Jolynn's Space

This week 2/24/08

Jolynn — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:17:45 GMT

This has been a busy week. The weather has warmed and we've even had a few days of sunshine! The hens are starting to increase their egg laying already and we have lots of nests of baby bunnies.

The mama goats are bulging and I am checking daily for increasing udder size. One doe, Snowflake, is starting to bag up, so those baby goats should be here in just a one or two weeks! Baby goats are so cute and so much fun. Once the first doe gives birth, there tends to be a pheremone domino effect. I can feel twins in at least 3 of the does who are biggest, and sometimes you can see the little rascals doing somersaults in mamas' bellies.

Lots of big rabbit litters are growing fast. This week I bred my chocolate (brown) Beveren does! There are 4 does bred to black bucks carrying chocolate, so I am hoping for lots of chocolate babies. This color is in the development stage in the US, though recognized in Europe. We have also rebred our blue and black Flemiosh does as our wait list has gotten quite long again! We are happy that these Flemish colors are getting more popular! We have a show coming up so we have been busy picking juniors for the show table and will be tatooing this coming week.

The horses are starting the shed a bit with this warmer weather. Marcos is growing like a weed and becoming more handsome by the day. The new baby girl Bella is cute as a button. Just a bit more and it will be breeding season for the broodmares already. Warm-up show season starts next month already so I certainly hope we are warmed up, but, no rush.

We got bedding shavings delivered this weekend and Holy Cow! The price went up again! Even though we don't use much because we have matted stalls and animals go out all day, I am going to look into some recycled paper alternatives.

This past week has also been a busy organizational week on the computer. I have divided up the content of BLOGS - check them out! I am still adding content to the webpages as well, and I will be trying to add photos.
Wish List....a really nice, fast wireless laptop with tons of video memory and a super high quality and easy to use digital camera....
~Jolynn

Sad News for USDA Organic Milk

Jolynn — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:37:02 GMT

USDA allows more synthetic drugs in organic livestock production

American Veterinary Medical Association

February 15, 2008

Veterinarians may now use additional synthetic drugs-atropine, butorphanol,
flunixin, furosemide, magnesium hydroxide, poloxalene, tolazoline, and
xylazine-in organic livestock production, under certain restrictions.

The Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service recently
published a final rule amending the National Organic Program's National List
of Allowed and Prohibited Substances to add a handful of synthetic
substances for use in organic livestock production. The rule enacts
recommendations from the National Organic Standards Board between late 2000
and early 2005.

The USDA had received a number of comments opposing addition of any
synthetic substances in organic livestock production. The department
determined, however, that the record supports the need for livestock
medications in the interest of humane treatment.

For many of the synthetic drugs, the new rule specifies longer meat and milk
withdrawal times in organic livestock production than in traditional
livestock production. The USDA indicated that it did not use food safety
arguments to support the extension of withdrawal periods. Rather, the
department determined that longer withdrawal periods are more compatible
with consumer expectations of organic livestock production.

For atropine, the rule requires a meat withdrawal interval of at least 56
days and a milk discard period of at least 12 days in organic livestock
production. For butorphanol, the meat withdrawal interval is 42 days and the
milk discard period is eight days.

The withdrawal periods for flunixin and furosemide in organic livestock
production must be at least two times the withdrawal periods that the Food
and Drug Administration has specified for traditional production.

The new rule limits the use of xylazine in organic livestock production to
emergency situations. The rule allows tolazoline only to reverse the effects
of xylazine. For both drugs, producers must adhere to a meat withdrawal
interval of eight days and a milk discard period of four days.

The new rule permits magnesium hydroxide in organic livestock production
under the usual FDA regulations. The rule allows poloxalene only for the
emergency treatment of bloat. Also, producers may now use
peroxyacetic/peracetic acid to sanitize equipment.

The rule appeared in the Dec. 12, 2007, issue of the Federal Register. Back
issues are available at www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/browse.html.

Additional information is available from Robert Pooler, Agricultural
Marketing Specialist, National Organic Program, USDA/AMS/TM/NOP, Room
4008-So., Ag Stop 0268, 1400 Independence Ave. S.W., Washington, DC 20250;
phone, (202) 720-3252.

avma.org

The Government Farm Inspector - Just Funny

Jolynn — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:34:44 GMT

Thank you Franco Rios for this one

A cocky US Department of Agriculture inspector drove up in
a fancy white truck and told the farmer "I need to inspect
your farm."

The farmer reluctantly but confidently said, "OK, but don't
go in that field right over yonder."

The inspector said, "Mister, I have the authority of the
United States Government with me. See this card? This card
means I am allowed to go wherever I wish on any agricultural
land. No questions asked, and no questions answered. Have I
made myself clear?" The farmer nodded politely and went about
his chores.

Some half an hour later, the farmer heard loud screams for
help and looked up to see the inspector running for the fence
pursued by his prize bull, which was gaining with every step.

The farmer immediately put down his feed buckets, ran to the
fence and shouted out, "Your card! Your card! Show him your card!"

Story of Stuff

Jolynn — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:32:00 GMT

http://www.storyofstuff.com/
This is a must see video for everyone interested in the state of the earth and how our kids and grandkids will live here.

Permaculture and Biodynamic Growing Workshop

Jolynn — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:32:17 GMT

http://www.friendsofthetrees.net/images/sahale%20_paradise_brochure.pdf

Here is a great opportunity for those in or near WA put on by a local Permaculturist and farmer, Michael Pilarski.

Working Dogs Make a Bear of a Friend

Jolynn — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:20:17 GMT

From an unknown web source...not lGDs but here is some more incredible working dog story on pictures..... we are partial to this as our 2 pet dogs are Siberian Huskies

This is something you don't see every day scroll down

The photographer was sure that he was going
to see the end of his huskies when the polar bear
materialized out of the blue, as it were:

But..something else happened.. .

The Polar Bear returned every night that week to play with the dogs..

Homeowner’s Associations, the Fall of Empires, & Chickens

Jolynn — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:05:30 GMT

As strange as the title of this article sounds, there really is an association between the three things for me. A rather important one, I believe. Let me explain my thoughts on each and then try to make my point. To understand my perspective on homeowner’s associations, you need to know that I grew up on a farm. Not just any farm, but one secluded in rural Pennsylvania in a Pennsylvania German Mennonite community. This is an insular community that believes strongly in separatism and self-sufficiency. They live with the land and seasons. By the time I was a teenager, enough mainstream media had leaked in that I longed for modern big city life and so I moved to New York City to go to college and graduate school. There was no misunderstanding about the lifestyle in New York. You work, you buy things, you have minimal space and most of that is concrete. There is no living with the land -- you live on it. After some time, I became disenchanted with city life and wanted to return to nature. As luck would have it I made it to the Seattle area and ended up inheriting a suburban house through marriage– a planned community with a "home owner's association." I never had an experience in suburbia so please excuse my ignorance. After many months of culture shock and trying to find my own house because all the houses and streets looked alike, we got a bill in the mail for homeowner’s dues. I asked my husband what this was all about, and he explained the concept of a homeowner’s association. In my ignorance I was sure that this was unconstitutional and I could not be held to follow their rules, after all, I never knew about them let alone agreed them. Reality set in and I worked on coming to terms with this reality, though incredulous that there could be a watchdog association that would dictate such things as how I handle my trash, what types of plants I put in my yard, to what color I can paint my house. There are too many other little gems to even list. And, yes, you guessed it, even though my city, county and state laws allowed for the raising of chickens and other livestock on private property, including in the City of Seattle, my homeowners association did not allow it on my property in unincorporated King County.

