So, the great commercial jamboree is going to take place again, in 2009 (March 2009). You bet! It brought in an additional 32,000 (and more) cats, dogs and rabbits onto the vaccination books. What's that worth? I don't buy vaccines now, so I don't know what money that will generate but, rest assured, it's a nice bundle. Hence you can expect massive national Waiting Room, TV, Newspaper and Internet coverage.

This year, horses will also be included.

Before taking the bait that's offered (a primary course for the price of a booster), be sure to inform yourself about both sides of the debate. The possible negative effect (side effects, adverse effects) of vaccination is information that is hard to find. The benefits will be trumpeted far and wide but the downside will most likely not be mentioned.

Knowledge and understanding enables you to make an informed decision. When you consent to vaccination for your animal, you sign up to both the good and the bad, the benefit and the harm.

While no observable ill-effect is the result of vaccination in many, for a significant number there may be problems. In extreme cases, an animal can die. In many cases, the shock to the immune system is not easily countered. A great many immune-related diseases start within three months of vaccination. In dogs, such diseases include allergy, colitis, atopy, epilepsy and auto-immune disease. In horses, such diseases as COPD, long-term malaise, skin disease etc. may arise soon after vaccination. Vaccines may contain mercury, phenol, formaldehyde and other poisonous substances, for which there is no safe dose. Vaccines may be manufactured using cancer DNA. Vaccines may contain animal tissues, carrying a possible threat of auto-immunity. There is no science to support annual boosting. These facts are not widely publicised.

There is an alternative, which is, as yet, unproven. Since no massive profits will result from research, funding for research is not forthcoming. I have offered DEFRA, at my expense, research into its efficacy in Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Blue Tongue and Avian Influenza. I have been turned down.

That alternative is the 'nosode' method (homeoprophylaxis) which is used for countless pets around the UK, without any obvious penalty. My own animals (cats, dogs and horses) are only given this method, never having received vaccination. Their lifestyles make them high-risk animals and we have even had cases of parvovirus, distemper, FeLV, Cat flu, FIP, FIV etc. on the premises, without any problem for my dogs or cats. Our horses were totally unaffected by a 'virus' that swept through a yard where they were staying, one winter. All the other horses were badly affected.

It is not my job to tell anyone whether or not they should vaccinate their animals. My job as a vet is to raise awareness and to help folk to inform themselves of all sides of the issue, so that they can base decisions on proper consideration.

http://www.canine-health-concern.org.uk/

http://www.vaccinationmonth.co.uk/

http://www.vaccinationdebate.com/

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/vaccination.html

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/324/7334/393

http://www.alternativevet.org/vaccination.htm

Why not visit www.alternativevet.org, while you're here?

Do I have this right, now?

http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/11/24/afx5735139.html

The current financial mess is the result of us over-spending and over-borrowing.

The solution is: spend more and borrow more.

Sorted!

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

We are now told that more babies are being born with Downs syndrome, than was the case before pre-natal screening was available. We have to commend parents on their care and devotion, wish affected families all the very best and offer all the support we can.

The reason for the increase, articles seem to suggest, is that prejudices in society are reducing and willingness, on parents' part, to raise affected children, is increasing.

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2470210.0.Rise_in_number_of_babies_born_with_Downs_says_research.php

http://itn.co.uk/news/2afa1423accb4cf447f9979d19ff5c9b.html

http://living.aol.co.uk/health/more-downs-syndrome-babies-born/article/2008112322434668104081

I don't know what I'm missing here (human medicine is not my field, although of course, as a human, I have a deep interest in it) but I would have thought that parental willingness could hardly be a factor if, before pre-natal screening, parents didn't know ahead of the birth that the baby would be affected.

My anxiety is that there may be factors in society and our environment that could be giving rise to this increase and which may not be being researched or investigated. Of course, the trend towards older mums may be a factor but it is folly not to look into the possibility of routine factors, such as diet, agrochemicals, vaccination, drugs, alcohol, smoking etc. (the latter two are unlikely, as they were very prevalent in the years before pre-natal screeningwas avaiable). This is a hereditary problem and we should always be on the lookout for factors that could affect the health and welfare of future generations, especially if negative factors could be avoidable. The reward for vigilance could be that fewer have to suffer the effects of hereditary problems.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

Everyone must have noticed the decline in the House Sparrow, over the last decade or two. They used to be considered a pest, by some, in view of their numbers and their habit of eating off cabbage plants etc. Our stone roof used to be full of them. We had no chance of a sleep-in, in the Summer mornings, with all their chattering and squabbling. Now we're down to a few pairs only (the numbers fluctuate each year). One year, we think we had none, but they thankfully came back.

Modern gardening habits have been blamed, along with the march of Leylandii hedges, paving, tarmac, concrete and decking.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/20/wildlife-endangeredspecies

Of course, these modern trends are no help to the environment and ecology. I'm no lover of decking and Leylandii. However, we personally have control of twelve acres (five or so hectares), we garden extremely lazily and we have at least 1.5 acres of conservation area, that pretty much runs wild. We leave some fallen trees, to act as habitat. We have thistles and nettles. We have burdock, teasels (the goldfinches love these), vetches, rattles, comfrey, dog rose, hawthorn, ivy galore, pyracantha and a good variety of native trees and berries. We have a massive biodiversity of plants and herbage. We have a rambling herb garden and last year's growth is left until Spring. We feed the birds consistently, with organic wild bird seed. We leave all dying garden growth until the Spring, rather than tidying up in the Autumn. We have ample water access for wild birds. We use no chemicals (and have no decking!). Nonetheless, we do not appear to have a haven for sparrows, as one might be entitled to expect.

Has anyone else noticed that car windscreens rarely need a good clean in the summer, nowadays? It used to be that, day or night, the windscreen would be a right mess after just 50 miles on the road. A car journey was a noisy affair at night, with clouds of moths meeting their end. Now, I don't have to clean my windscreen daily, despite my huge mileage. This means to me that there is a general, drastic and widespread decline in insects, not just a paucity of insect habitat in gardens. My suggestion is that maybe the widespread and prodigious use of agrochemicals (pesticides, herbicides, insecticides) could be to blame. I can't believe that GM (genetically modified) foods are completely blameless, either. Might those factors not also contribute to the modern decline of the bee (without whom we'd be really sunk)? Our grassland used to be full of Daddy Longlegs (Leatherjackets) in the Autumn. Not any more. We see a few each year. Our premises was patrolled by several bats and they used to come into the house. Now we rarely see one. The Vale of White Horse used to have flocks and flocks of Lapwings (or Peewits) that feed on leatherjackets in the winter. They would rise off the grassland in darkening clouds and made a wonderful sight, with their unique flight behaviour. Now we're lucky to see two or three about. Their fading is one of the biggest disappointments of my life. Insectivorous creatures appear to be fading everywhere, in arable regions.

