Subject: Comedy Central's Joke of the Day NewsletterDate: 28 Dec 2006 05:08:38 -0800
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Panda Bear A panda bear walks into a restaurant and orders a sandwich. When he receives the sandwich he eats it and then shoots the waiter and leaves the restaurant. A policeman sees the panda and tells him he just broke the law. The panda bear tells the policeman that he's innocent and, if he didn't believe him, to look in the dictionary. The policeman gets a dictionary and looks up "panda bear." It says, ''Panda Bear: eats shoots and leaves.''




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019

Happy 3 years, hunny. Wish you were here.

Date: 28 Dec 2006 05:08:38 -0800
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Panda Bear A panda bear walks into a restaurant and orders a sandwich. When he receives the sandwich he eats it and then shoots the waiter and leaves the restaurant. A policeman sees the panda and tells him he just broke the law. The panda bear tells the policeman that he's innocent and, if he didn't believe him, to look in the dictionary. The policeman gets a dictionary and looks up "panda bear." It says, ''Panda Bear: eats shoots and leaves.''




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019Copyright © 1995 - 2006 Comedy Central. All rights reserved.

Foster kidsLost And Foundhttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/14/60minutes/main2269159.shtmlCBS News Online

• > "If for an instant God were to forget that I am rag> doll and gifted me> with a piece of life I would> value things, not for> their worth but for what they mean. I would dreammore.> > I would walk when others hold back. If God were togive me a piece of life, I would dress simply,> throw myself face first into the sun, baring not> only my body but also my soul. My God, if I had aheart, I would write my hate on ice, and> wait for the sun to show. Over the stars I would> paint with a Van Gogh dream a Benedetti poem, and aSerrat song would be the serenade I'd> offer to the moon. > My God, if I had a piece of life...I wouldn't let a> single day pass> without telling the people I love that I love them.> I would show men how very wrong they> are to think that> they cease to be in love when they grow old, not> knowing that they grow> old when they cease to love! To a child I shall give> wings, but I shall> let him learn to fly on this own. I would teach the> old that death does> not come with old age, but with forgetting. So much> have I learned from> you, oh men...> > I have learned that everyone wants to live on the> peak of the mountain,> without knowing that real happiness is in how it is> scaled. I have> learned that when a newborn child squeezes for the> first time with his> tiny fist his father's finger, he has him trapped> forever. I have> learned that a man has the right to look down on> another only when he> has to help the other get to his feet. From you I> have learned so many> things, but in truth they won't be of much use, for> when I keep them> within this suitcase, unhappily shall I be dying."> > ~ ~ ~

Subject: Comedy Central's Joke of the Day NewsletterDate: 14 Dec 2006 05:08:42 -0800
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Shirts Off A woman sat on a plane heading for New York, when the pilot annouces that because of difficulties with the plane's engines, he must make an emergency landing. The woman, fearing that this may be the end of her life looks over to a man sitting next to her and rips her shirt and bra off, and throws herself on him. "Make me feel like a woman again!" she screamed. So the man rips his shirt off and hands it to her. "Here you go, you crazy bitch, iron this."




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019Copyright © 1995 - 2006 Comedy Central. All rights reserved.

December 9, 2006

Dear McKenna,

Time for your annual Christmas letter.

I’m sitting here half-watching Jim Carrey’s version of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” which I’ve seen before. It came out the Christmas you were only four months old.

I get pictures of you and hear all about your school activities and after-school fun – cheerleading and, until recently, ballet and karate.

I read an article recently about adoption, about a couple who added a final addition to their family after having two kids of their own. They feel very blessed as do your adoptive parents.

Every time I see a full moon or a “whole moon” as you call them, I think of you even more. I’ve been seeing a lot of them the past week.

I can’t believe you’re now 6 years old.

There are so many things I can’t wait to see you experience – your 16th birthday, high school graduation, your wedding. Sometimes I imagine what you will look like then, be like; etc.

Now I have flipped over to “The Polar Express,” some of which I’ve seen. There are so many cool kid movies that have come out during your childhood.

I hope you did get to see “Happy Feet” yesterday, which you were so excited about seeing at the IMAX Theatre.

I am so thankful for you and for Vicki and Larry, your adoptive parents. They have given you an extraordinary life.

I could have wished on every twinkling star in the sky and I couldn’t have wished for more special parents for you.

Your expression and animations remind me a lot of my niece Jessica when she was little. She’s now 31 and has two kids of her own.

Every day I count my blessings and the miracle that is you. Among my many blessings are you and your adoptive parents.

You also have the advantage of having a big brother. Yeah, he teases you sometimes but he loves you.
You know what I think is really great? The fact that your adoptive mom Vicki teaches you and Bryant the spirit of volunteerism regarding other kids.

That is such a precious gift. So many people don’t have that.

Your spirit is shining through in all your pictures, emails I get from Vicki, and our visits. It carries me through the day and there is not a day that I wake up that I don’t think of you, wondering what you’re doing, what type of happiness you are experiencing today, and about the joy you bring to so many people.

You started bringing such love to people the minute you were born.

I hope you have a great Santa holiday.

I love you,


Terri

Story: Eat for Life: Stew of spice-of-life variety
Stew
Eat for Life: Stew of spice-of-life variety
09:46 AM CST on Tuesday, December 5, 2006By JILL WENDHOLT SILVA McClatchy Newspapers
Just the thing for a chilly December night, this pork stew includes roasted vegetables and nutrient-packed spices. " height=119 alt="TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/Kansas City Star" src="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/v3/12-05-2006.nh_05eat.GO021I0DR.1.jpg" width=175>
TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/Kansas City Star Just the thing for a chilly December night, this pork stew includes roasted vegetables and nutrient-packed spices.
Blank is the spice of life.
Fill in the blank with cloves, oregano, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, basil, mustard seed, curry powder, paprika, chili powder, parsley or black pepper.
When it comes to health-promoting antioxidants in foods, culinary herbs and spices rank at or near the top of the list.
A study published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found the 12 spices listed above outranked the more widely touted antioxidant benefits of blueberries, dark chocolate and red wine.
This Curried Pork and Roasted Vegetable Stew is a seasonal dish that takes its cues from several of these heavy hitters.
Curry powder is a potent blend of up to 20 herbs, spices and seeds such as cloves, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric and black pepper.
Curries get their traditional yellow color from turmeric. The spice also contains curcumin, an antioxidant that may fend off heart disease and cancer.
P! aprika i s made by grinding sweet red pepper pods into a powder. Chili peppers are rich sources of vitamins A, C and E, folic acid and potassium.
The Romans used cumin as a culinary flavoring and a medicine. Modern scientists are studying it for its possible antioxidant and anti-cancer benefits.
Each of these spices plays well with sweet potatoes and squash, two nutrient-dense vegetables that are, coincidentally, also loaded with powerful antioxidants, especially beta carotene, a plant pigment that may help prevent certain cancers and ward off macular degeneration, an age-related deterioration of the eye.
Serving tips: This thick stew would be great served in a bowl, or it could be served over hot, steamed brown rice or in a crusty bread bowl.
You can also make these roasted vegetables and serve as a side dish any night of the week.
CURRIED PORK AND ROASTED VEGETABLE STEW
2
teaspoons olive oil, divided
1
large sweet onion, chopped
3
cloves garlic, minced
3/4
pound lean boneless pork loin, cut into ¾ -inch cubes
2
carrots, sliced
1
teaspoon ground cumin
1
teaspoon curry powder
½
teaspoon ground turmeric
½
teaspoon pepper, divided
¼
teaspoon salt
1
(14.5-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1
large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2
cups peeled acorn squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
½
teaspoon paprika
< class="dwsmodule">
1
tablespoon cornstarch
2
tablespoons cold water
Preheat oven to 425 F. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and swirl to coat pan. Add onion, garlic and pork. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and pork is browned. Stir in carrots, cumin, curry powder, turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt. Cook, stirring, about 30 seconds or until spices are aromatic. Stir in broth. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.
Place sweet potato and squash cubes in zip-top plastic food bag. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil and shake to coat evenly. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and paprika. Shake to coat evenly. Spread on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes or until golden, stirring halfway through cooking time. Stir roasted vegetables into stew. Cover and simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Increase heat to medium. Stir cornstarch into cold water, blending until completely dissolved. Stir cornstarch mixture into stew. Cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbly. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
PER SERVING: Calories 261 (19% fat)
Fat 6 g (1 g sat) Cholesterol 55 mg Sodium 412 mg Fiber 6 g
Carbohydrates 29 g Protein 25 g
SOURCE: Kansas City Star

Snow DaysA heavy snowstorm closed the schools in one town. When the children returned to school a few days later, one grade school teacher asked her students whether they had used the time away from school constructively. "I sure did, teacher," one little girl replied. "I just prayed for more snow."

Story: Home-baked gifts in minutes
Home-baked gifts
Home-baked gifts in minutes
01:39 PM CST on Monday, December 4, 2006Alicia Ross with Beverly Mills
Teacher gifts, quick hostess gifts to go, neighborhood hello. This time of year we find ourselves needing a small gift to give almost daily. There's nothing better than a gift of food to say "Thank you," "I'm thinking of you" or "You're special."
While we'd love to spend hours baking elaborate treats for all of the special people in our lives, reality just doesn't allow that kind of time. But with today's recipe, we can still give home-baked goodies without toiling for hours in the kitchen.

