Oklahoma and promised that the land would be theirs "as long as the grass grows and the water runs." Yet even this seemingly marginal land did not long escape the attention of land-hungry Americans. By the late nineteenth century, farmers had developed new methods that suddenly made the formerly reviled Plains hugely valuable. Pressure steadily increased to open the Indian lands to settlement, and in 1889, President Benjamin Harrison succumbed and threw open large areas of unoccupied Indian lands to white settlement. The giant Cherokee Strip rush was only the largest of a series of massive "land runs" that began in the 1890s, with thousands of immigrants stampeding into Oklahoma Territory and establishing towns like Norman and Oklahoma City almost overnight.”

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Yesterday:

Jay brought Maddie, the little Yorkie, here for me to groom.  So while I was doing that, Ray went around the screen porch posts with a caulking gun filling in different cracks and holes, so it would look better when the porch had it’s final coat of paint.

A local rescue group has saved a sweet, abused pit-bull dog from the Houston pound, and asked if I would foster one of their dogs so they could make room for it. 

When they found out that I will only take care of older dogs, they came up with an inseparable trio that was brought here to TX from FL, when their aged ‘mom’ was put in a nursing home.  An orange male cat, an old blind Chinese Crested female, and her ‘seeing eye’ dog, an old female black lab.  The cat and the Chinese Crested are no problem, but a big, old black lab, that’s a different story. So that meant a lot of emails, and things to think about yesterday!

Wildlife Soaked in Oil in AR. Oil Spill in TX. La Jolla Seals. Hoda Kotb’s Pup. “No Fur” Mayor. “Hey Flipper”. Capuchins. Found Baby Wild Animal? Feral Cats. W.A.Roebling II. Castro.

 

For “Mammal Monday”:

Wildlife at Risk of Tar Sands Oil Spills

“Just two weeks ago, Exxon Mobil's Pegasus pipeline ruptured and spilled at least 210,000 gallons of tar sands oil into an Arkansas community—forcing evacuations, and leaving wildlife coated in toxic oil and struggling to survive.
The spill in Arkansas is the latest glaring reminder that tar sands oil cannot be transported safely or easily cleaned up when it spills. And it follows hundreds of pipeline ruptures in the United States and Canada over the past few years.

But none of this is stopping Big Oil from pushing ahead with plans to bring even more tar sands oil through the United States. We must speak out.

This Arkansas oil spill disaster is yet another a preview of the devastation that could result if the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline is approved—and the scale is immense.

The Keystone XL would carry nearly ten times the amount of tar sands oil as the Pegasus pipeline through crucial habitat for endangered whooping cranes and many more wildlife.
And not only would the Keystone XL pipeline put wildlife along its route in harm's way, it would expand tar sands operations in Canada that are destroying enormous swaths of crucial habitat and pushing entire herds of caribou to extinction. To make matters worse, Keystone XL would accelerate the climate crisis that is melting sea ice for polar bears in the Arctic by driving up production of carbon-intensive tar sands oil.

Over the past month, more than 25,000 wildlife advocates sent messages to protect wildlife from Big Oil's dangerous pipeline proposal.  Your voice is critical today to help show the overwhelming opposition to the dangers of tar sands oil before President Obama makes his ultimate decision on whether to allow the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline to be built.
We have just eight days left in the current public comment period to speak out against the unacceptable risks that the Keystone XL pipeline poses to wildlife, including dangerous oil spills.
Join the fight for caribou, whooping cranes and many more wildlife by sending a message to the Obama administration against the Keystone XL pipeline today, at: https://online.nwf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1707

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As Exxon cleans oil spill in Arkansas, Shell pipeline spills 700 barrels in Houston

“While clean up continues at the site of the Exxon oil pipeline spill in Mayflower, Arkansas, an estimated 700 barrels of oil (or almost 30,000 gallons) were found to have leaked from the Shell oil West Colombia pipeline in Houston.”  More at: http://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/125587/Coast_Guard_Shell_Pipeline_Spills_Oil_Into_Houston_Area_Bayou

 

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Judge rules that rope barrier can stay up year-round at La Jolla Children's Pool

SAN DIEGO - “A San Diego judge has ruled that a barrier rope next to seals at the Children's Pool in La Jolla can stay up year-round.  The Children's Pool area was deeded to the city in 1931 to be used as a safe swimming area for children. Harbor seals began taking it over in the early 1990s.

Currently, the barrier is only up during the seals' pupping season, from Dec. 15 to May 15 of each year. It runs across most of the opening to the beach and is meant to discourage beach visitors from disturbing the seals and their newborn pups.

On March 19, Mayor Bob Filner issued an emergency order to close the Children's Pool at night, through the end of pupping season. The order came in response to recently installed seal cam videos of people entering the area at night to kick, punch and sit on top of the mammals.”  More at: http://www.10news.com/news/rope-barrier-to-stay-up-year-round-at-la-jolla-childrens-pool

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Pups In The Park

“Kathie Lee and the crew at the Today Show enlisted the help of Petfinder, PAWS Chicago, Animal Haven, Phoenix Animal Rescue and Shih Tzu and Furbaby Rescue to help find a dog for her co-host Hoda Kotb.

Hoda met her 10 potential pups in Central Park, each escorted by Kathie Lee one at a time. After careful consideration she choose her new dog live in the studio the next day (but as any pet parent knows, and as Hoda realized, the dog really chose her.) Goldfish, a cute 3-month-old Cockapoo from PAWS Chicago is the one who found his way to Hoda’s heart.

Goldfish is now Blake and Hoda called her adoption experience the best day ever.  Since then, the other 9 dogs have found their adoptive homes too. From:  http://pro.petfinder.com/hoda-picks-out-her-new-puppy/

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Weston's deputy mayor refuses to wear fur-trimmed robe

The fur-trimmed ceremonial in either ermine or muskrat robe dates back to the 1930s

“The new deputy mayor of Weston-super-Mare has refused to wear her ceremonial robe as it is trimmed with real fur.  Councillor Roz Willis, who is due to take up office next month, said she could not "ethically or morally" wear the 80-year-old garment.

"I can't wear fur - there's no way I could wear real fur, a dead animal around me at all," she said.  "They are old and because it's only a trimming of fur you don't really think about it," said Ms Willis.

