The ABC's of Himalayan Cat Care

A is for annual check-ups. Himalayan cat care must include an annual visit to the veterinarian. This can be for a routine check-up, annual vaccinations, and a time to discuss any concerns or issues you may have. If your Himalayan is still a kitten, make sure that you discuss spaying or neutering (if you are going to be having this done) at your initial appointment to ensure that all the shots are up to date before the surgery is scheduled and when the vet recommends the surgery takes place. This is not to say that you should be waiting for your annual appointment if you do have any health concerns regarding your cat, in that case make the call and talk to your vet about when you should bring in your cat.

B is for brushing, and a lot of it. For your Himalayan cat care regimen to be complete, your cat will have to be groomed on a daily basis. This includes a good brushing to keep this long-haired breed's fur from tangling. You should also schedule a bath at least once per week, if you start bathing your cat when it is a kitten it should get used to this ritual in time (but may never like it).

C is for culinary needs. A brief Himalayan cat care tutorial would not be complete without mentioning dietary requirements. You should not be feeding your cat scraps from the table, people food is meant for people - instead invests in a premium brand dry food (as recommended by your breeder). In addition, pay attention to the different stages that are available for the brand of food you choose and progress as your kitten grows into an adult cat.

The One Predictable Thing About Technology

... Is that it's unpredictable.

Making predictions about anything is a tricky business. It's often fraught with problems and compounded by two factors: too many variables and too many people.

Making predictions in the world of technology is about as rough as it gets. You see a trend, a fad, or a new craze, jump on it, extrapolate, and then go and get it all totally wrong.

As an example, at the turn of the 20th century, it was predicted that passenger air balloon travel - pioneered by the likes of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin - would be commoditized and become the pre-eminent means of mass transit. In fact, it would be so popular, by the 1980s, people would have their own personal air balloon as their primary method of conveyance.

Obviously, this gaze into the future didn't take into account the airplane, which put an end to that pearl of foresight.

The main problem with looking forward is that people do it in such painfully straight lines, as the previous example demonstrates. The telephone is another useful example; who could have predicted mobile phones at the time Alexander Graham Bell was fussing around with the technological equivalent of paper cups and wet string?

No one could have. Furthermore, how could anyone have predicted that these mobile telephones would one day have cameras built in? Or that you could send written messages on them? You only have to go back 10 years, and such ideas would be derided as foolish drivel.

The future is a curly thing, and in the wonderful world of information technology, the driving force behind much of the confusion is convergence.

Now there's a buzzword if I ever heard one. And this becomes the next big problem with predicting future trends in technology: let's get two really cool gizmos and merge them; people will love it!

Err, no! What drives desire is anyone's guess. What drives need is utility: two very different parts of the brain are being exercised, here, one more than the other!

If something doesn't fulfill a practical purpose, then it's neither use nor ornament.

This future-predicting thing is even harder these days, but in a way, even the most outlandish theory could have its day. Things are changing so quickly that new technologies are emerging literally overnight. And given that people's needs are also changing, evolving, and emerging, who knows?

Going back even further, desire, need - call it what you will - has a common source. The very engine of change is people, society, lifestyle, and a requirement to manage, re-route and/or if need be, delegate all of this data and information.

The Apple Newton was way ahead of its time. A bunch of clever guys 'n' gals sat in a room and made a remarkable prediction about how people would "consume" data and information, and they were right on the money - the only problem being that they were over 10 years early!

Now, people are on the move. People work on the move, hold down long-distance relationships, work with colleagues across time zones, and manage bank accounts in a cafe while drinking a cup of chai.

The only certainty is the same one that has been pontificated upon since time immemorial: things change. Things often come together in intriguing, mysterious, and eminently useful ways.

So here's my prediction: things will never be small enough, big enough, fast enough, cool enough, or cheap enough! Am I wrong?

Do I Have Genital Herpes?

So you've got some 'funny business' going on downstairs. It might be some bumps, a rash, a burning sensation when urinating or some sort of discharge, or it could be something different entirely. Whatever the reason, you're asking yourself that scary question: "Do I have Genital Herpes?"