Wrap these delectable little treats in decorative cellophane bags and tie them with a sparkly ribbon. Think of these cookies as a "quick-and-easy baklava" and add a cute bear-shaped bottle of honey to the package. Look for the piecrusts on sale for an extra budget bonus.
ALSO ONLINE
More food gifts to make
In less than 20 minutes, your kitchen will be filled ! with the aroma of Sugary Pastry Crisps, and you'll be turning out gifts aplenty. Be sure to bake an extra batch to keep at home.
Write to Desperation Dinners, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016 or e-mail bev-alicia@desperation dinners.com.
SUGARY PASTRY CRISPS
2
(9-inch) unbaked refrigerated piecrusts (see Note)
3
tablespoons light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1
teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼
cup pecans or walnuts (pieces are fine)
¼
cup honey, for serving
Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Follow the microwave directions on the piecrust box to bring the crusts to room temperature and roll out each crust flat.
Place one piecrust on an ungreased cookie sheet or pizza pan. Repair any cracks or tears with wet fingers, pinching the dough back together. Crumble the brown sugar evenly over the entire crust. Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the sugar. Finely chop the nuts, and sprinkle them evenly over the crust.
Place the second piecrust over the first, and press down firmly with a flat hand. Press the edges of the two crusts together with your fingertips.
Bake the cookie until it is light brown, about 11 minutes. Slice the cookie into 12 trian! gle-shap ed wedges with a pizza cutter or knife. Serve warm, or allow to cool before packaging.
To serve: Place the slices on a serving plate, and drizzle the honey evenly over the top.
To package: Cool completely and place in decorative cellophane or zipper-top bags. Tie with ribbon, if desired.
Makes 12 cookies.
Note: For testing purposes, we used Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts.
Per cookie: Calories 212 (47% from fat)
Fat 11 g (4 g saturated) Cholesterol 7 mg
Sodium 135 mg Fiber trace
Carbohydrates 27 g Protein 2 g

Subject: Comedy Central's Joke of the Day NewsletterDate: 1 Dec 2006 05:08:33 -0800
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Country Politics A busload of politicians were driving down a country road, when suddenly the bus ran off the road and crashed into an old farmer's barn.
The old farmer got off his tractor and went to investigate. Soon he dug a hole and buried the politicians. A few days later, the local sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus and asked the old farmer where all the politicians had gone.
The old farmer told him he had buried them.
The sheriff asked the old farmer, "Lordy, were they ALL dead?"
The old farmer said, "Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how them crooked politicians lie."




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019Copyright © 1995 - 2006 Comedy Central. All rights reserved.

Subject: Comedy Central's Joke of the Day NewsletterDate: 22 Nov 2006 05:08:31 -0800
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Harvard Graduate How do you get a Harvard graduate off your porch?
Pay him for the pizza.




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019Copyright © 1995 - 2006 Comedy Central. All rights reserved.

Some vets turning to alternative treatments for ailing pets
07:31 AM CST on Monday, November 20, 2006Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - When Ann Day's dog had a stroke in July, one side of his face became paralyzed so severely he couldn't blink. She knew she needed to do something before the 13-year-old pug, Jimmy, lost his eye to infection.
"I was open to anything that would help," Dey said.
At Pets Unlimited, a nonprofit animal hospital that was opening the city's first all-holistic veterinary medical clinic on Monday, Jimmy received acupuncture for a month. Now, his face is fine.
As alternative approaches like acupuncture and herbal remedies have moved further into the mainstream for humans, veterinarians have made those same techniques increasingly available for pets.
Animal care officials say pet owners have been convinced by their own positive experiences that their pets should also enjoy the benefits of alternative techniques.
"Seeing is believing," said Sally Wortman, Pets Unlimited's hospital administrator, standing near a row of scented candles on the new clinic's reception desk.
A Japanese fountain, soft lights and walls painted in soothing tones of sage, ochre and salmon augment the calming atmosphere of the clinic, which is one floor down from the city's only 24-hour-a-day emergency room for pets.
The renovations have a therapeutic effect on pets, Wortman said, but added that it was just as important to create a setting where owners also feel relaxed.
"The practitioner can only help the animal through the person," she said.
Still, the push for the new treatments -- also known as holistic or complementary medicine -- has not come so much from vets, whose medical training is still steeped in the rigors of the Western scientific tradition.
"It's been more consumer-driven," said Joe O'Hehir, executive director of Pets Unlimited.
Marilyn Chartrand of Alameda is one of those consumers.
"I do holist! ic thing s for my body. So I thought, how exciting that they're doing this for animals," said Chartrand, who adopted a cat from Pets Unlimited.
Chartrand said she treats her cat with aromatherapy when she gets sick, offering her different scents to inhale. "She knows which ones her system needs," Chartrand said.
That holistic medicine for animals would catch on in San Francisco, which also ushered in the no-kill movement in animal shelters in the 1990s, comes as little surprise. But the field is catching on among veterinarians across the country.
The Maryland-based American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association claims more than 800 members from Florida to Alaska. Chartrand learned about an alternative treatment called therapeutic touch from her sister, a veterinarian who uses the technique on horses in Kansas.
Still, despite broadening acceptance, alternative medicine for animals faces continued skepticism. The American Veterinary Medical Association said in recent guidelines on alternative medical techniques for animals that the organization is "open to their consideration."
But it stressed that the quality of research into different methods varies, saying some practices "may differ from current scientific knowledge."
Beth Schneider, an animal acupuncturist for Pets Unlimited, said one positive experience with alternative techniques can be enough to convince doubters.
"They see how beneficial it is to the animal," she said. "And they want to start going to acupuncturists themselves."

The art beat . . .Robin Williams has a connection to the 100-plus towering cast-iron figures that have taken up residency in Grant Park.
• • He's a sponsor: The comedy legend and his wife, Marsha, are big fans of Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz, and they ponied up more than $25,000 to help bring her Agora sculpture to Chicago.

Subject: Comedy Central's Joke of the Day NewsletterDate: 10 Nov 2006 05:08:33 -0800
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A cannibal was walking through the jungle A cannibal was walking through the jungle and came upon a restaurant opened by a fellow cannibal. Feeling somewhat hungry, he sat down and looked over the menu...
Broiled Missionary: $ 10.00Fried Explorer: $ 15.00Baked Politician: $ 100.00
The cannibal called the waiter over and asked, "Why such a price difference for the politician?"
The waiter replied, "Have you ever tried to clean one?"
Payin' The BillsFOR YOUR CONSIDERATION (it?s a movie)From the director of Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty WindIn some theaters November 17th ? check the interweb




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019Copyright © 1995 - 2006 Comedy Central. All rights reserved.

Dog-friendly restaurants======================================================================Officials: Dallas restaurants should be more dog-friendly06:54 PM CST on Thursday, November 2, 2006By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News Officials: Dallas restaurants should be more dog-friendly06:54 PM CST on Thursday, November 2, 2006By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News You and your dog may be unwitting outlaws: Sipping coffee at an outdoor cafe with Spot or Sparky is against state health regulations. But some Dallas restaurants ignore the rules at their own peril -- if only to satisfy what they say is overwhelming customer demand to dine with their pooches. Others want desperately to welcome pets on their patios but turn them away, afraid of attracting fines. Noting the dilemma, Dallas city officials are quietly crafting a system to skirt state law and allow pet-friendly food establishments to open their decks to both two- and four-legged customers. "The pets are like children. They don't do any harm," said Tammy Greenberg, a Knox-Henderson neighborhood resident who runs a pet-sitting service. "Taking them to a restaurant and sitting outside brings happiness to everyone." Cafe Toulouse, a cozy Knox Street bistro that would fit equally well on a Parisian boulevard, has long welcomed dogs onto its porch. They rarely, if ever, cause problems, interim manager Josh Holcombe said. "We get so many customers from the Katy Trail who are walking their dogs and want to visit us," Mr. Holcombe said. "Dogs are part of the family." Especially north of downtown. Dallas' Uptowners, notably urban and urbane, are apt to adopt a European-style esprit de corps while dwelling in closely quartered condominium high-rises and posh apartment complexes. That includes dogs. Dogs everywhere. Some condominium managers estimate nearly half of their residents own at least one. Stroll through Cole Park or up an Uptown sidewalk and run a gantlet of wagging tails. Looking at variances Though state health regulations explicitly outlaw nonservice animals on restaurant patios, they also empower local jurisdictions, such as Dallas city government, to grant variances, said Doug McBride, spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. City Attorney Tom Perkins said his office is researching the issue and plans to brief the council on it next month or early next year. In order for Dallas to begin granting state regulation variances, the council must first vote to amend city ordinances, Mr. Perkins explained, adding that the variances could only apply to outdoor areas, not indoor dining rooms. Tell Us Pooches on the patio? Where are the dog-friendly restaurants in Dallas? For council member Angela Hunt, whose District 14 includes much of Uptown, the change is a "simple quality-of-life issue, another way to appeal to residents in the area that this is a fun, vibrant community." Ms. Hunt said she regularly receives e-mails and phone calls from constituents questioning why Dallas, which has long sought to position itself as a "world-class city," hasn't instituted more pro-pet policies that are mere political afterthoughts in many Eurasian and even East Coast population centers. Progress of this sort takes time. Dallas is a city that only last decade began developing off-leash dog parks, which today are wildly popular with pet owners. The city continues to struggle with other animal-related issues, namely coping with the thousands of stray dogs and feral cats, especially in Dallas' southern sector. Seeing a demand But Mark Maguire, who owns Maguire's Uptown Restaurant and Bar on Cedar Springs Road, said Dallas would be wise to end the pets-on-patios prohibition, if only because it makes business sense. "We'd have an immediate demand. There's no doubt in my mind that business would increase," said Mr. Maguire, whose restaurant features a large outdoor deck. He said he's tempted simply to ignore state regulations but hasn't done so. "In the restaurant industry, people vote with their wallets," Mr. Maguire said. "A lot of pet owners would vote for pet-friendly restaurants." One of them is Uptown resident Toi Villarreal, who said she can't understand why her collie, Leila, and border collie mix, Trixie, can't join her and her husband for a quiet Uptown dinner out -- without fear of breaking state rules. Health concerns about dogs are overblown, she said, and pigeons, mice and an inordinate amount of unsavory critters already find their way onto restaurant patios. As it is, Ms. Villarreal said she frequents restaurants that cater to pets. "We want to stay and maybe have a bottle of wine, instead of having to rush home and walk the dogs," she said. "People have limited time. If you want to create an urban environment, you need to be forward-thinking on simple issues like this." That Dallas is even exploring granting pet-on-patios variances is a positive sign, said April Prohafka, who owns The Pooch Patio, an Oak Lawn dog-services center that also features a beer and wine bar for dog owners. Ms. Prohafka says she hopes to franchise her concept, and new locations could include food service if Dallas changes its laws. "Dallas has always been very conservative, but we're now expanding ourselves," she said. "We're starting to look at what our demographics are in the Oak Lawn/Uptown area, and we're listening to them." E-mail dlevinthal@dallasnews.com