Speaking of chickens, here are my thoughts. I grew up with chickens. We had a coop with about 15 to 20 chickens at any given time. I have chickens again - bountiful fresh eggs and plump chicken in the freezer each year. The coop gets cleaned out and goes right into the garden, along with the manure from the other animals in the barn. Table scraps go to the chickens. It's a well-greased wheel. I’ve been pecked at and pooped on a lot in my life, so it wasn’t my life’s yearning to have chickens again. But, now with a family, I want my partner and kids to have the same benefits that I had, but, there’s homeowners thing. To me, the plight of the backyard chicken, endangered further by homeowner’s associations and many others like it, symbolizes our society’s departure from a simpler, holistic, self-sustaining way of life. All that from a chicken you ask? Lots of people don’t have chickens. People prefer to drive to the grocery store and buy eggs that have been refrigerated for who knows how long, and to buy their chicken meat with who knows what in it, already neatly packaged if not already cooked. I empathize with that. Modern life doesn’t allow us a lot of time to be cooking and caring for animals. I too go to the store to buy eggs and chicken sometimes.
But regularly go to the store to buy something that I could raise in my own yard (and a tiny yard) that would not only be organic, fresher, and healthier, but would also reduce waste and spending by eating my scraps and cuttings and providing me with compost? What is wrong here? Instead of having our own chicken, we as Americans buy from a large chain grocery store for 3-4 times as much as it would cost for me to have my own, and if I don’t scour for organic, I get hormones and antibiotics and food that is not fresh. I have even heard rumors that chickens are considered “dirty” animals, and I am wondering where that rumor came from, but now is not the time to digress further.

I can make the same argument for homegrown vegetables, fruits, or other types of livestock. My point here is not so much about chickens as it is about a way of life. Sustainable. Healthy. Healing. Environmentally sound. Holistic. Where has it gone? I would say that the backyard chicken is endangered. This and many other food, family and home staples have been replaced by the empire of high technology and instant gratification.

This brings me to the thread of fallen empires. Those who pay attention to history remember the advanced civilizations and empires that have fallen – ancient Egypt, The Mayan Empire, The Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and more. They reached a pinnacle and collapsed. There is a theory called “The Theory of De-Development”. It says that any empire/civilization or culture that loses sustainability will de-develop, or fall. Sustainability in this scenario means “when the economy is no longer sustainable/reproducible (Galtung).” Some factors thought to affect the fall of empires include development being conceived of as narrowly economic, causing the empire to be built on economic need rather than human need, extraction from nature, and disproportionate amounts of power and resources among people in the empire. One or a combination of these factors can lead to the fall of any empire. Current de-development theory supposes that the current US Empire is de-developing, and the “global market place,” with its emphasis on importation and exportation rather than using local resources wisely, will also fall. Another spin on the fall of the US Empire comes from Edward Wilson’s The Future of Life. In his book he argues that our biosphere will be destroyed if we do not restore the biodiversity of animals, insects and plants endangered or destroyed by humankind, and that by restoring it we will not only survive but prosper economically.

So what do the chickens, homeowner’s associations and the fall of empires have in common? For me, they symbolize the decline in living holistically, and how our culture and society are teetering on the edge of self-destruction. I live in a community where sustainable lifestyle is not allowed, let alone valued. We live in a country where military build up and national debt trumps social programs, education, sustainable farming and wildlife preservation and our government wants to cut down forests to prevent fires and drill for oil in the arctic. We live in a culture that is addicted to stimulation and instant gratification that comes from TV, video and high speed internet connections, and we buy manufactured goods from across the world with just a point and click while local businesses, craftsmen and farmer’s are disappearing. Is it any wonder my homeowner’s association won’t allow me to raise a hen ?

By no means am I against high tech used wisely, as I sit here on my computer with cable modem. My point and goal is about sustainability and holistic living. In the world of gardening, this is known as permaculture. Permaculture, as defined by Hemenway, is the set of principles and techniques for designing sustainable human settlements. The emphasis is less on the plants animals, buildings and organizations themselves and more on the interrelationships among them. The aim is to create ecologically sound and economically prosperous communities. Principles guiding permaculture include care for the earth, people, sharing the surplus, and muli-functionality of elements in the culture.

In the world of ecopsychology, this means that we must re-connect with the earth in a fundamental way in order to heal ourselves and the earth. One cannot happen without the other. According to Theodore Roszak, ecopsychology suggests that the way we use or abuse the planet reflect our own inner needs and desires, and may reflect our collective conscious, or “collective state of soul.” Ecopsychologist Chellis Glennining says that we have become disconnected from the earth and that this is the “original trauma” of humanity. This has resulted in techno-addiction, denial, dishonesty, control issues, thinking disorders, and disconnect from feelings. These and other ecopsychologists insist that our only way out is to restore earth-friendly habits, communities and souls through healing the earth and reconnecting with her, or our emphasis and dependency on money and technology will be our downfall.

But, why you ask? Perhaps you are willing to work an 8 to 10 hour day in an office, buy meat and produce at the grocery store and spend the money for organic. Isn’t that enough? Yes, you can support the earth and the economy working full time – not everyone need be a farmer. But consider these issues. Sustainability pertaining to the economy means a local economy. Pay attention to where your food and products come from. A fruit flown in from Chile actually cost about 400 times it’s actual cost in the supermarket when you consider the cost of fuel to refrigerate and transport it here. And, as we buy non-local items because of their deceptively cheap cost in the store, we are building that narrow economy that is more and more susceptible to falling. As we buy non-local goods, our local farmers and craftsman go out of business. They have less or no money and no longer spend money in the local economy, which may affect your job. Consider nutrition and taste. A locally grown recently picked fruit or vegetable just tastes better than one flown here from Chile unripe, and retains more of its nutritional value. Consider organic. You can see local farmer’s practices first hand. You can practice sustainable living habits even if you can’t grow food and livestock yourself.

So I suggest to all with homeowner’s associations or similar restrictions that discourages or does not allow the growing of one’s own food, afford everyone the possibility of keeping chickens or other livestock for sustainable living, allow the making and keeping of compost, and all other ways to create a sustainable lifestyle or permaculture, speak up. Educate your self. Be heard. Complain and campaign. Get out there and dig in the dirt. Reconnect with her. Grow your own tomatoes, corn or herbs. Ask your grocer to carry local, organic produce and foods of you can’t grow your own, or go to a local farm or farmer’s market. It’s a long road back but every step takes us forward. If you have never experienced living holistically, you are in for a life-changing experience!

ANIMAL RIGHTS OR ANIMAL WELFARE?

Jolynn — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:25:40 GMT

We strongly support animal welfare - that is, the ethical and humane treatment of animals, including pets, livestock, ethical breeding practises and animal ownership. But do you know what "animal rights" organizations are really about? Organizations like PETA? Have a look below...they want animals to have rights equal to humans, which translates to not only no pet or animal ownership but the EXTINCTION of domestic pets like cats and dogs, a vegan society (not just no meat and fur but no eggs, milk, wool, leather, etc), and no "enslavement" of animal for such uses as seeing eye dogs, K-9 units, etc.
Read for youself, the below web excerpt has many quotes directly from animal rights activists. Please, KNOW who you a group is before you support, donate money or give up a pet!!!

ANIMAL
RIGHTS

ANIMAL WELFARE

Goals
Purpose
Mission

Group
Classifications
and links

(many more
to follow)

To end all human "exploitation" of animals -
this includes, but is not limited to, raising
and slaughtering of livestock for human or
animal consumption, eating meat, hunting,
using animals for any medical or veterinary
research, zoos (regardless of how well
managed), circuses, rodeos, horseshows,
dogshows, animals performing in TV
commercials, shows or movies (regardless
of how well treated any of the above are),
guide-dogs for the blind, police dogs, search
& rescue dogs, and the practice of owning pets.

