Well...today is Friday.  It is slated to become another beautiful summer day, at least until later this evening.  I hope everyone has a very good weekend.  

Tonight: Look for isolated showers and thunderstorms that will continue through tomorrow morning.  59°.

Tomorrow: Isolated morning showers give way to sunshine, but, BREEZY winds...with gust expected to 25mph and cooler temps. 78°/56°. 

Things are looking good for most of the Holiday weekend, with warmer than average temps and lots of sunshine.  Labor Day Monday begins a transition into a showery weather pattern that will remain for much of this next week.   

~Leslie

Question...

Every now and then, I will pose a question and ask for your opinions about different subjects.

Today, my question is this:  If you forgive someone for something they have done to you, without them asking for forgiveness...do you  need to inform them?  

Feel free to leave your opinions in the comment section. This is something I've mulled in my mind, and just want to know what others think.

This is a little scary...
I have often wondered about the safety of our water supply.  Here in Spokane, we have an aquifer that our local government has gone to great lengths to protect.  We do not even allow flouride to be added.  I always have about 5 gallons of water on hand just in case something like this occurs.  

Colcord, Oklahoma, residents told to watch out for blood worms in water supply

By Jethro Mullen, CNN

(CNN) -- The people of Colcord, Oklahoma, might need something a little stronger than Brita filters to remove the impurities from their drinking water.

Blood worms -- small, red insect larvae -- have been appearing in water glasses and filters in the rural town.

Authorities have warned Colcord's 800 residents not to drink, cook with or brush their teeth with the worm-infested tap water.

Schools in the area have been closed since Tuesday as officials try to figure out where the bright-red creatures came from and how long it will take to get rid of them.

There are no known health effects from the worms, which range from about a quarter to a half inch in length. But local officials aren't taking any chances, hand-delivering letters to residents warning them to stick to bottled water for the time being.

Read More:  Blood Worms

Awwww...
I am so glad to see that even in one of our nations busiest cities...there is still enough compassion for one of the littlest creatures to suspend subway service during a busy busy day.

Kittens Stop NYC Subway Service 
By VERENA DOBNIK/Huffington Post

NEW YORK -- It only took two kittens to stop the city's subway in its tracks.

Power was cut to the B and Q lines in Brooklyn for more than an hour after a woman reported Thursday morning that her kittens were loose in the nation's largest subway system, transit officials said.

The furry felines, one black and the other white with gray stripes, were finally found on the tracks and rescued about seven hours later.

How they got there was a mystery. But they were seen running dangerously close to the high-voltage third rail.

Their owner rushed to a subway station with cat food for transit workers dispatched onto the tracks to use to try to corral them.

Power was suspended between several stops – about half the Q line and the B line's entire service in Brooklyn – on the local and express tracks for 90 minutes, Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokeswoman Judie Glave said. The express line was stopped another half-hour while workers kept searching.

But the skittish kittens disappeared again before being discovered Thursday evening under the third rail of an above-ground express track. Police officers removed the kittens in crates, Glave said.

Read More:  Subway Kittens

Such a Tragedy
I'm not really sure I feel about this...A few questions course through my mind, like how does a mother not know her children can leave the house, and take the car?  Maybe it's not anyone's fault..but I can't help thinking about what could have been done to prevent this kind of terrible occurence.  Feel free to share your opinions.

Arizona girl, 6, killed in joyride with brother, 8, at the wheel
By Chandrika Narayan, CNN

(CNN) -- A 6-year-old girl has died after her 8-year-old brother took her on a joyride in their mother's car and crashed Wednesday night in South Phoenix, police said.

The children's mother believed they had been kidnapped when she discovered they were missing, said Sgt. Steve Martos of the Phoenix Police Department.

"It's a tragic story, all the way round," said Martos, who did not give the children's names.

The mother gave the children a bath and put them to bed around 9:30 p.m., he said.

The children's grandmother, who lives nearby, was driving home when saw her daughter's front door open.

She went in, woke up the woman, and they discovered both the children were missing, Martos said.

As they came out to check with neighbors, the children's mother discovered that her car -- a 2010 Hyundai Elantra which had been parked outside -- was also gone, Martos said.

The frantic mother called 911 around 10:25 p.m., saying she believed someone had kidnapped her children.

Police said they started to get numerous 911 calls starting around 10:15 p.m. One caller said the car had struck a fence. Another who followed the vehicle reported that children were inside.

Read More:  Fatal joyride

Too Cute

Giant Rabbit And Tiny Pigs Are Best Friends

Huffington Post

Yes, this rabbit happens to be bigger than those pigs. But best friends really do come in all shapes and sizes, so just revel in the happiness of these photos for a minute.

