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From Purina, a chart which ranks weight on a scale of one to nine, with 4 and 5 being idle weight. The chart includes an artist rendering of what each animal looks like for each number.
A similar rendering from a veterinarian using a 1-5 scale.
In the Dogtown neighborhood of St. Louis, a community garden fills what was formerly a vacant lot on Tamm Ave near Manchester. I went by this morning to take a look because next summer we hope to have one of these on the Concordia Seminary campus.
While I was there, the man who oversees the garden and conveniently lives right across the street, came along and gave me some of the history and how the garden works.
They built the garden in conjunction with Gateway Greening, an organization which advised them on the best way to plant and what to plant as well as how to be a true organic garden.
There are approximately 20 individual plots available to area residents who pay $15 dollars a year, January to January. This fee covers costs which include insurance, water, mulch, etc. Interestingly, each plot is different, some are filled with native flowering plants while others are all edible crops and herbs. All of the support material for holding up plants and vegetables are natural woods, sticks which fall from the trees. There is also a gazebo and several benches hidden away in shady spots.
Mulched paths run through the area and a black iron fence separates the garden from the sidewalk and street.
One in four residents of Illinois are obese. That is a record of sorts for the state, the first time than many have been so fat.
Illinois is not alone, however. 32 states have the same percentage of obese residents.
Twenty years ago there was no state which had more than 15 percent of the population categorized as obese. Things are changing.
There's a big hub bub this morning over a simmering feud between members of congress and the CIA. Seems some members are upset that the CIA has concealed "significant actions" from them since 2001.
They're ticked off at not being in the loop. And, to add to the intrigue, President Obama has promised to veto the "pending Intelligence Authorization Bill if it included a provision that would allow information about covert actions to be given to the entire House and Senate Intelligence Committees, rather than the so-called Gang of Eight — the Democratic and Republican leaders of both houses of Congress and the two Intelligence Committees."
There may be a very simple explanation as to why members of congress are kept in the intelligence dark.
They can't be trusted to keep their mouths shut.
Once again a huge piece of legislation is being rushed through, this time the health care bill. Is anyone in congress going to read this bill? They certainly did not read the energy bill.
Now we're finding out thanks to lay people who do take the time to read what they can of these things is that the health care bill is filled with things which are not directly related to health care.
"Tucked within is a provision that could provide billions of dollars for walking paths, streetlights, jungle gyms, and even farmers’ markets."
Another question. How can an issue like this be done so quickly when it has been discussed and argued about since the early Clinton years? Health care reform is a tough one and this business of doing a bill in such a short time doesn't feel right.
I don't feel right.
There is discussion on the possibility of another stimulus, the first one didn't work well so experts say.
Other discussions point out that only a small percentage of the stimulus money has been given out or used. Some states have used the money in ways that weren't what the cash was intended for.
So why do we need another huge stimulus influx if someone is still sitting on the original pile of money?
This is one story from Slate which overreaches in an attempt to grab attention. Combining the constant Palin talk with the surprising news that Lance Armstrong is only 1 second off the lead in this year's Tour de France, writer Bill Griffith thinks there are similarities between the two.
And the similarities are?
Rumors are flying that Armstrong may consider running for Kay Bailey Hutchison's Texas senate seat when she steps down to run for governor. Here's why Slate thinks Armstrong may be the next Sarah Palin.
"They both react to any criticism with extreme defensiveness. They demonize their enemies while at the same time cultivating nonstop melodramas that keep them in the news. And while they both periodically issue petulant threats to quit, you get the funny feeling that neither one is going away anytime soon."
Maybe if he runs as a democrat, nothing will be said.
How do you even dignify this characterization? More of the same and not enough like Camille Paglia.
There was a actual Oscar Mayer, whose baloney had a first name spelled--O S C A R and a last name spelled M A Y E R, and he died the other day.
He also had the famous Wienermobile which everyone, yes everyone, wants a ride in.
Oscar Mayer, the most famous name in lunch meats, was the third Oscar Mayer to head the company.
On MSNBC's Morning Joe today, Joe Scarborough made a comment about Americans who put the W 04 campaign decal on their car windows.
They were average middle Americans who used the W decal to show their outrage against the Eastern elite media. He went on in that vein about those bumper stickers for a few minutes during which time his fellow hosts looked a bit dumbstruck.
Um, I think they were mainly campaign stickers much like the bumper stickers I am still seeing on cars around here which say: Kerry/Edwards 2004.
How condescending of Joe to try to psychoanalyze Bush voters from 5 years ago.
Is she ready for it? Camille Paglia weighs in with one of the more sensible media renderings on Sarah Palin.
During the past two week Michael Jackson news cycle, the MAtH (man about the house) pretty much confined his comments to one thing and this one thing he repeated many times.
"Michael Jackson had to have drunk Dixie Dairy milk when he was growing up."
Gary Indiana, the hometown of MJ, is also the home of the gone but much loved Dixie Dairy. If you grew up in the southern part of Chicago or northern Indiana, you'll understand.
