text: Okay, everyone has at least one embarassingly bizarre addition they make to an otherwise normal food. I'm sure of it. I've seen people put ketchup on the darndest things... and then there was a guy in my dorm back in college who would eat any food combo you could think of for five bucks. Mine? I put soy sauce on macaroni and cheese! Yes, it's weird, but after I revealed this to my wife and she tried it, she won't eat it any other way. I guess we were sorta meant for each other.


text:
February 01, 2017
The last full month of winter can be harsh on your home! And, let's face it, cabin fever can set in hard this month. Our friends at Zaarly have five easy things you can do this month to keep your home feeling loved and the experts that can help you get them done.
Grime, dust mites, allergens, and dirt get trapped in carpet fibers. Have your carpets cleaned to keep your home feeling fresh.
Rusty Simpson
Brian Bock
Feeling drafty? Time to check the windows and doors to make sure there are no gaps.
Allan Harris
Justin Georgeff
Let's face it, cabin fever is real during the winter. Your house could be feeling neglected as well. Schedule a deep-clean. Your home will thank you.
RC Cleaning Service
Mary Eats
A clean furnace filter is not just important to keep your furnace running well, it's important for the safety of your family.
Justin Blair
Owen Faulkner
The winter months can feel gloomy. Why not add a splash of bright color to a wall (or 2) to change things up?
Kevin Turner
David Potts
Download yourchecklist to get started. Need a hand? ReeceNichols has partnered with Zaarly to make sure you get the best service experts for all of your home projects! Ask your ReeceNichols agent for a $50 promo code to use on your first project!
Call 913-383-1400
Email firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Posts Tagged 'tina oswald'
The mikeroweWORKS SkillsUSA Scholarship Luncheon 2014
This is the fourth year that the mikeroweWORKS Foundation has offered scholarship opportunities for members of SkillsUSA who have competed and placed first in their state association competition. To date, the Foundation has awarded 170 individuals $1,000 apiece to help defray travel costs for a total of $170,000! Each year the mikeroweWORKS Foundation also invites…


text:
Actor Damian Walshe-Howling is best known to us for his roles in Underbelly, Blue Heelers and in TEN's new Bikie Wars, but he has his sights set on a directing career, having just completed the short film, Suspended.
"I've just finished my second film that I wrote and directed which will be at the St. Kilda Film Festival with Damon Gameau, Leeanna Walsman and Clare Bowen. It's shot by Denson Baker (The Black Balloon, Oranges and Sunshine)," he says.
"It's been an amazing experience and I'm looking at getting into more writing and directing."
Unlike many of his peers, this year he decided to forgo an annual US trip in order to focus on his own talents.
"I usually go to America and do the usual dance around for Pilot season but I decided to stay back this year and concentrate on my own projects. So for the moment that's where I've been directing all my energy."
His first self-devised film was 2007's The Bloody Sweet Hit with Oliver Ackland, Tom Wright, Sue Jones and Damien Richardson.
Right now he can be seen in TEN's six part miniseries Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms playing one of the Campbell brothers in the Bandido club.
"I play Chopper who is a bit of a larrikin," he explains.
"The Campbells are quite well-known for their fighting skills. They're very strong and committed to the club."
Walshe-Howling is no stranger to playing real persons in true life crime dramas, but such roles carry greater responsibility.
"It's like when I played Benji in Underbelly. Andrew Veniamin had passed away at the time we made the series but there's still a whole lot of other ways to access (research). In this case we've basically taken everything from the script and our work with (director) Peter Andrikidis, and the script comes from the book.
"The shoot itself was quite dynamic. Having to grow a beard and put on weight, quite a few physical changes took place too. It was a very physical role to play because there are a lot of rough scenes. At times it was quite intense."
So sensitive was the material that producers went to great lengths to keep many of the locations quiet from the general public and media.
"It's always the case that they keep things pretty quiet with shoots these days, like when we made Underbelly. But I don't really think about those things too much while I'm working. I just focus on what I'm doing.
"Everyone was really involved in the story and wanting to bring a human element to it. As with the original Underbelly that I did, wastes the humanity of the story that drew everybody in and related to it so strongly."
With any true crime drama, there is also concern for that those who were directly impacted, but Walshe-Howling explains his focus as an actor is on the character.
"My sense of responsibility is to the script, which comes from the book. It's something that happened in the public arena. But for me, Screentime treat the stories with the greatest amount of respect and integrity, and that's the level to which I get involved."
Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms airs 8:30pm Tuesdays on TEN.


text:
Poll: Would you rather have Shannon Scott or Trey Burke?
Link: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/
I wasn't over there trolling (I don't do that), but just checking to see if they had any info on Reeves (they don't have anything new).
Then I saw the poll on the right side of the screen - surprisingly the vote was 53-47% (Scott) when I there a minute ago. However, I'm sure the MGoCommunity could bump up TB's %.


text:
KELOWNA - Kelowna's 2014 Pushor Mitchell Apple Triathlon will again have some of Canada's youngest and most enthusiastic triathletes participating in the Kids of Steel (KOS) event during the weekend of August 15-17. KOS triathlons are designed to offer youth 15 years and younger the opportunity to experience the sport of triathlon in a positive environment. The distances are much shorter than those in adult triathlons, and increase as participants mature.
In preparation of the KOS events, the Apple Triathlon offers the Sunrype Youth (ages 8-11) and Teen (ages 12-15) Camps the week before race weekend at Strathcona Park in Kelowna. Certified coaches cover the basic skills of swimming, biking, running, and transition; teaching triathlon rules, and enabling each camper to complete the Pushor Mitchell Apple Triathlon on Saturday, following the camp. Participation of the camps is limited to 30 Youth and 15 Teen triathletes. Triathlon BC is offering a drafting clinic for the Teen Camp on Monday, August 11. This clinic will qualify eligible triathletes for the Pushor Mitchell Apple Triathlon U16 event on Saturday, August 16.
According to Sue Morrison, Apple Triathlon camp director and certified coach, both camps are quickly filling up. "The kids and teens thoroughly enjoy these camps and go into their races with a lot more confidence. Having practiced with a group of friends and comfortable with the rules, they know what to expect. They also learn to work together as a team, even if they participate as individuals."
Kelowna has two youth triathlon clubs, the H2O Junior Tri Club and the Ogopogo Triathlon Club. The Ogopogo Triathlon Club utilizes 11 coaches, specializing in various disciplines and ages, and continues to grow with currently more than 60 kids involved. Leading the coaching team is Gord McInnes, supported by Rene Unser, Kari Bailey, Brent Hobbs, Jason Brescacin, Chris Andruchow, Martin Courtenay, Quinn Middleton, Cordell Dickie, Trevor Haaheim and Taylor Lick. Many of the coaches are parents of tri-kids. McInnes states, " Our first priority as coaches is safety in the water, on the bike and while running on the road or trail. I have worked as a physician at Kelowna General Hospital's emergency department for the last 13 years and have seen many tragedies that in some cases could have been avoided if attention was paid to basic safety."
Commenting on the intensity of participation, Bailey says, "At younger ages, triathlon should be one of many sports that youth participate in. Specializing and focusing only on triathlon as a performance goal should not occur until after an athlete has gone through puberty." A very talented little athlete, Kari's daughter Andrea Kraetzer did her first triathlon at age four where she ran all the way with her soft toy! She is looking forward to participate in the Apple Triathlon again this year, competing in the age group 10/11. "I enjoy the competition and the Apple looks like a lot of fun," says Andrea.
The Pushor Mitchell Apple Triathlon is a qualifying race for the 2015 ITU Age Group World Championships in Chicago, offering three qualifying Olympic and Sprint distance spots per age group and gender. It also hosts the following events: Elite Sprint – 2014 Kelowna PATCO Sprint Triathlon Premium Pan American Cup, Junior Elite Sprint – National Grand Final & BC Provincial Championships, U16 – National Grand Final, Paratriathlete Sprint (Open and Elite), Adult Age Group Sprint, Paratriathlete Olympic, Adult Age Group Olympic - BC Provincial Championships, Kids of Steel (KOS) Youth & Teen Camps & Races, Business Challenge Sprint Relay, Aquathon, Try-a-Tri, Fun Run and Kelowna Apple Open Water Swim Invitational organized by Okanagan Masters Swim Club.
The Pushor Mitchell Apple Triathlon has approximately 1,000 volunteer positions that must be filled to safely run the event. "Participants always mention Kelowna's volunteer spirit as one of the highlights of their event. We would like to thank the community for always stepping up to help out on this wonderful weekend! Online volunteer registration will be open by mid June on the Apple Triathlon website so please keep a day or two of the weekend free," says media spokesperson Jeanette Hoft. The Volunteer team can also be contacted on email@example.com. More information for participants and volunteers is available at www.appletriathlon.com.


text:
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Seems much more like JavaScript than anything else.
BTW, I wouldn't waste my time with Clojure. It's one of those academic toy languages, like Haskell, with a Hindley-Milner type system ostensibly designed to protect developers from themselves but ultimately being so extremely difficult to use that they exclude the kinds of developers who would arguably benefit from a nanny language.
If you're going to learn a Lisp dialect, make it Scheme. Then take what you learned from Scheme and apply it to other languages with first-class functions, such as JavaScript, Ruby, and Python.
You are surely aware the many corporations are slowly incorporating Clojure and Haskell in their code bases?
I already do Ruby, JavaScript and Python (that's my day job). I'm thinking about Clojure (or Scheme for that mater) because I think I'll like a LISP 1 more then I would like a LISP 2 (I've already got Land of LISP and The Little Schemer on my book case). I also don't expect to EVER find work with LIPS or Smalltalk, they are just for play.
Edited 2012-09-30 22:30 UTC
WAT? Clojure, like all Lisps, is dynamically typed.
WAT? You've never even tried to use one of those, did you?


