by Gailstrail on December 27, 2008
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The winter season in Colorado can be dry and brittle…thirst is always a factor. Moisture evaporates fast. I’m so grateful for indoor plumbing…turning on the faucet and having clear, clean and cool water fill a glass is wonderful! When I fill my glass, I’ve made a habit of checking my furry friend’s water dish
Animals can loose all of their fat and half of their protein and survive. However, if they loose only 10 % of body water, serious illness can occur. If you can feel a dryness in your mouth, dehydration has begun. Our animal friends get just as thirsty as we do. A dog or cat can become dehydrated in only a few hours if fresh water is not present. I keep three dishes of water in my house and two outside.
I recently learned something from my vet. If I feel the inside of my Pieper’s gums are dry, it’s a clue that she is dehydrated; if moist she is fine.
How Much Water?
Water constitutes 84% of a newborn puppy and 60% of an adult dog. Water is necessary for almost every function in an animals body. Hot temperatures and exercise or nursing will also increase the needed amount of water two or three times above normal. Don’t take water for granted, provide access to water at all times! Also, considering the huge quantity and importance of water consumed in a lifetime it is important that the quality of the water is the best possible. I have a water filter on my faucet; Peiper drinks filtered water at home.
Animals need to consume 2.5 times the amount of water, as its daily intake of food. If an animal eats 2 lbs. of dry food it should consume 5 lbs. of water. (There are 8 lbs. in a gallon.) If he eats 4 oz. of dry food, he should drink 10 ounces of water (11/4 cup). [click to continue…]
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by Gailstrail on November 24, 2008
Dear Obama-Biden Economic Team Members:
Much of our foundation for health as a nation lies with the food we consume?
It does not take a rocket scientist to see the connection between the cancer that is so prevalent in our society and the food we eat.
The health care industry is the largest industry in the United States. It has 14 million jobs, with about 13.6 million jobs for wage and salary workers. Is this a good thing? Well, it does tell a story. There’s job security. We have a nation of sick people. Certainly the industry provides a needed service; however, there is a huge difference in treatment and prevention of a disease.
An important question for the citizens of the United States to ask; Why is the health care industry our largest industry? What is it we do that we all have in common? The food we eat? The water we drink? The air we breath? Should we consider what’s in the air we breath, the food we eat and the water we drink? We’re not stupid. Lazy maybe, but not stupid. When I hear people say “well, somethings going to kill me, what difference does it make which poison I choose?” People have already accepted the fact that they are going to die and it doesn’t matter what they do. So, it’s okay if they choose to keep poisoning the air, water and food we consume. What they fail to do is understand the ‘pain, suffering and expense’ they may go through before they die!
- Chronic pain is major epidemic. Approximately 48 million people (there’s a little over 308 million population in the US) in the United States suffer from some form of chronic pain, pain lasting longer than six months, and Americans spend literally billions on medication to combat it.
- WASHINGTON, July 7, 2005 — The pharmaceutical and health products industry has spent more than $800 million in federal lobbying and campaign donations at the federal and state levels in the past seven years, a Center for Public Integrity investigation has found. Its lobbying operation, on which it reports spending more than $675 million, is the biggest in the nation. No other industry has spent more money to sway public policy in that period. Its combined political outlays on lobbying and campaign contributions is topped only by the insurance industry.
Take a look at what the pharmaceutical and health products industry GOT for the more than $800 million in federal lobbying and campaign donations. With money like that being thrown to our federal representatives, is it no wonder they do not want to pass legislation that would take away these dollars!
With this said, I urge the new Economic team to look at creating jobs within the rendering plant industry. Then create jobs that monitor jobs within rendering plants. Rendering plants manufacture protein and nutrients (food enhancers) fed to livestock and poultry industries and the ‘pet’ food industry.
What are ‘food enhancers’ made from? They start with ‘raw products’: thousands of dead dogs and cats (many still wearing flea collars); heads and hooves from cattle, sheep, pigs and horses; whole skunks; rats and raccoons –all waiting to be processed.
