Lala The Penguin Pet

This is one to make you smile.

On Unconditional Love- GoD and DoG by Wendy J. Francisco

Unconditional love. Not many of us know what that truly means. We often 'love' others with conditions. We expect them to love us in return and often punish them when they don't. Unconditional love is loving someone without conditions, pre-conditions or obligations, and is not something that comes easily to us humans. Two great examples of unconditional love are GOD and dogs, and Wendy J Francisco has penned a lovely little song about just that. She explains here how she came up with the idea for the song. Someone apparently claimed it was blasphemy to compare God with a dog, but that's really not her point, as she explains and as I understood it.

I think it's just a wonderful example of how important it is to be forgiving and unconditional.

The Best Way Out is Through | The Best Way Out is Always Through Movie

This is a great video about the power of perseverance. It's not about perfection it's about persistence. Enjoy!

The Best Way Out is Through The Best Way Out is Always Through Movie

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers day to all you mamas out there, whether you're a mama of a human or pet, hope you had a wonderful one.

Love this video. Perfect for Mothers Day. Sometimes animals have more nurturing instincts than some humans.



Crossposted on Confessions Of A Closet Republican

Inspirational Animals: Ricochet The Surf Dog

Humans aren't the only ones with the power to inspire. Animals can be just as inspirational, helping us to see things we might not ordinarily see.

The following video demonstrates how one dog, Ricochet, who had been trained as a 'service' dog from birth to help people with disabilities had to be released from the programme because the trainer was unable to control her bird-chasing instincts. Initially a disappointment to the trainer, she decided to focus on what Ricochet was good at- which just happened to be surfing. So Ricochet uses those talents for fundraising events and has even surfed with quadriplegic surfer, Patrick Ivison. Ricochet has raised a lot of money for various causes.

Her success just proves that if given the right direction and encouraged enough, even if it's not what we planned or others planned for us, we can excel at anything.

Grab your tissues.

What Next? Light At Night Can Cause Cancer

Small or weak bladders are a major annoyance. It means stopping a zillion times on road trips, dealing with smelly, public restrooms or, worse yet, port-a-potties at those venues that lack civilized facilities. We don't have the option of entering, taking one whiff and walking right back out, opting to hold it in rather than offend our senses.

We also have to contend with unsatisfactory sleep patterns when our bladders force us to rise multiple times throughout the night to relieve ourselves. But for those of us who make nightly trips to the bathroom not only do we have to deal with the annoyance factor, switching on the light can actually be harmful for our health. Not only can it make it more difficult to get back to sleep when we return to our warm beds, British and Israeli researchers seem to think it can also cause cancer. It seems pretty bizarre that something as seemingly innocuous as turning on the light in the middle of the night could cause something as drastic as the nasty "C" word, but apparently it's a big possibility.

Researchers in the UK and Israel found that when a light is turned on at night, it triggers an 'over-expression' of cells linked to the formation of cancer.

Previous research has linked an increased risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer in workers exposed to artificial light on night shifts.

But researchers said the latest research is the first that shows even short-term exposure can be linked to an increased risk of cancer.

The tests were carried out on mice at Leicester University by geneticist Professor Charalambos Kyriacou.

During the trial, a group of mice were exposed to a light for one hour. When compared with mice who had been kept in the dark, changes were found in cells in the brain responsible for the circadian clock which controls body function.

Dr Rachel Ben-Shlomo, of the University of Haifa, said in the journal Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics that people waking at night would be best advised not to turn on the light.

She said: 'We believe that any turning on of artificial light in the night has an impact on the body clock. It's a very sensitive mechanism.
'If you want to get up to go to the toilet, you should avoid reaching for the light switch. There are some plug-in lights that just glow, that are safe and you could use them as an alternative.'

She added: 'These latest findings are preliminary research and we are now looking into this area in more detail.'

At least there's a simple solution for the night trips to the bathroom, a nightlight, but what about people who work the night shift? What are they supposed to do? As for my late night blogging marathons, I think I'm going to switch to the daytime, just in case.

Laughter That Brings Tears To The Eyes

There is nothing better than a good laugh to lift the spirits, particularly if you are depressed. Although someday I will post on the health benefits of laughter I thought I would just share this cat video that brought tears to my eyes. I know we all have a different sense of humour, but I found this hilarious. Enjoy!

Static Cling Cat @ Yahoo! Video

Mammograms And Breast Cancer Awareness

October is designated as breast cancer awareness month, but it's never too early or too late to remind women of the importance of getting their mammograms, particularly if they're at risk. Breast cancer survival rates depend on how early it's detected, and it would behoove one to catch any potential cancer before it spreads its evil cells throughout the rest of the body. It could mean the difference between relatively minor surgery (like a lumpectomy) and losing a breast or two (mastectomy) , or worse yet your life.

Of course, mammograms are one of those things women have a tendency to put off. Being forced to flatten our breasts like pancakes between 2 pieces of cold, hard metal is a form of cruel torture, and something none of us relish. I'd rather have my pancakes with maple syrup, thank you very much, but I'd also like to keep my breasts. Hopefully some day soon, some savvy, compassionate female will invent a contraption that's a tad less tear-inducing, because we all know it had to have been some mom-hating male who created the current mammogram machine. Too bad men don't have to have their privates flattened like ours; I think the design would have been far less torturous.

Besides mammograms, one shouldn't forget the breast self exam.

Keeping up to date with mammograms and breast self exams we should be able to keep our bodies relatively intact.

Thankfully, there are lots of people doing their bit to keep breast health awareness alive and well and in our consciousness. I received a request from someone who put the following video together to promote the importance of mammograms , in honour of a friend who is a breast cancer survivor.

Then there are the organizations, like the breastcancersite, that are not only a source of information, but also allow individuals to click daily on the "click here to give" button. By clicking, sponsors will donate to charities that provide mammograms to those in need. It costs you nothing but a second of your time.

And remember, breast cancer doesn't only affect women, men have been known to get breast cancer, as well.

Know your body and keep abreast of breast health awareness, it could be a matter or life or death.