Church Services for Pets and Owners

Has an idea struck you that you were confident would benefit you and many others but in the end you forfeit its possibilities assuming the masses will consider you crazy or the idea is taboo?

Well I had one such thought and I was shocked that in California, it's coming true! Church service for pets and owners! In Los Angeles, Reverend Tom Eggebeen at Covenant Persyterian Church conceived the idea as a way to attract parishioners to his mostly empty pews. So he turned God's house into a doghouse by offering a 30-minute service complete with individual doggie beds, canine prayers and an offering of dog treats! Recognizing that many Americans love their dogs as much as humans, like true family members, Rev. Eggebeen opened the church to these God-created creatures.

Which type of dogs are welcome? All are. From pit bulls to miniature Daschunds to bichon frises. All dogs are welcome. I would imagine the dogs have to demonstrate obedience and correct social behavior.

While the pooches showed up on Sunday, they didn't seem interested in dogma. But it attracted many new faces and parishioners.

A 30- minute service with dogs? This also would help with the attention span of small children. My kids are asking me to go to our pastor and propose the idea. Minnesota is not quite as progressive as California. This will take some dogged efforts.

Share your thoughts and comments!

Should Cell Phone Interrupters Be Escorted Off Property?

As technology aids us in everyday work and chores, it also is increasingly intrusive in our lives and the cause of eroding manners.

There's always the person who forgets to turn off or silence their cell phone ringer in a movie theater, in church, at a dinner or special event with guests, etc.

At my church, the reverend will stop in mid sentence and stare down the section or person with such unGodly contempt you're frightened that person's soul will go straight to hell. But his laser stare followed by lecture on respect and manners leaves you sweating out of embarassment for the culprit and serves as painful reminder to turn off the cell phone at the next service. Later the reverend apologizes to the congregation explaining he's deep in thought when sharing the sermon and the cell phones interrupts his train of thought and pierces the post gospel message and momentum. I don't blame him.

This past September, Hugh Jackman was performing on Broadway, A Steady Rain, and at the height of his dramatic performance a cell phone rings in the audience. Jackman breaks character to tell the owner of the ringing cell phone, "You want to get that?" as the audience erupts in cheers. As the ringing persists, Jackman pleads: "Come on, just turn it off." He then paces the stage of the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, waits about a minute for the ringing to stop and the play resumes.

The interruption occurred during an intense moment in the play, when Jackman's character, a Chicago policeman, reveals haunting memories.

A customary loudspeaker announcement reminds theatergoers to turn off their phones. Since the incident, ushers who seat patrons and pass out playbills at Schoenfeld are also instructing patrons to silence their phones.

Should cell phone offenders be asked to leave the theater or church? Maybe that's taking it too far and the harsh glares from those sitting around the culprit is punishment enough. What do you think?

Share your thoughts by clicking on "Comment" below.

Should Child Rapist Go Free?

My dear readers,

Here is a sensitive issue that has me inflamed that I turned to my blog to unburden my shock and share my horror and hope you will respond inkind.

As you may have heard, Oscar- winning film director, Roman Polanski, plead guilty to having sex with 13 year-old girl in 1977. When he knew the judge was going to pronounce his long-term sentence, he fled to France. The French do not extradite their citizens and now they are pressuring the Swiss, where Polanski is currently being held for extradition, not to release him to the U.S.

There is a movement to pressure US officials to drop the charges. The backers range from France and Poland (where he holds dual citizenship) to other famous celebrities. Why? Because he's a brilliant film maker and celebrity?

In general, do you think a child rapist should go free? If it were your child, would you want him to never spend a day in prison if the man produced your favorite film? Perhaps he has reflected and repented but he has never served his term for violating a child. Does his award credits outweigh a child's innocence?

Does a 20 year run and a status of brilliance in film making grant immunization for such heinous crimes? An average person would never be granted clemency.

Am I being unreasonable? Please weigh in by clicking on COMMENTS below and share your opinion. I wonder how many "average people" like me, a mother like me, feel the same disgust that a culture around the world can easily disregard the act of raping a 13 year old child because he has already won favor and the hearts of the art world.

For the complete story, CLICK HERE.

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Willy Wonka Chocolate Theme Park to Open

You have to give credit to the Chinese. They know what markets are ripe for growth in this dour economy and how to "Present" to grab the world's attention a la Olympic style, "beyond imagination" according to the general manager of this upcoming project.

I always wondered what countries did to maximize on the vast terrain cratered by an Olympic site. The Chinese are brilliant.

