How long will your pet live?Written by Dawn Jenness
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The majority-85 to 90% pet food sold in Canada is manufactured by US-based multinationals. Under terms of US-Canada Free Trade Agreement, neither CVMA nor PFAC exercises any control over ingredients in cans of US pet food. Pet food industry advertising promotes idea that, to keep pets healthy, one must feed them commercially formulated pet foods. But such a diet contributes to cancer, fatal diseases, skin problems, allergies, hypertension, kidney and liver failure, heart disease and dental problems. WE HAVE THE ANSWER!!! This system was developed by DR. JANE BICKS, a nationally known and highly respected holistic veteriarian with over 30 years of experience. She has written several books on pet care. DR. BICKS was PRESIDENT of VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION in NYC, and was appointed by MAYOR RUDOLPH GUILIANI to help start largest animal shelter in United States. Our Product? LIFE'S ABUNDANCE pet foods are manufactured from completely all natural sources. REAL meats, vegetables, vitamins, minerals and of course, much needed anti-oxidants. YOU CAN REST ASSURED YOU WILL BE PROVIDED PET FOOD THAT HAS THE HIGHEST QUALITY AND NUTRITIONAL STANDARDS IN THE INDUSTRY. Please!!! If you care about your pet, you owe it to them to find out more. Visit us on-line at: http://www.Healthypetnet.com/DawnJ/ Give your pet(s) happiest, healthiest longest life possible. Please visit us at: http://www.Healthypetnet.com/DawnJ
I have done extensive research on the subject of commercial pet foods, and from losing a pet myself to disease, I am determined to educate people on the importance of the ingredients in pet foods, so that hopefully, I can save one more pet.
| | Collecting Elephants Is BigWritten by Michael Knapik
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Things to be wary of include: *ivory vs. bone vs. synthetic: how to tell: hot pin test - reference link: Ivory Test*Bakelite vs. other plastics: how to tell: The Rub Test: Rub Bakelite object in question with a clean, dry finger until you feel heat being generated. If you smell an odor like formaldehyde, object is Bakelite. The Hot Water Test:. Heat some water close to boiling point, and place a part of object in hot water for a moment and remove; If you smell an odor like formaldehyde, object is Bakelite. The Hot Needle Test: Heat a needle to red hot. Touch needle for only a second to an inconspicuous spot on surface. If you smell an odor like formaldehyde, object is Bakelite. Also, if needle penetrates surface of object easily, it is probably NOT Bakelite!.*post-ban ivory imported into US *fake signatures on e.g., Lalique *reproductions and re-introduced models/namesAs with all other collectibles, your familiarity with subject will help you identify a reproduction from real thing. Reading books, like those referenced in Section 4, monitoring internet auction sites like eBay, attending shows, flea markets and live auctions, and talking to specialists and other collectors, all contribute to your knowledge and expertise. Insurance Heaven forbid something bad happens to your elephant collection. If you don't have them stored away in a safe place - like Fort Knox, a bank's safety deposit box, or an in-home vault (see Storage/Protection subsection), if disaster struck you would want some way of recouping loss.If your elephant collection starts burgeoning in terms of sheer numbers, cost/replacement value or just sentimental value, you want to consider getting insurance to cover them. Check with insurance agent for company that covers your home; many times coverage for personal belongings is some percentage of coverage for your house. So if your house is covered for $100,000 say, and your personal belonging coverage/content is covered for 30% of value of your house, then you are automatically covered for $30,000. Now, assume your furniture, TV/VCR/etc., clothes and kitchen wares etc., are worth 25,000, and your elephant collection is worth $3,000 (or you paid that amount over years), then you may be covered to extent you need to be. But, if in same situation, you paid $25,000 for your elephants over 20 years, or they are currently valued at $25,000, you definitely want to add an insurance rider to make up difference in coverage Fixing broken elephants Of course, old adage: "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." applies to elephant collectibles as well. But sad day inevitably comes when, by moving an elephant in home, or by shipping accident, or other mishap, an elephant becomes damaged. Some collectors buy damaged elephants and either fix them or leave them alone, claiming it increases charm or "character" of find. Others buy a damaged elephant if it is especially rare or if a perfect one would be too expensive.One note of utmost importance: it is not advisable to clean or otherwise repair true antiques, unless a professional does it and you understand consequences. For some antiques, refinishing or repairing certain flaws actually diminishes value, even though it may make elephant look better cosmetically, or restore a missing part. Some dirt or dust can be removed on pottery, metal or wood with nothing more than a damp cloth.The most common damage I have seen is missing or broken tusks. For many types of elephants - tusks can be repaired or replaced. Wood, plastic or ivory tusks can be re-created with a little ingenuity and skill. For example, a dowel rod of appropriate length and diameter, soaked in water or put in a steamer for a few hours, can be bent into appropriate curve and held there for several hours to set shape. Then further shaped with carving tools, can produce a most-pleasing replacement wood tusk. Add paint or stain to match elephant or an existing tusk. Replacement ivory can be carved from mammoth ivory (legal and available) to replace tusks and toe-inserts or missing pieces on ivory elephants.For common pottery elephants, breaks or cracks can be repaired at home using common glue or epoxy cement. More expensive elephants can be taken to repair shops that specialize in such repairs. They usually re-break piece, treat surfaces, re-glue and then most important step - re-glaze/fire piece; result is a repair than only trained professionals with a microscope could tell. Highly recommended for that favorite, expensive piece.Metal elephants can be repaired by skilled metal-working artists. I have an old brass elephant box that had missing tusks. I took it to an metal artist who used brass rod to create and re-solder tusks into holes. Natural aging should even out patina. Brass, bronze, aluminum, copper, and chrome elephants can be cleaned and protected with common, non-abrasive metal cleaners and polishers. Rubin-Brite is a museum-quality cleaner/polisher that leaves a carnuba-wax protective finish on metal. Iron and steel elephants can rust, which requires more work. A rust remover jell, followed by 0000 steel wool cures most rust spots. Again, for older, rare or true-antique metal elephants, unless corrosion is so advanced or bad that it further endangers elephant, leave minor discoloring and surface blemishes alone.Ephemera - paper images, prints, posters and paintings - can be repaired by professionals, if item is pricey or rare, and some repairs can be done by home hobbyist. Pencil marks on paper can be removed by gently rubbing with an eraser-like material called "Magic-rub" by Sanford. A more thorough cleaning can be gained using Lineco's Document Cleaning Powder. Paper items can be deacidified using Bookkeeper Deacidification Spray. Tears can be repaired using Lineco's transparent mending tissue.Lastly, a great reference on caring for your elephants (or any collectible) is: Kovels' Quick Tips: 799 Helpful Hints on How to Care for Your Collectibles (Kovel's 1995) Sources of elephants Elephants can be found almost anywhere other products are found. Because there are so many types of elephants - even specialty stores (like a Kitchen & Bath shop) or venues may have that obscure elephant needed for your collection. Here are some places I have found elephants:*Almost any retail store like Wal-Marts, Hallmark, Sears has elephants - mostly mass-produced. *Estate Auctions *On-line Internet auctions like Ebay.com, amazon.com *On-line antique stores and malls like www.rubylane.com *Antique stores *Flea markets *Yard Sales/Garage Sales *Looking for elephants wherever you go on vacation.Visit EverythingElephants.com for more information about elephant collecting and elephant collectibles! Or contact author at MichaelKnapik@EverythingElephants.com
Besides being an obsessed elephant collector, Michael Don Knapik is a Software Architect specializing in object-oriented analysis and design and artificial intelligence, lifts weights, is a Master SCUBA diver and designs custom homes.
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