To my surprise there was, before Louis Pasteur, a way to treat a bite from a rabid animal: cauterization.
There are reliable historical examples and cultural practices that include the practice. The most famous institutionalized version of this treatment was the use of St. Hubert's Key, a piece of metal heated to glowing and then applied to the bite wounds. The action at work is plain to see (in retrospect). The heated metal killed the virus before it had a chance to migrate up the neuron train toward the brain.
The real miracle is how the practice came about and spread in the first place. Three cheers for emergent order I suppose.
Worth a trip to your local library.
I picked this up this tidbit in Rabid (A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus). While I found some of the books assertions a bit speculative (rabies as the source of our vampire and werewolf legends), I enjoyed giving it a quick read none-the-less.
It reminded me that before Sparta and I begin our terrier work in earnest, I probably should spring for a set of vaccinations.
Anthropomorphic thinking needs to be avoided but their is a baby in the bath water: we too are animals so there is room for some overlap of experience.
"Nana Dog" and her youngest human baby.
That being said as a life-long observer of dogs, I am not surprised to learn that a study has found evidence that dogs derive greater satisfaction from earning their treats rather than just receiving a handout. It is the difference between earning a million dollars and being given a million dollars. Sure you'll take it but one is more rewarding than the other, for different reasons. If Paris Hilton had earned her fortune, she probably would not feel the need to seek validation through conspicuous behavior, but I digress.
Dogs thrive when they have a job and can languor from the same kind of listlessness as humans when they find themselves without purpose. Set your preconceptions aside, there is a job out there for any dog in any home. It only takes a little imagination to find it.
Our oldest, Maybelle, is the perfect "Nana" dog. She loves babies and it matters not the species. When my wife was pregnant, or any pregnant woman comes to visit, she follows her around the house. If we sit at the kitchen table, around the fire ring or in the living room, she then takes up a protective stance of the woman.
Up until each child was three years old, she would accompany the oldest child when they went outside to play. The only time she has been really threatening to a person is when my father was playing pirate with my oldest son and my son's foam sword flew out of his hand. As soon as grandpa yelled, "Aha, now I've got you Peter Pan!" Maybelle jumped between them, hackles raised, and growled. When my Dad tells the story he adds, "At that moment, I loved her."
She adores it when newborn lambs are brought into the house. She licks them clean and takes up a similar guardian role. She returns to the house and sulks when the mother ewes, predictably, do not welcome her around their lambs.
A dogs job can include the serious
As the children grew and my wife and I stopped having new ones, she was starting to show signs of anxiety and depression. I've been surprised at the wag evident since we brought home the puppy. She isn't an active dog but she spends about ninety-minutes a day playing with that puppy. Good dog.
My mother's Golden Doodle is a wonderful companion animal and that too is a job. The neighbor's had a great mutt which protected the chickens from raccoon and every other form of land predator. Since they lived next to a little creek, that was a full-time job.
and the whimsical.
Musket, our middle dog, is a wonderful companion, hiking buddy and there are many jobs he preforms depending upon the season and circumstances.
He learned one job by accident. When the boys were younger anytime they would see a hawk fly over they would yell, "Go away hawk! The lunch counter is closed." Musket put together the chain of events and now anytime a soaring bird (hawk, eagle, vulture) flies over the yard he barks and chases it until he reaches the property line. We haven't lost a chicken to a hawk since.
If we do not, as responsible owners, find jobs for our dogs, they will find jobs for themselves. They will attempt to protect the house from the mailman. They will scavenge the food in the trash bin. They will attempt to beat their high score at "catch the cat." The more driven your dog is, the more important it is that they have a job to perform on a regular basis.
Many problem behaviors are little more than a job the dog has learned to do in absence of better guidance. When a behavior emerges from the the genetics of the animal, they need to be given an outlet for that behavior. Musket does not molest our chickens, even though he will catch them on command, or the wife's cat but he does attack mice, rats, chipmunks, groundhogs, raccoon and, yes, skunks. His instinct has an outlet, and that has made all the difference.
