Rodger Dean Duncan: Change-friendly Leadership - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Leadership and organizational change expert, founder and CEO of Duncan Worldwide, and author of the visionary and very practical book Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance, Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D. describes how change is part of every organization in the 21st century and has become a constant. Rodger Dean Duncan provides the insight that change is no longer simply a management issue but has now become a key leadership attribute, The ability to implement change and engage the people affected by that change is a key element of leadership. Rodger points out that people are not resistant to change, but rather to the stress brought about by the change. As a result, a leader must engage the people and understand their heads, hearts, and hopes. Rodger presents his framework for change through his Four T's strategies. The author also presents his seven steps to successful implementation of change through engagement of the people involved in and affected by that change. Learn how to lead change successfully in any type of organization in any type of industry.

Rodger Dean Duncan is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, November 1, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Leadership and organizational change expert, founder and CEO of Duncan Worldwide, and author of the visionary and very practical book Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance, Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D. describes how change is part of every organization in the 21st century and has become a constant. You will learn:

* Why change is now the normal part of any organizational life

* Why change management is now a core leadership attribute

* How to apply the Four T's strategy to change management

* How to use the seven steps to implement change through engaging the people

Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D. (photo left) is widely known for his work in leadership and organizational performance. His clients range from cabinet officers in two White House administrations to top executives in more than a dozen industries. He's been a senior executive in two Fortune 500 companies. He earned his PhD at Purdue University, and writes an internet column that reaches opt-in business subscribers in more than 130 countries. Bestselling author Stephen R. Covey calls Duncan's work on leadership 'brilliantly insightful, inspiring; profound, yet user friendly; visionary, yet highly practical.

After an early career as an award-winning journalist and university professor, Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan founded Duncan Worldwide consultancy in 1972. His client roster includes American Airlines, IBM, Consolidated Edison, Sprint, Black & Veatch Engineering, eBay, the Federal Reserve Bank and presidential cabinet officers in two White House administrations.

A highly-sought-after speaker, trainer, and executive coach, Rodger is widely known for his expertise in the strategic management of change – for individuals as well as for organizations.

My book review of Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance by Rodger Dean Duncan.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with leadership and organizational change expert, founder and CEO of Duncan Worldwide, and author of the visionary and very practical book Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance, Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D.. as he describes how change is part of every organization in the 21st century and has become a constant. Rodger Dean Duncan provides the insight that change is no longer simply a management issue but has now become a key leadership attribute, The ability to implement change and engage the people affected by that change is a key element of leadership. Rodger points out that people are not resistant to change, but rather to the stress brought about by the change. As a result, a leader must engage the people and understand their heads, hearts, and hopes. Rodger presents his framework for change through his Four T's strategies. The author also presents his seven steps to successful implementation of change through engagement of the people involved in and affected by that change. Learn how to lead change successfully in any type of organization in any type of industry on Blog Business Success Radio.

Change-friendly Leadership by Rodger Dean Duncan - Book review

Change-Friendly Leadership

How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance

By: Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D.

Published: September 18, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0985213507
ISBN-10: 0985213507
Publisher; Maxwell Stone Publishing












"Change really is a big deal. Work hard to accommodate people's feelings - their heads, hearts, and hopes - and your change effort can be one of the success stories", writes leadership and organizational change expert, and founder and CEO of Duncan Worldwide, Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D., in his visionary and wisdom filled book Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance. The author describes how change is an integral component of the modern world, and provides his people focused approach to transforming change from a time of stress to one of organizational engagement and competitive advantage.

Rodger Dean Duncan recognizes that change is not only inevitable for any organization, but also that constant change is the new normal for all of society. The author provides evidence that change management has moved far beyond just one more management skill. Instead, the author places the ability to manage change successfully in the ranks of crucial leadership abilities. Rodger Dean Duncan shares the concept, that engaging the feelings of the people in the organization, is the essential part of the change process.

Regardless of the organization or its industry, the idea of change is stressful. The author offers the important insight that the stress of he change is what creates the resistance to change; and not the actual change itself. To engage the people who feel this stress, Rodger Dean Duncan presents a process that focuses on the real human dynamics involved in the change.

Rodger Dean Duncan (photo left) understands that the human element of change is central to the change success. The author also recognizes that those very real feelings and emotions are all too often not taken into account by the leaders of the change. To help facilitate change through engagement of the people involved, and for considering their their hopes and fears, the author presents his Four T's strategy for change:

* Think-friendly: Being curious, asking questions, challenging assumptions
* Talk-friendly: Opening dialogue and really listening to others
* Trust-friendly: Earning trust and extending trust to others
* Team-friendly: Establishing genuine collaboration

With this overall framework in place, Rodger Dean Duncan shares his seven steps for change-friendly leadership. Those seven steps are as follow:

* Validate the journey: Make a sold case for change
* Scan for speed bumps: Understanding and handling resistance
* Chart the course: Earn everyone's commitment
* Build a coalition: Bond people together for synergy
* Ford the streams: Understanding emotions and the company culture
* Stay on message: Provide open and honest communication
* Mind the gap: Keep on course so the goal becomes reality

For me, the power of the book is how Rodger Dean Duncan combines a strong theoretical framework for understanding the human dynamics of change, with the practical strategies and techniques for facilitating successful change. The author establishes the crucial leadership attribute of understanding and facilitating successful organizational change management. Rodger Dean Duncan moves beyond the standard position that change is a management issue, and places change firmly in the realm of leadership.

Rodger Dean Duncan takes a visionary viewpoint that change is already, and will continue to be a key element of business, the economy, and of society as a whole. As a result, the book employs a holistic approach to engaging people and the entire organization in the change process. To further illustrate the various principles in action, in real world settings, the author also includes a series of important case studies.