PETA (People For The Ethical
Treatment Of Animals)

HSUS (Humane Society Of The
United States)

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

Several of PETA's latest exploits have been their
campaign to speak to children at McDonald's
restaurants and to hand them literature designed
to frighten them from drinking milk.

In Vermont, PETA representatives coerced
Vermont elementary school teachers to take
down posters in classrooms bearing the
slogan "Got MILK?" and threatened school
officials with legal action if they did not
comply. The governor of the state ordered
that the dairy posters be put back up and
promised to allot special moneys for a fund
for legal defense against any future actions
of the radical animal rights group.

In Canada an Animal Rights group nearly put
a company out of business that manufactures
nutritional "sports snack bars." Claiming that
the company had been guilty of cruel animal
testing, they laced the bars with poison,
necessitating a nationwide recall. Dogs and
humans alike had been subjected to cold
temperatures to test how well the nutritious
snacks helped them to maintain body heat.
None of the test subjects were subjected to
conditions that in any way endangered their
health or caused extreme discomfort.

Last year, PETA made a financial donation to the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), a shadowy organization that the FBI has labeled "the largest and most active U.S.-based terror group." Since 1996, ELF and its sister group, the Animal Liberation Front, have caused more than $43 million in property damage resulting from over 600 attacks including arson, assault and property destruction on a massive scale. source: The Center for Consumer Freedom

"I openly hope that it comes here." Ingrid Newkirk, PETA Co-Founder, on her desire for a USA hoof-and-mouth epidemic. Quotation from:
"Hoping for Disease: PETA Hopes Foot-And-Mouth Strikes in the United States by Alan Elsner, Reuters, Norfolk VA
4/2/01

"It would be great if all the fast-food outlets,
slaughterhouses, these laboratories and the banks who fund them exploded tomorrow... Hallelujah to the people who are willing to do it."
Quote from Bruce Friedrich, PETA Spokesperson at the "Animal Rights 2001" convention.

2002 - PETA's tax exempt status is currently under scrutiny by the IRS, due to their history of criminal activity
******************************
They Speak For Themselves
The following are quotes from PETA's own
materials:

"We are not especially 'interested in'
animals. Neither of us had ever been
inordinately fond of dogs, cats, or
horses in the way that many people are.
We didn't 'love' animals." --Peter
Singer, Animal Liberation: A New
Ethic for Our Treatment of Animals,
2nd ed. (New York Review of Books,
1990),Preface, p. ii.

"Pet ownership is an absolutely
abysmal situation brought
about by human manipulation."
-- Ingrid Newkirk, national director,
People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PeTA), Just Like Us?
Toward a Nation of Animal Rights"
(symposium), Harper's, August 1988,
p. 50.

"The cat, like the dog, must disappear
... We should cut the domestic cat free
from our dominance by neutering,
neutering, and more neutering, until our
pathetic version of the cat ceases to
exist." --John Bryant, Fettered
Kingdoms: An Examination of A
Changing Ethic
(Washington, DC: People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA),
1982), p. 15.

"Arson, property destruction, burglary
and theft are 'acceptable crimes'
when used for the animal cause."
-Alex Pacheco, Director, PeTA

"...the animal rights movement is not
concerned about species extinction.
An elephant is no more or less
important than a cow, just as a
dolphin is no more important than a
tuna...(In fact, many animal rights
advocates would argue that it is
better for the chimpanzee to become
extinct than to be exploited
continually in laboratories, zoos
and circuses." (Barbara Biel,
The Animals' Agenda, Vol 15 #3.

Torturing a human being is almost
always wrong, but it is not absolutely
wrong." --Peter Singer, as quoted in
Josephine Donovan, "Animal Rights
and Feminist Theory, " Signs: Journal
of Women in Culture and
Society, Winter 1990, p. 357.

"As long as humans have rights and
nonhumans do not, as is the case in
the welfarist (animal welfare) framework,
then nonhumans will virtually always
lose when their interests conflict with
human interests. Thus welfare reforms,
by their very nature, can only serve to
retard the pace at which animal rights
goals are achieved." (Francione &
Regan, "A Movement's Means Create
Its Ends," Animals' Agenda,
Jan.-Feb., 1992).

"To those people who say, `My father
is alive because of animal
experimentation,' I say `Yeah, well,
good for you. This dog died so your
father could live.' Sorry, but I am just
not behind that kind of trade off."
- Bill Maher, PeTA celebrity spokesman

(It bears noting here that
advances in human medicine arrived at
through animal research, usually carry an
equivalent benefit to veterinary medicine -
ASPCA and other Animal Welfare groups
monitor conditions in laboratories and
support legislation for humane conditions,
but do not call for an end to laboratory
research on animals---
webmaster's observation)

"If the death of one rat cured all diseases,
it wouldn't make any difference to me."
--Chris DeRose, director, Last Chance
for Animals, as quoted in Elizabeth Venant
and David Treadwell, "Biting Back," Los
Angeles Times, April 12, 1990, p. E12.

"Even if animal tests produced a cure
[for AIDS], 'we'd be against it.'" --Ingrid
Newkirk, national director, People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA),
as quoted in Fred Barnes, "Politics,"
Vogue, September 1989, p. 542.

"If it [abolition of animal research] means
there are some things we cannot learn,
then so be it. We have no basic right
not to be harmed by those natural
diseases we are heir to."
--Tom Regan, as quoted in David T.
Hardy, "America's New Extremists:
What You Need to Know About the
Animal Rights Movement." (Washington,
DC: Washington Legal Foundation,
1990), p. 8.

"Even granting that we [humans] face
greater harm than laboratory animals
presently endure if ... research on these
animals is stopped, the animal rights
view will not be satisfied with anything
less than total abolition." (Tom Regan,
The Case for Animal Rights, 1983).

"If my father had a heart attack, it
would give me no solace at all to know
his treatment was first tried on a dog,"
Ingrid Newkirk, national director for
People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals, (PeTA), Washington Post,
Nov. 13, 1983.

"Not only are the philosophies of
animal rights and animal welfare
separated by irreconcilable differences...
the enactment of animal welfare
measures actually impedes the
achievement of animal rights...
Welfare reforms, by their very nature,
can only serve to retard the pace
at which animal rights goals are
achieved." --Gary Francione and
Tom Regan, "A Movement's
Means Create Its Ends," The
Animals' Agenda,
January/February 1992, pp. 40-42.

"I'm an insulin-dependent diabetic.
Twice a day I take synthetically
manufactured insulin that still contains
some animal products--and I have no
qualms about it." Sweetland adds,
"I don't see myself as a hypocrite.
I need my life to fight for the rights
of animals." -Mary Beth Sweetland,
PETA

"Liberating our language by eliminating
the word 'pet' is the first step...In an
ideal society where all exploitation
and oppression has been eliminated,
it will be NJARA's policy to oppose the
keeping of animals as 'pets.'" --New
Jersey Animal Rights Alliance, "Should
Dogs Be Kept As Pets? NO!"
Good Dog! February 1991, p. 20.

"Let us allow the dog to disappear from
our brick and concrete jungles--from our
firesides, from the leather
nooses and chains by which we
enslave it." --John Bryant, Fettered
Kingdoms: An Examination of A
Changing Ethic (Washington,
DC: People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals (PeTA), 1982), p. 15.

"[A]s the surplus of cats and dogs
{artificially engineered by centuries
of forced breeding) declined, eventually
companion animals would be phased
out, and we would return to a more
symbiotic relationship--enjoyment at
a distance." --Ingrid Newkirk, "Just Like
Us? Toward a Notion of Animal Rights"
(symposium), Harper's, August 1988, p. 50.