"But I didn't ask for new robes or new trimming, I just said I'm prepared to wear my ordinary town council robe or no robe at all."  "The fur has started to deteriorate over the decades of use and is a bit past its best.” Malcolm Nicholson, the town clerk said.  "And when the issue came up, replacing the real fur with artificial fur seemed a sensible solution." From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-22120881

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 Dolphins may be calling each other by name

"Hey Flipper, weren't those sardines last night the best?"  "Not bad, Fluke. But I'm more of a squid eater."

We can't be sure they were discussing dinner, but scientists do think dolphins call each other by name.  It seems one dolphin can call another specifically by mimicking the distinct whistle of that other dolphin.

"These whistles actually turned out to be names. They're abstract names, which is unheard of in the animal kingdom beyond people," said Randall Wells, one of the authors of a new study on dolphin behavior, told CNN affiliate WFLA-TV in Tampa, Florida.”  More at: http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/us/dolphin-names/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

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Why Justin Bieber Shouldn't Have a Monkey

National Geographic News:  “Capuchins sure are cute, but primates make dangerous pets.  On his recent travels in Europe, Justin Bieber ran into some problems in Germany. He had not obtained proper papers to bring his pet capuchin monkey into the country, so the monkey was put into quarantine.

That made us wonder: Do capuchin monkeys make good pets? We asked Debbie Leahy, manager of captive wildlife protection for the Humane Society of the United States.

Is it OK to have a pet monkey?  And capuchins don't make good pets either?  All primate species can become aggressive. A lot of times when the primate reaches sexual maturity, it becomes extremely aggressive, unpredictable—bouncing off the walls in the house, destroying everything. It ends up being confined for the rest of its life in a little cage in the basement, or [the owner] looks to dump it—maybe at a roadside zoo or a pseudo-sanctuary.”  More at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/04/130402-justin-bieber-capuchin-monkey-pet-germany-zoonotic-diseases/

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Found an Orphaned or Injured Baby Wild Animal?

“How to tell if baby animals are orphaned, injured, or perfectly fine—and what to do if they need your help”: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/injured_orphaned_wildlife.html 

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“Every year, particularly during the spring and summer, hundreds of young wild animals are unnecessarily picked up by the general public and referred to game wardens or wildlife rehabilitators for treatment and rearing.” More at: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/rehab/orphan/ 

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Finding a Rehabilitator

“If you have found an injured or orphaned wild animal, NWRA knows how important it is that you contact a local rehabilitator as soon as possible. Below are links to various lists of licensed rehabilitators—PLEASE NOTE that NWRA does not maintain these lists and cannot vouch for the abilities of the people on these lists, nor can we guarantee that the lists are accurate or current.”  More at: http://www.nwrawildlife.org/content/finding-rehabilitator

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If you found an adult wild animal you think may be injured or sick

I found a wild baby mammal (PDF 129kb)

I found a wild baby bird (PDF 127kb)

I found a marine mammal (ie, Harbor Seal)

More at: http://www.paws.org/injured-wildlife.html

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Residents say feral cats taking over downtown neighborhood

Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- “Some people in a community near downtown Las Vegas said feral cats are taking over their neighborhood.  "They're everywhere," said neighbor Ronald Bryant.”  More at: http://www.ktnv.com/youaskweinvestigate/202033971.html

 

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Feral-cat bill is bad news for wildlife

The Miami Herald:  “Our findings suggest that free-ranging cats cause substantially greater wildlife mortality than previously thought and are likely the single greatest source of anthropogenic mortality for U.S. birds and mammals,” the report said. As for trap-neuter-release programs, the report stated, “Claims that TNR colonies are effective in reducing cat populations, and, therefore, wildlife mortality, are not supported by peer-reviewed scientific studies.”  The article warned that human-supported feral colonies are “potentially harmful to wildlife populations.” More at: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/10/3336404/fred-grimm-feral-cat-bill-is-bad.html

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On This Day:

Race car driver goes down with the Titanic, Apr 15, 1912:

“On this day in 1912, Washington Augustus Roebling II, a 31-year-old race car engineer and driver, dies in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Roebling was named for his uncle, a civil engineer who helped build the Brooklyn Bridge.”

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Castro visits the United States, Apr 15, 1959:

“Four months after leading a successful revolution in Cuba, Fidel Castro visits the United States. The visit was marked by tensions between Castro and the American government.

Relations between the United States and Castro deteriorated rapidly following the April visit. In less than a year, President Eisenhower ordered the CIA to begin arming and training a group of Cuban exiles to attack Cuba (the disastrous attack, known as the Bay of Pigs invasion, was eventually carried out during the Kennedy administration). The heated Cold War animosity between America and Cuba would last for over 40 years.”

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Yesterday:

Misty and I lazily enjoyed the wonderful weather.  She rolled in the pine worms, and had to be brushed each time she came in. I paid some bills, caught up on a bunch of emails and blogs, with the doors and windows open.

Mikey, Sam’s dog, still wasn’t eating, but Sam was just offering him dry food which Mikey didn’t want.  So Sam gave him some raw ground beef, we have to keep Mikey’s strength up. The Lasix seems to be working as Mikey drank a lot water, but the swelling on his body still hasn’t gone down completely.   I took him some canned dog food to help the pills go down, that way he will get some doggie vitamins and minerals, too. Mikey liked that.

Sam is finally understanding that Mikey’s life is dependant on these medicines, and that he won’t have a long life.  He loves that dog.  Sam thinks that he might be able to give Mikey his meds with my pill-popper, but I don’t know if he can see well enough to do it, or if his hands are steady enough to even load the pills in the pill-popper. Then he might forget, lose the meds, or double-dose Mikey, so I would still have to go there twice a day. 

Did Jesus Die on Good Friday? Easter or Passover? Satan Deceives. Pig! Iraq, Ten Years After. Spiritual Leavening. Exxon Valdez.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”: 

Sign of Jonah: Did Jesus Die on Good Friday? Was He Resurrected Easter Sunday?

“Most churches commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday. But how does this fit with the sign Christ gave?

Good Friday afternoon to Easter Sunday sunrise does not add up to three days and three nights. This chart shows the chronology of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection that matches the biblical festivals and confirms the sign of Jonah.

As proof that He was the Messiah, Jesus Christ promised in advance exactly how much time He would spend in the grave. He called it “the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

The sign of Jonah

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had seen Him work miracles but still didn’t believe He was the Messiah (Matthew 12:23, 38). In fact, the Pharisees plotted “how they might destroy Him” (verse 14) and accused Him of working for Satan (verse 24)!

So when they asked for another sign, Jesus said:

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (verses 39-40).