China plans to cater to the country's rising number of chocoholics with the opening next year of a Willy Wonka-style theme park in Beijing, complete with a replica Great Wall.

The 'world chocolate dream park', reminiscent of Roald Dahl's beloved book Charlie and the Choc-olate Factory, will feature a life-size edible Terracotta Army, Great Wall and versions of famous paintings, the China Daily said.

The park, due to open in January 2010, will be located in the Olympic Green, which also includes the iconic Bird's Nest stadium and the Water Cube aquatics centre used during the Beijing Summer Games last year.

The site will include five pavilions and two outdoor sites where chocolate-made objects, such as the replica Great Wall, will be on display, the report said.

Chocolate is not as popular in China as it is in Western countries, but the sweet treat is increasingly popular with the nation's younger generation.

A number of prestigious chocolate makers from Europe, including Belgium and Switzerland, want to participate in the project, but Tina Chenge, general manager would not reveal their names in a recent interview.

"There is the potential for a huge market in China with regards to chocolate consumption," she said, according to the report.

"That's why many overseas chocolate producers are vying to join our project."

Shakespearan Birds Terrorize the U.S.

Flock of Starlings in Rotterdam (Europe)

Who could hate a bird? Well if a pooping pigeon or crop-eating nuisance caused you to lose money and sleep, one could easily hate certain birds.

A darling from a Shakespearean novel is now the Hitchock of caws in the US and Americans hate them. Some fanatical group of Shakespeare decided to bring these starlings to the U.S. and they are no darlings.

Below is an article from Associated Press explaining the history and dangers of the starling birds. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

By MIKE STARK, Associated Press Writer Mike Stark, Associated Press Writer – Sun Sep 6, 1:00 pm ET

SALT LAKE CITY – The next time the sky darkens with a flock of noisy unwelcome starlings, blame Shakespeare — or, better yet, a few of his strangest fans.

Had the Bard not mentioned the starling in the third scene of "Henry IV," arguably the most hated bird in North America might never have arrived. In the early 1890s, about 100 European starlings were released in New York City's Central Park by a group dedicated to bringing to America every bird ever mentioned by Shakespeare.

Today, it's more like Hitchcock.

Some 200 million shiny black European starlings crowd North America, from the cool climes of Alaska to the balmy reaches of Mexico's Baja peninsula. The enormous flocks endanger air travel, mob cattle operations, chase off native songbirds, roost on city blocks, leaving behind corrosive, foul-smelling droppings and hundreds of millions of dollars of damage each year.
And getting rid of them is near impossible.

Last year U.S. government agents poisoned, shot and trapped 1.7 million starlings, more than any other nuisance species, according to new figures, only to see them roaring back again.
"It's sort of like bailing the ocean with a thimble," said Richard Dolbeer, a retired Wildlife Services researcher in Sandusky, Ohio who spent years trying to figure out ways to keep starlings — which he calls "flying bullets" — and other birds from causing problems at airports. Federal aviation officials say they have caused $4 million in damage since 1990.

After the starlings' introduction, they quickly expanded west, taking advantage of vast tracts of forested land opening up to agriculture and human development, Dolbeer said. By the 1950s, starlings had reached California and nearly all parts in-between. Today, it's one of the most common birds in the U.S.

Their prodigious presence is no mystery. Starlings breed like crazy, eat almost anything, are highly mobile and operate in overwhelming numbers. They're also expert at nesting in protected nooks and making an intimidating statement as they swirl in vast clouds called "murmurations."
"They're great survivors and quite the biological machine," said Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation at the National Audubon Society.

They're also responsible for the most deadly bird strikes in aviation: a 1960 civilian crash in Boston that killed 62 and a 1996 military cargo plane crash that killed 34 in the Netherlands. Since then, there have been close calls, including a Boeing 747 that ran into a flock in Rome last fall. No one was killed but the badly damaged plane had a rough landing.

Those kinds of scenarios are why wildlife biologist Mike Smith has been tweaking a series of traps used at Salt Lake City International Airport, where there have been 19 reported starling strikes since 1990. The traps use dog food to attract a starling or two. Hundreds more soon follow, driven by their innate desire to flock with each other. He once caught 800 in a single day.
The most popular lethal tactic is a poison called DRC-1339, which is often sprinkled on french fries, a favorite starlings snack. Within a day or two, starlings keel over from organ failure.

No other state poisoned more starlings last year than Washington. Starlings there caused $9 million in damages to agricultural operations over five years. Nationwide, starlings cause $800 million in damage to agricultural operations each year, according to a Cornell University estimate.