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

FAQ (about the Animal Rights
Movement) ANIMAL RIGHTS MYTHS
by Kevin O'Donnell

MYTH 2.15: "Animal rights groups should
be supported by animal lovers." In fact
AR groups such as PETA have many
extreme proposals that pet-lovers in
particular should be shocked by:

"Pet ownership is an abysmal situation
brought about by human manipulation"
(Ingrid Newkirk, PETA founder
Washingtonian Aug. 1986) "In the end
I think it would be lovely if we stopped
this whole notion of pets altogether"
(Ingrid Newkirk Newsday, Feb. 21 1988)

"One day we would like an end to pet
shops and breeding animals [Dogs] would
pursue their natural lives in the wild"
(Ingrid Newkirk, Chicago Daily Herald
Mar 1, 1990) "Eventually companion
animals will be phased out...." (Ingrid
Newkirk, "Just Like Us? Toward a
Notion of Animal Right" (symposium),
Harper's, August 1988) "Let us allow
the dog to disappear from our brick
and concrete jungles- from our
firesides, from the leather nooses and
chains by which we enslave it." (John
Bryant, _Fettered Kingdoms: An
Examination of A Changing Ethic_
(Washington D C, PeTA, 1982). p. 15)

"The cat, like the dog, must
disappear..... We should cut the
domestic cat free from our dominance
by neutering, neutering, and more
neutering, until our pathetic version
of the cat ceases to exist." (John
Bryant, _Fettered Kingdoms: An
Examination of a Changing Ethic_
(Washington, D.C.: People
for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals, 1982), p.15)

From the above, it is clear that
pet-lovers have a great
deal to fear from the AR movement.

People who describe themselves
as supporters of 'animal rights' are often
shocked to discover the real agenda of
the AR organizations. This is because
being an animal lover is not the same
as supporting animal rights. Most people
who describe themselves as animal
lovers, including most scientists, are in
fact supporters of _animal welfare
_ rather than animal rights

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
The author of this FAQ is Kevin O'Donnell
kevin@embra.compulink.co.uk">(kevin@embra.compulink.co.uk).
Permission is granted to reproduce and
distribute this FAQ providing it is copied
in its entirety, including the
Acknowledgement and copyright notice
and provided no charge is made.

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

Animal Shelters Should Tell Animal
Rights Groups Show Us the Money!

By Susan E. Paris
President, Americans for Medical Progress

For the amount of money raised and
spent by U.S. animal rights groups every
cat and dog in America ought to have its
own condominium. Why then, do
more than 15 million pets a year end up
in underfunded local humane shelters
with overworked staff who are
frustrated that they cannot even
adequately feed and care for them?
And why are 11 million of these
animals-three out of every four cats
and two out of every three dogs-
destroyed for lack of a home?

The true measure of the success
or failure of the animal rights
movement in America ought to be
the number and condition of animals
in local humane shelters. Animal rights
groups claim to corner the market on
compassion for animals, so what more
valuable a service could they provide?
What more deserving an animal than
one that has no home, food and medical
care?

Scores of news stories from around the
country attest to the deplorable condition
of local animal shelters. Among the
problems cited: food shortages,
overcrowding, open sewage pits
of animal waste, rodent, ant and
cockroach infestation and lack of
medical treatment. At least one
shelter, due to a lack of funds, had
been forced to destroy unwanted
animals using an old carbon
monoxide chamber, or worse, because
of difficulties obtaining the drug
needed for a less painful death.
Euthanizing an animal using carbon
monoxide is considered inhumane
because it is often a prolonged death
which causes fear and suffering to
the animal.

In a 1995 direct mail solicitation,
the president of People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals,
Ingrid Newkirk, wrote about the
condition of one local humane shelter.
She noted that the animals
"suffered from overcrowding,
lack of regular food and water,
and a failure to provide veterinary
care." Newkirk wrote that, "Shelter
services have been drastically
curtailed to the point where
...people with animals have been turned
away at the door."

So what has PETA done to help these
homeless, hungry and sick animals
and others that suffer and die in shelters
each year? According to its
FY 1995 tax documents,
next to nothing.

Less than $5,000, or .03%, of PETA's
$13.4 million budget was allocated to
shelter or spay and neuter program
in the U.S.

90% of the $1,485,076 PETA donated,
or $1.3 million, went to itself-that is, PETA's
satellite offices in Germany, The
Netherlands, and England.

Next to PETA's overseas offices, the
next largest donation, $45,200, was sent
to animal rights terrorist Rodney Coronado
to help him avoid going to jail for firebombing
medical research facilities. Coronado is
now serving a 57 month jail sentence.

The Humane Society of the United States,
for its part, raises and spends close to $50
million, enough to bankroll at least one
well-run animal shelter in every state and
have enough left over to spay, neuter, feed
and save the lives of tens of thousands
of dogs and cats every year. So how many
HSUS-run animal shelters benefit from
the HSUS budget? None. Yet the HSUS
managed to pinch enough of its precious
pennies to pay its president, Paul Irwin,
$237,831 and its chief executive officer,
John Hoyt, $209,051 in addition to
providing tens of thousands of dollars
in bonuses to the pair.

What programs did the HSUS fund,
besides the Paul Irwin and John Hoyt
"Luxury Living Fund?" Legislative initiatives
to ban horse tripping. National effort
to ban bear wrestling. Contraception
programs for elephants and deer.

Why do animal rights groups refuse
to help shelter animals, who need it most?
Why attack the biomedical community
for working with fewer than 150,000 dogs
and cats, which live in comfortable
surroundings and receive the best
medical care, and yet do nothing
for the 11 million hungry, sick animals
are destroyed in animal shelters
each year?

The animal rights movement's main goal
is not, and never has been, to save or help
individual animals. Its mission is to market
its philosophy and lifestyle to the American
public-a lifestyle which is predicated on the
belief that the life of a rodent deserves the
same moral consideration as
the life of a child. This sales pitch is
most effectively done through massive
media events, attention-grabbing legislative
initiatives and fancy Hollywood
galas. Shelter animals are sacrificed in the
short-term so that animal rights groups can
gain the money, power and influence
needed to sell their view in the long-term.

Animal rights activists cannot blame
researchers, hunters, circus owners,
meat-eaters, fur-and leather-wearers,
fishermen or zoo keepers for the
sorry condition of shelter animals. It is
the animal rights movement which has
turned its back on the suffering of
these animals. Every local humane
shelter should demand that animal
rights groups show them the money.
And every animal rights donor should
find a local humane shelter to support
rather than PETA's "naked celebrity"
campaign or some executive's
bank account.

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

A colossal portion of HSUS's annual
budget is allotted to staff salaries.

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

The National Charities Information Bureau
(NCI is an excellent organization whose
purpose is to be a resource on charitable
giving, how charitable boards should
operate, establishing standards which
charitable organizations must meet to be
worthy of receiving contributions, etc. Web
site is http://www.give.org ) PETA did
not meet the standards of the NCIB
because PETA does not have a full board
of directors!!! It's run by Ingrid Newkirk
and about 2 or 3 others. No full board at all!

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

PETA has recently opened an animal
shelter with a high euthanasia rate in VA.

