text:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a diet pill recall on March 27. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare has recalled all Alli weight-loss products from the U.S. and Puerto Rico due to possible product tampering.
In addition, GSK believes some of the packages may not contain the authentic Alli diet pills.
The affected product – based on inquiries from consumers who purchased the inauthentic diet pills – were reported to contain a range of tablets and capsules of various shapes and colors inside the bottles; the tamper-evident seals were also suspect.
Consumer reports of the fake diet pill have affected retail stores in Ala., Fla., La., Miss., N.Y., N.C. and Texas states.
GSK are asking consumers who suspect they may have purchased or have any concerns as to the authenticity of any Alli weight-loss products, should contact Consumer Relations at 800-671-2554; save the product, packaging materials, including pamphlets and seals pending further instructions from the company.
If you found this article informative, receive email updates from the National Supermarket Recalls Examiner whenever a new article is published by clicking on the 'subscribe' link located at the bottom of the page.
Other articles published by Sue can be found here:
Newark Bereavement and Parenting Examiner
National Edible Gardening Examiner
Follow and "Like" Sue on Facebook for all her Examiner articles. Also, catch Sue on Twitter:@ImSue2,Google+, Pinterest and Sue's blog site.
©Sue Robinson, All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior permissions from the author. Partial reposting is permitted with a link back to the original article.
Alli products recalled due to product tampering
Consumers are alerted to the following inauthentic Alli weight-loss products:
- The outer carton may look authentic.
- The bottle may contain a range of tablets and capsules of various shapes and colors.
- The bottle may not have a label.
- The bottle's tamper evident seal may not be intact, not be made of foil and/or not have the authentic Alli wording: "Sealed for your Protection."
- The lot numbers and expiration dates on the bottle do not match the lot number and expiration date on the outer carton.
Diet pill recall: Alli weight loss product tampering
The following lot numbers and expiration dates were reported by consumers to contain inauthentic Alli weight-loss products:
- Carton Lot 14372, Expiration: 02/28/2016
- Carton Lot 14395, Expiration: 02/28/2016
- Carton Lot 14124, Expiration: 09/30/2015
- Carton Lot 14267, Expiration: 01/31/2016
- Carton Lot 14442, Expiration: 04/30/2016
Alli recalled by GlaxoSmithKline for possible product tampering
Consumers who may suspect or have any questions concerning the Alli weight-loss product recall, please call Consumer Relations at 800-671-2554 and a representative will provide with further instruction.
Suggested Links
- Dried fruit recall: Over 59,000 cases recalled due to salmonella concerns
- Baby food recall: World Baby pouch spout damage concerns
- Beef recall upgraded to nationwide concern: Hot Pockets and Walmart affected
- Rice recall: Uncle Ben's Infused Rice sickens children and adults
- Pet food recall: Hubbard Life, Joy Combo and QC Plus dog and cat brands recalled


text:
Cheick Kongo RSS
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UFC 149 Faber vs. Barao: 10 Things We Learned Last Night
As grumpy as UFC President Dana White looks in this photo, I'd call this "bubbly" compared to the cantankerous mood he was in following UFC 149 last night in Calgary. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images)
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UFC 149 Faber vs. Barao: Punch Drunk Predictions
Urijah Faber or Renan Barao? Tim Boestch or Hector Lombard? Shawn Jordan or Cheick Kongo? E. Spencer Kyte offers up his thoughts on who will leave UFC 149 in Calgary victorious in the latest installment of the Punch Drunk Predictions. Continue reading
UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao: 10 Things to Watch for Saturday Night at the Saddledome
Former WEC champ Urijah Faber (left) meets surging Brazilian standout Renan Barao for the interim UFC bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 149 tomorrow night.
Urijah Faber squares off with Renan Barao for the interim UFC bantamweight title, Hector Lombard debuts against Tim Boetsch, and seven Canadians take to the Octagon. E. Spencer Kyte breaks down what to watch for Saturday night at UFC 149. Continue reading
UFC 149: "Minotauro" Nogueira Out, Shawn Jordan In Against Cheick Kongo
Veteran heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will no longer be making the trip to Calgary in July, as the broken arm he suffered against Frank Mir back in December is not sufficiently healed. He'll be replaced by Shawn Jordan. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
The UFC's debut show in Calgary suffered another blow on Saturday as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was forced to withdraw from his fight with Cheick Kongo. Former LSU football player and Strikeforce competitor Shawn Jordan will step in for the Brazilian veteran. Continue reading
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Former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is the new UFC lightweight champion after defeating Frankie Edgar Saturday night at UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan.
Benson Henderson used his superior strength to get the better of Frankie Edgar in a five-round, stand-up battle to claim the UFC lightweight title in the main event of UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan. E. Spencer Kyte recaps the entire event in the latest from Keyboard Kimura. Continue reading
UFC 144 Edgar vs. Henderson: Punch Drunk Predictions
SAITAMA, JAPAN (L to R): Champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Benson Henderson face-off at the UFC 144 weigh-ins. (photo courtesy of Dana White's Twitter)
Frankie Edgar or Benson Henderson? Quinton Jackson or Ryan Bader? Anthony Pettis or Joe Lauzon? E. Spencer Kyte delivers all his picks for UFC 144 in the latest installment of the Punch Drunk Predictions at Keyboard Kimura, the MMA blog of The Province. Continue reading
UFC 144: Main Card Analysis & Breakdown
Just in case anyone didn't know that UFC stood for Ultimate Fighting Championship. Thought we'd make that clear. That's the only reason we're using this picture. Okay, maybe not. (Photo by Gary M. Prior/Getty Images).
In the latest offering from Keyboard Kimura, E. Spencer Kyte breaks down this Saturday's UFC 144 main card contests featuring Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Ryan Bader, Jake Shields, Anthony Pettis, Joe Lauzon, and others. Continue reading

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 732
Location: Florida
News Credits: 1
I have some experience with Sculptey maquettes and a lot of illustration experience. Add that to everything I've seen on the Radicons page and I have a solid understanding of how I want this to go.
First I need a concept. In this instance I'm making an armor set for classics Optimus. So I start out with a to scale drawing with at least a couple of different views
After I know what you want, I need to measure and plan for everything, on a separate piece of paper, it's time to draw transparent and exploded views of everything. Do this especially if you are on a budget [as it] prevents a lot of mistakes from happening.
And before I go further here are some tools I use:
Jeweler's saw- handy for cutting metal and styrene.
Retractable X-Acto cutter- very precise
Needle nose pliers-you'll see
Scissors-cut styrene super easy
Multiple files- what I use personally for sanding
Zap-a-gap superglue- my preferred brand
Insta-set- SAVES A LOT OF TIME
Small 6-inch metal ruler- must have cork on back.
Alright, [here is] the basis of my building technique: First I draw the shape I want, note the measurements, and draw it as many times as I think I need to build up thickness.
Now I SCORE everything, not cut. USE A RULER TO GUIDE YOU! Sorry I didn't use one here, [as it's] very difficult to take pictures with no hands. The cork backed rulers don't slide as much on styrene. And the metal doesn't get cut by the blade.
I then snap the pieces off that I scored. Yes, no cutting I find cutting all the way through messes up my hands pretty bad. I clench. It all snaps off real easy like.
For really small pieces that need to snap off, I use the needle-nose pliers.
Here they are!
This next step is equally as important as sanding, it's called laminating. I glued the pieces together to make a thick piece and then coated the edges in glue… the coating of the edges is actually the laminating part. I'm layering, and laminating. The laminating fills in all the cracks there may be between the layers of styrene. After sanding there shouldn't be any seams or holes in the edges
Now to change the subject a little… I figured this out on my own. In the pic below you can see the leg guard on the left has huge gaps in it. On the right leg guard I filled in the gaps with Aves Epoxy fixit sculpt. Then I sanded it down. Rather than layering huge spaces like this I just filled them in Still I decide when I should and shouldn't layer or fill.
I'm trying to save time. Although, sometimes I will trace an already cut piece, but results vary on those. I find ruling everything out is more consistent. Thanks for pointing this out, though; I meant to bring it up earlier
The gluing of an existing piece to a larger sheet is new to me, Imma try that out soon
* * * * *
Here is something I just tried; I wanted to make a mold of the bottom of Prime's feet. The bottom is made up of a series of crevices that would be perfect for the Ginrai armor to plug into. So I took this pic in case it was a bad idea to do
And a couple of hours later:
Luckily it worked, however I only gave this about 5 hours, meaning I didn't use 24 hours to cure the Aves Epoxy fixit sculpt. Any longer, and it MAY have fully bonded to prime.
I intend to sand these down and glue styrene all over them. Just thought I'd share.
This is the natural follow up to that mold technique I used... check out how I sanded the apoxy down enough to attach styrene panels to:
Here's an in progress shot:
Same progress shot, but I want you to notice the underlying structure, hollow and everything. At this scale you wont have to worry too much about strength, but keep it in mind:
Hollow arm piece... I didn't take a pic of it, but I attached a long tube to the forearm piece that goes through the hand piece and into prime's actual fist:
Beginnings of a fist, which I then applied epoxy to and sculpted by cutting and sanding:
This shows more progress of the chest part, filled with epoxy:
Crotch guard! The beginning:
The power of friction! Seriously, just friction:
And this is one of my more in depth techniques, I took some sticky tack (stuff for keeping posters on the wall) and attached it here (it's the yellow globs):
Then I attached the other piece of shaped styrene to where I want it to be:
And here it is glued in place:
This pic shows a lot of the places I put epoxy, it's the gray areas:
Here's the last in progress shot, it's all primed in gray:
Last edited by Superquad7; 03-09-2011 at 06:41 AM..
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This afternoon, the Washington Post reported that Debbie Dingell, wife of retiring U.S. Representative John Dingell, plans to announce her candidacy for her husband's seat in Congress Friday. The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, and Ann Arbor News followed up with articles containing details confirming the Post's report.
Mrs. Dingell would be running for the Democratic nomination for Michigan's 12th Congressional District, which includes Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and surrounding areas of eastern Washtenaw County along with portions of southern and western Wayne County. Should she win the seat, she'd be the third Dingell to represent Michigan in Congress, as both her husband and her husband's late father served in the U.S. House of Representatives with the senior Dingell having first been elected in 1933 while the junior Dingell replaced his father in 1955.
Dingell's announcement has been expected. The Detroit Free Press had published yesterday that she would be interested in running for her husband's seat, a move her husband appears to support. He told the Free Press, "if my wife runs, the lovely Deborah, I will vote for her."
Dingell is no stranger to electoral politics. She was elected to the Wayne State University Board of Governors in 2006 as a Democrat and is currently the board's Chair. Her term expires at the end of this year.
According to the WSU Board website, "Dingell is currently the President of D2 Strategies, and is Chair of the Manufacturing Initiative of the American Automotive Policy Council." She also "recently completed a more than 30 year career at General Motors as a senior executive, where she headed the GM Foundation."
Dingell may face opposition in the Democratic Primary. The Ann Arbor News has reported that State Senator Rebekah Warren, who represents Ann Arbor, has considered running for the seat if it came open. Also, the Free Press mentioned Eugene King of Ann Arbor, who serves in the Obama Administration, and State Senator Hoon Yung Hopgood of Taylor, as a potential candidates.
The contest is getting serious already, as another Free Press article mentioned that a reporter for the paper had recieved a robocall on Monday night testing Dingell against both Warren and King.
The seat favors Democrats, as Barack Obama won 66% of the vote in 2012, while that same election night saw Dingell earning 68.5% against Republican Cynthia Kallgren with 28.4% and Libertarian Richard Secula's 3.1%. Even in the Tea Party wave election of 2010, Dingell earned 57% to defeat a full house of challengers led by Republican Rob Steele, who earned 40%.
Dingell, Warren, and any others, Democratic or Republican, have to hurry to get nominating petitions in, as the deadline is April 22nd for major party candidates to get on the August 5th primary ballot.
Suggested Links
- Longest-serving U.S. Representative John Dingell announces retirement
- Top Washtenaw County election stories of 2013 look ahead to 2014
- Michigan Democrats already campaigning on Labor Day for 2014
- Petersen makes four running for Ann Arbor Mayor
- Incumbents handily defeat challengers in Ann Arbor council contests