Fun Things to Do at a Drive-Thru 1. Drive through the drive-thru in reverse and let your passenger order. 2. Ask the price of almost everything on the menu and then order something that you didn't ask the price for. 3. Tell the employee that your window is broken. Order and then pay with your door open. When the food comes, roll down the window and snatch your order from their hands. 4. Go to McDonald's and demand a big breakfast at 11:30 at night. Put up a fight. 5. Pay for a large order in pennies and nickels. 6. Order in another language. Be careful what neighborhood you're in. 7. When asked if they can take your order, tell them you are just window-shopping and drive on. 8. Laugh sadistically when asked if you would like ketchup. 9. Ask the cashier how they fit into that little box. 10. If they make you wait, make them wait when they come back on. 11. Demand to speak to the manager. When they come on, complain that you did not like the way the employee said, "May I take your order?" 12. When asked if they can take your order say, "Why, can I take yours?" 13. If they ask you to wait, order anyway and keep doing it till they yell at you. 14. Pretend your car has broken down. Ask for assistance moving it. When they come out, drive away. 15. Tell them you have to use the bathroom. 16. Order a cup of water and two napkins. That's it. 17. Don't order when they come on. Just sit there. If a line forms behind you, get out of the car and cause a scene. 18. When they hand you your food, hand them a bag with all the trash from your car in it. 19. Just stare at them when you pay and get your food. Don't break your stare. 20. Honk your horn the whole way through the line.




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019Copyright © 1995 - 2006 Comedy Central. All rights reserved.

For itch, use lots of fish oil
12:00 AM CST on Monday, October 30, 2006
Shawn Messonnier
Dear Dr. Shawn: I've heard that fish oil can help with allergies. My Labrador, Brutus, who has been diagnosed with allergies, itches all the time. I've been giving him one fish-oil capsule twice daily, but he still itches. Should I give him more?
Answer: Allergies are very common in Labrador retrievers. Those more severely affected itch a lot, similar to Brutus.
I applaud your desire to try using natural therapies to help him. A combination of natural therapies and low-dose medication (given only on really itchy days) works great for most of my allergic patients. Fish oils, specifically, the EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, are potent anti-inflammatory and anti-itching ingredients. However, they must be given at high doses (much higher than the label dosage) in order to be effective.
The label dose is usually good to maintain a healthy coat and skin, but is way too low to help treat medical problems.
I generally recommend 1,500-2,000 mg per day of EPA+DHA. You'll need to find a potent product so you don't have to give Brutus too many capsules. (Most fish-oil products have less than 500 mg of the omega-3s per pill.)
I would also recommend frequent bathing with a good aloe-vera-and-oatmeal product. Various herbs (Silerex, Total-Inflam, Sino-Allergy, DTX Allergy) and homeopathics (Heel Allergy, Sulfur) may also be needed. Treating allergies involves an individualized approach, and each pet will respond to a different protocol. Good luck!
Send questions to Dr. Shawn Messonnier at Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, 2145 W. Park, Plano, TX 75075 or naturalvet@ juno.com. Visit him at www.pet carenaturally.com.

Speed Trap A state trooper spied a car puttering along at 22 MPH. So he turned on his lights and pulled the driver over. Approaching the car, he noticed that five old guys were inside, and they looked wide-eyed and terribly pale.
The driver pleaded with him, "Officer, I don't understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?"
"Sir," the officer replies, "You weren't speeding, but driving slower than the speed limit can also be dangerous."
"I beg to differ, Officer, I was doing the speed limit exactly: twenty-two miles an hour!" the old man said.
The trooper, chuckling, explained to him that "22" was the route number, not the speed limit. A bit embarrassed, the man grinned and thanked the officer for pointing out his error.
"But before I let you go, Sir, I have to ask... Is everyone in this car ok? These guys seem awfully shaken."
"Oh, they'll be all right in a minute," the old man said. "We just got off Route 119."




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019

Itchy dogs======================================================================What can I do about dog's persistent itch?12:00 AM CDT on Monday, October 16, 2006 Shawn Messonnier What can I do about dog's persistent itch?12:00 AM CDT on Monday, October 16, 2006 Shawn Messonnier Dear Dr. Shawn: My dog is scratching a lot on her belly and chest. She also has some raw areas from scratching and chewing. What can I put on the spots or to alleviate the itching? Will bathing help? What should I use?Answer: It sounds like she has some sort of allergic dermatitis. I approach these cases by treating the pet topically and locally, as well as systemically (treating her orally to help her heal so she stops itching.) Bathing is important; the more the better. A shampoo containing ingredients such as aloe vera and colloidal oatmeal is very helpful to control itching and inflammation. Try to bathe her every one to two days to control itching. Aloe vera ointment or lotion is also helpful on the raw areas. Systemically, she will need a good natural diet plus supplements to decrease her itchiness. Supplements can include a health-maintenance formula, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, herbs and homeopathics. If really needed, medications such as prednisone or an antihistamine can be used for a few days without harming her. Most of the pets I see with allergies respond very well to this natural approach, though success doesn't come overnight. Send questions to Dr. Shawn Messonnier at Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, 2145 W. Park, Plano, TX 75075 or naturalvet@ juno.com. Visit him at www.pet carenaturally.com.

ARTICLE - ************************************************************
EMERGENCY RESOURCES FOR WRITERS
By C. Hope Clark
A week doesn't sprint by me without someone crying out for help."How can I make some quick money writing? I can't pay my (fill in the blank)." My heart goes out to them. I have totell each one that writing isn't swift, nor is it lucrative.Quick money is almost an oxymoron.
Emergency carries different levels of interpretation. An emergency to one person is not meeting the rent. To another it'snot being able to drive to a job. And yet someone else cannotwork due to illness or physical impairment. None of those arequick fixes.
But some emergency resources come available on occasion. A fewof them are grants. All of them are competitive because thenumber of people needing assistance always outnumbers the funds available.
Funds for published writers
To receive aid as a writer, you have to have a history as a writer. This concept is painful to half the people I speak to.They know they can write, but they have not published. Therefore,they do not qualify for "writer" assistance. But if you havebeen around the track a few times as an author, consider theseresources:
CHANGE EMERGENCY FUNDSChange, Inc., P.O. Box 54, Captiva, FL 33924 Phone: (212) 473-3742 Awards of up to $1,000 for medical, living, or other emergencies. Open to artists of all disciplines, with no U.S. geographical restrictions; students are not eligible.
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PEN AMERICAN CENTER WRITERS' FUNDhttp://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/251 The PEN Writers' Fund is an emergency fund for professionally published or produced writers with serious financial difficulties. The fund gives grants or loans of up to $1,000.
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AUTHORS LEAGUE FUND - EMERGENCY FUNDS31 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016 Main Phone: (212)268-1208 / Main Fax: (212)564-5363 Helps career authors and dramatists in the United States and in financial distress due to an urgent situation. The Fund makes interest-free loans to professional writers in need.
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CLAYTON MEMORIAL MEDICAL FUNDc/o OSFCI, P.O. Box 5703, Portland, Oregon 97228 http://www.osfci.org/clayton/index.html The fund helps professional science fiction and fantasy writers living in the Northwest states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska deal with the financial burden of illness.
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AMERICAN POETS FUND - EMERGENCY FUNDSThe Academy of American Poets584 Broadway, Suite 1208, New York, NY 10012Assists poets of demonstrated ability who are in a state of urgent financial need. Grants cannot be used to promote or otherwise enhance literary talent or reputation.
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WRITERS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FUND 1501 Broadway, Ste. 302, New York, NY 10036 Tel: (212) 997-0947 / FAX: (212) 768-7414 http://www.asja.org/weaf.php Financial relief assistance to established, professional freelance writers of nonfiction books and magazine articles. Must be 60 years of age or older, disabled, or who face crisis.
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WRITERS' TRUST WOODCOCK FUND - EMERGENCY FUNDS90 Richmond Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1P1416-504-8222 / F- 416-504-9090http://www.writerstrust.com/ Provides emergency funding for established writers in mid-project who are facing financial crisis. Since its inception, the Woodcock Fund has supported 103 Canadian writers in financial difficulty.
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JOHN ANSON KITTREDGE EDUCATIONAL FUND. c/o Key Trust Company of Maine, P.O. Box 1054, Augusta, ME 04332 Travel Application Address, P.O. Box 2883, Cambridge, MA 02138 Grants awarded to artists in very special circumstances. $1,000 - $10,000. Initial contact by letter.
Advice for novice writers
Grants don't happen unless you can acquire financial assistancethrough churches, charitable organizations or The United Way.You are not able to use your writer status to acquire writingfunds if you are not published. It's like asking for funds tobuild a career as an accountant when you used to be a plumber.Experience dictates your qualifications.
If the wolf isn't at your door, and the rain isn't pouringon your head, sit down at the keyboard and start typing yourstories. Read Writer's Market and every other resource thatstrikes your fancy. Join online list groups and read the forums.Subscribe to Writer's Digest or at least read it in the library.Become a sponge. Make writing what you do when you aren'teating, sleeping, working the 9-to-5 or tending to the family.
Then submit like there's no tomorrow. Submit online and to printpublications. Expect 90% rejection and learn why it happened.Submit even more than you did before. Expect 80% rejection andlearn why again.
Believe it or not, while you are fanatically submitting, your writing is improving. That 80% now becomes 75%, then 60%. Soonyou've learned how to write better and target your work to themarkets that suit your voice and style. It's almost anunconscious occurrence. You get smarter, plain and simple.Checks surprise you in the mail. Contracts happen more often.Emails arrive in your box from editors that know you asking you to craft another column. You become a writer.
Emergencies happen. Everyone has a crisis at some time in hislife or he hasn't lived. Sometimes grants are available, but moreoften they aren't. But you are a writer which means you know howto research and deal in deadlines. No one can take away yourmeans and ability to write.
Instead of wringing your hands about your plight, considerputting them to better use on the computer. Pound out yourworries and shoot the results to editors. A few of them justmight respond in a matter of days. You'll never know unless you submit like a fanatic, giving editors the option of paying you.