Monies spent on this new endeavor do
not represent a substantial portion
of this organization's budget, to say
the least, and one must seriously
question their motives - based on
their mission statements of the
recent past (none of which have
been re-canted) it would seem the
purpose of this shelter's existence
is a PR move to counter their poor
reputation regarding the welfare and
treatment of animals.
(italicized words are my own -
Marci Sudlow 8-20-00)

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

To prevent suffering and cruelty to animals. And to
provide care and good homes for pets in need. This
often includes, but is not limited to, the funding and
running of animal shelters (to provide a sanctuary for
abandoned, abused, homeless, or unwanted pets, and
to place them in good homes where possible, provide
painless euthanasia for those that cannot be adopted,
and to educate the public about the need for
spaying/neutering their pets to prevent more surplus
animals ending up in shelters), enforcement of
anti-cruelty statutes (where their authority permits),
initiating, lobbying for, and monitoring enforcement
of legislation to ensure more humane standards of
care for livestock, laboratory animals, performing
animals, and pets.

ASPCA (American Society For The
Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals)

MSPCA (MA Society For The Prevention
Of Cruelty To Animals)

NAIA (The National Animal Interest Alliance) www.naiaonline.org/aboutus.htm
<FONTcolor=#00ff66>(at present there is a controversy regarding 2 of
the 20+ persons on their board of directors who
represent the "pet industry." Upon review of the
facts, I cautiously endorse NAIA. To decide for
yourself, please click on link below) http://www.angelfire.com/vt2/rutland/NAIAcontroversy.html

AHA (American Humane Association)

Rutland County Humane Society (This is a link to my
local humane society shelter here in Rutland, Vermont.
This shelter is an extremely well run, and fairly
well-funded despite funding by donations alone. However
most humane shelters nationwide are run on the same
principles and are excellent causes to donate to, where
contributions have a direct impact on homeless pets and
animals in the community.)

Collie Rescue League of New England (Similarly this is
the dog breed rescue of which I am a member, and an
example of an extremely effective such group. Similar
rescue groups exist nationwide for nearly every breed of
dog and for cats, and provide direct help in placing pets
in need of homes)

********************************************************************************************
With great regret I report that ASPCA's most recent
venture is the initiation of a lawsuit against Ringling
Brothers Barnum & Bailey's Circus, ie "The Greatest
Show on Earth," and traditionally home of some of
the world's most talented and knowledgable animal
trainers and historically best cared for performing
animals. The lawsuit alleges training abuses and
violations of wildlife laws. This misuse of money to
harass this haven for exotic animals (in contrast to the
poor quality of life offered by what is left of their natural environment where they are threatened with extinction
by poachers and loss of habitat.)

I am most distressed by this misuse of donations to
fund this Animal Rights style campaign. I am not yet
ready to discontinue my membership to this group, in
light of the overwhelming positive accomplishments to
their credit. However I am going to qualify that no portion
of my donations are to be used for this misguided lawsuit,
and I plan to watch their future activities carefully.

On a positive note, in the wake of the World Trade Ctr
disaster, ASPCA conducted an awe-inspiring endeavor of
rescuing and reuniting pets with displaced owners
who resided in evacuated buildings near the World Trade
Center in NYC. Because ASPCA is, among other
things, a law enforcement agency, their officers were
permitted to escort pet-owners back into their apartment
buildings, or to go on their own, to retrieve abandoned
pets. ASPCA set up their mobile unit on a nearby site
where all rescued pets were given a thorough check-up
by a veterinarian, and in some cases held until they were
deemed well enough to be released to their owners. Eye
infections from the soot were treated; oxygen was given to
pets with respiratory troubles, and IV fluids were
administered to dehydrated animals. The percentage of successful rescues versus the very few animals lost was astounding.

Also AHA was on the scene with a similar set-up to
provide veterinary support for the search and rescue dogs.
AHA's performance on behalf of these hard-working dogs
was worthy of monumental praise.

ASPCA operates a poison hotline/control center at
888-426-4435.

Founded by Henry Bergh in 1866, the ASPCA is the
oldest humane organization in America, and one of
the largest hands-on animal welfare organizations in
the world. The Society also prompted the New York
State legislature to pass the country's first effective
anti-cruelty law.
The ASPCA headquarters in New York City houses
one of the area's largest full service animal hospitals,
an adoption facility, and the Humane Law Enforcement Department, which is responsible for enforcing New
York's animal cruelty laws.

The History of ASPCA
In 1867 ASPCA operated the first ambulance
anywhere for injured horses, two years before New
York's Bellevue Hospital put into service the first
ambulance for humans.

In 1874 Bergh helped organize the first Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (SPCC) on
behalf of an abused 9-year-old girl named Mary Ellen.

In 1875 Bergh invented a canvas sling for rescuing
horses that got stuck in the mud or fell into the river.

In 1894 ASPCA assumed the job of caring for New
York City's stray and unwanted animals, a function
previously performed by New York City government.

In 1902 ASPCA put a motorized horse ambulance
into service.

In 1912 ASPCA opened its first veterinary facility,
a free horse dispensary.

In 1916 ASPCA started a formal humane education
program for school children. Raised money to help
care for the 934,000 horses that served in World War I.

In 1920 ASPCA advanced the use of anesthesia in
animal surgery. First used radium to treat cancer in
animals.

In 1925 ASPCA began a weekly series of talks
over the new communications medium: radio.

In 1928 ASPCA expanded the humane education
program with classroom demonstrations in public
schools and summer playgrounds.

In 1939 ASPCA inspected the 2,000 animals on
exhibit at the New York World's Fair.

In 1942 ASPCA took wartime emergency
measures and conducted courses on care of
animals in the event of air raids.

In 1944 ASPCA inaugurated obedience training
classes for dogs and their owners.

In 1952 ASPCA began voluntary inspection of
laboratories in New York that use animals for
research -- the first program of its kind in the country.

In 1954 ASPCA expanded its animal hospital by
adding a contagious disease ward, pathology
laboratory, X-ray therapy laboratory and an
internship program.

In 1958 ASPCA opened the Animalport at
Kennedy International Airport to inspect and
care for animals entering or leaving the country
by plane. United States Department of Agriculture
takes over this work in 1994.

In 1961 ASPCA's animal hospital performed
its first open-heart surgery on a dog.

ASPCA acquired patents for pens for the
humane slaughter of food animals and offered
them royalty-free to meat packers throughout
the world in 1964. Began a course to train
animal handlers working for research institutions.

ASPCA celebrated 100th anniversary in 1966 by
renaming the hospital after Henry Bergh and
presenting a gold medallion to Walt Disney for
his positive depiction of animals.

In 1973 ASPCA adoptions department began
compulsory spay/neuter for all animals.

In 1976 Dr. Gordon Robinson developed
the Bergh bandage, a highly efficient design still
being adopted across the country.

In 1985 Government affairs office opened in
Washington, DC, to monitor, initiate and lobby
for legislation to protect animals. Advocated for
Animal Welfare Act revisions to include
provisions for the exercise of dogs and the
psychological welfare of primates used in
animal research.

In 1992 ASPCA began promoting the adoption
of retired greyhounds, administering a grant
from the American Greyhound Council to help
rescue groups across the country.

In 1993 ASPCA along with 10 other humane
organizations, initiated National Council on
Pet Population Study and Policy, the first
survey and census of shelter animals in the
United States.

In 1994 ASPCA helped to pass the 1994
New York State Animal Experimentation Bill
that allows students who object to dissection
to complete an alternative project without a
negative impact on their grade.

In 1995 after 100 years of providing animal
control services for New York City, ASPCA
declined to renew the contract in order to
focus on national education, information and
advocacy. Animated "Spokescritters" adopted
by ASPCA from the Walt Disney animation
studios.

In 1996 ASPCA acquired the National
Animal Poison Control Center, the only
veterinary toxicology telephone service
operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Henry Bergh Memorial Hospital inaugurated
the Care-A-Van, a mobile spay/neuter clinic
for the New York metropolitan area.

ASPCA offers new services: mobile
vet-clinic vans to bring medical care
to poor neighborhoods, as well as a
Companion Animal Services dept..

