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Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:22:48 -0700

Obama Talks To The Children, Ctd
by Patrick Appel

A reader writes:

You say you are ignoring the furor over Obama's school talk "because it is a fake story".

It is all too real and scary.

I teach in a midwestern, upper-middle class suburban school. Before I was even aware that Obama had announced this speech my principal sent the entire staff an e-mail that in essence said if you plan on airing the speech you are to contact him first and also contact the parents. Since when do I have to contact parents for airing a presidential address?

By the time I got home that night, my own children's district (which is in an adjoining county) had posted to their website how teachers were planning on using the speech and that it would not be mandatory. Unbelievable.

Today there were two more e-mails about the speech from my principal. The first re-affirmed that only two teachers were planning on taping the speech to possibly show later, and if anyone was to do this they were to contact him, contact the parents and be sure it matches standards and not to make it mandatory. Another e-mail was sent to say that the district would be sending a letter home to parents about this.

But the letter was pre-empted by a phone call from our district's automated phone system where a district official notified parents that no teacher would show it live, that only Social Studies teachers might consider showing the video but only if it correlated with state standards and that it would not be mandatory and parents could opt them out of it.

This is our first week of school, and there is the typical nuttiness that goes on in schools during a first week. This was a priority the last 24 hours for administration? Three staff e-mails and an automated phone call home about a presidential speech that is slated to encourage students to stay in school and do well.

Two years ago we had a student bring what looked like an improvised explosive device into school, toss it in a trash can and flee the building. Luckily it was not explosive, but the school went into a lockdown for two hours while the building was secured and the student apprehended. There was one staff e-mail and one automated phone call to the parents.

Two decades as a teacher and I'm absolutely incredulous watching a school cater to a minority of loud, fearful and irrational voices. Sadly, our district has a higher rate of minority students (by far) than the other suburban districts in the region.

This is happening at schools all over the map. There is a furor and it is not a fake story locally at your neighborhood school.

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Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:38:23 -0700

Posted on Wed, Aug. 13, 2008

Berks kennel owners kill their 80 dogs

By Amy Worden

Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau
HARRISBURG - Two Berks County kennel operators killed nearly their entire kennel population - 80 dogs - after wardens ordered veterinary exams on dozens of their animals.

After receiving a poor inspection report on July 24, Elmer Zimmerman of Kutztown shot his 70 small-breed dogs and threw them onto a compost pile on his property, according to officials with the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. His brother, Ammon Zimmerman, who operated A & J Kennel next door, shot 10 dogs about the same time, they said.

It is legal for dog owners in the state to put a dog down by shooting it. Gov. Rendell, as part of his effort to improve kennel conditions, is seeking legislation to allow only veterinarians to euthanize commercial kennel dogs.

Elmer Zimmerman, owner of E & A Kennel, said in an interview yesterday that he feared the Department of Agriculture was trying to close him down and that he destroyed the dogs on his veterinarian's recommendation.

"They were old, and we were hearing that they don't want kennels anymore," said Zimmerman, who has held a commercial kennel license since at least 2003. "The best thing to do was get rid of them."

Ammon Zimmerman, reached yesterday by phone, told a reporter his decision to destroy his dogs was "none of your business."

Jessie Smith, the dog-law bureau's special deputy secretary, said Elmer Zimmerman told dog warden Orlando Aguirre that the dogs had been shot.

Aguirre, who had cited Zimmerman for multiple dog-law violations and ordered vet checks on 39 dogs for flea and fly bites, told him he didn't believe he had shot the dogs. Zimmerman then got out the backhoe and uncovered the bodies of dogs - among them poodles, shih tzus and cocker spaniels - that had been thrown onto the compost pile, she said.

"It's horrible, but it's legal," said Smith of the shooting.

"That someone would shoot 70 dogs rather than spend money to do a vet check is extremely problematic," she said. "If the definition of a puppy mill is putting profits over care of the dogs, this is a stark example of doing that."

Smith said Aguirre ordered Zimmerman to destroy the wooden hutches that held the dogs in order that the brothers not go back into commercial breeding.

Smith said the bureau had stepped up its enforcement of current kennel regulations in an effort to improve conditions. If they don't improve, she said, kennels should "go out of business."

Ken Brandt, lobbyist for the Pennsylvania Professional Dog Breeders Association, which represents 300 commercial kennels, said his group did not support the Zimmermans' actions.

"There are others ways to take care of the situation, like in a court," he said.

Howard Nelson, chief executive officer of Pennsylvania SPCA, called the shootings inhumane and evil and said the breeder could have easily surrendered the dogs to rescue groups.

"He could have treated the dogs with medication for $40 or $50," said Nelson. "Every humane society in the state would have taken those dogs."

Elmer Zimmerman said he felt he had no alternative because business had been so bad he couldn't "give away" his puppies, let alone his older, breeding dogs.