Saffron======================================================================Eat for life: Quiche goes on a diet 10:33 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 10, 2006By JILL WENDHOLT SILVA Eat for life: Quiche goes on a diet 10:33 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 10, 2006By JILL WENDHOLT SILVA Phyllo dough replaces the traditional pie crust to reduce the fat in this quiche recipe. " width="175" alt="TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/Kansas City Star" onclick="return clickedImage(this);" onmouseover=" this.style.cursor='hand'" height="135"> TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/Kansas City Star Phyllo dough replaces the traditional pie crust to reduce the fat in this quiche recipe. Like skirt lengths, quiche has had its ups and downs. The classic French tart was riding high in the '60s when Julia Child cheered it onto American menus, but by the health-conscious '80s, quiche had been declared a dieter's nightmare. Quiche Lorraine -- a sublime blend of cream, eggs, bacon and cheese -- contains 40 grams of fat per slice, nearly half of that saturated fat. If you eat an average 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, you've just eaten your recommended saturated fat intake for the day. The typical pie crust made with vegetable shortening has 949 calories and 62 grams of fat, according to The Nutrition Bible by Jean Anderson. This recipe for Vegetable Quiche uses phyllo dough, a traditional Greek pastry, to produce a lighter, flakier crust. Another pitfall is a filling made from cream and whole eggs. Instead, use nonfat milk and pasteurized egg substitute made with egg whites only, which, unlike the yolks, contains no fat or cholesterol. Skip the bacon and pump up the vegetables. Then try a combination of reduced-fat cheddar cheese and parmesan, a cheese naturally low in fat. Even if you're not a big fan of reduced-fat cheeses, they work well in casseroles and egg dishes, where they are used as a sidekick, not a star. Shopping tip: Look for phyllo (also fillo or filo) in your grocer's freezer case. Pasteurized egg substitute is available in the dairy case or freezer case. Storage tip: Thaw phyllo in the refrigerator. (For this recipe, remove one 8-ounce package; freeze the other for future use.) An unopened package can be refrigerated up to a month; once opened, use within two to three days. Cartons of egg substitute can be refrigerated up to 12 weeks from the date stamped on the container.VEGETABLE QUICHE 1 teaspoon olive oil ½ cup chopped onion 1 cup sliced mushrooms 2 tablespoons water 2 cups chopped broccoli 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves ½ teaspoon dry mustard ¼ teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper, to taste 1 cup nonfat milk 1 (4-ounce) carton egg substitute 1 egg white ½ cup shredded, reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese 4 sheets phyllo dough 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 medium, firm, ripe tomato, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 375 F. Heat oil in small saucepan. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add water and heat to boiling. Add broccoli, cover and allow to steam 3 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Drain well and set aside. Stir together flour, basil, mustard, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in milk, egg substitute and egg white. Stir in vegetable mixture and shredded cheddar; set aside. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough in pan, fitting to cover bottom of plate smoothly and folding corners down evenly with top edge of pan. Brush entire sheet very lightly with melted butter. Place a second sheet of phyllo in pan, crisscrossing over the first sheet and folding corners down evenly with edge of pan. Brush entire sheet very lightly with butter. Repeat with remaining 2 sheets of phyllo, adjusting the position of the sheets so they completely cover the pan, folding corners down evenly with pan and brushing lightly with butter. Spoon filling into phyllo crust. Overlap tomato slices in a decorative circle on top of filling. Very lightly brush the tomatoes and edges of the quiche with any remaining butter. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until almost set and lightly golden. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake 5 to 8 minutes longer, or until set. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes six servings. PER SERVING: Calories 228 (39% fat)Fat 10 g (4 g sat) Cholesterol 15 mg Sodium 436 mg Fiber 2 g Carbohydrates 25 g Protein 10 g SOURCE: Kansas City Star Phyllo dough replaces the traditional pie crust to reduce the fat in this quiche recipe. ">TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/Kansas City StarPhyllo dough replaces the traditional pie crust to reduce the fat in this quiche recipe. // Image1 end -->

Diagnose before you poke
12:00 AM CDT on Monday, October 9, 2006
Shawn Messonnier
Dear Dr. Shawn: My dog Jake is 5 years old and in the last six months has been favoring his back legs. It's difficult for him to get up from lying down and it takes him awhile to get going. He has had X-rays, and arthritis and hip dysplasia have been ruled out. His doctor said it could be a nerve disorder. I've heard that acupuncture could work. What do you think?
Answer: It is possible that Jake does have arthritis or at least joint pain, even though his X-rays did not reveal these problems. Why does your doctor suspect a nerve problem? Just because X-rays don't show joint problems doesn't mean that a nerve injury is present. Does Jake have any nerve deficits? For example, does he have any spots of pain on his body? Does he drag his legs? Does he walk normally once he gets going? These are some of the things to consider before suspecting nerve damage.
Acupuncture can help. However, you need a diagnosis before someone simply starts sticking needles into his body. (You also need to know where to stick the needles, and from your description, this would be hard to determine.) You might request a visit to a specialist for more testing such as an MRI. Once a diagnosis is reached, many alternative therapies, including acupuncture, can be helpful. I use acupuncture occasionally, but always with other therapies, such as herbs and homeopathics. These treatments can be tried first, and then acupuncture can be added as needed.
Join me for a free talk on using natural therapies to prevent and treat disease, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. at Waggin' Tails, 1151 W. Parker Road, Suite 207, Plano. Call 972-867-8800 to reserve your seats.
Send questions to Dr. Shawn Messonnier at Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, 2145 W. Park, Plano, TX 75075 or naturalvet@ juno.com. Visit him at www.pet carenaturally.com.

WORDS OF SUCCESS
"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars."
-- Og Mandino

Famous George W. Quotes "I believe Men and Fish can coexist together peacfully."
"I support Latino owned buisnesses, women owned buisnesses, and every other kind of person owned buisnesses."




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019Copyright © 1995 - 2006 Comedy Central. All rights reserved.

Rest in Peace Gene R.
RIP Gene Reynolds Gene Reynolds of Benbrook, TX., a friend to many, passed away from pancreatic cancer yesterday at the age of 55. A railroad employee for 30 plus years, he was a dad, grandad, an inspiration, and a funny, generous guy. He will be missed by many people including me who had known him about nine years. Rest in peace, Gene.