text:
The Board of Directors of the Carbonell Awards, which recognizes excellence in South Florida regional theater, has appointed Mary Damiano as the organization's new managing director.
Damiano, who is based in Broward County, is an award-winning freelance journalist and theater critic who has covered the arts in South Florida for 15 years.
Her more than 2,000 articles have appeared in a variety of publications, including the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, New Times, South Florida Gay News, BroadwayWorld.com, FloridaTheaterOnStage.com and She Magazine. She is also the founding editor of MiamiARTzine.com.
Damiano has been involved with the Carbonell Awards since 2004, as a member of the judging panel responsible for determining the nominations and winners of the annual Carbonell Awards. She assumed the role of Panel Coordinator in 2008, becoming the main liaison between participating regional theaters and the panelists and judges who evaluate productions.
The Carbonell Awards fosters the artistic growth of professional theater in South Florida by celebrating the diversity of our theater artists, providing educational scholarships, and building audience appreciation and civic pride by highlighting achievements of our theater community.
Over 25 professional theater companies in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties participate in the awards process every year. Each season volunteer panelists and judges choose nominees and recipients from hundreds of shows produced on area stages.
The Carbonell Awards also celebrate the accomplishments of our artistic leaders by presenting 'Special Awards' and support the next generation of artists and journalists by awarding scholarships. Along with New York's Drama Desk and Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Awards, the Carbonell Awards are among the nation's senior regional arts awards and predate others, including Washington, D.C.'s Helen Hayes Awards.
The Carbonell Awards are named after Manuel Carbonell, an internationally-renowned sculptor, who in 1976 designed the original solid bronze and marble award, the signature trophy that is given to Carbonell Award winners.


text:
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Week 1 - in the books. :)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Well, Week 1 of P90X is in the books. Gee whiz, it's great to be back. :)
I think I have learned something important about myself over these past few months. When I am unhappy and upset about things in my personal life, I lose motivation. Not only do I lose motivation, but I start to engage in some self-destructive behaviors... which I realize is kind of like my inner six-year-old saying FU to responsibility out of... I don't know. Spite? Self-pity? Self-hatred?
Anyway - these last few months have been sort of rough. Yes, I was sick. Yes, I had surgery. Yes, I had some crazy-bad things happen. But there was way more going on than that, emotionally (and I'm still not out of the woods, necessarily), and I reacted really poorly. I ate things I shouldn't have; I drank more than I should have (not proud of this); I engaged in behaviors that I know are bad for me (don't ask me to go into specifics - I'm frankly embarrassed).
And, so, my body did not react well. I started to feel even worse. I got sicker - with a 105 degree fever and everything, which hasn't happened to me since I'm a kid. Had my first bad asthma attack in over a year. I put on pounds. My normally low blood pressure went up. My gloriously low RHR followed suit. In fact, sometimes, I felt my heart racing and a tightness in my chest that made me wonder if I wasn't on the verge of something REAL bad.
And the real kick in the teeth was that the crappier I felt physically, the crappier I felt emotionally... which made me sink further into self-pity and self-loathing and self-FU and basically fueled more unhealthy behavior.
Downward spiral down the toilet, yo.
I'm not sure what exactly clicked inside me. I don't think it was anything specific, like a big epiphany or anything... just a slow realization that being unhappy was having an adverse affect on me completely across the board. I started looking at pictures of myself from over the summer - when I felt the best I'd ever felt in my entire life - and I thought to myself: "THAT. I want THAT again."
And you know, as soon as I started pushing away the bad behaviors (even as I was desiring them), my outlook started to get better. I started to feel better... and I began to toy with the idea of chasing some of the bliss I'd been kicking around in my brain. I started going salsa dancing again, which makes me feel vital and alive. I may even take up bellydance again, for the same reason. I cut back on drinking... I re-quit smoking (yeah, like I said - not proud that I started again...).
It didn't take me long to start feeling better. In fact, I was shocked at how quickly my body responded. I am certainly not back to where I used to be; this first week back to P90X has been extremely challenging. But man, do I feel good.
So - a correlation between emotional well-being and physical well-being. Going forward, I absolutely need to make sure I am addressing my emotional needs so that I do not let myself start "circling the bowl" again.
Healthy coping mechanisms, FTW.
Speaking of which - tonight is salsa night. Gonna go get my caliente groove on. :)
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I think that we've all been there in our way... getting back to healthy habits is a gift to yourself!
1242 days ago
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It sounds like you had a rough few months. Glad that you are back! Use that time period to push you forward and keep those awesome summer pictures close so that you have the inspiration to push forward and get back there.
You have got this!
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text:
Charles and David Koch know how to pick a winner. The size and scope of the holdings of Koch Industries is a testament to that.
And if there's anything the far-left doesn't like, it's a winner.
And so they don't like the Koch brothers; as much for their business successes as for their use of their substantial fortune to financially support political movements like the Tea Party, which has consistently confounded the left ever since its inception. It's in this particular vein that a group calling itself the International Forum on Globalization has taken special interest not only in the Kochs -- the banner on their webpage accuses then of "corrupting democracy" -- but also in the leases Koch Oilsands Operations (a subsidiary of Koch Industries) holds on 1.1 million acres of oilsands.
Their "report" (totaling two pages, it is scarcely worthy of being considered a report) bends over backwards to link the Koch brothers to the Keystone XL pipeline -- and effectively falls flat on its face.
The report raves that the Kochs stand to earn potentially hundreds of billions of dollars if the Keystone XL pipeline is approved. Those are funds they could use to support conservative political organizations and movements that the IFG would rather not exist; citizens that the IFG would prefer remain silent.
And so, the IFG seems to posit, the Keystone XL pipeline should be rejected for the most nakedly political reasons: the petty political desire of the far-left to defeat its opponents regardless of the ends or the means.
But as both the Washington Post and Powerline seem to have concluded in the spat they managed to have over the Post's coverage of the IFG's "report," the argument is razor thin: the link between the Koch brothers and the Keystone XL pipeline is far from convincing, and far from direct.
KOSO's leases remain largely undeveloped. Unless KOSO suddenly starts developing these leases at a breakneck pace, it's unlikely that they would have any operations actually operating by the time Keystone XL is finally approved and constructed. That makes it seem far more likely that the KOSO leases are simply a futures play: that the Koch plan is to sell these leases at a premium when their value is at their highest.
That futures play depends on far more than just Keystone XL. It depends upon Northern Gateway, Kinder Morgan, Energy East, the Line 9 reversal, and even continuing investments in rail capacity. Most of these projects have either been green-lit, conditionally green-lit, or are in the process of being green-lit. Of them, only Keystone XL and Northern Gateway remain in any degree of doubt.
Regardless of what happens from this point forward, it's certain that David and Charles Koch have picked a winner. And although the IFG may despise a winner, that doesn't change the outcome.


text:
Apple Unleashes Mountain Lion
- July 25th, 2012
- Apple News, iCloud, OS X Mountain Lion
- Alex Brooks
Today Apple has released OS X Mountain Lion onto the Mac App Store and into the hands of many eagerly awaiting customers. Priced at just $19.99 (£13.99) this marks Apple's cheapest update and the first OS in a cycle in which Apple proclaims it will deliver an upgrade a year. This philosophy means that the upgrades will be small iteration updates, not the gigantic feature packed updates of the past.
In February when Mountain Lion was announced I wrote up the basic changes that extend far and wide but not necessarily so deep.


