Glowing Dogs?

I know that dogs are eaten by humans in Korea, but this is pretty extreme to keep the supply up... Not only cloning dogs, but cloning them to glow red?

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean scientists say they have engineered four beagles that glow red using cloning techniques that could help develop cures for human diseases.

The four dogs, all named "Ruppy" — a combination of the words "ruby" and "puppy" — look like typical beagles by daylight.

But they glow red under ultraviolet light, and the dogs' nails and abdomens, which have thin skins, look red even to the naked eye.

The rest of the craziness here..

Canadians Should Expect Swine Flu to Worsen

Canadians should expect to see more severe cases of swine flu — including some deaths from the virus — as the outbreak spreads, the country's chief public health officer warned Monday. Details here

Canada considering travel advisory to Mexico...here

Dangerous Swine Flu IN BC

There is a dangerous new flu making the rounds in Mexico. World Health Organization officials are very concerned about the possibility of a pandemic worldwide. The disease has passed from animal to human and is now passing human to human in the same way as ordinary flu. However, the consequences are much more serious as our bodies do not know how to fight the virus. If you know anyone that has been to Mexico (especially Mexico city) in the past few weeks and now has flu like symptoms, it may be good to be checked out.

GENEVA — A new flu virus that has killed up to 81 people in Mexico — 13 more than previously reported — could start a global epidemic, the World Health Organization warned Saturday as the disease spread further in the United States and Mexico.

The Mexican government says the flu has probably killed 81 people, raising the likely death toll from 68, and that more than 1,300 people were believed to have been infected with the new strain, which causes severe respiratory illnesses.

Fears of a lethal pandemic lie in the nature of flu germs, which mutate readily and can become virulent by exchanging genes with related influenza viruses. While the H5N1 bird virus that spread across Asia in the last few years, killing millions of fowl and several hundred people, never gained genes to spread easily among humans, the Mexican swine flu already has, said Malik Peiris, a microbiologist from the University of Hong Kong.

“The concern is that this virus has the ability to transmit from humans to humans because a number of the cases who got infection have had no direct exposure to swine,” said Peiris, who has studied the SARS and avian flu viruses. “That is certainly a cause for concern.” More here

UPDATE: 4 cases of swine flu confirmed in Nova Scotia, 2 in B.C.

We Want to Die in Each Other's Arms.

The sanctity and value of life is continually under assault. There's a new front opening in Switzerland that we will probably have to engage at some point here in Canada. I really love my wife, but this creeps me out.

The head of a controversial assisted-suicide group in Switzerland says he will seek legal permission to help a Canadian woman and other healthy people like her kill themselves, raising startling new issues in the emotional debate over euthanasia.

Betty Coumbias, an elderly Vancouver resident, has indicated she wants to die alongside her husband, George, who suffers from severe heart disease.

Mrs. Coumbias explains in the documentary, The Suicide Tourist, why she would take her own life despite being generally healthy.

"From the day we got married, [my husband] was all my life," she tells Mr. Minelli. "I love my two daughters, but I love him more, and I don't think I can face life without him, and since we read about Dignitas, we felt what would be better than to die together, you know, to die in each other's arms?"

The article goes on to say:

People sometimes want to die after losing a spouse because of pure loneliness, but the condition is not irreversible, argued Prof. Somerville. She recalled a doctor telling her at a conference in the Netherlands, which has a similar liberal approach to assisted suicide as Switzerland, about how she gave a lethal injection to an elderly woman who had repeatedly asked to die after her husband had passed away. Prof. Somerville said she asked the physician if anyone had suggested simply buying the lonely woman a cat.

"She said, ‘No, but what a remarkable idea. Next time we'll try that.' "

10% drinks 53%

With drinking problems in my extended family, I personally don't have any time for drinking (the cost and social cost is very high) myself, but do realize that many don't have an issue with it.

A study from the University of Victoria's Centre for Addictions found that a few people actually drink the majority of alcohol. I was astonished at the figures.

The study, based on a national telephone survey of 13,909 people, found that 53 per cent of the alcohol consumed across the country goes to a heavy-drinking 10 per cent of Canadians in the 15-and-over age range.

That's a lot of alcohol by a few people. Some individuals and families are paying a high price mentally, emotionally, and financially. It's important that we have grace for and are available to help those that struggle with this issue.

Dumb

Here's why criminals get caught - they're DUMB!

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Authorities say two Port St. Lucie woman tried to steal nearly $200 worth of merchandise from a Wal-Mart but got caught because they left packets of recently developed pictures in their abandoned shopping carts.

