Protecting Alaskan Gray Wolves and the Protect America's Wildlife Act (PAW)

As a longtime defender of wolves, other wildlife and environmental protection, I support the ongoing efforts of the Defenders of Wildlife non-profit organization. Defenders of Wildlife was founded in 1947 and is one of the country’s leaders in science-based, results-oriented wildlife conservation. They have been voted one of the nation’s top non-profits. Their mission is to save imperiled wildlife and advocating the landmark Endangered Species Act, remaining dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. One of their goals is to ensure that science, not politics, guides decision-making about the future of wolves.

In these difficult economic times, there are still ways to assist Defenders of Wildlife, even if you don’t have the monetary resources to contribute. Regardless of your political affiliation, if you favor the protection of wolves and other wildlife, you can take action by calling or writing your local or state representatives to urge them to vote to pass laws to either introduce or reinstate protection of these animals. Defenders of Wildlife makes it easy to forward template letters (which you have the option to customize), to the appropriate parties. I know it works since I’ve received email responses from my local and state representatives after their office received petitions and letters that I’ve sent.

The greatest population of gray wolves is in Alaska. Currently, there are reinstated laws that allow the brutal hunting of these animals mainly by aerial gunning from a plane or helicopter. Wolves are chased to exhaustion for several miles until the hunter can kill them at point-blank range. On three separate occasions, Alaskans voted on this issue. On August 28, 2008, over 70,000 turned out to vote in order to end private aerial hunting of wolves as well as bears and to limit the practice to be conducted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, if needed. Unfortunately, the ballot was defeated so the next step is to pass the Protect America’s Wildlife Act (PAW).

In these difficult economic times, there are still ways to assist Defenders of Wildlife, even if you don’t have the monetary resources to contribute. Regardless of your political affiliation, if you favor the protection of wolves and other wildlife, you can take action by calling or writing your local or state representatives to urge them to vote and pass laws either introducing or reinstating protection of these animals. Defenders of Wildlife makes it easy to forward template letters (which you have the option to customize), to the appropriate parties. I know it works since I’ve received email responses from my local and state representatives after their office received petitions and letters that I’ve signed.

You can visit the Defenders of Wildlife website to take action and notify your state representative to cosponsor H.R. 3663, the Protect America's Wildlife (PAW) Act, introduced by Rep. George Miller. The PAW Act would end needless and cruel aerial hunting of wolves and other wildlife by closing a loophole in the Federal Airborne Hunting Act of 1972.

Pink Floyd and the loss of Richard Wright

I was saddened to hear that one of rock's greatest bands, Pink Floyd, has lost another founding member. Richard Wright passed away in London last Monday (September 15th) from a short illness with cancer. The unassuming Rick (as he was known by the band) first met members Roger Waters and Nick Mason while attending architecture school in Britain and together with lead guitarist, Syd Barrett, formed a band in 1964. They underwent four name changes until finalizing the moniker "Pink Floyd" in 1965 (which was a juxtaposition of the names of two blues singers, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council). Syd Barrett left the band in 1968 with David Gilmour replacing him soon thereafter. When Waters exited the band in 1981, Pink Floyd continued a successful career recording and touring together through the 80's and into the 90's until their last studio album, "The Division Bell" was released in 1994. In 2005, all the original members reunited for a Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park, which was the first time together in 24 years. The following year, Syd Barrett lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Pink Floyd's classic 1973 "The Dark Side of the Moon" is one of my all-time favorite albums and was well worn on the turntable during my teenage "angst" years. Who could forget the ethereal melodies of "Us and Them"? Rick initially wrote it as a piano piece for a soundtrack to the 1970 U.S. counterculture movement movie, "Zapriskie Point". The song never made it on the soundtrack but was further developed with Waters and later sung by Gilmour for "The Dark Side of the Moon". This legendary album sold over 30 million copies worldwide over a 35-year span and stayed on the US album charts for over a decade.

...."Down and out
It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about.
With, without.
And who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?
Out of the way, it's a busy day I've got things on my mind.
For the want of the price of tea and a slice
The old man died."
- Waters, Wright (Pink Floyd)

The Rays are going to the Playoffs!

What an exciting game today, Rays vs. Twins....winning 7-2! Tropicana Stadium was loudly clanking with cowbells! Why is this such a big deal? Consider that the Rays are the second team in the history of major league baseball to reach the playoffs the year after having the worst record in the majors (66-96)...the Braves were the first (65-97).

Get ready as the Rays open the Playoffs the beginning of October - they're in and we're proud!