text:
group file exchanges private to the group members only? How can I ensure that
only members of a designated group have access to the group file exchange area?
Yes, group file exchanges are
private to group members only. Any tools that you enable for a designated group
(such as the Discussion Board, Group Blog, Email, Group Tasks, etc.) can only
be accessed by the members of that particular group.
Therefore, the only action that you
(as course faculty) must take is to make
sure that only those students who are supposed to be members of a particular
group are added as members to that group on Blackboard.
< back to Blackboard FAQ index
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"Business executives and IT executives need to spend more time thinking about how to make online interactions consistent with real-life interactions they have with their customers."
by Christopher Sowa, July 2013
With more information and interactions moving online, the world is becoming more and more like a small town. Information about you is available to those who are geographically distant, and suddenly, you have the ability to have "local" interactions with experts or friends across the globe.
Despite the fact that many of the same social rules that apply in person apply online, many IT executives are unsure about the best path forward for managing online social relationships. Commonly, IT executives are on the "hidden in the sand" path. At a recent engagement, I received chuckles when I mentioned online social tools in the context of their customer experience roadmap. Employees were forbidden from going online or using their mobile devices during work for any reason. Even the idea of listening and protecting their brands online seemed scary to this team.
The second path executives are on is the "customer is my prey" path. For these companies, the online domain is viewed as a place where customer interactions are solely equated with sales, and customer information should be sold to the highest bidder. Imagine the repercussion of this mentality in real life—if, whenever I saw employees of my local credit union at the store or a barbeque, they tried to sell me something or sell my banking information to others in the neighborhood. The same is becoming true online. Customers begin to avoid all interactions with organizations that harass them. With people also starting to protest what they see as "big brother" government and companies abusing their information and privacy, the ramifications of not paying attention to these issues will be severe.
Business executives and IT executives need to spend less time thinking about online social interactions and more time thinking about how to make online interactions consistent with real-life interactions they have with their customers. Executives should think about their cross-channel social interaction platform, including online social networks, e-commerce, mobile, and in-person interactions, by making sure they are covering the following key elements:
New tools for managing social interactions across channels can help create the same kinds of excellent in-person relationships we experience at our local stores. For this reason, the path forward should be a familiar and mutually beneficial one based on leveraging strong social relationships.
Christopher Sowa is vice president of Oracle Insight and co-head of Oracle's Global Business Intelligence and Exalytics Strategy Pillar.


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Prissy People
Prissy People
Lyndsay Rowan
I've worked for Fremantle and ShineTV in Australia and for the BBC for the past few years. I generally oversee most Prissy things (the joys of being the boss) but if you want to know what I like doing best press this link to see the fun stuff I get up to here.
Andrew O'Donnell (aka O.D.)
Camera Operator
O.D has worked for the BBC for three years and is a talented camera operator. His first project for Prissy will be 'My Kin' and we feel lucky to have his expertise on board.
Chris Rieckmann
Camera Operator
Chris was our ever patient cameraman and co-director for 'Tag' - absolutely unflappable! He started Shore Light in 2001 in Adelaide, Aus but has now moved operations from the kitsch beach town of Glenelg to Kurralta Park - we wish him heaps of luck. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Jacqui 'The' Jewell
Logos, graphics and websites don't build themselves you know, and that's where we'd be lost without the dedication and creativity of our Jewell. As a talented graphic designer and web designer Jacqui makes the time to make sure our stuff looks tip-top - so if you could use some of the best design work in the business drop her a line: email@example.com


text:
Summer camp at any Boy Scout Camp is a wonderful experience for any Scout, Scouter, or visiting parents and family members. Often times leaders and volunteers will extoll the virtues of going to camp but many boys still seem reluctant to head off into the great outdoors for that first time.
My first summer camp was at Camp Bear Paw, 40 years ago, when I was 11 years old. I was prepared for camp in that my family always camped in Crivitz, Wisconsin, as well as being prepped by my Scoutmaster as to what I could expect.
This still wasn't the same as hearing about camp from one of my scouting peers.
Sure, we had tales of snipe hunts, collecting a left handed smoke shifter from the Quartermaster, locating 50 feet of shore line for the lake and the leftover oatmeal that was used to help pave the road into camp.
A few years ago, I met a young Webelos Scout that was preparing to cross over into a Boy Scout unit and he went on a few camping adventures with a couple of troops to get accustomed to life in the khaki uniform.
Here is Bradey Sorenson's endorsement on summer camp:
My First Summer Camp
"It's the morning I leave for summer camp and I am so excited to go. We arrive at Bear Paw with all of our gear in tow. The first thing we have to do is take our swimming test, so we head to the waterfront. The purpose of the swimming test is so that you can participate in other merit badges that involve water.
The next thing you do is go back to camp and set up your tent. Your troop leader will hold a meeting to discuss your schedule of events for the week. From there we head to the camp wide ceremony to welcome everyone to camp. We then head back to our campsites to hang with our troops for a bit before we head off to sleep.
On Monday you participate in earning four different merit badges that you chose to do months before summer camp. You will work to complete these merit badges throughout the week. There are many steps to completing these merit badges so you will definitely need the entire week to accomplish this task.
On Tuesday evening an O.A. Ceremony is held at the O.A. Fire Bowl. The O.A. Ceremony is an Order of the Arrow Ceremony which is a scouting tradition done by all Boy Scouts throughout the United States. The Scouts are chosen by their troop at an election meeting earlier in the year and are tapped out at the ceremony. Those Scouts are required to campout over night and work without talking with Scouts from other troops. If you complete the overnight campout with all of it requirements you will receive the O.A. sash. The O.A. symbolizes a high ranking leadership award or the Best of the Boy Scouts.
Wednesday is a free day where you can do what you want. Activities include swimming, shooting sports, canoeing, and just hanging out and relaxing. It also allows you to do other troop activities such as earning your AWASA award, Leave No Trace, Wood Carving, Basketry and Leatherworking. I think Wednesday is a great day to recharge from the structured activities and accomplish some other fun merit badges with your fellow Scout friends.
Thursday brings us back into the merit badge workshops where you will complete the merit badges that you started on earlier in the week. We wake up on Friday morning for our last full day of camp. We will finish all merit badge requirements and then move on the Water Carnival. This event is a series of competitive activities that is lead by the staff at Bear Paw Camp. It is extremely exciting and always fun to watch.
After the Carnival we head down to the O.A. Bowl for the closing ceremony. The ceremony includes songs, skits and words of wisdom. It always concludes with the song "Scout Vespers" which is a tradition done at the closing of every Scout camp in the United States.
Saturday morning we wake up and begin tearing down camp to get ready for the long ride back home. We then head to the final flag ceremony where we eat "Pigs-in-a-Blanket" otherwise known as sausage wrapped in pancakes. This final meal is a tradition that has been done at Bear Paw Camp since 1946.
The events that happen at Bear Paw are amazing and exciting. Your first time at camp for a full week is scary and hard to do, but yet it is a great experience. When you go home you realize that it wasn't so bad and you had more fun than you thought you would. This is why I am looking forward to going to camp again this summer."
Bradey Sorenson
"Star Scout"
Well said Bradey.


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Fostering cats and kittens has its pleasures as well as its problems. As a foster "parent", you gave a very important role in the life of the feline and this job should be taken seriously.
This important decision will also affect your whole household, and should not be embarked on unless you have studied the position seriously and completely... You will likely be asked the following questions if you are a volunteer for a cat rescue group, so read on.
Be sure you can afford fostering a cat or kitten. Unless you work with a cat rescue organization which provides the necessities, you'll likely have the cost of all the supplies which go along with kittens such as bottles & formula, litter boxes, kitten food, a bed and/or a containing pen, scratching post, treats, and toys. You may also be required to pay for their shots and spay/neutering.
Only you know how well your other cats will accept new cats into their household. For that rationale alone, it is always a good practice to keep the litter of kittens, along with the mother cat--if she came with the package--in a safe room until the time comes for incorporation. Your own commonsensical judgment should guide you, predominantly with alpha cats who are unaccustomed to kittens, and may consider them pests or threats. If you have any doubts whatsoever about your current cats, it may be better to just volunteer at a shelter.
Make sure you are physically and emotionally prepared. For example, you should have enough room in your home for an active litter of kittens to be at ease, yet out of harm's way. You need to have the physical staying power to tend to their physical needs, which may take in bottle-feeding newborns around the clock. Finally, though kittens can provide entertainment, love, pleasure and delight, they also bring with them difficult tasks and sometimes sadness. Kittens do expire occasionally, through no fault of your own. Also, the inevitable time will come when the kittens will be ready for new homes, and you'll have to say goodbye to your furry, feline friend.
If you can answer, "yes, certainly," to all of the above considerations, head over to your local shelter without a moment's delay. Cats and kittens are waiting for your magic, loving touch.