Prison Bound
Some say the probation system in Texas sets people up to fail.
By PETER GORMAN
Smoking Pot repeatedly put Ryan Peucker in trouble with probation authorities.
Ryan Peucker is nobody’s idea of an angel. He started smoking pot as a young teenager living in Joshua and Cleburne, dipped into cocaine and methamphetamine for a while, and in 1997, at age 18, agreed to help his friends pawn jewelry and other items stolen from one of the friend’s relatives.
But until he’d spent five years in and out of jail and forced rehab while on probation, he had never been violent; until then, the burglary charge that he drew for being present when the items were stolen from the friend’s grandfather’s house was the only charge ever filed on him.
A major problem for Peucker in trying since 1998 to get out of the justice system has been his inability to stay away from pot: Time and again, when he showed up at the Johnson County probation office, evidence of drugs was found in his required urine test.
But the other problem, according to some criminal justice system officers, lawyers, and civil libertarians, was his decision back in February 1998 to accept a plea agreement in the first place. It seemed a no-brainer at the time: Do 10 years probation rather than face the possibility of doing up to 20 years in prison, in a county where prosecutors are notorious for going for the max in almost every case. But the agreement put him in the same kind of almost-no-win situation that lands thousand of people in Texas prisons every year —people who, according to some experts, probably shouldn’t be there.
“I’d guess, from what I see, maybe 70 to 80 percent of the people who get probation wind up having their probation revoked,” said Lisa Williams, a parole officer in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Nicole Porter, director of the Texas Civil Liberties Union’s prison and jail accountability project, said that doing probation in Texas is tough. “Few people can do 10 years,” she said. “Even five years is almost impossible. People simply cannot comply with the stringent requirements. I’d go as far as to say the system is set up with the intent that people will fail. People are expected to have their probation revoked.”
Peucker had even less chance than many because of where he committed his burglary. In Johnson County, said one probation officer there who asked not to be named, District Attorney Dale Hanna is “the kind of DA who insists we report even the most minor probation infraction. Kid’s late for an appointment, he’s liable to push for revocation and send that kid to jail.”
Joshua attorney Bill Mason, who represented Peucker for a time, said small towns make the problem worse because officers who see the same people over and over “finally take it personally. ... The days of the officer calling your parents and telling them you’re down at the station, well, those days are gone. Once you’re on the local cops’ radar, you are going to have a difficult time getting under it again.”
Peucker made it pretty easy for the justice system to gobble him up. The first condition of his probation agreement was to complete a 75- to 90-day “boot camp” — a military-style camp usually reserved for young offenders. If he could do the camp and the 10 years probation, the felony would disappear from his record.
But a bad back from a childhood injury prevented him from being able to stick through the boot camp. As an alternative, Peucker, who had been incarcerated for nearly four months by that time, was sentenced to 120 days on a work-release program. He was freed on weekdays from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. to do community service; nights and weekends he spent in the Johnson County jail.
Two months into the work-release program, Peucker came up positive for pot on a urine test. That netted him six months in the county jail. He got out, soon came up dirty again, and was sentenced to nine months in the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (SAFPF) in Huntsville. When he completed the program in October 1999, he was again remanded to work-release, this time to a Volunteers of America after-care program in Mansfield. He failed another urinalysis three months later, spent four more months in the Johnson County jail, and then went back for another six months in the SAFPF program.
Remanded to another work-release program, Peucker was sent on errands one day; when his probation officer couldn’t reach him there, he moved to have Peucker’s probation revoked. That meant the burglary conviction went on his permanent record, and he was sentenced to five years in prison, on top of the nearly four years in work-release, jail, and prison rehab that he had already done. He served 14 months, was credited with the eight months he’d spent waiting in Johnson County Jail for his case to come up, and was released on parole in late 1993.
He stayed clean for more than a year. But in May 2005, he failed another urine test, and the police picked him up. According to police reports, Peucker, handcuffed and with 135 pounds on a six-foot frame, tried to head-butt two officers as he was being escorted into the Johnson County jail. It was the first suggestion of violence in Peucker’s history with the criminal justice system.
He was charged with retaliation, a felony, and sat in the Johnson County jail from May 2005 until August 2006, when he accepted a plea agreement for two years in prison. He should be out sometime in 2007, with no more parole to do.
When he gets out this time, though, it will be a different Ryan Peucker than the 18-year-old who went inside in 1998. He now sports a lot of anger and full-sleeve tattoos that will mark him as a former inmate for the rest of his life. He also has two felonies on his record, making it vital that he walk a line he’s never been able to walk before.
“In the past,” said Bill Miller, owner of Miller’s Books in Cleburne and a former writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “we had a program here in Johnson County called HOPE that I volunteered with — Helping Open Peoples’ Eyes. The intent when it was started was to work with the inmates at the county jail here, to give them support so that they’d have a safety net when they were released.
“They’d have people to talk with when they got down. ... And everyone gets down. They have no money, they can’t get jobs. And the program worked fine. But funding got cut a few years ago, and the county had no interest in it. Now it’s a horrible situation. In the old HOPE, there were computers and even a GED program — something for these kids to reach for,” he said.
“The problem is that there is simply no funding to do anything with these kids,” said Robert Kersey, a Granbury defense lawyer who handles some cases in Johnson County. “I think you have to be creative — and the law allows it — with these young people with dirty UAs [urinalyses]. There is no reason to revoke a probation for a kid smoking pot. You can send the kid out to pick up garbage on the highway or make them do some other community service the first few times they fail.” If they keep failing, he said, they can then be sent to the state prison drug rehab unit. “The way it is just isn’t working.”
In the last year, Tarrant County has begun to think creatively. According to Tom Plumbly, director of Tarrant County Adult Probation, “The revocation rate for people out on probation is so high that it’s just a funnel for prison. And what we’ve done about it in the last year is implement a new system of progressive sanctions. When people violate probation, we’re trying to do things other than send them to jail. On a first violation, we might give them three days in jail, not three months. That sort of thing.
“But we’re also trying to see that people get the help they need for wrong decision-making. People involved in criminal actions have to change their behaviors, and our job is to help with those changes through rehabilitation. For drug offenders in Tarrant, for instance, we’ve instituted intensive day treatment, an outpatient therapy. And we’ve begun group programs where people can learn how to make better decisions. And the result is that our felony probation revocations are down 20 percent this year over last year. We’ll see if that will last over the long haul, but I contend that if you don’t make the changes in the individual — and you can’t if you don’t offer them therapy and a way to change — then they will wind up having their probation revoked and be sent to prison. And that generally doesn’t do anybody any good.”
Richard De Los Santos, a defense attorney who works in Johnson and Tarrant counties, said Peucker’s original 10-year probated sentence seemed excessive to him — but not surprising in Johnson County. “Ten years probation for pawning some stolen stuff another kid robbed from his grandfather? And more than half of that in jail and prison for smoking pot a couple of times a year?” he said. “Nobody can do 10 years, even if they change their lifestyle.”

Story: As migration time nears, be kind to our feathered friends
Being kind to migrating birds
As migration time nears, be kind to our feathered friends
07:04 AM CDT on Friday, September 15, 2006
The seasonal migration of songbirds and hummingbirds is nigh, and North Texas gardens are directly in the flight path. By being generous and thoughtful hosts, we can help more survive the perilous journey.
As migratory season begins, birds face risks from pesticide- tainted bugs or other food sources. Ground feeders such as doves face special danger from outdoor cats, too. " height=126 alt="NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN" src="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/v3/09-15-2006.NHG_15doves.G301VL5KI.1.jpg" width=175>
NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN As migratory season begins, birds face risks from pesticide- tainted bugs or other food sources. Ground feeders such as doves face special danger from outdoor cats, too.
Birds become disoriented by artificial light, says the National Audubon Society, so turn off exterior and interior lights during peak migration hours of midnight to dawn.
Place bird feeders within three feet or beyond 30 feet of windows to prevent glass collisions. Many birds strike windows after being startled off a feeder, seeing escape routes mirrored in reflective glass. Birds can't get up enough speed to cause injury by slamming into glass only three feet away.
Keep feeders clean and stocked with safflower, sunflower and other high-energy seeds rather than low-quality discount-brand mixes. Fresh, clean waterers also are cri! tical. < /p>
Eliminate pesticides. Millions of birds are killed annually when birds ingest toxic insects, seeds and other food sources.
Bell the cat. Even better, keep it indoors. Ground-feeding birds such as cardinals and doves are most vulnerable.
For more information about helping sustain bird populations, see www.audubonathome.org.
Mariana Greene

By MAURA J. CASEY

Former Gov. Ann Richards of Texas will be remembered for her wit, her one-liners and especially for the keynote speech at the 1988 Democratic Convention, which was, in retrospect, the high point in the party’s dismal campaign for the presidency that year. To intrigued television viewers nationwide, Ms. Richards, with her big hair and big attitude, epitomized the kind of formidable woman that is a hallmark of the Lone Star State. People liked her down-home phrases. When she said, “We’re gonna tell how the cow ate the cabbage,” they believed her. She leavened a plain-spoken manner with wisecracks. Both helped elect her governor two years later.
But her political career eclipsed what Ms. Richards called “one of the great, great stories” of her life: her recovery from alcoholism and her nearly 26 years of sobriety. That triumph deserves to be more than a line in her obituary.
In so many ways, her decision to stop drinking and enter a rehabilitation program in 1980, after a painful intervention by family and friends, was necessary for her continued rise in public life. What made Ms. Richards different was her decision to be forthright about the fact that she was a recovering alcoholic. She didn’t hide it. “I like to tell people that alcoholism is one of my strengths,” she said. She was right. Alcoholics know that seeds of healthy recovery grow from the need to mend their own flaws to stay sober, one day at a time. Ms. Richards faced her imperfections fearlessly, and that enabled others to be fearless, too, if only for a little while.
She never stopped helping people. One well-known author said the first mail she received after enrolling in a rehabilitation program was an encouraging letter from Ms. Richards. A politician who left rehab and wondered how on earth he was going to avoid drinking when he got home well after midnight found Ms. Richards waiting for him when he arrived. As governor, she started treatment programs in Texas prisons. When she visited, she would tell the inmates the simple truth: “My name’s Ann, and I’m an alcoholic.” Her imperfection had become a source of inspiration for others.

Ann Richards was funny, wise and compassionate. At 73, she died too soon. But she died sober.