I don't eat sparrows, bats or peewits (in fact, I'm vegetarian anyway) but all these chemicals in our food chain cannot be good for any of us, whatever the authorities and companies tell us. It's not just the sparrows. Their food chain is our food chain. Thank heaven for the increase in organically farmed acreage but the march is too slow. The more that folk buy 'cheap' chemically-produced food, the more chemicals will be used. This food isn't cheap anyway, at the end of the day, when the costs of illness, cleaning up drinking water etc., are taken into account.

Are the authorities and scientists afraid to tell us the truth? Maybe the RSPB should take a wider view. The poor old sparrows (and the lapwings, leatherjackets and bees) may be a warning to us, just as we used to take canaries down mines, to monitor for toxic gases. Remember that book - 'Silent Spring' by Rachel Carson? We have the chance to make changes, via our spending habits. Money (sadly) is king.

Georgina Downs's victory in the High Court, earlier this month, is one step on the road to common sense. Let's hope it will lead to a continuing journey.

http://www.warmwell.com/georginadowns.html

There is another thought. These little chaps are not called 'house sparrows' for nothing. Their favourite nesting place in our premises is in the old stone roof. Could it also be that modern roofing methods are not 'sparrow-friendly'? Of course, all those cars on our roads may have a part to play, too, but the reservoir of insects, in a healthy environment, should out number the death toll on the road.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

This nice little story from Northumberland brightens a week or so of gloom and doom on our news. The intrepid otter has stunned conservationists by swimming to the Farne islands, where tracks have been seen by National Trust wardens.

http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/Plucky-otter-survives-North-Sea.4716786.jp

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7741008.stm

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5201250.ece

Whether the otter intended to make this pretty incredible journey is unclear - maybe it was swept by currents and winds in the recent gales. Either way, what an amazing feat of survival, endurance and prowess, swimming for at least three miles from the nearest coastline, in stormy waters and winter temperatures.

Map, to help appreciation of this phenomenon:

http://www.multimap.com/maps/?lat=51.61548&lon=-1.23031&zoomFactor=18#map=55.63333,-1.61667|13|4&dp=904&bd=useful_information&loc=GB:55.63333:-1.61667:17|farne%20islands|Farne%20Islands

Brownsman is one of the larger islands in the middle of the archipelago,

By the way, my grandfather always used to call the kettle a water 'otter!

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

Ah, researchers, how would we manage without them?

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/babies-in-buggies--facing-away-from-parents-are-stressed-1546713.html

Research carried out by Dundee University has now discovered that babies pushed in buggies that have them facing the parent laugh more, talk more, interact more, sleep more easily and suffer less stress than those in buggies that have them facing forwards, away from the parent. Glory be.

Perhaps their next research project should be to find out whether a dummy shoved in a baby's mouth might hinder communication! That ought to be worth a hefty research grant.

Babies are not a sub-species, they are our next generation and surely they should be treated with respect and good manners, just as should any other member of our community?

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

Perhaps we're later ordering Christmas Cards than most but, if you haven't already ordered, perhaps you'd like to consider which charities perform experiments on animals.

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/experiments/ALL/281/

Of course we wish to support charity but, in my opinion, animal experimentation (vivisection/laboratory animal experimentation) is not only inhumane, it is also non-productive of medical benefit. In fact, I believe it holds back potential medical advances.

http://www.alternativevet.org/animal_experiments.htm

Thankfully, there are plenty of other charities that do not experiment on animals. They get our support.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

Congratulations to the seven South African vets who passed the Faculty of Homeopathy's post-graduate examination (VetMFHom) earlier this month. They are:

Marianna de Vos

Sheila Clow

Margaret Hiza

Norman Pearson

Lara Schmidt

Louise Biggs

Ingrid Spitze

They will be welcomed into the Faculty as new 'Veterinary Members'.This is a 'first' for the African continent and is hopefully only the start of great hings to come. Well done those who worked so long and hard to achieve this landmark in their careers and I wish them a career of ongoing personal development and job satisfaction. My thanks also to those who helped with the task of examining, out in South Africa. This was another triumph of video link, as I did not have to leave my desk for the whole two days of the process!

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

Georgina Downs has, by her persistence, tenacity and courage, achieved a land mark victory for the rights of citizens to be informed what sprays (agrochemicals - herbicides, fungicides and pesticides) are about to be used around their home.

Yesterday, a High Court judge ruled that Georgina Downs, who lives in a rural area outside Chichester, West Sussex, had produced "solid evidence" that residents had suffered harm from these chemicals. For too long has this very real and present danger in the countryside been ignored and belittled.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article5158346.ece

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1085704/Pesticide-nun-wins-landmark-battle-dangerous-chemicals-spread-fields-near-homes.html

http://www.warmwell.com/georginadowns.html

Mr Justice Collins said, in his ruling, that ". . . . 'defects' in Defra's approach to pesticide safety 'contravene the requirement' of a 1991 EC Directive that harmonises the regulation of 'plant protection products' and that Mr Benn 'must think again and consider what needs to be done' . . . .".

It is clear that the government has not taken its responsibilities to the common man seriously enough and has failed to comply with its obligations under a European Directive to protect rural residents and communities from possible harmful exposure to toxic substances during crop spraying. It is probably too much to expect the traditional resignations of those shown not to have acted correctly in office.

Information on pesticides has always been difficult to obtain, with companies even trying to keep safety data secret! - see this page from 2002:

http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/real_food/news/2002_may_may_15.html

This is not a game of who can beat the system but a serious matter of health and safety, not in work but in our homes, gardens and while going about our daily lives. Of course, we have also seen many dogs harmed by the cavalier approach to the use of agro-chemicals, while they have been out on walks in the countryside or in public parks and it is high time this whole area came under the microscope. Commercial interest cannot be allowed to take precedence over reason and safety although, all too often, that would appear to be what happens in our modern society.