text:
Search for Gender Based Differences In Alzheimer's Disease
Marietta Anthony, PhD
Dr. Anthony's expertise is in women's health and drug development. She is a board member for Arizona
CERT, a non-profit research and education organization. Previously, she was director of Women's Health
Programs for the Critical Path Institute and held senior positions in women's health research and clinical
research at Georgetown University Medical Center. Earlier, she was director of research programs in the
National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health; deputy director of the FDA Office of
Women's Health; and managed expert panels on developing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines
at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Marietta Anthony obtained a PhD in Medical Microbiology and Immunology from the UCLA School of Medicine where she conducted research on viruses that cause cancer. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Biological Chemistry at UCLA.
Marietta Anthony, PhD
She has worked on health policy at three federal agencies. At the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Dr. Anthony managed expert panels that developed evidence-based clinical practice guidelines on HIV/AIDS and mammography. At the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), she was the Deputy Director of the Office of Women's Health and also served as director of the FDA women's health research program. At the National Institutes of Health, she was the Director of Research Programs in the Office of Research on Women's Health. After leaving the federal government, Dr. Anthony joined the Department of Pharmacology at Georgetown University Medical Center as Director of Women's Health Research and Assistant Director of the General Clinical Research Center. At The University of Arizona, she was the founder and Director of the National Center of Excellence in Women's Health. She served as chair of the Governor's Commission on the Health Status of Women and Families in Arizona. From 2006 to 2012 she was Director of Women's Health Programs for the Critical Path Institute. She currently is a member of the Board of Directors of AZCERT.Dr. Anthony's skills are in building programs and her expertise is in women's health and drug development. She has worked on a variety of women's health issues and has served on numerous national committees and advisory boards on women's health.
Janine Austin Clayton, MD
Janine Austin Clayton, M.D., is the Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Associate Director for Research on Women's Health, NIH, in the NIH Office of the Director.
She is the author of over 80 scientific publications, journal articles, and book chapters. Prior to joining the Office of Research on Women's Health, she was the Deputy Clinical Director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), NIH. A board certified ophthalmologist, Dr. Clayton's research interests include autoimmune ocular diseases and the role of sex and gender in health and disease. Dr. Clayton has a particular interest in ocular surface disease and discovered a novel form of disease associated with premature ovarian insufficiency which affects young women.
Janine Austin Clayton, MD
A native Washingtonian, Dr. Clayton received her undergraduate degree with Honors from the Johns Hopkins University, and her medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine. She completed a residency in ophthalmology at the Medical
College of Virginia and fellowship training in Cornea and External Disease at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and in Uveitis and Ocular Immunology at NEI. Dr. Clayton has been an attending physician and clinical investigator in cornea and
uveitis at the NEI since 1996, conducting research on inflammatory diseases of the anterior segment. Her clinical research has ranged from randomized controlled trials of novel therapies for immune mediated ocular diseases to studies on the development of digital imaging techniques for the anterior segment.
Dr. Clayton is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. She currently serves on the FDA Advisory Panel for Ophthalmic Devices; the medical and scientific advisory board of Tissue Banks International; and the editorial board of The Ocular Surface. She was selected as a Silver Fellow by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and a recipient of the Senior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Clayton has received several awards from her NIH peers in recognition of her leadership. She co-chairs the NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers with the NIH Director.
Howard Martin Fillit, MD
A geriatrician and neuroscientist, Dr. Fillit is founding executive director and chief science officer
of the Institute for the Study of Aging, an Estée Lauder family foundation, and Alzheimer's Drug
Discovery Foundation, a public charity. Both work to accelerate drug discovery for Alzheimer's and
related dementias through venture philanthropy. He is a clinical professor of geriatrics, medicine
and neuroscience at The Rockefeller University and The Mount Sinai School of Medicine. His geriatric
medicine practice focuses on Alzheimer's. He is author of more than 300 scientific/clinical publications
and senior editor of the leading international Textbook of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology.
Howard Martin Fillit, MD
Howard Fillit, MD, a geriatrician and neuroscientist, is the founding Executive Director and member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for the Study of Aging (ISOA), a private foundation based in New York City established by the Estee Lauder Trust in 1998 dedicated to accelerating drug discovery and development for Alzheimer's disease. In 2004, he was founding executive director for an ISOA affiliated public charity, the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), created to enable partnerships with individuals, foundations, industry and government. In 2012, he was the founding President of ADDF-Canada. Since 1998, ISOA and ADDF have provided over $60MM to over 400 academic and biotechnology programs in 19 countries.
Dr. Fillit is an internationally recognized leader in geriatric medicine and Alzheimer's disease with over 35 years career experience in academia and industry. Dr. Fillit currently holds the title of clinical professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine, medicine, and neuroscience at The Mount Sinai Medical Center (NY). He received his BA in neurobiology cum laude from Cornell University, and his MD from the SUNY-Upstate Medical University. He received his clinical training at the Beth Israel Medical Center (NYC) and the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. From 1976 to 1987, Dr. Fillit was a fellow and assistant professor at The Rockefeller University in the laboratory of Professor Maclyn McCarty (who demonstrated in 1944 that DNA is the molecule that carries the genes of life, enabling the discovery in 1953 of the DNA double helix by Watson and Crick). In 1987, he joined the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mount Sinai, established as the first department of geriatrics in the United States in 1981 under the leadership of founding chairman Robert N. Butler, MD, who was also the founding director of the National Institute on Aging in 1976, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975 for his book "Aging in America: Why Survive?" Dr. Fillit achieved the rank of tenured professor of geriatric medicine, medicine and neurobiology in 1992. From 1995-1998, he was the Corporate Medical Director for Medicare at NYLCare Health Plans (a division of New York Life acquired by Aetna), providing leadership for program and policy in the provision of health care to over 125,000 elderly individuals in several regional US markets. Throughout his career, he has maintained a limited private practice in consultative geriatric medicine with a focus on Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Fillit has received numerous awards, including the Alzheimer's Association's Rita Hayworth Award for Lifetime Achievement. He is a fellow of the American Geriatrics Society, the American College of Physicians, the Gerontological Society of America, and the New York Academy of Medicine. He is the author or co-author of more than 300 scientific articles, abstracts and books, including the leading international Textbook of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. He has given hundreds of speeches throughout the world on topics related to research and clinical care in geriatric medicine and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Fillit has served as a member of the Board of Directors for several biotechnology companies, and has been a consultant to, member, or Chair of Scientific and Clinical Advisory Boards for numerous pharmaceutical, biotechnology and health care companies.
Dr. Florence Haseltine, MD, PhD
Dr. Haseltine is a consultant to IT and biomedical companies. Her company, Haseltine Systems,
manufactures containers to protect wheelchairs. She also develops mobile apps for reproductive
sciences, including "Embryo," honored by the National Library of Medicine. Earlier, she was director
of the Center for Population Research of the NIH National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development. She was founding editor of the Journal for Women's Health and founder of the Society for
of Women's Health Research. At Yale University she held positions in the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology. She is the current president of the Assembly of Scientists.
Dr. Florence Haseltine, MD, PhD
Dr. Haseltine is a currently consulting with IT and biomedical companies. Her company, Haseltine Systems manufactures containers to protect wheelchairs and she holds both design and IT business patents. At heart she is a pioneer who has accepted few limits. As Director of the Center for Population Research of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, at the National Institutes of Health, she led the way for advances in contraception research and other critical health areas. She is a fighter and has tirelessly promoted the advancement of women and was the founding editor of the Journal for Women's Health. In 1990 she founded the Society for the Advancement of Women's Health Research (SWHR). She now is the Web Developer and Content Management of the RaiseProject. Retiring in 2012, she was named Emerita Director of the Center for Population Research, NIH. She has also assumed the Presidency of the Assembly of Scientists, an organization devoted to advocating the interests of the scientific research community.
Her educational background shows her range of talents and interests. In 1964 she received a B.A. in Biophysics from the University of California-Berkeley. Receiving her Ph.D. in Biophysics in 1970 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she went on to graduating with an M.D. in 1972 from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She interned at the University of Pennsylvania and did a residency at Boston Hospital for Women (Brigham & Women's Hospital). At Yale University she held several positions in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecologist and is board certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist. She hold multiple patents in IT internet secure communications. An early fan of electronic communications, her current activities include developing smart phone Apps for the field of Reproductive Sciences and her latest app "Embryo" is online and has received an award from the National Library of Medicine. Recently she issued the App Human Genome for the iPad.
Freda Lewis-Hall, MD
Dr. Lewis-Hall is executive vice president and chief medical officer of Pfizer Inc. Trained as a
psychiatrist, she has held leadership roles in academia, medical research, front-line patient
care, and at global biopharmaceutical companies. Prior to her work in industry, she led research
projects for the National Institutes of Health and was vice chairperson of the Department of
Psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine. She serves on numerous boards. In 2010,
she was appointed by the Obama Administration to the inaugural Board of Governors for the
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and in 2012 she was appointed chair of the Cures
Acceleration Network Review Board.
Freda Lewis-Hall, MD
Freda Lewis-Hall is the chief medical officer of Pfizer Inc. Trained as a psychiatrist, she has held leadership roles in academia, medical research, front-line patient care, and at global biopharmaceutical companies including Vertex, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly. Prior to her work in industry, she led research projects for the National Institutes of Health and was vice chairperson of the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine.
In 2010, Dr. Lewis-Hall was appointed by the Obama Administration to the inaugural Board of Governors for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and in 2012 she was appointed chair of the Cures Acceleration Network Review Board and a member of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative and on numerous other boards, including those of Harvard Medical School, The Institute of Medicine's Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation, and Save the Children.
Dr. Lewis-Hall has been named as one of Savoy's Top Influential Women in Corporate America in 2012 and was selected as the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association 2011 "Woman of the Year." A passionate advocate for empowering patients through health information, Dr. Lewis-Hall speaks frequently in venues from TEDMED to the Essence Music Festival and appears regularly on the Emmy-winning daytime syndicated show, The Doctors.
Dr. Lenore Launer (NIH/NIA)
Dr. Launer is a Senior Investigator in the Intramural Research Program, the National Institute on Aging. She is Chief of the Neuroepidemiology Section in the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Studies. The Neuroepidemiology Section research focuses on understanding the contribution of genetic, inflammatory, metabolic, vascular, and hormonal factors to sub-clinical and clinical outcomes in brain disease and investigating the links between brain disease and other common diseases of old age. Dr.Launer is PI and Co-PI on several large cohort studies designed to take a life course approach to investigating the development of late age brain disease. Her research is conducted in the context of these large studies where hypotheses on risk/protective factors and mechanisms for brain disease tested, with the aim of identifying public health approaches to preventing late age cognitive impairment. She has authored over 350 articles and book chapters and is a member of the Steering Committees and Work Groups of several large NIH Prevention Trials.
Michelle M. Mielke, Ph.D
Dr. Mielke received a Bachelor's of Science in Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh and a doctorate in Psychiatric/NeuroEpidemiology from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She then completed a two-year fellowship as the Lydia Gillespie Clinical and Research Post-doctoral Fellow in Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Mielke is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences Research, Division of Epidemiology, and the Department of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Mielke works as a translational epidemiologist to further understanding of the etiology and epidemiology of neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders. A primary focus of her research is the identification and clinical translation of fluid and neuroimaging biomarkers for the diagnosis, prediction, and/or progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Much of her work has emphasized the utility of blood-based lipids, especially the role of sphingolipids (ceramides and sphingomyelins) in the development of AD, Parkinson's disease, and Lewy Body Dementia. Dr. Mielke is the PI of several NIH- and Foundation-funded clinical- and epidemiological-based grants examining blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Dr. Mielke also works to understand the sex differences in the epidemiology of neurodegenerative conditions and is a co-investigator of the Mayo Clinic Specialized Center of Research on Sex Differences.
Peter V. Rabins, MD, MPH
Dr. Rabins' career has focused on the study of psychiatric disorders in older persons. His research
focuses on the effectiveness of current therapies for Alzheimer disease, development of measures of
quality of life in persons with Alzheimer disease, and care of patients with late-stage dementia. He has
been a Johns Hopkins School of Medicine faculty member since 1978. He is Professor in the Department
of Psychiatry and director of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry. He is the author
of more than 275 articles and book chapters. He is co-author of The 36 Hour Day (now in its 5th edition),
Practical Dementia Care and Getting Old Without Getting Anxious.
Alan J. Russell, PhD
Dr. Russell has contributed to the interface between chemistry, biology, and material science. He is
the Highmark Distinguished Career Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Earlier, he was founding
director of the University of Pittsburgh's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He is executive
director of the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative, founder of three biotechnology companies and
has been a scientific adviser to FDA and the Department of Defense. He is editor-in-chief of Disruptive
Science and Technology. He was founding president of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative
Medicine International Society and a past chair of the American Institute for Medical and Biological
Engineering College of Fellows.
Alan J. Russell, PhD
Dr. Alan Russell (PhD in Biological Chemistry, 1987, Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London) is the Highmark Distinguished Career Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Russell holds appointments in the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems and the Department of Bioengineering. He was the Founding Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, serving in that capacity from 2001-2011. In addition to his appointments at the CMU, Dr. Russell is the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative, Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Highmark Inc. He has founded three biotechnology companies; ICX Agentase, NanoSembly LLC, and O2Cyte LLC, and was also the Founding President of the now 3,000+ member Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society. Dr. Russell served as Chair of the College of Fellows for the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (an elected body consisting of the top 2% of medical and bioengineers in the US) for 2012.
Dr. Russell serves on the Science Board to the Food and Drug Administration and currently is Chair of the scientific review panel for the Center for Devices and Radiologic Health. Dr. Russell has served many scientific roles for the Department of Defense, including being a member of the Defense Health Board and the founding Co-Director of the Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
For the last 20 years, the Russell laboratory has been discovering what can be achieved by exploiting the rich interface of chemistry, biology and materials. Dr. Russell's work has impacted fields as diverse as chemical and polymer synthesis to tissue engineering and homeland defense. Dr. Russell has pioneered how to make polymers from enzymes and how to incorporate enzymes into bulk polymers. In a series of discoveries Dr. Russell's laboratory has found how to meld the synthetic and biological worlds.
Within the scientific community, Dr. Russell has participated on 24 advisory boards. Since the outset of his career, he has received numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to research, teaching and public service. These awards include R&D 100 Award – 2000 (R&D Magazine), three Carnegie Science Center Awards for Excellence – 2000 to 2006, sixteen consecutive appearances in Who's Who in Science and Engineering – 1992 through present, the Gilbreth lectureship from the National Academy of Engineering – 2004, and the Cockroft Rutherford lectureship from the University of Manchester – 2007, the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the University of Manchester – 2008, #32 in Rolling Stone's "Top 100 People who will change America" – 2009, the American Chemical Society's prestigious Pittsburgh Award – 2010, the Ladies Hospital Aid Society Doctor of Distinction Award – 2011, and the TERMIS Lifetime Achievement Award – 2012.
Dr. Russell has contributed significantly to the interface between the fields of chemistry, biology, and material science. He has given more than 250 national and international invited lectures. Dr. Russell has published over 150 articles in refereed journals, one book, and 10 book chapters and holds 14 patents, with over 25 additional pending patents. Dr. Russell is the Editor-in-Chief of Disruptive Science and Technology.


