Dead Dog Resurrected in Oklahoma -- Dog Messiah?

Daily News
On what could become known as "Easter Sunday" for dogs, young canine "Wall-E" returned from the dead at a shelter for homeless dogs in Oklahoma. The pup was given a lethal dose of medication and left for dead in a bin, along with four siblings. But only Wall-E rose from the dead the next day -- a Sunday. Hundreds of humans are vying for the opportunity to own Wall-E, rather than to allow the puppy to be put to death a second time. Even for a dog, dying once in Oklahoma should be quite sufficient.

The black-and-white pooch was one of five young dogs put to sleep Saturday at a shelter in Sulphur, Okla., News 9 in Oklahoma City reported. Each dog was checked and confirmed to be dead, then the 3-month-old and his four siblings were placed in a trash bin.

On Sunday morning, an animal control officer looked into the bin and discovered that the one pup somehow survived.

"He was just as healthy as could be," Scott Prall told News 9.

..."He is a delightful Pup, about 3 months old, is surprisingly healthy except for a heavy infestation of Hookworm for which he is undergoing treatment," Marcia Machtiger wrote in a special website she created for the animal.

She stresses that if a home for Wall-E isn't found soon, he could wind up back at the shelter -- where he very well might end up being euthanized again.

However, Kloski writes that "hundreds" of families already have volunteered to give Wall-E a place to live. _DailyNews

Wall-E is more than just a celebrity canine. He has become a religious symbol for both homeless and mistreated dogs everywhere. "Strike me down and I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine . . ."

Humans had best listen.

Goat-Smelling Desert Dwellers Confused by Brasilian Interference

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For many years, the All-Peninsular Goat-Smelling Mooch Award has been won by either Ahmed or Abdul. (It should be noted that the word "mooch" means something different in Arabic, being more linguistically akin to the Yiddish word "mensch".) Al Fin traveled to the peninsula to interview Abdul and Ahmed, the most highly skilled goat-smellers in peninsular history, to question them about Brasil's latest interference in the goat genome, and the implications this may have for their profession in the future.

Al Fin: Thank you very much, Abdul and Ahmed, for meeting with me today.

Ahmed and Abdul in unison: Salaam aleikum, Al.

AF: Wa aleikum salaam. I'll start with Abdul first. What do you think about Brasil's interference with goat genetics?

Abdul: It is a serious problem, Al. These interfered goats do not smell the same as a natural goat. It gives me a headache to think what these cursed Brasilian scientists are doing.

AF: I understand that some goat-smellers are worried that the Brasilians will insert some pig genes into their goats, and then release the pig-goats into peninsular herds to inter-breed with natural goats. Ahmed, what have you heard in that regard?

Ahmed: I was enraged when the imam announced this outrage at Friday noon prayer. We rushed into the streets with hands full of stones, looking for infidels and perverts. Fortunately we found a woman walking without a veil, with her head uncovered. It would have been a shame to waste the stones.

AF: I see. But can't you tell the difference in smell between natural goats and Brasil-interfered goats? Wouldn't such a thing lead to greater demand for goat-smellers, and higher profits for you?

Abdul: No, Al, you don't understand. Just to smell such a pig-goat would contaminate a goat smeller so that he could not go to mosque without enduring a prolonged purification ritual over a period of many days. Many of our best clients would be reluctant to hire us with such a taint over our heads.

AF: Hmmm. What do you intend to do, then?

Ahmed: We must declare jihad against the Brasilian scientists and destroy their laboratories before they can achieve their blasphemous goals.

AF: But what about all the good things that could come from the transgenic goat programs? Destroying the laboratories may prevent some important medical breakthroughs.

Abdul: Not our problem, Al. We must do what we must do.

AF: So. Thanks for meeting with me today Abdul and Ahmed.

A&A: As Salaamu Aleikum, Al.