I highly recommend the essential and important book Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance by Rodger Dean Duncan, to any leaders in any organizations, regardless of industry or economic sector, seeking a clear and people oriented approach to managing the inevitable and now ubiquitous change. This book will change how you think about change as a whole, the role of leadership, and of the people who are affected by that change.

Ruptured Cruciate Ligaments And Early Spay And Neuter

by Dr. Robert Foley, DVM

The data has been compiled. I went through our patients over the last ten years who are over the age of three years old. A summary of the data shows that while 2.1% of our spayed and neutered patients had to undergo ACL surgery, only 0.3% of the intact animals had to have the surgery.  

This represents a seven fold  increase for animals that have been spayed and neutered before the age of 6 months to have to undergo knee surgery for anterior cruciate rupture.

These results are staggering (so much so that I am submitting these results for publication…if we are published I will post the article and everyone can see the specifics of the study…don’t want to get too technical here).  In pouring through the archived studies there does seem to be a possible explanation.

A study of 1444 Golden Retrievers performed in 1998 and 1999 found that animals spayed and neutered at less then a year of age were significantly taller than those spayed or neutered at more then a year. 

The sex hormones, by communicating with a number of other growth-related hormones, promote the closure of growth plates at puberty, so bones of neutered or spayed animals continue to grow longer.  These dogs have longer limbs, lighter bone structure, narrow chests and narrow skulls.

This delay of growth plate closure can result in different angles from one set of long bones to another.  

For example, a study  by Dr. Kathy Linn and her resident Dr. Felix Duerr showed that spayed and female animals have a significantly greater tibial plateau angle. This is because the tibial growth plate stays open longer then it is supposed to and the tibia continues to grow longer relative to the femur in “fixed” animals as opposed to those animals who are intact.  It is widely known and accepted that animals with a greater tibial plateau angle are at a much higher risk for anterior cruciate injury.  Perhaps Dr. Michael will delve into this on later posts.

It is these changes in bone structure then that subject prepubertally spayed and neutered animals to anterior cruciate rupture.  

Other orthopedic abnormalities like osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia have also been correlated with early spay and neuter.  In addition, spayed and neutered animals tend to gain weight, are more likely to develop obesity, and have decreased lean muscle mass.  Obesity itself is a major risk factor for orthopedic abnormalities and injury.

The increased risk of anterior cruciate rupture and surgery is just one more reason to think strongly about whether we should be spaying and neutering our pets….particularly before puberty and before normal growth has finished.

***

Angry Vet's blog offers objective opinions on many controversial topics often not readily available from your local veterinarian. This includes health concerns with over-vaccination, spaying and neutering controversy, and nutritional issues.

Dr. Robert Foley and Dr. Michael Ferber, founders of Angry Vet blog, are raising questions about the general recommendations that veterinarians are taught to give to their patients. Why do veterinarians vaccinate so much? Why they recommend spaying and neutering as a dogma, and as the only option? Is an intact animal actually healthier? Why are certain diseases so prevalent in our pets? Why is "people food" unhealthy for our pets but processed dog or cat foods superior?

Are you asking the same questions? And if you're not, should you? Check out  Angry Vet blog or connect with them on Facebook or Twitter.

Related articles:
Compensation: An Attempt To Restore Harmony
How The Oddysey Started: Jasmine's ACL Injury 
Talk To Me About ACL Injuries
Newest Surgery For Ruptured ACL In Dogs
Preventing ACL Injuries In Dogs
ACL Injuries In Dogs: Xena's Story 
ACL Injury Conservative Management: Sandy's Story
Surviving The Post-Op: After Your Dog's ACL Surgery
Talk to Me About Arthritis
Don't Forget the Physical Therapy 
My Love Is Sleeping At My Feet: ACL Surgery Complications 
Coco's TPLO Post-Op Diary 
Small Breeds Can Hurt Their ACL Too: Star's Naughty Knee 
One Thing Leads To Another: Why The Second ACL Often Goes Too 
ACL/CCL Injuries In Dogs: Is There Such a Thing As A False Positive Drawer Sign?
Dog Knee Injuries: Should You Say Yes To Pain Management? 
Knee Surgery Post-Op Helper: Bottom's Up Leash

Happy Halloween

Have a safe and fun filled Halloween everyone.

If I Knew Then, What I Know Now! by Cynthia Hammond-Davis - Book review

If I Knew Then, What I Know Now!

College and Financial Aid Planning From A Parent's Perspective

By: Cynthia Hammond-Davis

Published: November 28. 2011
Format: Paperback, 84 pages
ISBN-10: 1936513285
ISBN-13: 978-1936513284
Publisher: PENDIUM









"I am writing this book because just like you, I have experienced overwhelming anxiety, stress, and sleepless nights with concerns of college planning, thinking about where my children might attend college, and wondering how we would be able to pay for it", writes radio talk show host, motivational speaker, and founder and Executive Director of The Light of the City, Inc., Cynthia Hammond-Davis in her clear and concise book If I Knew Then, What I Know Now! College and Financial Aid Planning From A Parent's Perspective. The author describes her struggle as a mother to find ways to cover all aspects of her family's quest for a college education, and shares her experiences in obtaining funding, educational planning, and how to navigate the college financial maze.

Cynthia Hammond-Davis understands first hand the challenges that parents of college aged children face in searching for the right college, and obtaining the funding to pay for it. The author shares her resourceful strategies and techniques, learned through trial and error, for finding grants and scholarships to fund her children's college education. Cynthia provides real world proven advice for both parents and students to ease the school planning and selection process; as well as finding success in receiving non-repayable financial aid. The author stresses a teamwork approach to finding solutions, and achieving success at getting into the school best suited to the student, and paying for it as painlessly as possible.