The mission of the ASPCA Massachusetts
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
is to protect animals, relieve their suffering,
advance their health and welfare, prevent cruelty,
and work for a just and compassionate society

*****************************************************
The MSPCA/AHES's seven shelters around the
state take in as many as 1,000 animals per
shelter per month during the busy summer
season. They provide vital services such as
adoptions, behavior training, humane-education
programs, and spay/neuter programs.

Each year more than 80,000 animals receive
outstanding routine and specialty care at the
MSPCA's three Massachusetts-based
state-of-the-art veterinary hospitals, including
Angell Memorial in Boston, one of the foremost
clinical veterinary institutions in the world.
In addition to investigating cruelty complaints,
MSPCA law enforcement officers inspect
facilities and events involving animals; testify
in court; work with police and social-service
agencies in animal-related cases; and speak
to school and community groups about animal
care and protection.

History of the MSPCA
1868 George T. Angell founds the MSPCA on
March 23, after reading about an event in which
two horses were raced to death 1868 Angell
publishes the first edition of Our Dumb Animals
—the first magazine "to speak for those who
cannot speak for themselves" and the precursor
to today's Animals magazine

1882 The first American Band of Mercy—
a group of school children who pledge to be
kind to animals and to keep them from cruel
usage—is formed; soon there are hundreds
of Bands of Mercy across the nation

1886 First official headquarters of the MSPCA
is dedicated at 19 Milk Street, Boston

1889 The American Humane Education Society
(AHES) is incorporated

1890 Angell publishes the first American edition
of Anna Sewell's humane classic, Black Beauty,
and distributes 2 million copies free through the
Bands of Mercy

1893 AHES distributes the children's classic
Beautiful Joe

1909 George T. Angell dies

A key marker to NEW LEGISLATION being advanced by Animal Rights groups is
the use of the tag "Guardian" in place of the word "Owner." This choice of wording
may sound innocuous, but it has strategic legal ramifications designed to curtail
our own rights to enjoy our relationships with our domestic animals, as pet owners,
responsible breeders, exhibitors, animal sports enthusiasts, trainers, etc. Be
aware!

I Was Feeling Very Sorry for Myself - Winter Farm Life

Jolynn — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:18:05 GMT

I was feeling very sorry for myself the last few days. Its been below freezing (in the 20's, very unusual for western WA) and I get up in the dark and freezing cold while the rest of the house sleeps warm in the bed. I start the fire in the wood stove, feed beasts and bale water from the one heated water tank as the water is frozen. And then for a consolation prize I get to pick up their poop. I am not a morning person, but early in the morning I’m carrying very heavy buckets of oat and bran mash across the drive which is now filled with frozen puddles. When I get to the barn our Great Pyrenees Cleo is on top of me with her tongue while I am helpless with the buckets. The horses and goats slowly get up from their padded, warm bedded stalls and start talking about their breakfast. I actually have to take my gloves off to mix each ration with all the individualized additives. As my hands go numb I am thinking that the animals are way too pampered. While the horses and goats eat their feed I get to the dogs and go fill rabbit water crocks. I realize some other people are in their warm shower by now, getting ready to go to some heated job while I am thinking about whether I can fit another pair of wool socks into my boots when I pick out stalls.

As I head down the aisle I walk past our Thoroughbred gelding's stall and he picks his head up from his breakfast to give me a whicker and a wet nose with his lips full of mash. Well, maybe he has some appreciation for the weather or the hour. While I water the rabbits, one cage of clamoring Beveren kits is particularly excited. I open up the hutch door one little baby bunny tumbles out but I catch it, and for its trouble it gets a ride in my jacket. Ok, so the bunny is kinda cute and its cuddled in my jacket looking content just going for a ride and keeping me company while I water the rest of the rabbits. Well, maybe its really cute and its sort of cuddled in a ball with just its nose and eyes peeping up at me, looking like it’s smiling and like it might have that nasally voice of Thumper. So maybe I'm a little less grumpy. By the time I'm done watering the rabbits the horses are finished with their breakfast and milling around, spying me as I walk past the doorway between the barns. The Kiger colt makes a game of peek-a-boo out of it and yea, maybe its sort of cute. He gets more and more excited when he catches a glimpse of me and picks up his play ball and tosses it. Alright. A lot cute.

Baby bunny back with its mama and siblings and I turn out horses. They go out one by one but immediately become a united herd as they gallop the pasture in large circles. They are in unison as they gallop and as I stand there I can feel the earth tremble. Granted, there is a Percheron in the herd, but it's the multiple drumming hooves creating the tremor. Sort of like the feel of being at a concert and the room coming alive with sound. They all give the occasional "buck of glee" and take turns being in the lead until they settle down and find spots to graze and mill about. I admit. Cool.

I feed the goats their veggies and they do their silly goat things, playing King of the Mountain and posturing. One very pregnant doe comes over and puts her head in my lap and heaves a sigh. She just wants her ears scratched before she's re-energized and heads back to the trough. But she looks back at me and comes for one more head rub before she is completely ready to go back to her little herd. Very soon there will be baby goats. It’s difficult not to smile to think of the little goat kids. The hens have lots to say to me while I break the ice in their water pans, feed them and collect their still-warm eggs.

Later, I clean out a stall and a Kiger filly comes meandering into the paddock and pushes open the gate to march down to me. This is my girl - she came to us as a wild horse and she bonded with me. There is that look in her face of complete assuredness that I will have some edible treat for her. She frisks me completely and when she's satisfied that I have nothing more than a pitchfork and wheelbarrow, she looks back at the pasture. I assume she's leaving toute suite, but instead, she comes up close and puts her head up to my face. We stand with our foreheads against one another for a minute and she closes her eyes. I'm not sure if I am being honored with this communing because I am cleaning her stall at the time or just because, but I don't question it. She hangs out for about 15 minutes "helping" me clean before she slowly heads back out to the other horses.

I do join the "real" world for a time at the office after everyone is fed and watered, quarters are cleaned, and a few horses are groomed. After work I get out of the car and one horse whinnies a greeting and then the whole barn is looking to me and has a greeting. I think I even here a hen clucking to me. Later, the house is warm, the food we grew is good, and I have the thought of kisses from beasties who will have me up at the crack of dawn again tomorrow. Not so bad.

Rumor Has It

Jolynn — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:24:13 GMT

That a new album is being recorded right now and it includes *electric guitar*

The Stella Awards - Laugh or Cry

Jolynn — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:21:57 GMT

I got this in a random email. It speaks for itself!

Stella Awards

It’s time again for the annual “Stella Awards!” For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck, who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued theMcDonald’s in New Mexico where she purchased the coffee. You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees while she was driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right?

That’s right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head. So keep your head scratcher handy.

Here are the Stella’s for the past year:

7TH PLACE:

Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son.

6TH PLACE:

Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles, California, won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn’t notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor’s hubcaps.

Go ahead, grab your head scratcher.

5TH PLACE:

Terrence Dickson, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, who was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn’t re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count ‘em, EIGHT, days on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner’s insurance company claiming undue mental anguish.

Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish.

Keep scratching. There are more....

4TH PLACE:

Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella’s when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbor’s beagle—even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner’s fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun.

Grrrrr ... Scratch, scratch.

3RD PLACE:

Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drinks and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions?

Scratch, scratch, scratch. Hang in there; there are only two more Stellas to go....

2ND PLACE:

Kara Walton, of Claymont, Delaware, sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000....oh, yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure.

1ST PLACE: (May I have a fanfare played on 50 kazoos please)

This year’s runaway First Place Stella Award winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City,Oklahoma, who purchased a new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver’s seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner’s manual that she couldn’t actually leave the driver’s seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down, $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just incase Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home.