Mini pigs Chino and Penny love to cuddle with Rob the giant rabbit at the Pennywell Farm in Britain, according to an accompanying photo caption. The teacup animals have been bred at the site since 1992 and only weigh around 250 grams at birth. Surprisingly, they only grow to about a fifth the size of a regular pig

What is the matter with people?
I just don't get it.  What kind of person would purposely poison and animal...especially when they are in a zoo?  I believe that God gave us dominion over the creatures of this earth, and will hold us accountable when the time comes, for just how we executed this privilege.  Shame on anyone who abuses animals in ANY way.

Sumatran Tiger, 2 Lions Die From Poison At Indonesia's Taman Rimbo Zoo

JAMBI, Indonesia -- An investigation is under way after authorities determined that an endangered Sumatran tiger and two African lions found dead at an Indonesia zoo died from poison, officials said Wednesday.

Peter, an 8-year-old male tiger, died in its cage Aug. 17, a week after it was found paralyzed at Taman Rimbo Zoo in Jambi province on Sumatra island, said Nurazman, an official with the local Conservation and Natural Resources Agency.

The lions – Gebo and Sonia, both around 3 – were also found dead Aug. 17, said Nurazman, who like many Indonesians uses a single name. The lions had been transferred to the zoo in July from a zoo in West Java.

Nurazman said autopsies showed that the three animals died from poison. They were believed to have eaten meat tainted with a chemical used to kill rabies-infected dogs.

Read More: Poisoned Tigers

Something to know...

What You Don't Know About Sunglasses Could Hurt You
Laura.Schocker@huffingtonpost.com

Any health savvy person knows by now that one of the best ways to protect your body from harmful UV rays is to slather on the SPF -- but you might be forgetting one important part: your eyes.

"Obviously you can't put sunscreen on them," says Anne Sumers, M.D., a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology who is in private practice in Ridgewood, New Jersey. "[Sunglasses are] the only way to protect your eyes."

Exposing your peepers to the sun could trigger a host of serious health problems, including painful sunburns and cataracts. What's worse, buying sunglasses can be a complicated, cryptic process (what do those labels mean, anyhow?). So we asked Sumers and William Brown, O.D., Ph.D., of the department of ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic, to help us break down what's happening to the naked eye when it's exposed to the sun -- and exactly how to choose the right sunglasses to protect it.

Read More:  Sunglasses

Places I'd Like to Go.....

Great Ocean Road, Australia

Corinthia, Greece

Monument Valley, Arizona

(I've been here...)

And Finally...some humor

Good Morning....It's Wednesday, and the 3rd blog update this year...lol.  Today, I thought I'd not post on news of any sort, it's been kind of depressing anyways.   Usually I have quite a few opinions about the things I learn every day, but again...I just thought for today, I'd share only, well mostly pleasant or informative stuff.  I hope you're enjoying your mid week hump day.  I think we're (Spokanites) are going to have a very beautiful day today.

According to Leslie Lowe, a local meteorologist, our weather will be as follows. 
"Temps will remain above average through Thursday, with a few isolated mountain showers possible.  A cold front Thursday night and Friday will bring breezy winds for most areas and a few showers across the Cascades.  So far so good for Saturday and Sunday of the Holiday weekend...Labor Day Monday looks a bit questionable...with stormy conditions possible."

Just Because

Places I'd Like to Go....
Cinque Terre, Italy

Fukuroda Falls, Japan

Cats and Mushrooms

I don't really worry about this kind of thing too much because my kitties are only indoor cats.  However I know many people let their cats out at night, and some, all day long.  This is something you should be aware of if your little pet wanders, and may come in contact with a mushroom that are quite prevalent in our area. 

 

Mushroom Poisoning In Cats

by. Dr. Bari Spielman

Mushroom poisoning occurs as a result of ingesting toxic mushrooms. Not all mushrooms are poisonous, but each type of poisonous mushroom can cause different signs of illness. Poisonous mushrooms are classified into four main categories, based on the clinical signs they cause, or into seven categories, based on the toxins they contain. The onset of clinical signs may occur anywhere from minutes to hours following ingestion.

Mushroom toxicity is most commonly associated with curious kittens.

What to Watch For:

Vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Lethargy
Jaundice (yellow skin color)
Seizures
Coma
Excess salivation

Read More:  Mushroom Poisoning

Some wisdom from Clark Howard

3 free ways to really delete your data
By Clark Howard
ClarkHoward.com

The next time you get a new computer, you may want to give your old one away. But what if the sensitive financial info on your hard drive winds up in the wrong hands?