Cynthia Hammond-Davis (photo left) recognizes the critical importance of beginning the college selection and funding process early in the child's life. The author presents advice on the value of maintaining good grades and for achieving high scores on tests including the SAT and ACT. Cynthia Hammond-Davis also points out how a strong list of extra-curricular activities helps the student in both the admissions and financial aid processes.

Cynthia Hammond-Davis covers all of the crucial areas of the educational journey from grade school through high school and on to post-secondary education. The topics covered in the book include the following:

* Teamwork is the key
* Find your gifts/talents and abilities/strengths
* The importance of good grades and SAT?ACT scores
* Extra-curricular activities and community service
* Student athletes - NCAA collegiate sports
* Finding the right college
* Get to know your child's counselor now
* Scholarships
* FAFSA - Free application for financial aid
* How to find the best college for your buck
* Counting up the cost
* Professional judgment and appeal letters

For me, the power of the book is how Cynthia Hammond-Davis provides a comprehensive overview of the entire selection and funding process succinctly and with clarity of vision. The author personalizes her own family's journey to choose the right school, and to obtain grants and scholarships to offset the high cost of education. The story of that quest provides a backdrop to the more technical details of the book, and provides a context for the often bewildering array of acronyms.

Cynthia Hammond-Davis eases the jargon burden by presenting detailed explanations of what the initials and departments mean. The plain language approach extends into the financial areas of the book where the numbers are shown with real world meaning for parents and students. The author also provides a list of additional resources to guide families toward additional funding agencies, college preparation courses, and information about the myriad of possible colleges and their programs.

I highly recommend the handy and information packed book If I Knew Then, What I Know Now! College and Financial Aid Planning From A Parent's Perspective by Cynthia Hammond-Davis, to any parents, students, educators, and counselors who are seeking clear and readily applicable information preparing for college, selecting the right school, being admitted, and finding the funds to pay for that educational opportunity. This book is an indispensable guide for families who are planning a college education for their children.

Dog Cartoon Of The Week: Actually, I'm A Labrador

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Dog Cartoon of the Week is brought to you by Andertoons. Check out the website for more great cartoons.


Cartoonist Mark Anderson lives in the Chicago area with his wife, their children, two cats, a dog and several dust bunnies. You might have seen his cartoons in a number of publications including Reader's Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, Barrons, Woman's World, Harvard Business Review, Saturday Evening Post, American Legion Magazine, Funny Times.

Chris Ruisi: Step Up and Play Big - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Nationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, "The Coach", and author of the motivational and very concise book Step Up And Play Big: Unlock Your Potential to Be Exceptional in 8 Simple Steps, Chris Ruisi, describes simple and effective strategies for becoming exceptional in every area of your life. Chris Ruisi shares his eight simple principles for overcoming mediocrity and achieving excellence. Chris presents a process for creating a personal vision, discovering yourself, understanding leadership, and transforming your life. Chris offers his proven approach to not only developing a vision, but for taking action to make that vision a reality. Chris provides the concepts and the exercises to move forward in a logical and effective way that goes beyond platitudes but contains actionable techniques that anyone can learn. Chris Ruisi shows you that achieving excellence need not be difficult, but simply requires that you do something to leave your comfort zone. Chris Ruisi demonstrates that anyone can step up and play big; achieving more than they ever thought possible.

Chris Ruisi is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, October 30, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Nationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, "The Coach", and author of the motivational and very concise book Step Up And Play Big: Unlock Your Potential to Be Exceptional in 8 Simple Steps, Chris Ruisi, describes simple and effective strategies for becoming exceptional in every area of your life. You will learn:

* Why achieving excellence just means taking action

* How to apply eight simple practices to achieve success

* How to learn the exercises to move out of your comfort zone

* Why stretching out of mediocrity leads to ever greater sucess

Chris Ruisi (photo left) is a nationally recognized executive coach and leadership expert, professional speaker, and author who challenges business leaders to step up and play big. Drawing on his 35+ years as a senior level executive on the corporate front lines, Chris helps his clients to discover how to find and use the full measure of their capabilities.

Chris draws upon his real life experience as the former President and COO of USLIFE Corporation and as a member of the office of the Chairman and the Board of Directors, where he also served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. Using this wealth of knowledge, he helps his clients to develop the practical skills and solutions necessary to navigate the risks and demands of the current economic climate. He has offered advice and guidance to CEO’s; other C Level executives; entrepreneurs and the several Boards of Directors on which he has served.

His method incorporates his own proven expertise on how real organizations and decision- making work in order to help others build real time solutions. Through enlightening, positive and interactive sessions, Chris works with his clients to cultivate their vision, set goals, prioritize their strategies and then execute a targeted solutions-based plan.

A review of the depth and scope of Chris’ assignments reveals that the one overriding goal of all of them was to position the company for further growth through the performance of its employees. These assignments included mergers and acquisitions, shareholder relations, executive compensation, work flow improvements, the identification of redundancies though functional restructuring and senior key management succession and development programs.

Chris combines his detailed insights into the areas of leadership, management, effective team building and motivation with real life anecdotes to create humorous, inspiring, informative and entertaining speaking programs.

Throughout his corporate career, Chris has received acclaim as a decisive, respected and effective leader, among both superiors and colleagues alike. Chris has been recognized for his abilities as a rational problem-solver who is able to keep cool, and promote a calm sense of solution-finding among others, through the challenges faced by a major public company in the financial sector. He has also been acknowledged as the kind of leader who has the unique ability to drive individuals to top performance levels.

One of his readers offered this quintessential description of Chris Ruisi: “Here’s a guy who has made good decisions and bad ones and knows the difference. He consistently offers common sense wisdom and gives great advice, especially for those in a marketplace embroiled in chaos.”