The best time to consider what kind of work your dog is going to do is before you bring one home. If you think through your life and activities, you can start to judge how the dog will be integrated into your life. Then you can look for a dog whose instincts and energy level are going to make for the best match.
Forethought, however, is often born from the experience of being caught unprepared. Fret not. It might take some imaginative thought or the input of a
trained professional, you can still find work for your canine friend. A dog does not differentiate between work and fun. If you can find games to play with your dog, you can find a way for him to feel he is earning his keep. And that will make for a happy dog.
Normally I satisfy my New Yorker habit by perusing the hospital waiting rooms and lounges. I'll make a point, however, of swinging by my local news rack to check the inspiration for this cover.
I even think I know where I could put a framed specimen on the wall, if I can convince the bride.
No, it was not a result of gene splicing scientists but apparently is a result of an excess of biliverdin, the pigment which gives bile, as well as some bruises, their green color.
It is found in excess in humans with diseases of the liver and is one of two substances which color the skin and eyes of those suffering from jaundice.
With so few cases reported, it is hard to tell what problem is at work in these green puppies. Luckily the puppies pigmentation will return to normal in a few days. Otherwise, the AKC would be looking to breed them as the perfect status symbol companion for all earth loving environmentalist.
As I attempt to make progress in my attempt to sculpt my personality in a more stoic direction I maintain a note card with "six daily reminders." The fourth reads, "Expect everything to act according to its nature."
As I write, however, I realize this can be shortened to merely "Expect the expected."
The things that upset us most regularly are not the unpredictable events that fly out of left field. Most of the time we are angered, distracted, frustrated by events which are often quite mundane and expected. It is the banal which so often annoys to the point of distraction or outburst.
This strikes me as a bit ironic. I would think that we would get frustrated when our plans are disrupted in some fashion. If our plans are disrupted by the predictable, it is not the fault of the predictable, but rather unrealistic or naive planning, and responsibility for that falls on the planner.
Rush hour traffic is going to be rush hour traffic. It does not take us by surprise but by denying it in our planning for the day, even by wishing things were different than they are, rush hour becomes a source of stress. We may have to deal with it but we need not be upset by it.
Teenagers lack the experience to put their situation in perspective yet they have many of the powers of adulthood. This potent combination results in poor decision-making and often in being a pain in their parents' ass. If you are a parent or work with teenagers, you may have to deal with it but we need not be upset by it. It is a predictable aspect of dealing with them.
Institutional bureaucracy can be a nightmare to confront, especially if you are pressed for time, but it too can be anticipated. Navigate it, avoid it, or reform it, but attempting to deny its reality, to enter a situation as if it did not exist, is just plain foolishness. If you do so, it will only lay the foundation for frustration.
At some level of our subconscious we want to embrace the comforting lie: "I will be able to drive down the road with the same ease at 4 o'clock in the afternoon as 8 o'clock at night," "I've raised him right, he will not take this relationship too seriously," "one quick phone call and I will be able to sort out this mistake," among so many others. The more experience we gain, however, the fewer excuses we have for not expecting the expected. Expecting to get caught in traffic is the first step to accepting it.
These are just three quick examples where I can find myself becoming frustrated. Each requires a degree of effort to change my expectations. You can make your own list of those situations where you become predictably upset. If it is predictable, it is possible to prepare and the first preparation is to accept the reality of the expected.
Emergency Room doctors are going to act like Emergency Room doctors. Fundamentalists, regardless of their creed (including fundamentalist atheists), are going to act like fundamentalists. Your Dad is going to act like your Dad. Cars are going to break down. Favorite coffee cups are going to break. That person you married, they're going to change over time but probably not in the way you want them to.
While I have focused on the most common experiences which disturb us, the same principle applies to those less frequent events which invoke frustration, sadness or angst. Your are a living being and living beings die. You do not do it every day. It will only happen once, but it will happen and it is to be expected. If you are a parent, it should be observed, your child will die at some future date as well. The event should be expected even if the timing can not.