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Featured Runner - Tell Us Your Story
This month's featured runner is Sarah Cawley, who has endrued so much, and has truly shown us what running means to her.
"Running has been a part of my life for a while, although it wasn't until my oldest daughter was born that I became a RUNNER. I needed something to keep me focused on my goal of losing the baby weight, and so I signed up for a relay race with some friends. Upon crossing that finish line, I was committed. In the next two years I completed a couple half marathons.
In the spring of 2012, I was given a new reason to run when my sweet Meghan was born with special needs. Her spirit has inspired me, and several others towards accomplishing their running goals as she fights daily to do the things that we take so easily for granted, and our "team" has completed several races in her honor. Running helped me discover that I have what it takes to push myself physically and mentally farther than I could have imagined. I have learned that running is just as much about training the mind as it is about training the body. As it turns out, these lessons would prove invaluable as I began a marathon course that I didn't sign up for- one that was marked out by pink ribbons. In April of last year, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. I had a mastectomy, where we learned that the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes. I began chemotherapy, and had to miss several races that I had planned while I was recovering from surgery. Two weeks after my first chemo, and six weeks after my surgery, I ran for the first time since my diagnosis, tears streaming down my face the entire time. I knew in that moment that I would not allow cancer to take away this part of my life. Two years ago I committed to run at least a half marathon every year in Meghan's honor, and this year would be no different. I set my sights on a fall half, and trained throughout my chemotherapy treatments. I finished chemo, and two weeks into my radiation treatments I ran, and finished the Columbus Half. It may have been slower than I would have liked, but I ran inspired, determined to honor my commitment because in spite of cancer, I can still run. This year's marathon is four days after my last infusion of anticancer medication, and it also happens to be my birthday. I can't think of a better way to celebrate finishing this marathon of a year than by running my first 26.2! Here's to LIFE, finishing treatment, and to my girls who motivated me in the first place. I may be running with less hair, and less of my physical body intact, but I run ON FAITH, with HOPE, and a heart that is a thousand times more full."
We thank Sarah for sharing with us her story, now we invite you to share what does RUNNING mean to YOU?
Why are you running the Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon or 10K?
Have you had interesting or unusual running experiences in the past? Are you running in honor of someone or something special to you?
Please send us your story via the mail at the address below or fill out the form you see below. We really appreciate hearing from you. It helps keep us in touch.
Your story may be shared with the media, but you will be contacted before hand in order to give approval.
You can submit your story by using the form below or by mail to us, using the address below.
29525 Chagrin Blvd. - Suite 215 - Pepper Pike, Ohio 44122


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The 6th Volume of Southern Pacific Forever documents railroad operations during April & May of 2008 in Northern California. 440 pages holding roughly 1500 of the best photographs of the railroad as it is seen today. The art painted on the sides of the rolling stock with rare and historic locomotives and fallen flags also being seen tucked into the various sections.
Southern Pacific Forever takes a look in Norfolk Southern's South Eastern United States operations for this volume's Interchange and circles back around to the southern part of California to chronicle the works done by the AUB artist group.
Take a gander through the preview for a brief glimpse at what can be yours in Southern Pacific Forever's Volume 6...
I have a passion for the railroad, some say addiction, but I prefer the former. I've been lucky enough to travel around the country and Canada to watch trains and meet other young enthusiasts like myself. I'm a fan of art and love the country, and todays railroad holds both quite well. At the present time I live next to a large railyard and am fortunate to have plenty of opportunities to photograph railcars daily. So, until I find myself living under the Thailand sun, I'll be resting patiently beneath the California sky waiting for another line to come rolling by.
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Southern Pacific Forever Volume 13 Publicado 31 de agosto de 2012
Southern Pacific Forever Volume 12 Publicado 07 de octubre de 2011
Southern Pacific Forever Volume 11 Publicado 02 de junio de 2011
Southern Pacific Forever Volume 10 Publicado 26 de diciembre de 2010
Southern Pacific Forever Volume 9 Publicado 25 de julio de 2010
Southern Pacific Forever Volume 8 Publicado 25 de enero de 2009
Southern Pacific Forever Volume 7 Publicado 22 de octubre de 2008
Southern Pacific Forever Volume 5 Publicado 26 de mayo de 2008