My book review of Step Up And Play Big: Unlock Your Potential to Be Exceptional in 8 Simple Steps by Chris Ruisi.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with nationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, "The Coach", and author of the motivational and very concise book Step Up And Play Big: Unlock Your Potential to Be Exceptional in 8 Simple Steps, Chris Ruisi, describes simple and effective strategies for becoming exceptional in every area of your life. Chris Ruisi shares his eight simple principles for overcoming mediocrity and achieving excellence. Chris presents a process for creating a personal vision, discovering yourself, understanding leadership, and transforming your life. Chris offers his proven approach to not only developing a vision, but for taking action to make that vision a reality. Chris provides the concepts and the exercises to move forward in a logical and effective way that goes beyond platitudes but contains actionable techniques that anyone can learn. Chris Ruisi shows you that achieving excellence need not be difficult, but simply requires that you do something to leave your comfort zone. Chris Ruisi demonstrates that anyone can step up and play big; achieving more than they ever thought possible on Blog Business Success Radio.

Step Up and Play Big by Chris Ruisi - Book review

Step Up And Play Big

Unlock Your Potential to Be Exceptional in 8 Simple Steps

By: Chris Ruisi

Published: June 26, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 158 pages
ISBN-10: 1599323168
ISBN-13: 978-1599323169
Publisher: Advantage Media Group














"My personal belief is some people spend way too much time thinking and considering versus acting to make something happen", writes speaker and nationally recognized leadership expert Chris Ruisi, in his motivational and very concise book Step Up And Play Big: Unlock Your Potential to Be Exceptional in 8 Simple Steps. The author describes how it doesn't take a huge effort to step up and play big, and shares his simple and proven strategies for being exceptional in all areas of your life.

Chris Ruisi recognizes that for many people, the easiest path is to sit in the safety of the middle, and not move beyond that comfort zone. To overcome the inertia of mediocrity, the author presents a simple, and readily understood system for achieving success. Chris Ruisi shares eight steps, that anyone can take, toward breaking free of the ordinary, and for entering into the realm of the extraordinary.

For the author, the steps from that area of comfort are what he calls the stretch point. As the person stretches and moves forward, their bar for achievement is raised, and raised again, with each additional stretching exercise. Instead of viewing challenges as obstacles, Chris Ruisi recasts them as opportunities for people to display their inborn greatness.

Chris Ruisi (photo left) understands that even with a simple system for stepping up and playing big, the individual must still take the initiative to move forward. The author points out that the process only works if the person works the process. To help guide the reader toward stepping up and playing big, Chris Ruisi presents each of his eight principles as simply and as engagingly as possible.

With the concepts made accessible and doable for anyone, the author provides the individual with every opportunity possible for the achievement of success and personal growth. the eight pillars of stepping up and playing big are as follows:

* To step up and play big, start with a vision
* To step up and play big you need to find your full capabilities
* To step up and play big, you have to fight distractions
* To step up and play big requires knowing what leadership is and isn't
* To step up and play big means you know how to use leadership
* To step up and play big requires new or better habits
* To step up and play big means handling the tough stuff
* To step up and play big, you must stay focused to make the right decisions

For me, the power of the book is how Chris Ruisi combines his philosophy of stepping up and playing big with the simple and readily applicable steps to make it a reality. The author provides a complete process for becoming the exceptional person that anyone can be, through a proven set of principles. Unlike many programs that require learning very difficult exercises that discourage the person, this book presents a very simple series of concepts and activities. The exercises are readily understood and can be readily applied at any time.

The key, as always, is to actually do the activities. Chris Ruisi uses sports examples to motivate the individual to achieve their own excellence. Chris Ruisi is refreshing as an author, as he gets right down to business, and shares his points immediately. This directness and straight forward approach gives the reader the incentive to get going with the process, and stepping up and playing big, right away.

I highly recommend the straight talking and readily accessible book Step Up And Play Big: Unlock Your Potential to Be Exceptional in 8 Simple Steps by Chris Ruisi, to anyone seeking a simple, realistic, and proven approach to breaking away from mediocrity and achieving excellence in all aspects of their lives. This book will get you going, and moving forward to achieving the success you deserve.

Really Angry Vet: Winston's First Seizure

by Dr. Robert Foley, DVM

A wonderful client of mine brought her 12 year old Boxer to see me.  

Last night, the dog had his first seizure and the owners found themselves at a local 24 hour veterinary facility because we were closed.  They were in today to see me to discuss what had happened last night, to have me examine their pet, and to get my opinion as to what was the next step to take.

I typically subdivide my seizure dogs into one of three categories based upon age.  

A three month old puppy, for example, that starts having seizures typically has a congenital malformation (liver shunt, hydrocephalus etc.).

A middle aged dog, let’s say 3 to 5 years old, who begins having seizures is typically your epileptic patient.  Epileptics are simply animals predisposed to having seizures with no identifiable cause other than genetics.  We all have a seizure threshold, an accumulation of neuronal stimulation where the brain will have seizure activity.  Epileptics have a lower threshold and thus seize more readily.

The third category, unfortunatetly the one poor Winston fell into, is the older patient that begins to seize.  

This, unfortunately, is usually due to an intracranial lesion ( a lesion like a tumor in and invading or surrounding and compressing the brain).  As an added clue, this patient is a Boxer, a breed that is notoriously known for developing cancer ANYWHERE.  Of course there is the outlying infectious disease that can infect an animal of any age and cause seizures but let’s dismiss them for the moment as they are certainly rare.

The reason that I am giving you this background is to provide a perspective to the “treatments” that were given to Winston at the emergency hospital.  

They ran some baseline tests (appropriate) and some other tests (that were aggressive) without discussing options to the owner (the words MRI, neurology consult, cancer, or guarded or poor prognosis were never mentioned).