text:
Follow this simple steps to play GTA San Andreas Online.
1) Download software from the link SA-MP-0.3b-R3 .
2) You should have Gta San andreas game installed anywhere in the system and make sure its a full version game
3) Now install the software application sa-mp-0.3b-R3 on the drive location of the game where you have installed the gta san andreas game. make sure its installed in the main folder of the game important !!.
5) After installing application in the game location, open software to from start menu : samp .
6) After opening the application just click on internet which is to the bottom of the application beside favorites and hosted.
7) You can see a list of servers which are filled with players already.
- Join any room there and have fun. I prefer rooms which are having many people since we have more time to play around and more fun.
- If you have any questions, let me know by leaving a comment.


text:
The Protocols and Formats Working Group is no longer chartered to operate. Its work will continue in two new Working Groups:
- Accessible Platform Architectures, to review specifications, develop technical support materials, collaborate with other Working Groups on technology accessibility, and coordinate harmonized accessibility strategies within W3C; and
- Accessible Rich Internet Applications, to continue development of the Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) suite of technologies and other technical specifications when needed to bridge known gaps.
Resources from the PFWG remain available to support long-term institutional memory, but this information is of historical value only.
This Wiki page was edited by participants of the Protocols and Formats Working Group. It does not necessarily represent consensus and it may have incorrect information or information that is not supported by other Working Group participants, WAI, or W3C. It may also have some very useful information.
From Protocols and Formats Working Group Wiki
Review of accessibility issues in HTML 5. This is carried out by the HTML Task Force.
Pages in category "HTML5"
The following 2 pages are in this category, out of 2 total.


text:
Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!
*Tips on sites to seek out, restaurants to try and places to people watch are always welcome :)
I hate to see the holiday season coming to an end, but I'm excited for the beginning of a new year! Thursday night I will be packing up my suitcase and heading to Seoul, South Korea to celebrate NYE with our neighboring country in Asia! I spent the latter part of my day making itineraries and finalizing some looks for the 31st :) Thinking a little 'Glam Bam thank ya Mam'..... plus an enormous jacket aaaaand maybe even a ski mask as it's quite chilly this time of year!


