Coffee Break 105 June 10, 2007 ~ Next update: June 24th Hi friends,  I am delighted to report my inbox is loaded with goodies for Coffee Break.  Our Father's Day page is open for your enjoyment. I hope you enjoy this week's Coffee Break. Keep sending me your goodies for the future updates.  Remember, your participation is always welcome and invited. Send us your jokes, trivia, things to ponder, tips, and noteworthy items. Got a suggestion?   Contact Joanne ... and be sure to tell your friends about Coffee Break. Take care, stay in touch, and be happy, Joanne Your San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate Broker    Pulic Service Announcements ... I.C.E. - IN CASE OF EMERGENCY Contributed by: Mr. Richard DeBiaso A great idea that will make a difference!  Isn't it true that we all carry our mobile phones with hundreds of names/numbers stored in its memory but yet nobody, other than ourselves, know which of these numbers belong to our near and dear ones? Let us for a moment create a scenario wherein we are involved in an accident or had a heart attack and the people attending us get hold of our mobile phone but don't know which number to call to inform our family members. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? For this reason, we must have one or more telephone numbers stored under the name ICE (In case of Emergency) in our mobile phones. Recently, the concept of "ICE" is catching up quickly. It is simple, an important method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or person who should be contacted at during emergency as "ICE" (meaning In Case of Emergency). The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when they went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. Following a disaster in London , the East Anglican Ambulance Service has launched a national "In case of Emergency (ICE)" campaign. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital staff would then be able to quickly contact your next of kin, by simply dialing the number stored as "ICE". This simple idea could really save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest. For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our mobile phones today!    Raisin Toxicity (Dogs) ~ Contributed by Mr. Jim Knudsen They're not good for parrots either - too high in iron.  It says this letter is from 2004 and that it is true.  It says to also beware of chocolate, cocoa, onions and macadamia nuts. This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday.  He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM. I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but ...  Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 ½ times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours. The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids.  At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care. He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to incr ease daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220.. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize. This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern. Laurinda Morris, DVM Danville Veterinary Clinic Danville , Ohio Source: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins.asp   Adopt-s-Pet ~ Humane Society of Silicon Valley Greetings, I’m Jazzy. I’m an exotic looking beauty - Blue Cream Calico in color, with eyes of an astonishing shade of blue, reminiscent of Caribbean waters. Aah...yes, the leisurely but playful life of a tropical island. That’s my style. I enjoy strolls, exploring, play, affection, and being treated like I’m queen of the island. In fact, I’d be just as happy being the only feline on “the island”, but if there are others, they’d need to accept my royal status. I’m really one for enjoying life from a good lap, but I’m not terribly fond of being picked up and held – that’s not for royalty! Do stop by and meet me, won’t you? Like tropical trade winds, I think I’ll “blow you away”! Also, I qualify for the Golden Pet Program. That means you receive special discounts and rewards for adopting me! Just look at this:  http://www.hssv.org/adoption_golden_pet.html If you woul like to adopt Jazzy or another pet, please call the Adoptions Department at 408-727-3383 ext. 856    Now, this weeks Goodies ... In Defense of Our Country ~ By Randy Newman Listen to Randy Neman sing his new song: A Few Words in Defense of Our Country Click here to listen and watch Randy Lost Grandpa ~ Thanks to Mr. Jim Ward A small boy was lost at a large shopping mall. He approached a uniformed policeman and said, "I've lost my grandpa!"   The cop asked, "What's he like?"   The little boy hesitated for a moment and then replied, "Crown Royal whiskey and women with big boobs." Chewing Gum ~ Thanks to Ms. Florence Pierson During a commercial airline flight a Navy pilot was seated next to a young mother with a babe in arms. When the baby began crying during the descent for landing, the mother began nursing the infant as discreetly as possible.   The pilot pretended not to notice and, upon debarking, he gallantly offered his assistance to help with the various baby-related impedimenta. When the young mother expressed her gratitude, the pilot responded, "Gosh, that's a good looking baby...and he sure was hungry!" Somewhat embarrassed, the mother explained that her pediatrician said nursing would help alleviate the pressure in the baby's ears. The Navy pilot sadly shook his head, and in true pilot fashion exclaimed, "Damn! And all these years I've been chewing gum."   Dear God #1 ~ Thanks to Ms. Patti Smith   Think Test ~ Thanks to Mr. Michael Pruitt This was interesting, educational and fun.    A Think Test   Computer Fix ~ Thanks to Mr. Jim Ward FINALLY, after going through a virus attack, losing a hard drive, fighting off hackers, upgrading all my software, installing fire-walls, being threatened with being cut-off by my email provider, and a host of other problems ... I have fixed my computer ... and NOW it works exactly the way I want it to!   A Little Coffee Wisdom  ~ Thanks to Ms. Barbara Jones A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got  together for a visit with their old university professor.  The conversation  soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general ... Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee ... When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering ... ''You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural  for you to want only the best for yourselves - that is actually the source  of much of your stress-related problems ..." ''Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the  cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really  wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best  cups ... Then you began eyeing each other's cups ..."  ''Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in Society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we  live ..." ''Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us ... God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the  cups.  Enjoy your coffee! So please remember: Live Simply. Love Generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the Rest to God."    The Ark ~ Thanks to Ms. Barbara Jones The Woodpecker Might have to go!     Dear God #2 ~ Thanks to Ms. Patti Smith     The Miracle ~ Thanks to Ms. Florence Pierson I sent the e-mail to 10 people, just like the instructions stated ... I'm still waiting for the miracle to happen ...     Dear God #3 ~ Thanks to Ms. Patti Smith   The Cat ~ Thanks to Mr. Jim Knudsen Never have seen anything like this. I hope you think it is as funny as I did. Get out of my bed, cat!   Picture of the Week  ~ Thanks to Mr. Jim Knudsen Scotch Tape Art More Scotch Tape Art   Before you go, remember your comments, suggestions, and contributions are always welcome.  When you come across something funny or informative and in good taste, please send it along.  I would love to include it with your name and our thanks.  I leave you to ponder what a good friend of mine shared with me:  "The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes along their way." Make it a good week, be happy and and come back soon. Joanne Joanne L. Gardiner, Broker e-PRO Realtor® Advantage Realty Clock Tower Commerce Center 3205 Whipple Road Union City, California 94587 (510) 429-4800 Our primary services in the San Francisco Bay Area are: East bay real estate,  Hayward real estate, Castro Valley real estate,  Danville real estate, Dublin real estate, Fremont real estate,  Newark real estate, Niles real estate, Pleasanton real estate, San Leandro real estate, San Lorenzo real estate, San Ramon real estate, Sunol real estate and Union City real estate. Peninsula real estate, Palo Alto real estate, Foster City real estate, San Mateo real estate, San Carlos real estate, Burlingame real estate, Belmont real estate, Half Moon Bay real estate Types of real estate in which we specialize:  houses, condominiums, townhomes, garden homes, PUDs, single family homes, mobile homes, module homes, duets, residential income property, duplexes, tri-plexes, four-plexes, small apartment complexes and special use properties.

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