What has kept President Obama's trip to Russia being almost an afterthought on the cable and network news?
Michael Jackson and Sarah Palin. Bury Jackson already and as to Sarah Palin, never have so many piled on with so many far reaching opinions and, yes, slander.
I laugh when I hear political experts talk about how unprepared and scary she might have been as VP. Let's see. What did current VP Biden say over the weekend?
"Israel can determine for itself _ it's a sovereign nation _ what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else."
President Obama: "Asked by CNN whether Washington had given Israel a green light for such an attack, Obama answered: "Absolutely not."
You just have to laugh if it weren't so ridiculous.
The Belleville News-Democrat editorializes today on Centreville Township's practice of cutting grass for senior citizens. "Who would be against mowing lawns for senior citizens?" asked Centreville's Township Supervisor.
The paper's editorial board for one and me and probably lots of others. While it's nice to think you're doing something helpful for people living in your taxing district, cutting their grass or raking their leaves or using extra asphalt to fill holes in private driveways is just not a good use of employee time or taxpayer money.
If township employees have the time to cut private lawns, maybe there are too many employees.
Speaking cynically, this looks like one more way to keep voters going to the polls to keep officials in office and voting against any plan to do away with the township form of government.
Someone once said there are often two reasons for doing good things for others. The nice reason and the real reason.
Petey came by to play with Ferdie this afternoon.
Oh such fun, a game of sticks.
A big stick.
Tug of war.
Run.
Then a little wrestling. Boys will be boys.
According the the St. Louis Business Journal, a Tennessee based charity soliciting money in this area, Cancer Fund of America, gives only one dollar out of every 100 dollars raised to the cancer aid. The other 99 dollars goes for fundraising costs, the charity officials salaries, consulting fees and misc.
Might want to take them off your "give to" list.
Another study, this time involving mice, coffee and Alzheimer's.
Drinking 5 cups of coffee a day could reverse the memory problems associated with Alzheimer's Disease. There is also some indications that the caffeine hampered the production of protein plaques associated with the disease.
Mice who were exhibiting signs of memory impairment were used in the study.
Mice who had the coffee did as well in memory tests as those mice who had no dementia.
Mice in the study who were given only plain water did poorly on the memory tests.
Another study, this time from the New Economics Foundation-the Happy Planet Index which lists which world countries are the greenest and the happiest by combining some measure of their ecological footprint with how happy their people are.
How do they measure happiness? And how much does it have to do with the country's ecological footprint?
The 15 top happiest countries can be seen at the above link. The United States is no where to be found on the happy list but Saudi Arabia is and so is Cuba and Egypt and Vietnam. What? Cubans are in the top ten happiest countries? Wait. Why are people still trying to get to the U.S. on anything what will even marginally float?
The study must only have asked men questions in Saudi Arabia.
To say St. Louis is excited about hosting the annual MLB All Star Game would be too mild a description. Local sports media outlets are reporting on even the most mundane aspect of the event and downtown is really sprucing up with a baseball theme. There are 16 arches on parade around the stadium and each will be sold after the game.
Fox 2 News has a countdown meter on its website, counting down the days, hours and minutes until the game. I've taken the code and put the countdown widgit on the top left hand side of this site.
Ralston Purina, one of the major corporations with an office headquarters in downtown St. Louis even went with a pet ad having a baseball theme. Ralston's office complex faces Busch Stadium so everyone gets a good view of this:
We like this building's ad because the dog sort of resembles our Ferdie.
Here's a short Fox 2 video report on how things are being done up downtown for the All Star game.
On the 4th of July we celebrate the Declaration of Independence which was actually approved by the delegates of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 2, 1776.
On July 4, 1776, the delegates voted for the Declaration a second time, gave a public reading on the 8th and officially signed on August 2.
The final draft of July 4, 1776 saw 9 of the representatives of the 13 colonies vote yes, 2 vote no-Pennsylvania and South Carolina, Delaware voted undecided and New York abstained.
There were approximately 2.5 million people living in the 13 colonies.
John Adams, believing the 2nd would be the anniversary date, wrote to his wife, Abigail, "The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more."
The first Independence Day celebration was held on July 4, 1777.
Calvin Coolidge was the only American president to be born on the 4th of July, however 3 others died on the 4th of July-John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe.
Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Souza, written in 1896.
It's been raining steadily here in St. Louis for some hours now, parades are in doubt. I thought it might be fun to take a look at some past St. Louis 4th of July weather to see how we measure up. Via the National Weather Service.
By the numbers:
Highest temperatures
102--1990
101--1911 and 1936
100--1934
99--1901
97-1980 and 1954
Low temperatures
52--1940
53--1968
54--1967
56--1927
57--1924 and 1909
Highest rainfall
3.03--1982
1.33--1954
1.24--1962
1.02--1998
1.06--1899
July must have been horribly hot in the 1930's, 36 people died in St. Louis on July 13, 1930 as temperatures stayed at 100 or above for days.