Jesus referred to the great miracle from the book of Jonah. Jonah was inside a miraculously created fish for three days and three nights before being spit out, alive, on the shore. And Christ let everyone know that He would be in the grave for the exact same length of time. He said the sign of Jonah would be the only sign He would give them. This important prophecy was very specific.

How do you get three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning?

Yet today most churches ignore this sign or try to explain that it didn’t really mean three full days and three full nights. Why? Because of a common misunderstanding about the holy times during that week many call Holy Week.”    More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/sign-of-jonah/

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Should Christians Observe Easter or Passover?

“Should Christians celebrate Easter or Passover? To find the right answer, you must look to the right source.”

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-daily/doctrinal-beliefs/should-christians-observe-easter-or-passover  

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How Satan Deceives Christians!

“Is there a Satan, and what part has he had in the division and deception of Christianity today? You might be surprised to know how extensive his influence has been. In this program, the nature of Satan's deceptions are explained, and false Christianity is exposed.”

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Life Lessons: Jumping to Conclusions

Source: Photos.com

“A man was driving down a winding country lane when he came around a sharp curve and almost hit a car that was swerving all over the road.  He jerked the wheel as he barely missed it.  As they passed, the erratic driver shouted out the window, "Pig!"

Angrily the man managed to yell back, "Cow!"

For a brief moment, the man felt smug with his quick response.  He then sped around the next curve and slammed headlong into a large pig standing in the middle of the road.

How many times have you reacted in anger only to find out later that things were quite different from what you originally perceived?

King Solomon wrote three thousand years ago, "A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult" (Proverbs 12:16 A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame. See All... NIV).

Before losing your temper and jumping to conclusions, calm down, find out what is really going on, and you just might miss hitting a pig standing in the middle of the road.” From: http://www.ucg.org/blog/life-lessons-jumping-conclusions/

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Iraq: Ten Years After the Invasion

Ten years after the United States led a coalition into Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein what has really been accomplished in this volatile region?

 

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-daily/news-and-prophecy/iraq-ten-years-after-invasion

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This morning’s sermon on WGN TV:

Is Spiritual Leavening in Your Life?

“Jesus said to "beware of the leavening of the Pharisees." What did He mean? Why is it vital for you to know?”

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/gods-holy-days/spiritual-leavening-your-life

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On This Day:

Exxon Valdez runs aground, Mar 24, 1989:

“The worst oil spill in U.S. territory begins when the supertanker Exxon Valdez, owned and operated by the Exxon Corporation, runs aground on a reef in Prince William Sound in southern Alaska.  Attempts to contain the massive spill were unsuccessful, and wind and currents spread the oil more than 100 miles from its source, eventually polluting more than 700 miles of coastline. Hundreds of thousands of birds and animals were adversely affected by the environmental disaster.

It was later revealed that Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of the Valdez, was drinking at the time of the accident and allowed an uncertified officer to steer the massive vessel. In March 1990, Hazelwood was convicted of misdemeanor negligence, fined $50,000, and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service. In July 1992, an Alaska court overturned Hazelwood's conviction, citing a federal statute that grants freedom from prosecution to those who report an oil spill.

Overall, the Valdez spilled close to 30 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound over several days. Beaches in the Knight Island chain were covered in oil. The primary victims of the oil were sea birds. Some estimate that as many as 250,000 of the birds were killed, as well as several thousand sea otters and hundreds of seals and bald eagles. Salmon and herring egg losses were also extensive. In total, about 800 miles of coastline were damaged by the oil.

Exxon itself was condemned by the National Transportation Safety Board and in early 1991 agreed under pressure from environmental groups to pay a penalty of $100 million and provide $1 billion over a 10-year period for the cost of the cleanup. However, later in the year, both Alaska and Exxon rejected the agreement, and in October 1991 the oil giant settled the matter by paying $25 million, less than 4 percent of the cleanup aid promised by Exxon earlier that year.”

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Yesterday:

After another night of my head suddenly stuffing up, and bursts of coughing, I knew I had to go to a doctor.

After Wendy’s phone call, I got ready for the afternoon church, but headed to the doctor’s office in Conroe, first.

I expected it to be busy on a Saturday, but it wasn’t, and there was just a skeleton staff.  When the doctor saw me he said that all this head congestion and post-nasal drip had given me a bit of bronchitis, so he prescribed Prednisone.  That is supposed to do something to my swollen sinuses, which could be caused by the pollen or something.   I didn’t want to drive after taking a medicine that I didn’t know how it would affect me, so I came home to eat a bite with it, as prescribed.  Then after another spell of sudden head congestion and coughing, I knew it wouldn’t be right to go to church in case it happened there. 

So I took a nap, then watched some of the past sermons online, so I was still trying to keep the Sabbath day.

Care For Dying Pet. Rat Poison Fumes. Cowboy Code & 10 Commandments. Plush Fox's Fate. Taiwan Bans Seal Fur. Concorde. Draft Dodgers. Pork.

 

For “Mammal Monday”:

Hands-on Care for a Dying Pet

From me:  I sincerely hope that you are not going through this, but in case you are:

“Medical massage for terminally ill pets can benefit dying animals and their families emotionally, psychologically and physically.

Based on the human hospice model, massage has been shown to provide a number of benefits for the terminally ill, including relieving pain, improving circulation, and increasing feelings of peace and comfort.

Many families who feel helpless as they watch over their dying pets are eager to learn simple massage techniques they can use to increase their pets’ comfort and maintain a physical and emotional connection.” Complete article at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/12/26/massage-for-dying-pets.aspx

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Canine patient emits toxic gas, sending veterinary staff to hospital

Common commercial rodenticide thought to be cause of poisoning.

“A dog thought to have ingested a toxic chemical created a dangerous situation at the Vail Valley Animal Hospital in Edwards, Colo., sending an emergency room doctor and three technicians to the hospital.  When the dog vomited up the chemical, it created toxic gas and caused respiratory distress to those attending to the animal.  When ingested, zinc phosphide forms a poisonous gas when it comes in contact with water.

Determine whether the ingested product contains zinc phosphide, which is used to kill rats, mice, moles and gophers. It is available as a dark-gray powder or grain-based pellet bait. Trade names include Arrex, Commando, Dexol, Kilrat, GophaRid, Phosvin, Ridall, Ratol and Sweeney’s Poison Peanuts. The chemical has an odor of fish, garlic or acetylene.”  More at: http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=799946

From me: Please keep children and pets away from all rat poisons.

