From tinadt at sbcglobal.net Fri Feb 8 17:42:43 2008 From: tinadt at sbcglobal.net (tina thomas ) Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 17:42:43 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: Los Angeles Times: 3 firms charged in case of tainted pet food Message-ID: <200802090142.m191gruk025468@lothlorien.nfbcal.org> Subject: Los Angeles Times: 3 firms charged in case of tainted pet food >From the Los Angeles Times PRODUCT SAFETY 3 firms charged in case of tainted pet food A Las Vegas importer and two Chinese companies are indicted after thousands of dogs and cats died or became sick last year. By Abigail Goldman Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 7, 2008 A Las Vegas food import company, two Chinese businesses and the companies' top executives were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in connection with their parts in a tainted-pet food scandal last year that sickened or killed thousands of dogs and cats, the Justice Department said. The announcement by John F. Wood, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, marks the first time that a domestic company has faced criminal charges because melamine -- a chemical found in plastics that can cause kidney failure in animals -- was added to shipments of wheat gluten, a binding agent used in pet foods. The pet food contamination crisis, which prompted the recall of more than 60 million containers of dog and cat food, was the first in a wave of product scares that alarmed the American public about the quality of goods made in China. Melamine can artificially inflate the apparent protein content of food additives, allowing exporters to use cheaper ingredients, the indictment said. "In today's global economy, crimes that occur halfway around the world can seriously impact our lives," Wood said. "Millions of pet owners remember the anxiety of last year's pet food recall. These indictments are the product of an investigation that began in the wake of that recall." ChemNutra Inc., which imports Chinese food and ingredients for distribution across the United States, along with married owners Sally Qing Miller, 41, and Stephen S. Miller, 55, were charged in a 27-count indictment with evading mandatory inspections of the ingredients in China, delivering adulterated food, misbranding food and conspiring to defraud the companies that unknowingly bought the tainted ingredient. All but the conspiracy count are misdemeanors. "ChemNutra and Steve and Sally Miller deny in the strongest of terms the allegations by the Department of Justice and look forward to the opportunity to prove their innocence at trial," the company said in a statement. "Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Miller had any intent to defraud or any knowledge of wrongdoing." Wood said the felony count against ChemNutra and the Millers alleged that they knew the Chinese exporters had put an incorrect product code on the exports -- allowing the shipment to leave China without the normal inspections of food -- and didn't disclose that fact to their customers. "We don't allege that they knew that the wheat gluten was adulterated with the melamine," Wood said in an interview. "But to convict, we don't have to show that they knew. . . . You are responsible for the content of the food ingredients that you're selling and therefore can be charged with the misdemeanor if you distribute adulterated or misbranded food, regardless of whether you knew if it was adulterated or misbranded." In a separate case, the grand jury returned a 26-count felony indictment against two Chinese companies and their top executives, accusing them of intent to defraud and mislead, delivering adulterated foods and falsely labeling wheat gluten to avoid export inspection. Those charges name Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co., a Chinese processor of plant proteins; Chinese owner Mao Linzhun, age unknown, whose name is spelled Mao Lijun in Chinese records; Suzhou Textiles, Silk, Light Industrial Products, Arts & Crafts I/E Co., a Chinese export company; and its president, Chen Zhenhao, 58, a Chinese national. If convicted on all counts, the Chinese nationals could face a maximum of 78 years in prison. The two Americans could face as much as 31 years each behind bars -- five years for the felony and one year for each misdemeanor charge. Although the United States does not have an extradition treaty with China, Wood said the Justice Department would seek arrest warrants for Mao and Chen that could be enforced should either man travel outside China. The indictment also could prevent the companies from doing business with U.S. companies, Wood said. The Chinese government shut down Xuzhou Anying last year and arrested Mao. Prior to his arrest, Mao said in an interview that he had done nothing wrong. Wood said it was unclear if Mao was still in custody. Suzhou Textiles reportedly has denied involvement in the case, and there is no indication that its company has been shut down or anybody arrested. Businesses are closed for the Chinese new year holiday this week, and no one answered the phone Wednesday at Suzhou Textiles' office in Suzhou, an hour's drive from Shanghai. For some pet owners, many of whom were radicalized by the scandal as they grieved for sick and dying animals or worried that pets could succumb to the toxins, the indictments came as a surprise. "I didn't think anyone in government thought it was all that serious because it was 'just pets,' " said Christie Keith, a contributing editor for PetConnection.com, which last year became a clearinghouse for information about the tainted food as well as a site that thousands of pet owners turned to for moral support. "Whether it satisfies me or not depends on what happens," Keith added. "If the penalties end up being big enough or even if the process is onerous enough that it can have a deterrent effect on companies both here and overseas, then it might have a positive impact." The problems with pet food began last March, when Menu Foods Income Fund of Ontario, Canada, launched a massive recall after