Non-Human And Human Animal Rights, And Caring For The Biosphere – A Conundrum

Non-Human And Human Animal Rights, And Caring For The Biosphere - A Conundrum

Is Becoming A Vegan A Good Choice For My Health, Animal Rights, And The Planet? As I consider becoming a vegan, my thoughts on animal rights are running deeper. Humans unwittingly create traps for wildlife. We could save the animals from a painful death, through education, awareness, and most importantly, caring. Whilst digging through the local community mulch pile, I came across one of my pet peeves, ... Read more

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword – Rachel Carson, Animal Experimentation, And Conflict Resolution

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword  - Rachel Carson, Animal Experimentation, And Conflict Resolution

While enjoying a cup of coffee, recently, my attention was pulled away from a sign about a deadly attack cat, who never did make an appearance, to times past. I had spotted Rachel Carson's inspiring book, Silent Spring, on an adjacent shelf. This book created a conflict that continues to this day, which had me wondering about conflict resolution, and how best to deal it? I seem to be better at creating conflict, ... Read more

How To Survive In Science, And Have Fun Doing It – Follow Your Dreams

How To Survive In Science, And Have Fun Doing It - Follow Your Dreams

Follow your dreams, as you never know where they might lead. A CAREER IN TOXICOLOGY, BECAUSE I WANTED TO SPEAK BETTER FRENCH - HOW ODD! Over 40 years, I learned a lot about how to survive in science, but I never did want to kill rats for a living. Due to one of my dreams, however, I entered the field of Toxicology (Science of Poisons), where 'The Dose Makes The Poison (though people argue about that). Rats, ... Read more

What Is Science When It Comes To A Disease That We Don’t Understand?

What Is Science When It Comes To A Disease That We Don't Understand?

an·ec·dote ˈanəkˌdōt/noun (from Google) a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. "told anecdotes about his job" synonyms: story, tale, narrative, incident; More an account regarded as unreliable or hearsay. Our Plantar Fasciitis Research Data, Just One Example Among Hundreds: "ANONYMOUS: Hello, I've been ... Read more

Aortic Disease From The Patient’s Perspective, And Raindrops On Roses

Aortic Disease From The Patient's Perspective, And Raindrops On Roses

I love that line, 'raindrops on roses,' as it triggers all sorts of images of the beauty all around us. As I start to ramp up my training for the Western Australia Ironman, and feel my strength and resilience returning, I reflect on how lucky I am. I didn't have a crippling aortic dissection, just a whopping abdominal aortic aneurysm. It changed my life, making me appreciate today and all the good things in life ... Read more

Sculpt Your Life Philosophy By Removing Rather Than Adding

Sculpt Your Life Philosophy By Removing Rather Than Adding

“It’s not the daily increase, but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” Bruce Lee. Simplifying one's life is a healthy philosophy, but it's not always easy. Years ago, I read a wonderful book, entitled, 'Amusing Ourselves To Death: Public Discourse In The Age Of Show Business.' by Neil Postman. It is actually a long essay, on the impact of technology on epistemology. What are we surrounded and impacted by ... Read more

Interesting Results From FitOldDog’s Vegetable Gardening Experiment

Interesting Results From FitOldDog's Vegetable Gardening Experiment

Remember my vegetable gardening experiment, set up a couple of months ago? I set up four different plots of immature soil, all with added worms, as follows (A) bacterial treatment, (B) worm casts, (C) bacterial treatment and worm casts, (D) nothing extra. Well, the results are in, though I guess I have to repeat it a number of times to be sure. That said, I'm going to apply bacterial treatment across the whole thing ... Read more

Simple Tricks To Improve Your Life, And Avoid Meetings As An Aspiring Scientist

Simple Tricks To Improve Your Life, And Avoid Meetings As An Aspiring Scientist

  As you get older, you learn that there are many simple tricks to improve your life. For instance, I was riding along in the car with Nick (16) the other day, when he said, "Kevin, you're in a really bad mood this morning. What's up?" I agreed! Then Nick said, "When I'm in a bad mood I just say to myself, 'No I'm not,' and it goes away." It's easy to change your mood if you find the approach that ... Read more

Disclaimer: As a veterinarian, I do not provide medical advice for human animals. If you undertake or modify an exercise program, consult your medical advisors before doing so. Undertaking activities pursued by the author does not mean that he endorses your undertaking such activities, which is clearly your decision and responsibility. Be careful and sensible, please.