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RICHARD B. TAYLOR, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,
P. O. Box 5207, Uvalde, Texas 78802
Abstract: Feral hogs are old world members of the swine family whose ancestors date back to the ice age. Early explorers and missionaries brought the first swine into Texas, but the feral populations originated during colonization. In the twentieth century, introductions of domestic hogs and European boars into the wild by landowners and sportsman further enhanced the population. Changing land use practices, improved animal husbandry, and eradication of diseases have enabled the feral hog to adapt and disperse throughout most of Texas. With an estimated population of one million animals, feral hog numbers rank second behind the white-tailed deer as a large mammal population and are an intregal part of Texas fauna.
Feral hogs belong to the family Suidae which is the same family of the domestic breeds. There are approximately 23 normally recognized subspecies of wild hogs in the world; however, some discrepancies do occur between professionals (Mayer and Brisbin,1991). Feral hogs include domestic hogs gone wild, European boars, and crosses between the two. The history of feral hogs in Texas must be traced back to the original domestic breeds first brought to the state.
Hogs are old world species and are not indigenous to the New World. The predecessors to the modern swine family date back prior to the ice age. Although the ice age was extremely hard on them, they managed to survive between major glaciations. Their adaptability is still evident in the modern wild pigs which currently inhabit Texas. As the world was shifting and continents being formed, the swine family was excluded from the new world. Because of the extreme cold and ice, they were unable to cross the Bering land bridge between Alaska and Russia, the only possible entrance to the New World prior to separation. On the European and Asian continents of the Old World, wild hogs thrived through the stone ages. Bones have been found in caves that indicates early man hunted and ate swine (Towne and Wentworth, 1950).
Domestication of hogs began somewhere between 7000-3000 BC with the coming of Neolithic man to Europe. Hogs have been an important part of early civilization. In addition to food, they have been reported in mythology, superstitious rites, and religion. Since before Christ, man has loved, hated, revered, worshiped, and tabooed the hogs (Towne and Wentworth, 1950).
Wild Hogs in the United States
The first introduction of hogs into the United States came around 750-1000 AD when Polynesian immigrants to Hawaii brought them to the Islands; however it was the early 1500's before they made it to the mainland. Christopher Columbus is originally credited with bringing the first hogs to the New World when he brought eight to the West Indies in 1493. These animals and subsequent releases thrived and their progeny populated several of the Carribbean islands. It was from these populations that early Spanish explorers brought hogs to the U.S. mainland in Florida. They provided an important source of food and lard while reproducing quickly (Towne and Wentworth, 1950). These expeditions were the first well documented swine importation onto the United States mainland.
Hernando De Soto, the first swine importer, obtained his supplies from Cuba in 1539 which included 13 sows. Upon landing in Florida, his expedition traveled more than 3100 miles throughout the southern United States, until he died in what is now Arkansas. As he traveled, he took the swine with him. Upon his death in 1542 he had 700 swine and 3 horses, which were sold at auction to his men and possibly some Indians (Thrapp 1988, Towne and Wentworth 1950). However, only 100 hogs were reported fourteen months prior to his death. This was due, in part, to several devastating indian attacks but subsequent numbers are an example of their reproductive potential (Towne and Wentworth, 1950).
Luis De Moscoso took command of the expedition and was determined to return to Mexico overland. They traveled into Texas, possibly reaching the Brazos river, but, finding this route too difficult and dangerous, he retraced his route and traveled back to the Mississippi river where his men built some boats. At the Mississippi river, Moscoso and his men killed, slaughtered, butchered and salted pork for his voyage. These hogs were animals he possibly had in Texas and additional ones he received from the Indians (who had stolen them from him previously). He then sailed down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico where he followed the coast to Tampico, Mexico (Castaneda 1936, Thrapp 1988). This concluded the first excursion of hogs into Texas. It is unclear how many hogs actually entered the state or how many may have been left behind that either escaped, were traded, or were captured by indians. It is unlikely that this first introduction of hogs originated a population of wild hogs in Texas.
The first wild hogs in Texas probably resulted from Rene Robert, Sieur de LaSalle's failed attempt to colonize the Texas coast. Attempting to relocate the mouth of the Mississippi river which he discovered in 1682, LaSalle landed on the west side of the entrance to Matagorda bay on February 18, 1685. He built a fort further inland for several hundred colonists, soldiers, and workers. Among the supplies he brought with him from St. Domingo in the West Indies were cattle, swine and fowl which reportedly multiplied and prospered. The situation at the fort became so hopeless that in January 1687, LaSalle went for help leaving behind 20 people, 70-75 swine and 18-20 hens at he colony. LaSalle never made it out of Texas (he was killed by his own men) and the colonists at the fort also died due to smallpox and Indian attacks. When Spanish explorers finally located the lost fort a few years later, a Spanish priest, Massanet, reported finding many "dead pigs at the destroyed fort" (Castaneda 1936, Gillmore 1973, Yoakum 1935). It is unclear why the Karankawa Indians had left the fresh meat at the fort. Mary Atkinson (1953) claims that the Karankawa indians of the Gulf coast "utilized Spanish livestock that went wild including longhorns, mustangs, and razorbacks, a new and bountiful meat supply." The Spaniard, De Solis, reported in 1767-68 that Karankawa indians "live on horses, mules, deer, bison, bears, wild boars (javelinas?), rabbits and hares, unlike the Plains Indians who tabooed fish and fowls and particularly hogs for spiritual reasons"(Newcomb 1961). It is possible that some of the original swine from LaSalle's colony found haven in the thickets of the Gulf coast but whether the progeny survived death and disease to the present day is unlikely.
The Spanish began sending missionaries into Texas in the 1700's to establish missions, teach religion to the indians, and lay claim to the terrirory. The Martin de Alarcon expedition of 1718-19, which founded the Mission San Antonio de Valero (Alamo), introduced unknown numbers of swine along with other livestock into the area. Although some historians claim swine were a part of the missions' livestock, records do not substantiate this claim and, in fact, swine numbers were probably inconsequential. A census of San Antonio in 1745 claimed 2000 cattle, 1317 sheep, 304 goats and 40 horses and inventories of 13 operating missions in 1763 never mentioned swine. It is probable that a few hogs were present at that time but only in minimal numbers. An 1810 census of San Antonio lists 14 ranches in operation with a total of 85 hogs (Castaneda 1936).
The Nacogdoches settlement of east Texas is one of the oldest in the state. As a mission it did not raise hogs but evidently settlers in the area had a few animals. In 1806 there was some settlement along the old San Antonio road near Nacogdoches and, in 1819, on an excursion from the Sabine river to Nacogdoches the Mexican Colonel Ignacio Perez and his troops observed "…good crops of cotton, corn, pumpkins, potatoes, and other vegetables and the troops fed on the many pigs and chickens they found" (Castaneda 1936). The first hogs to arrive in Texas of any significance and which established a wild population probably originated with these colonists.
Stephen F. Austin received the first land grant in January of 1821 and the first colonist arrived in November of 1821. His colonists, referred to as "the old 300", settled along the Brazos, Colorado, and Bernard rivers near present day Brenham, Navasota, and LaGrange (Figure 1). The colonists who came to Texas were basically poor and self reliant. The economy of the colonies were based on trading, such as clothing for hogs, an ox for a sow, horses for corn, or a gun for a mare. The export of the colony of farmers in Austins' words were "cotton, beef tallow, pork, lard, mules, etc." Swine were the most common livestock although cattle, oxen, and chickens were found (Fehrenbach 1983). All the livestock were allowed to run wild in the woods and forage for themselves.
Gathering the livestock often required using a little corn as an enticement to the pen or using dogs or horses. Often wild hogs that couldn't be rounded up would be hunted and shot by the settlers when they wanted fresh meat. Noah Smithwick (1968) claimed in 1830 that "Martin Varner (colonist) had a lot of wild hogs running in the bottom and when he wanted pork he went out and shot one." The diet of the colonists was largely salt pork, usually fried with corn bread, sweet potatoes, and molasses. Fresh meat was rare with the exception of wild game (Fehrenbach 1983). Nacogdoches was an important trading center between the colonists and Louisiana and, according to Weinger (1984), an 1834 census of the Nacogdoches settlement recorded 60,000 hogs.
By 1835, 3500 land titles were issued to settlers through various Impresarios. The colonies produced thousands of bales of cotton and large numbers of cattle and hogs (Fehrenbach 1983). With the outbreak of hostilities between the colonists and Mexico and Santa Anna marched through Texas, many of the colonist, fearing for their lives, left as fast as they could. This exodus is often referred to as the "runaway scrape" and Texas soldier Noah Smithwick (1968) observed that between Brenham and Bastrop and throughout the colony they "..found houses open, beds unmade, cribs full of corn, smoke houses full of bacon, chickens, cattle eating the grass and hogs fat and lazy wallowing in the mud all abandoned."
After hostilities between Texas and Mexico ceased, settlement resumed in the original colonies and German immigrants began settling in central Texas. Settlements such as New Braunfels, Kerrville, and Fredricksburg were founded in the 1840's (Figure 1). Swine was the most common livestock in this area, although cattle was present in large numbers, but there was not a market for the meat. Cattle were raised principally for their hides. The prolific hogs were raised for their meat and lard and were very marketable. There was also rapid development of northeast Texas between the years 1840-1860 (Fehrenbach 1983).
In the east Texas Big Thicket region hogs continued to be imported and, in 1838, a settler named Sherod Wright claimed he and his neighbors had hogs "mainly for their own use." "In summer hogs scattered over the uplands and in winter went to the bottoms to forage on nuts. When he saddled up to ride he'd put some corn in his saddlebags paying a token to the process of domestication, but, in spite of this, hogs eventually became nearly as wild as deer" (Truett and Lay 1984).
In 1841, two years after the government had moved to Austin, a political scandal between the French Charge d'Affaires and Texas occurred over hogs. It seems that a local resident, Mr. Bullock, had some of his hogs killed by a French servant when they broke fences, entered the home, ate linen and destroyed important papers. Mr. Bullock promptly beat the servant and, when the Texas government refused to take satisfactory action against Mr. Bullock, the French Charge d'Affaires left town never to return (Haley 1985).
Fredrick Olmstead (1962) who traveled through Texas in 1854 states that at his camp near Crockett on January 1, 1854 "…we were annoyed by hogs beyond all description. At almost every camp we were surrounded by them; but here they seemed perfectly frantic with hunger. They ran directly through the fire and even carried off a chicken….that was dressed and pitted. While the horses were feeding, it required the constant attendance of two of us to keep them at bay; and even then they secured more than half the corn. Fanny (his horse) was so shocked and disturbed as to refuse all the food. For some minutes the fiercest of them would resist even a clubbing, eating and squealing on through the blows. These animals proved, indeed throughout Texas a disgusting annoyance, though after procuring an excellent dog a day or two after we were rid of the worst of it."
Further on his trip west in the Texas hill country near the head of the Guadalupe river in present-day Kendall county he claimed "One of the greatest sources of profit is from droves of hogs which increase with remarkable rapidity and pick their living from the roots and nuts of river bottoms. The distribution of a few ears of corn at night brings them all every day to the crib." Throughout his travels, he reports bacon and pork which was evidently easier to obtain than beef (Olmstead 1962).
DeCordova (1969) reported to the New York Geographical Society in 1858 that " There are at this time hundreds of persons who are doing well raising hogs with very little labor, and so great in demand for the produce of this animal in our state, that it is impossible to have a super abundance, not withstanding that the region of the country adapted to hog raising is so extensive. In addition to the amount raised in Texas, we import a large amount from New Orleans". By 1860, the area of Austins' colony had an estimated 50,000 hogs. A citizen of Robertson county estimated probably 30,000 hogs in that county. The vast majority of these hogs were free ranging (Weniger 1984).
By the late 1800's wild hogs were numerous throughout the big thicket of east Texas and provided the most important game meat (Campbell and Loughmiller 1977). Through the turn of the twentieth century, as settlement increased throughout Texas, the numbers of hogs allowed to range freely also increased. In the early 1900's Mearns noted that feral hogs were numerous in many parts of Texas along the Rio Grande (Mayer and Brisbin 1991).
The early 1900's were relatively prosperous for the rural Texans until the 1920's and 1930's when economic hard times hit with devastating consequences. At that time many rural residents were forced to leave their farms to seek employment in the cities in order to pay their mortgages and taxes. As they packed their families and belongings and headed to the city, many left their livestock behind, especially their free-ranging hogs to fend and survive for themselves.
The European Wild Boar
There are very few documented facts concerning the history of the European wild boars in Texas. The Denman releases along the central Texas coast are probably the best known in Texas. In about 1930 – 1933 the first known importations of European wild boars were recorded when approximately eleven were obtained from the San Antonio zoo and escaped or were released near Austwell in Aransas county. An additional 10-15 were released in 1939 between Port O'Conner and Seadrift in Calhoun county. They readily crossed with domestic or feral hogs (Mayer and Brisbin 1991). The next reported release of European hogs occurred in the early 1940 when a rancher in northwest Bexar county purchased several from a traveling zoo and consequently released them into the wild. Following a fence – destroying flood which allowed the animals to escape into the surrounding areas of eastern Medina and southern Bandera county, these hogs also readily bred with free ranging domestic hogs (Mayer and Brisbin 1991). Later releases of the so-called European wild boars were probably hybrids between the European and feral hogs.
The Present
From the 1950's until the present, hogs have been continually released throughout Texas in an effort to increase hunting opportunity and economic returns. Texas is approximately 97% privately owned and hunting leases provide a major economic incentive. Prior to 1992 domestic hogs or wild trapped feral hogs could be purchased locally through livestock auctions or individuals and released. However, in 1992 the Texas Animal Health Commission inacted new regulations concerning the movement of wild-trapped swine in an effort to prevent the possible spread of disease. Today, it would be impossible to estimate the numbers of hogs released by landowners and sportsmen. Since the hog is an unregulated animal in Texas and is not classified as a game animal. For this reason few statistics and harvest information is available.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) first attempted to monitor the European wild boar in 1945 reporting the Denman release along the Texas coast under exotic game animals (Anonymous 1945). At that time the author clearly stated that they were breeding with domestic or feral hogs. The next report on exotics by TPWD was when Al Jackson (1964) reported European boars in the central Texas region and on the central Texas coast. In that survey he estimated 400 in Calhoun county, 175 in Bexar county, and "heavy concentrations" in Medina county. He also states that wild boar have crossed with feral swine in many areas so that pure stock is limited and hard to distinguish from crosses. In 1967 TPWD estimated approximately 10,000 European boars were on the Edwards Plateau south to the Rio Grande Plains in south Texas with feral hogs occurring in those areas and also in eastern Texas (Ramsey 1967, Springer 1977) (Figure 2). It is clear that feral hogs and crossbreds were included in this estimate. Further exotic surveys conducted by TPWD excluded feral hogs, European hogs and crossbreds although some information was obtained.
The first attempt to determine the status of feral hogs in Texas came in 1979 when questionnaires were sent out to TPWD biologists across the state to determine their distribution, utilization, and management implications (Synatzske 1979) (Figure 3). No attempt was made at that time to determine or estimate the population. In 1992, utilizing available data from TPWD exotic surveys, the Synatszke report, private surveys and interviews, the distribution of feral hogs in Texas was determined (Taylor 1991).
In 1992 the feral hog was distributed throughout most of Texas with the exception of the western panhandle and the northern Trans-Pecos region (Figure 4). Feral hog densities fluctuate from extremely dense populations in east, southeast and south Texas to light populations in far west Texas. They are found in all habitat types from dense forest, swamps, chaparral brush, and oak-woodland. In Texas feral hogs occupy most of the same range as white-tailed deer. They prefer bottomland habitats but do well in upland areas if there is sufficient cover. Climate does not appear to be a limiting factor; however, diverse food availability is important (Taylor 1991).
The range of the feral hog in Texas has increased tremendously since the 1960's. They have adapted to virtually all habitat types and climatic conditions. The population has increasingly multiplied increasingly as their range has expanded. The feral hog is an extremely wary and secretive creature whose adaptability and nocturnal habits have made it extremely difficult to accurately determine population status. Therefore, density estimates for the feral hog in Texas is purely speculative and based on an array of factors. Deer range and densities correlated with hog distribution, biological estimations based on interviews and actual census efforts were all incorporated to estimate the feral hog population in Texas at approximately one million animals (Taylor 1991).
The feral hog in Texas has increased in numbers and expanded its range for a number of reasons. Constant introductions throughout Texas coupled with the high reproductive rate of swine and limited hunting pressure are probably the most significant factors. Feeding and baiting wildlife is the primary hunting technique used by Texas hunters and feral hogs are utilizing this practice to their advantage. Feral hogs are also benefitting from changing agricultural and land practices (farmland conversion to rangeland, better land management and improved livestock grazing practices by landowners). Farming has become much more productive and efficient and utilized by hogs. Water conservation has also increased and water supplies from stocktanks, lakes, and irrigation have benefitted wild hogs.
Diseases have historically helped keep the wild hog population in check. The eradication of the screworm has benefitted the wild hog as it did white-tailed deer. As commercial swine operators improved their operations and animal husbandry progressed, vaccinations curtailed most diseases among domestic breeds. These diseases could no longer be transmitted to a wild population which would then spread rapidly through that wild population. Now, commercial swine operator are fearful of diseases which the wild hogs can transmit to their commercial operation. In 1978, hog cholera, a deadly disease to hogs, was eradicated.
Hogs have been around Texas for many centuries but have increased substantially in the last few decades. It is obvious that they are an intregal part of Texas fauna, currently number two behind white-tailed deer in numbers. They are extremely wary and secretive, very adaptive to conditions, and are in Texas to stay.
Literature Cited
Anonymous. 1945. Principal Game Birds and Mammals of Texas. Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission. Von Boeckmann-Jones Company. Austin, Texas. 149 pp.
Atkinson, Mary J. 1953. The Texas Indians. The Naylor Company. San Antonio, Texas 250pp.
Campbell, Il, and Lynn Loughmiller. 1977. Big Thicket Legacy. University of Texas Press. Austin, Texas.
Castaneda, C. E. 1936. Our Catholic Heritage in Texas, Volumes 1-VI. Von Boeckmann- Jones Company. Austin, Texas.
DeCordova, J. 1969. Lecture on Texas in; Texas: Her Resources and her Public Men. Texian Press. Waco, Texas. 375 pp.
Fehrenbach, T. R. 1983. Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans. American Legacy Press. New York, NY. 761 pp.
Gilmore, Kathleen. 1973. The Keeran Site: The probable site of LaSalles' Fort St. Louis in Texas. Texas Historical Commission. Office of the State Archeological Reports No. 24. Austin, Texas. 100 pp.
Haley, James. 1985. Texas: An album of history. Doubleday and Company. Garden City, New York. 292 pp.
Jackson, Al. 1964. Texotics. Texas Game and Fish 22 (4): 7-11.
Mayer J.J. and I. L. Brisbin, Jr. 1991. Wild Pigs in the United States: their history, morphology, and current status. University of Georgia Press. Athens, Georgia. 313 pp.
Newcomb, W. W., Jr. 1961. The Indians of Texas: From prehistoric to modern times. University of Texas Press. Austin, Texas 404 pp.
Olmstead, Frederick L. 1962. A journey through Texas: A saddletrip on the southwest frontier. Von Boeckmann-Jones Press. Austin, Texas. 299 pp.
Ramsey, Charles. 1967. Texotic Lineup. Texas Parks and Wildlife 25 (4): 3-7.
Smithwick, Noah. 1968. The evolution of a state or Recollections of old Texas days. Steck- Vaughn Company. Austin, Texas. 354 pp.
Springer, M. D. 1977. Ecological and economic aspects of wild pigs in Texas. Pages 37-46 in G. W. Wood, ed. Research and management of wild hog populations. The Belle W. Baruch For. Sci. Inst., Clemson University. Georgetown, S. C
Synatzske, David R. 1979. Status of the Feral Hog in Texas. Unpubl. report. 9pp.
Taylor, Rick. 1991 The Feral Hog in Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Federal Aid Report Series No. 28. Project W-125-R. 20 pp.
Thrapp, Dan L. 1988. Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography. Vol. 1-3. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln, Nebraska. 1698 pp.
Towne, C. W. and E. N. Wentworth. 1950. Pigs from Cave to Cornbelt. University of Oklahoma Press. Norman, Oklahoma. 305 pp.
Truett, Joe C. and Daniel W. Lay. 1984. Land of Bears and Honey. University of Texas Press. Austin, Texas. 176 pp.
Weniger, Del. 1984. The Explorers of Texas. The Lands and Waters. Eakin Press. Austin, Texas 224 pp.
Yoakum, H. K. 1935. History of Texas. Vol. 1-2. Steck Company. Austin, Texas. 576 pp