Both men surrendered their kennel licenses and Elmer Zimmerman pleaded guilty to four charges of violating the dog law, she said.

During the inspection on July 24, wardens found, in addition to the skin infections, 19 other violations. They issued citations for maintenance, extreme heat, insufficient bedding, and wire flooring that allowed dogs' feet to fall through.

Zimmerman said he had never had problems with wardens before. Inspection reports dating to 2006 show instances where wardens noted severe matting of dogs' fur and inadequate shelter, but no citations or formal warnings were issued.

Smith said the shootings were reason for tougher legislation, under consideration by the state House, that would require that dogs be euthanized only by a vet.

Contact staff writer Amy Worden at 717-783-2584 or aworden@phillynews.com.

http://piggles.stumbleupon.com/review/23962152/

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:56:27 -0700

Wal-Mart mobilizes against Democrats: report

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is mobilizing U.S. store managers to lobby against Democrats in November's presidential election, fearing they will make it easier for workers to unionize, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
In recent weeks, thousands of Wal-Mart managers and department heads have been summoned to mandatory meetings at which the retailer stresses the downside for workers if store workers unionize, the paper said.

About a dozen employees who attended meetings in seven states said executives stressed employees would have to pay hefty union dues and get nothing in return, and might have to go on strike without compensation, and warned that unionization could force the company to cut jobs as labor costs rise, the Journal reported.

The Wal-Mart human-resources managers who have run the meetings didn't tell those attending how to vote in the November elections, but made it clear that voting for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, would be tantamount to inviting unions in, the Journals said.

Wal-Mart could not be reached immediately for a comment.

(Reporting by Purwa Naveen Raman in Bangalore; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

http://piggles.stumbleupon.com/review/23788745/

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:58:28 -0700

Hey,

Want a free Obama button? MoveOn's giving them away totally free--no strings attached. I just got mine, and wanted to share the opportunity with you.

Click this link to get a free Obama button:

pol.moveon.org/obamabuttons [moveon.org]

Thanks!

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Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:57:46 -0700

10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4
5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5
6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0--yes, zero--from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10

John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out--forward this email to your personal network. And if you want us to keep you posted on MoveOn's work to get the truth out about John McCain, sign up here:

http://pol.moveon.org/mccaintruth/

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Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:22:44 -0700

07-18-08 -- Chesco Farmer Charged with Animal Cruelty
By: Nancy Petersen, Philadelphia Inquirer

A Chester County Amish farmer was arrested last night during a raid on his farm and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty.

John Blank of Cochranville, owner of Limestone Kennels, was taken into custody by Pennsylvania State Police shortly after 5 p.m. when agents from the Pennsylvania SPCA descended on his farm. In front of his crying children, he was handcuffed and placed in the back of the police cruiser. After it was determined that he wasn't a flight risk, he was allowed to spend the night on his farm.

Warrants issued earlier in the day charged Blank, 54, with three misdemeanor counts and 10 summary counts of animal cruelty. By the time the raid ended after about 31/2 hours, 21 summary counts of neglect and lack of veterinary care had been filed against Blank, said PSPCA program officer Elaine Scapalla.

The entire event was filmed by crews from the reality show Animal Cops, which is trailing the PSPCA during the next several weeks. Of the 100-plus dogs found on the farm, 21 dogs - five or six adults and the rest puppies - were taken to the agency's Philadelphia shelter, Scapalla said.

'All were crowded in cages, their nails were curled under, and two had embedded collars,' she said. Some had conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the eye; others had untreated abscesses, she said. Reporters were not allowed on Blank's property and were unable to reach him for comment yesterday.

The so-called puppy mill Blank operated at his 73-acre farm along Route 10 was not visible from the highway. Instead, a sign advertising brown eggs and cut flowers greeted motorists zipping along the busy road.

The farm, immaculate with carefully tended fields of corn and tobacco, and a large garden in front of the farmhouse, differed little from other farms in the fertile Octorara watershed.

Yesterday's raid had its origins two weeks ago with a small ad in a Lancaster newspaper for free breeder dogs that caught the attention of Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue in Chester Springs. Smith went to the farm, but Blank wasn't home. Volunteers visited the farm over the next two days and ended up with nine dogs, all in deplorable condition, Smith said.

'Two were missing their eyes,' he said. 'They had big gaping holes with flies in them. One of the dogs had his eye hanging out. Two were missing ears.' Teeth on one dog, a Shiba Inu, were so bad that he couldn't close his mouth, Smith said. Smith took the dogs to the PSPCA for medical evaluation.

A week later, undercover investigator Ashley Mutch went to the farm and purchased a sickly puppy that Blank had said was 7 weeks old. The puppy, which was determined to be just 3 weeks old, died within 24 hours, she said. According to records from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Blank has a license to have as many as 250 dogs at his kennel. An inspection in January found no violations, although he has been cited in the past for maintenance and overcrowding.

