Canine Influenza Virus H3N8...

A media briefing from the Centers for Disease Control addresses the newly identified canine influenza virus H3N8. In this September 26, 2005, discussion the participants were directly commenting on the questions and issues that were brought up by the Science Journal article, "Transmission of Equine Influenza Virus to Dogs."

The major emphasis and studies concerning this recent discovery is focused on the development of an equine virus, how it was transmitted to canines, and the implications concerning the possibility of human infection. The authors of the paper Dr. Ruben Donis, Centers for Disease Control; Dr. Nina Marano, Centers for Disease Control; Dr. Cynda Crawford, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine; and Dr. Ed Dubovi, Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostics Center all agree that there is a very small likelihood for the transmission of equine influenza to humans.

The H3N8 virus has been present in horses for over 40 years. The first identified incident of the H3N8 canine influenza virus was at a Florida greyhound racetrack in January, 2004. From April to May of 2005 samples were submitted from the pet sector of the canine population and were positively tested as being canine influenza virus. It is unknown exactly how widespread H3N8 is in the canine population across the United States but there have been verified cases in the New York City area with one possible canine patient in the state of Massachusetts. Dr. Ed Dubovi from Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostics Center states that there are more samples on their way for testing from various locations across the country.

The canine influenza virus presents itself clinically much like that of the bordetella bronchiseptica bacterium which is much more commonly referred to as kennel cough. What has been noted is that many dogs that are infected with the canine influenza do not exhibit overt symptoms and therefore are not brought to veterinarians for treatment. Dogs infected present with a characteristic cough that is associated with bordetella bronchiseptica and may also have a slight fever and a nasal discharge. A complication that is associated with the influenza infection is pneumonia. There have been a small number of fatalities reported that are attributed to the development of pneumonia in the canine patient. While a high number of deaths were witnessed from a very small outbreak in a Florida greyhound racing facility Dr. Cynda Crawford, from the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, expects an actual mortality rate of 6 to 8 percent from this virus. Dr. Crawford admits that due to the developing data that these numbers could change.

Dr. Nina Marano from the Centers for Disease Control advises pet owners to exercise common sense. Additionally, Dr. Marano states, “if your dog is exhibiting any signs of a respiratory illness, you certainly want to get some advice from your veterinarian”. According to Dr. Marano, pet owners should keep their dogs at home if they currently have a respiratory infection or are recuperating from an infection for at least a “couple of weeks”. Dr. Marano reiterated that common sense was a good guideline to follow and that pet owners should continue their daily activities with their pets, such as going to dog parks and other dog-related activities unless their pet has a respiratory infection, or is recovering from one.

Most pets receive annual vaccinations which protect them from contracting many diseases. The parainfluenza virus is usually a part of the yearly vaccination regimen but H3N8 is not related to it and in fact is very different than parainfluenza. Some veterinarians also routinely vaccinate for bordetella bronchiseptica bacterium or kennel cough. Neither of these vaccines will protect dogs against the canine influenza virus. At this time, a vaccine for canine influenza virus has not been developed.

Pet owners should contact their veterinarian if their pet exhibits any respiratory symptoms. Pets should receive a thorough physical exam by a veterinarian who will then be able to prescribe a treatment regimen according to their physical findings. Dr. Crawford urges pet owners to keep their pets vaccinated because ”it may be that bordetella bronchiseptica and/or parainfluenza virus may turn out to be the more common causes of kennel cough”.

Article written by T.J. Morgan

It's Late...

It's late and I'm tired.

I do want to share one thing here with you guys though. I received a forwarded e-mail that I felt compelled to check out. (Please refer to my previous post "Please Forward to the Recycle Bin".)

Sure enough... this is a real article that can be found on the internet.

Meet the person who wrote it.

later...

Free to Blog...

I was fixin’ dinner and I got to thinking about this article I read. So I just had to say something about it.

People… it’s not a cliché. We have a lot of freedoms in this country that we take for granted. We can choose to do, or not to do, so many things. As long as we are within the boundaries of our laws we pretty much can do whatever we want.

Take blogging for instance. I can write or post most anything that I want on the internet. I can curse, swear, discuss politics or religion; I can support or condemn anyone or anything. I can offend my readers or I can encourage and entertain them. Whatever I want to do with my blog I can do it. And the thing about it is that I am doing what I want and how I want to do it for free!

Before blogging was invented I used to write e-mail after e-mail about the same type of stuff that I post now, and I would spam my friends and family with it all. The web log has given me a new lease on life. *wink*

As with any good thing there can be bad things too. Blogging can get out of hand and it can get raunchy. I have run across a few blogs that were both. From my ethical point of view, I don’t think that these kinds of bad blogs should be on the internet for just anyone to stumble across them.

Technology is pretty much exercising every bit of our freedom of speech here in America. Now, more than ever, America’s voices are crisscrossing the country and the world. Even the world is developing its own independent voices…

Wait… Wait… Wait a minute here! Not everyone has a free voice. Everyone with internet access does not mean that everyone has equal freedoms.

There are 62 people currently in jail in China due to violations of Chinese internet content laws. Did you hear that Yahoo turned Shi Tao, a Chinese journalist, in to the Chinese government and Mr. Shi was hauled off to jail by the authorities? The improper content, according to Chinese law, was contained in an e-mail that Shi had sent.

Yahoo, Microsoft, and Google have offices over there in China. Yahoo has filters on its search engines that do not allow you to search for Chinese words like “Free Tibet”. Currently, Google doesn’t have similar filters on its engines (yet), but the Chinese government’s system blocks many of its web pages. The potential of millions upon millions of internet users are too much to pass up for these corporate internet giants.

All I’ll say right now about our foreign policy with the Chinese government is that China seems to get to have her cake and eat it too. And corporate America is serving it to her with ice cream on top.

later…

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales...

I really never have been much of one to read any of Geoffrey Chaucer’s works. You know, I just couldn’t understand it, much less “get into it”. Well, there’s this guy from Canada who “got into it” and has rewritten the words of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales into modern day rap. Yep… He has CD’s and everything. What had started out as a thesis paper has now turned into a rap career for Baba Brinkman.