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GENE AUTRY'S COWBOY CODE

“The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man or take unfair advantage.
He must never go back on his word or a trust confided in him.
He must always tell the truth.
He must be gentle with children, the elderly and animals.
He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
He must help people in distress.
He must be a good worker.
He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action and personal habits.
He must respect women, parents and his nation's laws.
The Cowboy is a patriot.”

From me:  Sounds a bit like the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20:1- 17.   “And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

1. You shall have no other gods before me.
   
2. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
   
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
   
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
   
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
   
6. You shall not murder.
   
7. You shall not commit adultery.
   
8. You shall not steal.
   
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
   
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

It would be great if people would try to live up to this!

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Plush Fox's Final Fate

“Woody Harrelson narrates this video for The Humane Society of the United States, which takes a look at the cruelty of the fur industry via the experiences of one unfortunate stuffed animal.”

“Even some faux fur that comes from China is not 'man made', it is actual fur, from dogs and cats. Check EVERY faux fur item you buy by burning a single hair. If it smells like plastic, then it is. If it smells like our burnt hair, then it came from one of the Chinese animal markets.” https://www.facebook.com/HSUSFurFree

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HSI Commends Taiwan for Historic Ban on Trade in Marine Mammal Products

Canadian seal products are among those prohibited

It is time for the Canadian government to face facts and end its support of the fading sealing industry. Katie Carrus/The HSUS

MONTREAL—”Humane Society International/Canada commends Taiwan for passing a landmark ban on trade in marine mammal products, including seal skins, but exempting products of traditional indigenous hunts. The Taiwanese Legislative Yuan passed the legislation with unanimous support following a multi-year campaign by Taiwanese animal protection group EAST in collaboration with HSI.

“The compassionate actions of the Taiwanese Legislative Yuan will save countless seals and other marine mammals from a horrible fate,” said Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of HSI Canada. “The momentum to end trade in marine mammal products is growing and the sealing industry’s days are numbered. Instead of providing more pointless subsidies to artificially prop up this shameful practice, Canada should prohibit the slaughter and invest in a transition program for sealers.”  More at: http://www.hsi.org/world/canada/news/releases/2013/01/taiwan_seal_product_ban_010813.html

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On This Day:

Concorde takes off, Jan 21, 1976:

“From London's Heathrow Airport and Orly Airport outside Paris, the first Concordes with commercial passengers simultaneously take flight on January 21, 1976. The London flight was headed to Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, and the Paris to Rio de Janeiro via Senegal in West Africa. At their cruising speeds, the innovative Concordes flew well over the sound barrier at 1,350 miles an hour, cutting air travel time by more than half.

The Concorde was not a great commercial success, however, and people complained bitterly about the noise pollution caused by its sonic booms and loud engines. Most airlines declined to purchase the aircraft, and just 16 Concordes were built for British Airways and Air France. Service was eventually limited between London and New York and Paris and New York, and luxury travelers appreciated the less than four-hour journey across the Atlantic.

On July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed 60 seconds after taking off from Paris en route to New York. All 109 people aboard and four on the ground were killed. The accident was caused by a burst tire that ruptured a fuel tank, creating a fire that led to engine failure. The fatal accident--the first in Concorde's history--signaled the decline of the aircraft. On October 24, 2003, the Concorde took its last regular commercial flight.”

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Carter pardons draft dodgers, Jan 21, 1977:

“On this day in 1977, President Jimmy Carter pardons all Vietnam War draft dodgers. On his second day in office, January 21, 1977, he followed through on his promise.

In total, some 100,000 young Americans went abroad in the late 1960s and early 70s to avoid serving in the war. Ninety percent went to Canada, where after some initial controversy they were eventually welcomed as immigrants. Still others hid inside the United States. In addition to those who avoided the draft, a relatively small number--about 1,000--of deserters from the U.S. armed forces also headed to Canada. While the Canadian government technically reserved the right to prosecute deserters, in practice they left them alone, even instructing border guards not to ask too many questions.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Carter served on battleships and submarines for eight years, although he did not see combat. His pardon of draft dodgers enraged veterans and was cheered by amnesty groups. Critics argued that not only would the pardon encourage future draftees to defy the law, it was an affront to the men who served and died during the war.

Years later, Vietnam-era draft evasion still carries a powerful stigma. Though no prominent political figures have been found to have broken any draft laws, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and Vice-Presidents Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney--none of whom saw combat in Vietnam--have all been accused of being draft dodgers at one time or another. Although there is not currently a draft in the U.S., desertion and conscientious objection have remained pressing issues among the armed forces during the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

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Yesterday:

Misty, Miss Priss and I enjoyed the sunny, warmer day with the windows and doors open with fresh air going through the house.  This is more like our TX winters.

I spent most of the day washing and folding clothes, and researching the dietary and health rules that are set out in the Bible.  They are all there for a reason.  If some of the cleanliness rules had been implemented down through the ages, we would have had many less deaths from plagues and war wounds. 

One interesting point that came to light was that upon autopsying it was discovered that 1 in 6 people in the USA were infected with trichina worms from eating pork:

“It is estimated that 10% to 20% of the adult population of the United States suffers from trichinosis at some time. In many people the disease exhibits no symptoms and is discovered only at autopsy. In others it causes diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms as the worms multiply in the digestive tract. When the larvae circulate through the bloodstream, the patient experiences edema, irregular fever, profuse sweating, muscle soreness and pain, and prostration. There may be involvement of the central nervous system, heart, and lungs; death occurs in about 5% of clinical cases. Once the larvae have imbedded themselves in the muscle tissue, the cysts usually become calcified; however, the infestation usually causes no further symptoms except fatigue and vague muscular pains. There is no specific treatment.

Bad Effects of Pork Consumption

Pig's bodies contain many toxins, worms and latent diseases. Although some of these infestations are harbored in other animals, modern veterinarians say that pigs are far more predisposed to these illnesses than other animals. This could be because pigs like to scavenge and will eat any kind of food, including dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, excreta (including their own), garbage, and other pigs.

Influenza (flu) is one of the most famous illnesses which pigs share with humans. This illness is harbored in the lungs of pigs during the summer months and tends to affect pigs and humans in the cooler months. Sausage contains bits of pig’s lungs, so those who eat pork sausage tend to suffer more during epidemics of influenza.”  From:  http://arkwriter.hubpages.com/hub/porkhazards

Maybe that’s why I have never had flu, or a flu shot, as I don’t eat pork? 

Any dog that can spread it’s back legs out like a frog, does not have hip dysplasia.