Of course, those who farm organically and those who buy organic food are, as the Soil Association slogan goes, 'part of the soluion not part of the problem'. Chemical food is 'cheap food', at what cost?

Congratulations to Georgina Downs! Spare me from the so-called 'celebrities' - here's a real star.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

The Nanny State of Europe has finally threatened to withdraw its archetypal Euro-Madness laws, preventing the sale of mis-shapen fruit and vegetables. This SHOULD be good news for consumers and producers alike, but will the 20% of produce, hitherto rejected under these laws and wasted, see its way onto the shelves. I certainly hope so but, knowing supermarkets, I am not sure. How can we waste good food, on account of its shape, while people worldwide are starving?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7723808.stm

http://www.speedsignal.com/news/eu-to-cut-out-wonky-fruit-rules/

The EU is also going to look into the safety of the so-called Nano Particles, those tiny particles that can penetrate skin with ease and which are incorporated into all sorts of products, including clothing and cosmetics.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/nov/05/cosmetics-beauty-nanoparticles-royal-society

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/article3384114.ece

Good on 'em on both counts. I just hope they will come up with decent research methodology, for safety-evaluation of the Nano-Particles and not use poor animals again. Animals are an unreliable model for the human condition and, anyway, why should they suffer to aid the development of products that we only use for our vanity.

 [Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

At last, some independent research on chemotherapy, offering an unbiased appraisal, albeit on a small sector (late-stage) of cancer patients.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/12/health-cancer-chemotherapy-palliative-care

"Serious questions are today raised about chemotherapy for seriously ill cancer patients, some of whom die as a result of the drugs they are taking.

An inquiry into more than 600 deaths within 30 days of chemotherapy has found the treatment probably either caused or hastened death in 27% of cases. . . . .

. . . . The inquiry was carried out by the independent NCEPOD (National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death), whose members come mainly from the medical royal colleges.

Its findings raise difficult issues about what doctors think they are doing and what patients and their families want. Some of those who died were receiving chemotherapy to try to combat the cancer, but more were given it as palliative care ... to reduce the symptoms and give them a better quality of life as it drew to an end.

Patients usually suffer side-effects from chemotherapy, said the report's co-author Mark Lansdown, a surgical oncologist. But most patients in the study were receiving palliative treatment in which the aim was to alleviate symptoms of cancer with minimum side-effects. Yet 43% of all patients in the study suffered significant treatment-related toxicity."

It must be bad enough to have contracted a deadly disease, without having to fear the treatment. Medical research must be based more on reality, like this work, rather than on the hypothetical and irrelevant products of animal experimentation. Iatrogenic disease will continue, while research is commercially-oriented and animal-based.

 [Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

The long-foretold Animal Research Laboratory opens in Oxford.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/nov/11/animal-research-oxford-university

Why does 'science' persist in using animals for medical experiments (called research) into human diseases that have no animal parallel? Promised advances have not been forthcoming. How can they result from such a misguided process? Animal experimentation is holding back medical advances and introduces Russian Roulette into medicine [have we already forgotten the dramatic example of the six healthy volunteers who took TGN1412 for the first human trial in London, on 13 March 2006, who suffered serious toxic reactions with collapse and loss of consciousness with multiple organ failure (MOF) and were admitted to intensive care?]. The genome of a chimpanzee, according to some, is 98% similar to that of man, yet the disease of AIDS cannot be induced in chimpanzees.

According to yesterday's news reports, the hundreds of monkeys (even less like humans) that will be housed in this facility represent only 2% of the animals held there. Genetically-modified mice were the first to be moved in, yesterday.

Despite countless tragic tales of serious human damage and deaths, using the products of animal experimentation, the gravy train rolls on. Careers, kudos and money are put before animal welfare.

How will a future enlightened generation look back on this sad and wasteful practice and those who perpetrate such activity?

What has our society come to, that we very nearly saw legal action to force a thirteen year-old girl to have a heart transplant against her wishes? I shall not reiterate the sad circumstances of this case here, as plenty has already been written elsewhere.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24637947-2703,00.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/girl-13-wins-right-to-refuse-heart-transplant-1009569.html

http://calvininjax.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/girl-13-refuses-heart-transplant-and-hospital-backs-down-from-legal-action/ (you can leave comment here)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27665174/ (examines the issues more deeply)

I shall pause, however, to consider what would have been done to the likes of you and me, quite rightly, had we sought to force a 13 year-old into a traumatic experience against her wishes. There are, thankfully, child abuse (protection) laws.

Words fail me.

Why was a clumsy bureaucratic tool unleashed and almost unstoppable legal machinery launched before proper consideration had been given? I can see the point that medical personnel would be very concerned to act in a child's best interests. I cannot see how threatening the horrors of legal action against a loving family, that has been through so much trauma already, can be anything other than crass and ugly. Why the threat before the opinion of a social worker had been sought?

Would you put your dog through such an ordeal and risk, for what appeared (from the minimum information that has been published) to be the chance of a very short prolongation of life?  There was also the chance of dying alone in hospital. One assumes that Hannah would, anyway, had the proposed course of action been pursued, have to have been forced into sedation before being abducted from home.

Dignity and welfare were very much at risk. Congratulations to Andrew and Kirsty Jones and Hannah, for bringing this to public attention and, hopefully, for making other PCTs more careful in future (this incident is even more poignant, when it is considered that Mrs Jones is apparently an intensive care nurse).

My heart goes out to the family and I hope that the Disney World trip, to Orlando, Florida, becomes a treasured reality.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

Congratulations to Henry Stephenson, Carl von Schreiber and David Hare, three stalwart vets in Australia who have attained their VetMFHom qualification. They have worked long and hard and did well during the last hurdle. This is now the beginning of a long journey of personal development and I wish them all well.

Last night, all night long, we held the clinical and oral parts of the Faculty of Homeopathy's veterinary homeopathic postgraduate examinations (VetMFHom) in Australia. Why all night? Well, I partook in and oversaw the examination process, by video link, from my desktop in the UK, while it was actually Monday in Australia. If today I look as if I've been up all night, it's OK, I really have.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

This weekend (Sunday night in the UK - Monday morning in Australia) sees the clinical and oral examinations for the Faculty of Homeopathy's VetMFHom post-graduate veterinary qualification. Candidates have worked long and hard, studying homeopathy for this exam and I wish them well on the day.