Young Mr. Brinkman also takes his tunes to public schools. Evidently educators like the bridge that he makes from old to new in English literature. He performs at high schools and universities. Educators think that he gets the kids interested in studying about Chaucer.

You can go to Baba Brinkman’s website and read all about it. He also has audio mp3 files on the site where you can listen to some of his stuff. To hear the whole thing you have to buy the album though. *smile*

It is interesting to say the least, but I still seem to have trouble interpreting ‘modern Chaucer’ just as much as I did the ‘traditional Chaucer’. Why is that?

later…


**The picture is for Rene` who is planning a trip to the gulf.

STOP! THIEF!

This morning there was a squirrel barking at me. He was demanding that I leave his territory. The nerve of him! This is my yard, my house, and those are *my* pecan trees. Later this afternoon there was a squirrel throwing shrapnel down upon my head. I look up to find a squirrel has blatantly stolen another one of my precious pecans and he quickly makes short of the green husk.

Yes, I said green husk. The squirrels don’t wait for a fully mature pecan. They start eating them before they are ready to be eaten by humans. That’s their plan you know. Eat the pecan harvest before the humans can get it. I can hardly walk barefoot in my own yard for the pecan trash they have created. The sharp shells stab your feet. You can tell where they have sat in one place with a nut to de-husk it, shell it, and eat it. They leave a significant pile of debris on the ground.

Not only do the squirrels eat my pecans but they dig holes all over my yard and flower beds. Next spring will be spent pulling not only weeds but pecan seedlings too. Plus, the squirrels just don’t dig holes to bury the pecans; they dig holes to find them. So for every pecan that is buried I have two or three holes dug into my turf. And that’s if I have ‘smart’ squirrels that remember where they buried the nuts in the first place.

Now I have to worry about my bulbs. Squirrels eat tulip and crocus bulbs. I have both. I was also planning on planting more bulbs this fall! Will it be an exercise in futility?

It seems that there was a squirrel boom this summer as I am seeing a lot of small young squirrels all over the place. I don’t mind sharing a pecan or two with a squirrel, or maybe two squirrels but it seems that I have a “herd” of squirrels in my yard, and it looks like they are doing a good job of eating my entire pecan crop. How many times have I seen a squirrel running off with a cluster of pecans in their mouth? If there is a cluster of two or three pecans they take the whole shebang with them. Not just one.

Aaaaarrrrrgh!

It appears that other people have expensive squirrel problems and they must have a big problem with squirrels in Colorado too. But these things are minor when compared to a squirrel attack! Do you think I should arm myself?

Hmmmm… There’s got to be a solution here.

later…

Plant Identification Help Needed...

I have a lot of homework still to do but I am going to shut things down for the evening and go to bed. I hope that I can get it all completed tomorrow. There’s a lot still to be done.

Sue is diligently taking care of the little garden. I haven’t had opportunity to go over there. She sent me some pictures of the zucchini plants. They look like they are happy and doing well. Good thing they have Sue watching after them, because I certainly have not been available of late. It's pretty sad that someone has to send me pictures just so that I can see the progress of the garden. Something about that just doesn't seem right.

Meghan stopped by today with her two kids. I hadn’t seen her in quite a while. We had a really nice visit. Meghan looks really good and her kids are growing up. She is also expecting her third child which is due to be born in May. I have missed out on watching the first two grow up. Time just seems to get away from all of us.

Well… there seems to be a correction needed from my previous post. Linda’s mom, who is from Norman also, says that the plant is NOT a type of cactus but it looks like one. There are not any spikes, needles, or other sharp things on it. She says that it belongs to the milkweed family and does not produce annual blooms. The picture above shows the bud. Does anyone know or remember what the name of this plant is? I think that my Mom has one just like it at her house. Mom, do you know the name of it?

Well… I’ve gotta go guys. Will be checking back with you here…

later…

It's Late...

I just got home a little bit ago. I went back to work at 6:30pm and now it's tomorrow.

I can't seem to find much tonight on the internet on how Hurricane Rita is doing down south. I hope that everyone survives the storm. I don't have cable television so... guess I'll head for bed.

Just thought that I would remind everyone not to call me in the morning. I will be sleeping.

Linda from Norman sent me the picture of the cactus flower. The plant belongs to her mom. Isn't it just bizarre?

You guys have a great Saturday morning.

later...

The Sting...

Rita will make landfall soon. I called Mom a little bit ago. My brother Don, and his friend's family, have all made it safe and sound to Mom and Dad's. That's good.

Mom says that it looks like Hurricane Rita will hit a little higher up the coast. That would be wonderful for my brother' home and all, but bad for the oil refineries. From what I understand, the oil refineries on the Texas Gulf make up just over 25% of the oil production for the United States. Ouch. This one might really hurt.

Some good news though for the folks flying on the JetBlue airplane today. Did you see that video? Linda from Norman sent me a link to it. Pretty fancy flying if you ask me. The news clip is an interview with one of the passengers. She said that they were watching their plane on national television while they were flying around up there. That would be really weird. I'm glad that the passengers and crew made it and all, but a thought did cross my mind. How many people get to be part of the audience that sees how, when, and where they are going to die? Today's technology is just unbelievable.

The picture is of a scorpion that Parker had spied on the bank of the Guadalupe River in Texas. I was surprised to find him there myself, all wet and all. Maybe he was in training for hurricane season.

Still praying.

later...

A Painfully Familiar Situation...

Here we go again. Hurricane Rita is on her way. Gas prices are going up by the hour around here. I’m sure they are everywhere else too.

I’ve noticed that the state of Texas has been doing a lot of communicating with the folks down there. They’re evacuating hospitals and nursing homes and making sure that people are moving north. Public schools are closing as well as naval bases. Entire counties have issued mandatory evacuations.

