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What are you doing right now? Part 2
Pam wrote: "I went to the annual Western Music Association convention this morning. I was having a nice time listening to the yodeling contest and the youth show until receiving a text from my daughter, who li..."That is awful. Do you have insurance?
Obviously if the judges are so lenient it is just a win-win situation for the car theives.
Esther - Yes, my daughter is insured but she may not have rental car insurance, which means she will be without a car for a month, depending on how long it takes to process the insurance claim. I don’t know what is wrong with the judges in our state. A person can have 5 previous auto thefts and he/she will still let the person off. After talking with some cops, my understanding is that their morale is down. They keep arresting the same people! One thing you learn living here is to not leave anything of value in your car. It’s a hard lesson to learn!
Pam wrote: "I went to the annual Western Music Association convention this morning. I was having a nice time listening to the yodeling contest and the youth show until receiving a text from my daughter, who li..."That's terrible! A month without a car is a very long time.
Pam wrote: "Esther - Yes, my daughter is insured but she may not have rental car insurance, which means she will be without a car for a month, depending on how long it takes to process the insurance claim. I d..."Terrible car situation and terrible for the judiciary letting down the police in that way. I don't believe in excessive incarceration but the theives should make reparations and perform some community service at least.
Esther wrote: "Terrible car situation and terrible for the judiciary letting down the police in that way. I don't believe in excessive incarceration but the thieves should make reparations and perform some community service at least.."Exactly! And, it's not just letting down the police but the entire community! There is always this thought in the back of my head that when I leave a place, my car may not be there or it will be broken into. Just yesterday on the news, there was a woman killed in her driveway as she went to get in her car! I haven't heard any more about that incident but that is frightening. A few months ago our mayor was spouting how crime is down. I don't think anyone believes that statement. The numbers might show it but the daily news and our personal experiences don't reflect it.
On the positive side, my daughter's boss has been kind enough to stop by the house and take her to and from work. There are a lot of really awesome people in this world and he is one of them!
Karin wrote: "Pam wrote: "I saw on our local (Albuquerque) news a few days ago that we just sent a crew to Australia to fight the fires. I didn’t know that we sent crews overseas but glad we are able to help! Is..."Of course, Karin, it is one of the wonders of our bush that so many plants/ferns/trees, in fact, regenerate after a bushfire. But it is a sad, unpleasant fact to learn.
B the BookAddict wrote: "Karin wrote: "Pam wrote: "I saw on our local (Albuquerque) news a few days ago that we just sent a crew to Australia to fight the fires. I didn’t know that we sent crews overseas but glad we are ab..."Yes, it is sad, but at least things can reseed which is better than nothing.
I’m pleased to report that the US President and Congress did something good today, though it is sad that such laws are needed.“President signs Bipartisan Animal Cruelty Bill Into Law”
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://...
Joan, that's great news. It's been law in Australia since 1992 nationally and differing dates in each state. Sadly, farm animal cruelty laws are not the same as companion animals (although there is a code of practice); I wonder if it's the same for US.
B the BookAddict wrote: "Joan, that's great news. It's been law in Australia since 1992 nationally and differing dates in each state. Sadly, farm animal cruelty laws are not the same as companion animals (although there ..."
It varies, but there are champions of humane treatment, such as Temple Grandin. She has personally designed about half of all cattle handling facilities in the US and she advocates for cruelty free treatment even to slaughter (such as painless ways to stun animals--her handling designs keep cattle calm no matter what the reason for them).
BUT, and I am an omnivore (even if I didn't want to be I have far too many allergies to be vegetarian or vegan), there are many inhumane ways cattle are raised which is why I only buy cattle that is fully grass fed (not just the last couple of weeks) and that has not been given antibiotics (they don't just speed up the growth they also help allow them to live in crowded conditions).
Also we pay more and buy certified humane raised eggs and poultry, etc.
Also, this is a reason to avoid McDonald's as they are one of the worst for raising cattle in inhumane conditions.
Karin- I agree with your comments! Factory farming is so inhumane that I keep talking about becoming a vegetarian. I opt for vegetarian at times but not 100%. I’ve been seeing news about live exports (NZ sheep, most recently), which I don’t know much about. I follow a FB page called Animals Australia which highlights animal rights issues. On a different note, we are expecting a white Thanksgiving tomorrow! This is very unusual for our area. I’m hoping to get my grandson out to play in it. My dog likes the snow, too! Anyone else expecting snow this weekend? Happy Thanksgiving to all our American members!
