Zemeks' Updates

Pilots-N-Paws Rescue Dogs

Karen & gerard — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 01:10:32 GMT

Gerard read about Pilots-N-Paws in the November 27, 2008 USA TODAY. Men and women who are pilots give up their own time to fly dogs that are on death row to other places where they may be adopted or to no-kill shelters. That to me is just awesome!! We think that is wonderful and thank them for saving these dogs from being euthanized. On Thanksgiving Day, I want to salute these men and women for the job they do voluntarily. Thank you! Bow-wow means I Love You!

To see a video about this, here is the link to the USA TODAY site where you can view it: http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2008-11-25-pilots-dog-rescue_n.htm

Pit Bulls On Death Row In Ohio

Karen & gerard — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:06:43 GMT

Apparently our Ohio State government is seeking to pass a bill that will kill ALL pit bull dogs in Ohio. I certainly hope this does not pass. I agree with the letter written by my co-worker below:

Here is part of the bill

Sec. 955.111. (A) Beginning ninety days after the effective date of this section, no person shall own, keep, or harbor a dog that belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog.

(B) Not later than ninety days after the effective date of this section, a person who owns, keeps, or harbors a pit bull dog on the effective date of this section shall surrender the dog to the dog warden. Not later than ten days after receiving the dog, the dog warden shall euthanize the dog.

Below is the letter that my co-worker sent: (It's an amazing story about her pit bull and certainly makes good points)

I am absolutely outraged that our government has nothing better to do than worry about killing innocent animals. I understand there are ignorant people, like Michael Vick for instance, who act so irresponsibly with dog fighting and cruelty to animals, but not all of us are Michael Vick.

I want to tell you a story about my Max. Max was a pit bull. Yes I said was, because on a warm night in June of this year we had our house broken into while we were upstairs sleeping. Max, who slept in our room, heard a noise and jumped up to investigate. We followed as far as we could since we were upstairs and the intruders were downstairs. We had no weapons at our disposal upstairs, only our Max. He never hesitated one moment to go see who was down in our kitchen. The next thing I remember hearing was a gun shot and then another and then our beloved dog trying to make it back up the stairs to us. He made what had to be an agonizing journey up the steps to put himself between us and the intruders and that is where he died right before our eyes. Max was not a big dog, as a matter-of-fact, he was the runt so he was much smaller, but he never let his size deter him from protecting us that night. He died doing just that, protecting us from evil. He loved us so much that he never wavered from his mission, making sure we were safe. After the gun shots the intruders knew they had to get out quick before the police came but not until they pointed their gun upstairs trying to find us. Max died a hero because had he not heard them and gone down there into the line of fire they could have eventually made their way up to our room and for all we know, had that happened, I might not be here today writing this e-mail. Max was only 5 years old and had a long life ahead of him. A day does not go by that I don't think of him and just writing this e-mail brings fresh tears to my eyes.

These dogs are not mean unless they have owners who treat them so horribly that they only become that way out of self preservation. Our Max did not have a mean bone in his body towards anyone who came to our home "invited". He was loved by so many and when he died friends and family came to our home to grieve with us. I beg you to take a moment to digest my story. You see what Max was, and always will be, is a member of our family.

There are so many "bad" people out there doing the unthinkable to innocent people, and yet we don't go door to door taking innocent husbands, wives, sons and daughters away from their families and euthanizing them because other husbands, wives, sons and daughters had emotional problems because of the way they were raised and who eventually hurt or killed someone. Does this make all of us bad? These dogs come into this world just as you and I came into this world, innocent and trusting and dependent on others to nurture them and provide them with a loving home and environment and teach them. When this doesn't happen and children are beaten, starved or sexually assaulted, that's when you get murderers, rapists etc. Why would an animal be expected to be different? Does that mean that those of us who were raised in a loving home and treated with respect are considered a possible murderer or rapist and therefore must be done away with. No it does not thank goodness or this society as we know it would not exist. Let's look at the real problem, the owners behind these dogs who made them what they became, let's put a stop to that. Send out the message that if you treat these animals inhumanely then "you" will be punished and incarcerated, not the animal. Yes, like people, there are cases where some animals cannot be rehabilitated and must be put down because they were broken beyond repair, but how many criminals get the electric chair or the needle in this country? Not many.