Having read the National Weather Service’s postings, it sure doesn’t sound like the majority of Texas is going to have a good time of it at all. There are reports that things could get bad here in Oklahoma too if we get a lot of that rain. It’s my understanding that the city of Norman is preparing for flooding in the 100 year flood plain region they have down there. Things are looking dismal as forecasters are getting conflicting reports from their computer generated models on how this hurricane is going to track.

My brother lives near the coast and has already called Mom and told her that he will be evacuating to her house. He has also requested to bring a friend and his family up with him so that they will have a place to go. I know that my brother is real busy right now taking care of the business that he manages down there in El Campo. Mom said that they were securing everything and that my brother had hoped they would be finished with most of it by today.

The advisory that the National Weather Service has issued for high winds and rain includes the area where Mom and Dad live. They are saying to be prepared for downed power lines and trees. Mom and Dad live several hundred miles from the coast. This is a monster storm.

I believe that everyone I know lives on high ground. That’s good. I pray that there isn’t a lot of flooding. I have never seen the amount of rain that they are forecasting at one time before. I hope that I can still say that after this week-end.

Still praying…

later…



SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1045 PM CDT WED SEP 21 2005

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-221300-
ALFALFA OK-GRANT OK-KAY OK-WOODS OK-HARPER OK-WOODWARD OK-NOBLE OK-
ELLIS OK-GARFIELD OK-MAJOR OK-PAYNE OK-KINGFISHER OK-LOGAN OK-
BLAINE OK-DEWEY OK-ROGER MILLS OK-LINCOLN OK-CUSTER OK-CANADIAN OK-
OKLAHOMA OK-CADDO OK-BECKHAM OK-WASHITA OK-POTTAWATOMIE OK-
SEMINOLE OK-CLEVELAND OK-GRADY OK-MCCLAIN OK-HUGHES OK-KIOWA OK-
GREER OK-HARMON OK-PONTOTOC OK-GARVIN OK-COMANCHE OK-JACKSON OK-
COAL OK-ATOKA OK-STEPHENS OK-MURRAY OK-TILLMAN OK-JOHNSTON OK-
CARTER OK-COTTON OK-JEFFERSON OK-MARSHALL OK-BRYAN OK-LOVE OK-
HARDEMAN TX-WILBARGER TX-FOARD TX-WICHITA TX-CLAY TX-ARCHER TX-
KNOX TX-BAYLOR TX-
1045 PM CDT WED SEP 21 2005

...IMPACTS ON OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS FROM HURRICANE RITA...

WHILE UNCERTAINTY STILL REMAINS IN THE EXACT PATH OF RITA...THE
LATEST INFORMATION SUGGESTS IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY LIKELY THAT
REMNANTS OF THE STORM WILL EFFECT THE OKLAHOMA AND ADJACENT PARTS OF
NORTH TEXAS SUNDAY AND MONDAY. IF THE STORM TAKES A MORE
EASTERLY TRACK IT IS LIKELY THAT LITTLE OR NO EFFECTS FROM THE STORM
WILL BE EXPERIENCED IN THESE AREAS.

SHOULD THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF THE HURRICANE VERIFY...THE
FOLLOWING EFFECTS WILL BE POSSIBLE...IF NOT LIKELY ACROSS PART
OF WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND CENTRAL AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

1. 25 TO 35 MPH SUSTAINED WINDS...WITH WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 50 MPH...
SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM WICHITA FALLS... TO LAWTON... TO
OKLAHOMA CITY AND STILLWATER. SMALL AND LIGHTWEIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS
SHOULD BE SECURED. WINDS SHOULD TAPER OFF TO 15 TO 25 MPH SUNDAY
NIGHT...BUT THIS WILL BE DEPENDANT UPON THE STRENGTH AND SPEED OF
THE SYSTEM ONCE IT MAKES LANDFALL.

2. HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLOODING. 3 TO 5 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY
HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE I-35
CORRIDOR. MUCH OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA HAS BEEN IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS
FOR MOST OF THE SUMMER AND THIS RAIN WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL.
HOWEVER...DEPENDING UPON THE RATE OF MOVEMENT OF THE SYSTEM...TOO
MUCH RAIN MAY FALL IN TOO SHORT A TIME TO ALLOW SOILS TO SOAK UP THE
RAINFALL. THUS...SOME FLOODING MAY RESULT. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL
LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR LATE THIS WEEKEND.

3. A FEW TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE... MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE
STORMS TRACK. CURRENTLY ALONG AND EAST ON INTERSTATE 35.

4. WET ROADS...HEAVY RAINFALL AND INCREASED TRAFFIC COULD LEAD TO
DELAYS AND ACCIDENTS. ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR TRAVEL
DESTINATIONS THIS WEEKEND.

5. SOME AIRLINE DELAYS WILL BE POSSIBLE. AGAIN...ALLOW EXTRA TIME
TO REACH YOUR DESTINATIONS THIS WEEKEND.

BECAUSE THE TRACK REMAINS UNCERTAIN...THE BEST ADVICE NOW IS TO REMAIN
ALERT FOR POSSIBLE IMPACTS LATE IN THE WEEKEND FROM A WEAKENING
RITA. PLAN NOW AND CONSIDER WHAT STEPS YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE IF IT
BECOMES EVIDENT LATER THIS WEEK THAT RITA WILL INDEED AFFECT
OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

FORECASTS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS WILL MORE PRECISELY FORECAST THE
TRACK OF RITA AND THE POTENTIAL WEATHER IMPACTS ON OKLAHOMA AND
NORTH TEXAS. STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AS WE MOVE
CLOSER TO THE WEEKEND. FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING IMPACTS OF
HURRICANE RITA VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/NORMAN.

Growing Pains...

The questions kids and young adults ask and the comments they make are a direct reflection of where they are in that particular capsule of time and space. Growing into the person we were meant to be isn’t easy and there are many instances where it leaves parents and older adults in unfamiliar territory. We grasp for the dusty moth-eaten memories of our childhood and young adult years to help give us an idea of what these young people are currently going through. Try as we may, we cannot always connect.

