Archive for October 16, 2017

My State Leads the Pack

Okay…so that’s a bad pun.  But I’m pleased with a new California law that says that pet stores can only sell rescued animals now.  The idea is to cut down on kitten factories and puppy mills that cause animal overpopulation and in-breeding leading to unhealthy animals that call to us from pet store windows.

The law doesn’t affect private breeders, except that they won’t be able to sell animals to pet stores.

It won’t affect pet stores’ bottom lines, either, because shelters are overflowing with strays, and people can give an unwanted litter to the stores.

It sounds like a great idea to me.

Keep them an Extra Half-Year

Reality check on electronic waste: Each year, we Americans throw away 30 million computers and 120 million cell phones.  Consider keeping yours an extra six months, then recycle them.

[For more easy, money-saving, Earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]

Ellen DeGeneres Offers Hope

I needed a dose of good old fashioned positive HOPE. Too much  tragedy, death and destruction from disasters, threat of war and fallout from nuclear-testing in my Pacific Ocean (I live in California), senseless shootings…. These are far from happy times.

But Ellen DeGeneres had a message of hope that’s uplifting without being maudlin.  If you missed it, here it is:  (Thank you, Ellen.)

What Does Releasing Doves Really Mean?

They know not what they do. Today, in Las Vegas, people are celebrating the lives of the victims of the horrific shooting. They mean well, desperate to find a way to say “We care” and “We are deeply saddened.”  Unfortunately, they’re misguided.

The dove is a symbol of peace. But consider these doves.  There’s a prosperous industry that breeds and raises doves in captivity to be purchased and released at weddings, funerals, and memorials of tragic events. These birds have never been in the wild, never learned to protect themselves from predators or find food for themselves. The result is that birds of prey (falcons, hawks, etc.) make a quick meal of the helpless doves. The ones that escape their talons go hungry or starve to death. They don’t have a chance.

To me, that soils the symbolism.

Please consider this if you ever think of using doves as part of your celebration.