Then they proceeded to dispense Amoxicillin to treat possible pancreatitis (the dog demonstrated no signs of pancreatitis and Amoxicillin would not be the treatment if he had).  They gave the dog multiple pain medications (notice I didn’t say anti-seizure medications or sedatives but pain meds).

Then the kicker. They VACCINATED the dog!

To the unfortunate and unknowing pet owner, the illusion of care and compassion was provided; to the knowing and discriminating veterinarian, this is criminal.

Treatments (some unnecessary and some downright dangerous) and tests were performed simply to pad the client’s bill.  The client received no education and no options.

They simply were gouged then “shipped”.

A little secret…we never really started Angryvet because we were “angry”.  It was a catchy name that would hopefully draw people to our site to help bring attention to some issues that we felt warranted more study and more accessibility to pet owners.  I never intended to be a whistle-blower or to bad-mouth veterinarians.  Today, on this post, I will skip the obligatory qualification that most vets are good, honest, and educated people.  Today, I am angry.  Really.

Dishonesty and price gouging are not unique to veterinarians by any means.  

If someone goes to any professional to seek advice on something with which they are not educated or familiar, they run the risk of encountering a dishonest person.  I am not well-versed at all with construction or auto mechanics and have definitely been taken for a ride or two over the years.

Am I angry with humanity?  Why do we do this to each other?  Is money that important?  Is it too difficult to take pride in an honest day’s work and to receive an honest day’s pay?  Do the pressures of making money and surviving the stress and pace of life cause some of us to forget ethics and decency?

Am I angry with veterinarians in particular?  Should we be held up to a higher standard?  Did we not take an oath that includes the words “Primum non nocere” , or “First do no harm?”  Do we have an unwritten code amongst veterinarians to not blow the whistle on another veterinarian when they are acting unethically or is it our responsibility to the client who may not understand what is being done to them to do just that?

Once again, as I often state, I don’t have all of the answers.  Today, I feel good because I not only explained all of this to my valued client, but because I have a following of people who actually are out there to listen to what I have to say.

I just wish I had a better story of humanity to share.

***

Angry Vet's blog offers objective opinions on many controversial topics often not readily available from your local veterinarian. This includes health concerns with over-vaccination, spaying and neutering controversy, and nutritional issues.

Dr. Robert Foley and Dr. Michael Ferber, founders of Angry Vet blog, are raising questions about the general recommendations that veterinarians are taught to give to their patients. Why do veterinarians vaccinate so much? Why they recommend spaying and neutering as a dogma, and as the only option? Is an intact animal actually healthier? Why are certain diseases so prevalent in our pets? Why is "people food" unhealthy for our pets but processed dog or cat foods superior?

Are you asking the same questions? And if you're not, should you? Check out  Angry Vet blog or connect with them on Facebook or Twitter.

Shark Tank Episode 410

Next Episode Shark Tank 410

November Sweeps starts tonight - Show Starts 1 hour Later 11-02-2012
What Companies are Next on Shark Tank

Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane will be making a special guest appearance on the next Shark Tank tonight to help kick off ABC November Sweeps new shows lineup. ABC has been hyping episode 410 about Macfarlane for a few weeks now which leads one to believe this will be a show to watch. Statistically it has proven to be a winning combination when your product involves a celebrity. The Shark Tank is still batting 1000 for every guest appearance thus far.

MacFarlane will help feature a new and Improved Fly Trap to the Sharks. The "No Fly Cone" along with his Good Friend Bruce Gaither who invented this unique new and improved trap.
Read More Here-->>>

Grease Monkey Wipes

Grease Monkey Wipes

Featured Follow Up Success Story on the Shark Tank Show

Grease Monkey Wipes Makes Successful
Deal on the Shark Tank Show 

 Tim Stansbury & Erin Whalen came into the Shark Tank looking for 40k for a 40% stake in the Grease Monkey Wipes Business. Erin explains that during one of their 100 mile bike rides together she ended up getting a flat tire. By the time Whalen was done, Her hands were covered in grease. As they continued their bike ride they started brain storming of a new portable cleaning product that could easily and conveniently take away grease and dirt while on the go. After a lot of trial and error the pair came up with the perfect product and went into business together. Within a few months Grease Monkey Wipes was featured on the Shark Tank Show.

 The couple came in  prepared with a reasonable valuation for their new invention and seemed determined to make a deal with the Sharks.
Read More Here-->>>

Sandy's Coup de Gras for Obama

By Alan Caruba

Remember how Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath was blamed on President Bush? Remember his words to then-FEMA director, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job”?

No doubt FEMA is all geared up for the damage Hurricane Sandy will do throughout the Northeast and wide swatches to the West. And no doubt it will be the States and local communities and utilities that will do the heavy lifting as FEMA tries to give the appearance of doing anything useful.

All of which is bad news—actually more bad news—for President Obama who, insanely campaigning, flew to Orlando, Florida on Sunday and then immediately flew back to Washington, DC, without leaving the airport. Just how much did that little round-trip cost the taxpayers? How stupid and indifferent does one have to be to leave Washington as a major hurricane is bearing down on the Northeast’s coasts?

The good news is that the storm has closed down Washington and, for all intents and purposes, the federal government. New York City, too, is a ghost town as everyone hunkers down. The bad news for Obama is that he is likely be blamed for whatever occurs in the wake of the hurricane because that’s what we do.

Katrina was especially damaging because it was a category 5 hurricane and Hurricane Sandy as of this writing early Monday morning is still a category 1 and likely to be downgraded to a tropical storm as it moves over land. New Orleans, built in a bowl below sea level, was a disaster waiting to happen.