Becoming an adult can be such an arduous and painful journey. I do remember that. I also see and observe many people in their twenties who are still trying to discover and establish who they are and what they will stand for. Setting boundaries and rules for our lives seems to take time. There’s an internal struggle that comes with maturing. Sometimes establishing our own moral compasses and ethics takes much more time than some think that it should. Fortunately, for most, time is a primary ingredient of our lives and life experiences are a given. Both of these combined are as leaven to our lives.

There are many bridges to cross and hopefully few will be burned; lessons to learn and mistakes to be made. Decisions will cross our paths and directions will be chosen, and hopefully no one along our way is seriously hurt. Discovering who we are and what we will be committed to is a continuous cycle that doesn’t stop when you grow older, but it does get easier. As we work from our value-based perspectives that our parents encouraged when we were very young, there is one common thread that we seek. That thread is love and an unconditional acceptance of whom we are and who we are trying to become.

Those that hate feel despised and those that love feel nurtured. Those who are bitter feel slighted and those who are forgiving feel accepted. Those who steal feel cheated and those who are giving feel blessed. Those who are unhappy feel sorrow and those who feel joy have peace.

later…

A Volleyball Win...

We are just now getting home. I had a surprise when I picked up the kids from school. I had two extra passengers that I didn’t know about and they all needed a ride to the volleyball game. We made it to the girls’ volleyball game and they won! Carrie did a very good job, made several points, and some saves too. She has improved tremendously. This is only the girls’ second season to play. They formed their first volleyball team last year. Most of them had never played before, including Carrie.

The Lions had to work hard to get this win. They lost the first game and won the second two. Then they lost the fourth game which forced them to play the fifth ‘play-off’ game. It looked scary there for a few moments but they finished the game in fine fashion. They were really happy. It was great to watch and to see how well they were playing together. I don’t get to see very many of Carrie’s volleyball games at all.

A newsworthy note here: I was nearing empty and had to fill up with gas after the game. I was able to fill my tank for $29.30. I’m so happy that I got a full tank of regular unleaded for “under $30”! Sounds like a deal doesn’t it? Gas was down to $2.29/gallon, and yes, there was a small line forming. You guys can go to NW 23rd and Rockwell and get gas at the Conoco or at Albertson’s. They are both selling gasoline at the same price. It’s the best priced gas I’ve seen so far this week.

After getting the gas we popped over to Albertson’s for another expensive trip. Parker played paint ball with his friends over the week-end and got a really good case of poison ivy. I ran out of poison ivy meds last night which had pretty much been used up from his last encounter. So, I had to get the diphenhydramine, the calamine, and the ‘new stuff’ that Linda from Norman says works really well. We’ll see how it does. Parker seems to get three or four cases of poison ivy every year. I told Parker that poison ivy was expensive. Of course, Miss Carrie had to pick up a couple of items too. You know, my basic plan and theory on budgeting is that you don’t drive and you don’t go to the store. If you don’t go to the store then you don’t spend any money there. If you don’t drive then you don’t burn any gas.


We then had to go to Braum’s because we were out of milk and bread. While we were there the kids noticed some really pretty ice crystals that were forming branches in the freezer case. My camera was fogging up and I think it was the flash that made it look a little yellow. They were very pretty to look at and amazingly intricate and long; extending several inches away from their point of origin. I wish the picture had turned out better.

I must run now. I just thought that I would take my shoes and socks off and take a little break before I started studying for my mid-term. It’s every man for himself in the kitchen tonight.

later…

September 18, 2005

Well, from what I can tell things went well today with my ultrasound class. My students were from Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The people that helped make it happen need a giant “thank you”: Linda from Norman, Zachary, Maui, and of course Dr. Tina Neel and Sam Neel for providing the facilities.

The picture is of “Roy”. Roy belongs to Mom and Dad and he is a Great Pyrenees. He has a 24/7 “protection” job and he lives with their Boer goats. Roy’s job is to protect the goats from the numerous coyotes and other predators that they have down there. The nannies are going to be kidding soon and the coyotes really like to kill and eat a lot of the kids. Roy is fixing to be real busy soon.

I am really tired. I didn’t get to bed until late last night and was up and going early this morning. I didn’t really “quit” until almost 8:30pm… So, for those of you who e-mailed me I think I have answered all the ones that required replies. I believe that I got all the others written and sent. I am eating a snack and I think I am going to crawl into bed.

later…

Puppies...

I am getting ready for my ultrasound class that I am teaching tomorrow. Classic Medical Supply is sponsoring the class and Neel Veterinary Hospital is the host. Linda from Norman is going to help me today to get things RTG (ready to go) this afternoon and evening. (Thank you Linda!)

There are many times when an ultrasound exam ends up with bad news. That's why I am happy when I have the "fun" exams such as checking to see if a client's pet is pregnant. I have even checked a rabbit for pregnancy. The picture is a labrador puppy that is 30 days along in the gestation cycle. The head is within the amniotic fluid at the top left with the back pointing down. You can see the little legs beginning to form and pointing towards the top of the screen. These puppies were very active and fun to watch as they kicked and moved around.

Well... I have to run. Will be checking back here with you guys...

later...

Could This Be Why?

Blogger Status
Wednesday, September 14, 2005

From 9:30 to 10am we suffered an outage on one of our databases. This resulted in some people being unable to login to their accounts or post to their blogs. We're sorry for the inconvenience and are investigating what further measures to take.

Posted by Steve at 10:22

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Tomorrow (Sep9), there will be a scheduled outage (~1 hour) at 3pm while we move some stuff from older servers to newer ones. We'll post more info here if it takes longer.

Update: This is complete.

Posted by Eric at 15:57

Monday, September 05, 2005

We had a 30-minute outage from 6 am to 6:30 while one of our databases had a problem. Service is back up and we are investigating how to prevent this in the future.

Posted by Steve at 06:44

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

We had a 50 minute outage from midnight to 12:50 a.m. due to problems with a database. The machine has been restored and Blogger is back to normal.