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Histories of health, healing, and disease control in Africa from c. 1500 to the present. Explores the ways African people and states have conceived of and responded to relationships between human and natural environment, between individual and collective well-being, and between bodily and social health.
Satisfies a major requirement in History.
Satisfies a major requirement in Africana Studies.
Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in Medical Humanities.
Students entering 2012 and after: satisfies Historical Thought distribution requirement.
Students entering before 2012: satisfies history distribution requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.


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Enhance any backyard entertaining environment with the Fire Sense Sentinel Stainless Steel Cocktail Fire Pit. Elegantly constructed of solid hammered stainless steel and decorative scrolling legs, this fire pit is sure to be envied at all of your outdoor events.
- Wood burning unit
- Stainless steel fire bowl
- 29.55" diameter
- Includes: fire bowl, stand, dome screen, lift tool and wood grate
Caution: It is not recommended to use this fire pit on any combustible surface or any surface that is not entirely resistant to high heat. However, if you intend to use this item on any of these surfaces, you must use a non-flammable and heat resistant material such as concrete pavers, brick or stone between the fire pit and the surface.


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Our second-to-last live chat until August — at noon today here at mlive.com/broncos — lasted about 50 minutes, with the topics ranging from hockey to WMU's basketball coaches to a whole lot of football.
For the complete replay, click below.
Register now for free, or sign in with any of these services:
For the complete replay, click below.


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Discovery Commander Mark Kelly guided the shuttle, carrying the main module of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo lab, to a docking with the station as the two spacecraft flew 210 miles above the South Pacific. Before closing the final six hundred feet to the station, Kelly flew the shuttle through a slow backflip, allowing the station's Expedition 17 Commander Sergei Volkov and Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman to take photos that ground experts will review to assess the health of Discovery's heat shield.
Discovery also brought astronaut Greg Chamitoff to the station, who officially took over for Reisman as a member of the station crew at 5:35 p.m. when Chamitoff confirmed his custom Soyuz seatliner was installed. Reisman – now formally a mission specialist aboard the shuttle – will return home after more than three months on the station.
The shuttle and station crews opened hatches and greeted one another at 2:36 p.m. beginning nine days of joint operations between the astronauts and cosmonauts. Discovery mission specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan began an overnight "campout" in the station's Quest airlock pressurized slightly lower than the rest of the station and shuttle to prepare themselves for the mission's first spacewalk set to begin at about 10:32 a.m. Tuesday.
Sleeping overnight at the lower pressure significantly reduces the amount of time they must breathe pure oxygen Tuesday morning as they prepare for the spacewalk. The measure prevents decompression sickness as they operate in the low pressure of spacesuits to begin their work outside.
The 6˝ hour spacewalk by Fossum and Garan will prepare the Kibo lab for installation on the station and assist with transfer of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System back to the shuttle from the station, where it has been stored since the last shuttle visit. The two also will demonstrate a technique that may be used to clean debris from the station solar alpha rotary joint, which has known debris degrading its operation.
The 10 crewmembers will go to sleep about 9 p.m. Monday and receive a wakeup call from Mission Control at 5:32 a.m. Tuesday.


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ComputerWorld: Linux Foundation Celebrates with a Quadruple Scotch
My last two posts about the Linux Foundation have been about how it is broadening its scope to embrace open projects well beyond the Linux kernel. For example, there was the OpenDaylight Project, and then the OpenBEL. Now we have this:
The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux and collaborative development, today announced the Open Virtualization Alliance (OVA) is becoming a Linux Foundation Collaborative Project.
Read more at ComputerWorld UK.


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The White, Silver and Black editions are available for pre-order at GoPro.com and are shipping to specialty retailers around the world for MSRP $199.99, $299.99 and $399.99 respectively.Read More »
Long Distance Kitesurfing World Record Attempt Tomorrow
Almost one year after he broke the Guinness Book of World Records' Longest Nonstop Kitesurfing Distance record, Rimas Kinka from Florida is attempting to break the record once again.Read More »
Chris Bobyrk On Fire in Cape Hatteras
Double S-bends to Blind... nuke glide to wrapped... s-mobes and more….check out the latest edit from BEST team rider Chris Bobryk!Read More »
VIDEO: Highlights from the 2012 Course Racing Worlds Medal Race Series
After four days of full-on racing, John and Erika Heineken (USA) take the 2012 world titles in course racing.Read More »
Old School Legend Mauricio Abreu Still Killing It!
LivingTheDream catches up with Old School legend Mauricio Abreu and makes you question what is old school?Read More »
Win a Custom Kite with the Best Pimp My Kite Challenge
Design your own kite and you could win a brand new and utterly unique, one-off TS v2 10m!Read More »
Kiteboard Racing World Championship Starts Thursday
With more than 200 pre-registered riders from all around the world, it will be a fierce battle for the title.Read More »
Shannon Best Leaving Best Kiteboarding
BEST Kiteboarding today announced that Shannon Best is leaving his day-to-day role with the company to pursue new opportunities within the consumer sports industry, effective October 1st.Read More »
VIDEO: New F-One Office and Raphael's Garage
F-One's Raphael Salles walks us through the brand new F-One office in Montpellier, France, and shows us his new garage full of F-One kite and board prototypes.Read More »
VIDEO: Slingshot Presents: Woodgrain II
Follow the Slingshot Kite team as they build and destroy a few unique rails.Read More »
La Ventana Classic and KiteXpo Canceled for 2013, Will Return in 2014
Eight years ago founder Tim Hatler and a few locals thought it would be cool to see if they could kiteboard the 11 miles from Isla Cerralvo to La Ventana.Read More »
Support Needed for American Kiteboarding Association: Help Give the US a Voice in November!
Team Fluid has started started the American Kiteboarding Association (AKA), a non-profit whose initial goal is to meet the requirements needed to get America a vote and a voice within the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA). Now all they need is members!Read More »
Exclusive: Olympic Gold Windsurfer Speaks Out on Kitesurfing
For the Fall Issue of The Kiteboarder, we contacted Olympic Windsurfing Gold Medal Winner Dorian van Rijsselberghe for his thoughts on Kite Racing being accepted into the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, possibly at the expense of windsurfingRead More »
Patri McLaughlin and Ninja Bichler Win KSP Mauritius
Epic conditions graced day nine of the holding period for tour stop number two of four at the One Eye Kite Surf Pro.Read More »
Liquid Force Kite Surfing Wave Accelerator Camp, Punta San Carlos Sept 29 – Oct 6
Join Liquid Force International team rider Jason Slezak at the inaugural Wave Accelerator Camp September 29th through October 6th 2012 at the world class Solo Sports Advernture Camp located on the point of Punta San Carlos, Baja, California Mexico.Read More »