“Every day, hundreds of rendering plants across the United States truck millions of tons of this “food enhancer” to poultry ranches, cattle feed-lots, dairy and hog farms, fish-feed plants and pet-food manufacturers where it is mixed with other ingredients to feed the billions of animals that meat-eating humans, in turn, will eat.” [click to continue…]
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by Gailstrail on October 15, 2008
First Class all the Way
No industry or government should be built by coning its citizens. And yet, we let banks, industry and government squelch our ineffable spirit; succumb to their marketing and believe its entertainment; buy whatever they’re selling to feel good and to feel good about ourselves…and we are so full of ourself; we think we have choices.
It’s not a matter of turning a blind eye to truth; trying to do differently is like climbing Mount Everest! We don’t just put off our dreams, we don’t recognize them.
Who Deserves a Bail Out?
Industry and financial institutions wants the government to bail them. Why? Does it have anything to do with their poor choices? And what about the workers? They’re just trying to pay for their home, feed and send their kids to school…and have fun, fun, fun! The CEO wants same thing, only they want to go ‘First Class All The Way‘; like checking into a $14,000-a-night hotel; the Marie Antoinette for instance. Well, hey, why not?
CBS News
On Sunday, October 12, 2008, in the last five minutes of a CBS News, Face the Nation broadcast, Bob Schieffer talked about Edward Bernays. I was shocked to see the story aired on prime time television.The coincidence amazed me; as I was writing about the same story for this post.
Womens’ Emancipation
It was March 1929. Women had just won the right to vote: Governors who died in office were succeeded by their wives in such states as Texas and Wyoming. More women were attending college and entering the workforce; women were making great head way in certain areas of society. However, socially women were not treated equally. For instance, it was taboo for women to smoke in public, if they smoked socially, they were considered to be harlots and loose. Women were permitted to smoke in their homes behind closed doors, but if caught in public, they were arrested. Legislation did not permit women to have this same freedom as their male counterpart. [click to continue…]
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by Gailstrail on October 2, 2008
Last week I attempted to do an update with regard to the Pet Food Recall and got side tracked: Pet Food Recall: Trail of Tears, which gives a heart wrenching account of the loss of my Golden Retriever, Annie Oakley. Today, I wanted to get an update on China’s baby milk poisoning and landed on ‘Police arrest underground gang ‘poisoning baby milk for profit’. The contamination has led to China’s worst food safety crisis.
This week, I’m taking a long look into centuries of food industry practices. Practices which began innocently enough, but, in many instances have developed into a dark and dangerous business; bringing disease and death to the planets inhabitants!
The Truth Will Sit You Free!
There are hundreds of reports and stories about the ongoing Pet Food Recall and its continued impact to our pets. What seems most important after reading these reports is to pass on what I’ve learned and to keep linking together with others who have similar concerns; doing so gives more credibility and a more effective means of convincing people to change what they and their furry friends eat!
The sense to be made of the Pet Food Recall and the ongoing tragedy is not something most people want to know. Knowing means you find a truth. What you do with the truth is what counts. My advise is to take a journey. Take time to take a deep look into the Pet Food Recall before you make any decision. For me, the journey has taken some horrific and outrageous trails. [click to continue…]
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by Gailstrail on September 11, 2008
Dorado was lying under his blind master’s desk on the 71st floor of the World Trade Center’s north tower when the plane hit. Glass and flying debre was everywhere. Chaos surrounded them. Omar Eduardo Rivera knew he was doomed. There is know way he could manuver through the chaos. The kindest thing he thought was to free Dorado. He released Dorado from his harness. Minutes later he felt a fuzzy brush on his leg and Dorado nudged him and lead Eduardo to the hall and stairwell.
In the stairwell Eduardo found a co-worker and together the three journeded for over an hour down the stairwell.
Faithful Dog Leads Blind Man 70 Floors Down WTC Just Before Tower Collapses!
Photo Credit:
Mr. Rivera and a little hero.