Are we, as a society, getting more insane...?

Happy New Year 2008 & News from Us

Jolynn — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:52:00 GMT

Listening: Yusuf (Another Cup), Dixie Chicks (Taking the Long Way), Liz Phair (Somebody's Miracle)
Watching: Not much of anything
Reading: Just finished "Horses and the Mystical Path"
Doing: Luckily, this is the biggest portion of this "Currnently" entry...
I have not been blogging so much as "posting" lately as I have been busy, but this isn't looking so much like a blog lately, so I should catch up.

Life continues to build momentum with the coming of the new year. John is still out of work on disability from his stroke and doing therapies several times a week. Its been difficult for me not knowing the answers to so many parts of our life, as in, right now! this minute! and so I have had to let go and just move forward and if things have to change to meet our family needs, we will do that then. This is an on-going challenge.

I have started to re-organize websites and I hope that people are enjoying them. We get several thousand hits on our sites per month so I hope that's the answer. I've added a guestbook to the farm website (check the navigation buttons) and you can always post comments on the BLOG.

I am still working at the office seeing clients and enjoying that time. I am almost finished remodeling. This was a project that got dropped in the spring and summer after John's stroke. Now I try to go in a bit early and stay just a bit late and do small projects and its finally looking like I envisioned. I will post photos on my website http://redwoodpsych.com when it looks and feels finished to me. The theme is "therapeutic integrative holistic with a Waldorf flare," if that makes sense to anyone else but me

I've gotten a few fun projects completed at the farm. We installed low energy lights on a timer in the chicken coop and are now enjoying lots of eggs again for about 10 cents a day. The fixtures add to light in the morning and extend the light at night, so it induces the hens to lay. Its very low tech and we are getting about a dozen eggs per day from 15 hens.

We are enjoying our new Kiger colt, Marcos. He is beatiful and sweet. We have started to pal him with our gelding so that when it becomes necessary they will be housed separtely from the mares. We have two filly/mares coming 4 year olds who will be under saddle and hopefully starting some schooling dressage shows this year. That brings up project #5001, scrape the riding area and put in a formal arena with good footing. See Jolynn run large backhoe machinery. Hehehe. It should be interesting and I'm sure it will produce a few funny BLOG posts.

We just dried off our goats so they can rest before kidding and starting milk production again for their babes. We have all 5 girls bred, including 2 Oberhasli's, 1 painted Boer, 1 Nubian, and 1 Saanen. All 5 girls are starting to bulge and do that "pregnant goat shuffle" to get up and down. We should have the first patter of baby goat feet around March.

The rabbitry is in full swing. The first group of litters are ready to wean and most are already sold! We have been very lucky to get great rare/heritage breeding stock and stock is good so sales are good. This makes us happy as that means these breeds are less likely to vanish! We have mainly Beverens and Lilacs, but we have a few pairs and trios of some breeds that we just couldn't part with. Our new hanging cage system built from manufactured cages altered to work for our size needs is working well so the summer project will be to custom build a whole new one! And, the usual rush starts again as the first show of the year is in 3 weeks...

Herb seed catalogs are arriving and I am tempted to try some new plants. The rabbit poo is starting to go onto herb beds again and before long we wil have early spring shoots. I have solar panels to power some low voltage lights in the greenhouse to get some new herb species starts and spring veggies. Again, Jolynn building the solar power system, no matter how small and simple, should provide posting fodder

That's about all the current news, please check in and drop us a line!

Best Wishes for a Healthy and Abundant New Year to You and Yours,
Jolynn

I Look, I See & Mosques for Children in Need

Jolynn — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 19:25:33 GMT

Yusuf is still active in the charity community - his latest effort is "Mosques for Children in Need" to support the BBC's Children in Need charity campaign. Yusuf was quoted this month saying, "Helping the poor, the needy, and the orphans is from the very essence of Islam and the Prophet's merciful example."

Check out one of his song, "I look, I See" performed live, also raising money for charity.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=t8ZSt5kAJwE

Seattle gets Progressive Allowing Goats as Pets

Jolynn — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 18:25:29 GMT

http://www.itchmo.com/seattle-to-allow-pygmy-goats-as-pets-3070">News
Seattle To Allow Pygmy Goats As Pets

WTO Takes on US Farm Subsidies

Jolynn — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:53:46 GMT

WTO takes on U.S. farm subsidies

from the LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-farmbill19dec19,0,2726174.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail

The organization is reviewing a complaint by Canada and Brazil that could create a trade catastrophe for the U.S.

December 19, 2007

The overwhelming passage of a disastrous farm bill in the Senate last week proves that common sense doesn't stand a chance against the awesome political might of Midwest agribusiness. A grass-roots campaign to highlight the damage wrought on taxpayers, consumers and Third World economies by farm subsidies had zero impact on senators, who passed legislation that would leave the current system largely unchanged for another five years. It didn't take long for the risks of this move to become apparent.

On Monday in Geneva, the World Trade Organization launched an investigation on behalf of Canada and Brazil into trade-distorting farm subsidies in the United States -- the kind the Senate decided by a 79-14 vote should continue. Though the case could take years to work out, a victory for Canada and Brazil could be extremely costly for the U.S. economy, because those countries and any others that could show they had been damaged by our irresponsible farm policies could be allowed to raise tariffs against U.S. exports to make up for the losses.

WTO rules contain arcane formulas and categories for subsidies and tariffs, which nations use to protect domestic industries. Certain kinds of subsidies damage trade relationships, while others have little or no effect; the WTO refers to the most damaging kind as "amber box" subsidies, and harmless ones as "green box." The United States is allowed to pay about $19 billion a year in amber farm subsidies under WTO rules, and in recent years has fallen well below that ceiling. But Canada and Brazil claim that's because of an accounting trick: The U.S. is counting many payments that should fall into the amber category as green.

The worst of these are so-called countercyclical payments, in which the government sets a target price for certain crops and makes up part of the difference if the actual market price falls below it. Countercyclical payments distort trade by encouraging farmers to overproduce and dump their crops overseas at below-market prices. Yet despite adverse rulings from the WTO, Washington continues to claim that these payments are harmless.

A victory for Canada and Brazil might or might not force an overhaul of farm legislation. The WTO could prohibit countercyclical payments, in which case Washington would have to do away with them, or it could simply rule that they have to be counted as amber box subsidies. The second scenario is the scariest. Because the prices of subsidized crops are very high and rising, the government is spending little on countercyclical payments, so the U.S. is unlikely to exceed its $19-billion annual limit even if it keeps the payments in place and counts them toward its amber total. But what happens if Canada and Brazil win and crop prices later drop sharply? That could put the U.S. well above its amber ceiling, which would spark retaliatory tariffs around the world.

Placating a relative handful of commodity farmers -- who don't need the money and who aren't collecting the countercyclical payments right now anyway -- isn't worth that kind of risk, as Congress would have recognized if it weren't in thrall to the farm lobby. The price for its shortsightedness could get even steeper in the future.

Proposed USDFA regs Would Harm Sustainable Produce Production

Jolynn — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:39:31 GMT

Proposed USDFA regs Would Harm Sustainable Produce Production

http://cornucopia.org/index.php/protect-fresh-leafy-greens-and-family-farms/

Farm Bill Passes - for Now

Jolynn — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:05:50 GMT

FARM BILL PASES - FOR NOW
SEE THE CBS REPORT BELOW. WHILE THE BILL SUPPORTING BIG AGRIBUSINESS ( NOTHING IN IT FOR SMALL FARMERS) - THERE ARE REPORTS THAT THE WHITE HOUSE WILL VETO THE SENATE OK'ED BILL.

