news and notes, Nov. 11
for your information ...
- Thanks again to everyone who kept up with Prop 2 and other state ballot measures the past couple of weeks. Last Tuesday sure was a great day for animals, thank God!
- I'd like to thank Amy Sondova many times over for posting an interview with me on BackseatWriter.com. Some of the isssues we talked about had to do with why the Christian community doesn't usually get involved with animal issues, whether not one sparrow advocates vegetarianism, and how much my own cats have factored into my involvement with animal advocacy. Speaking of which, don't miss Amy's photo essay on companion animal best friends, with some poignant quotes. Here's a sample:
(photo courtesy & copyright Amy Sondova)
keep an eye out for ...
- The Humane Society is reminding all of us drivers "to slow down and be aware of wildlife activity," now that days are shorter and animals are more active, including deer and many smaller critters. I can testify personally to their warning that "most animal/vehicle collisions occur on two-lane roads bordered by natural habitat," but more on that later ... Their advice, aside from slowing down in general, includes being especially cautious at dawn and dusk, and also when you see an animal as more may well be close (HSUS.org).
passage ...
"Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine." (Psalm 50:10-11, NIV)
otherwise quotable ...
Sammy, short for Sampson, was a young bull-terrier belonging to Mr. Downing. If it is possible for a man to have two apples of his eye, Sammy was the other. He was a large, light-hearted dog with a white coat, an engaging expression, the tongue of an ant-eater, and a manner which was a happy blend of hurricane and circular saw. He had long legs, a tenor voice, and was apparently made of india-rubber.
Sammy was a great favourite in the school, and a particular friend of Mike's, the Wrykynian being always a firm ally of every dog he met after two minutes' acquaintance.
(I'm a big fan of British comic author P.G. Wodehouse, thanks to my mom, who had a knack for turning the simplest descriptions into wonderfully dry humor. This selection, which I couldn't resist posting, is from Mike and Psmith. Wodehouse, by the way, was a pet lover and helped Bideawee establish the P G Wodehouse shelter for stray animals in Westhampton, New York.)
for your entertainment ...
Thanks to my old college floormate and friend Scott Johnson for pointing me to this video, "Raccoon Stealing a Mat":
Another entertaining video involves a cat protecting its food from a persistent raccoon. I kind of feel sorry for the little guy, though, he seems pretty hungry.
November 11, 2008
Reader Comments (3)
Great interview! And that video is hilarious. Makes me want to board up my "doggie door" at night after seeing it :).
Yay! Ben, you rock! I am absolutely thrilled to have your story on Backseat Writer!
Thanks, Tracy and Amy ...