Misty enjoyed the weather so much that she had to go roll in the dirt.

Here she is, sunning herself by my front door yesterday.

Understanding Canine Communication & Understanding Felinese. Choke Chains. Stop Pulling. Canada's Seals. Ponce de Leon. Falklands.

 

For "Mammal Monday":

 

Dog Behavior - Understanding Canine Communication

Amy D. Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant and the award-winning author of 23 pet care books, including "PETiQuette: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multipet Household" and "Complete Care for Your Aging Dog."

"People who love dogs want to understand canine communication. But growls mixed with tail wags can be confusing. Though people rely on words, dog talk combines vocalizations, body language and smells.

Here are 12 ways canines communicate:
1.    Barking is used during play and defense -- and to get attention. Barks signal conflicted feelings -- "I like you, but I'm not sure," or "I want to play, but I shouldn't." Barking also serves as a canine alarm to alert the dog's family of anything unusual -- a sound, trespassing squirrel or your wearing a hat.
2.    Whines, whimpers and yelps are nonthreatening communication. These sounds telegraph fear, pain, submission and sometimes frustration. Dogs also whine and whimper to beg attention or treats from humans.
3.    Growls are closed-lipped warnings to keep your distance, and can be soft or loud. Growls are defensive or offensive depending on whether the dog is frightened or hostile. However, growls are also used during play, which can be confusing, though looking at other dog body language can help you know that the growls aren't real.
4.    Snarls are growls with teeth displayed and threaten attack.
5.    Howls express loneliness and are used to call the family together. Northern breeds like malamutes howl more than other breeds, while some hunting hounds use baying as a joyful variation of the howl.
6.    Body positions indicate your dog's emotional state and intent. Confident dogs stand with erect posture, nearly on tiptoe to impress other dogs. Aggressive dogs lean forward, while fearful dogs lean backward. Dogs cry uncle by crouching as low as possible or exposing the tummy. Urinating when crouched before the aggressor is the dog's ultimate sign of deference.
7.    Fur is smooth in relaxed dogs. Fluffing the fur along the ridge of his back -- the hackles -- makes a dog look bigger and more impressive. Both fearful and aggressive dogs raise their hackles.
8.    Ear position indicates mood. When held high and facing forward, the dog is interested and possibly aggressive. The ears flatten against the head by degrees depending on how fearful or submissive the dog feels.
9.    Eyes convey intent. Droopy eyelids indicate pleasure, while alert dogs hold eyes wide open. An unblinking stare is a challenge, while averting the eyes shows canine submission. The pupils of a dog's eyes indicate aggression and imminent attack when they suddenly dilate.
10.   Mouths hide or reveal teeth to communicate. Lifting lips vertically to show the canines -- fang teeth -- is a threat that indicates aggression, defense or fear. Lips pulled back horizontally to show more teeth is a submissive grin used to diffuse threat. A flicking tongue signals intent to lick -- an appeasement gesture if aimed at the face. The relaxed, happy dog's mouth is held half open with lolling tongue.
11.   Tails beckon you closer or warn away. A relaxed tail curves down and back up in a gentle U, and increased interest makes the tail go higher. Dominant and confident dogs hold their tails high, and wag rapidly in tight, sharp arcs. An aggressive dog signals imminent attack with tail high, often tightly arched over his back with just the end jerking quickly back and forth. A low-held tail indicates submission, and dogs show deference by wagging in loose, wide, low arcs that often include hip wags. A tail tucked between the legs signals submission and fear and is the doggie equivalent of hiding his face, since it prevents butt sniffing from other dogs.
12.   Urine marking is used by both male and female dogs, and has social and sexual significance. It takes very little urine to send a pee-mail. Even when he runs out of urine, a dog may continue to lift his leg as a visual signal to any dogs watching.

Understanding canine vocabulary improves your loving relationship with dogs. Pets with curled or missing tails or floppy or cropped ears develop variations on this vocabulary, just like people who speak the same language may have different regional accents." From:  http://www.pawnation.com/2011/02/28/dog-behavior-understanding-canine-communication/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl11%7Csec1_lnk1%7C204122

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Cat Behavior - Understanding Felinese

Amy D. Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant and the award-winning author of 23 pet care books, including "Complete Kitten Care" and "Complete Care for Your Aging Cat."

"We love our cats but don't always understand cat communication. Our feline friends use a combination of vocalizations, body language and smells to talk with each other and their special people.

Here are 12 ways cats communicate: 
1.    Meows: These are rarely aimed at other cats. Instead meows are requests pointed at humans. For example, cats meow to be petted, for you to open the door or for you to wake up and fill their bowls. The more demanding Kitty becomes, the lower the pitch of the meow.
2.    Purrs: These vocalizations signal nonthreat. A cat's purr has been described as a feline smile, and cats purr in the presence of other pets and humans. Purrs often express happiness.
3.    Hisses: Keep your distance if you hear a hiss. Cats hiss at other pets and people. Hisses can be defensive or offensive, and arise from frightened or hostile felines.
4.    Growls: This is a serious warning from a cat that an attack may be coming. Hisses that don't succeed turn to growls when the cat can't escape.
5.   Chattering: This odd sound indicates frustration. Cats that watch critters through the window may chatter when unable to reach the evil squirrels.
6.    Spit: This not-so-pleasant communication is the equivalent of a feline gasp of surprise.
7.    Body Position: These movements indicate attitude. Confident cats face forward, while fearful cats stand sideways with arched backs to look larger than they really are. Defensive or submissive cats want to look small and nonthreatening, so they crouch low, with feet tucked, and ears and tail held close to the body. Cats show trust by placing themselves in vulnerable postures such as rolling.
8.    Fur Position: The hair on a cat can telegraph emotional state. Fur is smooth in relaxed cats. Any kind of arousal -- fear, aggression, happiness, stress -- may prompt fluffed fur that stands straight off the body. For instance, you'll see a bottle brush tail when kitty becomes excited.
9.    Ear Position: The ears of relaxed and interested cats face forward. Ears turn sideways in uneasy cats. Fearful kitties hold ears sideways like airplane wings. Ears that flicker back and forth very quickly indicate great agitation. The cat slicks his ears tight to the head in preparation for attack. Cats with one ear forward and one sideways aren't clear how they feel.
10.   Eye Reactions: They dilate suddenly (pupils go from slits to round) any time the cat feels sudden excitement. That arousal might be anything from the sight of a dog to a bowl of favorite food or a feather toy. Cat stares indicate a challenge. Squinting shows strong emotion and possibly impending attack. But a slow eye-blink to other cats or people signals non-threat and is known as a "kitty kiss" when aimed at people.
11.   Tail Position: While these vary somewhat between cats, a tail held straight up, with just the end tipped over, is a feline "howdy" that signals to other cats and people a friendly greeting -- it means kitty wants to interact with you. Relaxed cat tails are held in a gentle U, and the greater his interest, the higher the cat holds his tail. Tails tucked between the legs or wrapped around the crouched body show fear. The end of the tail flicking back and forth indicates frustration that may progress to tail-thumping wags that warn of imminent attack. A bottle-brush tail held straight up or behind the cat shows aggression, but if it's held in an inverted U it is a defensive posture.
12.   Rubbing/Scratching Behavior: When cats rub against you or scratch objects they are leaving the equivalent of scented Post-It notes. Scent glands in the forehead, cheeks, paw pads and tail leave behind the kitty's signature scent. Cats rub or scratch to mark territory as owned -- including scent-marking a beloved human with cheek rubs.