text: I am selling out digital products.I get payments through paypal and it is 1 out of 4 payments i get a dispute from the buyer.Usually i won in all disputes claiming it as a digital product.And now another worse situation is,"i had to open two disputes against seller for not shipping a product to me. Im worried,will my paypal account be banned? limited? Because my account always has disputes? Need blackhatters help please


text:
So I am creating my own sorta gl_engine from scratch. My goal is to be able to have different classes that define different shapes and how to draw them. I want each of these classes a class holding a texture, and a class holding a Shader program.
As of now I have a pretty boss shader loader!
However my texture loader..... Is really not good. First of all even though I have downloaded many examples I don't really understand how textures are passed to the gpu which makes things problematic. Furthermore I am having issues with a function that loads textures.
This is because I think I am supposed to call "glActiveTexture(GLenum)". The problem is I dont know where to find the GLEnum without using values defined in glew.h. Could you please help me do this or work around it? BTW the only libraries I am using are glew.h, freeglut.h, and SOIL.h (however if their is a library that is better then SOIL that is open source I would be fine changing which library is in charge of file reading).
If you want I could also send you my VisualStudio Project.
Here is my code thank you for spending the time to look over it. Btw in the Texture.cpp I have made a comment block in the spot where I am confused:
Code ://Texture.h #pragma once #include <map> #include <fstream> #include <iostream> #include <string> #include <sstream> #include <vector> #include "GL\glew.h" #include "GL\freeglut.h" #include "SOIL.h" class Texture { public: Texture(std::string it); ~Texture(); void Load(); GLuint texID; private: int width; int height; int chanels; std::string filename; }; std::vector<Texture> Textures; int Amm = 0;Code ://Texture.cpp #include "Texture.h" Texture::Texture(std::string it) { width = 0; height = 0; chanels = 0; filename = it; } Texture::~Texture() { } void Texture::Load() { GLubyte* piData = SOIL_load_image(filename.c_str(), &width, &height, &chanels, SOIL_LOAD_AUTO); if (piData == NULL) { std::cerr << "Cannot load image: " << filename.c_str() << std::endl; exit(EXIT_FAILURE); } //vertically flip the image on Y axis since it is inverted int i, j; for (j = 0; j * 2 < height; ++j) { int index1 = j * width * chanels; int index2 = (height - 1 - j) * width * chanels; for (i = width * chanels; i > 0; --i) { GLubyte temp = piData[index1]; piData[index1] = piData[index2]; piData[index2] = temp; ++index1; ++index2; } } Amm += 1; texID = (Amm); glGenTextures(1, &texID); GLenum tex GL_TEXTURE'AMM' glActiveTexture(tex); /*^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ OBIOUSLY THIS LINE WONT WORK BUT IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE GL_TEXTURE0, GL_TEXTURE1 as defined in glew.h as #define GL_TEXTURE0 0x84C0 #define GL_TEXTURE1 0x84C1*/ //glActiveTexture(GL_TEXTURE0); glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, texID); //Texture parameters glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_LINEAR); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_LINEAR); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_WRAP_S, GL_CLAMP); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_WRAP_T, GL_CLAMP); //allocate texture glTexImage2D(GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0, GL_RGB, width, height, 0, GL_RGB, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, piData); //Free soil data SOIL_free_image_data(piData); }
Thanks so much!
Also a couple extra questions.
1. How are textures passed to the GPU?
2. How can textures be stored in a theoretically small sized GLuint
3. Any other functions that would be useful to have in my Texture class
4. Do you think it will work?
5. Thanks much!
6. What functions would I need in order to give each texture class the option to have a Normal and Specular map? And would I load those in the same way as any other texture?


text:
Child Support Lawyers in Los Angeles, CA
Child Support in Los Angeles, California
In situations where parents are not together, such as single parents or divorce scenarios, one parent may be ordered to make a monthly financial payment to help cover the cost of the minor child. This payment is known as child support, and remains a key facet of family law.
These payments are meant to cover key expenses for children, including those related to clothing, food, and shelter, up until the child turns 18. However, child support payments can also include funds to cover additional costs, such as those related to education – private school, tutors, etc. – as well as travel expenses to cover transporting the child between parents.
Typically, the parent that spends the most amount of time with the child – often referred to as a custodial parent – is the one who receives child support payments. This is mostly due to existing law, which assumes that custodial parents spend money directly on the child.
Although it is typically the non-custodial parent who makes child support payments, a court can order both parents to make support payments. It is important to note that this depends on the situation.
How Is Child Support Determined?
In order to determine child support, the state of California has established guidelines – a calculator of sorts – that examine a number of factors. In addition to considering both parents' incomes, state law takes into account:
- The number of children in need of support payments
- The existing time-sharing arrangement
- Tax liabilities for both parents
- Whether or not a parent pays child support for children from a previous relationship
- Health insurance expenses for the child
- Any mandatory financial contributions by the parents
- Job-related expenses
- Other relevant costs
Relevant costs can include those related to healthcare, including vision and dental, as well as child care costs necessary to advance the parents' education, employment or training.
Although child support payments are typically established and ordered by a judge, it is possible for parents to come to a support agreement without an official court order. However, any court ordered support is calculated using the same calculations outlined by state statutes.
Can Child Support Be Amended?
Even if a child support order is already in place, it does not necessarily mean that it is set in stone. In certain child support cases, including those where the ordered support falls below the legal guidelines, a parent may petition for a modification.
A modification may also be granted in child support cases where there is a significant change in time-sharing or financial circumstances. For example, child support payments typically go up when a parent's percentage of time-sharing goes down.
It is also possible to petition for a modification in the event of unemployment, or in situations where they are newly required to support another child.
If you or someone you love are dealing with child support issues in Los Angeles, including establishing, modifying or enforcing a support order, it is in your best interest to enlist the legal guidance of a skilled family law attorney in Los Angeles.
Call Child Support Attorneys in Los Angeles, CA Now!
In Los Angeles and the other communities across Southern California, Whitmarsh Family Law, PC serves as a leading resource for those dealing with family law-related matters, including those involving child support orders. Whether you are working towards a child support agreement, or dealing with a modification or enforcement issue, our legal team of dedicated Los Angeles child support attorneys can provide the advice and guidance you need.
We understand that family-related matters can be quite sensitive, and that they can be incredibly stressful as well. Let us work with you to ensure that your family's needs and interests are protected. To schedule a preliminary consultation to evaluate your child support case, call our Los Angeles child support lawyers at Whitmarsh Family Law, PC at (310) 552-3505.


text:
Beautiful Brides....
A young woman and man were about to be married and were working on some final details of their wedding.
The bride was expressing her struggle with low self-esteem and how much she had suffered over the years from disliking herself. She began to weep as she spoke about it and how her fiance has been such a big support to her.
The tender part was watching how her fiance, the groom, related to her. He spoke of how beautiful he thought she was and that his desire for her was to know her beauty and be a stunning vision of beauty on their wedding day.
As I sat there and watched this story, it really pierced my heart that love makes the Beloved beautiful.
When this man looked at this woman, he didn't see the flaws that the world loves to impose upon us all. He saw his beautiful bride to be, a woman who captivated him and a woman whom he wanted to know the truth about herself.
What a beautiful example of the longing of love.
On a much deeper level, that's how Jesus loves us. We can look at ourselves, see our faults and failings, our past and our struggles, our "ugliness" and say to ourselves, "I am so broken and sinful, how can Jesus truly love me and find me delightful?"
But Jesus doesn't look at us through our eyes, He looks at us through His eyes and His eyes are eyes of love. We are beautiful because of His love for us, not because we are perfect or "holy" or great achievers.
As the fiance in this story looked at his bride to be and saw her beauty and her potential, so Jesus, in an eternal and whole way, sees our beauty and potential.
We don't have to act or put on "make up" to be found beautiful and desirable and worthy by Him.
We need only go to Him, reveal our "ugliness" and He takes it and makes us clean, revealing our beauty to us, the beauty He already sees.
This kind of love, on earth and in heaven, truly sets us free.....