Fortunately, my friend Kim Komando has some suggestions about ways to delete sensitive data forever from a traditional magnetic hard drive.

Fortunately, my friend Kim Komando has some suggestions about ways to delete sensitive data forever from a traditional magnetic hard drive.

She loves Darik’s Boot and Nuke, which is a free erasure program for non-commercial use. And if you just want to erase sensitive data without erasing Windows or another operating system, Kim recommends Eraser for Windows or Permanent Eraser for Mac.

Finally, the best suggestion is the simplest. Take out the hard drive and destroy it! Kim notes that she once saw somebody use a 20-ton hydraulic press to get the job done, but a power drill, belt sander, or hammer will work just as well.

She loves Darik’s Boot and Nuke, which is a free erasure program for non-commercial use. And if you just want to erase sensitive data without erasing Windows or another operating system, Kim recommends Eraser for Windows or Permanent Eraser for Mac.

Finally, the best suggestion is the simplest. Take out the hard drive and destroy it! Kim notes that she once saw somebody use a 20-ton hydraulic press to get the job done, but a power drill, belt sander, or hammer will work just as well.

And remember, at a retailer like Best Buy, you can give them 2 pieces of e-waste a day and they will make sure what you give them gets recycled in an environmentally sensitive way.

Clark Howard.com

Just a little humor...

I must Be Getting Old...
I don't know just how many of you have heard of "twerking".  I've only just recently become aware of this phenomenon that is unbelievably popular enough to become a 'dictionary word'.  I suppose every generation has their thing.  When I was a kid, this kind of 'thing' would have been labeled very provocative and kind of lewd....my, oh my..how things change. 

Oxford Dictionary Adds 'Twerking'

By Raphael Satter

LONDON -- Twerking, the rump-busting up-and-down dance move long beloved on America's hip-hop scene, has officially gone mainstream. It's got the English dictionary entry to prove it.

Britain's Oxford Dictionaries said the rapid-fire gyrations employed by U.S. pop starlet Miley Cyrus to bounce her way to the top of the charts had become increasingly visible in the past 12 months and would be added to its publications under the entry: "Twerk, verb."

Although Cyrus's eye-popping moves at Monday's MTV Video Music Awards may have been many viewers' first introduction to the practice, Oxford Dictionaries' Katherine Connor Martin said "twerking" was some two decades old.

Read More:  Twerking

Well...It's Monday, and as promised, I will be blogging 3 times a week.  Late yesterday afternoon, and early evening the Spokane and outlying area experience quite a storm.  I missed it as I was napping, and didn't awaken until well after it was over.  From what I understand, power is out in some areas, and the wind along with thunder and lightening put on quite a big show.   

Hoping everyone will have a good beginning to a pleasant week.

Here's what we can expect today: Courtesy of KHQ Weather

"Showery day for the northern tier counties with periodic thunder…Locally, a partly to mostly cloudy day with a shower here & there…Low/High 58°/80°."

Something to watch out for, especially if you live in the south....

As time goes on, and more deadly diseases become known...we need to take precautions not to become victims.  Please, if you have children, enlighten them about the dangers of playing in dirty water.  I'm so glad we didn't have these problems when I was a kid...I played in a LOT of dirty water...

(CNN) -- A 12-year-old girl in Arkansas is in critical condition after being infected by a rare but deadly brain-eating parasite, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kali Hardig was admitted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital about eight days ago, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Her infection was caused by a microscopic amoeba called Naegleria fowleri, which enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain. It’s usually found in people who have been swimming in warm freshwater. You cannot be infected with the organism by drinking contaminated water, the CDC says.
“This infection is one of the most severe infections that we know of. Ninety-nine percent of people who get it die,” Dr. Dirk Haselow with the Arkansas Department of Health told CNN affiliate WMCTV

Read More:   Amoeba infection

Places I'd like to go....

Agilkia Island, Lake Nasser, Egypt

What's in a Name?

Should our courts really be getting involved in a name that parents choose for their baby?

Judge: ‘Messiah’ Is Not an Acceptable Baby Name
By Samantha Grossman

In the U.S., all kinds of wacky baby names are totally fair game — especially among celebrity parents. (See: Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen Zappa, Moroccan Cannon, North West, etc.) But now, there’s apparently one baby name that won’t fly. And that name is Messiah.

A Tennessee judge ordered the parents of 7-month-old Messiah DeShawn Martin to change the baby’s name to Martin DeShawn McCullough instead, NBC affiliate WBIR reports. The parents initially ended up in court because they couldn’t agree on what the child’s last name should be. They’d already settled on the first name, but when Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew heard it, she sprung to action.

