Potpourri

February 28, 2008
Published by Julie on February 28, 2008
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A Prayer that Keeps Things In Perspective

 

We cannot
merely pray to you, O God,

     to end war; for we know that you have made the world

     in a way that man must find his own path to peace

     within himself and with his
neighbor.



 



We cannot merely pray to you, O
God,

     to end starvation; for you have already given us the

     resources with which to feed the entire world,

     if we would only use them wisely.



 



We cannot
merely pray to you, O God,

     to root out prejudice; for you have already given us
eyes

     with which to see the good in all
men,

     if we would only use them rightly.



 



We cannot
merely pray to you, O God,

     to end despair, for you have already given us the
power

     to clear away slums and to give
hope,

     if we would only use our power
justly.



 



We cannot
merely pray to you, O God,

     to end disease; for you have already given us great
minds



     with which to search out cures and
healing,



     if we would only use them constructively.





Therefore we pray to you instead, O God,



For strength, determination and will power,



To do instead of just pray,



To become instead of merely to wish.



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February 27, 2008
Published by Julie on February 27, 2008
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Billy Joel History Lesson

THIS IS GREAT...I LOVED IT

Whether you are a Billy Joel fan or not, you probably remember his great
song "We Didn't Start the Fire." Here it is, set to pictures--- someone had
the patience to give us a quick history lesson

Turn up volume, sit back and enjoy a review of 50 years of history in less
than 3 minutes!

Thanks to Billy Joel and some guy from the University of Chicago with too
much time to Google!


 





Direct link to the creators site
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February 3, 2008
Published by Julie on February 3, 2008
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To Drive or Not to Drive

Another great editorial by VERLYN KLINKENBORG.  The question is how does he do it week after week?

To Drive or Not to Drive: That Was Never the Question



Every now and then I meet someone in Manhattan who has never
driven a car. Some confess it sheepishly, and some announce it proudly. For
some it is just a practical matter of fact, the equivalent of not keeping a
horse on West 87th Street
or Avenue A. Still, I used to wonder at such people, but more and more I wonder
at myself.



I’ve been driving now for some 40 years, right
through what will come to be thought of as the heart of the Internal Combustion
Era. There is no learnable skill — aside perhaps from reading and writing —
that is more a part of me than driving. My senses have completely engulfed the
automobile,



 





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February 3, 2008
Published by Julie on February 3, 2008
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Closing the Barn Door


the national treasure strikes again


Closing the Barn Door After the Cows



Last week, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the way for the eventual
sale of meat and dairy products from cloned animals, saying, in effect, that
consumers face no health risks from them. The next day, the Department of
Agriculture asked farmers to keep their cloned animals off the market until
consumers have time to get over their anticloning prejudice. That is one
prejudice I plan to hold on to. I will not be eating cloned meat.




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February 3, 2008
Published by Julie on February 3, 2008
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Broad Art Museum

Zaha Hadid, who won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004, has been chosen to design the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University […]
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January 13, 2008
Published by Julie on January 13, 2008
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Service Dog Questions



Hello,

I have been getting a lot of questions from people about service dog certification. While I am glad to answer these questions, but I am very busy with work, school, and dealing with my as the requests increase it may be beneficial to publish my reply.

First the inquiry:
I am disabled, I have some vision deficits and balance problems,
but what my dog does for me is not readily apparant perhaps to someone on the
outside.  He does walk always on my weak side and subtlely leans into my leg if
I'm wobbly.  But emotionally, I am very dependent on him, as he was an integral
part of my recovery process after I suffered a stroke.  He came to the door and
appears to have had some "Canine companion," or service dog training, but we
could not find an owner.  Our vet believes he had the first part of the
training, and perhaps "washed out" because of a fear of loud noises.  Because he
was an integral part of my rehabilitation, I need him just like someone else
needs a cane to steady them or some other equipment.  I am willing to train with
him if there is a hope of getting whatever documentation, so that I could again
travel. Any information would be appreciated! 

This is my response to my this inquiry:


I used to raise puppies for Leader Dogs for the Blind and have worked with more
than 50 service dogs over the past 8 years.  I'll try to address your issues in
stages.


1.  You don't need any type of certification for your dog to be considered
a "service dog."  All he needs is the ability to perform a task for you.  The
Federal American's with Disabilities Act ( 28 CFR 36.104 defines the term
"service animal" as "any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually
trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability.")


Information about the ADA Act, and a printable card with the information,
is avialable on the website for the Delta Society ( www.deltasociety.org
).


2.  You aren't required to have ID on the dog, but I HIGHLY recommend you
purchase a jacket over the internet which states that the dog is a service
dog.

You can also buy the patches online if you want to attach them to some
other type of jacket or bandana.


3.  The law states that no one can ask about your disability or what the
dog does for you.  You MUST, however, identify your dog as a service dog when
asked to do so.


4.  You mentioned your dog may have had previous training but was washed
out for fear of loud noises.  This means your dog is probably not stable enough
to handle the work you're asking it to do.  You are likely creating undue stress
on the dog.  Very few dogs are capable of becoming service dogs, and even fewer
people have the training and skill to train their own service dog.  I really
don't recommend it unless you've trained service dogs before.  Even then, there
may be things you need the dog to do that you aren't trained to teach.  When a
person has little experience in training a service dog, they don't typically
recognize subtle problems with the dog.  It may be that your dog does some
things fantastically, but you're missing key signals that the dog has stress. 
Even my Hugo has stress at times, but you have to have considerable experience
and resources to get them through it.


5.  Training - I have only found one person who would help me train my dog
for service work, and she wanted about $7,500 to do it.  Most people go through
a service organization which is not only capable of training a dog for you, but
they can select the best type and temperament for your needs.


6.  Your service dog should be able to EASILY complete the AKC's Canine
Good Citizens Test which includes a variety of distractions ( including loud
noises ).  It's a good gauge as to whether or not your dog is stable enough to
do the work you are asking of him.


I appreciate that you want to have your current dog assist you, but even I
had to change my game plan.  I have a 5 year old German Shepherd who had health
issues which prevent him from working outside the house.  He has fantastic
skills and training to be my service dog, but I couldn't put him through any
additional stress.  So, I have him work for me just around the house, but I
purchased Hugo to do the work the rest of the time.



I hope I have helped.  Please consider a second dog from an organization
such as Paws With a Cause ( located in Michigan ). Sometimes you have to put your disability needs ahead of your personal
feelings about your dog.


Good luck,

Pam
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