For instance, the decision to add a group cycling studio may be in response to a competitor creating one. Or, the purchase of additional elliptical machines may be a defensive response to a few members who complained they were tired of waiting. Unfortunately, without evaluating the true value of capital expenditures such as these, money spent may be wasted.

Need for capital budgeting

Fitness center owners are somewhat cavalier about the financing and specific dates of capital spending. Most regularly create 12-month operating budgets, even broken down by departments, yet they do not similarly create a meaningful one-year capital budget.

This is unfortunate, because about 4 to 6 percent of a fitness center’s annual gross revenues are spent on capital items, but not always in a priority fashion and without a clear schedule. For instance, if a racquetball court is to be converted into a group cycling or a yoga/Pilates studio, it is critical to know when construction will begin and end. Obviously, racquetball league and lesson revenue would end, no revenue would be available during construction, and revised revenues and expenses would ensue only once the new studio is operational.

Researchers from the University of Illinois in Urbana performed a field experiment to test whether, under natural conditions, pollen from corn producing the Bt protein would harm larvae of the black swallowtail butterfly. When the gene for Bt, originally produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, is transferred into corn plants by genetic engineering techniques, the corn begins produces this protein and it can be found in the corn pollen.

The black swallowtail butterfly is found widely throughout the eastern United States. Its larvae feed on only a few weed species, which typically grow in pastures, along roadsides and along the edges of cultivated fields. Thus, wind-blown pollen from genetically engineered corn could well be found on these weeds and eaten by black swallowtail butterfly larvae.

To investigate the effects of Bt pollen in the wild, the researchers placed potted host weed plants at different distances from fields of Bt corn. Ten black swallowtail larvae were placed on each plant, and their survival and condition were monitored for seven days. In addition, the researchers measured the amount of windblown pollen that was dispersed around the target plants.

The researchers found that neither the survival of the larvae nor their weight (an index of their condition) was affected by either the distance from the cornfield or by the amount of pollen that fell on their plants. Thus, the investigators concluded that although many of the larvae did die, there was “no evidence that pollen from corn contributed to that mortality.” In fact, the study authors indicated that other predatory insects were eating the larvae.

In addition to testing the Bt corn pollen under natural field conditions, the study authors also exposed black swallowtail larvae to varying amounts of Bt pollen in the laboratory. Again, they found that the pollen did not increase the mortality of the larvae compared to larvae exposed to pollen from non-engineered corn. Indeed, even when the larvae were exposed to a pollen concentration 40 times greater than they had encountered in the field, they were not affected.

The authors concluded that the use of genetically engineered crops, such as Bt corn, could be useful in reducing both the amount and environmental effects of chemical pesticides. They noted that such pesticides are more likely to affect non-targeted species of insects than would be true of genetically engineered crops.

Dr. Alan McHughen, professor at the University of Saskatchewan, and a molecular biologist, commented, “The data and evidence presented in this paper should effectively silence those critics who chose to negatively interpret the lab-based Monarch butterfly study from last year.

“This paper,” he continued, “shows that swallowtail butterflies, relatives of the Monarchs, suffered no undue harm in field situations when exposed to genetically modified corn pollen containing the Bt gene and protein.”

The HMO agreed to pay New Valley Athletics $1 per month for each of its subscribers. Participants were signed up to use the club on limited-use memberships (1/4 membership), which were only valid on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. The HMO paid for all the printed materials used to promote the program and implement Par Qs.

They even paid for shirts and water bottles, and are currently working on a television commercial to further promote the program.

The program has been so successful for New Valley Athletics, raising revenue by 20 percent with expenses less than 5 percent, that other clubs are sure to try and duplicate this arrangement. As an added bonus, New Valley Athletics has been able to turn many of the HMO participants into full-time members (without losing the HMO’s financial support), and the business’ reputation has grown as people call to find out if the program is for real.

We see Jake give a hearty jerk and hear what was kind of gross as I think about it – a lot of bones cracking and breaking. And then, what made Jan (and surely many other people) really have a rough time was how she had to hold the chicken as it jerked its last minute muscle twitches of death.