Read more:   Baby Messiah

About time....

There's nothing quite as frustrating as traveling behind a 'slow' driver.  The fast lane, and the far right lane are purposed for a reason.  One of my biggest peeves are people who feel 'entitled'.  You know, the ones who park in the handicapped spot, when they have no right to...the people who always fail to use turn signals...THE PEOPLE WHO DRIVE SLOW IN THE FAST LANE!!!...etc.  

State Revokes Slow Driver’s License
Minnesota man says his truck's "sweet spot" is 48 mph
By Eliana Dockterman @edockterman

Gary Constans considers himself a careful driver. “I don’t drink. I don’t smoke,” said the 59-year-old resident of Prairie, Minnesota. “I’m just different.”

But the Minnesota Court of Appeals disagreed. This week, after nine warnings, Constans lost his license for driving too slowly on two-lane highways, according to the Pioneer Press. “Constans has repeatedly disregarded warnings from law enforcement officers that his driving creates dangerous driving conditions for everyone on these two-lane roads,” the court ruled. “[He] knows the rules of the road, but he chooses to ignore them, despite increased risk to the public.”

Read more:  Slow Driver

Cat Health

I have enjoyed having cat for over 30 years...and will often be sharing tidbits about cats that I have learned over that time.  Cats make wonderful pets, and are wonderful companions.

The 5 easiest ways to keep your cat healthy
By Gabrielle Karol
From The Daily Cat 
 We know you love your cat. But even the biggest cat lovers can fall prey to a dangerous trap: thinking that your furry feline is "low-maintenance." While it's true that cats are less needy than many other types of pets, Dr. Jason Nichols, AKA "The Preventive Vet," says that cats are merely silent sufferers.
To ensure that your cat lives a long and healthy life (or nine), check out Dr. Nichols' five easy steps to promoting feline wellness.

1. Keep Your Cat Indoors.

Depending on your home environment (and your individual cat), keeping your kitty indoors 100% of the time can be tricky. But making sure your cat stays inside, however, is one of the best ways to make sure she stays safe. She won't be at risk of attack by other animals, like coyotes, and she won't get into fights with other cats, which can lead to Feline Immunodeficiency Virus or injury. Indoor cats also have a lesser risk of contracting parasites.

Additionally, more cats are killed by cars each year than are euthanized in animal shelters. By keeping your pet indoors, you'll be keeping her safe from automobile injuries.

Read More:  Cat Health  

How good is your aim?

Only in China....

Fining Urinal Users for ‘Poor Aim’ in China
By Jennifer Cheng/Time
 The metropolis of Shenzhen, which has a population of 15 million, has resorted to extreme measures to keep its notoriously filthy bathrooms clean.  In a move that has sparked mockery and widespread criticism, residents in China’s most-crowded city will now be slapped with fines if they fail to relieve themselves directly into urinals in public bathrooms there.
  Men in Shenzhen in southern China will be fined 100 yuan or around $16 if they are caught with bad aim. The new law doesn’t define how much bodily fluid landing outside of the urinal will warrant the charge, nor does it specify who will be assigned the pleasant task of monitoring toilet users. A commentary in the Beijing Youth Daily published on Tuesday noted, “We can’t have chengguan [the controversial civilian force that enforces municipal laws] spending all day in the toilet, right?” It also posed the disturbing possibility of surveillance cameras installed inside public restrooms.

Read more:  Urinals

Bird Poop Facial???
Now I know that among us there are those who just like to be different, or the very wealthy who just don't know what to spend their money on....but come on, putting avian excrement on one's face is going just a bit too far...don't you think?

Clients drop $180 for bird poop facials at NYC spa
NEW YORK (AP) — Bird poop for beauty?
That's what goes into facials at a luxury spa where the traditional Japanese treatment using imported Asian nightingale excrement mixed with rice bran goes for $180 a pop.

About 100 women and men go into the Shizuka New York skin care salon, just off Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, each month to get the treatment, which is promoted as a way to keep the face soft and smooth using an enzyme in the poop to gently exfoliate the skin.

Read More:  Bird Poop Facial  

Kitty Humor

Just Sayin'

Today is Saturday...  I was going to wait until Monday to blog, but I didn't want to wait too long to start, so I posted some stuff today.  Here's the weather forecast for the Spokane area.  It is a 7 day forecast, and I'm not sure how accurate it will be..lol.  Hope your weekend is going well, and we'll post again on Monday.

