Fat Cats!

Sometime back, I wrote about how some veterinarians in England were prescribing Ritalin for cats who had "personality" issues. A recent article in the London Times indicates that there are a lot of fat cats in England and that apparently the issue of obese cats is a "growing" problem. Here's an excerpt from that article:

"Fat cats in Britain are beginning to suffer the same diseases as their owners. A growing number are having type 2 diabetes diagnosed, as obesity and lack of exercise take their toll.

A pioneering study at the University of Edinburgh has found that one in every 230 cats in Britain is diabetic. Although there is no baseline for comparison, the evidence suggests that the rates of feline diabetes are rising rapidly. A study in America in the 1970s found only a fifth as many cases.

Professor Danielle Gunn-Moore, who led the study, said: "'The lifestyle of cats, just like their owners, is changing. They are tending to eat too much, gain weight and take less exercise. Unfortunately, just like people, cats will overeat if they are offered too much tasty food, particularly if they are bored and have little else to do.'"

“'While cats would naturally exercise outside, many cats are now house-bound — perhaps because they live in a flat or because their owners feel that it is too dangerous to let them out — so they have little to do all day but eat, sleep, and gain weight.'”

Diabetes in cats, as in people, is a serious, often fatal, condition and affected cats need daily insulin injections and a special diet. They also face an increased risk of pancreatitis, urinary tract infections and other problems."

I certainly don't want to leave the impression that this is just a humorous take on obese cats. I think that it speaks fairly eloquently to the fact that we humans don't take very good care of ourselves—or our animals.

I-35W Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis

At 6:05 P.M. on Wednesday, August 1, the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis suddenly collapsed into a heap of rubble. Minneapolis instantly become the focal point of local and national news reports. In the hours after the bridge collapse, most of the people who were on the bridge were rescued or were able to swim to safety. Remarkably, fewer than 100 people were injured, and amazingly, perhaps only a dozen or so people lost their lives. Ironically, the design of the bridge probably saved lives, even as it collapsed into the Mississippi River.

Even as we attempt to understand this tragedy, stories of heroism and courage have emerged. One of these incidents involved a school bus carrying sixty day campers. The bus came perilously close to falling into the river, which might have resulted in numerous casualties. One of the camp counselors, 20-year-old Jeremy Hernandez, quickly evacuated the bus, and all of the children were rescued. Naturally, Jeremy was interviewed by local and national media. The rescue efforts are still underway, but the currents in the Mississippi River have made the rescue effort difficult.

The I-35W Bridge was finished forty years ago and was opened for use in the fall of 1967. You can see the bridge under construction in this 1967 photo. But why did the bridge collapse? Over the next several weeks and months, many investigations will undoubtedly take place. Although there has already been a great deal of speculation about the cause of the collapse, no one can know for sure at this juncture. Even though most of the commentary and news reporting about this tragedy has been respectful, it is most unfortunate that a few media types and politicians have begun politicizing the bridge collapse even before all of the victims have been recovered from the river.

I would be the first to acknowledge that the political climate in this country has been become very polarized in recent years, but one would think that self-proclaimed experts would restrain themselves from waxing eloquent at least until after we find out what happened to the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Perhaps that's asking too much, but one can always hope.

Sixtieth Anniversary

As regular readers of this blog will remember, my father-in-law (Roy Crane) passed away this year on February 19. He died just a few months short of his 84th birthday. Had he lived until this week, he and my mother-in-law (Vera Crane) would have celebrated their 60th anniversary.

They were married in Michigan on August 2, 1947, after my father-in-law had returned from serving in the US Army during World War II. After attending one year at Olivet Nazarene College, he enrolled at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. He graduated in 1951 and then stayed on a year to get a teaching certificate. My wife Nancy and her sister Darlene were born in Greenville while their folks were living in Greenville.

Roy and Vera returned to Roseville, Michigan, in 1952. There they raised their family of seven children, and Nancy's mom still lives in the same house that the Cranes bought about 45 years ago. When they first moved to that house, it was located along Eleven Mile Road. About 35 years ago, Interstate 696 replaced Eleven Mile Road. The house had to be moved back and then relocated on a new foundation. The westbound service drive for I-696 runs right in front of the house.

We spoke with Mom yesterday, and we reminisced about the many good years that she shared with Dad. We are so glad that she is still with us. We pray that she will be around for years to come.