Pam, I am Australian and can tell you that the live sheep and cattle export trade is still happening here. It is inhumane the way they stack thousands of animals onto these ships so that the ones on the lower 'decks' can barely breathe. they are soiled on by the various rows of sheep above them. Pregnant animals are loaded on regardless and the babies born on these ships are usually trampled to death by the other animals.Then, there is footage showing the absolutely inhumane way they are killed in the Asian countries and the terrifying manner of death they face in other countries, if they live thru the journey.
We could have facilities here to kill the animals and then ship them meat over but this method is not utilised.
I am a vegetarian but even if I wasn't, I would still be standing up against live animal export. I call it Australia's great shame.
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Pam wrote: "Karin- I agree with your comments! Factory farming is so inhumane that I keep talking about becoming a vegetarian. I opt for vegetarian at times but not 100%. I’ve been seeing news about live expor..."I would rather support humane ranching and farming than become a vegetarian or vegan because the more people spend their money on that the more likely it is to increase. However, I try to be wary of cheaters (like saying free range for a short time each day, or those that just finish the beef on grass, etc). But also, as I mentioned the allergies and the fact that I am not able to absorb non-heme iron which I found during the six months I was a vegetarian when I was 17.
Here they are making a serious effort to ban live importing of food animals. The problem is kashrut and the slaughtering process but I am sure it would be much more humane to just send some rabbis abroad to superintend.
And if you interpret the kosher laws as I, and many others do, animal cruelity makes the meat unkosher anyway.
Esther, that is refreshing to here and I agree with your views.
Esther wrote: "Here they are make a serious effort to ban live importing of food animals. The problem is chashrut and the slaughtering process but I am sure it would be much more humane to just send some rabbis ..."
Yes, of course it does! This is not surprising. I am a huge fan of Temple Grandin's efforts to help end cruelty to livestock for those who don't live kosher. She has single-handedly designed a significant percentage (at one time I read half, but can't find validation on a very quick search) of the United States' cattle handling set ups which had reduced some of this by keeping cattle calm when going for various procedures including slaughter, although she calls for other things that are separate from those. She's been recognized by a number of humane associations.
Interestingly, one of her discoveries is that cattle balk at colour changes so hers are always all painted one colour (plus other things) and her designs help keep cattle calm rather than fearful and stressed.
Karin wrote: "Esther wrote: "Here they are make a serious effort to ban live importing of food animals. The problem is chashrut and the slaughtering process but I am sure it would be much more humane to just se..."
Apart from the actually slaughter Temple Grandin's livestock management is compatible with kashrut in particular because stressed animals often break limbs and that makes the meat unkosher.
In addition properly conducted kosher slaughter has been found to produced less stress hormones in the animals concerned but it does involve a lot of training and manpower.
Esther wrote: "Karin wrote: "Esther wrote: "Here they are make a serious effort to ban live importing of food animals. The problem is chashrut and the slaughtering process but I am sure it would be much more hum..."
Yes, I know about kosher butchering because I used to teach piano to a large number of Jewish families when I lived in the Ottawa, Canada area and so picked up many things I hadn't known before! But I also seem to remember that in the Law there are a number of animal laws that lean to being humane, although I am rusty on these so correct me if I am wrong.
I am sitting by the window on a snowy Monday morning, sipping my second cup of coffee and feeling glad that I went grocery shopping yesterday. Since yesterday afternoon, we have gotten about 9 inches (23 cm) of snow and it is predicted that another 4-10 inches (10-25 cm) will come down before this storm is over tomorrow.
Karin wrote: "Esther wrote: "Karin wrote: "Esther wrote: "Here they are make a serious effort to ban live importing of food animals. The problem is chashrut and the slaughtering process but I am sure it would b..."
Yes, you are right.
The problem with kosher every where is cost and in Israel there is also politics mixed in.
But in both Israel and The States there are groups of forward-thinking poeple trying to create a new type of kosher based on the humane practices detailed in the actual (religious) laws.
In parallel there are also groups that give businesses 'kosher certificates' for paying fair wages and treating their employees decently.
Mod
Already snowing there Leslie? Lucky you! In Italy it's raining cats and dogs since the beginning of November, but it is still rather warm for this time of year. And it's not nice, trust me!
I agree - snow is a lot better than rain! And luckily I don't have to do much shoveling.
Yesterday we had snow followed by rain, so a day of slush, but today it's SNOW. One of my kids took his usual bus to college (40 miles in that!) but the other had a delay until 11, which is good since it's a 25 mile drive (a different direction).
Yuck - snow followed by rain is the pits. Unless the rain completely melts all the snow, you get sloshy slush which is heavy to move and often freezes into weird slippery shapes in the night.