Senate Passes $286 Billion Farm Bill

By Patrick O'Connor

Dec 14, 2007

(The Politico) Big Agriculture got an early holiday gift today when the Senate passed the $286 billion Farm Bill, renewing millions of dollars in commodity payments for farmers, including disaster assistance.

Many agriculture supporters, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, had been concerned by proposed amendments to the Senate bill that would slash commodity payments to corn and beef farmers.

Ongoing delays by Congress had concerned wheat farmers in particular. According to the National Association of Wheat Growers, many farmers had already planted their spring crops, and were considering taking out bank loans if the bill didn’t pass.

“The Farm Bill benefits all Americans with important programs for nutrition, conservation, energy security and support for rural communities,” said Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman. “In doing so, the bill supports the production of our nation’s food and fiber staples and it preserves a way of life that benefits all of American society.”

The bill was originally projected to be finished over the summer, when the House version passed. Recently, farm lobbyists were urging lawmakers to pass the bill before Christmas recess.

Livestock Guardan Dogs 101

Jolynn — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:40:46 GMT

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Livestock-and-Farming/1998-06-01/Working-Like-a-Dog.aspx

June/July 1998

Working Like a Dog

By Elizabeth Barnes, DVM

The care and training of herd and guard dogs.

There are two broad categories of working farm dogs that are differentiated on the basis of their interactions with livestock. The herding dogs were bred to assist with the movement of livestock, and livestock guardian dogs were developed to protect domestic animals from predators. These two groups of dogs were developed through centuries of selective breeding, which modifies instinctive canine behavior. As pups, wolves and coyotes display sequences of mixed social, submissive, play and investigative patterns. As the pups mature to adults, they gain predatory patterns which include the stalking and lethal crush-bite-kill patterns of the true predator. With the development of working farm dogs, these two characteristics — the social and predator behavior pattems — have been channeled into a working relationship between dog and livestock. Obviously, herding and guarding dogs need special training and care.

THE GUARDING DOGS

Since the 1970s, people in the U.S. have become interested in using guard animals for predator control, an economical and environmentally sound alternative to guns, traps and poison. Donkeys and llamas are very effective guard animals, but when predator pressure is intense, they become prey as well. The guarding dogs include such breeds as the great Pyrenees, komondor, kuvasz and maremma. The guard dogs are large dogs, standing 25 inches or more at the shoulder, weighing 30 to 55 kilograms, with ears that hang down. The color of these breeds is usually white or gray, but some of the breeds are brown with darker markings.

For centuries, guard dogs have provided many benefits to livestock producers world-wide (sheep producers have benefitted most). The presence of the guard dog reduces sheep losses to predators and reduces labor by lessening the need for night corralling. The guard dog will bark when predators approach and alert owners to disturbances in the flock, thereby protecting the family and ranch property. These dogs also allow for more efficient use of pastures and possible expansion of the flock because of decreased labor and space requirements.

The behavior characteristics of the guarding dogs differ radically from those of the herding dogs, the result of centuries of breeding for selective traits that make for a successful guard dog. Guarding dogs are selected to show more of the puppy-like or juvenile behavior of their wild ancestor, the wolf. The development of the guard dog progresses to include the social, submissive and investigative behaviors, and the dogs mature at that stage. The crush-bite-kill behavior pattern does not express itself.

Thus, the guard dog is a full-time member of the flock, unlike the herding dog. Some breeds are better with livestock than others, so consider the breed and find a respectable breeder. These breeds have been developed to work independently of humans, and they function best when socialized with livestock from a young age. This exposure ensures a complete bond of the dog with the livestock in its care. The guard dog lives fulltime with the flock and accepts the livestock as family. It will investigate and aggressively confront intruders, but will be attentive to the sheep and never harm them. A guard dog can take up to two years to mature into its role as flock guardian, an important fact when considering this as a predator-control option.

BONDING

The primary goal when raising a guard dog is to ensure complete socialization and bonding with the animals that will, in the near future, be in its care. Early and continued association with the sheep or other livestock to be guarded will cause the natural instincts of the dog to develop into a complete bond between the mature dog and livestock. If this bond is not formed, the dog may wander away, leaving the animals unprotected.

Bring the puppy to the farm between 7 and 8 weeks of age. Separate it from all other dogs, including littermates. The lone pup will seek companionship from the sheep. Body contact between pup and sheep enhances the formation of a strong bond. The ideal place to rear a pup is in a small pen or corral that is escape-proof. A puppy fresh from human contact and fellow pups will be inclined to leave the lambs in search of more familiar companionship, so the pen needs to prevent escape. The pen should be about 150 square feet, increasing in size as the pup grows. Since puppies are small and easily intimidated, 3 to 6 sheep in the pen is ideal, with orphan lambs the best choice. Socialize the guard pups with animals that are non-aggressive. You'll want a separate area accessible only to the pup. This provides a bit of personal space and should also be the area where the pup finds food and shelter. Place the water in a common area where the sheep and pup are forced to mingle, allowing further bonding.

For the first few days, check the pup several times, to make sure that no animals are too aggressive towards it, and that the young dog is aware of the food, water and shelter sources. If any animal continues to be overly aggressive, remove that animal from the enclosure and replace it with another. After the first few days, the frequency of checks can be reduced, but check the pup at least once daily, and minimize human contact during these daily checks.

The initial socialization period should last at least 16 weeks. After this period of time, place the sheep and pup in a larger area or pasture with the rest of the sheep. This period of training demands more time commitment. It is imperative to observe the sheep and ensure the safety of the pup from those animals that are not already socialized to its presence.

The puppy will want to explore its new territory. It should return to the sheep and pasture after a short time. If it does not, encourage it to stay near the sheep. If the early socialization process is done right, the pup will prefer to stay with the sheep rather than wander away .

If the dog insists upon wandering away from the sheep towards the house and children, keep it in a small escape-proof enclosure during the night and attempt to return the dog with the flock the next day. Once the dog has a strong bond with the flock, it may include peripheral areas in its scouting patrols, but on the whole, it will routinely remain with the sheep.

Incredible Livestock Guardians

Jolynn — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:29:12 GMT

In Norway, a group of urban-living pet Great Pyrenees with NO livestock guardian training instinctively work in unison to drive off a brown bear that was menacing livestock in the area. Ya gotta love 'em.

More Kiger News

Jolynn — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:16:19 GMT

http://www.aginfo.com/AgInfoReportView.cfm?Story=11270
original article

Title: 11/26/07 Kiger Mustang

Horses from the Iberian peninsula are gaining quite a following in the Northwest but they really aren’t anything new. I’m Jeff Keane, and I will be back with Oregon’s’ own Iberian horses. Descendants of horses from Spain and Portugal can be found in Oregon’s Steens Mountains. Here’s Susan with the Story. Jeff, The Iberian horses, the Andalusian and Lusitano we see in today’s dressage arena were bred centuries ago for nobility, to move cattle and fight bulls. The southern Oregon climate is nearly identical to the Iberian peninsula thus horses that escaped from Columbus and others thrived out West . Columbus’s diary reveals that he was duped by a horse trader. Selecting Andalusians for his 1493 ships he received instead Sorraia’s tough, hardy cow ponies not as pretty but sure able to survive. Descendants of these conquistadors horses were discovered in the late 1970’s and named Kiger and Spanish mustangs. The wild horses exhibit classic Spanish characteristics and I was actually stunned by their beautiful coloring ; grullas/s duns clay banks and their zebra striping when I photographed them in the wild. The BLM in Burns Oregon puts a few Kigers up for adoption every four years on a competitive fee basis There are also Kiger breeders and a breed registration. So Susan if you want to experience a piece of living history, Western and European, the Kiger Mustang might be right up your alley.