receiving reports of sick and dying animals. More than 150 brands and more than 5,000 products were hit by the recalls. Millions of chickens, 56,000 swine and an undetermined number of fish may have eaten tainted feed. Wood said the investigation into the tainted ingredients is ongoing, meaning that other charges could follow. abigail.goldman@ latimes.com Times staff writer Don Lee in Shanghai contributed to this report. latimes.com http://www.latimes. com/business/la-fi-petfood7feb07,0,25324.story Copyright 2008 Los Angeles Times | __________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools. search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages For guide dog handlers assisting guide dog handlers with advocacy/education-- visit: www.gdui.org or www.nfb-nagdu.org Yahoo! Groups Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Visit Your Group Moderator Central Yahoo! Groups Get the latest news from the team. Sitebuilder Build a web site quickly & easily with Sitebuilder. Dog Groups on Yahoo! Groups discuss everything related to dogs. . __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080208/de4158a0/attachment.html From julietcody at cox.net Fri Feb 8 17:58:21 2008 From: julietcody at cox.net (Juliett Cody) Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 17:58:21 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] meeting reminder Message-ID: <03b801c86abf$3fadc630$8e30b346@user1b3ecca35d> Hi there CAGDU Community: Please don't forget our meeting. Sunday, February 10th at 6:30 pm If there is anything you would like to discuss, e-mail me or call me. Thanks, JC and M -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080208/9e9746e5/attachment.html From Pmansell at dslextreme.com Sun Feb 10 17:20:32 2008 From: Pmansell at dslextreme.com (peter mansell) Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:20:32 -0600 Subject: [Cagdu] Remember Message-ID: <001301c86c4c$4c36c030$0d53b744@D7QT1JD1> Our meeting at 6:30 phone: 916 233 4622 password 1234 Talk to you then, Peter and Aerie -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080210/9e16a521/attachment.html From tinadt at sbcglobal.net Mon Feb 11 17:52:48 2008 From: tinadt at sbcglobal.net (tina thomas ) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:52:48 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: Europe: article on guide dog in mosque Message-ID: <200802120219.m1C2JhLx016085@lothlorien.nfbcal.org> Subject: Europe: article on guide dog in mosque UK Mosque Welcomes Guiding Dog Islam Online http://www.islamonl ine.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout&c id=1196786544401 By Emdad Rahman LONDON: A mosque in the city of Leicester will soon allow a dog into its premises to help its blind owner attend congregational prayers, a precedent supported by the umbrella Muslim organization and welcomed by congregants. "To tackle the inevitable issue of a Muslim owned guide dog we engaged in conferences with relevant agencies, imams and mosques in Leicester to learn, raise awareness and tackle the issue," Imam Ibrahim Mogra, chair of the interfaith committee at the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), told IslamOnline.net. "One mosque has been identified in Leicester and we will pilot a case there in 2008." Leaders of Al-Falah Mosque have agreed to allow Mahomed Khatri, a blind Muslim teen, to be accompanied by a guide dog into the mosque premises. The retriever is undergoing specialist training by Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, a national association which provides guide dogs, to assist and enable Khatri pray in the mosque. It will remain in a purpose-built kennel outside the prayer hall of the mosque and wait for the blind teen to come out after worship. Imam Mogra said the MCB, the umbrella organization of Britain's two million Muslims, carried out a full review of the Shari`ah ruling on keeping dogs. "It is correct to say that the saliva of a dog is regarded impure," he noted. "In this case the guide dogs are highly trained. A lot of money is invested in their training and these animals are very disciplined, and highly unlikely to jump on people, sniff them unnecessarily or lick their faces, or any other parts of a person?s body." A retriever salivates less than other dogs and thus reduces of the risk of flicking spittle onto worshippers. Khatri?s retriever is getting extra training to restrain it from instincts to lick its owner. Islam forbids Muslims to keep dogs as pets. However it is permissible to have a dog for legitimate benefits such as hunting or guarding. Urgent MCB leaders saw tackling the issue of guide dogs as urgent, given recent incidents in which Muslim restaurant owners and taxi drivers refused customers with guide dogs. "We initially got in touch with national guide dog associations after controversies highlighted in the media, surrounding the reluctance of taxi drivers to allow guide dogs into their vehicles," said imam Mogra. In June, Sallahaddin Abdullah was fined ?200 in Cambridge after refusing to allow a blind couple into his taxi because they had a guide dog. The MCB then issued a ruling saying British Muslims should allow guide dogs to enter restaurants and taxis. Mogra affirmed that Shari`ah does not preclude being around guide dogs, and it is actually an Islamic duty to help the visually impaired. "We have been involved in consultations for a period of time and therefore acknowledge that a guide dog enhances the health and safety of an individual, it helps a person and enables better mobility." Welcome Al-Falah Mosque congregants welcomed allowing Khatri's guide dog into their mosque. "I am not bothered in the slightest," Sulaiman Patel, a regular worshipper at the mosque, told IOL. Patel insists that the blind Muslim teen should receive every possible support to help him pray at the mosque. "I can?t see any arguments against it," added the 26-year-old bakery manager. "I?m very proud that my mosque is leading on this." Idris Desai, 32, praised the Al Falah Mosque administration for accommodating Khatri's needs. "It?s no big