Back to the Michael Vick story, after the dogs were removed from his home, at least two of them became dogs that visit people in hospitals who are sick and in some cases have no hope of survival, and these wonderful dogs who were starved, beaten and God knows what else, are still able to give love and companionship though they never received it themselves until they were removed from his home by caring individuals. Please don't judge all by the evil deeds of others.

Sincerely,

Linda
Cleveland, OH

It is time to write – Time to speak up.

To make this easier you can copy and paste the below list of e-mails into your TO... line and won't have to type them each individually:

5 Things To Change About Politics In The U.S.

Karen & gerard — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:47:22 GMT

I am not big on politics but do have some strong feelings regarding Presidential campaigns and the actual election. The following is a short list of things I'd like to see changed:

1. Abolish political parties. The government is supposed to be about the people, not political parties.

2. Give each candidate a set amount of money with which to campaign from taxes. This amount should be equally divided among the candidates. No adding your own funds or other contributions should be permitted.

3. Limit advertisements to just what they would do if elected and just their own credentials. No comment or information at all should be given about their opponent.

4. If they have any political experience, their voting record should be included in their advertising.

5. Finally, I wish the electoral college would be "tossed out the window and into the lake"! I believe the President should be elected based on all the votes, not just representative votes of the states.

I told you it was a short list--what about you? What changes would you like to see?

Free Laptops For Middle Schoolers & High Schoolers

Karen & gerard — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:40:48 GMT

I was surprised to read in The Cleveland PLAIN DEALER today that the Cleveland Heights school district actually provides laptops to all middle schoolers and high schoolers. Imagine the cost of this! I think it's pretty awesome for these kids and hope they appreciate it!

The parents were concerned about what it would cost them if their kid lost or damaged the laptop they were given, and the answer was nothing--that they were all insured. Wow! It does make sense to teach kids how to use the computer and certainly research is much easier on the Internet than encyclopedias. It does provide a whole different teaching method and learning style.

The point was also made that textbooks get outdated quickly and the Internet is current. True. It is a great way to actually communicate with people from other countries and learn about other cultures that way.

The idea of giving each kid a laptop is to give them all an "equal playing field" so that those from wealthier families do not have an advantage over those from poor families who don't have a computer for their kids to use.

I wonder though, with all this knowledge at one's fingertips, if the basics aren't sometimes overlooked. I guess time will tell. It certainly is a way to make learning more exciting, I must say. I know I would have enjoyed it and been a lot more motivated to learn as a kid if I was given such a tool as this. I think it's wonderful that schools are doing this.

Just like anything though, the Internet can be used for good and bad. I'm assuming certain controls are on these laptops that block out porn and perhaps the social networking sites, but I don't know.

I'd like to know if you have you have had any experience with this and your thoughts are on it?

Fantasy Football Consultant

Karen & gerard — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:52:53 GMT

I was flabergasted to read that a guy actually developed a business doing what he loves--fantasy football. People actually pay him for advice on who to pick. It started as a hobby and he became so popular that it's his full-time job! I say good for him! I think it's awesome that he's able to be so good at analyzing players and teams. I just saw him briefly on TV the other day! I know there's consultants for just about anything--now even for fantasy football!

My husband and I don't have any fantasty football team, but if we did, I doubt if we'd be paying anyone to find out who we should pick. Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of building your own team?

Stray Shots or Doesn't It Matter?

Karen & gerard — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:04:10 GMT

I believe God is in control. He is the giver and taker of life itself, so when I hear about people getting killed by stray gunfire, I am torn between thinking "See, another needless death because guns are so prevalent" and "Well, I guess their time was up so it really doesn't matter how they died."

In the PLAIN DEALER today I read an article about a mailman in Cleveland, Ohio, who was simply in his bed and "a stray bullet from a gunfight down the street came through a wall in the front-left corner of his home and struck him in the chest." Talk about minding your own business--what a shame. He was 38 years old. (It's like we've gone back to living in the Wild, wild west.)

