However, looking closer at the statistics, he is shocked to see that the number of empty boxes picked-up by the scale was zero, after three weeks of production.

Puzzled, the president goes down to the factory floor, and walks up to the part of the line where the new electronic scale was installed. After looking at the scale, he notices a portable electric fan blowing across the conveyor belt just before the scale, which suddenly blows an empty box off the line – without stopping the line. He turns to one of the nearby workers and asks, “Who put that fan there?”

“I did, sir. I got tired of having to stop what I was doing, go remove the empty box on the scale, and then restart the line. Stopping and starting the line was hurting our overall production. Now, thanks to that little $20 fan, no more empty boxes. Good idea, huh?”

“Yeah, good idea....”

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HANDY HINT

Plants need loving too...and vitamins

Next time you make hard or soft-boiled eggs, save the water. Let the water cool, and use it to water your plants. The calcium from the shells will fertilize the greens and encourage lush growth.

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QUOTE

"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."

~ Helen Keller

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5 Pet Poisons Hiding in Your Purse, Backpack or Work Bag

By Dr. Becker

According to the folks at Pet Poison Helpline, they talk frequently to terrified pet owners whose dog or cat found an enticing 'treat' in a purse or backpack and gobbled it up.

Since during the winter months pets tend to be indoors more, a handbag or similar item lying open with contents exposed, can prove an irresistible temptation to a confined, curious and perhaps slightly bored pet.

Top 5 Most Common Purse Items That Poison Pets

Human medications. About half the yearly calls to the Pet Poison Helpline are because someone’s pet ingested a medication found in a handbag, book bag, duffel bag, etc.

Human pills come in bottles, and the sound of a rattling pill bottle is very similar to the noise some dog toys make. Both over-the-counter and prescriptions drugs can be a problem.

Very common OTC painkillers like Advil, Motrin and Tylenol, and human doses of prescription drugs for depression like Prozac and Effexor, can be toxic to pets.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Advil, Motrin and Aleve, can cause GI ulcers and kidney failure and are especially dangerous for kitties.

Just one Tylenol (acetaminophen) can be fatal to cats, and larger amounts can cause liver failure in a dog.

Antidepressants are the number one cause of calls to Pet Poison Helpline. Signs a pet has ingested one of these drugs include sedation, loss of coordination, agitation, trembling and seizures.

Asthma inhalers. If your dog bites into an asthma inhaler, it has the potential to result in acute, life-threatening poisoning. These inhalers contain highly concentrated doses of drugs like albuterol (a beta-agonist) and fluticasone (a steroid).

If a dog punctures an inhaler by biting or gnawing it, she can be exposed to a massive single dose of a powerful drug which can bring on vomiting, agitation, heart arrhythmia, collapse, and ultimately, death.

Artificially sweetened gum and mints. Many ‘sugarless’ gums and mints contain xylitol – a sugar substitute highly toxic to dogs. Even a small amount of xylitol can result in a dangerous blood sugar crash in canines, and larger amounts can lead to liver failure.

Symptoms of xylitol poisoning include vomiting, weakness, collapse, shaking and seizures.

In addition to gum, mints and other sugarless candy, xylitol is commonly found in chewable vitamins, certain prescription drugs, dental hygiene products, nicotine gum and baked goods.

Cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and other products containing nicotine. Did you know a small dog can die from ingesting just three cigarettes, depending on the brand? Chewing tobacco is also toxic to dogs and cats, and so are stop-smoking products like nicotine gum.

Signs of nicotine poisoning come on quickly and include elevated heart and respiratory rates, neurological symptoms, loss of bladder or bowel control, tremors, seizures, paralysis and death.

Hand sanitizer. Small bottles of hand sanitizer have become commonplace in purses, briefcases and backpacks. These products, which are used to kill germs, contain lots of alcohol. Alcohol (ethanol), is the germ-killing agent in these gels and liquids.

If your dog were to ingest a small bottle of hand sanitizer, it would be about the equivalent of a shot of hard liquor. This could cause a severe drop in your pet’s blood sugar, loss of coordination, loss...

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Dreams Are Renewable

Are you too old to get married? Several years ago, Jim Gorringe, 99, and Dinah Leach, 84, wedded at the St. James Rest Home in Christchurch, New Zealand. Both had been previously married and great, great grandchildren attended the ceremony.

Just before the wedding, the groom quipped, "We won't be having children."

I wonder if this is the same older couple who stopped by a pharmacy a couple months before their wedding. They told the pharmacist they wanted to get married. "Do you sell heart medication?" they asked. He said that of course they do.

"Then how about medicine for circulation?"

The druggist replied, "All kinds."

"Do you have drugs for rheumatism, arthritis, memory problems and scoliosis?"

The pharmacist assured them that they had a wide array of medicines for all of those problems and more.

"And you sell wheelchairs, walkers and canes?"

"Absolutely," said the druggist. "Whatever you need."

They looked at each other and smiled. "Great!" the bride-to-be said. "We'd like to register here for our wedding gifts."

You have to admire their enthusiasm. They may have old memories - that is a gift of age. But they also have young hopes.

Author and television personality Hugh Downs reported some good news for seniors. He said that when older adults are properly motivated, their intelligence does not wane. In fact, the ability to organize thinking may actually increase as folks age. Many people in their 50's, 60's and even 70's can go through college with greater efficiency than at 18.

Adults over 70 years of age have contributed richly and in varied ways.

- Emmanuel Kant wrote his finest philosophical works at age 74. - Verdi at 80 produced "Falstaff" and at 85, "Ave Maria." - Goethe was 80 when he completed "Faust." - Tennyson was 80 when he wrote "Crossing the Bar." - Michelangelo completed what may have been his greatest work at age 87. - At age 90, Justice Holmes was still writing brilliant American Supreme Court opinions.

And then there's George Dawson. George learned to read at age 98. (He was forced to quit school when he was a small child in order to help support his family.) "I got tired of writing my name with an 'X,'" he said. Four years later, at age 102, he co-authored his autobiography, LIFE IS SO GOOD, published by Random House.

Dreams are renewable. They need not expire like an over-due library book. No matter our age, we can breathe new life into old dreams. In fact, we have to renew our dreams, or else they will wither away altogether.

I don't want to spend my life so busy looking back that I lose interest in what lies ahead. As I age, I will have old memories. But I also want a few young hopes.

After all, dreams are renewable.

~ Steve Goodier ~
[ by: Steve Goodier - Copyright © 2012 - from Steve Goodier (LifeSupport@yahoogroups.com) ]

   Thanks, Shari!