I think all meat-eaters should have to kill their food before they eat. I think we’d have more vegetarians. Plus, there would be far less suffering in the animal kingdom since animals who are bred purely to be eaten are treated horribly.

“… blend in baking soda and stir until mixture is light and foamy. Then you pour these onto…”

Jan adds Lucky’s head and Lucky’s feet to her pet cemetery, all the while crying and just carrying on (as Clay would say). “I’ll put it right here so they can be friends. Of course, they might think I’m crazy but that’s ok.” And then I think I heard her say, “And tomorrow, if the god-damned monkey eats more of our food, then you’ll have a nice monkey head for company.”

Back to the chicken. It’s cooked now. Ted says, “Man! Lucky really tastes good.”

Unlike sarcoptic mange in dogs, this mite is not that difficult to recover on skin scrapings and therefore a confirmed diagnosis is not unusual.

Treatment is not difficult but is time consuming, and safe products such as lime sulfur are often sufficient. All animals in the household should be treated. Insecticide use is rarely warranted.

The complexity of some fitness equipment could also affect the decision to sell online. Online sales is the step beyond “branding” on the Web, or the mere posting of Web pages to showcase a company’s product line, which is what most industry manufacturers currently offer. To help bridge the gap between branding and sales, many companies are starting to provide online demos of their products, rather than just static pages that act as electronic brochures. Proulx explains that visitors to their Web site can do just about anything on their Netpulse Station demo except “pedal” the exercise bike. And, Athey of FAST says that while the FAST site won’t be in operation until 1999, visitors can currently run through a demo of how their site will work.

Right now, once products have been viewed online, visitors are required to telephone manufacturers’ sales offices to make the purchase. Ideally, though, according to Proulx, the club [owner] will be able to go online, seek new ‘Lifecycle X thousand,’ take a virtual tour of it, look at the pricing and order over the Internet — without ever having to have a salesperson call them.”

Ixodes dammini is the tick responsible for transmitting this spirochete and is known to parasitize cats although borreliosis had not been previously reported in cats.

According to a study performed in Connecticut, cats are suitable hosts for this tick and do develop antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi.

Antibody levels appear to be lower in cats than in dogs or horses making them less suitable as sentinels for potential human exposure.

However, since white-footed mice harbor the spirochete in nature and infect the ticks that ultimately spread infection, the interrelationship of cats and mice, and cats and humans could potentially be significant.

The mites may cause itchiness, a rash, and scaling, the dandruff often said to resemble “salt and pepper”. Most of the problems are noted on the back and hindquarters.

The diagnosis is confirmed by actually finding the mites on skin scrapings or with a hand lens. They are commonly seen anchored to hair shafts. Treatment in cats is often effective with lime sulfur or 5% carbaryl powder.

The color variations in Siamese and Himalayan cats are caused by pigment production that varies with temperature. Pigment is produced in areas of greater heat loss, such as the extremities and is absent elsewhere. The Siamese trait therefore represents an imperfect form of albino in which there is some pigment but not a full complement as seen in other breeds.

Siamese cats, because they are deficient in pigment production, lack pigment on the retinas at the back of their eyes and therefore fail to develop normal visual pathways.

These pathways are abnormal in all Siamese cats but vary amongst individuals in degree. As a consequence of this misrouting from the eyes to the brain, a portion of the visual field is opposite of normal or inverted.

Siamese cats have learned to compensate for such misinformation by some brain “rewiring” but all Siamese cats lack binocular vision, the ability to form one picture from two eyes. The visual fields are therefore altered in Siamese cats, and their visual precision is decreased.

Siamese cats often develop a cross-eyed appearance (convergent strabismus) during their third month of life in an effort of their brains to create a complete visual field; abnormal eye position is necessary to optimize visual perception. Although we don’t tend to think of Siamese cats as any real kind of albinos, they do represent an important model of the effects of pigment and the genes that control them.

The question is, are they available for your pet? The answer: of course.