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Medal, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
This medal commemorates the first international manned spaceflight mission. In July 1975, two manned spacecraft were launched into Earth orbit--one from Kazakhstan, the other from Florida. Their rendezvous in orbit fulfilled a 1972 agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States to participate in a joint venture in space. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project marked a brief thaw in the Cold War and the first time that the two rivals cooperated in a manned space mission. Engineering teams from both sides collaborated in the development of a docking module to link the spacecraft. Control centers in Moscow and Houston exercised joint duties through a cooperative exchange of tracking data and communications. The crews visited each other's spacecraft, shared meals and worked on various tasks during several days together in space. This commemorative medal depicts this historic international mission. On one side, the mission is presented from the Russian perspective; with the Soyuz spacecraft in the foreground, and the crew listed by name in Russian. On the reverse, the mission is depicted in English, and the Apollo spacecraft is most prominent.
The manufacturer, Medallic Art Company, donated this medal to the museum in 1976.
Gift of Medallic Art Company
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Astronaut
- Aleksei Arkhipovich Leonov
- Donald K. Slayton
- Manufacturer
- Medallic Art Company
- Astronaut
- Thomas P. Stafford
- Valerii Kubasov, 1935-2014
- Vance D. Brand
- Type
- AWARDS-Medals & Ribbons
- Materials
- gold colored metal
- Dimensions
- 3-D: 0.7 x 6.2cm (1/4 x 2 7/16 in.)


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It's amazing the fuss that can kicked up over casting rumors, especially before ink's even been put to paper, let alone had time to dry. In this case, it looks pretty certain that we know who the big screen's new Fantastic Four are going to be.
Per Deadline Hollywood, among others, "Fruitvale Station" standout Michael B. Jordan will play Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch. That part was previously played by Chris Evans, who is about to hit multiplexes for his third outing as Captain America. Kate Mara ("Transcendence") is in place to play The Invisible Woman, Sue Storm, played in the earlier iterations by Jessica Alba. In the comic books, the two characters are brother and sister. There is no word at this point how that aspect is going to be handled in the new version.
Miles Teller, who was a scenestealer in the "Footloose" remake, and will shortly be seen in the feature film adaptation of "Divergent," has been offered the role of Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic. The part was previously played by Ioan Griffud, who has starred in the British TV Horatio Hornblower movies.
In a bit of a surprise, Jamie Bell ("Jumper," "The Eagle," "Nymphomaniac") will apparently play Ben Grimm, who becomes known as The Thing. Michael Chiklis has also played the role.
Josh Trank, who turned heads with 2012's dark take on the teenagers-get-super powers genre, "Chronicle," will helm from a script by Simon Kinberg. Kinberg is currently at work on the screenplay for "X-Men: Apocalypse," and has already written "X-Men: Days of Future Past," "Sherlock Holmes," "X-Men: The Last Stand" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith."
20th Century Fox reportedly owns the rights to the Marvel Comics franchise as long as it keeps making the movies. The movies "Fantastic Four" (2005) and "Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer" are generally regarded as disappointing by fans. Roger Corman made an unreleased version of the property in 1992, which remains probably the only movie that Corman ever made that didn't get released, a story unto itself. The new version, presumably a new origin story, is entitled "The Fantastic Four." Note the 2005 title didn't have a "The" in it.
A June 19, 2015 release date has already been announced for "The Fantastic Four."


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Jenelle Evans and Farrah Abraham may have a lot in common, but they are not friends. Despite their ties to MTV and "Teen Mom," Evans and Abraham do not like one another and make no secret of their ongoing issues.
While Evans feels that Abraham is a worse parent than she is, because of her sex tape, Abraham feels it is Evans who is worse, because of her past drug use and arrests. And while there's really no telling who is right, Evans continues to try her case.
After a fan on Twitter pointed out that Evans has been to jail and done hard drugs, Evans explained, via an Aug. 31 report by Latin Post, "All of u can say that to me until u r blue in the face. I've changed my life for the better, she did for the worse."
Evans and Abraham's latest round of feuding comes days after Evans commented on an article in which Abraham claimed she didn't need "Teen Mom," which is continuing without her in a fifth season. In her comment, Evans claimed MTV fired Abraham because she promotes sex, which is the opposite of what MTV is aiming for in their "Teen Mom" series.
So far, there's been no word yet from Abraham regarding Evans' latest comments. However, if history repeats itself, it is only a matter of time.


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Episode 62 of HIGH TIMES Presents Free Weed from Danny Danko was recorded live at the 2014 US Cannabis Cup in Denver on Sunday, April 20.
This expert panel led by HT senior cultivation editor Danny Danko covers a wide array of grow info and even fields questions from the crowd. Don't miss this special episode of Free Weed!
Contact us:
Twitter: @DannyDanko and @MikeHughes_
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Facebook: HIGH TIMES Presents Free Weed From Danny Danko
Visit our sponsors:
BC Northern Lights
Gorilla Seed Bank


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Feels like only yesterday when I was talking about all those many features of LG Optimus 2X, the world's first dual-core smartphone. Remember those articles from 2011, TP Friends?
Now, we're announcing that the follow-up to that Guinness Book of World Record title-holder will be out in the Philippines in just a few days. Time flies just like that, eh?
We've just got official word from LG Philippines; LG Optimus 4X HD will be available across the archipelago next week with an SRP of Php 27,990.
Featuring NVIDIA's landmark 4-PLUS-1 Quad-Core mobile processor called Tegra 3, the company's 2012 flagship Android smartphone, the LG Optimus 4X HD, is the most powerful and energy-efficient handset LG has produced so far. According to NVIDIA, Tegra 3 automatically activates all four cores when maximum power is required but defaults to the fifth, battery-saver core when less power is needed, like during music playback or standby mode. Also, thanks to an exclusive Eco-Mode application that will come via software upgrade, users will be able to manually shut down any of the Tegra 3's cores for greater control over performance and power-consumption.
What's more, LG Optimus 4X HD comes with a 2,150 mAh battery, which is the largest among current Quad-Core Android smartphones. This battery even has a proprietary SiO+ technology that supposedly allows it to hold a greater charge without adding bulk to the smartphone.
That's a lot to look forward to in terms of energy-efficiency. Can't wait to play with the handset and test the uptime; Hopefully it lives up to expectations.
Looking at the smartphone, it's obvious that the 4.7-inch True HD IPS 1280 x 720 pixels resolution display is its true highlight. The Korean company says that the screen's 16:9 ratio lets users view more content at a glance and its Stripe RGB IPS Panel and high pixel density of 313ppi combine to deliver sharper text. Also, True HD IPS delivers a more accurate reproduction of the white background in emails and messages, which greatly enhances text readability .
LG Optimus 4X HD runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system skinned by the company's Optimus UI 3.0. This user experience (UX) comes with neat services like QuickMemo, which - according to LG - "allows users to instantly jot memos or notes from any screen and to personalize messages and share comments across a wide range of content including web pages, digital magazines, photos and more without having to open a separate application." (Interesting. I'm excited to see how it works.) Also, Optimus 4X HD, which flaunts an 8 MegaPixel autofocus camera with 'Power LED' flash and a full HD video recorder, comes with Media Plex combining a range of functions to enhance image and video playback such as Live Zomming and Fingertip Seek . Media Plex also includes Time Catch Shot - kinda like what you'll find in HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S3 - which lets the user select and save the best shot among all images taken just before the shutter button was pressed.
Again, LG Optimux 4X HD will land on our shores come third week of July. Donning a price tag of Php 27,990, this smartphone is more affordable than its fellow quad-core Android handsets, HTC One X (Php 36,000 +/-) and Samsung Galaxy S3 (Php 33,000 +/-). But is it as good or even better than its main competition? Well, we'll soon find out.
|LG Optimus 4X HD
|Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
|Price Category
|High-End (Flagship Level)
|132.4 x 68.1 x 8.9 mm
|138 grams
|Available Colors
|White, Black
|Operating System
|Android OS 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
|4.7 inches (~312 ppi pixel density), 720 x 1280 pixels, HD-IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
|Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A9 ULP GeForce GPU Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset
|Internal Storage
|16 GB (~ 13 GB user available), expandable via microSD, supports up to 32GB
|8 MegaPixels, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus and 'Power' LED flash, 1.3 MegaPixels front camera
|Video Capture
|Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second
|Audio and Video Playback
|DivX/Xvid/MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV/MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+ player
|microUSB (MHL) v2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack
|Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, EDR, 3G HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
|2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100
|Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Gyro, Proximity
|Li-Ion 2150 mAh
|Value-Added Features
|Flagship Release, Quad Core Processor, SNS integration, Google Services Suite, SiO+ Battery
|Worldwide: February 2012
Philippines: July 2012
|Philippines: July 2012
|TP Guesstimate: Php 30,000
Official SRP: Php 27,990


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Manuel Martinez, Elise Fehrenbach: Squatters refuse to leave disabled man's home
EL CAJON, Calif. - Video captured a heated confrontation with a woman accused of squatting in a disabled man's home.
Manuel Martinez is disabled and lives at the home through Section 8 housing. He invited Elise Fehrenbach to stay with him temporarily last month as a favor to a friend.
"She was kicked out of here home and she didn't have a place to go, so I said, 'Come, come stay at my place," Martinez said.
The favor turned into a nightmare. Martinez says Fehrenbach invited her boyfriend to stay the very next day and then her four adult children as well – all in the tiny, two-bedroom home.
"He's disabled and this woman is abusing him," said Martinez's friend, Carol.
The abuse came to a head when Martinez says the squatter dumped a bucket of urine on him.
"She said, 'The next time it's going to have poo, too,'" he said. "I don't want poo or pee on me again."
Martinez filed a restraining order against her, which is all police said he could do. He and his friends from church called 10News about the squatters.
El Cajon police told 10News there is nothing they can do until a judge hears the case later this month. Fehrenbach says she is not going anywhere until then.