At one feed lot, some 200,000 starlings gathered each day, lining fence tops, wires, water troughs and even perching on top of cows. They've learned to steal the most nutritious morsels from the cattle troughs and pose an ever-present threat of moving disease from one ranch to another, said Roger Woodruff, director of Wildlife Services in Washington.

Nearly 650,000 starlings were poisoned last year in the state, an all-time record, he said.
When killing's not an option, agents often turn to harassment campaigns.

In downtown Indianapolis, flocks as large as 40,000 show up around dusk in the winter to hang out, find food and keep warm. They quickly wear out their welcome with their noise and their mess. Crews are deployed nearly every night to scare them off with lasers, pyrotechnic explosions and noise devices with names like "screamers" and "bangers."

Like other urban areas, they've had some success shooing them out of downtown and onto undeveloped land, said Judy Loven, director of Wildlife Services in Indiana, but it's likely going to be an ongoing battle.

"They're pretty much wise to our ways and pass that information along," said Jeff Homan, a wildlife researcher in Bismarck, N.D., who's part of a team focusing on starlings and blackbirds.
It's unlikely those who engineered the starlings' release in Central Park — including its leader, New York drug manufacturer named Eugene Schieffelin — could have fully imagined the consequences of their experiment, said author Kim Todd, who wrote about the introduction in her 2001 book "Tinkering With Eden: A Natural History of Exotic Species in America."

"It's sad but true that we often only see a creature's beauty when it is out-of-reach or rare," Todd said in an e-mail. "I can't imagine that Schieffelin, who appreciated starlings on the page and in small groups, would have the same affection for them in their enormous, pesky flocks."

The Lottery Curse

How could winning millions of dollars be a curse? It's true. What is a tremendous blessing has often turned even tragic.

Winner's lose their minds or have no sense of investing for the future. Greed takes over like a disease. It infects and spreads. Not just for the winners but immediate relatives. Jeffrey Dampier, a $20 million winner, was kidnapped and murdered by his own sister-in-law.

A 16 year-old girl won $3 million six years ago which has dwindled down to $32,000. The story of Callie Rogers is typical of many winners not just a very young winner.

Often in social circles or at the watercooler when the jackpots are at stratosphere amounts, people talk about what the would do with the money--travel around the world, buy new house, fancy cars and donate to charity and help our family.

That's what Jack Whittaker did for his granddaughter Brandi and renovated a $5 million dollar home for her and her mother. Then his generosity surpassed common sense. He gave his 17 year old granddaughter and allowance of $2,000 A WEEK! Eventually Brandi attracted new "friends" and started using drugs. She died of a drug overdose. Jack now wishes he never won. To watch the interview, CLICK HERE.

LESSONS LEARNED
1- Keep quiet if you win. Don't go on the news or hold the jumbo check. Only let your spouse know. Otherwise you will be hounded for life and never enjoy a normal life with people approaching you only for your money. The life of a celebrity is not all fun and glamorous. This is the ugly side.

2- INVEST, INVEST, INVEST. Use the money to generate a continual income stream. If you don't know a dime about investing, just purchase a "Investing for Dummies" book at your local bookstore. It's not that difficult. Just start with the basics.

3- If you choose to donate to an organization or relatives, establish a trust or foundation so you can make "anonymous" donations. Again, this is to avoid avarice vultures.

4- Don't forget where you came from. Continue to go to church or start attending a faith-based program to stay grounded. I think this is the most important.

Honestly, I rarely play the huge jackpot lotteries. I'd rather dabble in the smaller games with smaller payouts. I would be ecstatic with just $10,000--the chances are much better--but then again, I know I can make that money stretch and regenerate!

What would you do if you won the lottery? Share it by posting a comment below--you can remain anonymous or use a code name!

The Real BOND Girls

There is such a person as the bond girl outside of Hollywood films that is fierce and chases down and handcuffs the bad guys. In this case there are two bond girls. But these aren't the sexy, sultry, carrying-shiny-automatic weapon Bond Girls from the Bond movie. No these are the Bail Bond girls and they call themselves the Lipstick Bail Bonds.

And everything is pink--like their lipstick. From their shirts, shoes, to the handcuffs and even their taser gun. No kidding. Men can work for them but wearing the color pink is a requirement.

CLICK HERE to view the video and interview by ABC News, John Quinones to see these girls in action.

What a great idea! Easy for them--they used to be police officers.