Posted by Prashant at 02:02

Friday, August 26, 2005

The WYSIWYG post editor buttons are not currently appearing for some people using Blogger in various languages. We've verified this for French, Italian, and UK English, but it may affect others as well. If this is affecting you, please change your settings back to English for now and that should work. You can do this by clicking the "language" link at the very bottom of your dashboard (or by clicking here) and then selecting the first "English" option (but not "English (UK)"). We are working right now on getting these features back and working again for all languages.

Update: This should now be fixed. Feel free to change back to your preferred language setting, following the link above. If you continue to see problems with the posting form, please clear your browser's cache and cookies, then login again.

Posted by Graham at 09:31

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

We've just recovered from a 40 minute outage caused by a machine problem in the production network. We apologize for the unannounced downtime.

Posted by Jason at 19:28

Monday, August 22, 2005

We will have a brief (hopefully 5 minute) outage on blogger.com as we replace a faulty switch.

Posted by Jason at 16:50

Troubles...

What has happened to my blog?

The pictures are gone and I can't post a new one tonight. I hope that they aren't all lost! Well... I guess that everybody has trouble now and then.

I just came on here to tell you that I've been busy again. Sorry guys. I have to go to bed. It's 1am.

later...

Just Plain Busy...

Well folks, the day is over and I am out of time. I ran across an interesting group this evening that I would like to share with you. It is a consumer activist group. I thought that it was quite intriguing. Let me know what you all think about it.

Thank you Lord for this day and for the many blessings that you have given me. Please forgive me for any sin that I may have committed. Help me to rest this night as I really, really do need it. Thanks.

Amen.

State Question Fails...

Hurricane Katrina has certainly knocked over a bunch of trash cans and the garbage has blown everywhere. From misappropriations and corrupt infrastructures in Louisiana all the way to the state of Oklahoma, the hurricane has actually done us all a favor. In the long run that is.

With heightened awareness of what some could call criminal neglect, it seems that the state will be able to dig up funds for fixing our roads and bridges without the tax hike. This morning, the news that I heard is that the state has $200 million (or more) right now that they can set aside for the transportation projects. The Question had only been decided the night before. How did they find that money so quickly? And yes... it will take quite a bit more than the paltry $200 million.

Woefully behind, the state still hasn't answered the question of how and why did they let the transportation infrastructure get in this shape in the first place. If they hadn't of ignored the situation in the first place we wouldn't be so far behind now, in time or in funds. Secondly, where has the money that should have been used for the roads and bridges been going? Third... are the feds going to send auditors to make sure that the funds they give the states are spent where they were meant to be spent? Whether it is for levees or bridges or whatever?

So... aside from Louisiana, the rest of the nations' governors, legislatures, and mayors keep their mouths shut for the most part (as Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin should be doing) while the news media tears at the Bush administration like a rabid pitbull. Hopefully the civil servants are all busy making decisions and plans that will take care of business the way they should be doing. If I were a mayor or governor right now I would most certainly be opening a lot of closet doors and looking under all the rugs in my office. Neglect in the matters of public safety and the core infrastructures has proven to be deadly, costly, and just plain ignorant.

later...

Pa and Nathan...

The picture is of my dad and his youngest grandchild Nathan. The tractor was running as “Pa” was fixing to head for the field. Nathan didn’t really know what to think about it, especially since the tractor was so loud. But… he didn’t cry! Good Job Nathan.

I have been working on some of my homework and have run into some “technical difficulties” this evening. Now it seems that there is a really big thunderstorm heading this way. I have been watching the lightning through my window and now I can hear the thunder. I am so thankful for the rain.

I will be shutting down my computer now and so folks… that will be it for tonight.

later…

State Question 723...

An advertisement, an appeal, or any request that is made with an emotional slant to it always makes me suspicious. Maybe it’s from all of my years of being a mom. When you tug and pull at people’s emotions there is a tendency to make an emotional decision. Kids know that. Politicians know that too. Case in point is the advertising campaign in favor of State Question 723. This type of advertising makes me ask a few questions:

1. What are the “actual” facts and is this information slighted?
2. Why do they not want me to see this issue rationally?
3. What are the motives and who will this benefit?
4. Does this benefit me or the advertiser?
5. And how do these people know how many gallons of gas I use in a month?

Do you realize that it is the ‘poor’ people who will pay more than anyone else at the pump? Why is that you ask. Well, people of lower incomes usually drive older cars that use more gasoline. Lower income people do not get as good gas mileage as the people who drive the newer more efficient cars. Everyone is probably only thinking about the ‘poor’ SUV drivers though and how this tax will dramatically affect them.

If someone or a group of “someones” are paying for these huge advertising bills, I am sure they aren’t doing it for my benefit. Somebody somewhere is standing with an empty bucket waiting to fill it up. I just don’t know who it is.

You do know that the federal government gives all 50 states money to spend on their roads and highways. I would like to know where all of Oklahoma’s apportioned money has been going. Here are some 2001 numbers to think about:

In 2001, Oklahoma was one of only six states that received funds for “Special Projects”. That year Oklahoma received $15 million dollars.

Oklahoma also receives money for bridge replacement and rehabilitation from the federal government. In 2001, Oklahoma received almost $6.7 million.

Oklahoma is apportioned money for interstate maintenance and the national highway system. In 2001, the total funds that were received by Oklahoma, for its transportation system and its bridges, were almost $46 million. (That’s including the ‘Special Project’ money for that year.)

Now I know that roads and bridges aren’t cheap, but the State of Oklahoma isn’t footing the entire bill here. And let’s not forget that Oklahomans are already paying for the toll roads. That’s another group in and of itself… The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. How did that happen? Must be another one of those “lockbox” thingies.

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State Question 723 Ballot

A Public Service Announcement...

