The Pet Economy

Recently I was involved in an online discussion about Americans and their pets. For the discussion I used an article titled "The Pet Economy". Here are some excerpts:

1. Americans now spend $41 Billion (with a capital B) on their pets. This is more than the GDP of all but 64 countries in the world.

2. People are no longer satisfied to reward their pet in "pet terms" but now in "people terms".

3. Their menu reflects every fad in human food—from locally sourced organic meat and vegan snacks to gourmet meals bolstered by, say, glucosamine to ward off stiff joints.

4. About 77% of dogs and 52% of cats have been medicated in the past year, according to APPMA, an increase of about 20 percentage points from 1996.

5. About 63% of U.S. households, or 71 million homes, now own at least one pet (how many households are sponsoring a child overseas?).

6. Americans now spend $9.8 billion a year on vet services. That doesn't include the over-the-counter drugs and other supplies, which add $9.9 billion in costs.

7. New products like Pfizer Inc.'s (PFE ) dog-obesity drug Slentrol, cost $1 to $2 a day (how much does it cost to sponsor a child overseas?).

8. You can read the rest of the article here. When I think about it in comparison to human life, It actually makes me queazy.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_32/b4045001.htm

These are rough statistics to hear, or maybe they're not for you, I don't know. I'm not saying we need to kick our pets outside to sleep in the snow and let them find food on their own. I like my cat and I wouldn't do that to her. However, the truth is that animals don't have souls (Gen. 2:7) and from the perspective of eternity, don't matter as much as a human life. God sent His Son to die for mankind, not for cats and dogs (1st Timothy 2:3-6).

I would challenge you this New Year to sponsor a child. I can tell you that just a dollar a day will radically change their lives.

This is the website that I use and have verified that most of the money you send goes directly to the child.

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm

Israel Journey: Day Nineteen and Twenty

A great trip!  Total travel time home was just over 30 hours.

Israel Journey: Day Eighteen

It was a last day filled with so much!  I decided to go to some of my favorite spots and do some thinking/reading.  I went back to Lina's Restaurant and had the best hummus that I've ever tasted.  Because of their hummus, Lina's has a great reputation throughout the Old City.

Sat by Jaffa Gate and did some people watching.  The picture below is the view over the bridge and shows an excellent example of how the modern city of Jerusalem is delicately interwoven throughout the Old City.

Went to Zedekiah's Cave.  More on this later.

Decided to go back to The Garden Tomb.  I had such an incredible experience.  More on this later.

Finally, went with some friends to a Turkish Bath House.  What a great way to end my trip!

Went to a great Shawarma place in Ramallah.

Israel Journey: Day Seventeen

Hiked up Masada today.  The path can be seen snaking back and forth on the right side of the picture.  If you look closely, you can see a group of people about a third of the way up (for scale).  It was quite a hike!

There is a very unique story behind Masada.  I put together a video describing the location and will be adding it to this blog when I get back to the States and have access to my lovely desktop computer.

This picture below shows an exciting story.  At the top of Masada was a man (a Sofer) copying the Torah, just as it had been done in the Jewish times.  You might find these facts as interesting as I did:
1. The parchment was derived from a Kosher animal, usually a goat, and prepared by the Sofer.
2. First the skin soaked in lime water for nine days to remove hairs.
3. Then the skin is stretched over a wooden frame to dry.
4. The Sofer scrapes the skin while it is stretched over the wooden frame to remove more hair and smoothes the surface of the skin in preparation for writing on it with the use of a sanding machine.
5. When the skin is dry, the Sofer cuts it into a rectangle.
6. While at work, the Sofer is a vehicle for God's holy words and thus intense concentration and cognizance of the sanctity of the work are critically important.
7. The Sofer carefully and patiently carves a point in the end of the kosher feather and uses many quills in the course of writing one Torah.  A special quill is used only for the names of God.
8. The Sofer is not allowed to write from memory.  He must look into the Tikkun for each next letter, concentrating himself on the holiness and significance of each letter
9. The scroll may contain no errors whatsoever. While some mistakes may be corrected by scraping off the ink of a letter made in error with a knife or pumice stone; if a mistake is made in writing any of the names of God, no correction may be made because God's name may not be erased.  The entire sheet parchment must be buried or placed in a geniza (storage area for damaged holy texts), and the Sofer must begin that section again.

"Masada shall not fall again."

Israel Journey: Day Sixteen

Spent the day relaxing with the group.  We woke up and had a wonderful Arab breakfast and then went into the old city to peruse the shops.

I left the group and was walking through town looking for something.  I couldn't find it, so I knocked on someone's door and a young high-school-aged girl answered.  I told her what I was looking for and she said, "I'm not sure, but my mom knows.  Come inside while I call her."  As she was getting directions from her mom on the phone, she brought me some hot tea and cookies.  Middle Eastern culture is so inviting!

Israel Journey: Day Fifteen

 "At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 

As Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw heaven being torn open 

and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: 

"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

~Mark 1:9-11

Today I had the amazing privilege to baptize a friend in The Jordan River.  This was something Josh had been wanting to do for some time and it was such a powerful example to follow in the footsteps of Christ.

We drove from Tiberius, all the way to Haifa, where we found the place Josh's mom grew up.  I have to say that Haifa has the most confusing and complicated road system that I have ever driven.  We were lost for quite some time, but the views of the Mediterranean Sea from high above the cliffs proved worth the trip.

Israel Journey: Day Fourteen

Went south to visit the area of Qumran, the location where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered.  In early 1947, a Bedouin shepherd boy searching for a stray goat came upon the scrolls which were stored inside earthenware jars in a high cliffside cave.  The scrolls are now on display at the Shrine of the Book, which is part of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.  This event has been described as the most important discovery in the the history of the Jewish people.

Went further south to the Chalk Caves.  These were amazing!  The entire cave system was made of chalk and could be pulled off by layers.

Finally, we visited The Dead Sea and went for a floating swim!  Known in Hebrew as Yam HaMelah (Sea of Salt), the Dead Sea is the world's lowest point lying some 400m below sea level.  Compared to regular sea water, the water of the Dead Sea contains 20 times as much bromine, 15 times as much magnesium, and 10 times as much iodine - it is, in effect, 33% solid substance.

Israel Journey: Day Thirteen

Went to the Citadel of David.  More on this later.

Went back to Bethlehem so I could get inside the basement of the Church of the Nativity, which I wasn't able to see on Christmas Eve.  The picture below shows the location where Jesus is said to have been born.  Nearby is another shrine that is said to be the place Mary first laid Him in the manger.

SAHLEB!  What a delicious treat from Bethlehem Square.

This picture shows how the children of the West Bank and Israel are constantly living under military influence.  This photo was taken as a few Palestinian boys were playing cops and robbers in an abandoned courtyard.

Made food for tomorrow's trip to the Dead Sea.  We stuffed peppers, zucchini, and grape leaves.