A mixture of bits from Na-Land
Both the Ewe-Ess and the Canuck state to the north are being dominated by politics at this time as both countries gear up towards elections, the Canucks later this year and while the Ewe-Ess is not until November next year the politicking, insults, derogatory tweets, and generally classless comments are out in the world for all to see and hear.
However, there is other life continuing in both countries and here are a few of the items which may not have hit the major news channels lately.
What’s in a name? In Canada there has been a definite move to naming new puppies – ARCHIE! According to Rover.com, naming a pup after someone in the Royal family is fairly common as is naming the dog after a character in Riverdale or Game of Thrones. Besides television and movies, people get dog names from sports stars, literature, food, and video games. [Probably BoJo will be a new dog tag in the UK now!].
In a Canadian survey of dog owners it was found that 12 per cent name their pet after a food or drink, 12 per cent named their pup after a famous or historical person and another 12 per cent are thinking of an animal, plant or nature when they come up with a pet moniker.
The same survey found the top Canadian male dog names to be Charlie, Max, Cooper, Milo and Buddy while the most popular female dog names are Bella, Luna, Daisy, Lucy and Molly. But creative names are also appearing more often with vets saying they have dealt with a chihuahua named Taco, two bulldogs named Winston and Churchill, a pair of poodles named Charlie and Chaplin, and a dog named Jafeica – which turned out to be an acronym for “Just Another F---Expense I Can’t Afford!”
The dangers of hoarding, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a disorder where folks have persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. Hoarding ranges from mild to severe and can lead to significant problems for the individual who is hoarding, their family members and their pets. It frequently leads to unsanitary conditions and health concerns.
Call it clever planning or a tongue-twister, either way the plan for a Downton Abbeyinspired high tea for Hospice on Sunday at Heritage House to end Heritage Month was no coincidence.
“The theme and venue have a year in common. Heritage House was built in 1912 and the Downton Abbey television series (pictured) was set between 1912 and 1926,” says event co-ordinator Emma Anderson.
The high tea was a wonderful opportunity to come together in a heritage building at the end of Heritage Month.
Raffle tickets and a curated selection of vintage goods from the Hospice stores will be available to purchase during the high tea with all the proceeds from sales going directly to Hospice Whanganui.
Emma says, “Dressing up for the high tea is encouraged, and you’ll find the perfect special pieces, such as jewellery, in a style similar to those worn in the art deco era, as seen in the upcoming Downton Abbey movie, amongst the treasures at your local Hospice shop”.
Devine Catering has created an afternoon tea menu befitting the theme. Tea and coffee will be served at tables arranged in banquet style, resembling the grand dinners hosted by the fictional Crawley family.
Tickets to the Downton Abbey High Tea are available online from eventfinder.co.nz or in person at iSite Whanganui. Many serious and sometimes fatal illnesses are caused by rodent infestation and droppings as well as mould and bacteria. During a fire the blaze can spread quickly throughout the home and may leave the homeowner trapped inside, Emergency responders may also be prevented from accessing the injured.
Children and animals can be crushed from piles of hoarded items falling on them, animals can become trapped and die from starvation, and both children and animals are susceptible to respiratory illness from dust and unsanitary conditions. In very severe conditions, homeowners have lost custody of their children and/or pets due to the safety hazards. Spring cleaning time is not far away, folks!
While some parents and groups continue to object to the giving of vaccines to their children, whether for safety, religious or any variety of reasons, the outbreak of measles and mumps in various areas of the Ewe Ess is causing some institutions to stop the entry of non-vaccinated students. After a mumps outbreak sickened more than 100 students, Temple University – Philadelphia — announced recently a new policy requiring incoming students to have the measles, mumps rubella, or MMR vaccine. Previously the university did not require immunisations for admitted or enrolled students but the new policy goes into effect this calendar year. It will also require students to have the chicken pox vaccine and the tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis or Tdap vaccine.
Obviously an ounce of protection is in order. There may also be an orange-roughy vaccine in the early stages of development!
An environmental advocacy group recently came out with the “Dirty Dozen” fruits and veggies and the “Clean Fifteen”, a report which has growers upset. But, the use of pesticides has been common in the agriculture industry for decades and finally there have been some detailed studies to show which fruits and veggies are safe and which contain contaminants.
The “Dirty Dozen”, in order from the worst and upwards were – strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery and potatoes. The study found that more than 90 per cent of samples tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides, with some samples showing the presence of 18 pesticides.
The “Clean Fifteen” were led by the avocado, followed by sweet corn, pineapple, sweet peas, the onion, papaya, eggplant, asparagus, kiwi[fruit] (yahoo!), cabbage, cauliflower, cantaloupe, broccoli, mushroom and the honeydew.
The report stated that nearly 70 per cent of the produce sold in the Ewe Ess comes with pesticide residue – although in response the Ewe Ess Department of Agriculture stated that the American food supply was “among the safest in the world”.