When You Think You've Heard It All...!

I picked up this story from the PTShamrock newsletter!

I guess this is another thing we have in store for us, sine the British have proven that it can be done so easily! This is almost beyond belief!

Pet shop owner fined GBP1,000 and told to wear an electronic tag...for selling a GOLDFISH to a boy aged 14-
Mail Online

Her offence was to unwittingly sell a goldfish to a 14-year-old boy taking part in a trading standards 'sting'.

At most, pet shop owner Joan Higgins, 66, expected a slap on the wrist for breaking new animal welfare laws which ban the sale of pets to under-16s. Instead, the great-grandmother was taken to court, fined GBP1,000, placed under curfew - and ordered to wear an electronic tag for two months. The punishment is normally handed out to violent thugs and repeat offenders.

The prosecution of Mrs Higgins and her son Mark is estimated to have cost taxpayers GBP20,000 and has left her with a criminal record.

Mark, 47, was also fined and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Last night, as an MP criticised the magistrates, Mrs Higgins - who has
run the pet shop for 28 years - said the family's eight-month ordeal had left them traumatised.

She added: 'It's ridiculous. I mean, what danger am I that I have to wear an electronic tag? These last few months have been a very stressful time.'

The seven-week curfew imposed by the court means she is unable to babysit her great-grandson at his home or go to bingo sessions with her sister, and will be unable to attend a Rod Stewart concert after tickets were bought for her by her nephew, actor Will Mellor.

Her son said: 'I think it's a farce. What gets me so cross is that they put my Mum on a tag - she's nearly 70, for goodness' sake. 'She's a great-grandma so she won't be able to babysit a newborn baby.You would think they have better things to do with their time and money.'

Mr Higgins claimed the undercover operation was a clear case of entrapment - when a person is encouraged by someone in some official capacity to commit a crime - and said the case should never have gone to court. He said: 'The council sent the 14-year-old in to us. It is hard to tell how old a lad is these days. He looked much older than 14.'

He added that his mother almost fainted in the dock when magistrates told her she could go to prison for the offence. 'I told her they wouldn't send her to prison but she was still worried,' he said. 'The only other time she has been in court is when she did jury service.'

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is illegal to sell pets -including goldfish - to children under the age of 16 unless they are accompanied by an adult. Pet shops must also provide advice on animal welfare to buyers.

The maximum penalty is imprisonment for up to 12 months, or a fine of up to GBP20,000, or both.

The Higgins family's ordeal began when council officials heard that Majors Pet Shop in Sale, Greater Manchester, was selling animals to children. They sent the 14-year-old schoolboy into the shop to carry out a test purchase and Mr Higgins sold him the goldfish without questioning his age or providing any information about the care of the fish.

A council officer in the shop at the time also noticed a cockatiel in a cage that appeared to be in a poor state of health. A vet found the bird had a broken leg and eye problems. It was later put down.

Mrs Higgins and her son were charged with selling the fish to a person aged under 16 and with causing unnecessary suffering to a cockatiel by failing to provide appropriate care and treatment.

Pleading guilty, Mrs Higgins told Trafford magistrates the cockatiel had not been for sale and she had been bathing its eye daily.

Looks to me like Big Brother is everywhere! So all you folks getting ready to sell goldfish to under aged kids...better beware, because I'm sure that it won't be long before we have laws like this here in the U.S.!

That is, if we don't already have them, hidden somewhere in the massive bills that are being passed almost daily without being read!

I think it's time for some coffee on the patio. Wonder if I have to buy a license to gather here with my friends?

I Had No Idea...!

Sometimes you can find out about something that's been around for a long time...and could have been very helpful, if only you had been presented all the facts!

This is the case with peroxide! Safe, very useful, good for your health, and might even been of some help in saving a life! But the big drug companies couldn't make enough profit from it to spread the information.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? This is a long read, but is well worth the time, believe me!

Hydrogen peroxide was discovered in 1818 by French chemist Louis-Jacques Thenard (1777 - 1857) when he finally succeeded in preparing pure hydrogen peroxide, which he called "oxygenated water," and determined its density.

Dr Edward Rosenow (1875 – 1966) discovered that H2O2 was the safe, effective antimicrobal, anitviral agent he had spent years looking for. Unfortunately he died before seeing his discovery become widely accepted. His friend Father Wilhelm, a Catholic Priest and chemistry teacher presented Rosenow’s research to several pharmaceutical companies only to get the same response: Rosenow’s work on H2O2 was very interesting and potentially important, but H2O2 was an inexpensive substance that could not be patented and had no commercial value. This is the reason it is not prescibed as a means of treating many illnesses; drug companies cannot make any money from it!

The benefits threaten the antibiotic industry, it’s a threat to the heart bypass industry as it cleans arteries of athersclerotic build up, and it’s a threat to the surgical and chemotherapy cancer treatment industry; combined with radiation it will rapidly reduce cancer growths with less toxic doses of x-ray.

Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide In The Kitchen, Bathroom & Around The Home

Used As A Sanitizer
To disinfect all surfaces use a 3% solution and use the spray bottle provided. Wipe down surfaces and effectively kill bacteria and viruses. This can be used on all surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen including fridges and electrical appliances, use on wooden chopping boards to kill salmonella and other germs.

