Monday, November 3, 2008

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!...Part Deux

OK, loyal readers of Questions On Dogs and Cats, Helpful Buckeye knows you were disappointed at not being able to read the whole issue this week at one sitting. Even though being relegated to the laptop to write this issue, due to the sudden death of my desktop monitor, I did publish a "complete" issue last night...only to find out that it stopped after item #2 in the GENERAL INTEREST section. If you recall reading the news story in the CURRENT NEWS section about the "digital dark age," perhaps this was an example of what happens when digital memory becomes irretrievable. Scary thoughts, huh?

Anyway, this glitch serves as a perfect illustration of why it's still a good idea to keep a hand-written outline close by when the goblins of the Internet decide to act up. Helpful Buckeye will reconstruct the current issue from the point at which it disappeared....

3) As a follow-up to the issue that covered the use of Service and Therapy Pets, another heart-warming story has appeared in The USA Today about a woman's quest to have her dogs be allowed to stay with her while she was recovering from a medical problem: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-10-28-cancer-pets_N.htm

4) An example of perhaps unwise priorities has shown up in a town in Italy. The town official in this story most likely had the right goal in mind, but the money needed for his project doesn't seem justified. Read the story and make up your own mind:
Town fights dog poo with DNA tests
VERCELLI, Italy (UPI) -- Officials in Vercelli, Italy, say they will catch those who don't pick up after their dogs by tracking down the offending pooches through their DNA. Antonio Prencipe, the city's environment minister, said saliva tests will be carried out on all of the dogs in town to create a database of doggy DNA so authorities can track pet owners to fail to stop and scoop, ANSA reported Tuesday. Prencipe said a laboratory in Milan is charging the town $19 per test of canine fecal matter. "I receive constant complaints about dirtiness, and if signs and requests aren't enough we'll try with genetics. I want a clean city," Prencipe said. He said offending owners will be fined by authorities. Prencipe said he would be willing to gather the fecal samples himself "if it will mean being able to walk on streets and pavements free from poo."

5) With apologies to David Letterman, the Top Ten Things A Cat Thinks About, according to Cassie Cattails, are:
  • I could have sworn I heard a can opener.
  • Is there something I'm not getting when humans make noise with their mouths?
  • Why doesn't the government do something about dogs?
  • I wonder if Morris really liked 9-lives, or did he have ULTERIOR motives?
  • Hmmmm.... If dogs serve humans, and humans serve cats, why can't we ever get those STUPID dogs to do anything for us?
  • This looks like a good spot for a nap.
  • Hey - no kidding, I'm sure that's the can opener.
  • Would humans have built a vast and complex civilisation of their own if we cats hadn't given them a reason to invent sofas and can openers in the first place.
  • If there's a God, how can He allow neutering?
  • If that really was the can opener, I'll play finicky just to let THEM know who's boss !!

6) In today's economy, even the family dog has an opinion on the problems: "I'm worried about the economy because a can of dog food is up to 99 cents a can. That's almost $7.00 in dog money!"

7) On the 29th of October (1929), the collapse of the stock market set the stage for the Great Depression. Hopefully, 79 years from now, they won't be observing the anniversary of the second Great Depression!

8) Also, on the 29th of October (1969), the first connection of two computers occurred between UCLA and Stanford. This marked the beginning of ARPANET, a forerunner to the Internet (sorry about that, Al Gore!)....

9) On the 31st of October, The US Treasury Department announced that 827 banks had failed during the preceding two months. Fortunately, that number hasn't been nearly as high this time around!

10) From AOL SEARCH engines, the Top Ten Searched Dog Breeds are currently:

  • Chihuahuas
  • Pugs
  • Yorkshire Terriers
  • Golden Retrievers
  • Rottweilers
  • Bulldogs
  • Beagles
  • German Shepherds
  • Siberian Huskies
  • Doberman Pinschers

Could the #1 spot have anything to do with the current popular movie?

SPORTS NEWS

The Ohio State Buckeyes didn't play this weekend and the Pittsburgh Steelers play on Monday night in Washington, DC.

PERSONAL STUFF

With all the upcoming changes proposed by both major candidates in Tuesday's election, we all need to remember the words of John Sladek, American science fiction writer: "The future, according to some scientists, will be exactly like the past, only far more expensive."

Even though Helpful Buckeye has used some tongue-in-cheek humor about our government in this issue, Will Rogers said it best: "I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."

After all is said and done in this election, and we finally have a winner, Willie Nelson reminds us that: "Life is like school--you get tests all the time. Some you pass, some you fail." Hopefully, we will feel like we passed this time....

~~The goal of this blog is to provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a veterinarian.~~

No comments:

Post a Comment