It will involve me in a night out of bed, on the video link, but it will be worth it to expand the influence and availability of veterinary homeopathy in the continent of Australia.

The best of good fortune to one and all.

Credit must go to Douglas Wilson and Megan Kearney, for organising it and for providing Facilities.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

Belated congratulations to Lewis Hamilton, on his great achievement and on his realisation of a childhood ambition, last weekend in Brazil. No one can take away from him what he has done. Being World Champion in Formula 1 is a fantastic and tangible reward. I hope he is given the wisdom to handle the pots of money that will descend on him. He has a great family around him, which is a wonderful and stable platform for a young man like him.

As for the alleged 'racist' incidents, both at Barcelona, Spain last year and at Interlagos, Sao Paulo this year, those involved should be utterly ashamed of themselves and Formula 1 should be grown up enough to exercise the ultimate sanction, should any such incident happen again. It should not be ignored. The Grand Prix in the country should be cancelled for one year.

If that were the accepted consequence, the fans themselves would police it. Football (soccer) in Britain has grasped the bull by the horns on the issue. F1 cannot hide from it, however that man Bernie Ecclestone wants to dress it up.

Lewis Hamilton rightly deserves our respect and admiration.

(I usually keep off non-animal politics but this issue really gets my goat!)

Congratulations to the American Nation (U.S. Nation) and to Mr Obama. I hope that Mr Obama's singular victory will bring a time of healing for the USA and for the world.

The vote was a decisive and emphatic one, removing any chance of the slurs that have besmirched recent elections in that great country. We hope that everyone can now move forward, whatever their political persuasion, and create a new future.

Hopefully, we can anticipate a time when the United States President and Nation can look progress and change in the eye and grasp it bravely. Change is inevitable. Let us hope that Mr Obama and the people can embrace it and steer it in a positive and inclusive direction, with minimum pain for everyone. It is, inevitably, a huge responsibility.

Certainly, this election has at least shown that the people as a whole are not afraid of change, at many levels. How US citizens view themselves and the world will have changed at a stroke and a new energy will be running. How the world views the USA will also have changed and I am sure that the influence that this country, the most powerful nation on Earth, wields will start to take the lead on the many serious challenges that face us all.

So, Japanese scientists have taken the first steps towards reviving prehistoric beasties, like the woolly mammoth. They have cloned mice from specimens frozen for 16 years. 'Jurassic Park' may not have been such a wild proposition.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081103-frozen-cloning.html?source=rss

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7707498.stm

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/15/tech/main563450.shtml

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2003/jul/16/sciencenews.science

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-attempt-to-clone-woolly-mammoth-586967.html

Silly me - I thought that had already been done, with all these 'flat-earth' folk running around, refusing to see the evidence under their noses, that homeopathy has validity and can offer patients (human and animal) a chance where no other chance exists. Why let someone die in a hospital bed, saying nothing else can be done when nothing else has been tried? Why deny an animal the chance of an active and enjoyable life, for want of trying something else than conventional drug medicine?

Another pet hate of mine is the disdain shown for the wisdom of our ancestors. So-called 'science' talks condescendingly of 'old wives' tales', dismissing them as unproven codswallop. Every so often, a modern scientific explanation is found for yet another 'old wives' tale'. Why can't these anti-deluvian (antideluvian) creatures see that there may be more than a grain of truth in many others, and pay them some interest, instead of dismissing them out of hand. That is NOT science.

Of course, the pharmaceutical industry quietly does respect ancient wisdom and is forever researching traditional cures, to see what money-making manufactured analogue can be created. It just doesn't come out and say so, leaving the foot soldiers (doctors, vets and others) happily deriding anything not yet 'scientifically' proven.

Apart from this sad and wistful observation, we have to wonder about the wisdom (and ethics) of reviving that which has become extinct. What shall we do with such creatures, if we 're-create' them? No doubt man's fascination for doing the 'impossible' will override common sense, in this, as in so many fields.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

Did I hear that bottled water especially for dogs is now on sale at some supermarkets, pet hypermarkets and veterinary shops (sorry - 'waiting rooms')?

Commercialism knows no bounds. If this makes money, it is only a comment on those that buy. What's wrong with filtered tap water or, failing that, glass-bottled spring water? (I cannot recommend plastic as a container for food or water.)

To buy water especially bottled for dogs, at an inflated price, is playing right into the hands of unbridled commercialism. I believe such stuff even comes in different flavours (sorry - 'flavors') in the USA! I hate to think what the ingredients list of that stuff would be.

I don't agree with those who say that tap water's just as good (unfiltered) as glass-bottled spring water. I suspect that argument may be based on bacteriology, not drinkability, chemical purity or flavour. I suppose no self-respecting bacteria would go near the stuff. I can't drink our tap water, unless it's filtered (a dangerous generalisation, I know - I can't vouch for other areas of the UK). I therefore only give our dogs and cats filtered water.

Of course, properly filtering tap water not only makes it drinkable, it also gets around the very valid 'food miles' argument against bottled water.

I await the 'bottled water for cats' version! Purrfect! We can't have our cats drinking dog's water, now, can we?

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

Just back from a concert in the Brighton Dome, featuring Level 42 (jazz-funk), with The Mercury men as a 'new' and 'up and coming' trio, with vocals and acoustic guitars.

To tell the truth, we had only gone to see (and support) The Mercury Men, as we have a friendship connection, but Level 42 had passed me by, back in the 80s. Two such dissimilar acts would be hard to find!

I came away very impressed indeed with The Mercury Men, who put on a great show. I know they will do well and I wish them all the best. Their music was fresh, lively and very listenable. They also 'worked' the audience brilliantly, who were mostly, let's face it, there to hear Level 42 (music that is a universe apart).

I was surprised to have come away also with a great admiration for the sheer noise, confidence and musicianship of the Level 42 line-up. Mark King's guitar is some machine. Perhaps he shouldn't be so 'understated'!

Off to buy another set of ear protectors . . . . .

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

Blogging has been quiet, lately, as I have had a great deal of work to do in marking examination papers and preparing for the clinical and oral sections for the South African, UK and Australian sessions of the Veterinary Membership Examination (VetMFHom), a post-graduate veterinary homeopathic qualification.

This examination is an arduous test of a candidate's ability, knowledge and understanding and those who pass can be justifiably proud of their achievement. They can then embark on a clinical career enriched by a line of development that brings ever-expanding understanding of the animal world.