Banking online? Guard your money and data
02:42 PM CDT on Monday, September 4, 2006
From Staff and Wire Reports
Despite this being the age of identity theft and online scams, more brick-and-mortar banks are offering their customers products and services for banking on the Web.
Plus, Internet banks, which have no physical branches, are gaining popularity, since they often pass along their lower overhead costs to consumers in the form of high interest rates on deposits.
The number of Americans banking online grew to 40 million in the fourth quarter of 2005, a 27 percent increase over the previous year, according to comScore Networks, a research organization that studies consumer Internet behavior.
Banking online can save you money and often is convenient. Consumers have good reason to bank online - online transactions can often save you money, and their convenience can't be beat. But it's wise to be extra cautious when handling your money over the Web. Follow these tips to ensure online safety:
•When handling money online, make sure you only deal with secure Web sites. You'll know A site is secure if you can see the padlock symbol in the bottom right corner of your Web browser window. Click the padlock for security details.
•Ensure that your computer is secure — Always use the “password protect” feature to make sure only you can access the information stored there.
•Many banks and shopping sites offer to “remember your password” — ignore those offers to prevent other computer users from accessing your information.
•Avoid accessing your account from a public computer., but If you must, when you're done banking clear the computer's “history” and delete its “temporary Internet files.,” (usually available under “Internet options” in Internet Explorer), to prevent the next computer user from possibly seeing your sensitive data.
•Change your passwords regularly.
•Never send credit card or account details by e-mail. Be aware of “phishing” scams, as well: If you receive an e-mail asking you to follow a link to a Web site where you must input your information, it's probably a scam. Banks will not ask you via e-mail to update your account information.
•Always print your transaction receipts and file them with your bank records until you receive confirmation in your bank statement.
Be aware that not all virtual banks are insured by the FDIC — some may be chartered overseas. To check whether your Internet bank is insured, visit the FDIC's Bank Find Web site at http://www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main_bankfind.asp.

"It is the Law that any difficulties that can come to you at any time, no matter what they are, must be exactly what you need most at the moment, to enable you to take the next step forward by overcoming them.The only real misfortune, the only real tragedy, comes when we suffer without learning the lesson."~ Emmet Fox

PLEASE FORWARD TO EVERYONE THAT YOU KNOW IN THE AREA!

ALERT sponsored by:

LOST DOG ALERT
Lost Sep 14, 2006 in Plano, Texas
Growly
Breed Unknown Medium (20 - 50 lbs) Red Male
Last seen in:
Plano, Texas Laurel Lane between Rigsbee and Park More Info: http://dogdetective.com/dogs/925893.html
Phone: 469-396-6505

I See You! A few days before his proctological exam, a one eyed man accidentally swallowed his glass eye. He was worried for a while, but there were noill effects, so he forgot about it.
Once he was in the doctor's office, the man followed instructions, undressed, and bent over. The first thing the proctologist saw when he looked up the man's arse was that eye staring right back at him. "You know, " said the doctor, "you really have to learn to trust me."




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019Copyright © 1995 - 2006 Comedy Central. All rights reserved.

Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 2:16 AMSubject: URGENT - PTS LISTS BEING PUBLISHED: CARROLLTON ANIMAL SERVICES, LITTLE ELM ANIMAL SERVICES; UPDATES ON HICKORY CREEK ANIMAL SERVICES - 09/11/06

PLS. CROSS POST & HELP IF YOU CAN.
CARROLLTON ANIMAL SERVICES
(Please scroll down for Little Elm Animal Services & Hickory Creek Animal Services)

PTS List now posted for Carrollton Animal Services. Must be tagged or pulled prior to COB Tuesday, 9/12 at 6pm.
972-466-3420 x3 to tag.