deal. The dog will not be standing next to worshippers." Mariam Lorgat, a student at Loughborough University where Khatri studies, also commended the mosque leaders. "It is appropriate that we are discussing relevant issues like this," said Lorgat, a regular Al-Falah Mosque congregant. "As time goes on there will be more guide dog users, all over the country. This will help break many barriers." Posted February 10th, 2008 by hrc ?http://europenews. dk/en/node/6945 __________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools. search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages For guide dog handlers assisting guide dog handlers with advocacy/education-- visit: www.gdui.org or www.nfb-nagdu.org Yahoo! Groups Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Visit Your Group Share Photos Put your favorite photos and more online. Yahoo! Groups Latest product news Join Mod. Central stay connected. Y! Groups blog the best source for the latest scoop on Groups. . __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080211/e505e94d/attachment.html From tinadt at sbcglobal.net Mon Feb 18 10:17:02 2008 From: tinadt at sbcglobal.net (tina thomas ) Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:17:02 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: service animals Message-ID: <200802181844.m1IIi7fi012495@lothlorien.nfbcal.org> Subject: service animals Broad service animal law allows pets to be full-time companions Sunday, February 17, 2008 By Erin Quinn Tribune-Herald staff writer - Waco, TX If you happen to see a dog, cat, pig or even monkey walking the aisles of your favorite store or restaurant, don't be alarmed. Federal law allows anyone with a disability to leash their pet, say it helps them feel better and take it everywhere they go. Wacoan Rik Espinosa, 53, suffers from panic attacks and takes Kimba, his 13-year-old Labrador mix, to restaurants, on planes and in hospitals. While state law requires service animals to be trained through an accredited organization, the wording of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act leaves the issue open to interpretation. In a prepared statement in response to a request from the Tribune-Herald, the Department of Justice's Office of Public Affairs said the agency will review the wording of the law and receive public comment. No date has been set regarding when that comment period might begin. Groups such as the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners are urging the Department of Justice to require more training for the animals and to clarify the wording of the law to focus more heavily on the animal's ability to perform physical tasks to help their handlers. The group takes issue with handlers who say their animals provide a therapeutic service just by being near them. Its president, Ed Eames, is quick to provide examples of why the group believes the ADA's definition of a service animal opens the door to potential risks to others. In one instance, Eames said, a quadriplegic woman in Albuquerque brought her monkey into a hospital emergency room. The monkey reportedly got loose and yanked the intravenous line out of another patient. In 2000, a woman brought what she claimed was a physical-therapy potbellied pig onto a U.S. Airways flight. A year later, another woman brought her seeing-eye miniature horse Cuddles onto a Delta Air Lines flight. Each of these examples follows the language of the federal law. A statement from the Department of Justice sums up the ADA's definition of a service animal as: "Any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government." Assistance animals don't have to wear an identification vest, although many do. Their handlers also don't have to carry any certification or a doctor's note. "There are 54 million people in this country who are disabled," Eames said. "Every one of them could claim that their dog or animal makes them feel better. Then where are we?" Espinosa said that according to the wording of the ADA, that attitude denies him his civil rights. Waco resident Rick Armstead agrees. He has diabetes and says he has taught his dog, Duke, to paw him and whine when Armstead's blood sugar gets too low. He takes his service animal everywhere. Questioning looks Armstead and Espinosa said they get their share of dirty looks and jeers from people who assume anyone with a service dog should look physically disabled, while the two men do not. Armstead said he has had trouble finding work because he needs Duke at his side all the time. And, he said, he spends a good part of his day explaining to dubious business and restaurant workers why it's OK for him to bring his dog through their doors. "I was once called a 'professional suer' by a cop when I was being denied access to a swap meet in California," Espinosa said. But, he says, "my motto is always: 'education versus litigation.' " Ro Osoria, manager of Big Daddy's Tattoo Studio on Sanger Avenue, said Espinosa's dog Kimba wasn't wearing an identification vest when her owner walked in with her to get her image tattooed on his arm. He wasn't thrilled about letting the dog in his work area. "Here, you're dealing with blood-borne pathogens," he said. "We need to keep a sterile environment. " According to the ADA, service animals are allowed where the general public is allowed. It wouldn't have mattered if people in the studio were allergic, under the law's language. Or afraid of dogs. Osoria said Espinosa told him about his time as a reporter and the violent events he covered, and how he has been suffering from panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder ever since. He is unemployed and receives disability payments. "Once he sat down and explained to people why he has the dog, I started to understand him," Osoria said. Even so, other customers stared at Espinosa and Kimba and asked why the man needed the dog. Osoria eventually inked the tattoo while Kimba waited in the lobby. Alan Ren, manager of Chinese Kitchen on North Valley Mills Drive, also had reservations about Kimba when handler and dog showed up one day. "Some