Just a bit of humor before I go....

This is disturbing to me.  No wonder a lot of today's children get the wrong message.  This mother used poor judgement in the way she decided to stand up for her child.  I agree she has every right to be very angry and concerned, but please, she's the adult, and there are better ways to educate a bullying child other than to beat them up....especially if you are the adult.

OHIO WOMAN CONVICTED OF ASSAULT IN CLASSROOM BRAWL.
By AMANDA LEE MYERS
Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) - A jury on Friday convicted an Ohio woman of assault but acquitted her of trespassing in a high school classroom brawl involving her daughter and another teen accused of bullying the girl.

Jurors reached that unanimous verdict after three days of testimony in the trial of Precious Allen, who had pleaded not guilty in the Feb. 7 fracas involving her daughter and a 15-year-old girl at Withrow High School in Cincinnati.

Judge Melissa Powers sentenced Allen, 31, to probation, but said she could face up to six months in jail if she violates the terms. If convicted on both counts, Allen could have faced a year of jail time.

In finding Allen guilty of assault, jurors agreed with prosecutors that she knowingly caused or helped cause harm to the 15-year-old. In rejecting the trespassing charge, jurors sided with defense attorneys that Allen likely did not go to the school that day intending to commit an assault.

Read More:  Brawling Mother

I found this to be quite interesting, as just last year I discovered I was diabetic.  I've been learning quite a bit about sugar.




How Sweet Can Become Toxic
By Alexandra Sifferlin 

Sugar isn’t exactly a health food, but researchers say it could be toxic — at least to mice — and that’s not good news for people.

Mice who were fed a diet containing 25% sugar — the equivalent of a healthy human diet along with three cans of soda daily — were twice as likely to die by the end of the 58 week long study conducted at the University of Utah as mice fed a similar diet without the added sugar. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, suggest that even safe levels of sugar could have serious negative effects on people’s health.

Read More:  How Sweet can become Toxic

Places I'd Like to Go....

Alsace,  France

Quite a few of my friends have dog companions.  Every now and then I like to include posts that might interest you.  I also will be posting kitty info as I have kitties and am more familiar with them.  Feel free to ask questions, and I'll do some research and pass along what I find.

How To Care For Your Arthritic Dog
By Dr. Jessica Vogelsang
From The Dog Daily

As our canine companions grow older, they are subject to the same degenerative problems that plague their joints as we are. And like us, there are lots of things we can do as owners to help.


The first step is noticing there may be a problem. The most common signs of arthritis in dogs include the following: difficulty climbing stairs or getting up from a seated position, and stiffness that is most pronounced in the morning and improves with movement. Your veterinarian can assist with confirming the diagnosis. 

Read More:  How to care for your Arthritic Dog

For my friends interested in science....







WATCH: Comet Crashes Into Sun and Explodes
Time

This video released by NASA shows a small comet crashing into the sun. The video was captured by the European space agency “SOHO” space telescope.

The explosion that follows is called “coronal mass ejection” – basically a giant solar flare.

Click here to watch the video

For those of not familiar with Clark Howard, he is one of the smartest 'money' men around today.  He has tips, information and advice for almost everyone who has questions about finances.  I have listened to him on radio, and watched his TV show, so I thought it would be wise to post some of his things here.  


Walmart has lowered price points on its Family Mobile service, which runs on T-Mobile's network. 

Walmart Family Mobile costs $39.99/month for unlimited calling and texting, plus 2.5 GB of 3G data. (Most people use an average of 1 GB of data on a monthly basis.) If you only want unlimited talk and text, you'll pay $29.88/month.

But here's the real clincher: Each additional line costs only $34.88/month with the 2.5 GB of data or $24.88 /month for just the talk and text. This could be a real money-saver for small businesses and entrepreneurs as well. 


The cell phone industry is changing so rapidly. BothWalmart Family Mobile and Walmart's other effort, Straight Talk, bring us closer to a European model where retailers offer their own     
Read More:  Clark Howard.com

Well, after a hiatus of 3 years...I have decided to once again try and blog.  When I first started, I blogged every day, and boy did it get to be a trying experience.  I don't understand how some people do this every day.  Anyway, now, I think that I'll just blog 2-3 times a week until I get back into the swing of it, and then maybe, I'll do it every day.  So we'll see....lol.  I hope you'll enjoy what you see here, but remember, I'll be posting things that are important to ME...along with a section after each post for comments from you, if you wish.    So stay tuned....More to follow.    (My comments or opinions will follow each story in this bright yellow wording....just so you'll know what I'm thinking, about what I've posted).