Since Obama’s response to such events is to get on television and read his Tele-Prompter, it will remind people of his penchant for giving speeches instead of actually producing results. His lack of candor—his lies—regarding Benghazi-gate is, for him, the perfect storm.

If the hurricane costs him votes, that will be good for America.

When the Des Moines Register that hasn’t endorsed a Republican for President in forty years endorses Mitt Romney, you know Obama is in trouble and other mainstream daily newspapers are endorsing Romney.

And if FEMA fumbles around as it has in the past that is likely to finish him off.

Hurricanes are a force majeure, acts of nature that should remind us that we do not control nature and can only clean up the mess afterword.

This writer has endured any number of hurricanes when I lived in Florida and countless storms and blizzards in my home state of New Jersey. I am very impressed with the way local authorities have responded at this point. As always, the closer government is to the people, the better it functions.

A huge, bloated central government was the last thing the Founding Fathers had in mind and that’s why the Constitution puts limits on the federal government it created. The Tenth Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, says “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”

Time to reduce the national debt.

Time to reform Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Time to rebuild our military.

Time to rid ourselves of the Environmental Protection Agency before it destroys our economy.

Time to replace the Federal Reserve, famous for plunging the U.S. into one recession after another.

Time to get back to the fundamentals.

Time to rid ourselves of the nation’s first Marxist President.

© Alan Caruba, 2012

The Next Convergence by Michael Spence - Book review

The Next Convergence

The Future of Economic Growth in a Multispeed World

By Michael Spence

Published: August 7, 2012
Format: Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN-10: 1250007704
ISBN-13: 978-1250007704
Publisher: Picador














"This book is about the 100-plus years that began in 1945 and will run to the middle of the twenty-first century. Since we are slightly over halfway along, we can think of it as a midterm report. It is about two parallel and interacting revolutions: the continuation of the Industrial Revolution in the advanced countries, and the sudden and dramatic spreading pattern of growth in the developing world", writes Professor of Economics at the Stern School of Business at New York University, and winner of the Nobel 2001 Prize in Economic Sciences, Michael Spence, in his brilliant and landmark book The Next Convergence: The Future of Economic Growth in a Multispeed World. The author describes how this century of rapid growth has created a fresh interrelationship between the developed and developing worlds, and the effect of this massive trend on the five billion people who live in the developing countries.

Michael Spence recognizes that while the huge asymmetries between the developing world and the developed world remain, their disparity is decreasing over time. The author refers to this narrowing of the gap as convergence, and this increasing interdependence bring with it fresh challenges for the entire global population. These new realities will require fresh perspectives, understanding, and solutions.

Michael Spence points out that we in the developed world will have to view these emerging challenges through the eyes of the people in the developing world. They in turn will have to see the issues through our eyes as well as their own. With the emerging nations rebounding faster from the 2008 global economic crisis faster than the advanced economies, these new economic centers are rapidly becoming the world's engines of economic growth.

Michael Spence (photo left) understands the increasing importance of the emerging countries to the overall global economy. The author points out that this rapid rise in production and consumer demand from the developing world is one of the untold stories of globalization. These new economies are critical to global demand for products and services, and are part of the forces for worldwide economic stability.

The author traces the history and future of globalization over one hundred years. Included in that historical examination is what happening in the previous fifty years, followed by some ideas of how the next fifty years may unfold in the world economy. The author divides the book into four overarching sections:

* The global economy and the developing countries
* Sustained high growth in the developing world
* The crisis and its afermath
* The future of growth

For me, the power of the book is how Michael Spence applies his economic analysis to the overall global economy, by tracing where it has been, and what the future may hold. the author presents his historical analysis in a clear and concise manner. His forecasts for the future are based on the existing data, including questioning whether current high rates of growth in the BRIC nations are sustainable, and how the developed world will respond to the increasing economic influence of the emerging markets.

Michael Spence examines the potential for more instability, and also the drives that work toward stabilization of the world economy. The book is very balanced in its approach, is free of extreme ideological viewpoints. Instead, Michael Spence offers a realistic consideration of the challenges and opportunities facing both the developed world and the emerging countries.

I highly recommend the important and well researched book The Next Convergence: The Future of Economic Growth in a Multispeed World by Michael Spence, to any business leaders, elected officials, public policy makers, academics, students, and anyone interested in the past, present, and future of the global economy. This landmark book will change the way you think about globalization and its possible future.

Adoption Monday: Inky, Labrador Retriever, Clovis, CA

Inky came from a small rural shelter where he came in as a stray. 

This beautiful guy gets along with other dogs, loves children and is ok with cats too! 

He likes going for car rides.

Inky is about 3 years old, house trained, needs a little leash training, but he's learning. Inky has a beautiful black shiny coat and loves to be by your side especially if you pet him.

Inky is a sweet guy and we can already tell he’s going to make a wonderful family friend.

Inky is ready to meet is new family – is that you?

***

The Labrador Retriever Rescue of Fresno (LRRF), was established out of a growing need to rescue and provide loving homes for abused, abandoned, and unwanted Labs in the greater Fresno and Central Valley area. 

LRRF is an all volunteer, 100% foster based local organization and they rely completely on donations from dog loving community to help with medical expenses, food and supplies to meet the needs of their Labs.

Hurricane Sandy's Message to America

 

By Alan Caruba

When Mother Nature demonstrates her extraordinary power, I always hope that people will draw a lesson from it, but they never seem to. Hurricane Sandy is just the latest example of the futility and foolishness of thinking that humans can do anything about a hurricane or similar demonstration of who is really in charge. It is the planet. Not us.

This suspension of common sense is worsened when our President goes on television, as he did last Friday on MTV, to say “I believe the scientists, who say that we are putting too much carbon emissions into the atmosphere, and it is heating the planet and it is going to have a severe effect.” This is literally junk science, long since debunked by legions of scientists who know that carbon dioxide has nothing to do with the Earth’s temperature. The planet has been in a cooling cycle since 1998.