Hydrogen Peroxide creates no residual toxins of any kind and it breaks down to water and oxygen within a few hours leaving a fresh smell. Not only sanitizing the areas you want clean but at the same time meaning you avoid using harmful or poisonous chemicals in and around your home and family.

Vegetable and Meat Wash
Put 40ml of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide into regular washing up bowl of cool water and use to rinse fish, chicken, meat and vegetables killing bacteria and viruses. Rinse after with clean water. This process increases the life of food.

Research published by the Journal of Food and Science in 2003 showed effective results of using hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate apples and melons that were infected with strains of E.coli. This will apply to fish and meats containing potentially detrimental bacteria.

Dishwasher Additive
Add two Oz of 3% Hydrogen peroxide to your dishwasher to prevent spreading of colds and disease also to make your dishes sparkle.

Dental Hygiene
Tooth brushes can be soaked in 3% H2O2 between uses to eliminate most germs. Remember to store it in a dark container to prevent degradation.

Mouthwash
The Merck Manuals recommended diluting 3% hydrogen peroxide 50/50 with distilled water. This solution can simply be used as a mouthwash and will help to whiten teeth and fight oral disease.

Ear Wash
Use 50/50 water and 3% solution as a rinse to clear blocked ears and treat infections.

Laundry
Add 225ml of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to your wash in place of bleaches.

Hair Dye
The old classic, mix 3% solution 50/50 with distilled water and spray on damp hair after a shower and comb through. This will give a more natural highlighted affect.

Removing Fresh Blood Stains
Pour 3% solution onto fresh unset blood stains and let sit for a minute. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. (Not hot, this will set the blood). Be careful though as H2O2 is a bleach.

Removing Wine Stains From Carpet
First spot test an area of carpet for colour fastness. Apply 3% solution to stain through spay bottle or with cotton bud for small drops. Work the solution into the carpet with a sponge to make sure it’s saturated. Let sit for 10-15 minutes and blot with a clean dry cloth.

Large scale Cleaning
For entire rooms that have become contaminated by fungus, moulds, bacteria for example after flood damage or waste spillage. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) listed hydrogen peroxide as among the substances that can be used against mold. A 3% solution used in a large pressurized sprayer can be used to apply throughout the room.

Toothpaste
When mixed with correct quantities of baking soda and salt. Mix ¼ cup of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide with ½ cup of baking soda to form a paste. Some recipes call for salt. Store in a plastic container which light cannot pass through.

Foot Soak
Add a few tablespoons of Epsom salts and add 100ml-200ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a bowl of warm water. This will help to heal cuts, athlete’s foot, scaly skin and calluses.

Bath soak
Add 280ml to 560ml of 35% solution to a full bath of water along with ½ a cup of Epsom salts for an amazing detoxifying soak, (note do not detoxify after 6-7pm as increased oxygen may keep you awake).

Tile Grout Cleaning In Baths And Showers
Spray the tiles with a 3% solution in a spray bottle and allow to soak for 10-15 minutes now scrub with a toothbrush soaked in the solution, mildew and tough stains will disappear rapidly.

Removing Pet Odors From Carpets
Use a 3% solution in a spray bottle and thoroughly saturate the area. Let stand. After at least 30 minutes, spray again, and then spread a paste of baking soda and 3% hydrogen peroxide over the area and let stand until dry. Vacuum when dry.

Body Spray
Spray 3% solution on to your body after washing to replace the acid mantle on your skin that soap removes.

Facial Cleanser
Use 3% H2O2 on cotton wool balls to wipe your face after washing and before bed,

I guess that as far as big business is concerned, we are worth more dead or dying...than we are worth as living customers. Don't you just love the medical and drug industry?

My friends, let's get some coffee and go sit on the patio for a bit. Hope it doesn't rain again!

Now How Screwed Up Is This...?

When I first saw this story in the Houston Chronicle, I had to go back and re-read it several times!

No wonder the economy is so messed up, when big business follows this type of plan!

Alcoa CEO earns $11.2M in 2009
By The Associated Press © 2010 The Associated Press
Feb. 19, 2010, 6:33PM

FULL YEAR'S PAY: Alcoa Inc.'s Klaus Kleinfeld received a compensation package valued at $11.2 million in his first full year as CEO, according to an Associated Press calculation of preliminary figures disclosed Friday in a regulatory filing.

PERFORMANCE BONUS: Kleinfeld's performance-based cash bonus nearly doubled to $3.8 million as he cut costs to counter the effect of a deteriorating business environment.

ALCOA PERFORMANCE: The Pittsburgh aluminum producer struggled as the recession dried up demand in key markets last year. It eliminated thousands of jobs and curbed production. Kleinfeld expects key markets to improve in 2010.

I wonder if his bonuses add up to the same amount as the salaries of the folks that were laid off?

It's a cray, sick world in the halls of big business, folks! That, of course, is just my humble opinion...!

Let's get some coffee, my friends, and sit in the kitchen, OK?