customers were scared," he said through a translator. "It was a big dog, and some customers do not like animals. We opened a whole special section for him, but he didn't like it. He just left." Espinosa said he left in protest because forcing him to eat in a separate room was a violation of his civil rights. "It's really important not to be always directed to the back of the bus," he said. Espinosa's opinions are backed by Joan Esnayra in Virginia. The 43-year-old founder of the Psychiatric Service Dog Society said she started the "psychiatric dog movement" in 1997. She says she has bipolar disorder and realized that her dog calmed her by staring at her. "From some people's perspective, we're just trying to take our pets everywhere," she said. "From our perspective, we've stumbled on something that works." Corey Hudson, president of Assistance Dogs International- North America, is concerned about assistance animals trained by inexperienced people. Esnayra preaches to her organization that the best training for a psychiatric dog is self-training. "A dog is bombproof when it's had the right training," Hudson said. "A properly trained dog sees a bird or a child holding food in front of its face, and it doesn't flinch. "It's the equivalent of going to MIT on the East Coast or Stanford on the West Coast when a dog is trained properly to do a task," Hudson said. "Those other dogs haven't even gotten through sixth grade." At Ryan's Family Steakhouse on Franklin Avenue, Espinosa and his wife ate on opposite sides of a long, rectangular table that seated others. Kimba acted like a typical dog. She was being petted and given table food by Espinosa's wife for part of the dinner. Espinosa said Kimba's nose is so keen that she doesn't have to be close to him to pick up on an impending panic attack. "She can be working and be friendly, too," he said. Espinosa said groups that want to require more training are "in it for the money" that comes out of training fees. "It's 'we got here first, and we want to make the rules,' " he said. "Well, that is not inclusive. It is divisive." Hudson said people such as Espinosa are becoming a problem. "Handlers are really worried," Hudson said. "Guide dog handlers, in particular, are particularly cautious of their rights being ruined by others." Espinosa maintained his confidence in his training of Kimba. He will even walk through buffet lines without her, commanding her to stay underneath the dinner table. "I could be gone 10 minutes and she would not move," he said. The Department of Justice is the only one that can resolve the dispute. Until it does so, however, the law is left open to interpretation. Source: http://www.wacotrib .com/news/ content/news/ stories/2008/ 02/17/02172008wa cserv icedogs.html? cxtype=rss& cxsvc=7&cxcat= 11 equinn at wacotrib. com 757-5748 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 73 years of serving the blind of California, we are the California Council of the Blind. Please support the California Council of the Blind by using www.ccbnet.gttrends.com for your travel needs. 50% of the commissions from your travel purchases will be donated to CCB. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "California Council of the Blind" group. To post to this group, send email to CCB-L at googlegroups. com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to CCB-L-unsubscribe@ googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups. google.com/group/CCB-L?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Links | Database | Members | Calendar If you reply to this message it will go to all members on the list, not just the sender. Yahoo! Groups Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Visit Your Group New business? Get new customers. List your web site in Yahoo! Search. Moderator Central Yahoo! Groups Get the latest news from the team. Yahoo! Groups w/ John McEnroe Join the All-Bran Day 10 Club. . __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080218/04ba37fd/attachment.html From kenvolonte at comcast.net Tue Feb 19 12:14:44 2008 From: kenvolonte at comcast.net (Ken Volonte) Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:14:44 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] trafic check today References: <200801192046.m0JKkbLZ025743@lothlorien.nfbcal.org> Message-ID: <000e01c87334$163e89b0$5779b543@ken5f734aa928e> We are testing the email. Having trouble sending notes. Thanks Tina, from Ken From ecwogan at aol.com Wed Feb 20 08:28:51 2008 From: ecwogan at aol.com (ecwogan at aol.com) Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:28:51 -0500 Subject: [Cagdu] trafic check today In-Reply-To: <000e01c87334$163e89b0$5779b543@ken5f734aa928e> References: <200801192046.m0JKkbLZ025743@lothlorien.nfbcal.org> <000e01c87334$163e89b0$5779b543@ken5f734aa928e> Message-ID: <8CA41F4D027AE4A-CE4-225F@webmail-nc18.sysops.aol.com> Ken, I got your e- mail. It came thru loud and clear. Have a great day. Joe and Leaner -----Original Message----- From: Ken Volonte To: cagdu at nfbcal.org Sent: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:14 pm Subject: Re: [Cagdu] trafic check today We are testing the email. Having trouble sending notes. Thanks Tina, from Ken _______________________________________________ Cagdu mailing list Cagdu at nfbcal.org https://www.nfbcal.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/cagdu ________________________________________________________________________ More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://webmail.aol.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080220/7a1ad4b5/attachment.html From tinadt at sbcglobal.net Wed Feb 20 10:23:46 2008 From: tinadt at sbcglobal.net (tina thomas ) Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:23:46 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: : "Nubs". Message-ID: <200802201851.m1KIorVe021205@lothlorien.nfbcal.org> This is A great story. Subject: : "Nubs". Feb. 20, 2008. Nubs is a survivor of cruelty; mascot to the troops who saved his life; and a big, furry, lovable symbol of freedom from the war in Iraq. The spirited German shepherd-border collie mix is scheduled to arrive via airplane late evening on February. 