Magisterial District Judge Henry Farmer of Oxford is expected to issue penalties against Blank today, said Scapalla.

Read Limestone Kennel Inspection Reports: 2006 - Click Here 2007 - Click Here 2008 - Click Here

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Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:42:33 -0700

Update -she has been removed from petfinder
Be Aware of This Individual:

Vicki/Victoria Patterson, NJ Collie Rescue and Referral, Whitehouse, NJ 08889
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NJ315.html

This so-called rescue is operating like your run-of-the-mill pet store. It was confirmed in a conversation with the commercial kennel owner on June 23, 2008 that all or most of the purebred puppies listed on NJ Collie Rescue�s PetFinder website http://tinyurl.com/4mo37g) were purchased from the MO breeder whose kennel name was superimposed on some of the pictures. In fact, the breeder stated she was under the impression that Vicki Patterson was a pet shop owner when she purchased the 12-14 week old puppies at prices �oefar less than the usual advertised prices” of $200 found on the website.

Patterson, advertising as NJ Collie Rescue and Referral, demands cash only for her �special rescue rates� of $500 to $745! It�s also deceptive to state the puppies were �saved from auction� when the MO breeder confirmed what we�ve known for years: that young puppies are rarely, if ever, sold at auctions - that most of the dogs found at puppy mill auctions are older, retired breeders. Reputable rescues attend auctions to buy these poor �oeused up” breeders to rescue, rehabilitate them and adopt them into approved, qualified homes. Plus, their adoption fees are much less than these pet-store prices.

And most importantly, Patterson/NJ Collie Rescue do not guarantee the health of the puppies once they are adopted. We all know that puppies born in commercial kennels, i.e. puppy mills, are highly prone to contagious, congenital and /or hereditary diseases and defects that can run into the thousands of dollars to treat or cure.

Visit this PetFinder forum link to read about previous problems associated with Patterson and NJ Collie Rescue: http://tinyurl.com/5f45b4

What You Can Do:

Please contact PetFinder.com and ask them to remove Vicki Patterson and NJ Collie Rescue & Referral. Allowing brokers to advertise and sell puppies on PetFinder.com defeats PetFinder�s purpose and mission and insults the reputable rescues who work honestly and tirelessly to find homes for thousands of unwanted and homeless animals.

Contact:

Cary Moran, Public Relations Coordinator
Email: Cary@Petfinder.com
Copy: Kim@petfinder.com

http://piggles.stumbleupon.com/review/22427676/

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:32:11 -0700

SOLICITING
We seem to have an endless stream of solicitors and religious groups(same thing to me) knocking on our door asking for money. I posted a sign a few months ago that says "NO SOLICITING BE WARNED" to me this sounds mildly frightening and I know I would not knock on my door, but still they come. I find the religious groups particularly annoying, finding little pamphlets on my door makes me want to chain a pitbull to my front porch. I feel that these people must be egomaniacs or sociopaths. What makes people think that there way of life is the best way to go? I would never approach someone (unless they were living in a box) and suggest they follow my line of thinking. It's just pompous and rude. I will pray for them...
piggles

http://piggles.stumbleupon.com/review/22427180/

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:14:08 -0700

IDEAS FOR NO SOLICITING NOTICES

NO SOLICITING!

(Unless you are someone under the age of 12 selling something sweet, like cookies or candy, at a price not to exceed $2.00, for your scout troop, sports team, or church group. I'm sympathetic to child slave labor, I like kids, and I like cookies even better.)

But if you do not fall into that category, I don't want your magazine because I already have a subscription. I don't want your newspaper because I already get it. I do not want to pay you to run, walk, swim, jog, jog-walk, swim-jog, or walk-run. I do not want to pay you to cure AIDS. I don't want to fund your fraternity's trip to Mexico. I genuinely hope that together we can help stop female breast cancer, and while I'll be more than happy to give you a free exam, I do not want to pay you to examine others. I do not want a "trial" anything. I do not want to pay you to leave me alone, that's what this sign is for. I do not want you to keep standing in front of my door, reading this sign in the hopes that I might have posted an exception for your particular breed of leech. If you want my money, feel free to try robbing me. I carry a knife with a 4-inch blade and will gladly extend your smile to your ears. Thank you, and the best of luck screwing over my neighbors.

http://piggles.stumbleupon.com/review/21199081/

Tue, 13 May 2008 05:38:19 -0700

GLICH'S LIFE

40 Tips for Better Life - 2008

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, `My purpose is to __________ today.'
5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.
7. Make time to practice meditation, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the nagative blues away.
18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: `In five years, will this matter?'
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. Remember God heals everything.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
33. The best is yet to come.
34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
35. Do the right thing!
36. Call your family often.
37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for _______. Today I accomplished ____.
38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
40. Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can't change.