The first thing is to clear up some of the myths surrounding Genital Herpes. It's a very common condition, with around 1 in 5 people carrying the virus. Most people will have no symptoms at all, or very light symptoms. It does not make you dirty, it does not mean you can never have sex again, and it is definitely nothing to be ashamed of. It's a virus like any other, and while you can never get rid of it completely, you can control the symptoms, stop the outbreaks and reduce the risk of transmission quite easily through treatment, diet and lifestyle.

First signs many experience are things like a tingling or burning sensation when urinating, discharge from the penis or vagina, or a red rash or tenderness in the genital area. If you are experiencing any of these, you should get checked out by a doctor, regardless if you think it might be herpes.

You may also experience symptoms similar to a cold or flu. These can include fever, headache, aching muscles or tiredness. Another common indicator is a swelling or tenderness of the glands in the groin (the lymph nodes) which you may notice due to pressure from your clothes or underwear, or when moving from a sitting to standing position, or vise versa.

The above are really good reasons to get to the doctor ASAP, because they can also be symptoms of a variety of other STDs. However, if you are asking "Do I have Genital Herpes", you are most likely experiencing the classic symptoms. These symptoms are the appearance of painful blisters on or around the genital area. These blisters can be large or small, can be numerous or low in number, and are often painful and uncomfortable.

The conclusion is if you have to ask "Do I have Genital Herpes", then it's most likely you've got a reason to be checked out by a doctor, regardless of whether it turns out to be herpes or not! Sexual health is nothing to be trifled with, and there's no reason to be scared or embarrassed, doctors also know that Genital Herpes is an overblown and exaggerated disease, and will not make you feel persecuted, distressed or promiscuous. Please get examined without delay, and you'll find that with proper treatment you'll be able to get on with your life and genital herpes will go from 'That Big Scary STD' to a minimal annoyance at worst, or no problem at all at the best.

Get Coached!

Coaching is a hot trend at a growing number of companies, from IBM and Dow Chemical to entrepreneurial start ups. According to a recent survey by The Hay Group, an international human resources consultancy, between 25 percent and 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies use executive coaches. A coach is defined as being "part advisory, part sounding board, part cheerleader, part manager and part strategist (Business Journal)."

Coaching can occur in one-on-one face-to-face meetings between the coach and the business person, over the telephone, in small groups, and even in group conference calls. Recently, a client of mine, who owns an acoustical tile cleaning franchise, was so pleased with the results of our coaching sessions, that she organized group telephone coaching sessions for her and other franchise owners. The benefits are enormous. Not only do the franchise owners save time and money conferring in a group telephone session, they all receive the same information at the same time, there are networking and sharing opportunities, and a spirit of teamwork has evolved.

Coaching does not only occur in the one hour session each week. I give my clients reading assignments and "homework" to do in between sessions. One exercise that I use frequently with clients is to have them look at their entire business and pick two things that would impact their business the most. Then, we determine one or two things in each area that would give them the biggest bang for their buck. After doing this exercise, one client picked getting back in touch with old clients and telling them all of the services her company offers. In one week, she had three new proposals to bid on.

John Russell, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson Europe Ltd, says, "I never cease to be amazed at the power of the coaching process to draw out the skills or talent that was previously hidden within an individual, and which invariably finds a way to solve a problem previously thought unsolvable."

Coaching has not only helped my clients - it has also given me great satisfaction. I enjoy taking my experience working for organizations and owning my own business and helping others grow their businesses. You can almost hear people breathing a sigh of relief. It can absolutely make the difference between where a business person is now and where he/she truly wants to be.

Finding Peace of Mind

Meditation is an incredible tool capable of bringing peace of mind and creating solace in our hearts during challenging times. It has been used since ancient times to facilitate human connection to a source that we have felt to be unreachable.

There are many forms of meditation. I feel that meditation happens when we sit silently in a garden in the presence of nature or when we are perfectly still in the silence of prayer. Meditation gives us the opportunity to understand ourselves better as it is within us that we find what we are seeking to make our lives happy.