20 in Chicago, where a dinner of steak and Pop-Tarts -- the dog loves the strawberry ones -- awaits. He then will fly to San Diego on February . 21, where he will be adopted by friends of Marine Major. Brian Dennis until his owner returns from a second tour of Iraq. Dennis, a St. Petersburg, Fla., native, found Nubs near death in December with a stab wound in his left side. He said an Iraqi border policeman stabbed him with a screwdriver. "The wound was deep and nasty and likely punctured one of his lungs," Dennis 36, wrote in an e-mail. "I thought he was going to die." He rubbed Neosporin on the wound and hoped for the best. It was a bone-chilling 18 degrees outside and Dennis slept with Nubs to keep him warm The dog made it through that night, and the next day, and the next. Dennis and the 12-man special operations unit he leads in al-Anbar province nursed him back to full strength. Dennis named the dog Nubs because an Iraqi cut off most of the animal's ears when he was a puppy. Dennis asked the man who did it why he committed such a cruel act. "He told me it was to make him tough and more alert, and to make him hear better," Dennis wrote. "I pulled my combat knife off of my gear and told my interpreter to ask him how he'd like it if I cut off his ears ... You know, to make him tougher ... More alert. He laughed nervously and I just stared at him." Nubs was the alpha dog, the leader of a wild pack residing in the ruins of an Iraqi border fort. It took him awhile to warm up to Dennis and the Marines, even though they showed him such love. His trust of humans needed to be won back. Dennis and his men knew they couldn't take Nubs when they had to temporarily relocate their combat outpost 70 miles away one week after the dog recovered "We had too much going on mission-wise to take on a dog," he said. Nubs chased them in their Hummers when they left. "Nubs might be the fastest dog I've ever seen," Dennis wrote. "We would have to drive faster and faster just to leave him behind. He could hang with us up to about 35 mph and then would start to fall back." Nubs' Incredible Journey Two days later, while Dennis was working on a Hummer at the new camp, he looked up and couldn't believe his eyes. It was Nubs. "He tracked us nearly 70 miles," Dennis wrote friends back home. "I won't even address the gauntlet he had to run of dog packs, wolves and God knows what else to get here. When he arrived he looked like he'd just been through a war zone. ... Uh, wait a minute. He had." They took him back after their mission and built him a doghouse. He became a mascot and pet to the Marines. But as fun and special as Nubs was, he also was against the rules. Marines can't have animals in war zones. So Dennis, with a mandated four-day window to get his dog to safety, worked feverishly on a plan to get Nubs to freedom Friends sympathetic to the cause they learned of via e-mail donated $3,500 to a "Save the Nubs Fund" to help transport the pooch back to the states. "It's the least we can do for him after he walked nearly 70 miles and found us," Dennis wrote. Nubs was going home. The Long Trip To America Before Dennis took him to a transfer point into Jordan to begin his circuitous journey, he wrote, "He acted a little strange all day yesterday. Dogs are funny like that; sometimes they just know when something is up. He was hiding in the corner all day prior to the delivery ... He'd never done that before." Dennis took him on one last ride on a combat patrol that included the doggie dropoff. "Next thing we knew, Nubs was heading west to Amman," he wrote. "Nubs received a checkup and vaccinations in the capital city of Jordan before being allowed to fly to the U.S. This week." Contacted via e-mail by The Tampa Tribune on February. 9, Dennis replied, "I m not really looking for coverage on this thing, not now anyway's." He was concerned that the story could cause problems for him and others. But the story of Nubs and Dennis was reported last week on CNN and other television outlets. Ellen DeGeneres learned of it, and on her show February. 15, "When Major. Dennis returns in March, I so want to meet him ... I think you're an amazing, amazing guy." Dennis' mother, Marsha Cargo of St. Pete Beach, said DeGeneres wants to have Nubs and her son reunited on the show. Dennis has received e-mail about Nubs from people as far away as New Zealand. He wrote that Nubs is going to become "the most famous dog since Spuds MacKenzie." "It's the most beautiful story," Cargo said. Nubs will get that steak and Pop-Tarts meal in Chicago from the father of Capt. Ron Hess, Dennis' operations officer. Then it's off to San Diego, where Dennis, a Lakewood High School and University of South Florida graduate, is scheduled to return in late March and resume his service as an F-18 Hornet fighter pilot based at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. His friends, Chrissy and Eric Sjoberg of San Diego, will keep Nubs until Dennis gets back. The immigrant dog will work with a trainer, Graham Bloem, for domestication. Until then, the major can keep an eye on Nubs' son, Tank. "He is getting big and is the alpha in a new pack," Dennis wrote. Dennis envisioned Nubs living the good life in America after running for his life in Iraq: "He was going to go to the dog beach in San Diego and play in the waves while beautiful girls in bikinis fawned over him. At least that's the way it went in my head. Nubs was going to have a nice, sunny life and never be cold again. Nubs was going to San Diego, where he'd live like a little Rock Star." Courtesy: C & C List. You have received this message because you are Cherished and cared About. -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 716 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. 