text:
Purina Answers from Global Pet Show
As was expected, the Representatives from Purina Pet Food didn't have a lot of answers for me to questions posed about Waggin Train jerky treats.
First – I must thank Purina Pet Food for giving me time to ask questions. This was certainly not a fun thing for Purina – and credit must be given to them for putting themselves in the 'hot seat'. While all of the big manufacturers were in attendance at this event, none of the rest reached out to me asking if I wanted an interview. So – I give Purina a great deal of credit for this. While not much was accomplished, I felt it was perhaps a first step towards Big Pet Food finally 'hearing' the concerns of pet food consumers (real consumers – not focus group consumers).
That said…
In attendance with me was independent pet store owners Kim Kalendar (Murphy's Pet Food) and Yvonne Guibert (Groovy Cats 'n Dogs and The New Barker magazine).
We entered the massive Purina booth right on time – and were promptly met by Kim Beardslee, Marketing Public Relations and Paul Cooke, Vice President/Director of Trade & Industry Development. We all moved to a reception area (large sectional sofa) in one corner of the booth. My first question was "What does Purina know about the drugs New York Department of Agriculture found in the Waggin Train treats?"
They didn't know anything about these drugs.
I shared 'Well, allow me to tell you a bit about these drugs. They are sulfa drugs. And just the same way some people are allergic to sulfa drugs, so are some dogs. And the reaction a hypersensitive dog has to a sulfa drug is Fanconi Syndrome – the exact symptoms pets have experience from these treats. So how can Purina assure consumers that all the chickens in China are no longer being fed sulfa based antibiotics?'
We were told that the new Waggin Train website explains all of this. But he shared that Purina sources their chicken in China from one farm which they control. And he shared that Purina controls what the birds are fed. We asked what the chickens are fed – they didn't know. But he assured us that Purina is making certain that the birds are fed a safe feed and the chicken jerky is safe. Purina now controls everything in China (for the jerky treats) including manufacturing.
Then he referenced that when a problem was found with the previous Waggin Train jerky treats (NY Department of Agriculture finding illegal drugs and illegal levels of drugs in the treats) – which was a "situation not meeting our standards" Purina "volunteered" to remove the treats from store shelves.
My response: 'No – it wasn't voluntary – you had no choice but to pull the treats from store shelves. It was either pull the treats or be forced to recall – but you didn't really volunteer.'
But he held firm – he stance/belief was that Purina "volunteered".
We asked how many sick pets from Waggin Train had been reported to Purina? They didn't know.
We asked what the procedure is for Purina to determine a product is a risk to pets? They didn't know. I was quite surprised at this and shared with both of them this is something I felt they should be familiar with – what is company protocol when complaints are received from consumers.
At this point I shared with Purina…'I believe that most of the big pet food companies have forgotten what it is like to be a pet food consumer. I would like to see Purina and all of the other big companies sit at a big table – and across from you would be the pet owners that have lost a pet from one of your products. I'd like for you to hear what they've been through face to face. Hear how much money it cost them trying to save their pets life – how it damaged their marriage or how it damaged friendships.' At this – he chuckled.
I leaned towards him and touched him on the arm and said 'This is not funny – it is nothing to laugh at.' He assured me he was not laughing at my statement – and perhaps he wasn't, only he knows for certain. But it changed everything for me from that point on. I was furious and actually wanted to walk out. But I didn't.
The next question was why did Waggin Train have to go back to China? I shared that shortly after the announcement was made that Waggin Train was going to bring back jerky treats from China to store shelves – the group Animal Parents Against Pet Treats Made in China asked me to speak with a few members on a conference call. I shared with Mr. Cooke that these people were just devastated the treats were coming back. I told him they shared with me it felt like a kick to the gut. He stated that Purina's feedback from consumers was positive towards the return of the treats.
But to the question of why China – he stated it was because there is not enough US chicken. I shared I didn't believe that – but also said 'if Purina has their own poultry farm in China, why can't you have that in the US?' He replied 'we can't – we can't grow everything here in the US – do you want us to have a cattle farm, grow our own corn, and on and on? We just can't do that'. We all repeated (almost word for word together) 'if you can do that in China, why can't you do that here?' The response was the same 'we can't'.
We were told that Purina would be more than glad to answer any question from every pet food consumer. And it was offered to me to send Ms. Beardslee any additional questions I might have that didn't get addressed today.
They gave us approximately 20 to 25 minutes – and again, I thank Purina for doing this. Mr. Cooke and Ms. Beardslee were very loyal to Purina – as was expected – but they did give us their time. It certainly wasn't an easy conversation for them/Purina to have – but they had the courage to do it when no other of the large manufacturers did.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
Association for Truth in Pet Food
What's in Your Pet's Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the 'rest of the story' on over 2500 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com
2014 List
Susan's List of trusted pet foods. Click Here
Have you read Buyer Beware? Click Here
Cooking for pets made easy, Dinner PAWsible
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
I'm sincerely hoping that the chuckle was a nervous response to an uncomfortable situation, but…since they've been poisoning pets for years, it's a very faint hope.
Purina gets nothing from me. Ever.
They got "positive feedback from consumers". That cracks me up. I've been all over the WT facebook page. I've posted a lot. So have tons of other people. All about the horrendous effects of this poison. They call us bullies, delete our posts then block us from posting again.
Thank you for all your efforts. I am surprised they gave you as much time and effort as they did. I am pretty sure Purina One cat foot sickened my two cats and I will not use their products, but I am glad you got them a little more aware, maybe.
Wow! They certainly "don't know" a lot!! And, to say they know what their chickens are being fed in China is a bunch of – you know what! I don't now, nor would I ever, trust anything that comes out of their mouths. Just a "Big Petfood Comany" out to make the big bucks! They care nothing about our pets!!
I will give them credit for talking with you. But they had no answers, so there is no credit given there. Thank heaven I do not have to purchase their foods or treats. Nor will I ever! Thanks for nothing Purina.
I'm pleased that Purina listened to you, that's a start anyway. I can only imagine that the man who laughed at your statement is not himself a lifelong pet owner. I can't imagine any pet owner laughing at that statement. Maybe someone married to a pet owner, who just doesn't "get it" would laugh….
Ironically it was Purina One that brought me to your site years ago when they changed the formula, it sickened my dog, and she dramatically refused to eat it by overturning the bowl with her nose in disgust whenever I put it down. God bless her ! The animals do try to tell us sometimes, if we listen to them. My vet's response was not to "spoil" her by giving her an alternate food or she would become a "picky eater." Thank goodness I did not follow this advice A pet that is a "picky eater" is just trying to tell you, "I will not eat this crap, it's making me sick!" With a change in food she eventually recovered her health including restoring a normal thyroid level with no medication, and lived to 16 on your home cooked diet.
Sadly I saw even in the non-profit world that most people are more worried about protecting their turf, their career, and their income than they are about their philosophical mission. I am sure that the multi-billion dollar world of commercial pet food is even worse. Of course they can't farm chickens in the USA… that would reduce their profit ! That's the only reason it "can't be done." Of course, I think they're wrong, I think there are plenty of consumers who would pay extra for a 100% made in USA product.
ITA,, Ian. The fact that Purina and Hills are now actually toying with the idea of coming up with a "raw" product proves that those of us who feed something other than their "stuff" are making dent in their profit margins. There are PLENTY of people out there willing to pay more for better quality, and the numbers are growing. Witness the number of people who go to Farmer's Markets, look for "organic" and "pasture-raised" in stores, head to Whole Foods, and other stores which carry such items, and the number of internet groups focused on homeopathic/holistic meds, alternative ways of treating pets, and raw. Yes, the numbers are growing and people are becoming increasingly aware. If that were not the case, the AVMA wouldn't have bothered to go "anti-raw" or try to silence those vets who recommend alternative diets and lifestyles. The big pet food companies are worried — as well they should be. There may always be those who care little for their animals, but I truly believe the numbers on our side are growing by leaps and bounds. As the governmental agencies work hard to bypass laws which protect us all, the people will speak with their pocketbooks – and are. They will seek out the non-GMO, pasture-raised, grass-finished products and they will refuse to buy those things which are of questionable quality.
I am not sure if you know that last year in May of 2013 that Hills put out a natural dog and cat food called Ideal Balance and my cat has been on it and loves it. It has no wheat soy or corn in it. The nutrition recipe is base on the small animal clinical manual that the vets use to consult to diagnose dogs and cats that has to go on a certain diet. Most of the dog and cat foods are based on the minimum AAFO minimum nutrition standards which has not been updated since 1995 which is like twenty years ago. They have since come up with Ideal Balance Slim and Healthy which is the latest in helping Dogs and Cats loose weight and it is based on coconut oil and based on the clinical test trials they can loose weight of ten pounds in ten weeks. Check Hills Ideal Balance. Based on taste test it was preferred over Blue Buffalo and Nutro.
Hi, Denise. We feed raw and have seen fabulous results — including the ending of IBD episodes from our older dog, allergies, and blood work and energy that no one can fathom comes from an almost 15 year old dog. With all due respect, many vets have linked UTI and renal failure to kibble diets for cats. I would not trust anything that comes from a pet food company that isn't held to human standards (and we all know that, given the FDA compliance policy, that pretty much means all of them!) We are SO glad we don't have to worry about recalls, high aflatoxin levels, mold, and other inappropriate and dangerous ingredients in our furbabies' foods! We know the source of the ingredients because we chose them — and/or we use a raw food company that divulges where they source their proteins. Yes, AAFCO standards are minimum standards for survival, but the "new foods" coming out are smoke and mirrors. It's all marketing hype. Eliminating things like "corn" and "wheat" are fine, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to feeding what is "species-appropriate" to our animals. ALL kibble has high carbs and fillers in it. Otherwise, it wouldn't hold together. As for "protein sources", those are pretty much always questionable (and when one does question, they get a non-answer: "That's proprietary information", "We get it from USDA inspected faciliteis" (still not what we need to know!), and other bilge. Couple that with the fact that the highest protein in most "pet food" is NOT meat or an identifiable, high quality meat source, and there's nothing there to consider to be remotely "species-appropriate". It would be a cold day in the eternally hot place before I trusted ANY of the over-processed, cooked three times with synthetic vitamins sprayed back on — so called "food" from the pet food industry!! Not a chance. And for "taste", there's nothing that beats what nature intended for our carnivores!