I keep hoping, too, that lacking the vital lifeblood of our nation--electricity—millions of people sitting around in the dark will ask themselves where it comes from, what generates it, how does it get to their home, and perhaps even why its cost keeps increasing even though the U.S. sits atop enough coal and natural gas to provide affordable power for two hundred years at current consumption rates.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in March of this year electricity from coal has fallen from 50% production to less than 40% by the end of 2011. Other sources include natural gas at 26%, nuclear at 22%, hydroelectric at 7% and “other” was said to be 6%. It should be noted that oil is a transportation fuel and not used to generate electricity. I believe that the amount that solar and wind produces is more likely closer to three percent. It is unreliable and uncompetitive and requires a traditional plant as backup when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun is obscured by clouds and, of course, at night.

Not surprisingly, the environmental organizations such as Friends of the Earth and the Sierra Club are already beating the drums about “climate change”, asserting “unpredictable, extreme weather.” The planet is always in a state of climate change if for no other reason that it is subject to the seasons. Blaming extreme weather on “climate change” is just a code for keeping the “global warming” hoax alive. The only reason President Obama talks about climate change is his hope that a carbon tax can be imposed to raise more money for the government to waste.

Electricity is not magic. Some form of energy must be burned to generate it and then it must be transmitted by a huge, very old grid to consumers.

In January of this year, The North American Electric Reliability Corporation warned that the reliability of the grid was in jeopardy. Thanks to the Obama administration’s (i.e. EPA) relentless attack on coal, the NERC noted that beyond the 38 gigawatts of electricity capacity that has already been announced to retire, it estimated that another 35 to 59 gigawatts will come off-line by 2018 depending on the “scope and timing” of EPA regulations. If you think the downed lines that Hurricane Sandy will produce are a problem, consider a future in which the electricity they are supposed to distribute will be significantly reduced.

What most Americans don’t know is that coal is the fuel of choice to generate electricity in many other nations of the world. Just five years ago it produced fifty percent of our electricity, but today it is less than forty percent, the lowest share since data began to be collected in 1949.  For example, China’s coal consumption grew 9.7% between 2010 and 2011. Last year China consumed 49% of the world’s coal supply. India’s coal consumption increased 9.2%

While the President blathers on MTV about CO2 emissions, my friend Dr. Jay Lehr, the Science Director of The Heartland Institute, dispatches that nonsense noting that “A simple volcanic eruption will cancel a decade of effort” to reduce emissions.

“Today,” says Dr. Lehr, “it is our government that is attempting to thwart our energy independence by blocking nearly every effort to develop our resources through completely unreasonable restrictions placed on us by the EPA and the Department of the Interior, and horrible policies of the Department of Energy which choose to throw unconscionable sums of money at renewable energy projects…”

Ultimately, while millions of Americans light candles in the dark or hope their flashlight batteries hold out, we have to ask WHY the Obama administration has waged a war on the provision of electricity.

This is a deliberate policy to weaken the nation’s capacity to function at every level and yet we are days away from an election where millions of Americans will vote to reelect Obama and send his Democratic Party minions to Congress.

It is in line with the Obama administration’s deliberate policy of reducing our military capacity on land, sea and air.

The only silver lining in the distress and disruption of Hurricane Sandy may be the awakening of voters to the critical need for more, not less, production of electricity, for improvements to the national grid, for more oil production for our transportation needs, and concurrent with this, the hundreds of thousands of jobs that such efforts would produce and billions it would generate to begin to reduce the national debt, now in excess of $16 trillion.

Long ago, the cartoon character, Pogo, famously said, “We have met the enemy and it is us.”

The enemy, I would suggest, is President Barack Hussein Obama, his many shadowy, unaccountable “czars” influencing energy policies, his Cabinet Secretaries of Energy and the Interior, and the rogue Environmental Protection Agency that is set to unleash regulations that will destroy the economy, aided and abetted by the nation’s environmental organizations.

That’s Hurricane Sandy’s message to America.

© Alan Caruba, 2012

Shark Tank Deals - List of Companies - Season 1

List Of All Deals Done On The Shark Tank - Season 1

Find all the successful companies that got deals on The Shark Tank Show - Season 1

Mr. Tod's Pie Factory was the very first
business to enter the Shark Tank

This is a list of all the deals completed with the Sharks in Season 1. The companies the Sharks invested in are in the order in which they were shown on The Shark Tank Show. Barbara Corcoran was by far the most active Shark Tank Investor by a wide margin investing in a total of 15 new business opportunities for her. Kevin O'Leary was the most unlikely Shark to get a deal with while investing in only 7 new businesses. Interestingly, all the deals O'Leary made were also with other Sharks involved in the deal.

List of Successful Shark Tank Deals Completed In Season 2

List of Successful Shark Tank Deals Completed In Season 3

List of Successful Shark Tank Deals Completed In Season 4

Barbara Corcoran

Barbara completed a total of 15 deals from Season 1 in which 7 were done with no partners.
List of deals Barbara Corcoran has made on the Shark Tank
Read More Here-->>>

Shark Tank Episode 408

 Shark Tank Season 4 - Episode 408 - Airing 11/9/2012

Up Next On the Shark Tank 

 

PC Classes Online 

 This looks like a very interesting episode of the Shark Tank which will host Comedy Writer Bruce Vilanch. Bruce will help demonstrate a Computer Instruction Product PCClassesOnline.com designed to bring the classroom to you no matter where you are. PC Classes Online is a subscription based Internet Business that covers several subjects in the technology sector. These are Live Classes where you can participate and ask questions in real time.  