Many people seek out these therapies for themselves because they find them safe, effective, gentle and with few side effects. If is only natural to want them for your pet. The questions most people have are What therapies are available and where do I find them? This article will help answer those questions.

First let’s talk terminology. Many people use the term alternative to describe therapies not thought of as mainstream. However in many countries these are part of the primary care system and are the first to be used. Personally I like the term “complementary”. Its definition is, that which completes or perfects. In many cases no one therapy can treat the condition totally. You must mix therapies that complement each other.

This brings up the term “holistic”. Holistic does not describe any particular form of therapy. It simply means looking at the whole organism, whether it be a person or a pet. Holistic medicine involves not only the specific symptoms but also their effect on the whole patient. It means looking at the animal as a whole rather than the sum of its parts, and even looking beyond the animal to its environment. And finally, holistic means treating the whole patient rather than just the obvious symptoms.

Now let’s describe some of the therapies available and the principles behind them. Each therapy has its own benefits and limitations. To thoroughly discuss each would take several volumes rather than a paragraph. Here I’ll try to summarize.

Chiropractic is based on the fact that the body has an innate ability to heal itself. Its basic principle is that all functions of the body are organized and directed by the nervous system.

In a healthy body there are free-flowing nervous impulses or energy that keep it aware of any problems. Without this flow of nervous impulses the body cannot recognize and defend itself against disease. The major parts of the nervous system. the brain and spinal cord, are surrounded by bone. According to chiropractic, any misalignment in this bony structure can cause a decrease in the flow of impulses back and forth between the body and the brain.

The spine is not a rigid structure, of course, but one that is very mobile due to the large number of joints in it. This also makes it prone to having those joints become misaligned. The goal of the chiropractor, including veterinary chiropractors, is to get all the joints in proper alignment so there is no inhibition of the flow of nerve impulses. This allows the bodies defenses to work properly and keep the body healthy.

Homeopathy is more difficult to explain. It was developed by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann in the 1700’s. Dr. Hahnemann was curious about why and how medications worked. He experimented on himself and other volunteers to see what a medication did to a healthy person. This he felt would remove the effects of disease and allow him to see the true action of the medication. What he found is that a healthy person would show a specific set of symptoms for each medicine. When that medicine was given to a (continued on page11)

sick person showing that set set of symptoms the sick person would be cured.

From these observations Dr. Hahnemann developed the Law of Similars. This basically means that like cures like. In other words what will cause symptoms in a healthy person will cure symptoms in a sick person. Dr. Hahnemann also found that by diluting and potentiating the medicine he could eliminate the toxicity and side effects while maintaining or increasing the beneficial effects. These medicines, according to homeopathic theory, stimulate the body’s natural defenses in a way that allows the body to heal itself.

Acupuncture is an ancient therapy that has been practice in China for thousands of years. Its techniques and principles are fairly well known, so we’ll move on to a less familiar but equally ancient treatment: herbal therapy.

Humans probably learned herbal therapy form watching which plants sick animals ate. Herbal therapy can be divided into several different types. There are Chinese herbs from China and surrounding areas, Ayurvedic herbs from India, and Western herbs from Europe and the Americas. Even though different plants are used in each, the basic principles are the same. Plants contain a multitude of compounds within them. Some of these are useful as medicine, some are used to strengthen different organs, and still others can help clear toxins from the body. Herbs are used to support the body and its natural defenses as it heals itself.

Nutrition, of course, is the basis of all health and, for that matter, life itself. Without the proper foods, the body – be it animal or human – does not have the building blocks to maintain itself.

Nutritional therapy, however, goes beyond simple maintenance. It is the use of vitamins, minerals and food sources at therapeutic levels. That is levels higher than normal to bring about a specific effect. Nutritional therapy can help the body rebuild itself and make it more resistant to disease.

As you can see the theme running through all the complementary therapies is they rely on the bodies natural ability to heal itself. Each in its own way stimulates the body to heal itself. That’s why complementary therapies sometimes take a little longer to generate results. It is also why many times they are gentler, safer and have fewer side effects.