Well… I have had about all the excitement I have ever wanted in this life and really haven’t asked for any more, but this evening we did have a little incident. We received a phone call from the Home Again Recovery folks. The phone call was to inform us that our dogs were at someone else’s house! Carrie had come home from a soccer game and did not notice that the gate hadn’t latched behind her. Unbeknownst to us, the dogs had gotten out of the yard!

Our dogs are microchipped with the ID tags on their collars. Some very nice people down the street had called the Home Again telephone number. The operators then called us. I am so thankful that the people who found our dogs called! Our dogs love people and that is a very good thing. When we got there Miss Norma was enjoying a belly rub in their front yard. The dogs saw us and were so happy that we were able to join them in their fun. (silly dogs) What a relief…

Dr. Logan and Nadia should be home by now from their trip to Louisiana. I haven’t had a chance to talk with either one of them yet, but I am sure that they will have a lot to share with all of us at the hospital.

Sina, from work, has some more little kittens that are looking for homes. These kittens will be tested for feline leukemia and FIV. Johnna also fosters kittens and has one that is ready to be placed with a loving family. Both Sina and Johnna pay for the kittens’ medical bills and care for them out of their own pockets. Just call 405.947.8387 and leave a message for either one of them if you wish to adopt a kitten. Make sure you give the receptionists your name and a couple of numbers where you can be reached.

You can get microchips for your pets at Neel Veterinary Hospital. When you register your pet with the Home Again Recovery Service you can update any or all of your information online. Life changes, such as moving or new telephone numbers can be easily updated online. While collars and tags can be removed from found pets the microchips cannot be removed. There are some people who are tempted to keep found dogs without an honest attempt at locating the original owners. Knowing that a pet has a microchip is a very strong deterrent for most. Every found pet that is brought into NVH is scanned for a microchip. Also, microchips do show up on x-rays. Believe me, microchips work.

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September 11th...

Tomorrow is the 11th. I was browsing my pictures and ran across the pictures that Parker had drawn the day after the September 11th tragedy. He was nine years old then. Parker still deals with his stress by drawing pictures. I just thought that I would share them with you guys.

Everyone needs to stop and reflect on these kinds of things every now and then. It makes you thankful for your blessings, and helps you deal with your stress.

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Cut Your Gasoline Bill in Half Now!

My budget is just screaming right now. Since school has started, my driving has almost tripled. So guess what else has increased with it? Yeah… just like you, my gasoline bill has more than tripled also. I’m not looking forward to fall and lighting that pilot on the furnace.

The older the kids get the more we have to go somewhere. We always have somewhere we need to be. Between church, work, school, volleyball, soccer, basketball, track, band, and the grocery store we have enough trips to make for two families. We do all of these things in a very large circle. Round and round we go.

So I’ve been thinking. I look at those motorcycles that people ride and relish the gas mileage. I look at those mopeds and think, “Hey that looks good and maybe a bit safer too.” My biggest problem with those modes of transportation is that I personally just don’t feel safe or comfortable, and they are just useless for hauling kids around. So I did some more thinking and have come up with a solution. If the city and state governments would let us do it then we’ve got this oil thing halfway licked.

My idea is to use electric golf carts. If we used golf carts in speed zoned areas of 40 mph or less then we could haul the kids, the groceries and the soccer balls. I would think that golf carts would be much safer than motorcycles or mopeds and we could have the first “green” city in the country! They make golf carts that are completely enclosed and totally plush inside!

I’m not saying to get rid of our cars. What I am saying is that most of our driving is around our neighborhoods and schools and local stores. We spend an enormous amount of time sitting at red lights and we don’t have to drive that fast to get where we are going.

By the way, I already have a name for my idea too: TETO (Total Electric Transportation of Oklahoma), as in a teetotalist.

Oh well… It's just an idea. Good thing that I already have my trip to Heaven paid for.

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Something Smells Fishy in Louisiana...

Things are really beginning to smell in Louisiana, in more ways than one. Hurricane Katrina has probably uncovered some of the most surprising finds in governmental mismanagement. More mismanagement within Louisiana will be brought to light as the coming weeks and months unfold. Hopefully some needed changes will come out of all of this.

These are interesting stories:

First of all, did you know that the ‘new’ New Orleans doesn’t want to have their poor citizens come back? ”Old-Line Families Plot the Future” And they call President Bush a racist?

Did you know that the city of New Orleans wouldn’t let the Red Cross go to the Superdome with their provisions? Update: Red Cross Says "We Were Kept From Superdome By State" Was this Bush’s fault?

Louisiana has received the most funds, of any state in the union, for Corps civil works. How does $1.9 billion dollars sound to you? The Louisiana officials were effective in getting most of those funds diverted to projects other than flood control and levees. Do you think there was some political maneuvering here? ”Army's engineers spent millions on Louisiana projects labeled as pork” hmmmmm…

Finally, the media is beginning to realize a few things on their own. Or maybe they have been reading my blog? ”Blame Amid the Tragedy
Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin failed their constituents” There’s nothing like using common sense and reasoning. *sigh*

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Many Hands Makes Small Work...

As I look at the picture of the pines at Robbers Cave in southeastern Oklahoma I realize that the natural beauty of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi will take decades to recover. Hopefully, the lives, the commerce, and the homes of those affected will not take nearly as long.

Citizens of our nation and the nations around the globe continue to extend their hearts, hands, and funds towards the needs of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Many, many volunteers are working day and night to begin the road back to recovery. People from all walks of life are donating their time and expertise to the dire situation in the South.

The tasks set before the agencies and volunteers are daunting to say the least. It will take the efforts of many thousands of people to overcome this tragedy over the next several months. Some of the recovery operations may even take years. With everyone working together this monumental task can be overcome.

The staff at Neel Veterinary Hospital has become a part of the recovery effort. NVH has two staff members leaving today for Louisiana to help support the Veterinary Assistant Medical Teams (VMAT). The recovery efforts not only concern the well-being of dogs and cats but horses, cattle, and other animals including wildlife. Additionally, we have a co-worker that is opening her home to a displaced family that should arrive this Saturday.