 

I'm not sure where the Producers of the Shark Tank come up with some of these super cool inventions like the SBU from episode 407 but it looks like they found another project that may be on the same path. An Entrepreneur from Fountain Valley, CA. is set to debut he Motorized Vehicle Suit that can get you up to driving speed then back to walking. WHAT? I never heard of such a thing, you say? We'll neither has Google.com because I cant seem to find anything even close to this motorized driving suit (yet). Then again who would of thought of a unicycle that you just sit on and it will take you 10 miles before it runs out of electricity? Could it be one of those

Read More Here-->>>

The Digital Dollar by Joe Wozny - Book review

The Digital Dollar

Sustainable Strategies for Online Success

By: Joe Wozny

Published: October 2012
Format: Paperback, 213 pages
ISBN-10: 0978097467
ISBN-13: 978-0978097462
Publisher: FairWinds Press











"This book is meant to serve all knowledge levels and to speak to all audiences who want to have a better understanding of which online activities they should in", writes online media thought leader, strategist, and CEO of Concentric, Joe Wozny, in his very practical and information packed book The Digital Dollar: Sustainable Strategies for Online Success. The author describes what he calls the digitalroadmap Strategy Process to develop and implement a successful and measurable online business strategy.

Joe Wozny understands that is essential to ask the right questions about your online business strategy to ensure that you receive the best answers. The author presents a strategic approach to online business, and shares the tips and techniques needed to execute that strategy. Joe Wozny employs a road map based method for navigating the online business world, and guides the online entrepreneur toward the route to achieving the goals best suited to their industry and individual business. Joe Wozny recommends taking action toward building an online business, learning the often complex and confusing array of tools and devices by using them, and learning and measuring the results in real time.

Joe Wozny (photo left) recognizes that not only do entrepreneurs have different business goals, and are part of different industries, but they also possess different levels of online experience. The author also considers the different ways that his readers will read and apply the information provided in the book. To best provide the necessary information, in the form best absorbed by the reader, Joe Wozney offers three different study methods:

* Reading based on building and maintaining engagement
* Reading by industry type or organizational goals
* For those new to the internet and/or social media

With the different reading and learning styles considered, Joe Wozney shares hands on and actionable strategies and techniques as follows:

* Who are you: What's in a name on the internet
* The King of the road: Content
* No-cost and low-cost marketing options: Maximizing your efforts
* No-cost and low cost marketing options: Linking, directories, and portals
* No-cost and low cost marketing options: Low-hanging content & communication
* Can you find me? Search
* The big buzz: Social media marketing and communications
* Not to be overlooked: Digital advertising outside of paid search
* Website evolution
* Mapping your route to digital success: Digitalroadmaps
* Finding a starting point

For me, the power of the book is how Joe Wozny combines an overall strategic approach to digital entrepreneurship with the practical techniques to put those strategies into action. The entire book follows the action oriented approach and offers a complete how to guide for establishing an online business in any industry. Joe Wozny realizes that different readers will have varying degrees of internet and social media knowledge and existing skills.

The author also understands that readers will address their needs in different ways and at various stages of the business development. The book is arranged to accommodate that range of learning styles and desire to get right down to business. Joe Wozny also arranges the book into clusters that enable a business person to focus on the areas that most affect their online venture, and to address any areas where knowledge and skills may be lacking.

I highly recommend the very comprehensive and results oriented book The Digital Dollar: Sustainable Strategies for Online Success by Joe Wozny, to any current and potential internet entrepreneurs who are seeking a clear and concise guide to planning and implementing a digital company. This book, with its various custom approaches, will appeal to anyone regardless of their current level of internet knowledge and abilities.

Making Your Own Dog Treats: Our Home-made Jerky Treat Production

I haven't met a dog that didn't love jerky treats. I think, and the dogs I know concur, that jerky is the best kind of treat going.



Buying jerky treats for you dogs, though, you can run into major safety issues. 

Jerky treats made in China are behind numerous dog illnesses and even deaths. I can only imagine how it would feel to hurt my dogs while thinking I was doing something good for them.

FDA has been issuing warnings since 2007 but failed in getting these dangerous treats off the shelves.

The Truth about Pet Food is organizing a Black Friday for Pets event, a peaceful protest, asking Walmart to remove all Chinese imported jerky treats from store shelves.

Jerky treats are very easy to make at home!

We've been making jerky treats for our guys for about six years now. It all started when on her play date with Jasmine's best buddy, his mom pulled out something very yummy. Dehydrated beef lung chunks!

Jasmine could not get enough of them!

As a loving mom, I ran to the store to get some more. It was $10 for a tiny little bag. Well, that was not going to cut it. And that's when we started thinking about making dog jerky treats ourselves.

We looked into dehydrators and started small. But the treats were so popular, our treat making evolved into treat production. As you can see in the video, eventually we ended up with a butcher meat slicer, jerky gun and stainless steel heavy-duty dehydrator. Of course, you don't need all that, a simple American Harvest dehydrator will get you started as well.

We make jerky treats from beef, ground beef, beef hearts or beef liver.

You can, of course, use any meat you like, or even experiment with some veggies, such as sweet potatoes. If you do want to make jerky from ground meat, you will need a jerky gun (or if you want to go big, jerky cannon). Having a slicer works for us but you could have your butcher slice it up for you as well.

Home-made jerky treats are cheaper and SAFER.

We like using the dehydrator, but you can experiment making them in the oven as well.

Why risk your dog's health when you can make their jerky treats yourself?

Related articles:
Chicken Jerky Anyone? Not When It's From China!

Further reading:
Time for Another Jerky Treat Update
Safety Alert on Jerky Treats for Pets
FDA Investigates Animal Illnesses Linked to Jerky Pet Treats