Dog Kisses to the Rescue

I have been an advocate of the “a little dirt is good for you” theory since my kids were born.  I grew up on a farm where play, animals and dirt were a regular and wondrous part of my childhood.  You went outside, you got dirty.  It was a given.  I have always been pretty healthy and so are my kids, so it made sense that a little challenge to the immune system periodically kept it in shape to ward off the nasty stuff.

Now a study recently published in the journal of Pediatrics* has shown that pets are an effective vehicle for bringing dirt, or more correctly microbiotic agents, to us, especially as children.  For example, kids in homes with dogs had lower incidents of some respiratory ailments and ear infections.  Check out a video about the benefits of your pet at: http://www.newsy.com/videos/cats-dogs-may-boost-babies-immune-systems/

The use of antibiotics was less in these pet-loving homes as well, which is great because, as I’ve stated in my blogs before, antibiotics are terribly over-used and becoming more ineffective because of it.  

Some people are allergic to cats and dogs, but those without allergies could really benefit from having a four-legged creature at home.  It is common knowledge now that having a pet around reduces a person’s anxiety and, for some, especially the elderly, provide companionship and a reason to take of themselves. 

But, let’s be clear – I really do NOT advocate letting a dog kiss you on the mouth, even though we have all seen individuals do it who have apparently forgotten what that same tongue just licked.  Actually, while I don’t like dogs licking me at all, but I love to have my dogs greet me at the door or snuggle next to me on the couch.

So, I think I will add “get a dog (or cat)” to your Emergency Preparedness Kit.  They could help boost your immune system and give yourself someone to hug when a disaster strikes.  Your pet may not be a Lassie or Rin Tin Tin, but he or she can give you something you just can’t buy in stores...someone who will be by your side through thick and thin.

Just don’t forget to make a Preparedness Kit for your pet.  For ideas go to:  http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness/

*Read the article, “Dirty Dog, Happy Baby” by Amina Khan in the July 9, 2012, Los Angeles Times.

The Beauty of Blogs

I am very appreciative of you who read my blog. It’s really wonderful that you take the time to read my weekly messages and occasionally let me know you like what I have to say. So, in case I have not said it before, Thank you!

I have tried to make my entries meaningful and thought-provoking in some way, with a little whimsy tossed in. However, I am trying to beef up my readership, so I was looking at events and people that make the biggest headlines. What do they have that people want to read?

A quick look at the “top news” revealed devastating storms, changes in international leadership and the Kardashian’s Christmas card. WHAT? Seriously? The Kardashian’s? What is it about those kooky (my description) family that makes them so irresistible to otherwise normal people? Now that I am a seasoned blogger (1 year and two months!), I was curious as to the type of blog that Ms. K, et al, would produce, so after a half a dozen (irritating) clicks, I finally managed to find it. “It” was, disappointingly yet expected, some flashy photos of herself, the fam and a few other links to all things K. Really? Is that all there is?

Blogging is really a wonderful thing. It allows the famous to the unknown, the knowledgeable to the goofball, the profound to the radical to say something to anyone with an internet connection. That does lead to a conundrum (I have been dying to use that word in a sentence all month!) of easily obtaining free advice and information, but potentially not truthful, valid or safe to employ. There is no Accuracy gauge on any site, but those of us who blog to help others – however oblique and convoluted the message often is! – really do try our best to give you, as our momentary audience, something that is worthy of your time and your consideration.

Which brings me to this. Seasoned journalists are being sorely disappearing as more news media are down-sizing and putting news journalists in unemployment lines. I can’t imagine an LA Times without Steve Lopez or Bill Plaschke! It’s tragic because these are people with their eyes on the world for many years, often discovering crime and injustices where no one had looked before. Look at Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s opening of Watergate, or, for those in Southern California, the City of Bell salary scandal, brought to our attention by a team of twelve journalists from the LA Times. It was their tenacity and bravery that brought these issues to the public’s attention.

Blogs, while no replacement for that caliber of journalistic investigation, can help people. Blogs can prod, enlighten and entertain. Thankfully, some of those vivid analytical journalistic minds have turned to blogs and continue to speak to us electronically. And, for small-time bloggers like myself, I try very hard to bring things that are newsworthy and important, especially in the area of emergency preparedness.

So, read on, dear reader. I will continue to blog as long as there is something worth telling you, and hopefully help you, too. And it is OK, if you wander over to Ms K’s blog. We all need an escape once in a while. Even into that world of make-believe.

Blog On! Oh, and don’t forget to check all your batteries this week. I bet they are on sale...

The Policies of Earthquake Preparedness

The Sunday, July 24, 2011 Los Angeles Times (Op-Ed, page A26) had an excellent and quite thought provoking article on the relationship between a disaster’s outcome and a country’s public policies. Claire Berlinski, the article’s author, stated that while there is a popular belief that a country’s preparedness is inextricably linked to a country’s economic wealth there is much more to that story.

The images from Haiti were startling and heart-breaking. Everyone could see the shoddy construction of the homes, schools, hospitals and businesses led to massive death and destruction by the 7.0 magntitude earthquake last January (2010). Over 200,000 people died and forced a million and a half to live in camps.

Speed over to Concepcion, Chile, that endured an 8.8 shaker that moved the entire city to the west 10 feet. Sadly, 521 people died in this city, but this quake shook an urban population 180 times HARDER than Haiti, yet look at the difference. The city of over 200,000 citizens and another 700,000 in the surrounding area had much less damage. Let’s be clear, though -- buildings collapsed, bridges fell, homes were destroyed. Concepcion experienced an extraordinarily hard shake, but you can’t help but note the difference between the two areas.

Why? Building codes and diligence. As Ms. Berlinski so pointedly states, Chile has “some of the strictest and most advanced building codes in the world, and because the codes do not merely exist on paper – they are enforced.” And look at Japan. Granted this country was hit hard by the nuclear power plant disaster and an unbelievable tsunami, but the earthquake itself did very little damage. And why? They changed the way they built buildings. They worked on shoring up those that needed it. They designed and invented ways to make buildings more earthquake resistent. Building codes and diligence.

And the link to a country’s economics? This may be a little more complex to sort out, particularly in countries like Haiti where corruption has its own political party, but look at Chile. The salary of an average Chilean worker is one-third that of the United States worker, yet their public policy has invested in itself and, in this case, most definitely saved lives.

So, what about your workplace or your school? Honestly, this may be difficult – albeit not impossible – information to get, but what about your house? Is it up to code? Is it bolted to the foundation? Is your masonry held together with rebar, or a kiss and a prayer? (My mother’s favorite saying).

Can you, individual person, make a difference? Sure you can. Start now. Find out about your city’s building codes with regard to earthquake proofing. Find out about your own house or apartment to see what it has or needs. You can do things yourself, such as bolting things inside, too, such as high bookshelves, heavy TV’s and cabinets. Talk to your city council and your state legislators and get your local codes to be strict AND enforced.

Don’t wait until things start falling down to remind you that a well-enforced building policy can go a long way to keep you and your house standing.