Death is often most upsetting when we allow our preferences of how and when these things should happen lead us into denial that we are limited in our power to bring those preferences to reality. Sure, I can watch my diet and make sure my kids where a bicycle helmet as they leave the house but there are more ways to die than our ability to predict or power to act.
Want peace of mind? Ingrain within yourself the expectation that everything to act according to its nature.
Want to be live well? Hone in within yourself your own best nature and then engage in the world as you find it. How things are, is outside of your control. Whether you acknowledge and expect every reality from traffic this afternoon to death, is within your control.
With regard to whatever objects give you delight, are useful, or are deeply loved, remember to tell yourself of what general nature they are, beginning from the most insignificant things. If, for example, you are fond of a specific ceramic cup, remind yourself that it is only ceramic cups in general of which you are fond. Then, if it breaks, you will not be disturbed. If you kiss your child, or your wife, say that you only kiss things which are human, and thus you will not be disturbed if either of them dies.
We have not owned a lawn mower in a few years but we make use of the sheep to keep the grass down. This makes it difficult to landscape; sheep enjoy the leaves of my perennials as much as the clover and grass I provide for them.
It also makes for an uneven trim. Sheep prefer tender young grass. If it gets tall in June, it will stay tall. At least until I go out with the scythe and cut it down.
I started to think recently that I might break down and buy a bona fide internal combustion engine lawn mower. I haven't really budgeted for it but we could make it happen. I was starting to think how I could keep an eye out in the coming winter for an off-season purchase.
Then I took the oldest kids for a bike ride. They're young so we don't go far. We went far enough, however, to pass a neighbor spending a lovely Saturday afternoon working on his garden tractor.
That's right, I thought. If I add another internal combustion engine, I will have to maintain it. The better deal I get on a lawn mower, the more likely it is I will be paying with the "sweat equity" of repair work.
I think I'd rather spend my lovely afternoons taking bike rides with the kids.
Two shootings, two civilians responded. The first was successful; the second died in the attempt.
The two found themselves in very different situations.
In the unsuccessful intervention the civilian responder did not know that the primary shooter had an armed accomplice. In addition to that disadvantage, the shooters appear to have been right-wing nutcases. They were probably more familiar and better trained with their firearms than a majority of the American police force.
In the successful response, the shooter was wielding a shotgun, which takes longer to reload, and reloading gave the civilian the opportunity to act. He used the tools at hand and got the job done. Still, he was fortunate. The shooter he drew was mentally ill and suffering from delusions, not a well-prepared radical weary of waiting for the revolution.
The odds are that no one of us will be caught up in an act of violence that we cannot escape. The truth is someone will be. Not everyone will respond by seeking cover. They were not born that way.
The question arises, should law abiding citizens who have imagined themselves caught up in violence not of their own and believe themselves to be responders, should they be allowed to arm themselves for the possibility? Or should we leave them with bottles of pepper spray? Some states severely restrict even that form of self-defense.
The it will never happen to me, duck, cover, and wait for a white knight in a police uniform crowd would say "no."
A free people who recognize the variety of human experience, that knights come dressed in all colors and few carry a badge, and that trust their fellow citizens say "yes."
I want to dissect a provocative little article on one of my favorite punching bags, sugar.
It demonstrates, in my reading, the distance between basic fact and effective massaging of cultural values.
When it comes to sugar, a simple and highly refined carbohydrate, I agree that Americans eat too much of it.
I'd be more than happy to support a tax on sugar in order to reduce consumption.
I'll even agree that it works on the body in the same way as a drug.
Start with this message and get parent's attention.
How we talk about sugar, however, is important as is how we talk should seek to further the goal of decreasing consumption and increasing health. I doubt beginning the conversation by talking about sugar as a drug will further that goal.
We can talk about it as a health risk. We can talk about obesity as a threat to national security. We can talk about lots of things in order to build a degree of taboo to sugar's over use. Describing sugar as a drug, however, just makes us sound like a bunch of chicken-little fundamentalists screaming about fire and brimstone.