PLEASE HELP IF YOU HAVE ANY AVAILABILITY FOR EVEN ONE - THIS IS A GREAT GROUP OF CATS & DOGS. SHELTER IS VERY FULL RIGHT NOW.
2 baby kittens (Divot/Ginsu)
7 older kittens/young cats
Lil' Girl - Very young, petite Torti
Butter - Torti, big round Birman type eyes
Isabella - Scottish Fold (special breed with ears that fold forward- these can be expensive cats to purchase from a breeder)
Tammy - White with Tabby Marking (Beautiful)
Cinnamon - Grey Tiger Tabby (Spayed, Likes Dogs)
Priscilla - Grey & White Tabby (Declawed, Spayed)
Sylvester - Very young Tabby & White (Neutered, Front Declawed, Bushy Tail)
7 dogs
Sally / Alvin - Akitas (easy-going, mild-mannered, sweet dogs)
Chili - 8 yr old female German Shepherd (owner release, beautiful dog, requires daily thyroid medication)
Collie - Rough Collie (darling sweet older girl)
Emmitt - MinPin (owner release with buddy Llasa that has already been adopted, 11 yrs old, housetrained, likes cats & dogs)
Hotshot - Pointer Mix, friendly & very engaging personality
Coco - Terrier Mix, friendly & very sweet & affectionate Note that the shelter will take emails to Joe.Skenesky@cityofcarrollton.com right up until 7am Wednesday 9/13. KITTENS/CATS BUTTER, F, TORTI, ID 13733 Butter is a beautiful young Torti and she has the prettiest sweet round eyes, much like a Birman. She is a VERY SWEET girl!!!!!!!! Per the shelter she is quiet & affectionate. ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. DIVOT, F, BABY BLACK, ID 13743 GINSU, F, BABY BLACK, ID 13742 These sweet kittens were dumped in front of the local Lowe's. They are about 6-8 weeks old and very sweet & very friendly & well-socialized. ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 3 PICS. ISABELLA, F, SCOTTISH FOLD, ID 13745 Isabella was found wandering the streets. This breed is actually an expensive breed and the shelter has listed this kitty with the rescue network for Scottish folds but no takers and this kitty only has two more days. This is a friendly & loving girl! ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 2 PICS. CINNAMON, F, GREY TIGER TABBY, ID 13750 Cinnamon was released by her owner after having her for only four months, because her other cat that she had had much longer did not like her. Per the previous owner's input, Cinnamon is a wonderful sweet girl that loves kids, other cats, and gets along well WITH DOGS!! She's ALREADY SPAYED. ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. PRISCILLA, F, GREY & WHITE TABBY, ID 13753 Priscilla's owners moved away and couldn't keep her so they gave her to a neighbor. After a couple of months and trips to the hospital for severe allergic reaction to cat hair, the new owners decided to turn her over to our shelter. Priscilla is ALREADY SPAYED and HAS ALL 4 PAWS DECLAWED. ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. TAMMY, F, WHITE WITH TABBY MARKINGS, ID 13757 Tammy is an absolutely gorgeous kitty found out and about as a stray. She's a big sweetie per the shelter and loves attention & affection & is very easygoing. ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. LIL' GIRL, F, BABY TORTI, ID 13763 This is the most darling little kitty! Cute, sweet, and very petite! ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. SYLVESTER, M, GREY TIGER TABBY, ID 13776 Sylvester was released by his owner who was getting married to someone who was allergic to him. He is 2 years old, likes other cats and is great with kids! ALREADY NEUTERED & FRONT DECLAWED! ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 2 PICS. IF THE SHELTER BECOMES TOO CROWDED, JUST AS IT DID LAST WEEK WHEN THE SHELTER ADDED SEVERAL CATS & DOGS WHOSE FIRST & LAST DAY FOR AVAILABILITY WAS TUESDAY 9/5, THE CATS/KITTENS BELOW ARE ALSO AT RISK. THEY INCLUDE: JINX, M, GREY TIGER TABBY, ID 13777 Jinx surprised the shelter employees by walking in the back door of the shelter like he owned the place. He is a very friendly lovable guy! AVAILABLE NOW. NORTH, M, BABY BLACK, ID 13779 North was found as a little stray and is as cute as he can be! (Note: his age appears to possibly be incorrect on petfinder - he appears to just be a big kitten. AVAILABLE TUESDAY 9/12! KETZEL, M, GREY TIGER TABBY, ID 13780 Ketzel was dropped off at a local vet with no id. REALLY a cute kitty with a big pretty bushy tail!!. ALREADY NEUTERED. HE'S AVAILABLE TUESDAY 9/12. 2 PICS. PUPPIES/DOGS COLLIE, F, ROUGH COLLIE, ID 13774 Very sad situation - this is a wonderful quite & sweet girl, appears to be older and found as a stray. If this isn't bad enough luck, it appears the shelter missed getting her picture published on petfinder, so no one has even known she was available for adoption. Sweet girl ...ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. CHILI, F, GERMAN SHEPHERD, ID 13754 Another very sad situation - Chili is a beautiful large German Shepherd, released by her owner. She is CURRENT on rabies vaccination and has had obedience training! FYI, she need to take daily thyroid medication or be taken to a vet to discuss whether there are alternatives (surgery?). Can you help save this sweet girl? Such a beautiful dog ...ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 2 PICS. HOTSHOT, M, Pointer Mix, ID 13738Hotshot is a very playful 1 year old dog. He gets along well with other dogs and people and is very friendly & sweet. He is ALREADY NEUTERED. This is a cute, sweet, funny & lovable dog!!! ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 3 PICS. SALLY, F, AKITA, ID 13758 Sally is a beautiful and sweet full Akita. She was found with Alvin (Akita pictured below) running around but with no ID. Per the shelter, she is a mild mannered dog, that seems to get along well with other animals and is very easy going. GREAT LOOKING DOG!! ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 3 PICS. ALVIN, M, AKITA, ID 13759 Alvin is a really beautiful and sweet full Akita. He was found with Sally (Akita pictured above) running around but with no ID. Like Sally, he is mild-mannered and gets along well with other dogs. GREAT LOOKING DOG!! ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 3 PICS. COCO, F, BORDER TERRIER, ID 13760
Coco was brought in as a stray and if you could see her in person you would see what a beautiful shade of brown she is. Per the shelter, Coco is a very friendly, happy, social dog, that gets along well with other animals. She's a medium size dog AND MUCH prettier than the picturea show. ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 2 PICS. EMMITT, M, MINIATURE PINSCHER (FULL), ID 13782 Really a sad situation here - Emmit is an 11 yr old very lovable little chubby MinPin that was released to the shelter with his buddy Dusty (Llasa - already adopted) when his previous owner could not afford the pet deposit. He's very friendly, GREAT WITH CATS, kids, and ALREADY HOUSETRAINED. He's also ALREADY NEUTERED. Do you have room in your heart for this great little older dog? ON PTS LIST - ONLY available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 2 PICS. PETUNIA, F, BASSET HOUND, ID 13740 Petunia was found as a stray by a family. They worked for a week to try and find her owners. In the end they could not find her owners or keep her themselves so they turned her over to the shelter. Petunia is just under a year old and very well mannered. Per the shelter she deals very well with new situations. She's a very sweet dog! NOTE: THIS DOG WAS NOT ON PTS LIST SENT FRIDAY BY THE SHELTER, BUT HER AVAILABILITY DATE PUTS HER AT EXTREME RISK - SO IN CASE THIS IS AN OVERSIGHT SO SHE"S BEING INCLUDED SINCE HER PICTURE IS STILL ON PETFINDER - PLEASE CHECK FOR AVAILABILITY - MAY ONLY be available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 2 PICS. BOGART, M, ROTTWEILER, ID 13604 Bogart was found standing in the front yard of a vacant house that was up for sale. This beautiful dog greeted the shelter AC officers that found him with a wagging tail and good manners. He is 80+ lbs and just beautiful. He appears to be a young dog. He will sit and stay on command and it appears HE IS HOUSETRAINED. Bogart even has a micro chip but when his previous owners moved they didn't change the information on his chip. This microchip can be converted to where he's under your name. NOTE: THIS DOG WAS NOT ON PTS LIST SENT FRIDAY BY THE SHELTER, BUT HIS AVAILABILITY DATE PUTS HIM AT EXTREME RISK - SO IN CASE THIS IS AN OVERSIGHT SO HE"S BEING INCLUDED SINCE HIS PICTURE IS STILL ON PETFINDER - PLEASE CHECK FOR AVAILABILITY - MAY ONLY be available until COB 6pm Tuesday 9/12. 2 PICS. IF THE SHELTER BECOMES TOO CROWDED, JUST AS IT DID LAST WEEK WHEN THE SHELTER ADDED SEVERAL CATS & DOGS WHOSE FIRST & LAST DAY FOR AVAILABILITY WAS TUESDAY 9/5, THE PUPS/DOGS BELOW ARE ALSO AT RISK. THEY INCLUDE: SHELBY, F, BLACK LABRADOR PUP (FULL), ID 13761 Shelby is a wiggly big pup that appears to be a full black lab. She was found as a stray and brought in and appears to not be more than 6 months old. Sweet lovable pup!!! PIC isn't the best, since her eyes are slightly close (smiling) but you can still see how very pretty she is! AVAILABLE NOW! ZAP, M, SHEPHERD MIX, ID 13775 This is absolutely the cutest guy!!! Zap was found wearing the wrong tag on his collar! The tag did not belong to him and had been tied with string. This young guy appears to be about 10 months to a year old. REALLY GREAT YOUNG DOG!! AVAILABLE NOW! TWO PICS! -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------LITTLE ELM ANIMAL SERVICES LITTLE ELM's PTS List & date not yet confirmed at this emailing, so listing pics of all that may be at risk. Please note that when I spoke to the shelter last Friday, they told me there were pictures not yet published, so it's possible this may not be entire listing at this time. CALL CYNTHIA MEDRANO AT 214-975-0460 TO TAG. IF YOU REQUIRE TRANSPORT, REPLY TO THIS EMAILING AND WE"LL FIND YOU SOMEONE.
4 older kittens
Skyler (F, black, very sweet & friendly, very talkative)
Abbey, Katie, Gracie (F siblings, Tabby & Torti, very loving)
5 pups/dogs
Dottie (F, Gorgeous full English Setter)
Royal (M, Young Springer Spaniel or Border Collie Mix?)
Auto (M, Small sweet Chow dog)
Nyla (F, Spayed Pit Bull, Housetrained, loving)
Roxie (F, Boxer/Pit Bull mix, Housetrained, loving) KITTENS/CATS SKYLER, F, BLACK, ID 13733 Skyler is a very sweet cat that likes to be held. When you open the cage door she will practically jump in your arms to be held! Visited the shelter today and she's as cute as can be. MAY ONLY be available until 4pm Wenesday 9/13. KATIE, F, BIG KITTEN - GREY TIGER TABBY ABBEY, F, BIG KITTEN - GREY TIGER TABBY GRACIE, F, BIG KITTEN - TORTOISE SHELL Katie, Abbey, and Gracie came in together. They were siblings left at the shelter. They are all very well sweet, loving, friendly & well-socialized! MAY ONLY be available until 4pm Wenesday 9/13. PUPPIES/DOGS DOTTIE, F, ENGLISH SETTER Sweet girl found as a stray. Absolutely gorgeous dog! MAY ONLY be available until 4pm Wenesday 9/13. ROYAL, M, SPRINGER SPANIEL OR BORDER COLLIE MIX? Friendly cute young boy. MAY ONLY be available until 4pm Wenesday 9/13. AUTO, M, CHOW This is a really pretty dog! He's a sweet boy, but scared about being in the shelter environment. MAY ONLY be available until 4pm Wenesday 9/13. NYLA, F, PIT BULL ROXIE, F, BOXER/PIT BULL MIX These two were owner surrenders due to the owners not being able to keep the dogs in their apartment. They are big babies, housetrained and Nyla is already spayed (Roxie may be as well - please doublecheck). Nyla has beautiful blue eyes and both dogs seem very sweet.MAY ONLY be available until 4pm Wenesday 9/13. ADDRESS: 1104 W. Eldorado Pkwy, Little Elm, TX 75068 HOURS: SHELTER IS OPEN TUESDAY FRIDAY (8am-5pm). Monday (8am-5pm) and Saturday (8am-12pm) BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Must call prior to pick-up. RESCUE GROUPS: No fees, no requirements. Just need a 501c3 to pull and pull email or letter. GENERAL PUBLIC ADOPTION FEES: Only a $10 adoption fee, with requirements to spay/neuter within an appropriate time period. DIRECTIONS: North on Dallas North Tollway/Dallas Parkway, turn left heading west/northwest on Eldorado Pkwy all the way to Little Elm OR go up the Tollway, west on Parker till you reach Josey, turn right heading North on Josey right through The Colony (Josey is renamed Main St. in The Colony). Continue North to Eldorado Pkwy in Little Elm, turn left heading west to the Fina Station. Shelter is at end of Fina Gas Station bldg (last door on left). You need to call to gain access - 214-975-0460. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------HICKORY CREEK ANIMAL SERVICES UPDATE ON ANGEL, Senior Collie, AT HICKORY CREEK ANIMAL SERVICES: A rescue home had been arranged for Angel the Senior Collie at Hickory Creek Animal Services & she was to have been transported on Sunday to her new home in Glen Rose, TX but she now has a home in her own home town of Hickory Creek, TX! You'll remember hearing that Angel had lost her home, her dog friend Bunny, and her owner to cancer, and did not do well in the shelter environment so Hickory Creek AC had allowed her to stay with a local city council person at his home so she would not grieve or pine away in a caged situation. We had the opportunity to speak to this gentleman last Thursday & Friday and attempt to explain how rescue groups operate, transport, etc. since we understood he had previously turned away another rescue group that had recently stepped forward to help and had come by his home to meet the dog. (Our apologies to whomever this was) It became clear in our conversation with this gentleman that he had grown very attached to the dog himself, although he was very firm about her needing a new home since he owned other dogs. When it came down to the wire, this resident made a decision this Saturday he would adopt Angel himself, which is great news for this sweet old girl. Hickory Creek AC wished to express their gratitude and appreciation from those of you that stepped forward in rescue to help, and they also wished to apologize that not everyone was well-informed about how rescue groups operate in their small town and wanted to thank everyone that helped by stepping up and also be taking the time to explain. They expressed repeatedly how very much they NEED the help & support of rescue and this situation was highly unusual when it became clear the resident didn't think anyone was quite right for the dog, due to becoming attached to the dog himself and only when he realized he was truly losing her, did he realize how much he loved her. Special thanks to Jodie for wanting to rescue this girl & to Maria for offering transport to Glen Rose. Can't begin to thank you both enough. Also much thanks to whomever the other rescue group was that was turned away. So sorry I do not have your name - only that it was an SPCA group. MUCH THANKS!! This is a happy ending to a long story over the last few months for Angel Collie that had even resulted in her picture being sent to a national judge of Collies to provide confirmation she was full Collie (she is!). TO TAG CARLOS OR PARKER PICTURED BELOW, PLEASE CALL KEN with HICKORY CREEK ANIMAL SERVICES AT 940-465-7444. IF YOU REQUIRE TRANSPORT, REPLY TO THIS EMAILING OR CALL 214-906-7680. HICKORY CREEK ANIMAL SERVICES IS A SHORT DRIVE NORTH - JUST NORTH OF LAKE LEWISVILLE ON THE SOUTHBOUND I-35 ACCESS ROAD. KITTENS/CATS CARLOS, M, WHITE WITH TABBY MARKINGS Carlos is confident and sweet and cuter than cute. His picture should definitely be under the word "playful". Please help rescue this kitten out of the shelter cage situation. He deserves to find a wonderful new home. PUPPIES/DOGSPARKER, M, AUSSIE OR BORDER COLLIE/BLUE HEELER MIX?This is the absolute sweetest dog you will meet - we guarantee it! He is wonderful, friendly, energetic, and just looking for someone to love. Not to mention as cute as he can be. He needs someone to rescue him. Please help if you have any availability and can find this boy a great home.