Deniese, even if the Hills Science Diet Ideal Balance is an OK product (I'm not going that far, because I have looked into it) I would not use it. Any time you buy it, some of that money still goes to subsidize the crap food that they sell under their normal label. If any company that makes bad products comes out with "good or better" products, I will not use them, because you are still giving money to a company that makes bad products.
Think about it, if Hills is now saying this "Ideal Balance" is the best way to feed your pets, why would they still sell the crap food that is still loaded with corn? How the heck can they sell prescription foods based on corn and other grains when cats are carnivores?????? I will NEVER purchase anything from them, no matter how good they want to make it look.
The reason Purina can't have a farm in the US is because of the cost, period. The cost of land, the cost of water, the cost of feed and the cost of meeting the few agricultural regulations that exist for breeding livestock. And then there is the cost of manufacturing in the US – labor unions, workers comp, insurance, utilities. This should not perplex anyone. It's just not PC for Purina to admit it, that's all.
Every one of the above mentioned things is less costly in China enabling Purina to manufacture a treat that has an attractive price point. Companies know exactly what consumers are willing to pay and the manufacturing process is designed to stay within that boundary.
As long as consumers demand cheap products – from dog treats to clothing – companies will seek the cheapest possible manufacturing facilities. I owned a holistic pet supply for 10 years and I know for a fact that pet owners all say they want US products, but that conviction is sorely challenged when they see the price tag for US made. Only a valiant few either pay the price or do without.
In the aftermath of the Great Petfood Recall, I had a conversation with a pet food manufacturer who told me bluntly, "it's cheaper to send US grown grain to China for processing and then bring it back to the US for manufacturing than to pay the cost of US labor to do it domestically". He had no answer about how they made certain they were getting their own US grain back.
The Furry Herbalist
Commonsense Herbal & Nutritional counseling since 1992
I agree with B Dawson. As consumers we want to pay as little a possible. Very often not due to choice but pure necessity. We complain about the loss of jobs, we complain about the low wages and yet as a consumer group we want to pay as little as possible. The irony: if more consumer would purchase made in the US, these manufacturers would sell a lot more and could lower their price. A vicious cycle. I don't believe we have seen the worst yet. China is becoming more expensive and many manufacturers are already leaving China for cheaper pastures. China is an enemy we do. Who is next?
"I know for a fact that pet owners all say they want US products, but that conviction is sorely challenged when they see the price tag for US made."
Count among 10 pet owners you know, how many truly believe that the PFI is harming animals! Every single person (except for a long time TAPF follower) will say that you are exaggerating, and it couldn't possibly be that bad. That's why they're not willing to fork over more money for a safe product. It has taken years and years and years for the CJT issue to reach mainstream. Probably because relatively recently there was a media blitz! Which the association against CJT has worked very hard to accomplish. I do come across people who now admit they won't "buy Chinese Jerky Treats." But are still carting out of the store ProPlan and Beneful and Purina, etc.. Because (ironically) they blame the "Chinese" and not the corporation for it in the first place! Yet wouldn't common sense say, that if a company is unscrupulous enough to deal with harmful Chinese imports in the first place, then they can't be trusted regarding ANY of their dealings! People just don't comprehend the root of the problem, because it IS so unbelievable. And that is Corporate America is not being held to the standard of Truth in Advertising, period.
Otherwise the industry would have to admit, that PF is salvaged refuse, (seconds not suitable for the retail market) chemically altered and corrected, artificially augmented, attractively packaged, artfully labeled and deceitfully marketed!
What got left out of my statement above between the marks which is really the whole point …. is this:
To change Action, you have to change Thinking, but first you have to change Perception!
I have an awful feeling that, deep down, Purina's bottom line finds it more profitable to continue questionable food component import policies and deal with the "collateral damage" than to change to using only proven safe foods in their products. Profits out rank morality? It would not be the first or only time that inhumane corporations put profits above safety.
The earlier comment is correct…it is much cheaper to have food & other products processed in China. This is done in pet food & human food all the time. But those are the exact companies you want to avoid! If we keep avoiding products made or processed in China our demand for products made in the USA or Canada will make companies change what they are doing. It's so simple so why can't everyone do this?! I have been making my own raw dog food for over a year now and I'm only spending $120 a month to feed a large chocolate lab and 2 medium sized dogs (beagle & basset hound). I was spending around $90 a month when I fed a 'high' quality dry food (now I know no dry food is high quality food…) All you have to do is find good local sources for meat and negotiate a price for large quantities. It's so simple!! At the very least avoid products made or processed in China. You may need to contact a company to find out where a product is actually processed or where some of the ingredients in that product come from. Just a phone call can possibly save your pet's life! It doesn't take that much extra time or money to feed your pet a healthy, proper diet. I just wish more people could realize this…
I agree that manufacturers have to try to balance production costs to acceptable prices. Even when I make my own dog food, I use store bought chicken that is likely laced with antibiotics, so we may be stuck with unsuitable ingredients.. Occasionally, I use rabbit, which I raise myself, using no antibiotics, but my rabbitry is small, and rabbit stew is rare for my dogs. Purina is my backup rabbit feed supplier, but I've found inconsistencies in the rabbit feed I get from ADM. They've been much better lately and I've had no deaths or health problems from feed from either Purina or ADM. My rabbits like Purina. I do not feed Purina dog foods. Do they have corn as an ingredient? One of my dogs is allergic to corn.
It was very good of you to acknowledge Purina for their willingness to subject themselves to an interview. I hope they will find the answers to your questions. It will make them a better company. It's heartening to see a company respond to their market in this way.
Until there is a majority of consumers wnho boycott there mass companies which purina is just one, things will not change about 5 years ago I made a change to quality pet food after a lot of research and although it is seems motr expensive, I no longer have expenses for lg vet bills ,medicines and supplements, etc and my two senior cats are healthy and active at 14 years old. Good real quality food is benificial to both humans and our furry friends
The conversation ending in a chuckle is inexcusable. I think you are too fair to some of these people Susan, an attribute that you have and that I lack. I call it like I see it. The problem with meetings like this, is they will always have an answer, even for the difficult questions. And the irony about that, is the answers they provide are laughable. But they don't care if people believe their answers. Until someone proves them wrong (which they'll have something to dispute it), they will keep up with the smoke and mirrors about what is really going on- an insatiable lust for money.
I think his chuckle was misunderstood. Of course he understands the sadness and loss of pet owners whose pets have died.
Unless you work in the human food industry or the pet industry for big or small companies you really don't understand the process. Thinking a pet food caused your pets death is entirely different from actual cause which often cannot be determined without expensive testing which again most people cannot afford and therefore opt not to do. This is testing that cannot be performed by your local veterinarian but multiple tests that must be sent to major accredited facilities and universities at a substantial cost to the pet owner on top of the substantial cost of the veterinarian trying to save the pet's live so they choose not too.
People who don't work in the lab industry don't understand lab testing either, it's not as simple as plugging something into a machine and a few hours later finding all the answers. (TV is not reality – no surprise there though).
People do not understand that correlation is not causation. Anecdotal evidence is not really evidence at all. Real concrete substantial evidence and result based facts are required, whether your emotions like it or not. No food company big or small, home kitchen to big corporation is responsible in any way shape or form for what a consumer thinks happened nor should they be.
People will say that they are willing to pay whatever price for a food to ensure it meets their expectation of what pet food should be. But that is just not true: not now, not before and not ever are they willing to pay the true cost of what they are asking for. They are not willing to in human food nor pet food. The people who are asking for this will make their own instead of paying that price and this will leave other consumers paying for expensive food that they never wanted because their is no more choice left in the market.
Companies have to make a profit to survive… that is the nature of our world. How many of you would work for nothing? How many of you think you deserve more money?
These are some of the reasons big diversified companies buy out the smaller ones, because they are the only ones who can afford to run the business. The smaller companies are often drowning in costs and not making any profit because they cannot produce the volume required for their business to be sustainable above and beyond operating costs. The smaller companies may have to sacrifice ingredients or quality of ingredients from time to time due to cost or availability because they simply do not have the buying power to get them.
I would much rather buy something from a large corporation that tests its ingredients and has a substantial food safety and quality program in place every day than a small company that claims many things about its food (and we believe them), has zero buying power and can't afford to clean and test things properly. I can then choose from these companies products whose ingredients meet my needs and expectations and pay accordingly for what I have chosen.
I guess the debate is about whether large PF companies are an advantage over smaller ones. However I'm choosing to address the umbrella issue of too many PF companies regardless of size.
In your comment, you're assuming all pets dying PRE-maturely are from natural causes, environmental exposure, or hereditary defects. Does that mean people do as well? If so, then that's relatively good news for us. Because we can all go back to eating whatever we want or smoking! But I think Field Professionals have already agreed that improper diet (and toxic chemicals) affect health! It just does.
Unfortunately, PF goes a step further. It isn't just an indulgent kind of diet (like Fast Food) with too much fat, sodium and sugar. PF contains ingredients not fit for human consumption, and in combinations, and are heat treated, then chemically compensated. [See TAPF articles on 4-D rendered protein and endotoxins.] What's worse, pets aren't eating this as an occasional diet of deficiencies, but it is steady.
Whether or not we (the Owner) works in the "Industry" or in a "Testing Facility" I invite you to watch FOOD, INC. There's an eye opener as to Agri-Business and Corporate mentality squarely at the expense of the (human) Consumer! Particularly regarding the Poultry Industry. We can hardly expect them to do better with our Pets.