For those who wish to support the American Veterinary Medical Foundation’s VMAT (Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams) you will find the information you need below.

Anyone who would like to assist any of NVH’s staff members that are taking refugees into their homes please contact us via e-mail. We will get you in touch with the staff members who need assistance in caring for the refugees. You can contact us through our contact page on our website.

Below is the information that has been provided via e-mail by the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association. I have copied and pasted this information here:



The VMAT efforts are made possible from an annual grant from the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF). Please help support the VMAT program by donating to www.avmf.org ,calling 800-248-2862 ext. 6689, or sending to AVMFoundation, 1931 North Meacham Rd, Schaumburg, IL 601273-4360. The restricted fund designation is "Animal Disaster Relief and Response"

The AVMA has the disaster preparedness booklet, “Saving the Whole Family” available at http://www.avma.org/disaster/saving_family.asp. Full text is available for free from the Web site.

Louisiana Information:

Contact Numbers for LA Animal Rescue Needs
Small Animal Rescue Requests: 225-578-9900
Large Animal Rescue Requests: 225-578-9501
For Hurricane Katrina information, questions, donations, etc...
Katrina@ldaf.louisiana.gov
(888) 773-6489, 225-237-5665 fax
Website: www.vetmed.lsu.edu

Happy to Leave Louisiana...

I have found the full content of what Barbara Bush said at Houston and what she was quoted as saying while visiting the refugees in Texas. I am most certainly disgusted by reading the comments of several Americans. Americans, who have most certainly taken Barbara Bush’s statements to the extreme, are using those comments to slander the Bush family with name calling and blatant unethical commentary.

CNN has published this quote of the former first lady:

"What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality," she said during a radio interview with the American Public Media program "Marketplace." "And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."

So what was Barbara Bush really trying to say? Why didn’t CNN try to find out?

Here’s my take on it:

Barbara Bush was in Houston trying to help former presidents Bush and Clinton to raise money for the disaster victims.

Barbara Bush is proud of the state of Texas and their response to the needs of Hurricane Katrina’s victims.

The refugees have been overwhelmed by the care and concern that they have been given in Texas and have expressed extreme gratitude to Barbara Bush and President Bush.

The refugees are in a ‘better’ place than where they were previously.

Refugees feel safe and secure and are experiencing a brand of “hospitality” that they appear to be unaccustomed to.

That Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama’s poor have found a state, and a people, that have welcomed them and that are willing to help.

That the “underprivileged” now have an opportunity afforded them that they never would have had before they were forced out of their hurricane ravaged homes. They now have hope.

That the state of Texas has a daunting and “scary” task of assisting the refugees in finding permanent housing and jobs for the displaced families. Of equal gravity is the burden on the school systems which will occur by taking in the thousands of school aged children.

Where will Texas find jobs for all of these people?

A monumental burden will be placed on Texas’ social services and associated agencies while they help the refugees rebuild their lives.

The state of Texas, and other participating states, are facing a huge financial and personnel outlay by helping Hurricane Katrina’s victims.


CNN’s editor should never have let that story be published with Barbara Bush’s quote hanging out there like that. It was unethical and the editor and reporter should have presented the story more professionally. Once again, the media forces us to research their stories to validate and prove whether or not what they are reporting is 100% true. It’s as if the news media is always looking for something to start a “fire” with. Especially if they do not like or support the individual who they are interviewing. What has happened to journalistic ethics? Yes, Barbara Bush did say those words. Were those words supported by the intent of her comments? No they were not. Did the reporter from “Marketplace” give her opportunity or ask her to clarify her comments? No she did not. Did CNN try to contact Ms. Bush before they published the story? Who knows?

If the reporter had been interviewing a volunteer and the volunteer had made those exact same comments, how do you think the story would have been written?


Facts:

Approximately 250,000 hurricane refugees descended upon Texas.

Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are three of the ten poorest states in the nation.

“States of less fiscal capacity spent less per capita on social welfare than states with higher per capita incomes. These differences between rich and poor states resulted largely from differences in states’ spending from their own sources of revenue. The distribution of federal funds neither greatly diminished nor greatly increased state differences in spending."

"Poor states spent less per capita than rich states did on social welfare programs.” 2004 Social Welfare Spending Report

Democrats in Louisiana have refused to support welfare reform which would help provide education to raise literacy levels, training, job placement and job support.

In 2002, Louisiana was ranked #4 in the nation for deaths due to firearms and #7 in the nation for violent crimes in general.

Yeah… I think I would be glad to leave Louisiana on the first bus out of there.

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Just Stop It...

The finger pointing and political backstabbing has to stop concerning the Hurricane Katrina Catastrophe. President Bush is not 100% at fault here. In fact, if you look at the facts, President Bush isn’t at fault at all. I personally am holding the news media responsible for negligent reporting and misinformation. Additionally, all those people in Congress, the House of Representatives and wherever else one may find a politician, who want to make this thing part of their political agenda should be directing their attention to how they can help in this horrible tragedy. Not only have Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi been declared as major disaster states, but ten other states that are helping with the refugees have been recognized and accepted as Emergency Declarations. We are talking about a huge problem here and I am tired of listening to the politicians, Jessie Jackson, Celine Dion, et al, offering criticism, racist points of view and everything else in between. This is not helping the situation.

Hopefully, most of America can see through all of the rhetoric. One thing is apparent and that is that the American people see the real and relevant needs and are giving unprecedented amounts of money, goods, and volunteered time.

The people who are pointing fingers of blame should step up to the plate and accept their share of the credits. The mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, and his Office of Emergency Preparedness are ultimately responsible for any immediate mismanagement of the crisis at “ground zero”. Secondly, the governor of Louisiana should have recognized the lack of leadership within New Orleans. Governor Blanco was slow to respond to her own constituents’ needs. The Louisiana National Guard was at her disposal, all she had to do was deploy them.