I would like to wish all candidates the very best of good fortune in their coming challenges and I look forward to seeing more vets with the qualification, in those countries.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

Congratulations to those who organised the British Homeopathic Congress (biennial Faculty of Homeopathy Congress), at the Barcelo Majestic Hotel, Harrogate (Yorkshire) last weekend. Warm wishes to those whom I met there and to those with whom there was insufficient time to chat. Three days just fly by. The venue was very welcoming, too, which makes a huge difference to such an event.

Congratulations, too, to the wide array of illustrious and stimulating speakers.

It was a warm, congenial, vibrant affair, showing that homeopathy is still very much alive and evolving, despite what some might like to think.

It was great to see such a meeting of minds and hearts, from an eclectic mix of professions (medics (physicians), vets, podiatrists, dentists, non-medical homeopaths etc.), from all over the world.

Veterinary homeopathy marches on - we are currently in the throes of the VetMFHom examinations, in Australia, South Africa and the UK. I wish all the candidates good luck in their endeavours. We are looking forward to other countries taking part, where folk are nearing that point of their training. Japan and Italy are among these.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

I just love a mystery. I also love the notion that, in our modern, vain world, we hardly scratch the surface of knowledge and understanding, despite our pride in our 'scientific achievements'.

Files are being published by the MoD today, showing reports of Unidentified Flying Objects. Some may have rational explanations.

Among them, one particlar 'incident' is quite unsolved, however, and sounds very 'real'. An Alitalia passenger jet pilot, on a flight to Heathrow, reported a brown, missile-like object nearby. Great stuff. There's one in the eye for the sceptics.

As there's so much going on around Kent, one might fancifully wonder whether it mightn't have been an arrow that got Harold at Hastings, after all . . . . .

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/passenger-jets-nearmiss-with-ufo-above-kent-966925.html

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/MoD-files-record-nearmiss-between.4607607.jp

http://ufopressrelease.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

In honour of National Poetry Day, whose theme this year is ‘work’:

For work to give eternal challenge

Improvement of oneself each day

Helping mind and body balance

With fun and love along the way

To work with Nature – watch its ways

To see the body’s healing pow’r

To be in Nature – every day

To learn anew with each fleet hour

One day to raise the spirits high

The next may have its moments sad

To share all this with creatures – Why!

I surely have the best life had.

Christopher Day 9^th October 2008

Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure and privilege to work with fine animals and lovely, intelligent clients. Firstly homeopathy, then a much wider palette of alternative (holistic) medicine methods and techniques*, have brought challenge, fulfilment and love. The healing power and capability of animals, thank goodness, has never ceased to amaze me. Animals don't complain, they appear grateful for what we try to do to help them and they set an example to us, on how to live life to the full, each moment. It is edifying, to share their space and time.

[*Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Herbs (Herbal Medicine), Nutrition, Chiropractic Manipulation, LASER, and Aromatherapy, to cite a few]

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org while you're here?]

While I was away, the BBC showed a documentary entitled "Pedigree Dogs Exposed". This was bound to provoke a head-on clash with the Kennel Club, the organisers of Crufts. Confrontational diplomacy is not the best way to make friends but 'reductio ad absurdum' is a time-honoured way of bringing out a point clearly and starkly. I didn't see the programme but I cannot avoid seeing the backlash.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/sep/16/animalwelfare

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rspca-pulls-out-of-crufts-over-dog-welfare-931539.html

The RSPCA, who hire a stand at the annual dog show, have now chimed in to chastise dog breeders. I do not wish to defend (or appear to defend) bad breeding practices but where has the RSPCA been until now, on this issue? Why does it only chime in when it sees the BBC flying a flag for animals? How many in the ranks of the RSPCA hierarchy have bought pedigree dogs with defects, thereby actually funding the criticised practice? Knee-jerk responses, holier-than-thou stances and worthy rhetoric will not do the job.

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=NewsFeature&articleId=1220375309588

This is not a new problem and the massive resources of the RSPCA could have made a huge difference, over the years, for the sake of animal welfare.

There are some important points that maybe should be made, just now, in the wake of this simmering row.

Firstly, there are some lessons that the Kennel Club will no doubt take to heart. However, change cannot happen overnight.

Secondly, there is a difference between a bad breed trait (that may lead to animal welfare problems) and an accidentally bred-in breed susceptibility (which requires a trigger for expression). The article linked above cites "boxer dogs suffering from epilepsy". I would argue that they are probably not born with the disease but are prone to it if the necessary trigger is provided, which may be unsuitable diet or possible immune disturbances, such as may be created by routine vaccination. Possible ill-effects of vaccination are very poorly researched and monitored.

Thirdly, as with all arguments, there are grey areas and complexities that need unravelling. There is a positive note. Those who have dogs with a problem, who have been told that it is an inherited disease (or a genetic disorder), may be heartened to know that some of these will respond to homeopathy. Clearly, an inherited deformity will not respond (although secondary effects might) but a disease arising from a breed tendency, that has been triggered by some external factor, may well be reversible. Many so-called inherited immune and auto-immune disorders (e.g. lupus/SLE) of German Shepherds, epilepsy in many breeds and skin problems of West Highland Terriers (to name but a few) can often resolve. Even the distressing symptoms of hip dysplasia and syringomyelia in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have been seen to be ameliorated, under holistic care.

Gregor Mendel made a start on learning about inheritance, in the 19th Century. Much more yet remains to be learned. If hip dysplasia, for instance, were a simple inherited disease, the Kennel Club/BVA scheme for identifying it and eradicating it from breeding dogs would have succeeded long ago, rather than still be running 24 years on, without clear victory. I would maintain that clinical expression of the disease depends upon both genetic and environmental / managemental / nutritional factors (i.e. both pre-natal [congenital] and post-natal factors).

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/313

Hopefully, those in charge of breeding and welfare of dogs will take a grip on this issue and work together, for the benefit of future generations. Gunboat diplomacy has its place in history but may not provide the best long-term solutions. The Kennel Club and the BVA (British Veterinary Association) have a long history of cooperation on disease identification schemes. Education, not just of the dog-breeding community but also in schools and among the pet-buying public is also vital, to ensure real and lasting improvement. It is in the latter area that I see the RSPCA role, with their huge monetary resources.