But we also know now, even more about the excessive use of antibiotics in animals raised for slaughter. The question is, why is it necessary to use antibiotics. The answer is, because of massive quantities of animals raised, and the hyper-speed rate of production! The greater wildcard is when a foreign country manufacturer now enters the system, using questionable Agri-business farming and manufacturing processes. With even less regulation than the US.
I would like an Industry Specialist (and perhaps you are one) to answer this. Why can't a dog or cat can't eat certain brands of PF over others, without distress? Ingredients should be ingredients. A piece of meat, or a carrot. What's so complicated. Perhaps an animal can't tolerate "beef" or "chicken" or a "vegetable" but why do they get sick regarding the entire Brand Name? When plenty of individual formulas/recipes are offered.
What is common about "that" Brand's sourcing and manufacturing creating sensitivity? I've tested it, with my dogs, same breed, unrelated, with an 11 yr age difference (very old, very young). Living in a controlled household. No variants. But certain Brands produce (note this) simultaneous results, such as ridiculous, pudding like stools! This also happens when Formulas change. And when Company Ownership changes! I've read on this site, similar things happening to other Owners. Especially with cats!!
But when the Brand is switched then the animal's reaction changes! So as you seem to have a insider's knowledge background, let's figure out WHY PF causes what kinds of adverse reactions in pets first! Let's just answer that question. When the Owner serves it, they get sick. When they stop, they aren't. Pretty basic testing procedure there. And not expensive at all.
Now let's throw in when an animal gets violently sick. It was healthy before feeding the suspected PF. Owners are smart enough to know whether or not their animal lives in a controlled household (no dangers). And then it gets sick within days of serving the new food. And what's always SO strange, is that's it's hard to scientifically pin point (prove) evidence. I'd have to say the PFI is smart enough to pre-test their food exactly for this purpose. Or there would be lawsuits galore.
Does "one" serving of PF kill a pet outright? PF Defenders say of course not. Yet Owners have seen drastic results within a week. Our pets are the only animals we know of, among all species, that eat the exact same diet 365 days a year (often) for years and years of its lifetime! And as they age, little problems keep accumulating. Is that only the natural "aging process" or a premature breakdown of natural defense systems?
I would like to see a long term Industry testing of Brands tracking the health and welfare of pets for at least half their lifetime. Not by keeping animals in cages. But through controlled households belonging to a combination of ethical Industry Professionals, Employees, Veterinarian Families and objective scientifically oriented Third Parties.
Finally, as to cost. You're referring to 2 different mentalities. One kind of PF Consumer will never feed anything other than "animal food" to an "animal!" The other kind of Consumer (once educated) will pay the cost of food for what they expect and for peace of mind. And as these Consumers are being educated, they are choosing to feed fresh, whole, home-made food (which does cost more). And the people in between choose RAW. Simple, nutritious, convenient, and less problematic. So "cost" alone does not adequately explain Consumer behavior!
But it certainly does the PFI's motivation! If they didn't make a "profit" they couldn't stay in business. But the real question is this. How do they define acceptable profit; only by billions of dollars. Or including ethical practices and business integrity? And, if they do continue to make their choices as demonstrated, then for heavens sake, why can't they please ACCURATELY and TRUTHFULLY label what is being produced, so that everyone can make an appropriate and informed choice!!
I think the Industry Rep WAS laughing at what was perceived to be an overly melodramatic comment. But the sad thing is, it wasn't. Which means a lack of understanding and empathy by "Career Professionals" while they gamble with the lives of pets. Several production batches of a PF brand might test okay for that stretch of time. Yet others can easily reach extreme tolerances (pesticide toxicity, inferior sourcing, dangerous storage and transport methods) because as we all know, no system is perfect. And exactly to that point, pet owners need to be RESPECTED for when their animal does manifest symptoms that are the unexpected exceptions to the rule!
As to testing, yes necropsy is expensive and emotionally charged. But if Veterinarians were supportive of questionable symptoms and premature death, perhaps the practice SHOULD be mainstreamed in order to collect relevant data that could be shot back to the Industry. As it is, the Industry knows how Consumers tick. So their advertising is intentionally manipulative to establish a false sense of trust in their product AND practices.
The real truth is, it just isn't fair to the animal
What a great well though out reply!
A lot comes down to differences in animals… I have one dog who can eat raw meaty bones with no issues at all and another who no matter what kind of meat… even a raw bone with no meat on it will have prolonged horrible vomiting and diarrhea (sometimes… nights spent with the plain pedialyte and a syringe, days after with pumpkin and rice until his stomach settled down and he could finally eat something).
Different pet food diets are made in giant batches from a formula that normally should not change from batch to batch. I'm talking from 20 to 100 tonnes of food or more in one batch (per day). So if one consumer reports an illness related to that food what do you do as a company when you sold over 5000 bags of this same batch with no issues, and 15,000 before that without issue? How do you begin to investigate that? With good companies even with one customer complaint they most likely will go to their "library" of saved bags from batches and test for things that would normally be thought of as possible. But what if it is sent to an independent outside lab and everything comes back within normal ranges or as expected. What do they test for now? Have they done their due diligence by doing this or should we as a consumer expect more if only one dog became ill?
It is easy to say just test, test, test… and a lot of the big companies do a lot of testing. (I wish I could say the same about some of the smaller ones). They might do a feeding trial to make sure the dogs will eat their food over another but that is about it. These trials aren't about food safety, it's about whether the dog will choose your food over another for a certain number of days. Then there is also the ethical issues of testing on animals… but lets save that for another day…
As for mainstreaming testing and necropsy and channeling the info back to the "industry", it would be wonderful, but this is so much bigger than it sounds and there are lots of limiting factors. With necropsy you are seeing the physiological cause of death not the direct causative agent. A necropsy alone can cost $500 dollars or more and then you have to obtain enough "sample" to send out for a myriad of testing, and since there are only a few places across the country that test for certain things you have to divide the sample and ship it each of which can range from $50 to several hundreds of dollars. So to find the cause of one suspicious death it could cost thousands. No one can do this for free, even if they want to. So who pays for this?
The consumer industry is a crazy game and I agree the number of PF companies is ridiculous and growing because they can all see $$$$ the only way they can get ahead is to make other companies look bad and fool the consumer into thinking their food is better with whatever marketing gimmick they can fathom. So many of the new companies don't know the first thing about pet food. They are either just trying to cash in or they truly feel they are doing the "right thing". They make a pretty bag with flashy slogans to lure the consumer. The ingredients and formula come later… Something they often know nothing about. They pay some company to make it for them.
One of the problems with the pet food industry is definitely lack of regulation… Pet food isn't people food or animal feed for humans so it falls into a grey area. But I also think there is so much more than just the fact that the industry isn't regulated. Because, I also think these issues are also rampant in human food which is regulated. The difference is we don't eat the same thing day after day after day…like our pets do so the effect is somewhat mitigated.
Now… even with regulations someone has to be checking on all companies big and small, currently there is not a lot of actual checking. But again who pays for checking, who does the checking, how often to they check and what are they checking for?
I feel your pain with respect to … "if they do continue to make their choices as demonstrated, then for heavens sake, why can't they please ACCURATELY and TRUTHFULLY label what is being produced, so that everyone can make an appropriate and informed choice!!" I am fighting for this constantly where I work and I hear a thousand excuses, none of which are good …
I've read TAPF for 8 years, including virtually all comments. But never read one like yours. In the beginning, depending on the topic (especially when a Brand Name was mentioned) nearly 50%-60% of Reader responses were argumentative. People defended their opinions, attacked the Author's and other Reader's, like death! By contrast, our own "debate" here isn't about who's right or wrong. It is about expanding the discussion. And learning from both perspectives. As an Industry Insider, you taking the time to share personal experience and knowledge is important and considerate!
I concede to the complexity of manufacturing volume, mass production, evidence investigation, geographical logistics, cost, and how to justify the value of results for the effort applied.
So let's individualize issues that "could" be addressed.
[I'm guessing the dog you mentioned with extreme symptoms to meat may have a tendency toward pancreatitis, IBD, or UC. Once intestinal inflammation starts, it takes its toll, weakening natural defenses, and very little irritation can set off severe episodes. I know from experience. Sadly, for this kind of dog, I would claim a heredity predisposition, and not PF as the main culprit. But keep in mind, that PF over time, can be a colluding factor in promoting internal deterioration.
So for the sake of progress in this discussion, we can say most dogs with severe reactions, have some contributing deficiency that makes them more susceptible than average.
Most PF Brands boast of comprehensive quality control procedures. Let's assume what you describe is typical of major name Brands. From your description it would seem impossible for a dog's issue to be tied back to a particular batch of food that tests negative. Again, we'll classify that kind of dog with an existing deficiency or predisposition.
One question remains, does a "good" PF Company put relative weight on a cluster of complaints within a specific timeframe, focused on a single target? Does it escalate the speed and depth of research? How often CAN a cause and effect be established? And how do they communicate with Consumers? Another observation is, PF is virtually never recalled for worse than "Samonella." Or is that an "umbrella" excuse for recalling PF with potentially far worse problems? So as not to alarm consumers?
We know, from common sense, that production mistakes can happen at any point. Fatal exposure to pesticide spraying, leaking chemicals, defective ingredients, dangerous storage and transport circumstances. Can you say companies are truly vigilant against such mistakes, while they are just as comprehensive in dealing with major mistakes prior to batch releasing? If so, why is a library of sample food necessary?
While testing isn't a pleasant subject, it's required for the greater good. It's assumed that "Prescription PF" must go through rigorous testing to formulate a dependable remedy for a life threatening condition. But, as referenced earlier in my response, shouldn't practical testing be done to show that long term feeding of a routine diet, won't compromise a dog's metabolism, digestive and intestinal processes, long term! Perhaps it shouldn't be, but these diets ARE life-long. And the Animal Feed Industry has already admitted that livestock feed is intended for short-term maintenance of animals intended for slaughter. How much more quality goes into a PF to ensure its natural to extended lifespan? And compared to fresh, whole foods? That's the kind of useful testing needed. But we both recognize that no company will incur added expenses, for less profit. BB's claim of "Life Source" bits may allude to antioxidant nutritional benefits, but is it fair to lead Consumers on with that kind of suggestion?