Oddly enough, men and women meditate in different ways. Women may sit in a bath with candles, essential oils and soothing music to create a calm environment within themselves. Men, on the other hand, literally “get away from it all” and go fishing. When they journey out into the water and sit in their boats, waiting for the fish to bite, the time spent on the water is a form of calming the mind and soothing the spirit.

I feel that any repetitive activity that creates calm within is a form of meditation.

From this calm of meditation comes control of the mind and ease in visualizing our goals. Being calm in our mind gives us the power of intense focus. This intense focus give us so much opportunity to figure it all out. In addition, visualization during meditation is an incredible way to use our imagination to affect healing in our bodies. Many have used meditation to travel into past lives, balance their chakras and connect with inner guidance.

The easiest way to meditate is to sit comfortably in a quiet place. Use music if it works for you. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Make it a game. Feel your breath enter through your mouth and leave your nostrils. Keep focusing and allow your body to relax. Soon you will feel weightlessness. I encourage you to set your intention before you enter into meditation. Is it mental quiet that you seek? or connection to your heart? or maybe it is to fall through time and visit a past life?

A complaint I have heard, time and again, is that most people find it a challenge to keep the mind still. Thoughts seem to fill their heads faster than they are able to remove them. My solution is to allow your thoughts to flow. Watch your thoughts flow through your mind and then watch them disappear in the distance. If you do not fight the thoughts flowing through your mind, you will achieve stillness much faster.

Remember, your ability to meditate will become easier with time. It takes some work at the beginning so don’t feel discouraged right away. Simply begin with a basic grounding meditation and soon enough you will find yourself on the path to inner peace.

To listen to a free snippet of such a meditation, [http://www.soniahaynes.com/page/page/2433134.htm]

A Brief Look at the History of the Ferret

Knowing where we come from is part of understanding who we are. Ferret care begins with an understanding of the history and background of our ferret friend.

Ferrets are part of the Mustelidae family (Mustela putorius furo) and appear to be a domesticated breed of the European polecat. Their name is derived from the Latin term for thief which fits them well as they love to steal and hoard. They are related to the weasel, mink, otter, badger and skunk. One characteristic that separates them from their relatives is the ability to be tamed for life and feel quite comfortable around humans.

Some people confuse the domesticated ferret with its distant cousin the black-footed ferret (Musela nigrapes), a member of the endangered species list. Where the domesticated ferret finds its roots in Europe, the black-footed ferret is native to North America.

Ferrets have been a part of human history for millennia. Their natural ability to hunt rabbits and rodents has been put to good use over the years. From historical references in ancient Rome to the Crusades, the ferret's skill in rodent control is a part of the fabric of Western civilization. As a hunting animal the ferret was used to hunt rabbits for sport or for population control. There are a number of historical references where ferrets were used to control rodents onboard ships as early as the 1700s. In fact, this is likely the means by which they were first brought to America.

Their particular skill in dispelling rodents, rabbits and other pests from their holes made them of particular value to the New World early settlers. Just a whiff of the ferret's scent was enough to cause rats, mice, rabbits and gophers to flee. Their humans counterparts would be ready to destroy the vermin as they fled.

Although valued at one time for their fur. This practice was encouraged in the early 20th century but never really caught on and was made illegal in most states.

Ferrets were the primary means of catching rodents in private residences and on farms until replaced by cats in the late 18th century.

With the ferret's skill in traveling through tunnels, this talent has been put to good use by modern industry. Fitted with a special harness, and carrying a nylon pull string line behind, ferrets crawl through pipes and manmade tunnels long distances. At the other end of his journey the pull string is attached to electrical or electronic cables and pulled back through the pipe. Whether it be on an oil rig in the North Sea or in the underbelly of a jumbo jet, ferrets perform the tricks of their trade for appreciative masters.

As a companion animal, ferrets are a joy to care for and a constant source of energy and playfulness. It is no wonder that the popularity of ferrets has grown in recent years. Some estimates are that ferrets are the number three most popular un-caged pet in the United States and Canada behind the cat and dog. There are a growing number of resources available for the ferret owner: magazines, clubs, forums and newsletters. Movements are increasing to legalize ferrets in every state. Ferret fever is ever-expanding.

We approach our new furry friend with greater respect and admiration as we know his roots.