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Allergy Tested, Fragrance - Spice Blend, All Skin Types
Live clean, mostly. Shave clean, always.
A great soap filled with good stuff that will prepare your skin for shaving and keep your body clean: botanical extracts to soothe and heal, aloe vera and glycerin to moisturize, orange extract, a natural alpha-hydroxy, to exfoliate. Vitamin E nourishes and conditions the skin. 100% vegetable-based.
Method of Use: Create a foaming lather by wetting and rubbing bar in the hands. Apply this lather to face and all over the body. Rinse thoroughly.
Why it Works? Cleanses thoroughly, prepares skin for shaving, softens the beard for a close and comfortable shave. Leaves skin smooth and moisturized . Skin feels fresh, not tight or dry.
Net Weight: 5.5oz/156g
Orange Extract (AHA Fruit Extract) AHA used to loosen the surface layer of dead skin cells. Contained in sugarcane juice and fruit. Eases away fine lines, blotches and discolorations.
Glycerin Holds and retains moisture on the skin. Helps bind moisture to the skin.
Vitamin E Antioxidant that nourishes conditions and feeds the skin. Improves moisture capacity of skin. Vitamin C Antioxidant, protects skin, helps increase elasticity, nourishes and tightens.
Wheat Protein Nourishes and tightens. Strengthens and moisturizes. Protects skin from environmental damages.
Citrus Blend Refreshing.
Spice Blend Stimulating.
Disclaimer: Ingredients are subject to change at the manufacturer's discretion. For the most complete and up-to-date list of ingredients, please refer to the product packaging.
If you need any help for applying these offers or any other issue please call us toll-free at 1-866-830-6161.
Gift with Purchase: FREE Anthony Logistics Shave Cream Travel Size with the purchase of Anthony Logistics products. Some restrictions apply. See details �
Anthony Logistics - Glycerin Cleansing Bar (Spice Blend)
Gift with Purchase: FREE Anthony Logistics Shave Cream Travel Size with the purchase of Anthony Logistics products. Some restrictions apply. See details �


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Most companies ask consumers to 'Like' their page, in an effort to promote their product and increase their business. AT&T has opted to take an entirely different approach to bringing about awareness.Thanks to AT&T a simple Facebook 'Like' can bring about awareness to The HollyRod Foundation.
The HollyRod Foundation was established in 1997 by actress Holly Robinson Peete and husband, Rodney Peete. The organization seeks to provide information and care to those living with autism and Parkinson's Disease.
Now through June 30, you can make a free $1 donation by liking the official AT&T Speak Hope page on Facebook or by tweeting with the hashtag #ATTSpeakHope. AT&T will donate up to $25,000 to the cause.
Click the "Like" button, and AT&T will donate $1 to the HollyRod Foundation's Gift of Voice program. This awe-inspiring program helps provide tablet technology to those affected by autism.
No purchase is necessary. Limit one 'Like' per Facebook account.
Facebook members can also visit the official AT&T Speak Hope page to submit their own story. They can also read up on why this cause hits close to home for Holly Robinson Peete.


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A distemper outbreak in central Texas is now top priority for Austin Pets Alive. The shelter has experienced a sharp rise in the number of cases of distemper from dogs they have received from the Town Lake Animal Center.
According to Vet Info (http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/dedistemper.html), canine distemper is caused by a virus in the same family as human measles. Signs of distemper are: fever that may come and go, behavioral changes, and seizures. The virus has no cure and is often fatal. Some animals may recover but later develop teeth or vision problems.
It is imperative that all dogs and cats that have not been vaccinated visit their vets. Puppies, kittens and older dogs or cats are at a higher risk of contracting the virus due to their immune systems being lower than that of a healthy adult dog or cat. Distemper is also carried by wildlife such as skunks and foxes, so once an outbreak occurs, it can spread rapidly.
Austin Pets Alive has spent $10,000 so far this year in treating 63 cases of distemper. APA has teamed up with Dr. Liat Zhilka in performing an experimental treatment to cure the neurological phase of the virus that includes seizures. Most of the dogs treated have recovered and survived, giving new hope to dogs everywhere.
To help APA save even more lives in this time of great need, donate at their website (http://www.austinpetsalive.org/2010/04/distemper-outbreak/) by clicking on the green "seeking financial help".


text: A New BeginningWe're all experts in something. By the time we have survived several decades on the planet, we've become full-blown specialists in some walk of life. If we are athletes, we often outscore others half our age in competition. In our careers, a foundation of hard-earned skill supports every creative thought and crucial decision. Our experience generally far outweighs anything we may have lost along the way, and we are rightly proud of what we've learned. Sometimes we even feel downright cocky.My expertise is boats. From an early age, I've been hooked on the sense of freedom I feel when shoving off from shore in any kind of craft. As a kid, I spent summer vacations sailing the family dinghy over wave-whipped lakes and bays. As a young adult, I fell in love with whitewater rafting and guided trips on rivers all over the West.I especially adored the act of rowing. Ten-foot ash oars became powerful extensions of myself. The connection they provided to rivers hooked me with an almost spiritual intensity. I developed my inner athlete, studying the water with the attitude of a Zen Buddhist: Be one with the rapids. Visualize the river. For years I wanted nothing but the challenge of negotiating steep, rocky streams, or getting the most mileage for the least effort on flat water, or matching my strength to the big water of rivers like the Colorado in the Grand Canyon.After 14 seasons I chose to retire from guiding to start a family, but I still took to the water whenever I could. When spring came, I'd answer the call with pilgrimages to beloved rivers in familiar rafts. Rowing was more than in my blood — it had entered my muscle memory. Even now, at 52, I find that whenever I boat, my skills return effortlessly.So, when I had the chance recently to go to the local river to row shells — the light, fast craft of competitive crews — I didn't hesitate. True, I had never rowed shells before, but this was a chance to get a year-round boating fix closer to home. And it would be a cinch.Cold Water in the FaceI already knew it all before the instructor showed us the parts of the oar and which direction was downstream. As she talked, my attention wandered to the water. Other crews were already coming and going in perfect sync, the river parting before them, and as our class of eight pulled ergonomic rowing machines from the equipment shed, I yearned to be out there too.We sat down to practice on the machines, and I casually started in. Immediately two of the instructor's assistants rushed to correct my stroke: "Don't lean so far forward. You'll kill your back! And keep your knees down — you'll hit them and stop dead in your tracks." My stroke, perfected for the stationary seats in white-water rafting, was all wrong for the shell's sliding seat. My seven fellow students, new to rowing, stroked on blithely while I, the expert oarswoman, could barely move for the assistants holding down my legs and adjusting my shoulders to the proper angle.Once on the river, I figured they'd see what an expert I was. They'd let me have my way with the oars.But out on the water, my credibility evaporated further. My timing was off. My oar's blade was too low, then too high. My hips were set wrong. You name it, I was blowing it. "Don't worry," the instructor assured us, looking particularly at me, "you'll improve with experience." My face burned.Weeks passed without my returning to the scene of my humiliation. I kept to my usual workout routine of swimming and weight training, and, just for fun, added the rowing machine, telling myself I was preparing for a summer white-water trip.When the gym's trainer learned about my difficulty on shells, he prescribed extra exercises: Swiss ball, bicep curls, lat pull downs. "Just in case," he said. "You'll be ready for any kind of rowing. You'll be buff." I thanked him and performed his suggested moves religiously, although I assured him I would not be returning to shells.But as more weeks passed, I missed the exhilaration of propelling a boat with solid oar strokes while feeling the quickening breeze on my back. The pull of the water was greater than the sting of having botched my first lesson in crew, and the joy I felt just seeing the sun on the waves couldn't wait until summer.Rewind, Start AgainAll right, then, I'd give it another go. This time, however, I'd be modest and unassuming. I'd even request a refresher on my previous lesson. I'd start over. It helped to remember a basic teaching from Zen master and author Shunryu Suzuki that I'd learned years before in my inner-athlete days: "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." I'd open myself to new possibilities by becoming a beginner again.As before, the session began on the rowing machines. I sat down with nothing in mind, shadowing the movements of the other students. The stroke? I listened as the instructor broke it down into several small movements.As I followed her guidance, I discarded my previous notions the moment they entered my mind. Where before I had been impatient to get out on the water, this time I applied myself to the rowing machine with diligence. When she insisted we keep our knees down until the very last part of the stroke, I made myself forget that rowing rafts required a deep knee bend just to initiate a stroke and get a bite of water. When she suggested we control our stroke by wrapping our little fingers over the ends of the oar handles, I ignored my prior training to do just the opposite to avoid pinching my pinky. I did as I was instructed. My intent was to learn something new.When we were ready, we pushed off from shore in an eight-woman shell. There was that moment of pure pleasure, the heady feeling of floating. Away from land, we glided over the water as a leaf drifts on the wind. My own performance wasn't perfect, but I was in sync with the others; I had a strong, if studied, stroke; and I felt the rush of adrenaline I always get in boats. Not only that, the instructor noticed my improvement and said,"We have a good little rower here!"A beginning rower at that. Rebecca Lawton is the author of Reading Water: Lessons from the River. She lives in Vineburg, California.Originally published in MORE magazine, July/August 2006.