From The Inside

BARF

The things you get up to when you are off ill - and bored!  (Yep I've still been off all this week - my energy levels have been ridiculously low, even going to the doctors to get signed-off wiped me out!!).

So, since Molly (my 14 month old lab) has come off her puppy food I decided to start looking for an affordable, good quality dog food to put her on.  These complete dry food (kibble) products are all the rage at the moment.  But when you start looking into the background of them you begin to discover what they actually contain! 

My starting point was a quality document that said that none of the top 3 ingredients should be either "meal" products, additives or wheat derivatives.  There you hit problem number 1 - they all are!  These "meal" products, it turns out, contain all the total rubbish and waste from human food processing plants - bones, feathers, beaks, bowels (and contents!), feet - you name it.  I even read stories that dogs which are destroyed in dog pounds etc are usually thrown in too - often complete with collars and body bags they come in - and of course the lethal drug with which they were destroyed.  To say the least, these "meal" products are not of good quality. 

Then there are the additives.  Turns out Hills (producers of one of the main 'quality' products) allegedly contains a preservative that is also used in anti-freeze!  And I also read that it is alleged Royal Canin Food (another quality name) has additives which are banned in some countries because they may be carcinogenic.  As for the cheaper products - the colourings and additives they contain are astronomical!  Some said it would be like feeding your child on a diet of the poorest quality hamburgers, coke and Smarties - and expecting them to be both healthy and calm!!

The web is full of stories of dogs who have either prematurely died, or who suffer from allergies, stomach complaints and joint pains - which have all been attributed to the food they are eating.  Many of these articles are written by practising vets.

So what is the solution?  The thing that seems to be catching on now is the "BARF" diet (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food - or Bone and Raw Food) which is all about taking dogs back to a natural diet; good quality raw meat, some vegetables (there seems to be a lot of debate as to whether dogs are carnivores or omnivores!) and good quality bones.  Not only is this far better for the health and well-being of the dog, but it is also cheaper!  (Some butchers will even give bones, chicken wings etc for free!)  Supposedly it also makes the dogs poo less!! Dogs on commercial food, it is claimed, poo far more simply because so much of the meal is waste product to begin with.

So - the jury is out in our household, but looks like we may try moving away from the mass produced, processed meals - to some wholesome raw ingredients.  I may let you know how we get on - if I ever remember to! 

[Apologies to all those reading this who a) don't have dogs and don't care less or b) were looking for something prison related!  Incidentally the prison is looking at making the menus for prisoners more healhy/natural too - if that helps!?]

Have I Got News For You?

They say that a day in politics is a long time - look at what a week brings!!  This time last week our Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, looked on the verge of a revolt to put him out of office, with disastrous local elections just past and the prospect of equally disastrous European elections looming the next day.  This weekend however, it's all business as usual.  The moment has passed and we're left wondering what all the hype was about.  It makes me wonder - not for the first time - to what extent the BBC, and the other news agencies, report the news, and to what extent they actually generate it.  Were they reporting the events in Westminster last week, or whether they adding fuel to the fire? 

I may be old fashioned, but I think news reporters should be professional and impartial.  Have you noticed how frequently adjectives are used nowadays - "the three were found guilty of horrendous crimes"; "Israel's inhumane treatment of the Palestinians"; "Gordon Brown's weakened and indecisive leadership"?  These things may very well be true - and it's something the tabloids do all the time - but I wish organisations like the BBC would leave out these value judgements and let us decide them for ourselves.  Otherwise they are not simply reporting events - they are shaping public opinion.  (No idea where that rant came from!)

Other news that interested me this week was this story.  Brigadier Hugh Monro has been announced as the new Chief Inspector of Prisons in Scotland, to replace Rev Andrew McLellan who retires in the next few weeks.  Andrew (in my humble opinion) did a great job - he was professional, objective and out-spoken where necessary.  The post of Chief Inspector, and the system of inspection in general, is up for review, which is why Hugh Monro has only been appointed for a fixed term of 4 years, but I wish him well in his post for the years ahead - and hope that if he visits my place that he will be kind!!  (There has been even been suggestions of a thematic inspection of Chaplaincy in all the prisons - but I don't know where that discussion has reached!?)

On a personal note, me and the better half have been ill all this week with the flu.  Feeling better now - but still have a few lingering symptoms - including an internal thermostat that seems still to be doing weird things!  Hopefully I'll get back to my work on Monday.  However we weren't too ill (or maybe it was because we were ill in the head!) to go out and buy a new pup!!  We decided that Molly (now 14 months old) needs a wee sister - so Meg is on her way.  Another chocolate lab, and born on 21 May (my dad's birthday!) she is 3 weeks old.  She will be ready to leave her mum and come home with us in mid-July - once we have had our summer holiday.  Question is - are we really ready to start all over again!?

The Kingdom of God has Come?

I have really dried up on the blogging front.  No idea why.  I've probably just settled into work within the prison and the daily routine - and maybe nothing new happens from day to day.  (That can't really be true!?)  I have a decision to make however.  In the next 10 days my annual subscription is up on this blog site.  Do I renew or do I just retire?  I suppose you'll find out in the next 10 days!!

I've also been busy with a new group I've started.  It's called Exodus. I realised that for some of the guys who had been attending Chaplaincy things while in prison, and who had been starting at the very least to investigate the things of God, that once released they often fall away and don't make the transition into a local church.  So, along with one other guy who is now out on parole, I decided to start a wee fellowship group - for worship, Bible study, prayer and general support and friendship.  I told him that even if it was just the 2 of us we'd meet and pray for guys we knew.

It never was just the 2 of us!  We regularly have about 10-12 guys, all ex-prisoners.  Some have returned to the Christian commitments they have made previously, others are starting from scratch!  (During one study recently one guy asked "You mean Jesus came alive again??  I knew he died on a cross - I never knew he came alive again!)

I think it's helping!  One guy in particular came along a few weeks ago and prayed out from the bottom of his heart for God to help him and change him.  It was very real.  And what a change since - he said he left that night and has never felt the same since.  It's early days but he's now stayed out of prison for about 7 weeks - and only once before has he gone so long in the past 10 years.  He's off drugs, his family have welcomed him back, and he feels the urge to go round and apologise to folk he has offended against in the past and pay them back for things he has stolen.

Another guy announced that last week he went out and bought some shopping.  Not remarkable?  Well he said that was the first time he'd paid for his shopping in 5 years!!  Another guy announced that for 3 weekends in a row now he hasn't been lifted for being drunk and disorderly.  He did get into a fight two weeks ago (and had his jaw broken with a baseball bat!) and while family and friends all want to go for revenge, he wants to do it Jesus' way - and turn the other cheek and forgive.

Maybe not all remarkable stories - but as they were telling me these, and more, recently, I kept thinking "Behold, the Kingdom of God is coming among you."  Take control Father!