Understanding cat vocabulary can help you become more attuned to what your cat has to say. But every cat is different, so pay attention to what your favorite feline does. Some cats develop their own way of communicating -- a particular meow, for example -- the same way people who speak the same language may have different regional accents. Watch your own kitty to learn the way he or she talks." From:   http://www.pawnation.com/2011/02/25/cat-behavior-understanding-felinese/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl11%7Csec3_lnk3%7C204122

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Dog Killed by Choke Chain

"A very unfortunate accident has happened to a dog wearing a choke chain. Choke chains or check chains should never be worn by dogs and certainly not left on dogs unsupervised. Here is an account of what happened from the dog's owner (we have permission to post this from the owner)

"About two weeks ago our beautiful chocolate lab died, we are still devastated as he was only three years old. This should never have happened. He was just like a bear and the collar we had on him was a choke chain which was easy to remove and put on whenever the need required. Our dogs spend their time sleeping lazily outside on the deck and spend most of their time there, they are never tied. We went out for two hours recently and left the dogs in their usual spot telling them to mind the house. When we got back our lab was dead, it took quiet a few minutes to register what had happened we were just in complete shock. His choke chain loop had gone down through the small gap in the deck boards and he panicked and kept pulling the collar and gradually strangled himself. I beg anyone who uses these chains or any collar with a loop and chain not to leave them on the dog. This was a horrific death and one the children and I will never forget.  Rest in peace ‘Banjo’ we miss you terribly."

"I would be delighted if you would post this topic anywhere that would make people aware of how dangerous these are, it was such an horrible thing to happen. I noticed these chains are sold in a lot of hardware sections of the big DIY stores, no warnings or how to use them."  From: http://dogtrainingireland.ie/blog/2008/09/18/dog-killed-by-choke-chain/

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Choke Chains.

"Alarming facts from a recent survey :
63% of the dogs examined had neck and spinal injuries.
78% of the dogs with aggression or over activity problems had neck and spinal injuries.
Of the dogs with neck injuries, 91% had experienced hard jerks on a leash or had strained against their leashes.

Pulling on leash:
Of those dogs that had cervical (neck) anomalies, 91% (!) had been exposed to harsh jerks on the leash, or they had a long history of pulling or straining at the end of a leash. There is a risk of "whip-lash" from jerking the leash that probably increases if the dog wears a choke chain. Choke chains are constructed such that pulling it results in pressure distributed around the dog's neck, but the muscles that absorb the pressure are situated mostly at the sides of the neck. The neck and throat are almost unprotected.
The study concludes that leash corrections, the dog forging ahead or a tethered pet hitting the end of a solid line may inflict spinal injury."  From:
http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/showthread.php?10875-Why-you-should-avoid-choke-chains

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How To Train Your Dog to Not Pull

"A choke chain is something that should be thrown in the trash.  If you have taught your dog to walk on a leash properly, it is not necessary to use one.  Leash walking is one of the commands that dog owners have difficulty with. In this video I share a simple secret to leash walking."

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Walking On Leash

There is a beginning and ending to a command:

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Environment contributes to aggressive behavior.

"A dog that is in a negative environment will, overtime, become aggressive. A dog that is smacked for peeing on the carpet, smacked for barking at the door, has an electronic collar on, and is trained using a prong or choke collar from a very early age is going to get nasty – how can you blame the dog?"

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Seal Slaughter by the Numbers

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On This Day:

Ponce de Leon discovers Florida, Apr 2, 1513:

"Near present-day St. Augustine, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon comes ashore on the Florida coast, and claims the territory for the Spanish crown.  Although other European navigators may have sighted the Florida peninsula before, Ponce de Leon is credited with the first recorded landing and the first detailed exploration of the Florida coast. The Spanish explorer was searching for the "Fountain of Youth," a fabled water source that was said to bring eternal youth. Ponce de Leon named the peninsula he believed to be an island "La Florida" because his discovery came during the time of the Easter feast, or Pascua Florida, or the flowered Passover.

In 1521, he returned to Florida in an effort to establish a Spanish colony on the island. However, hostile Native Americans attacked his expedition soon after landing, and the party retreated to Cuba, where Ponce de Leon died from a mortal wound suffered during the battle. Successful Spanish colonization of the peninsula finally began at St. Augustine in 1565, and in 1819 the territory passed into U.S. control under the terms of the Florida Purchase Treaty between Spain and the United States."

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Argentina invades Falklands, Apr 2, 1982:

"On April 2, 1982, Argentina invades the Falklands Islands, a British colony since 1892 and British possession since 1833. Argentine amphibious forces rapidly overcame the small garrison of British marines at the town of Stanley on East Falkland and the next day seized the dependent territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich group. The 1,800 Falkland Islanders, mostly English-speaking sheep farmers, awaited a British response.

The Falkland Islands, located about 300 miles off the southern tip of Argentina, had long been claimed by the British. British navigator John Davis may have sighted the islands in 1592, and in 1690 British Navy Captain John Strong made the first recorded landing on the islands. He named them after Viscount Falkland, who was the First Lord of the Admiralty at the time. In 1764, French navigator Louis-Antoine de Bougainville founded the islands' first human settlement, on East Falkland, which was taken over by the Spanish in 1767. In 1765, the British settled West Falkland but left in 1774 for economic reasons. Spain abandoned its settlement in 1811.