The Scaly Cricket (Pseudomogoplistes vicentae), one of our rarest insects, has been rediscovered at Branscombe Beach in Devon. It had disappeared as a result of the Napoli grounding fiasco, in January 2007 and the only other UK sites where it is known are Chesil Beach (Dorset) and Marloe Sands (Pembrokeshire).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7649776.stm

http://environment.uk.msn.com/green-living/article.aspx?cp-documentid=9892831

The good old Cornish Pasty (that traditional lunch box inclusion for Cornish miners) appears to have been the bait that won the day - all other attempts had failed. The UK Scaly Cricket was first discovered in Devon and there are ugly rumours that the Cornish Pasty may have originated in Devon.

The Napoli affair was an environmental disaster that should not have been allowed to happen on the Jurassic Coast, which appears to have had no contingency plan to deal with such a disaster. The resultant invasion by looters was a revolting comment on human nature and British character but how was the intentional grounding allowed to happen on a World Heritage Site without proper protection from the environmental threat and from the dregs of society that descended on the area? I'll never understand why there were no prosecutions.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6287457.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6687659.stm

Once the authorities had finally managed to secure the area, my wife and daughter among many others were not allowed to go to the beach as volunteers, to help clear up the mess! Our bureaucracy swings from one extreme to another.

Anyway, it is a relief that the furtive Scaly Cricket appears not to have been a casualty after all.

While I was away (and without internet access!), this headline appeared last week, on BBC Radio 4's website, under 'File on 4':

"Concerns over 'overzealous' RSPCA As the RSPCA looks to recruit more inspectors to implement new animal welfare law, it has been accused of overzealously prosecuting pet owners."

The programme, which was broadcast on 23rd and 28th of September and about which there's a short summary posted on their website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/7632082.stm

was pretty hard-hitting. It covered a few of the many and increasing criticisms of this organisation - the largest animal welfare charity in the world. The spokesmen for the RSPCA skilfully and sometimes aggressively fended off the criticism and did not seem disposed to listen.

We (and animals) need an RSPCA. We need it to be compassionate and without vested interest. We need it not to be above criticism and to be properly answerable to an overseeing body, commensurate with the powers this massive organisation assumes and wields. We need welfare to be placed above prosecutions. We need a return to its roots, when prosecutions were not the priority. We can but hope that, one day, these needs will become reality. Until then, I'm not putting a penny the RSPCA's way.

Does anyone out there have any personal experiences of a clash of ideals or conflict of conscience, whether from a vegetarian/vegan point of view or an anti-vivisection (animal experiment) point of view, while undergoing veterinary training or veterinary nurse training? I have been asked for advice on this issue by a prospective veterinary student and would be very interested to learn of current experiences.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

The CERN LHC (Large Hadron Collider - is that something to do with Hagrid?) is quite beyond me - I'm out of my depth, of course. Nonetheless, it's fun to think and I won't be the only person to write something about this without any proper understanding!

It's quite clearly an amazing feat of design, engineering and construction. Good job they didn't have that chap on board, who designed the Millennium Bridge in London.

The scientists involved appear to be very excited at the prospect of learning some real stuff about the origins of the universe. However, if this simulates the real thing, that happened so long ago, who accelerated the particles to the speed of light, cooled the whole thing down to absolute zero and set protons on collision course for the original Big Bang?

Where did they come from, where did all this take place and what was it that went Bang anyway?

Where this becomes slightly and obliquely relevant to my field is the wonderment that it stokes again in my mind, how so-called and self-styled 'scientists' can say 'homeopathy can't work' when they (like me) understand nothing of such deep physics (and bioenergetics). Many moons ago, when the A.E.R.E. was in existence at Harwell, I had to talk to a group of nuclear physicists engaged in atomic research. They were quite happy that homeopathy might work! They really enjoyed the discussion. If real boffins like that have no theoretical problems with it, how do comparatively ignorant medical and veterinary types take it upon themselves to rubbish it?

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

Loyal friend or potential nemesis?

There's a challenging article that was published in the Telegraph Supplement (called 'Seven') during August, entitled Mad Cows (and Livid Lambs). In it, Will Storr reports on the findings and theories of Dr Marc Bekoff (inter alia) about the massive recent increase in animal attacks on humans. The attacks described do appear to show a pattern of spiteful and targeted attacks by wild animals on mankind around the world, including badger, shark, stingray, elephant, big cat, bear, crocodile and others. There is the possibility that the animal world is turning on its arch-torturer and main threat (mankind).

It makes interesting and disturbing reading and it is difficult to dismiss out of hand some of the theories put forward. It's well worth a read and appraisal. However, some of the images are gruesome to say the least, so not for the faint-hearted. Happily, you don't need to find a back copy of the Telegraph, if you wish to read it:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/08/10/sv_animals.xml&page=3

Apart from being totally absorbed while reading the piece, I must say that one thing stands out, in my opinion, and that's the comment of Professor Peter Carruthers (University of Sheffield), stating that animals don't consciously feel pain! What some academics will say for attention (or laughs). If he's right, that would spell the end of RSPCA prosecutions in one fell swoop.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

Further to the 'Poor Imitations' blog of 3rd September:

Oh dear - vet Joe Inglis's 'campaign for real pet food' and better labelling of pet foods may be a little compromised by the fact that he has his own range of pet foods. Vested interest is not a good platform for an altruistic campaign. A high-profile campaign's a good way to raise the profile of your own brand, though.

As for the 'natural' tag on the food - what's natural about processed foods, 'complete foods' and the freeze-drying process? Doesn't the Trade Descriptions Act cover that sort of thing?

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

While applauding any attempt to 'clean up' the pet food industry act, two recent moves can only be seen as window dressing.

Firstly, vet Joe Inglis's campaign to tighten up pet food labelling, while obviously a step in the right direction, could, if successful, give more respectability to misleading or 'economical' labelling. He has the profile. Why not go the whole hog and advocate fresh feeding? To make comparisons with Jamie Oliver's campaign for human food is not appropriate since, while saying natural food is best, he has not openly condemned processed food for pets. Additives and generic labelling are not the only evils. Much of modern processing destroys the food.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1050954/Pets-bad-diet-develop-behaviour-problems-says-vet-leading-Jamie-Oliver-style-crusade.html

Furthermore, the proposed trial on 'hearing dogs for the deaf' will be nothing short of animal experimentation, which should be beneath him.