Technology Review article about transgenic goat experiments in Brazil

5 Ways to Create Wealth In Your Back Yard

1. Icelandic Sheep

The triple-purpose Icelandic sheep is a livestock dynamo—capable of providing meat, milk and wool. Joanne Dunlap, who raises Icelandic sheep in Northern Maine and serves as secretary for the Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America, keeps a small flock (8-10 during winter months) says a good sheep will give her 2.5 lbs of wool every year. "I have so much wool I don't know what to do with it," she says. The sheep may provide upwards of 33 gallons of milk a year. _PM

For less than $1,000 you can have the makings of your own small scale sheep ranch. The Scots, Kiwis, and Icelanders can't be all wrong.

2. Laying Hens

A small flock of laying hens can easily meet a family's egg requirements. Cathy Payne, a self-proclaimed "chicken lady" who tends a backyard flock of 14 hens in her backyard in Virginia, says a "primo, optimum hen lays one egg every 23 hours." She also points out that pastured chickens, those allowed to wander outdoors, produce "unbelievably flavorful eggs" that are more nutritious (higher levels of omega-3 and folic acids) than those from conventionally raised birds.

In addition to collecting eggs, Payne also harvests her birds' droppings for use as fertilizer in her garden. And because they'll eat just about anything, she also uses her flock as a sort of living garbage disposal. _PM

Are you keeping count? So far, your milk, eggs, meat, wool, and fertiliser requirements are taken care of. Let's see, what else?

3. Honey Bees

With a beehive at full capacity, the yield for a beekeeper is remarkably bounteous. Working throughout the summer, tens of thousands of honeybees in one backyard hive can produce up to 100 lbs of honey. Andrea Azarm, who keeps an apiary in her backyard in Connecticut, says, "When the bees do well, the products are absolutely wonderful." In addition to the honey crop, Azram also harvests beeswax, which can be used to make moustache wax, lip balm and candles. __PM

Honey is a great sweetener, with a lot of quick energy. Beeswax candles are nice on those long winter nights when the power is out from an EMP.

4. Nigerian Dwarf Goats

Nigerian dwarfs usually weigh about 70 lbs, stand less than 2 feet tall, and are thus easier to handle and require less space than larger goat breeds do. In spite of their diminutive stature, the Nigerian dwarf goat produces between 1-3 quarts of milk each day. Alexandra Burmeister has raised Nigerian dwarfs on a small central Texas farm for three years, and says the breed is ideal for goat-raising newcomers or those with space constraints.

The milk the goats produce is rich, sweet and high in butterfat—6-10 percent. Extra milk can be used to make goat cheese or produce natural soaps. Though small and principally used for its dairy production, the Nigerian dwarfs grow chubby, making them a viable source of meat as well. __PM

Okay, the milk, cheese, and meat sounds fine, but what if my Nigerian goats don't get along with my Icelandic sheep? Having both seems somewhat redundant.

5. River Buffalo

... the river buffalo doesn't require lush, fertile grasses to produce great quantities of rich and creamy milk with a butterfat content of 8-9 percent. __PM

Hmmm. This sounds like more than a backyard project. And since I already have enough milk from the sheep and / or goats, I'll pass on the buffalo.

I'm surprised the PM article didn't mention dwarf cattle, which are much closer to back yard size than river buffalo. Other pint-sized livestock projects might include rabbits, miniature pigs, or midget turkeys.

Remember, the more food you grow on the hoof in your own backyard, the less susceptible you will be should the transportation system break down for one reason or another.

H/T Instapundit

Dangers of Biotech

In this photograph you can see one of the dangers of biotech. This poor creature can not look forward to a happy life as either a kitten or a frog. Thanks to self-centered and ambitious biotechnologists, this poor varmint is doomed to a life of misery and ridicule. Is it too much to label the scientists who did this "little Hitlers?" Perhaps, but one cannot help but feel the pain of this miscegenetic chimera.

Cute Overload

I ran across this site today. It reminded me of another thing that makes humans different from other apes--our tendency to domesticate other species as pets.

Humans have partnered with dogs for millenia. Other species, including cats, have been similarly domesticated.

Young animals have great appeal to the human eye. If it is possible to be too cute, some of the animals at Cute Overload come perilously close.