Police say a self-checkout cashier noticed two women scan and pay for $70 worth of items Thursday, but the bagged groceries in their carts appeared worth much more. When the cashier asked to see their receipt, the women took off.

Among all the merchandise that hadn't been paid for, store officials found two packets of recently developed pictures. The cashier identified the women in the photos, and the name and phone number on the envelopes turned out to belong to one of the women.

Both women face retail theft charges.

Do You Have to be Told?

With people doing stupid things and many associated lawsuits, companies have to be very specific about what their product can and cannot be used for. But you'd think that there has got to be a limit to people's stupidity...
Apparently not. According to that classic book, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader these are actual warning labels!

On children's cough syrup: "Do not drive car or operate machinery."

On a motorcycle mirror: "Objects in the mirror are actually behind you."

On a box of sleeping pills: "May cause drowsiness"

On a bag of peanuts: "This product contains nuts"

On an iron: "Never iron clothes on the body"

On a hammer: "Do not use to strike any solid object"

They 'should be shot'?

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams hit a new low with his rhetoric, even by his standards. He affixes nasty names to people that disagree with him. I can even understand his frustration in the article below, but saying people should be 'shot' for mistakes they made (and they were serious)???? Holding people accountable, discipline, firing, whatever, but his language is WAY over the top, inflammatory, and irresponsible for someone in his position. He should immediately apologize. I don't think he will though...

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams lashed out Monday at the province's largest health authority, accusing Eastern Health of downplaying revelations that it had missed dozens of breast cancer patients in a massive retesting exercise.

Eastern Health, meanwhile, on Monday disclosed that it had somehow missed 43 patients, up from the 38 patients the authority had revealed late Friday afternoon in a news release.

"It's disgraceful. They should be shot over there," Williams told reporters outside the legislature, attacking how Eastern Health had released information about the cancer patients whose hormone receptor tests now have to be retested

Coming Soon

I've been trying to work politics in this blog over the past 8 months. I'm finding that I have much I'd like to write about, but also know that many of my readers are not that interested in wall to wall politics. Thus, I will be launching a new blog (in addition to this one) that will be nearly all politics. It's something I'm looking forward too and hope that you'll enjoy as well.

Why politics? I was raised on oatmeal porridge and politics, I think. My grandfather, mom and her brother have all whetted my appetite in this area. It is an area that I feel God would have me use my gifts and talents in. I attended my first real political party event at the age of 15. I listen to talk radio and have been know to mock 'stupid answers' by politicians and callers alike. I've lead political action campaigns (complete with megaphone...). I've been involved behind the scenes (door knocking, telephones, etc.) with municipal and federal campaigns. If you hang around me very long, I'll probably end up talking politics - local, provincial, federal or international. I am intrigued by the political process. I have even been known to watch the CPAC (Canadian parliamentary channel) for fun.

In any case, with a provincial election looming, there will be much to comment on. I'll put up the web address for the 2nd blog soon. It's going to be fun. My first post will be of great interest to Comox Valley residents...30+ million reasons for interest.

Swearing Lesson at School

A British school was blasted Friday after kids as young as 11 were told to shout obscenities during a lesson in swearing.

This happened at a school in Britain. It makes me wonder if things like this happen in Canada?

Expletives were written on a blackboard before a teacher explained their meaning to 30 seventh graders.

S.t Laurence School in Bradford on Avon, Wilts, claims it was part of a sex and relationship education program to "dispel" the myths of swear words.

But parents say they were not consulted by head James Colquhoun about the class and say kids were left "deeply upset."

One parent said: "This is a total disgrace. Our children go to school to gain an education, not qualifications in swear words. Most kids had no idea what the words meant and were forced to grow up faster than their parents want. Heads should roll for this."

Some pupils claim the teacher told them not to tell parents about the lesson.

Be Careful Little Feet Where You Go

When was a kid in Sunday School, we used to sing this song about 'be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears what you hear, and be careful little feet where you go, because the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little feet where you go..." I can't say that it always made me more relaxed knowing God was watching over me...'cause sometimes I was going where my feet shouldn't have!

I guess in the 21st century, there's another level of 'watching where your feet' go as as a man in Britain discovered recently...and this is coming to Canada too.

A furious British wife has called in divorce lawyers after spotting her husband's car parked outside another woman's house — on Google.

She saw the Range Rover while using the Internet giant's new Street View service to snoop on a female friend's home.