I understand that some do not know that the governor is the individual who issues the mandatory evacuation within the state. What is it about the word “mandatory” that was not understood? If you know that you have a considerable amount of impoverished and immobile citizens, then you must send the trucks in to get them out. If you are unable to get these people out, and instead elect to send them to a building to ride out the storm within the city, then you must have the provisions and manpower available to take care of these people. The National Weather Service gave Louisiana several days to be prepared. Additionally, the catastrophe that Katrina personally delivered has been predicted for many, many years and long before President Bush took office. This calamity was not a total surprise folks. More recently, The Times-Picayune had won national awards and recognition for a five part series that they had published on the subject. The five part series Washing Away, complete with pictures and graphics, was first published in June of 2002.

The State of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans, with or without federal funds to shore up Category 3 resistant levees, knew their predicament and their situation. They refused to act in their own best interests. They exhibited a blatant attitude of, “Oh well, we’ll just let the federal government clean it all up after the fact.” This attitude was displayed shortly after they realized their short sightedness and how they had placed their people into the middle of life threatening danger. Both the mayor and the governor verbalized their Plan A to the public via the media crying out, “Where’s the federal government? Where’s the National Guard? Where’s our assistance? We need them now!”

Lack of leadership at both the local and state level is an understatement. The verbiage and slander from both Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco towards President Bush was completely uncalled for in a situation as this. Mayor Nagin’s attitude, tone and vocalizations echoed of a person who has depended on the government to meet his every need. He did not convey an attitude of self-sufficiency at all. And why would Governor Blanco threaten to strike the President? She was acting like a spoiled child having a temper tantrum. Both were trying to use the tragedy to cover up their shortcomings. All one can say is that a person’s true character is exhibited in a time of crisis. Is there anyone who can convince former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani to run for office in Louisiana? Maybe the State of Louisiana could hire him to manage the entire horrible situation.

President Bush has certainly stepped up to the plate to take on the responsibility that the Louisiana officials have shrugged. Americans should be proud of him.

Finally, I want to share with you some facts about FEMA. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created in 1979. What a lot of people do not know, or realize is that the governor of the state must first request help from FEMA. The federal government, by law, cannot impose upon the state government. Also, FEMA gives training and guidelines to state and local governments and gives them the tools and information they need to deal with these situations immediately. Local and state governments are trained to maintain, control and handle the situation. They are also given this training and information because FEMA needs 24 to 72 hours to get manpower, equipment, and a plan deployed after the president has approved the declaration. There are a lot of other guidelines that must be met also. You can read all about it if you want at their website: http://www.fema.gov

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The Major Disaster Process

Major Disaster Declaration usually follows these steps:

Local Government Responds, supplemented by neighboring communities and volunteer agencies. If overwhelmed, turn to the state for assistance;

The State Responds with state resources, such as the National Guard and state agencies;

Damage Assessment by local, state, federal, and volunteer organizations determines losses and recovery needs;

A Major Disaster Declaration is requested by the governor, based on the damage assessment, and an agreement to commit state funds and resources to the long-term recovery;

FEMA Evaluates the request and recommends action to the White House based on the disaster, the local community and the state's ability to recover;

The President approves the request or FEMA informs the governor it has been denied. This decision process could take a few hours or several weeks depending on the nature of the disaster.

Just a Note...

Things went very well for Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary. Close to 100 people attended not counting relatives. (Let me tell you, I have a LOT of relatives.)

I have filled my 128mb memory chip with photos from this week-end. I will get them downloaded when I get home.

Anyway, here's a link to give you a some idea of community, family, and friends from down here. Many of the original families that settled here still have descendants in these parts, including my own.

Lake Victor, Texas

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In Texas...

Right now we are in the Great State of Texas. My parents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary tomorrow.

While my family welcomes friends and family to the Hill Country of Texas, the entire state of Texas continues to open its arms to tens of thousands of refugees. By all reports, things seem to be going fairly smooth here for the refugees, agencies and their volunteers.

I would like to reiterate to everyone that caution should be used in the forwarding of e-mails. There is a misleading e-mail that is being passed around in Texas. The e-mail is promising free gas and food to the refugees. The facts are: 1.) Refugees can immediately receive one month's worth of food stamps from the family services in Texas, but they must go through the application process for further assistance. 2.) Refugees will qualify for medical assistance through Medicaid. 3.) There is NOT any free gas.

Bogus e-mail information causes problems for everyone. I would like to share an e-mail that I received from the Hubble Website folks concerning my post Please Forward to the Recycle bin:

"Thanks, T.J. for helping to dispel the
information from that email which got recycled from 2 years ago. I've
certainly had a lot of questions about it."

"( And you are right, of course, about Mars never looking as large as
the full moon. It sure was a treat 2 years ago and it is a treat now.
It rises after midnight.)"

Cheers

Lucy Albert
Office of Public Outreach

*******************************************

As always, I will be checking back here with you guys...

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Those Turkeys...

The picture was taken by Linda in Norman. She has quite a bit of wildlife that walks by her front door on almost a daily basis. These are the wild turkeys that have been frequenting her place lately. I thought that the picture was a nicer way of putting things. You know, like “those turkeys”. It’s better than what I really have wanted to say about some of the things that have been going on lately. People, I am trying to be nice.

Linda had sent me an e-mail today about my last post and entitled it “harsh?” She felt that maybe I was being a little rough on the folks in Louisiana.

Linda said, “…I don't agree with the looting....like taking tv's and such when there is not electricity....but some of those people needed baby formula and shoes and food. I know if it was there to take and my family needed it I would do it too....but I would write down what I took and pay them back.”

Not a problem, if that was all that was going on down there. But that isn’t what is happening most of the time.

If you were somewhere, stranded, and needed a ride out of Dodge would you shoot your horse? Would you set the only shelter that you had on fire? What about rape? Is raping someone necessary for survival?

I just have to say it once again: the behavior in New Orleans is appalling, absolutely appalling and irreprehensible. I don’t recall reading or hearing anything like this when the tsunami hit. The tsunami victims suffered through a much greater loss of life, destruction and tragedy and they did it with dignity. Look at us… just look at us.

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