Traditional method of making cheese - Info about Animal Rennet (or Rennant)

My daughter recently purchased a gourmet French Goat Cheese and called me up when she noticed on the label that it contained animal rennet. "What's animal rennet", she asked. Good question. Animal "rennet" or as it is also known by, "rennant", are enzymes extracted from the fourth stomach of a slaughtered, newborn calf. Rennet coagulates the milk causing it to separate into solids (curds) and liquids (whey). The main enzyme is called chymosin.

The use of animal rennet is the traditional method of making cheese and has been used for centuries. There are now alternative means to cultivate the coagulation process such as producing vegetable rennet from plants, microbial rennet from bacteria molds, genetically engineered rennet, using calf-genes, and acid coagulation such as citric acid, which is used to produce cheap mozzarella cheese. If you are a gourmet cook and like to use European cheeses, keep in mind that the use of animal rennet is still the common method of manufacturing cheese.

If you are a vegetarian or animal welfare activist, you will need to do your research on what brands use alternative means to cultivate cheese. Target brand "Market Pantry" uses vegetable enzymes. Organic Valley and Horizon Organic Cheese use microbial enzymes. Kraft sharp and extra sharp cheeses do contain animal rennet.

There is a textbook entitled, "Food Biotechnology in Ethical Perspective", authored by Paul B. Thompson. He states that recombinant rennant has received no resistance from food safety or animal welfare organizations.

I wonder just how many people really know that most of the cheese they have been eating for several years was produced not only by the use of milk but by slaughtering baby calves to obtain enzymes from their fourth stomach to coagulate that milk! Check your labels!

The Florida Code

I received this very funny email and wanted to share it with my fellow Floridians who can certainly relate to it! (Author is unknown).

The Florida Code...

When giving directions in Florida, you should always start with the words, "take I-75 or take I-95".

If you're a snowbird or a non-working retiree, you absolutely cannot drive between the hours of 6 am and 10 am and 4 pm and 7 pm. This is considered to be rush hour and you're not in any rush. No exceptions.

Freeways can only go north and south. Not east and west.

Tolls are a fact of life down here, the state has to make money so deal with it!

I-275 will always be under construction...that's the law, there is nothing anyone can do about it, period!

A1A and ALT A1A are the same streets.

Traffic lights aren't timed and never will be.

We measure the distance you travel in time, not miles.

If you travel more than 5-10 miles on any road in any part of Florida without seeing an orange 'Bob's Barricade,' you're lost!

If you miss your exit on I-75, I-4 or I-275, it's perfectly acceptable to back up.

Every street in Florida has both a name and a number (i.e., Adamo = 60th), just for the hell of it and for the pleasure we get from the reaction of visitors when we give them directions.

Once the light turns green, only three (3) cars can go through the intersection. Eight (8) more go through on yellow, and four (4) on red.

Know the difference between Sun Pass, Sun Fest, Sun-Sentinel and Sun Trust.

Flip flops, tank tops and baggy shorts are also known as business casual.

Your blinker means nothing.

English is our first and second language.

It is perfectly acceptable to brag about the size of your generator.

It is totally acceptable to be living in Florida but not root for the Dolphins, the Marlins, the Rays, The Heat or the Panthers but not rooting for the Bucs is an arrestable offense.

We have alligators here in Florida and they WILL bite you. Don't be stupid and try to feed or pet one.

When a hurricane is headed our way, even though you have advanced warning and you are told to be prepared, you're not a true Floridian unless you wait until the absolute last minute to go to Home Depot to pick up plywood or to Publix to stock up water, ice, beer and potato chips.

You know how to spell Okeechobee. There is an Okeechobee Blvd., Street, Avenue, Town, Lake and County.

A true Floridian does NOT own a boat. They make friends with someone who already owns one. That way you don't have to deal with any of the headaches.

You weren't born here. If you were, you're angry that everyone else moved here.

There's always a Walgreens across the street from a CVS on almost every corner - with more being built every day.

When picking up a woman on South Beach, always look for an Adam's apple.

It's normal to sweat when you are putting up your holiday decorations.

Jupiter is a city, not a planet.

Seniors have to do their errands during the weekdays. Not weeknights or weekends - that's for the working folks.

There are three types of dolphins: Mahi-mahi, Flipper and also one called a football team.

You can't say..."this is how we did it up north." If you think that way, then go back.

No matter what they decide in Tallahassee, you will never, ever be able to figure out your property taxes.

Learn how to dress in layers. It will be 95 degrees outside but inside any restaurant or business, it's 65 degrees.

There are three things you will need to survive a Florida winter: A long-sleeved T-shirt, sunscreen and the ability to mock all those extremely pale 'visitors' with the bright pink 'Florida tans.'