The hubby had claimed he was away on business, but his missus recognized his SUV immediately because of its blinged-up hubcaps.

The love cheat is not the only husband trapped by Google's controversial new 360-degree photo search, which covers 25 cities and towns throughout Britain.

Top media lawyer Mark Stephens said: "I was talking about the Range Rover case when another divorce lawyer came up to say his firm was dealing with the same sort of thing. People are getting caught out on Google. I suspect the husband's lawyers will claim it was an invasion of privacy that will cost him his marriage and Range Rover."

Crime Scene

I jumped in the vehicle this morning at 5:50 am on my way to exercise, and immediately noticed something wasn't right. The glove box was open and riffled through, there were papers all over the place, and the box between the seats was open as well. It didn't appear that much was missing at first. But as I looked closer, I discovered Shanda's designer sunglasses and case to be gone! I thought my prescription sunglasses were gone as well, but it turns out I had left them at my office.I generally have a good habit of locking the doors on the vehicle, but I guess I pushed the wrong button on the automatic locker! Arrgh...

My mom's vehicle was also gone through but she didn't have anything in it that was 'stealable'.

That is about the 4th time this has happened at our house in the past year. My other truck has had the window pried open a couple of times and my paint ball gun stolen from it.

It's ticking me off...I'm really cheerleading for this now!

Favour Update #2

The latest news is that the man that is accused of abducting Jordan was impersonating a police officer. He had a gun, a flashing light and 'police clothes'. When a 16 year old can't go to the store after dark in little Alberta town, we have problems. If we weren't sure if our nation needs a revival, these things should shake us out of our apathy. For the rest of the story go here.

Hopefully Never in Canada...

Is a bathroom an optional extra when you're at 30,000 feet? Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary seems to think so - as his no-frills airline contemplates charging customers to use its aircrafts' toilets.

O'Leary whipped up a frenzy of indignation and potty humor Friday as he suggested that future Ryanair passengers might be obliged to insert a British pound coin before they gain access to in-flight relief.

As always, O'Leary suggested a separate toilet fee would lower ticket costs and make flying, somehow, easier for all. Nobody, even his own aides, seemed to be sure if he was serious or pursuing his well-documented penchant for making brazen declarations to win free advertising.

Are You a Junkie?

Are you someone that has trouble stopping? Trouble taking time to relax? Feel guilty if you slow down? Never take holidays and secretly resent those that do? Feel like everything depends on you? List maker and checker? You may have a problem...

Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, has this to say about adrenaline addicts:

Always overwhelmed, adrenaline junkies seem to have a constant need for urgency, even panic, to get them through the day. They cannot grasp the race driver’s motto: you have to slow down to go fast. Instead, they keep their foot on the pedal at full throttle, convinced that any deceleration is lost opportunity.

There is something particularly insidious about adrenaline addiction that makes it hard for many leaders to kick the habit. Unlike other addicts whose behaviors are socially frowned-upon, adrenaline addicts are often praised for their frantic activity, even promoted for it during their careers. And so they often wear their problem like a badge of honor, failing to see it as an addiction at all in spite of the pain it causes.

This is an issue that I've struggled with and continually must guard against. I'm going to post over the next few days about the various 'manifestations' (Accomplisher, Personal Deflector, Organizational Deflector, and Dramatist) of an adrenaline junkie and pass on some thoughts on how to overcome it and its destructive influence in our lives.

Open Gang Warfare

As you can read below, there is a great need for something to be done to stop the gang-related shooting and killing in the Lower Mainland. There have been 12 shootings in 17 days in February!

The provincial government is working on a response. Even the federal government is calling the area the 'center of gang activity' in Canada. Regardless of what they do, this is also a call to prayer for the church. In Romans 13, the Bible talks about one of the roles of government as being, "They are God's servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong" We need to pray for wisdom for these servants of God. What do you think the government should be doing? Vote on our poll at the top of the page!

VANCOUVER -- A four-year-old boy who witnessed his mother's shooting death was taken into provincial custody for his own safety Tuesday, as B.C.'s bloody February continued with the fatal shooting of a home invader, apparently shot by one of his victims.

(his mom) Nicole Marie Alemy, 23, who was gunned down behind the wheel of a Cadillac in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey on Monday, was going home after picking up a birthday present, her uncle said a day later.

The car coasted through an intersection before a passerby steered it across a sidewalk and up onto the driveway.

Police arrived on the scene to find the woman dead and the little boy crying but unhurt. The boy was in the back seat of the car when his mother was shot.