Secondly, the new pet food range by 'Pedigree®' illustrates how the manufacturers are willing to hijack the 'natural' tag and fudge the issues with their advertising. The range is called 'Better by Nature™'. This range neatly pre-empts the above campaign (I assume and hope there's no link here but the timing is impeccable, even uncanny). It is still processed to hell and back and should never be confused with the real thing.

http://www.pedigreebetterbynature.com/betterbynature/Homepage/index.aspx

This campaign is bound to net millions, if not billions, for an already bloated industry. The industry is worth $45 billion in the U.S. alone (over $14 billion in Western Europe). Not bad for an industry that shouldn't exist at all. Don't be confused by campaign 'hype' and advertising gimmicks. Get down to the real issue. If processed (freeze-dried or canned) food is best for our dogs, we should be eating like that too! If fresh is best for us (preferably organic), then likewise, it's best for our dogs and cats.

Garish supermarket display

I shouldn't moan, I suppose. The petfood industry is possibly the main reason I'm in business, trying to clear up the health mess it leaves in its wake!

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

In June, we were joined by a dozen Japanese vets, for a three-day veterinary homeopathy course in the lovely Jurassic Coast region of Dorset. We held the event at Moonfleet Manor, which rightly prides itself on its food, its comfort and its family-friendly atmosphere and facilities. This lovely hotel sits right on the edge of the majestic Fleet, that enigmatic 'lagoon' on the Dorset coast. Chesil Beach is just there, too.

The Group Photograph

I was joined for the teaching by Peter Gregory and Jane Keogh. We had lectures and live case teaching, some of which was held in the open, under the Dorset sun.

The teaching was rightly interspersed with walking the Coast Path, with visiting traditional Dorset pubs and with sampling Dorset beers. This all appeared to go down immensely well with our resilient Japanese colleagues, who appeared to enjoy themselves mightily. However, we had to arrange our excursions around the fabled Moonfleet dinners, which just could not be missed!

Apart from cementing friendships across continents, we all had a wonderful time and enjoyed each other's company throughout. I must especially thank our intrepid interpreter, who really made the event and my Japanese friends and colleagues for some lovely presents.

I wish also to thank the three dogs and their human companions, for their invaluable contribution.

Windy Evening above Lulworth Cove

Serious Study

Live Case Teaching Outdoors

Pub

Another Pub

And Another Pub

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

In May, I had the enormous pleasure of being invited to teach in Italy, in a monastery in Pescia, Tuscany. The hospitality and food in Tuscany are famous and our friends and colleagues in the Dulcamara School, based in Genova (Genoa), outdid even that. It was a truly memorable experience with warm memories.

I can only thank my Italian friends for a wonderful and really congenial time. Friendships and Homeopathy spread.

Convento di Colleviti, Pescia

Relaxing at Dinner

Lawn Dancing at a Birthday Party, on the last night

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

I have been very lax in sharing our experience with dolphins, off Africa, last Autumn. Better late than never!

Cheeky Leap

We went out in a small whale-watching boat, run by FIRMM (Foundation for Information and Research on Marine Mammals), based in the port of Tarifa (Spain).

This very worthy foundation pointed out to us how Japanese factory ships vacuum spawning blue-finned tuna BEFORE they enter the Mediterranean to spawn. The Orca does it the other way around - it catches them on their way out, allowing them to reproduce. Why is man so counter to nature in so many of his activities? This unwise practice threatens not only the tuna but everything that feeds on them (including man). FIRMM does its best to educate on this issue, to modify whale-unfriendly and ecologically-unfriendly practices.

All in all, it was a wonderful and stimulating day out. We were too late for the bigger whales and Orcas but we did see three species of dolphin. They are the most delightful creatures.

Ill-equipped with a pretty basic pocket digital camera, complete with broken zoom, we have a very grainy record of the dolphin sightings, not helped by a slightly choppy sea but the photographs are nonetheless treasured and serve to remind us well of our exhilarating experiences. I can only apologise to those who would have liked to see top-class pictures. We've definitely chalked this up for another visit, one day, though next time with a long lens.

Mother and Calf

Fluke Display

Formation Swimming

Possibly Mother and Older Calf

Freedom of the Waves!

And it's the nearest I've ever been to Africa (Morocco), so far.

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

In case anyone says we didn't have a summer this year, what was this? This should cheer us up for September.

Gliding gull

Oom-pah-pah [the wonderful Lyme Regis Band]

Begonias?

Did someone mention chips?

Real Estate

The many colours of Lyme Regis

Thatch by the sea

The wind beneath my wings

Ammonites

Master of all he surveys

Buddleia

Garden Tiger Moth

Flawless sunset

Close of play

There must be worse views from restaurant windows . . .

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

This is 'old news' but makes a worthwhile point nonetheless.

While mucking out some 'archives', I came across the following newspaper cutting, written by Roger Highfield, Science Editor of The Daily Telegraph, on 7th August 2001.

"An experimental pet food may make cats and dogs live longer by reducing the damage to genetic material linked with the diseases of ageing.

Preliminary evidence of the effects of the "functional food" was presented yesterday to the Waltham International Symposium in Vancouver, Canada, a gathering of academics and vets.

A DNA damage test to validate the antioxidant blend for cats and dogs has been developed by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, in Leicestershire, funded by Mars Pet Foods, the manufacturer of Pedigree Chum and Whiskas.

Patents are pending on the food, which mixes antioxidants, notably Vitamins C and E, which mop up damaging chemical intermediates, called radicals.

In a controlled trial of 40 dogs fed the blend of vitamins and amino acids for only two months, DNA damage was reduced by 26 per cent compared with animals on a conventional diet. Cats fed the blend displayed 17 per cent less DNA damage."

I don't suppose that those involved would be too eager to make a direct link between manufactured foods and the 'diseases of ageing'.

I believe that these 'improvements' have now been incorporated in the latest versions of these and other pet diets.

I would be very interested if anyone has copies of literature advertising the above-named foods as 'ideal' or 'balanced' or other claim etc., before these changes were made. This piece just seems to corroborate what the advocates of natural feeding have been asserting for years, that the claims of manufacturers should not be heeded too blindly. If the food was so good before, why did it need improving? We await the next 'improvements' with interest and the next . . . .

Meanwhile, we'll go on feeding our dogs on wholesome natural (full of natural antioxidants) food, that has escaped the processors' and manufacturers' attention.