In 1816 Argentina declared its independence from Spain and in 1820 proclaimed its sovereignty over the Falklands. The Argentines built a fort on East Falkland, but in 1832 it was destroyed by the USS Lexington in retaliation for the seizure of U.S. seal ships in the area. In 1833, a British force expelled the remaining Argentine officials and began a military occupation. In 1841, a British lieutenant governor was appointed, and by the 1880s a British community of some 1,800 people on the islands was self-supporting. In 1892, the wind-blown Falkland Islands were collectively granted colonial status.

For the next 90 years, life on the Falklands remained much unchanged, despite persistent diplomatic efforts by Argentina to regain control of the islands. In 1981, the Falkland Islanders voted in a referendum to remain British, and it seemed unlikely that the Falklands would ever revert to Argentine rule. Meanwhile, in Argentina, the military junta led by Lieutenant General Leopoldo Galtieri was suffering criticism for its oppressive rule and economic management, and planned the Falklands invasion as a means of promoting patriotic feeling and propping up its regime.

In March 1982, Argentine salvage workers occupied South Georgia Island, and a full-scale invasion of the Falklands began on April 2. Under orders from their commanders, the Argentine troops inflicted no British casualties, despite suffering losses to their own units. Nevertheless, Britain was outraged, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher assembled a naval task force of 30 warships to retake the islands. As Britain is 8,000 miles from the Falklands, it took several weeks for the British warships to arrive. On April 25, South Georgia Island was retaken, and after several intensive naval battles fought around the Falklands, British troops landed on East Falkland on May 21. After several weeks of fighting, the large Argentine garrison at Stanley surrendered on June 14, effectively ending the conflict.

Britain lost five ships and 256 lives in the fight to regain the Falklands, and Argentina lost its only cruiser and 750 lives. Humiliated in the Falklands War, the Argentine military was swept from power in 1983, and civilian rule was restored. In Britain, Margaret Thatcher's popularity soared after the conflict, and her Conservative Party won a landslide victory in 1983 parliamentary elections."

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Yesterday:

The mower repair shop left a message while I was at church, that my mower is repaired.  But at twice the estimated price.  Even when I do get it, I don't know when Ray will have time to use it.  The grass (and weeds) were looking tall and straggly, and so when Jay called wanting something to do, Misty and I went to get him and his mower.  It didn't take him too long to cut it all down, but as it was fairly humid, he had enough for the day.

News: Troops Leave? RV Museum. Monetary System. Manatees. Baby Seals. Real Animals? English! QEI. Exxon Valdez.

News, Some New, Some Old:

Why Obama Won’t Speed U.S. Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan.

"Nothing will speed U.S. troop withdrawals in an election year: not Karzai’s rants, Quran burnings, or even Sgt. Bales’s rampage. By Leslie H. Gelb. Mar 19, 2012.

Forget about President Obama expediting U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan this year. It matters not that some American soldiers are coming apart at the seams, killing innocent Afghans, and burning Qurans, or that President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan screams to restrict U.S. operations. Nor will polls showing increasing numbers of Americans fed up with the war induce Obama to press the pullout button. Mr. Obama is not going to take the slightest risk that a faster exit might trigger a collapse of the Kabul government and a Taliban takeover after 10 years of sacrificing American blood and treasure. He’s not going to give warhawk Republicans a campaign issue. Besides, Obama’s aides keep insisting that he still believes in his Afghan goals and strategy. From the day he took office three years ago, Afghanistan became Obama’s war. While this reality may not have dawned on most Americans, the president himself knows it all too well.

When Barack Obama stepped into the White House, only some 34,000 U.S. troops patrolled that historic graveyard for foreign invaders and would-be saviors. He upped that number to about 100,000, in addition to more than 40,000 allied troops. Casualties and costs skyrocketed. It was Obama who trumpeted the unachievable goals of defeating the Taliban and ensuring that al Qaeda never returned to Afghan soil to plot another attack on America soil. With this track record and all the sacrifices, he’s not going to take big chances. So, he’s stuck, and so is the United States.

Obama’s plan has been to reduce the risks of failure by a slow and steady withdrawal process: scaling back the allied combat role, speeding up the training of Afghan forces, and turning over all combat to the Kabul government by the end of 2014. Accordingly, he’s reduced the 100,000 high point by 10,000 already and expects to take out an additional 22,000 by this September. That will leave some 68,000 U.S. troops in country until after the November elections, and there things will stand through November."  More at: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/18/why-obama-won-t-speed-u-s-troop-withdrawal-in-afghanistan.html

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Debt deal aids RV museum

March 16, 2012, ELKHART (AP) -- "A northern Indiana museum that charts the changing styles and innovations of the recreational vehicle and manufactured home industries has reached a debt-restructuring agreement giving its operators more time to pay off millions of dollars in loans.
The RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum's restructuring plan was announced Wednesday, nearly a year after officials warned the site was at risk of closing within weeks.

The Elkhart Truth reported Thursday that the hall of fame and museum owes $4 million to 1st Source Bank and the family of the late Robert "Boots" Ingram. That money was borrowed to build a new wing onto the main structure and to purchase a collection of pre-World War II recreational vehicles.
Darryl Searer, the group's newly appointed president and chief operating officer, said in a statement that the restructuring plan is only the first step to putting the RV showplace on firmer financial ground.
He said the next step is seeking donations from the industry to improve the museum's financial footing."    More at: http://www.southbendtribune.com/business/sbt-debt-deal-aids-rv-museum-20120316,0,6038519.story

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How our Corrupt Monetary System Works (Part 1 of 2)

"How to make money out of thin air.  A look into how our corrupt monetary system works and how our society runs off of it."

Part 2: http://youtu.be/eggJwj52j0Q

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Dear Friends,           March 20, 2012   

Last summer, you and thousands of fellow advocates contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in support of protections for manatees at Kings Bay in Crystal River, Florida.

Now, we celebrate a victory. The proposal for improved protections has been finalized and, among other things, establishes a year-round manatee refuge in Kings Bay -- proving that it's entirely possible to address human concerns while also taking into consideration the well-being of animals.

Even as opponents tried to defeat these protections, you played a significant role in keeping pressure on the FWS to do the right thing. Congratulations -- we can all smile at this good news for the gentle and endangered manatee."   Sincerely,   Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO of humanesociety.org  

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This video is dated 23rd. March, 2012, yesterday:

Uploaded by HSI on Mar 23, 2012

"This year, climate change caused virtually all the sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to melt--long before it should have. So many of the baby seals have died already, forced into the water before they were strong enough to survive there. Unbelievably, sealers came here anyway to slaughter the remaining defenseless pups.
In a couple of weeks, the commercial seal slaughter will begin in earnest off the coast of Newfoundland and the Canadian government just authorized a record high quota of 400,000 harp seals. If we don't stop it, so many baby seals could be killed."  Please help us end this slaughter of the survivors, donate today: https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Donation2?9020.donation=form1&df_id...