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URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080220/e1fdca77/attachment.html From Pmansell at dslextreme.com Thu Feb 21 11:54:38 2008 From: Pmansell at dslextreme.com (peter mansell) Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:54:38 -0600 Subject: [Cagdu] JC AND M AT THE WHITE HOUSEFw: POSSIBLE ARTICLE Message-ID: <005a01c874c3$975e17f0$2a53b744@D7QT1JD1> Hello Beach Citizens and CAGDU Community: Our beautiful president and her beautiful guide dog co-president visited the White House! Aerie and I joined them. Congratulations girls! PETER AND AERIE ----- Original Message ----- From: pat.sherman at tlnews.net To: julietcody at cox.net Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 8:32 PM Subject: RE: POSSIBLE ARTICLE Juliet, here is my story. I'll send the photos tomorrow. Finding her way Escondido woman overcomes blindness via education and enthusiasm By Pat Sherman | pat.sherman at tlnews.net Sunday, February 10, 2008 Though Juliett Cody once owned a day care center and has a background in child development, after losing her sight in 2000, she found it difficult to land a job. Undeterred, the Escondido resident completed her education, starting at Palomar College, then transferring to Cal State San Marcos, from which she earned a bachelor's degree in communication last spring. To lessen her financial burden, Cody applied for scholarships and received more than 20 grants and awards during the past five or six years. It is her most recent award, however, that carries the most distinction. Last week, Cody traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with first lady Laura Bush. The trip was part of a $6,000 award from Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, a national nonprofit organization that produces textbooks for students who are visually impaired or have dyslexia. "One of the things I advocate for is to keep Braille in the schools," Cody said. "People think that electronics can take over and we don't need to teach children Braille. That's wrong, because they'll be illiterate next to their peers." Cody and five other scholarship winners met with Bush in the East Wing of the White House on Thursday morning. "It went wonderful," said Cody, who brought her guide dog Marley and her friend Peter Mansell and his dog Aerie, also of Escondido. "(Bush is) just very receptive to education, and she loved the dogs," Cody said. "She reached out and she grabbed my hands and she said, 'Hello, Juliett, congratulations. I'm very proud of you. What a beautiful dog.' She was very, very warm, and she actually hugged you and said, 'More pictures.' "You have very little time, but I said, 'You know, we're here advocating for Braille literacy and education,' and she agreed that it was of most importance." In 1995, Cody was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a category of inherited diseases causing retinal degeneration, and began losing her eyesight. "I had never been around any blind people," Cody said. "I went to a seminar of the National Federation of the Blind in San Diego, and I was just amazed that people were walking around with their canes and their dogs and going to the drinking fountain. I said, 'Wow, that's just how I'm going to be.' " Cody immediately enrolled with the San Diego Service Center for the Blind in Vista, where she learned Braille and other skills. Though she initially returned to school with the goal of teaching disabled children, Cody soon recognized a need for advocates on behalf of the disabled and visually impaired. "We have to get into our legislative offices and show them the need that disabled people have and all the prejudice that's going on," said Cody, who serves on the board of directors for the National Federation of the Blind. "I go to Washington once a year and talk to the (legislators) and go visit my legislators here." As a federation board member, Cody has met with congressional representatives on both sides of the aisle, including Republican Duncan Hunter and Democrats Susan Davis and Bob Filner. One of the federation's goals is to find a sponsor for legislation that would establish a minimum sound standard for hybrid cars. Though the vehicles are easier on the environment, as they decelerate, their approach is nearly inaudible. "We're all about a cleaner environment, but we also need to have a minimum sound standard so that we know that we're safe," said Robert Stigile, president of the federation's California chapter. The organization also is asking Congress to fund $19 million a year for the next four years to digitize the Library of Congress's Talking Book Program and to increase the Social Security earnings limit for blind individuals from $18,000 to $36,000. Cody is completing her education with the assistance of Braille, audio textbooks and an adaptive computer. She carries a note taker with her to class, which has a Braille keyboard. At first, learning Braille was a challenge for Cody. However, she said, "I fell in love with it because it was going to make me literate again." Cody is completing her prerequisite work to enter the Literature and Writing Studies program at Cal State San Marcos and obtain her master's degree. As part of her community service, she leads seminars for blind and visually impaired seniors called "Blindness in a Positive Manner." She also speaks to the parents of blind children to urge them to focus on their children's potential, instead of their sight-based limitations. John Segoria, director of disabled student services at Cal State San Marcos, has written letters in support for Cody for scholarship applications. "She's a very good advocate for the (visually impaired)," Segoria said. "She's well-spoken and very independent. She's definitely the real deal." Katherine Brown, an associate professor of communication at Cal State San Marcos, served as Cody's faculty mentor in a student research competition. Cody chose to study how comfortable sighted individuals were with blind people who used a cane, versus those accompanied by a guide dog. Her research found that the dog acts as a conversational icebreaker and that people are more apt to approach a blind person with a guide dog than those using a cane. "I've enjoyed working with her," Brown said. "Every time I've had a