After I typed all this in, a little jiggling on Google revealed that Roger Highfield's article is still on the internet, at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1336668/New-food-may-add-years-to-pets-lives.html

As an even more 'dated' but poignant reminder of the fact that manufacturers can get it wrong, here's another example, from the Canadian Veterinary Journal (about Thiamine/Vitamin B1):

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1695079

As the Romans so wittily remarked, caveat emptor!

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

A celebration of children and their wonderfully innocent approach to life:

Children

Come to me, O ye children!
  For I hear you at your play,
And the questions that perplexed me
  Have vanished quite away. 

Ye open the eastern windows,
  That look towards the sun,
Where thoughts are singing swallows
  And the brooks of morning run. 

In your hearts are the birds and the sunshine,
  In your thoughts the brooklet's flow,
But in mine is the wind of Autumn
  And the first fall of the snow. 

Ah! what would the world be to us
  If the children were no more?
We should dread the desert behind us
  Worse than the dark before. 

What the leaves are to the forest,
  With light and air for food,
Ere their sweet and tender juices
  Have been hardened into wood, -

That to the world are children;
  Through them it feels the glow
Of a brighter and sunnier climate
  Than reaches the trunks below. 

Come to me, O ye children!
  And whisper in my ear
What the birds and the winds are singing
  In your sunny atmosphere. 

For what are all our contrivings,
  And the wisdom of our books,
When compared with your caresses,
  And the gladness of your looks? 

Ye are better than all the ballads
  That ever were sung or said;
For ye are living poems,
  And all the rest are dead.

Take a look:

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/07/duck-darwin-awa.html

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

What a way to have free international advertising for a job vacancy. It's all over the world that a firm called 'Knobs 'n' Knockers' has announced a job vacancy for someone to do domestic tasks in the nude. Naked housework?

The vacancy is advertised in the Southampton JobCentre. Ah well, better in Southampton than Littlehampton, I suppose.

Is it a 'quiet news' week? Here's a sampler of the coverage, from newspapers and blogs:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1031887/JobCentre-advertises-naked-cleaners-help-firm-Knobs-n-Knockers-satisfy-clients.html

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/51349/WANTED-Nude-cleaner-with-a-pleasant-nature

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4272796.ece

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=204973&in_page_id=34

http://news.scotsman.com/latest-south-east-news/Naked-cleaner-vacancy-advertised-at.4257190.jp

http://www.zigonet.com/tag/southampton_1.html

http://megamisc.blogspot.com/2008/07/southampton.html

http://www.actualite.lycos.fr/infos/insolite/une-entreprise-recrute-du-personnel-de-nettoyage-travaillant-nu-32613

This poem was published in 1918

Too political - article deleted! It was only visible for a few minutes, as it exceeded my own self-imposed political boundaries.

http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.2226

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2141406.ece

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKRAS63321420080616

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/290432

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/03/military.defence

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1305558.ece

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/30/europe/politicus.php

It's not that the opinions I was going to express here should be censored, more that they were so far 'off piste' that I decided not to include them in my blog. The deleted article had absolutely NOTHING to do with medicine, science, environment or animals!

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

Say a prayer for the Tuatara, a type of reptile (Rhyncocephalid) that has survived the mass extinction of the dinosaurs and whose closest relatives became extinct about 60-100 million years ago. It is sometimes called a 'living fossil' and is confined to islands of the New Zealand archipelago.

The gender of embryos is determined by temperature, in a narrow band of time during development. Temperature changes, at a rate unprecedented for 50 million years or more, mean that the species may stop producing females altogether. Climate change, likely to be a result of unsustainable human activity, is the culprit.

Hopefully, enlightened human intervention, e.g. to shade nests at the appropriate time, will be effective in averting extinction.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/07/02/2289889.htm?site=science&topic=enviro

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-459702/Last-survivor-dinosaur-age-faces-extinction.html

http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/podcover.aspx?id=33162

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/3052.shtml

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

Eleven Japanese vets (veterinarians from the Japanese Physicians Society for Homeopathy JPSH) and a wonderful translator came to Dorset, last week, for an intensive course in veterinary homeopathy. It was held in Moonfleet Manor Hotel, about which only superlatives will suffice. We had wonderful service, wonderful food, wonderful weather - truly blessed. This hotel is situated right on the edge of The Fleet, an enigmatic lagoon sheltered behind Chesil Beach (Chesil Bank), so we were not short of scenery and great pubs, for 'extra-curricular' activities.

Peter Gregory and I held presentations and we were assisted by three canine 'live cases', over which the group deliberated to find a meaningful prescription. The owners of these dogs were stalwarts, taking the time to bring their dogs and taking the trouble to converse through translation, all of which added a real and enlivening dimension to the teaching. We wish the dogs a good outcome.

We visited Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole, overlooked Durdle Door and, of course, sampled some local ales. If only we'd had more time! Even the breakdown of one of our cars, during an evening outing, failed to dampen the proceedings. With the help of a big screwdriver and some dirty hands, it lived to fight another day.

The Fleet & Lyme Bay

Stair Hole in the failing light 

What a lovely bunch of folk these intrepid vets are, who travelled so far in their quest for more homeopathic understanding.  We learned much from each other and all concerned (delegates and teachers alike) rated this a fantastic few days, vowing to repeat the experience. We wish everyone a safe journey home.

Teachers: Peter Gregory and Chris Day, with one session held by Jane Keogh

Subjects: Materia Medica, Clinical Syndromes, Principles and Theory (including miasms)

Venue: Moonfleet Manor Hotel, Fleet, Dorset

 [Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]

The science see-saw is again serving to confuse. Firstly, someone (Dr Wakefield) asserts a strong link between MMR vaccination and autism. He's been up before his medical colleagues on charges of serious professional misconduct:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/76999.php

Then, someone publishes research exonerating MMR (vested interest quickly fights back):

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/54435.php

Now, new research has been published that again raises the possibility of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1556766/New-fears-over-MMR-link-to-autism.html

I really do wish that someone would ban the use of the words 'proof' and 'prove' in reports on medical research. I also hope that people will trust to follow their instincts, rather than be led by 'science' (that is ultimately commerce-driven, anyway).

Albert Einstein said many wise things, among which reputedly was:

"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth".

Gandhi said:

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but, in the end, they always fall - think of it always."

As Shakespeare said, in The Merchant of Venice:

Truth will out!