How much energy are you using?======================================================================Find out how much energy you're using 03:04 PM CDT on Sunday, September 10, 2006 Find out how much energy you're using 03:04 PM CDT on Sunday, September 10, 2006 Atmos Energy Corp. launched a Web site this week to help customers understand exactly how much energy they use and what it costs. The site goes way beyond the usual conservation tips. It includes a calculator that shows how much it costs to use various appliances. We did some calculations to give you an idea what you can learn there. Find the calculator at www.at mosenergy.com/home/energy _tips.html. Elizabeth Souder Activity Annual cost Using a coffeemaker every day $10 Cooking oatmeal every day on a gas range $5 Cooking oatmeal in a microwave $7 Grilling on a gas grill once a week all summer long $5 Using a computer and monitor 40 hours a week $70 Leaving the computer in sleep mode every night $50 Washing two loads of laundry a week $4 Drying two loads of laundry a week in an electric dryer $32 Drying two loads of laundry a week in a gas dryer $12 Heating a 2,000-square-foot, well-insulated home with a new gas furnace or boiler $403 Heating a 2,000-square-foot, poorly insulated home with a gas furnace or boiler that's more than 15 years old $613 Heating the same home with a new electric furnace $1,234 Cooling a 2,000-square-foot, well-insulated home with a new air conditioner $1,048 Cooling a poorly insulated home with an old A/C unit $1,900 Leaving an incandescent lamp on all the time $82 Leaving a compact fluorescent lamp on all the time $22 Watching a large color TV 10 hours a week $13 Using a curling iron every morning $1 Using a hair dryer every morning $30 SOURCE: Atmos Energy Calculator

Story: Grand Prairie boasts first Good Housekeeping Seal home
Good Housekeeping home
Grand Prairie boasts first Good Housekeeping Seal home
06:51 AM CDT on Friday, September 8, 2006
It's a landmark partnership, and now you can see the results.
The first home in America with the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval is now open for viewing on Waterford Drive in Grand Prairie's Grand Peninsula community.
As a collaboration with K. Hovnanian Homes, the two-story, 4,625-square-foot model home boasts four bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a wine cellar and a stacked stone double staircase.
It's stocked with Good Housekeeping Seal products, including Flavia coffee makers, Comfort Solutions mattresses, Acme Bricks, Shaw carpets and Wolmanized Outdoor Wood. The price tag is $395,000.
The home was designed and merchandised by Dallas designer Jill Esteb of JE Design Group residential interiors consulting service.
Most of the furniture in the Charleston III model home came from Wrangler Home by Flexsteel.
Visit the house for free from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.
The Grand Peninsula community is near Joe Pool Lake off Great Southwest Parkway and I-20.
For more information on and detailed directions to the Good Housekeeping/K. Hovnanian House, visit www.sealbuilt.com or www.khov.com. Or call 817-255-2828.

The Blonde & The Coke Machine It was a really hot day and this blonde decided she would go buy a coke. She went to the coke machine and when she put her money in, a coke came out - so she kept putting money in.
And since it was such a hot day, a line had formed behind her. Finally, a guy on line said, "Will you hurry up? We're all hot and thirsty!"
And the blonde said, "No way. I'm still winning!"




Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019Copyright © 1995 - 2006 Comedy Central. All rights reserved.

I AM YOUR DOG
Author UnknownI am your dog, and I have a little something I would like to whisper in yourear.I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to work. Some havechildren to raise. It always seems like you are running here and there,often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand things in life.Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer. See, the way mydark brown eyes look at yours. They are slightly cloudy now. That comes withage. The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle.You smile at me; I see love in your eyes. What do you see in mine? Do yousee a spirit? A soul inside, who loves you as no other could in the world? Aspirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrongdoing for just asimple moment of your time?That is all I ask. To slow down, if even for a few minutes to be with me.So many times, you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen,of other of my kind, passing. Sometimes we die young and oh so quickly,sometimes so suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat. Sometimes,we age so slowly before your eyes that you may not even seem to know untilthe very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract cloudedeyes. Still the love is always there, even when we must take that longsleep, to run free in a distant land.I may not be here next week. Someday you will shed the water from youreyes, that humans have when deep grief fills their souls, and you will beangry at yourself that you did not have just "One more day" with me. BecauseI love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me. We have NOW,together. So come, sit down here next to me on the floor, and look deep into my eyes.What do you see? If you look hard and deep enough we will talk, you and I,heart to heart. Come to me not as "alpha" or as "trainer" or even "Mom orDad," come to me as a living soul and stroke my fur and let us look deepinto another's eyes, and talk.I may tell you something about the fun of chasing a tennis ball, or I maytell you something profound about myself or even life in general. Youdecided to have me in your life because you wanted a soul to share suchthings with.Someone very different from you, and here I am.I am a dog, but I am alive. I feel emotion, I feel physical senses, and Ican revel in the differences of our spirits and souls. I do not think of youas a "Dog on two feet"- I know what you are. You are human, in all of yourquirkiness, and I love you still.Now, come sit with me on the floor. Enter my world, and let time slow downif only for 15 minutes. Look deep into my eyes, and whisper to my ears.Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will know your true self.We may not have tomorrow, and life is oh so very short.--Love, (on behalf of canines everywhere)
Author Unknown
~Until there are none, Rescue one~

Kerry: Bush needs new policy to fix 'dysfunctional' intel system, 'not a new stump speech'
RAW STORYPublished: Wednesday September 6, 2006
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After President Bush delivered his third speech on the global war on terror for the week, Democratic Senator John Kerry, in a statement received by RAW STORY, said that the Administration needs a "new policy, not a new stump speech."
"No matter how many times the President redelivers the same political speech, we need action and not words," Kerry said. "The Administration needs to focus less on a strategy to win a mid term election and more on a strategy that will win the war on terror."
Kerry slammed the Bush Administration for doing "absolutely nothing" to fix the country's "dysfunctional intelligence system" in the five years since the 9/11 attacks.
"September 11th brought home the costs of a dysfunctional intelligence system marred by bureaucratic infighting, inadequate resources, and faulty analysis," said Kerry. "But we’ve done absolutely nothing to correct it."
"The 9/11 commission just recently gave our government a failing grade on implementing intelligence reforms and our ability to intercept terrorist communications remains in legal limbo," Kerry continued. "The Administration needs a new policy, not a new stump speech."

Convicted Arlington psychiatrist has license revoked
By JAN JARVIS
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
The state medical board has revoked the license of Arlington psychiatrist Donald Hughes who in 2004 was accused of inappropriate sexual contact with three juvenile patients. Hughes also has been sentenced to three five-year prison terms after he pleaded guilty to three charges of indecency with a child.
Hughes, 55, practiced in Arlington and Fort Worth. The Texas Medical Board also ordered him to pay a $55,000 penalty and nearly $2,400 in transcript costs. The decision comes two years after Hughes' license was suspended by the board after the panel deemed that allowing him to continue practicing medicine would pose a public threat.
Hughes was among seven Tarrant County doctors of the 99 disciplined since June by the board.
In his case, the board’s decision followed a hearing by an administrative law judge and was based on findings that “Hughes committed unprofessional or dishonorable conduct that injured the public, that he became personally and financially involved with a patient and that he engaged in sexual contact with patients,” according to board records.
Hughes may file a motion for rehearing within 20 days of entering of the order by the board. If the motion for rehearing is filed and the board denies it, the order is final.

Man arrested in death of McKinney real estate agent
By MATT JOYCE
The Associated Press
NBC5i.com
Kosoul Chanthakoummane, 25, was arrested on a charge of capital murder late Tuesday in connection with the death of Sarah Anne Walker, said Capt. Randy Roland of the McKinney Police Department.
More photosMcKINNEY - Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of a suspect in the July slaying of a real estate agent who was found stabbed to death in a model home.
Kosoul Chanthakoummane, 25, was arrested on a charge of capital murder late Tuesday in connection with the death of Sarah Anne Walker, said Capt. Randy Roland of the McKinney Police Department.
Chanthakoummane was arrested at his Dallas apartment and was being held Wednesday morning on $1 million bond, Roland said.
A house-hunting couple found Walker's body July 8 in the kitchen of a model home in the fast-growing suburb of McKinney, about 30 miles north of Dallas. The 40-year-old agent had been stabbed 27 times in what detective described as an unusually ferocious attack.
The slaying rattled real estate agents who work open houses alone and worried nearby residents living in the kind of new, extravagant homes Walker sold.
Roland said a combination of detective work, witness statements and forensic evidence led investigators to Chanthakoummane.
The McKinney police released a composite sketch a couple of weeks ago based on witness statements, Roland said. The sketch prompted a tip that led police to Chanthakoummane, he said.
Roland said Chanthakoummane is the only suspect in the case.
Further details of the case, including a motive for the slaying or any possible relationship between Chanthakoummane and Walker, were not available early Wednesday. Roland said a press conference was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to discuss the arrest.
Detectives began interviewing Chanthakoummane after he was arrested, but the interview was stopped when he requested a lawyer, Roland said.
Walker, a twice-divorced mother of two children, was a top-seller for home builder D.R. Horton. She earned free vacations for the high volume of brick-and-slab homes she closed.
Early in the investigation, police said Walker's slaying did not appear to be random and that the her wide network of acquaintances made the investigation more challenging.
The case was featured on the television show "America's Most Wanted" in July.