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HSI Canada Calls for Canadian Sealing Industry Buyout

"HSI Canada commends the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Belarus for prohibiting further import and export of fur from harp seals, and calls on Canada to buy out the sealing industry."   Read full story

Please Boycott Canadian Seafood to Save Seals:

https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=5287

 

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Who Are the Real Animals?

"Is it man's destiny to ride roughshod over animals? In today's world, greed and superstition are two powerful forces more important than the welfare of animals..."

"God is a compassionate God. His nature is one of mercy and kindness. We are to become like Him in our attitude and character. His conversation with Jonah showed He cared for animals, too, when debating the destruction Nineveh , which had many thousands of people "and much livestock" (Jonah 4:11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? See All... ).

Scripture tells us that God cares for the birds and plants of the field (Matthew 6:25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? See All... -30).

This, then, is a great God who cares for the entire physical environment-chief of which are human beings made in His image. When He created the first man, He gave human beings responsibility over His creation, placing Adam in Eden "to tend and keep it" (Genesis 2:15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. See All... ).

Man was given a responsibility to rule over the creation, but that ruler ship must be in wisdom, love, justice and mercy, reflecting the mind and attitude of God Himself.

After all, this life is a training ground for our ultimate destiny. Read our booklet What Is Your Destiny - it's one greater than that of animals. And it's one that requires humans to exercise love and compassion to all living things."  More at: http://www.ucg.org/commentary/who-are-real-animals/

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E N G L I S H !

After reading Dizzy-Dick's post about Vocabulary, http://dizzydick.blogspot.com/2011/05/wondering-about-couple-of-words.html I remembered that I had this:

"This could get complicated!!
It’s no wonder my kids don’t want to learn to speak English! This was given to me by one of the bilingual teachers at Pease. Thought this was interesting…

If you’ve learned to speak fluent English, you must be a genius! This little treatise on the lovely language we share is only for the brave. Pursue at your leisure, English lovers.

Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:
1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat. Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?

If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?   In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?  Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can it be a slim chance and a fat chance at the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?  You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS.  Why doesn’t “Buick” rhyme with “quick”?"

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On This Day:

Queen Elizabeth I dies, Mar 24, 1603:

"After 44 years of rule, Queen Elizabeth I of England dies, and King James VI of Scotland ascends to the throne, uniting England and Scotland under a single British monarch.

The daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne in 1559 upon the death of her half-sister Queen Mary: http://www.tudorsandstuarts.com/monarchs/maryi.html  The two half-sisters, both daughters of Henry VIII, had a stormy relationship during Mary's five-year reign. Mary, who was brought up as a Catholic, enacted pro-Catholic legislation and made efforts to restore the pope to supremacy in England. A Protestant rebellion ensued, and Queen Mary imprisoned Elizabeth, a Protestant, in the Tower of London on suspicion of complicity. After Mary's death, Elizabeth survived several Catholic plots against her; although her ascension was greeted with approval by most of England's lords, who were largely Protestant and hoped for greater religious tolerance under a Protestant queen. Under the early guidance of Secretary of State Sir William Cecil, Elizabeth repealed Mary's pro-Catholic legislation, established a permanent Protestant Church of England, and encouraged the Calvinist reformers in Scotland.

In foreign affairs, Elizabeth practiced a policy of strengthening England's Protestant allies and dividing her foes. Elizabeth was opposed by the pope, who refused to recognize her legitimacy, and by Spain, a Catholic nation that was at the height of its power. In 1588, English-Spanish rivalry led to an abortive Spanish invasion of England in which the Spanish Armada, the greatest naval force in the world at the time, was destroyed by storms and a determined English navy.

With increasing English domination at sea, Elizabeth encouraged voyages of discovery, such as Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the world and Sir Walter Raleigh's expeditions to the North American coast.

The long reign of Elizabeth, who became known as the "Virgin Queen" for her reluctance to endanger her authority through marriage, coincided with the flowering of the English Renaissance, associated with such renowned authors as William Shakespeare. By her death in 1603, England had become a major world power in every respect, and Queen Elizabeth I passed into history as one of England's greatest monarchs."

PS. It was Queen Elizabeth I who had her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots executed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots

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Exxon Valdez runs aground in Alaska, Mar 24, 1989:

"On this day in 1989, the worst oil spill in U.S. territory begins when the supertanker Exxon Valdez oil tanker hits a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound, resulting in an enormous oil spill. Though there were no human victims of the crash, hundreds of miles of pristine coastline became coated with oil and thousands of sea birds, mammals and fish perished in the disaster.

An estimated 11 million gallons of oil eventually spilled into the water. Attempts to contain the massive spill were unsuccessful, and wind and currents spread the oil more than 100 miles from its source, eventually polluting more than 700 miles of coastline. Hundreds of thousands of birds and animals were adversely affected by the environmental disaster.

It was later revealed that Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of the Valdez, was drinking at the time of the accident and allowed an uncertified officer to steer the massive vessel. In March 1990, Hazelwood was convicted of misdemeanor negligence, fined $50,000, and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service. In July 1992, an Alaska court overturned Hazelwood's conviction, citing a federal statute that grants freedom from prosecution to those who report an oil spill.

Exxon itself was condemned by the National Transportation Safety Board and in early 1991 agreed under pressure from environmental groups to pay a penalty of $100 million and provide $1 billion over a 10-year period for the cost of the cleanup. However, later in the year, both Alaska and Exxon rejected the agreement, and in October 1991 the oil giant settled the matter by paying $25 million, less than 4 percent of the cleanup aid promised by Exxon earlier that year."

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Yesterday: 

Ray and I finally worked on the plumbing for the toyhauler-cargo-trailer.  We took off the water tank filler and replaced it with the new one which is compatible with the size of the water inlet on the water tank.  Now the water fill hose will fit.  But I have to get a different size clear hose for the vent. Another great day to be outside, and have the doors and windows open in the house.

While we were out there, and as there was no wind, it was a good time to start the fire to burn the branches from the fallen oak tree, and the pine branches which Jay had brought down from the roof the other day.