Leslie wrote: "I am sitting by the window on a snowy Monday morning, sipping my second cup of coffee and feeling glad that I went grocery shopping yesterday. Since yesterday afternoon, we have gotten about 9 inch..."Oh Leslie how envious am I. I am sitting here perspiring in 40C heat
Leslie wrote: "Yuck - snow followed by rain is the pits. Unless the rain completely melts all the snow, you get sloshy slush which is heavy to move and often freezes into weird slippery shapes in the night."On the rare occasions it snows here ice is a serious problem.
While the snow is falling the temps drop to around 0c but as soon as the white stuff has fallen the clouds move on and the sun comes out. Everything melts until the temps drop again at night and all turns to ice.
Few people know how to cope with snow and snow-ploughs or salt-gritters are few and far between.
Leslie wrote: "Yuck - snow followed by rain is the pits. Unless the rain completely melts all the snow, you get sloshy slush which is heavy to move and often freezes into weird slippery shapes in the night."We got the latter, but then it was followed by more snow and colder weather. Ick. But it's going to be melting a bit and we are supposed to get more rain Friday. If I were in charge of the weather, it would get dry, just cold enough for no melting, and then it would snow just enough to cover all sources of mould spores and stay that way until spring.
PS BUT I am happy to not be in Ottawa where we used to get quite a bit of freezing rain which would turn streets into ice rinks.
I'm currently at work, chomping at the bit to go home and read! I started listening to the audiobook of A Court of Thorns and Roses a couple weeks ago and devoured it on my commute to and from work (45 minutes to an hour each way), and have started A Court of Mist and Fury now! I'm about a third of the way, almost halfway, through the book, and I don't want to do anything else but read. I've got ebook formats and have the ability to listen to it while I'm at work, but also have to look productive and do work, and the balance is so difficult! Hope everyone is having a good Thursday! Tomorrow is finally Friday!
I hope everyone is well. I haven't been doing too much reading because I've become obsessed with politics and what is going on in the country but I need a break from the insanity so I am hoping to spend more time reading. Hope all those who celebrated had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
We are now preparing for another general election - our third in 12 months :0(
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I've herad right this morning! And I thought it was an Italian peculiarity!!!
Esther wrote: "We are now preparing for another general election - our third in 12 months :0("That is so challenging to go through! And expensive, but mostly just very difficult.
It's 7:30 in the evening here in the Eastern U.S. and I am about to settle down to my audiobook of I Shall Wear Midnight and chopping some veggies for my dinner. I'll be glad when the winter solstice comes and the days start getting longer - I hate these short dark days, particularly when it is raining out as it is now.
I went to the movies and I went out to dinner with my parents
just sitting down to watch Sound of Music a Christmas tradition of mine
Karin wrote: "Esther wrote: "We are now preparing for another general election - our third in 12 months :0("That is so challenging to go through! And expensive, but mostly just very difficult."
The most annoying thing is that without a proper government there has been no approval of the Budget so local governments have put all 'special' and new projects on hold.
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Connie The Sound of Music is my favorite movie
Waiting in my office to start the day👍
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Already at work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Trying to fall back asleep. My grandson woke me up at at 1:30 and then again at 3:00. He’s back asleep now but I’m not! So, of course I’m on social media. I’m going to try to get in 2 more hours of sleep before he wakes up for good. 💤💤💤
LauraT wrote: "After having had a busy week end - both for work, since we're looking after the Christmas Events in our city, and for pleasure, with guided tours to an Etruscan Necropolis - I'm back to work in wha..."Yes, this makes a lot of sense--wasn't thinking enough about it!
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In Culture and Tourism Area of Perugia Municipality, the city I live in.
I'm the translator and interpreter - mine is the whole website in English!!! And of course in this period there's a a lot to do: there are a lot of initiatives for the Christmas period to be advertized to toursts coming to Perugia.
The problem is that they change their mind continuously: times, dates, ventus ... Grrrr
Any way, as my aunt always says about cooking pasta, ready or not ready it has seen the fire! This means that all changes after the 23rd of December won't be recorded in the English website!!!!!
Do you want to give a look at it?
This is the Christmas bits: http://turismo.comune.perugia.it/pagi...
While this the more static part of our monuments, museums, places of interests ...http://turismo.comune.perugia.it/pagi...
Do come all of you to see this little city, not widely known but really nice to visit! And if you do, contact me so I can show you around ;)!!!
Oh that’s very cool LauraT and I looked at both of those websites and they’re both looked very cool
RITA,Yikes, that sounds terrible. I hope you are okay.
All About Books
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We went to a Bar Mitzvah today which was lovely and last night it finally rained so t..."
I made it through Halloween. DH, the horror fan, wasn't impressed and said it was wasn't scary at all. I must agree. Although I wasn't 100% focussed on the film I didn't jump once.
In contrast with The Grudge even though I didn't dare look at the screen the sound track was so creepy I had to leave the room.