In another incident on Tuesday's -- the 12th such shooting in February -- a south Vancouver mother watched in horror as two gunmen forced their way into her home and pointed a gun at her son.

Mabel Mohammed said the gunmen were asking for someone named Azim, whom Ms. Mohammed said the family does not know.

They then shot and wounded her son Aleem, 19, in the shoulder, she said.

His brother, Amir, then wrestled the gun away and shot one of the assailants dead, Ms. Mohammed said, adding that the other assailant fled.

"We are in danger. They came to the wrong house," she said.

What Have They Been Smoking?

I'm not a drinker and I've never smoked a joint. I can safely say that I don't have a preference for either. :-) However, I do find being forced to accomodate someone toking up in your pub is a strange thing - even for Canada. But that is exactly what a restaurant owner is being asked to do by the Human Rights Commission. Were they smoking too??

Ted Kindos faces two choices: Continue to be called a bigot or break the law. Either way, he risks going bankrupt.
Kindos owns Gator Ted’s Tap & Grill in Burlington. Four years ago, he asked a marijuana smoker to step away from his front door. The medically licensed toker complained to the Ontario Human Rights Commission of discrimination against a disabled person. He won.
Kindos was about to pay the fine and post obligatory signs saying, “We
accommodate medicinal marijuana smokers,” when a different government agency
told him he could lose his liquor licence. Serving anybody possessing a
controlled substance - prescribed or not - is against the law.

Read the rest here

Canuck Jokes

The Canucks have won their last 2 games in a row after 8 losses. They have some good things going finally. Let's hope it lasts. However, as a Canuck fan, you tend to get a bit pessimistic over time. Here's a few Canuck jokes that I found on-line that reflect that...

The RCMP are cracking down on speeders heading into Vancouver. For the first offence, they give you two Vancouver Canucks tickets. If you are stopped a second time, they make you use them.

Q. What do you call 30 millionaires around a TV watching the Stanley Cup playoffs? A. The Vancouver Canucks

Q. How do you keep the Vancouver Canucks out of your yard? A. Put up a goal net.

Q. What do you call a Vancouver Canuck with a Stanley Cup ring? A. A thief.

Q. How many Vancouver Canucks does it take to win a Stanley Cup? A. Nobody knows and we may never find out.

Q. What do the Vancouver Canucks and possums have in common? A. Both play dead at home and are killed on the road.

What Abortionists Don't Want You to Hear...

words fail me right now...I'm shocked...We need help

TAMPA, Florida — Eighteen and pregnant, Sycloria Williams went to an abortion clinic outside Miami and paid $1,200 for Dr. Pierre Jean-Jacque Renelique to terminate her 23-week pregnancy.

Three days later, she sat in a reclining chair, medicated to dilate her cervix and otherwise get her ready for the procedure.

Only Renelique didn't arrive in time. According to Williams and the Florida Department of Health, she went into labor and delivered a live baby girl.

What Williams and the Health Department say happened next has shocked people on both sides of the abortion debate: One of the clinic's owners, who has no medical license, cut the infant's umbilical cord. Williams says the woman placed the baby in a plastic biohazard bag and threw it out.

At 23 weeks, an otherwise healthy fetus would have a slim but legitimate chance of survival. Quadruplets born at 23 weeks last year at The Nebraska Medical Center survived.

An autopsy determined Williams' baby — she named her Shanice — had filled her lungs with air, meaning she had been born alive, according to the Department of Health.

Full Story Here

We Need Help

Pastor Scott led a discussion and prayer time in our staff meeting about our need as men and women to maintain an ever-present hunger for 'more'. Not more things, more clothes, more stuff, but rather more of the power and presence of Holy Spirit in our lives, families and church family. The enemy of best can too often be good.

Sometimes we can get too comfortable in life and miss the great needs of our world and our responsibility as followers of Jesus, to cooperate with Holy Spirit to see things change.

What is going on - or has gone on - in the life of this young man in the story below? We can blame lots of people and things and agencies, and I'm sure that there is a enough to go around. However, it underscores the deep need of the people of God to get 'hungry' for more to see a nation change.

A 13-year-old boy who has had 75 run-ins with the law over the past year was arrested by Vancouver police on the weekend for allegedly slashing a man who refused the boy's request for a cigarette.

The boy "flew into a rage" during a SkyTrain ride late on Sunday and started swinging a knife around, according to transit police spokesman Constable Tom Seaman. The 23-year-old victim was cut severely on his left hand, which he raised to deflect the blade.

God, we need help...