The same neighbor who smiles at you every day will be the first one to rat you out if you are violating water restrictions.

Check out my store - Giving Works!

I've been an ebay buyer and seller for the past eight years and am currently selling some items with between 25 to 45% of all proceeds benefiting Mercy Corps, Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary, the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, Big Cat Rescue and the Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary.

The mission of Mercy Corps is to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Mercy Corps works amid disasters (i.e. Hurricane Katrina), conflicts (i.e. Darfur), chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.5 billion in assistance to people in 106 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America and Europe, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,500 staff worldwide and reach nearly 16.4 million people in more than 35 countries. It is considered one of the most ethical and helpful charities in the world.

The Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary (located in Montgomery, Texas) was created to provide a permanent home where captive born wolves and wolf-dogs may live out the rest of their natural lives safely and comfortably with loving care and attention. These are non-releasable animals that have suffered much and deserve a stable home. The Wolf is officially extinct in the state of Texas. The chances of them staying alive outside a sanctuary are remote.

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary

The Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary (located in Ramah, New Mexico) provides captive bred wolves & wolf-dogs with a permanent, safe sanctuary. It also exists to educate the public on wild wolves, wolf-dogs, wolves and captivity and the humane treatment of all animals domestic or wild.

Big Cat Rescue is a non profit educational sanctuary that was founded in 1992 (located in Tampa, Florida). The organization...."is devoted to rescuing and providing a permanent home for exotic (i.e. wild, not domestic) cats who have been abused, abandoned, bred to be pets, retired from performing acts, or saved from being slaughtered for fur coats, and to educating the public about these animals and the issues facing them in captivity and in the wild.

The sanctuary houses the most diverse population of exotic cats in the world, with 14 of the 35 species of wild cat represented among more than 100 residents. These include tigers, lions, leopards, cougars, bobcats, lynx, ocelots, servals, caracals and others, many of whom are threatened, endangered, or now extinct in the wild."

Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary (located in St. Pauls, North Carolina) was started to answer the need for a safe place for blind cats that were deemed unadoptable by regular shelters and were going to be killed just because they are blind. I am donating proceeds to this shelter in memory of my beloved Aunt Helen, who was a cat lover and had adopted a family of siblings (cats) that would have surely been euthanized without her help.

The Mercy Corps website has a tag to...."Be the change", taken from a Mahatma Gandhi quote..."You must be the change you wish to see in the world." With fear and uncertainty and the political machines on both sides paralyzing people into a state of inertia, focusing on the many things that are still right in this life should be the priority. I know it is easier said than done but there will always be that feel-good story printed in tiny font on the bottom of page 12 of our local newspaper if we just search for it.

My Bohemian Nature

I always had a Bohemian nature, adapting my wanderlust ways via being raised in a transient military lifestyle. Life began by being "Made in Japan", watching the majestic splendor of the fiery sunsets of Albuquerque, New Mexico, attending first grade in Germany and enjoying picnics with my family at nearby castles, exploring the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and viewing the deer in the morning that came to graze in the strawberry field next to our house, residing among the prairies of Kansas (Salina & Ft. Riley) before settling in sunny Florida. Regardless of whatever "business profession" titles past, present or future, I will always be an artist at heart. After graduating from high school in Florida, I had the opportunity to receive summer training in cast metals at Arrowmont School of Crafts in Gatlinburg with credits through the University of Tennessee, followed by a general fine arts curriculum at the Memphis Academy of Arts, shifting the "focus" to photography at the San Francisco Academy of Art and culminating my fine arts education with a major in painting at the University of Arizona in Tucson....and that was only Phase I! Then, through a series of life events, I entered the business sector, where I remained for over 20 years, acquiring a B.S., M.S. as well as a year of doctorate courses along the way. Nothing like diversity!

While operating a non-profit organization a few years back, I also had the unique opportunity to teach therapeutic art to disadvantaged teens and adults coping with chronic illness and end of life issues. There is great power in creativity!

The Artist Within...

The artist resides in all of us. Some people are school or mentor-trained...others self-taught....each to varying degrees of aptitude. There are also individuals with untapped creative talent embedded deep inside the circuitry of the brain waiting to be discovered.

The ability to create offers a means to handle the stresses of everyday life. Getting lost inside the process of creativity unleashes suppressed emotional energies and allows us to work through sub-conscious layers of hidden anger, fear, anxiety, frustration, confusion or guilt. Sometimes, there are past difficulties so traumatic that to purge these to the surface requires additional therapeutic remedies such as counseling to help the individual cope with releasing the negative angst of the past that is preventing him or her the ability to handle the present moment effectively.