conversation with her I go away enthused, energized and excited. . She's a contagious speaker and communicates her enthusiasm well. She teaches her peers really to focus on what is possible." Reach reporter Pat Sherman at (760) 752-6774. -----Original Message----- From: Juliett Cody [mailto:julietcody at cox.net] Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 12:18 PM To: Sherman, Pat Subject: Re: POSSIBLE ARTICLE Hey Pat, Congratulations! The article was wonderful. Could you please e-mail me the articles and photos just for me? Thanks, Juliet and Marly ----- Original Message ----- From: pat.sherman at tlnews.net To: julietcody at cox.net Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 6:26 PM Subject: FW: POSSIBLE ARTICLE Juliet, congratulations! I would love to meet with you to talk about your scholarships. Let me know if you'll have some time to chat tomorrow or early next week. Regards, Pat Sherman Today's Local News (760) 752-6774 (619) 261-6200 (cell) -----Original Message----- From: Walker, Cheryl Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 2:50 PM To: Sherman, Pat Subject: FW: POSSIBLE ARTICLE -----Original Message----- From: Juliett Cody [mailto:julietcody at cox.net] Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 2:13 PM To: Walker, Cheryl Subject: POSSIBLE ARTICLE Hi Sheryl, I received a scholarship for six thousand dollars and an opportunity to go to Washington DC and speak to first lady, Laura Bush. I will be talking to her about Braille literacy and education. I am a blind student at Cal State San Marcos. I could not get a part time job so I started applying for scholarships and have received over twenty of them. Juliet Cody 760-522-0288 If interested either call or e-mail.. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080221/6e4afb85/attachment.html From Pmansell at dslextreme.com Thu Feb 21 12:07:14 2008 From: Pmansell at dslextreme.com (peter mansell) Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:07:14 -0600 Subject: [Cagdu] photo Message-ID: <00aa01c874c5$5a1983a0$2a53b744@D7QT1JD1> Hello Tiff, I e-mailed a picture of Juliet, Laura Bush and Marly and it bounced. Why did it do that? Can you fix it? Thanks, Peter and Aerie -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080221/b3ba3bb4/attachment.html From Pmansell at dslextreme.com Thu Feb 21 11:55:40 2008 From: Pmansell at dslextreme.com (peter mansell) Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:55:40 -0600 Subject: [Cagdu] For those who seeFw: POSSIBLE ARTICLE Message-ID: <006401c874c3$bceb2170$2a53b744@D7QT1JD1> Here a picture! PM and A ----- Original Message ----- From: pat.sherman at tlnews.net To: julietcody at cox.net Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 7:52 PM Subject: RE: POSSIBLE ARTICLE Juliett, here is the photo of you and Mrs. Bush. -----Original Message----- From: Juliett Cody [mailto:julietcody at cox.net] Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 12:18 PM To: Sherman, Pat Subject: Re: POSSIBLE ARTICLE Hey Pat, Congratulations! The article was wonderful. Could you please e-mail me the articles and photos just for me? Thanks, Juliet and Marly ----- Original Message ----- From: pat.sherman at tlnews.net To: julietcody at cox.net Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 6:26 PM Subject: FW: POSSIBLE ARTICLE Juliet, congratulations! I would love to meet with you to talk about your scholarships. Let me know if you'll have some time to chat tomorrow or early next week. Regards, Pat Sherman Today's Local News (760) 752-6774 (619) 261-6200 (cell) -----Original Message----- From: Walker, Cheryl Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 2:50 PM To: Sherman, Pat Subject: FW: POSSIBLE ARTICLE -----Original Message----- From: Juliett Cody [mailto:julietcody at cox.net] Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 2:13 PM To: Walker, Cheryl Subject: POSSIBLE ARTICLE Hi Sheryl, I received a scholarship for six thousand dollars and an opportunity to go to Washington DC and speak to first lady, Laura Bush. I will be talking to her about Braille literacy and education. I am a blind student at Cal State San Marcos. I could not get a part time job so I started applying for scholarships and have received over twenty of them. Juliet Cody 760-522-0288 If interested either call or e-mail.. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080221/880f348c/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Juliett Cody and Mrs. Bush.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1676175 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080221/880f348c/attachment.jpg From tinadt at sbcglobal.net Sat Feb 23 18:54:16 2008 From: tinadt at sbcglobal.net (tina thomas ) Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:54:16 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: USA: Commonly Asked Questions About Service Animals in Places of Business Message-ID: <200802240321.m1O3LUt6013015@lothlorien.nfbcal.org> Subject: USA: Commonly Asked Questions About Service Animals in Places of Business http://www.usdoj. gov/crt/ada/qasrvc.htm Commonly Asked Questions About Service Animals in Places of Business U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Disability Rights Section Department of Justice Seal horizontal border COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SERVICE ANIMALS IN PLACES OF BUSINESS 1. Q: What are the laws that apply to my business? Block quote start A: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), privately owned businesses that serve the public, such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxicabs, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities, are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The ADA requires these businesses to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto business premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed. Block quote end 2. Q: What is a service animal? Block quote start A: The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government. Service animals perform some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform for him or herself. Guide dogs are one type of service animal, used by some individuals who are blind. This is the type of service animal with which most people are familiar. But there are service animals that assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities. Some examples include: Block quote start _ Alerting persons with hearing impairments to sounds. _ Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments. _ Assisting persons with mobility impairments with balance. Block quote end A service animal is not a pet. Block quote end 3. Q: How can I tell if an animal is really a service animal and not just a pet? Block quote start A: Some, but not all, service animals wear special collars and harnesses. Some, but not all, are licensed or certified and have identification papers. If you are not certain that an animal is a service animal, you may ask the person who has the animal if it is a service animal required because of a disability. However, an individual who is going to a restaurant or theater is not likely to be carrying documentation of his or her medical condition or disability. Therefore, such documentation generally may not be required as a condition for providing service to an individual accompanied by a service animal. Although a number of states have programs to certify service animals, you may not insist on proof of state certification before permitting the service animal to accompany the person with a disability. Block quote end 4. Q: What must I do when an individual with a service animal comes to my business? Block quote start A: The service animal must be permitted to accompany the individual with a disability to all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. An individual with a service animal may not be segregated from other customers. Block quote end 5. Q: I have always had a clearly posted "no pets" policy at my establishment. Do I still have to allow service animals in? Block quote start A: Yes. A service animal is not a pet. The ADA requires you to modify your "no pets" policy to allow the use of a service animal by a person with a disability. This does not mean you must abandon your "no pets" policy altogether but simply that you must make an exception to your general rule for service animals. Block quote end 6. Q: My county health department has told me that only a guide dog has to be admitted. If I follow those regulations, am I violating the ADA? Block quote start A: Yes, if you refuse to admit any other type of service animal on the basis of local health department regulations or other state or local laws. The ADA provides greater protection for individuals with disabilities and so it takes priority over the local or state laws or regulations. Block quote end 7. Q: Can I charge a maintenance or cleaning fee for customers who bring service animals into my business? Block quote start A: No. Neither a deposit nor a surcharge may be imposed on an individual with a disability as a condition to allowing a service animal to accompany the individual with a disability, even if deposits are routinely required for pets. However, a public accommodation may charge its customers with disabilities if a service animal causes damage so long as it is the regular practice of the entity to charge non-disabled customers for the same types of damages. For example, a hotel can charge a guest with a disability for the cost of repairing or cleaning furniture damaged by a service animal if it is the hotel's policy to charge when non-disabled guests cause such damage. Block quote end 8. Q: I operate a private taxicab and I don't want animals in my taxi; they smell, shed hair and sometimes have "accidents." Am I violating the ADA if I refuse to pick up someone with a service animal? Block quote start A: Yes. Taxicab companies may not refuse to provide services to individuals with disabilities. Private taxicab companies are also prohibited from charging higher fares or fees for transporting individuals with disabilities and their service animals than they charge to other persons for the same or equivalent service. Block quote end 9. Q: Am I responsible for the animal while the person with a disability is in my business? Block quote start A: No. The care or supervision of a service animal is solely the responsibility of his or her owner. You are not required to provide care or food or a special location for the animal. Block quote end 10. Q: What if a service animal barks or growls at other people, or otherwise acts out of control? Block quote start A: You may exclude any animal, including a service animal, from your facility when that animal's behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others. For example, any service animal that displays vicious behavior towards other guests or customers may be excluded. You may not make assumptions, however, about how a particular animal is likely to behave based on your past experience with other animals. Each situation must be considered individually. Although a public accommodation may exclude any service animal that is out of control, it should give the individual with a disability who uses the service animal the option of continuing to enjoy its goods and services without having the service animal on the premises. Block quote end 11. Q: Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business? Block quote start A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded. Block quote end If you have further questions about service animals or other requirements of the ADA, you may call the U.S. Department of Justice's toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (voice) or 800-514-0383 (TDD). July 1996, updated January 14, 2008 Reproduction of this document is encouraged. http://www.usdoj. gov/crt/ada/qasrvc.htm __________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools. search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages For guide dog handlers assisting guide dog handlers with advocacy/education-- visit: www.gdui.org or www.nfb-nagdu.org Yahoo! 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