If true testing were a valid premise, then in-house necropsy would be part of the discussion. Again, an unpleasant subject. But back to the idea of practical in-home tracking of PF nutritional effects. Career and Veterinarian Professionals (tracking household pets) offset by Objective Third Party participants. Performing end of life necropsy testing, that surely could distinguish between the "clustering" of kidney/renal failure, versus cancers, versus natural causes, and noting average life span reached. If we're talking about who picks up the price tag, remember the PFI is a Billion dollar business! And because of Dept. of Ag fees, formulas don't change frequently, nor are new Brand Names often added.
The PFI shouldn't be a "crazy game" but well said. In terms of marketing, and AAFCO complicating ingredient definitions and misdirecting labeling. If good will (transparency) was truly intended, then proof and demonstration of "Best Practices" (in all areas) would be self-evident. This I say to contradict the idea that TAPF is a grass-roots conspiracy. And for what purpose. It's non-profit (if not loss incurring) website helping to promote pet welfare. The PFI would (and should be) as open-minded as yourself, to explain what practices achieve what results. And yet consumers are treated as if knowing too much would be a detriment. Hardly a confidence building approach.
Actually "because" PF isn't fit for human consumption, it can only be classified as a specially formulated version of livestock feed. And we know the purpose of that. No better, no worse. But it means a world of difference regarding quality regulation and assurances. And no, the problem isn't a lack of PF regulation. (Please refer to FDA Compliance Policies already on the books). But understand that the PFI could very well be SELF regulating … if it chose to be! Currently there are Truth in Advertising lawsuit allegations amongst major companies. But how much more effective it would be, if there was a lawsuit against the use of illegal 4-D rendered protein. [See articles on endotoxins, etc.]. So shouldn't there be a Policy established to make Renderers accountable for the ORIGIN (and condition) of protein sources and treatment practices?? That Policy should be demanded in partnership with the PFI! Again, if they truly wanted to be transparent and use Best Practices for the welfare of animals. Instead of solely focusing on profit.
The point is well taken that one difference is we don't eat the same thing day after day after day…like our pets do. Therefore. even greater care should be taken in the formulation of PF.
I am glad you are advocating for accurate, truthful labeling. Because actually it's the first step to improving what they're labeling in the first place! The PFI being so highly competitive, could very well "take off" for the benefit of all pets, if it decided to be SELF regulating, and calling out all "Players" who cheat the system! Nobody knows better than Insiders how to catch a Cheat. And "Good Companies" shouldn't be blamed for all generalized failures.
As to marketplace, the one kibble I really trusted was Mulligan's Stew (dry). I paid double for it and it was shipped overnight. But the company rep admitted to me they couldn't stay in business with their commitment to quality compared to what it was costing them to make it. But at least they were honest enough to admit that, and NOT sell out.
A good company of any kind should be investigating, trending and analyzing all of their complaints, and if they have multiple complaints with the same issue from a single batch produced it should escalate the depth of research (and this is where IMO bigger companies have an advantage over the smaller one because they have the resources and financial capability to do so). Because complaints often come in as an owner's perception of an issue, the descriptions of symptoms are vague and consumers often get lost in emotion, anger, blaming etc. which doesn't help to find out if there is something potentially wrong with the food. Always give specific detailed information about the product itself… without this nothing can be done other than to record a general complaint. The complete name, bag size, SKU, and most importantly the lot/ batch code/ BBD / time code printed on the bag. I've listened to complaint calls from consumers who refused to give this information because we should know what we did.
A company communicate issues to consumers via a recall. A PF is virtually never recalled for worse than Salmonella because that's what it is routinely tested for (both internally and by the FDA) , therefore that is what has the potential to be found more often. The risk of Salmonella is more aimed towards humans rather than pets, the risk is lower to pets. Salmonella can also act as an "indicator" so to speak for the potential of other bacterial issues.
Pet food companies should be invested at a bare minimum in some sort of food safety program (GFSI). (This is again where I see differences between large and small companies). It is through the strength of their food safety program that they are vigilant, without this you have no system in place to help prevent mistakes or to find the mistakes that have already happened. I would be very uneasy about any company that does not keep at least some sort of sample library, IMO it speaks to their commitment to their product right up to and beyond it's expiry date.
Common ground here is two-fold, PFI economics and market maneuvering. Purina and similar have the consumer figured out. Don't explain the product and nobody will figure out what it really is. That's why somebody like Susan doesn't get anywhere with questions. As you can see from the Trade Show photos it's all smoke and mirrors. They are there to fool re-sellers who do the same to customers for lack of enlightenment. Why do companies spend on slick packaging and advertising instead of reinvesting in the product? Until they realize there's a market for informed buyers, and watch the numbers going to raw and home cooking who're not buying their product, companies must keep hearing from consumers. If I'm going to spend the money anyway, I will on whole food for my dogs unless a company can produce a product about which they are proud to be transparent. In the meantime, Susan's 2014 List helps me make those decisions and recommendations to others!
Recently my friend with an senior dog reported to me that the dog was quite sick and they were afraid he was going to die. He was eating Little Caesar–as was recommended by the vet. They gave the little fellow chicken and rice and he seemed fine. Again they fed him the Little Caesar and again he got sick so they gave some to the younger very hearty dog and he got sick. They threw out the commercial dog food and the little old fellow is eating chicken and rice and doing fine.
Has anyone heard anything about any problem with Little Caesar?
I have given this to my dogs a few times but not recently and never again now.
First, it's good to ask questions. No pet food should ever be making a pet sick! Unfortunately PF is always suspected last instead of first. Secondly, people think as long as a PF hasn't reported a "problem" then it's okay. Instead, it's a question of whether the company can vouch for the origin of its ingredients, uses primary food among the first five listed, will answer all consumer questions. It helps further when the food is minimally processed. However Caesar is known to be a very popular food! Particularly when a pet will hardly eat anything else. Heaven only knows what makes it irresistable. Still it's a highly processed food, using by-products, sodium nitrate, carrageenan and added color to name a few. One site reviewed offered a case of six (3.5 oz) servings for $9. That's about $45 for a month. If that's all the dog needs to eat. Chances are, not a good idea.. Whole food for a little more money is possible. THK offers a pre-mix, to be used with real chicken ($2.99 lb) or beef ($3.99 lb). A few optional ingredients can extend the meal. A senior dog, even a dog approaching those years, SO needs a wholesome diet. At least occasionally. Think about aging Seniors (humans). Should they eat only "fast-food" (preservative and sodium rich) quick foods? Or will they feel better eating as many whole foods as possible? Compared to decades ago too many pets are dying prematurely of cancer and cats with renal issues. We've got to start asking, what's the common denominator?
Thanks for your comment. Personally, I cook for my dogs (and cats) and feed them a little kibble made by Wysong plus some freeze dried food by Whole life. I am trying to convert my friends and I am sure they are tired of hearing me.
When a product is recalled think about why you would buy that product again. There are many excellent products out there. Know what you feed your pet. Read the ingredient labels on the bags. And research the best products and shop independent stores where there are owners and staff that care about your pets.
Thanks Susan for voicing our concerns to Purina. My Beagle that was a breeder dog (adopted by me) was fed Purina food. I promptly changed her kibble and the seizures she would sometimes get disapeared! Hummm.
I will not buy ANY Purina products at all.
He said Purina can't make it here only in China. No Purina could bring it all here. But he said they can't, more like they won't. Again it's all about the cost. The chuckle. I bet he thought it was a funny thing to imagine thousands of sick and dyeing pets, because of them. The power he must have felt at that very moment! Sickening. You are so controlled. I think I may have told him so many 4 letter words of what all I thought of him I would never have been welcomed back. I do admire your control.
nestle/purina is the anti-christ…
I have one questions for Purina…Why raise anything in China or elsewhere for that matter? As a US company, they should bring it back home to the USA! It will be better for our economy and better for our pets.
Ask her when they're going to do something about Gigi and the horrid suffering she endured as she died in kidney failure and how they can ever compensate any of us for the pets we've lost…..I'd like to know how they can have the audacity to produce this product. Check out their views on water too. I don't like these guys and you will not find a single product made by this company in any place in my home.
[…] this controversy, read this article by Susan Thixton, a writer and Pet Food Safety Advocate, titled Purina Answers from Global Pet Show. If anything, this article only made me more upset because of the obvious disregard by Purina for […]
I had a healthy cat that ate everything a normal cat would. Then (with my assistance of course), the cat discovered Purina. Over time the cat got hooked on that flavored Chinese sawdust and one day delivered a kidney failure. My boss at work also had a pair of cats that were fed Purina almost exclusively. One died of cancer.
And not to single out Purinay. Most mass produced cat food is made at the same batch of factories. Companies like Purina do branding. They buy the 3rd party product and put it in their colored bag. In reality all processed cat food is bad. It is designed to be addictive and to discourage animal's taste for natural meat, fish and chicken. It's an unregulated drug industry for creatures that have have no judicial protection. It's all poison.
If you have a kitten, feed it normal food. Keep it safe and far away from these companies.
The sad thing is that they themselves know perfectly well what they're selling. It's all public relations and profits. They don't give a wooden nickel about the pets. Suit wearing businessmen. Marketing and brand experts.
I just spent $200 on my puppy who got ill after eating one gourmet homemade dog cookie from a "reputable" dog treats boutique…so don't think homemade is any safer


text:
COLUMBUS-III - Dallas 2004
Family photo of Columbus-III cable system meeting in Richardson, Dallas, USA, in May 2004.
The meeting resuming after a nice open air lunch in the garden, seen throught the window.
My friend Jeff Mundt (Chairman) offering me the farewell cake in name of Columbus-III delegates. Thanks a lot.
The cake made by MCI (portuguese cooker?) to celebrate my retirement. A nice and pleasant surprise indeed.
At Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie entrance, Jim Brack explains how the horse races work and how to bet without loosing much money.
Jim, Jeff, Peter and Mamiliano in the balcony.
Camera man preparing to capture the start of the first course.
Preparing the track before the start of the race.
In last night, eating pizza in a local restaurant in Dallas: Mamiliano (Italy), Peter (South Africa), Ana (Spain) and I.