It doesn't matter if it is true, if you do not deliver your message in believable fashion. Going full-
fundamentalist on the public hurts your cause because people stop listening to you. If you act like a nut, people will assume you are a nut. First impressions are difficult to overcome.
Run with this message and turn people off.
I am just old enough to remember when drunk driving was not considered a serious offense but something to be laughed about. Public education and the stigma that came to be associated with the practice did more to reduce it prevalence than locking up drunk drivers. And the stigma was built up slowly with small doses of emotion and the education of children, who then took the message back home to their parents.
I also remember when nurses smoked on the hospital floor. I'm sure that the increased taxes on tobacco have played a major role in reducing smoking in America but the shaping of values that changed our perception of smoking so that it was seen as dirty and polluting did even more good in the battle against nicotine. That change of perception began slowly. It is good to remember how the change began and not assume the current state happened with one quick blitzkrieg.
John Wayne did not need to attack cigerette smoking to get people to think about reducing their consumption of it.
John Wayne did not have to criticize anyone for not getting a regular physical to make it more acceptable to get one.
The ad does not need to call nicotine a drug to encourage people to smoke less.
We are closer to the beginning of the campaign than the end. Many parents have not yet heard the harder critiques of sugar and its impact on health. If your first message to parents is that they are bad parents poisoning their children with sugar, you won't get very far. If you start, however, by pointing out the effect of "too much" sugar and go from there, you will have a greater likelihood of success.
We do not all have the same religious views; we do share a commitment to defend the right for each person to have their own.
We do not all have the same opinions, still we share a commitment to defend freedom of speech.
The rights of the press and the sword are intertwined.
The thing is, we gun owners, do not have to defend why we own a gun to those who choose not to own one. No more than my Christian wife needs to defend her faith nor do I need to defend my atheism, nor does the Wall Street Journal need to defend its right to publish.
Actually, those things do need to be defended because there are always righteous do-gooders out there of one strip or another who feel threatened by someone else's faith, speech, or willingness to bear arms for the common good.
We can talk about regulation for any and all of those freedoms. Your right to swing your fist ends in some close vicinity of my nose. If you attempt to advocate sharia law (Islam), take multiple wives and bill the social welfare system for it (fundamentalist Mormons), if you attempt to foster panic or call for the overthrow of the constitutional order, if misuse your firearm even by brandishing it, all of these will get you in trouble, and rightfully so.
The truth is, all of our freedoms are intertwined. The pen is only mightier than the sword when the sword is restrained. The truth is the only thing that stops a bad guy with a sword is a good guy with a sword.
Those of us who carry firearms need to be vocal to one another about the need for civility and neighborliness. We should work to reign in our own who need lessons in manners.
Two reasons I am not a member of the NRA: the spend too much money attempting to recruit me as a member and their inability to stand up to the impolite minority among us.
Let's discuss what measures are appropriate, but let's talk in good faith. Gun owners have not always been treated very respectfully in the public square. Some public figures have even been willing to break the law in attempts to embarress gun owners.
Because our rights have been defended by the courts, there are political forces that would love to re-write the constitution in order to "fix" the "problem" of the Second Amendment.
I've been exploring Minneapolis since the spring. I've really enjoyed the outings and the dogs have benefited from the expanded set of experiences. As I walk I find my mind flooded with questions.
Was the genesis of the dirt paths along the river central planing or an example of emergent order? In other words did the city decide it was a good idea to have them or did people make them and was the city forced to maintain them in order to make them safe?
Why is it when combined use (walking and cycling) paths split for short lengths (usually > 100 yards) why is it that the walkers get the less direct, and therefore longer, path? Come on planners! We're walking over here.
I am also realizing that as I take the two oldest kids out and about this summer to discuss ecology and ecosystems in the area, we should make time to discuss urban ecosystems and the choices cities make. What are the impacts over time? What is sustainable? What adds to human thriving?
I like what Minneapolis has done. It is within the power of the people of that city to keep it. If they make that choice.