Other incidents were mentioned in the article as well including: "Daniel Lewis, age 75, shot dead on June 27 while sitting in his wheelchair outside his home;

Tony Haynes III, age 8, died the same day after a suspected drunken driver hit him as he rode his bike;

and last week, a robber shot and killed Ebony Jefferson, age 31, as she sat with relatives on her front porch mourning the death of her mother who died of cancer two days earlier."

It seems all these deaths were senseless and certainly tragic. Yet, the Bible account of Ahab's death in I Kings 22:29-40 could be looked at as a fluke too. He disguised himself so the Syrians would know he was the King of Israel but got killed anyway with a "Stray" arrow. Verse 34 says:

However, during the fighting a soldier shot an arrow without even aiming, and it hit Ahab where two pieces of his armor joined. He shouted to his chariot driver, "I've been hit! Get me out of here!" He died later that day. (contemporary English Version)

God is in control. God protected Jehospohat when Ahab tried using him as a decoy. We don't always know why God allows certain things to happen to good people, but God is always good and sometimes, I think once we've accomplished what God has in store for us to do, then he calls us home. There are some things I don't understand about the Bible but I try to stay focused on Jesus.

The important thing is to be ready to meet our maker by receiving Jesus, God's only Son, as our Savior and putting our trust in Him to forgive us our sins. Our life is like a vapor--short! Our last Bible verse for VBS this past week was Joshua 24:15 which says, Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. I have chosen to serve the Lord Jesus Christ all the days of my life. I hope you have too, but if not, perhaps you will today!

Take Away the Guns Already!

Karen & gerard — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:15:53 GMT

When I read in the news about people getting shot during arguments, it just seems as plain as day that people should not be permitted to own guns. I know, all the hunters get riled when they hear this, but isn't the value of human life more important than hunting for pleasure? IT SHOULD BE!

Anyway, the latest here is the story of neighbors not getting along. One is a firefighter, family man with a young child. The other are people who like to party and have some fun. On the Fourth of July, the "partiers" were shooting off fireworks late at night while the firefighter's child was trying to sleep. In the firefighter's own words, "I snapped." He got his gun, went outside and killed three people and shot two others--just like that.

I can't help but think that if he didn't have a gun, three people would still be alive today and the other two would not be wounded. Furthermore, the firefighter would not be in jail away from his family facing the death penalty. The families of the victims would not all be grieving.

This is just one episode, it happens a lot! People always get angry, it happens. But without a gun in hand at the time, the consequences would be far less severe. I would not have a gun in my house, ever! If you have one, please rethink this and don't take the risk of something similar happening to you.

A couple good fiction books about this topic are "Nineteen Minutes" and "Perfect Match" by Jodi Picoult. I highly recommend them both!

Alternative to Overcrowded Prisons

Karen & gerard — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:26:06 GMT

I am against the death penalty, even for the scum of the earth, because where there's life, there's hope. Also, death is so final. I believe taking the life of another person is wrong (unless accidentally in self defense). There have been times when innocent people got sentenced to jail and even death which is a gross injustice!

I think money spent on feeding and sheltering lifers in jail is a big waste. My alternative would be to send murderers, and any who get life sentences to some deserted island or a very cold place like Antartica and just drop them off with no food provisions or anything. Kind of like a real "Survivor" situation.

They would either learn to work together or die.

Dennis Kucinich's Autobiography

Karen & gerard — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:43:23 GMT

The Courage to Survive by Dennis J. Kucinich (5 stars)

Enlightening & Interesting

Even though I am not very interested in politics or political figures, I thoroughly enjoyed this autobiography by Dennis Kucinich, former Mayor of Cleveland. It is a fast read because it's so well written and fascinating. He shares how his family lived in poverty and struggled along. He had health problems but still had a desire to help other people. Parts were sad while other parts were cute and humorous. It gave me insight into how the poor live and a new respect for Dennis Kucinich.

--Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"