(Photo: REUTERS / Caracol Tv)
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by Gailstrail on August 7, 2008
“I like my life just fine.” I definitely agree. This is a line from Bruce Cockburn’s Great Big Love Sweeping Across the Sky.
I spent the day, about five hours, helping my friends get their garage organized for a ‘moving sale’. While Pieper (my Golden Retriever) couldn’t quite grasp the whole idea and was none to happy as I was not devoting every other minute to throwing a ball for her to fetch. She finally gave up and laid in the car.
After musky hours in the garage we headed to the wilderness for a luxurious hike. Drizzling rain drapes the forest and sounds of trickling creeks and chirping birds are music in my ears; wings flapping heavy, could have been a hawk. The reservoir is like a mirror. Pieper dives in and waves ripple across the glass. I met Dorothy, Bette, Dragor and Brody, new friends on the trail. Tails waged and words were spoken softly. Ions lay heavy and I lap them up.
Homeward bound I tread, too tired to stand long enough to cook: Papa Murphies pizza, chocolate almond coffee ice cream, preheat the oven, wash dishes and hang upside down (I have an inversion table for my compressed Intervertebral discs). Woah! I’m ready for a hot soak and some Bruce Cockburn and Nothing But A Burning Light.
Before my soak, I decide to do a little house cleaning, empty the two litter boxes and vacuum the area. While emptying a paper sack a zeroxed copy of a page falls to the floor: ‘firday, august 1, 2008′ a prayer of the heart- How wonderful! I decide to read it before I hop in for a soak.
[click to continue…]
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by Gailstrail on July 17, 2008
I wrote my first draft for this post on a yellow pad. Sometimes I like to write on a yellow pad with long and broad stokes; much like a painter would enjoy a large canvas.Telling this story needs broad strokes; I need to find room between the lines to identify my emotions.
All my identifying documents, bank card and my wallet were stolen from my car while parked at a wilderness trail head; almost $2000.00 was spent by the villains in less than two hours.
Beauty
Pieper (my golden retreiver) and I were parked at the trail head of Stratton Open Space, hiking on Cheyenne Mountain. It was Pieper’s birthday (she just turned four) and I promised her a hike and a swim and after a trip to the doggie store for a toy and a bone. I love this girl.
The hike was wonderful. There was cloud cover and it looked like rain. Not at all what the weather person predicted (90 degrees and hot). The forest was lush and green and a light breeze played in the tree tops. Pieper went swimming and we ran into an old friend and continued hiking with her and her three canines. After about two hours we returned to the parking lot.
[click to continue…]
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by Gailstrail on July 13, 2008
Recently, after a minor fender bender, I put my car into a body. I chose not to have a rental; thinking I would spend time at home doing things around the house and save gas.
After spending three and a half days at home: cooking, eating, sleeping, watching Animal Planet, the news, movies, working on my lack of lawn, going through and getting rid of ‘stuff’, I called my sister, a few friends, wrote two posts, installed Photoshop CS3 (anyone know a good beginners class?), and visited Steve and Marsha (a hike away) for some icy blended drink and talk about retirement life. Yes, it’s been a relatively easy first week of retirement.
Staying home was not difficult. However, by Thursday I wanted and needed to get out of the house. I called my insurance to arrange for a rental and treated myself and Pieper (my companion and Golden Retriever) to a hike and swim. The trip to where we hike and swim is about a 20 minute drive and a 30 minute hike. The temperature was a whopping 91 degrees. When you are over a mile high…well, we were cooking. Unfortunately, Pieper is the only one allowed to swim in the reservoir; I’m left panting on the shore.
After the hike and swim, my normal routine, in an effort to coordinate trips and conserve gas, is to stop at the market on the way home. I’ll find some shade and park; leave the windows half way down in my Blazer, and Pieper being damp is fine while I pick up a few items at the grocery.
The rental car (a 2007 Ford Focus), had huge windows all around, letting far too much sun into the car. The car would hardly cool down with the airconditionair on maximum! No way was I going to leave Pieper in this car. I passed the market, did not collect groceries and went directly home.
[click to continue…]
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